Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Team Creation Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Team Creation - Research Paper Example The first step towards choosing people for a project is to consider their professional skills (Cummings & Worley, 2014). While one may pick people because of their technical talents, one does not necessarily require persons with the highest competence, but rather just the right people for the task. The good team members should be reliable, trustworthy, available, flexible, and those who can abide by the rules. An assignment breakdown sheet will assist a team manager to assign the right people to the right tasks. It can be achieved alongside a master plan on a work breakdown structure that includes all tasks arranged in a hierarchical diagram (Cummings & Worley, 2014). To start selecting a team, a project manager will have to assess the skills of all potential team members. A manager needs to establish how experienced a team member must be and how much experience they need to possess for them to fill a particular role. The first team-building strategy is to select a competent team leader and members. Once the selection process is over, the team must set goals. A majority of teams fail in particular because they lack goals; they want to accomplish something, but they lack specific goals (Kerzner, 2013). Secondly, a team must emphasize on communication because it is necessary for effective team-building. It is essential to communicate in every way: phone, in person, email, and through the web.   An effective leader knows when fast intervention is needed to solve a problem. Proper solving-making strategy can go a long way to helping a team to accomplish its tasks (Kerzner, 2013). A group leader must recognize the good work done by members. Every individual needs recognition in whatever they do. It is important for a leader to be conscious of cultural needs and concerns of every member.   All members of the team must be incorporated from their cultural point of view.   Conflict is any condition where there are

Monday, October 28, 2019

Types of Essay and Examples Essay Example for Free

Types of Essay and Examples Essay The Expository Essay The main function of the expository essay is to explain, or to acquaint your reader with something; it can be used to describe, explain or present some information. In order to write an expository essay, preparation and background research will be required. This will arm you with facts and information that will be subsequently conveyed to your reader. Expository writing will also require you to show understanding of the chosen topic – this is why many professors and tutors choose this essay type to check how well a student has mastered a given topic. In their most common form, expository essays will take about 5 paragraphs; however, classes and instructors may require them to be larger in size. No matter the size, an essay should at all times include an introduction and a conclusion – the body length may vary. The Persuasive Essay If you have to persuade your reader about something, your essay becomes a persuasive one. With this type of writing you will need not only to prove your point, but will also have to persuade your opposition that your viewpoint is logical and well founded, and thus – better. In this case, you are no longer merely showing what you know; you are convincing the reader that you are correct in your viewpoint. In order to write this kind of essay it is important to prepare in advance by choosing a side, making a case for it, anticipating alternative arguments and finding ways how to refute them. You must be aware of other sides of the argument and be fair to them; dismissing them completely will weaken your own argument. It is always best to take a side that you believe in, preferably with the most supporting evidence. It can often be educational to adopt a different position from what you might normally choose (debating requires this kind of flexibility). The Informal Essay The informal essay is a type of essay written mainly for enjoyment. This is not to say that it cannot be informative or persuasive; however, it is a less formal statement with a more relaxed expression of opinion, observation or humor. A good informal essay has a relaxed style but retains a strong structure, though the structure may be less rigid than a formal paper. The informal essay tends to be more personal than the formal, even though both may express subjective opinions. In a formal essay the writer is in a silent presence behind the words, while in an informal essay the writer is speaking directly to the reader in a conversational manner. If you are writing informally, try to maintain a sense of your own personality. Do not worry about sounding academic, but make sure you avoid sloppiness. Explaining Writing or Concept Essay Explaining essays inform the reader about something they don’t know.These are essays that teach, so you will often find this sort of writing in textbooks, instruction manuals and any information source online.Your purpose in this essay is to inform your readers about an aspect of a concept they may not know about or have thought about before. These sorts of essays may explain and event, explain a cause, or explain what or who. See my other hubs for information on event and cause essays. The Review A review may be either formal or informal, depending on the context. Its goal is to evaluate a specific piece, perhaps a novel or movie. This implies that the reviewers personal opinion plays a significant role in the process. Despite a degree of subjectivity, a certain objective standard needs to be maintained and, as in a persuasive essay, your assertions need to be proved. The formality of the review will be determined by how much of the essay is analysis, how much is summary, and how much is your reaction to the work you are reviewing. A more formal review will not only discuss the work or its own merits but will also place it in context. Newspapers and popular magazines tend to review in terms of finance, e.g. is this record or film worth spending money on? Critical journals will attempt to determine whether a new novel or play has achieved something new and significant. A good review will discuss both these qualities and the importance of a given work. The Research Essay The research essay leads you into the works of others and asks you to compare their thoughts with your own. Writing a research paper involves going to source material and synthesizing what you learned from it with your own ideas. You must find texts on the subject and use them to support the topic you have been given to explore. Since it is easy to become lost in a wilderness of outside material, you must take particular care in narrowing your topic. The greatest inherent danger in the research essay is plagiarism. If your paper consists of a string of quotations or paraphrases with little input of your own, you are not synthesizing but copying, and you should expect a low grade. If any of the borrowings are unacknowledged, you are plagiarizing and the penalties are severe. The Literary Essay In the literary essay, you are exploring the meaning and construction of a piece of literature. This task is more complicated than reviewing, though the two are similarly evaluative. In a review you are discussing the overall effect and validity of a work, while in a literary essay you are paying greater attention to specifics. A literary essay focuses on such elements as structure, character, theme, style, tone, and subtext. You are taking a piece of writing and trying to discover how and why it is put together the way that it is. You must adopt a viewpoint on the work in question and show how the details of the work support your viewpoint. A literary essay may be your own interpretation, based only on your reading of the piece, or it may be a mixture of your opinions and references to the criticism of others, much like a research paper. Again, be wary of plagiarism and of letting the opinions of more experienced writers swamp your own response to the work. If you are going to consult the critics, you should re-read the literary work you are discussing and make some notes on it before looking at any other opinions. The Argumentative Essay The art of argumentation is not an easy skill to acquire. Many people might think that if one simply has an opinion, one can argue it effectively, and these folks are always surprised when others dont agree with them because their logic seems so correct. Additionally, writers of argumentation often forget that their primary purpose in an argument is to win it – to sway the reader to accept their point of view. It is easy to call names, easy to ignore the point of view or research of others, and extremely easy to accept ones own opinion as gospel, even if the writer has not checked his or her premise in a couple of years, or, as is the case for many young writers, never questioned the beliefs inherited from others. Want to know what you think about something? Then write an argumentative essay. To be fair, however, youll find that one of the first things you must do is become an expert on the issue. When you pick a topic, you should avoid writing about issues that cannot be won, no matter how strongly you might feel about them. The five hottest topics of our time seem to be gun control, abortion, capital punishment, freedom of speech, and probably the most recent, euthanasia, or the right to die. If possible, avoid writing about these topics because they are either impossible to win, or because your instructor is probably sick of reading about them and knows all the pros and cons by heart (this could put you at a serious disadvantage). If you have difficulty picking a decent topic for your essay, feel free to check out our list of good argumentative essay topics. Either way, the topics may be some fine reading material, because most people are somewhat aware of the problems and can then concentrate on understanding the method of argument itself. But care should be taken; if you read one side, you also read the other. Far too many individuals only read the side that they already believe in. These issues cannot be won for good reason: each touches on matters of faith and beliefs that for many people are unsha kable and deeply private. The Cause and Effect Essay The cause and effect essay includes some elements of writing that might be considered more professional than those a descriptive or narrative essay might include. It is very important, for instance, that your tone be reasonable, and that your presentation be factual and believable. Sources are often required in a cause/effect paper, and your choice of these sources is important as they reflect on the validity of your paper. Additionally, the first-person point of view does not work; you should sound objective and impartial. Consider the following sentences: I believe that gun control measures should be taken in every hamlet in America. Gun control measures should be taken in every hamlet in America. In the first sentence, the first person is used. This would work in a narrative, but here it actually limits the meaning of the sentence to just the writer, and it makes the writer sound weak – as if he were justifying himself or herself. The second sentence is much more forceful. It makes a statement and does not limit itself to just what the writer believes. The purpose of a cause and effect paper is to be as convincing as possible, and to convince readers to accept the cause/effect as fact. The Comparison and Contrast Essays The main purpose and function of compare and contrast essays is obvious – to find similarities and dissimilarities between two or more objects or things. This kind of writing requires the writer to be an observer; in most cases it doesn’t require scholarly research or any specific referencing. Such essays are mostly subjective in nature, and writers are required to come up with differences or similarities they are able to point out and analyze. There are different compare and contrast patterns for these essays, yet the overall essay structure remains invariable: there should be an introduction, a few body paragraphs and a conclusion. While working on your compare and contrast essay, don’t forget to use the so-called cue words. These words help you to tie paragraphs together by means of small logical connectors. For example, you can use words like: on the one hand/on the other hand, this is such/in contrast, however, like, as well, too, unlike, though, but etc. These words will pull your essay together and will make it hold better. Check out an article that covers our compare and contrast essays in detail – and good luck with your writing! Expository Essay Sample The Internet and Society Modern society has undergone radical development in the last 20 years. Computers were once just a means to solve mathematical equations. Rapid advances in technology have altered the way in which people interact with computers, as well as the functionality of these smart machines. With the advent of a worldwide and nearly universally accessible web, the way in which we interact with each other has changed drastically. People from all over the world can instantaneously exchange both business and personal information. Internet commerce has become a huge part of the daily lives of millions, as well as social networking and streaming media. Most recently, portable electronics capable of nearly all internet-related tasks have become a common possession for the average middle-aged American. The unlimited free exchange of information has changed, and is continuing to change, in very profound way, society at large. â€Å"The internet is probably most famous for the ability to spread information, fact or fiction.†(Nikolovska, 2007) Despite the many positive influences the internet has had on our society, one cannot ignore the negative repercussions. Many vendors have become faceless, and the examination of goods prior to purchase has been reduced to pictures. While there are many reputable online stores, there are those with less ethical aims. People must be wary of any and all information sharing and purchases conducted online, to avoid the transfer of funds or personal data to unscrupulous entities. Likewise, information obtained via the internet needs to be scrutinized in order to determine accuracy. According to the 2010 U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Annual Report on Intellectual Property Enforcement â€Å"The digital environment†¦ presents enormous challenges to businesses, consumers, governments, citizens, communities, and families, particularly as new tec hnologies and platforms disrupt traditional business models, means of governance and modes of private communication and expression† In essence, the Internet has begun to change nearly every aspect of our lives and shows no signs of stopping. Personal safety threats related to the popularity of social networks, especially amongst the youngsters, is another huge Internet-related issue. â€Å"They are taking us somewhere exciting, but we have to work out how we deal with the fading boundaries these tools have left in their wake, and that means rewriting our social rules as we go along†(Hoover, 2009). With the human race being a social specie by nature, it was inevitable that new advanced methods of communication would eventually be developed. The Internet has revolutionized interpersonal communication since its inception with advances such as email and instant messaging. More recently, websites devoted entirely to communication have emerged. The most popular example of such social networks is Facebook. Members of various social networks input personal data, upload photographs, and personalize many aspects of their own unique pages within the site. They may then connect and share this information with as many people as they desire. The social networks have gained such popularity that one is nearly certain to find their friends and co-workers via online means. implications are unforeseeable. A world in which all people may communicate openly with one another, regardless of the physical distance between them, was once no more than a very tempting idea, but is now the norm. The world is very much analogous to an organism, and to quote a fictional doctor: â€Å"All organisms evolve and develop along patterns only recognized in retrospect.†

Saturday, October 26, 2019

My Super Sweet Sixteen :: Sweet 16 consumption Society Essays

My Super Sweet Sixteen â€Å"But mom, this dress is only seven thousand, three hundred and fifty dollars! It’s Louis Vutton, you know that’s a great deal.† In the long run, Sophie ended up with the wallet-denting designer outfit and didn’t even have to lift a finger. Instead of purchasing the Louis Vutton gown, her family decided upon the nine thousand dollar Chanel outfit! After cussing out the body guards for letting the â€Å"social rejects† in, her celebration had merely begun! She had pulled up to the most popular night club in the city (her family managed to rent for the night) in a Cinderella carriage for an unforgettable entrance. According to her, people would be talking about this party for the rest of their lives. Her get-together, complete with bouncers, go-go dancers, announcers, magicians, hip-hop dancers, and caterers running frantically in and out of the crowd, pleasing her every need seemed extraordinarily unrealistic. Remarkably, the only time we heard from Sophie was during her ridiculous tantrums, complete with excessive whining about everything that went amiss. Neither recognition nor thanks had been directed to her parents the entire night! In fact, her whole demeanor conveyed entitlement. â€Å"My Super Sweet Sixteen† is a new hit series highlighting various teenagers on their super sweet sixteenth birthdays. Unbelievably, these families were spending hundreds of thousands of dollars toward these astonishing celebrations. It was quite amusing, yet somewhat disturbing watching today’s youth lavishing in their conspicuous consumption. After some serious consideration, I realized that this alluring lifestyle, though appealing, was shallow, degrading, and a disgrace to society as a whole. Upon further self-reflection, I had to admit that I myself have been enticed by these materialistic desires. Yet, these extravagances were far more detrimental than desirable. I experienced an epiphany, at that very moment. Where was our appreciation? Where was our gratitude? Our graciousness had disappeared, replaced instead by indulgence, greed, and selfishness. The lack of appreciation and thankfulness is appalling! Nowadays, it seems that society hands everything to our youth without question.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Exegesis: Jonah Essay

Jonah and the whale is a very popular children’s story, the classic Sunday school lesson. However, many children grow up with the idea and picture of Geppetto and Pinocchio being swallowing by the whale and sneezed out back onto shore. Though we may not want to tell our children every gruesome detail about Jonah, we can at least get the wording correct and say Jonah and the big or great fish, since there is no evidence that it was a whale in particular. Even though the story of Jonah has caused many scholarly arguments about the genre and the type of narrative it is, whether it allegorical, a fable, or a parable, in the prophet Jonah’s story there are many lessons to be learned about God.1 In Jonah 1:11-17, we find God brings good and punishment from our weaknesses and disobedience. In this paper there are several areas that will be explored. First, a content analysis of Jonah 1:11-17, then a brief history about Nineveh and Jonah’s decision, who the main characters are, Jonah’s rebellion and the good brought out of that, and finishing off with a practical application. Content Analysis In the New International Version, Jonah 1:11-17 reads, â€Å"11The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, â€Å"What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?† 12 â€Å"Pick me up and throw me into the sea,† he replied, â€Å"and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.† 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, â€Å"Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.† 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. 17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.† In verse 11, the subject of the sailors thinking has turned from them to Jonah and what he has done to cause such a thing and how he can fix it.2 Since they know Jonah is a Hebrew and follows the Hebrew God, they have come to realize and fear his God. Since they asked what they needed to do with him in verse 11, Jonah’s response to them in verse 12 is not pleasing to them. If Jonah would die from being thrown over board then the blood of his life is on their hands and on their time. So in verse 13, the sailors exhaust their last option of trying their best to row back to shore. Earlier they were throwing the cargo overboard to lighten the ship, which considering what the Tarshish ships were famous for transporting, luxury items (see section: Nineveh and Jonah’s Decision, below) the cargo they discarded may have been of a valuable loss. The sea growing even wilder is an example of chaos and God’s willingness to upset the order of nature and his creation to draw humans closer to him and awareness of his existence. By verse 14, the sailors are crying out to God and asking for the blood of Jonah to not be held against them because they did not know what he had done. If they were to throw an innocent man overboard the blood of innocence would be worse than facing the storm they were in. After they pleaded to the God they now know is the true God, they throw Jonah over board and the sea grew calm and the sailors were able to continue on their way. In 16, the fact that the sea grew calm just as Jonah said it would after they threw him overboard made them fear God. They made a sacrifice, which would have been an animal sacrifice offered for the one they fear as act of worship and obedience. Fear in this case denotes an attitude or reverence and honor towards the Lord.3 In verse 17, having a fish arranged to swallow Jonah can be seen as something of a punishment or a lifesaver. After the last couple events, it is easy to say the fish is both punishment and a lifesaver. Punishment for running the opposite direction and the fact that God could have allowed something a little less severe to save him. Also, the fish was Jonah’s earthly lifesaver because sharks, sea urchins, or other things could have led to Jonah’s death from being cast into the sea. Nineveh and Jonah’s Decision Nineveh was a very important city in the Assyrian empire on the brink of destruction.4 It was not until 705 that the city was officially called the capitol of Assyria.5 It is often noted at the â€Å"great city.† It is often argued what the word, great, means in this context. The Greeks saw Nineveh as a wealthy and powerful city.6 Another view of â€Å"great† is that it was a big city with a large population, of about 120,000 with estimations rising all the way up to 600,000. 7 Great in these two senses is about the same, and though it seems to be the correct meaning in this context, it is import to note that it could also mean something else in a different context. Later on in Jonah it means that the city is great even in God’s eyes.8 Even though the Hebrews knew the city as being very evil, it was still a great city to God and mattered just as much. I have heard the actions of Nineveh be equated to the Holocaust. â€Å"The Ninevites followed a pagan path and practiced violence.†9 We find in Nahum chapter three, that Nineveh is described as a bloody city, full of lies and plunder, and many other evils. This city was known to be evil, so Jonah receiving the call to go preach repentance to the people instantly made Jonah mad. There were two things that could happen if Jonah would go, and neither of them were good in his eyes. First, if Jonah were to just prance into Nineveh with the message of repentance against the evil they were practicing the odds weren’t in his favor if the people rejected his message. Surely this call was an inevitable call to Jonah’s demise. He would be captured and tortured by the Ninevites. This scenario doesn’t even seem to be the worst case for Jonah. He is more concerned with the fact that if they do repent from their ways they will no longer have what is coming to them. For all the evil and bloody mess they have been a part of and have caused, they deserve to be harshly judged and punished! Jonah becomes very angry with this call to minister and wishes that he would rather be dead. God answers him in a very brief question about his right to be angry.10 This puts Jonah in check with his emotions and settles the point that it isn’t Jonah who gets to decide or judge the people. The sins of Nineveh were not necessarily against Jonah. Since neither situation of Jonah’s call seemed to fit his idea of fair, he fled the opposite direction of Nineveh. He paid to get on a ship that was on its way to Tarshish, which is generally thought to be a part of Spain.11 First of all fleeing to Tarshish from Israel, and away from Nineveh is interesting because Tarshish isn’t clean like the holy land of Israel, but it isn’t unclean like Nineveh.12 It almost seems like Jonah was trying to hide or just become part of a land that has no good or bad connotations. Second, there is the fact that is often not read into that Jonah was able to pay to get on the ship. Money handlings was a relatively new aspect to their world and only people who were well to do would have been able to afford ship fare.13 So it would make since that Jonah could just up and go to Tarshish, because he had the funds to do so. The boat Jonah paid to board was transporting cargo. Ships of Tarshish were famous for carrying large quantities of expensive metals and luxuries such as gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.14 Knowing this, it is safe to assume that Jonah is moving up in the world. He has money to board, and is now on a ship that is probably transporting some items that could be useful in gaining wealth, however, the text of Jonah repeatedly says that he went â€Å"down.†15 He was fleeing from the Lord, so this action of going down can be considered to have a symbolic meaning of falling or getting further from the Lord. However, just as we see in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, we find that there is nowhere you can run to hide from the Lord. Main Characters GOD: In any motif, it is helpful to know who the characters are and a little about their history. The first words in the book of Jonah are the words from God. He is a very important person throughout the whole Bible, and in this book, he has many correspondences with Jonah. Throughout the story we see God’s character being reinforced from what one can learn in earlier books of the Bible. God is compassionate, caring for people no matter what they have done, and just goes to show his unpredictability. We see God’s compassion and caring nature through the sending of his prophet to them for a chance to repent before judgment comes. Though our human nature naturally wants bad things and punishment to be bestowed upon the evildoers, God sees this in a different perspective. He wants good things for all his people. JONAH: Jonah is the central character in the book of Jonah. God commands him to preach to Nineveh in the first chapter, and refers to Jonah as the son of Amittai.16 Throughout the Old Testament we see that anyone who is going to be important has a lineage i.e. son of. Though Jonah is only mentioned as son of one man, this is still significant. â€Å"Jonah’s name means ‘dove.’17 Doves have two meanings attached to them. It is a symbol of love and a sign of peace. Not only are they symbols of love and peace, they also carry the connotation of being a messenger bird. We see this in the Noah and the ark narrative when Noah sends out a dove and it returns, acting as a messenger, with an olive branch, acting as a sign of peace because the chaos of flooding the whole earth had ceased. Next, the meaning of Amittai is â€Å"truth.†18 So ‘Jonah son of Amittai’ can be translated into peaceful messenger of truth. Also, this name and son of can be cross-referenced in the Old Testament in 2 Kings during the reign of Jeroboam II, giving us a time frame reference for when this book was written or when these events took place.19 Though God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah is never taken into God’s confidence.20 This means Jonah didn’t know what God’s intentions were behind this decree. Was God simply warning the Ninevites about their upcoming judgment day, or was this going to be what made them have a change of heart and accept Jonah’s message? This was left up to Jonah to grapple with, but as we see Jonah heads straight to anger in the fact that God is even considering giving them a chance to repent! SAILORS: The sailors on the ship going to Tarshish, were the first to come into physical contact with Jonah. This contact happened to be during Jonah’s fleeing from the Lord’s command. The sailors were Gentiles and having to deal with Tarshish puts them into the category of not being clean or unclean. They had their own gods and deities to which they prayed and pleaded too when the sea went chaotic. Though they are not particularly doing anything wrong from what they know, they handle themselves very well from the beginning of the story to the end of the story.21 They are just ignorant; yet carry out their duties as best they can.22 They cry out to their gods and cast lots and when they know it is Jonah, the Hebrew, whom they must throw off the ship, they do everything they can to avoid killing a man and having his blood on their hands. NINEVITES: The people of Nineveh is the evil community whom Jonah has been instructed to preach about the day of judgment coming to them and that they must repent or be punished. Nineveh was the capitol of Assyria, which was overthrown not long after their repentance. Jonah’s Rebellion and God’s Grace Jonah 1:11-17 is the after math of Jonah’s rebellion and what his punishment was, for not obeying the first time God commanded him to go to Nineveh. In the first part of Jonah 1, Jonah is called to go, but out of discomfort towards the idea of Nineveh getting off scot free from their offenses he flees the opposite direction. Thinking he can escape from the face of the Lord, God follows wherever he goes and creates chaos to show his anger and disappointment that he disobeyed. Jonah must be thrown overboard to save the sailors and their ship. However, it is because of Jonah’s rebellion that these sailors come to know of the Hebrew God’s power. If it were not for Jonah disobeying, these sailors may never have heard or experienced God in such a powerful way. They turned from their old ways and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and repented to the one true God. Though there is no further evidence, these sailors probably had families, so the rebellion may have led to a d omino effect and impacted their families and friends. Jonah’s missionary commission was not revoked just because of his disobedience.23 God’s resistance to letting Jonah get away with his disobedience act was enough to save Jonah by providing a fish to swallow him up and pretty much put him in timeout so he could think and pray about what he had done and what he will have to do. This fish conveniently spits him up on the shore of Nineveh so his journey there is not as long. Jonah completed what could have been an easy task when he finished his journey through the city of Nineveh. This journey of preaching of the soon upcoming destruction if they don’t repent and turn from their ways. In conclusion of Jonah’s disobedience, the Jonah’s negligence to accept God’s call the first time ended up bringing more good than if he would have just gone the first time. A whole ship crew was won over because of the stormy sea and the calming after throwing Jonah overboard. This ship crew would have told their families and friends which might have led to domino effect. Also, the city of Nineveh was won over by Jonah’s message. Whether it was because during the days of Jonah’s running, God was preparing their hearts to receive the message, or because of Jonah’s awful stench from being in the fish for three days and nights, God brought so much good out of Jonah’s mistake. Conclusion In an overall conclusion, the book of Jonah has some very unique and intriguing aspects about God and his divine plan. There is also no telling who is going to be used in God’s plan or who will accept His grace and forgiveness, so as we research the history of the characters in the Bible narratives we find many diversities. Even though those characters may screw up or deliberately disobey, God can bring good out of it, if we are willing to confess and do the write thing. God makes all things work together for good. He also cares for all of His creation, but He is willing to create some chaos in nature if it means bringing His creation, made in His image, closer to him. Practical Application A young woman, named Welma, was recently married to a man named Harry. All Welma ever wanted to do was to be a stay at home mom and be a loyal, supporting wife so she never went to college. She met Harry at a grocery store one night and one thing led to another. Now that they are married Harry has been feeling a great deal of passion to work in a prison ministry and felt particularly led towards helping men, who had sexually abused or assaulted someone, get over any shame or guilt they may have. Though Welma loves and wants to fully support Harry, she was a victim of sexual abuse and she feels as if Harry is betraying her by wanting to help men who have committed such a crime. She feels as if it is an unforgivable sin and they should have to suffer through the guilt and whatever punishment that comes their way. So though she agreed to be supportive in all Harry does, she can’t bring herself to come along side him and help in any way. Since this is how she feels she avoids the topics at all possible cost. They have only been married three years, and she doesn’t want him to feel like she is abandoning him, even though under the surface that was exactly what she was doing. She was running from the call to help her husband preach the good news of repentance and grace. It is during this time of running that she is forced to face some issues that she has been dealing with since this ministry came back up. While Harry is away at the prisons, she is reading her Bible and meditating on why she feels so hurt by Harry’s insistence on helping such bad people. She spends her time doing this at a local coffee shop and there are a group of young girls, probably in high school who have a class break during the time Welma studies at the coffee shop. Since the girls go in there on a regular basis they often see Welma studying. Two of these girls have been raised in the church, but weren’t living out God’s commands, and the other two girls had no clue what Welma was always intently studying and why should would often just be sitting there with a puzzled look on her face. One morning, while Wilma was just getting through her studies the girls decide to go say hi. Welma is somewhat surprised by this because she recalls wanting nothing to do with people her age when she was in high school. The girls ask her what she is always doing there and why she looked puzzled most of the time. Feeling bold, Welma decided to explain to her situation to the girls, and ask what they might do in that place. The two girls who were not raised in the church immediately said they would leave him. Let him do what he wants, if he is going to hurt her like that. However, the other two girls were slower to answer because deep down they had a feeling they knew what was the right thing to do. So one girl spoke up and told Welma to work it out with God and pray for the strength to forgive and move on from that incident. She told her to pray for her husband’s ministry and that God could slowly work Welma into helping him with small tasks at first, but gradually be brought in and help out with big things. The girl’s three friends were shocked at how their friend answered Welma’s question. They had never heard her talk like that or heard her talk about God. With this, being such a shock, the girls were instantly intrigued and in awe of this wisdom and advice, which sounded like there was more behind it. So together Welma and the two girls who had grown up in church were able to minister to the other two girls. Over time Welma was able to jump into helped Harry with what she could, but mostly just supporting him since it was mostly just a men’s prison ministry. Welma was able to let go of her past and let God heal her and even better, Welma was able to start a high school ministry with those girls and teens that were in abusive situations. Through Welma’s distress and discomfort with the Gospel message being brought to people who had done terrible things, God was able to mend Welma’s broken heart, strengthen her marriage, and start a whole other ministry with girls who had been in her same scenario. Bibliography Baker, D.W., T. Desmond Alexander, Bruce K. Waltke. Obadiah, Jonah, Micah: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, Ill.: Intervarsity Pr, 1988. Bolin, Thomas M. â€Å"Should i Not Also Pity Nineveh? Divine Freedom in the Book of Jonah.† Journal for the Study of the Old Testament no. 67 (1995): 109-20. Cary, Phillip. Jonah. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2008. Ferguson, Paul. â€Å"Who Was the King of Nineveh in Jonah 3: 6.† Tyndale Bulletin 42, no. 7 (1996): 301-14. Forti, Tova. â€Å"Of Ships and Seas, and Fish and Beasts: Viewing the Concept of Universal Providence in the Book of Jonah through the Prism of Psalms.† Journal for the Study of the Old Testament35, no. 3 (March 1, 2011): 359-374.Sargent James E., Basic Bible Commentary: Hosea through Jonah. Graded Press, 1988. Jenson, Philip Peter. Obadiah, Jonah, Micah: a Theological Commentary. New York: T&T Clark, 2008. Lamb, Christopher. â€Å"Nineveh Revisited: Theory and Practice in Interfaith Relations.† International Bulletin of Missionary Research (October 1984): 156-58. Limburg, James. Jonah: a Commentary. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993. Sargent, James E. Hosea through Jonah. Graded Press, 1988. Sasson, Jack M. Jonah (the Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries). London: Yale University Press, 1995. Timmer, Daniel C. â€Å"A Gracious and Compassionate God: Mission, Salvation and Spirituality in the Book of Jonah.† Westminster Theological Journal (March 1, 2008): 159-75. Wiseman, Donald J. â€Å"Jonah’s Nineveh.† The Tyndale Biblical Archaeology Lecture (1997): 29-51.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Individuality in 20th Century Art Essay

20th Century art has spawned great art forms. Its evident transformation had triggered the question of whether or not the development was caused by the pure genius of the artist or by the preceding art that he was born into. This essay will discuss how the artists of the 20th century have made art almost indefinable (Nicolas Pioch, The 20th century) by looking into the quotes of Immanuel Kant (1790) and Andre Malraux (1953), as well as looking at some actual works before and after 1950 which would illustrate that art has clearly become an expression of an artist’s emotions and thoughts as honed by the past. As individuality steps in, we will closely look at how an individual’s person is actually affected by his experiences and orientation on various aspects of his existence such as how he could have been raised, how he may have been exposed to previous artworks and the like. Immanuel Kant, in his quote from the Critique of Judgment (1790) had clearly defined genius as, â€Å"a talent for producing that for which no definite rule can be given†. I believe that this is like how scientists are referred to as geniuses, they have defied popular beliefs or what had actually become a norm for their time or era. They would produce materials that are not usual for the majority. Similar to this, I believe that such was also the case as he may have found that an artwork, which proved to be unique for its genre, is already a product of a genius. A good example of what was said to be a work of a genius was that of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Donatello’s Crucifix (images shown in the Documentation). These were considered unique and were painted outside the what was considered as standard during their time or era, as these works had clearly defied the usual idea of what our usual picture of the heavens is (Starry Night) as well as the common picture of how Christ was crucified. Texture of these creations also scream of individuality as was the case with Van Gogh’s work. As was said by I. Kant, â€Å"originality must be its primary property† for an art to be considered as the work of a genius. It is clear he meant that it was something that was not usually done but did not deduce it to not being influenced at all by artworks that came before them. Instead the focus was on how they have made their creations different from the others without necessarily straying from the same idea or thought. Like in Van Gogh’s work, there had already been paintings depicting the heavens at night but its form and texture as well as the colors utilized were clearly out of the ordinary and had been very original despite the presence of previous artworks that had been made. On the other hand, Andre Malraux’s, â€Å"The Voices of Silence† (1953) compared artwork to a child that matures. Meaning that art basically evolves. It does not necessarily veer away from its contemporaries but is created from what he may have experienced. Like a child that may have learned to walk more carefully after acquiring a scratch from a fall, an artist was also said to rise from their own conflicts and the achievements of their predecessors. A person that may have lived within a war-torn era may create an artwork that depicts what he had witnessed, at the same time picking out best practices from works that were previously done by others and using them as inspiration to put his experience or what he had witnessed into a work of art. As such, A. Malraux was right about picking them out â€Å"from their struggle with the forms that others have imposed on life†. We note though, that experiences do not necessarily remain within the context of a person’s personal struggles but can derive thoughts from their successes as well or the comfort that they may have had. A classic example is Jose Manuel Merello Arvilla’s â€Å"bodegon electrico†, which depicts Spain’s colorful yet subdued culture evident in the shades and texture utilized. Similar to this is Vijendra Singh Devra’s painting of a three-part series called the Blue Night, where the texture was actually smooth and the contrast was stark that may be an evidence of the painter’s experiences or social status. It may not be easy to defy the norms. An artist is faced with the risk of being singled out either as great or poor. The genre of which the artwork is in defines the product that the artist creates. As mentioned in â€Å"Necrophilic Logics and the revolt of the imagination†, http://www. geocities. com/kk_abacus/carp. html: A split between the rational and irrational is constructed by every rational system; each rationality creates a corresponding irrationality, that which does not fit inside of it. Therefore, each rational system has inherent limits. To break out of a rationality, one must also be capable of conceiving of that which lies beyond the limits of that system. Rational systems can be useful tools but they can also become mental prisons. There is a slim demarcation between the subconscious and the imagination of a person as it says that both are something that goes beyond the inherent limits of man’s rationality. As such, it is clear that an artist’s genius is based on how he creates a unique description of what he has undergone or experienced as well as his absorption of what had been proven effective and successful for other artists as well.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How to Write a Thesis on the History of American Business

How to Write a Thesis on the History of American Business In the previous two guides, we discussed 10 facts for a thesis on the history of American business and 20 topics for a thesis on the history of American business, to help you built a strong foundation so that you can write a great thesis for your paper. In this final guide, we discuss how you will actually plan and write your thesis on the history of American business. Reading this guide will help improve your thesis in a number of ways by adding high credibility and worthiness to it. Here is how to write a thesis on the history of American business: Develop a Thesis First Let’s imagine, for a moment, that you are a member of a jury whose main purpose is to listen to the lawyer proposing an open argument. What would you want from that lawyer? You would want to know if he/she believes the accused is guilty. You’ll also want to know why he believes so, and how he plans to convince you of this notion. That is pretty much how your readers think while reading your thesis. Consider your audience as jury members. They want to know what you will argue about and how you plan to do it. An effective thesis isn’t a topic, a fact or an opinion. Instead, a good thesis discusses two key points of your paper: What you plan to argue. How you plan to argue â€Å"it† or your main take-away; i.e. what your support for your claim is and where it’s going to go in your essay. How to Construct a Thesis Here is how a thesis is ideally constructed: Analyze your primary sources first. Seek tension, ambiguity, complication, controversy and interest. Know if the author contradicts himself/herself or not. Keep an eye out for a point that’s made then reversed later. Find out the deeper implications of the author’s argument, if there are any. Seek out what we have described above and you’ll have a clear idea on developing a thesis that actually works and sounds like a thesis. Write down the thesis as soon as you have a working one. It is very frustrating to have a great idea for a thesis, then forgetting it due to losing your train of thought. Writing down a thesis will make you think clearly, concisely and logically. Be wary though; your first written thesis would not serve as a final draft. However, you’ve written something that’s appropriate for your audience, so good job! Readers are used to finding thesis at the end of the introductory paragraph (generally, this is a rule of thumb in academic papers), usually in a 5-15 page essay. So it’s always recommended to have your thesis statement where it belongs which allows the reader to automatically pay more attention to it. However, seek advice from your professor about the placement of your thesis statement, since it can vary from paper to paper. Note that every argument houses a counterargument and you should anticipate which ones need to be refuted later on. This helps in refining your thesis even more, strengthens it further, and makes it more convincing and interesting to read. The Traits of an Effective Thesis To make your thesis admirable, convincing, solid and interesting to read, keep in mind the following traits which make for an effective thesis: It’s never a question. It’s never a list. It isn’t vague, confrontational or combative. It holds an arguable and definable claim. It is as clear and specific as a thesis can be. Now get going and do your best! We’re certain that you’re going to be admired for the hard work you put into your business thesis. Just follow our guidelines as strictly as possible and you’re all set. Happy writing!

Monday, October 21, 2019

Global Business Strategy United Parcel Services

Global Business Strategy United Parcel Services Introduction Globalisation has resulted to an increase in international trade; despite the collapse of Doha negotiations in 2008, trade among countries is increasing. Countries trade through economic policies of absolute and comparative advantage. For effectiveness and efficiency in the trade, transport and communication are important. There are international companies which have invested in global logistic service provision.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Global Business Strategy: United Parcel Services specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More United Parcel Service is an international logistic company which has been in the business for over a century. To venture in international market and remain competitive, there are strategic management decisions made by the company (Joshi, 2005). This paper looks into the company’s global business strategy, it will undertake a PESTLE analysis, use Michael Porters Five Forces an d Three Generic Strategies to evaluate the current strategies of the company. Aim of the report The report aims at using management tools to evaluate the effectiveness of current strategies adopted by United Parcel Services Company. It will evaluate internal and external conditions facing the company. Brief history of UPS UPS was founded as a messenger company in United States of America in 1907. Initially, it only targeted local markets. However the company has grown to a multi-billion company facilitating trade across the globe. Currently it enjoys a strong brand name with presence in all continents. It is respected for its efficiency. It focuses on two services; packaging and logistics services. Daily, the company is able to facilitate businesses in over 200 destinations daily. It uses the e-Commerce, supply chain management and frontiers of logistics to facilitate the transfer of technology, goods and funds (UPS corporate Website, 2010). Depending with the type of goods/services the company is transacting, it chooses the mode of transport to adopt. It ranges from sea, road, electronic transfer and air transport.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The name UPS was rebranded in 2003 with the aim of showing the world its intentions to be the world largest and most efficient supply logistic service provider in the world. Currently the company employs approximately 4,606 employees distributed in different countries. According to a report by Zemanta on July 26th, 2008, Ups is facing systematic problems. This causes unreasonable delay in delivery of services which lead to un-satisfied customers. The failure has been occasioned by system failures resulting to un-updated system. With such a system, there have been times that goods were thought to have been un-transported from their country/destination of origin but after a thorough check, they are f ound in UPS warehouses in the intended destination or other destinations. This has caused unreasonable delay and customers lose confidence with the company. The company maintains alliances with companies situated in different parts of the world where parcels can be dropped or collected by a customer. There are some dropping points which results to loss to the company because of their low flow of customers. Despite this, the company have maintained the outlets. The company has also been facing situations of lost packages. This may be from theft, or ignorance from the staffs (UPS corporate Website, 2010). UPS PESTEL analysis PESTEL is the stands of Political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal analysis. It is a management tool that is used to analyse the external environment that a company is operation in. UPS is operating as an international company and thus its external environment goes further than an analysis of a single countries external environment. The wo rld is facing a rapid increase in international trade. This has been facilitated by globalisation and interdependency that countries have developed. When one part of the world having an absolute /comparative advantage over another, there is a tendency to concentrate on production of such goods and importing those goods and services which it cannot produce efficiently.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Global Business Strategy: United Parcel Services specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More An increase in international trade is an increase in business for UPS as it facilitated the flow of goods and services (Kermally, 2003). Political factors The world is recovering from world economic crisis which started in 2007. It is believed that the crisis started in United States of America after a collapse of financial institutions. It is in the same country that UPS has a strong market. The effects of the crisis are reduced internati onal trade where countries have placed trade barrier, tariffs and non tariffs, to protect their economies from effects of the crisis. This has resulted to reduced business in UPS. World countries were specifically more careful when trading with United States and this affected the company sales. In 2008, there was the collapse of Doha negotiations which were aimed at facilitating international trade without trade barriers (free trade). This could have been a good political decision to the company as it would have seen an increase in trade and thus a demand for supply logistic services from the company (Kotler Lane, 2009). Economic factors The world is recovering from world financial crisis. The crisis had affected international business negatively as trade among countries reduced. This acted to the disadvantage of UPS. One of the ways that the world has used to recover from the crisis is increasing consumer consumption preferences. This is through reducing lending rate of interests. UPS has benefited in such policies and is using the low cost loans to invest in different countries. For example in 2003, UPS acquired Purchasing Menlo Worldwide Forwarding, a company that increased the company’s capacity in air cargo handling. The next year, 2005, the company acquired Overnite company to increase the company’s access in Northern America. During the period, the company also made other acquisition in United Kingdom and Poland. These acquisitions were made possible by deteriorated businesses in these companies which lead to their disposal and availability of affordable capital financing loans. The trend in international business thus has negative effects on UPS but comes with opportunities that the company has utilized for its benefit (Nersesian, 2000)Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Technological factors The world is facing an increased technology improvement. There are new systems developed to facilitate international trade among countries. Other than trade facilitation, there have an increase in technological transfer where UPS services are contracted. To align its services with the new trend, the company have also adopted technology. For example it has introduced cargo tracking systems where it can trace the direction of its tracks or other modes of transport. Technological development has also posed some challenges to the company. This is mostly in electronic money transfer, mobile money transfer and internet fund transfers. This has resulted to reduced business. For example, Safaricom, a Kenyan mobile service provider invented mobile transfer service via phone, in April 2010, the services were exported to United Kingdom and are proving to be more efficient than UPS fund transfer services. UPS has embarked on technological improvement. It has gained a numbe r of awards as the best in technology. For example in 2009, it was given a present by InformationWeek in 500 Most Innovative Business Technology Organizations. The company has a centralised information and technology department. The chief execute officer of IS/IT department is called David Barnes Social factors The world is increasing in population and literacy level. Increased population has lead to demand for better ways of resource management which is facilitated by international trade. From thing angle the company is benefiting as it transport goods and services across borders. There are campaigns urging people , governments and international bodies to respect human rights. With such advocacy, people are moving from one country to another for education, settlement and leisure. This has facilitated the need for service and goods transfers across borders. For example there have been an increased number of students from Africa studying in Australia. This number has created an incre ase in transfer of funds from home country to Australia and forth. With such changes in social trends business in the country have increased (Neumann, Ringbeck Schwegmann, 2000) Environmental factors There is an increase in environmental conservation campaigns all over the world. Different countries are taking different measures to ensure that they protect their environment. International bodies are also playing an important part in ensuring that the different countries adopt different policies aimed at conserving the environment. on 11 December 1997, 37 industrialised countries and the European Union, signed the Kyoto protocol in Japan. The protocol was target to have been fully implemented by 16 February 2005. It was developed by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The main aim of the protocol was to ensure that emission of green house gasses was reduced by 5% below their level in 1990 by the end of 2010. The protocol targeted the major greenhouse emitters and developed measures to be implemented. The protocol has though not been fully honoured but has offered some guidelines on how governments should reduce green house emission. Of late in 2010, there were talks in Copenhagen aimed at devising measures to protect the environment. The talks failed as countries took strong stands against the recommended ways of conservation (Roberts, 2008). UPS does not ignore environmental conservations. It protects the environment by adopting technological measures that reduces pollution. Right from its incorporation it has continuously improved its process. In 1930s, the company was depending on electric vehicles to transport products in new York, at the time, this was a high environmental friendly means of transport instead of using vehicles which used fossil fuel. The company’s vehicles commonly known as â€Å"brown cars† are well serviced to ensure that there is minimal emission from them. The company enjoys as the world’s larges t company with vehicles operating under compressed natural gas (CNG). These vehicles are highly fuel efficient and emit minimal green house gasses to the environment. The company whether in United States or abroad recognises the need to conserve the environment. It is a signatory of responsible business models which gives a mechanism that a company should adopt when undertaking its business (UPS corporate Website, 2010). Legal factors Different countries have different business laws which it requires followed in their country. When UPS gets into a company, it seeks legal advice from legal experts in the country to ensure that it abides by the laws of the country. Where there are international laws, then it abides to them accordingly. UPS Current strategy To evaluate the company’s current strategy, this report will take use porters five forces and three genetic strategies. Porters five forces Porter in 1985, came up with five forces that can be used in analysis current positio n in a company. They are; Suppliers power The company’s suppliers have an influence on the market share that a company is likely to enjoy. If an industry has limited suppliers but a high demand of supplies, then goods are likely to be expensive. To have product differentiation, a company need to have reliable suppliers. UPS being in the service industry has its inputs more skewed to services. Customers requesting for services from the company are seen as the suppliers of to the company. There other supporting materials like packaging bags, vehicles and airplanes. The company has attained a differentiation of its vehicles by their colour. Customers, in this case doubles as suppliers, they supply the company with parcels, cash, and goods of various nature to transport. Companies doing the same business include FedEx, DHL and United States Postal Service. Barriers to entry Companies in an industry place certain barriers to entry in the market. These barriers include economies of scales, low production cost and input access strategy. UPS has been favoured by its strong brand name in the world. It is able to venture into a market and through the strength of its brand able to successfully launch and enter in that country. Access to raw materials is not a problem since the main materials are from customers which the company has entertained through its strong brand name. Because of its size, it enjoys economies of scale and this is can venture into a country and produce at a reduced cost. One of the main strategies that UPS uses to venture in international markets is acquisitions. In 2001, when it wanted to venture in retail mail delivery service business, it acquired Mail Boxes Etc. The company has tapped into the fast growing Asian market and it deepened it service in 2005 when it started a direct route of transfer between U.S. and Guangzhou, China. Threats of substitutes The company is threatened by companies in the same industries and technology. The major companies which threaten the company are FedEx and DHL. They are doing the same business and have a wide customer base. Mobile and internet use has created a threat to the company. This is because the number of letters that were previously sent through the company has been largely replaced by telephone and email communication. Mobile and internet fund transfer has offered a different route to customers to transfer money across borders, this was a business that UPS had invested in. Such seems include PayPal, wire transfer and Mpesa. Buyer power The company targets customers placed in different parts of the world. It offers services that a customer contracts form the company using the internet, sales offices and authorised dealers. The industry is highly competitive and these customers have a choice among similar providers to use. The choice of a company to the other is dependent on how reliable a company is. UPS benefits from a strong brand name and its reliability. This has made the company enjoy increased customer royalty. Rivalry International supply logistic business is highly competitive. to maintain competitive in such an industry, the company require offering consumer oriented services. It should be offer reliable services and aims at developing customer royalty (Hitt, Hoskisson Ireland, 2003). Three Generic Strategies Differentiation UPS has two kind of service that it offers; packaging services and transporting services. To serve its customer right, the company ensures that it makes it packages affordable and available to all classes of people. Those people who are using freight have their special package and those parcels on road have a different rate. Those using water has their package, small and large scale customers are incorporated. To remain competitive the company aims at improving its service to attain more customer satisfaction and loyalty. Lately it invented computer cargo tracking system which is one such development (Hitt, Hoskisson Irel and, 2003). Overall cost leadership The company’s prices are dictated by the bulkiness and the weight that a customer products has. This ensure that there is equality and those customers who are transporting small portions of goods are charged proportionately to these products. The payment system which is electronic facilitate for quick payment for service given. Focus The company has concentrated in one area and dominated. The company has physical station is some countries however in those countries that it does not have offices there are brokers or the website assists customers to get services from the company. When venturing other countries, it tends to follow the trend in the market. Where there are increased business is where the company is investing (Harris, Dennis, 2008). Urgent issues in UPS that need to be addressed Modern service industry is drastically changing. There is a move to a more customer focuses services. customers on the other hand have learnt and unders tood their rights. UPS has evolved over time and its offering consumer satisfactory services however there has been incidences where some cargo already transported or those which have arrived in UPS offices are not recorded. This is ignorance which should be addressed by the management. Where there is ignorance, there is customer dissatisfaction. Thus the company should invest in its human resources management. If there are inadequate staffs, then they should recruit and put on effective motivational measures. System failures are also other issues of urgency in the company. The company should ensure that its computers are working well so as they can serve their customers well. If a customer want to know how far his cargo is, the system should be able to tell (Dann Dann, 2004). Recommendations to improve the services of UPS UPS can be applauded for adopting an E-marketing strategy but more need to be done to ensure that it remains competitive in the changing logistics industry. Some of the areas that it needs to improve are in online businesses. UPS’s website has limited information this discouraging since customer has to wait for a long period of time before he gets a response from customer care desk. The reason for this is that the call centres are only in the head office. What the company need to do is to decentralize this service and make it available to its brokers and local offices. This improve customer’s satisfaction and increasing loyalty. Computers are not always reliable and sometimes they have failed the company. This is when servers are down or under repair. This has hindered the delivery of services by the company. An upgraded technology should be adopted to ensure that there is a backup when a case of system failure occurs (Bocij, 2005). There is a customer care service method that DHL has adopted but UPS has not attained it yet; this is door to door delivery. The company’s service mostly ends up at warehouses or at the port of destination. To ensure more customer satisfaction, there is need to adopt a door to door strategy where it can deliver products right to the consumers. This will assist the company command a more customer base and be the preferred choice of Logistics’ Company. Although it has adopted a cargo tracking system, the system has taken long to mature. It is faced with technological failure and is inefficient to certain countries. The system is monitored from the head office and faces challenges of adequate monitoring. It should be decentralized and customers assured that they will get information about their cargo with precision. Today’s marketing strategy has taken a different approach, this is where alongside computerized marketing, customer-company relation are developed to ensure that it benefits from repeat customers. Although the company has a strong brand name, strategies to retain customers should be put in place (Champy Wang, 2000) Conclusion UPS is an internati onally recognised logistic company with its headquarters in United States. It has been in logistic and supply chain management business for more than a century and enjoys a strong brand name. UPS Business is affected by the environment it’s operating in. There has been a reduced business resulting from global financial crisis, technological innovations and globalisation. To remain competitive in the changing global market, the company has invested in giving its customer good services although it is failed sometimes by computer systems and ignorance of employees and products handlers. References Bocij, Ch.et al. 2005. Business Information Systems: Technology, Development and Management for the E-business. Harlow. Prentice Hall. Champy, J. Wang, A. 2000 Accelerated Logistics: Streamlining the Armys Supply Chain. Santa Monica. CA. Dann, S. Dann, S. 2004. â€Å"Strategic Internet Marketing 2.0†. New York. John Wiley Sons. Harris, L. Dennis, C. 2008. â€Å"Marketing th e e-Business†, 2nd edition. New York. Routledge. Hitt, M, Hoskisson, R Ireland. 2003. Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization. South Western. Thomson Learning. Joshi, R. 2005. International Marketing. New delhi. Oxford University Press. Kermally, S. 2003. Gurus on Marketing. London. Thorogood. Kotler, P Lane K.2009. A Framework for Marketing Management (4th ed.). New Jersey. Pearson Prentice Hall. Nersesian, R. 2000. Trends and Tools for Operations Management: An Updated Guide for Executives and Managers. Westport. Quorum Books. Neumann, C, Ringbeck, J Schwegmann, V.2000. â€Å"Best Practice in Logistics†, The McKinsey Quarterly, p. 19. Roberts, M.L. 2008. Internet Marketing: Integrating online and offline strategies. Melbourne. Thomson. UPS corporate Website.2010. Web. Zemanta, Z. 2008. â€Å"Does UPS have Deep Systematic Problem?†Web.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Learning to Learn Skills as a Foundation

Learning to Learn Skills as a Foundation Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other developmental disabilities often lack skills that are pre-requisites for success in school. Before a child can acquire language, hold a scissors or pencil, or learn from instruction, he or she needs to be able to sit still, pay attention and imitate the behaviors or remember the content of instruction. These skills are commonly known, among practitioners of Applied Behavior Analysis, as Learning to Learn Skills: In order to succeed with children with Autism, it is important that you evaluate whether they have those learning to learn skills. The Skill Set Waiting: Can the student stay in place while you arrange materials, or begin a session?Sitting: Can the student stay seated, on both buttocks, in a chair?Attending to others and materials: Can you get the student to pay attention to you (the instructor) or when presented with materials?Changing responses based on prompts: Will the student change what he/she is doing if directed to do so, with physical, gestural or verbal prompts.Following instructions: When given instructions, will the child comply? This implies that the child has receptive language.Following choral, or group instructions: Does the child follow directions when given to a whole group? Or does the child only respond to directions given with their name? The Continuum The learning to learn skills above are really arranged in a continuum. A child may learn to wait, but may not be able to sit appropriately, at a table. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders often have co-morbid problems, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD ) and may have never sat for more than a few seconds in one spot. By finding reinforcement that a child really wants, you can often shape these primary behavioral skills. Once you have completed a reinforcement assessment (evaluating and discovering reinforcement that your child will work for,) you can begin to assess where a child is on the continuum. Will he sit and wait for a preferred food item? You can move from the preferred food item to a favorite or preferred toy. If the child has sitting and waiting skills, you can expand it to find if the child will attend to materials or instruction. Once that is evaluated, you can move on. Most often, if a child has attending skills, he may also have receptive language. If not, that will be the first step of teaching the ability to respond to prompts. Prompting. Prompting also falls on a continuum, from hand over hand to gestural prompts, with the focus on fading prompts to reach independence. When paired with language, it will also build receptive language. Receptive language is critical for the next step. Following directions If a child will respond correctly to prompts, when paired with words, you can teach following directions. If a child already responds to verbal directions, the next thing to assess is: Does a child follow choral or group instructions? When a child can do this, he or she is ready to spend time in the general education classroom. This should hopefully be an outcome for all our children, even if only in a limited way. Teaching the Learning to Learn Skills The learning to learn skills can be taught either in one to one sessions with an ABA therapist (should be supervised by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, or BCBA) or in an early intervention classroom by the teacher or a classroom aide with training. Often, in early intervention classrooms, you will have children who come in with a range of abilities in the learning to learn skills and you will need to focus the attention of a single aide on children who most need to build the basic sitting and waiting skills. The instructional model for ABA, like the model for behavior, follows an ABC sequence: A: Instruction. This needs to fit the outcome. If the first instruction is to sit, you may have to physically guide the child into the chair, accompanied by a verbal description of what is happening: Sit down, please. Okay, were sitting with our feet on the floor, our bum on the chair.B: Behavior. What the behavior is will determine the next step.C: Feedback. This is either correcting the response or praise, either paired with reinforcement, a token (secondary reinforcement) or once you have some behavioral momentum, every second to fourth correct response, or correction. The most important thing is to be clear about what is the desired response - you never want to reinforce an incorrect response (although an approximation is appropriate when shaping behavior. Called Discrete Trial Teaching, each instructional trial is very brief. The trick is to mass the trials, in other words, bring the instruction on hard and heavy, increasing the amount of time that the child/client is engaged in the targeted behavior, whether it is sitting, sorting, or writing a novel. (Okay, thats a bit of an exaggeration.) At the same time the teacher/therapist will be spreading out the reinforcement, so that each successful trial will get feedback, but not necessarily access to reinforcement. The Goal The final outcome should be that students with Autism Spectrum Disorders will be able to succeed in more naturalistic settings, if not actually in a general education classroom. Pairing secondary or social reinforcers with those primary reinforcers (preferred items, food, etc.) will help children with more challenging disabilities function appropriately in the community, interact with people appropriately and learn to communicate, if not to use language and interact with typical peers.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 is misleadingly named. It only Essay

The Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 is misleadingly named. It only deals with a tiny subset of terms, and does nothing to make sure that contracts are fair - Essay Example Every member in the contract is expected to play his or her relevant obligation in ensuring that the contractual terms and conditions are not breached. The contracts also define the consequences associated with breaching of the terms and conditions that sustains the contract. This act is always deployed in conjunction with the unfair terms in consumer contacts regulation (UTCCR) 1999, the Sales Goods Act 1979 and the supply of goods and services Act 1982. The three enactments are inseparable .However; the enactment has manifested a lot of weaknesses that makes it unfair to the individual members of the contract. This includes the following. Negligence, which is one of the factors in the enactment, has given freedom the insurance companies to deny the liability in case of a tragedy subscribed for in the insurance contract (Eaglestone,2004). Insurance companies are expected to compensate individual or company in case ofan accident. Always individuals subscribe to the service periodically in order to be protected during the times of crisis. Inmost cases these companies take an excuse of reckless nesses to evade the liability. This is common in vehicles indulged in accidents. It is unfair todeny responsibility in which somebody is paying for. Under such a situation, the client is fixed falsely for falling into tragedy. The act does not give consumers the right to take part in solving problems arising from their contracts (Kidner,2005). The business is the only party mandated to provide the solutions based on its own interest. For instances, in case a customer defaults to clear the loans, the institution itself is the only party that sets the penalties without involving the customers in such decisions. Also, the kind of penalties sometimes imposed on the consumers are very heavy to be cleared easily. In most cases the states force people, especially the government workers to join such contracts. In facts several nations have made it one of the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Analyzing Psychological Disorders Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analyzing Psychological Disorders - Term Paper Example A second part of the paper shall discuss two cases from a biopsychologist’s viewpoint including a discussion of the problem in relation to the nature-nurture issue. This case study shall consider any helpful drug interventions or solutions to the cases, as well as any positive or negative aspects of the drug interventions of solutions. This paper is being conducted in order to ensure a thorough and comprehensive understanding of psychological disorders and the role of health professionals in modifying its impact on patients. Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating disease which affects both men and women equally. The term is of Greek origin which basically translates to â€Å"split mind† (Coconcea, 2005). Based on that translation, schizophrenia does not also refer to â€Å"split personality† or multiple personality disorder, but refers to another disease exhibiting other symptoms in the patient. From a physiological standpoint, the areas of the brain affected by schizophrenia are theorized by different clinicians and experts on the subject matter. Basically, however, according to the dopamine hypothesis, the neurotransmitter dopamine appears as an overactive neurotransmitter for those with schizophrenia (Campbell, 2010). This over-activity seems to produce motor and cognitive problems in the patient which often manifests as audio and visual hallucinations. In terms of structure as seen in MRI images, the brains of schizophrenics (particularly, the frontal lobe) show reduced gray matte r and decreased brain volume (Campbell, 2010). The ventricles and the basal nuclei are also affected since these appear larger for schizophrenics; the hippocampus and amygdala are also different as they appear smaller for these patients (Campbell, 2010). In a theory set forth by Pierce Howard, he explains that the brain normally goes through the process of â€Å"synaptic pruning† from

Patrick Henry Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Patrick Henry - Research Paper Example His Childhood Patrick Henry was born on May 29, 1736 to a Scottish-born planter in Studley in Hanover County, Virginia. He was the second born in a family of nine and began attending a local school few years after birth. However, he is reported to have received much of his education from his father, alumni of King’s College in Aberdeen. He is reported to have been a brilliant musical child who liked playing flute and fiddle. At the same time, he used to escort his uncle to religious sermons, where he is thought to have molded his great oratory style (Soylent Communications, 2012). Henry is said to have been a very ambitious boy who knew what is good for him. He began working at the age of 15 when he secured a job as a clerk at a nearby merchant store. However, he later partnered with his elder brother with whom they opened their own store. Nevertheless, the business was not successful as it collapsed few months after opening. It is here that Henry had the first experience of f ailure in his life. He met his wife Sarah Shelton in 1754, who paid him a 600-acre piece of land in the form of a dowry. Henry then resorted to farming by growing tobacco in this piece of land, something that he did for three years before bowing for lack of good returns. Immediately after abandoning farming, a misfortune befallen Henry when their farmhouse caught fire destroying everything they owned. As a result, he opted to take over the management of his father-in-law’s tavern where he got money to study law. He soon got a law license in 1760 after which he began practicing as a lawyer (Raphael, 2004). Politician and Lawyer Henry demonstrated his brilliance a persuasive lawyer soon after beginning his law practice, which made his very famous and reputable lawyer in the entire state of Virginia. This he argued and won a "Parson's Cause" case in 1763, which was meant to change the way church leaders were being paid in the U.S. However, King George III later overturned the la w prompting one of the clergy to sue for back pay thereby wining the case. However, it was Henry’s persuasive argument against the minister’s a move that made the clergy be paid damages. In the case, Henry pointed out high level of royal interference and greed on legal decisions. In the end, he managed to persuade the jury to award the lowest possible award to church ministers (Soylent Communications, 2012). He later developed an interest in politics and was soon elected to the House of Burgesses. His election to the House of Burgesses gave him the opportunity to prove himself as a voice of dissent against the colonial policies pursued by the British government. His radical voice of opposition against the British policies was first witnessed when he strongly opposed the British move to tax every printed-paper used by the colonists through the Stamp Act of 1765. He argued during the debate that only the colony should be allowed to tax its citizens and not the vice versa . In fact, some members in the house are reported to have cited Henry’s comments as treason, but Henry being a courageous man stood his ground. Report indicates that his suggestion on how the matter should be handled received wide media coverage in the U.S. and beyond, as copies to his suggestions were later distributed to colonies, which helped in inciting people against the Briti

Thursday, October 17, 2019

CORRECTIONAL PSYCHOLOGY Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CORRECTIONAL PSYCHOLOGY - Research Paper Example Forensic hospitalization averages $500 per day while a jail’s housing cost is only $50.00. Buelle (2003) comments that â€Å"shifts in public policy regarding public safety, de-institutionalization of mental health populations and complexities in accessing funding for mental health treatment all have contributed to this problem† (p. 141). Sabbatine (2007) add that jail is the only institution that accepts everyone legally presented for custody unlike some mental health institutions which have admission criteria. That is why there is a growing population of mentally disturbed offenders in correctional facilities. However, since these inmates are psychologically ill, they have the right to be treated while incarcerated. The American Psychiatric Association, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and the American Correctional Association all agree that these inmates need to go through screening and diagnosis so the necessary treatment can be done. Diagnosis is determined from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth Edition (DSM-IV). This system has a five axis/ level structure. The most significant disorders are on the first axis and are termed Axis I disorders, which include schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and major depression, among others. Mentally ill offenders are at times identified by these Axis I disorders. (Norton, 2005). Treatment would include a variety of care options incorporating crisis intervention, ongoing psychiatric treatment – accompanied by psychotropic medication, if prescribed, and well-trained mental health staff who undergo an ongoing training program in the treatment and care of the mentally ill (Maloney, Ward & Jackson, 2003). There are many available options for treatment of mentally disturbed offenders ranging from simple psychotherapy to psychotropic medication to community-based therapy. These shall be described in detail as follows: A number of counseling and psychotherapeutic

State of Maryland Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

State of Maryland - Research Paper Example This technology may play a great role in better treatment of a person. It has improve the worth, protection and competence of medical records. The EHR has eliminated the effects of illegible handwriting of the doctor or other staff. One does not have to face any difficulty while reviewing the patient’s record, because all the information is clear and to the point. To enter the data in the EHR the patient have to fill a form that is downloaded to the EHR. The patient’s record is updated with every visit he makes. The result of the laboratory tests any other related diagnosis are too updated with time. Also if the patient admitted in the hospital and its discharge summaries are also noted down in the record. One can also create graphs of the patient’s blood pressure level within specific time interval, its increase or decrease in weight, height, etc. (Leading EHR Solutions from Sentinel Health, 2013) This program can save so much time, as one doesn’t have to look all through the files and find a patient’s record; it’s just a click away. The patient’s whole medical history can be accessed through the computer in the hospital, within seconds. This can help the physician to study in detail the patient’s health care history, for their better treatment. Maryland was the first state to reward incentive to the health care institutions, who are effectively implementing the use Electronic Health Record. House bill 706 (electronic health records regulation and reimbursement) was passed, as the result of which â€Å"EHR incentive program† came into being. (Electronic Health Records , 2012). The EHR incentive program gives incentives to those hospitals and professionals, who understand, implement and exhibit the correct use of the EHR program. These incentives are distributed to encourage the use of EHR in the medical and professional field. (EHR incentive program, 2012). This incentive program is available for

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

CORRECTIONAL PSYCHOLOGY Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CORRECTIONAL PSYCHOLOGY - Research Paper Example Forensic hospitalization averages $500 per day while a jail’s housing cost is only $50.00. Buelle (2003) comments that â€Å"shifts in public policy regarding public safety, de-institutionalization of mental health populations and complexities in accessing funding for mental health treatment all have contributed to this problem† (p. 141). Sabbatine (2007) add that jail is the only institution that accepts everyone legally presented for custody unlike some mental health institutions which have admission criteria. That is why there is a growing population of mentally disturbed offenders in correctional facilities. However, since these inmates are psychologically ill, they have the right to be treated while incarcerated. The American Psychiatric Association, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and the American Correctional Association all agree that these inmates need to go through screening and diagnosis so the necessary treatment can be done. Diagnosis is determined from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth Edition (DSM-IV). This system has a five axis/ level structure. The most significant disorders are on the first axis and are termed Axis I disorders, which include schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and major depression, among others. Mentally ill offenders are at times identified by these Axis I disorders. (Norton, 2005). Treatment would include a variety of care options incorporating crisis intervention, ongoing psychiatric treatment – accompanied by psychotropic medication, if prescribed, and well-trained mental health staff who undergo an ongoing training program in the treatment and care of the mentally ill (Maloney, Ward & Jackson, 2003). There are many available options for treatment of mentally disturbed offenders ranging from simple psychotherapy to psychotropic medication to community-based therapy. These shall be described in detail as follows: A number of counseling and psychotherapeutic

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Integrated marketing communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Integrated marketing communication - Essay Example There is a much used clich sentence in marketing circles that goes - "If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door." (Crilley 2009). But according to management experts this no longer holds good today. Hence "the reality is that when you build the world's best mousetrap, customers don't naturally come knocking at the door." A product or service whether it is provided by a private or public service organization needs to market it and marketing needs marketing communication for it to succeed. According to Ms Linda Hall and Dr. Mark Wickham of the University of Tasmania, there is a lot of homogeneity in products, services and price, the concept of integrated marketing communication has become the 'new frontier' to enable organizations to differentiate themselves, their products and services from other. (Hall and Wickam). IMC is the transformation of business messages to the consumer group on an integrated basis "IMC is defined as a management concept that is designed to make all aspects of marketing communication such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing work together as a unified force rather than permitting each to work in isolation." (Lake 2009).There are several primary reasons why organizations need to change their isolated marketing communication approach to an integrated one. They are changes in the society, changes in the economy, and changes in technology. (Varey 2001, p.254). Changes in society: The behaviour and pattern of buying among consumers have undergone a sea change when compared to a few decades back. The concept of a brand loyal market has changed to a repertoire market. An article titled 'Mistakes Marketers Make' that appeared in eh Wall Street Journal states that marketers focus on building brand loyal customers, while in reality, this concept is fast disappearing. This is truer in the case of consumer goods. "Most frequently purchased consumer goods are in repertoire markets, though many consumers don't realize it." (Corkindale 2008). The feature of a repertoire market is that customers will have a basket of goods of the same type of product which he or she will alternatively buy. "In a repertoire market, the customer will buy from a repertoire of brands (more than one brand)." (Marketing Wisdom for 2004: 99 Marketers and Agencies Share Real Life Tips). The Wall Street Journal Article mentioned earlier states that in such a case marketers need to reach a larger audience and hence resorting to an integrated marketing approach will be more practical. . Changes in the economy: The cost of media advertising is increasing as time goes by. Organizations can no longer rely on a single expensive media like the television to promote their products and services. They have to be more cost conscious and at the same time be effective. An IMC strategy uses all types of promotional media and hence a marketing mix can be developed integrating less costly media with the more expensive ones. Changes in technology: Fifty years ago, the choice of advertising media would have been limited to the print and radio and television is certain markets. A little later few televisions channels appeared which later boomed with the introduction of cable TV and direct to home services. The internet as an advertising medium also became very popular. The huge increase in choice has also necessitated in an integrated marketing strategy for effectiveness. Global business scenario: Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is considered as essential part of the business operations in the global business environment .Both public and private sector organisation are required to run their business in the global competitive environment. Expansion and diversification of business operations on global basis requires integrated marketing communication. Integrated communication improves business productivity and performance on a greater extend.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Nine Major Regulatory Bodies Essay Example for Free

Nine Major Regulatory Bodies Essay 1. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS was established in 1913. Its purpose is to administer and enforce the internal revenue laws. Its stated mission is to provide America’s taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and by applying the tax law with integrity and fairness to all. (Internal Revenue Service, 2008) 2. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 created the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to regulate the securities market. â€Å"The mission of the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission is to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation†(U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2008) 3. Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF). The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) is a private sector organization that formed in 1972 to create standards for financial accounting. Its mission is to â€Å"establish financial accounting and reporting standards through an independent and open process, resulting in financial reports that provide decision useful information† (Financial Accounting Foundation, 2008) 4. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). The (FAF) formed the (FASB) in 1973 to set up standards for nongovernmental accounting and reporting. The mission of (FASB) is â€Å"to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of financial information (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2008) 5. Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). The Governmental Accounting Standards Board was organized in 1984 by FAF to generate GAAP for state and local governments. The mission of the GASB is to establish and improve standards of state and local government accounting and financial reporting that will result in useful information for users of financial reports and guide and educate the, including issuers, auditors, and users of those financial reports. (Governmental Accounting Standards Board, 2008) 6. Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board. The (FASAB) was established in 1990 by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the Comptroller General to produce GAAP for the federal government. The mission of the FASAB is to promulgate federal accounting standards after considering the financial and budgetary information, needs of citizens, congressional oversight groups, executive agencies, and the needs of other users of federal financial information. (Federal Accounting Standards Accounting Standards Advisory Board, 2008) 7. International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) Since its inception in 2001 the (IASB) has created global GAAP and standards. The mission of the (IASB) â€Å"is to develop, in the public interest a single set of high quality, understandable and international financial reporting standards (IFRS’s) for general purpose financial statements† (International Accounting Standards Board, 2008) 8. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) established the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to issue auditing standards for public auditing firms. The mission of the PCAOB is to oversee the auditors of public companies in order to protect the interests of investors and further the public interest in the preparation of informative, fair, and independent audit reports (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, 2008) 9. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants was born in 1887. The mission of the (AICP) â€Å"is to provide members with the resources, information, and leadership that enable them to provide valuable services in the highest professional manner to benefit the public as well as employers and clients† (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, 2008) References American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. (2008). AICPA Mission. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from http://www.aicpa.org/About+the+AICPA/AICPA+Mission/ Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board. (n.d.). Welcome to the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from http://www.fasb.org/facts/ Financial Accounting Foundation. (n.d.). FAF Strategic Plan. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from http://www.fasb.org/faf/Strategic_Plan.shtml Financial Accounting Standards Board. (n.d.). Facts About FASB. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from http://www.fasb.org/facts/ Governmental Accounting Standards Board. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2008, from http://www.gasb.org/. Internal Revenue Service. (n.d.). The Agency, its Mission and Statutory Authority. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=98141,00.html International Accounting Standards Board. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from http://www.iasb.org/About+Us/International+Accounting+Standards+Board+-+About+Us.htm Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. (2008). Our Mission. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from http://pcaobus.org/ U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (2008, November 7). The Investors Advocate: How the SEC Protects Investors, Maintains Market Integrity, and Facilitates Capital Formation. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from http://www.sec.gov/about/whatwedo.shtml