Reserch proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reserch proposal - Essay Example ning to the emergence of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) from the approach of conventional Human Resource Management (HRM) will be provided. According to Armstrong (2006,) human resource is linked with strategic goals to improve the over performance of business and to develop such an organizational culture that fosters flexibility, innovation, as well as competitive advantage. For a company, SHRM refers to viewing functions of HR and accepting those functions as a strategic partner of the company that involves in implementation and formation of business strategies through activities like Training, Recruitment and Selection, Performance Appraisal etc. Currently, HRM is considered as nothing more than an administrative duty. In modern era, the responsibilities of HR Manager are higher than ever before. Due to Globalization, it must be ensured that human resource department is handled effectively and smartly. Globalization has causes a diversified workforce where people come from varying background. Globalization also causes technological changes, changes in the context of business, concern of business from moving to profit-oriented to growth-oriented and many others (Devana, Fombrumm, & Tichy, 1981; Wrightt, 1998). In modern era, in order to make a business grow, companies need to achieve a competitive edge and not only look into the transactional activities and administrative aspect of the job, but also formulate those strategies that align with the goals of business. In case the company does not adopt these tactics, then it will lose its relevance sooner or later. According to Huselid and Becker, (1997) companies that align orga nizational goals with human resource management system, a considerable change in financial position is observed. SHRM is considered as more extensive approach than conventional HRM because it links the activities of an organization with its goals (Singh, 2003). The performance appraisal system involves a strong reward plan.

Marketing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Marketing - Term Paper Example The main strength of the Wild planet is the quality and the product pricing. All the products of the Wild Planet’s are tested several times before they come to the market for sales. The internal strength of the company is the idea generation team. They have a tremendous branding and marketing strategies which attract the kids as well the parents towards the brand. Mattel: Mattel is the market leader in the United States. While the Mattel acquired the third largest toy manufacturing company Tyco Toys Inc in 1996, the company became extremely confident over the future performance. The Barbie and the Hot Wheels are the two show stoppers in the toy market. However, the companies combined sales represented only 19 percent of the total American Toy market. (Snyder, 2002, p 14) The Mattel Inc is a giant company in the toy industry. It is rated as the biggest toymakers in the world. The main strengths are the two brands and they are the Barbie and Hot Wheels. The company’s sales are being driven by these two brands. However, Soul Mate is in manufacturing innovative toys and they don’t manufacture small scale models of cars. Mattel is a threat to any toy manufacturing company as the deep financial pockets can allow them to buy any company in the toy industry. Mattel is a big company with a global exposure. However in the United States kids are boarded with the same old Barbie and Hot Wheels cars and may be that is the reason it contributes only 19 percent in the total sales of toys in United States. The new product idea is not that strong. From the above analysis it is very clear that the Wild Planet is the main competitor for the company. To differentiate soul Mate from its competitor it is very vital to understand the strength and weakness of the competitor. The business strategy of the Soul Mate and that of the Wild Planet is more or less same. The Wild Planet sells the innovative toys like Soul Mate and some of their products are Spy gadgets, Spy

Impact of Humans on Toronto Islands

Impact of Humans on Toronto Islands The Impacts of the Geomorphology, Climatology, and Hydrology on Human Activities in the Toronto Islands By: Nerujan Sivanesan Student No: 500510777 A place of entertainment and relaxation is what the Toronto Islands are known for presently. It still catered this tranquil and enticing environment even when it was first founded by the natives around the mid- 1700’s (Toronto Islands, n.d.). However, it was discovered and claimed by other settlers as a result the islands’ first hotel was built and this was by Michael O’Connor in 1833 (Higgens, 1999). He helped make the Toronto Islands become a popular tourist attraction for many and it became known for its amusement park, hotels, summer cottages, and other popular outdoor activities like fishing, and swimming. During the mid-1700’s, the Toronto Islands was found to be 1.6 km south of downtown Toronto, and its area was thought to be around 332 hectares (Sward, 2014). Moreover, it was known to be made up of fifteen islands (Sward, 2014) and the population of the community living in this area at the time was estimated to be over 600 people (Toronto Island Co mmunity Association, n.d.). These islands were not the same now as they were over 3500 years ago, they were originally a recurved sandspit whose, sediments were carried from the Scarborough Bluffs by the water currents from Lake Ontario (Toronto Islands History City of Toronto, n.d.). This later formed into large sandbar and through weathering they formed into the Toronto Islands as we know today. In addition, the climatic conditions and hydrologic activities that these Islands encounter affected the society’s way of living. Furthermore, the Toronto Island’s were thoroughly examined on its geomorphology, hydrology, and climatology and the impacts on the general population by the natural environment. The research for this report of acquiring peer-reviewed resources was difficult due to the specified topic. The research for this topic was conducted for credible resources were done on two scholarly search engines which were â€Å"Google Scholar† and â€Å"RULA- Articles and Database†. However, RULA did not yield the sufficient information required regarding the study of this topic. Moreover, the majority of the research was done by searching for key words on Google scholar and Google. On this search engine, key words such as â€Å"Geomorphology of the Toronto Islands† were used to retrieve specified details of the formations and evolution of the Islands. Other words were searched for instance, â€Å"Hydrology, and Climatology of the Toronto Islands†, and â€Å"the Toronto Island’s history†. These searches provided adequate information regarding the geographical aspects of the Toronto Islands. In addition, the Toronto Island’s website was used to acquire the history of the Toronto Islands and statistical information regarding the population, and the area of the islands. The information that was collected by this technique shows it was a successful approach in learning about the Islands. Through the examined information that was collected, it was found that the Toronto Islands were not always Islands. It was a tombolo (Christopherson, Byrne, Giles, 2012, pg 499), it was found on the North shore of Lake Ontario which linked itself to downtown Toronto. These group of islands were originally formed by sediments that were deposited by winds that moved from northeast to southwest and eroded stone which originated from the Scarborough Bluffs from over 3500 years ago (Toronto Islands History City of Toronto, n.d.). The eroded sediments from the Bluffs were carried by the Lake Ontario currents which moved from the east as well as by the wind currents (Naim et al, 1994). In addition, the water currents moved from the east because they had a longer fetch. The eroded sediments that were transported from the Bluffs to the Toronto Islands were deemed to be 30000m3/year on average (Naim et al, 1994). However, in 1858 severely violent storms eroded the tombolo (Christopherson et al, 2012, pg 499) over time this separated the Toronto Islands from Toronto (Toronto Islands History City of Toronto, n.d.). Many years after this incident, the Islands itself began to grow larger and larger almost doubling its size, because of sediments that was deposited into the Eastern Channel of the Islands (Naim, et al., 1994). As a result of the storms in 1858, a seawall was built to prevent future erosion however, this stopped the sediments being deposited from the Bluffs (Naim, et al., 1994). The evolution of these islands has affected the community living in these areas as it became more commercialized with more leisurely activities. They were either forced to move to different parts of the islands or away from them in order compensate for the construction of the amusement park. The people that did decide to stay were forced to live in the Algonquin Island or Ward’s Island since the homes on the other Islands were destroyed and used for the airport, the school, nursery, and amusement parks (Toronto Islands, n.d.). In addition, the erosion of the tombolo (Christopherson et al, 2012, pg 499) necessitated travel by boat or ferries towards each other. Moreover, with the Toronto Islands sitting on Lake Ontario, it allowed more water-based activities to be present such as swimming, canoeing, boating and etc. It became more of a car-free environment and encouraged bike riding because of the size bridges built between the islands. Furthermore, the transformation of these islands shows that how geomorphology has affected and influences the human population to these areas. The study area’s climate condition was thoroughly investigated on how it affected the Toronto Islands. Based on the data (see Table 1) (Class Environmental Assessment, 2010), the Toronto Islands have been coupled with mild summers and cooler winters. It was found that the mean daily temperature was 8.2 and encountered an annual rainfall and snowfall of 705mm and 112.8cm (see Table 1), respectively (Class Environmental Assessment, 2010). It was concluded that the Toronto Islands were confronted with warmer winters and cooler summers compared to the more localized areas. The warm conditions of Lake Ontario allowed the snow melt into rain because of the warmer winters and the colder temperatures rose to warmer ones due to its warmer conditions (Class Environmental Assessment, 2010). These climatic conditions affect the lives of the people that are within this area and it affects their way of life. Many people will be attracted to these islands because there will be specific activities that are available in accordance to the seasonal changes. For example, during the summer, the Toronto Islands are at peak of drawing crowds of tourists. This is because their famous amusement park, Centreville, is open as well as the appeal of biking, going for picnics, swimming at the beach, tourists staying over at hotels and etc. During the winter times most of the water bodies will be frozen therefore, these areas will be open for ice fishing. This research shows that the climate of this area is a factor in attracting people to the Islands in different seasonal conditions. The hydrological conditions of the Toronto Islands have been a source for promoting more water based activities as well as supplying safe drinking water. The water currents that transported the sediments from the Bluffs moved from the east however, the wind blew from the west. The water currents were able surpass the wind since, it had a long fetch. In addition, a water treatment plant has been built on this site and collects the water from Lake Ontario and converts it to safe drinking water. The treatment plant was mainly used as a backup when other treatment plants were out of service for maintenance (Island Water Treatment Plant City of Toronto, n.d.). This water treatment plant is one of the plants which provide clean drinking water for the Islands as well as the rest of Toronto (Island Water Treatment Plant, n.d.). In addition, it is statistically reported that the plant water that is produced is 87, 947 million litres (on Table 2) (Island Water Treatment Plant City of Toronto , n.d.). Despite having a treatment plant, it is known for water based activities such as the ferries that are taken to travel to the Toronto Islands, boating and fishing. Furthermore, the research shows water conditions tend to attract the human population because of the elegance the water and the resources it provides which shows that this physical environment attracted the people going to the Islands. The Toronto Islands is an alluring tourist destination for many due to its climate conditions, geological features, and water bodies. The climatic conditions encountered, geomorphology, and the hydrologic features helped shape the Toronto Islands into a popular tourist attraction for many because of the abundance of leisurely activities it possesses and the environmental features that it embodies. Furthermore, the features of this physical environment has helped propel the Toronto Islands become an active place for human recreation. Table 1: Note. From Class Environmental Assessment, 2010. Table 2: 2013 statistics Total annual plant water produced 87,947million litres Percentage of plant water produced to the overall system 20% Number of days the plant operated 341 days Average daily production 254 million litres Maximum days production 354million litres Date of maximum water production July 18, 2013 Note. From Island Water Treatment Plant, n.d.. References: Christopherson, R., Byrne, M., Giles, P. (2012, April 15). The oceans, coastal Processes, and the landforms. InGeosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography(Third edition ed., p. 499). Peasrson Education Canada. Class Environmental Assessment. (2010). Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://www.hydroone.com/Projects/Lakeshore/Documents/draft ESR/FINAL Lakeshore Renewal Environmental Baseline Report .pdf Higgens, D. (1999, April 25). The Place of My Dreams. Retrieved November 7, 2014, from http://torontoisland.org/briefhistory Island Water Treatment Plant. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2014, from http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=037409f8e0c7f310VgnVCM10000071d66f89RCRD Naim, R., Scott, R., Anglin, C., Zuzek, P. (1994, November 24). Analysis of Coastal Processes at Toronto Islands. Retrieved November 3, 2014, from https://icce-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/icce/index.php/icce/article/viewFile/5116/4794 Sward, R. (2014, September 10). Toronto Islands. Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/toronto-islands/ Toronto Islands. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.aviewoncities.com/toronto/torontoislands.htm Toronto Island Community Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://torontoisland.org/tica Toronto Islands History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2014, from http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=cc90dada600f0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRDvgnextchannel=34e9dada600f0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD http://www.hydroone.com/Projects/Lakeshore/Documents/draft ESR/FINAL Lakeshore Renewal Environmental Baseline Report .pdf References http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=037409f8e0c7f310VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

Pearl Harbor Essay -- essays research papers

December 7, 1941 was a day that will â€Å"live in infamy†, a day when 2,400 men needlessly lost their lives while serving America. Millions of dollars of American military equipment was destroyed. It was a day of horror, disbelief, discontent, and shame. The people of the United States never imagined anything like this could happen to them. They were a neutral country, only providing supplies for the Allies. This activity made the Axis powers mad. At the time of the start of World War II the United States was a leading world country, not only did it have one of, if not the most, feared militaries on earth, its technology was also rapidly growing. Japan reacted by planning and seeing through a massive attack on America in an effort to disable the American military and try to permanently keep them out of the war. Pearl Harbor is a day that will never be forgotten. Japan started the planning of this attack a year earlier in 1940. The Japanese used pictures taken by spies to locate exactly where all of the ships were located and when the base was at its rest. Japan was having many problems with its economy at the start of the Second World War. On the other hand, the United States was the leading economic country in the world. This made the Japanese jealous and frustrated. The Japanese believed that they were being pushed into a corner by Roosevelt and felt that they must act to protect the Empire. They believed if they took out Pearl Harbor the United States would not be able to co...

Guided Imagery Child Play Therapy

DEFINITION Guided imagery therapy is a cognitive-behavioral technique in which a child is guided in imagining a relaxing scene or series of experiences. RATIONALE Guided Imagery is similar to hypnosis and various relaxation strategies. Guided Imagery lies somewhere in the middle of a continuum consisting of standard relaxation techniques on one end of the spectrum and hypnosis on the other. As used by the author, guided imagery involves the child engaged in some sort of focused relaxation exercise followed by the use of visual imagery for the purpose of either direct or indirect problem-solving with the child.Guided Imagery brings two primary benefits to the play-therapy process. First, it can be used to help children gain a sense of mastery over both their bodies and their feelings, and secondarily, it can be used to augment generalization of other gains made in the play therapy by allowing children to use their imaginations to create hypothetical life situations in the play room so as to practice their newly acquired skills with the support of the therapist. Guided Imagery is thus really an elaborate form of role playing.While conventional role playing can be very effective, it is the use of Guided Imagery to augment mastery that is the focus of this discussion. DESCRIPTION Guided Imagery can be introduced at any point in the play therapy process. The child must be able to follow simple sequential directions and must be willing to relax in session. The ultimate goal is to provide the child with an increased sense of mastery, but the initial process requires that the child relinquish some control to the therapist, as the therapist will need to teach the child the techniques.There are a number of ways the therapist may introduce the process to the child — younger children often respond to the idea of taking an imaginary trip, while older children often like the idea of personal mastery, including the concept of self-hypnosis. However Guided Imagery is in troduced, the therapist begins by teaching the child a basic relaxation strategy. If the child is willing, it is useful to have him or her lie down or sit in a recliner for the early training; alternatively, sitting in a beanbag chair works well.Progressive deep muscle relaxation is probably the most effective way of preparing the child for guided imagery. Is this approach to relaxation the child is asked to focus on one muscle group at a time while working to achieve maximum relaxation of that area of the body. Groups of muscles are added in sequence with the goal of achieving total body relaxation. Younger children may have difficulty with progressive deep muscle relaxation because it is such a passive process. For them a sequence of contract-relax instructions that take them through all of the major muscle groups is usually more effective.For example the child might be told to curl his toes then relax them, push his knees together then relax, tighten his stomach muscles and relax , and so on. Each muscle group is contracted and relaxed several times in a slow sequential progression. While deep relaxation facilitates the guided imagery process it is not necessary; simply getting the child to focus and follow directions is sufficient. Note that the child should be encouraged to achieve relaxation with his/her eyes open. This will make easier for the child to access the effects of the imagery later, in situations where full relaxation is not possible.Once even minimal relaxation has been achieved, Guided Imagery can be introduced. The imagery used needs to be tailored to the child’s needs, experiences, and developmental levels. This is best illustrated through a case example. Imagery techniques have been combined with a wide range of behavioral and cognitive procedures and treatment methods of some psychotherapeutic approaches, including behavior modification, cognitive processing therapy, rational emotive therapy, multimodal therapy, and hypnotherapy.Co mbinations of treatment methods among these approaches lead to the following general uses of imagery: ? antifuture shock imagery (preparing for a feared future event) ? positive imagery (using pleasant scenes for relaxation training) ? aversive imagery (using an unpleasant image to help eliminate or reduce undesirable behavior) ? associated imagery (using imagery to track unpleasant feelings) ? coping imagery (using images to rehearse to reach a behavioral goal or manage a situation ? step-up† technique (exaggerating a feared situation and using imagery to cope with it) An assessment of the child and their problems is an essential part of treatment, both at the beginning of therapy and throughout the entire process. This is to ensure that the therapist has sufficient understanding of the child's situation and diagnosis of the problem(s). The assessment generally covers a variety of areas, such as developmental history (including family, education, and social relationships), pa st traumatic experiences, medical and psychiatric treatments, and goals.HEALTHY IMAGERY The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center reports that clinicians often use guided imagery to help people (including children) deal with cancer. Guided Imagery can help children with cancer or other illnesses cope with the pain and the stress they may experience. To help a child through this Guided Imagery exercise, tell him or her to sit comfortably or lie down and close his or her eyes. Then ask the child to tell you their idea of the color of sickness and the color of healthiness. He or she might choose black for sickness and yellow for healthiness.Ask the child to visualize the black color in the area of the sickness, and then ask them to visualize the yellow color calmly filling the body, destroying all areas of black. Encourage the child to feel the warmth of the yellow color and the happiness that it brings. This can be done by the parent of a child when they are in a doctor's office awaiting tests, when the child is feeling hopeless and when they just need a boost of encouragement. Read more: http://www. livestrong. com/article/137127-guided-imagery-exercises-children/#ix zz293qwHEFg APPLICATIONSMichael was 8 years old when he was brought to play therapy for anxiety-related behaviors. There had been many changes in his life and neither of his parents had been particularly able to address his needs because of their own distress. While play therapy focused on helping identify Michael’s basic needs and factors that were preventing him from getting his needs met, Guided Imagery was introduced to help him achieve symptom-mastery, thereby helping to reduce some portion of his anxiety. One problem area was that Michael was having distressing nightmares that were interfering with his ability to get a full night’s sleep.Because of his age, a contract-relax procedure was used to initiate relaxation. Although the therapist wanted Michael to practice his Guided Imagery while lying on the floor using a pillow and a blanket, Michael found this setup too anxiety-provoking, he associated sleep with having nightmares. For this reason, Michael was initially trained while he sat in a bean bag chair and later moved to a pretend bed. In a interview with Michael it was determined that one of the images he found very relaxing was swimming in a lake (so long as the water was clear enough that he could see the bottom and ensure there were no creatures lying in wait. Once he was relaxed, the therapist guided him through imagining lying in very shallow water by the side of a lake. The image of water was strengthened by making it multisensory. Michael was asked to imagine that the sand he was lying on was warm and very soft and that it felt and sounded like the shifting of the beans in the bean bag chair. Then he was asked to imagine the water as being quite warm as it flowed over his body. He was told to picture a bright blue sky with puffy wh ite clouds and to hear the sound of very gently waves as they moved past his ears.The ebb and flow of the waves was then synchronized to his breathing so that the waves came up as he breathed in and flowed out as he exhaled. Michael enjoyed the image very much and was more than willing to practice it at home. The therapist instructed Michael to begin by practicing in the morning after he woke up so as to reduce his anxiety about possibly of falling asleep during the exercise. In session, the therapist helped Michael learn to use the image as a way of regaining control when anxious material was discussed.If Michael became anxious in session, the therapist would cue him to begin â€Å"breathing with the waves† in a slow and measured pace. As Michael reported achieving a more relaxed state, he and the therapist began to introduce images from his nightmares into the process. At first Michael was told to remain lying in the lake and to practice seeing some of the monsters from his dreams in the clouds overhead. Since these were clouds, not monsters, there were not particularly threatening. Later the monsters were brought to life and Michael engaged in many mastery fantasies. He would have his own monsters rise up out of the lake to protect him.He would become a knight with magic power. Or he would tell a joke and the monsters would laugh until they literally broke into pieces. At this time, the therapist began having Michael use the imagery when he woke up from a nightmare during the night as a way of soothing himself. As Michael reported more success he was encouraged to use the imagery prior to going to sleep at night to create dreams that would not be frightening. In essence, Michael scripted his dreams and took control over the expression of his anxiety. As can be seen in the above, it is important for the relaxation process and imagery to come under the child’s control.The therapist attempts to move from the role of instructor, to simply cuing th e start of the process, and finally to a role where he or she is simply reinforcing and helping to focus the use of the process outside of the session. If the child does not gain control of the process, it is unlikely that they will be able to use it outside of session, and they will remain dependent on the therapist. It should be also apparent that the process, at least in this case, also contained elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy and systematic desensitization.As stated in the introduction, Guided Imagery effectively enhances the therapeutic process. In this case, as intense as his nightmares were, it took Michael only a few weeks to first reduce and then virtually eliminate them. Once he experienced mastery, rapid gains ad generalization followed. This same process was used to help him master some other anxiety-related symptoms and enhance his school performance. SUPPLIES NEEDED The supplies needed for Guided Imagery are items that can help in the relaxation of muscles an d visualization of the image(s) of the therapy. Some examples of useful supplies would be: pillows ? blankets ? bean bag chairs ? a bed ? relaxing music (a variety) ? picture books (variety) RESOURCES http://www. minddisorders. com/Flu-Inv/Guided-imagery-therapy. html Books: – Kaduson, Schaefer. 101 Favorite Play Therapy Techniques/Guided Imagery – Crowley, R. Cartoon Magic: How to Help Children Discover Their Rainbows Within. 1989 REFERENCES – Jacobson, E (1938) Progressive Relaxation: A Physiological and Clinical Investigation of Muscular States and Their Significance in Psychology and Medical Practice, 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago. – O’Connor, K.

Young People Enjoy Life More Than Older People Do?

Some people may think that older people enjoy life more than young people do. However in opinion, young people enjoy life more than older people do. Young people' passion and energy are enough to enjoy life more than older people do. The reasons of it are that they do not have to be responsible for numerous tasks, that they are much more energetic than the elderly, and that they can get familiar with new technologies even faster than old people. First of all, young people do not have much responsibility compare to older people.For example, older people have responsibility to take care of their children, to earn money, to complete their work, etc. These responsibilities make them limited to enjoy their life. Moreover, whenever they try to do something to enjoy life they prefer their children's favor first, like to travel where, to choose which movie, to come together with my friends and their mother. These all make the life less enjoyable thing. On the other hand, young people do not have these responsibilities; they are free to choose from variety of options to do for enjoying their life.They can meet with their own friends, and they can go most recent and famous movie. These show us that young people enjoy their life more than older people do. Additionally, young people have more energy to do anything. In contrast, older people usually suffer from some disabilities by the time is passing. For example, my friend and I have lived in same apartment for about ten years and usually we tried to come together whenever we found some free time. And every time we went different places, and tried new things. Sometimes, our parents were the ones who planned and scheduled the vacation.Unfortunately, they were less powerful and active than we were, which forced our decision for changing according to our parents’ situation. We had great time, and enjoyed of course. However, our parents were sorry to not be able to do everything that they used to do it before. Hence, w e see that by the time our enjoying life terms will change up to our ages. And we think that we should go, try and see as much as we can do while we are still young, otherwise we will not be in proper health condition to do whatever we want.Lastly, young people enjoy life more than older people because of the reality that they can easily follow the technology compare to the older people. And technology is one of the most enjoyable things in our life. For example, we are using social media, kinds of application to be more connected to our friends. The more connection creates more friendship. And the more friendship means more enjoyable life. However, older people can only connect with their friends with traditional method which is only couple friends.As a result of this, young people can more enjoy life than older people. To sum up, there is a huge difference between young and older people to enjoy their life. Of course, the older people can also enjoy their life according to their n ew age. However in some point, they feel that they are not able to do everything they want, and in this manner they feel little boundary surrounding them. They might not feel fully enjoyed life like in their young age. On the other hand, young people can able to enjoy life by being less responsible, more energetic and more following up new things.

Discrimination Against Women and the History of CEDAW

Discrimination Against Women and the History of CEDAW The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is the key international agreement on womens human rights. The Convention was adopted by the United Nations in 1979. What Is CEDAW? CEDAW is an effort to eliminate discrimination against women by holding countries responsible for discrimination that takes place in their territory. A convention differs slightly from a treaty, but is also a written agreement among international entities. CEDAW can be thought of as an international bill of rights for women. The Convention acknowledges that persistent discrimination against women exists and urges member states to take action. Provisions of CEDAW include: States Parties, or signers, of the Convention shall take all appropriate measures to modify or abolish existing laws and practices that discriminate against women.States Parties shall suppress trafficking of women, exploitation, and prostitution.Women shall be able to vote in all elections on equal terms with men.Equal access to education, including in rural areas.Equal access to health care, financial transactions, and property rights. History of Womens Rights in the UN The U.N.s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) had previously worked on the political rights of women and the minimum marriage age. Although the U.N. charter adopted in 1945 addresses human rights for all people, there was an argument that the various U.N. agreements about sex and gender equality were a piecemeal approach that failed to address discrimination against women overall. Growing Womens Rights Awareness During the 1960s, there was increased awareness around the world about the many ways women were subjected to discrimination. In 1963, the U.N. asked the CSW to prepare a declaration that would gather in one document all of the international standards regarding equal rights between men and women. The CSW produced a Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, adopted in 1967, but this Declaration was only a statement of political intent rather than a binding treaty. Five years later, in 1972, the General Assembly asked the CSW to consider working on a binding treaty. This led to a 1970s working group and eventually the 1979 Convention. Adoption of CEDAW The process of international rule-making can be slow. CEDAW was adopted by the General Assembly on December 18, 1979. It took legal effect in 1981, once it had been ratified by twenty member states (nation states, or countries). This Convention actually entered into force faster than any previous convention in U.N. history. The Convention has since been ratified by more than 180 countries. The only industrialized Western nation that has not ratified is the United States, which has led observers to question the U.S. commitment to international human rights. How CEDAW Has Helped Womens Rights In theory, once States Parties ratify CEDAW, they enact legislation and other measures to protect womens rights. Naturally, this is not foolproof, but the Convention is a binding legal agreement that helps with accountability. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) cites many CEDAW success stories, including: Austria implemented CEDAW committee recommendations about protecting women from spousal violence.The High Court of Bangladesh prohibited sexual harassment, drawing on CEDAWs employment equality statements.In Colombia, a court overturning a total ban on abortion cited CEDAW and acknowledged reproductive rights as human rights.Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have revised land ownership processes to ensure equal rights and meet the standards in the Convention.

Two approaches have been used to control pollution essays

Two approaches have been used to control pollution essays Two approaches have been used to control pollution? Government mandates and market incentives. Suggest how market incentives might be used to deal with a pollution problem in Las Vegas. I find this topic to be very interesting, not only because it concerns all of us living in Las Vegas, but because we are also part of the problem. Pollution is not a laughing matter, and it has been strongly fought, without much success, in Southern Nevada in the past several years. One thing that makes fight pollution harder, is the exponentially growth of the population. That increases the number of cars out on the street, which means more traffic, and also higher production of garbage, and that translates itself into pollution. A lot can be done to decrease the traffic, to clean the Las Vegas wash, or to purify the air, for an example. The problem is, programs take a lot of money and a lot of time. For a program to turn out with an effective result, first you need researchers, and you also need a lot time to research, and that takes capital. That is the main reason why so many programs go wrong. Trying to fight the air pollution is hard. One of the ways that the local government tried to make the air pollution decrease was to build more roads. That is supposed to work because traffic would move at higher speeds, resulting in less congestion and eventually less pollution. But in the other hand, the constructions the highways put in the air high levels of dust, anther way of pollution. Cheaper ways of reducing pollution are available. But for those to become effective we need the communitys and the governments help. Obviously we do need traffic improvements, but we need to provide greater incentives to employers to get them to stagger work hours, we need to provide greater incentives to get employers to allow people to work at home whenever possible, and we need more trails so people don't feel like they have to get int...

Trends that older workers need to watch for in 2018

Trends that older workers need to watch for in 2018 Attention Baby Boomers- not all trends are created equal. Each year, we see a variety of new workplace trends take hold, which often vary by industry, geography, and even individual demographics. One of these factors is age- simply put, there are trends in the job world that affect older individuals differently, based on their level of experience, personal needs, comfort level in a rapidly changing work environment, and longevity in the job market. Older workers- specifically Baby Boomers (individuals born between 1946 and 1964), face some unique issues and challenges in the work world. This aging population possesses a wealth of work experience, knowledge, and expertise, but is growing older in a workplace that increasingly prizes youth and vitality, and many are approaching the age where retirement is a consideration. According to a recent Pew Research Center study, approximately 29% of the workforce in the United States- which represents approximately 45 million workers- is part o f the Baby Boomer generation. Although this number continues to shrink each year, it’s still a significant amount of people. Therefore, it’s worth taking a closer look at the trends these older folks can expect to encounter in the workplace in 2018.More flexible work arrangementsAlthough this may not seem like much of a departure from the norm for younger workers, older workers who are typically more used to the traditional Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 office arrangement may need some time to get used to the changing notion of what it means to be â€Å"at work.† Advances in technology have made it easier than ever before to work remotely and telecommute- and older workers will get the opportunity to take more advantage of the flexibility this allows.Baby Boomers who work in fields in which telecommuting is a viable option and possess the technical knowhow can expect to encounter more flexible work arrangements in 2018. This is often a good thing, allowing for a fast er, easier, and less expensive commute to the office- which might now just mean walking into one of the rooms in your house.Rise in contract employmentAnother trend in the workplace that may hit Baby Boomers harder than their younger counterparts is the change in how employers are hiring individuals to meet their needs. Many companies are embracing leaner approaches to work by using technology to get more work done with less people on their payrolls. Companies are also increasingly relying on unorthodox work arrangements, which means a shift from full-time employees and towards a greater reliance on contract, freelance, and part-time workers to get things done.Why is this especially concerning for Baby Boomers? These new workplace arrangements typically don’t include benefits like medical and dental insurance, which usually become more essential as workers get older, so workers are going to have to get creative and seek out alternative means for coverage. Another thing missin g from most forms of contract employment are retirement benefits, which will impact how workers prepare and save for retirement in the future.Delaying retirementSpeaking of retirement†¦a growing trend that many older workers are facing is the notion of having to delay exiting the workforce for as long as possible. According to a recent article by U.S. News World Report, this can be attributable to a wide range of factors, including older workers not having enough money saved, needing health insurance, desiring to stay active and productive, and simply enjoying working and passing on their knowledge and skills to a new generation of employees. Whether by choice or not, older workers who are looking to delay retirement are going to have to learn how to effectively navigate the changing landscape of the work world and plan for the future.These are the biggest trends older workers can expect to encounter in 2018. Those employees who will prove most successful in coping with a rapi dly evolving workplace will stay one step ahead of these trends and strategize accordingly.

Unit #2 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Unit #2 - Research Paper Example Additionally, the clause influences the development of constitutions and laws for the successive devolved systems and units of government (Halbrook, 1998). Such units should not therefore enact laws that conflict with the federal constitutions. The provision of the clause and its influence in the operation of the judiciary, justifies the decision of the jury in the Bruesewitz v. Wyeth LLC case. The decision by the jurists sought to uphold the dictates of the clause owing to the fact that the clause serves a pivotal role in sustaining the unity of the states. While the parties had fundamental concerns arising from the conflict between them, the provisions of the clause settles the case thereby dispelling the application of the federal laws whenever the two conflict. The unity of the country is vital for the development of the nation. The clause therefore influenced the decision of the jurist in their judgment. The commerce clause provides the congress with the power to regulate commerce among several states, with foreign nations and with the Indian tribes. The contentious clause continues to operate thereby providing the congress with unparalleled power to regulate and determine the operations of international trade in the country. The clause states that the congress takes control of trade among states. This implies that the congress must oversee and sanction any business that exists between states. The law therefore provides the congress with power over the state governments since it must oversee any business existing between states. As the clause states, the government has the right to control specific commercial activities within the states. The interpretation of the constitution and the clause is definite. The government can only control a commercial activity involving two or more states. A commercial undertaking that exists between two or more involves more citizens. State constitutions

Molecular and ellular Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Molecular and ellular Biology - Essay Example Genes may be incorporated into bacteria, plants or animals. In this process recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology is used to incorporate gene of interest into organisms and that organism in which gene is inserted is said to be genetically engineered. Through this process off springs with unique characters are produced. Recombinant DNA is also referred to as Chimera. By the combination of two different strands of DNA a new strand of DNA is obtained. The first step in genetic engineering involved the production of hormone insulin which is important and helps the cells to properly absorb sugar. In recombinant DNA technology recombinant DNA is made by splicing a small fragment of a foreign DNA into a small molecule that can replicate on its own such as bacterial plasmid as a result a clone of inserted DNA can be obtained. AN organism that receives a foreign DNA is called transgenic organism and these organisms can be used in research or in commercial applications such as production of human insulin in transgenic bacteria (which receives genes from human responsible for the production of insulin). This application gives the idea that how important DNA recombinant technology is.(Recombinant DNA technology). Two classes of enzymes play an important role in DNA recombinant technology. Restriction endonucleases: They recognize specific sites on DNA and cleave DNA at that site into smaller fragments. DNA ligases: They link the foreign DNA with the vector DNA. Cloning of DNA involves the following steps: 1: First step in making recombinant DNA is to isolate donor and vector DNA. 2: Cloning vector is cleaved with restriction endonucleases. 3: gene of interest is obtained by cleaving chromosome of foreign DNA with the same restriction endonuclease into smaller fragments. 4: Fragments are ligated to the cloning vector by DNA ligase as a result a recombinant vector is obtained. 5: This recombinant DNA is introduced into the host cell where it replicates and produces copies of recombinant DNA. (Lehninger, Principles of Biochemistry fourth edition). Recombinant DNA technology in the synthesis of insulin: Insulin is an important hormone which regulates the storage of carbohydrates in the body. It is secreted by the beta cells present in the pancreas islets of langerhans. Insulin is a small protein and is composed of two polypeptide chains which are linked together by disulfide bonds. When blood glucose level is high insulin is secreted into the blood stream and removes excess of glucose from the body. Human insulin is the only known protein which can be produced in bacteria by DNA recombinant technology in a way that its structure and composition resembles the original molecule. In diabetes patients problems are associated with the production of insulin due to which sugar increases to dangerous levels which could be life threatening. These patients are treated with insulin which is produced in another organism. Although insulin can be produced in animals whose insulin resembles human insulin in terms of composition with minor variations like bovine and porcine insulin but, it was observed that when bovine and porcine insulin were injected into the patient’s body antibodies were produced against them thereby, neutralizing it’s action and producing inflammatory response at the site of injection. These problems suggest that a suitable vector like E.coli could be used to produce insulin. E.coli is a common inhabi tant of the human digestive tract and is a key organism used in the production of insulin by genetic engineering. Following are the steps involved in the production of insulin from a bacterial host. 1: Isolate gene: The gene that produces insulin in human is isolated and is

Data Collection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Data Collection - Assignment Example of the sources used by victimologists in USA include the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), and the National Crime Victimization (NCVS). This paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each of these resources and gives the similarities and differences of each. It also explains how official statistics can be used to indicate trends and how victimologists can utilize data from these sources. The UCR is a national data resource that compiles crimes from local police departments on an annual basis (Karmen, 2010). According to Crime and Criminal Justice (n.d.), the UCR program collects statistics for the following crime statistics: Data available from the UCR program is thoroughly examined before publishing. It compiles vast information of published tables, which are used to track crime trends across the states (Crime and Criminal Justice, n.d.). UCR carefully studies deviations that may result in errors since accuracy is critical component for any reporting. Preliminary reports for the previous year are released in spring, and the Crime in the United States, which is a more comprehensive report, is released in the fall (Crime and Criminal Justice, n.d.). This report has data on number of crimes, trends, arrested people, cleared crimes, homicides and offender characteristics including the relationships and used weapons. This report is, therefore, readily available with all the necessary statistics one would require. The UCR program provides data at different levels (Crime and Criminal Justice, n.d.). Many law enforcement agencies participate including the state, municipality, county, tribal and also universities and colleges. The UCR reports crimes that are only known to the police. This is because most victims of crime do not document their experiences with the law enforcement agencies that participate in this program. There is, therefore, underestimation of both the prevalence and incidence of crime. This program

Iron and silk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Iron and silk - Essay Example In the book, several times, people exert authority over him in a way he finds frustrating. This essay seeks to address several issues raised by Salzam in his book Iron and Silk, such as people frustrating him and others through exerting authority over them in a brutal way. One incident was when he killed a large rat during a lesson out of pure reflexes. A student suggests that he takes the rat across to the rat collection center so that he can receive a reward. He does not however get it as he is told that the reward is restricted to students killing rats in the dormitory. Later on a student explains to him that the official statements concerning rats is that they were no longer existent and that only internal documents that foreigners cannot read admit to the rat problem. Since he had killed the rat, he could not be rewarded as that would imply that they admit to the presence of rats and they could be criticized. Usually, I have found people to do what would appear to be a silly thing in order to protect how others think about them. It is in their nature to want to control the information that other people receive about them which informs their opinions towards them, for example how people carefully select what to post on face book. In this scenario, the institution would rather have denied the rats’ presence to an outsider that had seen one and obviously knotted their being than to admit to the public that they actually war. To them, it was a case of choosing the better evil. His restraint in this situation is however recommendable as he refuses to dwell for long on his grievances. This they probably did to protect their own reputation as an institution. It has been argued that actions that are felt to be wrong produce a need to withhold knowledge of them from others, which produces guilt and hostility. This implies that if one has been unable to solve a problem well and satisfactorily, they feel ‘forced’ to commit another action that

Position paper over why marijuana should be legalized for recreational Essay

Position paper over why marijuana should be legalized for recreational use - Essay Example This comparison significantly influence public perception on the issue. In analyzing the arguments on for and against marijuana, supporting the legalization of marijuana has more benefits to the society than its negative effects. Consequently, marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. Most criticism on marijuana are based on the medical impact on the user. Similar to most drugs, marijuana has side effects. However, the side effects of the drug can be easily addressed. In comparison to legal and most abused drugs in the United States, marijuana poses the less significant health risks. In an argument by Brewer the health risks associated to cigarettes and alcohol cannot be compared to that of marijuana (1). For instance, numerous studies have shown the cancerous effects of tobacco. Apart from studies, it is proven that cigarette use is a major cause of cancer. This is dissimilar to marijuana. The drug still has zero proven cases reported as a cause of cancer. Still on cigarettes, tobacco is highly addictive compared to marijuana. Rampant users have difficulty in refraining from its use. On the other hand, marijuana addiction are rare as users easily cope with absence. Comparing the two drugs, Brewer is of the assumption that tobacco is hugely dangerous to human hea lth than tobacco (1). The author further asserts that tobacco has been a cause of death of 500,000 people annually in the United States (Brewer 1). From this provisions, one may assert that is cigarette is a legal drug, marijuana should also be legal. The argument is based on the adverse effects of tobacco on human health as compared to tobacco. The same comparison could be made on the effects of alcohol. As reported by the CDC, 25,000 deaths caused by alcohol overdose were reported in 201 (Brewer 1). In addition, 16,000 liver disease deaths were contributed to alcohol abuse (Brewer 1). These statistics display the impact of the health hazards associated with alcohol abuse. The same

The impact of advertisement on female customers in Doha Research Paper

The impact of advertisement on female customers in Doha - Research Paper Example This "The impact of advertisement on female customers in Doha" essay outlines the effect of an ad on the society. According to Brooks (2008), recent trends in Doha’s advertisement content suggest that 70% of people seen in food advertisements belong to the female gender. These advertisement figures are usually of lean and slender body shapes. This creates perceptions that slender and lean figure represents the ideal body weight of women in modern societies. Relevant psychological studies indicated that portrayal of idealized thinness in the advert media falls contrary to actual average body weight of female consumers around Doha. In this case, women tends to develop negative moods and personal perceptions whenever their actual body weights fall short of the idealized body figures seen in advertisements. The worst part is that these adverts largely communicate messages on fast food. As a result, female population usually tries to emulate the celebrities in advertisement by consuming the advertised fast food products. In this context, social studies indicate that teenage girls in Doha are unhappy about their actual body weights. Brooks (2008) emphasize that they are striving to consume fast food in an effort to attain idealized body weights seen women within commercial adverts. Importance of this research comes in on the effect of fast food consumption among the teenage population. It is undeniable that fast food presents negative health results like obesity and high cholesterol level in the body. In this case, the research seeks to ascertain the role of advertisements in influencing current nutritional trends witnessed among the female population in Doha. In the essay, we acknowledged earlier that this research paper

Position paper over why marijuana should be legalized for recreational Essay

Position paper over why marijuana should be legalized for recreational use - Essay Example This comparison significantly influence public perception on the issue. In analyzing the arguments on for and against marijuana, supporting the legalization of marijuana has more benefits to the society than its negative effects. Consequently, marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. Most criticism on marijuana are based on the medical impact on the user. Similar to most drugs, marijuana has side effects. However, the side effects of the drug can be easily addressed. In comparison to legal and most abused drugs in the United States, marijuana poses the less significant health risks. In an argument by Brewer the health risks associated to cigarettes and alcohol cannot be compared to that of marijuana (1). For instance, numerous studies have shown the cancerous effects of tobacco. Apart from studies, it is proven that cigarette use is a major cause of cancer. This is dissimilar to marijuana. The drug still has zero proven cases reported as a cause of cancer. Still on cigarettes, tobacco is highly addictive compared to marijuana. Rampant users have difficulty in refraining from its use. On the other hand, marijuana addiction are rare as users easily cope with absence. Comparing the two drugs, Brewer is of the assumption that tobacco is hugely dangerous to human hea lth than tobacco (1). The author further asserts that tobacco has been a cause of death of 500,000 people annually in the United States (Brewer 1). From this provisions, one may assert that is cigarette is a legal drug, marijuana should also be legal. The argument is based on the adverse effects of tobacco on human health as compared to tobacco. The same comparison could be made on the effects of alcohol. As reported by the CDC, 25,000 deaths caused by alcohol overdose were reported in 201 (Brewer 1). In addition, 16,000 liver disease deaths were contributed to alcohol abuse (Brewer 1). These statistics display the impact of the health hazards associated with alcohol abuse. The same

Footwear International Essay Example for Free

Footwear International Essay Footwear International is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of footwear with 83 companies in 70 countries with one of these locations is in Bangladesh, where John Carlson is the managing director. Bangladesh has had a turbulent history in the 20th century and over 85% of the population is Moslem (Thomas, 2003). An article in the Meillat, a newspaper with pro Libyan preferences, made reference to the design of the insole of a sandal included the Arabic spelling of the word â€Å"Allah† and since this design was on the insole of the sandal and next to the foot it is a sign of great disrespect to Moslems. The article also stated Footwear International was owned and operated by a Jewish family and was linked in the shootings of people in Palestine by Jews. This incident seemed to be escalating rapidly as youth groups began calling for demonstrations against Footwear, a lawyer had filed charges under the criminal code that forbade deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious believers. To make matters worse the prime minister had voiced his concerns in the matter as well. Public opinion towards Footwear International has now turned negative due to the erroneous claims published in the Melliat. The newspaper had stated that Footwear was under Jewish ownership which is untrue as the family that owned Footwear International was Christian. The design on the insole of the sandal was based on Chinese temple bells that the designer had purchased and was approved by her supervisor who was Moslem (Thomas, 2003). Numerous other people had seen the new logo during the design process and no one had made objections in regards to this logo either. How this logo incensed the Moslem community and more importantly how should Footwear International and especially John Carlson handle the allege claims against the company? It appears that Footwear International has two alternatives: one option is not to do anything and hope the problem will go away or the second option is to address the situation and resolve the conflict. The first option of not doing anything is not a very a good decision to make by Footwear International. The problem will not go away but will continue to grow until Footwear International ceases all operations in Bangladesh and with that the loss of revenue. Timing is the key in the second option and is more complicated as there are several major hurdles that John Carlson must address in a short period of time. It was indicated that two youth groups were planning on demonstrating against Footwear International. The first obstacle Carlson must be concerned with is for the safety of all his employees and their families especially the four other managers that were named in statement. He may wish to seclude the managers and their families in a safe location to protect them from the demonstrators. Carlson might request extra security personal from the corporate headquarters to ensure their safety. Religion and culture are very sensitive subjects to people of any country and due to the fact the opposition newspaper had printed false information about Footwear International, Carlson must use all types of media to set the record straight. Carlson will need to explain that Footwear International is owned and operated by individuals who are Christians and not Jewish as the newspaper article had stated. Carlson must capitalize on the company’s presence in the country that began in the 1930’s, the first manufacturing plant constructed in 1962, in 1971 the managing director was a freedom fighter, in 1985 Footwear International went public and two years later spearheaded the largest private sector foreign investment in the country and employees over 1800 Bangladesh people in 81 stores and agencies (Thomas, 2003). Carlson must be very sincere as he communicates to the different media outlets on how the design used was based on Chinese temple bells and that the designer who created this logo is Muslim as well. I believe Carlson must compare the design logo to the Arabic spelling of Allah and emphasize that the design logo was not intended to offend anyone of the Muslim society. Footwear International must review the procedures they use in the design process and new policies should be implemented going forward so this type of situation will not occur again. It is important for Carlson to admit this mistake and I think he must make a bold move and announces the recall of these sandals, this may be a costly decision, however it will the show the people he is sincere in trying to remedy the problem. Carlson must also be concerned with the legal actions that a local lawyer has filed against him and if by chance the lawyer does not rescind these charges it may be necessary for him to seek legal help from the corporate headquarters. Footwear International executives should use any means available to open up dialogue with the prime minister in hopes of him recanting his remarks. If the prime minister addresses the situation and reissues a statement supporting Footwear International attempts to correct the situation this would probably pressure the lawyer in dropping the charges. If I was in Carlson’s place I would meet this situation head on and utilize all resources at my disposable to correct this honest mistake. Mistakes happen and it is how we fix these mistakes that people judge our integrity by.

The Washington Consensus, 1989

The Washington Consensus, 1989 Introduction: Economists have been trying to develop policies as a unique pattern of guaranteed growth independently of its development level. One such attempt was called the ‘Washington Consensus presented by John Williamson in 1989, which referred to a combination of principles adopted from various international policies unified in ten main steps as a way of creating a growth pattern for a country (mostly developing and transitioning countries; especially in the region of Latin America) (Williamson, 2004). Another international organization, called the World Trade Organization (WTO), has been trying to help in creation of liberalized trade environment and push forward economically undeveloped countries by supporting their integration into a multilateral trading system worldwide. Even though, both the Washington Consensus and the World trade organization have acquired quite much negative connotation, the WC for its attempt to generalize growth pattern and the WTO for providing advantageous treatment to some of the organizations members, the positive results emerging from their existence are very visible in the international trading environment. Washington Consensus, source of many debates: The Washington Consensus, initially developed in 1989, as explained by his author John Williamson was not meant to become a policy viewed as a universal growth and development prescription but it was his way of listing ten policies that were held in the city of Washington aimed to set off the economic growth in the area of Latin America. However, according to his own words he did not necessarily include all of the policies that promote development but the primary common feature that must have been their nature of consensus. (CID, April 2003). The Center for International Development at Harvard University listed the following policies as the common denominator of the Washington Consensus provided by Washington-based institutions for the Latin America area: â€Å"Fiscal discipline, A redirection of public expenditure priorities toward fields offering both high economic returns and the potential to improve income distribution, such as primary health care, primary education, and infrast ructure, Tax reform (to lower marginal rates and broaden the tax base), Interest rate liberalization, A competitive exchange rate, Trade liberalization, Liberalization of inflows of foreign direct investment, Privatization, Deregulation (to abolish barriers to entry and exit), Secure property rightsâ€Å" (D. Bloom, D. Canning, J. Sevilla, p.58, 2003). This list of policies serving as a piece of advice for launching an economic growth rate increase in developing countries received much critique afterwards. Highly accomplished economists have expressed their opinion that this model was a huge step towards neoliberal models, which are nowadays used interchangeably with the term of the Washington Consensus. (Williamson, 2004). However, the criticism was not constructive because they perceived the idea of the ten principles from a different perspective than it was actually formulated by its author. Williamson decided to react and enter a never-ending debate surrounding his original concept and that leads to creation of two mainstream variations of his Washington Consensus. He was inspired by Mr. Stiglitz and Rodrick critics, and did his best to object them in his work The Washington Consensus as Policy Prescription for Development (Williamson, 2004). He explains that Stiglitzs critique upon the Consensus, which was marked as a ‘P ost-Washington Consensus was actually only a transformation of the former one put in different words. However, the main idea of pursuing â€Å"equitable development, sustainable development and democratic development† (Williamson, 2004) after all have stayed the same. Williamson has also applied further discussion towards the arguments of Mr. Rodrick and expresses an agreement with his description of developed countries systems and successes. On the other hand, everyone interested in international economics, international relations and international law is knowledgeable about current situation of enhanced economies and their mutual interaction. What Rodrick actually failed to do is naming resources of the well being in developed countries and assessing them as a logical pattern or a manual for less developed countries, which are to seek this kind of a growth rate hint nowadays and also in the future. Moreover, Rodrick added to the original Williamson thought other points: â⠂¬Å" Corporate governance, Anti-corruption, Flexible labor markets, WTO agreements, Financial codes and standards, â€Å"Prudent† capital-account opening, Non-intermediate exchange rate regimes, Independent central banks/inflation targeting, Social safety nets and Targeted poverty reduction.â€Å" (CID, April 2003). Another strong current, formed as an anti-globalization movement, has been criticizing the Washington Consensus and its trade liberalization. Many of the critics, including Tariq Ali and many others have seen the Washington Consensus as a labor-exploitation policy of poor and undeveloped countries. Contradiction has been found in a reduction of tariffs that allowed free movement of goods while on the other hand labor market was restricted of moving freely due to the requirements of visa and work permits and therefore leading towards restriction of human rights. (STWR, May 2007) Despite such strong arguments against the Washington Consensus, anti-globalization movement has never been taken seriously. The reason for that was found in the positive outcomes that have arisen of Washington Consensus policy, such as the positive attitude towards sustainable development of undeveloped. Basically, the Washington Consensus did take a challenge and tried to create such a pattern that could work not only on the Latin American countries but could be also applied to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on their pursuit towards economic growth. (CID, April 2003). Although, there are also many exemplary countries such as India, China, Vietnam , Chile, etc. that have achieved an extraordinary turn around in the economic development on their own without following any kind of a universal manual, such unique accomplishments will be seen in future because of the need for finding a recipe to enhance developing economies is a must-do policy. Therefore, economists like Williamson would and will continue their work of seeking the right combination of the components of an international trade policy that would prove as a helpful strategy in future economic situations. The WTO, its efforts, controversy and reflections toward future: Compilations of policies like The Washington Consensus are in the center of attention of international organization namely The World Trade Organization (WTO), which seeks to promote the international trade and economic globalization with least harmful effects. The misconceptions about the Washington Consensus as explained above have been one of the main arguments of anti-globalization movement across the world. These groupings of people perceive it as a deathtrap of powerful countries imposed on developing countries with the intention of causing even deeper crises and putting them into greater disadvantage on global market. â€Å"The World Trade organization officially was established on January 1, 1995, as the successor to GATT (the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) and as the legal and institutional foundation of the international trading systemâ€Å"(D. Palmeter, P.C. Mavroidis, page 13, 1999) Moreover, the World Trade Organization is dealing with various trade regulations between the participating countries: â€Å"It provides a framework for negotiating and formalizing trade agreements, and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants adherence to WTO agreements which are signed by representatives of member governments and ratified by their parliaments.† (Fairtrade, 2010). Moreover, disputes that may arise between the countries are mostly the main topics on WTO trade negotiations Currently the negotiations dealing with great issues like agriculture, tariff and non-tariff barriers to international trade and trade concept amendments are in progress and close to the end at the 4th WTO Ministerial at Doha, Qatar. The discussions were launched in 2001 and according to Ian F. Fergusson in his Congress Research Service Report there are â€Å"three issues among the most important to developing countries, in addition to concessions on agriculture. One issue, now resolved, pertained to compulsory licensing of medicines and patent protection. A second deals with a review of provisions giving special and differential treatment to developing countries. A third addresses problems that developing countries are having in implementing current trade obligations.† (I. F. Fergusson, page 3, 2006) The special and differential treatment provisions imply prioritized position for developing countries in international trade negotiations. In terms of international politics â₠¬Å"developing countries are guaranteed: longer time periods for implementing agreements and commitments measures to increase trading opportunities for these countries provisions requiring all WTO members to safeguard the trade interests of developing countries support to help developing countries build the infrastructure to undertake WTO work, handle disputes, and implement technical standard Provisions related to least-developed country (LDC) membersâ€Å" (WTO, 2001) However, according to further findings the situation is quite different and no matter how the intentions may be stated the United States of America along with international financial institutions and multinational corporations play main role in the game of international politics no matter whether a pattern like the Washington Consensus is in place or an organization like the WTO is leading some negotiations to favor poorer nations development. To explain the argument more precisely, the WTO has a clause which guarantees one vote for each of its members but most of the decisions are not made by the voting process because they depend upon consensus. Therefore, opposing voices like to use several disputes as examples of the discrimination of the developing countries (e.g. environmental issues, banana case, textile case, etc.). One of the most visible cases was so called banana case when the decision of the WTO was presented as a move favoring the USA and putting the developing countries in disadvantage. To be more precise the decision was a ruling against the EU and not against developing countries in first place. The whole issues started and ended with tariffs set on bananas, which were preferential to African and Caribbean countries producers, mainly French and British colonies members of LomÃÆ' © Convention (The Assosiated Press, 2008). The WTO made an objective decision based on its agreements. Furthermore, there is another event to mention and it is a fact that four other developing countries out of Latin America including â€Å"Ecuador, the worlds largest banana producer (The Assosiated Press, 2008) protested together with the US against EUs banana tariffs. Yet the WTO policies contain dispute settlement clauses, which have been used quite many times successfully when fighting back the decisions made by developed countries. The developing countries also have a chance to turn in proposals for the WTOs future programmers in order to change their current position in multilateral trading system next to developed countries. Among other requests â€Å"these include: belief that better implementation of existing WTO agreements, including faster removal of textiles restrictions, longer transition timetables for developing countries and greater technical assistance, should have priority over negotiation on new issues, desire to change or ease some WTO rules which they believe give inadequate weight to their situation, disappointment at continuing barriers to their exports, particularly against processed products based on their own natural resources, concern at the practical burdens involved in taking part in WTO work for the small delegations o f developing countries, and at the cost of dispute cases.â€Å" (WTO, 1999). To conclude, an inference that the WTO favors big powerful countries and MNCs and therefore it is pain in the eyes of public audiences cannot be completely disproved at any stance. However, evidence provided above has concluded efforts of the organization and its members toward including more of the concerns about developing countries difficulties and implementation of the appropriate solutions. Summary: To sum up, both the Washington Consensus and the World Trade Organization have common vision of promoting economic development via core set of rules and policies. As to every controversial topic there are advantages and disadvantages to mention but in order to survive their results must be positive otherwise there is still room for improvement or termination. Both Mr. Stiglitz and Mr. Rodrick were right in their lectures on economic growth policy guidelines but they did not assert any statement what so ever that would be contradictory to the Washington Consensus in its fundamental essence. However, the great increase in development growth rate examples of China, India, Vietnam, etc. are spotlights in current global economic scene due to their considerable difference when compared to the Washington Consensus idea pursued by the IMF or the World Bank. Achievements of these countries are a foretoken of a completely new approach to the development of developing nations. Future predictions It is relatively hard to make any predictions considering the future of the WC and WTO. Washington Consensus did indeed create healthy basis for the WTO future but there is hardly enough space for both organizations on the international scene. Most likely the Washington Consensus will become only a term used for comparison with more current and up-to-date development approaches. The World Trade Organization, on the other hand, has a long way to go and its members are here to predefine its future path. The WTO is neither undemocratic nor it undermines the sovereignty of its member states and their governments. However, there are still many problems in relation to negotiations with developing countries to resolve and providing special and differential treatment to them will not solve those problems but may help along the way towards sustainable development.

Environmental Dispossession Essay -- Canada

Canada has a vast and prominent Aboriginal population that requires diverse and culturally safe health care. Milligan (2010) reports that as of 2006 there were 1,172,785 identified Aboriginals residing in Canada. British Colombia is home to 196,075 Aboriginals, the second largest provincial population in Canada, with 7,050 individuals of this reported Aboriginal population residing within Kamloops. This large provincial population of Aboriginals accounts for approximately 5% of BC’s total population and therefore it is vital that the disparity in both access and outcome of health care related shortcomings, which are highly publicised, be addressed. One major health problem, which has gradually increased in prevalence within this vulnerable population over the past several decades, is diabetes. Health Canada reported in 2000 that the prevalence of diabetes among aboriginals is a minimum of three times higher than that of the non-aboriginal population in Canada. This increa sed risk of diabetes can be attributed to numerous factors such as, genetic predisposition (Thouez et al. as cited in Health Canada, 2000) or decreased access to education or services that benefit aboriginal people (Barton, 2008). This paper will analyze the effects of environmental dispossession as a determinant of health, while concurrently connecting intervention strategies with current practices. Definitions For the purpose of this paper, it is important to define several key terms that will be used. The term Aboriginal will encompass individuals who identify as First Nations, Inuit or MÃ ©tis people. Although from a statistical standpoint, there is some noticeable variation in degree of risk regarding diabetes, it is important to recognize that enviro... ...ada. (2000). Diabetes among aboriginal people in Canada: The evidence. Ottawa: Health Canada. Johnson, J. A., Vermeulen, S. U., Toth, E. L., Hemmelgarn, B. R., Ralph-Campbell, K., Hugel, G., . . . Crowshoe, L. (2009). Increasing incidence and prevalence of diabetes among the status aboriginal population urban and rural Alberta, 1995-2006. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 100(3), 231-236. Raphael, D., Curry-Stevens, A., & Bryant , T. (2008). Barriers to addressing the social determinants of health: Insights from the Canadian experience. Health Policy, 88(2-3), 222-235. Richmond, C. A., & Ross, N. A. (2009). The determinants of first nation and inuit health: A critical population health approach. Health & Place, 15(2), 403-411. Shelly, M. (2010). 2006 Aboriginal population profile for Kamloops. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.

Vonneguts Changing Women :: essays research papers fc

Vonnegut's Changing Women What follows is an argument to the effect that, in the novels written before 1973, Vonnegut's female characters generally are presented negatively, either as pro-authority anti-individualists or as helpless or male-manipulated victims who never "grow" in either a personal or literary sense. In addition I maintain that, in at least two of Vonnegut's later novels, certain female characters exercise individuality in their own existences and effect positively the awareness and attitudes of male characters. From the beginning of Player Piano (1952) through Slaughterhouse Five (1969), Kurt Vonnegut describes the characters of his various worlds in terms of their victimization at the hands of a dehumanizing, or perhaps a better term might be "deindividualizing," technologically fixated, industrial/militaristic society. Time and time again in these novels the role of the individual is subsumed in the miasma that passes for "social responsibility." Like the real world in which every human being exists, Vonnegut's literary worlds feature nameless and faceless authorities (when such authorities are offered at all) who seem to be the masters in local, regional, global, and sometimes interstellar chess games. Often, as is the case in Vonnegut's 1951 "All the King's Men," these "manipulators" move their all-too-sentient pieces in what at times, for the victims, must seem to be diabolical--and what certainly are tragic--maneuvers. In The Sirens of Titan (1959) and Slaughterhouse Five the "accidental" nature or intergalactic point of view of the authority that seems to be "in charge of things" serves to distance humans from personal responsibility for the results of such maneuvering--as such results are described in the novels. In Sirens, for example, the inappropriate and often asinine behaviors of Malachi Constant are shown to be products of the direct influence of the Tralfamadorians who for millennia have manipulated human societies simply to communicate with a mechanized messenger shipwrecked on Saturn's largest moon. The same excuse can be made for the ultimate human manipulator in the novel, Winston Niles Rumfoord, as it can for the actions and attitudes of Bee, Rumfoord's wife and the mother of Constant's son, Chrono. That the communications sent to Salo on Titan consist of such inane and, given the non-human nature of the receiver, unimportant content as, "Be patient. We h aven't forgotten about you," and, "You will be on your way before you know it" (271), only makes more pathetic the fact that Tralfamadore has influenced directly the rise and fall of countless human civilizations in order to deliver such messages.

Low cost airlines are an environmental disaster

A low-cost carrier or low cost airline is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services. The concept originated in the United States before spreading to Europe in the early 1990s and subsequently to much of the rest of the world. The term originated within the airline industry referring to airlines with a low – or lower – operating cost structure than their competitors. Through popular media the term has since come to define any carrier with low ticket prices and limited services regardless of their costs. While most discount airlines have more fuel-efficient fleets than older carriers, their significant contribution to sky traffic is unprecedented. Commercial passenger airlines, especially low cost and Internet sales-based carriers, are experiencing growth internationally. In the United States, airline flight sales dropped 30 percent directly following September 11, but have since made a comeback and are now experiencing slow but steady growth.Today, the U.S. has been able to maintain its place as the leading nation in air travel, and North America accounts for 40 percent of worldwide air traffic. Low-cost airlines such as Jet Blue Airways have led this domestic growth, topping the Bureau of Transportation charts for domestic profit gains. Airline sales in Asia are escalating as well, and the skies are becoming increasingly more crowded. In China alone, the market is projected to grow more than 200 percent from 1999 to 2014. While these flares may seem like a dream come true for low-budget travelers, the resulting surge in air traffic carries with it major environmental costs. Even with the more fuel-efficient technology that has evolved over the last 30 years, air travel remains a significant contributor to climate change. Air transport has increased twice as fast as road transport over the last 40 years. Air travel produces more carbon dioxide per km travelled for each passenger than car travel. There are clearly environmental effects increasing as a result of air travel, while others are decreasing or staying constant. Environmentalists say airlines rate as one of the most polluting forms of transport, with 16,000 commercial jets producing over 600 million tonne of carbon dioxide every year. Meanwhile, precise guidelines on international aircraft emissions are excluded from the Kyoto Protocol, with the stipulation that airline emission reform must be taken up by a separate organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Internationally, fuel used for aviation is tax exempt, and according to ICAO Secretariat John Crayston, â€Å"While the ICAO has established emissions standards for certain emissions there are no standards for CO2.† The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that aviation's share in climate change is at about 3.5 percent of the total contributions, which is predicted to climb to five percent by 2050. According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), aerosol particles that are emitted in aviation such as soot, metals and sulfuric acid can indirectly influence climate change by causing additional cirrus clouds to form, which in turn trap the heat rising from the Earth's surface. The IPCC projects an overall global temperature increase from 34.7 to 40.1 degrees Fahrenheit between 1990 and 2100. Unlike in the US where a large number of domestic flights emit carbon dioxide over one area, the SDC has said that 97% of UK air transport is non-domestic, with carbon dioxide emissions generated on flights between countries. PARIS – The European boom in †low-cost† airlines, fueled by tax incentives, is increasing the level of toxic gases in the atmosphere and displacing less polluting and more efficient means of transportation for shorter distances, like trains. The Kyoto Protocol and the UK government's energy White Paper targets do not currently cover emissions from international aviation, as there is no global agreement on the allocation of these emissions to countries. It may not mean that the industry would be destroyed, but there are much more efficient and effective tools when it comes to dealing with emissions. One other possibility that has been put forward by the airline industry is emissions trading. Numbers passing through UK airports expected to double to 400m by 2030.Air travel is growing globally at about 5% a year. At the forefront of this revolution are the low-cost, no-frills carriers such as Ryanair, Easyjet and Buzz, which are growing at a phenomenal rate. In June, Easyjet passenger numbers were up more than 50% on the same month last year. Ryanair increased by 34% and Go saw an incredible 72% rise. The lesson learned from these airlines, especially post-11 September, is as clear as it is simple – the cheaper your fares, the more people will fly. But if air travel is allowed to grow unchecked in this way, it will spell disaster for the planet, say environmentalists. More flights mean bigger, busier airports, which in turn means more noise and growing problems with air quality for those who live and work close to airports. But perhaps the biggest concern is the effect on global warming. The problem for environmentalists is that while efforts are being made to cut CO2 emissions from cars and industry, nothing is being done to rein in the airlines. Climatic change Burning aviation fuel releases greenhouse gases predominantly carbon dioxide (CO2) into the environment, causing the Earth to heat up leads to global warming and the process of climate changes such as higher sea levels, devastating floods and droughts. Air traffic worldwide produces emissions of more than 600 million tons of carbon dioxide. In addition, it releases nitrates, ash, sulfates and water vapor. Some of these substances deplete ozone in the atmosphere. This layer of ozone gas is crucial for protecting life on Earth from the Sun's harmful rays. Flying also releases nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides, and even the vapour trails – contrails – left by planes are thought to be a hazard. It's been suggested that they add to the insulating effect of cirrus clouds on our climate. The Britain-based environmental group Tourism Concern predicts that by 2015 half of the annual destruction of the ozone layer will be caused by commercial air traffic and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates aviation causes 3.5 per cent of man-made global warming and that figure could rise to 15 per cent by 2050. NASA scientists say condensation trails from jet exhausts create cirrus clouds that may trap heat rising from the earth’s surface. This could account for nearly all the warming over the United States between 1975 and 1994. The guidelines on international aircraft emissions were excluded from the Kyoto protocol on climate change and aviation fuel is tax exempt. Aerospace firms have made huge leaps forward, with commercial jets now 70 per cent more fuel efficient per passenger kilometre (mile) than they were 40 years ago, thanks to better engines, lighter materials and aerodynamic designs. Optimists, including Easyjet, pin their hopes on technology to make planes more efficient. And cost-obsessed carriers are continuously searching for ways to use capacity better, find more direct flight paths and cut congestion in order to trim the hefty fuel bills which make up 25 per cent of airline operating costs. Most discount airlines have young, more fuel-efficient fleets and newer airlines in regions such as Asia have leap-frogged older technologies to buy new planes. Hundreds of flights by subsidized airlines in Europe are endangering the global climate and the ozone layer. For now, they fly free of environmental regulations. The industry believes this Air Passenger Duty (APD), which raises  £800m a year, can be regarded as a form of environmental compensation. It may not mean that the industry would be destroyed, but there are much more efficient and effective tools when it comes to dealing with emissions. Since April this year, airlines that use Heathrow Airport have been charged for nitrogen oxide emissions and carriers emitting less receive a rebate. This will happen in Gatwick in a year or so. One other possibility that has been put forward by the airline industry is emissions trading. Under this scheme, to help with the environmental costs caused by civil aviation pollution, by 2008, the industry would pay for other industries, such as the nuclear fuels sector, to reduce their carbon emissions. The proposal has been put forward to the European Commission, and includes an incentive for airlines to pay less into emissions trading if they use more environmentally friendly aircraft. The FOE says emissions trading, and the proposal to differentiate landing charges at airports according to noise levels and air pollution, outlined in last year's aviation White Paper, has potential. The issue of an aviation fuel tax is not top of the international climate change agenda, because it will have to be confronted at a global level. There are a lot of domestic issues the government has to deal with, areas that damage the environment more than the 5% of carbon dioxide emissions caused by the airline industry.On this basis, the likelihood of low-cost air fares rising in the near future is an unlikely one. References BBC news Europe. 2005 . EU plans airline CO2 reductions. [online] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/europe/4287048.stm . [ 18 November 2006] Christian Dietsche. 2005. The high price of low-cost airlines. [online] http://www.cafebabel.com/en/ [18 November 2006] Daniel Mann. 2004. Calls to control low-cost flights.[online]   [ 18 November 2006] Jonathan Duffy. 2002. The high price of low-cost airlines. [online] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/2327487.stm [ 19 November 2006] Julio Godoy.2004. EUROPE: The True Cost of Flying. [online] http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=26687 Michael Smith. 2006. Branson launches plan to cut aviation emissions.[online]. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/060927/business/business_airlines_virgin_col Nicolas E. Antoine . , Ilan M. Kroo. 2002. Aircraft optimization for minimal environmental impact. 9th AIAA/ISSMO Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization. 4-6 September 2002, Atlanta, Georgia

Video Conferencing

CompareBusinessProducts. com What to Look for in a Video Conferencing System What to Look for in a Video Conferencing System Video conferencing has become â€Å"the next best thing to being there† for many businesses. Facilitating face-to-face collaboration for people who are in different locations, it can help businesses increase productivity while saving money on business travel expenses. With video conferencing, you can still have dynamic â€Å"in-person meetings† and â€Å"live† presentations and events – even if you’re on opposite ends of the country, or even in different countries.Video conferencing is also considered a â€Å"green† technology as it eliminates the carbon dioxide emissions that result from driving and air travel. But how do you know what to buy for your organization? The first step in determining this is to understand your main objectives for the system, including your usage requirements today and what they might be over the next 3-5 years. You don’t want to buy more than you need, but you do want a system that is going to scale with your business.Video conferencing has become â€Å"the next best thing to being there† for many businesses. Facilitating face-to-face collaboration for people who are in different locations, it can help businesses increase productivity while saving money on business travel expenses. With video conferencing, you can still have dynamic â€Å"in-person meetings† and â€Å"live† presentations and events – even if you’re on opposite ends of the country, or even in different countries.Video conferencing is also considered a â€Å"green† technology as it eliminates the carbon dioxide emissions that result from driving and air travel. But how do you know what to buy for your organization? The first step in determining this is to understand your main objectives for the system, including your usage requirements today and what they might be over the next 3-5 years. You don’t want to buy more than you need, but you do want a system that is going to scale with your business. ContentsKey Questions o How Big Is My Audience? o Personal, Group Conferencing, or Both? Key Features to Look For o Easy Integration with Your Computer, Network, and Unified Communications Systems o Full Video and Audio Capabilities o Recording of Audio, Video, and Data o Flexible and Comprehensive Moderator and Presenter Controls o Customizable, Brand-able o Easy to Install, Easy to Use, and Easy to Maintain o Attentive, Accessible Customer Support o Competitively Priced and Great Value –  © CompareBusinessProducts. com (877) 852-5226 What to Look for in a Video Conferencing System Key Questions How Big Is My Audience? Consider the size of your audience – or the maximum number of attendees you will ever have for your video conferences, and who they are. If you plan on having international conferences, you’ll wa nt to discuss this with your vendor to ensure all networking and equipment standards are compatible. Consider the size of the rooms where attendees will take part in the video conference. Will you have 0-10 participants, up to 100, up to 500 or more?Will attendees mostly watch from their desktops, on a lap top while traveling, on a mobile device, in the board room, in a conference hall, or all of the above? Having a very clear picture of how the system will be used will enable you to make the right decision. Personal, Group Conferencing, or Both? When it comes to group or personal videoconferencing, there is a difference in what you’ll need. Essentially, all conferencing requires a camera, microphone, speaker, monitor, and a codec, which is a small â€Å"compression-decompression† program that helps large files travel across the Internet quickly.Personal videoconferencing systems are meant to work within an office or home environment and are designed for the personal c omputer, or now, increasingly, mobile devices. Speakers, microphones, and cameras are designed for close ups use and privacy. These systems now enable rich media collaboration, data sharing, and instant messaging. Group conferencing equipment is obviously more complicated, requiring cameras that â€Å"pan,† â€Å"tilt,† and â€Å"zoom,† as well as projectors, large flat panel monitors and other displays, microphone pods, and a variety of speakers.Key Features to Look for in a Video Conferencing System Easy Integration with Your Computer, Network, and Unified Communications Systems You’ll want to make sure that the system you buy easily integrates with your existing technologies, including your phone systems, the type of computers employees use, existing flat screen monitors, speakers, etc. You’ll want to check to see if the system complies with current standards or if they are proprietary technologies. You want a system that will communicate freely with all other standards-based systems vs. nly with products from the same manufacturer. You don’t want to invest in a system that will become obsolete within a short period of time  © CompareBusinessProducts. com (877) 852-5226 3 What to Look for in a Video Conferencing System Full Video and Audio Capabilities It may seem obvious, but make sure your system can play actual videos during the video conference, not just a PowerPoint presentation or other document. You’ll want high definition for best viewing quality.In addition, many systems provide a variety of screen layouts, so that attendees can simultaneously watch a video in one section of the screen, the presenter in another, and attendees in another. The system should have a video gateway that performs the translation between various technology protocols, including audio and video encoding formats used by the other components. When it comes to audio capabilities, make sure the system is going to be versatile an d loud enough for your audience to hear it, and that is complies with broad standards.Recording of Audio, Video, and Data Your system should enable you to record the audio, video, and even data portions of your conference. It can be very useful to record important, interactive presentations to share with others, such as hosting on your company’s website Intranet, or even YouTube for later viewing. Flexible and Comprehensive Moderator and Presenter Controls Easy to use and comprehensive controls are essential, especially when it comes to live presentations and meetings.Your conference moderator should be able to control who’s presenting, what attendees can view and hear, screen resolution, bandwidth, phone call admission, call routing, and more. You’ll also want a system that can pass control of the conference to other presenters to create a dynamic and interactive meeting. Controls should also include presentation mode, when the focus needs to be solely on the p resentation and not interactive dialogue and desktop sharing for flexibility, for example going back and forth between presentation decks to a website to a video.Customizable, Brand-able While you’re buying this system from a vendor whose brand will undoubtedly be showing up on the equipment, you’ll also want to make sure your organization’s branding appears for your conference – so you want a system that is customizable and flexible enough to display your company’s look and feel in the presentation and visuals.  © CompareBusinessProducts. com (877) 852-5226 4 What to Look for in a Video Conferencing System Easy to Install, Easy to Use, and Easy to Mainta in Check to make sure the system is not so complicated that it’s unusable, or even that some of the key features are not usable.It should have a clear, concise, and easy to use menu and an intuitive user interface. Many IT people have a knack for learning how to use new technologies. For this reason, have a few others in your organization try it out and use it before buying. Attentive, Accessible Customer Support When it comes to video conferencing, you cannot underestimate how important customer support is – including technical support – for your system. A video conference is a live event with a live, interactive audience.When something goes wrong, and all too often with new technologies it will – it’s like a dropped phone call during a critical business negotiation – but to the 1,000th degree. You want to make sure that you can access support and get solutions ASAP if you have any issues with your equipment or connection. Competitively Priced and Great Value Today, the popularity of video conferencing among businesses has skyrocketed, and hence there are many players who have entered the market.This is good news for buyers because these companies are competing for your business. You want a company that has a good track record of success and one that can prove it with existing customers testimonials, case studies, and references. And as with other parts of your business, be clear about your objectives first and what you aim to achieve with your video conferencing system, including your return on investment, before you open up your wallet.  © CompareBusinessProducts. com (877) 852-5226 5