School Attendance

â€Å"How was your day at school? † â€Å"Did you have fun? † â€Å"Who did you play with? † When we hear these questions, many of us flashback to our childhood; when we were excited for school. As we grow up, we lose interest in school. Some are bored with classes, have bullying issues, or have problems with school work. Whatever your reason for not attending school, you must remember that school attendance is crucial for being successful. Good attendance shows potential employers that you are reliable. Consider reading: Why Boarding Schools Should Be AbolishedEmployers are in search of employees that are punctual and who will be effective members of their company. If you do not attend school, then you will miss out on many opportunities of gaining qualifications that are needed. Without a job or career, you will not be an active member of society. You will not have an income and life will be hard. Not attending school sets a bad example for younger students. Younger pupils often look up to older students as role models and want to follow in their footsteps.Your attendance rate is important because you are more likely to excel in academics when you attend school consistently. It's difficult for the teacher and the class to build their skills and progress if a large number of students are frequently absent. In addition to falling behind in academics, students who are not in school on a regular basis are more likely to get into trouble with the law and cause problems in their communit ies. If you do not attend school, you miss the opportunity to engage in extracurricular activities.Extracurricular activities create a positive impact not only on a student’s life, but their peers, and the community. Students become involved in extracurricular activities not only for entertainment, social, and enjoyment purposes, but most important, to gain and improve skills. Extracurricular activities provide a setting to become involved and to interact with other students, thus leading to increased learning and enhanced development. A wide range of extracurricular activities exist at our schools, meeting a variety of student interests.A few extracurricular activities that I participate in are: National Honors Society, Upward Bound, and the 4H Teen Club. School budgets may suffer when students do not attend school. In many states, school budgets are based on the average daily attendance at a school. If many students enrolled at a school fail to consistently attend, the scho ol has less money to pay for essential classroom needs. This puts a hold on advance learning. There are many ways of increasing school attendance.One way is parents, school, and faculty working together to focus of reducing absences and keeping kids in school. Another effective way of increasing school attendance is by making school a place where students feel welcome. Friendly teachers and faculty help to create a positive environment. Schools can also create an environment that enables students to feel successful in something–no matter how small it may seem. To promote attendance, schools can award academic and attendance â€Å"letters,† as they do for athletics.The most effective method I believe is when parents have a talk with their child, explaining the importance of school and discussing why they missed. This creates an awareness that your parent truly cares about you and your future. School prepares you for the real world by creating a responsibility for comple ting homework, attending consistently, being punctual, etc. It helps to form good habits that should follow you throughout life. Regular attendance enables effective learning, develops habits of commitment and dependability and opens doorways to future success.

Electronic Commerce in Private Purchasing Essay

I guess you can say that ecommerce started back in the 70’s with EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer), in the 80’s with EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). The 90’s around 1995 is when the internet move from the federal sector to commercial sector when NSF (National Science Foundation) decommissioned NSFNET and move assets to vBNS (Very-High-Speed Backbone Network Services) which serves as a testing ground for the next generation of internet technologies, which allow ISP (Internet Service Providers) to develop. After the internet was develop we had an explosive growth mostly in â€Å"Dot Coms† ventures many professional left the major firm and job security to join start ups for the promise of millions of dollar. In the mid 2000 when the NASDAQ collapsed in March hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs, stock values plummeted and thousand of company filed bankruptcy, downsized or were taken over by competitors. The subsequent stock market crash caused the loss of $5 trillion in the market value of companies from March 2000 to October 2002. By the early 2003 companies that were well-conceived internet based companies were proving their values, consumers became confidence in buying over the internet and business began to realize the internet can create true operation efficiencies and increase profit. The explosion in the use of the Internet has paved the way for several path-breaking innovations. One of the most interesting and exciting aspects of this evolution is the emergence of electronic business (e-business) as a mainstream and viable alternative to more traditional methods of businesses being conducted today. E-business is defined as the process of using electronic technology to do business. It is the day and age of electronic business. Also the structure of the Web is rapidly evolving from a loose collection of Web sites into organized market places. The phenomena of aggregation, portals, large enterprise sites, and business-to-business applications are resulting in centralized, virtual places, through which millions of visitors pass daily. Ecommerce redefines the very foundations of competitiveness in terms of information content and information delivery mechanisms. Flows of information over international networks have created an electronic market-space of firms that are learning to exploit business opportunities. E-business has become standard operating procedure for the vast majority of companies. Ecommerce is the subset of e-business that focuses specifically on commerce. Commerce is the exchange of goods and services for other goods and services or for cash payment. There are several different types of ecommerce Business-to-Business (B2B), Business-to-Consumer (B2C), Business-to-Government (B2G), Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C) and Mobile commerce (m-commerce). A B2B system exchanges server programs and encoded files while communicating with other businesses. There are two types of B2B websites: vertical and horizontal. A vertical B2B ecommerce website is designed to meet the needs of a specific industry, and helps build connections between business communities in order to generate new business. A horizontal ecommerce website can be used by any company that is involved in buying and selling products or services. B2B ecommerce strategy can reduce operational costs, increase sales, and strengthen relationships between trading partners. These websites can help expand your presence in the marketplace and lower your procurement costs while handling an unlimited number of products. While B2B ecommerce reduces human intervention, overhead expenses, and errors, it also increases efficiency and advertising exposure and company’s sales team and account managers can concentrate on generating new business. Business to Consumer (B2C) Business to consumer is the second largest and the earliest form of e-commerce. The more common B2C business models are the online retailing companies such as Amazon. com, Barnes and Noble and ToysRus. Other B2C examples involving information goods are E-Trade and Travelocity. The more common applications of this type of e-commerce are in the areas of purchasing products and information, and personal finance management. The market researchers from eMarketers estimate the number of online buyers to be around 900 million worldwide. This brought in the online traders worldwide a turnover of over one billion US$ for the first time. EMarketers estimate the British to be the biggest spenders per head where on average every online buyer spent 3,885 US$ in 2012. US ecommerce and Online Retail sales projected to reach $226 billion, an increase of 12 percent over 2011. 2012: US ecommerce and Online Retail holiday sales reach $33. 8 billion, up 13 percent over 2011. B2C e-commerce reduces transactions costs (particularly search costs) by increasing consumer access to information and allowing consumers to find the most competitive price for a product or service, it also reduces market entry barriers since the cost of putting up and maintaining a Web site is much cheaper than building a structure for a firm. And with information goods, B2C e-commerce is even more attractive because it saves firms from factoring in the additional cost of a physical distribution network and for countries with a growing and robust Internet population, delivering information goods becomes increasingly feasible. Electronic commerce and the Internet are redefining how consumers learn, select, purchase, and use products and services. Hence, B2C or Business-to-consumer retail holds significant business opportunities. A manufacturer with a dedicated ecommerce website can use it to increase margins, monetize existing brand loyalty and leverage competitive advantage. At the same time, he can increase awareness for the brand, provide important product information to customers, and gather valuable customer data to improve business prospects. There are a number of benefits which make owning a B2C ecommerce website inevitable for manufacturers. The ecommerce brings the shopping experience to the consumer’s home. By launching a B2C ecommerce website, the manufacturers’ bring the convenience and comfort of shopping to the consumers thereby increasing their prospective customers. When the manufacturer owns the retailing operations also, it can create brand awareness more prominently. By reaching out to new markets the manufacturers can increase their business’s brand name and about their product line. The e-shopping is accessible from anywhere anytime, thus it proves to be a quick and easy mode of providing information. Manufacturers can provide extensive updated information of their product range through their customized ecommerce website design. Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) is the business of conducting goods and services over the Internet to consumers from consumers. Another way to describe C2C is that it conducts e-commerce with consumers and themselves or to a third-party. Before any consumer-to-consumer business can be formed over the Internet, there needs to established of a space where individuals can come together. These â€Å"gathering spaces† are called online or virtual community in which a collection of people come to one site to communicate, connect, and get to know one another. From there, people can establish a multitude of community themes to bring similar minded people. Some examples of communities: * Communities of interest – people who come together over the Internet to share a common interest like professions, sports, hobbies, philosophy, trading, and others. Communities of relations – people who come together over the Internet to share stories of relations such as friends, families, and/or relationships. Some examples of these communities would be like Myspace or Facebook. * Communities of fantasy – people who come together over the Internet to share fantasies over the internet like fantasy football or baseb all. Another example would be a site that allows people to write their own stories of fiction. Another type of online community that establishes a consumer-to-consumer electronic commerce is called an online or electronic auction site. An e-auction is like a regular auction; however,  the  sales of bidding are done online. It is a place where sellers and buyers bid for items listed on the auction sites such as Ebay or Amazon. Two types of auctions that can occur:   * Forward Auction – an auction that sellers use to have buyers bid on their merchandise till the highest bidder wins. * Reverse Auction – like the forward auction, this auction is used by consumers that want to buy goods or services. However, the buyer selects the seller that has the lowest bid. An example of this would be seen in Amazon. com where instead of purchasing a product from them, a person can buy from other sellers. When going into the listing of other vendors, the website usually posts the lowest asking price first. Then, the next lowest price is listed all the way up to the last seller that has the highest price of all the listings. There are many benefits that a consumer-to-consumer e-commerce has. One of the main factors is a reduction in costs. Sellers can post their goods over the internet cheaply compared to the high rent space in a store. The lower expenses lead to smaller, yet profitable customer base. Being in a community of similar interest where buyers and sellers come together leading to more chances of goods and services being sold. Another benefit is that many small businesses can obtain a higher profitability over a C2C compared to a physical store because of the reduction of overhead costs when conducting an e-business. Probably the most positive benefit of the consumer-to-consumer sites is the effectiveness in selling personal items. There are also disadvantages that a C2C e-commerce has. One of the main factors is it is not always the safest and most reliable place to conduct business. Sometimes buyers and sellers are not accommodating to each other when transactional information is needed. In these cases, a proof of purchase can solve liability issues and prevent costly lawsuits for a consumer and small businesses. Another disadvantage is that these types of sites are known for scams, swindles, and people with ill-business intentions. When things go wrong on C2C e-commerce communities, people can easily spread their stories across the internet which effectively is Word-of-Mouth advertising. Consumer-to-consumer marketing is on the rise, and 2013 will be the year when it explodes into the mainstream, becoming a must-have retail marketing tactic rather than just the mark of the out-there-brand-innovator. Communication is no longer about just businesses talking to anyone; it’s about people talking to people. Forget who’s on the end of the conversation. This is about where it all starts. The future of communications is C2C, or consumer2consumer or people2people. Individuals, whether buying for business or for themselves, are talking to and listening to other consumers. They are setting the agenda, leading the conversation, sharing their views, recommending the best products and deciding whether brands are successful or not. No longer are consumers just taking in information corporations and brands are spewing at them. Now they question and make brands earn their loyalty. Because of social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, consumers are now quick to ask brands: What can you do for me? So, today challenge is getting people talking about brands in a positive way, not getting brands to talk to people. With so many touch points, brands must move away from the traditional 1960s formula of one-sided information and start having conversations with consumers. Consumers want brands to be authentic and have a real human voice they can speak with when something goes wrong or right. Business-to-Government (B2G) Business-to-government (B2G) is a variation of the term business-to-business the concept that businesses and government agencies can use central Web sites to exchange information and do business with each other more efficiently than they usually can off the Web. A Web site offering B2G services could provide businesses with a single place to locate applications and tax forms for one or more levels of government (city, state or province, country, and so forth); provide the ability to send in filled-out forms and payments; update corporate information; request answers to specific questions. B2G may also include e-procurement services, in which businesses learn about the purchasing needs of agencies and agencies request proposal responses. B2G may also support the idea of a virtual workplace in which a business and an agency could coordinate the work on a contracted project by sharing a common site to coordinate online meetings, review plans, and manage progress. B2G may also include the rental of online applications and databases designed especially for use by government agencies. This kind of e-commerce has two features: first, the public sector assumes a pilot/leading role in establishing e-commerce; and second, it is assumed that the public sector has the greatest need for making its procurement system more effective. Web-based purchasing policies increase the transparency of the procurement process and reduce the risk of irregularities. To date, however, the size of the B2G e-commerce market as a component of total e-commerce is insignificant, as government e-procurement systems remain undeveloped. Mobile commerce (m-commerce) More and more users are buying tablets and using them for e-commerce due to the convenience it provides. The latest report from eMarketer predicts a surge in tablet commerce, turning the m-commerce into a $50 billion industry next year. The overall mobile commerce spending, including both tablets and Smartphone’s, in 2012 was $24. 66 billion, and this figure represented an 81% increase from the 2011 figures. EMarketer also report predicts total ecommerce spending from tablet devices alone to touch $24 billion by the end of 2013 and then almost double itself in a year to reach $50 billion by the end of 2014. The total mobile m-commerce sales would stand at about $39 billion in 2013. In 2013, 15% of all sales is expected to come from mobile devices, with tablets alone accounting for a dominant 9%. By 2016, tablets alone will account for a significant 17% of all sales. A big reason for the surge is the increasing rate of tablet adoption, as more and more people buy this new device. Traditionally, the ratio of new devices has been four Smartphone’s for every tablet. But Christmas Day 2012 sprang another surprise, when 49% of the 17. 4 million new devices activated were actually tablets. As content delivery over wireless devices becomes faster, more secure, and scalable, some believe that m-commerce will surpass wire line e-commerce as the method of choice for digital commerce transactions. This may well be true for the Asia-Pacific where there are more mobile phone users than there are Internet users. Industries affected by m-commerce include: Financial services, including mobile banking, as well as brokerage services; Telecommunications, in which service changes, bill payment and account reviews can all be conducted from the same handheld device; Service/retail, as consumers are given the ability to place and pay for orders on-the-fly; Information services, which include the delivery of entertainment, financial news, sports figures and traffic updates to a single mobile device.

Medical advancements in World War Two Essay

World War II brought death and destruction upon the world. On the other hand, it also opened doors for pioneering developments that commonly occur during such situations of high adversity. Some of the most important advancements took place in the field of medicine when the world was embroiled in World War II. As Dr. Ralph Major states, â€Å"An army is a vast laboratory of medical research where disease and injuries are seen on a far larger scale than in peacetime. Many improvements in the treatment of infections have come from experiences on the battlefield† (Major 52). Devastation in the war left countless soldiers and civilians with life threatening injuries and diseases. This devastation and destruction, led to the innovation of the three most important medicines in history namely Penicillin, Blood plasma and Sulfanilamide. These three innovations in the field of medicine helped save thousands of soldiers in World War II and are considered to be the most important medical advancements in the war. â€Å"Penicillin fought for the soldier as bravely as the soldier fought for his country† (www.lib.niu.edu). Out of the three innovations in medicine during World War II, penicillin undoubtedly was the most important. Penicillin was invented by Dr. Alexander Fleming in 1928 and was crucial in saving lives of soldiers on D-Day where stockpiles of penicillin were gathered in depots of England and were on hand in time for the Allied invasion of Germany (Rowland 32) . Operation Overload was the pivotal point of World War II because that was when the Allies took the offensive and attacked the German stronghold of Normandy Beach. It was estimated that 3000 lives were saved on that day with the use of Penicillin and by the time the war ended that number turned out to be over two million (www.historylearningsite.co.uk). These figures clearly show how useful penicillin was during the period of the war. Penicillin however was first seen in action in the Battle of Britain where air raids by the Luftwaffe left many civilians and soldiers wounded and the doctors needed more effective ways to treat burns (www.lib.niu.edu). Penicillin was needed in large numbers as it was the only way Britain could save their soldiers and civilians. Penicillin was also the first broad spectrum antibiotic ever created. It was first broad spectrum antibiotic because it cured various diseases such as: â€Å"hemolytic, streptococcus, gonorrhea, syphilis and it was a wonderful antibiotic for wounds and burns†Ã‚  (www.historystudycenter.com). All these diseases could be cured with the use of penicillin and displays how penicillin outnumbered any other medical advancement during World War II in the number of diseases it cured. Soldiers also felt more confident having penicillin in their pockets as they knew that no disease could affect them as long as they had penicillin. This passionate bond could be observed through posters from World War II saying â€Å"Thanks to Penicillin†¦He Will Come Home!!† which was used as propaganda in an attempt to diminish the fear of going to war on the home front (www.mcatmaster.com). Penicillin had motivated civilians to get involved in the war effort and was rightly called the war’s ‘wonder drug’ (www.abc.net/au). Penicillin had motivated the medical industry to expand and an accidental discovery more than sixty years ago in the laboratory of Alexander Fleming helped save countless lives during World War II. Blood Plasma was also an important medical advancement during World War II as when war was raged in Europe, blood was needed for the wounded troops and plasma was used to transfer blood to the wounded soldiers. It was invented by Dr. Charles Drew in 1938; he discovered it by separating the plasma from the whole blood and then refrigerating them separately (home.att.net/steinert.htm). They could then be combined up to a week later for a blood transfusion (www.history.amedd/army). Blood plasma could replace whole blood and this discovery played a major role in World War II where many countries experienced extreme casualties with a lot of bleeding, resulting in the huge losses of blood. Plasma was used to transfer blood as it served to keep satisfactory blood pressure and supply critical proteins and globulins (antibodies) to the wounded soldiers (www.usaaf.net/wwii). There were many uses of Plasma on the battlefield and on the whole, it helped keep a proper balance in the body which ma kes it one of the best innovations in medical history. The pressing demand for blood on the battlefields led to Britain organizing the International Transfusion Association in 1940 which collected blood (people donated blood) and turned it into blood plasma. This program collected, processed and transported 14,500 units of plasma to the allied armies and it was all done within five months (home.att.net/wwii.htm). Dr. Drew was an important member of the group and his scientific research helped revolutionize blood plasma  transfusion so that blood plasma could readily be given to wounded soldiers on the battlefield, which dramatically improved opportunities to save lives. Blood plasma could also be dried which made it very easy to transport, pack, store and the soldiers could also carry it around in their pockets (www.history.amedd/army). As mentioned in the ‘United States office of war’ newsreel â€Å"Soldiers in Normandy got the best medical care science could offer and plasma cheated death in cases of many soldiers† (www.concise.britannica.com). Soldiers received the most modern medical treatments on D-day in Normandy beach and blood transfusion of soldiers was sometimes done just behind the fighting army lines. Planes carried almost a ton of Plasma on that day to the beach which helped save approximately 900 soldiers (www.concise.britannica.com). All these miracles had been performed by blood plasma during WWII which offered the victims of war a glimmer of hope and saved massive amounts of people at Normandy Beach, truly making it a panacea that improved several aspects of life. â€Å"The Nazis discovered it. The allies won the war with it†¦This incredible discovery was Sulpha† (www.asm.org). Sulpha drugs or Sulfanilamide greatly affected the mortality rates during World War II, especially for the Allies and helped save thousands of soldiers and many important people. One of them was Winston Churchill who was the British premier in 1943. He had caught a fatal disease called contracted pneumonia and was on the verge of death. His physician had to give him M + B 693 sulfanamide to cure him and â€Å"there is little doubt that the novel Sulfa drug defeated the pneumonia and probably saved his life† (www.asm.org). His recovery was very important to the Allies as that was the time they were making plans for D-Day in which Britain had a major role. Approximately 140,000 allied soldiers carried a package of Sulfa powder (Sulfanilamide) on D-Day in their medical pouches and they were also taught how to immediately sprinkle sulfa powder on any open wound to prevent infection (elibrary.bigchalk.com). This evidence illustrates how important sulfanilamide was to every soldier in the war and all the countries were quick to realize its importance. At an outbreak of Meningitis in the French Foreign Legion in Nigeria, while sulfanilamide was available, there was an eleven percent mortality rate. But after the supply was exhausted, mortality climbed up to seventy five percent (Margotta 58). The mortality rates in  World War II would have been much higher if it were not for sulfanilamide and this incident is a clear depiction of what would have happened. In the United States in the early thirty’s, about hundred thousand people died annually of pneumonia, blood poisoning and cerebrospinal meningitis. Gonorrhea had afflicted some twelve million Americans which became a serious issue for the United States government (www.pubs.acs/org). These numbers however, decreased dramatically by the early 1940’s and much of the credit goes to Gerhard Domagk and his team of chemists who developed the very first sulfa drugs that could treat the diseases (mentioned earlier) and also opened up the door to modern medicines (www.pubs.acs/org). Sulfa drugs preceded penicillin by almost ten years as they first developed in 1932, so â€Å"they carried the main therapeutic burden in both military and civilian medicine during the war† (elibrary.bigchalk.com). They also proved extraordinarily fruitful as starting points for new drugs or classes of drugs, both for bacterial infections and for a number of important non-infectious diseases. The initial breakthrough in the 1930’s of sulfa drugs research is the stem today in the current search for the effective treatments for AIDS making it a truly revolutionary antibiotic. So, therefore Penicillin, Blood Plasma and Sulfanilamide were considered the most important medical innovations during World War II because of the tremendous impact they had in the war and the countless number of lives they saved. All of the medical advancements in World War Two went on to benefit society after the war had ended. Whether such developments would have occurred at the same pace in peace time will never be known. But the one very interesting thing here is that, medical advancements take place at such a rapid pace mainly because of a major war and the problem of the great number of casualties due to a major war is solved by medicine. Therefore, war and medicine are fatal partners and are very closely related but are not the same thing, as war causes the problems and medicine solves them. Citations/ ReferencesBooksMargotta, Roberto. History of Medicine. Britain: Hamlyn, 1996. Major, Ralph Hermon. Fatal Partners: War and disease. 3rd. London: Doran &Company, 1941. Rowland, John. The Penicillin Man: The story of Alexander Fleming. EightImpression. London: Lutherworth Press, 1969. WebsitesDixon, Bernard. â€Å"Sulfa’s True Signicance.† 11 Nov 2006. 26 May 2007. Kiefer, David. â€Å"Miracle Medicines.† Today’s Chemist at Work. AmericanChemical Society. 26 May 2007. Kendrick, Douglas. â€Å"Plasma equipment and Packaging.† Medical department U.SArmy. 06 June 2006. 26 May 2007. Mailer, John. â€Å"Penicillin: Medicine’s Wartime.† Illinois Periodicals Online atNorthern Illinois University. Illinois Periodicals Online. 26 May 2007. Nanney, James. â€Å"Aeromedical Evacuation.† The U.S army Air Force In WWII. 26 May 2007. Steinert, David. â€Å"The History of WWII medicine.† World War II: Combat Medic. 04 May 2002. 26 May 2007. Torok, Dr. Simon. â€Å"Maker of the Miracle Mould.† Howard Florey: The story. 26 May 2007. Trueman, Chris. â€Å"Medicine and World War Two.† WWII. 26 May 2007. DatabasesRoff, Sue. â€Å"The Technology of healing: A century of Medicne.† History StudyCenter. 2003. Helicon. 26 May 2007†³Sulfa Drug.† eLibrary. 12 Jan 2005. Encyclopedia Britannica. 26 May 2007. Primary SourcesWorld War II Poster. â€Å"Thanks to Penicillin†¦ He Will Come Home!!†U.S. Office of War Information newsreel. â€Å"Penicillin and plasma save lives.†Normandy, June-July 1944. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

A problem solving model for Wal-Mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

A problem solving model for Wal-Mart - Essay Example The largest retailing company of the world, Walmart has been facing a decline in sales in the US, continuously for â€Å"nine straight quarters†, according to The Wall Street Journal. This has been partially due to the economic recession and partially owing to the negative image that has been there for this company. In order to suggest a package of solutions to get over with this â€Å"sales slump†, this paper invisages synthesizing different organizational theories, with a focus on three- the neoclassical theory put forth by Roethlisberger and Dickson (1943), the socio-technical theory proposed by Pasmore and the contingency theory evolved by Hellriegel and Slocum (1973). This project will put forth innovative and creative solutions to rectify the sales slouch in Wal-mart, using the problem-solving tools provided by these three theories. Access has been gained into the facts about the organizational design of Wal-Mart by conducting interviews with three senior level managers in charge of organizational structure. Basically, the design of Wal-Mart, as an organization, is that of a divisional structure. It has different divisions like, Wal-Mart Realty, Wal-Mart International, Wal-Mart Specialty Stores, Sam's Clubs, and Supercenters which are separate and partially autonomous units. Each division has its own specific set of goals. Step-2 The three theoretical frame works selected for this paper are chosen based on the advantages they have in addressing the specific issue in focus. For example, most of the complaints against Wal-Mart that have led to legal litigations and negative publicity has been regarding labor issues and hence a worker-centered approach put forward by Roethlisberger and Dickson (1943) can help re-model the organization’s functioning in such a way as to avert this criticism. Similarly, the socio-technical theory of Pasmore ((1988, p.87-109) and the contingency theory by Hellriegel and Slocum (1973) have their focus on the environmental aspects of an organization, which can be applied in the case of Wal-Mart which is haunted by many a social conflicts. Neoclassical theory of Roethlisberger and Dickson (1943) has as its core focus, the relationship between â€Å"working conditions† and â€Å"employee efficiency† (p.1). Through an experiment, Roethlisberger and Dickson (1943) had proven that there was a connection between better working conditions and better performance. In this way, this theory had changed the essence of organizational theories evolved thus far by replacing the mechanistic views by a more humanistic worker-oriented view. This theory had asserted that: An individual is not a mechanical tool but a distinct social being, with aspirations beyond mere fulfilment of a few economic and security works. Individuals differ from each other in pursuing these desires. Thus, an individual should be recognized as interacting with social and economic factors (NRMED-FAO, n.d.). Participative management has been another aspect of this theory, whereby employees are given an appropriate role in the decision making process (NRMED-FAO, n.d.). Any application of the neoclassical theory has to be by keeping in mind, the existence of an informal organization within any formal organization, the socio-psychological factors that influence workers, the inherent illogi cality of human mind, the two-way flow of communication within the hierarchy, and the need of teamwork (Pradeep, p.295). Socio-technical theory of Pasmore (1988) has based all its assumptions on the fact that â€Å"every organization consists of the people, the technical system and the environment† (NRMED-FAO, n.d.). In this theory also, the importance of considering workers a human beings and all the more, social beings, is stressed (Pasmore, p.5). It has been observed that what is meant by an organization is actually an agreement, a contract between and among people and â€Å"changes in the organization will affect this agreement and vice versa†

Medicaid in Texas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medicaid in Texas - Essay Example While some states spend as much as 75 percent of every new tax dollar on Medicaid, in Texas the amount is just over 25 percent, still a substantial amount (Recap of 80th Texas Legislature). Budgetary concerns and federal mandates have forced the Texas legislature to successfully implement significant Medicaid reform in the last ten years. The overriding problem for Texas, and Medicaid's biggest impact, has been the escalating costs during the last ten years. Since 1998, the total Medicaid budget in Texas has nearly doubled, and the 80th legislature session in 2007 budgeted almost $20 billion dollars for the program for 2008 of which over $8 billion was from Texas state taxes (State & Federal Medicaid Spending in Texas; Recap of 80th Texas Legislature). Texas's biennial process, and their low level of per capita state taxes has presented Texas with significant financial challenges as they are forced to budget well in advance during uncertain economic times (Kaiser Commission 1). Affected by this uncertainty are the citizens in Texas where Medicaid, "provides health coverage for one out of every three children in Texas, pays for more than half of all births and covers two-thirds of all nursing home care" (State & Federal Medicaid Spending in Texas). The once simple program has expanded to become a complex institution w ith complicated eligibility requirements and federal guidelines. ... In an effort to bring more children under the Medicaid umbrella, the federal government enacted the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997 to cover children who lived in families that earned too much money to qualify for Medicaid assistance. By 2005, 72 percent of the non-elderly participants in Medicaid were children who were eligible for "a full range of health services including regular checkups, immunizations, prescription drugs, lab tests, X-rays, hospital visits and more" (State & Federal Medicaid Spending in Texas). In 2001, the 77th legislature further expanded access to the children's program by eliminating the "face-to-face interview requirements for application and recertification of children's Medicaid benefits in an effort to ensure that Texas Medicaid eligibility verification procedures will be no more difficult than those of the Children Health Insurance Program" (Stout 31). Today, children comprise the largest portion of aid recipients, but the majo rity of the costs are incurred by the elderly and nursing home care. This has prompted Texas to fully implement the SCHIP program and fundamentally change the way Texas finances their health care. Medicaid, and the SCHIP program, have helped move Texas from a system of public hospitals and county health support systems to a system of expanded public coverage (Kaiser Commission). In Texas more than 25 percent of the population is uninsured and their reliance on emergency room care and safety net providers has led to poorer health, higher cost of care, and an increase in insurance premiums in an effort to shift the cost of health care to insurance premium holders (Texas Health and Human Services Commission (1) 3). To alleviate these pressures, Texas has

Evaluation of Statistical Data Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluation of Statistical Data - Term Paper Example The main objective of this study is to determine significant factors that influence the overall academic performance i.e. GPA of a student. The major possible factors identified initially include Class, Age, IQ and the study time a student contributes for learning and acquiring knowledge after class hours. The sample of this study comprised of 30 students gathered from different class intakes. The cumulative GPA of each student was used to measure their overall performance. In this particular case study, our independent variable is Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) on a scale of 4.00 while our dependent variables include class of the student, age of the student, his or her IQ level and study time that a student consumes after class hours for learning. In this study, Minitab 16.2.1 Statistical Software was used to carry out statistical calculations. Initially, descriptive statistical analysis was carried out for all dependent and independent variables to study their distribution pa ttern to draw any meaningful interpretation. Further, correlation and regression analysis was conducted to determine if there is a relationship between the independent and dependent variables. ... Descriptive Statistical Analysis First of all descriptive statistics of independent and dependent variables was carried out using Minitab 16.2.1 Statistical software to study the distribution pattern of the values contained within these variables for a sample size of 30 i.e. n=30. According to Kirk (2008), mode is highest score value in the data sample that has the maximum frequency of occurrence, median is the center value in the order data sample that divides the sample into two halves while mean is the average of all data points and is the center of gravity of the sample. Kirk (2008) highlights that the standard deviation is the most important and widely used value that helps to identify the dispersion of the data. The square of standard deviation is called variance. Skewness is the measure of extent to which distribution of the data leans to one side of the mean. A negatively skewed data indicates that the distribution leans to right while positively skewed data indicates distrib ution leaning to the left of average value. Kurtosis, on the other hand, is the measure of peakedness of the sample data. Below is detailed analysis of the independent and dependent variables: Class of Students The pie chart indicated that 10% of the students from our sample of 30 students were from Class 1, 20% were from Class 2, 23.3% from Class 3 and 46.7% from Class 4 as shown below. Figure 1 : Pie Chart of Percentage of Students Sampled from Each Class Grade Point Average The descriptive statistical analysis of the GPA sample revealed that the mean value of GPA was 3.2317 with a standard deviation of 0.3597. The Skewness of the sample is -0.04 which indicates that data is nearly uniformly

Water pollution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Water pollution - Assignment Example is rising faster than any other region over the past decade, are similarly instituting factory farming (FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of U.N., Report, 2008). A major byproduct of livestock farming is animal waste. Thus, animal husbandry leads to point source pollution. One of the major problems associated with animal farming involves the movement of excessive nutrients from manure and other byproducts to soil, water and air causing significant environmental problems. In the U.S., the production of livestock and their feedcrops transports about one-third of the nitrogen and phosphorous discharged (from all sources) into freshwater. Besides the nutrients, the other major polluting agents resulting from livestock farming are pathogens and antibiotics and hormones, fertilisers, and the pesticides used to spray feed crops. Elements present in animal waste such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other minerals are essential nutrients for plant growth. However, the manure may run-off during rainfall and pollute the waterways if inadequately contained. Uncontrolled and prolonged discharge of animal waste into waterways can add excessive amounts of nutrients to the waterways causing excessive growth of algae or algal blooms which may be toxic and consume large amounts of oxygen when decaying, thereby reducing the dissolved oxygen concentration in water, and killing fish and other organisms through the process of eutrophication. Pathogens including protozoan parasites such as Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia duodenalis, bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes and viruses are commonly present in manure and may runoff to surface waters with the possibility of   their eventual transmission to animals and humans (USDA, United States Department of Agriculture, 2008). Animal wastes including wastewater and manure can have large concentrations of pharmaceutically active compounds such as hormones and antibiotics

Why I want to go to College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why I want to go to College - Essay Example I would like to pursue a degree in the medical field. My mother has been my inspiration and I hardly know any one who is as compassionate and loving as her. My mother used to take me along with her to the hospitals during the weekends and also in my vacations and that is when I developed the interest in the filed of medicine. I feel that my education and my future should be focused in this direction and to take up a degree in the medical field from one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, the Air Force Academy. Basically, I would like to continue the work which my mother has initiated and I am confident that if I have a graduation in medical field, I could serve the nation in a better way. I believe that my educational background and abilities would be an excellent base for my future studies in the medical field. I am aware that this university is looking for students who have good leadership abilities and I am confident that my qualifications and interests provide the skills required. I believe in my abilities and understand that the basic principle involved in this field is to make a difference in nation's security. I am confident in my leadership skills that I have acquired over the years. Besides studies and good grades in my school, I am also interested in sports.

Discussions Replies Education Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussions Replies Education - Coursework Example Defend your choice. 1. Posted: by:  Margarett    Both art and culture have been the significant parts of earlier centuries. If we explore the association between arts and culture that existed in the 20th  century, we come to know that there had been a close connection between them. For example, artists of the 20th  century represented the overall culture of that century through their artworks. 20th  century is known as the beginning of today’s era of modernism. The artists of the 20th  century greatly revealed the elements of modernism, expressionism, and abstractions in their artworks. Moreover, the artists of the late 20thcentury also revealed through their artworks the need for change and peace that people wanted after the two big events of war that occurred in the first half of the century. In my view, the artist who best represented the social and cultural trends of his time period through his artworks was Pablo Picasso. He was a Spanish painter and sculptor w ho reinvented the foundations of art in the 20th  century through including the shadow of ongoing movements and overall environment in his artworks. My Response: Taking it a step further, it seems to me that the artists of the early 20th century were increasingly aware of the progression of art. What I mean is, the artists, although sometimes separated by continents appeared to be more aware and cognizant of what other artists were working on, what inspired them, the evolution of art during this time took much more rapid steps than say art a hundred years before. Obviously the industrial age and the beginning of the technological revolution had something to do with that – but one can’t help but wonder if art and culture were not even more closely connected with the artists of the 20th century than it had ever been before. 2. Posted by:  Andrea    Picasso is a great example. His art is so very different than the art of his predecessors.   In a sense, artists lik e him were taking big risks, departing from the norm! Class, what do you think it was that gave people the impetus to begin taking bigger risks in terms of art and music during this time?   My Response: Andrea, good point - Picasso definitely departed from the norm! However, art in the early 20th century was all about deviating from the norm and creating new ways of expression. Whereas art in past centuries had been more about gradually adopting new styles and mimicking the masters, art of the 20th century evolved at such a rapid and break neck pace that artists seemed to be doing all possible to express their own tastes and differentiate themselves. This collective attitude is what proved 20th century art to be so diverse and varied in such a short time scale. 3. Posted: by:  Dawna The other century ushered a new way of thinking into the art world.   With the world still recovering from the  atrocities of WWI, many artists reflected this in their style.   A new form of ar t was starting, the ism movement.   Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, and German Expressionism.   Pablo Picasso of course, was a huge figure in this movement, with his extreme style and use of colors.   Many people that were used to more traditional art found his style and type of art disturbing and confusing.   I feel the one artist that encapsulates the time though would have to be Ernest Hemingway.   His point of view writing styles of WWI and help express the feelings after the war and the feeling of loss that many felt.

Critical summaries (language, culture& society) (langustics Essay

Critical summaries (language, culture& society) (langustics department) - Essay Example Starting from 60s, researchers indicated inequalities among students who attend Universities. At that time 80% were white students and only 10% were black students (Francis, Kelly and Bell, 1994). The main focus of this article is the role linguistic speech codes play in students’ performance. Bernstein differentiates between ‘restricted speech code’ of low class of students and ‘elaborated code’ which refers to students from higher class. Thus, a set of words used by the latter group of students is more flexible and meets the requirements of academic education. A further discussion refers to Deconstruction theory, which relates texts of the world as being reflected in our consciousness. The authors of the article make an attempt to argue to the existent scientific canon of approaches to relation of students’ performance and language codes. They claim about a necessity to develop heterogeneous students’ body set in the limits of â€Å"p eople's history and experience situated in geography of other identities, peoples, cultures, and then to study how, despite their differences, they have overlapped one another, and are mixed together† (Francis, Kelly and Bell, 1994). This article is a modern perspective on pedagogical challenge on a new role language plays in the education process. It is not an indicator of socio-cultural differences, but a facilitator to overcome these differences and to integrate them. Language and development   In the article â€Å"Model Standards for English Language Development: National trends and a Local Response† by Terrence G. Wiley and Elizabeth Hartung-Cole, current tendencies in English learning for non-native speakers of English are discussed. On the one hand, English standards developed on the international level take into account the issue of language diversity. On the other hand, this is not enough and it is relevant to develop standards especially for non-native speak ers of English. The issue of what language standard really means has been discussed by researchers for a long period of time. Nevertheless, a crucial importance of language standard can’t be questioned. The authors introduce a concept of ‘over-prespecification’ between the curriculum and learning process (Wiley and Hartung-Cole, 2002). This concept implies a necessity to take into account external knowledge and abilities of students. Current development of English standard should be conducted in a socio-cultural context. Therefore, the authors agree with the fact that administrative training of teachers and gaining proper background knowledge about non-native speakers of English are crucial for further development of English standards on national and on local levels. Not individual students and the level of their performance should be concernd, but heterogeneous body of students. These tendencies are caused by the world’s tendencies for globalization and o verall integration. Consequently, it is relevant to develop universal model standard efficient for native and non-native speakers of English. Multilingualism and Bilingualism   The article â€Å"Bilingualism, Cultural Transmutation, and Fields of Coexistence: California's Spanish Language Legacy† by Sara Garcia is of high relevance nowadays. Different nations tend to integration and successful coexistence. On the example of English Only programs in California a national attitude to bilinguals in America is discussed. A language behavior of Spanish/English bilinguals is developed under the

Tackling Childhood Obesity Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Tackling Childhood Obesity - Research Proposal Example When the behaviour is culminated in the community and family levels, the children also get to enter into these lifestyle cycles, sometimes inadvertently and sometimes due to lack of knowledge. It has been indicated in studies that dietary changes and schedules of daily activities lacking promotion of physical activities and lack of playtime activities are the reasons in cases of children (Edmunds et al., 2001). For example, in diets, fast foods have been included to a great extent. These contain items with high-fat and high-sugar contents. These mainly come from convenience items for family reasons. Work-roles in the families have led to a decrease in family meals. Outside the home environment, the patterns of dietary changes are also affecting food habits of the young. All studies have indicated the positive roles played by physical activity. Lack of physical activity has been implicated in children's weight gain in excess of what is ideal. Thus, there is a situation where the child ren are overweight or obese, and compounded to that there is a diminution of the physical activity in daily lives of the adolescents and the children (Reilly, 2006). Studies again indicated marked decline in schedules of physical activity in the middle school and high school schedules in children. This is more so in case of girls. This may be due to cutting down of physical education in school curricula. Additionally, there is increased use of television and computers, which decrease children's level of activities to a great extent leading to insufficient physical exercise (Brunt et al., 2008). The extent of obesity is assessed by classification in adults. However, it is difficult to assess the same in case of children by such classifications. For studies and research, given the problems in children, the prevalence is an important parameter to study. In research studies, classically this is measured in percentiles. Although there are legitimate criticisms, research literature has conventionally used body mass index. Consequently, there is a prescribed body mass index (BMI) for all ages, and 85th to 95th percentile of the standard BMI has been used as the landmark. This means children within this range will be considered at risk for being overweight. On the other hand, children who are beyond 95th percentile would be regarded overweight. It is evident that studies that involve at risk children as target population for intervention, would attempt to identify them, and in that context, these benchmarks could serve as effective identifiers. Once identified, these affected child ren may be intervened through designed public health measures with the objective and outcomes being prevention of future or existing obesity and reduction of complications and implications of obesity in them (Gibson et al., 2006). The global nature of this problem has already been mentioned, but the important parameter that this study attempts to address is launching the public health intervention at young age when the exposure to life style related risk

Reluctant Collectivists Essay Example for Free

Reluctant Collectivists Essay The events of the 20th century, especially of its first part had brought a lot of things to think over in political and economical sphere. The global economical crisis of the 1930ies and the War time had proved there have to be changes made in the regulation of the political and social relationships as well as in the government policy. Time showed that for consistent and stable development of the country there as to special welfare social programs that would defend all classes of the society.    Reluctant collectivists proposed that there has to be state intervention in the country’s economy that would execute the role of mechanism for making good the failure of the market to control avoidable ills, but they didn’t have a purpose of using it as the only instrument for economical change.    Two of the most known reluctant collectivists Keynes and Beveridge are known to be the founders of the British Welfare sate. They strongly believed in the concept of free market relations, and the minimization of the state intervention by their opinion would maximize the efficiency of economics, political and social freedoms.   Ã‚  Ã‚   But still reluctant collectivists argued that for a wide variety of political and economical reasons the market in the free society was not working on the ideal level as it was noted by economic theorists. The economical problems and social issues that Great Britain faced during and after WW2 motivated the need of state regulation, as they proposed. By their opinion the economical waste and instability may discredit parliamentary democracy and gave the birth to mistrust to the government.    Even though that reluctant collectivists were in favor of state regulations and intervention of state to the market and economics of the country in the serious period of economical situation, they still didn’t fully support social insurance system. By their opinion the organization of social security is not the state’s problem, the assistance schemes of the government according to reluctant collectivists should simply include the guarantee of living income for each citizen. And that’s why the living standards above the minimum wage have to be gained by individuals themselves.    The philosophical premises of the reluctant collectivism are originated in the theories of free market, which is considered to be the best mechanism that insures initiative of the individual and hence political freedom.   But here comes the question: if there has to be a need in state regulation of market and economical relations how much of the intervention is needed for that. The obvious answer is the following: the weakness and the strengths of the market have to be analyzed first. This pragmatism puts reluctant collectivists close to the conservatives, whose philosophy accepts the preserving of the best that remains from the past, while adopting new things that are most likely to change the situation for better.    Justification of their political aims and program by reluctant collectivists during the period of serious economical issues in the UK helped Conservatives to come to power in 1950ies and 1960ies. But still the theory of â€Å"reluctant collectivism† that seems to rapidly react on the changes in state’s market and economy can not fully answer the question what is good for the further development of market that doesn’t face problems. As the result the existing problems in understanding of the market development program caused the contradictions in the views of conservatives and those who belonged to reluctant collectivists. The understanding of the market virtues by reluctant collectivists didn’t give the chance for introducing and practicing economical and market reforms. As a result most of their programs lost their actuality in 1960ies. Reference George. V. Wilding, P(1985). The Reluctant collectivists. In ideology and social welfare(pp.44-68). New York: Routledge.

Should Courts Lift the Corporate Veil?

Should Courts Lift the Corporate Veil? The doctrine laid down in Salomon v Salomon & Co Ltd has to be watched very carefully. It has often been supposed to cast a veil over the personality of a limited company through which the courts cannot see. But that is not true. The courts can and often do draw aside the veil. They can and often do pull off the mask. They look to see what really lies behind. The legislature has shown the way with group accounts and the rest. And the courts should follow suit. I think that we should look at the Fork company and see it as it really is the wholly owned subsidiary of the tax payers. It is the creature, the puppet of the taxpayers in point of fact, and it should be so regarded in point of law. Per Lord Denning MR, Littlewoods Mail Order Stores Ltd v I.R.C. [1969] 3 All ER 855 1.0  Introduction This dissertation will discuss the principles of limited liability and corporate personality and the courts’ reluctance to disregard the corporate veil the principle called â€Å"piercing the Corporate Veil†. We shall consider the circumstances in which the Courts have been able to pierce the veil of incorporation and the reasons as to why they have in most cases upheld the decision in Solomon v Solomon & Co[1]. All companies in the United Kingdom have to be registered and incorporated under the Companies Act which governs the principle of limited liability hence giving the owners or shareholders a curtain against liability from creditors in the case of the company falling into financial troubles. This curtain so created gives the company a separate legal personality so that it can sue and be sued in its own right and the only loss to the owners or shareholders is the number of shares held in the company on liquidation with no effect on their personal assets. This distinct separation between the owners or shareholders and the limited company is the concept referred to as the ‘veil of incorporation’ or ‘corporate veil’. In conclusion, it shall be argued that the courts should lift or pierce the corporate veil to a significantly greater extent so as to hold erring shareholders or directors of a corporation liable for the debts or liabilities of the corporation despite the general principle of limited liability were the corporation has insufficient assets to off-set the creditor liabilities. 2.0  Limited liability and Corporate Personality The principles of limited liability and corporate personality are the cornerstone of the United Kingdom company law since the Joint Stock Companies Act 1844, its consolidation in 1856[2] and the introduction of the Limited Liability Act 1855. These two principles have been so guarded by the courts as being fundamental to today’s company law by upholding the separate legal personality of a corporate entity. However, whilst the original intention of the legislation was to help companies raise capital through the issue of shares without exposing the shareholders to risk beyond the shares held, the present attraction to incorporating a company is the advantage of shielding behind the curtain of limited liability which could be abused by some businessmen. 2.1  Companies Act 2006 Article 3 (1) provides that a company is a â€Å"limited company† if the liability of its members is limited by its constitution. Article 7 (2) provides that a company may not be so formed for an unlawful purpose. Article 16 (2) The subscribers to the memorandum, together with such other persons as may from time to time become members of the company, are a body corporate by the name stated in the certificate of incorporation. (3) That body corporate is capable of exercising all the functions of an incorporated company. 2.2  Limited liability As stated above, the doctrine of limited liability was introduced by the Limited Liability Act 1855 as a means by which companies could raise capital by selling company shares without exposing the shareholders to unlimited liability.[3] The principle of limited liability shields the company owners, shareholders and directors or managers against personal liability in the event of the company winding up or becoming insolvent. In such an event the liability of its owners and shareholders is limited to the individual shareholding held as provided for by the Companies Act 2006 and the Insolvency Act 1986[4]. This means that the members of a company do not have to contribute their personal assets to the company assets to meet the obligations of the company to its creditors on its liquidation but have to contribute the full nominal value of the shares held by individual shareholders. It should be noted here that such limited liability does not shield the limited company from liability until all its debts or assets are exhausted. This principle has so been held since the House of Lords ruling in the Solomon case[5] in which the Lords where of the view that the motives behind the formation of a corporation was irrelevant in determining its rights and liabilities as long as all the requirements of registration are complied with and the company is not formed for an unlawful purpose[6]. Much as a limited company has a separate legal personality, its decisions are made by directors and managers who should use the powers conferred unto them by the company board of directors and the memorandum and articles of association[7], and any abuse will entail personal liability by the officer concerned. Limited liability encompasses both the small enterprise including one-man companies[8] and big companies hence limiting the liabilities to company assets and not to any other personal assets.[9] This view has been endorsed in recent times through numerous cases as evidenced in a one-man company, Lee’s Air Farming. Lee was the majority shareholder and director in the company in which he was also the employee. He was killed on duty in an air accident and the court held that Lee and the company were two separate entities and hence entitled to compensation.[10] The courts will only in exceptional circumstances such as abuse, fraud or where the company was used as an agent of its owner disregard the doctrine of limited liability and hold members, shareholders or directors personally liable for the debts and other company obligations to the creditors in what has been termed the piercing or lifting of the veil of incorporation. However, there are several statutory laws which allow for the principle of limited liability to be ignored in such situations as in the reporting of financial statements of group companies[11], corporate crime and insolvency[12] which we shall discuss below. 2.3  Corporate Personality A limited company is a legal person[13] with an existence which is separate and independent from its members as long as all the formalities of registration are adhered with in line with the Act. The corporate identity entails the company can sue and be sued in its own right without affecting its owners’ or shareholders’ rights. It is trite law that the only plaintiff to a wrong done to a company is prima facie company itself and not its shareholders[14] except in instances where there is a fraud against shareholders or the acts complained of are illegal. The company has been held as having an independent legal corporate personality since it was first held in the case of Solomon v A Solomon & Co Ltd[15]. To emphasise this point, Lord Macnaghten said that it seemed impossible â€Å"to dispute that once the company is legally incorporated it must be treated like any other independent person with its rights and liabilities appropriate to itself, and that the motives of those who took part in the promotion of the company are absolutely irrelevant in discussing what those rights and liabilities are.[16] In this case, Solomon registered his company into a limited company under the Companies Act[17] which required a minimum of seven (7) members for incorporation. Solomon became the major shareholder with his wife and children holding a share each but the company ran into financial problems leaving no assets for the unsecured creditors on liquidation. Whilst the court of appeal held the company to be a ‘sham’ and an alias, trustee or nominee for Solomon and that the transaction was contrary to the true intent of the Companies Act[18] the House of Lords reversed this decision and held that the company had been validly registered as required by the Act and hence had a separate legal personality from the shareholders. In arriving at this decision, Lord Macnaghten said that, â€Å"The company is at law a different person altogether from the subscribers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Nor are the subscribers, as members liable, in any shape or form, except to the extent and in the manner provided by the Act.† This decision shows that the House of Lords identified that the important factor was the observance of the requirements and formalities of the Act which safeguarded the principles of limited liability and corporate personality.  To date, this is the correct interpretation of the Company’s Act and it is important that the principle in maintained in the advancement of commerce. It should be noted here that the principle of corporate personality does not affect the company creditors to a large extent as far as the recovery of the debts is concerned. Following the decision in the Solomon case, Professor Gower has described a limited company as being ‘opaque and impassable’[19], whilst on the other hand it was described as ‘calamitous’[20]. Some commentators suggest that courts have been more inclined to the maintenance of the sanctity of the separate legal integrity of a company and have resisted the common law resolution of â€Å"peering under the skirts of a company to examine its linen (dirty or otherwise)†[21] as can be observed from the numerous cases since the Solomon case. The foregoing shows the importance to commerce of the incorporation of a company as it allows for continuity of the business transactions despite any changes in the owners, administrators, directors or shareholders of the company. However, common law has in some exceptional instances ignored this principle in stances of abuse or fraudulent use of a sham corporate structure. The courts have ignored the corporate sham structure and peer behind the veil to identify the â€Å"directing mind and will† that control the company and such intervention being termed as lifting the veil, cloak[22] or mask[23]. Whilst the courts have at times pierced the veil to benefit creditors when a company is placed under liquidation, there has been reluctance by the same courts to pierce the veil in instances which could have favourable results for shareholders.[24] 3.0  One-man Limited Companies The Council Directive 89/667[25] provides for the formation of one-man private companies hence moving away from the Joint Stock Companies Act 1856 requirements. This Directive highlights the advancement in commerce and as can be indentified from the Solomon case, Mr Solomon was the owner of the company and only registered the other six shares for his wife and children to fulfil the requirements of the Act. The company owner in these one-man corporations would in most instances also be the director in which case some unscrupulous individuals could escape liability for their own misconduct by holding assets in the name of the corporation. The courts are prepared to pierce the corporate veil in a one man company so as to be enabled to treat assets of the company as â€Å"property held by the defendants† were the company is held to be an alter ego of the owner.[26] However, the courts have shown that they are not prepared to pierce the corporate veil even in one-man limited companies as long as they are properly registered as required by the Act. In the case lee v Lee’s  Air Farming[27] mentioned above, Mr Lee incorporated Lee’s Farming Limited and was the director and controlling officer as an employee of the company. On his death in an air crush whilst on duty and the family claimed workers’ compensation. The court held that the company and Mr Lee were distinct and separate entities and hence Mr Lee was a worker in his own company. Hence we see here the court’s upholding of the principle set down by the rule in Solomon v Solomon[28] which has remained controversial[29] with changing commercial activity and globalisation. The courts have been more willing to pierce the veil in one-man companies were the owner of the company is usually the controlling officer and does not deal with the company at arm’s length. In the case of Wallersteiner v Moir[30], Lord Denning held that the subsidiaries were controlled by Dr Wallersteiner making them â€Å"puppets† which â€Å"danced to his bidding†. Lord Denning is pointing out here that whilst the subsidiaries appeared to have a separate personality, they were in reality his agents or sham companies with no existence of their own and hence warranted the piercing of the veil. This principle of corporate personality as established in the Salomon case has been extended to groups companies which we shall look at below. 4.0  Group Companies Group companies comprise of the parent company with its subsidiaries carrying on their businesses not as a common enterprise or â€Å"single economic unit†[31], though portraying it as such to the outside world. The principle of limited liability applies to the subsidiary companies so formed as they are registered companies under the Act and as such each has a separate legal personality to the parent company and hence can sue and be sued in their own right. The advantage of this arrangement to the group is that it limits liability to each subsidiary company in the group whilst sharing the group profits for the benefit of the group structure. Such group structures can lead to the parent company forming subsidiary companies to run its risky part of the business and hence insulating itself from liability in the event of the subsidiary company failing to meet its obligations to the creditors.[32] The effect of corporate personality in group companies is that each entity is legally independent and separate from other subsidiaries and the parent, hence each entity being liable for its own debts,[33] which affirms the Solomon principle. Lord Justice Slade said: â€Å"Our law, for better or worse, recognises the creation of subsidiary companies, which though in one sense the creatures of their parent companies, will nevertheless under the general law fall to be treated as separate legal entities with all the rights and liabilities which would normally attach to separate legal entities†.[34] This is still the law and an affirmation of the principle in the Solomon case. In the case of Ord & Another v Belhaven Pubs Ltd,[35] the proprietors of a company which was in the business of acquiring old pub premises, doing them up and then letting them to tenants, duly let a renovated pub building to Ord. There had been misrepresentations made by the company as to the potential profitability of the premises which only came to light some time later. By the time Belhaven Pubs Ltd had ceased trading and could not meet its debts. Ord sought leave to substitute the parent company. The Court of Appeal held that the defendant company which had granted the lease was legitimate and had not been a mere faà §ade for the holding company and hence could not be substituted. This basic principle of separate legal identity has been re-affirmed more recently in the Court of Appeal decision in Adams v Cape Industries PLC[36]. In this case, the defendant company was a member of a corporate group with a UK parent company. The employees in its US subsidiaries were injured by inhaling asbestos dust and had successfully sued the subsidiaries in US courts. They applied to enforce judgement against the parent company arguing that Cape had been present in the USA through its subsidiaries as they formed a â€Å"single economic unit†. The Court declined to pierce the corporate veil and held that the â€Å"fundamental principle is that each company in a group of companies is a separate legal entity possessed of separate legal rights and liabilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The principle in the case of Salomon was upheld on the basis that the subsidiary companies had been legitimately formed and hence were separate legal entities distinct from the parent company. 5.1  The Directing Mind A registered company is a separate and distinct legal entity, a body corporate[37] possessing rights and made subject to duties being able to sue and be sued in its own right. In the case of Lennard’s Carrying Co Ltd v Asiatic Petroleum Co. Ltd[38], the court held that, â€Å"a corporation is an abstraction. It has no mind of its own any more than it has a body of its own; its active and directing will must consequently be sought in the person of somebody who for some purposes may be called an agent, but who is really the directing mind and will of the corporation, the very ego and centre of the personality of the corporation†¦..† So we see here that the courts are willing to look behind the corporate veil as a matter of law so as to establish the directing officer behind the decisions and actions taken by the company. The directing mind of a corporation is the senior person whose authority is derived from the companys board of directors to perform the functions of the company as directed and for the benefit of the company.[39] In the course of business, such senior persons would then delegate their authority to other employees for the efficient running of the company in which case such employees’ actions or inactions would be considered as those of the â€Å"directing mind†. Lord Reid further went on to define the â€Å"directing mind and will† of the company as the person who acts for the company as he acts as â€Å"the company and his mind which directs his acts is the mind of the company.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. He is not acting as a servant, representative, agent or delegate. He is an embodiment of the company or, one could say, he hears and speaks through the persona of the company, within his appropriate sphere, and his mind is the mind of the company. If it is a guilty mind then that guilt is the guilt of the company.†[40] Therefore, this would mean that the â€Å"directing mind and will† of the company is any employee who performs certain functions for the corporation as long as he has the authority to do so and does not act outside his mandate in which case he will be held personally liable[41]. In Williams and another v. Natural life health foods ltd and mistlin,[42] the case of a small one-person company, Sir Patrick Russell in his dissenting judgment pointed out that â€Å"the managing director will almost inevitably be the one possessed of qualities essential to the functioning of the company†, but that in itself does not mean that the director is willing to be personally liable to the companys customers. Therefore to convict a company, the court will go behind the status of the separate legal entity distinction so as to establish the â€Å"directing mind and will† of the company controlling its activities[43]. However, it has been identified that the principle of limited liability can be subject to abuse and in the circumstances were there is statute will not provide justice or equity, the courts have in such exceptional circumstances disregarded the principle and held the shareholders or directors accountable for their decisions in the running of the company. The process in which the courts have disregarded the principle of limited liability is called â€Å"piercing the corporate veil† which is the main discussion of this document. 5.2  Tortious Liability The company is vicariously liable for any torts committed by its employees or agents whilst acting in the course of the official duties and ‘shall not be called into question on the ground of lack of capacity’[44] whilst the employee or agent remains the primary tortfeasor[45]. It is therefore clear that the â€Å"directing mind and will† can sometimes be personally liable for torts, for which the company is also liable, for their fraudulent acts though done on behalf of the company. 4.3  Criminal Liability The Barrow Borough Council case is thought to be the first prosecution of a local authority for corporate manslaughter. To convict a company of corporate manslaughter, the prosecution must prove the companys conduct, which led to the deaths, was the conduct of a senior person in the company—the directing mind (also often referred to as the controlling mind). In practical terms, this means that for a company to be guilty of corporate manslaughter a senior person (normally a director) also has to be guilty of manslaughter. The difficulty with these cases, particularly against larger companies with layers of management, is proving a causal link between the conduct (or lack of it) of the directing mind and the incident that caused death. 6.0  The Corporate Veil The corporate veil is the curtain that legally separates the company from its shareholders hence holding the company as having a separate legal personality and limited liability. In curtailing any abuses of limited liability and the protection of creditors to both small and group companies, the courts have in certain instances, though reluctantly, looked behind the corporate veil to establish the true intent of the controlling officers of the company. The courts have in the rare circumstances ignored the corporate form and looked at the business realities of the situation so as to prevent the deliberate evasion of contractual obligations, to prevent fraud or other criminal activities and in the interest of public policy and morality. Piercing the corporate veil has not been complicated in one-man companies were the owner is usually the director and hence the controlling officer as compared to group companies which have a layered structure. The controlling officer[46] will be held liable and asked to account for his actions so that the company can fulfil its financial obligations to its creditors in the event of company insolvency. In the case of Royal Brunei Airlines v Tan[47] made clear. 6.1  Lifting the Corporate Veil The corporate veil is a curtain that shields company shareholders and directors from personal liability by the principle of limited liability in the event of the company being insolvent and unable to fulfil its obligations. The lifting of the corporate veil concept describes a legal decision where the limited company shareholders or directors are held liable for the debts or other liabilities of the corporation contrary to the principle of limited liability. Whilst there is strict liability legislation to prosecute erring limited companies for statutory offences but were there is insufficient statutory protection, the common law remedy of piercing of the corporate veil is imposed by the courts so as to put liability on the controlling officer (directing mind) of the corporation. However, the courts have been reluctant to rebut the principle of limited liability and only in exceptional circumstances have they been willing to pierce the corporate veil to establish the true facts. In this way, certain individuals or parent-companies responsible for the company’s actions are held liable so at to account for their decisions as shareholders or directors. Generally, the UK corporate law holds that the shareholders, directors or parent-companies are not liable for corporate obligations of the companies or subsidiaries they control hence maintaining the principles of limited liability and separate legal corporate personality. The principles of separate legal personality and limited liability have been long recognised in English law[48] and that the shareholders or directors are not liable for the debts of the company as long as it is properly administered.[49] However, in exceptional circumstances[50], the courts have been prepared to look behind the company and establish the actions or inactions of the directors and shareholders using the process known as â€Å"piercing the corporate veil†. Piercing the corporate veil is the process whereby the court ignores the principle of corporate personality and holds the shareholders or directors liable for their actions so that they meet the company obligations in their personal capacities.  The courts will pierce or the â€Å"veil† were the corporate structure has been used as an instrument of fraud or to circumvert the law.[51] It has been argued that whilst the courts have used the doctrine of piercing the corporate veil though reluctantly, it is still not well understood leading to uncertainties in the legal process.[52] Some commentators have argued that the exceptional circumstances in which the courts have justified the piercing of the corporate veil is uncertain as evidenced by the number of contradictory decisions by the courts.[53]  Goulding[54] further argues that ‘it is not possible to distil any single principle from the decided cases as to when the courts will lift the veil’ due to the diversity of the cases, though they are more willing in cases of extreme abuse.[55] In the leading case on this subject, Solomon v Solomon[56] discussed above, the House of Lords maintained that â€Å"individuals could organise their affairs as they wanted and that if they chose to do so via incorporation they were entitled to the protection of limited liability as long as the incorporation was in accordance with the formal rules of the relevant legislation†. Though it is English trite law that the incorporation of a company protects the members from company liability by the principle of limited liability, there are both statutory and common law exceptions to the principle in cases of abuse of the corporate structure. 7.0  Statutory Exceptions Gower and Davies[57] argue that the courts are willing to lift the veil were statutory wording of a particular statute[58] is explicit as Parliament intended. The courts have resisted the temptation to pierce the veil because they consider it just to do so[59] though they are more willing in exceptional circumstances or were they feel that the shareholders or directors are concealing the true facts[60]. However, the courts have been reluctant to lift the veil were the statute does not specifically provide for it. There are various Acts which specifically provide for the lifting of the corporate veil and as such are strict and have to be followed. Following are a few examples of both civil and criminal liability imposed on limited companies. Companies Act 2006 sections 398 and 399 Group of companies Although each company is a separate legal person, section 399 (2) requires that the parent company prepares group accounts at the end of the financial year so as to â€Å"give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss†. This Act looks at the group of companies as a ‘single economic entity’ and in effect lifting the corporate veil which goes against the principles of corporate personality and limited liability.

Quantitative Research in Health, Safety, and Environment

Quantitative Research in Health, Safety, and Environment Casey Bird Abstract In this article, quantitative research in the health, safety, and environmental (HSE) field will be discussed. The primary quantitative tool utilized is the safety committee. With the safety committee, direct communication lines with management on issues in the field can be achieved. Quantitative research provides the ability to understand other peoples safety needs or perceptions (Austin Sutton, 2014). It allows an organization to become a safety-first culture. In order to achieve this type of culture the organization needs to be aware of needed enhancements. This is why quantitative safety research is vital to an organization. This paper will discuss the methods utilized for quantitative research, and how the effectiveness is measured in that research. MGs safety committee will be utilized to reflect other quantitative tools. This includes Stop Work Authority (SWA), Core Values policy, and regular HSE meetings. This paper will also inform the reader on the importance of quantitati ve research to enhance any organizational programs. Quantitative Research in Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) A vital primary tool utilized in the health, safety, and environmental (HSE) field is the safety committee. The committee is required to provide input on incidents, recommendations, and better practices to enhance the overall organization (Kellerman, 2012). A safety committee is one way that management and frontline employees can disseminate share knowledge opinions. This sharing of information can be vital as there are different levels of insight from the employees on this committee. By having different levels of insight, an organization is able to grow and expand. The safety committee is also utilized in workplace inspections to provide insight as well as to increase production levels. A supervisor is may be busy supervising employees and production levels which could compromise safety. With a designated committee performing safety inspections, it allows the supervisors to fully perform tasks safely. A safety committee is also paramount as another tool for quantitative research. Quantitative research is a systematic process that examines relationships and interactions (Burns Grove, 2005). In order to be more proactive towards accident prevention, an organization should work towards becoming a safety-first culture. In becoming a safety-first company, an organization should initially understand the needs of the employees. This can be accomplished by utilizing questionnaires. Every safety committee member is given a questionnaire at the beginning, middle, and end of the time served on the committee. It is required each member serve a tenue of one year on the committee. So each questionnaire provides a starting point to understand individual views and on-going needs for the organization. Questionnaire results could show other immediate needs of an organization, such as more support from management.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   It also reveals various best practices to utilize in specific opera tions that keep people safe, and increase profit margins. These best practices allow for a much higher successful implementation rate, due to employee buy-in. With safety committee providing quantitative research to the organization, it truly provides direct money-saving tasks to an organization (Kellerman, 2012). In addition to the safety committee, all employees are issued Stop Work Authority (SWA). A SWA gives any employee the right and obligation to stop any unsafe tasks or condition. As cited in Morrison (2015), if employees utilized SWA every time an issue arises, majority of incidents and fatalities would be eliminated. However, a gap commonly seen in SWA is employees do not utilize it as often due to fear of retribution from the employer (Morrison, 2015).   To overcome this issue, MG Resins has implemented a Core Value policy. MG Resins is a polymer production plant that is under construction. The Core Value policy defines employee roles and responsibilities, including the safety committee. It outlines that all employees have the right and obligation to utilize a SWA for any individual or group tasks without any retribution. If any retaliation occurs, it should be reported to management immediately. In order to effectively and efficiently close any gaps involving HSE issues, management holds regularly scheduled meetings with employees. These meetings include weekly, monthly, and quarterly held review meetings with employees. During these meeting with management top HSE issues are presented and discussed with employees. Employees are constantly encouraged to engage in the discussion. With employees feeling that their insight is needed and approved, the more proactive effects an organization will achieve. This increase in employee involvement also increases employees morale to work in a safe, healthy, and environmentally friendly workplace. MG Resins has greatly improved since implementation of these quantitative research tools. With these quantitative methods of the SWA, Core Value policy, and regular HSE meetings more employees are freely voicing opinions and reporting incidents. There were zero recordable injuries, zero environmental spills, and only two first-aid cases this year to date. Management has also fully supported and embraced proactive solutions to reduce and eliminate future incidents. With this quantitative involvement, management is now able to effectively document and understand HSE issues directly via employees. With more proactive employee involvement, the more likelihood the organizations goals and visions should be achieved. As a matter of fact, one employees quantitative feedback allowed MG to increase production rates by eliminating human involvement and establishing robotics. One production line required employees to physically bag and tie-off the final product. To complete only one order could take up to four hours. During an HSE meeting this topic was brought up not only for safety reasons, but for production as well. This proactive action of implementing robotics allowed employees to perform other critical tasks, while the robotics completed this one lengthy task. In my opinion, as a safety professional, quantitative research is a required necessity to improve any organization. The future use of quantitative research is solidified in the MG organization as well as in the HSE field. Without quantitative research employers and safety professionals would not be able to be as proactive in their programs. The future of quantitative research should include researching newer technologies. The newer generations are becoming more tech-savvy, and this may be an opportunity to get in-touch with a bigger audience. The more input an organization can receive, the greater the potential for the organization to succeed. Management needs to grasp this opportunity to support the employees and customers in order to enhance the organization. However, a roadblock with many safety professionals is the ability to convince upper management that quantitative research is vital in supporting production operations. It is my opinion, that at times, management disregards safety at employees detriment and well-being. It is only when a tragedy happens, that management will then seek out safety. A good safety professional must find common ground for proving to management that quantitative research and production go hand-in-hand. Before tragedies occur, it is my opinion, that implementing a quantitative safety program can be an asset for any organization. Any organization, including MG, would do well in finding a balance between implementing quantitative safety and production. When all levels of management and employees equally understand that no safety will be sacrificed for production, it is then that the companys goals will be achieved. References Austin Z. Sutton J. (2014). Qualitative research: getting started.Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4275140/ Burns N., Grove S.K. (2005). The practice of nursing research: conduct, critique, and utilization. Retrieved from http://www.health.herts.ac.uk/immunology/Web%20programme%20-%20Researchhealthprofessionals/definition_of_quantitative_resea.htm Kellerman M. (2012). Safety committees: Just hype or do they really benefit a company.Retrieved from http://www.usfsafetyflorida.com/Resources/Consultant-s-Corner/Safety-Committees-Just-Hype-or-Do-They-Really-Benefit-a-Company Morrison K. (2015). Stop-work authority: Empowering workers to halt a dangerous situation can help prevent injuries, experts say. Retrieved from http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/12346-stop-work-authority

School Days are the Happiest Days of your Life? :: Creative Writing Examples

School Days are the Happiest Days of your Life? When I was given this assignment, my initial reaction was this is easy! Half an hours writing- homework complete. Fifteen minutes later I find that it is incredibly difficult to sort out the jumble of thoughts, memories and feelings, that are fighting each other in the race to be the first to blot this pristine white page.(melodramatic, but true) I suppose I could take the easy way out, and write that looking back; my school days were happy, carefree days. The sun always shone. I had no real worries. Friends were plentiful and life was all about, fun, fun, fun. Well I could, but that would entail not being completely honest. I mean, certainly a not immodest percentage of school, (compared with life today) was carefree but by no means all of it. My over-riding recollections of school are the memories of never quite fitting in; the never quite making it into the 'in crowd.' Not that I wanted in, you understand. I wanted to be different (not another lemming) just not so different that I stood out. I blame my mother for that mentality for she drummed it into us all. If I spoke the usual refrain," but all my friends are her response was always." if your friend stuck her hand in the fire- would you do it too?" Well the answer to that was no, and when you said so, mum would smile and say," of course not love, you have your own mind. You're not a lemming; don't be afraid to be different." I was left feeling proud of myself for being 'different', but oh God, I still wanted that denim jacket, or those Adidas trainers, or to stay out for that extra half an hour; or the myriad of other 'things' that would have enabled me to fit in. Money was always tight when I was at school. With four kids to buy for - I feel mum used the lemming story no us, just so she wouldn't have to say "I can't afford it." At school, every deficit, both real and imagined between you and the 'in crowd' made you insecure. It could be your haircut, shoes or even just the number of pleats our gym skirt had. (Mine had none.) Plain skirts were cheaper. Positive Body Image, or lack of it in my case, was a major problem. I went through school convinced that I was fat and ugly. Fat!? I was only 81/2 stones! I would kill to be that weight again - and as for my

Mediations of First Philosophy by Descartes Essay -- Philosophy Philos

Mediations of First Philosophy by Descartes In the â€Å"Mediations of First Philosophy† Descartes tries to prove the existence of God in the third meditation. He does this by coming up with several premises that eventually add up to a solid argument. First, I will explain why Descartes ask the question, does god exist? And why does Descartes think he needs such and argument at this point in the text. Secondly, I will explain, in detail, the arguments that Descartes makes and how he comes to the conclusion that God does exist. Next, I will debate some of Descartes premises that make his argument an unsound one, including circular reasoning. Finally, I will see if his unsound argument has diminished and undermined his principal goals and the incorrigible foundation of knowledge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In earlier meditations Descartes proved that he existed through the Cogito argument. Descartes must now move on to examine and explore questions about the world around him, but instead of doing this he first stop to examine the question of whether or not God exists. Descartes wants to know that he was created by an all knowing, perfect creator that is good and wants to make sure that he was not created by an evil spirit or demon. If Descartes can prove that he was created by a perfect all knowing creator then his ideas must carry some semblance of truth, because God is not a deceiver and he must of placed these ideas in Descartes. Descartes has good reasons for searching for the answer to the question of God’s existence, now he has to come up with a good sound argument to prove it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the â€Å"Meditations on First Philosophy† Descartes gives a couple of major arguments about the existences of god, he gives one argument in the third meditation and on in the fifth meditation. The argument in meditation three and the one we will focus on is known as the â€Å"Trademark Argument†. This argument comes from the fact claimed by Descartes that inside of everyone is a supreme being, which is placed there by whatever created us. From this statement Descartes can say that a mark from a God has been place inside of every one of us. This argument involves the acknowledgement of such an idea is within ourselves, this idea that God is a being who is eternal and infinite and a creator of all things. This is Descartes first premise. His second premise is the â€Å"Causal Adequacy Principle.† The p... ... like Descartes ever has any real concrete arguments for the existence or God or himself existing or any of his theories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, Descartes made an argument to prove God’s existence and seemed to be able to prove that he existed, but after a taking a closer look and revaluating his theories you see that he uses a lot of circular reasoning. It is really tough to believe any of what Descartes is saying. After reading his meditations you are left confused, mostly because you are trying to decipher what he is saying and you end up going around and around because of the circular reasoning. Even without the circular reasoning the argument just doesn’t make any sense, especially in today’s world, without any data. To be able to fathom a sound argument for the existence of God just sounds too preposterous to believe. To believe that God exists based of faith and religion is what people today and in Descartes time, as well, believed. To say that God exists because there must have been some superior creator that put this idea in my head is very far fetched. People d on’t need to be told that God exists because most people already believe and most of them know that he does.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚