Shen Fu

Shen Fu The book Shen Fu’s Six Records of a Floating Life is both an autobiography and love story of a man named Shen Fu, who was educated toward the path to grow up to be a scholar, but he kept on failing the exams. He went on to earn his living as secretary for a magistrate and also selling off his wife’s artwork. His wife is the girl that he fell had fallen in love with as a young child. Together, they had a very weird and odd relationship (at least compared to our modern day idea of a relationship).I think that Shen Fu really wanted the big job as the magistrate, but it also seemed like he didn’t really want to work very hard for the position. Perhaps he was a tad on the lazy side of things. He grew up in a rather scholarly middle class family and he spent much of his life trying to pass the exam. The only problem was that he kept failing it over and over again, and did never actually get around to passing it. Shen Fu seemed to focus a lot of his attention on status, and I think that it was mostly due to his family and his social class that he was born into.It seems to me that the higher status you had back then, the more you focused on status and put being born of high class up on a pedestal. Shen Fu his whole life was seeking this â€Å"Floating Life† which basically means that you’re economically secure, and that life is a more of a â€Å"dream† rather than actual reality. I thought he was always seeking this because he was always trying to figure out how to make a good deal more money, or to get a desirable scholarly position. Shen Fu, in my opinion, was rather greedy and materialistic, and was generally out for himself.Although, to be fair, he did provide for his family by taking on many different kinds of jobs, loans, and even by attempting to sell his wife’s artwork. This book is actually better known being a love story. Though it is much different then what we think a love story should traditionally c onsist of. Shen Fu was known for spending a lot of time with Prostitutes, and his wife seemed ok with it, she even went and found him a concubine. Shen Fu basically viewed his wife as his equal, rather than looking down on her as a woman, this was a very rare view for a man to have considering the time and place this took story took course.Most traditional loves stories would make this story appear crazy, this is mostly because the more traditional thought of love is between two people sharing and expressing mutual feelings for each other. Love is generally not thought of as the wife going out and searching for a good Concubine for her husband to sleep with. However, I think the more romantic and warming part of the story was that Shen Fu and his wife, Yun, enjoyed reading, drinking, and writing poetry together. I actually think that they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.Another reason why this story could be view as a bit of a romance, was because Shen Fu was really co mmitted to supporting his family by working and taking on many jobs and responsibilities. His dedication to his wife was pretty romantic in and of itself. I didn’t think that Shen Fu was a filial son because there was a lot of conflict between his family. Think that a lot of the conflict was because he went down in class and never did become a magistrate like he and his family had hoped he would.It seems like his family viewed at him as if he didn’t try hard enough and was a somewhat of a failure to them. I would consider Shen Fu in the lower to middle class, because, he never got the job as a magistrate and didn’t have enough money to adequately support his family, so he has to sell off his wife’s artwork. I would probably put him in the lower class, but the fact that he came from a middle class family and had a concubine might put him a little on the higher side of classes. I think that this story of Shen Fu’s life does indeed exemplify the typic al lifestyle during the Qing Dynasty.Shen Fu and his wife both viewed each other as equals, which back then was really different from the norm. How he focused mush of his attention on status was a really big thing during the Qing era, and how he aspired to have a floating life style. I think it also showed how that even though he had a wife, he went out drinking with prostitutes and with his Concubine, which seems like it was pretty common back then. Overall, I thought that it was actually a pretty interesting book. It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting, and It gave a good example of how life was for his class during the Qing era.

Ethics and Corruption

What is corruption? Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It is damaging to a country because decisions are taken not for the public benefit but to serve private interests. Corruption undermines good governance, fundamentally distorts public policy, leads to misallocation of resources, and particularly hurts the poor. There is a case in 29th July 1995, where the collapse of the Sampoong Superstore in Seoul, South Korea, represents an example of a structural collapse attributed in large part to corruption. The collapse of this structure left 937 people injured and had a death toll of over 500 innocent lives. Due to that, Engineer’s integrity and ethical standard will be put to test when involving project worth millions dollars. As the saying goes, â€Å"money is the root of all evil,† it is not unusual to find engineers who are tempted by the amount of money that they are entrusted with; whether to fully utilize the money in the project or to fulfill their individual greed. Hence, engineers need to be truthful. The level of truthfulness in engineering is very high, much higher in everyday life. It imposes what many consider an absolute prohibition on deception, and in addition it establishes a high ideal of seeking and speaking the truth (Martin & Schinzinger, 2005). Being truthful keep the engineers away from corruption and cutting corner. One of many ways to prevent corruption and unethical practice of cutting corner in engineering field is the development of honest and ethical engineering culture by creating or increase awareness of ethical practice among engineers since large amount of money or projects are often being handled by engineers. This is important in a sense that engineers must aware of the types of corruption as well as the punishments and consequences for involving in corruption. Punishments such as retracting the title of engineer and blacklisting the particular individual in the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and more severe punishments such as imprisonment, confiscating of properties and summonses. When engineers aware of the punishments subjected, then corruption can be prevented. Besides, awareness among engineers towards corruption can be created by implementing subjects or courses concerning engineer’s ethical issues into engineering course in university. Students that vow to become an engineer must first be taught of the ways to become an ethical engineer. Furthermore, BEM can include seminars or talks about ethical issues into Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programs for local engineers. Seniors engineers are compulsory to participate to gain points in CDP. By doing so, senior engineers that left university for long could still be educated on ethical issues. Therefore, self-awareness is a long term strategy in curbing corruption and unethical practices. When corruption is involved, competitions are not fair anymore. People will find various methods to undercut competition. Instead of using a well-organized process for contracting based on technical criteria to judge bids and firms, it is decentralized and is subject to monopoly power plus discretion minus accountability. Some political appointees have the discretion to let contracts without competition or technical reviews. Therefore, tendering process must be more transparent and have strict control over project variation. Handling of tenders should be fair and just where the project should only be awarded to the bidder who offers lowest price on the project without ignoring the quality of materials and services as well as the customers’ requirements. Any conflict of interest or bribes should be notified by the engineer to the corresponding company during the process of evaluating all the offers made by the bidders in order to ensure an outcome of decision which are fair, just and also the best for the company. By doing so, the opportunity of the engineer to work together with the bidders in falsifying the receipts or offers to gain profit without alerting or the knowledge of the company can be decreased or at some point, being completely eliminated, to avoid putting the lives of workers, employees and publics at risk due to corruption. Advantage or authority given to the engineers must not be misused in unlawful deeds, engineers should report to their company for how they handle or use the given authority to complete the project in order to prevent falsification and exaggeration of the project funds. Corruption usually occurs because a certain individual or organization has too much power and authority. Engineers themselves should always alert toward orders they get from company or requirement from customers. Any conflicts of the order or requirement with the codes of ethics should be advised by the engineers to the customer or company. If the advice failed to change their mind, then the engineers have the responsibility to carried forth the case to corresponding authority. Besides, in order to eliminate the unnecessary power and authorities, the administration approval process should be optimized. A complete supervising system should be implemented to prevent any corruption and this supervising system should allow the officials to work without administrative interference at the same time protecting the innocent public. Besides, institution of regular and random checks is important to review the conduct of the officials involved in engineering, project or construction industry. These checks include detailed review of the entire procurement process on selected projects. It must be fair and done by an anti-corruption body. The checks should not single out any individual official or company. Consequently, officials are less likely to participate in corrupt conduct or deliberate maladministration as they cannot be confident that their conduct will not be detected by detailed scrutiny of supervisory officials. As a consequence of these random and regular reviews or checks, may be a pattern of misconduct can be identified at one or more specific stages during the construction process. Furthermore, hot lines or whistle-blowers protection is another measure in curbing corruption and unethical practices of cutting corners. Hot lines improve accountability by enlisting workers and public to report corrupt acts. The government office responsible for investigating such acts often operates a hot line. For example, in Hong Kong, the Independent Commission Against Corruption runs a hot line and guarantees that every allegation is investigated. It also protects those who make reports by granting file access to officers on a â€Å"need to know† basis only. However, in cases where anonymity cannot be guaranteed, those who protest corruption often place themselves at risk. In many countries, whistle blowers are often fired or punished, subjected to administrative harassment, and exposed to violence. For this reason, anti- corruption efforts need legislation to protect whistle blowers from official sanctions or even to reward them. Although whistle-blowing is not desirable in a company as it will affect the reputation of the company, but it is an essential way in combating corruption. With every engineer practicing whistle-blow, others will not even consider unethical practices such as corruption and cutting corners. Thus, effectively preventing misbehavior among engineers and subsequently safeguarding the good image of the engineering profession. Professional engineers should aware that it is important to conduct the duty assigned to them responsibly and professionally especially when it involves he confidential information about certain project because bribery and cutting corner can also occur in such way that the information is used by other company to compete in an unfair condition. The professional engineers will never disclose the confidential information of their client or companies to others in order to maintain their professionalism and they must also knows that the consequences of revealing those info rmation can be a great risk for themselves and companies, such act is punishable and will affects their reputation as an professional engineer. Furthermore, transparency of a project progress can reduces as well as avoids corruption to occur as the activities of the project are visible to all and the engineer can hardly alter it for cutting corner purpose. The transparency of a tender progress or engineering project can be made clear or enhanced by doing the publication of the procurement procedures. Procedures involved in the projects shall be clearly defined and stated so that the publications are understandable and clear to public, details such as stating how and where the supplies originated from shall be included. Through this step, the procedures made in the projects are transparent to the public and the chance for the engineers to corrupt would be greatly reduced. The publication can be made through media such as newspaper, internet, and magazine at which these media are easily reached by the public. According to the BEM code of ethics, a registered engineer shall conduct himself honorably, responsibly, ethically and lawfully so as to enhance the honors, reputation and usefulness of the profession. This code should always be abided by the engineer and keep in mind that one should be avoiding from corruption, bribery and also cutting corner and have to be very well aware that these are the actions punishable by the Board of Engineers or court of law and also might risk the safety and health of the public. Every engineer should aware of their own responsibility toward the company, client and public which includes preserving the reputations of company and themselves. They should do everything lawfully to increase the reputations of their company and engineers. Reputation of an engineer is very important in order for them to be employed and keep their professions as an engineer. Engineers also should uphold their professionalism in order to honor and enhance their usefulness in the field. Failing to abide the codes might result in drop in reputation, being fired, the license of engineer being revoked or the worst is, might end up in jail. Based on the first principle of BEM Codes of ethics, a registered engineer holds paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public. The engineer should always make the public as his first priority because in the profession of engineering, the whole community is the ultimate client rather than the individual client. Corruption and cutting corner always put the safety of public at the edge of risk as the bidders always tend to make more profits from the project, hence they might altered the materials for the project to lower quality materials in order to save cost and this might lead to disastrous consequences such as collapse of buildings and dangerous behaviors of machines due to malfunction or system breakdown. Engineers have the responsibility to report to corresponding authority if their client or company failed to fulfill the instructions of the engineer that abide the code. Even though engineers have their own responsibility toward their client, but the first code of ethics erases this responsibility if their clients or company fail to follow what have been set by the engineers which did not against the codes of ethics. Failing to abide the first code might result in disciplinary action to be taken or the license as an engineer to be revoked because they put the lives of public in danger, even though at the end no harm or loss of life occur. The first code of ethics is also applicable to the case with other professions at which the general public’s safety is the main consideration to be made before others. In conclusion, engineers should always take consideration and action according to the codes of ethics. Any action that might lead to bribery, corruption or cutting corner should be avoided. Prevention methods for unethical practice have to be carried out by engineers and the importance of upholding the professionalism in engineering field has to be kept in mind in order to create an honorable, responsible, ethical and lawful profession. The impression or reputation of engineers can be improved through actual practice of the codes of ethics and avoiding corruptions. Engineers should always remind themselves that not only the project, reputation, and wealth are in their hands, but also the safety and life of public, therefore, it is important for them to make safety issues as the main priority of making consideration. In addition, the integrity of the country also can be improved through such practice as the corruptions, briberies, and cutting corners are reduced.

Fall in and Who’s for the game? Essay

These two examples of poems are typical of the war propaganda of the period, they are propaganda posters to make normal people get up, tell their friends and to join the army, navy or RAF. They try to embarrass people who like to be masculine and question their masculinity; this makes them prove to people that they are a man so they go to fight in the war. The poem teases unmasculine men and tries to make them feel bad for not going to fight. Harold Begbie exclaims that all the MEN who fight in the war will be praised in the street, women will love them (which is not true if they are severely handicapped), everyone will ignore you if you don’t go and everyone who does will be heroes. Men hate getting ignored by women therefore they will want to join up Jessie Pope’s idea of a game makes the reader feel as if war is a football ball match or a great sporting event. Going with the LADS makes it feel like there is comradery and a good time to be had with cool people, there’s no mention of any death, killing people, blood or any other gruesome details, it only says you may get a broken leg which will appeal to men who want to look macho and as if they’ve been fighting, it will make them look tough and brave. SONNY is used to patronise the reader, to make him feel unworthy of being a big strong man but more like a little boy who’s just a bit of a joke. SONNY is used to make a man try to prove himself and go join up. The author creates a feeling of everyone else will be talking of the war and become popular but you will be ashamed because you did not go and you will try and avoid everyone so they wont know. Normal people rushed out to beat the foe which means they left with no hesitation or worries and knew they’d be back anyway really quickly. The author says when you are old you will tell your children and grandchildren of exiting war stories and adventures. But if you’re too much of coward not to join even your children and grandchildren will be ashamed and embarrassed. The painting on the front shows a woman guiding a young man to where he should be going, the old lady wants the young man to fight as she’s to old but its his duty, it feels like the lady is pressuring the man to join up, he doesn’t want to see the look of disappointment on her face if he says no. The effects of these poems is that people get mislead into believing the war will be over really quickly, you’ll get good pay, really nice uniforms, travel all over the world, meet nice people. If you don’t go then your great country will be taken over by horrible people and everything will be ruined. Harold Begbie’s language is extremely persuasive in his poem called â€Å"Fall In†, in it keeps repeating direct and rhetorical question like Where?, What?, How? Why? When? and, Will you†¦? The author also uses religion to scare people into thinking that they will be upsetting God by not fighting in the war. He tries to make you seem uncaring when he writes â€Å"And right is smashed by wrong?† He imagines you only caring about football, cinema, the pub and the betting shop as if you only think about yourself. Jessie Pope’s language is also just as persuasive. The poem she writes is called â€Å"Who’s for the game?† in her poem she also repeats direct and rhetorical questions. She uses Who? as in who’ll do this? and who’ll do that? The who’s refer to you. The use of who in most of her poem is very repetitive and therefore the Who†¦? will stay in your mind. Also her slang phrasing appeals to ordinary people who feel as if she’s down to earth and makes the writing feel friendly, this encourages them to read on and not feel threatened with a formal very important looking poster.

Crito Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Crito - Personal Statement Example His association with then Athenian regime landed him in prison (Melchert 103). Even after being locked behind bars, Socrates held on to his philosophic principles of life. Socrates was unwilling to abandon his quest for truth even after being advised so by his trial jury. He believed in his wisdom and the power of reasoning rather than illusion reality. His firm devotion to his convictions and beliefs is illustrated well in the Crito incident. Socrates was known to display a calm spirit concerning serious issues in his life. Even after being sentenced to death, Socrates accepted the jury’s decision and maintained that giving up his philosophy at the expense of freedom signifies defeat. In this Crito incident, Socrates friends who had visited him in jail devised a plan of getting Socrates out of prison. However, Socrates engaged his friends through a series of rational evaluation of their plan. His friends were faced with an obligation to rescue Socrates because of the society’s expectations on them, concerning Socrates’ sentence. As usual, Socrates subjected his friends’ idea into an evaluation on whether it was in concert with any moral values. The basis of his friends’ plan was the expectation of the people after Socrates had been unjustly sentenced to death. Despite this underlying reason for the plan, Socrates opted to question the plan’s validity at the moral arena. He engaged his friends on the quest for what is truly right. Socrates always argued that in the context of decision-making, what matters most is not the public’s opinion but an individual’s knowledge on the subject problem (Melchert 107). He argued that the public are fond of acting randomly and usually fails to come up with rational justification of their actions. Socrates also based his argument on his belief that no one should think of doing something wrong, regardless of the state of affairs. He acknowledged the moral principle that it is not right to pay injustice with

American history marlboro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American history marlboro - Essay Example The company has been maintaining quality in its products over the years. (Mission & Values, n.d.) The paper will look into the history of the brand and the path of its glory. The first trace of the Marlboro cigarettes was found in 1847 in England. The brand got its name from the Marlborough Street in UK. The brand was manufactured by Philip Morris, which was based in UK. It was in 1902, that the company extended its operations in the USA. The US market was seen as a good opportunity for the brand to cater to the needs of women in the society. The marketing strategies of the company over the years have been instrumental in the success of the brand. (Marlboro Cigarettes history, n.d.) The time it was introduced in the US, the brand used the slogan â€Å"Mild as May†. Obviously, the brand aimed at targeting the women. The advertisements of the cigarettes contained the hand of women. The filters of the cigarettes were painted red. This was done to hide the lipstick stains of the women while smoking. The marketing strategies of the brand underlined the fact that it was for women. The brand maintained the same stance up to the 2nd World War. However, the economic conditions of the war forced the brand out of the market. There was a rise in the popularity of the other cheap cigarettes. Various companies that were popular in the phase were unfiltered. The brands that survived the World War were Camel, Lucky Strike and Chesterfield. However, the Marlboro brand came back into the market when the conditions stabilized. After the World War, there was a rise in the health concerns of the people and several articles were published depicting the reasons of cancer for the use of the cigarettes. The companies understood the situation and began to produce filtered cigarettes. Marlboro introduced filtered cigarettes also. However, to be able to capture the market, the company had to involve a lot of marketing and the

Differences between juvenile diversion and probation Essay

Differences between juvenile diversion and probation - Essay Example It is a residential treatment program and helps troubled youths to be more productive in society without engaging in criminal behavior. The juveniles admitted are those who have experienced difficulty at home, in school and in the society. The program is designed in such a manner that juveniles attend some the sessions with their parents. In such a manner it becomes possible for juveniles to advance their relationship and communication skills with their parents. Families are offered the necessary tools for solving intra-family conflicts especially those concerning juveniles’ behaviors. On average this session takes between 6 to 9 months. This program is designed to be effective. The subdivisions under it are well designed to ensure that they maximally achieve their intended goals. These subdivisions include Job Skills, Garden Club, COG Group (Thinking For A Change), Reading Club – Read For Life, Aggression Replacement Training (ART), and The Seven Challenges. Job Skills: Under this subdivision, residents are imparted with vital skills required for job hunting. These include completing applications, making follow-ups, being in the appropriate attires and on job skills. Through the FACE – IT program, residents have a chance to acquire part time employment. The skills gained through the Job Skills subdivisions are definitely of great value to the juveniles enrolled in the FACE – IT program. COG Group: This is a very important division of FACE – IT which helps the residents to adopt better thinking techniques. This division enhances the residents to learn how to enhance their cognition abilities. The lessons are delivered in small group settings. Aggression Replacement Training: This is a training designed to help aggressive youths change from their aggression. This training touches on â€Å"social skill competence, anger-control and moral reasoning† (Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, 2013, p. 1). The skills gained under this program can be used

Strengths, Weaknesses and Strategies for Sugar Bowl Essay

Strengths, Weaknesses and Strategies for Sugar Bowl - Essay Example Sugar Bowl can effectively take maximum advantage of this student presence in order to increase their visitation to the business especially on some of the slow nights (Hamermesh and Zalosh, 9). Additionally, it is important to realize that since its opening, Sugar Bowl has been experiencing slow growth, having been in the industry for only one year; generally, restaurants and bars often take close to five years in experiencing solvency. Sugar Bowl boasts of a good target market that comprises of many graduate students and young professionals who will enhance its growth and success. Some of the goals regarding the operations of Sugar Bowl include an inability to retain some of its competent sales staff. This means that the company is often left with the option of having its unused capacity being supplemented by other outside workers. Additionally, the company has a problem with compensating its staff in order to elicit maximum support from them. In improving the compensation criteria, the company can be in a better position to enhance their staff morale while reducing the high turnover that it faces. Additionally, the company has high training costs and theft cases, which are said to be emerging from within. Through such activities as effective staff training and motivation, the company will enhance its success and performance, something that will aid in its achievement of goals and objectives. Through effective staff empowerment initiatives, Sugar Bowl will experience reduced daily operations for its management teams (Hamermesh and Zalosh, 10). The company’s inability to predict its sales revenue in the most effective way has also been a major weakness in its growth prospects. Some of the opportunities that Sugar Bowl is facing in its growth and success are largely depended on the need to capture new markets presented by the target marketing, who are students and other young people generated by the universities available in this area.

Drug Court Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Drug Court Systems - Essay Example Drug practices require specialized treatment and focused undeterred attention; the traditional judicial systems only emphasized to the extent of guilt and determination of sanctions not the root cause of addiction and its ramifications, the judges needed specialized training to recognize special areas of supervision and monitoring of drug addicts. But most of all the traditional disposition process was unable to handle the caseload of the rapidly increasing drug cases and was getting more and more exhausted and overcrowded hence, unable to provide for permanent or long term solutions, in order to fill the gap for a strategic judicial system, purely dedicated to individual participants caught with charges for drug related felonies and misdemeanors, specialized drug courts came into being. The drug court’s main goal was not just punishment but to reform and rehabilitate drug offenders and, eventually make them drug-free. The Drug court is a problem-solving court or, a specialize d system-based approach to eradicate crimes related to drug and substance abuse. The drug court system represents the correlated, homogenized and organized efforts of judicial experts and treatment professionals to interpose and break the cycle of substance misuse and all sorts of crimes related to drug abuse and addiction. ... All this led to the urgent need and expansive growth of drug courts. Drug Court model in American judicial structure: Drug courts showed phenomenal growth, combining the hopes of re-habilitation and incentives coupled with the promise of punishment. The drug model requires individuals arrested on drug charges to attend training and regularly scheduled court hearings and undergo periodical drug tests. An expert system of graduated sanctions, rewards participants for compliance and punishes them for non-compliance. (Whiteacre, 2008) After completion the participants may have their charges reduced or dropped. Although models for various drug courts depend upon their target population, resources and evaluation techniques they involve a general criterion such as: Crime assessment and offender identification, judicial interaction and case management, monitoring procedures such as drug testing and supervision while on probation, courtroom procedures and eventually graduating sanctions, rewa rd incentives or vice versa, providing ancillary treatment and services such as, mental health improvement, Stress and trauma related family therapy and vocational training, improved skills and over all enhancement of the quality of life. In 1989, the first adult drug treatment court opened in Dade County, Miami (Florida), in America. More than 800 adults, juvenile and tribal courts have been operating across the United States of America since then and the popularity and numbers keeps growing. (Nolan, 2003) between 1991 and 1993, around 20 jurisdictions across America implemented drug courts. The drug court model received great public acclaim and support, and large scale positive media coverage on local and national levels.

Quantitative Methods Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quantitative Methods Coursework - Essay Example 1. Production and Transportation cost = (80000 units)(97 pence/unit) = 7,760,000 pence 2. The rest of the capacity of factory '1' (90,000 - 80,000 = 10,000) can be used for producing and transporting to manufacturer 'B' Production and Transportation cost = (10000 units)(98 pence/unit) = 980,000 pence Hence the total cost of production and transportation for factory '1' is 7,760,000 + 980,000 = 8,740,000 pence = 87,400/- 3. The rest of the demand of manufacturer 'B' (72,000 - 10,000 = 62,000) should be produced by factory '3' having lesser costs than factory '2'. Production and Transportation cost = (62000)(109) = 6,758,000 pence 4. The rest of the capacity of factory '3' (80,000 - 62,000 = 18,000) can be used to produce and transport for manufacturer 'A'. Production and Transportation cost = (18000)(107) = 1,926,000 pence Hence the total cost of production and transportation for factory '3' is 6,758,000 + 1,926,000 = 8,684,000 pence = 86,840/- 5. The rest of the demand of manufacturer 'A' (51,000 - 18,000 = 33,000) is produced by factory '2' Production and Transportation cost = (33000)(113) = 3,729,000 pence Hence the total cost of production and transportation for manufacturer 'A' order is 1,926,000 + 3,729,000 = 5,655,000 pence = 56,550/- 6. The total demand of manufacturer 'D' can be supplied by factory '2' Production and Transportation cost = (58000)(114) = 6,612,000 pence Hence the total cost of production and transportation for manufacturer 'D' order is 6,612,000 pence = 66,120/- Conclusion Total Cost of production for factories and manufacturers Factory Computer... As shown by the graph, the relationship is somewhat linear at values 13 onwards (lower part of the graph) and these are non-linear at higher part of the graph. The values for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage are non-linear with huge differences as shown by the graph.

Globalization and Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Globalization and Environment - Essay Example The treaty signed helps in offloading one commodity and acquired the other. There are different rewards and detriments that are coupled with globalization (studentresearch 1). The concern of this writing will be the outcome of globalization on the environment. Globalization is inescapable in many countries of the sphere. Every country requires offloading its excessive production in a market with the highest return. The country will also want to buy a commodity that is produced scarcely in the country. When buying, the country will choose from the available options and will go to the high quality and low-cost commodities. The final segment of this trade will ensure that the country makes profit. The profit made will be useful for investment, and the invested segment will lead to economic growth and prosperity. During the investment trend, countries have come to invest on what they can produce best. Producing the best commodities leads to specialization. In the course of economic growth and investment, there is a high trend of population growth. The populace growth can be as a result of numerous measures. Investors can immigrate into the country to look for an investment opportunity (Jorgenson and Givens 849). This measure is considered to have a small weight on the escalation of the population. Secondly, there is always a positive population growth in every country resulting from a high birth rate and low mortality rates. The final answer to the equation is always an increase in mortality rates. The growth of persons in the area has some consequence to the environment. An increase in population usually leads to increased pressure to the environmental resources. Reserves like land, water, and forestry are highly affected. The effect makes comes in when must settlement of the increased population. The population will opt to move to the unsettled area that mostly act as a source of the water reserves. When the

Effects of Junk food Essay Example for Free

Effects of Junk food Essay The moons of Saturn are a very interesting topic to research. Before beginning this amazing journey on the moons, first we must do a brief overview of the planet Saturn. Saturn is the sixth largest planet from the sun; it is very large and does not have very much water. This research paper will explore the different moons, the names, atmosphere, similarities and sizes of the moons. Saturn has 62 moons that have been discovered but only 52 have been given an official name while the others still are waiting to have specific information found out about them to give them a name. Only 18 moons have been officially sanctioned by the International Astronomical Union. The names of the moons come from characters in Greek and Roman mythology. The moons are made up of about 30 to 40 percent rock and about 60 to 70 percent water. The Saturn Moons so diversity in many area, let’s explore their differences. Since there are too many to name we will discuss the more poplar moons. Pan- Named after the Greek God of the wild, it is about 20km in diameter and its mass is 11x 10 15th lbs. Saturn is at a distance of 83,000 miles and has an orbital period around Saturn is 13.8 hours. Pan was discovered in 1990 by the Voyager team. A Pan orbit within the Encke Gap which is located in the Saturn’s A ring. The Encke Gap is a space in the A ring that helps Pan to orbit around Saturn. Helene- named after Greek goddess Helene popularly known as Helene of Troy and the name means torch. Helene’s moon is an irregular shape in body and is measured about36 x 32 x 30 km in diameter. The moon orbits Saturn at 234,500 in distance and its mass is 8x 10by 17. The surface materials are composed of particularly dark and organic rich mater and condense ices. Helene was discovered by P. Laques and J. Leacheus in the year 1990. Dione- Named after  Greek goddess Dione and the mother for Aphrodite she was describe as a temple associate. Dione is about 1,118km is diameter and has a density of 1.43gm/cm the rest is ice. The temperature is extremely cold and the distance from Saturn is 377,400 km, and includes crater area that measure about 100 km in diameter. Dione was discovered in 1684 by Giovanni Cassini. Rhea- Named after the god of fruitfulness the mother of Poseidon. Rhea is far away from and the second largest moon of Saturn. It is 1,528 km in size, its distance from the sun is 527,040 and it mass is2.31 x 10 sub 21 kg. Rhea’s temperature is cold like Dione and only one side of its surface faces Saturn. The surface of Rhea is a mixture of ice and rock similar to a frozen dirty snowball. Dione was discovered in 1672 by Giovanni Cassini. Mimas- Named after the Greek god giant of war. It looks like a bull’s eye by viewing in space. The surface of is covered with impact craters due to shock waves that happens on the moon which measure is size of about 40 kg . It is also very low in density and is composed of mostly water with small amounts of rock. The distance from Saturn is 185,520km, the period of orbit around Saturn is 22.6 hrs and its mass is 3.81 x 10 sub 19kg. The temperature of Mimas is minus 344 degrees Fahrenheit. It was discovered by Williams Herschel in 1789. Enceladus- Named the god that was responsible for tremors and volcanoes, and he was considered the leader of the giants. Distance from the Saturn is 237,378 km, about 512 x 494489 km in diameter, its mass id 1.2 x 10 sub 20 kg. The period Encelasus orbit around Saturn is 32.8 hours. It is also covered in water ice and is about -330 degrees Fahrenheit. It also reflects the sunlight. It was discove red by Williams Herschel in 1789. Titan- Named after group Greek gods who ruled the cosmos. Titan is largest of the Saturn’s moon and is the most Earthlike of its kind; it looks a lot like a frozen version of the plant earth. The surface is very cold; it has a temperature of -290 degrees Fahrenheit and has a thick atmosphere but does not hold gravity well. Titan’s atmosphere has an altitude 10 times higher than or nearly 600 km into space as oppose to the earth. According to a space expedition in 1980 by the Voyager 1Titan showed to only have air pressure of one and a half at sea level and four times as dense of the earth. Titan has chemical readings is mostly gas about 95% nitrogen and 5% methane, which are two chemicals that are present in earth’s surface. Nitrogen help produces this thick smog like cloud that can hold water and  produces rain. With the help of methane which is a gas allows the cloud s rain to produce or rain down liquids similar to gasoline. Titan orbits Saturn 1.2 million km or 745,000 miles it take16 days to make complete circle. The radius is 2,575 km and 112 km in diameter. The Greek mythology of how the naming group of Titans , hence thus the naming of the moons came about, the Titans devoured the limbs of Dionysus, the son of Zeus (the god of thunder and war) was intended to have dominion over the world. Zeus was so angry he struck the titans with lighting and the fire burned them to ashes. The moons of Saturn are too numerous to number, just like the story of the Titans. They all have their own characteristics, this paper only names a few, here are the rest: Aegean, Aegir, Albiorix, Anthe, Benhionn, Bergeimir, Calypso, Dapjnis, Epimetheus, Erriapus, Farbauti, Fenrir, Fornjot, Greip, Hati, Hyperion, Hyrrokkin, Lapetus, Lijraq, Janus, Jamsaxa, Kari, Kiviug, Loge, Methone, Mundifari, Narvi, Paaliaq, Pallene, Phoebe, Polydueces, Siamaq, Skadi, Skoll, Suttung, Tarqeq, Telesto, Tethys, Thrym, Ymir. The names of these moons will continue to grow as new moons are discovered. The moons will begin the naming process which astronomer gives each moon a temporary name that will follow this format S/2011-S1. The first S stands for Saturn and the second S after the stands for its satellite or location in space. Then the names are assigning by the International Astronomical Union. In conclusion, with the study of the moons of Saturn we learned that some range very large in size. We also learned the amount of time it takes each moon s to orbit Saturn. The time varies amongst the moon of Saturn. The all of the temperature each of the moons are too cold for human life to be sustained, and the surfaces of each one of the moons are somewhat similar; with the exception of the moon Titan. During the study of the Titan moons the discovery of the similarities between the planet Earth and Titan’s atmosphere. The naming of the moons came from Greek mythology and the history of the Greek gods were interesting the in its own way. Finally, scientists are still discover ing new moons in Saturn’s atmosphere, as of today there are only 53 moons officially named; who knows how many more are lurking out there. References The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2011 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Pan-ast.html Hatzitsinidou, Evangelia. (2005-2011). Greek-Gods.Info Gods and Goddess of Ancient Greece. October 26,2011, http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-mythology/a.php Munsell,Kirk. (2011). Cassini Solstice Misson. November 23, 2011, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov./science/mooms

Product Review for Nike Fuel Band Essay Example for Free

Product Review for Nike Fuel Band Essay Im a number junkie, I love knowing exactly how many calories Im taking in, my macronutrient ratios and Id always wanted to know how many calories I burn on a daily basis. To feed my number addiction I typically weigh my food and prepare an entire days food in one sitting. With that said, being able to track my energy expenditure was very appealing to me. I came across an energy tracking product called Nike Fuel Band. Being able to get a rough idea of how many calories I burn throughout the day was exactly what a fitness nerd like me wanted to know. After using this product for three weeks, I am blown away by the total package of services this product offers. The Nike Fuel band is a wrist band that looks similar to a Live Strong bracelet that keeps track of all your daily activity. It has a built in screen that is comprised of a number of LEDs that can tell you how much Nike Fuel youve earned, how many calories youve burned, how many steps youve taken and the current time. The device also syncs with your phone, computer and Nike Plus account to keep track of your day to day activity. The packaging was very appealing; everything was nicely arranged so things didnt get deshuffled during shipping. I had almost no problems getting my Fuel band synced up to my computer or my iPhone. My band fit perfectly without having to add the supplied extra link and was able to start burning fuel right away. Once I got it going there is a single button on the device that if clicked will scroll through four different options; fuel, calories, steps and time. The time is also really convenient if you would rather where the band than a watch. The product itself is slightly larger than your standard silicone wrist band that people still seem to be wearing. Nike fuel is Nikes proprietary measurement of energy expenditure which is supposed to be a universal measurement. For me personally Ive noticed that three Nike Fuel points equates to about one calorie. After using my Nike Fuel Band for about three weeks I found I pay attention to both the fuel as well as the calories. It is definitely useful for comparing activity with friends, as if you have different height and weight your caloric expenditure will be way off. There are two things about the Fuel Band that I wish were a little different. While the device is able to be worn in the shower, it is not recommended to take the product swimming. I go swimming a lot so it was a bit of an inconvenience for me not to have this on to rate my performance. I would have also liked to see the Fuel Band have the ability to monitor heart rate. The Band fits very snug to my wrist, so I would think that tracking my pulse wouldnt have added too many extra dollars in electronics. By tracking heart rate Nike would have had another variable to more accurately track activity levels. This would have improved their ability to measure fuel in activities that are more static like Yoga or Weight Lifting. After using my Nike Fuel band for three weeks, I absolutely love it. While it may not be flawless in terms of calculating caloric expenditure, it does a better job than anything else out there when you compare the convenience factor of having a small bracelet attached to your wrist. This product has definitely changed my life, if Im a few hundred fuel points away from my daily goals, I go walk around the block to make sure I hit the goals Ive set forth for myself. In contrast, if Ive had a busy day and burned enough fuel through chores, I dont have to waste my time going to the gym. The Fuelband takes the guessing game out of the equation and I love it.

Sustainability Standards In Events Organizations

Sustainability Standards In Events Organizations In November 2007 we witnessed the release of BS8901 Event Management Standard on sustainability. This new standard was aimed at helping to improve the management systems in the events industry and thereby conduct business in a more sustainable manner. Amongst the earliest people to adopt the standard are the 2012 London Olympic Games Organizing committee. This being to oversee the tender process for the Olympic Games. BS8901 has received wide acclaim from a number of early sponsors in the events industry i.e. Live Earth, Manchester International Festival, Lords Cricket Ground and Reeds Carpets etc. BSI British Standards provides a system for managing the overall environmental, economic and social impact of an event. BS 8901 is a new standard which sets out the requirements for planning and managing a sustainable event. (Fulton) The DEFRA Minister Hillary Benn has been an immediate supporter of BS 8901 and the concept of sustainability. He was quoted as saying Lots of us love to attend music festivals and football matches but they can produce a lot of rubbish. We all have to play our part in the move to more sustainable living. (Benn). In addition to the national standard there is also the development of ISO 20121 that is being developed and finalized for the Olympic Games in 2012. The standard (ISO 20121) will take a management systems approach requiring identification of key sustainability issues like venue selection, operating procedures, supply chain management, procurement, communications, transport, and others. (Lazarte) The new ISO standard is expected to make a significant contribution to the entire event industry in the UK and Elizabeth Henderson the Director of Social and Corporate responsibility at media firm MPI stated As sustainability is becoming increasingly important for the event industry, individuals, companies and countries are setting multiple and differing standards. ISO 20121 will be developed with extensive stakeholder engagement so the industry can have one internationally recognized framework to implement sustainability (Lazarte). DEFINITIONS Definitions of sustainability in the event industry include: An enduring and balanced approach to economic activity, environmental responsibility and social progress (Sustainable Events) There are broader definitions of sustainability as this can be applied in a number of other very different contexts. These additional contexts are explored below with definitions provided by leaders in that particular field. Sustainable Development : Sustainability encompasses the simple principle of taking from the earth only what it can provide indefinitely, thus leaving future generations no less than we have access to ourselves. Friends of the Earth http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/ Sustainable Society: Society whose long term prospect for continuing to exist are good. Such a society would be characterized by an emphasis on preserving the environment, developing strong peaceful relationships between people and nations, and an emphasis on equitable distribution of wealth. Coop America Quarterly, No. 37 Summer 1995. Sustainable Production: Sustainable Production is the creation of goods and services using processes and systems that are: non-polluting; conserving of energy and natural resources; economically efficient; safe and healthful for workers, communities, and consumers; and, socially and creatively rewarding for all working people. http://www.uml.edu/centers/LCSP/ Sustainable Agriculture: farmers in sustainable agriculture are concerned about feeding their families and paying their bills, but those are not their only goals in life. They set out to protect the land, improve their quality of life, and enhance the communities in which they live. Their day-to-day decisions are not guided by a single minded search for profit, but by a delicate balancing act among many goals. Land Stewardship Program, White Bear Lake Minnesota. Monitoring Sustainable Agriculture with Conventional Financial Data, http://www.landstewardshipproject.org From the above examples it can be observed that the general concept of sustainability has a wide application beyond that of event management. The Government is more concerned with sustainable environment and development matters The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations. (DEFRA). Sustainability in the event industry is really all about good management and business practice. It is important to demonstrate to key stakeholders that the event being hosted is ecofriendly and is being managed in a professional and responsible way. The 2010 Winter Olympic Games held in Vancouver Canada was a great international event but it equally left behind a lot of infrastructure and facilities that would be of benefit to the public post the games i.e. swimming pools, improved ski facilities, ice rinks, running trails etc. In essence sustainability leaves behind a lasting footprint and provides a major value added contribution to the original event. The London Olympic Games in 2012 will be no exception to this and it is already working on potential enhancements and improvements for re-generation of areas within greater London. As such it will provide a welcome boost to the local economic development of greater London. CRITICAL REVIEW OF BS8901 BS8901 has been developed entirely for the event industry. The prime objective being to make the industry operate in a more efficient manner. The standards are based around the support and build of an effective event management system. The British Standard requires those participating organisations to re-examine the efforts and impact that this event will have on the environment, society and the economy in both micro and macro conditions. From this analysis to determine a set of counter measures that will address this and help to mitigate the negative impacts. By implementing the guidelines of BS 8901 you would expect to derive the following benefits: A clear direction through the implementation of a sustainability policy; A thorough omissions check ensuring no important areas have been left out; A reduction in complaints as a result of improved communications with the key stakeholders; Better reputation through improved supplier relationships; Reduction of operating costs and elimination of waste; Improved process efficiency through streamlining and elimination of redundancies; More robust information and better decision making; A whole batch of cost reduction improvements i.e. lower training costs, lower staff turnover, improved productivity gains etc.; General increased customer satisfaction and an improved stance regarding marketing. BS8091 has changed from a specification to that of a standard focused on sustainability system for management of events This means that events do not comply with BS 8901, but that rather it is the management system behind the events that complies. The standard clarifies that it is applicable not only to event organisers, but to all organisations in the events industry, from event clients to venues, suppliers and contractors, regardless of their role in delivering events. (Whiteling). Another important aspect of the standard is that it requires the organisation to clearly define the scope of how it complies with the standard. Hence organisations must prepare a report that describes both the activities and the functions which are an integral part of the sustainable management system. Another change from the old version is that this new standard is far more process oriented. This will require a lot more communications with the key stakeholders and in general terms an improved communications plan. On the implementation side there is an increased reliance upon effective planning and particular the definition of roles and responsibilities together with milestones and timelines. Many of the ambiguities within the original version have been cleared up, and some of the confusing clauses, such as assessing options for improved event sustainability, have been removed, (Whiteling). ISO 20121 The future standard of ISO 20121 will make a significant impact to the events industry when it is released in 2012 at the eve of the London Olympic Games. The standard is aimed at providing a framework where event planners and other individuals in the supply chain can implement and maintain a sustainable program. ISO 20121 will have been designed and developed in extensive consultation with stakeholders in the events industry. It is anticipated that the standard will become the benchmark for the industry in terms of both quality and performance. The standard will adopt a management systems approach requiring identification of key sustainability issues like venue selection, operating procedures, supply chain management, procurement, communications, transport, and others (Lazarte). ISO20121 uses the BS 8091 as the starting point in order to develop a more comprehensive framework for an events sustainable management system. The global standard is intended to benefit all in the events industry and not only help in the reduction of an organizations social and environmental impact but help to streamline the operating procedures and reduce costs. An example being where energy is an identified issue, an appropriate sustainability mitigation strategy might be developing procedures that would reduce the carbon footprint. Despite the development of IS20121, the event and tourism industry is currently less sustainable than any previous time in its history. Consider the following issues: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ We are seeing far more emissions in absolute terms; à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ With energy and land use we are seeing a lot more resource utilization; à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ We are seeing an increased loss in the contribution to bio diversity à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The increasing contribution of tourism to that of environmental change raises considerable concern over effective sustainable policy development in this area. Another issue concerning sustainability is that it is mostly portrayed in terms of a one dimensional though process i.e. it is shown in economic terms. Hence using the London Olympic Games as an example it is mainly concerned with the hosting of that event and the impact to the UK inn terms of economic growth. There is not enough attention being paid to the costs of the longer term implication, this particularly at the time of a major recession in the UK. The BC Government in Canada was criticised for political grand-standing and committing a massive overspend on the hosting of the 2010 winter Olympics. Similarly in London this shows a considerable emphasis on international profiling and showcasing London in order to enhance its global marketing position and profile. The sustainability plan for the London Olympic Games is based upon 5 central themes: The Sustainability Plan focuses on five key themes: 1. Climate change: dealing with emissions and the impact of climate change such that there is a sustainable legacy for the future 2. Waste: The complete elimination of waste and ensuring that such a bi-product is not sent to land fill sites during the development of the games sites 3. Biodiversity: minimising the dangers on the destruction of wildlife sites and the habitats of same. Building upon the existing eco development policies leaving parks that will promote wildlife and sanctuaries. 4. Inclusion: Providing opportunities to showcase the diversity of London and market the business and commercial opportunities for the Capital 5. Healthy living: Getting people motivated towards concepts of more healthy living and taking up sports. ACCEPTANCE OF BS8901/ISO 20121 IN WIDER TERMS The concept of BS 8901 has a wide acceptance both in the UK and overseas. One of the important factors being that of long term sustainability in the urban planning of the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee is highly supportive of this and takes into consideration how applicant nations will incorporate this into the overall planning of the games the IOCs Olympic Study Commission in July, 2003 has recommended a number of controls to ensure that legacy is a priority in the staging of future Games. Legacy needs to be integrated and given equal weighting through all stages of Olympic planning. (Chalkey). Another example of a specific success story was the hosts of the Olympic Games in Australia in 2000. Their attention to sustainability gave them the title of the green games By committing the government to environmental guidelines based on Agenda 21 and the recommendations of the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development, the Sydney Olympics earned the unofficial title of the Green Games (Briese) The impact of BS 8091 and the subsequent development of ISO 20121 have been widely observed by other countries including Australia, Brazil and Canada. Amongst the first to take action was that of Brazil in developing the standard for use in that country Responding to wide-spread enthusiasm for BS 8901, work has now started on an international standard for event management. The proposal for the development of ISO 20121 was jointly submitted by BSI and ABNT, the Brazilian national standards body, as members of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). (Fulton) Examples of adoption of BS 8091 include the following: The Barbican, London A large conference facility in the Centre of London with 2000 seating capacity is used for hosting a wide range of events and meetings. It has recently started to implement BS8091 The centre introduced a variety of policies to improve its environmental efficiency, and won Gold at the City of London Clean City Awards 2008. The steps to this included sourcing 55 per cent of electrical energy contracts from renewable and green contracts, sourcing heating and cooling from a highly efficient, combined heat and power system. (Wyatt). Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre, Berkshire A fully compliant BS8091 venue. A state of the art conference centre in Berkshire, greater London. Won awards for sustainability and eco considerations in its design It won the Green Venue Event Award 2008. Initiatives include using recycled or renewable materials during construction. Electricity is from 100 per cent renewable supplies, while a solar panel pre-heats water for the boilers. Its reed bed system annually recycles seven million litres of waste water. (Wyatt) The Brewery London A venue that has historical roots back to the 18th Century. Not currently BS8091 accredited but is an integral part of a larger group that has received the award. Low-energy LED lighting is used throughout, with high-powered hand-dryers and sensor lights in the bathrooms. Local produce is sourced wherever possible. The venue operates a waste management system and provides guests with filtered water in reusable bottles. (Wyatt) The ACC Liverpool ( BT Convention Centre) Not currently BS8091 certified but actively working towards certification acquisition. 1,350 seats with an adjoining area containing 11,000 seats and one of the largest UK facilities of its kind. It has 18 meeting rooms and a large area for exhibition space The  £164m venue is designed to produce half the CO2 emissions of a traditional building. The electricity supply is from a green energy provider. Five 20-metre low-noise wind turbines generate around ten per cent of the required electricity. Rainwater is collected and provides around 40 per cent of the water needed to flush toilets. The venue has won two Green Apple Awards, is about to embark on attaining IS012001 and is awaiting the outcome of a Green Business Tourism Scheme assessment. (Wyatt) Excel London A BS 8091 showcase site and one of the first to gain certification. It boasts a facility that contains over 5,000 seating capacity and in May 2010 this was expanded to 26,000 Has its own materials recycling facility, a wormery for food waste and a  £14m energy centre housing three boilers, three chillers and two back-up generators. (Wyatt) Faversham House Group One of the worlds largest independent media groups. They adopted certification of BS 8901 With ever increasing pressure from stakeholders and authorities to address sustainability, independent certification to BS 8901 will undoubtedly enhance the competitive stance and environmental credibility of any organisation involved with the events industry (BSI) Nimlok Ltd Nimlok are builders and constructors of custom exhibition stands and have a global presence in the supply of portable exhibition stands for conferences and exhibitions. Having already gained certification to ISO 9001 (Quality Management) and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) with BSI, Nimlok recognised that BS 8901 would be an appropriate addition to its certification portfolio and would help the organisation differentiate itself from industry competitors. (BSI) Earls Court and Olympia A purpose built conference centre with BS8091 certification. All of the event managers are required to undergo BS8091 training The group won the 2008 AEO Sustainability Excellence Award and the Visit London Sustainable Tourism Award. The venues sustainable development policy includes engaging with customers and suppliers on sustainability issues, assessing sustainability risks and opportunities presented by hosting events and setting key performance indicators and objectives. Both venues have on-site recycling centres. (Wyatt) There are no significant problems reported with the implementation of BS8091 although some folk have cited minor operational issues that have caused some controversy. Overall the standard has been well received and adopted by all of those who have chosen to move forward and implement it. There is always room for ongoing enhancement and improvement and it is anticipated that this is where ISO 20121 will pick up any slack when it is formerly released in 2012. A lot of attention will be focused on the London Olympic Games and the success of these games will further enhance the credibility of these standards and the amount of work adapted from these standards in order to make the event a huge international success story. 11 Countries have signed up to mirror ISO20121 for adoption in their native country. One of the more recent entrants to the mirror committee being that of Australia It is important to note that a working draft for the International Standard (ISO) 20121 was produced with no involvement from the Australian events community. Twenty countries are actively involved in the development process including New Zealand. The SEA recognised this and approached Standards Australia to encourage our participation level to move from O (observer) status to P (participating) status (sustainable event). RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVENT ORGANIZATIONS Many of the initiatives that support the implementation of BS8091 and that of ISO 20121 are still voluntary. There is no doubt that most event management organizations will significantly benefit from adopting these standards and taking up these initiatives. It is perhaps first useful to explain what BS8091 does relative to other environmental policies. There are three distinct advantages of BS8091. It defines the management system that an organization must put in place for effective sustainability of its operations. It is not a checklist but a definitive guide to operational procedures; It does not directly apply to events but more concerned with the management system that must be adopted in order to run these events. It is the management system operated by an organisation to deliver its event related activities that is certified and not the event (SEC) The standard is really more about sustainability and not purely focused on environmental issues, hence sustainability is about adopting strategies that will not only ensure long term financial success but will also drive social prosperity and progress as well as reduce environmental degradation (SEC). BS8091 has been criticised for containing too much jargon and not being an easy document to comprehend or navigate. Nevertheless, it contains a lot of good and useful material and many companies have succeeded in proper interpretation and use of the standard. These constraints have been notified to ISO 20121 which is expected to resolve these difficulties in the reading and interpretation of the standard. Benefits of BS 8901 The adoption of BS8091 has to be considered from the many benefits that it provides to event management organizations. Current research has demonstrated that the standard is particularly useful for small-medium sized business operations as it provides a reliable and robust framework which facilitates the integration of new staff. It also helps the organization in gaining a clearer understanding of the overall strategic direction and helps in harmonization of the workforce. Current projects have seen an improvement in communications and planning illustrating more integrated and harmonized communications that promote better teamwork and improved decision making capabilities. Overall a concept of rationalization and streamlining those results in more lucid and efficient systems and processes. As the standard effectively integrates social and economic standards it has an impact in helping to raise employee motivation and assists in retaining people with the best skills and talents. Furth er, it helps in improving the relations with key stakeholders and clients and strengthens the position of the business in the local community. From the financial perspective adoption of the standard is seen to reduce costs, eliminate wastes and create savings on energy. BS 8901 challenges business as usual and drives creativity and innovation which in turn can provide organisations with a competitive edge. (SEC) Recent reported innovations have included: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Improved return on investment by introduction of new toolsets à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Reduction in carbon emissions by catering companies à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Venues providing improved waste diversion rates from land fill sites à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Reduction in paper handouts by event organizers à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ More events and conferences using 100% solar energy à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Gifts to those who support the sustainability events and objectives There is a huge benefit to be derived in terms of marketing capability. In particular the ability of organizations to demonstrate their uniqueness and distinction from competitors. This will improve chances of winning new contracts and awards as business move towards increased concepts of sustainability and environmentally friendly projects. A good example is that of the Greater London Authority that is now seen to include mention of BS8091 in the criteria of its tender documents, as such their clients are taking the lead and making similar incorporations into their own documents. This demonstrating to the wider market the importance of sustainability options in their contractual relationship building. Most noticeably, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) released its London 2012 Sustainable Event Guidelines in which they expect all companies and organisations that wish to be associated with the Games to be working towards BS 8901. (SEC). There is also the question of getting ahead of your competition. There is no doubt that BS8091 will be thoroughly adopted by the events industry. Those who do not participate will be left behind and seriously disadvantaged in the competitive market place. Eventually the voluntary situation might change and it could become a minimum entry requirement to be BS8091 certified. This is likely to be further reinforced in 2012 when the ISO 20121b becomes released as an international standard. Hence those who take strides now will benefit over those who fail to see the significance of these standards in the future. CONCLUSIONS Despite the initial complexity of BS 8091 it has been widely accepted and endorsed by the event management industry. The benefits of adopting the standard far outweigh the disadvantages. The progression to the international standard of ISO20121 will be far more inclusive and involve the collaboration of multiple companies on a world-wide basis. The world has come to recognize the growing importance of sustainability as a direct result of climate change and environmental changes taking place throughout the world. We need to find an enduring and balanced approach to economic activity, environmental responsibility and social progress. Hence the concept of sustainability has far more wider reaching implications beyond that of the event industry. Major international events like the Olympic games provide the opportunity to both raise awareness and showcase the importance of sustainability and the need for international standards to a world audience. Another significant advantage of the mir roring concept being used in the deployment of ISO 20121 is that it provides a standard and uniform framework across different countries and as such gains immediate transparency in terms of understanding, interpretation and implementation. The increase in the technological development of computers and sophisticated communications has facilitated the design and build of robust event management systems. This has enabled better planning and organization of events and eliminated the need for generating large volumes of paper reports or storage. Sustainable Events Management Solutions (SEMS) are a good example of an Australian firm that has taken the matter seriously and fully embraced BS8091 into the design of its event management system. There is no doubt that to make BS8091 work requires a great deal of inclusivity and collaboration amongst the partners in the event management project Incorporating sustainability into meeting and event management practices requires organisers to employ a combination of sustainable approaches including environmental stewardship, economic efficiency, and social and cultural responsibility. (Edwards) 4010

Midsummer Nights Dream: Shakespeare vs. Michael Hoffman Essay

Midsummer Night's Dream: Shakespeare vs. Michael Hoffman A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most popular and frequently performed comical plays (Berardinelli). The play transformed into a cinematic production by Michael Hoffman has not changed in its basic plot and dialogue, but the setting and some character traits have. The play setting has been gracefully moved from 16th century Greece to 19th century Tuscany (Berardinelli). The addition of bicycles to the play affects the characters in that they no longer have to chase each other around the woods, but can take chase in a more efficient fashion. As far as characters are concerned, Demetrius is no longer the smug and somewhat rude character we find in act 1, scene 1 (Shakespeare pg. 6, line 91), but rather a seemingly indifferent gentleman placed in an unfortunate circumstance set to delay his wedding to Hermia. Perhaps the most noticeable change in the character set from stage to film occurs in the characters of Puck and Nick Bottom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, is established in the play as the jester to the King of Fairies, Oberon. He first appears in Act 2, Scene 1 when he and another fairy discuss the disagreement between Oberon and Titania are having. The fairy gives us some indication of Puck's character as she describes how Puck â€Å"frights the maidens of the villagery† and â€Å"Misleading the night wanderers† (Act 2.1, line 35). When Titania refuses to give up the boy servant that Oberon wants, he comes up with a plan to steal the child, and enlists Puck's help to do so. Oberon is fully aware of Puck’s desire to have a good time at the expense of others, but trusts him with the task of retrieving the flower to make Titania fall in love with â€Å"Lion, Bear, Wolf, or Bull.† (Act 2.1, line 180) The idea here is to convince Titania to hand over the changeling boy while she is infatuated with a beast. Being attracted to mischief, Puck seems excited to be taske d to this adventure, and claims to return â€Å"Within forty minutes† (Act 2.1, line 176) so that they can get started on their plan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Puck describes his harmful behavior as if it is all logically consistent. He says he â€Å"Sometimes lurk in gossip’s bowl,† but does not think he takes anything too far. A lot of the humor that Puck brings to the play comes across in a subtle manner. For example, after he places the flower on Lysande... ...age. Instead of laughing at Bottom, the film generates a feeling of sorrow for his character. When the wine is poured on him when the craftsmen first meet, Bottom takes an obvious emotional blow, so one can see how he would artificially inflate himself with the false perception of being a wonderful actor. When chosen to perform for Thesseus’s wedding, the players are very nervous and turn to Bottom for comfort. They look up to and respect Bottom for his confidence and acting ability, but Bottom later makes a fool of himself in the play by over dramatizing the part of Pyramus, especially when he performs the death of Pyramus. Michael Hoffman’s adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream brings a classical play to a modern audience and makes it an exciting and humorous experience. This is accomplished most notably with the direction he gives to the two characters discussed. The animated humor of Bottom and the slightly more subtle badgering of other characters brou ght forth by Puck creates a certain amount of attachment to the movie by the viewer. The cinematic version of Shakespeare’s play is well adapted to a modern audience, especially through the characters of Puck and Nick Bottom.

Why is it hard to build a good relationship? :: Ethical Issues, Lying, Cheating

The word relationship is defined as the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected. In daily life, we always have a relationship with other people. Biologically, our relationship with parents is made up when we were born. Also we are making a new relationship with a friend, boss, and girlfriend, but there some factors that it makes hard to keeping a relationship such as lying, cheating, and misunderstanding. Most of our relationships are built on trust other people. However, different perspectives can lead us to the hierarchical relationship. On the other hand, in different circumstances, people can be changed, so it gives a chance to get closer each other. Our daily life relationships are built on trusting other people. Generally, many people think that trustable relationships don’t have secrets, and don’t lie to each other. In addition to that we may feel more comfortable to have a trustable relationship, because they are always willing to help each other by telling the truth. When I was in high school, I remember one of my best friend who is extremely nice and positive person that I know. I had an unstable relationship with my girlfriend. He always stands by me, and tried to help me out every single time. I could tell him everything about my relationship, because I know I can trust him, and he gave me some superb advices to recover my relationship. In Kite Runner, we can find the relationship between Baba and his son Amir. Baba always protects Amir, and Amir feels very pleasant to have Baba as his father, because they trust each other. Amir says, â€Å"wanted Baba all to himself† (13), and thinks that â€Å"how lucky he was to have Baba as his father† (39). Baba also had a trust on Amir, since he won the kite tournament that â€Å"agreed to everything Amir asked† (81). After Amir won the kite tournament, Baba opened his heart a little bit, because now trusts Amir about that he can stand up himself a little bit. However, Baba said, â€Å"There is only one sin, And that is theft†¦ When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth†(225). But it turns out he lied to his son Amir that he have another brother, who name is Hassan, Amir going to â€Å"reconcile†(226) the image of Baba that he haven been thinking of.

Flashbulb Memories :: essays research papers

Do Flashbulb memories differ from other forms of memory? â€Å"Our past is preserved in a variety of memories of very different nature† (Salaman, 1970) There are many proposed divisions and sub-divisions of human memory, such as working memory, procedural memory, semantic memory or episodic memory. Many of the systems seem to overlap, with each having varying functions related to the maintenance of what is essentially human life. For example, episodic and autobiographical memory fundamentally share the same functions. One of the many functions is what Tulving (1983) called â€Å"Mental time travel†, the ability to experience past event. Autobiographical memories are thought to be structured at different levels of temporal and spatial specificity that together are used as reference for the construction of â€Å"self†. This mental time travel can take place through different hierarchic levels of autobiographical organisation. The hierarchy level can be as general as â€Å"university† or as specific as remembering the topic of conversation with a certain person on a certain day (Cohen, 1998). Autobiographical memor ies are therefore seen as being autonoetic in that they carry information about the context in which they were experienced. One example of an extreme form of contextual specific memory is the death of Princess Diana. Many people especially the media ask a common question such as â€Å"what were you doing when you heard the news†. Many people claim to be able to remember such major moments with unusual clarity and vividness, as if the events were etched on their minds throughout their lives. The question is whether these â€Å"flashbulb memories† are functionally different to all other types of memory such as autobiographical memory. Brown & Kulik (1977), introduced the term flashbulb memory to describe memories that are preserved in an almost indiscriminate way. They postulated that these flashbulb memories were indeed different from ordinary memories, with some defining characteristics. Although these memories are thought to be photographic in their clarity and detail, they do not preserve all features of an event. Conversely Brown & Kulik proposed that idiosyncratic event details are remembered. These details help form what has been described as a â€Å"live† memory in that the â€Å"reception field† is remembered including ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘who with’ factors of an event. Brown & Kulik (1977) studied memories for important events such as the death of John F Kennedy. They found that irrelevant details were often recalled and it appeared that they had retained â€Å"a brief moment of time associated with an emotional event† (Smyth et al, 1994).

Effects of Social Networking Sites on Student’s Life. Essay

Students! The Builders of Nation ! In today’s life as the world is developing rapidly, the youth becoming stronger in each sense. The technologies are reaching at their peak. Dr. Abdul Kalam has said that India would be the ‘Developed Country’ upto 2020. He has dreamed about ‘Developed India’ which will be possible through his ‘Mission 2020’ towards India. He believes that Indian youth is the source for that dream. Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey are the two innovative people of 21st century as they have innovated social networking communication sites such as facebook and twitter respectively. Social networking sites such as facebook and twitter are few of the revolutionary inventions of decade. These are mostly popular in the college students. Actually it is proved that it is good mean of communication among them and is the best way of their time to be passed quiet easily. College students are heavy users of these sites through internet compared to the general population. It is the part of their daily communication habits. Social networking sites highly benefits students academically. The various features of different sites give flexibility to students to be a part of social level with others. Students can relate and share with those who have a common interest and ability to make connection with like-minded students, build relationships and communication among them. Social networking sites are the part of modern technology and students are making use of it in different ways. These sites help them to search material which they needs online. It makes them quite easy way to search and get the needful things. Besides this all; there are some negative effects on them as well. Students are losing in the real world by sticking to these social networking sites. The popularity of these sites increased rapidly in the last decade. This is probably due to reason that college students used it extensively to get global access. Sites like facebook and twitter have become a craze for everyone nowadays. These sites have caused potential harm to society. Students are becoming victims of such sites this is because of reason that when they are studying or searching their course material online; they get attracted to these sites to kill the burden in their study time, diverting their attention from their work. They prefer their concentration more on these sites than regular study. Students have started relying more on the information accessible easily on these sites. This reduces their learning and research capabilities. These sites cause reduction in their academic performance and concentration to study well. It reduces their communication skill with others. It also reduces command over language use and creative writing skills. Students mostly use slang words or shortened forms of words on these sites. They start relying on the computer grammar and spelling. Ultimately; it depends on each and every individual how much he involved in these kinds of things. Each individual should decide weathers it is good or bad for him. One should always pick positive things from it. It will have good advantage for him as well as his career. As we want to see ‘Developed India’; is youth in right path? As the craze of networking sites going in negative direction and increasing; the question mark on ‘Mission 2020’ is being much stronger. It’s time to think positively and taking part in transforming India.

Access to Education

For My Research paper, I would like to talk about Access to Education in world countries. This subject is important to me because I want to become a teacher someday.For most Americans, we usually have the typical ordinary lives, we go to school, get a job and work. Now-a-days most Americans, don't go to school but imagine not being able to go to school your whole life and just working from the age of 7. Now that's something to think about, for many world countries, it`s not easy to get access to education like it is for the people in America. For third world countries they don't get educated period, and we American are forced to go to school by the age of 16, we take it for granted. Could you imagine not going to school and getting an education? How would you feel if you didn't have supplies for class or a classroom to go to? These are just some questions to think about. Education is one of the most difficult things to get in third world countries because of lack of funding, un-trained teachers and also no classroom. Body 1 Education is one of the most difficult things to get in world countries because of lack of funding. According to https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/10-barriers-to-education-around-the-world-2/ one of the number one reason to having education in world countries is â€Å"a lack of funding for education†, from this article it says † the amount of total aid that's allocated to education has decreased in each of the past six years and education aid is 4% lower than it was in 2009.† Wow, the fact that education has decreased since 2009 is not a good sign, we should be going up higher but even in the united states there are children not wanting to go to school, they feel being a basketball player or singer is better.

The beginning of the seventeenth century

The beginning of the seventeenth century was the time when the arguments between naturalism and classicism were to preoccupy much of the Baroque age. Perhaps the most successful integration of these ideas came in the work of the sculptor-architect Gianlorenzo Bernini. No other artist during the Baroque era so completely dominated his discipline as did this virtuoso, whose sculpted figure works came to personify the very spirit of the Counter-Reformation. Born in Naples, from an early age he possessed tremendous technical skill in modeling.His David (Fig. 1), of 1623-24, sculpted between ages of twenty-five and twenty-six, evokes comparison with the Davids of Donatello and Michelangelo. Each work encapsulates the ideal and aspirations of its days. The sinuous body and graceful gesture of Donatello’s bronze speak of the break with the stiffness and grim determinism of the medieval age. Michelangelo’s David is quintessentially heroic, his gigantic body and sensuous muscula ture the very idiom of human self-confidence in the High Renaissance.By comparison, Bernini’s sculpture, neither complacent nor particularly grand, takes on combativeness and an offensive posture; here the body appears to attack and defeat. Christopher Baker argues that Bernini revolutionized sculpture by â€Å"Contorting facial expressions and bodies, endowing skin and drapery with tactile sensuousness, making hair and features seem to move, and differentiating textures for colorist effects† (21) Indeed, the agitation of the area around the figure was in fact very new to sculpture, and its provocative engagement of the space amplified the viewer’s relationship to the art.This was the very essence of the Baroque. Bernini’s technical skill is also worthy of consideration, for here we can see the influence of Caravaggio (Loh). Bernini’s captivating use of light and shade through the technique of undercutting gave his cold marble figure an emotional v itality on a par with the very best chiaroscuro in painting. And to appreciate fully such an advance in sculpture, it is necessary to consider in greater depth stone carving as it was practiced in the seventeenth century.Michelangelo likened carving to liberating a figure from its stone captivity. If this was indeed a feeling shared by sculptors of the day, then perhaps, as Varriano suggests, Bernini’s figures â€Å"leapt from their prisons† (73). The emotional gestures and agitated surfaces give one the impression that the figures are indeed flesh and blood. The drama of the scene is caught entirely by the convincing portrayal of movement, produced by a series of deep cuts into the marble surface that catch and reflect light.These deep spaces of shadow are produced by a technique called â€Å"undercutting† – a method of manipulating the descriptive character of light on stone. Undercutting is a technique of creating deep cuts in stone which produce shado w; (Rothschild, 72) the result suggests movement and dynamism, as the surface is transformed by light and shade capable of expressing the most dramatic of gestures. In Bernini’s remarkable The Ecstasy of St. Teresa (Fig. 2) we are witness to the dramatic potential of such a development.Noteworthy is the way the draperies of the enraptured saint take on the lightness of cloth and the way scene itself is wrapped within a turmoil of lines created through the intensive use of shadow. Bernini was also well aware of coloristic possibilities afforded by marble and used striking variation of the pink, white, green, and black varieties to produce spectacular results. One such example is his execution of the Tomb of Alexander VII (Fig.3) of 1671-8, where traditional white marble figures are juxtaposed against colored marble drapery, striking black pedestals and the every present symbol of death – the skeleton. This is the Baroque sensibility in all its glory. Considering Bernini ’s rather formidable skill in engaging space and working materials, it was perhaps inevitable that he would embrace architecture as well. The most notable of his achievements was his design for the piazza of St. Peter’s in Rome. Relying on many of the techniques and innovations of Renaissance architects, Bernini nevertheless allowed his engaging sense of novelty to guide him.As a result, the unorthodox combination of Doric and Ionic orders and the dramatic sweep of the colonnade, which psychologically heightens the pilgrim’s anticipation of the Church (Marder, 112), appear very much in keeping with his quintessentially Baroque sensibility. Here, space is arranged for what can be described only as kinesthetic ends; Bernini’s deliberate manipulation of the viewer’s sense of rhythm and motion as they progress towards the steps of St. Peter’s is thus a logical extension of his sculptural strategy – space as a psychological tool.It is this notable departure in the construction of space from the relative stasis of Renaissance that perhaps epitomizes the rise of specifically Baroque architecture. Figure 1 Gianlorenzo Bernini David 1623-24 White marble 170 cm Galleria Borghese, Rome Figure 2 Gianlorenzo Bernini Ecstasy of St. Teresa, 1642-52 Marble Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome Figure 3 Gianlorenzo Bernini Tomb of Pope Alexander (Chigi) VII 1671-78 Marble and gilded bronze, over life-size Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican Bibliography: Baker, Christopher.Absolutism and the Scientific Revolution, 1600-1720: A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002 Loh, Maria H. â€Å"New and Improved: Repetition as Originality in Italian Baroque Practice and Theory. † The Art Bulletin. 86. 3. (2004): 477+ Marder, T. A. Bernini and the Art of Architecture. New York, London and Paris: Abbeville Press, 1998. Rothschild, Lincoln. Sculpture through the Ages. New York: Whittlesey House, 1942 Varriano, John. Italia n Baroque and Rococo Architecture. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986

If Only I Could Go Back

It was around 9:00 pm and the atmosphere was charged. The roads were blocked and the police were to be found on every corner. A search was in place, I was the suspect. My clothes were stained with blood, not my blood but Eve's blood. My face was covered with dirt as though I had taken a dip in a pigsty. Suddenly just behind me I heard a booming sound â€Å"Freeze, don't move†, but I was too faint to synchronize with a response. Red and blue lines were flashing before my guilty eyes, it was the police. They had found me; I was handcuffed on the spot and thrown into the back of a van like a captured animal thrown into his cage. I was read out my rights â€Å"You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law†. That was it, I had been on the run for 4 consecutive days. My stomach lunched with hunger, my body desperately urged for rest but worst of all I was ruined. I was filled with intense regret. Although a sense of denial ran through my head, my conscience overcame the effect and I knew what I had done was wrong. â€Å"Too late now† I thought to myself. As I neared the place of my judgment with the last bit of strength in me I shouted aloud â€Å"God Forgive Me†. Time seemed to crawl as freedom raced its way out of my life. I was utterly left to rot. Fear and regret was all I could think of. My sense of fear was so strong, that I began to cry. My emotions overpowered me once again and the more I thought of the crime I had committed the more I continued to cry. I then arrived at the police station where I saw my father standing with only one expression on his face, ‘SHOCK'. As a police officer informed my father of my actions I saw a tear form in his eyes, a tear filled with shame and disappointment. The sight of my father's face scared me all the more. A vision of an empty, lonely future came alive at the back of my head, the past 18 years of my life flashed past me so fast like a video cassette put on super forward. I then heard a rough thick voice say â€Å"Why my son, why did you beat Eve to death?† It was my father who by now had understood precisely what had happened. He was a man who went through a lot of rough times himself. I was silent. The cause of my actions was due to my family problems. The agony, the loneliness of my parents being divorced and not having a father and a mother at the same time made me feel empty. My family was very dear to me, as a ‘real family' was all I wanted. Ever since I was a child I've been brought up by a single parent and always wished to have my parents back together. I longed all my life to know how a real family life was, but I was deprived of that. I did not want my father to pity me hence; I kept the reason to myself. I am a man now and should be responsible for my actions. It was because of Eve who simultaneously insulted my family and made fun of the fact that my parents were divorced. â€Å"Your parents don't love you that was why they left you† was one of the many hurtful things she said. At first I tried to ignore it but the truth penetrated its way into me and anger was all that was left in me. The blood in my veins boiled making me all the angrier where at one point I burst and took all my anger out on her. Punch after punch, kick after kick. This is when my emotions took over me at first. Everything happened so fast, and by the time it was all over and saw Eve's helpless body lying horizontally opposite to me, I was shocked but most of all scared. This was the first time I had actually seen someone die before my own eyes, and to worsen things it was me who had â€Å"murdered† her. I acted like a robot controlled by the truth and my emotions. Then the fear of death took over me and for the first few minutes I froze at a standstill but the thought of what I had done scared me so much that I began to run as fast as I could to hide myself from what I had done. Now my life is ruined. I feel like a total failure. Till this very day each moment I sit in my jail cell, I feel helpless and hungry and regret what I had done and just wish if I can take back what had happened. The thought, the whole thing just keeps running through my mind making me feel so wrong and so bad. â€Å"Oh! If I could only go back in time!†

Cost Behavior and Allocation Essay

Analyze the complexity of cost behaviors in health care organizations and describe how costs are classified according to their relationship with volume. Health services managers are vitally interested in how costs are affected by changes in volume. Before costs can be managed, one must have an understanding of how and why costs are being incurred. For, example medications dispensed from the pharmacy are variable costs items since the more often medications are dispensed to the patient, the higher to the total medication costs (Lang, 2012). In this example the cost is driven by the prescription of the medication for the patient, which leads to dispensing the medication and incurring the cost. If the medication is not prescribed the total cost would be zero. The salary of the Director of the Pharmacy is a fixed cost, at least over the short run because that person is paid the same salary regardless of how many, or how few, prescriptions they fill. The text defines the relationship between an organization’s total costs and volume as cost behavior or underlying cost structure, is used by mangers in planning, control, and decision making. The primary reason for defining and organization’s underlying cost structure is to provide healthcare managers with a tool for forecasting cost and profits at different volume levels (Gapenski, 2012). The cost structure of both fixed and variable costs- that is some of the costs are expected to be volume sensitive and some are not- is typical in healthcare organizations. Total variable costs increase or decrease proportionately as volume changes, but variable cost rate remains constant as long as volume remains within the relevant range. Fixed, costs, in contrast to total variable costs, remain unchanged as the volume varies. The Academy of Healthcare Management Journal states, when attempting to improve profitability by decreasing or controlling costs, cost behavior is particularly important. If activities are limited or decreased to lower variable costs without consideration of fixed costs profits may actually decrease. In conclusion, total costs are merely the sum of the two. Because total variable costs are tied to volume, total variable costs increase as the volume increases even though fixed costs remain constant. Discuss the importance of cost allocation and how it may be leveraged by health care organizations. Cost allocation is essentially a pricing process within the organization whereby managers allocate the costs of one department to other departments. Cost allocations within healthcare organizations must establish prices that proxy those that would be set under market conditions. Costs within a health services organization must be allocated. Overhead costs of the business, such as those incurred by administrators, facilities management personnel, financial staffs, and housekeeping and maintenance personnel must be allocated to those departments that generate revenues for the organization (Gapenski, 2012). The goal of cost allocation is to assign all of the costs of an organization to the activities that cause them to be incurred. Health services managers track and assign costs by individual patient, physician, diagnosis, reimbursement contract, and so on. Much of the motivation for more accurate cost allocation systems comes from the recipients of overhead services. Mangers at all levels within health services organizations are under pressure to optimize economic performance, which translates into reducing costs. To assign costs from one activity to another, two important elements must be identified: a cost pool and a cost driver. A cost pool is a grouping of costs that must be allocated, while a cost driver is the criterion upon which the allocation is made. Clearly, the proper allocation of overhead costs is essential to good decision making within health services organizations. In conclusion, revenues must exceed the total of both fixed costs and variable costs combines in order for an organization to be profitable.