Cultural Competence Essay

The claim that every person is a product of his own cultural background which includes, among other things, his life experiences as well as family, religion, ethnicity and age (Kim, 2001, p. 207) reflects the idea that cultural competence inevitably requires an understanding of other people’s cultural background other than one’s own. While it is true that â€Å"our cultural inventory provides us with valuable insights for understanding our beliefs and attitudes† as well as our values and assumptions† (Kim, 2001, p.  207), it is also important to consider the need to fill that inventory with how other individuals perceive people from other cultural backgrounds. With respect to cultural competence, it is not always enough to satisfy the need to widen our cultural awareness solely through our personal knowledge of other cultures. Indeed, it is true that we should look into the different parts of â€Å"our own cultural identity and examine their positive and negative impacts on our professional and personal development† (Kim, 2001, p. 27). But more to that, we should also consider how other people see other people in terms of their cultural background. In essence, cultural competence can sustain cultural awareness and tolerance inasmuch as it can further foster interaction among cultures. According to Johnson, Lenartowicz and Apud (2006), cultural competence involves at least four elements: knowledge of personal cultural worldview, knowledge of other cultural worldviews and practices, perception towards differences in cultures, and cross-cultural skills. Assuming that we are the products of each of our own cultural backgrounds, it appears that to be culturally competent means to be able to recognize other cultures and to be able to interact with those cultures. Interaction can come in many forms, from simple hand and facial gestures to the more complex ones such as personal interaction on a verbal basis. Whatever way we choose to interact with people who belong to another culture, it is important to practice tolerance towards cultural differences. Cultural intolerance can very well lead to disagreement or, worse, to bigotry. Cultural competence presupposes cultural tolerance precisely because the latter allows individuals from distinct cultures to interact with one another without resorting to hatred or bigotry. Cultural tolerance can only progress if people begin to realize the idea that the belief-systems that each one of us subscribes to does not necessarily invoke the task to assimilate others into our own belief-systems (Persell, 1997). It can also progress if people are able to realize that various cultures can live side-by-side without necessarily interfering with the affairs of one another (Fischer, 2007). If communities of individuals are able to coexist and interact, the cultural landscape becomes one that is peaceful and lively. In a peaceful and lively society thriving with unique cultures, the task of obtaining and practicing cultural competence becomes an easy task. On the other hand, a society where racial bigotry exists among others is a society that pre-empts cultural competence right at the bud. One way to achieve cultural tolerance is through seeing and understanding how other people understand other people from other cultures. Additionally, it also helps to see and understand how other individuals interact with other individuals from other cultures. Like a third-person viewer, being aware of the dynamics of the cultural exchanges of people expands our mental horizons as we become more equipped with cultural knowledge that we may have hardly had in directly interacting with people from other cultures. Our cultural inventory becomes more comprehensive since we are able to gather more information about how people from different cultures communicate, for instance, with one another. Many different forms of cultural exchanges happen in ordinary life and to be able to bear witness to these different forms gives us a clearer picture of what it takes to be culturally competent. When we begin to realize that cultures do not essentially incite hatred and indifference, we become more convinced to study other cultures and to mingle with other people. Eventually, being culturally competent becomes an easy task to take. Another way to achieve cultural tolerance is through a theoretical study of the practices and beliefs of various cultures. This can be done with the help of academic institutions which offer formal ways to introduce and to educate people about the ways of other cultures. These institutions provide a pivotal role in enlightening people—presumably students—about unfamiliar cultures and their practices and beliefs. Armed with cultural insight, people can, in a manner of speaking, let other cultures be. Moreover, the education given by these academic institutions provide a fundamental block towards reaching the goal of cultural competence; for without at least an academic knowledge of cultures there can hardly be any individual progress towards any one of the four elements of cultural competence. Perhaps the most effective and yet most difficult way of achieving cultural tolerance is through the study and practice of the languages of other people. Interestingly, it is argued that language holds the most useful key to understanding other cultures (D’Andrade, 2002). The setup and function of the linguistic component of culture appears to be universal. That is, every language in the world regardless of cultural distinctions involves the receiver and the sender of the message of the medium, language being the medium. Language regardless of cultural distinctions is essentially used for communication, which is why learning a ‘foreign’ language is a crucial step in learning a ‘foreign’ culture because it enables us to penetrate linguistic barriers. Having the language of another culture as part of our so-called â€Å"cultural inventory† is a formidable advantage in dissolving the hindrances towards a comprehensive cultural awareness and, ultimately, cultural competence. How is it possible that cultural tolerance leads to cultural competence? For the most part, a person who is tolerant of other cultures is a person who has already satisfied the need to know one’s own culture and other cultures. An individual cannot be tolerant of a culture which he or she is not even aware of. Moreover, the culturally tolerant person is also someone who has already formed his own perceptions towards other cultures including his own. The only thing missing in all of these is the actual practice of that tolerance into reality. A person who is fully tolerant of other cultures is one who is already able to interact with other individuals who belong to another race or religion, for instance. As a case in point, expatriates are people who have been absorbed into another culture in more or less the same way as they have absorbed such culture into their lives. They are culturally tolerant individuals because, at the least, they are able to mingle and live with people of what used to be a different culture. More importantly, expatriates are also individuals who possess cultural competence not only as a result of their cultural tolerance but also as a product of their interest and inclination in becoming ‘one’ with another culture. They become thoroughly attached to another culture to the point that they are already able to speak the native tongue, subscribe to and practice the dominant religion or even adapt the general lifestyle of that culture. In any case, cultural competence and cultural tolerance go with one another in most, if not all, instances. It may be noted, however, that our reflection on â€Å"the various aspects of our own cultural identity and [our examination of] their positive and negative impacts on our professional and personal development (Kim, 2001, p. 207)† may not necessarily lead to cultural competence. It may only lead us to cultural tolerance to a certain degree without ever reaching the stage of putting into practice what we have learned from our acts of reflection and examination of our cultural identity. Even though â€Å"each of us is a product of our cultural background (Kim, 2001, p. 2007),† we are not naturally inclined to be culturally competent. The fact that there are people who struggle to become culturally competent and that there are those who deny themselves of the chance to become one suggests the same thing—human beings are not naturally inclined to know other cultures and to interact with them. However, what it entails on a positive note is the idea that there is the possibility of an overlap among the many different factors involved in determining the cultural identities of individuals. Perhaps the biggest struggle towards achieving cultural competence is overcoming the possibility of treating one’s personal cultural worldview or even one’s culture as superior to the rest. In submitting to such risk, we become more prone to cultural intolerance as we tend to put down cultures other than our own. We may eventually lose interest in knowing other cultural worldviews and in observing people of different cultures interact with one another from an outsider’s perspective. Our â€Å"cultural inventory† becomes filled only with our own cultural worldviews and our reflection and examination of culture may hardly extend towards other cultures. Nevertheless, people can overcome all these risks and struggles as part of the task of becoming culturally competent. A person’s level of cultural competence may hardly be quantified (Fischer, 2007) but it does not mean that there is no such thing as cultural competence. The fact that cultures exist and the fact that each person is the product of his own cultural background (Kim, 2001) suggests that interaction among cultures is possible, if not highly likely. Obtaining cultural competence may be a laborious task but, in the end, it poses large benefits in sustaining cultural tolerance on both personal and group levels. REFERENCES D’ANDRADE, R. (2002) Cultural Darwinism and Language. American Anthropologist, 104, 223-232. FISCHER, M. M. J. (2007) Culture and Cultural Analysis as Experimental Systems. Cultural Anthropology, 22, 1-65. JOHNSON, J. P. , LENARTOWICZ, T. & APUD, S. (2006) Cross-Cultural Competence in International Business: Toward a Definition and a Model. Journal of International Business Studies, 37, 525-543. KIM, E. Y. (2001) The Yin and Yang of American Culture: A Paradox, London, Intercultural Press. PERSELL, C. H. (1997) The Interdependence of Social Justice and Civil Society. Sociological Forum, 12, 149-172.

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER FOUR SPACE

SPACE The ship looked even more impressive than Trevize – with his memories of the time when the new cruiser-class had been glowingly publicized – had expected. It was not the size that was impressive – for it was rather small. It was designed for maneuverability and speed, for totally gravitic engines, and most of all for advanced computerization. It didn't need size – size would have defeated its purpose. It was a one-man device that could replace, with advantage, the older ships that required a crew of a dozen or more. With a second or even a third person to establish shifts of duty, one such ship could fight off a flotilla of much larger non-Foundation ships. In addition, it could outspeed and escape from any other ship in existence. There was a sleekness about it – not a wasted line, not a superfluous curve inside or out. Every cubic meter of volume was used to its maximum, so as to leave a paradoxical aura of spaciousness within. Nothing the Mayor might have said about the importance of his mission could have impressed Trevize more than the ship with which he was asked to perform it. Branno the Bronze, he thought with chagrin, had maneuvered him into a dangerous mission of the greatest significance. He might not have accepted with such determination had she not so arranged matters that he wanted to show her what he could do. As for Pelorat, he was transported with wonder. â€Å"Would you believe,† he said, placing a gentle finger on the hull before he had climbed inside, â€Å"that I've never been close to a spaceship?† â€Å"I'll believe it, of course, if you say so, Professor, but how did you manage it?† â€Å"I scarcely know, to be honest with you, dear fel – , I mean, my dear Trevize. I presume I was overly concerned with my research. When one's home has a really excellent computer capable of reaching other computers anywhere in the Galaxy, one scarcely needs to budge, you know. – Somehow I expected spaceships to be larger than this.† â€Å"This is a small model, but even so, it's much larger inside than any other ship of this size.† â€Å"How can that be? You are making fun of my ignorance.† â€Å"No, no. I'm serious. This is one of the first ships to be completely graviticized.† â€Å"What does that mean? – But please don't explain if it requires extensive physics. I will take your word, as you took mine yesterday in connection with the single species of humanity and the single world of origin.† â€Å"Let's try, Professor Pelorat. Through all the thousands of years of space flight, we've had chemical motors and ionic motors and hyperatomic motors, and all these things have been bulky. The old Imperial Navy had ships five hundred meters long with no more living space in them than would fit into a small apartment. Fortunately the Foundation has specialized in miniaturization through all the centuries of its existence, thanks to its lack of material resources. This ship is the culmination. It makes use of antigravity and the device that makes that possible takes up virtually no space and is actually included in the hull. If it weren't that we still need the hyperatomic†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A Security guard approached. â€Å"You will have to get on, gentlemen!† The sky was grooving light, though sunrise was still half an hour off. Trevize looked about. â€Å"Is my baggage loaded?† â€Å"Yes, Councilman, you will find the ship fully equipped.† â€Å"With clothing, I suppose, that is not my size or to my taste.† The guard smiled, quite suddenly and almost boyishly. â€Å"I think it is,† he said. â€Å"The Mayor had us working overtime these last thirty or forty hours and we've matched what you had closely. Money no object. Listen,† he looked about as though to make sure no one noticed his sudden fraternization, â€Å"you two are lucky. Best ship in the world. Fully equipped, except for armament. You're swimming in cream.† â€Å"Sour cream, possibly,† said Trevize. â€Å"Well, Professor, are you ready?† â€Å"With this I am,† Pelorat said and held up a square wafer about twenty centimeters to the side and encased in a jacket of silvery plastic. Trevize was suddenly aware that Pelorat had been holding it since they had left his home, shifting it from hand to hand and never putting it down, even when they had stopped for a quick breakfast. â€Å"What's that, Professor?† â€Å"My library. It's indexed by subject matter and origin and I've gotten it all into one wafer. If you think this ship is a marvel, how about this wafer? A whole library! Everything I have collected! Wonderful! Wonderful!† â€Å"Well,† said Trevize, â€Å"we are swimming in cream.† Trevize marveled at the inside of the ship. The utilization of space was ingenious. There was a storeroom, with supplies of food, clothing, films, and games. There was a gym, a parlor, and two nearly identical bedrooms. â€Å"This one,† said Trevize, â€Å"must be yours, Professor. At least, it contains an FX Reader.† â€Å"Good,† said Pelorat with satisfaction. â€Å"What an ass I have been to avoid space flight as I have. I could live here, my dear Trevize, in utter satisfaction.† â€Å"Roomier than I expected,† said Trevize with pleasure. â€Å"And the engines are really in the hull, as you said?† â€Å"The controlling devices are, at any rate. We don't have to store fuel or make use of it on the spot. We're making use of the fundamental energy store of the Universe, so that the fuel and the engines are all – out there.† He gestured vaguely. â€Å"Well, now that I think of it – what if something goes wrong?† Trevize shrugged. â€Å"I've been trained in space navigation, but not on these ships. If something goes wrong with the gravitics, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it.† â€Å"But can you run this ship? Pilot it?† â€Å"I'm wondering that myself.† Pelorat said, â€Å"Do you suppose this is an automated ship? Might we not merely be passengers? We might simply be expected to sit here.† â€Å"They have such things in the case of ferries between planets and space stations within a stellar system, but I never heard of automated hyperspace travel. At least, not so far. – Not so far.† He looked about again and there was a trickle of apprehension within him. Had that harridan Mayor managed to maneuver that far ahead of him? Had the Foundation automated interstellar travel, too, and was he going to be deposited on Trantor quite against his will, and with no more to say about it than any of the rest of the furniture aboard ship? He said with a cheerful animation he didn't feel, â€Å"Professor, you sit down. The Mayor said this ship was completely computerized. If your room has the FX Reader, mine ought to have a computer in it. Make yourself comfortable and let me look around a bit on my own. Pelorat looked instantly anxious. â€Å"Trevize, my dear chap. You're not getting off the ship, are you?† â€Å"Not my plan at all, Professor. And if I tried, you can count on my being stopped. It is not the Mayor's intention to allow me off. All I'm planning to do is to learn what operates the Far Star.† He smiled, â€Å"I won't desert you, Professor.† He was still smiling as he entered, what he felt to be his own bedroom, but his face grew sober as he closed the door softly behind him. Surely there must be some means of communicating with a planet in the neighborhood of the ship. It was impossible to imagine a ship deliberately sealed off from its surroundings and, therefore, somewhere – perhaps in a wall recess – there would have to be a Reacher. He could use it to call the Mayor's office to ask about controls. Carefully he inspected the walls, the headboard of the bed, and the neat, smooth furniture. If nothing turned up here, he would go through the rest of the ship. He was about to turn away when his eye caught a glint of light on the smooth, light brown surface of the desk. A round circle of light, with neat lettering that read: COMPUTER INSTRUCTIONS. Ah! Nevertheless his heart beat rapidly. There were computers and computers, and there were programs that took a long time to master. Trevize had never made the mistake of underestimating his own intelligence, but, on the other hand, he was not a Grand Master. There were those who had a knack for using a computer, and those who had not – and Trevize knew very well into which class he fell. In his hitch in the Foundation Navy, he had reached the rank of lieutenant and had, on occasion, been officer of the day and had had occasion to use the ship's computer. He had never been in sole charge of it, however, and he had never been expected to know anything more than the routine maneuvers being officer of the day required. He remembered, with a sinking feeling, the volumes taken up by a fully described program in printout, and he could recall the behavior of Technical Sergeant Krasnet at the console of the ship's computer. He played it as though it were the most complex musical instrument in the Galaxy, and did it all with an air of nonchalance, as though he were bored at its simplicity – yet even he had had to consult the volumes at times, swearing at himself in embarrassment. Hesitantly Trevize placed a finger on the circle of light and at once the light spread out to cover the desk top. On it were the outline of two hands: a right and a left. With a sudden, smooth movement, the desk top tilted to an angle of forty-five degrees. Trevize took the seat before the desk. No words were necessary. It was clear what he was expected to do. He placed his hands on the outlines on the desk, which were positioned for him to do so without strain. The desk top seemed soft, nearly velvety, where he touched it – and his hands sank in. He stared at his hands with astonishment, for they had not sunk in at all. They were on the surface, his eyes told him. Yet to his sense of touch it was as though the desk surface had given way, and as though something were holding his hands softly and warmly. Was that all? Now what? He looked about and then closed his eyes in response to a suggestion. He had heard nothing. He had heard nothing! But inside his brain, as though it were a vagrant thought of his own, there was the sentence, â€Å"Please close your eyes. Relax. We will make connection.† Through the hands? Somehow Trevize had always assumed that if one were going to communicate by thought with a computer, it would be through a hood placed over the head and with electrodes against the eyes and skull. The hands? But why not the hands? Trevize found himself floating away, almost drowsy, but with no loss of mental acuity. Why not the hands? The eyes were no more than sense organs. The brain was no more than a central switchboard, encased in bone and removed from the working surface of the body. It was the hands that were the working surface, the hands that felt and manipulated the Universe. Human beings thought with their hands. It was their hands that were the answer of curiosity, that felt and pinched and turned and lifted and hefted. There were animals that had brains of respectable size, but they had no hands and that made all the difference. And as he and the computer held hands, their thinking merged and it no longer mattered whether his eyes were open or closed. Opening them did not improve his vision nor did closing them dim it. Either way, he saw the room with complete clarity – not just in the direction in which he was looking, but all around and above and below. He saw every room in the spaceship and he saw outside as well. The sun had risen and its brightness was dimmed in the morning mist, but he could look at it directly without being dazzled, for the computer automatically filtered the light waves. He felt the gentle wind and its temperature, and the sounds of the world about him. He detected the planet's magnetic field and the tiny electrical charges on the wall of the ship. He became aware of the controls of the ship, without even knowing what they were in detail. He knew only that if he wanted to lift the ship, or turn it, or accelerate it, or make use of any of its abilities, the process was the same as that of performing the analogous process to his body. He had but to use his will. Yet his will was not unalloyed. The computer itself could override. At the present moment, there was a formed sentence in his head and he knew exactly when and how the ship would take off. There was no flexibility where that was concerned. Thereafter, he knew just as surely, he would himself he able to deride. He found – as he cast the net of his computer – enhanced consciousness outward – that he could sense the condition of the upper atmosphere; that he could see the weather patterns; that he could detect the other ships that were swarming upward and the others that were settling downward. All of this had to be taken into ac, count and the computer was taking it into account. If the computer had not been doing so, Trevize realized, he need only desire the computer to do so – and it would be done. So much for the volumes of programming; there were none. Trevize thought of Technical Sergeant Krasnet and smiled. He had read often enough of the immense revolution that gravities would make in the world, but the fusion of computer and mind was still a state secret. It would surely produce a still greater revolution. He was aware of time passing. He knew exactly what time it was by Terminus Local and by Galactic Standard. How did he let go? And even as the thought entered his mind, his hands were released and the desk top moved back to its original position – and Trevize was left with his own unaided senses. He felt blind and helpless as though, for a time, he had been held and protected by a superbeing and now was abandoned. Had he not known that he could make contact again at any time, the feeling might have reduced him to tears. As it was he merely struggled for re-orientation, for adjustment to limits, then rose uncertainly to his feet and walked out of the room. Pelorat looked up. He had adjusted his Reader, obviously, and he said, â€Å"It works very well. It has an excellent Search Program. – Did you find the controls, my boy?† â€Å"Yes, Professor. All is well.† â€Å"In that case, shouldn't we do something about takeoff? I mean, self-protection? Aren't we supposed to strap ourselves in or something? I looked about for instructions, but I didn't find anything and that made me nervous. I had to turn to my library. Somehow when I am at my work†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Trevize had been pushing his hands at the professor as though to dam and stop the flood of words. Now he had to speak loudly in order to override him. â€Å"None of that is necessary, Professor. Antigravity is the equivalent of noninertia. There is no feeling of acceleration when velocity changes, since everything on the ship undergoes the change simultaneously.† â€Å"You mean, we won't know when we are off the planet and out in space?† â€Å"It's exactly what I mean, because even as I speak to you, we have taken off. We will be cutting through the upper atmosphere in a very few minutes and within half an hour we will be in outer space.† Pelorat seemed to shrink a little as he stared at Trevize. His long rectangle of a face grew so blank that, without showing any emotion at all, it radiated a vast uneasiness. Then his eyes shifted right – Left. Trevize remembered how he had felt on his own first trip beyond the atmosphere. He said, in as matter-of-fact a manner as he could, â€Å"Janov,† (it was the first time he had addressed the professor familiarly, but in this case experience was addressing inexperience and it was necessary to seem the older of the two) â€Å"we are perfectly safe here. We are in the metal womb of a warship of the Foundation Navy. We are not fully armed, but there is no place in the Galaxy where the name of the Foundation will not protect us. Even if some ship went mad and attacked, we could move out of its reach in a moment. And I assure you I have discovered that I can handle the ship perfectly.† Pelorat said, â€Å"It is the thought, Go-Golan, of nothingness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Why, there's nothingness all about Terminus. There's just a thin layer of very tenuous air between ourselves on the surface and the nothingness just above. Ail we're doing is to go past that inconsequential layer.† â€Å"It may be inconsequential, but we breathe it.† â€Å"We breathe here, too. The air on this ship is cleaner and purer, and will indefinitely remain cleaner and purer than the natural atmosphere of Terminus.† â€Å"And the meteorites?† â€Å"What about meteorites?† â€Å"The atmosphere protects us from meteorites. Radiation, too, for that matter.† Trevize said, â€Å"Humanity has been traveling through space for twenty millennia, I believe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Twenty-two. If we go by the Hallblockian chronology, it is quite plain that, counting the†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Enough! Have you heard of meteorite accidents or of radiation deaths? – I mean, recently? – I mean, in the case of Foundation ships?† â€Å"I have not really followed the news in such matters, but I am a historian, my boy, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Historically, yes, there have been such things, but technology improves. There isn't a meteorite large enough to damage us that can possibly approach us before we take the necessary evasive action. Four meteorites – coming at us simultaneously from the four directions drawn from the vertices of a tetrahedron – might conceivably pin us down, but calculate the chances of that and you'll find that you'll die of old. age a trillion trillion times over before you will have a fifty-fifty chance of observing so interesting a phenomenon.† â€Å"You mean, if you were at the computer?† â€Å"No,† said Trevize in Scorn. â€Å"If I were running the computer on the basis of my own senses and responses, we would be hit before I ever knew what was happening. It is the computer itself that is at work, responding millions of times faster than you or I could.† He held out his hand abruptly. â€Å"Janov, come let me show you what the computer can do, and let me show you what space is like.† Pelorat stared, goggling a bit. Then he laughed briefly. â€Å"I'm not sure I wish to know, Golan.† â€Å"Of course you're not sure, Janov, because you don't know what it is that is waiting there to be known. Chance it! Come! Into my room!† Trevize held the other's hand, half leading him, half drawing him. He said, as he sat down at the computer, â€Å"Have you ever seen the Galaxy, Janov? Have you ever looked at it?† Pelorat said, â€Å"You mean in the sky?† â€Å"Yes, certainly. Where else?† â€Å"I've seen it. Everyone has seen it. If one looks up, one sees it.† â€Å"Have you ever stared at it on a dark, clear night, when the Diamonds are below the horizon?† The â€Å"Diamonds† referred to those few stars that were luminous enough and close enough to shine with moderate brightness in the night sky of Terminus. They were a small group that spanned a width of no more than twenty degrees, and for large parts of the night they were all below the horizon. Aside from he group, there was a scattering of dim stars just barely visible to the unaided eye. There was nothing more but the faint milkiness of the Galaxy – the view one might expect when one dwelt on a world like Terminus which was at the extreme edge of the outermost spiral of the Galaxy. â€Å"I suppose so, but why stare? It's a common sight.† â€Å"Of course it's a common sight,† said Trevize. â€Å"That's why no one sees it. Why see it if you can always see it? But now you'll see it, and not from Terminus, where the mist and the clouds are forever interfering. You'll see it as you'd never see it from Terminus – no matter how you stared, and no matter how clear and dark the night. How I wish I had never been in space before, so that – like you – I could see the Galaxy in its bare beauty for the first time.† He pushed a chair in Pelorat's direction. â€Å"Sit there, Janov. This may take a little time. I have to continue to grow accustomed to the computer. From what I've already felt, I know the viewing is holographic, so we won't need a screen of any sort. It makes direct contact with my brain, but I think I can have it produce an objective image that you will see, too. – Put out the light, will you? – No, that's foolish of me. I'll have the computer do it. Stay where you are.† Trevize made contact with the computer, holding hands warmly and intimately. The light dimmed, then went out completely, and in the darkness, Pelorat stirred. Trevize said, â€Å"Don't get nervous, Janov. I may have a little trouble trying to control the computer, but I'll start easy and you'll have to be patient with me. Do you see it? The crescent?† It hung in the darkness before them. A little dim and wavering at first, but getting sharper and brighter. Pelorat's voice sounded awed. â€Å"Is that Terminus? Are we that far from it?† â€Å"Yes, the ship's moving quickly.† The ship was curving into the night shadow of Terminus, which appeared as a thick crescent of bright light. Trevize had a momentary urge to send the ship in a wide arc that would carry them over the daylit side of the planet to show it in all its beauty, but he held back. Pelorat might find novelty in this, but the beauty would be tame. There were too many photographs, too many reaps, too many globes. Every child knew what Terminus looked like. A water planet more so than most-rich in water and poor in minerals, good in agriculture and poor in heavy industry, but the best in the Galaxy in high technology and in miniaturization. If he could have the computer use microwaves and translate it into a visible model, they would see every one of Terminus's ten thousand inhabited islands, together with the only one of them large enough to be considered a continent, the one that bore Terminus City and Turn away! It was just a thought, an exercise of the will, but the view shifted at once. The lighted crescent moved off toward the borders of vision and rolled off the edge. The darkness of starless space filled his eyes. Pelorat cleared his throat. â€Å"I wish you would bring back Terminus, my boy. I feel as though I've been blinded.† There was a tightness in his voice. â€Å"You're not blind. Look!† Into the field of vision came a filmy fog of pale translucence. It spread and became brighter, until the whole room seemed to glow. Shrink! Another exercise of will and the Galaxy drew off, as though seen through a diminishing telescope that was steadily growing more powerful in its ability to diminish. The Galaxy contracted and became a structure of varying luminosity. Brighten! It grew more luminous without changing size, and because the stellar system to which Terminus belonged was above the Galactic plane, the Galaxy was not seen exactly edge-on. It was a strongly foreshortened double spiral, with curving dark-nebula rifts streaking the glowing edge of the Terminus side. The creamy haze of the nucleus – far off and shrunken by the distance – looked unimportant. Pelorat said in an awed whisper, â€Å"You are right. I have never seen it like this. I never dreamed it had so much detail.† â€Å"How could you? You can't see the outer half when Terminus's atmosphere is between you and it. You can hardly see the nucleus from Terminus's surface. † â€Å"What a pity we're seeing it so nearly head-on.† â€Å"We don't have to. The computer can show it in any orientation. I just have to express the wish – and not even aloud.† Shift co-ordinates! This exercise of will was by no means a precise command. Yet as the image of Galaxy began to undergo a slow change, his mind guided the computer and had it do what he wished. Slowly the Galaxy was turning so that it could be seen at right angles to the Galactic plane. It spread out like a gigantic, glowing whirlpool, with curves of darkness, and knots of brightness, and a central all-but-featureless blaze. Pelorat asked, â€Å"How can the computer see it from a position in space that must be more than fifty thousand parsecs from this place?† Then he added, in a choked whisper, â€Å"Please forgive me that I ask. I know nothing about all this.† Trevize said, â€Å"I know almost as little about this computer as you do. Even a simple computer, however, can adjust co-ordinates and show the Galaxy in any position, starting with what it can sense in the natural position, the one, that is, that would appear from the computer's local position in space. Of course, it makes use only of the information it can sense to begin with, so when it changes to the broadside view we would find gaps and blurs in what it would show. In this case, though†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"We have an excellent view. I suspect that the computer is outfitted with a complete map of the Galaxy and can therefore view it from any angle with equal ease.† â€Å"How do you mean, a complete map?† â€Å"The spatial co-ordinates of every star in it must be in the computer's memory banks.† â€Å"Every star?† Pelorat seemed awed. â€Å"Well, perhaps not all three hundred billion. It would include the stars shining down on populated planets, certainly, and probably every star of spectral class K and brighter. That means about seventy-five billion, at least.† â€Å"Every star of a populated system?† â€Å"I wouldn't want to be pinned down; perhaps not all. There were, after all, twenty-five million inhabited systems in the time of Hari Seldon – which sounds like a lot but is only one star out of every twelve thousand. And then, in the five centuries since Seldon, the general breakup of the Empire didn't prevent further colonization. I should think it would have encouraged it. There are still plenty of habitable planets to expand into, so there may be thirty million now. It's possible that not all the new ones are in the Foundation's records.† â€Å"But the old ones? Surely they must all be there without exception.† â€Å"I imagine so. I can't guarantee it, of course, but I would be surprised if any long-established inhabited system were missing from the records. Let me show you something – if my ability to control the computer will go far enough.† Trevize's hands stiffened a bit with the effort and they seemed to sink further into the clasp of the computer. That might not have been necessary; he might only have had to think quietly and casually: Terminus! He did think that and there was, in response, a sparkling red diamond at the very edge of the whirlpool. â€Å"There's our sun,† he said with excitement. â€Å"That's the star that Terminus circles.† â€Å"Ah,† said Pelorat with a low, tremulous sigh. A bright yellow dot of light sprang into life in a rich cluster of stars deep in the heart of the Galaxy but well to one side of the central haze. It was rather closer to the Terminus edge of the Galaxy than to the other side. â€Å"And that,† said Trevize, â€Å"is Trantor's sun.† Another sigh, then Pelorat said, â€Å"Are you sure? They always speak of Trantor as being located in the center of the Galaxy.† â€Å"It is, in a way. it's as close to the center as a planet can get and still be habitable. It's closer than any other major populated system. The actual center of the Galaxy consists of a black hole with a mass of nearly a million stars, so that the center is a violent place. As far as we know, there is no life in the actual center and maybe there just can't be any life there. Trantor is in the innermost subring of the spiral arms and, believe me, if you could see its night sky, you would think it was in the center of the Galaxy. It's surrounded by an extremely rich clustering of stars.† â€Å"Have you been on Trantor, Golan?† asked Pelorat in clear envy. â€Å"Actually no, but I've seen holographic representations of its sky.† Trevize stared at the Galaxy somberly. In the great search for the Second Foundation during the time of the Mule, how everyone had played with Galactic maps – and how many volumes had been written and filmed on the subject And all because Hari Seldom had said, at the beginning, that the Second Foundation would be established â€Å"at the other end of the Galaxy,† calling the place â€Å"Star's End.† At the other end of the Galaxy! Even as Trevize thought it, a thin blue line sprang into view, stretching from Terminus, through the Galaxy's central black hole, to the other end. Trevize nearly jumped. He had not directly ordered the line, but he had thought of it quite clearly and that had been enough for the computer. But, of course, the straight-line route to the opposite side of the Galaxy was not necessarily an indication of the â€Å"other end† that Seldom had spoken of. It was Arkady Darell (if one could believe her autobiography) who had made use of the phrase â€Å"a circle has no end† to indicate what everyone now accepted as truth And though Trevize suddenly tried to suppress the thought, the computer was too quick for him. The blue line vanished and was replaced with a circle that neatly rimmed the Galaxy in blue and that passed through the deep red dot of Terminus's sun. A circle has no end, and if the circle began at Terminus, then if we searched for the other end, it would merely return to Terminus, and there the Second Foundation had indeed been found, inhabiting the same world as the First. But if, in reality, it had not been found – if the so-called finding of the Second Foundation had been an illusion – what then? What beside a straight line and a circle would make sense in this connection? Pelorat said, â€Å"Are you creating illusions? Why is there a blue circle?† â€Å"I was just testing my controls. – Would you like to locate Earth?† There was silence for a moment or two, then Pelorat said, â€Å"Are you joking?† â€Å"No. I'll try.† He did. Nothing happened. â€Å"Sorry,† said Trevize. â€Å"It's not there? no Earth?† â€Å"I suppose I might have misthought my command, but that doesn't seem likely. I suppose it's more likely that Earth isn't listed in the computer's vitals.† Pelorat said, â€Å"It may be listed under another name.† Trevize jumped at that quickly, â€Å"What other name, Janov?† Pelorat said nothing and, in the darkness, Trevize smiled. It occurred to him that things might just possibly be falling into place. Let it go for a while. Let it ripen. He deliberately changed the subject and said, â€Å"I wonder if we can manipulate time.† â€Å"Time! How can we do that?† â€Å"The Galaxy is rotating. It takes nearly half a billion years for Terminus to move about the grand circumference of the Galaxy once. Stars that are closer to the center complete the journey much more quickly, of course. The motion of each star, relative to the central black hole, might be recorded in the computer and, if so, it may be possible to have the computer multiply each motion by millions of times and make the rotational effect visible. I can try to have it done.† He did and he could not help his muscles tightening with the effort of will he was exerting – as though he were taking hold of the Galaxy and accelerating it, twisting it, forcing it to spin against terrible resistance. The Galaxy was moving. Slowly, mightily, it was twisting in the direction that should be working to tighten the spiral arms. Time was passing incredibly rapidly as they watched – a false, artificial time – and, as it did so, stars became evanescent things. Some of the larger ones – here and there – reddened and grew brighter as they expanded into red giants. And then a star in the central clusters blew up soundlessly in a blinding blaze that, for a tiny fraction of a second, dimmed the Galaxy and then was gone. Then another in one of the spiral arms, then still another not very far away from it. â€Å"Supernovas,† said Trevize a little shakily. Was it possible that the computer could predict exactly which stars would explode and when? Or was it just using a simplified model that served to show the starry future in general terms, rather than precisely? Pelorat said in a husky whisper, â€Å"The Galaxy looks like a living thing, crawling through space.† â€Å"It does,† said Trevize, â€Å"but I'm growing tired. Unless I learn to do this less tensely, I'm not going to be able to play this kind of game for long.† He let go. The Galaxy slowed, then halted, then tilted, until it was in the view-from-the-side from which they had seen it at the start. Trevize closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He was aware of Terminus shrinking behind them, with the last perceptible wisps of atmosphere gone from their surroundings. He was aware of all the ships filling Terminus's near-space. It did not occur to him to check whether there was anything special about any one of those ships. Was there one that was gravitic like his own and matched his trajectory more closely than chance would allow?

Management of Organizational Behavior Case Study

Management of Organizational Behavior - Case Study Example The effectiveness of leadership and management of human organization can be measured on an individual or group influence process. Both concepts are full-time responsibilities that must be practiced every time wisely due to the complexities of people and a difficult situation by a man of mission and vision for is organization and country. Emotional ways of reacting to the problem are human nature, this access the situational leadership which is fundamentally determined by leader-follower interaction in the pursuance of goal accomplishment, readiness assessment, leadership intervention, appraisal of the results of this intervention and effective follow-up. (p 8). In comparing, Woodrow Wilson by H.W. Brands 2003 and Hersey, et al 2001. Hersey advocate in detail the leadership qualities and roles while, Brand look at leadership basically in relation to then U.S.President "Wilson." Despite tremendous, the effort of his administration Brands did not recognize these. The effect on Wilson ad ministration is sometimes due to the death of his first wife as, by the opinion of Brand, his life was just too full to be given real justice. His work and wealth of experience make him be a distinguished leader in the history of U.S President. Also, the hardship and judicious utilization of opportunity available to him made him be a role model among his successors. Nevertheless, Brands never soars "Woodrow Wilson" to have down a great work, this eludes me. There are three skills and competency of leadership, which is required in the administrating an organization or country. The Wilson administration possesses these qualities, they are diagnosing, adapting and communication.   In analysis this point one after the other, Woodrow Wilson always diagnose the requirement of his environment before embarking on any operation which may either have the positive or negative effect on his people, such decision includes, the establishment of the central bank, and the Federal Reserve in Unite d State. Wilson also used is presidency to effect and administer the national income tax. He used his wealth of knowledge to ensure that United State fosters together and have a formidable growth of centralized Federal power. According to Brands, Wilson being a diplomatic, diagnosed united state and found out that they need to involve in World War 1. These he does by funding Britain and France, in the procurement of their needs at the War front such as ammunition to fight the battle. Then, he finds out that Solder where needed at the battlefield, he provides the combat. This Great War would not have lasted so long if not of his involvement. As a result of this, it causes a lot of damages to the fabric of European civilization and colonial influence. The result of this war made the world to have heard of Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini, veterans both of front line combat.

Email and Internet Usage Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Email and Internet Usage Policies - Essay Example Upon orientation, which all new staff must go through, rules and regulations regarding use of the company intranet and email system are clearly spelled out, in a specific section of the employee handbook. Instructions are also given on how to handle setting up new accounts, dealing with technical support issues and any other questions regarding the intranet or email. New employees meet with at least one member of the IT staff during orientation. Each new employee is visited by a member of IT staff within 24 hours, if contact via email or phone does not solve a specific problem an employee has. Specific policy regarding email applies to all employees, whether administrative, health care, support or maintenance staff. For health care or medical records staff who may have frequent contact with other care providers, policies regarding patient information are reviewed during orientation. It is acceptable for health care staff to email others within the organization on patient status or ot her pertinent information, particularly when some new records have not been scanned into the system. However, health care workers are encouraged to fax necessary records or supporting documents. Health care staff within the organization are encouraged to print pertinent emails regarding patient status, attach them to patient records, then delete messages. All messages are automatically deleted after 3 days. Archiving of email messages is discouraged, as it poses a risk of patient information falling into the wrong hands, though the risk is slim.

Concert report(Faculty Recital - Charles Neidich, clarinet, and Jon Essay

Concert report(Faculty Recital - Charles Neidich, clarinet, and Jon Klibonoff, piano) - Essay Example The orchestra that performed his compositions was the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. The performers included Andrew Russo on the piano, James Ehnes on the violin and Edward Arron on the cello. The conductor of the orchestra was Joann Falletta. Paul Schoenfield, the composer of ‘Four Souvenirs’ includes a lot of sentimentality and emotion in his compositions and has a musically sophisticated style in the way he presents his compositions which are always filled with an infectious energy and innovative melody that is very attractive to his audiences. ‘Four Souvenirs’ by composer Schoenfield was for violin and piano and was recorded on January 8th 2007 with James Abbott as the engineer. The duration of the piece was 11:11 and it was recorded at the Setnor Hall, Syracuse, NY. Schoenfield creates captivating interest in his composition through an interplay between high and low sounds and forms of the nuances. The composer manages to maintain a good balance between popular rhythms and forms with his own originality. The first movement opens with great dynamism and vigor and gradually moves into the second movement that is more sedate and laid back when compared to the first movement and is a bit repetitive in its presentation.

Evaluate the potential motives behind Ho Chi Minhs triumph in Essay

Evaluate the potential motives behind Ho Chi Minhs triumph in liberating Vietnam from two great western powers between 1941 1965. To what does he owe his suc - Essay Example Considered ‘part Gandhi and part Lenin and all Vietnamese’, Ho Chi Minh’s use of communication methodologies peculiar to Vietnamese had been unknown to the western world. America too had joined French to help contain Vietnamese Revolution with its own justification. But for these interventions, Vietnamese would have unseated French by revolution themselves as dictated by communist ideologies they had embraced. Ho Chi Minh was more than any single man of the twentieth century. He had completely reflected the aspirations of the Vietnamese people to whom he was ‘Uncle Ho’ and to the French, he was ‘communist agitatator’. His rhetorical discourse motivated Vietnamese to unite together and rally behind him which helped him end the 87 year old French Colonial rule, once in 1945 and again in 1954 subsequent to French reoccupation in 1946 and the American invasion which came to an in 1974. No leader of twentieth century had the capability of HO C hi Minh to unite the divided people. Main reason for the debacle of the U.S. was due to its lack of understanding of the Vietnamese politics reinforced by Ho Chi Minh’s leadership. (DeCaro, 2003, p 1-3) Ho Chi Minh had been formerly known as Nguyen Ai Quoc until 1942. He was in Chinese prison throughout 1942 and in January 1943 when he came into contact with a Chinese revolutionary Chang Fakwei and joined his organization on release under the name of Ho Chi Minh mainly to travel in China secretly as a blind peasant (Sainteny, 1972 p 34-35) Ho Chi Minh was a ruthless to any one whether a friend or foe if he felt he was opposed to his cause. He would have that person assassinated or jailed. He also made a lot of political blunders prior to 1945 and when he negotiated with French and the United States in 1945-46. (De Caro, 2003 p7) Ho was born in 1890 in the family of scholars and mandarins. His father was born to a concubine and hence did not have respect in his society. He however managed to

Preparation of Acetyl Salicylic Acid (Aspirin) Lab Report

Preparation of Acetyl Salicylic Acid (Aspirin) - Lab Report Example In the following experiment we embark to acquaint ourselves with a simple laboratory protocol for the synthesis of aspirin. This procedure will use acetic anhydride and sulfuric acid as the acid catalyst of the reaction. Objective: To illustrate the synthesis of the drug, aspirin and determine its purity by a chemical test Materials and methods: Synthesis of Aspirin A water- bath was prepared by filling half-way a 400mL beaker with water and the water heated to boiling point. 2.004g of salicylic acid was placed in a 125mL Erlenmeyer flask. Carefully 3mL of acetic anhydride was added to the flask and while swirling 3 drops of concentrated sulfuric acid were added. To avoid eye irritation and burns caused by acetic anhydride and sulfuric acid respectively, the chemicals were handled in the hood in gloves. The reagents were mixed and then the flask was placed in the boiling water-bath and heated for 15minutes. The setting of the practical is as shown in the diagram 1.1 below. This disso lved any solid while the solution was occasionally swirled. The Erlenmeyer flask was removed from the bath and left to cool to approximately the room temperature. The solution in the flask was then poured into a 150-mL beaker containing 20mL of ice water and mixed thoroughly before placing the beaker in an ice bath. The water destroyed any remnant of unreacted acetic anhydride and caused the insoluble aspirin to precipitate from the solution. The crystals were collected by filtering under suction with a Buchner funnel as shown in diagram 1.2 below. The side-arm of a 250mL filter flask was connected to a water aspirator with heavy wall vacuum rubber tubing. The Buchner funnel was inserted into the filter flask through a one-hole rubber stopper and a filter paper placed into the Buchner funnel making sure the paper covered all the holes. Finally the water was poured to the paper to wet it and then the water aspirator was turned on to a maximum water flow and the solution in the beaker poured into the funnel. The crystals were washed with two portions of cold water each 5mL and then followed by a one 10mL portion of cold ethanol. The suction of air was continued through the crystal for several minutes so as to dry them. The crystals were placed between several sheets of filter paper using a spatula and press-dried. A 50mL beaker was weighed before placing the crystals and reweighing the beaker. The weight and percentage yield of the crude aspirin was determined. Diagram 2: filtering using the Buchner funnel Procedure to determination of aspirin purity Three test tubes each 100 x 13 mm were labeled 1, 2, 3 and a few crystals of salicylic acid placed in the test tube-1 and in test tube-2 a small sample the newly synthesized aspirin was placed whereas for test tube-3 a small sample of crushed commercial was placed. In each of the test tubes, 5mL of distilled water was added and test tubes shaken to dissolve the crystals and a further 10 drops of 1% aqueous ferric ch loride was also added to each test tube. Observation and comparisons were made from the three test tubes and recorded. Results and Discussion Theoretical yield 2.004g salicylic acid X Weight of 50-mL beaker = 39.21 Weight of the aspirin and the beaker = 40.69 Weight of aspirin = Weight of the aspirin and the beaker - Weight of 50-mL beaker 40.69 – 39.21 = 1.48 g Weight of crude aspirin = 1.48 g Percent yield = 56.70% Chemical test with ferric chloride Presence of unreacted salicylic acid can be detected with 1% ferric chloride

Tony deep-success of an entrepreneur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tony deep-success of an entrepreneur - Essay Example Deep has found the potential for food products being the basic need having constant demand. He sensed the opportunity and tried to cash on it. The option for selling eggs has worked out for him and he has succeeded in running the business. Deep was personally involved in selling and he has made up a clear idea of the potential of the business and gave an equally good response. Success of a business venture always depends on looking for new business avenues; really understand the problem and the market around it22. Tony deep with his strong zeal to earn money has proveked him to look for the best and innovative options. He first ventured into selling eggs and sustained then started looking into other possible options. Tony deep has started looking into new products which are ethnic and unique33. He with his strategies tried to make available the fresh products. For marketing and preserving these products he needs to know the right preservation techniques. He with his experience in canning has give an innovative idea up an idea for establishing warehouses store for food items and spices and selling them. He idea was to establish warehouses to store the products and market them around the region near the warehouse. Tony Deep has taken his brothers help in developing the business. He has opened several of them and tried selling products in and around the region. Chapter-02: Mission statement-vision To explore and create opportunities for better living can be termed as a mission statement. To provide fresh and safety ethnic food for the people by better reach. He build the dreams that he elevated as his mission as he allowed his family members to team up with him and build a strong source of organizing system. He never giving up and striving to excel made him to reach his goal i.e his dream t o earn and mark his identity. Tony has picked one mode to earn quick money by direct selling eggs. He himself has been in the market which made to know the best selling products and availability44. Tony deep has released that the products which he was planning to sell needs quick disposal, fresh to make the customer buy from him. Deep has concentrated on the south Asian population from where he has descended. He has created good knowledge of the basic requirements of Indian cuisine55 and availability in U.K. Thus he picked an area where he can explore. Indian has rice as their staple food like to eat spicy recipes. So Tony deep in order to gain from this lifestyle of ethnic Indians groups he started selling spices, basmati rice which is quite famous among Indians. He used to store them with all right technical bases to sell. Tony has established his business at important specific locations making available at the customers convenience. He has chosen the products which require good preservation techniques to keep the goodness of the products. He has adopted a new way to serve better by opening up ware houses. He has introduced new products which are rare for the British like the spices, basmati rice. These spices are to be bought from India or from other country. Before selling to the customer he needs to store in an appropriate place. He has build the

Activation of inflammasome Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Activation of inflammasome - Dissertation Example There is a connection between deficiencies in the molecular underpinnings of the adaptive immune system and vulnerability to infections that this report will explore. This study will investigate the most immediate pathogenic effects resulting from this disorder using cells infected with S.typhimurium and L.Monocytogenes to demonstrate vulnerability to infections. Homozygous mutants suffered the highest mortality rates. Assays were conducted to determine the molecular cofactors most involved during the acute disease state by examining the process of inflammasome formation. Mutations along several stages of the process elucidate the cofactors involved. Ataxia Telangiectasia alters the formation of the inflammasomes complex based on caspase recruitment, and is characterized by deficiencies in interleukins as opposed to tumor necrosis factors. The identification of cofactor levels corresponding with the autosomal recessive genotype could potentially support the development of enhanced sc reening or diagnostic techniques with an ultimate goal of corrective therapy. INTRODUCTION The Immune system offers protection to the body from internal and external threats. Mammalian Immune system is classified into innate and adaptive immunity. Adaptive immune system appeared later in the evolutionary time line and it is more specific than the innate immunity. Through feature called immunological memory, adaptive immune system evokes a quick immune response upon subsequent exposure to similar pathogenic stimuli. These responses are typically dependent on T-cells, which involve not only the removal of active pathogens; but also the elimination by cell-death (Apoptosis). Innate immune system has no immunological memory. This analysis depends upon the genetic basis underlying failure in the immune system due to molecular changes. Innate immunity is the body’s first line of defense. Innate immune recognition and responsiveness to biological danger is mediated by germ-line enco ded innate immune receptors called pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). PRRs recognize conserved motifs on pathogens called Pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or endogenous molecules called Damage Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs) that are released by stressed of dead cells6. PRRs are classified into trans-membrane receptors: Toll like receptors (TLRs) and C-type lectin receptors (CLRs), the cytoplamic families of PRRs: Nucleotide-binding oligomerization (NOD)-like receptor (NLRs), RIG-I like receptors (RLRs) and cytoplasmic DNA receptors (CDRs)6. Cytoplasmic DNA Receptors (CDRs) consist a diverse and growing number of receptors that recognize DNA in the cytoplasm. Members of this family include DAI, IFI16, LRRFIP15. TLRs are type-I trans-membrane proteins composed of an ectodomain domain rich in leucine-rich repeats that play a role in the recognition of PAMPs, trans-membrane region and cytosolic Toll-IL-1 receptor (TIR) domain which are involved in the activation of downstream signaling pathways. 10 and 12 TLRs have been identified in human and mouse, respectively. TLRs are localized at the cell surface and endosomal compartments where they recognize a broad range of bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoan PAMPs such as lipoproteins (recognized by TLR1, TLR2, and TLR6), double-stranded (dsRNA) (by TLR3), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (by TLR4), flagellin (by TLR5), single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) (by TLR7 and TLR8), and DNA (by TLR9)1. NLRs consists of a large family of receptors that recognize broad spectrum of PAMPs and DAMPs in the cytoplasm8. Till now 34 murine and 23 human NLR genes have been identified. Plants contain NLR orthologues as R genes. Plants lacking adaptive immune s

Speech - Global warming Essay Example for Free

Speech Global warming Essay Specific purpose: To inform the audience about some effects of global warming so that they are able to discuss the problem surrounding the global warming after my speech. Introduction: Humanity is conducting an unintentional, unrestrained and globally perversive experiment whose ultimate consequences could be second only to nuclear war The human race is responsible for the biggest testing in history an experiment to see what will happen to our health and the health of the planet when we make dreadful changes in our climate. This is not a prescribed scientific inquiry. It is an enormous change in the Earths environment, and we are gambling our childrens future on the results. Our experiment is called global warming, and it is changing our atmosphere throwing out of balance a delicate system that almost took billions of years to develop. Global warming is a serious problem that cannot be ignored I. Preview: Explaining the meaning of global warming, process of global warming and the effect of the global warming . II. Main points: I. Meaning of global warming: Generally, the global warming means to warming the global either by human being or by the environment but the intricate meaning is the increasing temperature of earth. Some scientists like to mention the global warming as green house effect. Global warming has reached a level such that we can ascribe with a high degree of confidence a relationship between the green house effect and the observed warming. (1) II Cause of global warming: A. Global climate is changing because of the buildup in the atmosphere of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide (N20), and the CFC (powerful  green house gases as well as destroyers of stratospheric ozone).(5) B. Another reason of the global warming is green house effect. About 30 gases produced by human activity have been identified as contributing to the green house effect. C. The US Government has acknowledged for the first time that man-made pollution is largely to blame for global warming (4). Emission of Co2 and other harmful gases from the man made factories and industries affects the ozone layer of the earth and contribute to the global warming. III. Effect of the global warming: Nobody would want to live to see the day when global warming directly effects our life. Not since the abrupt end of glacial climates a little over 10000 years ago have temperatures changed as much, or so rapidly. The next century may therefore see large impacts on the human economy, with the first signs already upon us (3). We can broadly divide the effects into three major categories as follows. A. Rise of sea levels: Rising global temperature are expected to raise sea levels. New calculations suggest that glacier melt alone would be responsible for a rise of 1 to 23 cm in sea level by 2100.(6) B. Effect on ecosystem: Global warming are effecting the natural ecosystem such a way that in future more and more plants and animals will have to permanently migrate to find a suitable habitat and some one will not be able to move fast enough. Scientists have predicted that species loss could be as high as 20% in sensitive ecosystems such as northern Canada and Southern Australia. C. Health threat: Since the global temperature is rising, more frequent and more intensive heat waves could result in more heat-related deaths. These conditions could also aggravate local air quality problems, already afflicting more than 80 million Americans. Global warming is expected to increase the potential geographic range and virulence of tropical diseases as well.(2) III Conclusion: I have mentioned the meaning of global warming, cause and effect of the global warming at length. A. I think everybody just can realize that there is no manner in which a complete and sudden stop could be put to global warming, but the rates at which it is taking place could be reduced. B. I hope there is a quick solution on hand.

Immanuel Kant Theory of Justice

Immanuel Kant Theory of Justice The philosopher Immanuel Kant believed that his retributive theories of justice were based in logic and reason. The retributive stance on punishment states that punishment is necessary, and indeed, justified, on the basis that the act of committing crime deserves punishment. The strict guidelines Kants theories created, coupled with the very nature of retributive justice fuelled the arguments of those of Kants critics who claimed his approach would lead to harsh and ineffective sentencing. It is my intention to use this paper as a means of exploring and addressing these claims. Judicial punishment can never be used merely as a means to promote some other good for the criminal himself or for civil society, but instead it must in all cases be imposed on him only on the ground that he has committed a crime; for a human being ought never to be manipulated merely as a means related to anothers purposes First, he must be found to be deserving of punishment before consideration can be given to the utility of this particular punishment for himself or for fellow citizens  [1]  . Upon considering the above it is clear that, in Kants view, the only purpose punishment should serve is to penalize the criminal for committing a crime. Whether or not the punishment could have an affect on the criminals propensity to reform is therefore irrelevant. The punishment is there to punish the criminal for the crime they have committed; nothing more, nothing less. This leads on to the theory of just deserts. This theory is now considered to be one of the more prominent views on the subject of the punishment of criminals  [2]  . The key belief of the principle being that offenders must deserve punishment: [in] the everyday thinking about punishment, the idea of desert figures prominently. Ask the person on the street why a wrongdoer should be punished, [and] he is likely to say that he deserves it  [3]  . Kant advocated two principles regarding the way punishment should be meted out. As we have established above, the first of which is that the only right and proper grounds for punishment is that the criminal deserves it. And so it follows that punishing a criminal with the aim of promoting happiness, reformation or deterrence would run contrary to the categorical imperative by making the punishment a means to an end. Kants categorical imperative is the universal law that states that all people must act in a morally correct manner at all times. Therefore ones own desires or wishes cannot be taken into account when making a decision, as no one persons desires should be prioritized above anothers. The desired outcome of any action must be to avoid causing harm or inflicting damage upon another person. In this regard, Kant defines an act as morally correct if it can be applied as a universal law. For example: I will never tell the truth would be deemed to be immoral because it could not b e applied as universal law as, in the event of everyone having to never tell the truth, the truth would lose its significance. In simpler terms, when considering Kants categorical imperative, the logical approach surely dictates that we must consider the affect our own actions will have on others, and then to avoid carrying out actions that will harm or hinder the rights of others. The second of Kants principles regarding punishment relates to proportionality; the sentence received should be proportionate to the crime committed. Kants theories of autonomy and free decision making make up the foundations for his view on just deserts. The theory submits, first of all, that everybody is duty bound to respect each others rights. Kant goes on to suggest that adhering to the law is a sacrifice of ones right to freedom of choice. Therefore, those that commit crime gain an unfair advantage over those that do not. Punishment is used as a means to redress the balance between the law abiding citizens and the criminals, removing any unfairly gained advantage from the criminals. The punishment is intended to punish no more or less than relates to the advantage gained. It follows, therefore, that deterrence and reformation bear no relevance to this method of sentencing. This type of justice system is still relevant today, and indeed, has been put to use by some governments. The U.S. State of California has rigorously applied retributive punishment philosophies to its court system. Retributive justice has been applied in California since the inception of the Determinate Sentencing Law: The Legislature finds and declares that the purpose of imprisonment for crime is punishment  [4]  . One of the key policies of Californias justice system is the three strike rule. The three strike rule was introduced in 1994  [5]  . Its main purpose was to punish repeat offenders by handing out long sentences a minimum of twenty-five years to those that have been convicted of a felony and already have two strikes for violence on their record. Sentencing under these guidelines leads to particularly long, and critics say, ineffective, sentences  [6]  . The policy has been successful in that it has kept criminals off the streets for longer  [7]  , but it can be argued that the detrimental effects, such as criminals receiving life sentences for what amounts to petty offences the third strike doesnt have to be a violent offence outweigh the beneficial effects. This policy also conflicts with Kants categorical imperative in that receiving a life sentence for being convicted of shoplifting  [8]  (as the third strike) is not proportionate. We have already established that Kants intention is for individuals who have been found to have broken the law to receive punishment that is relative to the advantage that they have gained by committing the crime. If the above assessment were to hold true it would mean that Andrew von Hirschs proclamation regarding the opinion of the person on the street  [9]  would surely be correct. Despite this, one could argue there to be various potential flaws present within the theory. Not the least of which is how to apply this theory of punishment to a criminal that has gained no discernible advantage from their crime. For example: A boy living alone with his mother is periodically abused by her. He is subjected to sustained mental, physical and sexual assaults that he is powerless to prevent. He is kept locked up for the majority of his time at home and is threatened that, were he to tell anyone of what he has suffered, he would receive more severe abuse. The abuse continues as he grows older and eventually he fights back. On this occasion he hears his mother approaching him via the stairs that lead to his room. He rushes to the top of the stairs and pushes her down them, resulting in her death. I would suggest that it is certainly arguable that the boys only intention was for the abuse to stop, rather than an intention to kill or seriously injure his mother. SOURCE IT UP It surely would not be right to say that there has been any advantage gained in this example. The rest of society is not expected to endure such abuse, and so it follows that the boy was already at a disadvantage. Also, surely th e victim in this crime was herself guilty of not respecting the rights of her son, as per Kants theory of just desert. This would surely lend weight to the line of thinking that it would be unfair to punish the criminal in this, albeit radical example, where there has been no advantage gained, by the very same principles applied to those that have gained some advantage. This example seems to support the beliefs of Kants critics  [10]  , and certainly strengthens the view that two wrongs dont make a right. Kant endorsed capital punishment as a suitable punishment for murderers  [11]  . This stance is a good example of Kants beliefs regarding proportionality; a life for a life. However, this stance also goes some way to strengthening the claims of those that believe Kants philosophy encourages harsh sentencing  [12]  . This leads on to the area of Kants philosophy that has attracted the most criticism. How can ending the autonomy of another, criminal or otherwise, be in keeping with Kants theories regarding categorical imperative? To use Kants own words, to hand out capital punishment must surely be classed as FIND SOME RELEVANT WORDS. Why is it that this stance can be upheld in relation to suicide or murder, but disregarded when it comes to the punishment of a criminal? Again, we turn to the view of Andrew von Hirsch, who said: A person who violates the rules has something others have the benefits of the system but by renouncing what others have assumed, the burdens of self-restraint, he has acquired an unfair advantage. Matters are not even until this advantage is in some way erased à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Justice that is punishing such individuals restores the equilibrium of benefits and burdensà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã‚  [13]   Kant justifies such an approach by saying [the criminal] draws the evil deed back to himself when he suffers that which according to the penal law is the same as what he has inflicted on others. According to this line of thinking, a criminal that has murdered somebody else has done so because they have made a choice to do so, and in doing so, they have gained an advantage over the victim. In other words: A kills B because A didnt like the look of B. By murdering B, A has sought to gain an advantage over the rest of law abiding society, who by adhering to the law, have sacrificed their freedom of choice. So, As choice to murder B, is deemed to be A unfairly reclaiming his freedom of choice. However, if A is punished via capital punishment, it is not to gain any advantage, it is merely to punish A for the crime he has committed in a proportionate manner. He has taken a life, therefore his own becomes forfeit. Again, though, there is a case for arguments against Kants stance on the ma tter. How can theory stand up in cases where the criminal has not acted out of any rational thought? How can Kants view apply in cases where the criminal has lost their mind to insanity and acted on instinct rather than choice? There is no reason, no autonomy in such an instance. In conclusion, I believe Kants theory on punishment to promote certain values which are of utmost importance to society. Namely, the categorical imperative and, in particular, his view on morally correct actions. However, there is perhaps, something robotic about his theory. It would be wonderful if everybody told the truth all of the time, regardless of consequence. It would be equally wonderful if people did not commit crime at all. I believe that asking everyone to follow the same universal laws, while noble and beneficial in theory, cannot be achieved due to the complexity and intrinsic selfishness of human beings. Similarly, to punish them in such a way; without taking deterrence, the propensity to reform, or any other individual factors pertaining to a given case, such as circumstance and state of mind, would be unfair. While I agree that proportionality would offer certain advantages when sentencing, such as adherence to the rule of law; everyone is treated equally. Kants stan ce on punishment also presents its fair share of problems. Namely, that peoples actions are often dictated by circumstance, which obviously would not be taken into consideration under the guide lines laid out by Kant, and presented throughout this essay. Owing to this fact, I believe that Kants stance on punishment would be perfect in an ideal world. However, as unfortunate as this fact is: we do not live in an ideal world.

Abortion - Morally Wrong for 3000 Years! :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Judaeo-Christian tradition has always condemned abortion as a grave evil. The law of Moses ordered strict penalties for causing an abortion. We read, "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely [Hebrew: "so that her child comes out"], but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" (Ex. 21:22-24). This applies the lex talionis or "law of retribution" to abortion. The lex talionis establishes the just punishment for an injury (eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life, compared to the much greater retributions that had been common before, such as life for eye, life for tooth, lives of the offender's family for one life). The lex talionis would already have been applied to a woman who was injured in a fight. The distinguishing point in this pas sage is that a pregnant woman is hurt "so that her child comes out"; the child is the focus of the lex talionis in this passage. Aborted babies must have justice, too. This is because they, like older children, have souls, even though marred by original sin. David tells us, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Ps. 51:5). Since sinfulness is a spiritual rather than a physical condition, David must have had a spiritual nature from the time of conception. The same is shown in James 2:26, which tells us that "the body without the spirit is dead": The soul is the life-principle of the human body. Since from the time of conception the child's body is alive (as shown by the fact it is growing), the child's body must already have its spirit.    The approximately 5,000 historic documents of the Early Church Fathers makes numerous references to abortion as a grave sin. The Didache, perhaps the first Christian catechism from 70-90AD, records the following in chapter 2, verses 1-2: "The second commandment of the teaching: You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not seduce boys. You shall not commit fornication. You shall not steal. You shall not practice magic. You shall not use potions. You shall not procure [an] abortion, nor destroy a newborn child.

Chaucers Canterbury Tales - The Nun’s Priest’s Tale :: Nun’s Priest’s Tale Essays

The Nun’s Priest’s Tale      The tale told by the Nun’s Priest is a fable or story with animals as the main characters and usually ends with a moral of some sort. This tale takes place on the farm of and old, poor widow. All that she posses can be summed up in a few lines. It is among her possessions that we find the rooster Chanticleer, who’s crowing is more precise than any clock and a voice that was jollier than any church organ.   The tale is told from the point-of-view of Chanticleer. One night he has the dream of a fox pursuing him and killing him. When he wakes, his wife, Lady Pertelote tries to convince him that it was just a dream and that it has no meaning.   Chanticleer argues with Pertelote and produces a tale of his own. This is the tale of two young travelers who in search of lodging must separate. One of the travelers found a bed in a farmer’s barn, the other in a lodge of some type. In the night, one of the travelers hears his friend in a dream calling out for help. He says that he is to be murdered for his money and his body is to be hidden in a dung cart at the west end of town. In the morning, the man goes in search of is friend and discovers him dead in exact location that he learned from his dream. Chanticleer uses this story to try and prove to Pertelote that dream have meaning.   The fox enters the scene the next morning as the hens and Chanticleer come down from their roost to feed and relax in the sun. The fox waits and watches Chanticleer and the hen’s for a good bit of the day from a nearby cabbage patch. However, right before he is about to crow, Chanticleer catches a glimpse of the fox and silences himself. The fox sensing that his meal maybe lost quickly comes up with a new scheme to trick Chanticleer. He instantly claims to be friendly and means no harm towards Chanticleer. He then uses flattery on Chanticleer, convincing him that the fox came only to hear his beautiful voice and how he had been waiting so long to hear it, this tricks Chanticleer into lowering his guard, it is at that moment that the fox strikes and runs with the almost lifeless body of Chanticleer towards the woods.

Landcare Revegetation :: essays research papers

Rehabilitation is the process of reclaiming land for economical or conservation purposes. This process usually involves re-vegetation. The main aim in rehabilitation is to either return the land to a self-sustaining ecosystem or prepare the land for human use, i.e. crops, pastures and plantations. Rehabilitation should take place at a rate that is significantly higher than natural succession. Several principles are implemented for successful rehabilitation. Of these principles includes the need for preventing disasters and anticipating problems before they arise, if this is taken to consideration then rehabilitation will be less costly and trouble free. When rehabilitating a site, all the components making up the ecosystem need to be looked at individually. They include soil, climate, vegetation, time and animals. These components need to interact at certain rates in order for the desired effect to be achieved and so might need to be altered. There are other principles of rehabilitation, which will be discussed, in greater detail. There are many methods and strategies involved in rehabilitation which, are specific to a site. In this case, surface mine reclamation and farmland will be looked at. A step by step illustration of the processes involved will be covered. When rehabilitating mine land, it is important to first prepare a plan before mining takes place. Researching and obtaining data on the floral and faunal elements of the ecosystem by conducting surveys of the upper, mid and under-story species present. If the aim is to restore the land to its original ecological balance and to conserve the species present, then further studies should be conducted on the ecology of the native species, i.e. seed biology of all species. Propagation techniques and the order of re-establishing species should be studied. When rehabilitation work was conducted on the bauxite mines in the southwest of W.A., special research was conducted on the germination requirements of sown seed. The aim in this case was to re-establish a self-sustaining forest, which maintains water, timber and all the valued qualities of forest. The timing component was carefully considered when removing topsoil in summer to ensure maximum seed store this was achieved when the forest was cleared after seed set took place. Hand seeding was done soon after ripping in order to ensured that the seeds other propagules were well established before germination. When conducting mining operations it is generally desirable that rehabilitation work takes place at the same rate as mining occurs. The soil component in this case needs to be removed in layers (topsoil and overburden) and stock piled during the mining process. The topsoil is very important because is contains most of the seed, propagules and micro-organisms which are needed for

Jollibee

I. BRIEF HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPANY Jollibee Phenomenon Jollibee is one of the Philippines' phenomenal business success stories. Starting in 1975 as a two-branch ice cream parlor, it later expanded its menu to include hot sandwiches and other meals. With encouraging success, Jollibee Foods Corporation was incorporated in 1978 with seven outlets to fully explore the possibilities of a hamburger concept. Thus was born the company that revolutionized the fast food industry in the Philippines.In 1984, Jollibee reached the P500 million sales mark, catapulting the company into the list of Top 500 Philippine Corporations. In 1987, barely 10 years in the business, the company joined the ranks of the Philippines' Top 100 Corporations. It then became the first Philippine fast food chain to break the P1 billion sales mark in 1989. In 1993, Jollibee became the first food service company to be listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange; thus broadening its capitalization and laying the g roundwork for sustained expansion locally and beyond the Philippines. Undisputed leadershipJollibee is the country's leading fast food chain. The size, geographic expanse and breadth of the company's operations have grown exponentially – from a handful of Jollibee stores twenty-five years ago to over 400 stores in the Philippines and several international stores in countries like the United States and Hong Kong. It is now an international brand with phenomenal milestones that has made millions of Filipinos proud. But Jollibee's leadership is not only reflected by market share (the company enjoys more than half of the entire fast food industry); numerous local and global awards attest to this as well.Recipe for success The foundation of Jollibee's rapid growth has been its strategy to establish dominant market coverage complemented by its superior menu line-up, creative marketing programs and efficient manufacturing and logistics facilities in support of its widening restauran t chain. It is powered by teams of well-trained individuals embracing the culture of integrity and humility, working in a family-like environment of fun and togetherness. As a corporate citizen, Jollibee is also committed to serve its host communities.The company not only nourishes bodies but also people's spirits through countless socio-civic projects. A triumph for and of the Filipino Jollibee dedicates its continuous success to those who have supported the company from the very start – the Filipino people. Jollibee has grown to be so well loved that every time a new store is opened, especially overseas, Filipinos form long queues to the store without fail. It is not just a place where they feel at home; it is a stronghold of heritage, a monument of Filipino victory. Values †¢ Always customer first †¢ Excellence through teamwork Spirit of family and fun †¢ Frugality, Honesty and Integrity †¢ Humility to listen and learn Mission †¢ We bring great tas te and happiness to everyone Vision †¢ Become the most dominant and best-tasting QSR†¦ †¢ The most endearing brand†¦ that has ever been †¢ We will be within reach of every Filipino†¦ †¢ We will lead in product taste at all times†¦ †¢ We will provide FSC excellence in every encounter†¦ †¢ Happiness in every moment. Jollibee Operations Bee happy†¦. Langhap-Sarap sa Jollibee! Day in, day out, Jollibee serves over one million Filipinos who flock to its more than 400 stores all over the country.In ways, small and grand, Jollibee's tasty food, cheerful service and friendly crew touch the lives of so many people who leave its stores with happy memories that will last long after that birthday party, first date or even just that simple meal a customer had when he dropped in one rainy day. From a modest beginning, Jollibee has grown to become not only the number one fast food chain in the Philippines with over 400 stores nationwide, but is also an international brand that has the distinction of being one of the world's most admired companies by the Far Eastern Economic Review. But Jollibee is not stopping here.To reinforce Jollibee's capability to enhance it leadership and build growth, the Management embarked on a broad range of strategic initiatives. Since its starting 1975, the company has expanded tremendously. The phenomenal growth is attributed to the company's unwavering quest to serve and delight the Filipino customer as well as its ability to anticipate and adapt to the ever-changing market environment. Jollibee continues to push its store network expansion maintaining lead over competition, focused on optimum results from right -sized stores on the best site selection in trading territory.This ensures effective and efficient market coverage. To meet the challenges of a more intensely competitive market and to manage the business more effectively, the company undertook a major initiative to re-align th e structure of Jollibee Philippines. The new organization, which has successfully been put in place, has the capacity of enhancing continued dominance in the quick service industry. In 2000 Jollibee Philippines was decentralized into four autonomous Regional Business Units (RBU), corresponding to the country's major geographic markets: Mega Manila, North Luzon, South Luzon and Visayas-Mindanao.The decentralization has structured each RBU into a more manageable business size and span of control. Key support functions like human resources and administration, finance and network development have been transferred to the RBU for greater efficiency in the delivery of products and services, quicker coordination and more timely decision-making. The Head Office/Corporate Services functions (Marketing, Finance, Restaurant Systems, Engineering) have been re-aligned as Support Center to provide continuing assistance to the RBUs and provide corporate-level directions.The new structure has proven to be more responsive to the needs and challenges of a rapidly growing organization and an even more dynamic market. The program has resulted to better execution of programs and renewed enthusiasm and commitment from the Jollibee people. Parallel to all of the above initiatives is the continuous improvement of operating productivity and efficiency across the Jollibee fastfood chain. It continues to initiate improvements on equipment and facilities as well as store procedures to generate faster volume turnover and achieve better quality in the delivery of products.Jollibee remains firm in its resolve to maintain its dominance in the fastfood industry. It will continue to push forward with its strategic programs and aggressively pursue further network expansion to ensure superior market coverage nationwide. Most importantly, it will continually apply itself to the paramount task of consistently delivering superior tasting products at the most affordable prices and services of the hig hest standards in a bright and clean store environment. MARKETING STRATEGYIn line with its long-term goal to be the dominant food service leader in the country, the company acquired Greenwich Pizza in 1994 enabling it to penetrate the pizza-pasta segment. From a 50-branch operation, Greenwich has established a strong presence in the food service industry. A year later the company acquired the franchise of Delifrance, an international food company. This further expanded its penetration in the food service industry particularly in the French cafe-bakery, a growing segment of the Philippine food market.In 2000, the strategic acquisition of Chowking solidified the company's position as the dominant leader and allowed it to have leadership in a major fast food market – the Oriental quick service restaurant segment. The incorporation has revitalized Chowking; providing a platform for the growth of the business and further increasing the enterprise value of the Jollibee Group. Jolli bee's advertising is deeply rooted in the traditional Filipino values of family and love for children. Fueled by Filipino creativity, its expression â€Å"Atin ang Langhap Sarap! is anchored on its products' unique taste and superiority. It aims to be perpetually in the public consciousness through television, radio, print, cinema advertisements and billboards. The company also sponsors selected community activities. Moreover, premium items and toys are offered to bring home and display on the toy shelf. Likewise, as a way to ensure that the superior equity is sustained and a strong, cohesive and comprehensive visual identification in all Jollibee stores is created, a system – wide Jollibee retail identity was initiated.The international graphic design group, Addison was commissioned to formulate the new retail identity that is more dynamic and fun-oriented. The new retail identity is an integrated system encompassing the total restaurant design from the menu-board and vario us signages, the dining equipment and area, to the Playland and other facilities. The product menu is continually reviewed to sustain consumer excitement. Existing products are improved and re-launched. New products are test-marketed in keeping with the strategy of having a continuing fresh line up of products.All these to respond to customers' changing needs and preferences which has been a major factor in Jollibee's success. At the forefront of innovative marketing and advertising program are the Value Meal product upgrades and additions. This has indeed proven to be an effective response to the narrowing consumer spending power brought about by the current economic crunch. Jollibee owns the children market and will endeavor to keep its stronghold on this segment. Hence, Jollibee continues with its Jolly Kiddie Meal promotions, offering a choice of Regular Yum, Spaghetti Special or Chickenjoy.SALES FORECASTING, PRODUCTION SCHEDULING AND MATERIALS REQUISITION PLANNING Sales Forecas ting The sales forecasting done by the store manager is the main determinant of the amount of supplies the store will need. Sales is proportional to the number of products sold so forecasting sales in advance would tell how much supplies the store need to order. Sales is projected daily or weekly and is based on the store’s sales history. From the sales history, the store manager can determine the store’s day type. The day type refers to the categories of a day’s performance.These are Slack, Semi-Peak, and Peak. Knowing the store’s day types will help the store manager determine the sales projection. Production Scheduling Production scheduling is done after determining the demand for each of the products. Each of the product has different production schedules. This is because the demand of one product is different from the demand of another product. They have also different times of peak sales. The schedule determines the number of product to produce for every hour of the day and the number of product to maintain on the warmer bin.Supplies Planning It is the system of planning the amount or volume of materials needed by the store to meet the demand for products at specific volume of transactions for a given a period. Objective of Supplies Planning Through supplies planning, the store manager gets to determine the actual order for each item in the store. Supplies planning prevents overstocking and stockout of supplies. The steps in supplies planning are: 1. Plan the supplies needed by the store based on sales projection. 2. Ensure correct perishable and nonperishable inventories. 3.Update the stock factors according to changes in sales trend. What are the supplies? The store’s supplies vary from cleaning materials to hand towels to frozen patties. Supplies are categorized into two: Daily Supplies – wet/frozen/items that are highly perishable Weekly supplies – dry items like packaging and cleaning materials Actual Order of Supplies The actual amount of supplies that the store will order from Commissary. This is relayed either thru the web or iBOS. This is where supplies and requisition comes in. The prerequisites of the actual order of daily supplies are: . forecasted sales – is based on store’s sales history. 2. adjusted sales – sales is adjusted for unexpected occurrences. 3. stock factor – amount or volume of a product or a raw material needed to serve customer demand for every hundred pesos of sales. SF=Average Quantity of Products Sold Average daily Sales 4. forecast stock – refers to the number of items to be stocked in the store for a given type. FS=Adjusted Sales x Stock Factor of Raw Material 5. ending balance – remaining available stock of items prior to ordering. 6. aily supplies requisition form – is a form used to compute the actual order of daily items. It includes a list of the wet /frozen/bakery items. AO=Forecast Stock  œ Ending Balance The prerequisites of the actual order of weekly supplies are: 1. average daily usage – average daily usage, or ADU, is the average quantity of items sold in one week. It is affected only when there is a change in the weekly sales forecast or weekly sales trend. It does not include bulk orders. ADU =Total quantity of products sold for one week 7 days 2. rdering cycle – is the sum (in days) of the delivery interval, forecast usage coverage and buffer period. 3. stock build up – total usage for the whole length of the ordering cycle. It also represents forecast stock. SB=Ordering cycle ADU 4. par stocking – average quantity of stock needed to sufficiently supply the needs of the store for the whole ordering cycle. 5. ending balance – remaining available stock of supplies. 6. weekly supplies requisition form – is a form used to compute the actual order of weekly items. It includes a list of the wet /frozen/bakery items. Steps in Daily Supplies Planning Step |Activity |Key person | |1 |Gives the daily supplies requisition form to stockman |Production Manager | |2 |Gets the ending balance (EB) by conducting a physical inventory count of the items|Stockman | | |on the list | | |3 |Checks the EB at random to ensure accuracy |Production Manager | |4 |Gets the forecasted from the store manager then writes this on a equisition form |Production Manager | |5 |Computes the Adjusted sales and writes this on a requisition form |Production Manager | |6 |Computes the stock factor (SF) of each item and writes this under the SF column |Production Manager | |7 |Computes the forecast stock (FS) of each item and writes this under the FS column |Production Manager | |8 |Gets the actual order (AO) of each item and writes this under the AO column |Production Manager | |9 |Signs the requisition form in the blank provided. |Production Manager | IV. ANALYSIS OF THE COMPANY’S PRODUCTION PROCESS Forecasting is an indispensabl e tool in the production process of Jollibee Foods Corporation. Demand is forecasted based on the sales of the store for the past periods. This data can be obtained from its sytem called iBOS. This forecasted data is adjusted for some occurrences or factors that might affect their sales in the period that the store is forecasting. This forecast is then translated to production schedules of different products. After making the production schedules, the Production Quality Manager (PQM) performs the supplies planning.Jollibee Corporation has policies and processes concerning supplies planning and requisition. The PQM of each store has the hand on how to go about the planning and ordering of supplies needed for his/her respective store. Jollibee Corporation has already installed a system of ordering supplies needed by its store branches – the AMWS. Jollibee, City of San Fernando branch has the following system of production. The schedule of ordering for wet/frozen supplies is eve ry Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Delivery of such has a lead time of 2 days. On the other hand, schedule of ordering for dry supplies is every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, with a lead time of 3 days.If the PQM Manager has already placed his/her order and there are some unexpected orders that can affect the consumption of supplies, he or she has the benefit of making adjustments to his or her order a day before the delivery date through its system — AMWS. Special Holidays and events are highlighted in the store’s calendar to incorporate these in the determination of demand and to prevent stock out of supplies. If there is really an unexpected bulk order, and the store cannot accommodate such order, the store has the option to decline the order. Otherwise, the store borrows from another store in the area to avoid opportunity loss from that order. V. RECOMMENDATIONOur modern technology is continually giving advances to business organizations. And Jollibee is one of thos e that continue to search for more improvements in their systems concerning their operations. With the case of iBOS, the product quality manager can easily create, modify, inquire and maintain useful data by just a click of a mouse. Once the program/system is entered into the computer, the PQM is supplied with needed information on inventory balance, order listing and sales. Truly, the advantage of this system is to increase the productivity of the PQM and making it accessible to other department managers who might need the above mentioned data in making business decisions.Poor decisions may affect the firm’s profits by requiring expensive corrective actions and may be driven out of business by a much more vigilant competitors. Thirty years of solid experience made Jollibee Corporation produce and adapt the nationwide computer aided system to their advantage. It would not make it as the number one fastfood company in the Philippines if not for its expertise in their productio n. It is therefore recommended that Jollibee Food Corporation to continually improve its production and make use of technology to further enhance its systems. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Brief History/ Description of the Company II. Marketing Strategy III. Sales Forecasting, Production Scheduling and Materials Requisition Planning IV. Analysis of the Company’s Production Process V. Recommendation