Structuralism

Structuralism originated in the structural linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure and the subsequent Prague and Moscow schools of linguistics. [1] Just as structural linguistics was facing serious challenges from the likes of Noam Chomsky and thus fading in importance in linguistics, structuralism appeared in academia in the second half of the 20th century and grew to become one of the most popular approaches in academic fields concerned with the analysis of language, culture, and society. The structuralist mode of reasoning has been applied in a diverse range of fields, including anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary criticism, and architecture. The most famous thinkers associated with structuralism include the linguist Roman Jakobson, the anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss, the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, the philosopher and historian Michel Foucault, the Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser, and the literary critic Roland Barthes. 1] As an intellectual movement, structuralism came to take existentialism's pedestal in 1960s France. [2] Structuralism argues that a specific domain of culture may be understood by means of a structure—modelled on language—that is distinct both from the organisations of reality and those of ideas or the imagination—the â€Å"third order†. In Lacan's psychoanalytic theory, for example, the structural order of â€Å"the Symbolic† is distinguished both from â€Å"the Real† and â€Å"the Imaginary†; similarly, in Althusser's Marxist theory, the structural order of the capitalist mode of production is distinct both from the actual, real agents involved in its relations and from the ideological forms in which those relations are understood. According to Alison Assiter, four ideas are common to the various forms of structuralism. First, that a structure determines the position of each element of a whole. Second, that every system has a structure. Third, structural laws deal with co-existence rather than change. Fourth, structures are the â€Å"real things† that lie beneath the surface or the appearance of meaning. [4] In the 1970s, structuralism was criticised for its rigidity and ahistoricism. Despite this, many of structuralism's proponents, such as Jacques Lacan, continue to assert an influence on continental philosophy and many of the fundamental assumptions of some of structuralism's critics (who have been associated with â€Å"post-structuralism†) are a continuation of structuralism. [2]

Strategies to Implement Sustainability Programs

Strategic Supply Chain Management: Individual Assignment Table of Contents Content Introduction What is Supply Chain Sustainability? Why is Supply Chain Sustainability important?Traditional supply chain vs sustainable supply chain Advantages of Supply Chain Sustainability Strategies to implement sustainability in supply chain process Step1: Access the current supply chain Step 2 Access Environment: Current, Potential, and Future Impact Factors Step 3: Evaluation: Identifying Potential Risks and Opportunities Step 4: Extend or Re-design the Supply Chain Strategy Step 5 & step 6: Implementation with the Sustainable Supply Chain Scorecard Conclusion References Page No 2 2 2 2 3 3 5 6 6 6 7 8 9 AHMG Kibria Page 1 Strategic Supply Chain Management:Individual Assignment Topic: Strategies to implement sustainability programs in the supply chain firms Introduction: Environmental issues are becoming the main concerns of many global supply chain practitioners in today’s world. In order to address these emerging environmental issues, businesses around the globe are looking for a total solution on the reduction of the waste generated from the current supply chain process. Meanwhile, implementation cost that is needed to implement these environmental issues plays a major part in their considerations in selecting an implementation strategy.Recent studies by Carter and Rogers (2008) emphasised that sustainable supply chain development in terms of social, economic, and environmental benefits should be taken into consideration in a supply chain practice. More specifically, supply chain management can be defined as the integration of the social, economic, and environmental practices within a global supply chain that provide green products, excellent services and accurate information sharing that beneficial to all employees, shareholders, business partners and the wider community.The intent of this research is to propose strategies to implement sustainability in supply cha in firms. There are many different strategies have been used by the supply chain firms. This report analysed six step process approaches to implement sustainability in the supply chain process. What is Supply Chain Sustainability? Supply chain sustainability is the management of environmental, social and economic impacts, and the encouragement of good governance practices, throughout the lifecycles of goods and services.The objective of supply chain sustainability is to create, protect and grow long-term environmental, social and economic value for all stakeholders (consumers, community, government, society, employees etc). Why is Supply Chain Sustainability important? There are many reasons why companies start a supply chain sustainability journey. Primary among them is to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and to support international principles for sustainable business conduct.In addition, companies are increasingly taking actions that result in better social, economic a nd environmental impacts because society expects this and because there are business benefits to doing so. By managing and seeking to improve environmental, social and economic performance and good governance throughout supply chains, companies act in their own interests, the interests of their stakeholders and the interests of society at large.According to Penfield (2009) Supply chain operations are fundamental to sustainability performance and supplying for sustainability is being touted in management circles as the future of competitive supply chains. Traditional supply chain vs sustainable supply chain Conventional supply chains are more interested in serving the purpose of logistics than optimization. On the other hand a focus on sustainability aims at creating and protecting value with reference to long-term social, environmental and economic components in bringing goods AHMG Kibria Page 2 Strategic Supply Chain Management:Individual Assignment and services to the market. The primacy of operations is to adequately meet current demands while making reserves for future generations. Linton et al (2007), indicates the focus of sustainable logistics is on optimization of resources along the entire production so that final production is of the highest value at the lowest cost. There is strategic optimization of resources, reduction of wastages, as well as utilization of supply by-products. In addition, it entails a focus beyond delivery to consumers, to other areas beyond the traditional scope of supply chain management.According to IBM report (2009) supply chain management in contemporary business practice faces five key challenges: cost containment, supply chain visibility, risk management, growing market demand and globalization impacts. Conventional chains only focused on delivering the end-products and, as such, suffered diminished returns owing to the growth in market and volatile consumers. On the other hand, supply chain sustainability seeks to not onl y deliver the utility, but also seeks to improve social, economic and environmental performance.As such, companies and supply chain managers deliver their own interests and those of the stakeholders and the society (Misra, et al. 2010). Advantages of Supply Chain Sustainability Social Advantage – Primary benefits are derived from positive environmental and social externalities that are enjoyed by both customers and companies’ stakeholders alike. For example Wal-Mart has implemented a program that successfully minimises the waste allocated to landfill within the USA (19. 1%), and increasingly China and Brazil (52%), which has the potential to prevent 11. million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually (Wal-Mart, 2012). Financial Advantage- Companies are realizing competitive benefits from investing in supply chain efficiency, Wal-Mart generated in excess of $231million in 2011 through a combination of increased recycling revenue and decreased expenses (Wal-Mart, 2012). En hanced supply chain security – Improvements in labour conditions has the compounded benefit of reducing employee induced work stoppages and can positively impact a company’s ability to continuously manufacture goods and services, increasing customer satisfaction and revenue.Increased competitiveness of suppliers – Buyers increasingly interprets suppliers’ good CSR performance as a sign of strong overall management, which affects other elements of supplier development, such as quality and on-time deliveries. In the long run, suppliers that work to continuously improve their environmental and social performance will gain better access to markets and clients (BSR Survey). Strategies to implement sustainability in supply chain process In order to develop strategies supply chain managers need to consider what a supply chain strategy is, link the strategy to the competitive strategy and sustainability.The following figure shows the three important elements in o rder to develop a successful sustainable supply chain. AHMG Kibria Page 3 Strategic Supply Chain Management: Individual Assignment Figure: Three areas to integrate sustainable supply chain Cetinkaya (2011) This report analyses an iterative six step process approach to implement sustainability in Supply chain firms. A systematic approach to strategy design and integration can help companies developing a sustainable supply chain to create a value proposition.This iterative six-step approach has to be seen as a cycle which should be executed regularly in your supply chain, since relevant conditions may change quite quickly and sometimes radically for example, the oil price spike of 2008. AHMG Kibria Page 4 Strategic Supply Chain Management: Individual Assignment Figure: Steps of a sustainable supply chain strategy Cetinkaya (2011) Step1: Access the current supply chain: Step 1 aims to take stock of the current state of company- and supply chain specific characteristics regarding strate gy, resources, and current and planned practices.It is mainly concerned with internal factors and considers elements which are usually within the control of a company. It seeks to discover whether there is a common strategic alignment, and whether the goals of each strategy element are integrated, aligned, and complementary. A company’s own supply chain strategy which is not aligned to the corporate and cross-company supply chain strategy cannot be sustainable. Potential short- and long-term goal conflicts can rapidly become serious barriers to implementing a sustainable supply chain along its members; especially if the supply chain is required to adapt quickly to change.The analysis also shows if top management commitment is given within the individual companies and the supply chain. In summary the findings from this step are: ? ? ? ? The existing corporate and competitive strategies The sustainability strategies (if sustainability is not already part of the corporate strate gy) The company-specific supply chain strategies, and finally The cross-company supply chain and collaboration strategy Cetinkaya (2011). AHMG Kibria Page 5 Strategic Supply Chain Management: Individual AssignmentStep 2 Access Environment: Current, Potential, and Future Impact Factors The second step of this process deals primarily with what is changing in the business environment, what kind of scenarios your company will face in the medium and long term, and finally, what the main driver of change may be. This will lead, together with the analysis from step 1, to the definition of potential risks and opportunities for your supply chain strategy in step 3. Supply chain input resources such as fuel, energy, and natural resources nowadays deserve close attention in supply chain management logistics.The trend of rising prices and increasing scarcity make input resources major risk management factors in an economic perspective, especially when a company runs cost- and energy-sensitive s upply chains. Understanding and forecasting input resource-related information helps in developing a sustainable supply chain strategy Cetinkaya (2011). Step 3: Evaluation: Identifying Potential Risks and Opportunities: After analysing first two steps of this process it is easier to identify potential risks and opportunities to implements sustainability in supply chain process.Supply chain firms can use framework to access supply chain capabilities in the context of the scenarios identified in the step2. The assessment then serves to determine supply chain specific Threat-OpportunityProfile. Companies need to understand the cause-and-effect relationships between potential success factors to undertake evaluation. For example, companies should be able to estimate that the regionalization of procurement structures in response to an oil price increase would be likely to reduce transport costs Cetinkaya (2011).Step 4: Extend or Re-design the Supply Chain Strategy Based on the Threat-Oppo rtunity-Profile, now it is possible to define strategic gaps on the route to a sustainable supply chain; gaps between current supply chain strategy and the changing business environment. The greater and more relevant the potential risks and opportunities, the larger will be the gaps, and the greater the need to act and make strategy changes. At this stage the following strategic programs can be distinguished: 1. Compliance- to obtain the benefit and competitive value of reducing and managing risk. 2.Process-Re-engineering- to obtain the benefit and competitive value of improving productivity and efficiency and in consequence, of reduced supply chain costs, increased resource productivity, and reduced environmental impacts. 3. Restructuring- to obtain the benefit and competitive value of the long term and fundamental improvement of effectiveness and early prevention of risk. 4. Innovation- to obtain the benefit and competitive value of differentiation. 5. Progression- to obtain the b enefit of first mover advantage, and establishing market entry barriers Cetinkaya (2011).AHMG Kibria Page 6 Strategic Supply Chain Management: Individual Assignment Step 5 & step 6: Implementation with the Sustainable Supply Chain Scorecard: After completing step1 to step4 companies must be able to develop appropriate scope of strategic vision and determine the right actions to align supply chain strategy to the changing business environment. These findings have been incorporated into the reformulation or redesign of existing supply chain strategy and the associated objectives. Now, the following step will show how to implement them.This research analyses â€Å"Balanced Scorecard† developed by Kaplan and Norton from 1990 in order to show implementation of findings from stage1 to stage4. Figure: The Kaplan/Norton Balanced Scorecard Cetinkaya (2011) The Balanced Scorecard is a (performance) management system providing a framework to translate a strategy into balanced operationa l terms via objectives and measures, organised into four different perspectives: financial, customer, internal business process, and learning and growth. The measures represent a balance ?Between external measures for shareholders and customers, and internal measures of critical business processes, innovation , and learning and growth. ? Between the outcome measures – the result from past efforts- and the measures that drive future performance, and ? Between objectives, easily quantified outcome measures and subjective, somewhat judgmental, performance drivers of the outcome measures. Scorecard: the financial perspective: Assess social and ecologic activities accurately from the economic point of view.Scorecard: the sustainability perspective: Link financial figures with customer needs. Extend this link by the environmental and social perspective. AHMG Kibria Page 7 Strategic Supply Chain Management: Individual Assignment Scorecard: the supply chain perspective: Incorporate t actical and strategic decisions along the end-to-end supply chain. Collaborate with your sales and product development departments and partners Cetinkaya (2011). Scorecard: The learning and growth perspective: Drive supply chain wide learning.So, after analysing Balance Scorecard it has seen that supply chain companies will be able to implement their strategy and also evaluate their strategy. Conclusion This research paper described the importance of sustainability in supply chain process. It also showed the differences between traditional supply chain and sustainable supply chain, the advantages of having sustainability in supply chain process. Most importantly this research analysed the strategy to implement sustainability.In order to do that it showed a six step process which is: step1: access the current supply chain, step2: access environment: current, potential, and future impact factors, step3: evaluation: identifying potential risks and opportunities, step4: extend or re-des ign the supply chain Strategy, step 5 & step 6: how to implement strategies with the sustainable supply chain scorecard which shows the financial, sustainable, supply chain and learning & growth perspective. Supply chain companies will be able to implement sustainability in their process by following these six step-by-step processes. AHMG Kibria Page 8Strategic Supply Chain Management: Individual Assignment References: ? BSR20, Maximizing Benefits From a Sustainable Supply Chain, BSR, March, 2011, viewed 28 September 2012, http://www. bsr. org/reports/BSR_Maximizing_Benefits_From_A_Sustainable_Supply_Chain. p df Carter, C. R. and Rogers, D. S. â€Å"A framework of sustainable supply chain management: moving towards new theory,† International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, vol. 38, pp. 360-387, 2008. Cetinkaya, B. , 2011, 1st edn, Developing a Sustainable Supply Chain Strategy’, Sustainable Supply Chain Management, viewed at 13/11/12. http:// www. pringer. com/business+%26+management/production/book/978-3-642-12022-0 IBM, 2009. The smarter supply chain of the future: Global chief supply chain officer study, New York: IBM Global Services. Linton, J. , Klassen, R. & Jayaraman, V. , 2006. ‘Sustainable supply chains: An introduction’, Journal of operations management, Kaplan RS, Norton DP (1996): The balanced scorecard: translating strategy into action. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press Misra, V. , Khan, M. & Singh, U. , 2010, ‘Supply chain management systems: Architecture, design and vision’, Journal of strategic innovation and sustainability, vol. , no. 4, pp. 102108. Penfield, P. 2009, Seven Steps to Implementing a Sustainable Supply Chain, Syracuse University, Charlotte. Sisco, C. , Chorn, B. , Jorgensen, P. , 2010, Supply Chain Sustainability- A Practical Guide for Continuous Improvement, UN Global Compact Office and Business for Social Responsibility, viewed at 12/11/12 http://www. u nglobalcompact. org/docs/issues_doc/supply_chain/SupplyChainRep_spread. pdf Walmart Boyend 50 years: Building a sustainable future, Walmart, viewed 27/09/12 http://www. walmartstores. com/sites/responsibility-report/2012/ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? AHMG Kibria Page 9

Blog Week VIII Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Blog Week VIII - Essay Example The activities which involve work on home-made handcrafts or vehicle mechanicals may expose the family members to the hazards. The effect of occupational toxicant can be transferred by breathing in the air exhaled by an affected person. If a worker inhales the toxic air due to the chemicals used at the workplace, it could be dangerous to the family members of the worker. This poses a danger to the members of the family as some of the occupational toxicant effects are easily transferred through breathing. Once the chemical substances are inhaled, if not exhaled, are deposited in the respiratory tract. If they deposited in the respiratory tract, they can damage the tissues of the tract and even diffuse in the body. This in turn causes health hazards that can easily result to death of an individual (Lincoln, 2002). The ill effects also can be transferred to other individuals by a worker. This is possible through ingestion. If the worker handles food without properly cleaning hands, the food is eaten and if the toxic substances in the food are soluble, a condition that is generally the case, it is fully absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract lining. They are transported along with blood to other parts of the body and they end up causing damage to the body (Lincoln,

Joseph Ellis's Founding Brothers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Joseph Ellis's Founding Brothers - Essay Example The Eminent Victorians which was a similar account of narration amongst English notables. Furthermore, the book is a result of a rigorous analysis of the events which followed the 1787 constitutional convention of the United States to reflect how history was made during the time when the circumstances were rather contingent. The central idea of the book is to demonstrate the conflicting interpretations of the concept of American Revolution by the rival parties; whereby explaining that the State of America was a product of collective decision making between diverse personalities who believed in contrasting ideology yet they succeeded to overcome their differences due to various reasons. Thus, Ellis has focused on the thoughts and dialogues of John Adams, Abigail, Aaron, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and George Washington where the book has been sectioned according to the themes being portrayed. The thesis of the book i.e. contrasting ideologies at war during the time converging eventually has been depicted convincingly in the book. Ellis begins with carefully conceptualizing the revolutionary domains as interpreted by each individual. He explains that though it seemed as if end of the British colonialism was inevitable yet due to the stark contrast in ideas, there was a high chance that American Revolution may turn out to be a failed experiment. He also argues that the contrast in ideologies is still prevalent in the American discourse. He argued that Thomas Jefferson wanted to interpret the revolution as a rebellion aimed at reducing the impact of centralized state, however, Hamilton aimed at characterizing the revolution as a product of livery thus favoring federation. John Adams as well as George Washington was favoring the stance of Hamilton. To conclude how the issue was resolved, Ellis mentions various episodes. For instance, ‘The Duel’ highlights the

Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology Essay

Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology - Essay Example As per the rating system based on animal and human data by The International Agency for Research on Cancer, where an agent, mixture, or exposure circumstance is assigned to one of five categories, Bis chloromethyl ether, Benzene and Styrene belong to group 1, which means that the agents are carcinogenic to humans (Gottschall et.al, 2002). Of the three, Benzene is the most potential carcinogen causing carcinoma of various internal organs and tissues. It is followed by Bis -chloromethyl ether in potency, which is a known carcinogen of the lungs and Styrene known for its mutagenic effects. The Bologna experiments at the Bentivoglio Experimental Unit of the Bologna Institute of Oncology proved for the first time that benzene is an experimental carcinogen. These experiments demonstrated that benzene was carcinogenic when administered by ingestion and by inhalation and could cause tumors in the various tested animal models. They also showed that benzene is a multipotential carcinogen, as it produces a variety of neoplasias in one or more of the tested animal models, including Zymbal gland carcinomas, carcinomas of the oral cavity, nasal cavities, skin, fore stomach, and mammary glands, as well as angiosarcomas of the liver, hemolymphoreticular neoplasias, tumors of the lung, and possibly hepatomas. The Bologna experiments have also provided a clear-cut dose-response relationship in benzene carcinogenesis (Maltoni et.al, 1989). Bis-Chloromethyl ether

Report for after presentation 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Report for after presentation 2 - Essay Example Preston is of the opinion that even though the content might seem as if it was inadequate, this is contrary to the actual situation because the presentation utilized its space well to answer the questions effectively and logically. In addition, as a member of the audience, I appreciated the fact that the presentation was short since very long presentations dissuade the members of the audience from actively participating in it (Preston, 2007). According to Dare, the issue of ethics and integrity are clearly discussed, courtesy of the effective use of visual aids in this presentation. The use of bright colors (yellow) and high quality images that coincide with the message trying to be relayed, was very effective. In addition, the application of the high quality pictures and other graphics made the presentation, more appealing to the audience. However, despite the many strengths of the presentation, I felt that the use of incorrect tenses in some sections, such as in the summary, was a major flaw. Even though the presentation is not very formal, the use of correct tenses is essential in conveying the message effectively. If the group can correct this weakness then the presentation would be more effective (Dare, 2010). The presentation on how to purchase ethical chocolate is very informative. The presentation outlines comprehensively how chocolate sold in retail chains across the globe is a by- product of child slavery in Ghana. The agony experienced by the children is discussed in depth so that the audience can be educated on how to prevent this phenomena from occurring. One of the strengths of the presentation is its effective application of visual aids aimed at capturing the attention of the audience and also placing emphasis on the issue of child slavery. For instance, the picture of a child struggling to carry a sack of cocoa is very moving. The agony and hardship expressed on the child’s face is very effective. It is especially

Recruit Requirements Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Recruit Requirements - Assignment Example The applicant further needs to have a valid driver’s license and successfully pass Physical Abilities Test (PAT), Polygraph examination, ad psychological examination (Florida highway patrol: 65th anniversary 1939-2004, 2005). They must be a citizen of United States aged 21 years or older. They should possess a High School Diploma or GED. They should also not have visible tattoos on their bodies when wearing standard uniform of the day. They should not have used any illegal drugs whatsoever for a period of not less than 3 years of making application or after they have attained 30 years of age. The applicant should also demonstrate good moral character and have no felony convictions, arrests or other law enforcement engagements entailing perjury, false statements, or criminal traffic offences. Other qualification include six months free of tobacco use and must have successfully passed investigation tests and polygraph examination (Gee, 2014). A contrasts of the requirements for Florida State Police and join Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reveal a lot of similarity. However, an officer at sheriff’s office must be at least 21 years old as compared to 19 years age required for the state police. Also, while both of state police and sheriff’s office insists on physical qualifications, the former pays a lot of attention on this qualification. This is evidenced by the limited number of female employees in these department who find the training to be excessively rigorous. However, due to the nurture of their engagement and their expansive jurisdictional coverage, it is necessary for the state police to be a notch higher than their state counterparts when it comes to physical fitness. It is under the discretion of the physician conducting PAT to determine that the applicant meets the physical requirements necessary to perform the basic functions that appertains to the

SWOT analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

SWOT analysis - Assignment Example The site can be easily accessed by road, boat or rail any time by tourists or any interested individuals. The numbers of tourist frequenting the sites are many with registration of up to 150,000 in the years 2006 and 2007 (Elspeth and Leanne 2001). One of the main weaknesses found in the site is that it has to use the fee paid by tourists for maintenance of the prison, for example, the fee will be used to reconstruct and paint old building to last long. This means that low turnouts due to various factors would reduce the efficiency of the site. Additionally, the heritage site does not have enough parking area for buses and small cars forcing tourists and visitors to park their cars in town before accessing the site. The site is also not clear of sharp and dangerous objects tourists (Tours n.d). The biggest opportunity for the Fremantle area is that it has various industries with different economic effects and different lifestyles caused by different structures such as entertainment. The proprietors can also improve ways of accessing the site with the use of available materials on archives and tourism guides available online (Kumar 2008). Additionally, Fremantle prison is integrated as one of the world heritage sites; the site was nominated by the Australian government as Australian Convict sites making the only heritage sites in Western Australia (Chassà © 2011). The threat to the existence of the heritage site is that minimal accommodation is available in the area, thus forcing visitors to look for accommodation elsewhere making them visit the site less number of times (Tours n.d). Another threat is that there is no clear investment for services to be provided to visitors. There are competitions from other heritage sites within Fremantle

Human Resources Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human Resources Development - Essay Example yoffs as examples to the survivors so that the survivors know that if their performance is not up to the mark, they can be laid off like others as well. In addition, management can establish rewards and tie them with achievement of specific goals on the part of the survivors. This would make a two-way approach wherein, the survivors would increase their commitment and productivity not only to remain employed and not become one of the layoffs but also to get the rewards that have been established by the management. In addition to these steps, close monitoring and supervision of the survivors is also necessary to ensure that they are making correct use of the organizational resources, though management may consider showing flexibility in terms of time schedule; making the employees sit in the office does not necessarily mean that they work full time. Productivity is optimal when employees are given some relaxation in terms of time of arrival and departure from the

Options And Corporate Finance Essay Example for Free

Options And Corporate Finance Essay In a perfect world, the stock price will drop by the amount of the â€Å"special one- time† dividend on the ex-dividend date. If we ignore taxes as we do in this mini- case the wealth of the shareholders doesn’t change if the company pays a special one-time dividend or not because it is reflected in the stock price. As we also saw in class that a dividend policy for a company is irrelevant since investors can convert share to cash or create their own homemade dividends payments if they prefer an income stream. In essence, paying the dividend is transferring money from the company to the shareholders but net the wealth of the shareholder stay the same due to a similar drop in the share price, but the value of the company will decrease. 2. The proposal of Jessica could go both ways, it could increase the value of the company or decrease the value, for the simple reason that we don’t have any information about leverage, the amount of debt, capital structure etc. If the company is overleveraged that will result in extra costs of financial distress, which consist of direct, indirect and agency costs. An overleveraged company goes past the optimal point and will decrease in value as you can see from the red line. If this is the case then it would be a good idea to reduce the amount of debt which results in a reduction of costs related to financial distress and invest the money in new facilities to increase the overall value of the company. If the company didn’t reach it equilibrium point than it would be a bad idea to reduce the amount of debt because it will decrease the value of the company due to the tax advantages (tax shield), so it would be better to keep the amount of debt to and maybe even increase the debt to reach the maximum company value. This are two options which can increase or decrease the value of the company. Another point could be that we don’t know about future prospect of the current technology and if there is enough demand, and if they now use their full production capacity. If not the case then it would be a bad idea to upgrade and expand, but it would be better to invest in research for new technology. 3. Nolan is correct in the sense that all three indicators will increase due to share repurchase. It will increase the P/E ratio because there are less shares available and it will reduce the denominator of both ROA and ROE which will result in an increase in both ratios. However, a share repurchase will not have any effect on the value of the company for the reasons we discussed in question 1, which is that the dividend policy is irrelevant to the value of the company and it won’t have any effect on the wealth of shareholders. 4. When a company starts with a dividend policy it gives a signal to the shareholders/investors that they are committed to distribute part of their income to their shareholders. If they would start with regular dividend payments they should be sure that they are able to continue that forever, because a reduction in dividend or if they stop paying dividend at all at a later stage will send a negative signal to the market and shareholders/investors. So, they need to make sure that they have enough cash to keep the dividend policy going. To come back to the question, I would evaluate it regarding the company’s ability to pay the dividend for an infinite time period and I they will have enough cash in the future or generate enough cash in the future to pay the dividends. 5. If the company wants to expand (and it is able to do so) the trade-off is lower dividends to their shareholders than when they are a mature company who has no growth potential than they would pay dividend. The implications of the formula are that the company should make a trade-off/decision between company growth or pay the dividend to its shareholders. To please its shareholders and to maximize the company’s value, the company should deliver the required rate of return which is wanted by the shareholders or deliver a higher return to make the shareholders happy. If the company can have a higher rate of return than wanted by the shareholders it should retain earnings to invest in the growth to increase the rate of return, when this is not possible it should pay the shareholders their dividend to give them their required rate of return. But if the company retain its earnings when the rate of return is lower than wanted by the shareholders it lowers the company’s value .

Staphylococcus Aureus: Structure and Function

Staphylococcus Aureus: Structure and Function Staphylococcus was first discovered in 1880 by Alexander Ogston. Currently, more than 30 different species of the genus has been identified. The name Staphylococcus was derived from Greek, with the prefix Staphylo referring to bunches of grapes and the suffix coccus referring to granule (16). As the meanings suggest, bacteria from Staphylococcus are circular-shaped and their arrangement resembles bunches of grapes when observed under a microscope. Typically, a Staphylococcus has a diameter of approximately 1ÃŽÂ ¼m (21). The bacterial genus, Staphylococcus, will be isolated and identified in this project. This genus has been chosen to review because of its abundance on the skin of mammals and the pathogenic nature of one of its member, Staphylococcus aureus. Apart from skin infections, Staphylococcus aureus could mutate to form Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which shows resistance to antibiotics. In both cases, these give rise to medical implications. In addition, the distinctive features of Staphylococcus aureus have increased the ease to isolate and identify it from other species in the genus via culturing and biochemical tests. The aim of the project is to isolate Staphylococcus aureus from a bundle of cat hairs and verify its identity via microscopic examination and biochemical tests. No human specimen is used due to the potential pathogenic property of the bacterium. It is intended that a pure culture of pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus is obtained. For the purposes of this project, the importance of Staphylococcus aureus to humans, its classification in terms of morphology and physiological properties, methods of isolation with the use of growth media and the technique of streak plating and identification by biochemical tests would be the four objectives to be addressed. Objective 1: Importance of Staphylococcus aureus to humans The importance of Staphylococcus aureus to humans would be outlined by a review of its cell structure, cell physiology and environmental niches, followed by the medical implications of Staphylococcus as a result of these properties. Cell structure As a member of the Bacteria domain, it is expected that Staphylococcus has bacterial cell structure. In other words, it lacks nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. The structural elements in a cell of Staphylococcus should include a cell membrane, cell wall, ribosome and nucleoid (6). Moreover, being one of the five genera from the family of Staphylococcaceae, Staphylococcus possesses specific cellular properties that are unique to this family. In particular, it is a cocci and gram-positive bacterium and this indicates that its cell wall is essentially composed of a thick layer of peptidoglycan (21). In addition to the above structures, Staphylococcus aureus possesses some special cellular structures that distinguish it from other species in the genus. This includes the possession of surface proteins that help attachment to proteins such as the fibronectin and fibrinogen-binding proteins involved in blood clotting (3). This cellular property may explain the pathogenic nature of Staphylococcus aureus, as infections might be caused by invasion via wounds. On the other hand, it is worthwhile to note that Staphylococcus does not have flagella and spores (16). That is to say, Staphylococcus aureus is non-motile. Cell physiology The cell physiology of Staphylococcus covers temperature, pH and oxygen requirements. Most Staphylococcus can grow at 45Â °C, but it is reasonable to predict that its optimal temperature for metabolism would be close to the body temperature of humans, which is 37Â °C (5). Concerning the optimum pH for metabolism, the enzymes in Staphylococcus work best in slightly alkaline medium, with a pH range of 7.4 to 7.6 (16). As for oxygen requirement, Staphylococcus is facultative anaerobic (21). This implies that Staphylococcus can grow regardless of the presence of oxygen, but the presence of oxygen would be more favorable. In the presence of oxygen, Staphylococcus utilizes glucose to carry out cellular respiration to generate energy for metabolism. Oxygen performs the role of a terminal electron acceptor and it is completely reduced to water (8). When oxygen is lacking or absent, Staphylococcus may undergo fermentation and lactic acid is the usual product (21). In the process, glucose is converted into substrate pyruvate, followed by its binding to the cofactor Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) to produce lactic acid (6). Moving on the ways Staphylococcus metabolize, as light is not readily available on skin surface and mucous membranes, it is proposed that Staphylococcus obtain energy via organic chemical compounds. Hence it is regarded as a chemotroph (21). The facultative anaerobic property of Staphylococcus may lead to a deduction that it utilizes organic carbon as the source of electron when oxygen is present. Though some Staphylococcus may use reduced forms of inorganic nitrates to generate electrons, its preference towards an aerobic atmosphere should define it as an organotroph (21). When comes to carbon source, Staphylococcus is a heterotrophy (12). That is to say, it attains its carbon source by utilization of organic substances such as sucrose for synthesis of metabolites (19). To summarize, Staphylococcus should be one of the members of the microbial group, Chemo-organotrophic heterotrophs. Environmental niches The environmental niches of Staphylococcus can be addressed by its interactions with the environment as to where it is found, the type of relationship it forms with other organisms and its capability of undergoing mutation. Staphylococcus is commonly found on the skin and mucous membranes of animals with stable body temperatures, including humans (15). Typically, the skin temperature of humans is approximately 32Â °C, which is reasonably close to the optimal temperature of 37oC (22). This enhances the growth of this microbe on skin. Moreover, the salty environment along skin surface due to the production of sweat may also account for the abundance of Staphylococcus in humans, since its enzymatic activity is optimal at more alkaline pH (17). Staphylococcus aureus specifically colonizes in nasal cavity, larynx and on the skin surface of humans (2). The colonization of Staphylococcus aureus is principally achieved by fibrinogen-binding proteins adhering to the epithelial cells of the humans and thus this may outline a host-parasitic relationship between Staphylococcus and humans (10). The interactions of Staphylococcus with the environment may also be underlined by mutation, which often occurs with Staphylococcus aureus. An example would be Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant particularly to the antibiotic, Methicillin (21). The mutation is caused by an alteration of the methicillin-resistance gene (mec A) coding for a penicillin-binding protein (4). This results in failure of antibiotics to cure infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, which will be addressed in the medical implication section. Medical implications of Staphylococcus The features as in the cell structure, cell physiology and environmental niches of Staphylococcus can pose a great diversity of medical implications, which presents the importance of this bacterial genus. Statistics show that Staphylococcus aureus is present in 79% of healthy people (14). Though Staphylococcus may colonize on the skin surface of the host without causing any harms, its ubiquity can still present various medical issues. The MRSA mentioned previously would be one of the problems associated with Staphylococcus. Apart from methicillin, MRSA could show resistance against many other antibiotics such as penicillin and amoxicillin (1). The ineffectiveness of existing antibiotics to cure MRSA infections has resulted in fatality, and it is usually characterized by the incidence of septic shock and pneumonia (11). A rapid increase of MRSA infections has been observed over the decades. The rate of hospitalized MRSA infections was only 2% in 1974 but this figure increases dramatically to approximately 40% in 1997 (13). Consequently, this causes deaths of 19000 in the United States of America annually (11). As Staphylococcus colonies on skin surfaces and mucous membrane, skin infections and diseases associated with mucous membranes could be another medical implication. It is known that Staphylococcus aureus may cause Scalded Skin and Toxic Shock syndromes. Moreover, it may cause urinary tract infections and food poisoning (9). Objective 2: Classification of Staphylococcus The classification of Staphylococcus can be reviewed in terms of its morphology and some of the physiological properties stated above. Morphology The morphology of Staphylococcus can be described as cocci gram positive bacteria arranged in a cluster, which can be readily observed under microscope with the application of gram stain. A purple color would be observed. The reason for its cluster formation may be explained by its capability of undergoing binary fission in multiple planes with daughter cells remains proximal to each other (16). Physiological properties In terms of thermal requirement, Staphylococcus is classified as a mesophile. Regarding pH requirements, it falls into the category of neutrophile. Moreover, being a facultative anaerobe, Staphylococcus is catalase positive and it is generally considered a chemoorganotrophic heterotroph. In addition, Staphylococcus aureus is coagulase positive but not for other species in the genus. The absence of flagella indicates that Staphylococcus is a non-motile bacterium. Objective 3: Methods of Isolation of Staphylococcus The methods of isolation of Staphylococcus would include growing in medium followed by streak plating. Growth media To ensure optimum growth of Staphylococcus colonies, the sample of cat hairs should be enriched in nutrient broth with sodium chloride (NaCl) before plating on a nutrient agar. A nutrient broth normally consists of beef extract and peptone as fuels for growth (21). The temperature of incubation should be 37Â °C and the duration of incubation should be at least a day (20). This ensures that the Staphylococcus isolated can have sufficient time to grow at its optimum temperature. The addition of salt allows for a selective medium for Staphylococcus as it predominantly grows in salty environment. It also increases the pH of the medium to provide for a more alkaline environment to facilitate growth. Alternatively, a growth medium can be done via a Mannitol salt agar (MSA), which consists of 7.5% of NaCl and phenol red as a pH indicator. The medium is then incubated at 37Â °C for two days (14). MSA essentially acts as both a selective and differential medium. NaCl selects for saline-favored Staphylococcus and the pH indicator differentiates between Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Differentiation can be illustrated by the fact that Staphylococcus aureus utilizes mannitol in the agar for metabolism, and the generation of acidic product is indicated by a yellow color. However, this phenomenon does not apply to Staphylococcus epidermidis (21). Streak Plating Following enrichment, Staphylococcus in the medium can be transferred to an agar plate with nutrient broth and salt, by employment of aseptic techniques. At the same time, a transfer to an agar plate with only nutrient broth should be performed as a control set-up. This is to ensure the effectiveness of the selective media because other bacteria could grow on the agar plate if the medium was not set up properly. Afterwards, the plates would be incubated for a week at 37oC for at least a day as in the incubation of sample in the nutrient broth. Plating and incubation should be repeated a few times to make sure that the colonies grown are pure. Objective 4: Identification by biochemical tests The identity of Staphylococcus cannot be confirmed by carrying out the gram reaction alone due to the fact that a great variety of bacteria from other genus may also show gram positive reaction. Therefore, some biochemical tests have to be performed to verify that the bacteria isolated is in the genus of Staphylococcus and it is of the species Staphylococcus aureus. The catalase, Hugh and Leifsons oxidation fermentation and cogulase tests are regarded as the standard tests for identification of Staphylococcus aureus (18). The mechanism of the tests is outlined below. First of all, as Staphylococcus aureus is facultative anaerobic, it is expected that it contains enzymes to break down harmful products generated along the pathways of aerobic respiration. For instances, catalase breaks down superoxide radical hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to oxygen and water, which are less harmful (8). Therefore colorless gas bubbles can be observed when H2O2 is added to a colony of Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, this property allows the Hugh and Leifsons oxidation fermentation test to be performed. The bacterial sample is inoculated in a tube of Hugh Leifsons medium for five days to generate an anaerobic environment (18). As Staphylococcus can undergo fermentation in the absence of oxygen, growth can be observed throughout the tube. At the same time, it is necessary to implement positive and negative controls in order to confirm results. This can be achieved by inoculating bacteria that are known to be fermentative and oxidative respectively in the Hugh Leifsons medium along with the sample of Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, the identification test between Staphylococcus aureus and other bacteria in the genus would be based on its reaction with coagulase. Staphylococcus aureus readily coagulates plasma but not for others species in the genus (21). To ensure accuracy of the test, it is preferable to test on colonies extracted from culture plates that are known to contain coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative Staphylococcus epididymis respectively. The former acts as a positive control, while the latter acts as a negative control. Conclusion In conclusion, Staphylococcus is a bacterial genus that can pose various medical implications and it can be grown, isolated and identified based on its, environmental niches, morphology, physiological and structural characteristics. The aims of isolating Staphylococcus aureus as a pure culture and identifying by morphology and biochemical tests can be addressed by a review of the four objectives as summarized below. Firstly, it is often found on epidermis of animal skins including humans and its ability to metabolize optimally at 37Â °C and at pH of 7.4-7.6 or salty environment makes it a potential pathogen to humans. In particular, the species Staphylococcus aureus can cause a great diversity of diseases and the mutated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus could be fatal owing to its resistance to most antibiotics. Secondly, it can be classified in terms of morphology and some of the physiological characteristics. Its morphology is gram positive and non-motile cocci bacteria growing in clusters. It is a mesophile, nuetrophile and facultative anaerobe. It is catalase positive and only Staphylococcus aureus is coagulase positive. The energy, electron and carbon sources of Staphylococcus aureus can be described as chemo-organotrophic heterotrophic. Thirdly, regarding growth medium, the sample of cat hair should be enriched in a medium of sodium chloride before incubating on an agar plate of nutrient broth and salt. In both cases, incubation should be at 37oC for a day. The colonies should be streaked plated a few times to remove contaminants so as to ensure culture is pure. This increases the efficiency of isolation of Staphylococcus aureus. Lastly, Staphylococcus aureus can be identified by the catalase, Hugh Leifsons oxidation fermentation and coagulase tests. It is expected that bubbling is observed as a positive result in the catalase test. As for the Hugh Leifsons oxidation fermentation test, growth can be observed throughout the tube. In the coagulase test, clumping of plasma is seen as a positive result and this differentiates Staphylococcus aureus from other species in the genus. These tests establish the identity of Staphylococcus aureus.

Do children recognize more words looking at them up and to the left Ess

In order for the principle of looking up and to the left of a word to work, NL says that there are two main ideologies that need satisfying. Firstly, the subject must be right handed, and secondly, he must be a visual learner. However, similar to the studies of Loiselle and Malloy, the present researcher has worked on the premise that between 60 and 70% of the population is right handed Emes et al (2005), Malone (2003), Heaton et al (2008) and Holliday (1999), and would have, therefore, expected that the hypothesis be true in approximately 23 of the 33 right handed subjects used. Out of this study’s sample of 36, the data showed that only 6 had results that concurred with the hypothesis. As a discrete figure, this could be perceived as showing some evidence to support the hypothesis, yet, 18% could not be considered statistically significant to render it conclusive. This figure became less significant in support of the hypothesis as the children who recalled these words also recalled words shown to the front. When subtracting the results from the controlled variable, the greatest margin was just two words, and this was found in just two children. Interestingly, although this may seem an insignificant amount, it correlated with the results from the research of Loiselle and Malloy, who concluded that the NL principle helped improve visual memory recall by 25%. To illustrate this similarity in results, the present researcher calculated that the difference of recognising 2 more words from the controlled variable to be 20%. Could this mean Loiselle and Malloy studies data proved significant enough evidence to conclude this NL principle worked? The statistics in fig. 1 revealed that the present researcher’s hypothesis was not ... ...to be shrouded by mystery, but strangely, NL trained people do not appear to want to demystify the principle and enhance its credibility. While the VAK in schools may still be enjoying popularity, an alarming thought is that, while it has been endorsed, and compartmentalised children without adequate research into its effectiveness. It is, therefore, concluded that once the good feeling stimulus is taken away from the NL principle of recognising words by looking at them up and to the left, what remains is that the field of vision is insignificant to it, but the basic principle that ‘the brain thinks in terms of images’ remains, Butler-Bowden (2005: 180).This research closes on the thought that Cricket Kemp’s NL principle may actually be based upon hypnotherapy techniques, and, if used by accredited trainers could be a manipulative tool rather than a strategy.

The Theme of Time in Slaughterhouse-Five Essay -- Slaughterhouse-Five

The Theme of Time in Slaughterhouse-Five Many writers in history have written science fiction novels and had great success with them, but only a few have been as enduring over time as Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. Slaughterhouse-Five is a personal novel which draws upon Vonnegut's experience's as a scout in World War Two, his capture and becoming a prisoner of war, and his witnessing of the fire bombing of Dresden in February of 1945 (the greatest man-caused massacre in history). The novel is about the life and times of a World War Two veteran named Billy Pilgrim. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut uses structure and point of view to portray the theme that time is relative. The way Kurt Vonnegut structures Slaughterhouse-Five aids in the portrayal of the theme that time is relative. The novel is broke down into two parts: Vonnegut's story about the novel and the life story of Billy Pilgrim. The life story of Billy Pilgrim which is "presented as a series of episodes with no chronological order" . This mirrors the structure of the novel which has a beginning, middle, and end but not in there respective places. (Dawley 1) Billy states numerous times in the novel that he has become "unstuck in time" and that the time travel periods "aren't necessarily fun". (Vonnegut 23) While the reader never leaves the main plot line of the fire-bombing of Dresden for very long, Billy still travels alot. Billy "has seen his birth and death many times" and "all the events in between". (Vonnegut 23) The reader learns that "the things Billy Pilgrim" cannot change are "the past, the present, and the future". (Vonnegut 60) Many of the time warps are to his later-life as an opt ometrist. During his life as an optometrist he marries one o... ...y the good moments and bad as well that life brings to us. (Dunstan 1) Slaughterhouse-Five gives the reader insight on the meaning of life, time, and war. The thought of humans being able to view their lives moments concurrently and not linearly is erroneous to the reader, yet Kurt Vonnegut brings into the reader's head the idea of time being relative and only existing in human's imaginations. Works Cited ClassicNote. Insanity of war in Slaughterhouse-Five. 29 Jan 2001. http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/slaughterhousefive/essays/insanitywar.html Dawley, Jason. The use of Fragmentation in Slaughterhouse-Five. 29 Jan 2001. http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/4953/kv_fragmentation.html>. Dunston, Brittany. Destruction of Dresden, destruction of Vonnegut's dream. 29 Jan 2001. Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York:Dell, 1991. The Theme of Time in Slaughterhouse-Five Essay -- Slaughterhouse-Five The Theme of Time in Slaughterhouse-Five Many writers in history have written science fiction novels and had great success with them, but only a few have been as enduring over time as Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. Slaughterhouse-Five is a personal novel which draws upon Vonnegut's experience's as a scout in World War Two, his capture and becoming a prisoner of war, and his witnessing of the fire bombing of Dresden in February of 1945 (the greatest man-caused massacre in history). The novel is about the life and times of a World War Two veteran named Billy Pilgrim. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut uses structure and point of view to portray the theme that time is relative. The way Kurt Vonnegut structures Slaughterhouse-Five aids in the portrayal of the theme that time is relative. The novel is broke down into two parts: Vonnegut's story about the novel and the life story of Billy Pilgrim. The life story of Billy Pilgrim which is "presented as a series of episodes with no chronological order" . This mirrors the structure of the novel which has a beginning, middle, and end but not in there respective places. (Dawley 1) Billy states numerous times in the novel that he has become "unstuck in time" and that the time travel periods "aren't necessarily fun". (Vonnegut 23) While the reader never leaves the main plot line of the fire-bombing of Dresden for very long, Billy still travels alot. Billy "has seen his birth and death many times" and "all the events in between". (Vonnegut 23) The reader learns that "the things Billy Pilgrim" cannot change are "the past, the present, and the future". (Vonnegut 60) Many of the time warps are to his later-life as an opt ometrist. During his life as an optometrist he marries one o... ...y the good moments and bad as well that life brings to us. (Dunstan 1) Slaughterhouse-Five gives the reader insight on the meaning of life, time, and war. The thought of humans being able to view their lives moments concurrently and not linearly is erroneous to the reader, yet Kurt Vonnegut brings into the reader's head the idea of time being relative and only existing in human's imaginations. Works Cited ClassicNote. Insanity of war in Slaughterhouse-Five. 29 Jan 2001. http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/slaughterhousefive/essays/insanitywar.html Dawley, Jason. The use of Fragmentation in Slaughterhouse-Five. 29 Jan 2001. http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/4953/kv_fragmentation.html>. Dunston, Brittany. Destruction of Dresden, destruction of Vonnegut's dream. 29 Jan 2001. Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York:Dell, 1991.

Catalog of DIESEL String Functions :: essays research papers

Catalog of DIESEL String Functions Status retrieval, computation, and display are performed by DIESEL functions. The available functions are described in the table. Note: All functions have a limit of 10 parameters, including the function name itself. If this limit is exceeded, you get a DIESEL error message. + (addition) Returns the sum of the numbers val1, val2, ..., val9. $(+, val1 [, val2, ..., val9] ) If the current thickness is set to 5, the following DIESEL string returns 15. $(+, $(getvar,thickness),10) - (subtraction) Returns the result of subtracting the numbers val2 through val9 from val1. $(-, val1 [, val2 , ..., val9] ) *(multiplication) Returns the result of multiplying the numbers val1, val2, ..., val9. $(*, val1 [, val2, ..., val9] ) / (division) Returns the result of dividing the number val1 by val2, ..., val9. $(/, val1 [, val2, ..., val9] ) = (equal to) If the numbers val1 and val2 are equal, the string returns 1; otherwise, it returns 0. $(=, val1, val2) < (less than) If the number val1 is less than val2, the string returns 1; otherwise, it returns 0. $(< , val1, val2) The following expression gets the current value of the HPANG system variable; if the value is less than the value stored in the USERR1 system variable, it returns 1. If the value 10.0 is stored in USERR1 and the current setting of HPANG is 15.5, the following string returns 0. $( (greater than) If the number val1 is greater than val2, the string returns 1; otherwise, it returns 0. $(>, val1, val2) != (not equal to) If the numbers val1 and val2 are not equal, the string returns 1; otherwise, it returns 0. $(!=, val1, val2) =, val1, val2) and Returns the bitwise logical AND of the integers val1 through val9. $(and, val1 [, val2,..., val9] ) angtos Returns the angular value in the format and precision specified. $(angtos, value [, mode, precision] ) Edits the given value as an angle in the format specified by the mode and precision. (For mode values, see Example: Angular Units Values.) If mode and precision are omitted, it uses the current values chosen by UNITS. edtime Returns a formatted date and time based on a given picture. $(edtime, time, picture) Edits the AutoCAD LT Julian date given by time (obtained, for example, from $(getvar,date) according to the given picture).

Equity and Trusts: Barnes V Addy Second Limb

Introduction This paper examines the development and scope of accessory liability under the second limb of Barnes v Addy as it stands in both England and Australia. As to the law in England, the focus will be on the rearticulation of the principle of accessory liability under the second limb as stated in Royal Brunei Airlines Sdn Bhd v Tan. In particular, it will consider the extent to which the decision has reconciled inconsistencies in earlier authority and remedied those issues propounded to be inherent in the traditional formulation of the principle. At this stage, this traditional principle remains good law in Australia.However, as suggested in Farah Constructions Pty Ltd v Say-Dee Pty Ltd, there is potential for the English approach to be adopted in the Australian context. Such an adoption may be advisable in light of the judicial and extra-judicial commentary suggesting that the orthodox approach is in fact not properly aligned with equitable principles. The discussion of this possibility involves not only an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, but also a determination as to the extent to which the separate application of each approach could result in a divergent outcome.The development of the second limb of Barnes v Addy in Australia- ‘knowing assistance’ The classic authority on the circumstances in which third parties will be held accountable for their involvement in a breach of trust or fiduciary duty is the English case of Barnes v Addy. It was in this case that Lord Selbourne LC articulated the much cited and analysed statement of principle that has come to form the modern law: †¦ trangers are not to be made constructive trustees merely because they act as the agents of trustees†¦unless those agents receive and become chargeable with some part of the trust property, or unless they assist with knowledge in a dishonest and fraudulent design on the part of the trustees. This statement has come to be understood as allowing liability to be imputed on a party in two distinct circumstances, where the third party either knowingly receives trust property, or assists with knowledge in a breach of trust or fiduciary duty.This paper seeks only to consider the latter. In what ostensibly remains the authoritative case on this second limb of Barnes v Addy in Australia, the High Court in Consul Development Pty Ltd v DPC Estates Pty Ltd, (‘Consul Development v DPC’) not unlike other cases at the time, focussed predominantly on the level of knowledge which would be sufficient to attract accessory liability in the circumstances before them.The primary question was not one of the dishonesty or otherwise of the actions of the third party, but of that third party’s knowledge of the dishonesty of the fiduciary. The majority, it seems, realised that the terms ‘constructive notice’ and ‘actual notice’ did not in themselves comprise the requisite sophisti cation for dealing with the matter of the knowledge of the third party.They instead expressed the required degree of knowledge within particular parameters, with neither Stephen J nor Gibbs J willing to extend these parameters to include a negligent failure to inquire on behalf of the third party. In Equiticorp Finance Ltd v Bank of New Zealand, Kirby P (in dissent) indicated support for the Consul test of knowledge, and attempted to clarify the judgement in Consul Development v DPC with reference to the decision in Baden, Delvaxs & Lecuit v Societe Generale pour Favoriser le Development du Commerce et de L’Industrie en France SA (‘Baden’).He equated the degrees of knowledge set out by the High Court in Consul Development v DPC with the first four categories as stated in Baden thereby confirming that both actual and constructive knowledge, but not constructive notice, would constitute the requisite degree of knowledge necessary to render a third party liable unde r the second limb of Barnes v Addy. Similar findings have been made in later cases where Consul Development v DPC has been declared authority on the matter, although such an explicit reference to the Baden scale is not always present.Conversely, other judges have found the judgement in Consul Development v DPC to be inconclusive, adopting a narrow interpretation of the judgement of Stephen J and restricting the requisite knowledge only to the first three categories of the Baden scale. This tendency toward a narrow approach increased following the decision in Royal Brunei Airlines Sdn Bhd v Tan (‘Royal Brunei’) as courts attempted to reconcile the UK and Australian lines of authority.However in other cases, such as Gertsch v Atsas it was held that that the acceptance of the first four Baden categories was synonymous with accepting a standard of honesty. Given the discordant state of the Australian authorities, the High Court took the opportunity in Farah Constructions Pt y Ltd v Say-Dee Pty Ltd, (‘Farah Constructions’) to clarify the Australian position on knowing assistance.Their Honours declared, in obiter, that Australian courts should continue to follow the decision in Consul Development v DPC, thereby continuing to see as necessary the requirement of a dishonest design on the part of the fiduciary, and subscribing to the proposition that where the third party’s knowledge falls within the first four categories of the Baden scale it will answer the requirement of knowledge under the second limb of Barnes v Addy.In what has been referred to as a â€Å"profound shift in the rules of judicial engagement† following Farah Constructions, lower courts have regarded themselves as obligated to follow the obiter of the High Court and have thus returned to an orthodox approach. However, the law in Australia is far from settled on this point and a case is yet to come before the High Court with the facts necessary to allow for a rec onsideration of the principles enunciated by the Privy Council in Royal Brunei. The development of the second limb of Barnes v Addy in England- ‘dishonest assistance’While in Australia the courts are returning to an orthodox approach towards accessory liability, in England, the courts are grappling with a reformulation of the principles under the second limb of Barnes v Addy following the decision in Royal Brunei. In this case, the Privy Council refocussed the relevant inquiry in cases concerning liability under the second limb of Barnes v Addy away from the third party’s knowledge of the trustee’s dishonesty, to the dishonesty of the accessory themselves.Consequently, the dishonesty (or lack thereof) of the trustee or fiduciary is irrelevant as it is the dishonesty on the part of the accessory that attracts liability. There is nothing new about the application of a dishonesty-based in inquiry into the liability of accessories to a breach of fiduciary duty , with Lord Nicholls suggesting that before the inquiry â€Å"donned its Barnes v Addy strait-jacket† judges hadn’t regarded themselves as confined to inquiries into the levels of knowledge of the accessory.It may even be said that the dishonesty-based inquiry had retained its place in contemporary law prior to Royal Brunei, and that it was merely obscured by the additional and more tedious requirement of determining the level of knowledge of the accessory. For example, in Agip (Africa) Ltd v Jackson Millet J stated: There is no sense in requiring dishonesty on the part of the principal while accepting negligence as sufficient for his assistant.Dishonest furtherance of the dishonest scheme of another is an understandable basis for liability; negligent but honest failure to appreciate that someone else's scheme is dishonest is not. This can be set alongside other cases which suggest that that the requirement of dishonesty on the part of the principle is in fact a compel ling reason not to require dishonesty on the part of the fiduciary, as they are an ‘accessory’ who merely needs to be is linked to the conduct of the principle. Millet J, however, seemingly wishes to see this principle extended, so that dishonesty is required on the part of both parties.The decision in Royal Brunei does not precisely echo this formulation of the dishonestly principle (Lord Nicholls ultimately went on to conclude that that the fiduciary need not be dishonest at all in order for the accessory to be held accountable), but instead clarifies and affirms a general principle in light of other commentary on the point. Consequently, Lord Nicholls in his judgement has set out what is necessary for the inquiry into the accessory’s dishonesty, stating that courts should look to determine whether the person acted â€Å"as an honest person would in the circumstances† in light of their actual knowledge at the time.He further explains that the question sh ould be approached objectively and indicates that the test is not one of the ‘reasonable person’. He seeks to clarify this test of dishonesty with the following examples: If a person knowlingly appropriates another’s property, he will not escape a finding of dishonesty simply because he sees nothing wrong in such behaviour†¦Honest people do not knowingly take other’s property†¦[or] participate in a transaction if he knows it involves a misapplication of trust assets to the detriment of the beneficiaries.Nor does an honest person in such a case deliberately close his eyes and ears, or deliberately not ask questions, lest he learn something he would rather not know, then proceed regardless. This passage, while meant to further explain the test for dishonesty, initially seems difficult to reconcile with later comments, where his Lordship makes explicit reference to the departure from the orthodox inquiry into degrees of knowledge, stating that the w ord â€Å"knowlingly† should be avoided and that the Baden scale was â€Å"best forgotten†.While it seems unproblematic to abandon the Baden scale of knowledge, commentators and courts alike have found difficultly in divorcing the concept of dishonesty from knowledge itself and the most recent authoritative decision on the point Barlow Clowes International Ltd v Eurotrust International Ltd (‘Barlow Clowes’) confirms that an inquiry into dishonesty does to some degree require an inquiry into the knowledge of the third party. Comparison of the English and Australian position One of the objectives of the court in Royal Brunei was to remedy some of the problems with the orthodox approach to accessory liability.Such problems were not only present in English courts, but have also plagued Australian courts and were not resolved in by the High Court’s affirmation of the knowledge-based test in Farah Constructions. Firstly, Lord Nicholls in Royal Brunei soug ht to realign the principles of accessory liability with equitable doctrines and focussed primarily on the conscience of the accessory themselves. In the orthodox approach, as expressed in Consul Developments v DPC, the inquiry is not into the state of mind of the accessory themselves but into the accessory’s knowledge of another’s state of mind.It has been suggested that the inquiry has thus been misplaced, and that although it results in an indirect finding of dishonesty on the part of the accessory, it is much further removed from equitable principles than the Royal Brunei approach. Lord Nicholls also sought to do away with the confusion surrounding the need for judges to distinguish between the different levels of knowledge, in particular constructive knowledge and constructive notice.However, as noted above, Lord Nicholls on several occasions makes reference to the knowledge of the accessory which is the reason that the degree to which the test of dishonesty is di vorced from an inquiry into knowledge has been questioned. However, what must be realised here is that the inquiry into knowledge that is embarked upon as part of the dishonesty based approach is different to that which was required under the knowledge based approach.This redirection for the knowledge inquiry was first considered in Twinsectra Ltd v Yardley where a difficulty arose in determining whether Lord Nicholls had intended for an objective or subjective approach to be taken to dishonesty. In the leading judgement, Lord Hutton tendered the â€Å"combined test† which required that the third party’s conduct be dishonest by the standards of the reasonable person as well as requiring an appreciation by the third party that by those standards his or her conduct was dishonest.This combined test endured much academic criticism and was seen as being inconsistent with the objective test enunciated by Lord Nicholls in Royal Brunei. The Privy Council, and in particular, Lo rd Hoffman (who was in the majority in Twinsectra Ltd v Yardley) had the opportunity in Barlow Clowes to clarify the comments made in Twinsectra Ltd v Yardley. It was stated that the majority in Twinsectra Ltd v Yardley had, in fact, always espoused a test in line with that which was conceptualised in Royal Brunei and it was commentators who had skewed this test into a different form.Despite the contempt that many commentators had for this account, the statement of a complete principle of dishonest assistance was applauded. Incorporated in this principle was the conclusion that the liability of the accessory was not dependant on a requirement for fraud or dishonesty on the part of the fiduciary, but depended solely upon whether the accessory was at fault. This is the converse position of the orthodox approach, whereby a third party can escape liability even where they know they are assisting in a breach of fiduciary duty, provided that the fiduciary was not acting dishonestly.Thomas J in Powell v Thompson held that protecting a person with a guilty conscience in this manner was not in line with equitable principles, and his consequent assertion that the conduct of the principle should be irrelevant was later approved in Brunei. One significant consequence of the divergent approaches in what are currently the UK and Australian positions on this matter would be the substantial difference in outcome in cases where the fiduciary had acted innocently.Provided that all other requirements are satisfied, in the UK the accessory would be held liable however in Australia they would not. Further to this, while some Australian judges have found it difficult to distinguish the traditional approach from that of Royal Brunei, the fact that the orthodox reliance on the Baden scale restricts investigations only to knowledge and not to other attributes or types of conduct, lends weight to the argument that in certain circumstances there would be divergent outcomes of the two ap proaches. Perhaps, it is best to take FarahConstructions as authority on this point, with the High Court in this case imputing that one of the reasons it is directing courts to treat the approaches distinctly is due to the potential for the different formulations of the principle to lead to different results. Conclusion In line with the arguments presented in this paper, it is submitted that the approach to accessory liability espoused in Royal Brunei is preferable to that which was propounded in Consul Development v DPC due what is an ostensible irreconcilability of the latter case with conventional equitable doctrines.This assertion turns on the manner in which the judges in Consul Development v DPC dealt with the requirement for a dishonest and fraudulent design on the part of the fiduciary as per Lord Selbourne LC in Barnes v Addy. Like many other cases at the time, Consul Development v DPC was concerned more with attempts to define what Lord Selbourne had meant by a â€Å"dish onest and fraudulent design† rather than questioning whether it was an appropriate criterion for the imposition of liability on a third party.Consequently, when it came to fulfilling equity's calls as to inquiries into the conscience of the defendant, courts were misguided and came to focus instead on the conscience of the principle. The arguments in favour of the retention of this approach are largely set out in reliance on the requirement that the third party be implicated in the conduct of the fiduciary. However, as suggested in Royal Brunei, assistance in itself should be enough to draw a sufficient connection between the accessory and the fiduciary.It was this realisation which enabled Lord Nicholls in Royal Brunei to reformulate the principle under the second limb of Barnes v Addy so as to redirect inquiries into the minds of defendants to their appropriate place in accordance with equitable principles. Although the adoption of the approach in Brunei may not result in ma jor shift in the law of accessory liability in Australia, it’s contemplation of circumstances in which the third party can be held liable even where the fiduciary is innocent would at the very least resolve the seemingly inequitable approach to this point as it stands in current Australian law. Bibliography Articles/Books/Reports Aitken, L, ‘Unforgiven: Some thoughts on Farah Constructions Pty Ltd v Say-Dee Pty Ltd' (2007) 29 Australian Bar Review 195 Andrews, G, ‘The redundancy of dishonest assistance’ (2003) 8 Conveyancing and Property Law Journal 1 Birks, P, ‘Misdirected funds: Restitution from the Recipient’ (1989) Lloyds Maritime & Commercial LQ 296 Chambers, R, ‘Knowing Receipt: Frozen In Australia' (2007) 2 Journal of Equity 40 Cope, M, ‘A comparative evaluation of developments in equitable relief for breach of fiduciary duty and breach of trust' [2006] QUT Law Journal 7Cope, M, Equitable Obligations: Duties, Defences and Rem edies (2008), Lawbook Co, Pyrmont. Hoffman, L, ‘The Redundancy of Knowing Assistance’ in Birks, P (ed), The Frontiers of Liability, (1994) vol 1, Oxford University Press, New York Dietrich, J & Ridge, P †The receipt of what? ‘: questions concerning third party recipient liability in equity and unjust enrichment' [2007] Melbourne University Law Review 3 Harding, M & Malkin, I, ‘The High Court of Australia’s Obiter Dicta and Decision-Making in Lower Courts’ 34 Sydney Law Review 2 Kirby, M, ‘Equity's Australian Isolationism' (2008) 8 Melbourne University Law Review 2Kiri, N, ‘Recipient and accessory liability- where do we stand now? ’ (2006) 21 Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation 11 Loughlan, P L, ‘Liability for Assistance in a Breach of Fiduciary Duty’ (1989) 9 Oxford Leg Studies 260 Mason, K, ‘President Mason’s Farewell Speech’ (2008) 82 Australian Law Journal 11 Ong, D, à ¢â‚¬ËœThe Knowledge or Role that makes a Person an Accessory under the Barnes v Addy Principle’ (2005) 17 Bond Law Review 6 Radan, P ; Stewart, C, Principles of Australian Equity ; Trusts, (2010), LexisNexis Australia, ChatswoodSullivan, G R, ‘Framing an Acceptable General Offence of Fraud’ (1989) 53 Journal of Criminal Law 92 Thomas, S B, ‘Knowing Receipt and Knowing Assistance: Where do we stand? ’ (1997) 20 UNSW Law Journal 1 Thornton, R, ‘Dishonest Assistance: Guilty Conscience or Guilty Mind? ’ [2002] 61 Cambridge Law Journal 3 ? Case Law Aequitas v AEFC [2001] NSWSC 14 Agip (Africa) Ltd v Jackson [1990] Ch 265 Air Canada v M;L Travel Ltd (1993) 108 DLR (4th) 592 Attorney-General v Corporation of Leicester (1844) 7 Beav 176 ASIC v AS Nominees (1995) 133 ALR 1Baden Delvaux ; Lecuit v Societe Generale pour Favorisier le Developpment du Commerce et de l’Industrie en France SA [1992] 4 All ER 279 Barlow Clowes International Ltd v Eurotrust International Ltd [2006] 1 All ER 333 Barnes v Addy (1874) 9 Ch App 214 Beach Petroleum NL v Johnson (1993) 115 ALR 411 Belmont Finance Corporation Ltd v Williams Furniture Ltd (No 2) [1980] 1 All ER 393 Carl Zeiss Stiftung v Herbert Smith ; Co (No 2) [1969] 2 Ch 276 Consul Development Pty Ltd v DPC Estates Pty Ltd (1975) 132 CLR 373 Corporate Systems Publishing Pty Ltd v Lingard [No 4] [2008] WASC 21 Coshott v Lenin [2007] NSWCA 153Digital Cinema Network Pty Ltd v Hepburn (No 4) [2011] FCA 509 DPC Estates v Grey [1974] 1 NSWLR 433 Eagle Trust plc v SPC Securities Ltd [1992] 4 All ER 489 Eaves v Hickson (1861) 30 Beav 136 Equiticorp Finance Ltd v Bank of New Zealand (1993) 32 NSWLR 50 Farah Constructions Pty Ltd v Say-Dee Pty Ltd (2007) 230 CLR 89 Flyer v Flyer (1841) 3 Beav 141 Gertsch v Atsas(1999) 10 BPR 18,431 John Alexander's Clubs Pty Ltd v White City Tennis Club Ltd; Walker Corp Pty Ltd vWhite City Tennis Club Ltd (2010) 241 CLR 1 Karak Rubber Co Ltd v Burden [1972 ] 1 All ER 1210 Kation Pty Ltd v Lamru Pty Ltd (in liq) (No 2) [2009] NSWCA 428Lipkin Gorman v Kapnale Ltd [1992] 4 All ER 451 Maher v Millenium Markets Pty Ltd [2004] VSC 174 NCR Australia Pty Ltd v Credit Connection Pty Ltd [2005] NSWSC 111 New Cap Reinsurance Corporation Ltd v General Cologne Re Australia Ltd [2004] NSWSC 781 Ninety Five Pty Ltd in liq v Banque Nationale de Paris [1988] WAR 132 Powell v Thompson [1991] NZLR 597 Royal Brunei Airlines Sdn Bhd v Tan Kok Ming [1995] 2 AC 378 Selangor United Rubber Estates Ltd v Cradock (No 3) [1968] 1 WLR 155 Twinsectra Ltd v Yardley [2002] 2 AC 164 Voss v Davidson & Ors [2002] QSC 316 Yeshiva Properties No 1 Pty Ltd v Marshall (2005) 219 ALR 11

How Workers Attitude and Job Satisfaction Affect Their Work.

Thesis Statements: Attitude and Job Satisfaction: A worker attitude towards work is directly linked to the job satisfaction; a worker who is satisfied with his job performs better and excels at what he does. It is therefore imperative for a company to understand the attitude of its workers and measure the job satisfaction of its employees, as job satisfaction is essential for productivity. Introduction Worker attitude and job satisfaction deals with how an organization behaves. It involves the management directing employees into improving organizational and personal effectiveness.It plays an enormous role in determining the attitudes of employees and their job satisfaction. When an employee is happy, it is usually because they are satisfied with their work. This also improves the quality of their work. Attitude and job satisfaction may not fall completely on the management but also on the employees. If employees enjoy their work, they will not need external motivation from management , but instead the satisfaction they attain from completing their work will motivate them (Robbins, 2004). Job satisfaction is an individual’s contentment with their work.Its effect on productivity is either positive or negative. The relationship between job satisfaction and job productivity is however not consistent. An individual may still obtain high job productivity without having the satisfaction in the work. This happens mostly when money is their motivation. Another motivator is improving in his or her work in order to receive a promotion. Other employees may increase their productivity due to the satisfaction they get from their work. A reason for job satisfaction may also come from an employee getting a good salary.It improves job satisfaction as long as an employee has knowledge of the fact that they get fair payment for their efforts at the end of the day. Job satisfaction has an effect on an individual’s satisfaction with life. If an employee does not get sa tisfaction in their work, they may seek for satisfaction in other work unrelated areas. This provides fulfillment and balance in their life. He or she may also be content with work as it relates with those work unrelated areas. Job dissatisfaction may also cause an employee to quit (Robbins, 2004). How Workers Attitude and Job Satisfaction Affect Their Work.An employee’s attitude towards authority may affect his or her relationship with management. Negative attitude towards authority will cause clashes in the work place. Psychology is another reason that affects an individual’s attitude. Another reason for a negative attitude towards authority is jealous for their position. This attitude affects job productivity in a negative way. If the workers attitude is a negative one so is their ability to produce positive results. Worker attitude and job satisfaction are two factors that affect a company’s productivity.There are different issues that affect worker attitude and job satisfaction either in a negative or positive way. These issues include the management, employee, sociology, communication, culture, and work environment. Management Role The management’s style of leading plays a huge role in worker attitude and job production. Empowerment is one factor that can motivate better productivity. If the management gives an employee opportunity to work according to their own standards, preferred that these standards measure up to those of the company, job productivity will increase.Human empowerment is satisfactory to every individual. Self-satisfaction leads to job satisfaction. We also have strategic planning by management. This is crucial when dealing with influencing job productivity. An example of a way to motivate employees is the management offering them opportunities for promotions and pay rise negotiations. This will encourage job productivity since employees will want to receive these rewards (Jackson, 2002). Organizational objec tives also affect how the management relates with the employees.If the organizational goal is to achieve a certain percentage of profit in a business year, then it will exert pressure on the employees to increase productivity. Positive influence is not the only way to ensure an increase in productivity. Some organizations offer contracts that clear states the amount of productivity needed from employees. This is in the case of sales and marketing where a sales representative needs to achieve a target on a certain deadline. This may mount pressure on the employees and in turn affect their job satisfaction. In some cases, the management is not as strict with the employees.The problem with this is that the employees might eventually relax on the job. An organization may also decide to add more working days depending on their goals. Complying with such a decision is hard and it may leave the employees bitter and resentful towards management. This attitude will affect job productivity, a s the employees will arrive to work with no motivation. Another factor in work attitude is time away from work. Apart from free time on the weekend, which is compulsory according to work ethics, employees need to take time off from work. This normally is the leave period (Jackson, 2002).Employee Role Some individuals choose professions that they like while others end up in their profession due to pressure. Pressure may come from the need to make money or a parent or guardian deciding on what their kids will do. When one chooses something they love doing or has an interest in, then they are content and happy about what they do. Love for a profession encourages a positive attitude. This is all the motivation employees need when it comes to productivity. A happy employee is a productive employee. When an employee loves what they are doing, they attain job satisfaction.This automatically affects productivity in a positive way. Productivity however suffers with negative employees who onl y work to make money. Their aim is to increase their productivity in order to get more money but this eventually makes them stressful and bitter. Since they have no interest in the work, satisfaction is hard for them to achieve. This is another form of motivation but is not sufficient. The two major ways for employees to improve, productivity in their professional areas is the choice of profession. Employees need ways to relieve their stress if they want to improve their work attitude and productivity.Work related stress is common among most employees. This is especially by employees that do not experience any job satisfaction from their work. Stress is something that may lead to more serious illnesses. This lowers productivity from the absence of employees in the work place. Stress is relieved by taking breaks from work, exercising, socializing with friends, and having fun. Psychological development is also another factor that affects attitude. Since psychology is what determines h uman behavior, it affects how we react and relate with others.Every one of us reacts differently to different situations. An example is when management is brutally honest about an employees work, some may take it is a warning to do better others may take it as criticism and give up. This depends on how an individual makes decisions. External factors such as the family, relationships, financial status are a few of other things that also affect the employees’ attitude. A healthy employee is a productive employee and a happy one. Social Role Our social behavior affects our work. This is in regard to introverts and extroverts.An introvert will not easily socialize with people. This affects their performance in a situation that needs teamwork. Teamwork requires all individuals to communicate with each other. If employees cannot work well together, it affects productivity. A company that encourages teamwork experiences higher productivity. Extroverts are aggressive people and some people may try to avoid them. Relationships in the work place affects attitudes and in turn productivity. If employees have a close relationship with each other, employees work well together and their attitudes improve as well.An improvement in attitude improves job productivity and satisfaction. In order to improve this relationship, some organizations encourage team building by dedicating a few days for members to socialize. This is through encouraging games in this sessions or providing projects for them to do. Interaction between employees helps them know each other better and beyond the work place. It improves their relationship and attitude towards each other (Edwards, 2004). Social role also involves the relationship between employees and management. In most organizations, this relationship is usually strictly professional.The only time the two interact is while it involves work. This is a way for the management to ensure that they have an upper hand towards the employees. Th is may lead to employees withdrawing from the management due to fear. Fear affects productivity, as the employee cannot approach the management if he/she is having trouble. They may imagine that the management will see this as a weakness. A good relationship is one where the management associates with its employees openly. Respect is the only thing that needs establishment between the two. This way, it is easy for employees to approach the management.A good relationship will improve employee productivity by improving their attitude and encouraging job satisfaction. Another social factor is competition. This is due to human nature to prove themselves. Employees may compete amongst each other for appraisal or a chance to grab an available higher position. This is a way for productivity to improve. Their attitude will depend on whether the competition is a healthy or an unhealthy one. An unhealthy one will lead to stress (Edwards, 2004). Communication Communication is how information t ransmits between the management and employees or between the employees themselves.Employees need to be free with the management in order to approach them when they are having trouble. Good communication has a positive effect on the employee’s job satisfaction. When all their needs a met, they can easily perform their duties efficiently. This increases job productivity and in turn improves the workers attitude. Communication is also important between employees. Employees need to maintain a good relationship with each other in order to communicate efficiently. Respect is an important factor in communication. In every organization, respect needs to drive how they communicate.A good way to implement communication between management and employees is by planning meetings. These meetings should allow employees to ask questions and express their opinion. Management should ask employees for their input and suggestions in matters concerning them. This will make the employees feel even more part of the organization. It will improve the relationship of everyone in the organization. Good communication leads to a good relationship that in turn improves employee attitude and job productivity (Mitchell). Culture The differences in culture affects people’s attitude.Different cultures have different practice. Some cultures do not allow their employees to work for certain amounts of hours. This may affect an individual if a transfer occurs and they get to a work situation that encourages more working hours. He/she will develop a negative attitude towards work. In some cultures, individuals are risk takers. They enjoy doing things beyond their capabilities. They attain satisfaction both in life and in work. There is no better motivation to improve their job productivity than this. In others, employees are hardworking. Their attitude towards work is usually a positive one (Jackson, 2002).Work environment A positive work environment improves on employee attitude. This depends on other employees, the management and the available resources. If an organization takes care of their employees by providing all needed resources, then their productivity will improve. Job productivity increases a business performance and profits, which in turn ensures that employees receive their salary frequently. When the business performs well then the employees are happy. A good performance in the organization gives the employees a positive attitude that improves their individual performance.As long as the employees are happy and performing, job productivity will increase. Job satisfaction improves employee’s relationships with customers. A good working relationship such as that one will increase on the sales of goods and services. Some company’s offer their employees bonuses especially during the holidays. This acts as an encouragement to the workers and improves their relationship with management. In departments such as sales and marketing, employeeâ⠂¬â„¢s performance can improve if given bonuses or commission when they bring in more sales clients.With this knowledge, the employee’s performance is sure to improve drastically (Edwards, 2004). Conclusion The duty of management and the employee in improving workers attitude is debatable. Some may argue that it is up to the employee to ensure that they attain job satisfaction from their work, as they are the only ones in control of their attitude and performance. It is also possible to say that all the responsibility is entirely the managements. They decide on the nature of the environment in which the employee works.The management holds the power to control employee salary, off time and promotion. External factors such as the environment, social situations, and culture also affect worker attitude and job satisfaction. In my opinion, it is up to both the parties to decide on worker attitude and job satisfaction. If you need professional research paper help you can buy custom papers online at CustomWritings. com – online research paper writing service. Tags: Job Satisfaction research paperresearch paper on Worker AttitudeWorker attitude and job satisfaction essayWorker attitude and job satisfaction term paper

Policing Paper †The Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) Essay

Over the last 20 years, a new concept of policing has emerged that will replace the law enforcement aspects of an officer’s duties and replace them with crime prevention.   This new concept is community policing, which â€Å"should develop partnerships with neighborhood residents, develop programs tailored for specific problems, and give rank-and-file officers more decision-making freedom with regard to how best to deal with particular problems† (Walker & Katz, pg 50, 3).   Although this new approach to policing has been around since the 1980s, the city of Chicago was the first large police department to adopt the program city-wide with the announcement of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) in April 1993 (Skogan, et al., 2002).   This paper will explain the strengths, weaknesses, and future of the CAPS program. As explained above, the community policing concept allows the officer to become a problem-solver instead of a reactor by developing relationships within the neighborhoods in which the department serves.   CAPS adopted a five-step program to assist with this effort.   These steps include:  · â€Å"Identify and prioritize problems  · Analyze problems  · Design response strategies  · Implement response strategies  · Assess the success of response strategies† (Skogan, et al, 2002, pg 4,  ¶ 3). The five steps were accomplished through turf orientation and mobilizing city services.   The turf orientation consisted of 279 beats with nine or 10 officers assigned to each.   These officers were suppose to develop relationships and trust among the residents of each beat; however, due to the high number of 911 calls, the officers found that they did not have the necessary time to accomplish both tasks.   Therefore, the Chicago Police Department hired extra officers that were assigned to â€Å"free-roving rapid-response units† (Skogan, et al., 2002 pg 5,  ¶ 6). These free-roving units were responsible for handling the extra 911 calls and were not tied to a specific beat, which allowed the beat officers to remain within their territories long enough to establish trust and relationships with the public.   The beat officers also mobilized city services to help with the initial clean-up needed to deter crime and reduce the public’s fear of potential crime.   City ordinances were changed to expedite the removal of graffiti, abandoned vehicles towed, and abandoned or unsafe buildings demolished.   Malfunctioning street lights were also fixed, and civilian coordinators put in charge of providing the beat officers the necessary services they needed to solve problems within the community (Skogan, et al., 2002). Once the initial issues had been addressed, the beat officers needed to get the community more involved in the CAPS program.   The first step in this was to obtain citizen input about the concerns within the neighborhoods and create new roles for residents to ensure their neighborhoods remained safe.   Beat meetings were created to â€Å"serve as a forum for exchanging information and prioritizing and analyzing local problems† (Skogan, et al, 2002, pg 8,  ¶ 2).   These meetings were held on a monthly basis in church basements and park buildings, and allowed the beat officers and the residents of each community to become better acquainted.   However, many of these meetings ended up being filled with complaints from residents instead of prioritizing and creating action plans to correct problems.   Therefore, more training has been provided for beat officers and civilian facilitators in order to maintain order within the beat meetings (Skogan, et al., 2002). Residents were also given more roles to ensure the neighborhoods remained safe.   District advisory committees (DACs) were created to advise commanders of concerns and plan police-citizen projects.   These committees consisted of â€Å"community leaders, school council members, ministers, business operators, and representatives of significant organizations and institutions in the district† (Skogan, et. al, 2002, pg 11,  ¶ 2).   However, this aspect of the CAPS program has not evolved as originally expected.   Partly because the DACs have not thought strategically about correcting wide-spread problems, and partly because the DACs are not as diverse as they should be; leaving gaps in the representation of all races and social classes within a large area (Skogan, et al, 2002). Although there have been a few pitfalls in the implementation of the CAPS program, there have also been some improvements.   One such improvement includes crime analysis.   A crime-mapping system has been created that is updated continuously; allowing police the information needed for problem-solving and tactical operations.   The city has also implemented a new 311 system that is used for nonemergency situations (Skogan, et al, 2002).   Another improvement has included the creation of a roving task force that includes police, building, health, and fire inspectors.   This task force’s sole responsibility is to enforce antigang and drug house ordinances.   A third improvement includes the cooperation of city legal staff whom have set up offices within communities to assist police in reoccurring problems, prosecute hate crimes, and conduct seminars about crime prevention (Skogan, et al, 2002). Since the implementation of the CAPS program, Chicago has seen a decrease in crimes ranging from burglary, auto theft, street crime, gangs, and drug problems.   However, the future of the program greatly depends on the current motivation of residents, police, and city leaders.   The city must become creative in ways to maintain its current CAPS program during these difficult economic times that have affected budgets on the city, state, and federal level, as well as replace retiring leadership with knowledgeable and driven officers and sergeants (Skogan, et al, 2002).