Coursework The Great Experiment

Feynman leaned back in his expensive vintage leather chair brought over from his home in Huston Texas. He knew it had been an indulgence even mildly pompous but he was about to solve the question of life and he figured he could afford some indulgence. He looked over his left shoulder out through a huge custom built glass screen along the whole left wall of his office at his magnificent baby. This was no ordinary baby. His baby had taken 20 years and 4. 5 billion dollars to come into life and yesterday it had. It had been with great pride that he had finally thrown the switch that had started its working life. A lot of critics and flat earthers had expressed deep set opposition to the world's greatest and most expensive experiment. But Feynman himself had no doubts whatsoever; he had won a Nobel Prize for the theory behind the experiment and had managed its construction from the start. If there was a problem he would have known and he had every confidence in not only his own work but also the combined intellect of thousands of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. The project had attracted the crime de la crime of the world's best. He looked again through his panoramic glass wall at the machine itself, In fact he was only looking at one critical part of the machine. Alice was the name given to the huge Atlas detector that was the heart of the machine and the project. Its purpose was nothing less than to answer the question why do we have mass? It would finally prove there was no God. The only God Feynman believed in was Physics and higher maths. His 46 meter seven thousand ton Alice was to him a beautiful construction. The collider itself of which Alice was merely only a part stretched out over 26 kilometres running in a circle underneath the border between Switzerland and France at a depth of 100 meters. Like a giant hidden crop circle the machine was the biggest of its kind anywhere in the world. The complexity of the machine was incredible, millions of wires each vital stretched into the distance, thousands of components melded together in this creation of all creations. But it was mans creation, Feynman's creation. His very own version of intelligent design. The concept that the creationists had for so long held onto. Feynman looked down at the first data reserved for his eyes only. He was the only man that knew , he would have to tell them. His heart rate quickened, he began to sweat, he began to feel a rising bile, he began to realise what he had done, what they had done. There had always been a theoretical possibility of course but it always had seemed so ridiculous. The maths just didn't work. Feynman and his team had laughed about it over the years but it was no laughing matter now. The popular press had called their search, the search for the God particle. They had found that sure enough. But it was no loving God, this god wasn't going to solve our problems, answer our questions offer an everlasting afterlife. Feynman knew the tiny subatomic black hole would grow from something so small, so infinitesimally tiny it couldn't be seen with a microscope to something that, in time would devour everything. Every forest, every house, every school, man woman and child would all go. Every particle that made this world this existence, this life would go. Not now, not tomorrow but in time and it was starting now. He had to tell them.

Principles of Project Management Essay

1. The Commitment Principle An equitable commitment between the project sponsor and the project delivery team must exist before a possible project exists. The Project Sponsor is considered to be the Project Owner who provides resources such as funds, services and general direction. The project delivery team is the one in charge for appropriate techniques, plans and controls for using the skills needed and work to convert those resources into the required deliverables or product. Dealing with a Sponsor is a matter of developing a trust and understanding between the Sponsor and the team. Project sponsors should set clear boundaries for cost and time, with which the manager should work. If he/she cannot provide the agreed deliverables within these constraints, concerns must be escalated to the sponsor for a decision. Defined roles and responsibilities: A project team in which ALL people understand their responsibilities and sincerely believe they can achieve them. Each person must know how they can contribute to project objectives. Project stakeholders must have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, to be able know exactly what he or she is supposed to be doing. Project environment is of critical importance and requires definition and understanding. 2. The Success Principle The measures of project success, in terms of both process and product, must be defined at the beginning of the project as a basis for project management decision making and post-project evaluation. Success for a project and how it will be measured after completion needs to be defined at the beginning of the project. The most important reason is to provide an on-going basis for management decision making during the course of the project. The timing of the measurement of success itself may also need identifying. It is not possible to measure its ultimate success without agreement on the project’s success criteria 3. The Tetrad Trade-off Principle The core variables of the project management process — namely, product scope, quality grade, time-to-produce, and 4 total cost-at-completion — must all be mutually compatible and definitely attainable. The term â€Å"Tetrad trade-off† is quite an unfamiliar word, but possibly this is the value of the term to stressed that there are four separate but interactive variables which are scope, quality, time and cost rather than just three as in the old view of ‘Triple Constraint’ (time, cost and performance.) The advantage of viewing the four as a tetrad rather than choosing only three to form a triangle is that it gives more importance to quality. Of the four, the quality of the product is apparently, and in fact, the most stable. 4. The Strategy Principle A strategy encompassing first planning then doing, in a focused set of sequential and progressive phases, must be in place. Before the project start, it is very important that consumers think thoroughly about the products, or deliverables they need. They must be prà ©cised and detailed about their requirements to produce a feasible plan. This makes managing the project much easier and less risky. 5. The management principle The Management Principle begins with â€Å"how it will be done and who will do it†. Policies and procedures that are effective and efficient must be in place for the proper conduct and control of the project commitment. 6. The Single-Point Responsibility Principle This principle is an extension of the management principle and is needed for effective management of the project commitment. Clear communication is very important for the coordination of a complicated project activity. A single channel of communication must exist between the project sponsor and the project team leader for all decisions affecting the product scope. 7. The Cultural Environment Principle Management must provide an informed and supportive cultural environment to ensure that the project delivery team are able to work to the limits of their capacity. Whatever methodology or framework you prefer, it must be modified to suit the requirements and needs of your project. Rather than sticking to methodology, the project manager must be able to get used to procedures to meet the demands of the work in hand. the management of the organization in which the project takes place must be supportive and the environment free of obstacles in the way of project progress. (Wideman, Robert Max; Bing, John A.; Neal, Gerald;, 2000) B. Appraise the viability of at least five (5) project’s success/ failure criteria (1.2) To be successful, a project must have: 1. Agreement or arrangement among the project stakeholders – the project team, customer, project leader skills and management – on the objective of the project. 2. A project plan that shows what is capable, shows an overall path and clear tasks, contains the facts and details for calculating the people, money, time, equipment, and materials needed to get the job completed, and will be used to determine development as the project is taking its course. 3. Continuous, effective communication among everyone that is concerned in the project in order to manage and organize action, distinguish and get to the bottom of problems and respond to changes. 4. A controlled scope or â€Å"stakeholder expectations management†. Everyone involved in the project must know their share of responsibilities. To make sure that everyone concerned understands exactly what can be done within a specified time frame and budget; a systematic method for establishing practical goals for deliverables, cost, schedule, and quality, as well as techniques for maintaining the goals reliable all through the project. 5. Upper management support, â€Å"managing upward†, guiding the upper managers toward appropriate decisions that maintains the project moving – to bring people and other resources, make guidelines, or remove organizational obstacles. The main causes of project failure that were identified were: 1. Lack of User Involvement One of the reasons why projects fail is that users do not participate in the system development process to the extent that they should. the lack of participation in the project by those who will use the system has proved fatal for many projects. Without user participation, it will cause delay to Projects because the management has not allocated people to do the work that users should be doing. If a project is to be a success management and users need to be concerned from the start to end of the progress. This requires time and effort. 2. Long or Unrealistic Time Scales The key advice is that project timescales should be little, which means that better systems should be split into separate projects. There are always problems with this approach, but the profit of doing so is significant. 3. Poor or No Requirements poor requirements are probably one of the most difficult issue that can be faced by a project. The incapacity to identify good requirements has also led to other project delivery problems — such as the desire to narrow the scope of the project so as to minimize the requirements workload and risk. Users should understand what it is they want, and be able to identify it specifically. if you don’t get the business requirements right, however well you deliver the project, the client/business will be dissatisfied. 4. Scope Creep Scope creep is a risk in most projects. it is the change or growth of project scope. Scope creep more frequently occurs during the later stages of a project, such as programming and testing, than during the earlier stages, such as design. This can occur when the scope of a project is not properly defined, documented, or controlled. This is a management issue similar to change control. Management should be able to figure it all out at the start. A project manager often tries to manage scope creep. The goal in managing scope creep is to try to minimize the impact of any changes on the project, such as on the timeline and cost. 5. No Change Control System Business needs are changing even more rapidly than ever before. There may be unavoidable external requirements over which you have no control, such as new regulations for data privacy, changed regulatory reporting requirements etc.So it is not reasonable to anticipate no change in requirements while a project or system is being built. However uncontrolled changes play chaos with a system under improvement and have caused many project confusion and failures. (Anon., 2001) (Suggest additional standard for the project’s success/ failure criteria, M1) Other IT project failure criteria by the IT and project managers were: * missed deadlines * exceeded budget * cost getting out of hand * many projects fail because they use new or unproven technology. * poor project definition by the project’s owner, perhaps because of insufficient consultation with stakeholders or their failure to be specific about requirements and desired outcomes. * lack of ownership and personal accountability by senior management. * inadequately skilled and experienced project personnel. * inadequate reporting arrangements and decision-making. * inconsistent understanding of required project activities, roles and responsibilities. Other criteria for project success were: * meeting the budget * meeting milestones * a well-defined scope and agreed understanding of intended outcome. * active management of risks, issues and timely decision-making supported by clear and short lines of reporting. * ongoing commitment and support from senior management. * a senior individual with personal accountability and overall responsibility for the successful outcome of the project. * defined and visibly managed processes that are appropriate or the scale and complexity of the project. (Find another company that uses success/failure criteria and tell something about how these criteria help the company’s projects , D1) The Calvert Social Index is a stock market index created by Calvert Investments as a benchmark of large companies that are considered socially responsible or ethical. It currently consists of 468 companies, weighted by market capitalization, selected from approximately 1,000 of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States using Calvert’s social criteria. These criteria relate to the environment, workplace issues, product safety, community relations, weapons contracting, international operations, and human rights. This index was created following the success of the Domini 400 Social Index by KLD Research & Analytics, Inc. The Calvert index is used by many so-called socially responsible mutual funds as a benchmark for their performance. These criteria helped the company improve with their business management. They were able to market those specific products that seem to be most wanted by their customers. With these criteria, it helped them improve their product development that made them stand out from their competitors. It also helped the company improve business management in the area of finance and because of this, they have built a good business reputation. (Calvert Investment Distributors, n.d.) B. Discuss the principles behind project management systems and procedures (1.3) The Project Management Process suggest three main deliverables be defined before actual work on the project begins. These are the Project Definition, Project work plan, and the Project Management Procedures. The Project Management Procedures explains how the project will be managed, and are an effective and efficient way to communicate the processes to the project team, customers, and stakeholders. Although they may appear time consuming to develop, in most cases these procedures only need to be created once. When you have a set of procedures that allow you to be successful, you can reuse them on later projects. In fact, these procedures can be written at the company or organization level, and then used as the starting point for all projects in the company. These procedures come from the process for large projects. They should be customized as appropriate for your project, your team, and your organization. In most cases, the processes should be simplified for smaller projects. Although this template is called Project Management Procedures, this document really describes processes. Processes are at a higher level than procedures. You can turn them into procedures by specifying the particular roles, people, and dates that make sense. The procedures that will be used to manage the project will include parts on how the team will manage issues, scope change, risk, quality, communication, etc. It is important to be able to manage the project thoroughly and proactively and make sure the project team and all stakeholders have a common understanding of how the project will be managed. If common procedures have already been recognized for your organization, apply them on your project. (Discuss how to integrate human and material resources to achieve successful projects, M2) Every project that involves more than one person requires a project team to get the work done. Building a motivated project team will be your primary and most critical task, because the success of the project will rely heavily on choosing the right team members and gaining their commitment to the project’s objectives. To utilize the abilities of permanently assigned staff and to fulfill these requirements but if there are required skills that are not available, then other sources must be identified and pursued. Books, educational programs, internet and human involvement go hand in hand to make the task accomplished. With these help, unforeseen errors and miscalculation will be lessened. Coordination will also make time required less for the project to be successful. (Wideman, 1991) (Look for an existing IT Project of any company and evaluate the project management system and procedures, D2) IS Auditing Procedure: P6 Firewalls An information security audit is an audit on the level of information security in an organization. Within the broad scope of auditing information security there are multiple types of audits, multiple objectives for different audits, etc. Most commonly the controls being audited can be categorized to technical, physical and administrative. Auditing information security covers topics from auditing the physical security of data centers to the auditing logical security of databases and highlights key components to look for and different methods for auditing these areas. When centered on the IT aspects of information security, it can be seen as a part of an information technology audit. It is often then referred to as an information technology security audit or a computer security audit. However, information security encompasses much more than IT. By and large the two concepts of application security and segregation of duties are both in many ways connected and they both have the same goal, to protect the integrity of the companies’ data and to prevent fraud. For application security it has to do with preventing unauthorized access to hardware and software through having proper security measures both physical and electronic in place. With segregation of duties it is primarily a physical review of individuals’ access to the systems and processing and ensuring that there are no overlaps that could lead to fraud. (Isaca, 2003) C. Identify the key elements involved in terminating projects and conducting post – project appraisals (1.4) 1. Termination activities should be identified in the baseline plan 2. Verify that all agreed-on deliverables were provided. 3. Organize and file project-related documentation. 4. Assure that all payments have been collected from the customer. 5. Assure that all payments for materials and subcontractors have been paid. 6. Prepare a written performance evaluation of each member of the project team. (Evaluate the key elements involved in terminating projects, M3) Terminating a project should always undergo a process – resources used could be audited and workforce could be evaluated properly. 1. Go back to project plan to check the appropriate balance between resource usage and project duration that directly complies with project objectives. 2. Confirm or prove that all deliverables that were agreed on were clearly fleshed out. 3. Document and organize all files related to the project. 4. All invoices should have been sent to the customer. All collectibles should be received before closing the review. 5. Payments for materials and subcontractors should be fulfilled as well. 6. Evaluate the performance of the project team and properly document it as well. 7. Conduct post-mortem or –project evaluation meetings (Szabelski, n.d.) (Give situations where a terminated project can still be considered again, D3) Hiring a new principal investigator (PI) (or an equivalent person) is the next best solution for projects that were terminated or put on hold. In order to ensure the smooth transition of documents and processes, the old PI should train the new hire Loss of human, funding and other valuable resources, whether anticipated or not, is the most common problem that may force an organization to terminate or put a project on hold. In order to address this challenge, the affected organization should be able to tap other available resources such as funding vehicles and connections or networks for new hires or experts. If an internal assessment or evaluation of the project showed negative results, resources, processes and even the project itself can be adjusted or modified in order to achieve or fulfill set expectations and objectives. (Orfano, 2009) Bibliography Anon., 2001. Coley Consulting. [Online] Available at: http://www.coleyconsulting.co.uk/failure.htm [Accessed 18 October 2011]. Calvert Investment Distributors, I., n.d. Calvert Investments. [Online] Available at: http://www.calvert.com/NRC/Literature/Documents/TL10036.pdf [Accessed 20 October 2011]. Isaca, 2003. ISACA. [Online] Available at: http://www.isaca.org/Knowledge-Center/Standards/Pages/IS-Auditing-Procedure-P6-Firewalls1.aspx [Accessed 22 October 2011]. Orfano, F., 2009. Feministy.org. [Online] Available at: http://www.feministy.org/business-management/re-starting-a-terminated-project [Accessed 22 October 2011]. Szabelski, T., n.d. Modern Project Management. [Online] Available at: bpr-project.eu/./project_management_by_tomasz szabelski.pdf [Accessed 21 October 2011]. Wideman, Robert Max; Bing, John A.; Neal, Gerald;, 2000. Max’s Project Management Wisdom. [Online] Available at: http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/principles/principles.htm [Accessed 16 October 2011]. Wideman, R.M., 1991. Max’s Project Managenent Wisdo m. [Online] Available at: http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/questions/answers.htm [Accessed 18 October 2011].

Article review

Should the Texas Legislature continue to serve as a part-time law making body, only meeting in regular session for 140 days every two years, or should it change to a full-time body meeting in regular session each year? The Texas Legislature should continue to serve as a part-time law making body. It would allow the most important matters to be addressed and taken care of first. The only downfall would be the less important matters may be overlooked. I believe that if the Texas Legislature were to meet in regular sessions each year there would be many changes in the law. I think that only meeting for 140 days every two years allows issues that occur a chance to resolve itself and allows the most important matters to be taken care of. Although having regular sessions would allow the small issues to be brought to the Texas Legislature’s attention it could harm the process of law making because the more crucial problems could be overrun by the many smaller ones, because of the increased time to resolve certain matters. Should the $7,200 annual salary for Texas legislators be lowered, maintained, or increased? I believe that the salary should be raised to that of a reasonable pay to which a person could live off of. Texas Legislatures deserve to get paid more than minimum wage for the work that they do not just for themselves, but for the state. They make decisions that effect Texan’s lives and with that reason I believe we should raise their salary to an amount that can accommodate their duties as a Texas Legislature. Texas Legislatures do get compensation which is about 168,000, according to The Book of the States, 2010 Edition, vol.42 (Lexington, Ky. : Council of State Governments, 2010), 113-116. This may be the reason many Texans do not want to raise their salary, but this allowance is only for regular and special sessions. The least that we voters can do is increase the pay for Legislatures of Texas because they serve an important role as a part of our state law making. The Texas governor is elected to a four-year term and there are no term limits on how many terms or yearâ₠¬â„¢s one person can serve as the state’s chief executive. Should term limits be implemented to restrict the total number of terms or years one person can serve as Texas governor? There should be term limits to restrict the total number of terms or years a person can serve as a Texas Governor, because it allows a Governor who may be better suited for the job a better chance to take office. Just as there is a limit for President, the same rules should apply, when it comes to limitations for serving. If a Governor is allowed to run for as long as he/she is elected than there is no chance for a change of certain policies that can benefit the state. Another candidate may have new and fresh ideas for the state, but have less of chance of being able to implement them because certain voters may favor the Governor already in office. People are also scared of change and tend to stick with what they are comfortable with. Having a new Governor may not be appealing to them. Without a term limit the Governor can be in office for longer than he/she should be.

Spiro Agnew and Construction Kickbacks (ethic case study) Essay

Spiro Agnew and Construction Kickbacks (ethic case study) - Essay Example Matz responded by giving kickbacks to Agnew for every contract they were awarded. Matz faces no criminal prosecution for cooperating with the prosecution. Most contracting firms could no longer win contracts unless they participated in such activity in Maryland. Through their complains, ‘whistle blowing’, the Spiro Agnew and Construction kickbacks are revealed. Although this practice was common in Maryland, it is unacceptable. The fundamental canons in Engineer Ethics Code states that engineers hold paramount the welfare of the public as they perform their professional duties and be done in areas of competence. They should also build professional reputation on merit of their services and compete fairly with others. This practice is unfair since there is no fair competition for contracts. Whistle blowing is the best action. The engineer should alert relevant persons on the legal or moral corruption. This is a controversial issue that is challenging because of repercussions that the engineer might face. The legal body together with good political will help in such like situations. Competitive bidding creates a level play ground for contractors participating in a bidding competition. For this case, competitive bidding could not have solved the problem because of misuse of office by the politicians and engineers as well (Fleddermann, 2011). 4.14 What is the ethical status of a campaign contribution given to a politician to secure future business? Is this a bribe? Is it the same as a kickback? Perhaps line drawing would help answer this question. Many times, kickbacks are offered from an appreciation point of view after award of a contract. It is secretly given, mostly in terms of money for a particular assistance or work given. Unlike bribe which is given before a service is rendered. Campaign contribution given by a contractor to a politician to secure future business is a bribe since it is used to

Classification of Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Classification of Accounting - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that the first category of accounting is financial accounting. The main purpose of this type of accounting is to get an insight into financial matters using financial statements. It involves some core activities related to financial information, which are recording, reordering, and summarizing of the events that have occurred within in a given period. The second category of accounting is cost accounting. Cost accounting deals with analysis of different types of business costs using formulas, approaches, and processes. Cost accounting helps managers identify business costs, as well as expenses required to run business processes using current strategy. Some of the main approaches to do cost accounting include lean accounting, throughput accounting, and activity-based costing.This study highlights that the third category of accounting is management accounting. It deals with the management of the results from both other types of accounting. It is mainly concer ned with the use of financial statements and cost analysis in taking business decisions. Some examples of financial information that managers use in management accounting include current ration, net profit, and equipment depreciation. The three types of accounting include financial accounting, cost accounting, and management accounting. Financial accounting deals with the preparation of financial statements. Cost accounting deals with the analysis of business costs using a suitable cost accounting approach. Management accounting is mainly concerned with the use of financial and non-financial information in taking business decisions.

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Loss Prevention Personnel - Coursework Example The coursework "Loss Prevention Personnel" discusses a type of security guard, loss prevention personnel, that is hired directly through different companies to ensure the safety of the employees, company property, and to help reduce theft in places where goods and services are sold. This kind of employee may have several responsibilities within a company depending on their experience and educational background. The benefits to these jobs give individuals the ability to illustrate their understanding of central know-hows as they are decided to depend on the guard’s environmental background, and within a short time at all, it can boost their capacities or open doors to new opportunities through additional training and on the job. LPP have advantages among competition and are more likely to be promoted from within over new hires. This opportunity increases job opportunities and getting certification credits or in a degree program that will motivate you into wanting more pay and s how off your credentials. People eligible to work in criminal justice field are drug tested asked personal questions in the hiring process and feel that revealing this material is a violation of their rights and privacy because some positions in law require personal information about you. Within polygraph testing, the questions are very personal and are also made to ask you are who you say you are and want to know about your personal being, thoughts, past, opinions, secrets, and nationality to determine if you are eligible for hire.

E-government. bpmn module Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

E-government. bpmn module - Assignment Example On eligibility at this level, the request is taken to the ministries of commerce and finance where the commercial eligibility is then checked. The request is checked against the ownership of any other property, inheritances and company information before being passed to the interior ministry to check on crime history. A clean record is returned to the finance section for confirmation, approval and notification to the client. Evidently as noted, considering that it is a manual process, so many places are visited. The processes indicated and explained in the flow chart are physical and involves the client submitting the documentation to the authorities for the checks indicated. Such a process is time consuming and wastes a lot of money as the person applying is supposed to travel a lot as they submit the documents to the departments, in person. In the approval of a housing grant and a financial loan, the beneficiary needs to follow the same process right from the start to the end, which wastes more time to the persons, and can be very frustrating. The processes are too bureaucratic. Before one is allowed to have the grants, the beneficiary is required to transverse a lot of government departments, following a series of protocol. Within the process as described in the current flowchart, the acquisition process involves some repetition of some steps. This repetition adds to the overall time required and the expense of handling the requests. Such a procedure leads to the very many delayed requests within the various government departments, leading to millions of pending applications (Arab News, 2013). Another disadvantage of the manual applications is high propensity to loss of documents, and thus a repeat of the whole application procedure. This is frustrating to the applicants who can as well lose trust in the government. A manual system, despite being tedious and discouraging, has a potential of preventing many potential

Does the concept of authenticity have any value in the evaluation or Essay

Does the concept of authenticity have any value in the evaluation or appreciation of Japanese popular music If it does, what makes a work or musician authentic, or inauthentic Give examples and discuss - Essay Example Japan has embraced the music genre called pop since 1990s. On its emergence in Japan, pop music replaced the local â€Å"Kayokyoku† music in order to cater for international music demand. The Japanese pop music has diversified and now it is common in all parts of the country (Craig, 2000:13). One amusing fact about the Japanese pop music is that it is a hard alternative genre that combines both English and Japanese which are blended so well that they bring the authentic taste (Keller, 2008:6). The Japanese pop music has been formed and expanded by imported music from other cultures. The Japanese have assimilated music continually from countries like Korean and the Buddhism kingdom. The Japanese pop musicians had to immediately conform to carter for the American occupying forces. These musicians had first to interact in lengthy with American musician in order to learn the recording forms of pop music because the American character of pop music is regarded as contestable (Levins on, 2011:7). The Japanese pop industry had to locate itself in an aesthetic hierarchy that would reinforce asymmetries of power and cultural prestige. The Japanese had thus to embrace the Japan-US relationship by placing American artist at the apex as innovators and the Japanese maintained as imitators. The idea of authenticity in the Japanese pop music has taken root in the idea of western popular music. Although the Japanese music has become the heart of the music of the people, there is still the idea that it can only be authentically done by the westerners. The idea of authenticity in Japanese music has taken root in the blending of English and Japanese in lyrics. The Japanese artists write the whole composition purely in English simply to acquire authenticity (Sxornbrun, 2005: 18). Japanese people have a rough history of importing and

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Organization of the module - Assignment Example In addition, it relates to my academic achievement as demonstrated in each theory. Larsen and Ellehave (2000:104) give a definition of the term ‘career’ and its components. They define it to be a development process where an individual through personal experiences and interaction with an organization is able to establish prosperity grounds. The scholars further explain that the term ‘career’ is composed of two components; the objective and the subjective components. Their interaction creates a far much bigger body, difficult to disentangle. Basically, career theories can be split into two; traditional and modern. The traditional theory talks about the vertical rise of employees up the ladder career ladder in terms of job position they hold in their workplace.1 Most people still embrace this concept as they see it to be orderly. It allows recognition of abilities and promotions are done based on the capability expressed by the employee. While working in Kuwait finance House bank, I was able to move from a customer service representative to a banking clerk and later to a senior banking clerk between 2004 and 2007. Through self-management and ensuring quality in the work I delivered, my performance was outstanding and soon, I was able to quickly scale the ladders. As evident from my development plan, my scholarly advancement was aimed at advantaging me whenever there was a better job opening. This was in line with my career path of becoming competent in the field of finance. However, the number of promising ladders has ke pt diminishing and you find that regardless of how much effort one puts while expecting promotion, this does not happen all the time. Economic change as a result of globalization and technological advancement has led organizations to seek other flexible forms. (Rifkin 1995) and (Bridges 1995) argue about the end of jobs and work. Watts (1996) argues that there’s

Hand Washing Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hand Washing - Literature review Example Petersburg, Russia. ?METHODS.Prospective surveillance of HH compliance, nosocomial colonization, and antibiotic administration was performed from January until June 2000. In February 2000, alcohol?based hand rub was provided for routine HH use. Eight weeks later, a quality improvement intervention was implemented, consisting of review of interim data, identification of opinion leaders, posting of colonization incidence rates, and regular feedback. Means of compliance, colonization, and antibiotic use were compared for periods before and after each intervention. ?RESULTS.A total of 1,027 events requiring HH were observed. Compliance was 44.2% before the first intervention, 42.3% between interventions, and 48% after the second intervention. Use of alcohol rose from 15.2% of HH indications to 25.2% between interventions and 41.5% after the second intervention. The incidence of nosocomial colonization (per 1,000 patient?days) with Klebsiella pneumoniae was initially 21.5, decreased to 4. 7, and then was 3.2 in the final period. Rates of antibiotic and device use also decreased. ?CONCLUSIONS.HH may have increased slightly, but the largest effect was a switch from soap and water to alcohol, which may have been associated with decreased cross?transmission of Klebsiella, although this may have been confounded by lower device use. Alcohol?based antiseptic may be an improvement over current practices, but further research is required. Girou, E., Loyeau, S., Legrand, P., Opein, F., & Brun-Buisson, C. (2002). Efficacy of handrubbing with alcohol based solution versus standard handwashing with antiseptic soap: randomised clinical trial. BMJ, volume 325, p. 362 Objective: To compare the efficacy of handrubbing with an alcohol based solution versus conventional handwashing with antiseptic soap in reducing hand contamination during routine patient care. Design: Randomised controlled trial during daily nursing sessions of 2 to 3 hours Setting: Three intensive care units in a Fre nch university hospital Participants: 23 healthcare workers Interventions: Handrubbing with alcohol based solution (n=12) or handwashing with antiseptic soap (n=11) when hand hygiene was indicated before and after patient care. Imprints taken of fingertips and palm of dominant hand before and after hand hygiene procedure. Bacterial counts quantified blindly Main outcome measures: Bacterial reduction of hand contamination. Results: With handrubbing the median percentage reduction in bacterial contamination was significantly higher than with handwashing (83% v 58%, P=0.012), with a median difference in the percentage reduction of 26% (95% confidence interval 8% to 44%). The medianduration of hand hygiene was 30 seconds in each group. Conclusions: During routine patient care handrubbing with an alcohol based solution is significantly more efficient in reducing hand contamination than handwashing with antiseptic soap. Mody, L., McNeil, S., Sun, R., Bradley, S. & Kauffman, C. (2003). Int roduction of a Waterless Alcohol?Based Hand Rub in a Long?Term–Care Facility. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, volume 24, number 3, pp. pp. 165-171 ?OBJECTIVE.To examine the impact of introduction of an alcohol?based hand rub on hand hygiene knowledge and compliance and hand colonization of healthcare workers (HCWs) in a long?term–care facility (LTCF). ?METHODS.Two floors of an LTCF participated. Ward A used the hand rub as an adjunct to

Debt and Equity Essay Example for Free

Debt and Equity Essay Long-term financing requires a meticulous understanding of the various features of debt and equity and their impact an organization. While evaluating debt and equity, an investment banker also has to consider the unique characteristics of the organizations dealings while ensuring that the organizations requirements are met. Debt CapitalDebt capital includes all long-term borrowing incurred by the firm. The cost of debt was found to be less than the cost of other forms of financing. The relative inexpensiveness of debt capital is because the lenders take the least risk of any long-term contributors of capital. Their risk is less than that of other because (1) they have a higher priority of claim against any earnings or assets available for payment (2) they have a far stronger legal pressure against the company to make payment than do preferred or common stockholders, and (3) the tax-deductibility of interest payments lowers the debt cost to the firm substantially. Equity CapitalEquity capital consists of the long-term funds provided by the firms owners, the stockholders. Unlike borrowed funds that must be repaid at a specified future date, equity capital is expected to remain in the firm for an indefinite period. The two basic sources of equity capital are (1) preferred stock and (2) common stock equity, which includes common stock and retained earnings. Common stock is typically the most expensive form of equity, followed by retained earnings and preferred stock, respectively (Pinegar, Wilbricht, 1989). A firms capital structure is determined by the mix of long-term debt and equity it uses in financing its operations. Debt and equity capital differ with respect to voice in management, claims on income and assets, maturity, and tax treatment. Capital structure can be externally assessed using the debt ratio and the debt-equity ratio to measure the firms degree of indebtedness or the times interest earned ratio and the fixed-payment coverage ratio to measure its ability to meet fixed financial payments. Research suggests is an optimal capital structure that balances the firms; benefits and cost of debt financing. The major benefit of debt financing is the tax-deductible interest, and the costs of debt financing include the  probability of bankruptcy, agency costs imposed by lenders in their loan agreements, and asymmetric information costs attributable to managers having more information about the firms prospects than do investors (Modigliani and Miller, 1958). Reference: Modigliani, Franco and Miller, Merton. (1958). The Cost of Capital, CorporationFinance, and the Theory of Investment. American Economic Review. Pinegar, J. Michael and Wilbricht, Liza. (1989). What Managers Think of CapitalStructure Theory.

Inventory Accounting Essay Example for Free

Inventory Accounting Essay 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inventory costs: The use of LIFO for determining inventory costs under International Accounting Standards is prohibited, while it is permitted under US GAAP. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reversal of inventory write downs: Under IAS, it is required if certain criteria are met whereas US GAAP strictly prohibits it. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Basis of Inventory valuation: Under IAS, the inventory is carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value (NRV). Under US GAAP, Carried at the lower of cost and market (market is the lower of replacement cost and NRV minus normal profit margin). 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Whether the costs of idle capacity and spoilage can be included in inventory Under IAS, it is prohibited. Under US GAAP, it is permitted. The change to IAS will avoid the biggest disadvantage of US GAAP that is; it permits LIFO to be used for inventory valuation where the oldest inventory costs are assigned to the inventory account which, when prices are changing can result in an inventory value that does not reflect the true current value. Also, in case of shift to IAS, US companies will not be able to show lower profits by using LIFO when prices are rising. US GAAP helped the companies to reduce their payment of taxes. Under US GAAP, extraordinary items are permitted but restricted to infrequent, unusual and rare items that affect profit and loss. However, it is prohibited under IAS. Thus, extraordinary items give companies somewhat of a hall pass with the markets, allowing them to sometimes report lower earnings but get credit for higher earnings. Obviously, it is tempting for companies to try to report every bad thing that happens as an extraordinary item. This can be avoided once IAS is in place. IAS is more comprehensive and clear. It would avoid misinterpretation by the companies.

CRM Prediction and CRM Validation Approaches

CRM Prediction and CRM Validation Approaches Since CRM is underlying the regulation of gene expression in tissue-specific manner, understanding the characteristics of CRMs is helpful to determine the potential CRM candidates for further applications such as tissue-specific gene therapy. As previously discussed the influential parameters to CRM activity include the types and arrangement of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) and epigenetic modification pattern[121, 124]. Therefore, these factors are taken into account for prediction of promising CRMs. Transcription factor binding sites are described as short DNA regions (6 to 10 bp in length) which are recognized and bound by various transcription factors[149]. One CRM can contain many TFBSs depended on its functionality[150]. Several experimental studies have been performed in order to map the TFBSs in DNA genome. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay is a common method to identify the TFBSs in protein-bound DNA complexes in the solution[151, 152]. In addition, DNase footprinting, which relies on the digestion of exposed DNA region where it is not protected by target proteins, has also been used[153, 154]. The difference between these techniques is mainly involving resolution of transcription factor binding sites[155, 156]. To derive the TFBS motifs from raw data, these DNA sequences are used as the input to compute the similarity and the potential motifs are generated. To apply the information of transcription factor binding sites motifs on CRM prediction, it is relatively simple as this method requires solely genomic DNA sequences. The predicted motifs are mapped to the original genome and prospective CRMs containing clusters of TFBSs are identified[124, 157]. Due to the enormous spread of motifs in large genome, a lot of DNA regions showing the potency of being CRMs are indicated; however, only few DNA sequences are actually occupied by the target transcription factors[158]. In the erythroid cells of mouse genome showed approximately 8 million hits of GATA-binding factor1 (GATA1) binding site motifs, but only 15360 motifs were bound by GATA1 and all of bound motifs bore H3K4 monomethylation[159]. Indeed, relying on merely TFBS motifs is not sufficient to obtain the significant CRMs. The study on smaller-size genomes is one alternative to improve the quality of CRM prediction.[157] Another approach to determine the potential CRMs is the use of conservation of non-coding DNA among several species. The assumption is that the DNA sequences associate with gene expression are highly conserved in comparison to non-essential DNA after evolving through the purifying selection over time [157]. This method is not depended on the information on TFBS so that it offers another solution to prediction of CRMs in case tissue-specific enhancers have not been widely studied. At initial study about the DNA sequence alignment of more than 100 bp-long DNA between human and mouse, with the minimal conservation of 70%, was conducted and potential enhancers for certain genes such as interleukin-4, interleukin-13 and interleukin-5 were identified[160]. Later on this approach shows the promising results due to high validation rates in transgenic mouse embryo by using rigorous conservation constrain[160-163]. The conservation-based prediction is also applicable to discover novel TFBSs wh ere the information is not extensively elaborated. With the DNA sequence alignment between orthologous species, the short DNA sequences conserved in many species, namely phylogenetic footprints, could be the possible binding sites for transcription factors [164, 165], and mutations of the conserved boxes can lead to the reduction of gene expression as in the example of altered effect of variant E box on ÃŽ µ-globin reporter gene induction[166]. As the approach is mainly related to the evolutionary constrain among species it means that the use of this method may overlook the potential CRMs which are lately developed and the TFBS pattern cannot be aligned to the former population[157]. For example, in the ChIP-seq study the GHP68 enhancer, located at intragenic region of mouse abhydrolase domain containing2 (Abhd2) gene, does not contain the footprint of GATA-binding factor1 (GATA1) motif which is commonly found in Abhd2 genes of other non-primate species[167]. Indeed, the GHP68 enhan cer in primate genome possesses the unique protein binding pattern[157]. Another consideration on conservation-based prediction is that even though the conservation level of selected CRMs is extremely high among orthologous species, the actual activities of CRMs possibly vary from species to species in nature[168]. Due to the limitations of previous approaches regarding false positive prediction by highly redundant presence of TFBS motifs in large genome[158], as well as lineage-specific evolution of certain CRMs in different organisms[157], epigenetic regulation is considered the promising parameter of CRM prediction as a result of the strong correlation between hypersensitivity to DNA treatment/histone modification and enhancer activity[169-171]. Many CRMs have been found to localize at genome region where the response to DNase activity is very sensitive[153, 172]. In addition biochemical patterns of modification at enhancer are showed including histone acetylation[169], high H3K4me1 as well as low H3K4me3 modification[170], and occupancy of histone acetyltransferase p300[171, 173]. For active promoter, in contrast to usual enhancers, the major characteristic is the presence of nucleosome-free and high level of H3K3me3 modification[174, 175]. By using the reference genome database containing epigenetic as well as DNase hypersensitivity regions, where the information is obtained from ChIP seq [176], and DNase seq experiments, the substantial rate of validation of selected CRMs from 43 to 100% in many study models[169-171, 176, 177] indicates the robustness of the epigenetic-based approach. The idea is this method is optimized that the predicted conditions is not too stringent as evolutionary conservation method and the number of output is not too enormous as TFBS-based prediction[157]. Still, some potential CRMs can be overlooked using biochemical features[173, 178]. For instance, the study of heart enhancer identification showed that three different predictions yielded various amount of outputs. The possible CRMs were hardly obtained through comparative genomic DNA alignment while the use of p300 occupancy to identify the potential sequences gave rise to 130 output sequences with 75% validation rate[173]. In another TFBS-based study in heart by Narlikar and colleagues, the classifier, where its database relied on predicted and validated TFBS, was generated to select the putative CRMs from the non-functional DNA[178]. This prediction allowed them to distinguish 40,000 CRMs from genome and the validation rate was relatively considerable in comparison to the epigenetic approach[178]. This suggests the need of additional further study on biochemical pattern prediction to cover the missing CRMs. Using experimental and computational study, scientists are able to collect the extensive information about TFBSs, epigenetic modification and conservation of DNA among species. This data has been widely deposited in many open-access database websites, which become the significant information resources for further CRM identification[179]. The Ensembl Regulatory Build is recently developed to integrate the previous discovery of epigenetic marks and occupancy of transcription factors from different projects and build the better-defined regulatory regions in human genome[180]. Another commonly used database website is the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) Genome Browser Database, which provide all aspects of information for CRM prediction including experimental (DNase hypersensitivity clusters, epigenetic marks of histone proteins, and binding of transcription factors from ChIP seq) as well as computational (conservation level among vertebrates from DNA sequence alignment) study [181]. This aids the feasibility of enhancer prediction since the use combinatorial information would suggest more significant CRM outputs with higher validation rate[182-184]. For example, the sophisticated protocol designed by Nair and team to identify the liver-specific CRM was derived from the integration of experimental study from UCSC genome browser and the putative TFBS motifs from computational analysis[182]. To obtain predicted liver-specific TFBS motifs, the presumptive promoters, which are 1000-bp DNA sequences located upstream of transcription start sites, from highly-expressed genes were initially compared to ones from low-expressed genes in the liver, followed by computing the potential TFBS motifs which are likely to associate with liver-targeted gene induction based on distance difference matrix (DDM) and multidimensional scaling (MDS)[182, 185]. The DDM was primarily used to identify the difference between two protein structures by calculating the distance differenc e values from low distance matrices[186]. Ultimately the predicted TFBS motifs were mapped to the corresponding DNA sequences of liver-specific genes in UCSC genome browser where the experimental data of such genes was previously described[182]. The ideal CRMs were expected to show the coexistence of predicted motifs together with dense DNase clusters, high conservation level in vertebrates, and explicit histone modification patterns. In addition, the putative motifs should be consistent to the transcription factor lists from ChIP-seq experiment. The promising liver-specific transcriptional module from prediction was further validated and showed the remarkable activity to up-regulate hFIX expression up to 15 fold compared to control, reflecting the robustness of the prediction method[182]. The same approach has also been applied to design the CRMs targeting other target cells such as cardiomyocytes, and the 10-fold augmented expression of cardiac genes was noted upon validation in m ouse model[183]. Taken together, this suggests the increased power of using multiple parameters to determine transcriptional modules, and the combined data provided in UCSC genome browser is valid; the integrated data is nicely standardized so that the summary of information is reliable. However, the feasibility of combinatorial approach, relying on both computational data and previous experimental study, is the major concern due to the requirement of strong expertise on bioinformatics knowledge for computation of TFBS motifs. One possible alternative to circumvent this limitation would be the direct use of available information on UCSC Genome Browser for CRM selection by taking associated determinants (DNase hypersensitivity, transcription factor binding, histone modification, and conservation level among vertebrate) into consideration. There are several validation assays that have been performed to investigate the potency of CRMs to enhance gene expression. In general, the plasmids containing minimal core promoters and reporter genes such as lacZ, encoding ÃŽ ²-galactosidase, luciferase, and green fluorescence protein (GFP), are the backbone constructs, and the predicted CRM are cloned into certain position based on the validation methods[149]. Usually CRM sequences are inserted at the upstream of the promoters and the increased strength of overall construct expression is assessed after transfection or integration of plasmids[187-196]. In order to develop the downstream process to identify the target cells where CRMs are active, the use of heterologous barcode has been done so that the number of CRM high-throughput screening is up to hundreds or thousands [191-194, 196]. In some studies, the need of barcode is eliminated by targeting at enhancers directly, and the method is called self-transcribing active regulator y region sequencing (STARR-seq) [197]. Both transgenic animal embryos and specific cell lines [187-191, 193-196] are commonly used to study CRM activity. For example, transgenic mouse or fly (D.melanogaster) containing putative CRMs as well as reporter genes are initially generated, and the development of reporter gene signals later observed at the certain parts of embryos is identified depended on tissue specificity of CRMs[198]. To improve time and cost-effectiveness of the current approach, Gisselbrecht and colleagues developed the technique called enhancer-FACS-Seq (eFS), which makes use of the distribution of GFP signaling based on the tissue-specific CRM enhancement, to sort out the GFP-positive cells from the negative population using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS)[190]. Validation of the effect of CRMs on gene expression has also been reported in animal models and the delivery methods of CRMs are adjusted to be tissue-specific. AAV is the example of tissue-target ed delivery system since its tropism is relied on the serotype[182-184]. The use of AAV vectors to carry the predicted CRMs to the specific organs has been done in heart and liver enhancers by using AAV9, and the follow-up process was achieved through the reporter hFIX protein expression in the blood. In murine models, to reduce the cost of virus production, HD injection of plasmids containing CRMs in mice can be primarily done for initial screening[182]. This method is distinctive since the model simulates the actual situation of CRM activity in animal body for gene therapy application[182-184]. In addition, another advantage of using this approach is the longevity and the expression level can be observed continuously for long-term study as the mouse sacrifice is not required. Biology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one type of liver cancers which is highly prevalent in many regions such as East Asia, Africa, and United State[199]. Even though the incidence of HCC ranks the sixth in comparison to other cancers the rate of mortality is relatively high[200]. There are several etiological factors describing HCC development including Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HBC) infection, aflatoxin-directed induction, alcohol consumption, accumulation of fat in the liver resulting in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), sex-related influence, unbalance of microbes in gastrointestinal tract, and type II diabetes[201]. Each factor has specific mechanism to cause HCC, but in general most of factors ultimately lead to liver cirrhosis formation and subsequently HCC[202]. A number of staging system to classify HCC disease development stage have been designed for diagnosis; however, the gold-standard for staging remains challenging due to heterogeneity of HCC population[203]. To study the molecular mechanism underlying HCC development, copy number genomic[204-206], exomic[207, 208], whole-genome sequencing[209, 210], and transcriptomic[211, 212] studies have been conducted in liver cancer tissues. In copy number alteration analysis, both deletion (i.e. TNFAIP3, CDKN2C, WRN, PTEN, BRCA2) and duplication (MDM4, BCL9, ARNT, MET) of specific genes are found in HCC genomes[213]. Exome and whole-genome sequencing in HCC allow detailed investigation of genome structures at the levels of mutation in both coding and non-coding regions[213, 214]. For example, mutation of NFE2L2-KEAP1 and MLL genes were identified from 87 cases with HCC development using exomic approach[214]. Transcriptomic study gives another insight into HCC regarding the change of expression profiling compared to normal hepatocytes. Using in combination with whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome revealed the RNA editing mechanism implicating in up-regulation of gene expression in cancer developm ent[215, 216]. Taken together, the aberrant genes found in HCC are mapped to cellular pathways to explain the molecular mechanisms underlying disease development. The pathways which are postulated as the keys for hepatocarcinogenesis include cell cycle regulation (i.e RB[217], CDKN2A[218]), WNT pathway (i.e. APC[219], AXIN1[220, 221]), chromatin remodeling (i.e. ARID2[208, 210], MLL[222]), tyrosine kinase signaling (i.e. SOCS-1[223], IGF[224]), and NOTCH[225, 226] pathways. Apart from structural genes, miRNAs, small non-coding RNAs which control gene expression at post-transcriptional level through hybridization with the mRNA templates and subsequently leading to translation inhibition or RNA degradation[227], are implicated in HCC progression due to the evidences on differential miRNA expression between HCC and normal hepatocytes[228, 229]. In general, miR-92, miR-18 and miR-20 are significant in HCC stage progression[229]. Some altered miRNA expression is associated with etiological factors. For[MC1] instance, there is correlation between miR-126 down regulation and alcohol consumption[230]. The functions of miRNA in HCC pathogenesis are divided into two groups; oncogenic miRNAs and tumor-suppressor miRNAs. For oncogenenic miRNAs, three miRNAs including miR-221, miR-224 and miR-21 have been showed to enhance hepatocarcinogenesis. The miR-221 plays role in cancer invasion using two mechanisms; increasing cell proliferation targeting CDKN1B/p27 expressi on[231], and enhancing cell migration through AKT signaling[232]. The invasion of HCC is also supported by miR-224, but its mechanism of action is involved with homeobox D10 downregulation and induction of inflammatory pathway[233]. Another oncogenic miRNA miR-21 is reported to suppress expression of program cell death 4 (PCD4) [234, 235]protein which functions as tumor suppressor protein, and to increases cell proliferation through the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase-kinase 3 (MAP2K3) activity[236]. Apart from individual miRNAs, certain clusters of miRNA have been identified to contribute to HCC progression. For instance, the up-regulation of miR-17-92 cluster, which is composed of miR-17, miR-18a, miR-19a, miR-20a, miR-19b-1, and miR-92a-1[237], was found in HCC, and the attenuation of its expression diminished the ability of malignancy transformation[238]. The activity of miR-17-92 cluster affects the expressions of certain genes usually found in HCC such as PTEN, E2F1, and E-cadherin[239]. However, the individual miRNA members may function in the different ways. For example, up-regulation of miR-19 suppressed the formation of liver fibrogenesis through TFF-ÃŽ ² signaling[240]. A number of tumor suppressive miRNAs have also been discovered to diminish HCC development. The miR-122 function is to control the genes associated with tumor formation and metastasis including VEGF[241], RHOA[241], PKM[242] whereas miR-375 exerts its activity by suppression of ATG7 expression to block autophagy[243], the essential mechanism of cancerous cells to survive under hypoxic environment. The miR-125b prevents cancer proliferation by activation of p21(WAF1/Cip1) G1/S cell cycle arrest as well as repression of SIRT7 gene induction[244]. G1/S transition of cancer cells is also controlled by miR-26a activity[235]. The overall functions of HCC-associated miRNAs are implicated in STAT3, by modulating Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 functions, and NF-ÃŽ ºB inflammatory pathways, le ading to hepatocacinogenesis[245].

The Road of Trials in Literature Essay -- Literary Analysis

In Joseph Campbell’s book, A Hero with a Thousand Faces, the author details a journey he claims that every human must travel.. There are numerous stages in the journey, but one of the biggest stages is the Road of Trials. When the hero reaches the Road, he or she must leave his or her home and complete a series of hurdles and adventures alone. During the journey the hero finds confidence and self assurance. The Road of Trials is essential for the hero’s growth as a person. There are many examples of the Road of Trials in literature, including the epic poem, Gilgamesh, and the alliterative poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Both characters in these stories leave their homeland and go on a journey to find themselves and understand where they stand in the world. Before his journey, Gilgamesh, who is half god and half human, does whatever he wants. He sees himself as a god and he acts like one until he meets a man by the name of Enkidu. Enkidu is half man and half animal. As their friendship grows, the two become very close and Gilgamesh begins to act more in line with the human side of himself, as does Enkidu. Gilgamesh’s life comes to an abrupt halt when Enkidu dies. Gilgamesh, who has never felt a loss so dearly before, is determined to bring Enkidu back to life, so he leaves his hometown on a to journey to find the god Utnapishtim. This is where his Road of Trials begins. While wandering in the desert looking for Utnapishtim, Gilgamesh figures out that, â€Å"His life became a quest/To find the secret of eternal life/ Which he might carry back to give to his friend† (Mason, 55). For the first time in his life Gilgamesh thinks of someone else before himself. He had always been drawn to the side of himself that is half god but... ...e back, so how do loved ones keep the deceased in their memory? It is natural to struggle, but with every struggle comes a reward, just as with death comes resurrection. If there were not struggles in life, no one would be resurrected and allowed to grow and to learn. The Road of Trials experiences teach valuable lessons. The Road is not easy, but rather a long and difficult fight. Eventually the hero will return victorious, just as with loss comes restoration. There is no easy formula, but the journey is necessary if humans are to truly live, grow, and change. Works Cited Borroff, Marie. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. A New Verse Translation. New York: Norton, 1967. Print. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1972. Print. Mason, Herbert. Gilgamesh: a Verse Narrative. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1971. Print.

The Continuing Role of the Outside World in Afghanistan Essay -- Essay

The Continuing Role of the Outside World in Afghanistan Afghanistan has been considered a land of violence and discontent for much of its history. The government always seems to be in disorder, and its people never seem completely happy. Because of this image of being unfit to control its own affairs, the international community has long been involved in the history of Afghanistan. The world intervenes in Afghan conflicts and works to keep the country in order. Sometimes the outside assistance is advantageous to the Afghan people, but at other times it is unnecessary and only creates more problems. In this paper I will examine the prominent role of the international community throughout Afghanistan’s history. I will begin with the First Afghan War of 1838 and continue through the war on terrorism of 2001. The function of the world in each of these conflicts and their aftermaths will be the main focus. The First Afghan War was the beginning to years of international intervention in Afghanistan. In 1838 the First Afghan War began and centered around British attempts to replace the Emir of Afghanistan because of fears of growing Russian influence. An Emir is a prince, chieftain or governor especially in the Middle East. Afghanistan’s position as a buffer state between the Russian Empire and British India meant that the British and Indian authorities were anxious to ensure that a pro-British Emir was on the throne at Kabul. A British envoy was sent to Kabul to gain support of the current Emir, Dost Mohammed, in 1837, when the British took the threat of a Russian invasion of India via the Khyber and Bolan passes very seriously The Emir was in favor of an alliance, but when the British refused to help him gain Peshawar... ...humanitarian relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts. The government is still struggling to become independent today. This past March, the UN Security Council extended the tenure of the UNAMA until March of 2004. The role of the international community in Afghanistan’s affairs will seemingly never end as its history of conflict has left it in a state of permanent dependence. Works Cited Grau, Lester. The Soviet-Afghan War: How a Superpower Fought and Lost. Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 2000. Human Rights Watch. â€Å"Pakistan, Iran, Russia Fueling Afghan Civil War.† New York: 13 July 2001. Maley, William. The Afghanistan Wars. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Schofield, Victoria. Afghan Frontier: Feuding and Fighting in Central Asia. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. United States Government Press Releases: 11 September 2001.

The New Community: MMORPGs and Social Networking Essay -- Social Netwo

Community is changing. As far back as the twentieth century, a social community was a group of real life acquaintances that had a common interest, goal, or career. Back then, to update one’s â€Å"status† might mean to attempt to improve a person’s social standing within a particular community or group of friends. Today, people don’t need to be told what online social networking is. It’s so engrained into the current culture that people almost can’t remember how they interacted before the internet came along. How did people keep in touch? How did they interact and socialize and play? Before social networking sites like Facebook existed, people had to rely on the email, now the cultural norm for written communication. And prior to that, people had to send letters, an ancient form of communication that, believe it or not, involved rubbing graphite on paper to create a message, and then paying a courier to take it to your intended recipient, sometimes taking days or even weeks. Communicating took a bit more effort, and, in fact, so did recreation. To play together people had to meet up in something called â€Å"real life† and interact. For example, there were fantasy role-playing groups that played games like Dungeons and Dragons back in the 1980s and 1990s, but those cultures too have moved to the internet and amassed a huge following. Massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs, or MMOs for short) are part of a new emerging subculture that has already swallowed millions of people into a relatively new social gaming experience. Fantasy and science fiction universes have been created by artists and programmers, and the subscribers (usually via monthly subscription fees) create an online avatar that exist in new, massi... ....org. Retrieved from http://socialnetworking.procon.org/#pro_con Rao, L. (2011, February 7). Comscore: Facebook keeps gobbling people's time. Tech Crunch, Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/07/comscore-facebook-keeps-gobbling-peoples-time/ Understanding, assessing and treating online role-playing game addiction. (2010, May 27). Counselor, Retrieved from http://www.counselormagazine.com/feature-articles-mainmenu-63/113 Van Grove, J. (2009). Study: Social media is for narcissists. Mashable Social Media, Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2009/08/25/gen-y-social-media-study/ Yee, N. (2006). The psychology of massively multi-user online role-playing games: motivations, emotional investment, relationships and problematic usage. In R. Schroeder & A. Axelsson (Eds.), Avatars at Work and Play: Collaboration and Interaction in Shared Video Environments London:

Globalism

I am writing today to inform you about Globalism. I will begin with . â€Å"In 1962, the Canadian communications theorist Marshall McLuhan predicted the electronic transformation of the planet earth into a â€Å"global village†. In the global village, communication between geographically remote parts of the world would be almost instantaneous, and every important new development—technological, ecological, political, economic, and intellectual—would affect every villager to some degree.Social and geographic mobility, receptivity to change, and a sense of collectivity would be the hallmarks of this new world community. Over the past four decades, McLuhan’s futuristic vision has become a reality† (Fiero). Through the decades art has been such a great form of expression for all, from the people who create, to the people who just like to look or collect. Art has also gone through such an incredible form of change. When I think of art I think of Vincent V an Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Donatello, ect. These are the most prominent artists of the last thousand years.But now there is so much more that people can do with art because of modern technology as well as the freedom of expression that, in my opinion, has made artists in this century a little more creative. â€Å"While accelerated by electronic technology, it owes much to a broad array of late twentieth-century developments: the success of anticolonial movements, the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent collapse of Soviet communism, and the end of the cold war. With the elimination of these obstacles to freedom of communication among the populations of the earth, global cultural integration became a possibility, than a reality† (Fiero).We are in the technological era where computers, and simulations do everything for us! We think of our idea, and tell the computer what we want it to look like and the computer spits out something more creative than we could ever imagine. There is only one problem with this method of art and ease of access. Modern industries bring so many benefits to humankind, but it also threatens the global ecosystem we call home. These industries are creating pollution that is damaging every aspect of our lives. â€Å"Sulphur dioxide emissions in one part of the world affects other parts of the world, causing acid rain that damages forests, lakes, and soil.Industrial pollution poisons the entire planet’s oceans. Leaks in nuclear reactors endanger populations thousands of miles from their sites, and green house gases (produced in part from the burning of the coal, oil, and natural gas that power the world’s industries), contribute to global warming and other changes in the earth’s climate† (Fiero). Edward Osborne Wilson is an American biologist, theorist, naturalist, author, and researcher of sociobiology and biodiversity who is a leading defender of the environment. He is a landmark researcher in the study of ecological systems.E. O. Wilson was born on June 10, 1929 (Wilson 1) in Birmingham, Alabama. His early work in biology identifying the correlation between ants (and other animal societies) and human species. Wilson makes great points about the preservation of biodiversity in his book titled The Diversity of Life, â€Å"Every country has three forms of wealth: material, cultural, and biological. The first two we understand well because they are the substance of our everyday lives. The essence of the biodiversity problem is that the biological wealth is taken much less seriously.This is a major strategic error, one that will be increasingly regretted as time passes. Diversity is a potential source for immense untapped material wealth in the form of food, medicine, and amenities. The fauna and flora are also part of a country’s heritage, the product of millions of years of evolution centered on that time and place and hence as much a reason for national concern as the particularities of language and culture† (Wilson 2). This means to me that we need to stop while we are ahead. Despite the wonderful progressions technology has made for the human race, it is actually setting us back.It is making it difficult for future generations to live and thrive. The more resources we use, the less that will be left. Also, with using these resources it causes bad effects for the environment. No environment, no habitat, no human race or any other species for that matter. There are many other people who agree with Wilson’s beliefs. â€Å"The poets Gary Snyder (born 1930) and Annie Dillard (born 1943) share Wilson’s concerns for the natural environment. To essays and poems inspired in part by her love for Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Dillard brings a dimension of awe that has been called â€Å"ecospirituality. A Roman Catholic convert whose outlook is essentially pantheistic, Dillard tests the objective facts of nature agai nst her mystical appreciation of its wonders† (Fiero). As far as art in concerned Wilson’s has influenced many contemporary visual artists such as Robert Smithson. â€Å".. for instance, pioneered one of the most important ecological landmarks of the late twentieth century, the piece known as Spiral Jetty† (Fiero). The Spiral Jetty is a work of art built entirely of mud, salt crystals, basalt rocks, earth, and water on the northeastern shore of the Great Salt Lake.More importantly, and more recently green architecture has been on the rise. According to the text, this is because† Architects have always given practical consideration to the environment in which they build. Now, however, in the face of rising fuel prices, global warming, and the degradation of the ecosystem due to industrial growth, the job of designing structures that do the least possible damage to the environment (a practice known as â€Å"green† or â€Å"sustainable† design), has become even more imperative† (Fiero).This is great because I try my hardest to be â€Å"green† as far as recycling, using my own grocery bags instead of just using the plastic ones and throwing them in the garbage, and also buying products with recycled paper for labeling and their packaging. Being green is important to me as it should be for all. To conclude, globalism is closely identified with a belief. Globalism is acknowledging there are other species in the world besides our own and that future generations need to be thought of in the long run. We must preserve what we have for our children, our children’s children, and so forth.Bibliography Fiero, Gloria K. â€Å"Chapter 28 Globalism: The Contemporary World. † The Humanistic Tradition: Modernism, Postmodernism, and the Global Perspective. 6th ed. Vol. 6. New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. 153-72. Print. O’Meara, Stephen James. â€Å"E. O. Wilson boy naturalist. † Odyssey. April. 2007: 6+ . General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 16 Oct. 2012 Wilson, Edward O. Naturalist. Washington, D. C. : Island [for] Shearwater, 1994. Print. Wilson, Edward O. The Diversity of Life. Cambridge, MA: Balknap of Harvard UP, 1992. Print

Better Decisions, Better Life Essay

John Updike, who is known for his brilliant prose style and the sensual details in his stories, takes everyday tasks and gives a whole new perspective to it. Like in â€Å"A&P†, which is a narrative from the perspective of a nineteen-year-old boy working in the checkout line. Even though Sammy is just an average boy, something significant happens that day at the grocery store. The story revolves around Sammy’s journey from adolescence to adulthood and his resignation from the job at the grocery store marks the major change. Even though Sammy’s conscience disagrees with his decision, his need to escape the monotony of his life drives him to take it. The author uses various symbols to present a gradual progression into Sammy’s decision in the end. As a teenage boy in a town in Boston in the 60s, Sammy did not have much going on for himself – his responsibility was to earn some money to manage the household expenses. For his he had to work at the grocery store. His co-worker Stokesie, who is only three years older than him, is married and has two children. He hopes to become the manager of the grocery store and is the only other co-worker mentioned in the story. Sammy obviously feels a strong connection with Stokesie, as they both eye the bikini clad girls together. Also, he mentions that the only difference he can tell between Stokesie and himself is the number of years they are apart (Updike 531). But from the tone in which Sammy talks about Stokesie, it is easy to see that he does not respect his co-worker as much. Instead he feels as though he is looking into a mirror of the future and he lives a life similar to Stokesie’s. Updike’s intention was to portray Stokesie as the future reflection of Sammy. Although when the girls enter the grocery store dressed skimpily, they present Sammy with a whole new world. Sammy says â€Å"you never know for sure how girls’ minds work†, instead he imagines it to be â€Å"a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar† (Updike 530). He observes little details about all of these girls and ranks them on the basis of his perception. The two girls he gives the position of followers were not given much thought, except for their swim suit colors and their build. However, the girl that he ranked as the leader, or the â€Å"Queenie†, received most of his attention. Other than the color of her hair and bikini, he mentions how â€Å"there was nothing between the top of the suit and the top of her head except just her† (Updike 530). Also, he notices that she held her head so high that her neck looked stretched, but he did not mind that because that meant â€Å"the more of her there was† (Updike 530). This shows that Sammy is extremely intrigued by the girls, especially Queenie, that the more he could examine her, the more satisfied he would be. She was something different from his everyday experiences. The colors described are significant to the theme of the story. The girls were described to be wearing plaid green, bright green and beige bikinis (Updike 529,530). They are presented as a contrast to the dull colors of the store. These bright colors represent a colorful and unknown province. Also, the floor of the grocery store is a checkerboard green-and-cream. Even though these colors are close to the colors of the girls’ bathing suits, the checkerboard pattern dissolves the radiance of these colors against the curiosity in the girls itself. This was a new event in Sammy’s life. After all, a grocery store check-out clerk does a job such as this mostly out of necessity. Evidently Sammy has grown tired of rude customers. He describes one elderly female customer as â€Å"a witch about fifty with rogue on her cheekbones and no eyebrows† (Updike 529) when she caught him swiping one of her items twice. Sammy felt as though it pleased her to correct him. He imagines people who come shopping at A&P to be sad souls. He describes some other female customers as â€Å"houseslaves in pin curlers† (Updike 531). Also, he designates the customers at the grocery store â€Å"sheeps† while narrating the story. He seems to address the herd mentality that people tend to have – to stick together when there’s trouble. Clearly, he doesn’t look up to this cowardly behavior. He complains about this since the beginning of the story. However in the end he changes this attitude. Not only the customers and Stokesie, but Sammy does not respect the manager either. Although he has never been vocal about it, Sammy mocks Lengel in his head and accuses him of hiding behind the door labeled â€Å"Manager† all day (Updike 532).This shows Lengel’s gutless personality. When Lengel walks in on the girls checking out, he asserts his authority and lets them know that they must dress appropriately in the store (Updike 532). It was the last straw for Sammy and he quits his job, even after Lengel warns him about it (Updike 533). Lengel’s warning further shows that he has always taken the safer way and that’s why he has never been able to stand up for his beliefs. Sammy did not want to be someone like Lengel, so he decides to break free. When Sammy stands up for the girls, a part of him did expect some appreciation from them. But the underlying reason is much bigger than a simple ‘Thank you’. It is about his freedom from the routine lifestyle that he was getting used to. Continuing the life he had would eventually lead to the same monotonous life that Stokesie and Lengel had. Also, Sammy’s course of action changes through the story. In the beginning he would complain about the people he came across and worked with, but he had not ever taken any step to change that. Quitting the job was the major step that would change his life. Although, he may not have a stable job anymore, this decision has definitely made him a better person. Work Cited Updike, John. â€Å"A&P.† 1961. Approaching Literature: Writing + Reading + Thinking. Ed. Peter Schakel and Jack Ridl. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford, 2008. 529-534. Print.

Just the Unjust for Martin Luther King Jr.

When Martin Luther King Jr. was detained for having organized peaceful protests for the Negro community in Birmingham, he felt compelled to write the white clergymen who criticized the protesters instead of defending them from the immorality of segregation.   His letter accused the white clergy of not only ignoring the moral laws of God but also enacting against it because of their own prejudicial principles.   He explained the difference of just and unjust laws to show that he was merely giving his highest accordance to what is morally right. First, he said that any law that degrades human personality is just but one that degrades human personality is unjust. Western civilization created laws to put order and respect to humanity.   However, segregation, according to King, distorts the soul and damages the human character because it gives the white people a false sense of superiority to degrade the dignity of Negroes. He argues that segregation makes whites treat blacks as objects instead of considering them as people with feelings and rights like their own. Considering other people as inferior and not worthy of having the voice to speak out their needs is immoral because Christians are supposed to treat each other as brothers and not objects. In today’s American society, the woman’s right to abort her baby, I believe, is also a law that degrades the human personality.   Although women are given property over their bodies and have the right to protect their lives from problems, this does not mean that they can degrade another person – the fetus inside of them. Like the blacks that King was defending, babies have yet to find their voice in society.   It is even more inhumane to kill these babies because doing so murders the right they could have had to give their own opinion someday. Another clarification made by King on the subject of just and unjust laws refers to the implementation of a majority group’s rules over a minority.   King believes that is unfair if a majority group forces a minority to obey but does not make the rules binding on itself. Western, specifically American laws, provided that each man must have the right to vote. However, during his time, blacks were not considered as part of the American society with legal rights and therefore had no privilege to elect nor implement and revise the legal system. King believes that this is totally wrong because the laws that were being executed stepped on the human dignity and rights of the Negroes.   What the whites wanted, they got – even if it was hurtful to the lives of colored people. The law protected the white people but did not take the plight of the blacks in consideration. This still happens in America today, although it does not necessarily just encompass the Negro community.   After the fatal attack on the World Trade Center, the Bush administration has decided to go full force against terrorism without enough consideration for the human rights of the Iraqi people. The American military operations in Iraq have caused grievous insults to the dignity of the Iraqi civilians and even death.   Being the democratic majority globally, the American government has led other nations to invade another country and decided to impose its presence to â€Å"prevent† terrorism.   However, the cultural identity and traditional beliefs of the Iraqi people have been ignored greatly which I feel is very unjust. King also pointed out that sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application. He cited that the clergy and government were one-sided in enacting the First Amendment especially when it came to the parades and peaceful assemblies King’s organization was organizing.   He reminds the readers that all citizens must have the right to freedom of expression even if it means going against the government’s policies. He believed that legally binding laws do not always protect what is morally right.   He also mentioned that Hitler did everything legally but the results were terribly wrong and unjust to the Jews. Laws, like most things, have advantages and disadvantages. Great care and analysis must be taken to understand what can be appropriately done for the gray areas.   American immigration laws, for example, can also be hurtful in its application if simply implemented without enough thought. U.S. deportation policies have become hurtful to many illegal immigrants who have lost their rights because they were not given enough consideration. There are many illegal immigrants who desired that better democratic life that Americans have.   Many of these do not know how to speak English well and are victims of wrong criminal accusations causing their deportment. Many of these were not able to defend themselves properly and have had to carry the burden of being separated from their children who were already born in the U.S. King’s Birmingham letter addresses the clouded and prejudiced vision of the white clergy but his clarifications on the justice of laws are classical principles that should guide every good citizen who wishes to follow any legal system.   In truth, laws are structures that help keep peace and order but one must consider everything from the view point of what is morally right and wrong.   Laws are merely man-made but the rule of God and nature should always be everyone’s primary guide.   

Two factors which affected the Stuart economy of 1600-1660

The Stuart economy is always difficult to analyse. Unfortunately due to incomplete records we only have a rough idea of the economic growth that England underwent during this era. For example we do not have fully accurate records that state the exact population size at the time. We also therefore do not have accurate records on the economy either but from parish records and events during this period it is still possible to make informed conclusions on what the economy was like, and the factors that stimulated it. The first thing that is important to study when discussing the economy is the population size. According to records found in parishes at the time population was generally on the increase and rose from 4 to 5 million between 1600 and 1660. However although the population did rise considerably it was certainly not a steady increase and went through phases of decline as well as increase. Surprisingly, according to information now available, some year's burial rates were actually higher than baptism rates, suggesting a population decline. However due to the fact that these records are sometimes incomplete it is not possible to give completely accurate figures about the changes in population during this era. Some historians argue that these changes in population growth point to the fact that the Stuart economy was vastly agrarian. This theory is widely accepted as being true, it successfully answers the reason for very drastic changes in the population size in some areas as agrarian economy can be easily dislocated by bad winters and poor harvests. Also the records of bad harvests coincide with drops in population during this period, suggesting that the economy of the Stuart era was finding it very difficult to keep up with demand. In order to combat this rise in demand, farmers would need to innovate and experiment with new crops in order to compete. Some historians argue that this period due to the population increase led to a ‘farming revolution' as there is evidence that many villages adopted the concept of enclosure in order to become more productive. This commercialisation of farming is thought by many to be more popular than the previously adopted method of subsistence farming. (Growing enough to feed you and your immediate family. ) This technique of enclosure meant farmers were able to be more productive and meet higher demands and is generally accepted as a more efficient system than subsistence farming. This enclosure method of once community owned fields is thought to be the start of early capitalism in England, the commercialisation of the fields is therefore thought to be brought about by the pressures of a population on the increase. But were farmers of this period willing to innovate, experiment and try new techniques? Evidence found in the diary of an ordinary farmer of the period is a strong argument that farmers were willing to trial new crops. Robert Loder left a diary concerning his farming and the changes he made to his techniques and crops. It is possible to assume that this ordinary farmer was one of many who experimented in order to boost their production. However it is still possible to argue that there was a strong amount of conservative farmers who did not adopt these new techniques but there is no evidence to suggest this. Some historians also use examples such as the adoption of tobacco crops in England as a key piece of evidence for how adventuress and innovative farmers could be once convinced of the potential of the new farming enterprise. Despite the evidence presented for innovation and experimentation there is strong evidence that suggests that farmers struggled to keep up with demand. Sources found for some areas of England suggest that there were huge rises in prices during this period due to inflation. This evidence is known as the Phelps Brown price index. Although this is one of the most commonly used sources, due to lack of information it only covers certain areas of England, mainly the south meaning that it is hard to generalise these price rises across England however it is the best information available. This rise in prices is evidence suggesting that the farmers of the Stuart economy had great difficulty despite all their innovation and experimentation to keep up with demand. However some historians still disagree. So the key question still unanswered is whether the farmers were able to keep up with constantly growing demand. Obviously it is highlighted by bad harvests how susceptible the agrarian economy was to very cold long winters and the obvious problems this could create. However equally it can be argued that through innovation and experimentation farmers managed to meet demand, however evidence of heavy inflation during the Stuart period leads many historians to the conclusion that resources were scarce and that the economy due to reliance on uncontrollable variables such as weather was not able to keep up with demand. However on the other hand it is argued by some that the farmers willingness to implement new techniques and methods of farming lead to increased productivity and was able to keep up with increased demand. However due to lack of concrete evidence this issue is still in many historians' opinions open to interpretation. Another key factor in the development of the Stuart economy was industry. Although industry only made up for around 10% of the economy it is still an important area to analyse to have a full understanding of the economic changes to took place in the Seventeenth century. Firstly it is commonly thought that the English industrial techniques were inferior to those of Europe. Most goods were thought to have been produced at home and sold locally. This technique of production suggests an undeveloped industry in England, however these limitations in manufacturing were overcome via exportation to the advanced Europe. The main industry in England at this time was textiles, located in East Anglia. In this period unfinished woollen cloth would be produced and then exported to other countries in order to create a finished product, such as the Netherlands who were thought to be the leading industrial nation of the times. The reason for exporting was purely because England lacked the techniques and resources to manufacture such products. As farming was the leading source of income in England it is thought that many industrial workers were involved in agriculture as well as the manufacturing of textiles. Although many combined farming with manufacturing and production some did seek industry as full-time employment usually through the ‘putting-out system'. Besides textiles England also produced coal, mainly mined in the north-east of England. As London grew in population the North East was able to produce more and more coal to meet demands, although limitations in technology prevented mining below the surface. However transporting vast quantities of coal is thought by many historians to have been a problem. Roads in this period were thought to be in quite a bad state, and therefore much of the coal mined was transported by sea. This transportation via sea is important. In order to transport such great amounts of coal England you would need a merchant fleet and Royal Navy to provide protection. Despite these measures the fleets that travelled between the North-East and London still suffered attacks during the wars England had with the Dutch. This is evident when we look at the prices of coal and see that prices doubled during this period suggesting heavy losses from attack. In conclusion it is probably right to suggest that industry looked for short-term solutions to meet the demands it faced, although no new techniques or technological advances are evident, this period did see the development of external trade, a key feature of the Stuart economy with the development of overseas colonies. However it can be argued that changes in agriculture and innovation were more significant, however it is still somewhat important to understand that the Stuart economy did not just rely on agriculture alone.

Rooms Division Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rooms Division - Assignment Example The functions of the reception office include: There are wide ranges of front office services which include: Reservations, check-in and registration, mail and information, uniformed service and baggage handling, telephone calls and messages, handling guest accounts, and check-out and bill settlement. These operations start from the time a guest calls or sends in a request for reservation/accommodation (www.answers.com). Therefore the staff of the front office starts interacting with guest by taking in guest information and reservation request, leading to confirmation of reservation and finally to the handling of guest on arrival and guest check-in. Front office takes in the guest information for future use and provides the guest with information about the hotel and its various services and thus becomes the connecting link between the guest and the hotel (www.hotelmanagement.com). The pivotal role played by the front office is quite apparent from this very fact that it is the centre of all activities connected with guests in the hotel. Therefore, the decisions regarding the sale of a room to a particular guest, availability and allocation of a room, maintaining guest account by coordinating with the housekeeping and room service are the major front-of-the office activities. It is the first contact a customer has with the hotel. If it is sort from the start, it makes transition much easier when they are in the hotel. The key to the success of a hotel business is service which starts with the first contact between the guest and the hotel personnel of the front office. The way guests are received and treated is very vital because it becomes the basis of their impression and conditions their disposition about what the hotel provides. It is necessary to have a well-defined plan of a Hotel front office area to enhance smooth operations since the front office area is the first place a customer comes into contact on