Saturday, August 31, 2019

Militarization of Our Police Essay

I strongly feel that military tactics, training, and equipment do not have a place in American law enforcement because dozens of needless deaths and injuries have occurred because of it and it’s extremely expensive to supply these things. First, the American law enforcement has become much too aggressive with its citizens. There are several reports of police going above and beyond, using extreme measures, to take down the general public. One perfect example would be the MacDonald case. In the summer of 2006 a frail, troubled 18-year-old girl named Ashley MacDonald ran through a nearly empty Huntington Beach, California, city park in the early morning holding a small knife. An onlooker called the police and soon two large male officers showed up. They shot the girl to death with 18 bullets, claiming she had lunged toward them and put their lives in danger (Greenhut, 2008). Another example showing excessive, military force being used would be the Jose Guerena case. The home of former Marine and Iraq combat veteran Jose Guerena was raided by local sheriffs in Pima County, Arizona, who were attempting to execute a narcotics search warrant. Unfortunately, the manner in which the SWAT team invaded Guerena’s home prompted Guerena to reach for his gun to protect himself and his family. Sheriffs then shot off 71 rounds and hit Guerena with 22, killing him (Clabough, 2011). Second, it has cost the government millions of dollars to supply the American law enforcement with military equipment, which I believe is completely unnecessary. According to Pentagon data cited by The Daily, the Defense Department gave away almost $500 million worth of surplus military equipment to state and local law enforcement in 2011, which was a new record. And next year’s orders are already up more than 400 percent (Newman, 2011). The crime rate may have decreased, but the detailed numerous accounts of abuses and failed operations that left innocent people dead and the record billions worth of military equipment still being handed to local police is absolutely ridiculous. I feel there is more bad than good deriving from the militarization of our police.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Riordan Manufacturing Strategic Plan Essay

Strategic managers have responsibility to both the employees and stakeholders of the organization. Engaging in strategic management decisions should include ethics and social responsibilities. The expectation of such responsibilities from stakeholders is to fulfill legal and ethical economic decisions. Satisfying the purpose of the strategic planning process for Riordan Manufacturing, the management team has taken into consideration the economic, legal, ethical and discretionary responsibilities. According to Wheelen and Hunger (2010), the ethical and discretionary responsibilities are also known as social responsibilities. Ethical responsibilities require decision-makers to follow expected behaviors of society and the community. Riordan may take substantial risk by upsetting customers by failing to meet existing ethical values. Understanding the existing ethical values and standards of Riordan, the management team will assist senior leaders in planning and committing to social respo nsibilities. Why a Strategic Plan? A strategic management plan will focus Riordan’s objectives, goals, and efforts on long-term performance and sustainability. Managing short-term goals and successes is relatively uncomplicated and easily attainable, yet longevity is much more difficult to accomplish. Strategic management lays the framework for lasting success. Corporations can no longer sustain profitable business activities by simply maintaining a business as usual or status quo strategy. As the world and economic markets continue to evolve, companies must also transform to accommodate an ever-changing environment. During such transformations, managers should be careful to implement change that is consistent with the company’s core mission and objectives. Strategic planning assists in effectively accomplishing these changes and provides business owners and managers the opportunity to induce innovative thinking to preserve competitive advantages. Riordan, like other companies, needs a strategic plan. The plastic injection molding company uses modern design capabilities to provide innovative plastic products to national and international customers. Riordan advertises that â€Å"attention to detail, extreme precision and enthusiastic quality controls are the hallmarks of  Riordan Manufacturing† (Apollo Group, Inc., 2004, Internet). By setting such high standards in a lucrative and competitive industry, it is imperative to Riordan’s success that they implement a strategic plan to manage long-term profitability and sustained growth. Ethical and Social Responsibility To understand the role that ethical and social responsibility considerations occupy in the development of Riordan’s strategic organizational planning, one must first recognize what these concepts mean. According to Merriam-Webster (2011), ethics is â€Å"the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation† (para. 1). Outside of this general definition that ethics are standards for morality, researchers and philosophers have actively sought for many years for a comprehensive and all-encompassing explanation of what is and is not ethical. Many factors contribute to the meaning of ethics and corresponding behaviors, including but not limited to culture, religion, societal influences and pressures, and various stages of moral development. Though social responsibility works hand in hand with ethics, it does possess unique implications. Wheelen and Hunger (2010) describe that â€Å"the concept of social responsibility proposes that a private c orporation has responsibilities to society that extend beyond making a profit† (p. 72). This notion exists because the decisions and actions of a business or organization often are far reaching and affect many others beyond the boarders of the company’s facilities and operations. Management has a responsibility to balance that which is good for the business and for the surrounding communities and affected parties while formulating strategic plans. Experts in the fields of corporate ethics and social responsibility argue that profitability is not the only duty to be satisfied by a business. For example, William J. Byron believes that â€Å"profits are merely a means to an end, not an end in itself,† and Archie Carroll suggests that corporations â€Å"have four responsibilities: economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary† (Wheelen & Hunger, 2010, p. 72-73). Riordan is much more likely to experience success and provide greater returns to stakeholders if a well-rounded business approach is adopted, as opposed to a strictly profit-oriented method. An ex tensive internal and external environmental scan will help Riordan determine what ethical and social concerns to incorporate in the company’s strategic plan. For  instance, considering present concerns with environmental pollution, including the over-use of plastics and the toxic air pollution created by manufacturing facilities, Riordan should take a proactive stance in environmental sustainability efforts. Riordan operates in a changing world, and if the company chooses not to pay attention to and participate in the vigorous worldwide environmental conservation activities, they may find themselves out of business and in financial ruin. The ethical and socially responsible role of Riordan affects customers, employees, stakeholders, local and international communities, and future generations. If these parties are not satisfied with the company’s efforts and actions, Riordan may be at risk for potential failure. Competitive Advantages and Strategies Riordan presently utilizes an industry standard Six Sigma competitive strategy, along with their customization of innovative products and sale of quality items to a select market of specialized buyers. The manufacturer also takes advantage of high-volume production methods to generate elevated profits. They provide plastic products, including bottles, fans, heart valves, medical stents, and custom parts, to customers in bulk amounts at affordable prices to sustain the company’s revenue stream. Riordan also has a revolving product line, which creates value and sustainability because the products are recycled. These competitive advantages helped Riordan become an industry leader, yet the integration of a differentiation strategy and a lower cost strategy will work to enhance organizational growth. Riordan can improve innovation and sustainability of business operations in the United States and in the global market by implementing a blend of differentiation and lower cost busines s strategies. This arrangement is ideal for Riordan because it caters to the purpose of the manufacturing business, which is to provide valuable products at reasonable costs. Wheelen and Hunger (2010) explain that â€Å"differentiation strategy is the ability of a company to provide unique and superior value to the buyer in terms of product quality, special features, or after-sale service† and â€Å"lower cost strategy is the ability of a company or a business unit to design, produce, and market a comparable product more efficiently than its competitors† (p. 185). The combination of these two exceedingly effective competitive strategies allows Riordan to introduce innovative and distinct plastic products to the  marketplace, creating greater value to customers, in a more efficient and cost-effective manner than competitors. To further guarantee organizational longevity, Riordan should continue to use existing quality improvement processes such as Six Sigma and Total Quality Management, which focus on cost reduction, quality improvement, customer satisfaction, performance improvement, and continual renewal. Measurement Guidelines Using a combination of differentiation and lower cost strategies in the Riordan strategic planning process will help the organization maximize profits through two avenues. The first way the company will adjust the organizational strategy is by using differentiation to sell specialty products to organizations that are willing to pay higher prices for specialty orders. New innovation will increase the sales of the organization. Riordan will use a return on investment (ROI) measurement as a guideline to verify the effectiveness of the innovation strategy. The ROI measurement will look at the profitability of each specialty order and determine if the products are creating enough revenue for the organization. If the products are not meeting a set revenue target goal, then the organization will increase the customers’ cost. The second way Riordan will stabilize the organization’s growth and maximize profits is by using a lower cost strategy. The organization will maintain the existing customer base by selling common plastic products at lower rates. The primary plastic products in this category are beverage bottles, food containers, and common automobile parts. The organization will use a balanced scorecard approach to verify strategic effectiveness of the lower cost strategy. The balanced scorecard will focus on four main strategic goals to determine effectiveness. The first goal is customer satisfaction. Satisfying the customer’s needs will keep profits growing. The second goal is financial stability and profitability. Financial stability will show stakeholders the company is strong and dependable. This encourages more business from other organizations in the future. The third goal in the balanced scorecard approach is internal perspective. Management will look at successes and failures within the organization and determine corrective actions to improve the organization. The fourth step is innovation and learning within the organization. Managers will look at areas that are not meeting the strategic  goals and determine improvements to the strategic plan. The management team will also evaluate ways to improve value of products and ways to cut cost of production. By using the ROI and balanced scorecard guidelines, Riordan’s managers can effectively evaluate the effectiveness of the organizational strategy. This will allow managers to determine if the strategies are successful in their current form or if adjustments are needed to improve production or profitability standards. Internal Dynamics For Riordan to implement the new business strategies, the internal dynamics of the organization must change. These changes will affect the culture and structural leadership of the company. Riordan’s current management structure is a matrix structure using the old method management. This means that longevity in the organization is a stipulation for management placement. Each level of manager is put in a position and the job is made to fit the candidate. The company will keep the current matrix structure in place with one major difference. In the new internal dynamics of the company, the requirements of the job determine the eligibility of candidates. New job placement processes will cause the cultural environment to change within the organization. Employees, whom may be waiting for older workers to leave the company, will find it easier to move into new positions without the wait. The most qualified candidate will be eligible for the positions, instead of employees relying on l ongevity. This type of organizational movement will promote innovation through education by placing fresh candidates in leadership positions. This will also help the company avoid downturns in innovation and growth. Organizational managers must determine if the new business strategy will fit the current culture. If the strategy does not fit, managers must decide how to implement the strategy by making changes in the structure. According to Wheelen and Hunger (2010), the management team can try one of four methods to adjust the culture. â€Å"The strategy makers can take a chance and ignore the culture, manage around the culture by changing the plan, change the culture to fit the plan, or change the strategy to fit the culture† (Wheelen and Hunger, 2010, p. 256). The new organizational business strategy must have the support of the stakeholders to which the changes will affect because a failure to plan and adjust the business strategy effectively could result in failure of the implementa tion process. Business Continuity Business continuity are the activities performed by an organization to ensure that the business functions will be available when needed by customers, suppliers, regulators, and others of Riordan that must have access to those particular functions. Business continuity is performed by members of the company such as management, employees, and its stakeholders. The business functions and continuity at Riordan consist of project management, system backups, change controls, and the help desk. These functions help Riordan maintain service, consistency, and recoverability within the organization. Riordan influences business continuity by supporting items in their mission statement. The influences are geared by Six Sigma and R&D, which is the industry leader in identification of industry trends. Riordan’s business is also influenced by ISO 9000 standards that define the company’s attitude and abilities. Long-term customer relationships and team oriented working environments are significant businesses influences of this company. With a continual focus on achievement and maintaining profitability to ensure sustained growth, financial and human capital availability are identified as ongoing strategic goals and objectives. Assessment and Feedback Controls Riordan provides its employees with well informed and properly supported information that focuses on the long-term viability of the company. The assessment and feedback controls that should be acknowledged in determining the direction for Riordan in the proposed strategic plan are as follows. The assessments will ensure that Riordan examines employee motivation and empowerment, manufacturing and marketing areas, and the structure of performance reviews. Once these areas are assessed, then the feedback process will begin. The management feedback process consists of making sure employees are still being recognized as team players as Riordan is changing the strategy of the company. Providing employees coaching sessions to identify problem areas, implementation of career development opportunities, and instituting a pay rewards system for good performance that supports the company’s vision will provide direct feedback to the company. At Riordan, product quality and quantity is a major focus. Establishing an evaluation, control, and assessment process will provide timely feedback to leadership  in anticipation of results or areas of concern. Areas of assessment include employee and customer satisfaction, environmental presence, and environmental scanning for external locations of the manufacturing facilities. Instituting assessment and feedback to determine the profitability and feasibility of the company is established through the strategic process. Management will determine and specify what measurements are necessary, establish standards of performance through specific implementations, measure performance by predetermined controls, and compare desired performance within a tolerance range. Should the performance fall outside of the predetermined tolerance range, leadership will have the ability to take immediate corrective action. Companies may experience fluctuation or desired standards not being achieved. Thi s provides the company with an opportunity to take corrective action and re-evaluate the strategic plan. Should Riordan’s strategic plan fluctuate or not achieve predetermined goals as according to plan, management would consider altering the specific strategy. Some of the changes to be considered are based on the feedback, but may include the competitive strategies, measurement guidelines, and internal dynamics. These areas provide opportunities for improvement but could also reflect similarities to the original plan with minor adjustments and still provide successful outcomes. Alterations of the strategic plan would be evaluation of: Competitive Strategies – In the area of competitive strategies, we will limit the high-volume production methods and not add any new innovation. Measurement Guidelines – In the area of measurement guidelines, we will eliminate the differentiation to sell specialty products to organizations for a higher price which leads to return on investment. Riordan will focus on maintaining the product line that already exists. Internal Dynamics – In the area of internal dynamics, Riordan could not go forward with the new changes to the company culture and job placement process. Only a few minor adjustments are needed for this particular area. Job placement should be considered upon experience and the company culture should remain the same. If Riordan fails to make these corrections prior to implementation of the new strategic plan, the company could be at risk of losing market share, not having the ability of expanding globally, jeopardizing the relationship with stakeholders, and lose of profitability. Conclusion Companies are respected and rated by their ethical and social responsibilities to the stakeholders and employees. These responsibilities are as important as the ROI. The purpose of business is to make a return on investment, and this factor is used to evaluate the performance of management and offers a market comparison to similar firms and industries. Key performance measures are essential for achieving the desired strategic outcome. A comprehensive plan that includes environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and evaluation and control processes will provide assurance of a well-developed strategic approach to business strategies and growth initiatives. References Apollo Group, Inc. (2004). Virtual Organization: Riordan Manufacturing. Retrieved from Apollo Group, Inc., Simulation, MGT498 – Strategic Management website. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated (2011). Ethic. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethics. Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (2010). Concepts in strategic management and business policy: Achieving sustainability (12th ed.). Prentice Hall.

Family Health Assessment Essay

The emphasis of Gordon’s functional health patterns concentrates on 11 categories which include: health perception/management, nutritional/metabolic, elimination, activity/exercise, cognitive/perceptual, sleep/rest, self perception/self concept, role/relationship, sexuality/reproductive, coping/stress tolerance, and value/beliefs (Nursing Planet, 2013). These series of questions are effective when accumulating data that can be interpreted and diagnoses can be applied for actual, as well as potential issues. Issues are identified, decisions on interventions, education, and promotion of a realistic, as well as a practical lifestyle (Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle, 2014) can be chosen. Discussion in detail of the interview from the Gouker family assessment follows. They have six daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Gouker have been married for 40 years. Utilizing the 11 functional health patterns by Gordon, a family assessment was completed on the Gouker family. The emphasis of health perception/promotion centers on the individuals’ impression of their wellness and how they govern their health (Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle, 2014). Due to their age, the Gouker family’s health perception presently revolves around their yearly health examinations and eating healthy. Mr. Gouker is 74 years old and Mrs. Gouker is 68. Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) revealed that only after having experienced weakness did he begin having annual examinations, as he had been healthy his entire life. Mr. Gouker does not take any prescribed medications. Mrs. Gouker participates in yearly examinations and currently has blood work completed every six months due to her chronic diabetes mellitus. Mrs. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) currently takes daily medications for this condition. Since Mrs. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) shops for the family, she stated that they only consume chicken and fish, which is broiled, and scarcely eats beef or pork. She also prepares vegetables with the evening meal. Snacks consist of fresh fruits. The primary meal is dinner, which is eaten together. Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) states that breakfast consists of coffee and rarely has time for lunchtime. Mrs. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) eats breakfast daily which consists of coffee and toast, whereas lunch consists of a salad. Mrs. Gouker has scheduled dentist visits every six months, whereas Mr. Gouker only schedules dental visits every year. According to Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle (2014), elimination pivots around the expulsion of contents in the bowel and bladder, but also includes the skin. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gouker prefer to drink water and they frequently urinate. Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 21, 2014) states, that he has multiple bowel movements daily, whereas Mrs. Gouker has daily bowel movements. Mr. and Mrs. Gouker bathe daily. As stated by Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle (2014), activity and exercise concentrates on the patterns pertaining to activity, exercise, recreation, and leisure. Mrs. Gouker is retired and Mr. Gouker owns a business. Mrs. Gouker utilizes the treadmill for walking. Leisure and recreational activities include yearly travel, and attending professional sporting events. The main focus of cognitive and perceptions are patterns seen in regards to cognition, perception, and the senses (Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle, 2014). Mr. Gouker has an Associate’s degree in business administration, whereas Mrs. Gouker graduated high school. When expressing his views on pain management, Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) stated he rarely experiences pain, but if the situation arises he will take an Aleve. Mrs. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) expressed that she only takes Aleve for pain or discomfort. Mrs. Gouker finds satisfaction in reading and completing crossword puzzles, whereas Mr. Gouker manages the business. The main concept of sleep and rest centers on patterns which give priority to sleep, rest, and relaxation (Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle, 2014). Mr. Gouker sleeps four to seven hours per night while Mrs. Gouker sleeps seven to eight hours per night. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) state they unwind by watching their favorite television programs or sitting in their rocking chairs on the porch. According to Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle (2014), the focal point of self perception and self concept is on the persons’ viewpoint of themselves which correlate to their self esteem, their self worth, and body appearance. Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) believes that he can accomplish anything he so chooses. He believes that whether a person is a success or failure depends upon your state of mind. Mrs. Gouker perceives herself as a kindhearted woman and views herself as a genuine individual who is helpful to those around her. With regards to body image, Mr. Gouker stands five foot nine inches tall and weighs 175 lbs and is aware that he is overweight. Mrs. Gouker is five foot four inches tall and weighs 182 pounds and perceives herself as slovenly. The focal point of the role and relationship patterns centers on the persons role in the family and the relationship they have with the other family members (Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle, 2014). Mrs. Gouker cherishes being a mother and wife. Mr. Gouker (personal communication, March 11, 2014) states that he is blessed. He loves being a father and provider to all his children. Both Mrs. and Mrs. Gouker are content with their personal relationships with family and friends. According to Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle (2014), the patterns of sexuality and reproduction center on the individuals’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their sexual style. Mrs. Gouker was modest when speaking of their sexual relationship, yet Mr. Gouker was open. Both parties are content with their sexual relationship and have no complaints concerning sex. The focus of coping and stress tolerance pertains to how the individual detects stress and the techniques utilized when encountering stressful events (Edelman, Zudzma & Mandl, 2014). This family has always used communication skills to rectify any problems. Prayer is utilized and their faith that God’s guidance assists them. Edelman, Zudzma & Mandle (2014) noted that patterns in relation to values and beliefs focus on spiritual beliefs, values, and goals that direct those choices. The Gouker’s are Lutheran and attend services weekly. Upon interview completion of the Gouker family, two wellness and family diagnoses are: Both are at risk for imbalanced nutrition: more than body requirements since their individual body mass index (BMI) both exceed 20 percent. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gouker are at risk for body images disturbance. Education for the Gouker’s included the impact of exercise and how this will decrease their body mass index. It is evident that nurses impact the lives of those being cared for regardless of the setting. Education is instrumental is assisting patients and their families to make positive changes in promoting a healthier lifestyle. References Edelman, C. , Kudzma, C. & Mandle, C. L. (2014). Health Promotion Throughout the Life Span (8 ed. ). : VitalSource Bookshelf. Nursing Plant. (2013). Functional Health Patterns. Retrieved March 11, 2014 from www. nursingplanet. com/theory/functional_health_patterns. html Appendix 1)Health prevention and health management. a. How do you feel about keeping your regular doctor visits? b. What, as an individual, do you do to support your health? 2)Nutritional and metabolic a. Regarding your dental needs, what are your oral habits? b. What are your nutritional practices like in general? c. What sort of foods do you consistently eat? 3)Elimination a. How do you manage your bladder and bowel habits? b. What do you do to take care of your skin? 4)Activity and exercise a. How do you spend your time off from work? b. When participating in leisure interests, how many hours do you devote on a weekly basis? c. What do you do for getaways? 5)Cognitive and perceptual a. How do you manage pain? b. What exercises do you do participate in to improve your memory? 6)Sleep and rest a. As an individual, how do you relax? b. On average, how many hours do you sleep at night and what are your sleeping patterns like? 7 )Self perception and self concept a. What is your prospective on your self image today? . In regards to your body image, how do you view your body image? 8)Role and relationships a. As an individual within your family, what is your position in the family? b. In your current position within your family, what makes you satisfied or dissatisfied? 9)Sexual and reproduction a. With your current sexual relationship, are both individuals satisfied or unsatisfied? 10) Coping and stress tolerance a. How do you handle stress? b. When managing situations that are stressful, what do you do? 11)Value and beliefs a. What is your religious denomination? b. In regards to your religion, what guides you towards your goals?

Thursday, August 29, 2019

World Religions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

World Religions - Essay Example Path of desire is not condemned in the Hindu religion, but the problem with path of desire is its un-fulfillment, as there is no end to desires and wishes which lead to wanting more and more. The followers of Path of desire follow false happiness and chase illusive dreams. Even, if an individual were able to find success, soon he/she would realize that there are still better things in life to be achieved. Man often man desire true happiness and success, which can only be satisfied by following Path of Renunciation. Thus, Path of Renunciation refers to renouncing one desire in order to achieve some thing more important (Moksha). And one can reap the benefits of Path of Renunciation only, when one has achieved maturity in the Path of Desire and wish to go beyond one’s own pleasure and success through renunciation personal desires. It is only possible by becoming part of the community and fulfill the duty of contributing greater good towards society. However the peak of the Path of Renunciation is beyond community and desires, which is the ultimate liberation from matter to attain enlightenment. 2) What are the "Four Paths to the Goal" What is the definition of 'yoga' Discuss each yogic path and its attributes. The Hindu scriptures have mentioned four paths to achieve goal in life: Dhrama, the righteousness in life; Artha, the economic development; Kama, Sensual enjoyment, and Moksha, ultimate liberation and union with God (through yoga). Yoga is training oneself (mind) to achieve perfect state of mind and peace through a system of exercises. Each exercise prepares body for further spiritual awareness and unites the body and spirit for greater control. Yoga is meant to train the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility. A system of exercises practiced as part of this discipline promotes control of the body and mind." These exercises prepare body for a full on spiritual awareness enables an individual for complete control of ones actions. The first one is Karma-yoga, which starts with an understanding that man is bonded to actions, thus the purpose is to relieve oneself from these selfish actions. It does not mean giving up all activities; instead Karma yoga refers to the sacrifices being offered to various deities to attain material necessities, however at the highest level it means dedication of all activities to God only. The next form of yoga is Jnana which is meant to promote knowledge through study and thinking. It asks for minimizing the life activities in the belief that the pursuit of wisdom means a simple life. The third kind of Yoga is Astanga, which is divided into eight different stages called Yoga Sutras. The sutras discuss the super-states of consciousness and attainment of several mystical powers, such as the power to become smaller in size. However yogis are not to be fascinated by such mystical powers and instead keep the mind focused on God within. The last form of Yoga is Bhakti, which is meant for mature individuals Within modern Hinduism, Bhakti-yoga remains the predominant path towards spiritual fulfillment. It includes the external and symbolic

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The cultural context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The cultural context - Essay Example Overview: Topdog/Underdog is a story about two Afro-American brothers in their 30’s racing with life, with each other and with themselves. They were named as Lincoln and Booth by their alcoholic and adulterous father as a practical joke. They were both abandoned by their parents at their early age, thus, they struggled through life with each other’s companion and help. The older brother Lincoln, who was just kicked-out by his ex-wife from their house, lived together with his younger brother Booth in a shabby, lowly and dilapidated boarding house room. He continuously reminisce his past life where he was at his prime with his wife and with a blooming career as a card expert on a con game of three-card monte. He gave up his natural skills and career with cards after he witnessed the death of his street partner. He just settled for a dry and monotonous career posing as President Abraham Lincoln reenacting the final hours of his life. Customers came and shoot him with a cap gun. Because he’s black, he’s supposed to wear a white-face make-up and dress up like the president. Booth on the other hand is an ambitious, impulsive, impatient and arrogant guy. He wanted to gain fortune in an instant, thus, he practiced his brother’s skill in three-card monte quite religiously. ... All throughout the play, the dialogues exchanged by the two brothers reveal their competition with each other. They thrive to control one another where at a given moment one successfully gained control over the other only to have the situation reversed at another moment. They encourage, insult, tease and support each other. The brother’s heavy dialogues reveal the characteristics of the two as misguided, impoverished and illusory yet in all essence showcase very human realities. The play ended quite explosively where the younger brother Booth pulled the trigger against his older brother Lincoln. It was a violent scene but remarked by the play writer as very significant. Their names may have predestined their fate but the play writer has something deeper in the sense of the whole play. There are a lot impacts that the play has touched both in the historical, social, racial and cultural context. Impact of Topdog/Underdog: Topdog/Underdog is a story of life. It reveals the harsh reality of life with a touch of humor. The brothers’ characters are able to captivate the audience with their humor, insults, encouragement and other emotions trailed on the many heavy dialogues exchanged with one another. The story reveals the reality of life as a dog-eat-dog world. It is a story relative to the many stories that have been known throughout history where the race between two fraternal rivals is showcased. There have been many stories about it such as Cain and Abel or Remus and Romulus (Bradford). The two brothers are racing against life. Their dreams in contrast with the real outcome happening in their lives are just but shadows of what is really happening in this harsh world. In fact, the scenarios revealed in their dialogues are just but human and very normal events

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Unfunded Educational Mandates and how they creat Non-Market Failures Research Paper

Unfunded Educational Mandates and how they creat Non-Market Failures - Research Paper Example Over the years, significant mandates have been put forth in relation to employment, persons with disabilities, water and air pollution, and equal opportunities in education. The debate on mandates have been long-standing historically primarily due to the implied fiscal responsibilities impinged on local districts. Redistribution of state funds becomes necessary to allocate budget for federal mandates. There are other non-fiscal consequences of mandates as well. With federal mandates, a generic solution is provided for highly sensitive issues underplaying the diversity factor in each state or locality. â€Å"The initiative of state and local governments to pioneer innovative approaches is undermined as a result† (Posner, 1998, p. 6). However, despite these continuing issues, mandates have proven resilient since inception, and policy makers [i.e. Congress] remain positive on their position in creating federal mandates. The first major wave of federal mandates happened between 1960’s and 1970’s which included essential issues such as environment, civil rights, and education (Posner, 1998). Specifically, in the mid-1960’s, the state government increased its authority and intervention in education. As pointed out by Fusarelli (2009), â€Å"a crucial reason for a fundamental shift in the state education role is the widespread loss of confidence in local educators and their communities† (p. ix). In 1983, the loss of confidence in local education revolved around children with special needs. In recent times, the No Child Left Behind Policy (NCLB) became the driving force behind an increase in the state-mandated laws in education. Perhaps one of the more formidable issues emphasized by individuals advocating against state-mandated laws, especially in education, is funding. Most, if not all, mandates come with price tags that become additional budgetary burdens for local districts. Sink (2010) borrows the

Monday, August 26, 2019

Cloud Computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cloud Computing - Research Paper Example The reason for the study of â€Å"cloud computing† is to have a detailed insight into the history, significance, fundamentals, components, systems, methodologies, and implementation, and more related to cloud computing. This paper achieves this purpose by first discussing the history of cloud computing, followed by the discussion of its ramifications in the technology world, development of the system and its security, and relationship between agile software development and cloud computing. The history of cloud computing Although there is subjectivity about the exact time when the term cloud computing surfaced, yet it appears to have originated from the use of the stylized clouds drawings for the denotation of the networks in the diagrams of communication systems and computing. â€Å"Cloud† as a word is often used for the Internet metaphorically. The Internet is being represented by the symbol of a cloud since 1994. Since the prevalence of computers, technologists and scientists have been exploring ways to increase the availability of the power of large-scale computers to the users by means of such ways as experimenting with the algorithms for the maximal use of infrastructure, sharing of time, and the optimal use of applications and platform with the prioritized access to the central processing units. The â€Å"Dynamic Web† describes the process of development of the Internet from being just document centric toward its increased ability to render different kinds of services. This contribution particularly focused on the need for the meta-data that could describe the implementation details as well as other conceptual details of the applications based on model. The omnipresence of the high-capacity networks, storage devices, computers of low cost, utility computing, and the widespread adoption of the service-oriented architecture, and hardware virtualization are some of the most fundamental factors that have caused the growth of cloud computing. People involved in cloud computing include J.C.R. Licklider, John McCarthy, and Douglas F. Parkhill. Licklider brought the cloud computing’s concept to the forefront. McCarthy proposed that computation would be organized as a public utility in the future. Parkhill comprehensively discussed all the contemporary features of cloud computing in his book â€Å"The Challenge of the Computer Utility† (Banerjee, 2011). Hurdles in the development and implementation include but are not limited to flawed predictions of cost savings, increase in the cost of operation, lack of ability to comply with the requirements of growing capacity, chargeback, bandwidth, and scarcity of trained professionals in cloud computing. Another major hurdle is the security concern; the available offerings of cloud are public networks and hence increase the vulnerability of the system to the attacks. Ramifications of cloud computing in the technology world 1. Mobile communication The recent advances in the networks of mobile communication and the increasing popularity of the smart phones have empowered the users and caused a massive transformation in the mobile Internet. Nevertheless, the limited capabilities of information storage and computing of the mobile devices have traditionally served as big hurdles in the way of supporting the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Clockwork Orange Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Clockwork Orange - Movie Review Example The soundtrack to the movie mostly features classical music selections, as well as Moog Synthesizer compositions. He the leader of a small gang. The gang engages in an ultraviolence evening fighting and beating up other people even the elderly as well as another gang then stole a car they went to a writer’s home and bit and crippled him. There is a disagreement among members an Alex reasserts the group leadership then attacks another home where he gets captured by police. In prison, rehabilitation procedure is tough and ends up curing Alex from his brutality to inability to fight back or even feel anything before a naked woman. The prison governor justifies the technique by explaining that that their work is to reduce crime as well as reducing congestion in prison. After release Alex becomes homeless and faces many problems. He later finds himself in hospital injured. After tests he finds he is no longer an able man. The minister comes by and apologizes to him to save his political carrier. With his love for music, Alex is convinced to accept

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Fetal Heart Abnormalities Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fetal Heart Abnormalities - Research Paper Example Genetic predisposition is considered to be a key factor while maternal issues such as infection, diabetes, lupus and drugs trigger the onset. Ventricular and atrial septal defects and tetralogy of Fallot are the most common forms of congenital heart defect. Incidents of truncus arteriosus and transposition  are rare. Anatomy and the heart function Our heart has four chambers; two ventricles and two atriums and has two atrioventricular valves (mitral and tricuspid) to regulate the blood flow between ventricle and atrium. Right atrium and ventricle are filled with deoxygenated blood while left atrium and ventricle are filled with oxygenated blood received from the lungs. Deoxygenated blood collected by the main veins fills in to the right atrium and then to the right ventricle. Right ventricle pump blood to the lungs via pulmonary artery and oxygenated blood comes from the lungs through pulmonary vein fills in to the left atrium. Then it move down to the left ventricle. The ventricul ar wall contracts to increase the pressure enough to distribute blood throughout the body via aorta (Kumar, 2007). Septal heart defect –hole in the heart The mid heart wall, septum separates the left and right sides of the heart. Congenital septal heart defect is identified when unclosed gaps exist in the septum at birth. Any opening of the septum may cause mixing of oxygenated blood with deoxygenated blood resulting an oxygen deprivation to the body tissues. Atrial septal defect During the normal heart developement Interatrial Septum  which separates the left and right atriums is open throughout the fetal stage to avoid the lungs that are not functioning. The placenta supplies the oxygenated blood. But it supposed to be closed after birth when the pulmonary circulatory pressure is reduced. Some literature reported the prevalence of open atrial septum upto to 25%. However the symptoms are absent or not significant for most of the affected individuals and some will never be diagnosed. Place and the size of the opening determine the severity of the symptoms (Kumar, 2007). Common symptoms are blue color of the extremities or cyanosis, breathing difficulties, murmur or additional sound of the heart, growth retardation and difficulty of feeding. This can be diagnosed during fetal development by ultrasound scan. Echocardiography, auscultation and Electrocardiogram or ECG can be used to identify the defect after the birth. The defect can be corrected surgically and the decision of the surgical correction depends on the severity of the symptoms and size. Currently two correction methods are been practiced. The catheter correction is the less invasive method. During the catheter correction a small catheter is inserted in to a vein in the upper thigh under the anesthesia or sedation. The catheter carries a septal  occluder device which can be placed at the septal opening. Once the occluder device is positioned correctly the catheter is removed. The heart tiss ues start to grow around and on the device. This procedure is being practiced from early 90s and known to have less complications and minimum surgical mortality. However all the septal defects cannot be treated by catheter procedure and require a surgery (Squatting, 2002). Open heart surgery This is the most common corrective procedure practiced to correct Septal defect. None like catheter procedure

Friday, August 23, 2019

Gee Response Question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gee Response Question - Assignment Example The second woman expresses the wrong values in the interview although her grammar is good. Glee emphasizes that communication is more than language use whereby when using language people must write or say the right thing in the right way while at the same time playing the right social role. Discourses are acquired through apprenticeship or by enculturation into social practices through supported interaction and being around people who have discourse. An example, of conflict in discourse is in the values and attitudes, as well as, interaction of people depending on how they acquired their discourse (Gee 7). Primary discourse is the first discourse people use to make sense of the world and interact with others. The distinction between dominant Discourse and non-dominant Discourse is that dominant Discourse allows people to acquire material things while non-dominant Discourse allows people to have a wider social network. â€Å"mushfake† Discourse as defined by Mark is doing something less when in actual sense the real thing is not available (Gee 13). For example, when prisoners make hats out of underwear to protect their hair from lice. â€Å"Mushfake† Discourse, on the other hand, means partially acquiring meta-knowledge and strategies to make do. For example, editing a memo to ensure there are no errors such as possessive, plurals or third persons

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The French Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

The French Revolution - Essay Example The position of women in England was however, somewhat different and this attitude also spilt over into the response to the French revolution. In England, the position of women during this period was still largely subordinate to the male sex; as a result, the writers who supported the French revolution were accused of aligning themselves with the perceived low morals of Frenchwomen who participated in the carnage. Marie Antoinette was executed in October 1793, and the allegations of lesbianism and incestuous attacks on her son also contributed to the general perception in England that French women were scandalous and that their conduct was not to be emulated under any circumstances. Marie Antoinette was viewed by the French working class as the Austrian hussy, who frittered away the money that the peasants paid in taxes and this unfavourable view was also shared by people in other parts of the world, such as England. In this aspect, both the poets Williams and Yearsley are similar in that both of them were viewed unfavourably in England, as writers who were in support of the French Revolution. Although Williams’s first hand view of the French Revolution was horror at the carnage, her works on the whole, demonstrated a support for the ideals and motivation of the common people, which led to the revolution.

Source Review for Text Essay Example for Free

Source Review for Text Essay In the article â€Å"Unleashing the power of the annual report at DTCC†, Goldstein (2005) points out the reason why communication opportunity and unique marketing should be seized. This article is related to the report of efficiently communicating of the annual report; however, it is not a useful source for its limited relevance and potential bias. This article is about marketing process and communication. Goldstein (2005) argues that annual report cannot reach readers whatever in which form, online or printed, if the report is not modern. In order to support this argument, Goldstein presents several advantages of annual reports. Annual report provides a chance to coherent forward-looking stories and to shows how to perceive a company. A company’s annual report is also the best opportunity to leave a deep impression to shareholders so that staffs can provide a â€Å"unique voice† to tell a clear and consistent story about the direction and increasingly diverse shareholder audience can be resonated with staffs. There is potential bias on the part of the author, which is a decrease to the reliability of the source. Base on his own experience and opinion, Goldstein (2005) makes his opinion subjective. Else, the author is a managing director of Depository Trust and Cleaning Corporations (DTCC); this reduces the reliability of the information since it can be viewed as a form of self-promotion. The limitation is that the author puts himself in DTCC’s position, and it makes his opinion narrow. Although the author offers some suitable advice on making a better annual report, for instance, choosing a central theme and developing a secondary theme, etc. Most of the examples come from author’s personal experience, so there is not enough evidence to prove the author’s opinion. Goldstein, S, 2005, â€Å"Unleashing the power of the annual report at DTCC†, Strategic Communication Management, Vol.9, Issue.3, P30-33.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Exploring the psychological explanations for Crime and Deviance

Exploring the psychological explanations for Crime and Deviance Crime and Deviance, is a major topic which affects mostly every society in todays world. When defining crime and deviance, it will depend of the norms and values of a society. Many societies have many different values and norms. Norms of society, is where all society members are expected to conform to certain behaviours. Values of a society, is where a society values something which all society members conform to. For example, many societies value certain types of religion such as Christianity or Buddhism and many other types of religion. Crime in society, is usually very specific, that it goes against the laws of society. People who commit crimes, are breaking the law and if caught, must be punished. People can be punished for committing crimes such as burglary, damage to peoples property, murder and assault. People who are found guilty of committing crimes, must be punished by the courts of law. Crime is a relative concept. This means that how a society views criminal acts, can differ. Criminal acts in one society, may not be seen as a criminal act in another society. Society may also differ in how to punish people for committing specific criminal acts. (Broom and Selznick, 1963 p 540,541). When looking at crime in society, it is important to look at the physiological and psychological approaches in relation to crime. These approaches have been criticised. Looking at the physiological approach, a biological theory was carried out by Cesare Lombroso. Cesare Lombroso, tried to find out if there was a connection between crime and biological causes. In 1876, Cesare Lombroso carried out research called LUomo Delinquente. Cesare Lombroso (1835 1909), came up with the suggestion that criminals could be identified using certain physical characterisitics such as large jaws, low foreheads and excessive body hair. Cesare Lombrosos work was dismissed, because the theory was only focused on the criminals, in prison. This theory failed to take into account, why some people who have similar human attributes, are found throughout the world. The theory, failed to explain how certain physical human attributes distinguish criminals from people who do not commit criminal activities. (Macionis and Plummer,1998. P207) The psychological approach suggests that criminal behaviour, could be explained due to the individuals mental make up and processes such as personality, rather than the persons physical characteristics. Hans Eysenck, carried out research in Crime and personality in 1964. Hans Eysenck, suggested that it was possible that certain personality traits that people have can make certain people resistant to discipline than others.(Stephenson,1992. Page 7). Hans Eysenck also suggested that people with certain personality characteristics would be more likely to commit criminal behaviours.(Stephenson,1992. Page 7). Overall, using the physiological and psychological approach has been criticised as it does not take into account some factors such as exploring how conceptions of right and wrong initially rise,.(Macionis and Plummer,1998. P208). Deviance can be defined as behaviour which does not conform to certain norms of a specific society.(Haralambos Holborn,2008). Deviance can be explained as a more broader term than crime. It is not specific and deviant behaviour may not be criminal. Deviant behaviour can be positive and the behaviour can be rewarded. An example of positive deviant behaviour can be soldiers fighting for their country. They may be rewarded for their bravery and courage. Deviant behaviour can also be negative. An example of negative deviant behaviour may include people who commit murder. This may go against the societys value of the worth of every individual and norms, resulting in severe punishment. Some deviant behaviour may be tolerated in todays society. The behaviour is not punished or rewarded, by society members. (Haralambos Holborn,2008 P.321). Many societies have accepted same sex relationships and families, which would not have been accepted many years ago. They are not rewarded or punished, they are tolerated in the society. Laws of society can change, which does depend on the norms and values of society members. As change can happen, crime and deviance can change as well. It is very difficult to give full definition of deviance, as there is no complete way. It is a broad area of research. Behaviour which was viewed as unacceptable and deviant, may be accepted in todays society or in the future. For example, in some cultures in the past it was considered deviant for women to smoke and to wear make up in public places. Nowadays, women have more freedom to wear make up or to smoke in public places. Another example is homosexuality. Before 1969, it was illegal for men to have homosexual relations. As the laws changed in 1969, it was made legal that men over the age of twenty one could have homosexual relations.(Haralambos Holborn, 2008. P322). The famous writer, Oscar Wilde was imprisoned for having an illegal relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas before the 1967 Sexual Offenses Act was passed. (Johnston,2002.) Deviance is culturally determined(Haralambos Holborn,2008. P322). This means that deviant behaviour can change due to different cultures or some societies may accept certain types of behaviours, whereas other societies may find the behaviour unacceptable. (Haralambos Holborn, 2008 p 322). The functionalist theory in relation to the topic crime and deviance is functionalists see society as a whole, using a macro level approach. Functionalists focus on more on the sources of deviance in society, not how people commit deviant behaviour in a society. Functionalists suggest that crime and deviance can provide a a positive function in society. People may feel as part of a community and more part of a society. An example of this is when the Dunblane Tragedy occurred. This affected many people, which formed more of a closeness in society. Emile Durkheim suggested that a certain level of crime and deviance is necessary, in order for a society to function. The crime and deviance levels may become dysfunctional if crime rates increase. This can create a society whose social order is disrupted, which can create social chaos. If crime rates decrease, stagnation may occur where the society may not function properly. Robert Merton (1968) suggests that anomie, where people feel norml essness in a society, could happen if a society does not function properly. Emile Durkheim also suggested that some members of society, may rebel against societys norms and values. Some people may have different views on the norms and values of society. Functionalists also suggest the crime can produce employment for people in society. Functionalists suggest that without criminals, many people in the police force, prison workers, court workers would not have employment. An example of a Functionalist theory on Crime and Deviance is Emile Durkheims study of suicide(1897). Durkheim mainly focused on suicide rates to see if there was any social conditions which could influence or discourage people from committing suicide. Emile Durkheim noticed that suicide rates seemed to rise more during periods of political hardship during 1848, around different European countries. Emile Durkheim recognised that suicide rates might be related to social stability and integration of society. Using this theory, Emile Durkheim used a different set of data, mainly from European countries. Observing the suicide rates in different European countries he noticed that they were comparably differences but began to notice a pattern. Most countries who practiced Protestant as their religion had the highest suicide rates than countries who mainly practiced Catholic as their religion. Main protestant countries had one hundred and ninety suicides per million people. These figures were compared to mixed protestant and catholic faith countries who had ninety six suicides per million people. Main catholic countries had fifty eight suicides per million people. Emile Durkheim began to wonder if there was a link between suicide and reli gion. Durkheim tried to look at other factors such as economic and cultural differences. After looking at the suicide rates of Bavaria in Germany where mainly catholic people stayed there was a low number of suicides. Emile Durkheim then looked at the suicide rates of Prussia where mainly people had a protestant faith. He noted that Prussia had a higher suicide rate than Bavaria. Emile Durkheim then concluded that religion is related to suicide. Using this theory and the information he collected before, he concluded that suicide can be due to Anomie. This means when a society is normlessness, where there is lack of social stability and integration. During political hardship, people may feel not a part of society and feel suicide is the only way out. Durkheim concluded that there is low suicide rates in Catholic countries because there was more social control and stability that the religion brings than the protestant countries. Durkheim concludes that social stability and integration acts as a protection for people in society from insecurity and suicide. To evaluate the Functionalist perspective on crime and deviance, is that the functionalist theory provides a macro level approach. It looks at the bigger picture, giving more insight into how a society structures relating to crime and deviance. It gives a better debate, regarding how the biological theory relates to crime. Anomie, described in Robert Mertons theory (1968) gives more in depth sociological thinking, into todays society. However, Emile Durkheim was criticised for using statistics that was unreliable in his study of suicide(1897). Durkheims statistics, were only used in Europe. No other countrys statistics was used, so the theory can not be related to other countries. The statistics did not disclose the circumstances of how the people committed suicide. Many deaths, were not ruled out as accidents or murder. As the functionalist perspective only looks at the macro level approach, it does not include how people are affected by crime, individually. Functionalists assume that crime, can bond communities together in society. Victims of crime, may withdraw from society or move away from society. The functionalist approach, does not take into account individual differences in society. Functionalists also suggests that crime and deviance to a certain extent, positively benefits everyone in society. Marxists focuses on the capitalist system, but Marxists criticize that only some people in a certain group have only advantage. Other groups can be disadvantaged. The functionalist approach does not take into consideration, that society may have different groups. The functionalist theory mainly focuses on that society, as one big group. Feminists suggest that some theories, conducted with malestream views will not be able to distinguish the connection between crime and gender. Feminists can start to identify a number of issues between women and crime. Feminists such as Otto Pollak, the masked female offender, suggests that official statistics in relation to gender and crime, can be misleading. This is because the majority of police officers, court judges are male orientated. Women tend to be more leniently charged with crimes, compared to men due to their role in society. Some feminists suggest the court laws can be biased against women. Many men may be more bias, because of how a women can break traditional roles in society. Feminists such as Freda Adler(1975) suggests that because women have more freedom in society, this can cause an increase in how women can commit crimes. She suggests that this does not include the biological theory, that changes in society can change the way women behave. Pat Carlen(1988) suggests that because women have more freedom in society, that they do not have the opportunity to commit crimes. Carlen suggests that women can be more supervised by males, throughout their lives. Women, who usually have the traditional role of cleaning, house making, childcare duties will have less opportunity to commit crimes than males. An example of a Feminist theory, relating to crime and deviance is the study of Delinquent Girls(1981) by Anne Campbell. Anne Campbell carried out a study called delinquent girls in 1981. Anne Campbell suggested that more womans behaviour was becoming increasingly delinquent and in some cases, violent. Although, she argued that the changes in womens role in society, the womens movement was not a direct cause. Using primary research, Anne Campbell suggested that more young women were less prone to expressing their anger and aggression. They would more likely to keep it to themselves. Anne Campbell then suggested that a number of social and economic reasons was the reason why so many women have equal rights in society. More womens freedom in contraception and employment did give women more freedom in society. Anne Campbell suggested that this leads to a reduction in sex-role disparity and a more active roles for girls in all activities-some of which many be delinquent. Anne Campbell, 1981 Anne Campbell noticed that most of the female offenders, did not think that they had any freedom in their society. They opposed to being independent and career orientated, so they had no womens freedom in society( liberation). Anne Campbell then suggested that the rise in female delinquency, was due to the police attitudes towards young women and how the judicial systems perceives women in a society. She also looked at how women can be easily viewed by members of the public, fighting in public areas which showed an increase. As a conclusion, Anne Campbell concluded that the impact of freedom of women in society could not be directly related to crimes which women commit. To evaluate, that the feminist theory has raised more awareness of women in society. Changes in the law, where women have more equal rights. Crimes which mainly are affected by women such as rape or domestic abuse is dealt with more seriously with the police authorities. In society, women have more of a say in todays society. New laws such as the Equal Pay Act and the Sex Discrimination Act gives women more of a voice in todays society. It identifies more of an gender inequality, in crime and deviance. The feminist theory can focus too much on gender. Factors such as class and ethnicity are not included. Feminist studies such as Delinquent Girls(1981) by Anne Campbell more emphasizes on gender, Anne Campbell did not include class or ethnicity into the studies. Anne Campbell also used a small number of people which was suggested, did not represent other women in society. The feminist theory, also does not include the differences of women. They assume that all women have the same circumstances or characteristics in society, they do not look at individual differences. An example is the study of Delinquent Girls, where Anne Campbell did not individualize the people in the study. The Marxist approach is a conflict approach, which does not agree with the functionalist approach. Sociologists suggest that people who own production, have more power than the people in the ruling class(the working class). Marxists suggest there is a conflict in the capitalist system between the capitalists and the ruling class. Marxists also suggest that the laws made in society, protect the capitalists which gives them more social control in society. William Chambliss (1976) suggests that some laws are not needed in society. He suggested that property, made the most income and the people who owns the property, would become resources of economy. He suggests that laws are made, to protect the interest of the capitalists. Marxists also suggest that crime is mostly seen as a problem, mostly in the working class. The ruling class(capitalists), are more likely to get away with crime, than the working class. The Capitalists have more influence in society, so they are most unlikely to get in trouble for crime. A Marxist perspective study was carried out by Laureen Snider in The Politics of Corporate Crime(1993) suggests areas which have capitalism are most unlikely to introduce laws, which might not attract businesses. Capitalist states, use a lot of money to invest in business. They are unlikely, to introduce laws which may discourage business. Laureen Snider also suggests that most of the serious crimes are corporate crimes, committed in modern industrial countries. Laureen Snider, suggests that Corporate crime is much more serious than street crime such as drugs. This is because more money is spent and more people are killed in corporate crime than street crime. For example, Laureen Snider suggests that an estimation of 20,000 people are killed because they were murdered. Laureen Snider then suggests that 14,000 people lost their lives due to industrial accidents, 30,000 people died from using consumer products which are usually illegal and unsafe to use. 100,000 people have died due to working conditions causing disease. Snider, suggests that corporate crime costs more peoples lives than street crime. Snider also suggests that, people who commit corporate crime usually have lenient penalties or charges. There are very few corporate crime cases, which proceed to legal court. To evaluate, the Marxist perspective identifies that the Capitalists can be involved in crime, not just the ruling class using sociological studies such as The Politics of Corporate Crime(1993). Corporate crimes can affect people in society, not just street crimes. This is due to the statistics researched by Laureen Snider(1993). Highlights the inequality, that the ruling class faces towards crime and deviance in society, because they do not have as much power, influence as the Capitalists. Laureen Snider, suggests the idea that Capitalists are less likely to enter court proceedings for corporate crime shows how powerful Capitalists can be in society. The Marxist approach has been criticised for having a simple view on how power is divided between the capitalist societies. Some people suggest that capitalist societies does not always have increased levels of crime. Stephen Jones(2001) suggests that Switzerland, is a capitalist society which crime rates remain low. Whereas the Marxist approach mainly focuses on crime and deviance, it relates to the conflict theory of the Capitalists and the ruling class.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Analysis of Hondas Business Strategy

Analysis of Hondas Business Strategy Introduction Honda Motor Company, Ltd. is a Japanese multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of motorcycles and automobiles. Honda is the worlds biggest and leading manufacturer of motorcycles as well as the worlds largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than 14 million internal combustion engines per year. Honda surpassed Nissan in 2001 to become the second-largest Japanese automobile manufacturer. As of August 2008, Honda surpassed Chrysler as the fourth biggest automobile manufacturer in the United States of America. Honda is the sixth largest automobile manufacturer in the world. Honda was the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to release a dedicated comfort brand, Acura in 1986. Aside from their core automobile and motorcycle businesses, Honda also produces garden equipment, marine engines, personal watercraft and power generators, amongst others. Since 1986, Honda has been involved with artificial intelligence/robotics research and released their ASIMO robot in 2000. They have also ventured into aerospace with the establishment of GE Honda Aero Engines in 2004 and the Honda HA-420 Honda Jet, scheduled to be released in 2011. Honda spends about 5% of its revenues into RD. Its head quarters are in Tokyo the capital city of Japan and thus it spreaded almost all over the world. The Honda company not only manufactures the cars but also they produces various bikes and scooters. History of the company From a young age, Hondas founder, Soichiro Honda had a great interest in automobiles. He worked as a mechanic at a Japanese tuning shop, Art Shokai, where he tuned cars and entered them in races. A self-taught engineer, he later worked on a piston design which he hoped to sell to Toyota. The first drafts of his design were rejected, and Soichiro worked painstakingly to perfect the design, even going back to school and pawning his wifes jewelry for collateral. Eventually, he won a contract with Toyota and built a plant to construct pistons for them, which was damaged in an earthquake. Due to a gas shortage during World War II, Honda was unable to use his car, and his novel idea of attaching a small engine to his bicycle attracted much curiosity. He then established the Honda Technical Research Institute in Hamamatsu, Japan, to develop and produce small 2-cycle motorbike engines. Calling upon 18,000 bicycle shop owners across Japan to take part in revitalizing a nation torn apart by wa r, Soichiro received enough capital to engineer his first motorcycle, the Honda Cub. This marked the beginning of Honda Motor Company, which would grow a short time later to be the worlds largest manufacturer of motorcycles by 1964. The first production automobile from Honda was the T360 mini pick-up truck. Powered by a small 356 cc straight-4 gasoline engine, it was classified under the cheaper Kei car tax bracket. The first production car from Honda was the S500 sports car. Its chain driven rear wheels point to Hondas motorcycle origins. In the 1950s, Honda first exported its motorcycles to Europe. In 1961, Honda became the first Japanese motorcycle manufacturer in Europe to establish a local subsidiary, and in the same year, Honda won victories in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races, sweeping 1st through 5th places in the 125cc and 250cc classes. In 1963, Honda opened a motorcycle manufacturing plant in Belgium, the first such facility outside of Japan for the company, followed in 1976 by a motorcycle plant in Italy. Now, Honda motorcycles are popular for their dynamic performance, ease of riding, and environmental performance, earning the top market share in many European countries. In fact, Honda earned top sales in eight of ten Western European countries in 2008. Honda continues to expand its product lineup in its determination to increase customer satisfaction in Europe. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. operates under the basic principles of Respect for the Individual and The Three Joys commonly expressed as The Joy of Buying, The Joy of Selling and The Joy of Creating. Respect for the Individual reflects our desire to respect the unique character and ability of each individual person, trusting each other as equal partners in order to do our best in every situation. Based on this, The Three Joys expresses our belief and desire that each person working in, or coming into contact with our company, directly or through or products, should share a sense of joy through that experience. In line with these basic principles, since its establishment in 1948, Honda has remained on the leading edge by creating new value and providing products of the highest quality at a reasonable price, for worldwide customer satisfaction. In addition, the Company has conducted its activities with a commitment to protecting the environment and enhancing safety in a mobile society Basic Principles Respect for the individual. The Three Joys (buying, selling and creating. Company Principle (Mission Statement) Maintaining a global viewpoint, we are dedicated to supplying products of the highest quality, yet at a reasonable price for worldwide customer satisfaction. Management Policies Proceed always with ambition and youthfulness. Respect sound theory, develop fresh ideas, and make the most effective use of time. Enjoy work and encourage open communication. Strive constantly for a harmonious flow of work. Be ever mindful of the value of research and endeavor. Dreams inspire us to create innovative products that enhance mobility and benefit society. To meet the particular needs of customers in different regions around the world, we base our sales networks, research and development centers and manufacturing facilities in each region. Furthermore, as a socially responsible corporate citizen, we strive to address important environmental and safety issues. And by the year 2008 honda company is the 6th largest company of automobile industries and highly recommended industry. PRESENT SITUATION APPLY 5 LEVELS OF STRATEGY TO YOUR COMPANY Enterprise Strategy The Mission Statement of Honda is try to maintain a global point of view, with the dedication to supply the highest quality products at a reasonable price for worldwide customer satisfaction. Moreover, taking new challenges with the pursuit of Initiative, Technology and Quality, Honda is pursuing their 2010 Vision: Striving to be a company society wants to exist through creating new value, globalization, and commitment for the future. Corporate Strategy Hondas portfolio includes three businesses: Automobiles business, Motorcycles business, Power business. Even though stepping into Automobile industry rather late at 1963, Honda quickly leads the industry with characteristics like superior fuel economy, optimum safety, and driving pleasure. Hondas sales and production in this industry prove successful steadily not just in U.S. but also in many regions worldwide. Meanwhile, motorcycle business is the first business of Honda, from 1963 with the event of the first oversea plant in Belgium, Honda has devoted in one basic rule: build products close to the customer. Honda has operated successfully in 28 motorcycle plant in 21 countries, as well as Honda RD operations in the U.S., Italy, China, Germany, Thailand, and India. In 2005, the 150-millionth Honda motorcycle created, its business goal is to make Honda cycles more popular than ever. The first Power Product engine started in 1953, and now has expanded includes tillers, portable generators, outboard engines, lawn mowers, power carrier. Cumulative production of power products has exceeded 70 million units (May, 2006). Power Products are produced at 11 plants in 9 countries worldwide, sold in 156 countries, and used by around 5.5 million people annually. Honda is now expanding into robot industry with ASIMO, reaching the sky through Hondajet, providing financial services worldwide to enhance sales increasing. They all create a very promising and potential Honda in the future. Business Strategy RD is sharpening the business advantage of Honda, together with the fierce competition between Honda and competitors, and they all define the Business Strategy of Honda. One of the proudest things about Honda is its RD system. With the systematic way of resembling, focus on durability, reliability and basic performance to establish a creative and innovative technical foundation. With the wisely approach to the future, the Honda products do care about the economical, environmental, and social issues This leads to a increase steady in American and Europe recently meanwhile the whole industry is going down by some external factors such as U.S.D. depreciation, Oil price raising, political recession. Honda is keeping involving in the research and development that benefit people in the future through leading-edge technology and commitment to innovation that opens up new possibilities in mobility. With The Joy of Selling The dealership of Honda is also one of its strengths. Through creating products and services that provide the core values that make Honda unique, the Hondas associates around the world keep creating such inspiring experience for its customer. Honda put heartfelt endeavors into services, responding to changing values and increasingly complicated needs of customer worldwide. Its services focus on improving customer relations, with friendly and attentive sales, responsive service support, thorough maintenance and repairs. Life with a Honda Honda began unifying its multiple dealership channels into a single Honda sales channel, seeking to strengthen the Honda brand, enhance customer satisfaction, and help ensure lifetime customer loyalty. The manufacturing and distributing system of Honda are also sources for the succession of Honda. With the global network, Hondas global strategies somehow include the globalization characteristic. Honda has established independent local operation around the world and pushed local autonomy and proactive efforts to localize the needs regional with mutual understanding. The competition between Honda and others speed up year by year. This is somehow carry the win/lose characteristic. The world Automobile market is being taken by Asian Brands. In the U.S. market, the foremost threat to U.S. car makers is the emergence of Toyota, Honda, and Nissan that are threatening directly to the wealth being of these Big Boys here, General Motors the worlds current largest car manufacturer, Ford the pioneer of  automobile industry, and some others big boys of Detroit. The raise of Honda and Toyota hit General Motor the most because they came so strong many years ago. Hondas greatest competitor of all time worldwide is Toyota Motor, but the competition around the world involve Hyundai, Volkswagen, Nissan, General Motor, Ford, Kia, Mazda. The rivalry against these top car manufacturers in the world has created a work ethic that is unmatched in the American auto scene. With their constant improvement on their cars, the healthy competition that mostly in Japan leads the way for the production of vehicles that gets more and more miles per gallon. Operational Strategy Honda operates in the worldwide market with 134 production facilities in 28 countries and at 31 RD facilities in 15 countries, about 167000 Honda employees and associates serve 23 million customers worldwide annually. Hondas global operations are divided into 6 administrative regions responsible for operating. Hiring and engaging the people and philanthropic initiatives locally in the communities that Honda operates. Honda is pushing the independence of their local management and sales operations, at the same time with integrating and forward-looking plan for each region. They operate under the conduct guidelines that help member companies and associates in evaluating and managing risks, complying with laws and regulations, keeping a high level of transparency in operational level, thats all to maximize the worldwide customer satisfaction. The Individual Strategy The individual strategy of Honda is reflected through the Hondas philosophy The Three Joy The Joy of buying:- the Hondas associates must try their best to exceed the customers expectation. The joy of selling:- which concern not only about the relationship between the dealers and their customers, but they also feel the pride of having a positive relationship with their customers. The joy of producing:- comes from manufacturing, research and development. by producing quality products that satisfy customers worldwide, the Hondas employees can experience pride in exceeding the expectation of their customers. That all bring the strategies of Honda from their enterprise level, through corporation, business, operational level, to individual strategy level, that spread the Hondas strategic spirit throughout the company. FUTURE The future of a company or the strategies to be made to keep an company alive in future can be framed by keeping in mind the environment and the challenges that are expected to arise in near future. So we will analysis the future policies of the company by taking Potters 5 force model for environment and challenges that may arise in future ENVIRONMENT:- Potter`s 5 force model The threat of substitute products: That is defined as the existence of close substitute products increases the propensity of customers to switch to alternatives in response to price increases (source from Wikipedia.org). This does mean that when a Hondas competitor can produce with high performance and economical price rather than Hondas. This product will replace Hondas product in the market. Hence, simultaneous reducing market share and profit of Honda are the results. For example, for the product line of sport motorbike, R6 of Yamaha is the close substitutes of Hondas F4. If Yamaha can achieve an innovation to produce R6 with the lower price against F4, It can actually replace Hondas F4 on the market because customers have the same expectation on both two products. The threat of the entry of new competitors. The theoretical meaning is that in marketing with many competitors existing, the profit of each company will be lower than the maximum level. American Market as an example, Ford and Honda aggressively compete together in this market. Honda cannot get the maximum profit in this market because of the policies from American Government protecting domestically Company. Additionally, Honda has to spend money on accessing to distribution in American market. Moreover, it also finds difficulties in adopting the culture differences, etc. those reasons will reduce the Hondas profit level. Rivalry among existing competitors: Among five characteristics important to the automobiles industry analysis is the competitive rivalry. Three main rivals that Honda has to compete fiercely are Toyota Motor Corp. (TM), Ford Motor Co. (FM), and General Motor (GM). Whatever change in strategy of one of these competitors can have influences on performance of Honda. At the end of fiscal year 2007, FM reported 172,455 million dollars of sales and 16,418.5 million dollars of market capability, while GM experienced 181,122 million dollars of sales and 11,853.3 million dollars of market capability. Toyota with 299,394 employees generated 202,864 million dollars of sales in the fiscal year 2007. Honda as well as its three rivals always keeps on innovating, improving, researching and developing to compete effectively in this auto industry. For example, whenever one of these four company releases a new model, the others will catch up and have similar products to compete. Like when Honda has just released its FCX Clarity, the nex t generation of its fuel cell vehicles, GM put their fuel cell platform into the body of a Chevy Equinox SUV. A famous model of Honda, Accord, has been competing with its chief rival, Toyota Camry since its first appearance. Accord was released into market in 1976, and until 1983, Toyota introduced itsCamry. Since then, these two models have kept on competing with each other. GM Malibu and Ford Fusion are also two models that GM and Ford use to compete with Accord and Camry. For, Toyota, and GM all can replace Honda in this auto industry. So, what Honda has to do is trying to improve its technology, research and development to create a competitive advantage, maybe as a Greenest automaker. The bargaining power of customers:- In business, if a company wants to exist it must create a good relationship with customers. Honda is a global company, it means Honda have a lot of competitors. So customers will confuse when they make decision for what Brand will be the best choice. It depends not only the famous company but also the price and quality. For example, In Vietnam on April 2007, Honda introduced Air Blade Scooter with functions like sport and fashion model, more fuel-efficient engine technology. It rapidly attracted the youth , the supply was not enough for demand. Then it made the shortage of Air Blade in the market and pushed price higher. Customer want to buy it must order and wait around one to two months. No longer after, Suzuki has utilized maximize the advantage of its competitors to its product. On July 2007, Suzuki introduced new model Hayate Scooter that have the same functions of Air Blade but set the amazing price (lower than 23%) and customer can take their product immediately. As a result , many customers change of their mind, therefore the market share of Honda to shrink. The bargaining power of suppliers:- One of the factor helps the company competes against with other companies is the ability to reduce the cost. Therefore, suppliers plays an important role to make the companys success. Suppliers may refuse to work with the firm or increasing prices for unique resources. Realizing the serious element, Honda purchases raw materials and certain components and parts, from numerous external suppliers. Moreover, Honda relies on some main suppliers for the items and raw material that use in the manufacture of it products. Honda has ability to obtain these supplies in an efficient and cost-effective manner is subject to a number of factor. Some of which are not within Hondas control, these factors include the ability to provide a continued source of supply and ability to compete with other company in obtaining the supplies. If Honda loss a key supplier, it may affect the capacity and increase the cost.There are some key suppliers of Honda in term of Metal Stamping Part : Takao Kinzoku Kogyo C o.,Ltd; Hirata Technical Co.,Ltd; Hongo Co.,Ltd; Kikuchi Co.,Ltd; Marujun Co.,Ltd, ect,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Among these companies, Kikuchi Co.,Ltd deal with not only the supplier of Honda but also Nissans supplier. If Nissan was willing to purchase with higher price or had some benefit promotion than Honda, Honda might be affected on the capacity and increase the cost. GLOBAL CHALLENGES In this globally competitive business world, every firm has to face many challenges, and Honda does, too. There are four common challenges that Honda has to face: problems that cannot be solved, managing intangibles, managing diversity, and addressing new issues for which managers and organization are ill-prepared. In this part, we will discuss more about these challenges of Honda. Challenge 1: Problems that cannot be solved but must be managed. Honda has to face some challenges that cannot be solved completely; they just can be managed, like these two examples below. In Europe, several factors negatively impacted automobile operations of Honda during fiscal 2001, including the appreciation of the yen, the weakness of the euro against the sterling pound and pricing pressure in the United Kingdom. Due to this business environment, Hondas automobile unit sales in Europe declined 23.3%, to 191,000 units, and net sales declined 30.8%, to  ¥311.2 billion ($2,512 million). Because of the Asian currency crisis in 1997, Honda had to streamline local operations to ensure profitability within a small-scale production volume. These efforts include cost reductions, technology transfers, human resource development and exports to other regions. These efforts have allowed Honda to enhance its profitability and presence in this region. Challenge 2: Managing intangibles. Building relationships Most of firms that want to become industry leadership or be competitive globally must have strategic partners, and Honda is not an exception. Building relationship (with business partners and governmental agencies) is a challenge that Honda has to face to successfully compete globally. Business Transactions: To maintain a fair and sound relationship with business partners, Honda conducts fair and sound transactions. Honda starts with the selection of business partners. When they need to purchase products or services, they will select a business partner by comparing and evaluating in an impartial manner the terms and conditions offered by various business partners. After selecting, in their dealings with business partners, they will neither offer nor accept gifts or benefits beyond that normally considered appropriate. In addition, they also prohibit on improper exercise of positions and authorities. They will not exercise positions or authorities inappropriately to exact improper benefits from business partners; nor will they give business partners improper benefits. Relationships with Governmental Agencies: To build strategic relationships with governmental agencies, Honda abides laws and regulations for ethics. They act in a manner that recognizes government officials ethics and what are considered conflicts of interest under the relevant laws and regulations. Furthermore, prohibition on excessive gifts and benefits is also conducted. They do not offer government officials any gift or benefit exceeding the social custom or socially accepted limits. Honda is reliant on the protection and preservation of its intellectual property: Honda owns rights in a number of patents and trademarks relating to the products it manufactures, which have been obtained over a period of years. These patents and trademarks have been of value in the growth of Hondas business and may continue to be of value in the future. Honda does not regard any of its businesses as being dependent on any single patent or related group of patents. However, an inability to protect this intellectual property generally, or the illegal breach of some or a large group of Hondas intellectual property rights, would have an adverse effect on Hondas operations. So, managing these intellectual properties is also a challenge for Honda. Challenge 3: Managing diversity Honda is a global organization. Its associates come from many places all over the world, so diversity certainly occurs and needs a lot of attention. How to deal with diversity is really a difficult challenge for Honda. Respecting diversity- an open-door employment policy, is the policy that Honda choose to manage its diversity. Even since the days when Japanese corporations tended to favor employing only graduates of a few elite educational institutions, Honda has had an open door employment policy, hiring the most capable and motivated individuals available. In addition to hiring new graduates, they also welcome talented individuals in mid-career, enriching the company with a diverse mix of personalities and experience. Challenge 4: Addressing new issues for which managers and organizations are ill-prepared. Some problems have just occurred recently, but did not in the past, give Hondas managers considerable difficulties, because they are not well-prepared for them. Climate change is a good example for this situation. Climate change and the increasing demand for mobility The problem of climate change is of global scope it cannot be solved through isolated regional measures alone. The entire world must work together to face this problem. However, there is still a significant gap between developed and developing countries in terms of access to convenient transportation. Improvement in the quality of mobility is indispensable to the betterment of peoples lives. Consequently, the demand for automobiles and other means of transportation will likely continue to increase. Honda is working to apply advanced technologies to help resolve the conflicting issues of climate change and the growing demand for mobility. Products: improving global average fuel economy Since the internal combustion engine seems likely to remain the primary source of power for human mobility until at least 2020, improving its fuel economy and overall efficiency is an issue of vital importance. In the US, Europe and other regions, automakers are being required to improve the average fuel economy of their products through compliance with tough standards like the US Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations. However, climate change is a global issue and needs to be addressed on a global level. Honda is shifting from a regional strategy to one based on a global perspective; and from fuel economy targets for product by weight or model to worldwide targets for all product categories. Swot analysis of Honda company Strengths: Its strength is high innovation Its strength is manufacturing different products Strong brand equity Market share leadership Weakness It has high cost structure It has high deposit structure where It differs from Toyota and Nissan. Some cars are very high in cost so that only some people can buy. Opportunity: Due to high interest from customers into more fuel efficient and lower pollution cars, honda can use its strength in high RD to develop these kind of cars to suit customers needs. Threat: less rate competitors or imports economic slow down There may be external changes like government ,taxes ,politics. Price wars.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Shakespeare’s Henry V :: Journalism Essays

Shakespeare’s Henry V Imagine†¦chivalry between the kings of England and France clashing like a jouster’s lance slamming into the shield of its opponent. The impact may or may not have thrown the knight of his horse, but the King’s College production of Shakespeare’s Henry V knocked me of my seat. It was the most captivating college performances I’ve ever experienced. Not only did it impress me, the production sucker punched my doubts about college plays. Shakespeare’s Henry V is based on the story about England’s successful campaign to conquer France. Written in 1599, the play is still being reproduced by play-rights and actors alike. Perhaps it’s the plays legendary theme of patriotism or the dramatic courage of King Henry that keeps the masterpiece alive. Either or Shakespeare had shaped the structure of theater and developed a marvelous way of entertainment for telling a story. Director J. Gerald Godwin rendition bought about the traditional perspective of Henry V close to perfection. Due to the brilliant use of the dynamic stage which drew attention from the audience on seven angles, Godwin set not only the mood of the dark ages but also brought the audience back to the future. The well-planed compositions of the thrust stage and meticulous selection of the magnificent cast forced it to set the ton. Al Vota fit the stereotypical medieval King of England with his clean-cut beard beneath his pointy noise. Was it his powerful voice projecting forcefully or his cocky attitude towards his mighty men—wearing ridiculously snug tights—making him outshine the rest of the cast? A remarkable scene with Cassie Westover (Princess Katherine of France) and King Henry clashing with their distinct language barrier also stands out in my mind. The two matched each other’s level of performance and made an impressive pair. Needless to say, Al Vota’s performance may have been the greatest factor that harnessed the attention of the audience. Cassie’s uncanny ability to speak French fluently—without previous education—is an impressive approach to capture her character properly. Her tone of voice and face expressions spoke enough. It’s bazaar that you can understand what a person is trying to say even with broken English. Her ability to perform effectively drew the magical twist of romance within the masculine theme of war and violence. Another great performer that showed an impressive talent on acting his part is Daniel J.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Climate Change and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Essay example -- greenhouse gas

Since the industrial revolution, scientists have documented a trend of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas. This observation has been an issue of major environmental concern in the view of the potentially devastating effects of climate change on ecosystems and human survival. Recent studies by scientists led by Wei-Jun Cai have served to underscore this fact by showing that the Arctic region and the globe are faced with a major climate challenge due to the continued melting of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. This research has indicated that the major concern is the increasing heat absorption as deeper ocean water layers get exposed to sunlight as well as the possible loss of white ice reflectivity or the albedo (An Ice-Free Arctic Ocean Will Not Absorb More CO2, n.d).This paper discusses the recent observations that Arctic Ocean basin do not have an indefinite ability to continue acting as a CO2 sink when conditions are ice-free caused by the escalating warmer temperatures. It is worth noting that sensitivity to climate changes in the Arctic is considered the highest on the Earth’s surface. In addition, the region experiences more pronounced acidification than any other ocean. Recent decades have seen the Arctic Ocean experience a steady increase in the rate of sea ice melt. According to Cai, et al. (2010), this has been especially so in the light of the indications of the three summers from 2007 to 2009. The recent research by Cai et al. has been built on the postulation that more and more CO2 would be absorbed from the atmosphere under ice-free conditions in the Arctic Ocean. Therefore, the research investigates the impact of sea ice melt on the concentration of CO2 on the surface water of the Ar... ...temperatures will continue causing ice melt in summer. Consequently, the surface water carbon dioxide partial pressure will continue to increase, further reducing the ability of the CO2 sink to take up more CO2. The high-resolution survey further points to the fact that the future will see an increased air-sea CO2 flux. This is due to the exposure of more area of sea water as well as long periods when the Arctic Ocean surface will be subjected to ice-free conditions. Though this is expected, the capacity of the CO2 sink in the Arctic Ocean to continue taking up CO2 is predicted to weaken due to equilibration of pCO2 of surface water with the atmosphere. The survey highlights four major factors which facilitate this equilibrium. These include low CO2 fixation, surface warming, shallow mixed-layer depth, and strong stratification of surface water (Cai, et al., 2010).