Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Restriction Site Mapping Of Λ Phage Dna - 3505 Words

FIFE COLLEGE Restriction Site Mapping in ÃŽ » Phage DNA Daniel Richards 0612924 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Aims and Objectives 7 Methods 8 Results 13 Discussion 14 Sources of Error 15 Conclusion 16 References 17 Introduction Lambda phage, also known as enterobacteria phage ÃŽ », is a bacteriophage that infects Escherichia coli. The lambda phage has the capability to reside in the genome of its host through lysogeny or to enter a lytic phase, during which it lyses the cell to produce offspring.[1] The phage consists of a capsid, a tail and tail fibres with the head containing the phage s double-strand linear DNA genome. The genome contains 48,490 base pairs with 12-base single strand segments at both 5 ends. However the cos site circularizes the DNA in the host cytoplasm, therefore in its circular form is 48,502 base pairs in length. The lytic cycle is the life cycle that more commonly occurs after most infections. It begins with the attachment of the phage to the host cell allowing it to inject its DNA into the cell. Following this nucleic acid from the phage is replicated causing the phage s genes to be expressed which allows for the production of phage proteins. These proteins are then assembled into phage particles which are released when the cell undergoes lysis. This lysis is mediated by genes S, R, Rz and Rz, these genes are shown in the diagram below, which work together to break down the cell wall of the host bacterium. Whilst this mode ofShow MoreRelatedLocating The Xhoi Recognition Site On Lambda Dna Using1704 Words   |  7 PagesLocating the XhoI Recognition Site on Lambda DNA Using a HindIII and XhoI double digest Haleigh Wood Abstract Restriction enzymes cut DNA at certain sites to create multiple DNA fragments. Restriction enzyme HindIII has known DNA fragment lengths and recognition sites when digesting lambda DNA, while the lambda DNA recognition site for restriction enzyme XhoI is unknown. The goal of this study is to determine the lambda recognition site of XhoI by comparing a HindIII digest and a HindIII and XhoIRead MoreBiological Molecules Like Nucleic Acids And Polysachharides2245 Words   |  9 Pagessource. Then amplification of these isolated genes is done. Amplification is done by the insertion of the target gene into a specified vector. Vector is also a DNA sequence molecule. The vector that has foreign gene in now a recombinant DNA. It replicates in cells after insertion in living cells. As vector gets replicates, the recombinant DNA (rDNA) also gets replicate. This gene expresses the protein. This expressed protein is then purified and further analysis can be done (Ausubel et al., 2002).Read MoreT he Viological Structure Of G-Protein Coupled Receptorss1463 Words   |  6 Pagesillustrates the outward movement of a GPCR in the intracellular region to allow binding of GÉ‘. Simultaneously, the extracellular region move inward to form the closed state (high affinity); this impairs the dissociation of the agonist from the ligand-binding site. Experiment 1 facilitated our understanding of the molecular nature of GPCRs by providing experimental evidence for the Ternary Complex model. This model explains how ligand binding leads to a conformational change in the GPCR and a downstream signalingRead MoreMolecular Plant Microbe Interaction : Evolution Of Plant Pathogens Essay2585 Words   |  11 Pageslocalized cell death at the site of infection. These R proteins can also recognise the effector proteins indirectly through a mechanism called The Guard Hypothesis. Natural selection then helps the pathogen escape the HR by divergence or by acquiring additional effectors (Jones et al., 2006). Hence, in order to invade the plant further, the pathogens should undergo evolution. Whole Genome Analysis: Whole genome sequencing has served as a tool in determining the complete DNA of a particular organismRead MoreCell Biology Final Essay30093 Words   |  121 Pages_______ in eukaryotic cells. A) ribosomes B) oxidative phosphorylation C) DNA molecules -D) a nucleus 2. Cytoplasmic organelles are - A) absent in prokaryotic cells; present in eukaryotic cells. B) present in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. C) present in prokaryotic cells; absent in eukaryotic cells. D) absent in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. 3. Eukaryotic chromosomes contain _______ DNA molecules. A) single linear B) single circular -C) multiple linear

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Our Reliance on Computers - 2044 Words

The society in which we live in has been so profoundly affected by computers that historians refer to the present time as the information age. (Presley, 16) Comments like this show how computers have changed how we live, work, and play. For example, combined with the Internet, computers have incorporated many forms of communications into a universal one. The computers role in the world continues to grow in importance even as we sometimes take it for granted. We must realize how greatly computers have affected our lives. Computers have become such an integral part of our lives because we rely on them for numerical calculations, storage of data, communication, and technological processes. The idea of computing began at the start†¦show more content†¦The fourth generation of computers further advanced capabilities. Intel designed the Intel 4004, the worlds first microprocessor. The microprocessor was a single chip that contained the entire ‘brains of a computer. As seen in diagram A, the microprocessor is a fairly complex device. It wasnt until the late 1970s did microcomputers take off. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, founders of Apple Computers, produced the Apple I and the Apple II computer systems. These computers included a keyboard, floppy drive, monitor and operating system. Until then, computers had been only used by businesses. The Apple computers spawned the personal market of computers. IBM was quick to react to the promising microcomputer market. They teamed up with Microsoft to create the IBM Personal Computer (PC). Computers today, although much more advanced, are still based on fourth generation technology. The initial purpose of the computer was to make numerical calculations automated. Most people today take for granted the fact that computers process their numerical calculations for them. There is no better example of this than the pocket calculator. Used throughout the world, calculators are heavily relied on. Whether it be accountants, students, bankers, or carpenters, many people find the calculator is very important. The amount of time that the calculator has saved people is priceless. Computers are also very important in the field of civilShow MoreRelatedWhat Are the Advantages and Disadvantages for Individuals and Society of the Reliance on Communicating Via Computers1004 Words   |  5 PagesWhat are the advantages and disadvantages for individuals and society of the reliance on communicating via computers? (Discussion Essay) Introduction: In today’s world, communication is one of the key elements that people across the world can connect with one another. The rise of the use of computer has been due to technological advancements such as the creation of email and websites such as Facebook and Twitter. A touch of the mouse can instantly connect one person from one side of the worldRead MoreComputer, Technology, and Society Essay1191 Words   |  5 Pagesthink about how pervasive computers have become in our lives. In just a few short decades they appear to be everywhere: from our desktops, to our cars, to our coffeemakers and our phones. In the nineteen years from 1984 to 2003 the percentage of US households that have a computer in the home rose from 8.2% to 61.8%. From 1997 to 2009 the number of US households with Internet access at home climbed from 18% to 68.7%. As you can see the number of US households with a computer and Internet access inRead MoreHow Businesses Can Incorporate Csr Into Their Business M odel1619 Words   |  7 Pages(PG, 2014). Reliance is the leading organization of India that is working for the social responsibility and community advancement. Reliance contributes in many areas such as health, education, drinking water, construction of the schools. It makes a network of nine schools caters to various students spread across geographies in India and maintain the educational requirements of the society and school. Thousands of students take benefits that live under poverty in the society. Reliance cooperates withRead MoreThe Importance Of Cursive Writing927 Words   |  4 Pagescursive handwriting helps those who suffer from dyslexia, likely because the connected letters make it easier for the brain to remember and communicate the correct shape and direction of letters. Aside from the aid and stimulation it can provide for our brains, cursive is important to be able to read when looking back at historical documents. Although many have since been recopied into print, it would not have been possible without continued knowledge of handwriting. Every day we uncover more and moreRead MoreThe Project On Reliance Digital Essay1586 Words   |  7 PagesProject on Reliance Digital (India to U.S.A) BA-522 International Marketing Sandeep Munuma Rajesh Nalluri Manoj Kumar Kavuri Prof: Lachapelle Schiller International University Lachapelle Schiller International University Reliance is one of the largest private sector business enterprises in India in India. At present they have closely up to 1500 stores in India among 400 cities. They have established a store in main cities states which are available near to the customers. In the reliance digitalRead More Computer Addiction Essay913 Words   |  4 Pagespitfall many have fallen victim to is that of computer addiction. Computer addiction can be defined as the obsessive use of computers that interferes with daily life. This addiction has been shown through many activities over computers such as video gaming, chat rooms, and net surfing to just name a few. In order to truly understand what computer addiction is one must understand the symptoms and motivations that lead one to become addicted. Computer addictions have been found in every race, genderRead MoreSelf Reliance Essay1678 Words   |  7 Pagesclosely to the values of America at the time. These values included nature, individualism, and reform, and can be noted in the essay â€Å"Self Reliance,† by Ralph Waldo Emerson. In this essay, Emerson states his values and incorporates them into his philosophy of self-reliance. In the past 170 years, some of the ideas stated by Emerson in his literary work â€Å"Self-Reliance† have weathered the test of time. However, since his archaic examples no longer apply to modern life, other sources of transcendentalismRead MoreIs Google Making Us Stupid?733 Words   |  3 Pagesmay be having on our ability to focus, the difference in knowledge that we now have, and our reliance on the Internet. The points that are made throughout Carrs article are very thought provoking but his sources make them seem invaluable. Carr discusses the effects that the Internet has on our minds and the way we think, as well as the way media has changed. Our minds no longer focus. When in conversation with people we are constantly distracted by the technological advances our era has brought.Read MoreImpact of Computer on Mass Media1605 Words   |  7 PagesComputer And Society Computer and Society          Society can be defined as â€Å"a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests. To understand the full impact of computers on society, we will first have to understand the meaning of computer. Almost everything we know in today’s society is either operated or made by computers.          Cars and jets were designed on computers, traffic signals are operated by computers, mostRead MoreSuppy Demand Factors Affecting Apple847 Words   |  4 Pagespercent of the quarter’s revenue. Apple sold 2.94 million Macintosh ® computers during the quarter, representing a 33 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 8.75 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 131 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 10.89 million iPods during the quarter, representing a one percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter. â€Å"We’re thrilled to report our best non-holiday quarter ever, with revenues up 49 percent and profits

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Corporate Social Reasonability Governance value Creation

Question: Describe about the Corporate Social Reasonability for Governance value Creation. Answer: Introduction In this assignment, issues related with Corporate Social Reasonability and corporate governance has been discussed. At first, the comparison between the 2014 and 2015 reports for the company Wesfamers has been provided in relation to GRI G4 standard. Then the same has been done for Fuji Xerox Company. Some recommendations have provided for these companies in order to improve their CSR. Part A: MEMO TO: GENERAL MANAGER FROM: ASSISTANT MANAGER Date: 18th October 2016 Subject: Corporate governance and social responsibility issues affecting business decision making of Wesfamers Aebi, Sabato and Schmid (2012) stated that, Corporate Social Reasonability (CSR) can help to promote a revelation of business responsibility to a large range of investors, shareholders as well as stakeholders. The major areas that the company needs to be concern are such as environmental protection, wellbeing of workers and local community. It has been found that there are six major issues related corporate governance and social responsibility that can affect business decision of a company. They are such as: Role of government Chen et al (2012) stated that, in previous time, the government mainly relies on regulation and legislation to deal with environmental as well as social issues in the sector of business. However due to shrinkage of resources and due to distrust of regulations that leads companies to voluntary and non-regulatory initiatives instead. Demand of better disclosure Due to the growing demand for corporate disclosure from suppliers, stakeholders, communities and employees and activist organization, companies have to take initiatives to improve CSR and sustainable development (Bushee, Carter Gerakos 2013). Increasing interest of customers Liu and McConnell (2013) mentioned that, companies ethical conduct is now having significant impact on the customers purchasing decision. From a survey analysis, it has been found that 20% of the customers reward or punish companies depending on the perceived social performance (Hermalin Weisbach, 2012). Deal with investors pressure Nini, Smith and Sufi (2012) mentioned that presently investors are changing their methods to assess the performance of companies. They take decisions depending on various criteria that include ethical concerns. From a survey analysis it has been found that 25% of the investors all over the world take care of the ethical considerations while buying and selling stocks of a company (Claessens Yurtoglu 2013). For this reason, a company needs to invest more on corporate social responsibility. Competitive labor market Westphal and Zajac (2013) opined that, at present days employees are increasing looking beyond benefits and paychecks. They also look forward to have employee friendly working environment. Hence, all companies have to make sure that they are able to provide employee friendly working environment, so as to recruit and retain talented and skilled employees. Relationship with suppliers It has been found that stakeholders are becoming more interested towards corporate affairs. Erkens et al (2012) stated that stakeholders always try to ensure that their partners work in environmentally responsible manner. Improved sustainability performance Aspects Sub-group 2014 2015 Economic Wesfamers is the leading metallurgical coal producer. It is also the leading supplier of thermal coal for domestic power generation (Wesfarmers 2016). The company operates the Curragh coal mine near the Blackwater in Queenlands Bowen Basin. In addition the company has 40% share in the Bengalla mine in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales in the year of 2014 (Wesfarmers 2016). There are more than 588 employee works in the company including 547 workers in the Curragh mine. The company had produced more than 12 million tonnes of coal in the year of 2014 and exported in various parts of Asia, South America and Europe (Wesfarmers 2016). In the year of 2014 the total revenue of the company was $1,544 million (Wesfarmers 2016). Wesfamers is still the leading metallurgical coal producer. It is still also the leading supplier of thermal coal for domestic power generation (Wesfarmers 2016). The company still operates the Curragh coal mine near the Blackwater in Queenlands Bowen Basin. In addition the company still has 40% share in the Bengalla mine in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales in the year of 2015 (Wesfarmers 2016). There is more than 517 employees work in the company including 476 workers in the Curragh mine. The company had produced more than 12.25 million tonnes of coal in the year of 2015 and exported in various parts of Asia, South America and Europe (Wesfarmers 2016). In the year of 2014 the total revenue of the company is $1.37 billion (Wesfarmers 2016). Environmental It has been found that emissions from the business operation of Wesfamers include railing of cola. It has the potential to affect different stakeholders of the organization. for this reason, the company has taken various efforts to minimize the level of emission throughout different aspects of business operation. In the year of 2012, the company has developed a multi-disciplinary Greenhouse Gas Emissions In the year of 2014, the company has produced 569 Tonnes of CO2 (Wesfarmers 2016). Energy usage In the year of 2015, the company has consumed 4.59 Petajoules of energy (Wesfarmers 2016). Water Consumption The company has consumed 8148 Megalitres of water in the year of 2014. In order to take care of the community concerns related with coal dust, the company along with its rail partner Aurizon has implemented a new technology. The company has applied non-toxic biodegradable veneer to all the coals after loading. The company has developed veneering station near the Curragh train load out facility. It reduces the emission of coal dust that cause nuisance for the neighbors and the community during the time of rail transportation. It makes sure that the company has complied with the Queensland Governments Coal Dust Management Plan. It provides recommendation to the company for appropriate management of dusts throughout Central Queensland rail network (Wesfarmers 2016). Greenhouse Gas Emissions In the year of 2015, The Greenhouse gas emission has been increased. The company has produced 869 Tonnes of CO2 (Wesfarmers 2016). Energy usage The energy consumption rate has been increased during 2015. In the year of 2015, the company has consumed 5.11 Petajoules of energy (Wesfarmers 2016). Water Consumption The company has reduced water consumption compare to the year of 2014. The company has consumed 7,086 Megalitres of water in the year of 2015. Social Labor practices In the year of 2014, the company has 588 workers across three sites (Wesfarmers 2016). The company has a labor union that represents on-site Curragh mine employees. In the year of 2014 the safety performance of the company was 5.00 TRIFR (Total recoverable Injury Frequency Rate). In the year of 2015, the company has 517 workers across three sites (Wesfarmers 2016). The company has a labor union that represents on-site Curragh mine employees. It has been found that safety is the highest priority of the company. In the year of 2015, the company able to reduce 66% in the total recordable injury frequency rate (Wesfarmers 2016). In the year of 2014 the safety performance of the company was 5.00 TRIFR, while in the year of 2015 the safety performance of the company was 4.20 TRIFR (Wesfarmers 2016). Human rights The company is highly focused on reducing rate of injury, lost time in injury. The company has developed an onsite emergency response team (ERT) to take care of growth and development of all employees of the company (Wesfarmers 2016). Taking care of the injury frequency rate also helps the company to reduce the workers compensation claims. Total recoverable Injury Frequency Rate It is 5.0 in the year of 2014 compared to 14.8 in the year of 2013 (Wesfarmers 2016). Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate Workers It is 0.6 in the year of 2014 compared to 1.9 in the year of 2013 (Wesfarmers 2016). compensation claims ($ millions) It is 13 in the year of 2014 compared to 26 in the year of 2013 (Wesfarmers 2016). The company understands that mining operations pose intrinsic risks to the health, safety and wellbeing of the workers. For this reason, the company has started to invest in safety and control program to develop positive and healthy workplace for employees (Wesfarmers 2016). The company is highly focused on reducing rate of injury, lost time in injury. The company has developed an onsite emergency response team (ERT) to take care of growth and development of all employees of the company (Wesfarmers 2016). Taking care of the injury frequency rate also helps the company to reduce the workers compensation claims. Total recoverable Injury Frequency Rate It is 4.2 in the year of 2015 compared to 5.0 in the year of 2014 (Wesfarmers 2016). Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate Workers It is 0.3 in the year of 2015 compared to 0.6 in the year of 2014 (Wesfarmers 2016). compensation claims ($ millions) It is 11 in the year of 2015 compared to 13 in the year of 2014 (Wesfarmers 2016). Aboriginal and Torres strait islander employees The company has also started increase their focus on retaining aboriginal employees in the organization. It has been found from the company report that in the year of 2013, there were 22 aboriginal employees work for the company (Wesfarmers 2016). However in the year of 2014, it was reduced to 18. In the year of 2015, the company started to increase its focus on welfare of aboriginal employees in order to retain them. Wintoki et al (2012) stated that retaining employees from different cultures can help to increase diversity at workplace. In the year of 2015, there were 20 aboriginal employees work in the company (Wesfarmers 2016). Society Customers: Domestic power generators and large export steel manufacturers are the major customers of the company. Contractors: Most of the major Australian Contracting firms that provide service to the company Suppliers: International, national and local suppliers are included in the list. Business partners: Organizations that the company does business with like port and rail operators. Government and the regulatory authorities: Selected representatives from state, local and international level. Local community: People live in the local community of Curragh mine Neighbors: Landowners whose properties and lands are situated in the close proximity to the Curragh mine. Media: National, state and local media of Australia that includes television, print and social media. Interest groups: Non-profit groups that have the interest to cover the social and environmental issues faced by the organization. Community contribution ($ million): It has been found that the community contribution of the company is declining rapidly. In the year of 2013, the total contribution of the company is 0.30$ million (direct investment is 0.24 and indirect investment is 0.06). While in the year of 2014, total investment is 0.24 (direct investment is 0.24 and investment 0) Customers: Domestic power generators and large export steel manufacturers are the major customers of the company. Contractors: Most of the major Australian Contracting firms that provide service to the company Suppliers: International, national and local suppliers are included in the list. Business partners: Organizations that the company does business with like port and rail operators. Government and the regulatory authorities: Selected representatives from state, local and international level. Local community: People live in the local community of Curragh mine Neighbors: Landowners whose properties and lands are situated in the close proximity to the Curragh mine. Media: National, state and local media of Australia that includes television, print and social media. Interest groups: Non-profit groups that have the interest to cover the social and environmental issues faced by the organization. Community contribution ($ million): In the year of 2014, the total contribution of the company is 0.24$ million (direct investment is 0.24 and indirect investment is 0). While in the year of 2015, total investment is 0.12 (direct investment is 0.12 and investment 0) (Wesfarmers 2016). Product responsibility Waste development (Tonnes) Disposed: 581 Recycled: 2505 Waste development (Tonnes) Disposed: 1058 Recycled: 2521 This comparison of the report has been developed depending on the core data provided for the Wesfarmers Limited Sustainability Report. It has been fund that Wesfarmers is the company that strongly believes to deliver satisfactory return for its shareholders. The company does not only focus on improving financial performance. It also focuses on five key sustainability aspects. They are such as people, energy consumption, carbon emission, economic contribution, governance, community support and economic contribution (Acharya et al 2013). It has been found that this approach is consistently related with the Government Reporting Initiative (GRI). As McCahery (2016) stated that GRI encourages companies to focus on matters, which are critical to both business and stakeholders. In accordance to the GRI G4 standard, the company is trying to focus material issues as well. After analyzing the report, it has been found that the major target of this report is the different stakeholders. With the help of this report, the company wants to show all the shareholders how it is trying to improve sustainability. Part B: Fuji Xerox Comparison Different guidelines Guide lines used in 2014 report (UN Global Compact guidelines) 1. Transformation of business The company has defined, communicated and executed its strategy to ensure business viability and to transform the company business model. The company has communicated its strategy to stakeholders to build their confidence for the company (Fujixerox 2016). 2. Concentrating on what matters most The company has to develop better level of service and sustainable solution that are relevant for the customers. Due to increased economic pressure, the company has to focus on financial sustainability (Fujixerox 2016). 3. Procuring responsibility The company Fuji Xerox Australia has to focus on responsible, sustainable and ethical approach to procurement. The company needs to develop sound labor practices and has to take care of the health and safety of employees. 4. Retaining talented people The company has to develop appropriate strategy in order to attract talented and skilled employees. Denis (2016) stated that, it will enable a company to mange current organizational change in appropriate manner. 5. Cultural harmony The company has to foster the culture of mutual respect, diversity and anti-bullying behaviour. The diversity and anti-bullying has to be reduced in accordance to government guidelines. Guide lines used in 2015 report (UN Global Compact guidelines) Human rights 1. An organization has to respect as well as support the international human rights protection 2. The company has to ensure that they do not get involved with any abuse related with human rights (Fujixerox 2016). Labors 3. A business has to uphold the freedom of association. It also has to recognize the collective bargaining right in an effective manner. 4. The company also need to eliminate all types of compulsory and forced labor 5. The company also need to eliminate all types of forced and Child labor 6. Elimination any type of discrimination related with employment (Fujixerox 2016) Environment 7. The organization needs to prop up ant deterrent move toward the environmental challenge 8. The company must has to undertake initiatives that can promote environmental responsibilities 9. The company needs to encourage diffusion of environmental friendly technologies (Fujixerox 2016) Anti-corruption 10. The company needs to work against any types of corruptions like bribery and extortion. Different influences 2014 report (Australia) The company always tries to develop an open, respectful and safe working environment that both diverse and flexible (Fujixerox 2016). It also provides the opportunity for both personal and professional growth. There are various Australian associations that have influenced this report. They are such as Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) organizational stakeholder, Australian and New Zealand Recycling Platform signatory with board, United Way Australia (UW) partnership and Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce (Fujixerox 2016). For this reason, the company has developed four major values. They are such as: Customer first: The company Fuji Xerox wants to be successful through satisfied customers Continuous improvement: The Company Fuji Xerox always wants to make continuous improvement in all business operations. Integrity and ethics: The Company Fuji Xerox operates at the high level of business ethics. Teamwork: Fuji Xerox always promotes team work and tries to improve team spirit. The major interests for Fuji Xerox Australia are: To share the voices of the stakeholders To identify issues and gaps within the organization To map the boundaries for the material matters 2015 report (Japan) There are 10 major values that have influenced the sustainability report of Fuji Xerox company report in 2015 (Fujixerox 2016). These values emphasize how the company needs to consider the business approach as the society members. It is also sets value for fundamental respect for humanity. These 10 values are such as team spirit, professionalism, scientific thinking, high ethical standards, environmental consciousness as well as customer satisfaction. Other 5 shared values are such as pioneering spirit, joy and fulfillment, trust and consideration, as well as cultural diversity. From this report, it has been found that business goal of the company is to develop mutual trust and develop diverse cultures. The company tries to develop an environment where customers can develop and efficiently utilize knowledge. The major aim of the company is to enable every employee to achieve personal and professional goals (Tricker 2015). It has been found that economic globalization continues to adv ance with the growth of information technology. Harford, Mansi and Maxwell (2012) stated that, the society is facing challenges recently, which are more complex in nature. There are many social issues that require immediate actions. For this reason, the company has developed missions in order to solve management problems for each customer by building an environment for the creation and effective utilization of knowledge. 2014-15comparison (in relation to the G4 GRI Guidelines) Stakeholder engagement mechanism (2014) Stakeholders Inform Consult Involve Collaborate Empower Employees The company provides them annual sustainability report and develops appropriate corporate communications. In addition, online training modules are also provided during the during the induction period (Fujixerox 2016). The company conducts an employment engagement survey annually. The company also has developed health and safety committees in order to take care of employee welfare. The company has developed employee engagement focus groups and also developed a post employee engagement survey. The company has developed an employee engagement working group. An annual workshop has been developed for environmental coordinators. The company has developed inclusivity steering committee to empower all the employees Customers Annual sustainability report is provided to the customers along with web development plans and environmental brochures. The company has developed bi-annual customer survey, win/ loss review, presentation for sustainability and an annual materiality process (Fujixerox 2016). Develop a round table meeting with customers. The company uses social media to develop more intense interaction with customers (Fujixerox 2016). The company has implemented innovation for product and solutions. For example sustainability on site centers. Dealers Only annual sustainability report is provided to dealers. The company has developed a survey for dealer sustainability program. The company has developed sustainability champion conference for the dealers. The company has developed dealers sustainability champions workshop and networks. Suppliers Procurement policies, sustainability code of conduct for suppliers, annual sustainability report. In addition, a separate supplier portal is also provided for the suppliers in the company website. Input for annual materiality process The company has developed a strategic procurement events The company has developed strategic supplier quarterly review. Community Annual sustainability report Input for annual materiality process The company has developed effective community programs and skilled volunteering, ABCN partnerships, graduate projects Stakeholder engagement mechanism (2015) Stakeholders Activities Customers 1. The company is trying to produce services and solutions irrespective of the information use and communication. 2. The company supports customers business continuity. 3. The company provides high quality and safe service to customers to improve customer loyalty. Employees 1. The company is trying to develop an environment where a diverse workforce can work together for organizational objectives. 2. The company tries to develop skilled and talented human resources who can be empowered. Global environment 1. The company is trying to reduce CO2 emission throughout the lifecycle of the product. 2. Influence customers to reduce CO2 emission 3. Responsible procurement of paper Suppliers 1. The company has implemented CSR at the manufacturing sites that can help to increase competitiveness. 2. The company is trying to expand and enhance the ethical procurement the can help to improve competitiveness of the organization. Local communities 1. The company has made contributions for the education of the future generation 2. The company has provided support for the Great East Japan Earthquake Shareholders and investors 1. Appropriate corporate governance 2. Security of information 3. Fair business practices 4. Respecting human rights Part C: Conclusion and recommendations Wesfarmers Wesfarmers is the company that strongly believes to deliver satisfactory return for its shareholders. The company does not only focus on improving financial performance. It also focuses on five key sustainability aspects. They are like people, energy consumption, carbon emission, economic contribution, governance, community support and economic contribution. It has been found that this approach is consistently related with the Government Reporting Initiative (GRI). It has been found that the company is has taken various initiatives to improve corporate and social responsibilities of the company. For example, the company has decreased the usage of water and reduces the emission of CO2. In addition, the company has decreased waste generation and increased waste disposal. However, the company has issues related with community investment and dust management. Recommendations The company has to increase direct and indirect investment for the community in order to improve CSR activity. The company needs to implement new technologies in order manage dust form the mines in appropriate manner and reduce making nuisance for the neighbors. Fuji Xerox The company always tries to develop an open, respectful and safe working environment that both diverse and flexible (Fujixerox 2016). It also provides the opportunity for both personal and professional growth. There are 10 major values that have affected the corporate governance and CSR of the company Fuji Xerox. These 10 values are such as scientific thinking, professionalism, team spirit, high ethical standards, environmental consciousness as well as customer satisfaction. It has been found that the company has taken various initiatives to reduce forced labor and child labor. Recommendations The company has to take initiatives to take care of the environmental issues: The company has to implement enhanced technologies in order to reduce CO2 emission The company has to develop policies to reduce waste emission. Part D: Reflective journal of personal development This assignment helps me to develop my personal knowledge related CSR and corporate governance. There are some major reasons for which a company needs to increase investment on corporate governance. They are such as role of government, demand of better disclosure, increasing interest of customers; deal with investors pressure, competitive labor market and relationship with suppliers. I come to know that the Australian government mainly relies on regulation and legislation to deal with environmental and social issues in business sector. However due to shrinkage of resources and due to distrust of regulations that leads companies to voluntary and non-regulatory initiatives instead. I also come know that due to the growing demand for corporate disclosure from suppliers, stakeholders, communities and employees and activist organization, companies have to take initiatives to improve CSR and sustainable development. I have come to understand that there are three theoretical approaches related with CSR. They are such as theory of CSR, Triple bottom line approach and stakeholder theory. I come to understand that CSR is combined with four obligations. They are philanthropic responsibility, ethical responsibility, legal responsibility as well as economic responsibility. I come to understand that presently investors are changing their methods to assess the performance of companies. They take decisions depending on various criteria that include ethical concerns. From a survey analysis it has been found that 25% of the investors all over the world take care of the ethical considerations while buying and selling stocks of a company. For this reason, a company needs to invest more on corporate social responsibility. Currently I am situating in the managerial position of a multinational company. I have come to understand that environmental, social and governance issues related with CSR have been increasing in recent years. As a manager, I have to take care of these issues and I have to develop friendly environment within the company so that we can attract talented and skilled employees. Reference list Acharya, VV, Gottschalg, OF, Hahn, M Kehoe, C 2013, Corporate governance value creation: Evidence from private equity,Review of Financial Studies,Vol. 26(2), pp.368-402. Aebi, V, Sabato, G Schmid, M 2012, Risk management, corporate governance, bank performance in the financial crisis,Journal of Banking Finance,Vol. 36(12), pp.3213-3226. Brammer, S, Jackson, G Matten, D 2012, Corporate social responsibility institutional theory: New perspectives on private governance,Socio-Economic Review,Vol. 10(1), pp.3-28. Bushee, BJ, Carter, ME Gerakos, J 2013, Institutional investor preferences for corporate governance mechanisms,Journal of Management Accounting Research,Vol. 26(2), pp.123-149. Chen, CX, Lu, H Sougiannis, T, 2012, The agency problem, corporate governance, the asymmetrical behavior of selling, general, administrative costs,Contemporary Accounting Research,Vol. 29(1), pp.252-282. Cheng, B, Ioannou, I Serafeim, G 2014, Corporate social responsibility access to finance,Strategic Management Journal,vol. 35(1), pp.1-23. Chin, MK, Hambrick, DC Trevio, LK, 2013, Political ideologies of CEOs the influence of executives values on corporate social responsibility, Administrative Science Quarterly,vol. 58(2), pp.197-232. Claessens, S Yurtoglu, BB 2013, Corporate governance in emerging markets: A survey,Emerging markets review,Vol. 15, pp.1-33. Clapp, J Rowlands, IH 2014, Corporate social responsibility,Essential Concepts of Global Environmental Governance, (p.42). Denis, DK 2016, Corporate Governance the Goal of the Firm: In Defense of Shareholder Wealth Maximization,Forthcoming in the Financial Review. Dhaliwal, DS, Radhakrishnan, S, Tsang, A. Yang, YG 2012, Nonfinancial disclosure analyst forecast accuracy: International evidence on corporate social responsibility disclosure,The Accounting Review,Vol. 87(3), pp.723-759. Erkens, DH, Hung, M Matos, P 2012, Corporate governance in the 20072008 financial crisis: Evidence from financial institutions worldwide, Journal of Corporate Finance,vol. 18(2), pp.389-411. Fujixerox, 2016.Home FUJI XEROX CO.,LTD.. [online] Fujixerox.com. Available at: https://www.fujixerox.com/eng/ [Accessed 16 Oct. 2016]. Gupta, A, Briscoe, F Hambrick, DC 2016, Red, blue, purple firms: Organizational political ideology corporate social responsibility, Strategic Management Journal. Harford, J, Mansi, SA Maxwell, WF 2012, Corporate governance firm cash holdings in the US, InCorporate Governance, Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Hermalin, BE Weisbach, MS 2012, Information disclosure corporate governance,The Journal of Finance,Vol. 67(1), pp.195-233. Korschun, D, Bhattacharya, CB Swain, SD 2014, Corporate social responsibility, customer orientation, the job performance of frontline employees,Journal of Marketing. Liu, B McConnell, JJ 2013, The role of the media in corporate governance: Do the media influence managers' capital allocation decisions?, Journal of Financial Economics,Vol. 110(1), pp.1-17. McCahery, JA, Sautner, Z Starks, LT 2016, Behind the scenes: The corporate governance preferences of institutional investors,The Journal of Finance. Mousavi, Z, Beiranvand, F, Moeinfar, Z Amouzesh, N, 2013, Corporate Social Responsibility,Life Sci J,vol. 10(6s), pp.8-10. Nini, G, Smith, DC Sufi, A 2012, Creditor control rights, corporate governance, firm value,Review of Financial Studies,Vol. 25(6), pp.1713-1761. Pedersen, ERG (ed.) 2015,Corporate social responsibility, Sage. Preuss, L 2013, Corporate social responsibility, InEncyclopedia of corporate social responsibility, Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Schneider, A Schmidpeter, R 2012, Corporate social responsibility,Verantwortliche Unternehmensfhrung in der Praxis, Berlin ua. Servaes, H Tamayo, A 2013, The impact of corporate social responsibility on firm value: The role of customer awareness,Management Science,vol. 59(5), pp.1045-1061. Sharma, JD, Sharma, J Devi, A 2013, Corporate Social Responsibility,The Key Role of Human Resource. Theaker, A 2012, Corporate social responsibility,The Public Relations Strategic Toolkit: An Essential Guide to Successful Public Relations Practice. Tricker, B 2015,Corporate governance: Principles, policies, practices, Oxford University Press, USA. Wesfarmers, 2016. [online] Wesfarmers.com.au. Available at: https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/ [Accessed 16 Oct. 2016]. Westphal, JD Zajac, EJ 2013, A behavioral theory of corporate governance: Explicating the mechanisms of socially situated socially constituted agency,The Academy of Management Annals,Vol. 7(1), pp.607-661. Wintoki, MB, Linck, JS. Netter, JM 2012, Endogeneity the dynamics of internal corporate governance,Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 105(3), pp.581-606. Zentes, J, Morschett, D Schramm-Klein, H 2017, Corporate Social Responsibility, InStrategic Retail Management, Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Sundown Bakery free essay sample

Bakery reads like a typical small business story where rapid growth can be as detrimental and hard to manage as rapid contraction. Small business owners are typically the type of people who are rich with specific skills, but are missing fundamental management skills and are often ill equipped when it comes to managing rapid expansion of their individual business. Sundown Bakery is no different in my opinion. Through this paper it is my intention to clearly identify some of the issues resulting from the rapid expansion and to recommend some possible solutions that would have helped them avoid their current situation. As I read through the story of Sundown Bakery’s rapid expansion, I could not help but be impressed with the broad diversity in the hiring practices of Carol Teinchek and Bruce Marshall. From the onset it was apparent to me that those individuals they were hiring would likely struggle with communication simply because of the diverse nature of the cultures they came from prior to working at Sundown Bakery. We will write a custom essay sample on Sundown Bakery or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As a Regional Manager for a Global Country I travel extensive internationally and know only too well about the difficulty that arises when cross mingling cultures if an effort is not made to recognize the individual characteristics of each person’s culture. Sundown Bakery would be no different having hired persons from El Salvador, Korea, and Canada during the initial stages of growth. My own analysis of the issues surrounding the communication problems at Sundown Bakery point bake to the almost immediate distance both Carol and Bruce put between themselves and the business. As they were growing there did not appear to be any structure present and further it was apparent to me Carol and Bruce both stepped away from the day-to-day operations allowing those they had hired to manage the smaller details of operating the business and interacting with the customer base. From the very onset, I believe it was imperative the Carol and Bruce implement some structured communications. For example; there does not appear to be any instance of fundamental downward communication where either Carol or Bruce are communicating their objectives to any of the new employees. (Adler, 2009, pg. 2) This also appeared to be prevalent when they hired Hans Mikelson, who began his tenure by announcing sweeping changes in dress code, menu items, and formal training plans. All of these items are likely not negative on their own, but as Mikelson implemented the changes he did so in the same fashion Carol and Bruce had previously done by communicating with the employees at a distance th rough the informal interoffice memo. As a result, I was not surprised to read about the resentment that had built among the original employees, who had been in charge of the day-to-day operations prior to Mikelson’s arrival. As the business grew rapidly, it was also not surprising to read that the employees had begun grumbling amongst themselves to each other and was less supportive of the entire organization. Certainly, this situation was further exacerbated by the continual hiring of new employees with vastly different cultural and physical backgrounds. As time passed each old and new employee alike found reasons to be resentful about the impersonal and distant way the company was being run. Ultimately, the content of the message from Mikelson, and Carol and Bruce by extension, was not lacking, but there was a clear relational message being sent to each employee. (Adler, 2009, pg. 9) While I don’t believe that was ever the owner’s intent to alienate themselves from their employees, it happened all the same because the message was not given priority nor was the method in which the message was delivered. Clearly, Sundown Bakery has been a victim of their own success. The original company was very close knit and run with a very personal touch. There seemed to be adequate upward and downward communication along with substantive content messages as well as positive relational messages. As the company grew the two owners clearly lost sight of what was important to their business from its inception. In a very poor attempt to restore and gain order they hired a man who had come from a very corporate background. Mikelson’s presence and management style created further distance due to the very impersonal manner in which messages were conveyed. Mikelson’s content message may have been positive, but his relational message was clearly lacking any sort of personal touch, and despite the size of Sundown Bakery at the time of his hire, he obviously did not recognize this as a company with employees who had become accustomed to a very personal type of management style. The diverse cultures also played a role in the tensions mounting as demonstrated by Jose’s reluctance to take direction from a woman due to his upbringing. In my opinion, early structure and recognition were keys to making Sundown Bakery as successful as it could possibly be. Carol and Bruce should have spent much more time interacting with their key employees as a way of keeping their fingers on the pulse of the operation as well as continuing to make the employees feel important and a part of the business. As the text states, â€Å"Communication is irreversible† (Adler, 2009, pg. 10) and in the case of Sundown Bakery, the communication thus far has followed a very negative path. Communication is a process, so in order to right the ship Carol and Bruce will need to make a concerted effort to engage their employees and re-create the family atmosphere they desire for their business. They will clearly need to communicate this expectation to Hans Mikelson as well, which may lead to having to re-consider hiring him for this organization should he not be able to conform to this style of management. Carol and Bruce will have to be open to upward communication from their team and legitimately consider the team’s concerns and suggestions. The correction will not be easy, but it is certainly possible to make this the type of business they had in the beginning.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

MacBeth and Marxist Theory

MacBeth and Marxist Theory Free Online Research Papers Marxist ideology doesn’t simply indicate a belief system, but a manipulative set of ideas designed to benefit a ruling class; one which dictates a false/faulty understanding of social reality and economic foundations. The Marxist viewpoint, as it relates to Shakespeare, according to Wiatt Ropp, in his easy entitled â€Å"Marxist Criticism: MacBeth as Ideology,† suggests that Shakespeare legitimizes established authority and supports its values and beliefs. He supports this theory with the supposition that MacBeth’s ambition and violent behavior â€Å"subverts his world’s natural order, and it results in the ruin of himself and those around him.† If society’s natural condition is harmonious, as those in power tend to assert, MacBeth’s undermining of the political order (killing the king), the moral order (his lies and murder), religious order (seeking the witches consult) and male dominated order (by giving into Lady Macbeth’s wishes), it stands to reason that MacBeth is bad and, therefore, must be punished. How else are those in power able to perpetuate their power? Noam Chomsky suggests that it is the â€Å"intellectuals† within a society that tell the rest of the citizenry how to think and what to do. (87) These intellectuals tend to drift towards the upper end of the social spectrum for their own rewards, and as a result tend to support the interests of that ruling class. Messages that support, for example, the president, the law and the system, then, are the inevitable end result of their undertakings. According to George Orwell, â€Å"Shakespeare liked to stand well with the rich and powerful, and was capable of flattering them in the most servile way. He is also noticeably cautious†¦in his manner of uttering unpopular opinions. Almost never dos he put a subversive or skeptical remark into the mouth of a character likely to be identified with himself.† (61) The implication here is that Shakespeare and MacBeth, exist to support the established authority and social order, that this authority is fair and good and that those who threaten it, as Macbeth has, deserve whatever ill-fortune befalls them. The end game this ideology exists to create is an attitude of resignation; one which encourages the notion that change is not only undesireable, but, more than likely, unmanageable. Research Papers on MacBeth and Marxist TheoryEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementCapital PunishmentThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionBringing Democracy to Africa

Friday, November 22, 2019

Defining Nonfiction Writing

Defining Nonfiction Writing Etymology: From the Latin, not shaping, feigning Pronunciation: non-FIX-shun Nonfiction is a blanket term for  prose accounts of real people, places, objects, or events. This can serve as an umbrella encompassing everything from Creative Nonfiction and Literary Nonfiction to  Advanced Composition,  Expository Writing,  and Journalism. Types of nonfiction include articles, autobiographies, biographies, essays, memoirs, nature writing, profiles, reports, sports writing, and travel writing. Observations I see no reason why the word [artist] should always be confined to writers of fiction and poetry while the rest of us are lumped together under that despicable term Nonfiction- as if we were some sort of remainder. I do not feel like a Non-something; I feel quite specific. I wish I could think of a name in place of Nonfiction. In the hope of finding an antonym, I looked up Fiction in Webster and found it defined as opposed to Fact, Truth, and Reality. I thought for a while of adopting FTR, standing for Fact, Truth, and Reality, as my new term.(Barbara Tuchman, The Historian as Artist, 1966)Its always seemed odd to me that nonfiction is defined, not by what it is, but by what it is not. It is not fiction. But then again, it is also not poetry, or technical writing or libretto. Its like defining classical music as nonjazz.(Philip Gerard, Creative Nonfiction. Story Press, 1996)Many writers and editors add creative to nonfiction to mollify this sense of being strange and other, and to re mind readers that creative nonfiction writers are more than recorders or appliers of reason and objectivity. Certainly, many readers and writers of creative nonfiction recognize that the genre can share many elements of fiction.(Jocelyn Bartkevicius, The Landscape of Creative Nonfiction, 1999) If nonfiction is where you do your best writing or your best teaching of writing, dont be buffaloed into the idea that its an inferior species. The only important distinction is between good writing and bad writing.(William Zinsser, On Writing Well, 2006)The Common Core State Standards (US) and NonfictionOne central concern is that the Core reduces how much literature English teachers can teach. Because of its emphasis on analysis of information and reasoning, the Core requires that 50 percent of all reading assignments in elementary schools consist of nonfiction texts. That requirement has sparked outrage that masterpieces by Shakespeare or Steinbeck are being dropped for informational texts like Recommended Levels of Insulation by the Environmental Protection Agency.(The Common Core Backlash. The Week, June 6, 2014)

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Quality of life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Quality of life - Essay Example Most medical decisions, however, fall somewhere in between these boundaries. Reflections on these decisions were articulated in the language of ordinary and extraordinary means. The expression "quality of life" has been used by the proponents of practices such as abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia; indeed "quality of life" has become a rallying slogan for those who favor such practices. There is an understandable tendency in some of these Episcopal statements to avoid any public formulation that might suggest endorsement of that kind of quality - of - life ethic. In the public context, these bishops tend to speak in language that portrays life as an absolute good and to eschew language about the quality of life. Such statements sometimes convey the impression that the distinction between ordinary and extraordinary means can be worked out in fairly objective terms (e.g. benefits of treatment, the proximity of a patient to death). In fact the language of benefit vs. burden ratio or proportionate vs. disproportionate treatment lends itself to images of a mathematical measurement. But this does not retain all the nuances of traditional teaching. While t here are objective elements, such as whether or not a treatment is available or will be physiologically useful, the history of the distinction between ordinary and extraordinary means makes it clear that its deployment turns on the prudent judgment of the patient with the help of family and physician. The patient is the one who weighs risks, burdens, and benefits in light of a treatment's probable impact. The distinction depends upon the patient's quality - of - life judgments. The Pennsylvania bishops' statement on nutrition and hydration illustrates the tendency both to objectify the judgment about ordinary and extraordinary means and to misrepresent traditional teaching. For example, the bishops write that "the patient in the persistent vegetative state is not imminently terminal (provided that there is no other pathology present). The feeding--regardless of whether it be considered as treatment or as care--is serving a life -sustaining purpose. Therefore, it remains an ordinary means of sustaining life and should be continued." The bishops of the Maryland Catholic Conference also wrote that "[a] medical treatment should not be deemed useless, however, because it fails to achieve some goal beyond what should be expected." For them, medically assisted feeding and hydration is useful as long as the patient is capable of absorbing the nutrients delivered by the treatment. These kinds of statements reflect an erosion of the distinction between ordinary and extraordinary means. There are a number of ways in which the traditional teaching is being lost. First, it should be noted that the distinction between ordinary and extraordinary means traditionally has not been limited only to those patients who were considered to be terminal. In creating such a restriction the bishops are being quite innovative in their interpretation of the distinction. Pope John Paul II seems to limit the distinction's application to those who are close to death; in Evangelium vitae he distinguishes euthanasia from withdrawing aggressive treatment and, in so doing, appears to limit the dis

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Information Systems and Knowledge Management Essay

Information Systems and Knowledge Management - Essay Example The Carbon Management Plan or CMP can be divided into two major parts. The first part will deal with knowledge management and the second part will deal with information systems. Knowledge Management Presently, all universities in UK are being urged to provide an array of university data and information including energy consumption, air pollution, cost overhead, etc. to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). These data are accumulated from different areas of the university and range of data like waste management, electricity generation and consumption, etc. The documentation and maintenance of this sort of statistical data can help in inferential analysis and proper knowledge management can assist in this part of the sustainable energy utilisation plan. This will further involve mitigation (geo-engineering), reduction (fuel switching, efficiency improvement, etc.) and removal (biological sequestration and ocean fertilisation) (Tester, 2005). Synchronisation of so many aspects of the management procedure through the simulation provides an excellent platform to develop a practical understanding of knowledge management. Information Systems In carbon management, emission dynamics determine the variable of carbon generation, particularly CO2 gas generation is most important. Analysis of this variable helps in ascertaining organisational goals and developing information base. In relation to CMP, the behaviour of this variable can be controlled by using more efficient power sources, low energy information and communication technology, smart metering, etc. By the means of generation of options, criteria assembling, option evaluation and proper option selection, information based facilities management can be developed and implemented (Atkin and Brooks, 2009). Hence, the simulation helps us to learn that how the communication systems between different stakeholders in the organisation can be bettered. The Learning Outcomes With regards to my understanding of the run time environment, the simulation program has helped me a lot. As I participated in the CMP, I felt I was dealing with such a subject that was affecting the whole organisation and I got maximum exposure to the behaviouristic aspects of the programme. Decision Making The simulation provided me with a better understanding of decision making. As far as the less important issues related to a plan or the functioning of an organisation are concerned decision making does not play a very important role. Especially, at the entry level, decision making does not appear to be very important except for career objectives. However, if one wants to stay in the organisation for a longer time and make a difference with a winning turn to his or her career, decision making becomes very important. Only good decision makers finally get to hold the key management positions in the industry. In today’s complex organisation, decision making should be multiple criteria based. If one wants to make it to the higher or middle level management positions, he or she has to learn good decision making. Decision making in a large and diversified organisation (which was s imulated

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Scientific method Essay Example for Free

Scientific method Essay Do we start thinking of some type of formal process that will answer all our scientific questions or problems. When I was in school many years ago, we were taught that scientists go through a series of steps to find a solution to a problem or find evidence to support or disprove a theory. It all seemed rather cold, and formal. Going back to school, school has taught me that science has undergone significant changes and has moved away from the rigidity of a fixed series of steps in what was formerly called the scientific method. The Scientific Method Geophysicists opposed his suggestion that the continents glide across the ocean floor, asserting that the ocean floor did not contain adequate power to hold the continents and moreover considerable frictional opposition would transpire (Nelson, 2003). In the 1950s and in the 1960s, reports of the Planets magnetic field and in what way it varied across time, a study known as, presented different support that would confirm that the continents do definitely move (Nelson, 2003). The method by which an expert discovers clarification to an occurrence is named the scientific method. Tracing the Scientific Method After the experiment, any findings should be analyzed to decide whether the hypothesis was correct, incorrect, or somewhere in-between. In this experiment, which was reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (Yamauchi et al, 2010), the researchers sought to find out what relationship, if any, coffee had upon the development of diabetes. Previous studies had indicated that coffee might be of use to ward off the development of diabetes in humans. The scientists behind this experiment wanted to investigate this possibility in a more focused study than had been previously done.: Scientific Research

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Future of Management Essay -- essays research papers

With our economy continuing to sputter, an increasing number of companies both public and private are looking to defend themselves by hiring management executives that have seen hard times before. This new trend may be on to something.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recently, Sam Brothwell, an analyst with Merrill Lynch, spoke to a group of companies and stated that one of the things that he found with most companies is that there is a little bit more gray hair, which he found comforting in today’s business place. Due to the unstable market companies are now looking at the more experienced manager when it comes to recruiting top-level management officials.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It has not always been this way, however. Commercials portray Chief Executive Officers as twenty-something hipsters with rose-colored glasses, instead of the sixty-somethings in charcoal suits and gray hair. Take for instance Silicon Valley and its management staffs, quite a few companies were soaked with young people who swore to the company that they had a finger on the pulse of technology. These young people also were quite positive that they could make their company millions. Did it happen? In some cases yes, but in most no.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A lot of companies fail because they do not have long-term business plans, and that comes with experience. Experienced management is also seen as a lure for venture capitalist looking to invest in a company. The experience that people bri...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Balance in the Administration of Justice Security

Recent American polls have suggested that Americans, in a bid to reducing terrorism threats, do not mind sacrificing some of their freedom. The choices faced are usually two; a free country which is prone to terrorist attacks, and a restricted country that is free from terrorism. These are hard choices to make, especially with the view that no restrictions can guarantee absence of a terrorist attack, they merely reduce the chances of occurrence. Some people see no conflict between security and liberty, and instead view security as a means to liberty.Proper governments use police powers, both military and domestic, to safeguard the liberty of its citizens. According to Coutu (2006), abrogation, cannot however be used to safeguard individual freedom. Governments that use police powers arbitrarily, destroy the values that they are supposed to secure. Before these governments use police powers to place people under surveillance, question them, arrest them, prosecute them, and in internat ional threats, attack enemy countries, they should have comprehensive evidence of threat to the citizens of its country.This principle is used even in times of war, although procedures and standards, of prosecution and evidence may change. For example, if a certain country supports terrorists, the government has the right to screen or ban citizens arriving from that country. During war, the government has also the right to imprison or execute enemy combatants, without public trials. The major bone of contention when balancing the needs of the justice system and the individual rights of the people, is the perception that individual rights have been trampled on, when enforcing security regulations.Such rights as freedom of movement, freedom of expression, and rights of privacy are seen to be curtailed, when enforcing security regulations, such as using torture to obtain information, monitoring phone calls to obtain information, and checking IDs when screening people. These three issue s are analyzed below, including my suggestions, as a justice administrator, on how to deal with them, so as to balance needs of the justice system and the individual rights of the people. Issues involved in regulation of security. Use of torture to obtain informationAccording to Coutu and Simon (2007), torture has long been used as a means of extracting information from suspects or prisoners. In the United States, the US army and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) are the most notorious government agents that have been reported to use torture in extracting information. In fact, both of them have courses on torture, in their training manuals. Torture is normally conducted in dark rooms, which have no toilets and windows, and its aim is to threaten the suspect into giving information, due to belief that lack of cooperation will lead to physical and emotional trauma.There have been many instances where the US army has been caught torturing prisoners, the most notable in the Iraqi pr isons, and Guantanamo bay, Cuba. The exposure by the media has however led to decrease in such human rights violations. In instances of war, it is difficult for soldiers to balance between the freedom of a person and security obligations. This is because a war is a life and death situation, and does not allow the leisure of thinking rationally before acting, especially when in a battle scene.However, in case prisoners are captured, in my opinion as a justice administrator, the security obligations should only outweigh individual rights, and allow reasonable level of torture, if either of three conditions are met. The prisoner should have information that is; crucial to saving lives of other people, will help in achievement of the war mission, or will help prevent further destruction of property. As stated above, reasonable level of torture should be used in these circumstances, and it must be carried out in the presence of a qualified physician.In case it is not during a war situati on, my opinion is a fourth condition is introduced; that a court of law should be convinced that there is evidence that suggests, that torture is the only means that can be used to extract that information. Monitoring phone calls to obtain security threats. According to Stephens and Glenn (2006), telephone and wire taps have been used to obtain information, by third parties, for a relatively long time. Its history can be traced to as early as 1890s and has been carried out in the US, under several presidents.Wire tapping has for many years been used to catch spies, or to spy against foreign countries with a view of obtaining strategic information. However, it has taken a different dimension recently, and is largely used to either catch criminals in the act, or to prevent crimes from happening. This involves tapping the telephones that are used or placing bugging devices close to suspects, so that they might capture their conversation. There have been calls for restriction of wire ta ps, since it is seen as violation of the right of privacy.This is especially true because of the tendency of government agents to abuse such powers, and tap phones, even where there is no accompanying evidence to suggest a crime. When deciding on the use of wire taps, it is important to weigh the security of the wider public, against the rights of the individual. In case the security threat outweighs the rights of the individual, wire taps may be used. However, before wire taps are used, in my opinion as a justice administrator, a court of law has to authorize it, and three conditions must be satisfied.The first is that, it should be proved that there is evidence against a suspect that links him or her to committing, or trying to commit a crime. The second is the alleged crime has to be material enough to warrant a wire tap. The third is that there should be no other possible way to link the suspect to the crime, other than use of a wire tap, and that the chances of its success shou ld be reasonably high. In this case, the security of the wider public will have out weighed the individual freedom, and use of phone taps will be reasonable. ID checks in screening peopleSince the September 11, 2001 attacks, there has been increase in checking of IDs, as a preventive measure against criminal activity. IDs are checked when using airlines, checking into hotels, entering a government building and sometimes even entering a hospital. These checks are all aimed at ensuring security prevails, but some people see it as invasion of privacy, and restricting freedom of movement. When trying to balance liberty and security, it is imperative that a cost benefit analysis is done, and benefits of such measures weighed against costs.In this case, checking IDs should have more benefits against costs, but that is not the case. In fact, according to Toner (2002), all the September 11 terrorist attacks were carried out by people with IDs; some were fake, others were genuine. They carri ed them since they expected to be asked for them. IDs are very easily forged, and are readily available; teenagers use them often to enter clubs when they are under-aged. IDs are also useless to check, if there is no accompanying profile; this means merely having an ID of a criminal without knowledge that he or she is one, does not have any benefit.Presence of profiles divides people into two classes; those that fit the profile and are thus screened cautiously, and those who do not fit the profile and are thus not screened very cautiously. This exposes a very dangerous third category of those who are criminals but do not fit the profile. Examples are Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma bomber, and John Allen, the Washington sniper. In such circumstances, it is clear that benefits of ID checks are lower than their costs, the cost being intrusion of privacy and freedom of movement.In my opinion as a justice administrator, it is important to cease such checks, since they limit freedom and li berty, without reasonable benefits on security of the wider public. The police should use other approaches such as random checks, which are less predictable than regular checks. Changes in technology and mass communication and effects on justice and security areas. The advent of globalization has turned the world into a global village. According to Waldron (2003), it is possible to carry out business activities, communicate, learn, share ideas, and so much more, with anyone in any part of the world, through the Internet.Mobile phone technology has also made it possible for people in all corners of the world to communicate and interact with one another. This is the reason that e-mails and mobile phones have played an important role in many people's lives. However, criminals have also had access to these forms of communication and interaction, which has presented a danger to the society. Technology has enabled criminals to carry out their activities faster, and with higher precision. Technology has enabled them to communicate faster amongst themselves, and obtain information about their targets.Changes in technology have also been the downfall of criminals. Through use of mobile phones and emails, criminals have left traces of their criminal activities and identities. This is because communication between themselves can be recorded, fingerprints and DNA can be ‘lifted' from crime scenes, and data can be recovered from computers and phones that they use. This has been the key to solving many crimes, since it places the suspects at the crime scene, and may unearth crucial evidence to use in prosecution. This is what investigators have relied on, over the years.New technology has enabled investigators to be able to monitor suspects' movements and communication through ‘bugs' placed on phones that record conversations and cameras that monitor movements of suspects. However, there has been cases where investigators have abused their powers, by illegally l istening to conversations of people, without evidence that they are potential suspects. This is what has been regarded by people as restricting the freedom of privacy. Mass media has played a very important role in highlighting issues regarding to liberty and security of citizens.The media has played a very important role, especially with regards to exposing human rights abuses by US soldiers, both in Iraqi prisons and Guantanamo bay, in Cuba. In both instances, the media exposed torture on unarmed prisoners, and in other cases, on non-combatants. This was previously restricted to the closed walls of prison, but once it was exposed, the abuses had to cease, due to the spotlight on the soldiers. The mass media can thus be said to have played a crucial role in restoring justice, in that respect. ConclusionIt is evident that the balance between individual rights and the administration of security is difficult. This is because some people complain, when administration of security is don e, under the guise of violation of their rights. On the other hand, when crimes are committed, they are the first ones to blame the security agencies. This makes it a very delicate affair and the administrators of justice should ensure that a balance between the two is maintained. This can be done by weighing the benefits of the administration of security to the wider public, against the rights of the individual.If the benefits to the wider public outweigh those of the individual, then the security measures should be performed. Another way of ensuring the balance of security and individual rights, especially during a war situation, is to make sure that the decision to torture someone should be guided by saving of lives, accomplishing of war objectives, or saving of property. However, it should be noted that during war, torture should be done to reasonable levels, and that a qualified physician should be present.In absence of war, torture should be approved by a court of law, after e xamining evidence presented, and ruling that torture is inevitable. In the case of phone taps, this should only be allowed after a court of law weighs evidence produced, and concludes that phone taps are the best way of obtaining evidence against the suspect, under such circumstances. ID checks should only be allowed if done at random, since the criminals do not anticipate them. References. Coutu, M. (2006). The Aftermath of 11 September 2001: Liberty Vs. Security. Washington: OUP. Coutu, N.E. , Simon, R. L. (2007), The Individual and the Political Order: An Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Stephens, O. H. , Glenn, R. A. (2006), Unreasonable Searches and Seizures: Rights and Liberties Under the Law. Chicago: ABC-CLIO. Toner, R. (2002). A nation challenged: The terrorism fight; civil liberty vs security. New York Times. Retrieved on October 23, 2008 from . Waldron, J. (2003). Security and liberty: The image of balance. The Journal of Pol itical Philosophy. Boston: Blackwell Synergy.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Harry Potter Movie Review Essay

Harry Potter is an average 11-year-old boy who has lived with the Dursley family ever since his parents died in a car crash. For some reason the family has always mistreated him. On his 11th birthday a giant man named Rubeus Hagrid hands him a letter telling him that he has been accepted as a student at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. * Harry soon learns that his parents were wizards and were killed by an evil wizard named Voldemort, a truth that was hidden from him all these years. He embarks for his new life as a student, gathering two good friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger along the way. They soon learn that something very valuable, called the sorcerers stone, is hidden somewhere deep inside the school and Voldemort is very anxious to lay his hands on it. Together they must use Hermione’s brilliant intellect, Ron’s joviality, and Harry’s bravery to stop Voldemort. In this epic action packed fantasy three friends learn the importance of friendship and that its power is unstoppable. * The attributes that play a vital role to this movie in being a box office success is the actors performance and the story itself. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger are a great trio for this type of movie. Daniel Radcliffe has the perfect face for an innocent eleven-year old-boy while he does have the look of valor and bravery in his eyes. Rupert Grint has the mischievous look of a procrastinator and jovial boy who in the movie is perfect for the funny, always nervous, and *

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Clinical Social Worker Essay

Clinical Social Worker Essay Clinical Social Worker Essay Characteristics and Skills Ronie Langley HSM/210 August 31, 2014 Professor Sheryl Characteristics and Skills When researching for a Human Service agency I came across one that is not far away from me in Pontiac, Michigan. The Department of Human Services (DHS) was one I was familiar with because of past financial issue with my father and having to visit the offices. The available job that was listed that I am interested in for my future career after my degree is finished is clinical social worker, you need the possession of your master’s degree in social work and no experience is needed. Some characteristics and skills that are needed are â€Å" Knowledge of basic sciences (psychology, sociology, and economics), the principles procedures, techniques, trends, and literature of clinical social work, characteristics and social aspects of mental and emotional disturbances and developmental disability†¦ continue at website michigan.gov/documents/ClinicalSocialWorker_12432_7.pdf † ("Michigan Civil Service Commission Job Specification Clinical Social Worker", n.d.). This job wil l require travels between schools, courts, police departments, and prisons. The employees accompanied to this job oversee professional work/assignments to provide treatment and casework to the residents in state faculties, assisted living homes/group homes, and to the state employees along with their families. Coming with this job there is four classifications, Clinical social worker 9 which is entry level, clinical social worker 10 intermediate level, clinical social worker P11 experienced level, clinical social worker 12 the advanced level. Each level requires experience from the previous level in order to move up in each classification. Some characteristics that can help be an effective helper with your client is â€Å"affection plus passion touched by the quality of

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How to Solve an undefined local variable Ruby Error

How to Solve an undefined local variable Ruby Error In  Ruby, you dont have to declare variables, but you do have to assign something to them before they can be referred to. If youre referring to a local variable that doesnt yet exist, you may see one of two errors. Ruby NameError Messages NameError: undefined local variable or method a for # NameError: undefined local variable or method a for main:Object Note:  There might be various identifiers in place of  a  above. This is an example where the code will generate the Ruby NameError message since the variable  a  hasnt yet been assigned to anything: puts a How to Fix the Error Variables must be assigned before they can be used. So, using the example from above, fixing the error is as simple as doing this: a 10 puts a Why Youre Getting This Error The obvious answer is that youre referring to a variable that hasnt yet been created. This is most often due to a typo but may happen when refactoring code and renaming variables. You might also see the  NameError: undefined local variable Ruby error if you intended to enter a string. Strings are understood when they exist between quotes. If you didnt use quotes, Ruby will think you meant to reference a method or variable (that doesnt exist) and throw the error. So, look back over your code to see what this variable is supposed to be referring to, and fix it. You may also want to search for other instances of the same variable name in the same method - if its wrong in one place, it may be wrong in others.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 23

Business - Essay Example Means offunding the care cost was another factors and the following graph shows distribution of responses over private funding, social services funding, and an integration of the two. More than 52 of the respondents reported an all private funding while 30.4 percent reported an intergration of both public and private funding. Only 17.4 percent reported application of all social funding for the home care services. Annuity and insurance are unpopular methods for private funding of home care services, having been reported by a total of eight percent. Seventy five percent of the respondents who used private funding reported use of savings while 22 percent sold houses. In case the priimary resources run out, the the â€Å"means are tested† and â€Å"social service† identify secondary liability as the following graph shows. The results show that only 27 percent of relatives are willing to top up care cost if social service assumes the primary responsibility of funding the care. The remaining 72 percent of the relatives did not take the top up

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Financial Upheavals. Financial crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Financial Upheavals. Financial crisis - Essay Example The aftermaths of any such business cycle may vary from being modest to remorseless hinging upon its magnitude and continuance. History show that the American economy has moved through periods of boom, recession and recovery. The years 1837, 1893 and 1929 help retrace the occurrence of three major depressions in United States (Calomiris 2010). The downturns of 1857, 1873, and 1907 are also referred in the history books (Rothbard 2002). The America of 1819 and the financial crisis its people went through was only the first of speculative cacoethes which is America's true national interest (Maloney 2009). But then again, the Great Recession of 2008 is the latest financial turmoil in the United States, the twinges of which are still being sensed. Both these financial upheavals resemble one another with respect to their causes and consequences. For instance, they headed to extended bank failures, loan foreclosures, high unemployment rates and a depression in manufacturing sector. The cau ses of the panic of 1819 can be assigned to the economic system of the United States (Rothbard 2002). The panic of 1819 ended the tremendous economic expansion that occurred after the War of 1812. Rampant inflation, debtors’ relief which was constantly associated with monetary strategies and a protective tariff on imports worked as a pivotal point in creating the situation of panic in the US at that time. Whereas, the oncoming of the Recession of 2008 can be assigned to complicated and interconnected constituents. Sub-prime loans, lax financial regulation, loose monetary policy and global instabilities collectively induced the latest financial upheaval that caused entire world staggering. This suggests that there were more than one element that sparked off the two financial upheavals discussed above. Among those major causal elements, monetary policy played a key role to trigger the financial turmoils. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast these two historic fi nancial upheavals; the earliest and the latest to have rocked the United States of America with special emphasis on the role of the monetary policy in each case. The Panic of 1819 The major causes of the panic of 1819 were delved within the US economy. Similar to so much of what is disastrous to civilized society, the Panic of 1819 had been produced in the violent agitation particularly of the War of 1812. The young American economy confronted many rapid breakdowns that were brought by the War of 1812 and its consequences. United States previously had been a big country with a thin population of around seven million which were mostly committed solely to agriculture. Many agricultural products such as wheat, cotton, and tobacco were exported across borders, although the residual of the agricultural products was mostly consumed by self-sustaining rural families. Public debt held by Americans during the war of 1812 induced the prices rise throughout the United States. At that time, the monetary system of the country was not advance or highly-developed. The American banks were restricted almost entirely to the cities and their tools and methods to run the economy inclined to be lax with insignificant Government control. The reality, that most banks and other institutions of that era had to acquire their position by exceptional legislative charter, tempted inquisitive and high-risk misuses through exerting force on the legislature. All this resulted in an inadequacy of uniformity in administering banks within and among states. The emergence of the First Bank of the United States had regulated the banks towards uniformity until the year 1811. Irresponsible and mismanaged banking system had played a crucial role in creating that panic. From 1811 to

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Argument Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Argument Response - Essay Example The point of bilingual education in part is to ease the transition of students whose first language is not English into the school setting, and while it might accomplish this goal, it leaves the students with more difficulty in the long run. As Le points out, it leaves the students inept in both languages to a certain degree. Le’s main audience seems to be non-minority citizens who might be voting in regards to bilingual schooling. He seems to be of the opinion that the push for bilingual schooling comes just as much from these English speaking citizens who feel that they should attempt to preserve the culture of non-English speaking students in schools. Le is of the opinion that one should learn one’s native language and culture in home and not in school. There is also the difficulty of determining which second language should the subjects be taught in. Though the majority of non-English speaking students in the US might speak Spanish, there would still be some school districts where the majority of non-English speaking students might speak Chinese or some other language. The question then becomes how school districts can have any sort of regularity to them if they are all teaching in different languages. When all of the particular needs of every single group is attempted to be accommodate d for, nobody ends up with what they really need. As far as points that Le made that weren’t as strong, he first points out English as being a difficult subject to learn. First, this is a matter of opinion, and isn’t necessarily true. English does not have gendered nouns which make languages such as Spanish, French, and German difficult for English speakers. That doesn’t even begin to touch on the difficulty of learning a tone language such as Chinese. Secondly, it is not so much the language itself as it is the spelling system. English is in need of a spelling

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Theories In First Language Acquisition English Language Essay

Theories In First Language Acquisition English Language Essay Since, the second language is an additional language after we acquire the first language, the L2 learning process can be influenced by the L1 learning process This essay will demonstrate the similarities and differences in L1 and L2 acquisition by discussing various theories. Then, draw a conclusion based on the evidence provided and my own experience. Definition First Language Acquisition First Language Acquisition or also known as the Child Language Acquisition is a process whereby children from infancy through early school years acquire their first languages (Lightbown Spada, 2006). The term First Language Acquisition or FLA can be referred to the field that investigates the process by which children develop to use words and sentences in their first language, to communicate with other people (Dictionary of Sociolinguistics, 2004). Second Language Acquisition According to a Dictionary of Sociolinguistics (2004), the term Second Language Acquisition or SLA can be referred to the academic discipline that investigate the process of human when learning second language (L2) or additional languages other than the first language. It involves the ability of people to use and develop a complex system of sound, word, sentence structure, and meaning of any non-native language (Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science, 2005). It also tries to understand factors such as environment, individual differences, and social aspect which can be crucial factors underlining the acquire of second language (Ortega, 2009). Theories in First Language Acquisition Various theories and approaches have been developed over the past years attempting to study and analyze how do children acquire their mother tongue. This essay will identify two main theories that explain the learning process of the childs first language: Behaviourism and Nativist or Innateness theory. Behaviourism The behaviorism theory assumes how do children speak that children imitate what they hear, and then continue with positive support, children learn language through conditioning and habit formation (Ellis, 2008). According to B.F. Skinner and his colleagues (Gass Larry, 2008), learning or a change of behaviour on the part of the learner, is brought about by a process known as operant conditioning which is the result of repeated training. Operant means voluntary behaviour which is the result of learners own free-will and is not forced by any outsider or thing (Ortega, 2009). The learner will demonstrate the new behaviour first as a response to a system of a reward or punishment, and finally it will become an automatic response. Behaviourists believe that learning a language is no different from learning anything else. It becomes a habit by the stimulus-response-reinforcement-repetition process (Cook, 2001). The behaviourists also claim that we learn by imitation and by association (Lightbown Spada, 2006). However, psycholinguists argue that imitation is not enough because it is not only the mechanical repetition but also natural exposure that children acquire language (Cook, 2001). Therefore, from the behaviourist approach, language acquisition can be seen as a stimulus-response process. Children learn language by immitation and analogy. The roles of imitation, repetition, reinforcement, and motivation are essential in learning the language. The First Language Acquisition is thus the result of nature which based on practicing. Nativist or Innateness theory Unlike the behaviourist approach that does not take into consideration the childs own cognitive processes, the Innateness Hypothesis proposed by linguist Noam Chomsky supports the idea that language acquisition has a biological foundation (Ortega, 2009). He claims that children learn their first languages through cognitive learning and acquires them by natural exposure (Ortega, 2009). That means both nature and nurture influence the acquisition of language in children. He hypothesized that children are born with a specific innate ability to discover for themselves the underlying rules of a language system on the basis of the samples of a natural language they are exposed to (Lightbown Spada, 2006). This innate endowment was seen as a sort of template, containing the principles that are universal to all human beings. This is called Universal Grammar (UG). As defined by Chomsky (1976, as cited by Cook, 2001 pp181-182) Universal Grammar is the system of principles, conditions, and rule s that are elements or properties of all human languages à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the essence of human language. According to Chomsky, there are principles, which allow or prevent a specific structure from occurring in all human languages, and parameters, which govern ways in which human languages differ, usually expressed as a limited choice between two options (Cook, 2001). These principles and parameters are built in the human mind. In other words, children have an innate faculty that instructs them while learning of language (Mitchell and Myles, 2004: 33). Chomsky also introduced the Language Acquisition Device or LAD to explain that there is some innate mental capacity which help the children to process all the languages they hear since they were born (Cook, 2001). Thus, from the innatist approach, language is an innate or in-born process. Children learn language by application. It argued that language learning is not a behavior but a specific mental process and emphasized on the important role of exposure to language. Theories in Second Language Acquisition Behaviourism Behaviourism gave birth to a stimulus-response (S-R) theory which sees language as a set of structures and acquisition as a matter of habit formation (Larsen-Freeman Long, 1991). By ignoring any internal mechanisms, it takes into account the linguistic environment and the stimuli it produces. It is suggested that learning is an observable behaviour which is automatically acquired by means of stimulus and response in the form of mechanical repetition. Thus, to acquire a language is to acquire automatic linguistic habits. According to Johnson (2004), [B]ehaviorism undermined the role of mental processes and viewed learning as the ability to inductively discover patterns of rule-governed behavior from the examples provided to the learner by his or her environment. Larsen-Freeman and Long (1991) consider that S-R models offer little promises as explanations of SLA, except for perhaps pronunciation and the rote-memorization of formulae. This view of language learning emerged research on contrastive analysis, especially error analysis (Ortega, 2009) . It has the main focus of which is the interference of ones first language in the target language. According to Ellis (2008), an important reaction to behaviourism was the interlanguage studies, as the simple comparison between first and second language neither explained nor described the language produced by L2 learners. In this essay, interlanguage studies will be excluded as the concern of the area has been mainly with the acquisition of grammatical morphemes or specific language structures. Universal grammar theory According to Cook (2001), as a counterpoint to the environmental perspective, Chomskys followers try to understand SLA in the light of his universal grammar (UG) theory, a human innate endowment. Chomsky is interested in the nature of language and sees language as a mirror of the mind (Gass Selinker, 2008). Although he is not concerned with SLA, his work has been influencing studies in this area. According to his theory, it can be seen that every human being is biologically endowed with the Language Acquisition Device (LAD), which is responsible for the initial state of language development. The UG theory considers that the input from the environment is insufficient to account for language acquisition. In the same perspective, White (2003:22) says that [I]f it turns out that the L2 learner acquires abstract properties that could not have been induced from the input, this is strongly indicative that principles of UG constrain interlanguage grammars, parallel to the situation of L1 ac quisition. As Mitchel and Myles (2004:94) remind us, The universal Grammar approach is only interested in the learner as a processor of a mind that contains language and not as a social being. Comprehension hypothesis Influenced by Chomskys assumptions on language as an innate faculty, Krashen developed an influential proposal to explain SLA which he first named as monitor model with emphasis on the contrast between learning and acquisition, then called it the input hypothesis (Krashen 1978, cited in Lightbown Spada, 2006). It focuses on the data which feed acquisition, and more recently, comprehension hypothesis emphasizing the mental process as responsible for acquisition (Ellis, 2008). According to Krashen (2004:1), [T]he Comprehension Hypothesis is closely related to other hypotheses. The Comprehension Hypothesis refers to subconscious acquisition, not conscious learning. The result of providing acquirers with comprehensible input is the emergence of grammatical structure in a predictable order. A strong affective filter, such as high anxiety, will prevent input from reaching those parts of the brain that promote language acquisition (Cook, 2001). According to Lightbown and Spada (2006), Kra shens model views acquisition in a linear perspective which not only establishes a cause and effect relationship between input and acquisition but also states that the grammatical structure is acquired in a predictable order. Nonetheless, like in the other theories discussed so far, his theory does not go beyond the acquisition of grammatical structures. Krashens model lacks research evidence. As Cook (2001) points out it makes sense in its own terms but is not verifiable. Interaction theory Other attempts to explain SLA are the different versions of the interaction hypothesis defended by Hatch (1978) and by Long (1981, 1996), who did not accept Krashens Input Hypothesis. Both Hatch and Long consider that input alone is not sufficient to explain SLA. Hatch disagrees that learners first learn structures and then use them in discourse. Hatch considers the reverse possibility. One learns how to do conversation, one learns how to interact verbally, and out of this interaction syntactic structures are developed (Harch, 1978 p. 404). Based on an empirical study, Long (1981) observed that in conversations between native and non-native speakers, there are more modifications in interaction than in the input provided by the native speakers. Long does not reject the positive role of modified input, but claims that modifications in interactions are consistently found in successful SLA. Long (1996) suggests that negotiation for meaning, especially negotiation work that triggers inter actional adjustments by the NS or more competent interlocutor, facilitates acquisition because it connects input, internal learner capacities, particularly selective attention, and output in productiveways. However, Larsen-Freeman and Long (1991) argue that the interactionist views are more powerful than other theories because they invoke both innate and environmental factors to explain language learning. Similarities and Differences between FLA and SLA Age: a key factor differentiate L1 from L2 Age can be regarded as another key factor displaying the differences between L1 and L2 acquisition. Since, in the L1 acquisition, children normally complete the process by four to six years old, while the age range in acquiring the L2 can be varied wildly (Ortega, 2009). Moreover, according to Ellis (2008), age is recognized as being important owing to the assumption that older learners tend to be less successful in regard to SLA than younger learners, which may be owing to the fact that target-language norms do not pose as much of a threat to younger learners identities. However, there are two issues that many theorists have been arguing about the relationship between age and L2 acquisition. That the age effect can be approached from biological explanations or from non-biological explanations (Ortega, 2009). From the biological perspective (Gass Selinker, 2008), there is the Critical Period Hypothesis in L2 learning which is proposed by Penfield and Roberts (1959) and Lenneberg (1967). On the other hand, from the non-biological perspective, some researchers have emphasized on the influence of socio-educational and affective-motivational forces (Ortega, 2009).