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The saudi dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The saudi dream - Essay Example One of the most utilized procedures by the administration in Saudi so as to accomplish the Saudi dream is...

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Other Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Other - Assignment Example While buying the television, the seller will have spent on something else thereby boosting the local economy. Therefore, in the perspective of the observer of these events, the ill behavior of the man’s son or breaking of the television set has stimulated the economy; however, according to Bastiat, the entire understanding exposes a fallacy. Looking at the concept brewed in this case, breaking of the television reduces the man’s disposable income that he may not be able to purchase; for instance, a new shirt or commit to other luxuries. Nonetheless, the breakage of the television is helpful to others; for example, the seller or the person repairing the television. It should be noted that despite the breakage of the television set being helpful to others; it robs industries and reduces the spending on other goods and or services. Replacing an item that was already bought is regarded as the maintenance cost as opposed to buying new items or items that the owner has never had (Rockwell and Ludwig Von Mises Institute, 2008). ... in Making Financial Decisions The most significant means in decision making including financial decision-making are the application logical and systematic decision-making processes. Application of application logical and systematic processes helps in time value analysis since they provide systematic and planned analysis. Therefore, it is vital that health care organizations to deploy organizational approach that incorporates application logical and systematic processes in making vital financial decision (Skousen, 2009). Applying this concept will ensure that they never miss profound factors in their decision-making. Six steps and practices can help the health care organizations to curb their challenges in financial decision-making. Creating a constructive environment for financial decision making A constructive environment for decision-making incorporates the establishment of objective of such decision making process. In other words, it is vital that the management of such health car e organization to define the parameters the health organization could achieve with their desired financial decision. Additionally, the management must thereafter agree on a working process to be deployed and this will call for the incorporation of the significant stakeholders in such decision-makings. Generating applicable and relevant alternatives This process shall provide the decision makers with more options to choose from towards comprehensive financial decisions. Generation of alternatives allows the management or the decision makers to have numerous ways of solving financial challenges. Therefore, unreasonable alternatives will only worsen the problem. Finally, generating alternatives will help organizations of ideas. Exploration of the alternatives This process ensures that only

Monday, October 28, 2019

Euroland food Essay Example for Free

Euroland food Essay In early January 2001, the senior-management committee of Euroland Foods was to meet to draw up the firm’s capital budget for the new year. Up for consideration were 11 major projects that totaled more than â‚ ¬316 million. Unfortunately, the board of directors had imposed a spending limit on capital projects of only â‚ ¬120 million; even so, investment at that rate would represent a major increase in the firm’s current asset base of â‚ ¬965 million. Thus, the challenge for the senior managers of Euroland Foods was to allocate funds among a range of compelling projects: new-product introduction, acquisition, market expansion, efficiency improvements, preventive maintenance, safety, and pollution control. The Company Euroland Foods, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, was a multinational producer of high-quality ice cream, yogurt, bottled water, and fruit juices. Its products were sold throughout Scandinavia, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, western Germany, and northern France. (See Exhibit 1 for a map of the company’s marketing region.) The company was founded in 1924 by Theo Verdin, a Belgian farmer, as an offshoot of his dairy business. Through keen attention to product development and shrewd marketing, the business grew steadily over the years. The company went public in 1979, and, by 1993, was listed for trading on the London, Frankfurt, and Brussels exchanges. In 2000, Euroland Foods had sales of almost â‚ ¬1.6 billion. Ice cream accounted for 60 percent of the company’s revenue; yogurt, which was introduced in 1982, contributed about 20 percent. The remaining 20 percent of sales was divided equally between bottled water and fruit juices. Euroland Foods’ flagship brand name was â€Å"Rolly,† which was represented by a fat dancing bear in farmer’s clothing. Ice cream, the company’s leading product, had a loyal base of customers who sought out its high-butterfat content, large chunks of chocolate, fruit, and nuts, and wide range of original flavors. This case was prepared by Casey Opitz and Robert F. Bruner and draws certain elements from an antecedent case by them. All names are fictitious. The financial support of the Batten Institute is gratefully acknowledged. The case was written as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright ï £ © 2001 by the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All rights reserved. To order copies, send an e-mail to [emailprotected] No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the Darden School Foundation. Euroland Foods’ sales had been static since 1998 (see Exhibit 2), which management attributed to low population growth in northern Europe and market saturation in some areas. Outside observers, however, faulted recent failures in new-product introductions. Most members of management wanted to expand the company’s market presence and introduce more new products to boost sales. These managers hoped that increased market presence and sales would improve the company’s market value. Euroland Foods’ stock was currently at 14 times earnings, just below book value. This price/earnings ratio was below the trading multiples of comparable companies, and it gave little value to the company’s brands. Resource Allocation The capital budget at Euroland Foods was prepared annually by a committee of senior managers, who then presented it for approval to the board of directors. The committee consisted of five managing directors, the prà ©sident directeur-gà ©nà ©ral (PDG), and the finance director. Typically, the PDG solicited investment proposals from the managing directors. The proposals included a brief project description, a financial analysis, and a discussion of strategic or other qualitative considerations. As a matter of policy, investment proposals at Euroland Foods were subject to two financial tests, payback and internal rate of return (IRR). The tests, or hurdles, had been established in 1999 by the management committee and varied according to the type of project: Minimum In January 2001, the estimated weighted-average cost of capital (WACC) for Euroland Foods was 10.6 percent. In describing the capital-budgeting process, the finance director, Trudi Lauf, said, We use the sliding scale of IRR tests as a way of recognizing differences in risk among the various types of projects. Where the company takes more risk, we should earn more return. The payback test signals that we are not prepared to wait for long to achieve that return. Ownership and the Sentiment of Creditors and Investors Euroland Foods’ 12-member board of directors included three members of the Verdin family, four members of management, and five outside directors who were prominent managers or public figures in northern Europe. Members of the Verdin family combined owned 20 percent of Euroland Foods’ shares outstanding, and company executives combined owned 10 percent of the shares. Venus Asset Management, a mutual-fund management company in London, held 12 percent. Banque du Bruges et des Pays Bas held 9 percent and had one representative on the board of directors. The remaining 49 percent of the firm’s shares were widely held. The firm’s shares traded in Brussels and Frankfurt. At a debt-to-equity ratio of 125 percent, Euroland Foods was leveraged much more highly than its peers in the European consumer-foods industry. Management had relied on debt financing significantly in the past few years to sustain the firm’s capital spending and dividends during a period of price wars initiated by Euroland. Now, with the price wars finished, Euroland’s bankers (led by Banque du Bruges) strongly urged an aggressive program of debt reduction. In any event, they were not prepared to finance increases in leverage beyond the current level. The president of Banque du Bruges had remarked at a recent board meeting, Restoring some strength to the right-hand side of the balance sheet should now be a first priority. Any expansion of assets should be financed from the cash flow after debt amortization until the debt ratio returns to a more prudent level. If there are crucial investments that cannot be funded this way, then we should cut the dividend! At a price-to-earnings ratio of 14 times, shares of Euroland Foods common stock were priced below the average multiples of peer companies and the average multiples of all companies on the exchanges where Euroland Foods was traded. This was attributable to the recent price wars, which had suppressed the company’s profitability, and to the well-known recent failure of the company to seize significant market share with a new product line of flavored mineral water. Since January 2000, all the major securities houses had been issuing â€Å"sell† recommendations to investors in Euroland Foods’ shares. Venus Asset Management had quietly accumulated shares during this period, however, in the expectation of a turnaround in the firm’s performance. At the most recent board meeting, the senior managing director of Venus gave a presentation in which he said, Cutting the dividend is unthinkable, as it would signal a lack of faith in your own future. Selling new shares of stock at this depressed price level is also unthinkable, as it would impose unacceptable dilution on your current shareholders. Your equity investors expect an improvement in performance. If that improvement is not forthcoming, or worse, if investors’ hopes are dashed, your shares might fall into the hands of raiders like Carlo de Benedetti or the Flick brothers.1 At the conclusion of the most recent meeting of the directors, the board voted unanimously to limit capital spending in 2001 to â‚ ¬120 million. Members of the Senior-Management Committee Seven senior managers of Euroland Foods would prepare the capital budget. For consideration, each project had to be sponsored by one of the managers present. Usually the decision process included a period of discussion followed by a vote on two to four alternative capital budgets. The various executives were well known to each other: Wilhelmina Verdin (Belgian), PDG, age 57. Granddaughter of the founder and spokesperson on the board of directors for the Verdin family’s interests. Worked for the company her entire career, with significant experience in brand management. Elected â€Å"European Marketer of the Year† in 1982 for successfully introducing low-fat yogurt and ice cream, the first major roll-out of this type of product. Eager to position the company for long-term growth but cautious in the wake of recent difficulties. Trudi Lauf (Swiss), finance director, age 51. Hired from Nestlà © in 1995 to modernize financial controls and systems. Had been a vocal proponent of reducing leverage on the balance sheet. Also had voiced the concerns and frustrations of stockholders. Heinz Klink (German), managing director for Distribution, age 49. Oversaw the transportation, warehousing, and order-fulfillment activities in the company. Spoilage, transport costs, stock-outs, and control systems were perennial challenges. Maarten Leyden (Dutch), managing director for Production and Purchasing, age 59. Managed production operations at the company’s 14 plants. Engineer by training. Tough negotiator, especially with unions and suppliers. A fanatic about production-cost control. Had voiced doubts about the sincerity of creditors’ and investors’ commitment to the firm. Marco Ponti (Italian), managing director for Sales, age 45. Oversaw the field sales force of 250 representatives and planned changes in geographical sales coverage. The most vocal proponent of rapid expansion on the senior-management committee. Saw several opportunities for ways to improve geographical positioning. Hired from Unilever in 1993 to revitalize the sales organization, which he successfully accomplished. De Benedetti of Milan and the Flick brothers of Munich were leaders of prominent hostile-takeover attempts in recent years. Fabienne Morin (French), managing director for Marketing, age 41. Responsible for marketing research, new-product development, advertising, and, in general, brand management. The primary advocate of the recent price war, which, although financially difficult, realized solid gains in market share. Perceived a â€Å"window of opportunity† for product and market expansion and tended to support growth-oriented projects. Nigel Humbolt (British), managing director for Strategic Planning, age 47. Hired two years previously from a well-known consulting firm to set up a strategic-planning staff for Euroland Foods. Known for asking difficult and challenging questions about Euroland’s core business, its maturity, and profitability. Supported initiatives aimed at growth and market share. Had presented the most aggressive proposals in 2000, none of which were accepted. Becoming frustrated with what he perceived to be his lack of influence in the organization. Humbolt, Strategic Planning 1. Replacement and expansion of the truck fleet. Heinz Klink proposed to purchase 100 new refrigerated tractor-trailer trucks, 50 each in 2001 and 2002. By doing so, the company could sell 60 old, fully depreciated trucks over the two years for a total of â‚ ¬4.05 million. The purchase would expand the fleet by 40 trucks within two years. Each of the new trailers would be larger than the old trailers and afford a 15 percent increase in cubic meters of goods hauled on each trip. The new tractors would also be more fuel and maintenance efficient. The increase in number of trucks would permit more flexible scheduling and more efficient routing and servicing of the fleet than at present and would cut delivery times and, therefore, possibly inventories. It would also allow more frequent deliveries to the company’s major markets, which would reduce the loss of sales caused by stock-outs. Finally, expanding the fleet would support geographical expansion over the long term. As shown in Exhibit 3, the total net investment in trucks of â‚ ¬30 million and the increase in working capital to support added maintenance, fuel, payroll, and inventories of â‚ ¬3 million was expected to yield total cost savings and added sales potential of â‚ ¬11.6 million over the next seven years. The resulting IRR was estimated to be 7.8 percent, marginally below the minimum 8 percent required return on efficiency projects. Some of the managers wondered if this project would be more properly classified as â€Å"efficiency† than â€Å"expansion.† 2. A new plant. Maarten Leyden noted that Euroland Foods’ yogurt and ice-cream sales in the southeastern region of the company’s market were about to exceed the capacity of its Melun, France, manufacturing and packaging plant. At present, some of the demand was being met by shipments from the company’s newest, most efficient facility, located in Strasbourg, France. Shipping costs over that distance were high, however, and some sales were undoubtedly being lost when the marketing effort could not be supported by delivery. Leyden proposed that a new manufacturing and packaging plant be built in Dijon, France, just at the current southern edge of Euroland Foods’ marketing region, to take the burden off the Melun and Strasbourg plants. The cost of this plant would be â‚ ¬37.5 million and would entail â‚ ¬7.5 million for working capital. The â‚ ¬21 million worth of equipment would be amortized over 7 years, and the plant over 10 years. Through an increase in sales and depreciation, and the decrease in delivery costs, the plant was expected to yield after-tax cash flows totaling â‚ ¬35.6 million and an IRR of 11.3 percent over the next 10 years. This project would be classified as a market extension. 3. Expansion of a plant. In addition to the need for greater production capacity in Euroland Foods’ southeastern region, its Nuremberg, Germany, plant had reached full capacity. This situation made the scheduling of routine equipment maintenance difficult, which, in turn, created production scheduling and deadline problems. This plant was one of two highly automated facilities that produced Euroland Foods’ entire line of bottled water, mineral water, and fruit juices. The Nuremberg plant supplied central and western Europe. (The other plant, near Copenhagen, Denmark, supplied Euroland Foods’ northern European markets.) The Nuremberg plant’s capacity could be expanded by 20 percent for â‚ ¬15 million. The equipment (â‚ ¬10.5 million) would be depreciated over 7 years, and the plant over 10 years. The increased capacity was expected to result in additional production of up to â‚ ¬2.25 million a year, yielding an IRR of 11.2 percent. This project would be classified as a market extension. 4. Development and roll-out of snack foods. Fabienne Morin suggested that the company use the excess capacity at its Antwerp spice- and nut-processing facility to produce a line of dried fruits to be test-marketed in Belgium, Britain, and the Netherlands. She noted the strength of the Rolly brand in those countries and the success of other food and beverage companies that had expanded into snack-food production. She argued that Euroland Foods’ reputation for wholesome, quality products would be enhanced by a line of dried fruits and that name association with the new product would probably even lead to increased sales of the company’s other products among health-conscious consumers. Equipment and working-capital investments were expected to total â‚ ¬22.5 million and â‚ ¬4.5 million, respectively, for this project. The equipment would be depreciated over seven years. Assuming the test market was successful, cash flows from the project would be able to support further plant expansions in other strategic locations. The IRR was expected to be 13.4 percent, slightly above the required return of 12 percent for new-product projects. 5. Plant automation and conveyer systems. Maarten Leyden also requested â‚ ¬21 million to increase automation of the production lines at six of the company’s older plants. The result would be improved throughput speed and reduced accidents, spillage, and production tie-ups. The last two plants the company had built included conveyer systems that eliminated the need for any heavy lifting by employees. The systems reduced the chance of injury by employees; at the six older plants, the company had sustained an average of 223 missed-worker-days per year per plant in the last two years because of muscle injuries sustained in heavy lifting. At an average hourly total compensation rate of â‚ ¬14.00 an hour, more than â‚ ¬150,000 a year were thus lost, and the possibility always existed of more-serious injuries and lawsuits. Overall, cost savings and depreciation totaling â‚ ¬4.13 million a year for the project were expected to yield an IRR of 8.7 percent. This project would be classed in the efficiency category. 6. Effluent-water treatment at four plants. Euroland Foods preprocessed a variety of fresh fruits at its Melun and Strasbourg plants. One of the first stages of processing involved cleaning the fruit to remove dirt and pesticides. The dirty water was simply sent down the drain and into the Seine or Rhine Rivers. Recent European Community directives called for any wastewater containing even slight traces of poisonous chemicals to be treated at the sources, and gave companies four years to comply. As an environmentally oriented project, this proposal fell outside the normal financial tests of project attractiveness. Leyden noted, however, that the water-treatment equipment could be purchased today for â‚ ¬6 million; he speculated that the same equipment would cost â‚ ¬15 million in four years when immediate conversion became mandatory. In the intervening time, the company would run the risks that European Community regulators would shorten the compliance time or that the company’s pollution record would become public and impair the image of the company in the eyes of the consumer. This project would be classed in the environmental category. 7 and 8. Market expansions southward and eastward. Marco Ponti recommended that the company expand its market southward to include southern France, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain, and/or eastward to include eastern Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. He believed the time was right to expand sales of ice cream, and perhaps yogurt, geographically. In theory, the company could sustain expansions in both directions simultaneously, but practically, Ponti doubted that the sales and distribution organizations could sustain both expansions at once. Each alternative geographical expansion had its benefits and risks. If the company expanded eastward, it could reach a large population with a great appetite for frozen dairy products, but it would also face more competition from local and regional ice-cream manufacturers. Moreover, consumers in eastern Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia did not have the purchasing power that consumers did to the south. The eastward expansion would have to be supplied from plants in Nuremberg, Strasbourg, and Hamburg. Looking southward, the tables were turned: more purchasing power and less competition but also a smaller consumer appetite for ice cream and yogurt. A southward expansion would require building consumer demand for premium-quality yogurt and ice cream. If neither of the plant proposals (i.e., proposals 2 and 3) was accepted, then the southward expansion would need to be supplied from plants in Melun, Strasbourg, and Rouen. The initial cost of either proposal was â‚ ¬30 million of working capital. The bulk of this project’s costs was expected to involve the financing of distributorships, but over the 10-year forecast period, the distributors would gradually take over the burden of carrying receivables and inventory. Both expansion proposals assumed the rental of suitable warehouse and distribution facilities. The after-tax cash flows were expected to total â‚ ¬56.3 million for southward expansion and â‚ ¬48.8 million for eastward expansion. Marco Ponti pointed out that southward expansion meant a higher possible IRR but that moving eastward was a less risky proposition. The projected IRRs were 21.4 percent and 18.8 percent for southern and eastern expansion, respectively. These projects would be classed in the market-extension category. 9. Development and introduction of new artificially sweetened yogurt and ice cream. Fabienne Morin noted that recent developments in the synthesis of artificial sweeteners were showing promise of significant cost savings to food and beverage producers as well as stimulating growing demand for low-calorie products. The challenge was to create the right flavor to complement or enhance the other ingredients. For ice-cream manufacturers, the difficulty lay in creating a balance that would result in the same flavor as was obtained when using natural sweeteners; artificial sweeteners might, of course, create a superior taste. In addition, â‚ ¬27 million would be needed to commercialize a yogurt line that had received promising results in laboratory tests. This cost included acquiring specialized production facilities, working capital, and the cost of the initial product introduction. The overall IRR was estimated to be 20.5 percent. Morin stressed that the proposal, although highly uncertain in terms of actual results, could be viewed as a means of protecting present market share, because other high-quality-icecream producers carrying out the same research might introduce these products; if the Rolly brand did not carry an artificially sweetened line and its competitors did, the Rolly brand might suffer. Morin also noted the parallels between innovating with artificial sweeteners and the company’s past success in introducing low-fat products. This project would be classed in the new-product category of investments. 10. Networked, computer-based inventory-control system for warehouses and field representatives. Heinz Klink had pressed unsuccessfully for three years for a state-of-the-art computer-based inventory-control system that would link field sales representatives, distributors, drivers, warehouses, and possibly even retailers. The benefits of such a system would be shorter delays in ordering and order processing, better control of inventory, reduction of spoilage, and faster recognition of changes in demand at the customer level. Klink was reluctant to quantify these benefits, because they could range between modest and quite large amounts. This year, for the first time, he presented a cash-flow forecast, however, that reflected an initial outlay of â‚ ¬18 million for the system, followed by â‚ ¬4.5 million in the next year for ancillary equipment. The inflows reflected depreciation tax shields, tax credits, cost reductions in warehousing, and reduced inventory. He forecast these benefits to last for only three years. Even so, the project’s IRR was estimated to be 16.2 percent. This project would be classed in the efficiency category of proposals. 11. Acquisition of a leading schnapps2 brand and associated facilities. Nigel Humbolt had advocated making diversifying acquisitions in an effort to move beyond the company’s mature core business but doing so in a way that exploited the company’s skills in brand management. He had explored six possible related industries in the general field of consumer packaged goods, and determined that cordials and liqueurs offered unusual opportunities for real growth and, at the same time, market protection through branding. He had identified four small producers of well-established brands of liqueurs as acquisition candidates. Following exploratory talks with each, he had determined that only one company could be purchased in the near future, namely, the leading private European manufacturer of schnapps, located in Munich. The proposal was expensive: â‚ ¬25 million to buy the company and â‚ ¬30 million to renovate the company’s facilities completely while simultaneously expanding distribution to new geographical markets. The expected returns were high: after-tax cash flows were projected to be â‚ ¬198.5 million, yielding an IRR of 27.5 percent. This project would be classed in the newproduct category of proposals. Conclusion Each member of the management committee was expected to come to the meeting prepared to present and defend a proposal for the allocation of Euroland Foods’ caital budget of â‚ ¬120 million. Exhibit 3 summarizes the various projects in terms of their free cash flows and the investment-performance criteria. Any of various strong dry liquors, such as a strong Dutch gin. Definition borrowed from American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. UVA-F-1356 Exhibit 1 EUROLAND FOODS S.A. Nations Where Euroland Competed Note: The shaded area in this map reveals the principal distribution region of Euroland’s products. Important facilities are indicated by the following figures: 1 The effluent treatment program is not included in this exhibit. The equivalent annuity of a project is that level annual payment that yields a net present value equal to the NPV at the minimum required rate of return for that project. Annuity corrects for differences in duration among various projects. In ranking projects on the basis of equivalent annuity, bigger annuities create more investor wealth than smaller annuities. This reflects â‚ ¬16.5 million spent both initially and at the end of year 1. 4 Free cash flow = incremental profit or cost savings after taxes + depreciation investment in fixed assets and working capital. Franchisees would gradually take over the burden of carrying receivables and inventory. 6 â‚ ¬25 million would be spent in the first year, â‚ ¬30 million in the second, and â‚ ¬5 million in the third. 2 View as multi-pages

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Republican Party Essay -- American Government, Minorities

Though the Republican Party was founded on pro-minority ideals and continued to have the support of minorities its reputation quickly began to change. Wagner (2007) states that during the early late 1800s and the early 1900s, Republican support weakened among the working class. In addition, many Americans, including a sizable number of Republicans, believed that American society had lost its moral fiber. As a result of these factors, many Republicans became affiliated with the Progressive Movement, a reform movement designed to assist the working class attain better working conditions in the form of religious fundamentalism. During the Progressive Era, the Republican Party split into two groups: those Republicans interested primarily in reforming America and those Republicans still favorable to business. This division permitted the Democratic Party to gain control of the presidency between 1913 and 1921. The principal reason for why Republicans did not maintain control of the presid ency during the 1930s was the Great Depression. The American people blamed Republican presidents for causing this economic downturn and chastised the government for not responding to the needs of the people more quickly. These complains particularly harmed the minority vote and caused them to favor the Democratic Party. Therefore, the majority of racial minorities voted Democratic presidential candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt in the election of 1932 who created various government programs aiding racial minorities. During the 1940s and 1950s more moderate Republicans gained control of the party. Though President Eisenhower lobbied for equal rights for women and ethnic groups from 1953 to 1961, Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy gained power and influenc... ...otes. Though Democrats was the majority in the House of Representatives with 259 members to 176 Republicans, almost as many Republicans voted for the civil rights bill as Democrats in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The final vote was 290 for the bill and 130 against where 152 were Democrats and 138 were Republicans (meaning three-fourths of those who voted against the bill were Democrats). Another example was when Lyndon Johnson opposed civil-rights legislation while in Congress, but as president sought to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He argues that neither would have passed without the strong support of congressional Republicans (149-161). The above evidence proves that not only is the Republican Party misaligned with its pro-minority ideals, but the Democratic Party influenced the negative reputation of the Republican Party.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Historical Remediation Essay -- Writing Technology Technological Paper

Historical Remediation The history of writing is filled with accounts of humans struggling with new forms of writing tools. With the development of new writing technologies, newer tools remodeled older forms of technology to create faster writing systems. Remediation has made huge impacts on the literary world over the past few generations by looking at the cultural rivalry between different technologies and the progression of those technologies. As the years pass, new inventions are continually created to help make the tools used for writing faster, convenient and more efficient at a lower cost. Pursuits for economical writing tools date to before 1000 BC when the Egyptians created a delicate, layered reed called papyrus, to write hieroglyphs. To make this fragile material, Egyptians had to cut and peel tall papyrus reeds creating â€Å"thin strips, which were laid on a flat, wet surface, first vertically and then horizontally†¦ the two layers bonded to form a sheet of papyrus, which was dried in the sun and polished smooth with ivory or shell† (â€Å"Scroll and Codex†). Due to the long process of producing papyrus, the cost of owning the tool was very expensive and only available to the wealthy. In addition to being expensive, papyrus was not a very time efficient tool. The process of making the material was a large factor, but also storing and durability were a problem. However, for those who could afford and store the difficult items, papyrus provided a way for oral communications to be written down. â€Å"Writing on papyrus remediated oral communication by involving the eye as well as the ear and so giving the words a different claim to reality† (Bolter 23). Finally, important decrees and information could be written ... ...will continue to write by hand when they need to, but primary use the computer for everyday use. As the people of the 15th century learned to deal with progress of mass production, people of the 21st century will learn with each new remediation, the writing tool only improves. Works Cited Bolter, Jay David. Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Ilan, Meir Bar. Parchment. 13 February 2003. < http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~barilm/parchmen.html >. â€Å"Scroll and Codex.† Encyclopedia Romana Online. Encyclopedia Romona. 2001-2002. 11 February 2003. . Tomlinson, Sue. History of Writing. 1998-1999. 9 February 2003. .

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Pennsylvania Adoption Law

Adoption has been prevalent since time immemorial. In fact, history tells that the practice of adoption dates back as far as the 18th century BC. This was practiced by the ancient civilizations such Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and Babylonians. It is even referred to in the Bible and other religious texts (Meiser, 1997).Adoption is the process whereby a child is removed from his/her biological parents and placed with non-biological parent(s). This establishes a parent and child relationship, in contemplation of law, between persons not so related by nature (Adoption, 1994). Thus, adoption creates a legal parent-child relationship between individuals without the benefit of biological relation.Reasons for the Emergence of the adoption In the early decades of the twentieth century, adoption was rather unusual. In fact, adoption was not recognized by the common law, and exists later in the United States solely by virtue of the special statutes. Thus, adoption was not a common way to form a family.Due to humanitarianism, upward mobility, and infertility, however, adoption started to be institutionalized. These factors mirrored reality especially in 1920s and 1930s, when inquiries made by adults about children unattached to their families greatly increased in the United States.Through adoption, children are transferred from adults who do not want or is not capable of becoming parents to adults who want the offspring and is capable of giving love, time, and an acceptable standard of living. Hence, adoption is considered as a salvation to married couples deprived of bearing their own children because of infertility since this process allow them to form families of their own.Likewise, adoption allowed illegitimate children to be protected from social stigma as they are legitimized once adopted by their adopting parents. Thus, adoption gives a fresh start to everyone involved—the mother can erase her past by placing her baby for adoption, the child can join a normal family rather than being raised by a single parent, and the adoptive parents can experience the joy of having a child (Martin, 2006).Adoption Phenomenon: Some statistics In 1950s and 1960s, as measured both by number and by the enthusiastic support of a broad white middle class, adoption flourished. Ten years thereafter, or in the 1960s and 1970s, adoption brought a remarkable transformation to society as adoption posted a record high of almost ninety thousand adoptions made by non-relatives.In recent years, however, this number increased by almost forty (40) percent as survey reveals that Americans annually adopt approximately one hundred twenty-five thousand (125,000) children, strangers and relatives alike (Adoption statistics, 2006).This has affected 2.4% of the United States population or about five (5) million Americans (id). The Census also reveals that among those children adopted, sixty-four (64) percent are whites, sixteen (16) percent are African American seven (7) perce nt are Asians (2000).In Pennsylvania alone, 4,047 children were served by the Pennsylvania Adoption Exchange (PAE) (PAE 2004). Forty-eight (48) percent of these children are African Americans, thirty six (36) percent are Caucasians and five (5) are Hispanics (id).Despite this wide acceptance of adoption in the American society or the inhabitants of Pennsylvania for that matter, a number of children are still â€Å"waiting† to be adopted. For instance, in Pennsylvania, out of the twenty two thousand six hundred ninety (22,690) children who were placed in foster care, twenty two (22) percent are still â€Å"waiting† to be adopted (Adoption institute, 1999).Considering this unprecedented increase in adoptions in the country, the United States senate is pushing for a bigger funding for the child support enforcement and family support programs to be paid to various states. Thus from a mere $2,121,643, 000 appropriated in 2006, the proposed budget for the administration of c hildren and families is increased to $2,759,997,000 for this incoming year of 2007 (US Department f Health and Services, 2006). This is equal to a $7,300,00 increase of funding.Adoption Laws in the United StatesBefore the first adoption statutes went into effect in 1850’s, children were removed from his/her biological parents and were transferred to non-biological parent(s) without the legal recognition of the adoption. As this informal type of adoption increased the State legislature devised a way to formalize the adoption process.Thus, in May 24, 1851 the first adoption statute in the United States went into effect – the Massachusetts Adoption of Children Act. Pursuant to the Massachusetts statute, adoption was required to be judicially approved, likewise the consent of the child’s parent or guardian were needed to be secured, and also a finding that the prospective adoptive family was of with sufficient ability to raise the child.History of Pennsylvania Adopt ion LawFollowing the example of Massachusetts, the Pennsylvania enacted its own adoption statutes – the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. In earlier times, Pennsylvania provided that adoption could be decreed by the common pleas of courts of the countries.An amendment to this adoption legislation was thereafter made in 1872 wherein the process of adoption referred to as the â€Å"common law form of adopting a child be deed† was legalized. Under this system, it is possible that an adoption refused by the judge will be consummated by a deed. (Deardorff, 1925).The State legislatures saw the defect in this kind of Pennsylvania system. For under this system, no social investigation of the child and his natural family or of the adopting family was provided. Further, a judge can consummate an adoption without seeing any of the parties and worse, even without sufficient information other than that contained in the petition for adoption.With this kind of system, cases of perj ury as to the identity of the natural parents of a child and as to whether or not these natural parents are still alive were exposed.Due to the globalization of the adoption, legislatures have made vigorous reforms as regards adoption statutes. In 1917, for instance, Minnesota passed the first State law that required children and adults to be investigated and adoption records to be shielded from public view (Adoption history in brief, 2006).Decades later, more than twenty states had translated similar standards into law. By mid-century, policies of minimum standard such as certification of child-placers, investigation of the child and adult parties to adoption, and supervision of new families after placement and before finalization were incorporated in the revision of adoption statutes in all the states in the country.The policies of confidentiality and sealed records were likewise instituted by most states. Confidentially of records, however, at this time meant that the records of information are off limits to the inquisitive members of the public but kept it available to the children and adults directly involved in adoption, who were called the â€Å"parties in interest.†Similarly, in 1925, under the Pennsylvania adoption law, the adoption was accessible to anyone curious enough to search it out. Other court records were sealed only at the discretion of a judge, in which case they could then be inspected by court order. In 1947 however, Pennsylvania followed suit in sealing its records.Although the records were sealed, adoptees who would reach the age of twenty-one (21) could still obtain their original birth certificates from the Office of Vital Statistics. Then in 1953, court records including the adoption decree were sealed to all, with the exception of being able to be opened upon showing of an undefined â€Å"good cause.†(Holub, 2006) In 1984, after a six (6) year push by state Rep. Stephen Friend, R-Delaware Country â€Å"to close the lo ophole†, as it was termed, the state legislature passed a bill denominated as Act 185 finally closing the records of adoption. Act 185 amended Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes and provides that all adoption records, and other papers shall be withheld from inspection except upon a court order.The Pennsylvania adoption law, thus prohibits adoptees from obtaining their original birth certificates or any other document that would identify birth parents. That includes baptism certificates and adoption records. After the grace period in February 1985, adoption records were finally closed.This law was pushed by Rep. Stephen Friend since he claimed that young, unmarried pregnant women would choose to have abortions rather than relinquish their children to adoption if it were possible for their adult children to discover their identity. He also asserted that the state should â€Å"keep its promise† of â€Å"privacy† to birthparents. (id)Cynthia Bertrand Holub, a member of the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee to the Joint State Government Commission on Adoption Law, says the desire to â€Å"preserve the middle-classness of these women, so they could relinquish their [illegitimate] child and go home as if nothing had happened,† was one of several forces that led states to seal adoptees' birth records (2006).Thus, confidentiality now means that when courts issue adoption decrees, they shall produce new birth certificates, thus, listing adopters’ names in the new birth certificate, and sealing away the originals, which contained the names of birth parents, or at least birth mothers.Criticisms of the Pennsylvania Adoption Law.  The Pennsylvania Adoption law was criticized mainly with respect to the sealing of the adoption records. Critiques refutes Rep. Stephen Friend’s claim that â€Å"unmarried pregnant women would choose to have abortions rather than relinquish their children to adoption if it were possible for their adult children to discover their identity.†They assert that Pennsylvania’s abortion rate should have declined and the adoption rate should have risen accordingly. Between 1985 and 1990, however, the abortion rate in Pennsylvania is inconsequential, and Pennsylvania still has one of the lowest adoption rates in the country.They further assert that neither was there ever a single suit by a birthparent for invasion of privacy. Other critique says that the confidentiality made it possible for some of these parents to avoid telling their children that they were adopted at all.As far as a number of birthparents are concerned, they believe that they still have the right to copies of everything relating to the loss of their babies. Dorner, in her book Adoption Search citing the Catholic manual states that â€Å"[b]irth parents also seek information about their children and their adoptive families through the years. Being able to obtain file informat ion pertaining to the time of the pregnancy, is reality basing and healing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Buterbaugh, 2001).On the other hand, supporters of the Pennsylvania Adoption Law, such as the relatives of many unmarried birth mothers also favored the confidentiality measure. After the World War II, when more out-of-wedlock births occurred in middle-class families, mortified parents contends that their daughters should have a second chance to lead normal, married lives. ConclusionAdoption statutes by different states primarily emerged as an answer to the growing unrecorded adoptions in the country. More so, these enactments are hoped to protect the interests of the parties involved — i.e. adopting parents, biological parents and the child himself.Adoption statutes, however, are of varying degrees in terms of privacy across states. Recently, Pennsylvania adopted a very strict standard on privacy matters.This means that nobody can actually view the original birth certificate of the adop ted child as a new one was created. This new law, however, sowed criticism from different sectors as they believed that biological parents still have the right to information as to what has become of their child.Also, they argued that the child, himself, is entitled to information as to whether he is indeed of the same flesh and blood as that of his known parents. They also sans the statute for allowing adopting parents to forever conceal the truth regarding the child’s birth.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Health, Behavior and Optimal Aging Essay Example

Health, Behavior and Optimal Aging Essay Example Health, Behavior and Optimal Aging Paper Health, Behavior and Optimal Aging Paper The authors presented a Life Span Development Perspective to help people better understand the process of aging. The experiences and thought patterns of individuals as they accumulate through the years have an important impact in their latter behavior and psychological makeup. If these experiences were processed and internalized well, then the aging individuals could engage in what the authors call Optimal Aging. The health of aging individuals are deteriorating. They no longer have the strength and the vigor they used to have. This could become the source of discontent and frustration if they are not able to handle the process of aging. But as they realize the importance of growing old and they relish what they have done through the years, they can maintain positive behavior and avoid the negative emotions and frustrations so often associated with the process of aging. The rate of aging can also be affected by certain psychosocial factors. The immediate environment of the aging individuals such as the family, the presene of caregivers and the existence of a supportive community can help them deal with the realities of aging and they can still enjoy the company of their friends and their relatives. On the other hand, the process of optimal aging can not be dealt with by an individual alone, it should be with the help of others. Through optimal aging, the individuals going through the process of aging could enjoy adulthood and the late years of life without feeling worthless. If they can engage in physical and social activities suited to their age, they can live meaningfully and happily. Reference Aldwin, CM, Spiro, A, Park, CL (2006). Health, Behavior and Optimal Aging: A Life Span Development Perspective. In Birren, JE Schaei, KW. Handbook of the Psychology of Aging (6th edn). California: Elsevier Academic Press.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Social Groups and Formal Organization Essays

Social Groups and Formal Organization Essays Social Groups and Formal Organization Essay Social Groups and Formal Organization Essay Social Groups and Formal Organizations Groups- People who think of themselves as belonging together and who interact with one another are the essence of life in society Aggregate- Individuals who temporarily share the same physical space but who do not see themselves as belonging together. * People who happen to be in the same place at the same time. Category- People who have similar characteristics Charles Horton Cooley- called primary groups the springs of life. ( Person, liking or loving you ) Primary Groups- A group characterized by intimate, long-term , face to face association and cooperation. These groups refer to family, which play a key role in the development of the self. Secondary Groups- compared with primary groups, a larger, relatively temporarily, more anonymous, formal, and impersonal group based on some interest or activity. Robert Michel- â€Å"The Iron Law of Oligarchy† (many are ruled by a few) – sociologists Robert Michel’s coined this term to refer to how organizations come to be dominated by a small, self -perpetuating elite. In Group- (We) Groups towards which we feel loyalty Out Groups- (They) Groups towards which we feel antagonism. Reference Groups- (Better/Perfection) Groups we refer to when we evaluate ourselves. Social Network- (tends to maintain a status quo rather than enhance mobility) – the social ties radiating outward from the self that link people together. Max Weber- â€Å"Characteristics of Bureaucracies†- Bureaucracies-is a formal organization with a hierarchy of authority and a clear division of labor, emphasis on impersonality of positions and written rules, communications and records. Peter Principle- a tongue-in cheek-observation that the members of an organization are promoted for their accomplishments until they reach their level of incompetence, there they cease to be promoted, remaining at the level at which they can no longer do good work . Mortification-

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Timeline of Reconstruction

Timeline of Reconstruction Reconstruction was a time of rebuilding the the United States after the tumultuous years of the Civil War. It lasted from the end of Civil War in 1865 to the Compromise of 1877 when Rutherford B. Hayes was given the presidency  in exchange for removing federal troops from Southern states.  Following are key events that occurred during this era including events that were occurring in other parts of the United States. 1865 Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment which abolished slavery in the United States.  Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate forces at Appomattox Courthouse.   Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Fords Theater.   Andrew Johnson succeeded Lincoln to the presidency.  Johnson began implementing a restoration plan based loosely on Lincolns ideas to help reintegrate the South. He issues pardons to most Confederates who are willing to take an oath of loyalty.  The last slaves in the United States are emancipated on June 19th, also called Juneteenth.  Mississippi creates black codes that limit the rights of freed blacks. They soon become common across the South.  The Freedmans Bureau is established.   1866 Congress passed the Fourteenth Amendment which ensured equal protection of the laws to all persons.  Most Southern states reject it.  The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was passed which granted full citizenship and civil rights to blacks.  The Ku Klux Klan was founded in Tennessee. It would extend throughout the South by 1868.  The First Transatlantic Cable was completed.   1867   The Military Reconstruction Act divided the former Confederacy into five military districts. Union generals policed these districts.  The Tenure of Office Act was passed requiring congressional approval before the president could remove appointees. This was to try and force Johnson to keep Radical Republican Edwin Stanton as Secretary of War. He went against the act when he removed Stanton from office in August.  The Grange  was established by farmers in the Midwest. It would quickly grow to over 800,000 members.  The US purchased Alaska from Russia in what was called Sewards Folly.   1868 President Johnson was impeached by the House but was acquitted by the Senate.  The Fourteenth Amendment was finally ratified by the states. Ulysses S. Grant became president.  The eight-hour workday became law for federal employees.   1869 The first transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Point, Utah.  The Knights of Labor was formed.  James Fisk and Jay Gould tried to corner the gold market leading to Black Friday.  Wyoming became the first state to grant womens suffrage.   1870 The Fifteenth Amendment was ratified giving black males the right to vote.  The last four  Southern states  that fought for the confederacy were readmitted to Congress. These were Virginia, Mississippi, Texas, and Georgia.  The first black Senator, Hiram E. Revels, assumed the seat of Jefferson Davis.  The Enforcement Act was passed. This was allowed for federal intervention against the Ku Klux Klan.  A California case, White v. Flood, set the precedent for schools to be segregated by race.   1871 The Indian Appropriations Act was passed. This made all Native Americans as wards of the state.Boss Tweed political machine was exposed by the New York Times.The greenback becomes legal tender.  US reached the Alabama settlement with England over the aid it gave to the Confederacy in building warships. England paid $15.5 million in damages.  The Great Chicago Fire occurred. 1872   Ulysses S. Grant was reelected as president.Democrats gradually reclaim control of Southern state governments in a process known as Redemption.  Yellowstone National Park was established. 1873 The Panic of 1873 occurred, caused by rampant railroad speculation. The Gilded Age was written by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. 1874 The Womans Christian Temperance Union was founded. 1875 The Whiskey Ring scandal occurred during President Grants administration. A number of his associates were indicted.  The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was passed by Congress. It established penalties for those who denied citizens equal employment and the use of inns, theaters, and other places.   1876 The Lakota Sioux are ordered to reservations. In their resistance, the Sioux led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse defeat General Custer and his men at the Battle of Little Big Horn.  Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone.Samuel J. Tilden defeated Rutherford B. Hayes in the popular vote. However, the electoral vote is thrown into the House of Representatives.   1877   The Compromise of 1877 occurred giving Hayes the presidency.  Federal troops were removed from the Southern states.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Answer the 3 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer the 3 questions - Essay Example Deed of Partnerships is a document made by the partners and signed by a solicitor thus helping in setting up of partnerships. The Deed sets out the binding and legal relationship between the partners. Profits sharing and responsibilities of each and every member are stated in the Deed. Traditionally, partners had unlimited liability (Harris 2001, p.23). This meant that they were jointly responsible for the debts of their partnerships. This however changed in 2001 and it led to some large firms like the accountancy to have limited liability. A good example of a partnership is the Wright, Brown and Ali L Partnership. Companies are also another form of business forms. The people that own companies are the shareholders. Each and every shareholder in a business is responsible for the debts in the business up to the sum they have contributed should the company run up debts (Harris 2001, p.45). Various documents for example a Memorandum and Articles of Association are required for a company to register. The registration is done at the Companies House found in Cardiff. Example of companies includes Marks and Spencer, BP and many more. There are two types of companies namely public limited company and the private limited company. Public limited companies are those companies which are listed in the stock exchange. The financial records of public limited companies are always open to the public (Harris 2001, p.37). Examples include Tim Horton’s and many more. Private limited company on the other hand is a business company incorporated as an independent retailer in a market place. The shareholders have limited liabilities and mostly the shares are not open to the public. A good example is the PLC. Marketing communications proportional mix is a broad terms that is used to describe a set of tools that a business can use in the process of communicating effectively its products or services to the clients. The proportional mix is inclusive

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Derivation of Public Law and Government Levels of Preemption Assignment

The Derivation of Public Law and Government Levels of Preemption - Assignment Example This paper illustrates that the law dictates that public health personnel play the role of promoting and protecting the health as well as protection of the individual's rights in the process of protecting the health. This law is very crucial in creating a boundary between those who seek help from public health workers, since others may abuse their rights towards caring for patients or those in need. For this reason, the public health workers must ensure that they observe ethical values of the population they are serving in a manner that protects their rights. Similarly, they must help the population they serve by promoting and protecting their health since this is the course they undertook. Serving the population is their primary duty, to ensure that the people have a good health, and are free from any illness that might interfere with their well-being. Hence, the rules were derived following the mandate was given to the public health workers in serving the population and promoting t heir well-being. Civil liberties are rights that individuals enjoy and are inevitable under any circumstance. For this reason, public health care laws cannot interfere with them but instead should protect them by giving the necessities required to promote life. One of the civil liberties people enjoy is the right to life, and no public health care law can deny any individual of the right. Because of such civil liberties, public health care laws must work at protecting them since they are above board. The government plays an essential role in controlling and promoting the provision of health care throughout the states. Their role is important because it regulates the health sector as well as the conducts of the different players in the market, such as health professionals. In many cases, the government sets a standard under which all the practices have to align and adhere to. Because of this attempt, governments pre-empt competitiors in some circumstance and become the only player in the market or in healthcare for that matter. This happens because of the supervisory role of the government in the lower level agencies or hospitals with the aim of maintaining order and productivity. Similarly, the pre-emption of the government has made it possible for lower level hospitals or agencies to act within their capacity, making them leave other services for higher agencies or government.

Response to 4 students postings with 60 words and 2 references for Coursework - 4

Response to 4 students postings with 60 words and 2 references for each response - Coursework Example challenges that come with diversity when implementing organizational change, no light was shed on the fact that diversity could also be a healthy development in some instances (Kalev, 2006). The impression that such writing creates is that all managers should eliminate all forms of diversity because it will be difficult to deal with them. But there are clearly scenarios when diversities come with numerous advantages to managers who want to implement change (Mind, 2012). This could indeed be described as a more detailed and elaborative discussion on the subject of diversity and organizational change. This is because the writer did not only throw light on the advantages and disadvantages of diversity (Devos and Banaji, 2005) but went ahead to critically outlines some of specific examples of organizational change in the midst of diversity. Then also, series of solutions that best problems were outlined (Jehn, 1999). This way, all managers can draw various implications from the text and use it in controlling the diversity that exists in their own work outfits. It is a strong point for the writer that he elaborates on some of the conditions that bring about diversity at the workplace (Stevens, Plaut and Sanchez-Burks, 2008). In doing this, the writer takes a step further to look at specific instances of organizational change that took place in the midst of diversity. Some challenges that were posed and how they were solved were also outlined (Hickman, 2010). The writer could have however given some generalized implications to the management of diversity other than what prevailed in this present work

Thursday, October 17, 2019

BASIC STATISTICAL MEASURES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

BASIC STATISTICAL MEASURES - Essay Example The descriptive statistics provided by the authors on their research findings forms a good basis for understanding the role played by these traits in influencing performance and efficiency of a virtual team. In the course of reading this article, I will apply myself to the issues brought about in the question paper. Consciousness variance affects virtual team performance performance in a negatively for extroversion incongruity values below 0.76/0.46=1.52. Since 77% of the sample that forms the majority falls is in this range, then it is evident that conscientiousness variance impacts negatively on performance of virtual teams (Turel & Zhang, 2010). This supports the second hypothesis which states that within-virtual-team conscientiousness variance will have a negative influence on performance of virtual team. Secondly, within-virtual-team extroversion variance does not have a positive effect on virtual team’s accomplishments since this measure did not receive any backing in the presence of a term of interaction. Thirdly, a variation in terms of extroversion helps reduce the negative impact of conscientiousness deviation on virtual teams’ performance to a great extent. Therefore, the interplay between within-virtual-team conscientiousness variations and within-virtual-team extrover sion variations will have a positive impact on virtual the performance of virtual teams. Lastly, variations on perceived problem solving methods within the team impacts negatively on performance of that particular team; hence members of a team who have similar levels of perceived of perceived requirements for problem solving make a positive contribution to group performance (Turel & Zhang, 2010). Therefore, team performance is negatively influenced by perceptions on requirements for solving problems within that particular team. In this study, nominal scale was used as seen in the selection of those interviewed, who

Homeland Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Homeland Security - Essay Example This definition of the effectiveness of the US department of Homeland security constitutes of various facts such as: the security services cannot stop all the terrorist attacks from taking place, the services have to create a strategy for both the longer run and the shorter run and the services should counter terrorist activities while balancing citizens interests, minimizing financial cost and making sure that citizens freedom is never at stake. Security services should devise plans that are fool proof and can prevent most of the attacks from taking place, this does not means that their plans can stop hundred percent of the attacks that are being planned and implemented. Even if the Homeland Security department cannot stop all the attacks, their measures are not necessarily ineffective. If at any particular point in time, no attacks are taking place, this does not represent that the strategy implemented by the department has become successful and are of utmost effectiveness. The Security services should always have a short term and long term strategy in position to counter both short term and long term plans. If they have only short term plans, then they are overlooking the longer plans that terrorist activity conductors have prepared. The services should plan its measures in accordance to the way terrorist organizations behave, they set long-term goals, all individuals are committed to a common goal and they are ready to e xperience utmost difficulty for the achievement of their cause. Terrorists are ready are actively participating in a never ending war with the security forces all around the world including Homeland Security, thus it is this the duty of the security department to continue creating a long-term strategy. While developing a strategy to counter terrorist activities, policy developers and strategy developers should ensure that their strategies and tactics do not harm the liberty and

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

BASIC STATISTICAL MEASURES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

BASIC STATISTICAL MEASURES - Essay Example The descriptive statistics provided by the authors on their research findings forms a good basis for understanding the role played by these traits in influencing performance and efficiency of a virtual team. In the course of reading this article, I will apply myself to the issues brought about in the question paper. Consciousness variance affects virtual team performance performance in a negatively for extroversion incongruity values below 0.76/0.46=1.52. Since 77% of the sample that forms the majority falls is in this range, then it is evident that conscientiousness variance impacts negatively on performance of virtual teams (Turel & Zhang, 2010). This supports the second hypothesis which states that within-virtual-team conscientiousness variance will have a negative influence on performance of virtual team. Secondly, within-virtual-team extroversion variance does not have a positive effect on virtual team’s accomplishments since this measure did not receive any backing in the presence of a term of interaction. Thirdly, a variation in terms of extroversion helps reduce the negative impact of conscientiousness deviation on virtual teams’ performance to a great extent. Therefore, the interplay between within-virtual-team conscientiousness variations and within-virtual-team extrover sion variations will have a positive impact on virtual the performance of virtual teams. Lastly, variations on perceived problem solving methods within the team impacts negatively on performance of that particular team; hence members of a team who have similar levels of perceived of perceived requirements for problem solving make a positive contribution to group performance (Turel & Zhang, 2010). Therefore, team performance is negatively influenced by perceptions on requirements for solving problems within that particular team. In this study, nominal scale was used as seen in the selection of those interviewed, who

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Conduct Apple SWOT analysis for deciding whether to investin in that Assignment

Conduct Apple SWOT analysis for deciding whether to investin in that company or not - Assignment Example Every business has its strengths and weakness. Apple is one such a company. Its origins are humble from the garage where the company’s founders, the two Steves worked on their inventions (O’Grady, 2009). The company has grown from those times to the large company that it is today. This article will, therefore, attempt to look into the company and come up with an analysis, to give the potential investor an idea about the company. This will then guide the potential investor towards making the decision on whether to invest in the company or not. One prominent, strength of a company is its ability to be innovative (Ferrell & Hartline, 2011). This allows the company to maintain a competitive edge over its rivals. The launch of the IPod, I pad and the App store has allowed APPLE to become successful. This was done through the product design, branding, strategic alliances and its business model. The APPLE Company’s leadership, for example, has ensured that its corporate governance has remained stable (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2008); even with the demise of its iconic Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs. This was done by the appointment of Tim Cook who has a long history spanning around 13 years (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2008). This, in effect, has served to stabilize the company and saved it the turmoil that comes with the search for a successor. Leadership has historically been one of the strong points of the company. In 1997, when the company was facing bankruptcy, it resulted in the hiring back Steve Jobs as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who helped restore the company’s profitability (Schneiders, 2011). This was mainly through the CEO’s creation of NEXT, as well as, the film company Pixar. This created a platform on, which the company rode on to return to profitability, momentum that has remained to date. Strength of the company has also to do with its brand. The company’s resolve to change the product line, as well

Descartes Free

Descartes Free Will Essay In Meditations on First Philosophy Descartes attempts to explain the cause of errors in human beings. Descartes says that error occurs since the will extends further than the intellect (Descartes p. 39). Thats because our intellect is something that is finite; it is limited to the perception of only certain things. Whereas our will, ability to choose is not limited; it is has an infinite capacity. Therefore we sometimes attempt to will things which we do not have a complete understanding of. Descartes argument, as I will briefly describe, is quite sound, if you agree to all his conditions (being that the intellect is limited and the will infinite). I am not, as of yet, sure if I necessarily agree to the later of his two conditions. I will strive to evaluate different discernments of what will is, and if it is truly free. Then apply it to his argument. But first let me explain Descartes argument on the causation of errors. Descartes discussion begins in saying that errors depend on the simultaneous concurrence of two causes: the faculty of knowing that is in me and the faculty of choosing (Descartes p. 38). I will first tackle the faculty of knowing, or intellect. Descartes says that it merely perceives and understands ideas, which can later have judgment passed on them (see Descartes p. 38). The intellect is limited and finite because it can occur in different degrees. While some people have a simple understanding of a language others have a mastery of its grammar and syntax. But no one can have a mastery of all the mysteries of the universe. Then there is the faculty of choosing, as Descartes calls it, or rather the will. Descartes says that he experience[s] that it is limited by no boundaries whatever (Descartes p. 38). It is seen as infinite because unlike the intellect is does to adhere to different grades. It exists merely as a matter of being able to do or not to do something; to affirm or deny something proposed by ones intellect (see Descartes p. 38). In some cases ones will is unable to make such a decision, Descartes says, not because of a fault in the will but rather because the intellect is lacking complete knowledge of the situation (see Descartes p. 39). It is here that one should be indifferent to passing judgment. If in such a instance indifference is not the outcome an error is most likely to occur. Descartes says that this error will occur only when both work together because alone they cannot produce error. Thats because intellect, in and of itself, only perceives ideas which one knows and error would only occur if one tried to perceive ideas he did not know, which is impossible. The other, the will, in that it acts of itself, is only a utility of choice which alone cannot error. Therefore error and sin occur when both intellect and will work with each other. It is the disproportion between the limit of the will and the intellect that causes blunders. The will, as Ive stated, is a limitless aspect of ourselves and therefore can pass judgment on any proposition brought forth. But the intellect can only clearly perceive and understand very few propositions. As Descartes says it is where I extend it (the will) to things I do not understand (Descartes p. 39) that error is caused. Thats because one is, instead of acting indifferent, passing judgment on things that are not clear in the intellect. A person can easily then turn away from the good and truth given to our intellect by God and partake in sin and deceit (see Descartes p. 39). The finally area that Descartes adds is that in some instances a person can pass judgment on things that arent understood and not produce an error. In those cases the person has still acted in an incorrect manor, but it is just be chance that the correct choice, or judgment was made (see Descartes p. 40). It is here that I have concluded Descartes argument and will now attempt to seek answers to my own questions: If the will is in fact as free as Descartes speaks? If it is actually comparable to that of Gods? And if its ideal state is the same as that of practical use? The first aspect I would like to navigate through is the constraints placed on the ability to choose. One does not have the opportunity to choose freely in an organized society, community or institute. There seems to always be a restriction to the actual amount of choices one has. If Descartes was correct in his assumption of complete freedom of choice and will every option would be available to someone at any given time, in any given situation. But this is not necessarily the condition. There are a few different examples that one can view to comprehend this facet of my argument. Take for instance, perhaps an extreme but an occurrence none the less, people born of poverty do not have the ability to choose to acquire certain things. It is impossible simply by the fact that they do not have the means to get it. There is no choice of purchasing a fifty dollar object if all one has is twenty dollars. I feel though that perhaps Descartes was speaking of another free will, a non-materialistic aspect. Another example one can then try to explain is how in many middle eastern nations individuals are born into a society where one religion is forced upon them. They must live to follow this religion or risk outcast by the community or even death. In such a decision one does not have the opportunity to choose to not follow the religion because, although it may seem available, most choices against the norm bring with them an extreme consequences. Is there really a free will if one knows a consequence to be so evil, or heinous that they really have no choice but to go with the other option. On the other hand if Descartes was strictly speaking of free will in the sense of judgment and affirmation another option arises. One should have the ability to, in a sense, will something even if its not available to him. For example if a person has been convicted of a crime and is going to be sent to prison he can will that he doesnt have to go. Although here is seems that willing something is almost in a way the same as wishing it. But if it does follow that free will is only involved in passing judgment then a person can will whatever they want in their own mind, it doesnt mean necessarily that they will receive it. But one again this illustration is somewhat similar to my previous two, in that, if in actuality a choice will provide no outcome is the choice even there and if not its a limited faculty. The definition of limitless qualities that Descartes affiliates with the will is something that is questionable as well. Descartes, in a sense, contradicts himself when he says that he can see mans image and likeness to God in the ability to choose because both are infinite (see Descartes p. 38). But then says that the faculty of willing is incomparably greater in God than it is in me because of the power and knowledge God uses with it (ibid). So I ponder then if the ability to will cannot truly stand on its on, because by Descartes definition it passes certain judgment on something else, and that something in God is greater, how can one be equal to God. How can His infinite ability be greater than mans infinite ability. By definition there are no degrees of infinite, there is only finite or infinite, limited or limitless. In such a practical aspect I must appeal to my reason and then say that we cannot have an equal will to that of Gods. I say this because Gods willing can partake on any area of knowledge and have a boundless consequence over many things. Where as mans cannot. As I said, that was my practical deduction of our will in comparison to Gods. I was sure to state practical because I do feel there is a great difference between ones free will in a practical sense and an ideal sense. Actually in the practical sense I will be so bold as to say ones will is not free at all. All the examples I have given are practical uses of the will. And all of these examples seem limited for a number of reasons. As I already pointed out, I felt that the comparison between mans will and God will not be equal because in practice will cannot stand unaccompanied. That is why the will is not free or infinite in a realistic way because it never stands by itself. It relies on other faculties that, as Descartes even says, are limited which in turn make it limited. Therefore when people are faced with choices, like in my examples, not all the options are available because of a lack of knowledge or perhaps a constraint placed on someone from his society. If the will was able to stand alone I would agree that it is an infinite faculty but it doesnt. Hence I must also reason that the will Descartes speaks of is not the will that can be used in practice but rather it is an ideal will. In this ideal state people would be able to will anything they wanted, although they would most likely not receive it. In an ideal state I would have been able to will that I did not have to do this paper and not receive and F on it, but I very well know that would not have been possible. But the acting of willing alone would be free and infinite. I now must apply what I have learned to Descartes original argument of error. Since I have concluded that the ability to choose, or will that Descartes speaks of is ideal, this causation of error would also be ideal. Descartes said that when one should be acting indifferent to things and does not is when errors or correct choices by luck occur (see Descartes p. 39). Ideally this would be true, but in actuality many things lead to errors, and prevention of errors as well. Of course I do agree that in many cases mistakes are made because of people make judgments on things they have lack of knowledge of. But errors and sin can also occur when people have no other choice. For instance if a person is held at gun point and told to do something he may very well be passing a false judgment on something he has total knowledge of and in turn acting in error. From the other side of the argument Descartes says that to prevent himself from ever erring he must follow his feeling of indifference and stick with it instead of attempting to affirm or deny something (see Descartes p. 41). But I must also add to this argument that society does place constraints on things to prevent people from committing errors. Therefore it is not entirely internal. So I will conclude with saying that I have no choice but to say, from my reasoning, that in Meditation on First Philosophy Descartes speaks of a very ideal situation which would, in that state, hold true. But in the practical world ones perception cannot be so narrow because there are many facets that contribute to what we can do and why we can do them. Works Cited Descartes, Rene. (1993). Meditations on First Philosophy . translated by Donald A. Cress. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Corp.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Impact of the Internet on Live Music

Impact of the Internet on Live Music Antà ©a H. E. L. GEORGHIOU   The Internet has killed live music and caused financial problems for musicians. Discuss. Society is confronted to a fast changing technological environment, especially with the Internet. Some claim that live music is on the decline, and that music industry and musicians suffer from financial problems. We will be discussing the negative, but also the positive aspects that has the Internet on live music and on the music industry. Firstly, it is a known fact that in comparison to the past, CDs sales are declining, and this is mostly due to the apparition of new media and to illegal music streaming and downloads online.[1] Despite this, online content also has advantages: many consumers, especially the younger population, use the Internet as a way to discover new music, although it is mostly done illegally. This discovery can be turned into revenue with legal streaming services. [2] The younger generation does not go in shops to find music anymore; the Internet is a more practical way to discover new artists, while staying at home. Services, such as Spotify, have been made available to stream music legally: free versions are run thanks to advertisements, and consumers can pay to not have them.[3] Consumers tend to download music in order to sample it, and if they like it, they may purchase it,[4] and maybe even go to concerts later on. This is also positive for live music; it is an effective advertisement in a way. Some debates were recently going on about Periscope, a mobile application that allows you to watch people live-streaming all over the world. It is said to have a negative impact on live music since people were live-streaming concerts for example. On the one hand, it is true, for people watching the performances are not paying, and people are streaming it without owning the rights to do so.[5] On the other hand, it can be a good way to make other people discover an artist, especially since it is available to see worldwide, including places where there may not be concert opportunities. From a financial point of view, illegal resources online do impact the industry and artists. However, new ways are found to improve these issues as much as possible. A successful example is Japan: in order for their disc industry to keep on selling, they developed an effective strategy; albums and singles come with unique features, special songs or additional content and bonuses. This strategy is working well because fans are ready to pay to get this additional content from their favourite artists.[6] The music industry in all its aspects has changed over the past years due to the Internet and the digitization of music. Nowadays, consumers want free access to music. It became an expectation and piracy is considered normal. Subscription models are now more and more used, allowing the consumers to pay in order to access a music library.[7] Streaming services ensure revenue to artists, labels, etc. Artists themselves can also release free songs through these in exchange of consumers loyalty. These services also prove to be useful for the evaluation of trends and popularity of songs. The Internet also offers opportunities for artists that other media dont provide. Artists can now interact with their fans on social media a lot of them do so -, and make their own advertisement directly to their fanbase. To conclude, despite having made illegal copying and downloading much easier, new technologies also offer new opportunities for the music industry. References Andersen, B. and Frenz, M. (2010). Dont blame the P2P file-sharers: the impact of free music downloads on the purchase of music CDs in Canada. Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 20(5). Fox, M. (2004). E-commerce Business Models for the Music Industry. Popular Music and Society, 27(2). Gopal, R., Bhattacharjee, S. and Sanders, G. (2006). Do Artists Benefit from Online Music Sharing?. The Journal of Business, 79(3). Miller, K. (2017). Japan overwhelmingly favors CDs to digital music. [online] Japan Today. Available at: https://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/japan-overwhelmingly-favors-cds-to-digital-music. Miller, K. (2017). Japan overwhelmingly favors CDs to digital music. [online] Japan Today. Available at: https://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/japan-overwhelmingly-favors-cds-to-digital-music. Peitz, M. and Waelbroeck, P. (2004). The Effect of Internet Piracy on CD Sales: Cross-Section Evidence. CESifo Working Paper Series, (1122). Pfanner, E. (2017). Music Industry Lures Casual Pirates to Legal Sites. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/technology/internet/20stream.html?emc=eta1pagewanted=al. Sciencedirect.com. (2017). Is the music industry stuck between rock and a hard place? The role of the Internet and three possible scenarios. [online] Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698910001256. The Guardian. (2017). Meerkat and Periscope are fun apps but beware the sting in the tail. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2015/mar/31/meerkat-periscope-live-streaming-copyright-brands. Us Weekly. (2017). Adele Calls Out Fan for Filming Her Concert: Enjoy It in Real Life!. [online] Available at: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/adele-calls-out-fan-for-filming-her-concert-enjoy-it-in-real-life-w208223. [1] Peitz, M. and Waelbroeck, P. (2004). The Effect of Internet Piracy on CD Sales: Cross-Section Evidence. CESifo Working Paper Series, (1122). [2] Andersen, B. and Frenz, M. (2010). Dont blame the P2P file-sharers: the impact of free music downloads on the purchase of music CDs in Canada. Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 20(5), pp.715-740. [3] Pfanner, E. (2017). Music Industry Lures Casual Pirates to Legal Sites. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/technology/internet/20stream.html?emc=eta1pagewanted=al [Accessed 25 Mar. 2017]. [4] Gopal, R., Bhattacharjee, S. and Sanders, G. (2006). Do Artists Benefit from Online Music Sharing?. The Journal of Business, 79(3), pp.1503-1533. [5] The Guardian. (2017). Meerkat and Periscope are fun apps but beware the sting in the tail. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2015/mar/31/meerkat-periscope-live-streaming-copyright-brands [Accessed 25 Mar. 2017]. [6] Miller, K. (2017). Japan overwhelmingly favors CDs to digital music. [online] Japan Today. Available at: https://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/japan-overwhelmingly-favors-cds-to-digital-music [Accessed 25 Mar. 2017]. [7] Fox, M. (2004). E-commerce Business Models for the Music Industry. Popular Music and Society, 27(2), pp.201-220.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Andrew Jackson From A Biddle P :: essays research papers

Andrew Jackson: Should he be elected for a third term?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Andrew Jackson has been a nuisance to me ever since his first term in office. Throughout the years, his administration has proved to be against everything that I have worked so hard to achieve. In the issue of the bank, he has abused his Executive power, given to him by the Federal Constitution. There are many instances of when Andrew Jackson has abused his executive power through his previous terms. In his first inaugural address, he proclaims, â€Å"In administering the laws of Congress I shall keep steadily in view the limitations as well as the extent of the Executive power trusting thereby to discharge the functions of my office without transcending its authority.† His actions show otherwise. On many important issues at this time, his position is opposite of mine and because of that, my decision in the upcoming 1836 election will be affected by them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the issue of the Second Bank of the United States, he had abused his executive power immensely. He had vetoed a re-charter of the bank using his power. It seemed that he had abused the power and used it for his own causes. Previous to Andrew Jackson, the presidential veto power had only been used nine times, and only when questioning the constitutionality of something. Andrew Jackson was scared of the bank. He had told me before that ever since he had heard about the South Sea Bubble (18th century British economic crash driven by speculation and uncontrolled banking), he had been afraid of the bank. He argued that the bank was a danger to our national independence, which it certainly was not, because it had financial support from foreign investors. It just shows he has a poor foreign policy, not trusting foreign nations because they are dangerous to the United States’ independence. He had vetoed the chartering of the Second Bank of the United States beca use of his disapproval of the bank and it’s potential danger to the United States economy. The vote for the re-charter had been favorable for me because most of the votes were for the re-chartering. I had the popular vote, but because of Andrew Jackson’s political power and disapproval, he vetoed the charter and the Bank was liquidated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Andrew Jackson had put forth many goals in his first inaugural address. He had stated â€Å"I

Saturday, October 12, 2019

My First and Last hike in Poly Canyon Essay -- Personal Narrative Hiki

My First and Last hike in Poly Canyon I knew it was coming. A couple weeks before, I received an introductory email from my instructor explaining the textbook we needed and providing a link to the class website. I selected the link and navigated curiously around the site, arriving at last at the class itinerary. To my horror, I saw planned on the third class day a â€Å"moderately strenuous hike over steep, rough ground.† Subsequent readings of this statement produced the same result, and so I resigned myself to impending doom. And so it was that I found myself standing on a dirt and gravel road, surrounded by equally sleepy classmates at 7:30 am, Monday morning. We all huddled within our baggy jackets, unconsciously mirroring one another in loose jeans, gray or black t-shirts and scuffed, dusty running shoes. In contrast the instructor appeared wide awake and put together, standing before us in a green sweater, pressed khaki slacks and well-worn yet well-maintained hiking boots. He perkily welcomed us to the threshold of Poly Canyon, and with other preliminary descriptions of the upcoming landscape turned and headed down the long, winding service road. Being so close to the pacific coast- a mere ten or twelve miles- a thick marine layer had rolled in during the night, and the waning summer sun had not yet mustered the heat to dispel it. We moved to the crunch and scrape of rubber sole on loose stone, passing ancient monoliths of serpentine stone that jutted from the mountain on either side. Vague silhouettes of live oaks and yucca plants loomed from the morning mist, and occasionally a hoarse crow would cry out. Above and beside us power lines carried electricity to private homes hidden down the road, occasionally... ...e distant than ever surrounded as I was by other life forms. What, I pondered, was my purpose there? Was I predator or prey, virulent or benevolent, useful or worthless? In nature, the strong and necessary survive and prosper, while the weak and redundant are mercifully removed for the good of the system. I solemnly asked myself which I was, and was relieved when like deer the answer retreated from view, filed away in the archives of my mind for future perusal. Giving Poly Canyon a final glance around, I followed their examples and left that ethereal place to meld once more with the world of Man. I did not see my instructor nor my classmates again that day, and was content to be left alone with my meditations. It was an experience I would not trade, though I will admit that I am never setting foot in Poly Canyon again; once is definitely more than enough. My First and Last hike in Poly Canyon Essay -- Personal Narrative Hiki My First and Last hike in Poly Canyon I knew it was coming. A couple weeks before, I received an introductory email from my instructor explaining the textbook we needed and providing a link to the class website. I selected the link and navigated curiously around the site, arriving at last at the class itinerary. To my horror, I saw planned on the third class day a â€Å"moderately strenuous hike over steep, rough ground.† Subsequent readings of this statement produced the same result, and so I resigned myself to impending doom. And so it was that I found myself standing on a dirt and gravel road, surrounded by equally sleepy classmates at 7:30 am, Monday morning. We all huddled within our baggy jackets, unconsciously mirroring one another in loose jeans, gray or black t-shirts and scuffed, dusty running shoes. In contrast the instructor appeared wide awake and put together, standing before us in a green sweater, pressed khaki slacks and well-worn yet well-maintained hiking boots. He perkily welcomed us to the threshold of Poly Canyon, and with other preliminary descriptions of the upcoming landscape turned and headed down the long, winding service road. Being so close to the pacific coast- a mere ten or twelve miles- a thick marine layer had rolled in during the night, and the waning summer sun had not yet mustered the heat to dispel it. We moved to the crunch and scrape of rubber sole on loose stone, passing ancient monoliths of serpentine stone that jutted from the mountain on either side. Vague silhouettes of live oaks and yucca plants loomed from the morning mist, and occasionally a hoarse crow would cry out. Above and beside us power lines carried electricity to private homes hidden down the road, occasionally... ...e distant than ever surrounded as I was by other life forms. What, I pondered, was my purpose there? Was I predator or prey, virulent or benevolent, useful or worthless? In nature, the strong and necessary survive and prosper, while the weak and redundant are mercifully removed for the good of the system. I solemnly asked myself which I was, and was relieved when like deer the answer retreated from view, filed away in the archives of my mind for future perusal. Giving Poly Canyon a final glance around, I followed their examples and left that ethereal place to meld once more with the world of Man. I did not see my instructor nor my classmates again that day, and was content to be left alone with my meditations. It was an experience I would not trade, though I will admit that I am never setting foot in Poly Canyon again; once is definitely more than enough.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Plump legs indicate the dog is eating right

I decided to write about having a pug for this paper because I feel a certain level of affinity for these types of dogs.   I did this paper by asking around, especially people who have dogs of their own and pet shop attendants.   I also did some research on the internet as to nature of these dogs.Pugs are toy dogs that are very emotional and have a low self-esteem.   They look quite like a bulldog but smaller in size and usually have short mocha or khaki fur with a shade of black.   When buying a pug pup or adopting one, the first thing to do is to check on the health of the pup before taking him/her home.Plump legs indicate the dog is eating right; check also for the ribs – they should not be very prominent on the underside of the dog.   Being conscious of the skin condition of the dog should also be considered; owners should take notice of any sign of a rash or a skin infection.A dry puppy nose indicates that the dog is probably sick.   Pugs have over sensitive e yes that are easily infected; so it would be wise to check on the eyes also.   After going through the physical condition of the dog, you should ask about the immunization shots already given to the dog like rabies and distemper shots.After this has been confirmed, look for the ownership papers and make sure that your pug comes from a line of purebreds.   Often, if the dog comes with canine association papers, it will already have a name in its birth certificate; otherwise, you can name the pup on your own.   Opt for a short name, about one or two syllables, so that the dog can easily familiarize itself with its name.When you have decided on buying or adopting your pug, it’s now time to get him/her into a suitable transporting case/cage.   Make sure to put your caged pug in the back seat or in a back cargo compartment and never in the trunk or your dog might die of suffocation or dehydration.Upon reaching home, you pug will be a bit disoriented, and will tend to crawl and lay in one corner.   Other puppies can be very enthusiastic, but not pug pups that are a bit more nervous when it comes to new environments.   Take time to take your pug around the house and orient the pup of the various areas in the house; occasionally pet the pup to give it reassurance.   Then, after the initial orientation, give the pup some water.Then, next familiarize the pup with the more specific areas it is supposed to be in, like its sleeping basket, its feeding area, and its litter box.   Since the dog is still a pup, it would not be difficult to house break the pup.   This should be done next and in the following days.   Make sure to reward the pup if it litters in its box and expressively train it to do so.   Right after feeding the pup, wait for about thirty minutes to one hour and take it to its litter box and wait for it to defecate; when it does, pat it or reward it with a toy or something.After making sure that your pup is well oriented with its s urroundings, give it its first meal.   Then allow it to rest.In the following days, keep a routine sequence of activities to accustom the pup to its regular day.   Try to train it with simple commands like sit and heel.   Always use a low commanding voice when training your pup.   Rewarding the pup with doggie treats will make it more susceptible to obeying simple commands.A few things that one should remember when keeping a dog is to always make it feel cared for and loved – this is especially needed with pugs that are quite partial when it comes to associating with humans.   Make sure that you feed your dog regularly, about twice a day, and always have a steady supply of water for it.Pay attention to hygiene such as teeth hygiene and its general hygiene.   Give your pup regular baths, about once every two days.   Also take your pug to the vet regularly.   If necessary, take your dog to the vet if you think it is sick.