Pros and Cons of Unions Essay Example

Pros and Cons of Unions Paper McKamie 1 Wendy McKamie Mrs. Cornelius Business Law October 6, 2011 The Pros and Cons of Unions During the active growth of the industrial movement in the nineteenth century, uneducated country fold went to larger cities to work in factories and ended up in substandard work environments, more often than not making low wages. Labor unions formed as a way for these workers to band together to have equal rights. Labor unions help their members by negotiating wages, benefits and working conditions – also known as collective bargaining Ashcroft and Ashcroft, 354). A single worker would have a slim chance acquiring a raise by simply going to the employer and requesting one. However, a union worker has the backing of a group of people that all work towards the same goal. The union has the benefit of representing the entire workforce, therefore having more success. On the down side, unions have so much power they can sometimes raise wages and benefits to unrealistically high levels. W hen this happens, the cost of labor is often passed down to the consumer, making products more expensive. The trickle-down effect hurts the economy and brings the cost of living to levels that the average Joe can’t always handle. It is simple economics. If labor costs are higher than the market determines it should be, after taking into account all other factors that make up production, then workers will be laid off or their compensation will be decreased. Wages are an important factor of production (Harding, 2011) Benefits offered through a union include family health care that never denies coverage, disability insurance, retirement and death benefits. Regardless if they are working or not, if the union dues are paid, they will always have these benefits. Members have to pay a fee to be in the union. Commonly called union dues, this is often a deterrent for someone that is not yet a member of a union. They feel they are â€Å"paying† someone else so they can have a job. A union member has to remain in good standing even when unemployed. They will lose their benefits and any retirement built up since entering the union. Workers must make that ultimate decision in the beginning. The union may fight for the ights of their members, but this service is far from free. Fortunately for a member, all union workers are treated equally in the workplace. There is no favoritism. Seniority is utilized for promotions. Raising wages and when they will occur is specified in a contract from the beginning. There are no â€Å"surprises†. Everyone is subject to the same guidelines and job responsibilities. Policies in a business without u nion representation can and will change without notice. In a union workplace, everything is determined beforehand. This benefits both employers and employees. We will write a custom essay sample on Pros and Cons of Unions specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Pros and Cons of Unions specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Pros and Cons of Unions specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Employees enjoy more consistency because they know what is expected of them. Employers benefit from a more content work force and less time spent on training to enforce constant changes. Strikes are a powerful tool for unions. If demands or negotiations aren’t met by an employer, every member is expected to quit work immediately. These can cause serious repercussions to people even if they aren’t involved in the debate. For example, if teachers go on strike in order to negotiate higher wages, school has to be canceled and students are put out of class. Nurses can seriously hurt how a hospital is run. Without nurses, there would be nobody licensed to take care of the patients other than doctors, therefore putting the patient’s health at risk. Strikes are rare but the potential still must be considered when discussing the benefits or problems with unionized labor. Current union workers will tell you being a member of a union today isn’t the same as it was in the 1970’s or 1980’s. The advantages now are far less than it was then. The decline in employers that hire union workers has made it difficult to find work. Some only work half of the year in their particular trade because so many employers would rather save the bottom dollar than hire a skilled professional through a union (Jaggers, 2011). The bad reputation of unions precedes them therefore slowing down recruitment of future union members. To an extent, this is due to lack of information to the general public about the benefits that a union provides to employers and employees. Unions exist to make life better for employees, but they also provide benefits to employers. Had it not been for unions, there would not be your typical 40 hour work week, an established minimum wage, or even overtime wages. Unions may seem outdated now, but they did serve their purpose when they were formed and for many years thereafter. Works Cited Ashcroft, John D. and Janet E. Ashcroft. Law for Business, Seventeenth Edition. South-Western, Cengage Learning, 2011. Harding, Jeff. â€Å"Why Unions Are Bad for the Economy. † 22 July 2011 The Daily Capitalist. Jaggers, James (current member of Local Sprinkler Fitters Union 669). Interview with Wendy McKamie 26 September 2011.

Battle of Cerro Gordo in the Mexican-American War

Battle of Cerro Gordo in the Mexican-American War The Battle of Cerro Gordo was fought April 18, 1847, during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). Armies Commanders United States Major General Winfield Scott8,500 men Mexico General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna12,000 men Background Though Major General Zachary Taylor had won a string of victories at Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, and Monterrey, President James K. Polk elected to shift the focus of American efforts in Mexico to Veracruz. Though this was largely due to Polks concerns about Taylors political ambitions, it was also supported by reports that an advance against Mexico City from the north would be impractical. As a result, a new force was organized under Major General Winfield Scott and directed to capture the key port city of Veracruz. Landing on March 9, 1847, Scotts army advanced on the city and captured it after a twenty-day siege. Establishing a major base at Veracruz, Scott began making preparations to advance inland before yellow fever season arrived. From Veracruz, Scott had two options for pressing west towards the Mexican capital. The first, the National Highway, had been followed by Hernn Cortà ©s in 1519, while the latter ran to the south through Orizaba. As the National Highway was in better condition, Scott elected to follow that route through Jalapa, Perote, and Puebla. Lacking sufficient transportation, he decided to send his army forward by divisions with that of Brigadier General David Twiggs in the lead. As Scott began leaving the coast, Mexican forces were gathering under the leadership of General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna. Though recently defeated by Taylor at Buena Vista, Santa Anna retained immense political clout and popular support. Marching east in early April, Santa Anna hoped to defeat Scott and use the victory to make himself dictator of Mexico. Santa Annas Plan Correctly anticipating Scotts line of advance, Santa Anna decided to make his stand at a pass near Cerro Gordo. Here the National Highway was dominated by hills and his right flank would be protected by the Rio del Plan. Standing around a thousand feet high, the hill of Cerro Gordo (also known as El Telegrafo) dominated the landscape and dropped to the river on the Mexican right. Approximately a mile in front of Cerro Gordo was a lower elevation which presented three steep cliffs to the east. A strong position in its own right, Santa Anna emplaced artillery atop the cliffs. To the north of Cerro Gordo was the lower hill of La Atalaya and beyond that the terrain was laced with ravines and chaparral which Santa Anna believed was impassable (Map). The Americans Arrive Having assembled around 12,000 men, some which were parolees from Veracruz, Santa Anna felt confident that he had created strong position on Cerro Gordo which would not be easily taken. Entering the village of Plan del Rio on April 11, Twiggs chased off a troop of Mexican lancers and soon learned that Santa Annas army was occupying the nearby hills. Halting, Twiggs awaited the arrival of Major General Robert Pattersons Volunteer Division which marched in the next day. Though Patterson held a higher rank, he was ill and allowed Twiggs to begin planning an attack on the heights. Intending to launch the assault on April 14, he ordered his engineers to scout the ground. Moving out on April 13, Lieutenants W.H.T. Brooks and P.G.T. Beauregard successfully used a small path to reach the summit of La Atalaya in the Mexican rear. Realizing that the path could allow the Americans to flank the Mexican position, Beauregard reported their findings to Twiggs. Despite this information, Twiggs decided to prepare a frontal attack against the three Mexican batteries on the cliffs using Brigadier General Gideon Pillows brigade. Concerned about the possible high casualties of such a move and the fact that the bulk of the army had not arrived, Beauregard expressed his opinions to Patterson. As a result of their conversation, Patterson removed himself from the sick list and assumed command on the night April 13. Having done so, he ordered the next days assault postponed. On April 14, Scott arrived at Plan del Rio with additional troops and took charge of operations. A Stunning Victory Assessing the situation, Scott decided on sending the bulk of the army around the Mexican flank, while conducting a demonstration against the heights. As Beauregard had taken ill, additional scouting of the flanking route was conducted by Captain Robert E. Lee from Scotts staff. Confirming the feasibility of using the path, Lee scouted further and was nearly captured. Reporting his findings, Scott sent construction parties to widen the path which was dubbed the Trail. Ready to advance on April 17, he directed Twiggs division, consisting of brigades led by Colonels William Harney and Bennet Riley, to move over the trail and occupy La Atalaya. Upon reaching the hill, they were to bivouac and be ready to attack the next morning. To support the effort, Scott attached Brigadier General James Shields brigade to Twiggs command. Advancing onto La Atalaya, Twiggs men were attacked by Mexicans from Cerro Gordo. Counterattacking, part of Twiggs command advanced too far and came under heavy fire from the main Mexican lines before falling back. During the night, Scott issued orders that Twiggs should work west through heavy woods and cut the National Highway in the Mexican rear. This would be supported by an attack against the batteries by Pillow. Dragging a 24-pdr cannon to the top of the hill during the night, Harneys men renewed the battle on the morning of April 18 and assaulted the Mexican positions on Cerro Gordo. Carrying the enemy works, they forced the Mexicans to flee from the heights. To the east, Pillow began moving against the batteries. Though Beauregard had recommended a simple demonstration, Scott ordered Pillow to attack once he heard firing from Twiggs effort against Cerro Gordo. Protesting his mission, Pillow soon worsened the situation by arguing with Lieutenant Zealous Tower who had scouted the approach route. Insisting on a different path, Pillow exposed his command to artillery fire for much of the march to the attack point. With his troops taking a battering, he next began to berate his regimental commanders before leaving the field with a minor arm wound. A failure on many levels, the ineffectiveness of Pillows attack had little influence on the battle as Twiggs had succeeded in turning Mexican position. Distracted by the battle for Cerro Gordo, Twiggs only sent Shields brigade to sever the National Highway to the west, while Rileys men moved around the west side of Cerro Gordo. Marching through thick woods and un-scouted ground, Shields men emerged from the trees around the time that Cerro Gordo was falling to Harney. Possessing only 300 volunteers, Shields was turned back by 2,000 Mexican cavalry and five guns. Despite this, the arrival of American troops in the Mexican rear sparked a panic among Santa Annas men. An attack by Rileys brigade on Shields left reinforced this fear and led to a collapse of the Mexican position near the village of Cerro Gordo. Though forced back, Shields men held the road and complicated the Mexican retreat. Aftermath With his army in complete flight, Santa Anna escaped the battlefield on foot and headed for Orizaba. In the fighting at Cerro Gordo, Scotts army sustained 63 killed and 367 wounded, while the Mexicans lost 436 killed, 764 wounded, around 3,000 captured, and 40 guns. Stunned by the ease and completeness of the victory, Scott elected to parole the enemy prisoners as he lacked the resources to provide for them. While the army paused, Patterson was dispatched to pursue the Mexicans retreating towards Jalapa. Resuming the advance, Scotts campaign would culminate with the capture of Mexico City in September after further victories at Contreras, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, and Chapultepec. Selected Sources PBS: Battle of Cerro GordoThe Aztec Club of 1847US Grant Memoirs: Battle of Cerro Gordo

Accomplishment Report

Commercial property valuation requires a more complex method, taking into account the income potential of the property, historical revenue, cash flow with owner perks removed and much more. b. Residential Properties type of property is by far the most popular with both new and experienced agents. Real estate agents then further specialize in types of homes, including condominiums, separate homes, duplexes, high value homes, vacations homes, etc. c. Industrial Land situated in areas that are exclusively reserved and used for industrial purpose. 2. Land Improvement 3. Chattel is a term in the world which refers to personal property which can be moved; it is also known as movable property. Some examples of chattel include jewelry, cars, and furniture. Some people just call chattel â€Å"personal property,† differentiating it from things like real estate with the term â€Å"immovable property. † Assessors also look at building value under the cost analysis method, but only in terms of how much it cost to construct them. The corporation determines, at the outset of incorporating, how many shares it shall issue and what classes of shares (No Par, Par, Common, Preferred, Participating, tc. ) it will issue. Valuation Procedures 1. Cost Approach – valuation method is based on the principle that no prudent purchaser will pay more than what it cost him to acquire an equally desirable substitute site and to build a similar improvement of equal desirability and utility. 2. Income Approach – based on the principle that value tends to be set by the present worth of the right to future net benefits that may be derived from ownership. Important Document that an Appraiser should be able to look and verify: a. Sales invoice b. Letter of credit c. Deed of assignment CHAPTER 11 SHARES OF STOCKS AS COLLATERAL Capital stock has to do with all the shares of stock that represent the ownership of a given company. The exact number of shares that can be issued in the way of capital stock is normally recorded in the current balance sheet for a company. Capital stock will involve all types or classes of stock that the company is authorized to issue. The basis for issuing capital stock is normally outlined in the charter of the corporation. Common stock is stock in a company which comes with voting rights and an opportunity to share in the profits of the company. This type of stock is commonly issued by companies’ making offerings of stock and is a popular choice for people interested in buying and selling stocks. Prices for common stock vary depending on market pressures. Stock exchanges offer opportunities for people to buy, sell, and trade common stock with each other and with brokers. This type of stock should be contrasted with preferred stock, another type of stock which works slightly differently. Preferred stock offers several advantages over common stock. The first advantage is a fixed dividend, which generates more reliable returns than common stock; although it also means that the stockholder can miss out when large profits are made because the dividend will not be adjusted. Preferred stock, also known as non-participating preferred stock, is a type of stock that pays the investor a specific dividend only. In addition, in the event of a bankruptcy, preferred stockholders are ahead of holders of common stock, as are creditors, lien holders, and so forth. There are some advantages to holding common stock. Voting rights can be important because they allow people to vote on members of the board of directors, policy, and stock splits, which gives them a role in the governance of the company. Convertible preferred stock is a type of preferred stock that has the option of being converted into common shares issued by the same company. One of the less commonly employed approaches of issuing shares of stock. Participating preferred stock dividends are usually a fixed percentage of the par value of the stock. Participating preferred stock owners usually do not have any voting rights at stockholder meetings. Owners of common stock do have voting rights Cumulative participating preferred stock can accrue dividends that will be paid to the investor once the company’s performance improves. In finance, par value is the least amount that a share of stock can be sold for, according to the terms and conditions that are found in the regulations of the issuing company. CHAPTER 12 LAND AS COLLATERAL Collateral is borrowing funds often requires the designation of collateral on the part of the recipient of the loan. Collateral is simply assets that have been pledged by the recipient as security on the value of the loan. In the event that circumstances make it impossible for the recipient to repay the loan, ownership of the collateral is transferred to the entity that issued the loan in order to settle the debt. Function of Land it provides â€Å"standing room†. In spite of the fact man has learned to fly, and to dive under the surface of the water in submersible ships, we are still bound pretty close to the surface of the earth. Modes of acquiring title: . Public grant – acquisition of public land of homestead patent, sales patent and miscellaneous patent. 2. Private grant – voluntary transfer or conveyances as deed of sale, donation, exchange or assignment. 3. Involuntary grant – acquisition against consent of former owner, such as foreclosure or sale. 4. Inheritance – acceptance of hereditary succession. 5. Reclamation – filling of submerged land subj ect to government regulation and existing laws. 6. Accretion – more lands adjoining banks or rivers due to gradual deposit of soil. 7. Prescription – title by actual, open continuous and uninterrupted possession for a period of time under claim of title. Zonal valuation Different approaches to valuation of properties have been introduced in this country. In the case of land, not only it its price dictated by the interplay of supply and demand but moreover by the concept of zonal valuation instituted by the government. Government agencies like the Office of the Register of Deeds under the Department of Justice. IMPORTANT FACTORS IN OWNERSHIPPEACE AND ORDER The prevailing peace and order affects the value of the land. Today, a number of areas in the country are infested by the presence of bandits and other lawless elements like the NPAs for instance. They are known to have been exacting be so-called â€Å"revolutionary tax† on business establishment in such areas. Such deplorable conditions inhibit buyers from any interest. In buying such land or even in locating their business establishments. CHAPTER13 COLLECTION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Collections are a part of a process in the accounts receivable or billing department. It means that, at some point in time, a company xtended to another company or an individual credit terms for goods or services, or a cash loan advance of some kind that was to be paid or repaid at a certain time. If that bill is not paid when it is due, or within an agreed upon grace period, the collection process begins. Collection procedures usually consist of a set of in-house company policies that are written in a manual or guidebook of some kind, though smaller compan ies may not have a manual. Usually, law firms that engage in collection practices will have manuals and training classes for their employees before they make their first collection call to a debtor. Most of the time, large corporations and small companies have a collection manager or collection department that will go through certain housekeeping procedures before an unpaid debt is turned over to a lawyer. Laws and Regulations The laws that cover collection policies and procedures are mandated by federal and state governments. On the federal level, the Federal Trade Commission regulates what is called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). In the case of a conflict between state and federal law, federal law prevails. Those who extend credit to others should be aware of the legal rules about how to collect money that is past due, particularly as those rules apply to bankruptcy. A collection policy is a set of business practices and procedures that outline the way a company goes about collecting money owed to it as a result of an extension of credit. Companies often allow their best business customers to establish payment terms that give the customer an extended amount of time, such as 30, 60 or 90 days, to pay an outstanding invoice. Other companies extend credit to individual consumers and implement a collection policy to control the process of obtaining payment on the credit account. Credit extensions allow individual consumers to obtain needed merchandise upfront but pay for purchase over time. In the case of business-to-business transactions, the extension of credit is carried on the supplier’s book under accounts receivable. Extensions of consumer credit are typically carried on the books under a separate consumer credit category that is also a type of receivable. Accounts receivable is a company’s list of outstanding extensions of credit to customers. The company’s collection policy establishes how the accounts receivable or collections department should go about reminding customers that payments are due and how the department should handle delinquent accounts or accounts that are not paid as agreed. Types of Bad Debt Buyers Also known as junk debt buyers, bad debt buyers are firms that purchase unpaid debts from different types of creditors at rates that are below the actual face value of the debts, and then attempt to collect the full amount plus interest and penalties from the debtor. Bad debt buyers sometimes specialize on securing and collecting specific types of debt, including credit card debt, business debt, or loan debt. Credit card bad debt buyers are one of the more common types of junk debt buyers. Here, the buyer purchases old credit card accounts with outstanding balances that the originator was unable to collect. CHAPTER 14 BANKRUPTCY Bankruptcy is the process where a person legally declares himself or his business unable to pay outstanding debts. Depending upon the type filed, one meets with a judge to determine a payment schedule, or have a legal bankruptcy discharge most if not all debts. Businesses also may declare bankruptcy, which either means the business will close, or that the business will continue to operate with reduced payments to debtors It depends on what type the person intends to file, and also how quickly he or she can gather together information about his or her income and debts. Bankruptcy is the most common proceeding, and it is usually filed when a person doesn’t have a large number of assets that he or she needs to protect. Financial distress may also occur due to unforeseen factors that have an adverse effect on the different revenue streams that the corporation enjoys. The bankruptcy action may be necessary to protect the business from creditors while the company is reorganized under the direction of the courts, allowing the corporation to at least have a chance of getting back on a firm financial foundation. Liquidation maybe partial or complete, depending on the amount of debt involved. With a partial liquidation, the business sells off assets, including divisions of the business that are not needed for the continued operation of the core businesses. A complete liquidation means the selling of all assets and the eventual dismantling of the company as a business entity. Insolvency is the inability of a person to meet his obligations as they mature (Equity sense). It refers to the excess of liabilities, in the case of corporation, excluding capital stock over assets. (Bankruptcy sense) Two types of Insolvency Voluntary Insolvency Under voluntary insolvency, an insolvent debtor, owing debts exceeding in amount the sum of P1,000. 00 may apply to be discharged from his debts and liabilities by filing a petition with the Court of First Instance of the province or city which is the domicile of the petitioner for six months preceding the petition. He shall moreover annex to his petition a schedule and inventory in the form as prescribed under the Declaration of Insolvency Upon receipt of such petition, together with the schedule and inventory, the court or the judge thereof in vacation, shall make an order declaring the petitioner insolvent. Involuntary Insolvency an adjudication of insolvency may be made on the petition of three or more creditors, residents of the Philippines, whose credits or demands accrued in the Philippines, and the amount of which credits or demands are in the aggregate of not less than one thousand pesos. Provided, that none of the said creditors has become a creditor by assignment, however made, within 30 days prior to the filing of said petition. The following shall be considered acts of insolvency, and the petition for insolvency shall set forth one or more of such acts: 1. That such person is about to depart or has departed from the Philippines, with intend to defraud his creditors; 2. That being absent from the Philippines, with intend to defraud his creditors, he remains absent; 3. That he conceals himself to avoid the service if legal process for the purpose of hindering or delaying or defrauding his creditors. 4. That he conceals, or removing, any of his property to avoid its being attached or taken in legal process; 5. That he has suffered his property to remain under attachment or legal process for 3 days for the purpose of hindering or delaying or defrauding his creditors; 6. That he has confessed or offered to allow judgment in favor of any creditor or claimant for the purpose of hindering or delaying or defrauding his creditors or claimant; 7. That he is willfully suffered judgment to be taken against him by default purpose of hindering or delaying or defrauding his creditors or claimant; 8. . That he has suffered or procured his property to be taken on legal process with the intent to give a preference to one or more of his creditors and thereby hinder, delay or defraud any of his creditor; 9. That he has made any assignment, gift, sale, conveyance, or transfer of his estate, property, rights, or credits for purpose of hindering or delaying or defrauding his creditors or claimant; 10. That he has, in contemplation of insolvency, made any payment, gift, grant, sale, conveyance, or transfer of his estate, property, rights, or credits; 11. That being a merchant or tradesman has generally defaulted in the payment of his current obligations for period of 30 days; 12. That for a period of 30 says he has failed after demand, to pay any money deposited with him or received by him in a fiduciary capacity; and 13. That an execution having been issued against him on final judgment for money, he shall have been found to be without sufficient property to execution to satisfy the judgment.

Spss statistical analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Spss statistical analysis - Term Paper Example The quality of a lecture is measured on the ordinal scale from 1 to 100. The t-test is used for repeated measurements (Field 2009). There are two pairs of no aids-few aids and few aids-many aids and the paired t-test is performed on both of them. With the significant values of 0.006 and 0.000, both are smaller the cut off value of 0.05 the paired t-test showed that two all samples can be considered to have identical mean. In addition, lecture with few visual aids and many visual aids demonstrated significant correlation. The paired t-test revealed that there is no significant difference in the mean value of lecture quality depending on the amount of visual aids. It indicated that for all three cases an identical mean can be considered. The post hoc Tukey HSD indicates significant difference between groups of people training 6 and 12 weeks and between 6 weeks and 24 weeks. The 12 and 24 weeks groups did not show significant differences. The between-subject variable is the main sport of the participant which is defined in the first column. There are many ways to perform analysis of sport related statistical data (Williams & Wragg, 2004). This dataset contains two possible sport disciplines represented in this dataset. Independent samples test is an adequate research tool for this

Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer Essay

Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer - Essay Example the help of two cohort studies, two case control studies, one cross sectional study, and one clinically randomized study.Before that, we should at least know the different modes of hormone replacement therapy. Unopposed estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) was the treatment in 1960s and 1970s (Kennedy, D.L. et al, 1985). Now, the favored prescribing practice is combination HRT (CHRT), that is, adding a progesterone to the entire monthly cycle either as continuous combined replacement therapy (CCRT) or a part of the cycle as sequential estrogen plus progestin therapy (SEPRT) (Ross K. R. et al, 2000). The studies designed by Gapstur, Morrow, and Sellers and Feigelson, Jonas, Teras, Thun, and Calle, are two prospective cohort studies that have been analyzed by the present investigator. These studies attempted to refute the association of HRT and breast cancer, and failure to refute this concept strengthened confidence in it. In both these studies, they identified the participants who do not yet have disease but were on HRT. These groups in both these studies were observed over time to determine the frequency of new incidence of disease in these populations. These studies had been designed in such a way that these would provide the best results as opposed to the case control studies. The case control studies on the other hand use patients who already have disease or suspected to have breast cancer, and these studies that have been analyzed here look back to study the difference from those who have proven absence of the disease. The case control studies that have been used are those designed by Evis Sala, Ruth Warren, Jenny McCann, Stephen Duffy,... Evis Sala, Ruth Warren, Jenny McCann, Stephen Duffy, Robert Luben, and Nicholas Day, High-Risk Mammographic Parenchymal Patterns, Hormone Replacement Therapy And Other Risk Factors: A Case-Control Study, Int. J. Epidemiol., Aug 2000; 29: 629 - 636. Lorne J. Hofseth, Ahmed M. Raafat, Janet R. Osuch, Dorothy R. Pathak, Carol A. Slomski, and Sandra Z. Haslam, Hormone Replacement Therapy with Estrogen or Estrogen plus Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Is Associated with Increased Epithelial Proliferation in the Normal Postmenopausal Breast, J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., Dec 1999; 84: 4559 - 4565.

Protestants funeral customs Essay Example for Free

Protestants funeral customs Essay A Protestant is a member of any of the several church denominations that denied the universal authority of the Pope and supporting the reformation principles which believed in justification by faith, universal priesthood of believers, and the supremacy of the bible as the basic and the guidelines for the Christian journey in life. They emerge around 16th century and strongly support evangelism. All these are in opposition to the Roman Catholics doctrine. Protestant funerals take different forms. Some believe in the act of burial while some believe in cremation. Family involvements, denomination, circumstances surrounding such death are factors affecting the form of funeral that the family will embark upon. Most times the whole process is design by the pastors in conjunction with the family. Most protestant clergy don’t follow a particular book of worship during the funeral. The Corpse is usually prepared before the final event. This serves as a mark of passage from life to death and the mode of preparing a corpse by protestant is usually by embalmment. After embalming the corpse, the clothes and the body are usually washed. The clothes worn on the corpse has no restriction on the type or the shape. The time and removal of the deceased varies, depending on the family and the day of removal is not also restricted by the church. The clergy must be notified as soon as possible because courtesy mandated the quick notification. The role of the clergyman is very in important in the final passage and burial. The functions of the clergy are to visit the family, friends so as to discuss with them and also gather more information about the deceased. The plan and the request of the family in regards to what they want and how they want the funerals to be done must be discussed during such clergy visits. Casket is another important aspect, this is because what each family want differ and there’s no restriction on the type. The caskets can either be open or closed and most times it is usually closed before the concluding aspect of the funeral. When the deceased is placed in the casket there are some protestant that allows visit to sides of the casket by the friends and other family members to pay a last respect to the deceased. Among the respects include the sending of gifts and flowers to indicate their feeling towards the deceased. The sermon and the final funerals either in the church or other place as required by the family usually involve preaching of the sermon that focus mainly on the meaning of death and Christian view of resurrection. The message can also talk about the life, achievement and lessons from the deceased. The sermon can then be followed by prayers and songs before the burial or cremation. The funeral cortege usually also depend on the family but most cortege is as follows, escort, followed by the clergy, then the casket bearers, casket coach, family of deceased and finally the friends. The final aspect is the Committal service and it is also determine by most family or the clergy. The order of services is as follows, procession to the graveyard, placement of the caskets in the grave by the bearers and the use of sand by the clergy and the children, lastly the benediction and dismissal. Cremation is an act of burning the corpse of the deceased and it is usually carried out by the Greeks and the roman in an open pyre. Protestant with the belief that God can resurrect easily a bowl of ashes support cremation but their participation involve the building of modern crematoriums.

The Theme Of Death In Mid-Term Break And The Early Purges Essay

The Theme Of Death In Mid-Term Break And The Early Purges The Irish poet Seamus Heaney is renowned for evoking his very personal experiences and feelings throughout his poetry. He frequently calls upon those experiences from his childhood to support his adult feelings over given topics and circumstances. The two poems Mid-Term Break and Early Purges both present two very personal experiences of Heaney's surrounding his juvenile experiences of death. Both poems combine a variation of techniques in miscellaneous manners to present such views. Mid-Term Break concerns itself with Heaney's remorse and suffering over his brother, an unjustified death over which he had no control. Early Purges, alternatively, concerns itself with an inability of Heaney to use such command to prevent an unnecessary death. The titles of both poems are very symbolical to what the poem is all about. 'Mid-Term Break' The word 'break' implies Heaney's break from school, and also the break in his brother's life. 'The Early Purges' The word 'Purge' means to empty, cleanse, purify, and getting rid of unpleasant things (in this poem, the unpleasant things are the kittens). Heaney's use of assonance in the opening lines of Mid-Term Break echoes the ominous noises around him. "Counting bells knelling to a close" The use of the word "knelling" advocates an immediate sense that something is wrong, since a knell is the bell rung at funerals. The repetition of the "ell" sound is almost as if the bells are chiming out. In Early Purges, however, Heaney focuses especially on using alliteration to indicate the atmosphere around him.... ...poem. Heaney finds it difficult to cope with such a loss so young, and thus detaches himself to make things easier. By contrast, in Early Purges, Heaney's attitude changes through the poem, losing his innocence verse by verse. In the final stanza's this is shown. "It makes sense:" Why does it? It is as if Heaney has been conditioned to accept death of 'pests'. The end of the poem is also very effective. Heaney shows contrast between urban and rural views of death. 'Purging' is justified as the animals are referred to as 'pests'. In both poems, Heaney loses something very intimate to him. In Mid-Term Break, Heaney loses his younger brother, in the same way as in Early Purges, he loses his innocence. Mid-Term break is a very emotional and depressing poem whereas Early Purges is very cruel and harsh.

Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer

How would you like to see a fourteen point buck in your crossaires with a body of a sick dog? Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is destroying deer in the United States. Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, Shiras Moose, and Rocky Mountain Elk are the only four susceptible to CWD. Once pronounced with Chronic Waste Disease there is no going back. Chronic Wasting Disease in Mule deer ( Odocolleus Hemronus), For more than thirty years, has been a clinical syndrome. The origin of CWD is not known, and because of this, the truth about how CWD aose may neve be identified.The government and science studies do know CDW is a transmissible spongiform Encepholopathy (TSE) of Cervids. Cervids is another way to say hoofed mammals. From 1967 to 2002 CWD spread across the U. S and even entered New Mexico. In 2002 the 1st International CWD symposium was brought together. Held in Denver, Colorado the meeting had a variety of professions attend. Wildlife biologist, pathologists, veterinarians, university scientists . Natural resource administrators, and the press met to discuss CWD.The group tied to figure out a way to test Cervids, but no inexpensive solution was concluded. The symposium also concluded that this would effect hunters perception toward the game. There are many clinical signs to show if a cervid is infected with CWD. The biggest is loss of body condition. Cervids are very bony looking. They show a wide stance, and subtle ataxia (incoordination). They are in the stage of somnolence (sleep/drowsy), and carry their heads lowered. The food consumption lowers dramatically, which leads to poor body condition.The time period of death is anywhere from a couple days to a year, but most commonly a few weeks to several months. If a person spots a Cervid with these symptoms the person is to report it to the DNR. Today there is no cure or treatment for Cervids with Chronic Wasting Disease. The situation is problematic, and scientists are trying to find a way to prevent CWD. Many tests are co mbined, surveillance being the largest, to try and find the most affected areas with CWD. To this point there is no answer to eliminating CWD.The positive side is since 1970 to the present there is no concluding evidence of human effects from CWD. Across the United States there are stations located in many cities to test Cervids for CWD if found by a Person. This goes about the long-fetched destination to stop CWD. The DNR is trying to crack down on CWD and find the highly concentrated areas. The finish line may be out of sight, but the constant track to the end will stay stable. Once pronounced with Chronic Wasting Disease there is no going back.This disease has scientists stumped to where it was originated. Cervids affected with CWD only have a few weeks to months to live, and the cure is off sight at this point. If CWD turns for the worse in the future it could extremely effect one of the biggest American games, hunting. With all the organizations and assemblies helping to try an d figure out a concluding cure to the disease, they are hoping to try and stop CWD in the near future, but at this point that near future is looking far-fetched.

Customer service contributes to customer satisfaction Essay

Introduction: In this Assignment I want to describe how consistent and reliable customer service contributes to customer satisfaction, explain why presentation, interpersonal and communication skills are important to customer service. And I will also anticipate and meet the needs of at least three different customers in a range of situations. Task 1 In this task I should describe how consistent and reliable customer service contributes to customer satisfaction. The national consumer council believes that smart businesses should ensure that the same member of staff deals with an individual customer from the beginning to the end what means if you welcome a customer you should try to deal with the customer and help the customer till the customer wants to go or dos not need your help anymore or till he buy something. Whilst this is the ideal, it isn’t always possible. Therefore, most organisations provide special training to staff to ensure that each person has the same approach with external customer. This is likely to focus on the following aspects of the job. * Scope of job role – You should know what you can do and what you can not do as part of your job and the type of issues you must refer to a supervisor. This should not stop you using your initiative to resolve a straightforward problem quickly, for example if you have nothing to do you should use your own initiative to look for something to do till a customer comes or if a customer has a problem by not finding what he wants to buy you can ask them if they need your help and if you can help them you should help by explaining where they can get it from and you should take care that you do not overstep the limits of your job role by making arrangement or promises that is outside your authority. * Type and quality of product or service – That means you should know the range of goods or services that are available, if you are selling consumable items, such as chocolates. Anyone who sells expensive items or complex services should also be able to give good advice on the best buys or most reliable suppliers, based on their own knowledge, feedback from other costumers and press reports. * Accessibility/Availability – There is nothing more irritating for customers that to want something and then find they are not available. This can relate to a product they have seen advertised but which has now sold out for example if you have an appointment with someone who cannot see you for some time or a room in a hotel which is fully booked. In this situation your job is to sympathise with the customer’s disappointment; try to help them if you can and pass on the information to your employer. This is important. If you have received many enquiries for the same thing in a day and disappointed most people, the stock levels for this product should be reviewed. * Staff attitude and behaviour – The importance of all staff having a consistently positive attitude and behaving courteously and professionally to customers cannot be underestimated. This means if your staffs have good attitude and behaviour the customers will feel comfortable and free to talk to the staff and it also makes customers feel valued and respected. * Timing – Approaching people at the wrong time, or if they are stressed, upset or busy can get a bad response. If you do this by accident, simply apologise and say you will contact them later. Being aware of your timing also means not keeping people waiting unduly; arranging appointments, phone calls and deliveries at your customers convenience, not yours; and never failing to call people back exactly as you promised. By this way you appear reliable to the customers. * Meeting specific customer needs – The skills of meeting customer needs involves identifying these by talking to the customer, and then matching them to the range of goods and services that you can offer. Most customers are pleased with this aspect of customer service because it gives them a sense of importance. Task 2 In this task I should explain why presentation, interpersonal and communication skills are important to customer service. Presentation skills – These skills relate to me as a person. What do other people see as I approach? Do I attract them or alarm them? This has nothing to do with good looks but everything to do with a welcoming smile, appropriate clothes and a smart appearance. Presentation skills include: * Body language; Body language is one of the presentations skills. Body language is a term of communication using body movements. One of the basic body language signal is when a person is crossing his arms across the chest this can mean that the person is putting up a barrier between himself and others but it can also mean that a the person is expressing opposition this is specially so, if the person is leaning away from the speaker. But crossing his arms across the chest can also mean that the person is deeply thinking about something. You can show someone that you are interested in what he is telling you if you keep eye contact. * Another presentations skill is also the dress code which means if you work in an office you have to wear a dress or if you are working somewhere else where they have their own uniform you must wear their uniform and it has to be clean. Many people will consider it impolite if your dress is too far above the dress code. Too far means if you are working for example in ASDA and you are wearing a coat to work, many customers will not know that you are one of the staffs. But if you are working in an environment where they don’t have to wear any uniform, then you must have a good sense to dress properly. * Facial expression is also a presentation skill; facial expression is a result from one or more motions of the muscles of the face. This movement convey the emotional state of the individual to observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. Expressions are closely tied to emotion. It can be nearly impossible to avoid expressions for certain emotions because if you see someone that you think he or she is highly unattractive you might show a brief expression of disgust before you will be able to reassume a neutral expression and if you don’t have this skill it may be hard for you to work in an environment with different customers or other staff members. Interpersonal skills are how people relate to one another, in other words it means how you behave when you are dealing with other people. Having positive interpersonal skills increase the productivity in a business. Interpersonal skills include: * First impression; your interpersonal skills are on show from the moment you greet a customer to the time you say goodbye and if your first impression to a customer is good the customer might come again. * Behaviour – This is what you do and why you do it in other words it is the actions or reactions from you, for example if you are a positive person, you will normally behave in a cheerful and friendly way to other peoples. * Attitude – Your attitude is the way you think. For example if you are depressed you will be negative, if you are fed up then you will be bored and if you are happy you will be friendly to other people. Communication skills – communication is a process whereby information is imparted by a sender to a receiver in other words you need to speak to you customer as well and how you do this is important. If you are communicating with a customer you must look after your * Your speech – this means that you should speak loud and clearly because if you are speaking too quietly or miss the endings of words, then the customer might have problems to understand you. * Your language – this means that you should use appropriate language for your customer because it is not appropriate to use slangs and jargons since the customer will not understand what you are talking about. * The pitch of your voice – this means that you should take care of how you sound. For example if you have to talk to a group of people you should raise your head and speak more loudly and clearly but without shouting. And you should know how to pitch your voice to hold the interests of your customer because if you sound monotone the customer will soon lose the interest. Task 3 In this task I should anticipate and meet the needs of at least three different customers in a range of situations. * Accessibility for disable peoples for example those with wheelchairs. The business makes their stores accessible for wheelchair user by having big signs that are clear and easy to read, a ramp as an alternative to steps, the doors should also be wide and easy to open and the widths are allowing wheelchairs and the height of counter areas and shelves also allows wheelchairs. The business should also have toilets that meet the needs of wheelchair users. And the staff should also take time to help peoples in wheelchairs if they need help. * Health and safety – The business makes their store healthy and safe by making sure that all selling environments are assassed for risk so that any hazards are minimised, it means, the business must keep the workplace clean, they must make sure that their floors, steps, stairs, passages and gangways are properly maintained and it is kept from any obstruction and any substance likely to cause a person to slip and fall. If you, as a staff member, see something that can affect the health and safety in the business then you should do something about it before something happened, for example if you see something on the floor that can make someone fall then you should take the thing away from the floor or if the floor is wet you should put a sign there that the floor is wet so that no one can fall. * Email – The business makes sure that they have a email account so that they can send emails to customers and others. If you send a email you should make sure that you chose the right message style and layout and that you follow the recommended business format. And the email should also be written in a courteous and tactful way and also the wording should be appropriate for the situation. But it will be useful if for example you want to send an email to a customer you should mark the email as high priority if it will be important for the customer. And for you as a staff member you should have the skills to send an email which means that you should be a able to apply the appropriate customer service an to make sure that you chose a good tone and degree of formality depending upon the person and your reason for writing and it is important that the business mails should comply with organisational rules and recognised standards.

Research Methods Essay

Research Methods Essay Research Methods Essay Research Question, Due 2-11 @ 5:00 pm Your assignment is a one paragraph description of a research question. The intent of the assignment is to get you thinking about an idea for your research proposal, and to allow me to provide some feedback on your research question. However, you are not required to use the research question from this assignment for your proposal, i.e., you are allowed to change your idea. The research question must address a causal relationship, i.e, at a minimum, the causal relationship between two variables. Helpful Hints: 1. DO NOT READ JOURNAL ARTICLES TO CREATE YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION- LET YOUR CURIOSITY GUIDE YOU. 2. Do not make the research question too ‘grand’. There are many ways to make the research question too grand, for example: a. Asking research questions about a dependent variable for which there are many potential independent variables. Asking if the implementation of a mandatory attendance policy at Virginia Tech would improve grade point averages is a reasonable research question. However, there are so many causal determinants of GPA that it is very difficult to design a study that isolates the causal effect of a class attendance policy on GPA. b. Asking research questions where the answer unfolds over a long period of time. Asking if an intervention to prevent binge drinking is effective over the course of a year is a reasonable question. However, such a question requires a strategy for repeatedly sampling the subjects at different points in time, which raises a ho st of

Cross-Cultural Training to Management in Organizations Research Paper

Cross-Cultural Training to Management in Organizations - Research Paper Example The need to interact with people of different cultures and understand their behaviour has become a critical aspect of international management. Let us take the example of a Hungarian employee’s encounter with an Austrian supervisor (Fink et al., 2007). The disgruntled employee complained of the â€Å"manner† in which his female Austrian supervisor delegated him work (Fink et al., 2007). According to the employee, there was absolutely no problem with the very work that was assigned; however, the supervisor failed to address her employee in an appropriate manner which offended him (Fink et al., 2007). Such, apparently trivial, instances of conflict between the manager and employee are a commonplace today. However, that does not make them insignificant. Paradoxically, such issues are not easy to understand; the cultural dimensions need to be accurately defined along a particular scale against which the behaviour can be measured. In order to overcome these shortcomings, the â€Å"cultural standard method† was introduced by Leung et al., which identifies and examines the differences in perception, understanding, thinking and judging across a multitude of cultures (Fink & Meierewert, 2001). There are, in general, three approaches to understanding the notion of cross-culturalism: cultural dimensions, personality traits and the cultural standard method (Fink et al., 2007). However, the last one is limited to Central Europe, particularly Germany and Austria (Fink et al., 2007). The differentiation within the social system lies in the discrepancy between the â€Å"normal behaviour† and that behaviour which deviates from normal behaviour.

Zara Fashion Retailer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Zara Fashion Retailer - Assignment Example The paper "Zara Fashion Retailer Assignment" analyzes the success of Zara company. Zara’s success is mainly the result of their supply chain innovation, which means that unlike their competitors who often have to forecast the season’s fashion trends, and then wait another five months to sell them, Zara can deliver new styles and fashions in three to six weeks. This supply chain innovation was essential as the industry was prone to risks in mismatches of supply and demand, and this would result in disruption, longer waiting times and smaller margins of error (Kleindorfer 2004). To negate these effects Zara produces 50% of its products in-house, instead of outsourcing all manufacturing and production related processes. This has largely been made possible by Zara’s background, as Zara started life as a manufacturer. When Zara, as a manufacturer decided to compete in the retail sector, they became a retailer with manufacturing capacity (AI 2004). Instead of getting r id of this capacity, Zara identified this as an opportunity. This capacity also means that Zara is in possession of 18 manufacturing plants that are responsible for producing their fashion garments (AI 2004). Whilst other retailers are outsourcing to Asia and the Far East, Zara has integrated their manufacturing and retail aspects to minimise the uncertainties associated with long lead times, and predicting fashion trends months in advance. By outsourcing to outside the European continent or their home countries, Zara’s competitors.'s competitors are also introducing delays and errors in their business, as incorrect fashion predictions, could result in a massive loss of profits through dozens of unsold clothing. Clothing also needs to be stored, and as their competitors store large quantities, they have to store them in warehouses which add additional costs on the organisation. The risks of storing clothes in warehouses were recently highlighted by two separate cases in the m edia. In one case, fire gutted a warehouse used to store clothing for Primark and other retailers, and in another separate case, the European Union (EU) had placed quotas on clothing coming from China, which is were most retailers had outsourced their manufacturing and production. This resulted in significant delays and costs to these organisations, as they had to rectify a situation which could have been avoided. Zara also owns its own design and distribution teams that cover all the segments of retailing, further reducing any time delays with teams located in different locations, and it also ensures that their design and distribution quality is maintained as it is operated by people who understand the strategy and principles of Zara. Zara have managed to mass produce clothing with relatively higher levels of customisation than what normal mass production techniques would allow, but this is due to their smaller stock levels and the fact that they change their style on a frequent ba sis. This supply chain innovation seeks to eradicate the expenses and losses associated with mismatching demand and supply (Kleindorfer et al 2004). The current market demands that an organisation is able to deliver the goods and/or services as and when the customer demands. It is no longer acceptable for fashion retailers to delay trends for longer periods, so that they can get rid of existing stock. The stock sold at lower prices then represents a loss, as it would have taken up storage space further impeding on capacity. Customers also like to differentiate themselves and their own