Hyflux Essay

In order to maximize the use the use of this natural resource, the Singapore government goes to extent where they recycle and purify the water they capture. These â€Å"policies have developed an expertise in water management that has spawned a host of profitable companies† (Chowdhury, Singapore’s All Wet- TIME, 2009) and one of the major companies in this industry is Hyflux. Hyflux is a Singaporean homegrown water treatment company that†purifies waste-, salt- and rainwater† (Chowdhury, Singapore’s All Wet- TIME, 2009). Hyflux provides a wide-ranging set of integrated services in water and renewable resources, from research and development, membrane manufacturing, process engineering, engineering, procurement and construction to operations and maintenance. Hyflux provides water desalination and filtration solution for its customers and is a global leader in membrane technology and applications for renewable resources and water solution. The company takes pride in its award winning membranes which is one of the company’s main core products. Company Vision To be the leading company the world seeks for innovative and effective environmental solutions. Company Mission To provide efficient and cost-effective solutions to meet our clients’ needs through innovation and technological advancement. Company Values: Boldness – Dare to dream, dare to do and dare to excel Entrepreneurship – Nurture the entrepreneurial spirit, embrace challenge and master change Satisfaction – Exceed internal and external customer satisfaction, take pride in work and deliver excellence Testimony – Be the face behind the brand, excel in business conduct and embrace best practices in corporate governanceHyflux has 2,000 staff worldwide (Hyflux Ltd.NA) including â€Å"200 multidisciplinary membrane specialists, researchers and scientists† (Hyflux Ltd. , NA) in the company’s networks of innovative centers and plants. Employees are widely diverse not only in terms of the countries they are from but also in their previous working background, cultures and experiences. The diverse workforce of Hyflux contributed greatl y to the success of the company through high productivity, creative thinking and effective and efficient decision making. Hyflux started business and is established in Singapore in the year 1989 and since then it has grew and built 1,000 plants in more than 400 countries worldwide. Appendix 1. 1 highlights some of the countries in which Hyflux operates in. In the countries they have plants and operate in, they provide different types of services and products. For example, in Dubai, they provide services in the sewage treatment industry and providing Kristal Membrane products while in Thailand, the company operates in both wastewater reclamation industry and chemical industry providing Kristal and FerroCep membranes. The fame and reputation of Hyflux grew bigger in Singapore and in the year 2001, it became the first water treatment company in Singapore to be listed in the Singapore Stock Exchange. The current financial standing of the company, a table is shown below comparing last year’s final year reports and this year’s reports Source: Hyflux Year end news release 2010 and 2009 (Hyflux Ltd. , 2010), (Hyflux Ltd. , 2009) The company has been increasing in revenue in the year 2010 due to the major projects that are ongoing like their major plant in located in China that has been in halt for the past year due to the economic downturn. In addition the company also earns high revenue from the public and industrial sectors. Source: Hyflux Year end news release 2010 and 2009 (Hyflux Ltd. , 2009), (Hyflux Ltd. , 2010) ————————————————- External and Internal Analysis The SWOT analysis will be used in this report to understand the company’s internal strength and weaknesses and also its external opportunities and threats. Strength One of the root strengths that Hyflux has is their CEO, Ms Olivia Lum who started the business and its operation in the year 1989. Ms Olivia Lum set strategic directions and made effective and efficient decisions for the company which enabled them to grow a small sized company hiring only 3 staff with the capital of S$20,000 to one being of the â€Å"world’s fastest-growing technology driven water solutions company† (Hyflux Ltd. , NA). As a chief executive officer, they â€Å"develop and define the organization’s purpose, objectives, strategies, and long term plans† (Lussier, 2009). Ms Lum has accumulated several skills and knowledge in the hydro-chemical, chemistry, health and entrepreneurship which enable her to make effective and efficient strategic moves which leads to the company’s growth and success. Secondly, Hyflux hires 2,000 staff worldwide, in which a staff of â€Å"200 multidisciplinary membrane specialists, researchers and scientists â€Å"(Hyflux Ltd. , NA) in their innovative centers in Singapore. Employees are great assets to any company and add more value when they are skilled, motivated and diverse. Even if Hyflux has all the advance technologies and machines, it would be of no use (or unproductive) without a human working behind it. Hyflux employs â€Å"passionate, talented and ambitious people who are constantly willing to push the boundaries of the possible. † (Hyflux Ltd. , NA). Employees who take the initiative and are driven are likely to add value to the company and its production compared to an employee who is being â€Å"forced† to do their job. According to authors John Ivancevich and Lee Soo Hoon â€Å"In most organizations in Asia, effectiveness is measured by the balance of such complementary characteristics as reaching goals, employing the skills and abilities of employees efficiently and ensuring the influx and retention of well-trained and motivated employees. † (Ivancevich & Hoon, 2002). In addition, having a diverse workforce who are specialized to do their task contributes greatly on the company’s productivity through the creative ideas given from employees who are from different backgrounds and society. Moreover, Hyflux owns award winning water-machinery and advance technology which increases their popularity and the quality of their reputation. This encourages more customers to partner and/or purchase from Hyflux and also encourages more investors to invest in the company. Weaknesses High cost on employees has accumulated a significant increase in the operational cost of the company. in order to motivate employees, Hyfluxhas to train and financially reward their employees. However, the company is focused on employees too therefore they are not looking at it as a cost but as an investment instead. Moreover, the company is experiencing high cost in the operations itself and the fluctuation of exchange rates contributes to this problem notably and that includes high loan rates from banks as well. Opportunities In Singapore, water treatment facilities are encouraged by the government to supply the country with more of the natural resource and â€Å"The first of the water agreements with Malaysia, which expires in 2011, is not likely to be renewed† (Chowdhury, 2009) therefore the government is supporting the growth and operations of Hyflux. As a matter of fact, the company has PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, as a customer and has built 4 major water desalination plants under the management of PUB. PUB has become one the largest clients of Hyflux which reflects the company’s good and sustainable relationship with the government. In most countries that Hyflux go into, the government has always looked upon them with favor and a good relationship is formulated. For example, building the â€Å"world’s largest membrane-based seawater desalination project in Magtaa, Algeria.(Hyflux Ltd. , 2009). This is supported by the local government and allowed them to be financially supported by national banks in Algeria. Threats As mentioned on the latest news release by Hyflux, one of its threats is the unpredictable change in the currency markets (Hyflux Ltd. , 2010). An instability in the currency (especially in those wherein the company operates) could accumulate losses for the company. In some parts of the world, the supply, for example, could be more costly than expected in the budget due to unstable exchange rates. In addition, operational cost of the Hyflux Group as a whole can also be unpredictable because of fluctuations in the currency. One month’s operational budget and cost can be lower and the following month, expenses could just shoot up. Another threat affecting the global operation of the company is the â€Å"persistent high unemployment rate† (Hyflux Ltd. , 2010) in key markets in the US and EU. If this goes on, the economy of those markets will definitely be affected mainly on the interest rates. As more people are unemployed, GDP decreases, leading to a decrease in the prices of goods and services. This in return will affect the exchange rates and investors will be encouraged to invest in Hyflux, however in a smaller amount but then will be paid higher dividends and returns if the economy picks up. ————————————————- Object of concern for the company One of the main objectives and strategies of Ms Olivia Lum is to be able to achieve growth in the company by expanding and reaching to all its key markets globally. But in contrast, it is also a challenge for the CEO to sustain its rapid growth† (Smith, 2004).

Being a Gentleman – Great Expectations

Great Education Many describe Charles Dickens' Great Expectations as a Bildungsroman † a novel tracing the education and spiritual growth of a young hero, in this case Philip Pirrip, better known as Pip. Pip's thoughts on education change throughout the course of the story, beginning with idealistic views of becoming a gentleman and ending with a deeper, more intellectual perspective of being a gentleman. After meeting the wealthy and once elegant Miss Havisham, Pip becomes ashamed of his life as a lowly peasant and son ofa blacksmith. He believes MissHavisham and Estella are better than he is, and he yearns to be a member of the elite. This commences his longing for an education. At first, he attempts to learn on his own, but realizes It Is a useless effort. Then, on the day young PIP Is told he will be moving to London so that he may become a gentleman, he dreams start to become reality. During PIP's childhood and adolescence, he believes that the sole purpose of his educatio n Is to become an intelligent social elite. According to Pip, the distinguished members of society with education are perhaps better than the less fortunate.Sadly, that belief becomes a part of his personality. On his Journey toward nobility, he disregards his immediate family and closest friends. He ignores his beloved Joe and Is even embarrassed to be in his presence. Every time Joes Insists on vlsltlng his old pal, Pip attempts either to sabotage the trip completely, or to shorten Joe's stay with him as much as possible. In the midst of it all, he becomes more and more obsessed with the beautiful, coldhearted Estella. As PIP matures, he slowly loses his boastful attitude. He helps his best friend,Herbert Pocket, start a business, even obtalnlng money from Miss Havisham to Invest in Herbert's business, without Herbert's knowledge. In addition, he gradually loses interest in Estella, realizing Biddy is the right woman for him. He goes home only to discover that Joe and Biddy marrie d. However, the evolved PIP feels happiness for them, while he silently suffers for himself. By the end of the novel Pip learns that there is much more to life than social rank. He is aware that family and friends are more significant than money and power.In he closing chapters as Pip is planning Magwitch's escape, he knows the Inheritance from his benefactor will cease to exist If Magwitch's Identity Is exposed. Yet, he still fights to help the old convict who insured his quest to become a gentleman. After the plan fails, Pip becomes overwhelmed with sickness, and it is Joe who arrives to nurse the disease-stricken Pip back to health. It is at this moment where Pip realizes what constitutes being a gentleman, and what does not. Joe, the person who cares for PIP the most, hsd the least amount of education roves to be the true gentleman all along.

Data Analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Data Analysis - Coursework Example The APS is intended to be representative of the whole of the population of the UK. The population covered by the survey is all people resident in private households and young people living away from the parental home in student halls of residence or similar institution during term time. The survey covers a target sample of at least 875 economically active persons for each Unitary Authority (UA)/Local Area District (LAD), and at least 450 economically active persons in Greater London Boroughs. The number of jobseekers is derived from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS), which also contains data on jobseekers allowance claimants. The data was obtained from computer systems used to administer the benefits. Although the data downloaded covers the whole Great Britain, only figures relating to London were extracted for analysis. Both datasets were downloaded from government’s Neighbourhood Statistics website  http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk Selection Process The process of selecting the jobseeker’s allowance data is as follows: on the Neighborhood Statistics website, click on Topics, then Economic deprivation, then Jobseekers allowance claimants, choose the year and tick download on the right hand side, choose Microsoft Excel file. The file download is initiated. The process is repeated for all five years. For the unemployment data, click on topics and then proceed to Economic deprivation, Worklessness: economic activity, choose the time period and check download on the right hand side, choose Microsoft Excel file. The file download begins automatically. The process is repeated for all five years. Since the analysis only sampled data from cities in London, the findings may be skewed and hence not applicable to all other cities in the rest of Great Britain. However, one strength of the paper is that it uses data covering duration of five years and therefore takes account of any seasonal or periodic fluctuations. Objective This pa per will investigate the relationship between the number of unemployed persons and the number of persons claiming jobseekers’ allowance in London region. To ensure that eligible persons are included in the survey, data pertaining to persons aged 16-64 years only was used in the analysis. Types of analyses to be conducted Analyses of the data provided will begin with an exploratory analysis followed by in-depth statistical analyses which will act as confirmatory tests to any hypothesized relationships made in the first stage of analysis. Under exploratory analyses, descriptive statistics will be computed, a relationship will also be hypothesized using a scatterplot and bar graphs. In the second phase of analysis, the equation relating the two variables will be modeled. Correlation analysis will also be used to investigate the strength of the relationship observed above. A residual plot will be used to confirm the presence or absence of outliers, the plot will also indicate whe ther there were any particular areas where the model greatly under or over-predicted the relationship between unemployed persons and persons seeking employment1. Detailed analysis and conclusions will also be made using a regression model. Data collected from the five year period has been consolidated in to two variables: unemployed (Unemployed Persons Count) and jobseekers (Jobseekers Allowance Claimants). EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS Descriptives of the data is as shown: A plot for the individual years covered during the study is shown

Lorenzo's Oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lorenzo's Oil - Essay Example Also featured as an important aspect of this film is the way that the home care nurses treated their patient whom they knew was an invalid. Their negativism was poisonous to the childs environment and contributed to the undue stress that the child and the family were already experiencing. The main thing that inspired me about the family in this movie was the fact that they never allowed anyone to tell them what they could and could not do for their son. The Odones are the epitome of parents who put everything on the line in order to give their son a life. Granted that it may have not been a life that the boy would have chosen for himself and maybe, the boy at a certain point was already begging to die, but what kind of person would give up on his own life when his own family has fought so hard to keep him alive? Lorenzo himself was an inspiration as he bravely battled his physical and inner demons in order to continue with his life and his mission. Unbeknownst to the boy, he became a symbol of hope for all those suffering from ALD and his own family was a beacon of light for those who needed more than just medical jargon being spouted at them. It is because of this positive attitude of the Odones that I was saddened to see Lorenzos two medical nurses display such unprofessional behavior while caring for him. A nurse is by profession a care giver. A person who helps care for those who are ill and assist the family in dealing with their already trying situation. It is never the place of the nurse to dictate to the parents of the patient regarding what kind of medical treatment they think the patient should be having. A nurse should also display an uncanny sense of empathy for the ill and his parents. The attitude of the second nurse in the movie was something that should be disapproved of by any parent. Whether the patient is conscious of his position and condition or not, the latter should always be assumed

Knowledge Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Knowledge Management - Assignment Example The two dimensions of knowledge capture strategy are tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge deals with unconscious internalized knowledge that person is not aware of. Explicit knowledge refers to conscious knowledge the person can use to communicate with others; it is prà ©cised and can be formally articulated (Orsoc, 2003). The employees that are going to retire have different profiles. The first employee is highly outgoing, has good verbal communication skills. The second employee is shy and likes structure work settings. His teamwork abilities and skills are low. The person is efficient and has other good qualities that have helped the organizations over the years. His strength lies in explicit knowledge. The obstacle I anticipate with the second employee is that he might be unwilling to participate in any type of voluntary knowledge transfer program. For a knowledge capture strategy to be effective the participants must be motivated. A way to motivate employee o ne is by offering the person a compensation bonus of 25% the base salary. The employee would spend 10 hours a week of his 40 hour shift implementing knowledge capture strategies with the staff. The first employee is a person that is tailored made for knowledge capture strategies. The employees’ strength can be used to create a program that implements multiple strategies. This employee should be retained to increase the firm’s employee customer retention. The proposal is for a three year part time knowledge transfer program. As the leader of the knowledge capture program employee B can used varies knowledge capture strategies simultaneously. Two of them are cross project learning and mentor-protà ©gà © relationships. The employee would participate in five project teams in all their meetings as a silent observer. He would then provide them with feedback at the beginning of the next meeting. Another of his role is to serve as consultant for the five project teams. The

Healthcare organization service strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Healthcare organization service strategy - Essay Example It also makes it possible to allow them to feel at home with the strengths and weaknesses which are being continuously highlighted. My organization makes it a must to go out of the way to help the customer become delighted with the kind of service that we shall make it available for him. This will ask him to come back again as per his need and thus bring in more customers with him as well. The service strategy that is being made use of within the organization encourages a positive work environment for employees. This is manifested by their desire to do something new each day of the year. There sense of optimism is derived from the fact that they get hailed for doing something worthwhile, which is a clear indication of many things that are being undertaken by their own selves (Perera, 2011). The environment is given support by the actions and decisions of the higher management who knows it best how to inculcate strength of character and the determination which is needed by them at all times. Also it makes them alert to all situations and circumstances which keep on happening regularly within their folds. A healthy environment is dependent upon the rules and policies which exist and I can safely state that these regulations have been much focused towards the tasks which need to be completed in an amicable fashion by the healthcare organization. The organizational vision and mission statements are the pillars of the healthcare service strategy. Since both the vision and the mission bank on strength of character that is presented to the different audiences which come under the aegis of the healthcare domains, the need is to remain one step ahead and satisfy them wholeheartedly. The vision is to give all-out energy and enthusiasm to the end customers who seek to get fit and healthy through the actions and undertakings of the healthcare realms. The mission is manifested through reaching end goals which would bring success towards the ranks of the business in the

Response Paper to McCloskey's article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Response Paper to McCloskey's article - Essay Example He goes ahead to suggest that due to lack of proof the notion of Gods existence should be dismissed altogether. Moreover, looking keenly at the arguments he puts across it lacks substance, one of those is existence of evil, which he says it is a proof God does not exist. This kind of argument lacks merit because one can say that if presence of evil things is a proof of Gods non-existence, what about the existence of the good and what it proofs. The article has not answered this query. McCloskey believes that the cosmological argument was an argument from the existence of the world. McCloskey also states that believing in an uncaused first origin of the universe is issues because nothing about our universe leads us to that believe. However, many of us may disagree with this because we believe that God is the fundamental factor of the origin of the universe. Furthermore, scholars and philosophers term that the universe is contingent; therefore, the universe requires a necessary being t o acts as an ultimate cause. Finally, this necessary being is God.His article represents his own thinking and that of atheism but does not proof anything. In his article, he puts emphasis on the point that evident proofs of nature cannot adequately elucidate the existence of God. ... He seems to be comfortable with naturalistic ideas. McCloskey points out these objections against the cosmological argument stating that the fact that the world is real is enough evidence not to believe in such a higher being as God, but Evans and Manis puts forward the following argument in response. They say that for a contingent being to exist then there must be a necessary being that causes the contingent being to exist contingent beings exist, therefore if we are the contingent beings then God must be the Necessary being. The only fault in this response is that they do not have evidence to proof their argument (Evans and Manis, 2009).. They response to the issues raised by Mccloskey to their arguments by pointing out that atheist assertion that the universe has always survived. Manis and Evans counter by stating their approach is enough for such a challenge since they do not make any suggestion as to the age of the universe. The other issue raised by Mccloskey is that if everyth ing has a cause, then God must have a cause as well but Manis and Evans counters this by saying that God is not a contingent being, therefore His origin cannot be known and it is unnecessary to know and that is why He is God. The main challenge to this is naturalism, this is because naturalists hold a notion that things exists at natures will and have no cause but on the same breath they cannot explain why beings exist. McCloskey points out that cosmological argument by saying that he does not sanction us to assume an all-mighty, all-perfect, all-powerful uncaused being which causes other beings. Evans and Manis accepts that this is debatable, They further note that even if the argument is held as

Historical Transitioning and Growth of the U.S. Health Care System Term Paper

Historical Transitioning and Growth of the U.S. Health Care System - Term Paper Example The programs included the Medicare and Medicaid (Rice et al. 2013). There are also different forms of financing in the sector. The public sources comprise the largest health care expenditure in the country. It constitutes 48% followed by the private third party payers (Rice et al. 2013). In the current state, most of the Americans receive the coverage from the private health insurance (Rice et al. 2013). Employers contribute significantly to the privately insured individuals. Additionally, the number of purchasers in the form of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) rose significantly in the last two decades of 20th century (Rice et al. 2013). However, this has decreased over time due to criticism of the tight control put on patients. Further, the preferred provider organizations (PPOs) have increased their dominance in the sector (Rice et al. 2013). There have also been changes in terms of physical, technological, and human resources over time. The changes have been more common since 1970’s. For example, there has been raise in ambulatory facilities and decrease in institutional setting (Rice et al. 2013). The number of beds in the hospitals has also fallen significantly. On the other hand, there has also been rapid advancement in the medical technologies. Such medical technologies include MRIs and CT scanners (Rice et al. 2013). Moreover, there have been changes in employment rates in the sector. The country has enjoyed increased number of physicians, nurses, and therapist since 1990 (Rice et al. 2013). The increase is an indication of more focus on the primary health care. However, there has been decline in the number of dentists, optometrists and pharmacist in the same period (Rice et al. 2013). The sector has also listed the vulnerable population in the country. The trend has been established for a long period in history. Some of vulnerable populations in the country appear to be the racial and ethnic minorities, low-income

Who is a boss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Who is a boss - Essay Example Bosses all around the world tend to possess some managerial and leadership qualities which is the key to their success and also empowerment. When an employee is hired in any organization, he or she usually work day and night to fulfill the agenda set for him by his or her own boss. The most diligent and trustworthy employees are then selected by the senior members of that organization to become the future boss themselves. For instance, a person employed in finance department if works hard and puts the extra mileage, can further become the boss of his or her own department in the future. Every boss does have extraordinary talents associated with him or her and so does my boss has as well as restraints. My boss is a proactive man. He possesses some unique talents which inspire the members of the organization. His basic and foremost trait which is the key success factor of this firm is that he knows exactly how to make people work. A manager is a person who knows how to get work done wi th and through other people. He is excellent at it. He builds in the employee’s the spirit of working as team members and make them work together. He is very good at motivating people and bringing their inner talent out. He finds the good qualities of each employee under him and subsequently assists him or her in integrating those qualities for the betterment of the company. He sometimes acts as a democratic leader who takes into consideration all the input needed from his employees before making a decision. He calls on meetings of all the employees who are facing trouble at work as they aren’t able to work together. He listens to all of them and configures things up. He is very good at fixing problems by just having a glance on it and promotes team work as an essential element of success. He carries a practical approach towards everything. He is very realistic about the marketing trends and does not merely rely on past performance or future forecasts. He takes into ac count the present market condition and forms his decision on the basis of past, present, and future elements. Whenever a new project comes up, he first of all evaluates it himself, and then he choose the employees by himself who he think will be capable of handling the situation considering their past records. He is an extrovert who will not only work on this part of the job at one time, but keeps a keen eye on all the employees as well. He not only guides and motivates his employees, but also monitors them for their overall performance. He observes all the workers at work without even letting them know that. He is sometimes seen to be practicing a paternalistic leadership style where he would listen to feedbacks of all his workers but takes the final decision by himself. He does consider all the pros and cons of every opinion being presented but chooses the one he thinks is right by himself. Choosing the right staff for a particular project has led to redundancies. He always abridg e the number of employees whenever a new project comes up and this has led to frequent redundancies in the organization; and thus dissatisfaction among the members of staff. When a novel project comes up, he selects the team which he believes is perfect for carrying out such a task. If he figures out that some staff members have not been counted on for projects since a long time, he makes them redundant. Obviously, job security is threatened by this behavior and employees live in an environment of fear where they can easily be kicked out any day without any compensation what so ever. This behavior of the boss has led to negative opinion about him within the firm and many workers are not happy with him. Employees at work are under pressure of being thrown out of the job

Internet Gambling Essay Example for Free

Internet Gambling Essay The technoculture related topic that I am going to explore is the phenomenon of Internet gambling. With the emergence and explosion of gambling on television such as the World Series of Poker of ESPN or The World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, online gaming has quickly become a major player in the technoculture of contemporary society. I feel it is important to explore this issue because of American societys fascination and obsession with gambling. Gambling can and has become a very serious and damaging activity to many people in this country. According to CNN. com, studies have shown that people who gamble on the Internet tend to have more serious addictions than people who wager through more traditional venues. Through my research, I hope to further explore why Internet gambling has the potential to be more dangerous than traditional casinos and how younger generations of Americans and the government are responding to this ever-growing phenomenon. Literature Review The research I discovered on Internet gambling is fairly recent and comprehensive. Since online gaming is a reasonably new trend, the material written on the matter was rather current. Furthermore, there was a substantial amount of information within these three sources. It was evident that the three authors conducted high-quality research, and it showed with the use of graphs, charts, and case studies. Also, the three sources had a very similar outlook on the present and future situation of online gaming. With that being said, given that online gaming is at the peak of its existence, it is imperative that further exploration and examination within the subject be carried out. Because of the instant access one has to a gambling venue and the privacy factor of the Internet, online gaming has become a risky undertaking for many. According to David Schwartz (2003), Internet gambling presents new problems for individuals and society (p. 214). Instead of driving to an actual physical casino, problem gamblers can enjoy betting in the comforts of their own home. At home, they are not monitored by other gamblers and/or casino personnel which results in the ability to set their own limit. The Internet also allows the gambler to maintain a level of privacy not found in real casinos. If there are no friends or family around to supervise, then the gambler can engage in irresponsible betting without any time constraints. Finally, unlike real casinos, Internet casinos are readily available at the click of a button. If an online gaming organization will not accept ones money, one can bet that there are thousands of others that will be happy to take ones funds. The demographics of gambling are interesting to investigate within the subject. According to Rachel Volberg (2001), adults ages 18 to 29 are substantially more likely than older adults to have gambled privately (p. 34). Young adults are also more likely to gamble for excitement compared to older adults (Volberg, 2001). This is not a difficult concept to grasp. Normally, young adults have a less appreciative concept of money because they do not have as great of a responsibility as older people in regards to providing for family, paying bills, and spending money on expenses that are traditionally not familiar to a younger person. Furthermore, young people are usually unsupervised, especially in the collegiate demographic. Without the approval from mommy and daddy, young adults all across America are enjoying the financial freedom to do whatever they want with the money they have. In addition, according to Thomas Barker and Marjie Britz (2000), many college students have deep pockets ? Mom and Dads (p. 139). With this new found autonomy and fiscal assistance from parents, college kids are engaging in online gaming for fun and excitement. However, if left untreated and unsupervised, the fun and excitement can soon turn into a dangerous addiction with serious consequences and ramifications. With the possibility of Internet gambling becoming a serious problem, the government has been asked to step in and legislate the situation. According to Volberg (2001), The fact that Internet gambling is conducted in a networked, data-intensive environment offers opportunities for regulation and oversight in several critical areas, including licensure, testing for game integrity and site security, auditing and oversight, taxation, and consumer protection (p 97). Basically, Volberg is supporting a regulatory system that will be able to monitor the activities not only of the individual gambler, but of the gambling website as well. If the government actually does get involved, certain problems can be remedied. For example, every transaction made by a player can be closely followed and tracked. If a player indicates behaviors that suggest irresponsible decision-making, the player can be flagged and possibly suspended from a gambling website. However, all in all, Internet gambling will most likely always have its problems. Just like alcohols are with minors, people will get their hands on something they probably should not be touching. Internet gambling is an intensifying activity in American culture. With all the limitless possibility and endless potential of the Internet, online gaming will continue to be a major player in the world of technoculture and the information society. Nevertheless, what is important within this public sphere is to be able to responsibly deal with the world of Internet casinos. We need to come to a positive middle ground between the two sides of the spectrum; the fun and excitement of gambling and the spiraling addiction. Current Trends Like anything in life, when you create stimulus you are going to yield a response. In regards to online gaming, the stimulus that was created was the buzz generated by the constant bombardment of gambling programs on television. ESPN annually televises The World Series of Poker during the summer in which thousands of people descend upon Las Vegas to gamble in all types of events including poker, blackjack, craps, etc Many times they tell the story of some average Joe who enters a tournament and eventually ends up winning thousands of dollars. This false sense of hope has grabbed millions of Americans into thinking that they too, have the ability to win a substantial amount of money. The response to this stimulus has been the emergence of online casinos. However, instead of people winning money, crime has actually been the fallout of this risky behavior. According to ABCnews. com (2006), a Lehigh University student by the name of Greg Hogan Jr. attempted to rob a local bank in order to pay off his gambling debts. He was eventually caught and pleaded guilty to the offense and now faces up to three years in jail. During his interview with Good Morning America, Mr. Hogan blamed his addiction to online gambling websites for his setback, and cautioned the American public to the dangerous power of Internet gaming. In addition to his story, according to ABCnews. com (2006), 2. 9 million Americans between the ages of fourteen and twenty-two gamble with cards online at least once a week, and fifty percent of male college students and twenty-six percent of female college students gamble on cards at least once a month. To combat this growing epidemic, the House of Representatives took a proactive stance on the matter by passing legislation that would make it illegal to use credit cards on gambling websites and make it significantly more difficult to access these sites. Whether it gets passed by the Senate and the Executive Branch is another matter, however, at least the government is recognizing the problem sooner rather than later. In conjunction with this theory of crime, many Internet scammers have found opportunity within this growing trend. An article on ABCnews.com (2006) describes an elaborate scheme where bookies took sports bets through an Internet gambling site. The insecurity of the website allowed these thieves to launder millions of dollars and corrupt the free enterprise system of the Internet gaming business. Fortunately, these criminals were caught. Nevertheless, it makes you wonder how frequent this sort of thing exists in the online world. Some have argued, nonetheless, that Internet gambling has its benefits. According to Tom W. Bell (1998), the inclusion of the Internet has fostered competition to a business that has long enjoyed the sanctuary of restraining licensing practices. Rather than having to fly out to isolated casinos in Vegas or Atlantic City, you can enjoy the experience of gambling in the comforts of your own home. Bell (1998) also supports the belief that gambling in your home allows an individual to escape the traps found in real, physical casinos. A person does not have to be surrounded in a windowless structure while being harassed by cocktail waitresses carrying a tray of free booze. Because of online gaming, the business world has more free enterprise and has given the individual a sense of security not found in traditional locales. In terms of my own personal experience, I actually signed up to one of these gambling websites to investigate how they attract and seize the public. The website was www. gambling. com and in order to register, all I had to give them was a current e-mail address. I found it sort of comforting to know that they pledged that they would not pass any of my information on to any other company and/or website because I did not want my stagweb to become flooded with junkmail from these websites. Immediately after becoming a member, I was granted 400 Ludos. I had no clue as to what Ludos were, but after some probing, I discovered that they were basically a form of Internet currency. For every twenty five Ludos, I received a dollar. That equals sixteen dollars. But, heres the catch. For me to actually receive the Ludos and use them to gamble, I would have to give them my credit card information and pay a montly fee which was actually just about as expensive as the Ludos themselves. Brilliant. Moreover, the website contained links in which I could learn how to play games by reading tutorials, and then, actually play those games. I conducted a little experiment of my own to see how many times I won during one of the games. Out of twenty-five spins on one of the slot machines, I ended up winning sixteen times. That is a sixty-four percent average of winning. Now, anyone who understands anything about gambling knows that the absolute best percentage of winning is fifty percent. However, most of the games are not even close to that percentage. My suspicion leads me to believe that these websites give a false sense of hope to their members. If they succeed in tempting people to try these games, and these games yield a winning percentage better than fifty percent, more often than not, someone is going to believe that they actually have a great chance of making money. It actually is a genius scheme to lure in the public. Make them believe. Once they have accomplished that, these websites have them right where they want them. Conclusions The effects of online gaming are now becoming more clear and transparent to technoculture and the information society. It is apparent that online gaming has become a microcosm of the digital divide that exists within society. According to one of our readings during the semester written by Oscar H. Gandy, Jr. (2002), the differences that make up the digital divide are more than just social constructions. The actual construction is molded due to the new systems of communication that have surfaced within the last twenty years. In relation to online gaming, Internet gaming websites are now competing to display the flashiest, most hypertextual sites in order to attract customers. Due to this competition, better bandwidth and enhanced software will result, thus highlighting the digital divide. Data mining and this notion of surveillance has also entered the conversation regarding online gaming. Because an individual has to present private information about ones self on a website to facilitate gambling, the possibility of gambling website selling personal information in return for financial gain is a distinct possibility. As aforementioned, the site I visited before pledged that they did not engage in data mining. Yet, this seems to suggest that other sites do exercise this right which effectively gives companies useful information about yourself. Moreover, whenever someone uses the Internet, especially in a situation where one willingly submits personal information such as credit card and phone numbers, the possibility of third party surveillance is always present. It really conveys the authentic risks one undertakes when participating in the latest innovation. Another theory that online gaming illustrates is the constant tension between structure and agency. The government represents structure. As a stable entity, it looks to control the path of Internet gambling by establishing rules and regulations in hopes of creating some order. Internet gambling, on the other hand, is the perfect example of agency. Gambling, in and of itself, is the exact definition of what agency represents: the ability of uncertainty and chaos to influence the parameters through which we live. However, as much as these two concepts seem unrelated, there is an interdependence that spurs the creation of new technologies, not only in the world of online gaming, but throughout the technological landscape. Annotated List of Relevant URLS 1. http://www. playwinningpoker. com/resources/sites2. html : This website is a resource for gamblers.It allows the user to learn new games, find new games, and contact certain people involved with gambling. 2. http://www. gambling. com/best/online-gambling-sites. htm : This website directs users to the best gambling websites on the Internet. It has a list on the left hand side with about sixty different links to other gambling sites. 3. http://www. out-law. com/page-6655 : This website is about illegal activities on the Internet. It contains a few articles on illegal mishaps that have occurred through Internet gambling websites. 4. http://www. becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2006/08/on_internet_gam. html : Blog that contains articles about Internet gambling. Website constructed by Gary Becker and Richard Posner. 5. http://www. cardplayer. com/blog/entry/179 : Blog that is pro-Internet gambling. Players write their feelings on why they think Internet casinos are fun and exciting. 6. http://www. istoppedgambling. com/ : Website founded to help people with gambling problems. Includes personal stories, how-to instructions, and negative articles about gambling. 7. http://www. nomoregambling. com/ : Website founded to help people with Internet gambling problems. Has a hotline and other medias to help combat irresponsible Internet betting. Works Cited Barker, Thomas Britz, Marjie (2000). Jokers Wild: Legalized Gambling in the Twenty-first Century. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Schwartz G. , David (2003). Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis Books, Inc. Volberg A. , Rachel (2001). When the Chips Are Down: Problem Gambling in America. New York, NY: The Century Foundation, Inc. http://www. cato. org/testimony/ct-tb052198. html.

Technique to Facilitate Treatment of Urethral Strictures

Technique to Facilitate Treatment of Urethral Strictures Title:  A simple technique to facilitate treatment of urethral strictures with optical internal urethrotomy Konstantinos Stamatiou MD,PhD,Consultant Urologist, Urology Dpt, General Hospital Tzanio, Piraeus, Greece Aggeliki Papadatou MD, Radiology Resident, Radiology Interventional Radiology Dpt, General Hospital Tzanio, Piraeus, Greece Hippocrates Moschouris MD, Consultant Radiologist, Radiology Interventional Radiology Dpt, General Hospital Tzanio, Piraeus, Greece Corresponding author: Aggeliki Papadatou, General Hospital Tzanio, Zanni Afentouli 1 str, 18536, Piraeus, Greece Key words: urethral stricture, optical internal urethrotomy Introduction An urethral stricture is a narrowing of a section of the urethra. It causes a blocked or reduced flow of urine which can result in a range of manifestations, from asymptomatic to severe discomfort. Moreover, it can lead to serious complications such as urinary infections and renal insufficiency secondary to urinary retention. Blunt perineal trauma, urological instrumentation, chronic inflammatory disorders such as lichen sclerosus et atrophicus and sexually transmitted diseases are the most frequent causes of strictures; a large proportion are iatrogenic . Currently, three different interventions are used to treat urethral strictures: dilations, optical internal urethrotomy and open urethroplasty(1). Dilations are easy to perform in every day clinical practice, however they show the highest recurrence rates while their outcomes are the less satisfying to the patients. On the other hand, open urethroplasty shows the lowest recurrence rates and its outcomes are the most satisfying to the patients (2). Although it is the current gold standard against which the traditional treatments are compared, this technique requires skills, expertise and equipment, often not available in the resource limited settings. For the above reasons, most patients with urethral stricture are offered optical internal urethrotomy . This procedure is preferred as the first treatment option by many urologists, as it is performed within short operative times, under either spinal, or local anaesthesia. It can be also done as an outpatient procedure for the treatment of short urethral strictures . Optical internal urethrotomy is performed by a rigid urethrotome or a flexible cystoscope/urethrotome combination. The instrument is inserted and guided to the face of the stricture and a small blade at the tip of the instrument is deployed using a trigger mechanism to cut the stricture at locations determined by the surgeon. Upon completion of the internal incision(s), the instrument is withdrawn and an appropriately sized Foley catheter is inserted through the repair and into the urinary bladder. Hospitalization lasts 2 days and the patient keeps the catheter a few days . However, technical difficulties associated with poor visualization of the stenosis or of the urethral lumen may increase procedural time and substantially increase the failure rates of internal urethrotomy. In this report we describe a technique for urethral catheterization via a suprapubic, percutaneous approach through the urinary bladder. Case Report A 35-year-old male patient, presented to our urology department with a severe (> 5 cm), tortuous stricture of the penile urethra, previously diagnosed by descending cystourethrogram (Figure 1). A suprapubic catheter was in place. Technique The urinary bladder was filled with 300 millilitres of diluted iodinated contrast (contrast/normal saline: 1/3) via the suprapubic catheter. A 0035†, J-tip standard angiographic guidewire was inserted into the urinary bladder through the suprapubic catheter. The latter was removed and exchanged with a short (11 cm), 5-French angiographic sheath. The angiographic guidewire was subsequently withdrawn and a Cobra-1 angiographic catheter (5 Fr, 65 cm) loaded with a 0035, hydrophilic, J-tip guide-wire was inserted into the bladder. Under fluoroscopy, the catheter-guidewire combination was guided towards the internal urethral orifice and urethra was catheterized. The hydrophilic guidewire was used to negotiate the stricture and was finally advanced through the external urethral orifice (Figure 2). The angiographic catheter was subsequently advanced through the stenosis, over the guidewire (Figure 3). The hub of the catheter was cut off and the vascular sheath was removed. The posteri or part of the catheter is stabilized on the abdominal wall with a suture. The patient was then taken to the operating room and placed in lithotomy position, under spinal anaesthesia. By keeping the angiographic catheter stretched, the rigid urethrotome was inserted in the urethra (Figure 4) and directed to the face of the stricture. The blade at the tip of the instrument was deployed using a trigger mechanism to cut the stricture at the 12 o clock location along the entire length of the stenosis. Upon completion of the internal incision, the instrument was withdrawn and a Foley catheter was inserted through the repaired stricture and into the urinary bladder. Results Antegrade catheterization of the urethral stricture and subsequent treatment of the stricture by using the angiographic catheter as a guide for the urethrotome proved feasible. No urethral injury, false passage or development of fistula were observed. The fluoroscopically guided antegrade catheterization of the stricture lasted 11 minutes. The patient remains free of recurrence 7 months post-operation. Discussion Internal urethrotomy has advantages of ease, simplicity, speed and short convalescence. However, success rates vary and long term results are generally low. In the short-term (less than 6 months), success rates are 70 to 80 percent. After one year, however, recurrence rates approach 50 to 60 percent and by five years, recurrence falls in the range of 74 to 86 percent(4). Although different studies have proposed different etiologies as poor responders to optical internal urethrotomy, technical and anatomical factors such as reduced visibility during the operation and stricture length are uniformly recognised as predictors of recurrence . Other factors associated with treatment failure are the perioperative urinary infection, the presence of periurethral fibrosis (spongiofibrosis) and stricture etiology(5). In cases of severe urethral stenosis or excessive urethral tortuosity the actual site of the stricture may not be visible at all4. Intraprocedural bleeding, presence of blood clots, inflammatory or injured tissues add extra difficulty in localization of the stenosis and in safe advancement of the urethrotome. Retrograde instillation of methylene blue through the suprapubic catheter and/or antegrade advancement forwarding of an ureteral stent are usually used in order to visualise narrowed urethral lumen, or to guide the urethrotome through a tortuous urethra respectively. However both manoeuvres are of questionable effectiveness. In several cases the procedure is concluded in two sessions; in other cases a scar appears after urethrotomy (probably as a result of a false route of the urethrotome) and this causes a new stricture. The above may explain surgical success rates as low as 20% . To overcome these problems, we devised a technique which is based on percutaneous, trans-cystic catheterization of the urethra. The technique requires low-cost, widely available materials of interventional radiology and a fluoroscopy unit. The procedure is brief, well-tolerated and requires no anesthesia. Our initial experience showed that even a long and severe stenosis could be negotiated with rotational and gentle probing movements of the hydrophilic guidewire. Of note, we preferred to utilize the angiographic catheter instead of the guidewire as a guide for the urethrotome; compared to the guidewire, the angiographic catheter proved more stable, more efficient for straightening of the urethra and more easily visible endoscopically. References 1. Tritschler S, Roosen A, Fà ¼llhase C, Stief CG, Rà ¼bben H. Urethral stricture: etiology, investigation and treatments. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2013;110:220-6 2. Wani BN, Jajoo SN, Bhole AM. Outcome of urethral strictures managed by general surgeons in a rural setting of India. Indian J Surg. 2011;73:336-40. 3. Kreder KJ, Stack R, Thrasher JB, Donatucci CF. Direct vision internal urethrotomy using topical anesthesia. Urology. 1993;42:548-50. 4. Jordan GH, Schlossberg SM, Devine CJ. Surgery of the penis and urethra. In: Walsh PC, Vaughan ED, Retik AB, Wein AJ, editors. Campbells Urology. Philadelphia: Saunders; 1998. pp. 3316–3394. 5. Wong SS, Aboumarzouk OM, Narahari R, ORiordan A, Pickard R. Simple urethral dilatation, endoscopic urethrotomy, and urethroplasty for urethral stricture disease in adult men. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;12:CD006934. Legends Figure 1 Descending cystourethrogram showing severe stenosis of the penile urethra (arrow). Figure 2 Demonstration of the technique after the replacement of the suprapubic catheter with the angiographic sheath (arrow). The angiographic catheter (dotted arrow) and the guidewire (arrowhead) have been inserted through the angiographic sheath into the bladder. The guidewire has negotiated the stenosis and has been externalized through the external urethral orifice. Figure 3 The angiographic catheter (dotted arrow) has been advanced across the stenosis over the guidewire. Figure 4 Endoscopic view of the angiographic catheter which served as a guide for the urethrotome.

The Success of Gateway Computer :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

The Success of Gateway Computer Gateway 2000 was formed by Ted Waitt(CEO), in September 1985, in Sioux City, Iowa. The company was founded along with Senior Vice president Mike Hammond. In 1990, as the company began to blossom it was moved to its current location in North Sioux City, South Dakota. They formed Gateway 2000 with one goal in mind- to offer PC buyers a logical alternative to high markups, limited choices and inadequate support, common in the retail PC market (Gateway.com 1). These two partners started selling hardware and software to people who owned Texas Instrument computers. The placed ads in computer related publications, selling to the end user. These two guys were the pioneers of direct-marketing in the PC industry. Finally in 1987 Ted Waitt recognized the possibility of selling fully configured computers, at good prices. This idea gave Gateway a tremendous push forward into the computer industry. In 1987 the company reported revenues of 1.5 million dollars, later in 1989, it jumped to an astounding 70.6 million dollars. Finally, in 1996, they jumping into the billions with 5.04 billion dollars. In 1993, Gateway became a traded company in the NASDAQ market system under the symbol GATE. Making improvement along the way they moved to the New York Stock Exchange on May 22, 1997 and uses the symbol GTW. On June 16, 1997 the stock split. Gateway 2000 is a leading global marketer of personal computers. Although they are a leader in global marketing they have a problem with their laptop division. the laptop division holds one of the lowest market shares in the market. Toshiba the leader in market share holds 21.2 percent of the market, Compaq holding 15.7, IBM with 12.4, Dell with 6.1, Acer with 5.0, Packard Bell with 4.4, Fujitsu with 3.4, Hitachi with 3.3, Micron with 3.2, and finally Gateway with 2.8 percent. With Gateways new and improved marketing plan, they should increase to the top over the next five years. Gateway’s current target market is the home PC user. They put forth most of their energy trying to make the customer feel comfortable with its product. They also want the customer to feel as though they made the right decision buying from Gateway. This attitude will help Gateway in selling itself. They will not need to use extreme advertising because the word of mouth is the most powerful advertising tool.

An Investigation into the Housing Market Essay -- Housing Economics Es

An Investigation into the Housing Market Economics Describe and analyse the changes of housing in the local area over the last 5 years The housing market is one of the most talked about topics in the news. I assume this is due to the high influential potential it holds to the rest of the economy. In this essay I will focus on the causes in house prices. I will investigate how prices have changed nationally and locally. I interviewed an Inter counties estate agent to help my investigation and get his views on the situation. The price of housing fluctuates enormously. Not only does it vary from region to region, but also it is also very volatile within these regions. There are many causes for these unstable prices. According to a spokes person form the Inner county estate agents says there are many factors, which influence the housing market. He believes one of the main factors, which have been influencing the local housing market in the southeast, is the large amount of people coming to work in Cambridge recently. The supply curve appeared to be vertically vertical in the short run. However, the high demand resulted in predictable high prices. Many building companies have also respond to the increases in demand, however this response will not be immediate. Another reason why we saw the price of houses rise was due to the low interest rates. This means the borrowing of money to buy a house is significantly cheaper, which is therefore retaliated with via the increase in the actual cost of a house. London being so close is another major pull factor for people wanting to live as near as possible to where work is more likely to be found. Commuting times and facilities like trains and motorways play a major role in opening up areas as 'commuter land'. People often put up with long commuting distances in order to escape from city living as a family, or to find more affordable housing at greater distance from where they work. This is why Saffron Walden has become so posh, since people have realised the benefits of life in a town of this size in a manageable distance to London. Hypothesis: If interest rates are going down, will increase demand for housing which will then in turn increase house prices. When one buys a house, one is paying for the actual house price, a mortgage, and the interest rates on the ... ...eople willing to pay the higher amounts. Schooling facilities have also got an influence in the area, which is another pull factor for people moving within the southeast. There are also relatively low borrowing costs for mortgages, which will encourage people to buy and sell their houses. According to 'The Hometrack' Property Company, house prices in England and Wales fell in May for the second month in a row. The percentage change in prices over the last year in each region can be seen in the chart. In conclusion prices for housing are high in the southeast due to a number of factors: * The demand for housing in an area, * The supply of houses, * Reputation for the area, * General interest rates influence the house-shopping behaviour, * Low interest rates enables people to buy better or bigger houses, * Facilities in the area, * Local employment chances. Region Higher prices are less desirable, and this may mean many families do not have the economic ability to live in the area. The demand refers to the quantity of houses that purchasers are willing and able to buy at a certain price. Houses are scarce in relation to demand.

Example Self Introduction

Chris Hoskins English Communication I Personal Introduction 16 April 2012 Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself As I say in the title, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chris Hoskins. In fact, my full name is much longer, Christopher Alan Hoskins, but I commonly use only Chris Hoskins. Most people I work with, including students, simply call me Chris. I was born in in the state of California in the USA, but I grew up near Chicago in the state of Illinois. I moved to Illinois because of my father’s job.My father was an airline pilot for United Airlines, and when he first started working for United Airlines that company sent him to Ohare Airport, near Chicago to work out of their main place of operations. When my father moved to Illinois he took me and the rest of our family to live with him there. As I grew up I lived together with my mother, father and two older brothers in a small town outside of Chicago called McHenry. Our house was located next to the Fox River, and my family often enjoyed recreation on the river, including water skiing and ice skating.As I grew up I developed a strong interest in reading and music. My interest in music led me to choose to play the violin as a hobby, and my interest in reading led me to love studying English, which in turn led me to choose teaching English as a career. I am continuing the both my hobby and career today. It is my career that led me to work at Kyoritsu Women’s University, where I now teach classes in English and academic skills. As I continue to work at Kyoritsu, I hope to be successful in helping students develop skills that allow them to achieve their future dreams.

Program for At Risk Young Adults to Aid Them in Achieving Their Future Purpose Essay

This program is designed for offering novel learning experience to the young adults who are going through the transitional phase of their lives. This program has identified the older adolescents as one of the parts of population at risk since they experience difficulty in adapting and growing healthily in both the adult world and the world of adolescents. This at-risk program is gives complete emphasis on the proper physical and psychological development of these young adults understanding their psychological crisis and the related personal, social, and behavioral characteristics. This program has a marked social importance as the young adults form one of the most vulnerable sections of the society with their recent exposure to the outside world. The program will target at identifying those young adults who have not been able to realize their potential and help them grow emotionally and professionally. (Internet Special Education Resources, 2009) The students are the potential resources for this at-risk program that have to be utilized for the success of this program. Before identifying the students for this particular undertaking, it will be essential to chalk out a plan on what the program needs from the students to accomplish in the end and what concepts and skills should the students acquire before they are chosen as eligible resources for the program. Since the aim of the program is to serve young men and women the students will be offered intensive trainings on both the common and distant problems faced by the people going through this transitional stage and make them better informed about both the long-term and long-term remedies. Those students will be taken as the resources that will respond quickly and positively to the training sessions. The program on at-risk younger adults is of immense relevance for the students, as they themselves have to experience this transitional stage in short span of time. The program will contain extensive information on multi-faceted experiences, which every individual goes through. The program also addresses a variety of behavioral and psychological conditions experienced by those who are on the verge of being adults and yet to leave the adolescent status. Instead of adopting a pedantic approach, the program will focus more on covering the major issues in a student-friendly manner. The contents of the programs are unambiguous details on non-clinical treatment and other services, which should be rendered for specific instances. Considering the chances of the students going through the same phase later towards their life, the program will be designed to make them conscious beforehand about the prospective experience they are going to witness. Since the old teenagers are to be trained well to cope up with the manifold layers of pressures concerning employment and other social activities, the program will include the important prerequisites for being able to absorb, process, and combine information in the most prolific manner possible for them. In order to make the program more realistic and acceptable to the target population, the instructions and strategies for career development will be in compliance with the actual reality where the adult world is living. This is of imperative concern for the designers of the program that the instructions mean to be disseminated to the at-risk young adults should not be far from the stark realism so that they do not find a wide gap between their learning and their actual experience and they can certainly relate to the real marketplace situation in the world. (Internet Special Education Resources, 2009) Besides the students, the program can take help of additional social resources available in the community that can be employed for higher success. The sociologists dealing with this specific domain of young adults can be counted upon for sharing their valuable opinions and view-points concerning the physical, emotional and sociological disturbances experienced by the people of that age. The responsibility of making the student equip with these information is to be conferred upon them. To make the program more intense and subjective therapists and clinicians from the community have to be utilized as the social resources. This at-risk program will certainly have a serious impact on the young adults who need a planned living program and recovery support. Following this program will help young men and women to recover form their present condition and render them the professional support through the sociologists, clinicians and the therapists. The program is beneficial for the students who need added support while pursuing their higher educational goals. Both these young people and their parents will be infused with new insights and knowledge that aid them in their personal and social success. The program targets some vital factors which affect their all-round development. Adherence to the instructions laid down in the program ensures academic success and integration of young adult independent living skills. The program helps the target students of the community in introducing healthy pursuits to improve social skills and building a sense of community. It also aims at helping these young adults to recover from substance abuse and addiction. (Northstarcenter. com, 2009) Some essential steps are to be taken for implementing this at-risk program. Developing a strategic plan based on the unique needs of young adults is integral to proper implementation of the program. Conducting a community analysis and assessing the needs of the target population plays a pivotal role in designing the program in the most effective manner. Identifying the youth serving agencies in the community and co-operating with them to understand the approaches suitable for treating various cases is rudimentary for proper implementation of the program. (Young Adults Library Services Association, 2003) The program has to be designed in order to recognize the educational approaches for high risk young adults and ensure a safe and healthy environment for the students. School committees have to be established which will work with the teachers and parents in promoting awareness and program development with community participation. (Theodore, pg 332). This program will be able to reaching out to young people and win support by working with parents and local leaders. Through this comprehensive program it is expected that policy barriers will be removed. It will further encourage the students to participate in the program and put their effort in developing it. The program intends to specifically help these young people to do what they need to do. (The INFO Project, 2009) References 1. â€Å"A Transition Program for At Risk Older Teens and Young Adults to Help Them Realize a Future Inspired by Personal Purpose and Worth Achieving†. Internet Special Education Resources. 2009. Available at: http://www. iser. com/LDI-AZ. html (accessed on January 30, 2009) 2. â€Å"Northstar Center†. Northstarcenter. com. 2009. Available at: http://northstarcenter. com/ (accessed on January 30, 2009) 3. â€Å"Young Adults Deserve the Best: Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth†. Young Adult Library Services Association. 2003. Available at: http://www. ala. org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/profdev/youngadultsdeserve. cfm (accessed on January 30, 2009) 4. â€Å"Meeting the Needs of Young Adults†. Population Reports. 2009. Available at: http://www. infoforhealth. org/pr/j41edsum. shtml (accessed on January 30, 2009)

Impact of Affordable Care Act on North Carolina Uninsured Population

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in vigor since January 1, 2014, and hospitals and health care providers are not sure about how many people will knock at their door for health care. So far, according to Camp (2014) â€Å"More than two million people across the country have signed up for healthcare under the ACA and hospitals are bracing for a wave of newly insured patients†. How does that affect the uninsured people in North Carolina is an unanswered question. Seventeen percent of North Carolina’s residents are uninsured, according to Kaiser Foundation (2012).Health Care reform brings controversial and uneasy ethic issues to the population as well as to legislators. North Carolina can opt to expand Medicaid coverage to all individuals that have a household income less than 138% of the federal poverty level, but the question in the air is how NC will make it happen?. Financial Impact of ACA on North Carolina North Carolina has one of the highest index of the uninsured po pulation when compared to States at the same size, 17% accruing to 1,604,300 residents.Michigan has 12 percent; New Jersey has 15 percent; Virginia has 13 percent, according to Kaiser Foundation (2012). Milstead (2013) assures â€Å"Based on the Affordable Care Act, beginning in 2014 adults can qualify for Medicaid if their income is no greater than 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($30,429 for a family of four in 2010)†. Besides of what the ACA says each State has its own policies for Medicaid eligibility, being it a joint initiative between State and Federal funds.According to American College of Physicians (2013) â€Å" Unfortunately, the state has chosen not to expand its program at this time. The Urban Institute estimates that about 632,000 uninsured North Carolinians with incomes under 100% FPL would be denied coverage if North Carolina chooses not to expand its Medicaid program†. Governor McCrory is committed to envigorate the Health Care program in his budget delivance for 2013-2015 in North Carolina (NC,) and assures that $575M will be added to Medicaid budget, $7.2M will be given for Drug Treatment Courts, and $30M to open a new psychiatric hospital, all to be delivered in two fiscal years period (Newsroom, 2013).Overall NC’s State economy seems to be picking up with an underemployment rate dropping from 17 percent in October 2011-2012, to 14. 9 percent from October 2012-2013 (Robesonian News, 2013). In addition, Murawsk (2013) assures â€Å"the economy is indisputably building up steam and moving in a direction we haven’t seen in years†. With NC State biannual budget investing $612.2 M in three important areas of health care and the general economy steaming up it seems that more of NC uninsured community will be able to have an employer sponsored health care insurance, or be able to afford health insurance in the marketplace. It looks like a promising situation, that will surely help to banish the ghost of unfunded mandates, but if 100 percent of NC uninsured population will get what ACA proposes is something to be checked in the future.Ethics and Quality of Health CareA citation of Frederick Douglass’ delivery for the Civil Rights in October 1883 comes in hand he said â€Å"Only base men and oppressors can rejoice in a triumph of injustice over the weak and defenceless, for weakness ought itself to protect from assaults of pride, prejudice and power†. As health care reform proceeds to its implementation around the country many issues come to our mind such, are there enough resources to attend everyone or we will have an incoming chaos? Will American society finally have an equally health care system distribution?How are 32 million new health care system’s users fit into an already deficient system? Will there be enough nurses and doctors to deliver the quality of care that everyone is entitled? Is it a fair system for the society, is everyone getting what is dese rved? Many people would like to speak up what they think about health care: What do Americans want from their health care system? Four fundamental goals have shaped our system. First, we want high quality health care that can provide the greatest benefits.Second, we want freedom of choice so that we can decide the â€Å"who, when, and where† for our health care. Third, we expect our health care to be affordable so that we have resources for all of the other things we need or want. Fourth, we want our fellow citizens to share in the costs and also benefits of health care† (Sorrell, 2012). At one hand Franklin Roosevelt (1944) in the â€Å"Second Bill of Rights† mentions â€Å"the right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health†.At the second hand who is paing for the good health care that everyone wants? Health care providers would they be nurses or doctors have their part to do in the delivery of quality health care, but a health care system that makes justice to everyone depends on the whole society. I believe adopting a modern system of nationwide assessment and intervention such â€Å"Population Health Model† (Kovner & Knickman, 2011,) would have a high impact on the financial and workforce redistribution, a great tool that can bring results using the integration model.Summary ACA’s implementation has started and hospitals and health care providers are ready to receive new customers. North Carolina’s steaming up general economy and government’s budget can greatly help the population to get the health care they need. The right to health care comes to play when talking about health care reform, and we wonder if the new system will deliver the quality of care it proposes. Adopting Population Health Model for health assessment and intervention can be a solution for the health care issues in the U. S.. Impact of Affordable Care Act on North Carolina Uninsured Population The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in vigor since January 1, 2014, and hospitals and health care providers are not sure about how many people will knock at their door for health care. So far, according to Camp (2014) â€Å"More than two million people across the country have signed up for healthcare under the ACA and hospitals are bracing for a wave of newly insured patients†. How does that affect the uninsured people in North Carolina is an unanswered question. Seventeen percent of North Carolina’s residents are uninsured, according to Kaiser Foundation (2012).Health Care reform brings controversial and uneasy ethic issues to the population as well as to legislators. North Carolina can opt to expand Medicaid coverage to all individuals that have a household income less than 138% of the federal poverty level, but the question in the air is how NC will make it happen?. Financial Impact of ACA on North Carolina North Carolina has one of the highest index of the uninsured po pulation when compared to States at the same size, 17% accruing to 1,604,300 residents.Michigan has 12 percent; New Jersey has 15 percent; Virginia has 13 percent, according to Kaiser Foundation (2012). Milstead (2013) assures â€Å"Based on the Affordable Care Act, beginning in 2014 adults can qualify for Medicaid if their income is no greater than 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($30,429 for a family of four in 2010)†. Besides of what the ACA says each State has its own policies for Medicaid eligibility, being it a joint initiative between State and Federal funds.According to American College of Physicians (2013) â€Å" Unfortunately, the state has chosen not to expand its program at this time. The Urban Institute estimates that about 632,000 uninsured North Carolinians with incomes under 100% FPL would be denied coverage if North Carolina chooses not to expand its Medicaid program†.Governor McCrory is committed to envigorate the Health Care program in his b udget delivance for 2013-2015 in North Carolina (NC,) and assures that $575M will be added to Medicaid budget, $7.2M will be given for Drug Treatment Courts, and $30M to open a new psychiatric hospital, all to be delivered in two fiscal years period (Newsroom, 2013). Overall NC’s State economy seems to be picking up with an underemployment rate dropping from 17 percent in October 2011-2012, to 14. 9 percent from October 2012-2013 (Robesonian News, 2013). In addition, Murawsk (2013) assures â€Å"the economy is indisputably building up steam and moving in a direction we haven’t seen in years†.With NC State biannual budget investing $612.2 M in three important areas of health care and the general economy steaming up it seems that more of NC uninsured community will be able to have an employer sponsored health care insurance, or be able to afford health insurance in the marketplace. It looks like a promising situation, that will surely help to banish the ghost of u nfunded mandates, but if 100 percent of NC uninsured population will get what ACA proposes is something to be checked in the future. Ethics and Quality of Health CareA citation of Frederick Douglass’ delivery for the Civil Rights in October 1883 comes in hand he said â€Å"Only base men and oppressors can rejoice in a triumph of injustice over the weak and defenceless, for weakness ought itself to protect from assaults of pride, prejudice and power†. As health care reform proceeds to its implementation around the country many issues come to our mind such, are there enough resources to attend everyone or we will have an incoming chaos? Will American society finally have an equally health care system distribution?How are 32 million new health care system’s users fit into an already deficient system? Will there be enough nurses and doctors to deliver the quality of care that everyone is entitled? Is it a fair system for the society, is everyone getting what is dese rved? Many people would like to speak up what they think about health care: What do Americans want from their health care system? Four fundamental goals have shaped our system. First, we want high quality health care that can provide the greatest benefits.Second, we want freedom of choice so that we can decide the â€Å"who, when, and where† for our health care. Third, we expect our health care to be affordable so that we have resources for all of the other things we need or want. Fourth, we want our fellow citizens to share in the costs and also benefits of health care† (Sorrell, 2012). At one hand Franklin Roosevelt (1944) in the â€Å"Second Bill of Rights† mentions â€Å"the right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health†.At the second hand who is paing for the good health care that everyone wants? Health care providers would they be nurses or doctors have their part to do in the delivery of quality health care, but a health care system that makes justice to everyone depends on the whole society. I believe adopting a modern system of nationwide assessment and intervention such â€Å"Population Health Model† (Kovner & Knickman, 2011,) would have a high impact on the financial and workforce redistribution, a great tool that can bring results using the integration model.Summary ACA’s implementation has started and hospitals and health care providers are ready to receive new customers. North Carolina’s steaming up general economy and government’s budget can greatly help the population to get the health care they need. The right to health care comes to play when talking about health care reform, and we wonder if the new system will deliver the quality of care it proposes. Adopting Population Health Model for health assessment and intervention can be a solution for the health care issues in the U. S.

Decision making Essay

The first skill set is learning how to use the four primary ethical perspectives that are used in decision making. These perspectives are called the Four Ethical Lenses. The second skill is learning to use a practical and repeatable decision-making method called the Baird Decision Model. As we become adults, one of our primary responsibilities is to decide what values and ethical priorities are the most important to us. The ethical game simulation assist with that. Mysterious Blogger and Unveiled I. D. The ethical issues that were addressed in these simulations were religion and violation of company policies. In the mysterious blogger simulation an employee hacked another employee’s personal PC only to find that the other employee was blogging about the company. Which was in violation of the company’s policy. In the unveiled I. D simulation an employee, which is a woman has issues taking a photo for an ID because it is against her religion to show her face unless amongst other women only. The decisions making steps I took to resolve these dilemmas was the being reasonable lens trying to consider what is good, fair, true, and virtuous. I also used the responsible lens trying to make an ethical choice based on my analysis. The ethical perspectives that influenced my decision making was Being Attentive: Collect the facts and notice what’s being said. Being Intelligent: Find the underlying issue and determine who’s really involved. Being Reasonable: Use the lenses to consider what is good, what is true, what is fair, and what is virtuous. Being Responsible: Make an ethical choice based on your analysis. Being Reflective: Defend your choice with careful thought and observe the aftermath closely. The way these ethical perspectives influenced my decisions was through personal and community values. Trying to understand and asses the situations, while also being fair and unbiased, so that all can feel addressed and handled in the correct manner. The way concepts from the simulation relate to the workplace is very simple and straight forward. The concepts helps one to understand the situation by analyzing and placing it in a particular lens. By doing this one has a better grasp on how to handle and resolve the issues that may take place. When in the workplace there are different races, genders and religions and these simulations touch base on in-depth issues that has definitely arose in the business environment. Having a clear process in place for evaluating exceptions ensures that all are treated equally, including the least advantaged. Conclusion With time and practice, the conflicts inherent in moral dilemmas can become opportunities for developing your ethical self. When you come across difference, remember that we all have our chosen lens. â€Å"Arguments over the â€Å"right thing to do† often stem from differing definitions of what actions are ethical† (ethicsgame. 2013). Knowing your ethical lens and how it effects ones decision making only enhances an individual’s work ethic, morals and decision making in one’s personal life.

Betty White

Betty White was born in Oak Park, IL on January 17, 1922, daughter of Horace L. White, a traveling salesman and Tess Cachikis. She attended Beverly Hills High School from which she graduated in 1939. Her career started in the early 1940s with a modeling job. She also worked on a few radio shows including Blondie, The Great Gildersleeve, and This Is Your FBI and later, her own radio program name, The Betty White Show. In 1949 she debuted on television when she appeared with Al Jarvis on Hollywood on Television, she later hosted it on her own when Jarvis left. From 1952 to about 1977 she appeared on several television shows including Life With Elizabeth, Date With the Angels, Password, What’s My Line? , To Tell the Truth, I’ve Got A Secret, Match Game, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Pyramid. In 1977 she was given her own sitcom on CBS called The Betty White Show. (Not to be confused with her radio show with the same name. ) In 1987 she scored her second signature role of the St. Olaf, MN – native Rose Nylund, on The Golden Girls. The show was centered on four divorced or widowed women in their ‘Golden years’ that share a home in Miami. Although Betty has no children, she has been married three times. The first in 1945 to Dick Barker, a US Army Air Corps Pilot. This marriage was short-lived, only one year. The second to Lane Allen, a Hollywood agent, which only lasted two years also ending in divorce. On June 14, 1963 she married television host and personality, Allen Ludden. He proposed to Betty at least twice be fore she accepted. Allen died of stomach cancer on June 9, 1981. She hasn’t remarried since his death. Betty has won six Emmy Awards, three American Comedy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. ), and two Viewer’s For Quality Television Awards. She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On January 23, 2010 at the Screen Actor’s Gild Awards, she was awarded, by Sandra Bullock, the Life Achievement Award. She is also a pet enthusiast and animal health advocate who works with a number of animal organization such as the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, the Morris Animal Foundation, and Actors & Others for Animals. Betty is the president of the Morris Animal Foundation where she has served as a trustee of the organization since 1971. And she donated $100,000 to the Los Angeles Zoo in April 2008 alone. She was also just on Saturday Night Live over the weekend, and it was hilarious! I was laughing so hard.. So, having said all that. I’d say she is the coolest eighty-eight year old you could probabaly ever get a chance to meet. I hope she lives forever!

University Land Deal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

University Land Deal - Essay Example His sources of power are the fact that he is aware of $16 million dorm that the extended university had earlier negotiated, and it was not better than what they wanted to sell off. He was also aware that there were few local properties that could serve as a comparison. Father Farrell also knew that the long university was in need of expansion of residential areas and their place was a convenient one. Father Farrell’s BATNA was the $18.3million which he had negotiated earlier with a commercial developer. Father’s RP is $17.8 million since it was the last price he had on his alternatives as more beginning on discussed with the board members. Her interest was to get the three dorms since her university needed expansion area for residential. Her source of power was the fact that St. James School was providing the best place for residential, and she was sure about it. Her BATNA would be $16 million she had experience with another

An exegetical study of Genesis 32 verses 22-32 Essay

An exegetical study of Genesis 32 verses 22-32 - Essay Example and have prevailed.† 29Then Jacob asked him and said, â€Å"Please tell me your name.† But he said, â€Å"Why is it that you ask my name?† And he blessed him there. 31Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. 32Therefore to this day, the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip. (New American Standard Bible) The account of Jacob’s wrestling match at the ford of Jabbok is, admittedly, a rather difficult passage to interpret because of the surrealism of the occurrence: In the middle of the night, Jacob decides to send his wives and children and their possessions over the ford (vv. 22-23); from out of nowhere, a man appears and wrestles with Jacob who, for some reason, is left behind or stays behind on the other side of the ford (v. 24); the match goes on for an extended period, that is, until daybreak (v. 24), and Jacob demands for a blessing when the man tries to disengage (v. 26); right there, Jacob’s name is changed to Israel, and the place is named Peniel as well (vv. 28, 30). On the surface, the meaning of the passage is not made immediately clear, for as one goes through it initially, it reads as though it is a dream sequence. However, there seems to be no concrete reason to suppose such. It seems fairly clear that there was an actual crossing that occurred (v. 22), an d that Jacob was physically hurt by the encounter (v. 31b â€Å"†¦and he was limping on his thigh.†). Hence, the passage indicates rather clearly a turning point not only in Jacob’s life, but in the consequent Israelite history, as evidenced by the effects of the nocturnal encounter (v. 32). At any rate, this particular analysis of the narrative focuses on the name changes that are apparent in the text, specifically the change of Jacob’s name to Israel, and the place of the struggle being named Peniel. Such name-changing has

Promoting Team Effectiveness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Promoting Team Effectiveness - Essay Example Individual conflicts tend to be about personality differences in terms of preference, likes and dislikes, background and so on. These differences are natural and can be a double edged sword. If not managed properly the individual differences lead to team conflicts. Team conflict is characterized by constant disagreements, mistrust among team members, and formation of cliques which act against each other and so on. A case of individual conflict is a situation at the workplace whereby two ladies in a team fail to get along because they share affections for a fellow male colleague. In such a case this problem is purely individual. An example of team conflict is whereby members disagree about the sharing of responsibilities and work in the team. In such a case the problems emanate from the issues that are team related Decision making in a team can be difficult because it may be hard to reach a compromise whereby everyone in the team feels satisfied and like a winner. Additionally, selfish interests among team members may inhibit smooth decision making. However, in contrast, a team leader may experience problem of indifference or disinterest among team members in the area of decision making so that the leader feels disserted when making decisions. Further, a decision affecting team affairs may need to be discussed among team members and welcome their input on the matter which in turn complicates decision making. More often than not these problems of decision making stem from unclear team goals and vision, confusion over who has the final say, unwillingness to take responsibility, selfish interests among other reasons. As a leader, it is important to ensure that these issues do not extend to the point of breaking team spirit which takes so long to build. For example the problem of team members purs ing individual interests first may be resolved by elevating the team's common goal and urging members to realize that the team is bigger than their individual goals. The problem of disinterest or indifferentness in the process of decision making can be conquered by delegating duties more to team members such that they feel more competent to contribute ideas. Perhaps the problem may be that members do not feel valued in the team in which case the atmosphere within the team should change to be accommodating. Question 4 Participation is a strong aspect that attributes to effective teams. Some of the benefits of participation include greater performance/output, efficiency and effectiveness, cohesiveness, growth, innovation and so on. Given the crucial benefits of participation team leaders can devise various methods in order to stimulate/enhance participation, for instance at the workplace a manager may use delegation as a way of promoting participation. Where delegation is made part of the work culture then individuals are forced to step up beyond their comfort zones and participate in team activities. A manager may also reward system to members who show active participation in team activities so that others are enticed to participate too. Importantly, a warm atmosphere and trust in the workplace needs to be nurtured so that team members feel free and uninhibited to participate in activities. Criticisms, gossip and self centeredness should be kept at bay. Communication is also key in fostering parti cipation in the workplace. A team leader should be able to communicate to

Network planning for my Logistics class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Network planning for my Logistics class - Essay Example The decisions made on the logistics network are usually framed to act as a trade-off between the fixed costs of a warehouse and the costs of transporting the goods. This means that, if the network has a few warehouses, then there is a reduction of fixed costs although it raises the transportation costs. Adding more warehouses on the network reduces the transportation costs and increasing the fixed costs. There are two different factors which one must consider when designing a network design. The first factor which a logistician must consider most is the distance. Adding more warehouses in a network decreases the number of kilometers travelled because the distance from the supplier to the warehouse and then to the customer is minimized. Moreover, the most expensive part in the logistics is the movement of goods from the warehouse to the end user since the load shipped is always divided into different quantities. The more the warehouses on the design network the fewer the kilometers between the customer and the stores. This paper includes the second factor which is to optimally solve the network design problems whereby there is the inclusion of inventory cost. Ballou (2001) acknowledges the importance of the inventory costs inclusion over the fixed costs of warehousing and also the costs of the transportation. Ballou (2001) also explains that the absence of the inventory costs in network design is caused by the mixed integer in the linear programming, of which is a requirement to have the cost relationships to be linear. Unfortunately, in the real world, the relationships between the inventory and the number of warehouses are not linear. Using the approach of including the inventory costs motivates one to treat the relationship between the inventory and the number of warehouses as a function which is discrete. This is the reason of proposing the model that may be used by different firms through the inclusion of inventory in the

Ethic Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethic Dilemma - Essay Example In addition, the workers develop a sense in understanding that they are the key component for success both at the individual and at the organizational level. On the other hand, the system aids in the determination of human behavior in the workplace (Selgelid, 2009). It determines the real personalities of the workers in relation to how their work is efficient. To explain further, the system aids in understanding human psychology of the workers through monitoring how they manage their free time at work. The design of the system is important because it highlights both the positive and the negative aspects of the employees. The supervision is key to the establishment of an ethical environment. This is because the organization could formulate ethical policies through the positive and negative feedback from the employees. The dual use research aids in the identification of specific issues about the employees. This is because there is an analysis of the issues identified and ethical solutions are provided by the organization, to attempt the resolution of ethical

CISCO Case Study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CISCO Case Study - Research Paper Example 2). This means that dynamism has been the strategic approach of the company and in doing this, it has made the entire globe its platform for operation. Hitherto, Cisco began a right company to include in the Partnership for Lebanon (PFL) when it became necessary to put together five companies to send relief to the country in various ways. If for nothing at all, functions of corporate social responsibility are part of a globalised dynamic strategy and so meet the vision and culture of Cisco squarely. CSR Lessons Reading through the case, there are several key strategic lessons that any senior manager of projects within a company could adapt. The first of this has to do with the use of integration in both the approach and stakeholder base. That is, the Partnership for Lebanon, as the name implies, was undertaken in an integrated or partnership manner. Integration has been found to hold the key to the many failures recorded in project management in terms of effectiveness and efficiency (Nonis & Swift, 2001). This is so because most project managers tend to take up all the task of project implementation and execution or at best include only a few stakeholders. Once this happens, there tend to be inefficiency and ineffectiveness because very little is achieved within a longer time frame and what is achieved is hardly guaranteed of quality. From the manner in which the Partnership for Lebanon was implemented using as many stakeholders and agents as possible, it is important that senior managers always adapt an employee involvement approach when carrying out major projects. In terms of approaches too, it could be seen that as many as five criteria were set for the implementation and running of the development program. In light of this, senior managers are admonished to always have a backup strategy that they can fall on in case substantive strategies fail. Alternatively, they may choose to use many strategies at a go so the weaknesses of some of the strategies will be overshadowed by the strengths of others. The second lesson that can be learned in terms of implementation and running of development programs has to do with the implementation approach adapted by the stakeholders. Indeed, not only did the stakeholders have a differentiating approach that was made up of several different strategies. What is more, the approach that was adapted when implementing the strategies gives a strong signal to senior managers. The implementation approach is what could be referred to as the spiral implementation approach. In such spiral implementation approach, the strategies or tasks in implementation are prioritized. The prioritization is made to move from the less complex to the most complex. Complexity could be defined in terms of cost, urgency, relevance and resource demand. In whatever the case, the ones that demand less are first implemented before jumping on to the ones that demand more (Norberg, 2000). In the present case, we read about stakeholders of the project at the April 2007 conference in Paris, deciding on the immediate priorities to