Thursday, October 31, 2019

External analysis for Ameresco Inc. (AMRC) Research Paper

External analysis for Ameresco Inc. (AMRC) - Research Paper Example heless, increased participation in the energy services industry has yielded increased competition between companies in the industry amid challenges presented by the external environment. The external environment has significant influence on the performance of companies through economic, technological, political-legal, and sociocultural factors. To sufficiently understand the influences of the external environment it is important to concentrate on a specific player in the industry such as Ameresco Inc. which is one of the largest energy services companies in North America. Although the economy cannot be controlled by an organization, it has great influence on the growth and development of a particular organization. This can be attributed to the impacts of economic growth, inflation, economic stability, and unemployment policies on the success of an organization (Dragnic, 2014). Ameresco’s location in North America gives it an advantage of relatively little negative influence of the economy. For example, its location in the USA is favorable to its success due the constant economic stability and growth presenting an opportunity for success. Additionally, inflation rates are relatively low thereby increasing its chances of success. However, areas with high unemployment rates offer relatively cheap labor hence increasing profit margins and vice versa. As such, the cost of labor incurred b Ameresco is relatively high although the changing times may present costs reductions based on labor importation trends. Technology plays a critical role in the de velopment of the energy savings industry. Technological advancements mainly focus on improving efficiency of energy consumption while maintaining low costs and conserving the environment. As such, the recent technological advancements pose a great opportunity for Ameresco’s success. Moreover, the political aspect heavily affects the performance of a particular industry depending on either favorable or unfavorable

Monday, October 28, 2019

A Content Analysis of Internet Sites Essay Example for Free

A Content Analysis of Internet Sites Essay This study is an analysis of pornography of a violent nature on the internet. There were found to be varied definitions of pornography such as â€Å"sexually explicit material† and â€Å"material that combines sex and or exposure of genitals with abuse or degradation that appears to endorse, condone or encourage such behavior. † The purpose of this study is to explore the harmful effects of pornography on relationships between males and females and not so much the actual content of the sites. There was also a review of earlier research that was done. Prior analysis also included different mediums such as movies and printed magazines. The research design was specific to internet websites that marketed their sites specifically promoting violence and sex. The research included thirty-one such websites. The methods of research were various search engines, links on websites that provided links to other sites and pay for view sites through explicit advertising. Websites were compared by overall content and strong explicit images and text. The findings discovered repetitive themes and images as well as invitations to access interactive websites or programs. Research also found that the setting, type of force, instruments used, number of victims and perpetrators and race were clearly displayed. More details of the victims were revealed while little was revealed about the perpetrators. An Analysis of Intercollegiate Media Guide Cover Photographs The cover photographs marketed a pre-conceived definition of male and female athletes. The focus of this analysis was to determine how men and women athletes are portrayed on and off court based on the cover photographs. The findings were determined by asking the following questions. Was the photograph taken on or off court? Was the athlete in uniform and were they posed? Did the photograph reveal athleticism? Was there sexual suggestion of either femininity or masculinity? It found that media perpetuates inequalities between male and female athletes and influences the viewpoint of the public. Media also tends to promote the muscularity and superiority of men. The physical appearance and femininity of female athletes takes precedence over athletic abilities and performance. Getting Your Body Back This analysis was to determine how the magazine portrayed pregnancy and motherhood relative to fitness. Pregnant women have a great deal of anxiety and corporations take advantage of that and use it to market the importance of fitness before, during and after pregnancy. Fitness is portrayed as a form of empowerment and control in a woman’s life and being out of shape depicts excessiveness, lack of self-control and devalues the femininity of women even during pregnancy. It also portrays fit women as having the capacity to â€Å"do it all. † Works Cited Gill, Jugdeep Kaur. Tips on Summary Writing. 12 October 2008. The Star Online. 16 October 2008   http://www.thestar.com

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Is Globalization A New Phenomenon?

Is Globalization A New Phenomenon? Globalization is a very complex subject matter that ignites many heated debates among geographers, researchers and the general public alike. Although it may be interlinked with many phrases such as global interconnectedness an attempt to define this in one sentence would be futile, as even with much discussion; the diversity of aspects that this term encompasses is too wide of a spectrum for anyone to come to a single conclusion. There are many concepts of globalization and as Aart-Scholte (2005) has clearly attested most existing analysis of globalization is flawed due to redundant concepts interlinked to the idea. Universalization represents the most general outlook of globalization, where the exposure of foreign ideals and cultures worldwide blur the boundaries separating nations and diminishes a nations very uniqueness. Internationalization, liberalization and westernization are also concepts commonly linked to globalization, which deal with the more social, economical and polit ical impacts of this process. As the subject matter in question revolves more around the economic and political power of globalization much more emphasis will be nucleated within these boundaries. The age-old question many authors seem to dispute about is the history of globalization. Is globalization a new phenomenon? Authors who affiliate globalization to internationalization and liberalization find this process to be one that had lingered since the early colonialist eras. Zevin (1992), Wade (1996), Hirst Thompson (1999), ORourke Williamson (1999) through research have obtained circumstantial evidence that levels of trade, migration and investment between countries were already prominent in the late 19th century. Hence making their point that there is nothing new in contemporary globalism much more convincing. On the contrary other authors find that global relations only bloomed after advances in technology that simplifies the accessibility of people and the media across great distances with technological innovations such as the invention of the jet aeroplane and computer network, with what has been deemed the first global revolution and new realities by authors such as Dr ucker (1989) and King Schneider (1991). More realistically, I find the points brought up by authors like Roland Roberts (1994) to be much more compelling as the idea that globalization begun with what has been said to be a germination phase in the 15th to the mid 18th century and inevitably take off within the period of the mid 19th century makes perfect sense. At this point in time the globalization rate is astounding, where branches such as Walmart, Sony and even Tesco are branching out from their mother countries to nation states. As these massive corporations are starting to dominate the more politically and socially submissive smaller areas the economic control lays in the hand of these multi national corporations. Further debate can bring the conclusion either way, whether it may benefit the nation states with job opportunities and exposure to modern technology, yet the idea of exploitation must always weigh heavily in the back of ones mind. As economic benefit will undoubted ly seep from the nation states to where the main branch may be located. The statist mode of governance was greatly practiced before the boom of globalization. When globalization began to broaden its scale this diminished what used to be a more independent form of governance. As not only were most nation states dominated by polycentric regulations they were also given the opportunity to engage overseas, countries they may not have been able to connect with before. The suprastates and global law may have a certain amount of control over the smaller areas however with the development of global currencies, even the most powerful state has no authority over money supplies and exchange rates. International relations theorists discuss what was called the Westphalian mould, brought about in the 1600s. The peace of Westphalia formalized the modern concept of a system of sovereign states. With this sovereignty, much like colonialism, each state would exercise and dominate their territorial jurisdiction. Due to accelerated globalization the Westphalian practices had fallen into disuse. Large-scale globality made it impossible for statist constructions of sovereignity to keep its governance over the designated territorial space. Again as mentioned before, the government is unable to keep track with the electronic money transfers and documented workers in a world of rapidly developing technology. One of many problems afflicting the world today is poverty. World Bank figures (2001) regarding the population that live on less than the equivalent of $1 per day dropped from 1.4 billion persons in 1980 to 1.2 billion in 2001. Critics though have argued that the methodologies used in these calculations have changed over this period, so the figures cannot be safely compared (Wade, 2002). Global trade better the situation of poverty as NICs increase exports of global goods and services. For instance China tripled between the years of 1978 and 1993 with the opening up of global commerce. This is not always the case as very few countries reach NIC status and global trade rules as well as global financial crises bring dreadful impacts to the poor people. According to Coote (1996) primary commodities have poorer countries relying on exports yet even with an increase in globalization there was a steady decrease in profit from trade in the 1970s. World prices of primary commodities in mid 1 990s stood at its lowest level since 1930s (ul Haq et al. 1995:29). It is clear that the problem of poverty even with the promises that come with globalization, for instance job employment and the growth of industry, has not been completely been eradicated. There are many concerns that globalization has made its impact upon. One of which being crime. Globalization creates more opportunities to combat crime. Advanced technology increases the efficiency of surveillance and counter terror units hence theoretically making the crime rate decrease. However, looking at it in a different perspective globalization provide criminals with important tools to commit unlawful acts as does networking, introduced with globalization, strengthen the bond of powerful criminal organizations. Money laundering now stands at levels equivalent to 2-5 per cent of the world GDP per annum (FATF, 2004) Peace on the opposite end of the spectrum is also heavily affected by globalization. Global connectivity introduces disincentives for war among OEDC states. The signing of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty regime, established in 1968 through the IAEA, discouraged the spread of nuclear weapons to more state arsenals. This treaty, however unsuccessful, was an attempt to control the arms rate of which global governance makes more manageable. Global reach, however, can send military interventions from north to south with ease. The advances in technology also help raise the destructive capacities of war. As mentioned before having media so easily accessible the profile of terrorist politics will be greatly highlighted hence leading to feelings of uncertainty and insecurity amongst the general public. Social cohesion is an important point of interest within the field of globalization. Neoliberalism exploits the social relation and looks at it as a competition for a place in the global marketplace. Which leads to a lack of cooperation and no collective interest. However a guaranteed state-nation-country-society-unit built up with large-scale growth of global spaces makes this very cohesion unfeasible. Globalization though maybe advantageous to the uprising of social cohesion may cause the complete opposite. As brought up by Scholte (2004) of how the global civil society has often undermined rather than forward social integration. Global relations may lead to a lack of intimacy as technological advances would promote web conferences and personal meetings would but be a thing of the past. Companies hold on to limited long-term commitments and workers have restricted opportunities locally before the labor market calls them. Ecology plays a major role in the topic of globalization as the relationship between humans and the environment is just as important as the relationship between nations. Nature is highly unpredictable and with technology linked to globalization prediction of natural disasters is possible with satellite surveillance and digital processing. Having advanced media coverage can reduce the disastrous outcome of a natural disaster and also raise awareness for aid across nations. Take Haiti for example, a highly telecasted disaster of which media is playing a large role for relief, the Hope for Haiti benefit. There is also a downfall to the advancements of technology as pollution is generally the outcome of new innovations. For instance, aeroplanes and motorships pose great threats to the sea and air with the amount of waste it produces. Also as globalization has successfully made the world smaller with advancements in the transport system, some companies; mainly those that produce highly to xic waste products, have gone global in part to relocate at sites where environmental regulations are less stringent (Heerings and Zeldenrust, 1995). Hence foreshadowing a slowly deteriorating environment. As globalization is a particularly broad subject matter it is difficult to restrain myself into a certain parameter. The process of globalization touches on most aspects of human geography, as it affects not only the social and political aspects of a country and its relationship with the world, but also environmental issues. There is no way in halting this process, as it is one for inevitable development hence supervision is key to determine positive results. Total: 1521 words

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Detriment of PSA Screening Essay -- Medical Research

Arguably the most essential and indispensable aspect of life is the attainment and preservation of good health. Individuals with health-related complications are often prevented from leading what many would consider to be a normal lifestyle. One of the several ailments that impedes typical human functioning is prostate cancer. The community of experts and professionals who have dedicated their lives to this field of study are, at this time, engaged in a substantive yet divisive and strongly opinionated dispute regarding a test considered by some to aid in the detection of this cancer. This highly scrutinized test is known as the prostate-specific antigen test, more commonly referred to as the PSA test. In the United States and more broadly the world today, the prostate-specific antigen test yields little or no positive results while having the potential to generate damage and destruction and, therefore, should not be administered on a regular basis as a means of detecting this form o f malignancy. Cancer of the prostate has retained its place as the leading source of cancer apart from the melanomas and carcinomas of the skin. In addition, this disease is the second leading killer among men in the United States that pass away due to cancer.1(p164) What then is the reason for such a polarized dialogue concerning a simple diagnostic tool that is relatively painless and noninvasive? The discussion on this issue, although simmering throughout the scientific and medical fraternity for a lengthy period of time, was in fact brought to a boil and to the forefront of the news in October of 2011 when a group known as the United States Preventative Services Task Force released their findings on the issue. The USPSTF report, considered to be... ...versy reignites ‘over-screening’ debate. PBS News Hour Website. 2011. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/10/psa-testing-controversy-reignites-over-screening-debate.html Accessed March 13, 2012. 4. Parker-Pope T. Prostate cancer screening shows no benefit. New York Times Online. 2012. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/embargoed-no-benefit-from-prostate-cancer-screening/ Accessed March 13, 2012. 5. Cauley DH. Chapter 150. Prostate Cancer. In: Schwinghammer TL, Koehler JM, eds. Pharmacotherapy Casebook: A Patient-Focused Approach. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2011. http://www.accesspharmacy.com/content.aspx?aID=55624057. Accessed March 13, 2012. 6. Allan GM, Chetner M, Venner P, et al. Furthering the prostate cancer screening debate (prostate cancer specific mortality and associated risks). Can Urol Assoc J. 2011; 5(6):416-421. DOI: 10.5489/cuaj.11063

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Diffusion and osmosis lab Essay

What happened to the iodine, the starch, the glucose and the water in your experiment? Explain which molecules did/did not cross the membrane and in which direction they moved. Substance Prediction Results Starch Starch will stay in the cellulose tubing The results were correct Glucose Glucose will defuse and move out The results were correct Iodine The iodine will change color The results were correct 2. Did the results of your experiment agree or disagree with your prediction? Why or why not? My results agreed with my prediction because the starch, glucose and iodine stayed in the cellulose tubing, or the water changed color. 3. Considering your observations, suggest an explanation for the results of your experiment. What assumptions did you make about the nature of the membrane? The cell contains what enters. Small molecules can quickly go through and out of the cell. Meaning the small molecule diffuse through the process of osmosis. Lab 2 – ELODEA Objective: To demonstrate and explain effects of osmosis across a living membrane. 1. What changes took place in the Elodea cell after salt water is added? Did these changes agree or disagree with your prediction? Why or why or not? When the salt was added to the water it caused the water concentration to lessen but the solute to increase. There are more water molecules going out of the cell than in the cell the cell membrane began to shrink known as dehydration. 2. Explain, in detail, the process that caused these changes to occur. The elodea would not be able to live in salt-water environment because there is a greater concentration of the water in the cell. When there is salt in the cell, it would die. 3. Is this process reversible? If so, describe how you would reverse it? Yes, I think this process is reversible. You would have more of a salt solution then a water solution. Then you would add the water to the concentration then it will be revered

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The period of a pendulum Essays

The period of a pendulum Essays The period of a pendulum Paper The period of a pendulum Paper In this investigation, I will be looking at which factors affect the period (The time for one complete cycle, a left swing and a right swing) of a pendulum (a weight that dangles from a pivot so that it can swing freely). I will do this by tying a metal bob to a length of spring and dropping it from a certain height and measuring the time it takes to complete an oscillation, changing a variable for each of my preliminary investigations. Independent Variable Dependent Variable Control Variables Length of String (continuous) Period of the pendulum (continuous) Diameter of Bob Type of Bob Angle bob dropped from Person stopping stopwatch Person dropping bob Height Bob is dropped from Preliminary Investigations Preliminary One: Length of Strong Results Table Time of Period (seconds) Length of String Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Ranges Averages (mean) 10cm   68 According to my graph, there is a positive correlation between the period of a pendulum and the length of string, meaning that as the length of the string increases, the period increases as well. The gradient of this graph is 0.9879. This would be ideal for my main investigation as there is a noticeable relationship between the length of string and period. Preliminary Two: Angle Metal Bob is dropped from Independent Variable Dependent Variable Control Variables Angle from which the bob is dropped from(continuous) Period of the pendulum (continuous) Diameter of Bob Type of Bob Same person dropping bob Same person stopping stopwatch Height bob is dropped from Results Table Time of Period (seconds) Angle Bob is dropped from Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Ranges Averages (mean) 90i This graph clearly shows a negative correlation between the period of a pendulum and the angle from which the bob was dropped. This shows that as the angle decreases, the time it takes to complete one full oscillation increases. The gradient of this graph is 0. 8847. Although this can be considered for my main investigation, the gradient of this graph is shallower than the gradient of the first preliminary, meaning that my first preliminary is likely to give me more noticeable results than this preliminary. Preliminary Three: Diameter of Bob Independent Variable Dependent Variable Control Variables Diameter of Bob (continuous) Period of the Pendulum (continuous) Type of Bob Length of string Angle bob is dropped from Same person dropping bob Same person stopping stopwatch Height bob is dropped from Results Table Time of Period (seconds) Diameter of Bob Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Ranges Averages (mean) 13mm. 27 This graph also shows a positive correlation between variable and the period of the pendulum, meaning that as the diameter is increased, the time it takes the pendulum to complete one oscillation also increases. The gradient of the line of best fit on this graph is 1. This preliminary has yielded results that has a steeper gradient than my first preliminary, which means this is also ideal for my main investigation. Preliminary Four: Type of Bob Independent Variable Dependent Variable Control Variables Type of Bob (discontinuous). Period of the pendulum (continuous) Diameter of Bob Length of string Angle bob is dropped from Same person dropping bob Same person stopping the stopwatch Height Bob is dropped from Results Table Time of Period (seconds) Type of Bob Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Ranges Averages (mean) Iron 21 According to this graph, there is a positive correlation between the type of bob used and period. The gradient of this graph is 0. 9143. This gradient falls behind the Length of String and Diameter of Bob gradients, so its unlikely that I will use this for my main investigation, also, in terms of practicality, there wasnt a large variety of materials to choose from. Main Investigation: Length of String I decided to choose Length of String for my investigation, because, my results for that preliminary had the one of most noticeable relationships between the independent and the dependent variable as well as the fact that there were no outliers. I didnt choose Type of Bob, because Type of Bob is an example of a discrete independent variable, in that it doesnt have a numerical value that can be plotted on a graph. As well as this, even though there does appear to be a relationship between Type of Bob and the period, there was another independent variable which was changed, which was the mass of each bob. Although Diameter of Bob was also ideal to be tested in my main investigation, it lost out to Length of String simply because there was not a wide enough range of metal bobs that were made of the same material but had different diameter. So, although I predict it wouldve yielded noticeable results, Length of String is more practical to do, as well as the fact that the length of the string is easy to manipulate. Independent Variable Dependent Variable Control Variables Length of String (continuous) Period of the pendulum (continuous) Diameter of Bob Type of Bob Angle bob dropped from Person stopping stopwatch Person dropping bob Height Bob is dropped from Equipment Why Measure of Accuracy Nine different lengths of string To tie metal bob to and investigate Nearest centimetre Centimetres: Millimetres Clamp Stand To hold the pivot and the pendulum N/A. Metre stick To accurately measure out the correct lengths for the pieces of string Nearest millimetre Centimetres: Millimetres Scissors To cut the string as precisely as possible N/A Protractor To measure the angle from which the bob is to be dropped from Nearest degreei 19mm Iron bob The pendulum to swing from the pivot N/A Digital Stopwatch To accurately measure the amount of time the plant tissue soaks in the solutions for Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Milliseconds Method 1. Collect all required equipment. 2. Measure out each length of string to be used in the investigation, leaving an 8cm excess to allow for knot tying. 3. Tie bob to length of string to be tested securely 4. Set up clamp stand on the edge of the table to allow room for the pendulum 5. The person in charge of dropping the bob holds it up taut so that the bob is parallel to the clamp stand, or the length of string is perpendicular to the clamp stand and checks that the angle is 90i with the protractor. 6. Person in charge of the stopwatch signals when to drop the bob and measures the period with the stopwatch 7. Third person records results in a table 8. Retrial each length five times so as to that the results are as accurate as possible. Time of Period (seconds) Length of String Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Ranges Averages (mean) PE 10cm 01. 90 Results Pendulum Equation (PE): Time of Period=2? Interpretation: On the graph, there is positive correlation, according to my line of best fit. It appears as though the longer the string, the more time it takes for the bob to complete its oscillation. This can be explained because when the bob swings, it swings from a high position to its lowest position (the midpoint of the swing, also where the bob will come to rest when it reaches dynamic equilibrium). The change in height is caused by Earths gravitational acceleration or the change in velocity over time caused by gravity acting on the bob. If the length of the string is longer, the distance to swing from the highest point to lowest will be greater (as the distance travelled is the length of an arc, we can calculate the length of the arc using the equation 2? r x ? /360, where ? is the angle from which the bob was dropped from), therefore it would take a longer amount of time to fall to lowest point of the swing. Of course, gravity isnt the only factor that affects the period, other forces such as air resistance and friction help to eventually slow down the bob, and the mass of the string, although slight, affects the force needed to swing the pendulum back and forth. Evaluation The main investigation went well, however there are many areas which could be improved in order to get more accurate results. For example, the method wasnt very reliable because quite a few aspects of the investigation had to be carried out by humans, as well as the fact that the results which were recorded down were up to the judgement of the person who controlled the stopwatch when the bob completed its oscillation. This means that some of the results could be off by a few milliseconds or even seconds. Despite this, my group did try to keep the results as reliable as possible by making sure the same person was used to control the stopwatch and drop the bob, so that the factor of different peoples reaction times were limited. I could improve my experiment by:   Using a computer and a laser to release and measure the bob, for instance, if at its starting the point, the bob was intercepting a laser/beam of light, so that when it was dropped, the computer could measure the time it takes for the bob to re-intercept the beam again, i. e. complete its oscillation completely. Using a lighter sturdier form for the pendulum shaft instead of string, as the string had a tendency to bend throughout the oscillation, which couldve affected the results   Have a release that was positioned parallel to the clamp stand so that the angle from which the bob was dropped from each time was the same * Having a way to hook the pendulum length/string to the clamp and the bob without having to tie knots so the length of the string that would swing was more accurate Other than that, I believe my equipment was as accurate as I needed them to be, so I wouldnt change any of the equipment I was using to carry out the experiment. I think that my results are reliable because the range bars are all relatively small on my graph, however in comparison to the Pendulum Equation; the results are too big and are in turn not scientifically accurate. Ive calculated the average difference between my Averages and the Pendulum Equation line and have found it to be up to 0. 4 of a second in difference. In conclusion, I believe that the length of string does affect the period of a pendulum, despite the inaccuracy of my results as my investigation proved that this factor still theoretically affects it.

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Bank War Waged by President Andrew Jackson

The Bank War Waged by President Andrew Jackson The Bank War was a long and bitter struggle waged by President Andrew Jackson in the 1830s against the Second Bank of the United States, a federal institution which Jackson sought to destroy. Jacksons stubborn skepticism about banks escalated into a highly personal battle between the president of the United States and the president of the bank, Nicholas Biddle. The conflict over the bank became an issue in the presidential election of 1832, in which Jackson defeated Henry Clay. Following his reelection, Jackson sought to destroy the bank and engaged in controversial tactics which included firing treasury secretaries opposed to his grudge against the bank.   The Bank War created conflicts which resonated for years. And the heated controversy created by Jackson came at a very bad time for the country. Economic problems which reverberated through the economy eventually led to major depression in the Panic of 1837 (which occurred during the term of Jacksons successor, Martin Van Buren). Jacksons campaign against the Second Bank of the United States did ultimately cripple the institution. Background on the Second Bank of the United States The Second Bank of the United States was chartered in April 1816, in part to manage debts the federal government had taken on during the War of 1812. The bank filled a void left when the Bank of the United States, which had been created by Alexander Hamilton, did not have its 20-year charter renewed by Congress in 1811. Various scandals and controversies plagued the Second Bank of the United States in the first years of its existence, and it was blamed for helping to cause the Panic of 1819, a major economic crisis in the United States. By the time Andrew Jackson became president in 1829, the problems of the bank had been rectified. The institution was headed by Nicholas Biddle, who, as bank president, exercised considerable influence over the financial affairs of the nation. Jackson and Biddle clashed repeatedly, and cartoons of the time depicted them in a boxing match, with Biddle cheered on by city dwellers as frontiersmen rooted for Jackson. The Controversy Over Renewing the Charter of the Second Bank of the United States By most standards, the Second Bank of the United States was doing a good job of stabilizing the nations banking system. But Andrew Jackson viewed it with resentment, considering it a tool of an economic elite in the East that took unfair advantage of farmers and working people. The charter for the Second Bank of the United States would expire, and thus be up for renewal, in 1836. However, four years earlier, in 1832, prominent senator Henry Clay pushed forward a bill that would renew the banks charter. The charter renewal was a calculated political move. If Jackson signed the bill into law, it might alienate voters in the West and South and jeopardize Jacksons bid for a second presidential term. If he vetoed the bill, the controversy might alienate voters in the Northeast. Andrew Jackson vetoed the renewal of the charter of the Second Bank of the United States in dramatic fashion. He issued a lengthy statement on July 10, 1832, providing the reasoning behind his veto. Along with his arguments claiming the bank was unconstitutional, Jackson unleashed some blistering attacks, including this comment near the end of his statement: Many of our rich men have not been content with equal protection and equal benefits, but have besought us to make them richer by act of Congress.Henry Clay ran against Jackson in the election of 1832. Jacksons veto of the banks charter was an election issue, but Jackson was reelected by a wide margin. Andrew Jackson Continued His Attacks on the Bank At the beginning of his second term, believing he had a mandate from the American people, Jackson instructed his treasury secretary to remove assets from the Second Bank of the United States and transfer them to state banks, which became known as pet banks. Jacksons war with the bank placed him in bitter conflict with the banks president Nicholas Biddle, who was as determined as Jackson. The two men sparred, sparking a series of economic problems for the country. In 1836, his last year in office, Jackson issued a presidential order known as the Specie Circular, which required that purchases of federal lands (such as lands being sold in the West) be paid for in cash (which was known as species). The Specie Circular was Jacksons last major move in the bank war, and it did succeed in virtually ruining the credit system of the Second Bank of the United States. The clashes between Jackson and Biddle likely contributed to the Panic of 1837, a major economic crisis which impacted the United States and doomed the presidency of Jacksons successor, Martin Van Buren. Disruptions caused by the economic crisis which began in 1837 resonated for years, so Jacksons suspicion of banks and banking had an effect that outlived his presidency.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

2016 BSL Cranberry Classic Essays - Swimming, Sports, Leisure

2016 BSL Cranberry Classic Essays - Swimming, Sports, Leisure 2016 BSL Cranberry Classic Invitational Swim Meet November 4-6 , 2016 Birmingham Crossplex Birmingham Swim League " Cranberry Classic Invitational " Birmingham CrossPlex November 4-6 , 2016 SANCTIONED BY:This meet will be conducted under the auspices of Southeastern Swimming, Inc. of USA Swimming. USA Swimming technical rules and regulations will be followed with the exception of items specifically addressed in the meet information Sanctioned by Southeastern Swimming, Inc. Held under the sanction of USA Swimming and Southeastern Swimming, Inc. Sanction No. 16SEBSL11-4, Time Trial Sanction No. 16SEBSL11-4TT HOSTED BY:Birmingham Swim League (www.birminghamswimleague.org) 1025 Montgomery Hwy Suite 106 Birmingham, Al 35216 205-823-5512 (office) LOCATION:Birmingham CrossPlex (www.birminghamcrossplex.com) 2337 Bessemer Road Birmingham, AL 35208 205-279-8900 FACILITIES:Indoor 20 lane, 25 yard or 10 lane, 50 meter pool with non-turbulent lane lines, Colorado timing system and video scoreboard. The competition course has been certified in accordance with 104.2.2C(4). The water depth is a minimum of 8 feet to 16 feet. Warm-up/warm-down lanes available at all times. RULES:Current United States Swimming rules will govern the conduct of the meet. Southeastern Swimming safety guidelines and warm up procedures will be in effect. The use of audio or visual recording devices, including a cell phone, is not permitted in changing areas, rest rooms, locker rooms, or from behind the starting blocks. Deck changing into or out of swimsuits other than in locker rooms or rest rooms is prohibited. In the interest of safety and accident prevention, coaches and swimmers are asked to observe all posted pool rules and facility rules referred to in this meet information and to conduct themselves in a safe and prudent manner. Birmingham Swim League will not accept responsibility for anyone who climbs to an unsafe height for any reason. OFFICIALS:Meet Director:Kristie Muir ([emailprotected]) Meet Referee:Gwen McKenzie ([emailprotected]) Admin Referee:Donna Williamson ([emailprotected]) Officials and apprentices from visiting teams are welcome and appreciated. Please contact Gwen McKenzie ([emailprotected]) with session(s) you are available to work. Dress in khaki pants/shorts/skirts, white shirts and white shoes. Please fill out information on "Team Information" page to be returned with entries. Officials must be members of USA Swimming and must present evidence of certification as required by Southeastern Swimming. Should there be any questions, meet officials will recognize only coaches or their designated representatives. Officials' meeting will take place in the hospitality room 1 hour before each session. Timers' meeting will take place at Clerk of Course 30 minutes before each session. ELIGIBILITY:All swimmers must be 2016-2017 USA Swimming Registered athletes. USA registration number must be listed on the entry form. No entry will be accepted without current registration numbers. There will be no on-deck USA Swimming membership registration. Coaches and officials must present evidence of certification as required by Southeastern Swimming. A swimmer's age on the first day of the meet will determine his or her age for the entire meet. Swimmers must be 11 years old to enter "Senior" events. Any swimmer entered in the meet must be certified by a USA Swimming member coach as being proficient in performing a racing start or must start each race from within the water. When unaccompanied by a member-coach, it is the responsibility of the swimmer or the swimmer's legal guardian to ensure compliance with this requirement. STARTING TIMES:Warm-upCompetition Friday PM:4:00 PM5:00 PM Saturday AM:7:20 AM; 7:50 AM8:30 AM Saturday PM:Not before 12:30 PMNot before 1:40 PM Sunday AM:7:20 AM; 7:50 AM8:30 AM Sunday PM:Not before 12:30 PMNot before 1:40 PM Sessions (AM and PM) and/or events may be combined if necessary, depending on the number of entrants. If sessions are combined the events will also be re-numbered. Teams will be notified by telephone and/or email by Wednesday, November 4th, if this should occur, so please fill out ALL information on the TEAM INFORMATION page and turn that in with your entries by the deadline. WARM-UPS:Morning sessions will have one or two warm-ups depending on entries. Depending on size of meet, there may be designated sprint lanes at end of each morning warm-up. Afternoon sessions will be OPEN warm-ups with sprint and pace lanes to be designated the last 25 minutes at the discretion of the Meet Referee. Warm-up Lane assignments will be posted on www.birminghamswimleague.org and will be in

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Report on International Business Machines Corp (IBM) Case Study

Report on International Business Machines Corp (IBM) - Case Study Example Firstly, there was the disruptive change on the organization’s culture as a result of the telecommuting. Secondly, there was the problem with the initial technological support. The first issue has been identified by several authors as being a key stumbling for managing successful change efforts (Beer, Eisenstat, & Spector, 1990; Heracleous & Langham, 1996; Johnson, 1992; Kotter, 2007). All these authors’ viewpoints are looked at within the report. On the other hand, this report does not find the second issue of problems with technological support to be major because while an organization is implementing change one anticipates a state of flux during which systems and technologies have to experience instabilities. Johnson (1992) defined the cultural paradigm as the core set of beliefs and assumptions, held relatively commonly by management and employees, that are specific and relevant to that given organization and that are learned over time. Telecommuting changed the way of doing things at IBM for example some managers lost prestigious privileges such as private offices with private secretaries and team members became physically dispersed which made inter-team communication much harder. The first issue, the negative impact of telecommuting on IBM-Indiana’s cultural paradigm is analyzed using Johnson (1992) cultural web approach. The second issue is largely a technological issue that has to arise as the organization transitions from one stable organizational system to another. Organizational culture and managing change According to Johnson (1992) culture plays a big role in the development of strategy, the management of the resulting strategic change and also on the choices made by an organization’s leadership that lead up to both strategic development and change. In this case telecommuting presents a major strategic change for IBM-Indiana. The culture web is a tool proposed by Johnson (1992) as a suitable device for conducti ng an organization’s culture audit. According to Heracleous and Langham (1996) the cultural web allows managers to conceptualize the organization either within an interpretive frame of reference (what the organization is) or as a variable in a functionalist frame of reference (something an organization has). The culture web comprises of seven elements: paradigm, rituals and routines, organizational structure, power structures, control systems, symbolic aspects and stories as shown in Figure 1 below. Almost all the cultural web elements were greatly affected by the introduction to telecommuting. With telecommuting employees had to contend with new rituals and routines for example maintaining accurate and up to date schedule of activities on the computer to enable scheduling of meetings and teleconferences. Formalized control systems that monitor and therefore emphasize what is important at IBM, in order to focus attention and activity also had to be changed to reflect the ne w arrangement of partly off-site and on-site office arrangements. Managers who had private offices and private secretaries lost these huge symbolic aspects of being managers at IBM and the loss of group-work setting diminished opportunities for social contact and casual communication that

Friday, October 18, 2019

To undertake a literature review, chemical, biological, radiological Essay

To undertake a literature review, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism threat (CBRN threat), according to th - Essay Example Like a big, soft jelly-fish it floats into our shell hole and lolls there obscenely All quiet on the Western Front† – Erich Maria Remarque Background With the advent of technological boom and availability of new resources, threats to the British army and other alliance are persistently growing. It is evident that the Al Qaida and correlated terrorist groups have uttered a stern attention in using CBRN. The events of chlorine gas attacks in Iraq have clearly indicated the potential seriousness of the threats. There is always a likelihood of asymmetric attack by terrorists utilizing chemical, biological or radiological weapons has become a reality. The augmentation in mass casualty terrorism and the mounting responsiveness that know-how is progressively more facilitating private performer to have admittance to extremely treacherous Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear (CBRN) material has contemplated the issue of CBRN terrorism progressively more important policy question. This developing menace must be considered as a serious issue as it directs our awareness, vigilance, preparation, education and guidance strategies. It is imperative to understand how to deal with the complex risk due to the ambiguity connected with the menace (The Medical NBC Information Server). With the present scenario the successful execution and management necessitates synchronized efforts among stakeholders to influence possessions and proficiency to accomplish synergies in administrating the CRBN Threat. Protection necessitate a multi-dimensional approach. Abstract It is essential to recognize the growing need of awareness towards highly precarious Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear (CRBN). It has emerged as a vital policy question. The issue encompass multiple factors and cognitive association between these factors is crucial to understand the preconditions of CBRN terrorism. Lack of appropriate database relating all the factors associated with CBRN ter rorism is the need of time. Aim of the Literature Review: The basic aim of the literature review is to recognize contemporary and budding concerns, strategies and approaches in meeting the requirement for CBRN issue, strategies devised to meet the medical associations and management, execution of the planning, security and challenges that are being imposed in front of Armies by chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear terrorism. Strategies must be devised to deal with the management of CBRN causalities. The review of literature is also essential to enunciate the need for training for developing equipped hands to fight with the causalities. All these factors reflect upon the economic burden on the nation's economic conditions. Research Questions: i. What is most likely of the terrorists using CBRN in near future? ii. What is the most likely agent that may be used by the terrorists to attack British Army? iii. What kind of training and Equipments are required to deal with CBRN atta cks? Keywords: CBRN- Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear, CW- Chemical Weapons, BTWC- Biological and Toxin Weapons, Incapacitating Agents, Nerve Agents, Contamination and decontamination, Detection and Identification, Weaponisation. Methodology: All the above mentioned key words were used to perform literature survey between January 2000 to April 2009. Introduction: War in any sense brings disaster for life. Human beings are being gifted with the

Prop 30 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Prop 30 - Research Paper Example In November 2012, elections were conducted all over California in order to evaluate whether people were ready to increase the tax rates so that budget cuts could be prevented in the educational sector. According to the website of California Secretary of State, 54% of the voters favored taxes to be increased to finance education system. On the other hand, almost 46% of the total vote’s caste was in opposition to this initiative. Contextually, it should be mentioned that Jerry Brown, the governor of California had given full support to Prop 30. On the other hand, small businessmen and entrepreneurs opposed this proposition. They said that increasing the taxes would affect the businesses in the state adversely. Hence, that would be compensated by job cuts and shut down of smaller firms. Thesis Prop 30 is based on an utmost democratic approach that not only supports the freedom of expression but also takes on a combinatory political approach that ventures to adjudge popular mental ity on the mandate of free education. Particularly after the Civil War and abolition of slavery, equality has been a key area of both debate and pursuit in the American society, where social stratifications are supposed to be aligned to the merit based parameters. But what if education becomes costly? What if the economically backward children are left behind and the public schools raise their fees? Nevertheless, a just education system should be accessible to the economically backward people too. Hence, if it be necessary to increase taxes on the general public so that the schools can be financed better and broader educational outreach is harnessed, people must take a positive approach. California indeed needs educational reforms and the majority of Californians wish to see reforms. In this way, Temporary Taxes to Fund Education should be supported to provide more wealth to the educational establishments. By the means of public funding, governments can really open up the doors of w elfare economy to fulfill the popular aspirations. In the first go, this all may seem to be politically biased populist measures. But if we think a little deeper then we can accept that Californian education system has some real problems which should be solved with real solutions. Hence, Prop 30 was a move that deserved popular support. Discussion Educational disparities raise serious questions on the credibility of American Dream. â€Å"California leads the United States in the total number of African Americans enrolled in higher education, although the proportion of African American students enrolled in higher education continues to decline. Close to 76% of all African Americans in public elementary school graduate from high school, but only 13% go on to graduate from institutions in the California state higher education systems.† (Allen, Bonous-Hammarth, and Teranishi, 1-2) Higher education prospects in California appear to be parallel to a racially biased apartheid system . It reflects a sort of extreme socioeconomic disparity. An outstanding and reachable public higher education system augmented California’s economic development. But today, the lack of an equal opportunity based educational paradigm is playing a significant role to undermine the future prospects of the African American population. Therefore, educational reforms must be initiated to help California maintain its justifiable vibrancies and democratic institutions. Nevertheless, certain

Tesco and Sainsbury Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Tesco and Sainsbury - Case Study Example He has been reduced to working from home most of the times. After deliberations with the family members, Howard has opted to retire from the company completely at the end of this year. He will relocate to Kenya, due to warm climate here. This will be good for his health. Having graduated recently with an undergraduate degree in business management, Howard has selected me, as his eldest child, to take over the running of the business. I plan to make radical changes to Stellion Convenient Stores. This is to make sure that it grows, instead of the current stagnation. To this end, am carrying out a research on Tesco and Sainsbury stores. The results of this research will help me in making the decisions that are necessary for this company. Tesco has a unique form of organizational structure. It is devolved and decentralized. This means that rather decisions been made by the top tier managers and passed down the hierarchy, the managers at the lower levels can make decisions (Crowther & McNiff: 2004). What the top tier managers at Tesco do is just to arm the lower cadre managers with general terms like price list and terms and conditions. But the rest of the decisions, like determining which staffs work where are determined by the lower managers (Crowther & McNiff: 2004). Each branch of this chain of supermarkets has its own manager. This is the one who decides on matters to do with the store, and then he makes a report to the regional manager. The hierarchy of Tesco supermarkets can be looked at as been flat. There are six tiers of hierarchy between the highest official, who is the C.E.O, and the lowest staff, who is the checkout cashier. Since the organisation has several branches, there exist two separate but interrelated forms of structures (Crowther & McNiff: 2004). The first is for the whole company, while the second is for each of the branches, which can also be referred to as regional or internal organisation structure. Every company has norms and values that are common amongst the employees. This is what is referred to as the organisational culture (Mullins: 2008). There are weekly meetings for the employees, where they get the opportunity to share ideas and suggestions about the running of Tesco. During these meetings, the management gets the feedback from their staff on how the business is running, since the workers are the ones who are in direct contact with the customers (Mullins: 2008). It is also the culture of Tesco to inform the employees of new developments in the company, for example change in terms and conditions, during these meetings. The chain of supermarkets has adopted a slogan "every little helps", which shows how they value their employees and customers. Every little input from these employees and customers aimed at improving the business of this company is appreciated. The culture adopted by Tesco helps both the employees and the customers. For example the weekly meetings and update from the company makes the employees feel that they are part of the company, they are not alienated (Crowther & McNiff: 2004). The employees are allowed to make suggestions as to the best way of running the company, they become a part in the decision making process. They feel that they have control over their work, which is really good for morale (Crowther & McNiff: 2004). The customers get their feelings and suggestions relayed to

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Schooling and Educational Opportunities for Females in the UK - Essay

Schooling and Educational Opportunities for Females in the UK - Changes - Essay Example This comparison paper looks at the present state of post-16 educational opportunities for females (Archer et al, 2007) in contrast with those available to them in the 1950 and 1960s in the Post World War II era (Evans, 1991). It is evident that much has flowed under the bridge and the past has contributed to the present in a very effective manner. While the Archer article adopts a more clinical research based stance, the merit of the Evans piece is that it is personal and engaging as well. Only at certain points, she guides us as to the points she wants to make. In their paper entitled ‘Class, gender, heterosexuality and schooling: paradoxes within working-class girls' engagement with education and post-16 aspirations’ as published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education of March 2007, the authors discuss ways in which inner-city and ethnically diverse working-class girls' constructions of hetero-femininities mediate and shape their engagement or disengagement w ith education and schooling. This study was based on data collected from 89 urban working-class youth in London. The authors mainly touched upon three main ways through which these young women used heterosexual femininities to construct capital and generate identity value and worth- these were (1) through investment in appearance using glamorous hetero-femininities, (2) through heterosexual relationships with boyfriends, and (3) through the ‘ladette’ phenomena. They maintain that young women's investments in particular forms of heterosexual working-class femininity can affect very deeply their engagement or disengagement from schooling and education. They focus on the paradoxes that arise when these constructions interact with other oppressive power structures. Class, Gender, Heterosexuality and Schooling Paradoxes- A Detailed Analysis Archer et al. (2007) start off by commenting on the lower academic scores that boys typically achieve compared to girls in the GCSE and other competitive examinations and seek to determine the reasons for this. This underachievement is a cause of concern for many countries- from the UK to New Zealand. However, as Epstein and others have noted, it is not as simple as this because a more detailed look indicates that not all boys are doing badly and indeed, not all girls are doing well. There are complexities of social class, gender and ethnicity that underlie these results which must be addressed. Amazingly, Kenway (2003, page ix) found that girls leaving school early had more problems than boys in securing employment.

Herbert hoover Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Herbert hoover - Essay Example His contribution to public service and his humanitarian work during the war became the pride of American people back home. He exhorted his people to economize and save food so that more people could be fed during the great famine of Europe and asserted firmly that even enemies (Russian people) would also be extended help in the form of food supply. When a critic inquired if he was not thus helping Bolshevism, Hoover retorted, ‘Twenty million people are starving. Whatever their politics, they shall be fed!’ (whitehouse.gov). In 1928, he became a natural choice for the republicans for Presidency and was elected with a big margin. Hoover was basically a commoner and a technocrat who had earned his millions, working in mines in different countries of the world. He was dragged into limelight because of his widespread business contacts across world and as an American, he could help Americans who were trapped in the war that had broken out in the Europe. Prior to becoming President, he had extensively served people in various capacity and therefore, when he became president, welfare of the people became his primary concern, especially farmers. His intrinsic belief that as a representative of the people, it was his duty to promote measures that would facilitate people to improve their socio-economic conditions. It was one of the main reasons that his opponents in Congress were often at loggerheads with him he was quite vocal when he perceived that his good work was being sabotaged by others for their own veste d interests. During his presidency, in 1929, America was hit by the worst economic disaster which resulted in the nastiest ever financial meltdown and long economic depression. The stock market crash had the cascading effect with widespread bankruptcy of businesses and banks resulting in huge number of unemployed people. During this time, Hoover encouraged people to remain optimist and work together to help

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Tesco and Sainsbury Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Tesco and Sainsbury - Case Study Example He has been reduced to working from home most of the times. After deliberations with the family members, Howard has opted to retire from the company completely at the end of this year. He will relocate to Kenya, due to warm climate here. This will be good for his health. Having graduated recently with an undergraduate degree in business management, Howard has selected me, as his eldest child, to take over the running of the business. I plan to make radical changes to Stellion Convenient Stores. This is to make sure that it grows, instead of the current stagnation. To this end, am carrying out a research on Tesco and Sainsbury stores. The results of this research will help me in making the decisions that are necessary for this company. Tesco has a unique form of organizational structure. It is devolved and decentralized. This means that rather decisions been made by the top tier managers and passed down the hierarchy, the managers at the lower levels can make decisions (Crowther & McNiff: 2004). What the top tier managers at Tesco do is just to arm the lower cadre managers with general terms like price list and terms and conditions. But the rest of the decisions, like determining which staffs work where are determined by the lower managers (Crowther & McNiff: 2004). Each branch of this chain of supermarkets has its own manager. This is the one who decides on matters to do with the store, and then he makes a report to the regional manager. The hierarchy of Tesco supermarkets can be looked at as been flat. There are six tiers of hierarchy between the highest official, who is the C.E.O, and the lowest staff, who is the checkout cashier. Since the organisation has several branches, there exist two separate but interrelated forms of structures (Crowther & McNiff: 2004). The first is for the whole company, while the second is for each of the branches, which can also be referred to as regional or internal organisation structure. Every company has norms and values that are common amongst the employees. This is what is referred to as the organisational culture (Mullins: 2008). There are weekly meetings for the employees, where they get the opportunity to share ideas and suggestions about the running of Tesco. During these meetings, the management gets the feedback from their staff on how the business is running, since the workers are the ones who are in direct contact with the customers (Mullins: 2008). It is also the culture of Tesco to inform the employees of new developments in the company, for example change in terms and conditions, during these meetings. The chain of supermarkets has adopted a slogan "every little helps", which shows how they value their employees and customers. Every little input from these employees and customers aimed at improving the business of this company is appreciated. The culture adopted by Tesco helps both the employees and the customers. For example the weekly meetings and update from the company makes the employees feel that they are part of the company, they are not alienated (Crowther & McNiff: 2004). The employees are allowed to make suggestions as to the best way of running the company, they become a part in the decision making process. They feel that they have control over their work, which is really good for morale (Crowther & McNiff: 2004). The customers get their feelings and suggestions relayed to

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Herbert hoover Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Herbert hoover - Essay Example His contribution to public service and his humanitarian work during the war became the pride of American people back home. He exhorted his people to economize and save food so that more people could be fed during the great famine of Europe and asserted firmly that even enemies (Russian people) would also be extended help in the form of food supply. When a critic inquired if he was not thus helping Bolshevism, Hoover retorted, ‘Twenty million people are starving. Whatever their politics, they shall be fed!’ (whitehouse.gov). In 1928, he became a natural choice for the republicans for Presidency and was elected with a big margin. Hoover was basically a commoner and a technocrat who had earned his millions, working in mines in different countries of the world. He was dragged into limelight because of his widespread business contacts across world and as an American, he could help Americans who were trapped in the war that had broken out in the Europe. Prior to becoming President, he had extensively served people in various capacity and therefore, when he became president, welfare of the people became his primary concern, especially farmers. His intrinsic belief that as a representative of the people, it was his duty to promote measures that would facilitate people to improve their socio-economic conditions. It was one of the main reasons that his opponents in Congress were often at loggerheads with him he was quite vocal when he perceived that his good work was being sabotaged by others for their own veste d interests. During his presidency, in 1929, America was hit by the worst economic disaster which resulted in the nastiest ever financial meltdown and long economic depression. The stock market crash had the cascading effect with widespread bankruptcy of businesses and banks resulting in huge number of unemployed people. During this time, Hoover encouraged people to remain optimist and work together to help

MySpace and Facebook Essay Example for Free

MySpace and Facebook Essay I think that stalking is possibly one of the scariest forms of abuse there is. Both men and women are capable of stalking but I think that in most cases it is a male stalking a female. There are many reasons why one person stalks another. I believe the most common reason is because of anger and humiliation. When one person breaks off a relationship with another it often causes conflicting feelings which may turn a person into a desperate stalker. I believe that the longer and more intimate a relationship was the higher chance for stalking and dangerous behavior. I think another big reason why a person will turn into a stalker is because they simply cannot accept that their former partner has moved on and is dating other people. I agree that cyber stalking has become a problem and I think cyber stalking will continue to increase since so many people use computers. The case of the 13 year old girl who committed suicide because of cyber stalking is sad and shocking. I know from experience that teenagers can be quite cruel to one another but this young girl experienced extreme bullying by an adult who should have known better. I strongly believe that the ultimate responsibility for the safety of children on the computer falls to the parents. Parents are responsible for ensuring the safety of their children at all times – including who they talk to and what sites they visit on the internet. In this case it was the parent doing the harassing and terrorizing which is what makes this case so nauseating. Social sites such as MySpace and Facebook make it very easy for teenagers to form cyber relationships with one another. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as parents supervise and children behave appropriately. However, I think cyber stalking is going to continue to increase since so many teenagers use these types of sites and their parents have no idea who they talk to or what they talk about. I think the case of the 13 year old girl who killed herself should open the eyes of parents so that they can prevent something tragic like this from happening again.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Corporate Governance And Ethics Practice

Corporate Governance And Ethics Practice This report looks at the differences of the sustainability report for year 2011 of the two companies that from the same automotive industry and based in different countries. The first company is a Volkswagen Group, which is a German multinational automotive manufacturing company based in Wolfsburg and founded in 1937. The area served of Volkswagen Group is worldwide and it produced almost 8.5 million vehicles in year 2011. It is one of the worlds leading motor automobile manufacturers and has kept the largest market share in Europe for over 20 years (Wikipedia, 2012). The second company is a Mazda Motor Corporation, which is the Japanese automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchu Aki Hiroshima and founded in 1920. The area served of Mazda Motor Corporation is worldwide and it produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales in 2007 (Wikipedia, 2012). Are all the car manufacturers harmful to society and environment? Based on these two firms sustainability reporting, both firms have revealed that they are taking their corporate social responsibility seriously which will audit and measure their activities, and putting money into green research. The two automotive companies, of course, have to comply with toughening fuel economy regulations reduce the impact of global warming and be more compliant because there is an increasing market demand that new generation of consumers are looking at fuel economy and sustainability mobility for making decision for what they buy. For fuel economy regulations, according to (Feng Amanda, 2004) in their report for Pew Center on Global Climate Change that the European Union (EU) and Japan have the most stringent standard for requirement for gasoline new passenger car fuel efficiencies as shown in their report. For the purposes of this assignment, the focus will be on sets out the differences between the reports of the two companies on in terms of the range of issues dealt with in the reports and the depth of the coverage; explains to the differences between the two reports in terms of country factors; assesses the quality of the reporting in terms of Zadeks (1997) criteria (i.e. inclusivity, comparability, completeness, evolution, management policies and systems, disclosure, external verification, and continuous improvement); evaluates the extent to which it would be appropriate for the two companies to use a standardized approach; and makes recommendations about how each of the reports could be improved and why. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO REPORTS IN TERMS OF THE RANGE OF ISSUES DEALTH WITH IN THE REPORTS AND THE DEPTH OF THE COVERAGE The sustainability reports of these two automakers have look into consideration of ESG criteria (Environmental, social and corporate governance) and making major strides in these similar sustainability issues: Management Approach; Corporate Governance and Ethics Practice; Environmental Protection; Product Quality and Safety; Workplace Practice; Human Rights; and Community Practice. In terms of reporting structure, Volkswagen Group had divided the report to eight chapters, which are strategy, economy, society, CSR projects worldwide, sustainability mobility, environment, key indicators/figures, and back-up. On the contrary, Mazda Corporate had identified the six chapters, which are Mazda CSR, management, environmental protection, social contributions, customer satisfaction, and respect for people. The next few paragraphs of this report will looks at the coverage of the issues dealt in these chapters and the differences between the two sustainability reports. Management Approach At Strategy chapter, Volkswagen Group had disclosed the management approach on CSR strategy in eight pages that covered company new sustainability objectives, development of top class team, sustainability requirements for suppliers, management approach to the sustainability mobility, sustainability management of corporate social responsibility, stakeholder dialogue, global compact, cooperation with Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), and the compliance to corporate code of conduct. Whereas Mazda Corporate had disclosed their approach of CSR strategy in the chapter of Mazda CSR in seven pages that covered corporate vision, CSR operations, external evaluation of CSR, awards, rising of employee awareness, stakeholders communication, shareholders and investor relations initiatives and dialogue. Set-aside the unstandardized of reporting structure, Volkswagen Group had disclosed the basis of information on its stakeholder dialogue program, but had not follow Mazda Corporate to disclose information on how company engages with each key stakeholders that with a full page table of Mazda group key responsibilities to stakeholders and opportunities for dialogue and disclosure. Corporate Governance and Ethics Practice At Economy chapter, Volkswagen Group had covered this chapter in seven topics, which are customer satisfaction, sustainability in suppliers relations, economic stability, raw material, localization, risk management, and compliance. On the contrary, Mazda Corporate covered this in two chapters with total of seven topics, which are corporate governance, internal controls, risk management, compliance, implementing CSR in the value chain, and customer satisfaction. At Customer Satisfaction topic, Volkswagen Group identified customer satisfaction as a key indicator of how well product developments and model facelifts cater to the needs of stakeholders, and focuses on market studies, complaint handling, and meets customer wishes. Mazda had covered this topic with extensive information on safety approach from three viewpoints of vehicles, people, and roads and infrastructure, with details information in safety technologies to explain how safety can be achieved. Additionally Mazda also covered extensive information in the four pillars that how the company can increase customer satisfaction, which are creating appealing products, improving product quality, improving customer satisfaction in sales, and improving the quality of after-sales service. At Sustainability in Suppliers Relations topic, Volkswagen Group had explained the system was built on four pillars which are sustainability requirements for suppliers before submitting quotes, an early warning system for minimizing risk, a transparent procurement process, and supplier monitoring and development process. On the contrary, Mazda had covered clearer information that outline on the Mazda supplier CSR guidelines, major channels of communication with supplier, evaluating and recognizing suppliers, measurement and quality improvement program for local suppliers. At Economic Stability topic, Volkswagen looked at global economic competition and stability; the company recognized the effort that to help in global economic is to achieve sustainable success by taking more responsibility for the environment and for social developments. This topic not covered by Mazda. At Raw Material topic, Volkswagen Group had revealed the secure and economic supplies of raw materials program, which contains corporate analysis system and regularly engages in dialogue with the Extractive Industries Transparencies Initiative (EITI) to identify risk of corruption. This topic not covered by Mazda. At Localization topic, Volkswagen Group had covered the implementation of systematic localization that had proven not only benefits in logistical but commercially and generates growth in the respective regions at new Volkswagen plan. This topic is not cover by Mazda. At Risk Management topic, Volkswagen Group had disclosed information on its risk management programs briefly. As a comparison, Mazda had enclosed more information on risk management policy, action guidelines, and methods of implementing, and the scopes of application. At Compliance topic, Volkswagen had outlined its compliance effort to keep in line with Germane Corporate Governance Code, which is core compliance teams were appointed, annually evaluation of compliance activities, anti-trust legislation matters, and corruption measurement. On the contrary, Mazda had revealed extensive information on corporate governance framework diagram that help in better understanding of company effort in dealing with management issues and how company boost transparency of management with board of corporate auditors. Also Mazda had covered internal controls topic that not by Volkswagen Group, which is disclosed its own self-examination of internal controls framework that having a department to support internal controls. Workplace Practice, Human Rights and Community Practice At Society and CSR Projects Worldwide chapter, Volkswagen Group had covered three ethic issues here, which are Workplace Practice, Human Rights and Community Practice. There are three topics covered, which are employment, reward and profit sharing system, AUTOUNI institution, Volkswagen way, employee opinion survey, ideal management, training and skills development, demographic change, advancing women and promoting diversity, social responsibility, and reveals on CSR projects worldwide. On the contrary, Mazda Corporation had covered in eight topics, which are social contribution framework, major activities in Japan and overseas, human development resolving around the principles of the Mazda Way, employee choice of self-realization, promoting work-life balance, advancing women and promoting diversity, reward and profit sharing system, and respect for human rights. As a comparison, Mazda had included a great data in the same page to explain their measurement and how Mazda achieve the g oals. Environmental Protection and Sustainability In terms of environmental protection and sustainability issue, these two companies had revealed their strategies in similar structure and topics, as shown in the table 1 below. The major differences between the two reports are Mazda had disclosed an impressive Mazda Green Plan 2020 Mid-Term Environmental Plan and clear data within the topic that help in understanding the topic. Both companies had covered good information on how they promote in climate protection, and the coverage are CO2 emissions reduction for automobile, energy supply strategy, environment factory, efficient production, environmental technology, green IT, and green logistics. Table 1: Comparing the coverage of environmental protection and sustainability issue: Volkswagen Group Mazda Corporation Environmental Management Mazda Approach to the Environment This is not cover by Volkswagen. Green Plan 2020 Mid-Term Environmental Efficient Powertrains and Fuels Developing New SKYACTIV Technology Electro-mobility Making Environmentally Friendly vehicles Resource Efficient Recycling and Resource Conservation Biodiversity Management and Reduction of substances Water Preventing Air and Water Pollution This is not cover by Volkswagen. Environmental Communication Climate Protection Prevention of Global Warming This is not cover by Volkswagen. Environmental Communication This is not cover by Volkswagen. Activities and Impact on the environment DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO REPORTS IN TERMS OF COUNTRY OR INDUSTRY FACTORS The effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake in year 2011 has influenced on how Mazda Corporate structured and produced their sustainability reporting. The word earthquake had appeared 25 times in the sustainability report. The top message of chairman of the board has included a paragraph to express company sympathies and condolences message. The paragraph explained how company makes a concerted effort to establish their ethical strategies, and deploy response plan into action to contribute in recovery for the areas affected by earthquake. The details of support activities for the recovery of stricken regions have presented in this formal report. The report also reveals the damage to Mazda group that Hiroshima Plant and Hofu Plant where forced to suspend operations temporary due to inability to obtain certain parts, and Mazda moved to weekly days off from Saturday and Sunday to Thursday and Friday during the summer period in accordance with the policy of the Japan Automobile Manufa cturers Association to reduce electricity consumption. For CSR strategy, Mazda Corporate evaluates its CSR strategy referencing to the Charter of Corporate Behavior issued by the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren, 2004), and structure the table of contents of the sustainability report on these areas of Environmental Protection, Customer Satisfaction, Respect for People, Social Contributions, and Management (Compliance and Information Disclosure). Whereas Volkswagen Group has referencing their CSR strategy with EU Strategy 2011-14 (European Trade Union Confederation ETUC, 2011) and structure the table of contents in these areas of Strategy, Economy, Society, CSR Projects Worldwide, Sustainability Mobility, Environment, Key Indicators, and Back-up. In terms of code of ethics, Volkswagen Group has paragraph their compliance report in line with the German Corporate Governance Code, aside of Volkswagen corporate ethics codes of conduct. Per required by section 161 of the Aktiengesetz (AktG German Stock Corporation Act), an annual of conformity with the German Corporate Governance Code has issued by the Board of Management and the supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG on November 18, 2011 (Volkswagen, n.d.). Whereas Mazda Corporation has outlined their five principles of Mazda corporate ethics code of conduct. THE QUALITY OF THE REPORTING IN TERMS OF ZADEKs (1997) CRITERIA This paragraph looks at the quality of the reporting in terms of ZADEK et al.s (1997) eight principles of quality in social accounting. To what extend the reporting of two companies conforms to and contributes to the best practice. The eight issues are Inclusivity, Comparability, Completeness, Evolution, Management policies and systems, Disclosure, External verification, and Continuous Improvement. Inclusivity AAA Comparability AAA Completeness AAA Evolution AAA Management policies and systems AAA External verification AAA Continuous Improvement AAA THE EXTENT TO WHICH IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE TWO COMPANIES TO USE A STANDARDISED APPROACH Currently the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework, version 3.1, is the most widely used standardized sustainability reporting framework in the world (Wikipedia, 2012). The two companies have adopted the GRI framework as a reference to compile their reports. However both companies reports are not prepared exactly according to GRI guidelines and structure. Should two companies have to use a standardized approach for their sustainability reports that will exactly according to a GRI framework, so that it is helpful for reader to navigate the report, finding specific information, and easier to compare data among similar companies. Or should companies are recommended to be selective or focus primary that are most relevant to their business. To what extent that it would be appropriate for the two companies to use a standardized approach? It is not possible for the two companies to presence their data in sustainability reporting exactly the same structure and templates because each company is having their own reporting tools, data and context. However it is possible that the two companies to disclose and to measure of the extent to GRI Guideline Content Indexes. However as per Crane Matten (2010, p. 219) recognized that there is an issue with GRI which GRI has been criticized is its concern only with establishing procedures for voluntary reporting, rather than having an explicit aim to promote mandatory reporting. So it is not a regulation that company must follow the same GRI framework rules to prepare company sustainability report. Every company is free to determine its own data according to rules of its own choosing, and there is no performance or penalty at all. The new GRI fourth generation is now in development. It is an opportunity for the GRI seeking input from worldwide into development of the new standard which cater all the possible gaps in standardized approach. With the new G4 GRI standard it should improve on content in the current guidelines that could possibility encourage companies to use a standardized approach. THE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT HOW EACH OF THE REPORTS COULD BE IMPROVED AND WHY GRI Content Index Mazda Corporation could improve their sustainability report by including a comparative table with GRI content indexes that disclose all items in the report at each rows of GRI content index. On the contrary, Volkswagen Group had included the GRI content index but the reference column that contains page number can be confused to some readers and might be pointing to the wrong topic. The comparative table with GRI content index could provides an objective to measure whether all the elements in GRI guidelines have been applied in the report. It is definitely helpful for reader to find specific information and to compare data among similar industry. The sample of comparative table with GRI content index has shown below. Table 2: The Sample of Comparative Table with GRI content index (G3.1): Item GRI Content Volkswagen Group Mazda Corporation Strategy and Analysis 1.1 Statement from the most senior decision maker -Responsibilities increase with commercial success (Page 6-7) -Top Message (Page 5-6) 1.2 Key Impacts, risks -Responsibilities increase with commercial success (Page 6-7) -Responsibilities (Page 10-19) -Compliance (Page 28-29) -Top Message (Page 5-6) -Management (Page 21-22) Organization Profile 2.1 Name of the organization Page 1, 3 Page 1-2 GRI Content Index Mazda Corporation. CONCLUSION Reporting on sustainability performance is an important way for organizations to manage their impact on sustainable development. The challenges of sustainable development are many, and it is widely accepted that organizations have not only a responsibility but also a great ability to exert positive change on the state of the worlds economy, and environmental and social conditions. Reporting leads to improved sustainable development outcomes because it allows organizations to measure, track, and improve their performance on specific issues. Organizations are much more likely to effectively manage an issue that they can measure. By taking a proactive role to collect, analyze, and report those steps taken by the organization to reduce potential business risk, companies can remain in control of the message they want delivered to its shareholders. Public pressure has proven to be a successful method for promoting Transparency (behavior) and disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions and social responsibilities. As well as helping organizations manage their impacts, sustainability reporting promotes transparency and accountability. This is because an organization discloses information in the public domain. In doing so, stakeholders (people affected by or interested in an organizations operations) can track an organizations performance on broad themes such as environmental performance or a particular issue such as labor conditions in factories. Performance can be monitored year on year or can be compared to other similar organizations. (2704 words) (References/bibliography on the next page)

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Americanization and Canadian Culture :: Canadian Culture Essays

Americanization and Canadian Culture Gaà «tan Tremblay is a professor at the University in Quebec in Montreal. As a concerned Quebecois, He wrote an article which discusses the Americanization of Canada, in particular Quebec. Tremblay seems to have a strong stand point about the future of Quebec. Using statistical and literary evidence, primary and secondary sources, he attempts to support his argument that Quebec is a victim of American cultural colonization. Tremblay fears that Canadian culture is going to disappear as a result of the Canadian-American Free Trade Agreement. Tremblay started his article with what broadcasting is considered to be in Canada which is â€Å"an instrument of production and diffusion that must contribute to the maintenance and development of Canadian culture and its various components†. By this approach and use of words, he planted the idea that broadcasting is a fundamental tool for Canadian culture in his readers’ minds. This is effective because it insures how his readers will perceive broadcasting while reading the rest of his article. He supported this with an extract from the Broadcasting Act which focused on that point. His article started off strong but then weakened with his excessive use of quotations from the Canadian Broadcasting Act and his minimum effort in evaluating the quotes themselves. After discussing the importance of culture to Canadians he went on to mention how culture is not as important to Americans with his statement â€Å"For Americans, in contrast, cultural products are commodities like any other..†. Although this may strengthen his argument, it is also a biased statement since he is not American himself and he stated it like it was a known fact. Following that accusation, he attempted to support his idea of America’s dissolving culture by an exert from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration report which focuseed on the deregulation of their radio broadcasting system. The exert does not directly imply that the United States cares less about its culture because they are considering deregulation of radio broadcasting. The American Culture may not be threatened by deregulation the same way as the Canadian culture. But since he started his essay by mentioning how broadcasting â€Å"must† contribute to the development of Canadian culture, he is implying that the American culture has the same concept. The American culture may not be severely effected by deregulation just as the Canadian culture, so Tremblay’s argument may not be valid. To some readers who did not notice the bias, this argument may be considered very strong and convincing.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Importance of Social Class in Charles Dickenss Great Expectations :: Free Great Expectations Essays

Importance of Social Class in Charles Dickens's Great Expectations       Social class played a major role in the society depicted in Charles Dickens's Great Expectations. Social class determined the manner in which a person was treated and their access to education. Yet, social class did not define the character of the individual.    Many characters were treated differently because of their social class in Great Expectations. Seeing the contrast between how the poor and the rich were treated will give a clearer understanding of how much social class mattered. In chapter 27 when Joe comes to see Pip, he treats Joe in a different manner than before because Joe was now in a lower social class. His feelings about Joe's arrival were "Not with pleasure... I had the sharpest sensitiveness as to his being seen by Drummle." (p. 203). He was afraid that Drummle will look down on him because of Joe's lower class. Not only does Pip treat Joe differently, Joe also treats Pip differently because of their difference in social class. He begins to call Pip "sir" which bothered him because "sir" was the title given to people of higher class. Pip felt that they were still good friends and that they should treat each other as equals. Joe soon leaves and explains his early parting, "Pip, dear old chap, life is made of eve r so many partings welded together, as I may say, and one man's a blacksmith, and one's a whitesmith, and one's a goldsmith, and one's a coppersmith. Diwisions among such must come...." (p. 209). He creates this metaphor than he is a common blacksmith and Pip is a goldsmith. This difference in social class had brought upon their separation. Other characters that were also judged by their social class were Magwitch and Compeyson. They were both on trial for the same crime but Compeyson got off easier than Magwitch because of his higher social class. Magwitch describes Compeyson's defense speech, ."..here you has afore you, side by side, two persons as your eyes can separate wide; one, the younger, well brought up... one; the elder, ill brought up... which is the worst one?" (p. 325). The decision of the trial was solely based upon social class appearance.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Qnt 561 Week 4

Individual Assignment: Week 4 QNT 561 November 1, 2010 Lee Chang Question 5 In the following situations, decide whether you would use a personal interview, telephone survey, or self-administered questionnaire. Give your reasons. a) A survey of the residents of a new subdivision on why they happened to select that area in which to live. You also wish to secure some information about what they like and do not like about life in the subdivision. In this situation I would use a personal interview to acquire the desired information.Many subdivisions have an interview process before with the association to fit the required profile of the neighborhood and some of the information can be obtained at the initial interview. After some time passes a follow up interview can be conducted to acquire the rest of the information. In addition minimal staff is needed to conduct the surveys and get the information which means a lower cost. This will also lead to good cooperation from the new residents o f the sub-division. b. A poll of students at Metro University on their preferences among three candidates who are running for president of the student government. For this situation I would choose a personal interview. On many campuses these types of surveys are administered by a volunteer student group. The use of the groups means less overhead costs making the personal interviews favorable and able to endure for weeks before the vote. For the participants there will be a higher level of cooperation as opposed to telephone and or self-administered survey.In addition follow-up question can be asked leading to more in-depth analysis of the perception of the candidates. The only disadvantage in this situation would be participants unwillingness to talk to strangers on campus. b) A survey of 58 wholesale grocery companies, scattered over the eastern United States, on their personnel management policies for warehouse personnel. For surveying 58 grocery companies over the eastern seaboar d I would use a telephone survey.The telephone survey could be conducted by a trained interviewer who would be able to extract the information pertaining to the personnel management policies for warehouse personnel. The telephone survey allows the company to expand the geographic coverage with minimal cost although in some situations this will increase costs in this situation all being on the east coast time can be arranged to reach all 58 wholesale companies. c) A survey of financial officers of the Fortune 500 corporations to learn their predictions for the economic outlook in their industries in the next year.Given the nature of the survey I would use a self administered survey. With the need to reach a large geographic sample for the fortune 500 a self administered survey would be the most appropriate. Many of these surveys have been conducted in previous years and the use of the internet and email would be the best to reach all of the FOs and obtained the desired information. T he Financial Officers are relatively impossible to reach so the self-administered survey is the best option.In addition this is the lowest cost option given the minimal staff needed to tabulate the predictions for the economic outlook in their respective industries for the up-coming year. Looking at the level of sophistication of the information more complex tools can be utilized for the self-administered survey. d) A study of applicant requirements, job tasks, and performance expectations as part of a job analysis of student work-study jobs on a college campus of 2,000 students, where 1,500 are involved in the work-study program. This survey would be best conducted by a phone survey.To reach 2,000 students and obtain the amount of information needed for the study a phone survey would be best. With work study there will be hard-to-reach participants using a phone survey and a computerized random dialing system will be the most efficient survey method. Although some participants may not be reached due to not working numbers and some incomplete responses the benefits out way the disadvantages.References: Cooper, D. R. & Schindler, P. S. (2006). Business research methods (9th ed. ). Boston: McGraw Hill/Irwin.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Advantages of a Codified Constitution Now Outweigh the Disadvantages

The advantages of a codified constitution now outweigh the disadvantages The evidence suggests that the advantages of a codified constitution do not now outweigh the disadvantages. In codified constitutions, laws are entrenched which makes it harder for them to evolve and adapt to modern requirements because it takes a long time for a response due to the required procedures, which might involve gaining two-thirds majority in the legislature or approval by referendum.As a result, one can argue that countries with codified constitutions struggle to find a resolution to their dogmatic laws. For example, the USA are still unable to introduce stricter gun laws because it opposes the constitutional right for citizens to bear arms, even though nowadays American citizens are less likely to require guns compared to when the American constitution was written in 1787. Recent events such as the Newtown shooting demonstrated the necessity for alterations.Whereas the UK’s uncodified constit ution benefits from its flexibility as it can easily adapt to changing circumstances because Parliament can pass new acts relatively quickly and easily without delay when the attitudes of society change. The increase in the use of referendums over constitutional changes such as the devolution of power to Wales and Scotland in 1997 and the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 illustrate the adaptability of the constitution because power was devolved a year after the referendum.However some argue that Britain’s uncodified constitution lacks clarity as it doesn’t exist in one clear document. Instead it consists of some written documents such as statues, court judgements and treaties but also conventions. Therefore by having a codified constitution, it would raise public awareness and the British public would understand their rights better. Furthermore it has been suggested that it could improve the problem of political ignorance and apathy in Britain because the turnout for the past three General elections have been below 70%, which is achieved by other modern democracies.Nevertheless one can argue that uncodified constitutions result in stronger government because the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty creates supreme authority within the political system. The executive can exercise significant control over the legislative process in the House of Commons. Therefore power is concentrated amongst representatives who have been democratically elected and have a mandate to govern in place of appointed judges or bureaucrats who cannot be held accountable. A codified onstitution would place constraints on the government making it less decisive and therefore less strong because government would be reluctant to act in case it is seen as opposing the constitution. Alternatively some argue that the executive has too much power which threatens individual rights. Therefore some suggest that a codified constitution would help to safeguard citizen’s rights bec ause at the moment Britain has adopted the European Convention on Human Rights by passing the Human Rights Act 1998, which is considered weak as it could be overridden by Parliament due to Parliamentary sovereignty.Furthermore the European Convention on Human rights is part of UK law however its terms are not determined in the UK, whereas a codified constitution would include a statement of rights in the UK which would be controlled domestically. However the government is held to account by the British public in general elections because the First Past The Post (FPTP) electoral system favours the two party system which effectively gives voters the opportunity to choose between alternative governments as it normally produces a majoritarian result.Some also argue that a codified constitution would bring the UK in line with most other modern democracies. This has become a pressing issue since the UK joined the EU, making political relations between the UK and the EU difficult for both parties to understand as the UK’s relationship with the EU is codified in the various treaties such as Nice (2001) and Lisbon (2009), which would be easier to comprehend if the UK adopted a codified constitution. Conversely one can argue that the UK’s uncodified constitution has worked well for centuries and there have been no violent revolutions or major political unrest.Change has occurred naturally rather than when reformers have campaigned for it. Furthermore, the creation of a codified constitution would be difficult and could incur many unwanted problems because much of the UK’s constitution lies within unwritten conventions, especially in relation to the monarchy and prerogative powers. There would be difficulties in putting them into written form. In conclusion, the evidence clearly suggests that the advantages of a codified constitution do not outweigh the disadvantages because it would make our current constitution less flexible and could leave citizen s with outdated laws.Therefore codified constitutions create weaker governments who are less likely to make natural changes as they may fall foul of the fixed constitution. Additionally the codified constitution would provide judges and bureaucrats with more power when scrutinising legislature even though they have not been democratically elected, therefore power is rightly centralised to the executive, helping to establish a strong government. The evidence also suggests that a codified constitution would incur more problems in transferring prerogative powers rather than solving current problems with the uncodified constitution.