Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Sentencing Disparities And Race On Criminal Sentencing

Introduction Sentencing disparities as a result of an individual’s race or ethnic background, has been one of the most frequently investigated topics in criminological research. (Mitchell, Mackenzie 2004). Several studies have attempted to understand the impact of the offenders’ race on criminal sentencing but there has been variation in the results- some of studies concluded race does effect sentencing regardless of the legal variables; some studies revealed it does not; while other studies concluded that race does impact sentencing when coupled with other factors. (Pratt 1998). Research has revealed that sentencing disparities by race are a result of the type of criminal offense as the variable to the impact on sentencing decisions. The implications of sentencing disparities by race suggests that minority individuals are targeted more frequently in the criminal justice system. Accordingly, there is a clear need to explore all possible variables that may create sentencing disparities for minorities. The current study will fill some of the void of former research by exploring sentencing disparities among a large sample of gang members and non-gang members who were sentenced to prison for serious crimes in the state of California. Specifically, the study is interested in examining whether gang members become targeted by law enforcement personnel because of their gang related activities, or because of their race. The focus of this study is necessary because consist racialShow MoreRelatedSentencing Of Sentencing And Sentencing Essay920 Words   |  4 PagesIntr oduction Sentencing bias occurs in most of the court cases in the United States of America. Sentencing bias can include races such as Hispanic/Latino, Asian Americans, White Americans, and Native Americans. This brings us to talk about sentencing disparities? In which a court case trial is not treated the same or it is treated differently than other cases. However, who faces the most disparities in sentencing? Could it be African American’s who face’s the most trends and Asian American’s theRead MoreRacial Disparity in Sentencing1728 Words   |  7 PagesRacial Disparity in Sentencing Lori Raynor University of Phoenix Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice CJA/423 Ron McGee September 06, 2010 Abstract In this paper I will illustrate racial disparity in sentencing in the criminal justice system. The causes of racial disparity and the reasons it is on the rise, the research statistics, and the proposed solutions are discussed. Racial Disparity in Sentencing The intersection of racial dynamics with the criminal justice systemRead MoreThe Bias And Discretion Of The Sentencing Process1415 Words   |  6 Pagesbiases exist within our court system when it comes down to sentencing. So, are we saying the judges are racist? This learner hopes not, but she cannot help but wonder if they are just based on the number of African American that is housed in our jails/prisons. There just seems to be an overwhelming amount of us incarcerated verses Caucasians. It is also amazing that some of the sentencing time that judges past down for the same type of criminal act (e.g., burglary, auto theft, etc.) seems to be worstRead MoreShould We Be Mandatory Sentence Reduction?870 Words   |  4 Pagesblind eye to race discrimination in the criminal justice system (Alexander, 2011). To this point, research on mass incarceration takes issue with the fact the Court has closed the courthouse doors to claims of racial bias at all stages of the criminal just ice process from the levels of justice ranging from stops and searches to plea bargaining and sentencing. One case, in particular, stands out as drawing the line on expectations of the court to actively address racial bias in sentencing and convictionRead MoreThe Sentencing Reform Act Of 19841526 Words   |  7 PagesThe Sentencing Reform Act is associated with the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, were the U.S. federal statute increased the consistency in the United States federal sentencing. The Sentencing Reform Act created the United States Sentencing Commission. This act allowed the independent commission into the judicial branch of the United States Sentencing Commission. It consists of seven voting members and one nonvoting member. For the sake of the United States Sentencing Commission, thereRead MoreInfluential Factors on a Juveniles Life1510 Words   |  6 Pages(Freidman, 2012). Recent data from the Civil Rights Project show that school segregation is very high for Latino and Black students and that this segregation is almost always what Gary Orfield called â€Å"double segregation,† that is, segregation by both race/ethnicity and poverty. In the 2009–2010 school year, 74 percent of Black and 80 percent of Hispanic students attended schools where 50 to 100 percent of the students were minori ¬ties. In addition, 38 and 43 percent of Black and Hispanic students, respectivelyRead MoreCriminal Sentencing Essay1114 Words   |  5 PagesDiscretion by definition is the authorization of deciding as one thinks fit, absolutely or within limits (Ntanda, 1999). Indeterminate sentencing, traditionally, has afforded judges considerable discretion over the resolve of criminal sentencing. â€Å"While such discretion theoretically allows judges to tailor sentences to the circumstances of individual crimes and criminals, thereby achieving a sort of ex pos t fairness, it also permits variation in sentences that may not be warranted by the observable factsRead MoreRacial Inequality919 Words   |  4 Pagesopportunities and treatment of people based solely on their race. Racial inequality is a serious issue that is often discussed in the American criminal justice system. Although racial discrimination is present in the criminal justice system, some people use the words inequality, discrimination, racism, and profiling loosely and do not understand how truly complex it is to prove that there actually is racial inequality present in the criminal justice system. Daniel P Mears, Joshua C. Cochran, and AndreaRead MoreRacial and Ethnic Disparity and Criminal Justice3054 Words   |  12 PagesRacial and Ethnic Disparity and Criminal Justice: How much is too much? In this article, Robert, April, and Jorge (2010) acknowledges previous research reports on this topic and reveals that race, and racial patterns have found their way in involvement of crime. However, Robert, April, and Jorge (2010) argue that there is no significant proof that there are meaningful racial disparities in the legal systems. Although some literatures provide research on the existence of racial profiling by policeRead MoreThe Goals of Sentencing in the Criminal Justice System1747 Words   |  7 PagesThe Goals of Sentencing in the Criminal Justice System By: Brian Ouellette Criminal Justice CCJ 1020 Mr. Leonardo Cadogan Abstract In the United States there is no standard when it comes to punishment and sentencing. This area of the  criminal justice system is in a constant state of change. Sentencing practices and goals are always being closely examined. From getting tough on crime to more rehabilitative approaches, the views and goals of sentencing are always being

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Women and the Patriarchal Society in Michael Cunninghams...

Women Pressured by the Demands of a Patriarchal Society in Michael Cunninghams The Hours In Michael Cunninghams The Hours, Laura Brown, one of the novels protagonists, is trapped by the responsibility of being a housewife and mother. Cunninghams story uses one of Virginia Woolfs works, Mrs. Dalloway, as a template to weave the lives of three women together in a narrative delicately split into three branching tales that echo each other. One branch of the story leads to a fictional account of Virginia Woolf creating the first draft of her famous novel. A second narrative in Cunninghams tale is that of Clarissa Vaughn - a woman whose life mirrors that of Woolfs fictional character Mrs. Dalloway. The final woman in the trio of†¦show more content†¦. . for which she is not adequately rehearsed (43). Sullerot explains this with: The underlying reason being that the position of women has always or nearly always been defined in terms of their role. Women have always been given a specific role, mainly in the family, and their social role has evolved from it (Sullerot 13) . Laura is stifled in this traditional role; she seeks a sense of independence and privacy. Cunningham borrows these ideas of independence and privacy from another piece of Woolfs work, A Room of Ones Own. In Woolfs essay she stresses the need for a woman to have money and a room of her own. The money stands for the power to contemplate, and this power is the independence gained from the womans financial status (Woolf 110). Woolf also states, That a lock on the door means the power to think for oneself (Woolf 110). The room is a place of privacy that keeps out the world of man. While the context of Woolfs statements was meant to apply to women who wished to be writers, it also is applicable to the life of Laura Brown. Laura believes that she has a touch of brilliance that she carries around inside herself curled up like a tiny clenched fist (42). The protagonist finds herself wondering if she could ever create something great by unclenching the fist inside herself. Sullerot writes that women can be prompted by the tediousness

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Healthy Eating Habits Free Essays

As a lifelong fitness enthusiast, I know the great importance of proper nutrition. Still being able to maintain a 30 inch waistline in my middle age, I think that I should have enough proven credibility to give you a few tips on how to build healthy eating habits and make them stick. Physical activity is only 50% of the overall health equation. We will write a custom essay sample on Healthy Eating Habits or any similar topic only for you Order Now The other 50% is nutrition. And without healthy eating habits, one will not be able to achieve good health and fitness. So it does depend on what you eat, and in this modern age of convenience and rushed daytime schedules, it’s easy to eat unhealthy. So here are some areas to consider that will help keep you on the right health track. Educate Yourself On Food And Healthy Eating Habits In order to eat healthy, you have to understand which foods are actually healthy and which ones are not. Learn from reading nutrition books and websites. Maybe even consult a dietician to get you started. Quite often, convenient foods are laced with too much salt, sugar and other ingredients, which are not considered healthy. These ingredients can often be hidden, so it is important as part of your education to learn to read food labels while at the grocer. Learn what ingredients to avoid, as major components are usually listed first in the food labels. Also verify and compare fat contents since many food items — which are promoted as ‘low fat’ or ‘low calorie’ — might very well still be quite high in fat. Being educated on what is contained within various types of food will help you weed out much of the unhealthy food you otherwise might end up eating. Learn To Substitute Foods And Ingredients In the old days, healthy eating meant a diet of bland-tasting food. I still remember that veggie burger that tasted like cardboard. Those days are thankfully gone as food technology has improved significantly. Many of the lower fat versions of food items (like cheese and frozen yogurt) taste just as good as their standard â€Å"full-fat† versions. One can also still cook great tasting food at home by simply substituting some of the ingredients. For example, use olive oil instead of butter for frying. Reduce salt by adding spices instead. Choose leaner cuts of meat and trim off visible fat before cooking. Something that I’ve done over the years is to drastically cut down on red meats at home and increase my intake of fish and poultry. By learning some great recipes with fish and poultry, I really don’t miss red meat all that much. One of the big areas to substitute is in snacking. Instead of candy bars or potato chips (or other junk food), try nuts or fruit. During the hot summers, I keep a supply of frozen grapes and if I feel the urge to nibble on something, I just grab one or two frozen grapes. Not only are these healthy, they are also refreshing during hot temperatures. Keep Related Goals In Mind In order to help you stick to healthy eating habits once you plan them, I find that it helps to keep related goals in mind. For example, each time I look in the mirror I make a point of looking at the condition of my abs. I want to maintain a half decent physical shape so what I see in the mirror is a constant reminder that I have to keep eating well. When I see other people around my age group or even younger than me who are out of shape, I always observe that they are not eating healthy. They usually eat foods that are high in fat. Keeping observant with this helps me even more to keep away from bad eating habits since I don’t want to end up like those poor folks who have let themselves go in that department. Another goal that is more specific is that I want to be able to perform well on the ski slope during the winter and maintain my martial arts all year round. I can generally tie in my overall performance levels in these sports back to my diet as one of the elements required. See if there are any related activities that you want to do well that you can somehow relate back to nutrition. Then keeping this top of mind will help you steer clear of bad foods. After all, you don’t want to blame poor performance in your favorite activities partly on bad diet. Be Around Others Who Eat Healthy This last point is related to having others help you in your goals. Sometimes it’s hard to eat right when all of your friends, family members and co-workers eat unhealthy. So make sure that you spend time with other people who already eat well. This will help inspire you to eat healthy as well. You’re basically using teamwork to help you achieve the goal of eating healthy. There’s really no magic in how to build healthy eating habits and make them stick. Good health is long term and the only way to achieve it is through all the little successes that add up when you have another healthy meal and finish another workout. Follow the above tips — as I do each and every day — during your meals and snack periods to ensure optimum health. How to cite Healthy Eating Habits, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Auto Fishing Network Design Concerns for Fisheries- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theAuto Fishing Network Design Concerns for Fisheries. Answer: Answering the Case scenario network design questions. Discuss in your groups the following questions relating to the assignment scenario: Specify which public or private IP address blocks will be assigned to different modules of your network. The specific type of IP address bloc that will be used in our top-down design network for the auto fishing group would be the fourth version internet protocol (IPV4).We choose IPv4 because its protocol is connectionless and is the best effort based. Design a plan for integrating the different routeing protocols into the network design. A sample network plan which I would use to integrate the different protocols of routeing is as outline below.' Building one would be the protocol of auto-fishing site centre Building two would be marine and fisheries training centre Protocol Building4- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles protocols C) What are the most important assets of your design that must be protected with security mechanisms? The most vital asset that requires protection is the data centre room this is because it would contain databases of most customers, employees and clients What are the largest security risks that your network would face? The main security risk that might arise from this designed network could be the presence of hackers who might undermine the network device security like the router, switch, IDS and the server (Gaine s, 2010). Should Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) be enabled on the Cisco routers and switches? Yes, the Cisco Discovery protocol should be enabled on the switches and routers of Cisco to improve the connectivity and inventory information on fishing practises. Discuss the following questions relating to the assignment in your group: List the devices and programs required for your campus network design. Some of the devices and programs that would be needed for my network design at the campus include: the top-down network core layer which ensures optimal transportation in various sites and also a routeing system of high performance (Rassweiler, 2012). This would cost about a hundred dollars. the top-down network distribution layer which assist in providing connectivity that is policy based between core and access layers (Rassweiler, 2012). This would cost about seventy dollars. Discuss the following questions relating to the assignment in your group: Select the routers required for your enterprise network design and make a list. Some of the entreprise routers which are applicable to this case scenario include: 1800 1900 Series Integrated Services Router-477 dollars 7200 Series Router-507 dollars ASR 1000 Series Router 873 dollars 7600 Series Router-800 dollars J-Series Services Routers- 1000 dollars Discuss the following questions relating to the assignment in your group: Investigate the possibility of using wireless solutions as much as possible in your design. There would need to make use of the wireless solutions where there are laxity and scarce use of the available ethernets during the designing of this auto-fishing network project (Rassweiler, 2012). What are the new security concerns in your design? One major security concern is in the fact that unauthorised person may retrieve or access a companys vital information where there is the use of radio signals as a wireless means of networking (Gaines, 2010). Another concern is the fact that wireless solution is very vulnerable to the denial of service attacks which slow the performance of most WLAN (Rassweiler, 2012). Discuss the following questions relating to the assignment in your group: Write a test plan for your designed network. 1.Product analysis 2.Test strategy 3.Coming up with the testing criteria 4.Stating the network design objectives 5.Planning of resource 6.Determining the deliverables of the test. Discuss the following questions relating to the assignment in your group: Write the project goal for your network design project. The goal of this network project is to ensure that the operations of these designs are reliable, secure and up to speed as per the demands of the customers. Write the project scope for your network design project. This network design is initiated to serve the departments of auto fishing that are located in Darwin. Its establishment will be a merit to both the fishermen ant the intermediary group, not to forget the customers at large (Rassweiler, 2012). Reference List Gaines, S.D., White, C., Carr, M.H. and Palumbi, S.R., 2010. Designing marine reserve networks for both conservation and fisheries management. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(43), pp.18286-18293. Rassweiler, A., Costello, C. and Siegel, D.A., 2012. Marine protected areas and the value of spatially optimised fishery management. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(29), pp.11884-11889.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Nature Journal Essays - Agkistrodon, Agkistrodon Contortrix

Nature Journal Introduction Wildlife is always deemed to be of great significance economically, ecologically, environmentally as well as culturally. It includes a wide range of species from amphibians, insects, birds to mammals. Thus, there is no doubt that there are some organisms that are native while others were introduced or re-introduced to their current habitant (Day, Klingler & Bloomberg 283). The essay is an in-depth examination of five wild animals that exist in the United States of America. These animals are Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Black and Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia), Northern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen) and American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana). To be able to cover these species adequately, the following will be established: - Are the species, being studied, native or introduced in that environment? - Describe their physical characteristics in terms of color as well as specific differences between the sexes. Additionally, the issues regarding the species' habitats are adequately tackled. This is attained by establishing their local habitat as well as their habitat range, their ecological role, the types of food they eat and other relevant relationships such as parasitism, mutualism are brought to light. The species' category under IUCN is also brought to light. At the same time, discover life cycle of these species and life span as well as how they coexist with people. Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) According to Rue (72), Red fox is the largest of animals that is considered as true foxes. This species is in the family of Canidae which is comprised of wolves, dogs and coyotes. These animals are characterized by an orange or red fur. Red foxes have white fur on their chest as well as beneath their neck. The tail is usually fluffy and white at the tip. The ears are black and pointed. Their legs are colored black. The animal is about three feet long and weighs 10 pounds. As suggested by Clapham (122), Red fox inhabits a greater part of the United States as well as Canada, but there is no record to show that they ever existed in Alaska and Texas. According to IUCN, it is categorized as Least Concern for extinction and named as world's worst alien invasive species. They have a wide range covering approximately 70 million square kms including wood lands, farmland as well as prairies. Historically, red foxes were being preyed by lynx, wolves, and bobcats but due to the reduced number of these predators, people became the major predator hunting these animals for various reasons, such as sport hunting, as well as for their fur or by farmers in protecting their crops and livestock (Rue 121). It is thus no doubt that red fox has a long association with mankind. This can be depicted in human folklore as well as in myths. Red foxes are opportunistic feeders whose feeding pattern varies with season as they eat everything available during some period. Generally speaking, this species is omnivorous eating fruits, grasses and berries. They also feed on birds, insects, small mammals. They can investigate over five miles looking for food despite the fact that they are not hungry. Surplus food stuffs are hidden to be consumed later (Clapham 54). With regards to reproduction, red foxes reproduce only once a year during spring. Female estrus lasts for 21 days during which the male mates with her for a number of days in burrows during which there is at least an hour of copulation tie. The gestation period is approximately two months. Prior to littering, the female/vixen will get two den ready. The litter size ranges between 4 and 8. As the female is nursing the litter, males look for food. Within a period of about 2 weeks, the kits open their eyes, and 4 days after, lower teeth start emerging. The juvenile takes a period of six to seven months, and then, the adulthood comes. It has been established that in their natural habitat, the red foxes attain a maximum of five years and fourteen while under captivity (Rue 65). These mammals are nocturnal and can hear voices in lower frequencies. They stalk their prey just like the cat does, then pounce and chase. Dens are utilized for reproduction reasons. Red foxes sleep in open environment using their tail to save warmth (Clapham 23). Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) Also known as marsh hawk, the bird is between 17 and 24 inches with a wing span ranging from 3.5 to 4.5 feet weighing between 12 and 18 ounces. Males are typically smaller than females. This

Monday, November 25, 2019

Hacp implementation in hotel restaurant Essays

Hacp implementation in hotel restaurant Essays Hacp implementation in hotel restaurant Essay Hacp implementation in hotel restaurant Essay The HACCP execution in hotel eating house A instance survey based on the position of the organisation s civilization Part B Section 1 Introduction Reason for pick of this subject The writer has selected this subject because of his involvement in a future calling in nutrient and drink industry. Separate A has showed that he has good leading and squad edifice accomplishments to go a leader in this filed. He feels that it would be imperative to hold good apprehension of nutrient safety if he would wish to be a chef after graduated from the university. In Hong Kong, there are great proportion of people went out to hold their repast. Harmonizing to Hong Kong centre for wellness protection ( CHP, 2007 ) the figure of people eating out more than five times a hebdomad are 30.2 % for breakfast, 51.5 % for tiffin and 10.8 % for dinner severally. Having such civilization of eating out, nutrient safety should be considered as the first precedence in the cordial reception industry in Hong Kong, nevertheless, in recent old ages, nutrient toxic condition is continually increasing. Harmonizing to the World Health Organization ( WHO, 2007 ) , the planetary incidence of food-borne diseases is hard to gauge, but it has been reported that in 2005 entirely 1.8 million people died from diarrhoeal diseases. A great proportion of these instances can be attributed to taint of nutrient and imbibing H2O. In industrialised states, the per centum of the population enduring from food-borne diseases each twelvemonth has been reported to be up to 30 % . In add-on, contaminated nutrient could ensue from improper nutrient handling, readying, or nutrient storage. : Although HACCP is an internationally recognized nutrient safety direction system, there are great barriers to implement such system in the cordial reception industry Academic aims of undertaking This paper aims to accomplish the undermentioned aims: To derive apprehension of HACCP and its execution in Hospitality industry. To compare current academic literature on the nutrient safety issues. To place the barriers of implementing HACCP system in Hospitality industry. To place the ways to beef uping the nutrient safety civilization within the Hospitality organisation instead than concentrating on making a better safety system. Outline of subdivisions The literature reappraisal will be divided into four parts. The fist portion is about the debut of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System ( HACCP ) , including this definition and its execution. The 2nd portion is about the barriers of implementing HACCP system in Hospitality industry e.g. practical and psychological barriers. The 3rd portion is about the organisational civilization which included its definition and connexion between HACCP execution. The concluding portion is the ways to beef uping the nutrient safety civilization. It is because holding a positive nutrient safety civilization within the organisation is more dependable that purely follow the nutrient safety direction system such as HACCP. Literature Review Introduction Harmonizing to the World Health Organization ( WHO, 2007 ) Food-borne diseases or Food poisoning seem to hold been increasing globally in recent old ages. Food poisoning can be loosely defined as the unwellness caused by the ingestion of contaminated nutrient or H2O incorporating assorted bacteriums, viruses, parasites or even toxins of biochemical or chemical nature. The types of nutrients produced or served by a concern along with the direction of how they are prepared or produced are likely to lend to the hazard of a concern doing nutrient toxic condition. ( Griffith, 2010 ) Although, there are nutrient safety direction system such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point ( HACCP ) , the execution of the HACCP system requires extra resources for staff preparation, investings on edifices and equipment, excess purchase of supplies, every bit good as proficient support furthermore, within a concern a figure of sub civilizations compete for precedence and frequently the biggest challenger to nutrient safety civilization is a civilization of salvaging money ( Griffithet Al. , 2010 ) . The thrust to cut costs at the disbursal of nutrient safety possibly false economic system and it should be noted that concerns identified as a beginning of nutrient poisoning eruptions can endure important harm to trade name individuality, fiscal losingss and perchance, in up to a 3rd of instances, bankruptcy ( Griffithet Al. , 2010 ) . What is HACCP? Harmonizing to a recent survey ( Taylor, 2008 ) The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point ( HACCP ) system is a science-based systematic attack which identifies critical control points in the production process that are indispensable to supervise and command merchandise safety. HACCP is a tool to measure jeopardies and set up control systems that focus on bar instead than trusting on end-product testing. The system can be applied throughout the nutrient concatenation from primary production to concluding ingestion, including primary manufacturers, nutrient makers, conveyance and storage operators to retail and nutrient service mercantile establishments. The execution of HACCP system is a mark for presenting safe nutrient merchandises to clients. HACCP is an internationally recognized system and is built on seven cardinal rules: Hazard Analysis: Potential biological, chemical and physical jeopardies must be evaluated for each ingredient and at each measure of the fabrication procedure. Identify Critical Control Points: Those points in the procedure where control can be applied to extinguish or cut down an identified jeopardy to an acceptable degree. Establish Critical Limits: Defined as the upper limit or minimal parametric quantity that must be met to extinguish or cut down the jeopardy to an acceptable bound. Establish Monitoring Requirements: Used to measure whether the critical bounds are met and to set up records for confirmation. Establish Corrective Actions: The actions taken to convey a CCP back under control and the stairss taken to forestall farther taint of the merchandise every bit good as the stairss taken to forestall the distribution of potentially contaminated merchandise. Establish Verification Procedures: Confirmation assures the program is efficaciously implemented and followed. Establish Record Keeping and Documentation Procedures: Includes record keeping of types of records kept such as the jeopardy analysis, the HACCP program, support certification and operational records. By concentrating review at CCPs, HACCP improves the scientific footing for safety and control processes. A CCP is any point in the concatenation of nutrient production from natural stuffs to complete merchandise where the loss of control could ensue in unacceptable nutrient safety hazard ( Pierson and Corlett, 1992 ) . Monitoring of CCPs is done best by utilizing indexs that can be measured easy. This focal point on mensurable indexs provides a more cost-efficient attack to command than merchandise sampling and testing, which is more expensive and may non supply seasonably consequences. This is particularly of import for foodborne microbic pathogens, because their incidence is low and the costs of proving are high. It is of import to recognize that HACCP is non designed to replace direction determinations weighing possible benefits from merchandise qualities against costs, or the value of improved safety versus the costs of accomplishing it. HAC CP facilitates improved merchandise safety, but direction has the discretion to find what the concluding merchandise quality will be. These issues enter into the house s deliberations in finding CCPs and tolerance bounds at CCPs. ( The economic ) HACCP was originally developed as a quality control tool in nutrient processing, where branded merchandise liability creates industry inducements for jeopardy control. It was intended to be flexible plenty to accommodate to different houses, workss, or procedures within workss. Its application as a regulative criterion to an full industry or sector, or at different phases in the supply concatenation, is needfully different. ( Unnevehr and Jensen 1999 ) , Why is HACCP of import? The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point ( HACCP ) is a nutrient safety direction system that is presently promoted internationally because it enables nutrient concern operators to command nutrient safety hazards at all points along the production line, instead than waiting for microbiological testing of the concluding merchandise ( Tuominenet Al. , 2003 ) . It regarded as the most effectual manner to accomplish nutrient safety is to concentrate on bar of possible jeopardies and to better the procedure ( Swanson and Anderson, 2000 ; ) The HACCP system besides relies to a great extent on confirmation and certification to guarantee that nutrient safety has non been compromised during any measure. HACCP hence provides a construction for measuring hazards. HACCP hence provides a construction for measuring hazards or whatever could travel incorrect and seting the necessity controls in topographic point to minimise such hazards. ( Stephaniemet Al.,2009 ) The advantage of HACCP based systems is that they can be designed to include all different types of nutrients, their natural stuffs ( whatever their beginning ) and associated jeopardies. ( Griffith, 2010 ) ( Semos and Kontogeorgos, 2007 ) denoted that the execution of the HACCP system to nutrient processing can ensue in benefits to industry, authorities and consumers, advancing, in this manner, a possible betterment of nutrient safety and bar of nutrient toxic condition. HACCP focal point on mensurable indexs provides a more cost-efficient attack to command than merchandise sampling and testing, which is more expensive and may non supply seasonably consequences. This is particularly of import for food-borne microbic pathogens, because their incidence is low and the costs of proving are high. Requirement of Implementing the HACCP system in cordial reception industry Before HACCP can be implemented, prerequisite plans ( PRPs ) such as good hygienic patterns, staff preparation, and documented criterion runing process should be good established. HACCP s effectivity relies on the cognition and accomplishments of both direction and staff. ( Taylor, 2008 ) , pointed out that the most of import factor driving the execution of HACCP is the employment of experient, technically qualified individuals. While flexibleness appropriate to the concern is of import, all seven rules must be applied in the HACCP system. This takes into history the nature and size of the operation, including the human and fiscal resources, substructure, processes, cognition, and practical restraints. The seven rules can be applied in concerns irrespective of size and the nature of the operations. ( Semos and Kontogeorgos, 2007 ) Execution of the HACCP system requires extra resources for staff preparation, investings on edifices and equipment, excess purchase of supplies, every bit good as proficient support moreover, directors or concerns should supply adequate and appropriate installations for nutrient animal trainers to be hygienic and this can act upon their sensed behavioural control. ( Griffith, 2000 ) The efficaciousness of the system relies to a great extent on the relevant HACCP cognition and accomplishments, direction committedness, and apprehension of HACCP along with alterations in attitude and organisational civilization all necessitating equal preparation to get the better of barriers related to human resources. ( Adams, 2000 ) Sing the consequences as a whole, staff preparation was the cost with the highest mean mark bespeaking that this cost during the development and execution of the HACCP system was the most of import cost. The 2nd most of import cost was the investings in new equipment. As has antecedently been mentioned, the bulk of the respondents have used an external adviser to develop and implement the HACCP system in their company. Therefore, it is non surprising that the cost of the external adviser is rated as the 3rd most of import cost. ( Semos and Kontogeorgos, 2007 ) The cost of a HACCP system for most industries depends non merely on the demands of the system, but besides on the betterment of the current position of nutrient safety-related patterns in the company. Sing the cost of HACCP systems, it is of import to take into history the house s long-run nest eggs derived by a possible lessening in remembering contaminated nutrient merchandises ( Taylor, 2001 ) . A nutrient animal trainers cognition of nutrient safety is critical they can non act hygienically if they do non cognize how to act and why. This has led to increased accent on preparation ; nevertheless, cognition of nutrient safety/hygiene does non ever interpret into execution of nutrient safety patterns. Training provides people with the cognition leting them to manage nutrient safety when they are motivated to be hygienic ( Griffith, 2010 ) . What are the barriers in implementing the HACCP system in cordial reception industry? Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point ( HACCP ) is an internationally recognized system of pull offing nutrient safety ( Codex, 2003 ) and its usage is advocated in the cordial reception industry. Griffith ( 2000 ) stated that one of the major jobs sing the effectual execution of HACCP is that employees in nutrient industry frequently lack involvement and they frequently have a negative attitude toward the nutrient safety programmes. Taylor and Taylor ( 2004 ) found that the chief barriers that hindered the effectual HACCP execution were due to HACCP being considered as hard, onerous and unneeded. They explained that the interplay of barriers at cognition, attitude and behavioural degrees could account for the jobs in effectual HACCP execution. The generated on the job definitions for the general barrier classs included: cognition as a organic structure of acquired facts ; attitude as mental reaction to knowledge ; and behaviour as the action taken as a consequence of cognition acquisition and attitude development. Subcategories of these general barriers included consciousness, acquaintance and comprehension for cognition while the subcategories for attitude major barrier comprised of understanding and committedness. Adoption and attachment were the subcategories for the last major barrier, behavior ( Barriers of HACCP squad members ) Furthermore, those barriers separated into two types which are practical and psychological. ( Taylor, 2008 ) stated that there is an overpowering scope of practical and psychological barriers to the HACCP execution in cordial reception industry ( Tayloret Al. , 2008 ) . The practical barriers in implementing the HACCP system in cordial reception industry ( haccp chef ) Although HACCP is an internationally recognized nutrient safety direction system, there are great barriers to implement such system in the cordial reception industry. Surveies have shown that the major jobs identified in the Hospitality industry were: deficiency of cognition, developing jobs, high staff turnover, big assortment of merchandises, fluctuation in possible demand and big Numberss of parttime workers ( Ward, 2001 ) Lack of appropriate installations has been cited as a barrier to execution of good hygiene ( Claytonet al. ,2002 ) . However even more extremely cited was deficiency of clip to be hygienic and this is likely to be even more of import in nutrient service or providing than in fabrication. The former work to order, with clients seeking prompt service, potentially confronting nutrient animal trainers whilst in fabrication concerns normally work to stock. Bettering a concern displacement forms and staff Numberss has helped to significantly better hygiene execution. Directors or concerns may state that this costs excessively much money and this attitude straight links to the concern organisational nutrient safety civilization. ( Griffith, 2010 ) Eves and Dervisi ( 2005 ) noted that when HACCP is non decently implemented it is due to time-related restraints and largely due to the big sum of certification required. Bas et Al. ( 2007 ) and Panisello and Quantick ( 2001 ) stated that the volume of the paperwork required is a factor that hinders the HACCP effectivity, while Taylor and Kane ( 2005 ) and Taylor ( 2001 ) refer to troubles or deficiency of proof and confirmation processs. Aggelogiannopoulos et Al. ( 2007 ) besides mentioned some other internal barriers in implementing the quality system such as the deficiency of fiscal resources, deficiency of forces, human resource restrictions ( deficient accomplishments or makings ) , clip limitations because of the short operating skyline of the concern, opposition of higher-level executives to alter and opposition of employees to alter. ( Taylor and Forte 2008 ) point out that The cordial reception industry is preponderantly made up of really little concerns with varied degrees of staff preparation and high staff turnover. With a few exclusions, staffs lack the competency to develop a nutrient safety direction system such as HACCP. Hospitality concerns do non use a nutrient engineer or microbiologist in kitchens, but craftsmen who are non technically qualified to place danger points or to utilize instruments such as thermocouples and digital thermometers. A skilled chef is far more capable of judging whether nutrient is adequately cooked utilizing more traditional methods, such as coloring material or texture alterations in nutrient. Second, unlike the fabrication industry, the mean cordial reception mercantile establishment offers an drawn-out merchandise scope ( bill of fare ) to the client. It would non be possible to bring forth a flow diagram for each merchandise offered as required by the international HACCP Guidelines ( Codex, 2003 ) . Furthermore, the mean cordial reception concern is extremely flexible and originative and there is a higher figure of merchandises offered, less usage of standard formulas and frequently ad hoc reworking of ingredients. Third, the first HACCP rule requires a elaborate, proficient jeopardy analysis ( Codex, 2003 ) . Not surprisingly, many caterers do non understand the proficient HACCP and microbiological slang and most frequently have no ability to place critical hazards in nutrient readying and cookery. Finally, as nutrient is produced from a varied and complex production design ( bill of fare ) and the clients require immediate ingestion, the production procedure differs well from that of fabrication concerns. The on the job gait is variable and volatile which is unsuitable for many types of monitoring and certification. Daily concern prognosiss are frequently unpredictable, ensuing in excessively small or excessively much preliminary nutrient readying, and necessitating flexibleness to pull off instead than stiff modus operandis. These differences create strong barriers to the execution of HACCP in the cordial reception industry, and they are really hard to get the better of. The graduated table of the challenge can be demonstrated by analyzing old efforts to develop HACCP counsel manuals for cordial reception concerns ( Taylor and Forte 2008 ) . The psychological barriers in implementing the HACCP system in cordial reception industry Beside the practical barriers, psychological factors are considered as the barriers to HACCP s successful execution in Hospitality industry. A survey ( Taylor, 2008 ) stated that the psychological barriers such as staff motive, attitude, and behavior to the execution. Calls have been made for more specific research on nutrient safety civilization with the construct and its importance, ill understood by all degrees in the nutrient industry, including in-between and top direction. ( Griffith et al 2010 ) If directors have a negative attitude about following proper nutrient safety and sanitation processs, it will be apparent to others by what they say and do. For illustration, if the director of a foodservice constitution does nt rinse his custodies before get downing work, how can he anticipate the employees to make so? Alternatively, if the director demonstrates a positive attitude toward nutrient safety through his words and action, the employees will more likely do the same. In companies with strong safety civilizations, a proper attitude toward nutrient safety is more caught than taught. ( Yiannas, 2008 ) Food safety is non merely a microbiological job but that it besides has a major behavioural constituent ( Griffith and Redmond, 2009 ) . It has been suggested that 97 % of eruptions traced to non-manufacturing nutrient concerns involved a nutrient animal trainer error/malpractice ( Howes et al. , 1996 ) . Although there was a documented HACCP system this was hapless and unequal, its content was non communicated to the employees and was non available for review by the environmental wellness officer. There was no stock rotary motion protocol, cleaning certification was hapless saying some points were to be cleaned daily yet the individual responsible for their cleansing was merely employed two yearss a hebdomad with cleansing of high hazard countries omitted. Many processs such as glass and pest control policies, considered indispensable to a meat processor of this sort, were non in topographic point. However it is possibly the nutrient safety civilization set by the owner/manager which gives rise to the greatest concerns. This was a civilization where returned spoiled meat was repacked and re-used and where salvaging money had precedency over all else. Staffs were asked to work when ailment and to follow the proprietor s illustration of traveling between high and low hazard countries w ithout a alteration of vesture or manus lavation. The proprietor falsified records, misled and lied to environmental wellness officers. ( Griffith, 2010 ) The connexion between Organizational civilization andthe HACCP execution All concerns possess a nutrient safety civilization this can be on a continuum from positive to negative. In a positive civilization, nutrient safety is an of import concern aim and there is conformity with documented systems. In a negative civilization, nutrient safety is non perceived of premier importance with frequently other concern precedences dominant ( GriffithetAl. , 2010 ) and there is hapless conformity with documented nutrient safety demands. The formation or being of both types of civilization may be managed or unmanaged. A negative civilization may be the consequence of deficiency of attempt or inappropriate leading and direction. In a negative civilization any efforts by persons to better safety may be uneffective ( Clayton and Griffith, 2008 ) . Failure to follow with quality and nutrient safety direction system demands can be both widespread and debatable. High executing organisations systematically demonstrate elevated degrees of safety civilization, whereas low executing organisations show a hapless safety civilization ( Killimett, 2006 ) . What is Organizational civilization? Organizational civilization is defined typically in footings of the manner people think, which has a direct influence on the ways in which they behave. Organizational civilization ( OC ) is the societal or normative gum that holds an organisation together. OC is an effectual instrument of staff motive taking to improved single and organisational public presentation. The leading of any type of organisation has a really of import unalienable duty in developing appropriate organisational civilizations to heighten public presentation and job-satisfaction of organisational members. If the leading does non set in sufficient attempts to develop a positive civilization and collar the inclinations towards negative civilizations, it could be a catastrophe for the organisation. ( Anonymous, 2006 ) In peculiar, organisational civilization provides employees a common frame of mention for alterations in an organisation. When organisations have different civilizations, people have different perceptual experiences and readings of organisational alterations, which affect employees embrace alterations. Therefore, organisational civilization is known to be of import for the success of undertakings affecting any organisational alterations ( Weiling and Kwok, 2008 ) A strong organisational civilization helps members develop a shared sense of who they are and provides clear values and beliefs to steer determination devising and the preparation of long-run schemes ( McGrath and Tobia 2008 ) . How organisational civilization overcome the barriers in HACCP execution in the cordial reception industry? The organisational civilization could lend to both success and barriers of implementing HACCP in the hotel. An organisational civilization will act upon how persons within the group think about nutrient safety, their attitudes toward nutrient safety, their willingness to openly discourse concerns and portion differing sentiments, and, in general, the accent that they place on nutrient safety. ( Griffithet Al, 2010b ) Individual nutrient animal trainer behaviour links straight to the concern civilization ( Clayton and Griffith, 2008, Griffithet Al. , 2010 ) and potentially how direction create and back up the nutrient safety civilization within a concern possibly the most of import factor in whether a concern is or is non responsible for nutrient toxic condition. Food poisoning An organisation needs to do certain that employees understand the nutrient safety public presentation outlooks of their occupation and that at all degrees they are held accountable for them. The word answerability by and large implies that there are cheques and balances being measured to do certain certain desired results are being achieved. And in organisations with strong nutrient safety civilizations, this is surely true. For illustration, an organisation might carry on day-to-day HACCP cheques and measurings, observe employee behaviors related to nutrient safety, and supply feedback and coaching ( both positive and negative ) based on the consequences. But in organisations with enlightened safety civilizations, they ve figured out a manner to exceed or travel beyond answerability. They ve figured out a manner to acquire employees to make the right things, non because they re being held accountable to them, but because the employees believe in and are committed to nutrient safety. It has been said that character is what you do when you re entirely and no 1 is watching. In organisations with enlightened nutrient safety civilizations, employees do the right thing non because the director or client is watching, but because they know it s right and they care. Organizations with strong safety civilizations know this. They take the sharing of information beyond simple nutrient safety preparation. They portion information frequently and pass on on a regular basis with their employees about nutrient safety utilizing a assortment of messages and mediums. They realize that what we see, what we hear, and what we read, if done efficaciously, can hold a enormous influence on us. If it did nt, advertizers would nt pass the 1000000s of dollars they do each twelvemonth seeking to make consumers. Like in commercial selling, organisations with strong nutrient safety civilizations portion information non merely to leave cognition, but to carry their employees to action. Having an appropriate positive nutrient safety organisational civilization is indispensable to keeping a successful trade name. Top direction demand to be cognizant of their ain function and duties in civilization formation and to fit their directors with the accomplishments to make and keep a positive nutrient safety civilization at all degrees but peculiarly at in-between direction /unit degree ( Griffith et al. , 2010 ) . Safety civilization appears to be definable and mensurable in practical footings within high-performing organisations that systematically show high degrees of trust, effectual communicating, direction credibleness and an overall value of safety ( Killimett, 2006 ) . A positive safety civilization is said to be in organisations that recognize the hazard for human mistake, but act to cut down such jeopardies by developing professional accomplishments that promote safe work patterns ( Nieva and Sorra, 2003 ) . Top direction in one state were under the feeling that conformity with systems was good, staff understood the demand to be hygienic and that nutrient safety was important to the concern. Unit of measurement directors held a different position which in bend differed in major ways from the positions of store floor staff who perceived the concern precedences to be rather different. Efficaciously this arranges employees into distinguishable organisational degrees that represent differing functions in implementing, keeping and supervising nutrient safety direction systems and criterions. ( Griffithet Al, 2010b ) Yiannas ( 2009 ) argues that nutrient safety can be better achieved by beef uping the nutrient safety civilization instead than concentrating on making a bigger or better safety system. Thus a nutrient safety civilization can be viewed as the shared attitudes, values and beliefs towards the nutrient safety behaviours that are routinely demonstrated in nutrient handling organisations. New employees will usually follow the dominant behaviours that appear stable throughout the organisation by merely larning from co-workers and leaders when they are recruited into the concern, going a shared duty by all group members. Yiannas ( 2009 ) states that organisations can take to make a strong nutrient safety civilization. He goes on to propose that leaders are accountable for inciting it because they have the power and influence to make a positive nutrient safety civilization and therefore hold the possible to cut down the planetary load of food-borne disease. He postulates that making a positive nutrient safety civilization can back up this procedure by really altering the ideas, behaviours and beliefs of persons within a group. Summary and Conclusion The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point ( HACCP ) system is a science-based systematic attack which identifies critical control points in the production process that are indispensable to supervise and command merchandise safety. The execution of HACCP system is a mark for presenting safe nutrient merchandises to clients. It regarded as the most effectual manner to accomplish nutrient safety is to concentrate on bar of possible jeopardies and to better the procedure. The advantage of HACCP based systems is that they can be designed to include all different types of nutrients, their natural stuffs ( whatever their beginning ) and associated jeopardies. The execution of the HACCP system to nutrient processing can ensue in benefits to industry, authorities and consumers, advancing, in this manner, a possible betterment of nutrient safety and bar of nutrient toxic condition. Factor Before HACCP can be implemented, prerequisite plans ( PRPs ) such as good hygienic patterns, staff preparation, and documented criterion runing process should be good established. Caterers are non qualified to place the many jeopardies now present in their operations and they can non be expected to bring forth their ain single HACCP programs. HACCP can go a utile direction tool, but, to win, it must be seen by chefs as utile and easy to use. It must be recognised as a means to avoid jobs as opposed to a defense mechanism mechanism in instance things go incorrectly. The many jeopardies involved in bring forthing nutr

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Organisational Leadership and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Organisational Leadership and Change - Essay Example The mission of the organization is to lead the industry, serve the people and make unique differences for the business partners. The organization became popular due to its innovative product and service differentiation (Honold, 1997, pp.22-24). However, recent financial crisis forced the organization to implement major restructuring and change process. They implemented reduction in-force strategy to overcome the impact of economic challenges. In the year 2009, the financial crisis affected the service business of Microsoft in Asia (Ang, 2012, pp.12-13). The organization terminated numerous employees like those associated as support staffs and consultants. Inadequate implementation of retrenchment theory and change management process developed several critical issues. These workplace conflicts reduced the image and reputation of the organization in global market place. This reduction-in-force strategy reduced the motivation level of the employees. This change management concept increa sed job insecurity of employees (Greenhalgh and Rosenblatt, 1984, p.8). However, after an open discussion, the organization tried to develop several sustainable strategies in order to maintain its brand image within the global market place. ... In 2009, the financial crisis occurred through all over the world. Due to of this financial crisis, many workers were laid off. The organization’s morale was all time low; even the general managers were also replaced. Employees were highly dissatisfied and de -motivated due to the strategies taken by the management. Organization takes retrenchment strategy when they have to reduce their cost. In this strategy, organizations reduce the overall size and diversity of the operations. The goal is to get a stable financial growth by cutting down the expenses. The organization follows a contraction of its activities by reducing one or more functions or eliminating the scope of business. For example, one company, as a part of retrenchment strategy, can focus only on a single segment of a business which gives it a higher revenue opportunity. For example a hospital can focus only on the special theatre and ignore the general theatre because the special theatre provides them better reven ue. During the retrenchment, the company follows change management strategies after a little discussion with the employees. It was the first time; the company reduced 20% of its workforce. The sudden workforce reduction of the company had a huge negative impact on the employees mind. The overall situation was very frustrated and uncertain. The employees were highly de-motivated that even after 6 months of the incident, the employees were talking about the workforce reduction. Significant drop was noticed in the workgroup health index (WHI). WHI is an index used to measure the employee engagement and leadership. The results of WHI indicated that Microsoft scored 76 points only and it was the record failure of the company. The company judged their leaders on the basis of

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

To what extent do religious teachings impact upon attitudes towards Essay

To what extent do religious teachings impact upon attitudes towards sustainability in both production and consumption - Essay Example This is in the specific aspects in the society such as the business and commerce. Such view is due to the fact that any field acts and works on the basis of accepted norms perceived as values. The main objective of the study conducted a focus on the effects of religious teachings and practices in the commencement and operation of business and industrial world. Values are largely related to ethics, an acceptable set of actions often perceived through morality. This can often be measured through a virtue of positive projection. Business ethics are measures of perceived guidelines of application and course of action in the local and international business arena (Megone and Robinson, 2002). There are certain general concepts that can be considered essential. One of the important considerations in the study of business ethics is in relation to the religious practices that can affect the commencement and the values in business. The relationship of values and the operation of business and any aspect of commerce had developed to be one of the most important factors in the field. These values can be considered as included in the outer factors that serve as the major affective factors, which are referred to as the moral constraints in the operation of the business. These can be considered as the main factors that set up the standards in the operation of the system in relation to ethics (Megone and Robinson, 2002). In the given perspective the understanding of the conception of values as applied in the business is essential. The concept of values experienced an evolution through the course of history. This can be considered as an important development due to the fact that it is now recognized as one influential component in the field of economics. Though the concept was recognized to be a key factor in the commencement of business operation including the

Monday, November 18, 2019

Calcium Element Chemistry Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Calcium Element Chemistry - Research Paper Example Calcium occurs naturally only in compounds, and this is because it is so reactive. (Environmental Chemistry Website) It is derived from minerals such as limestone and gypsum where it occurs in combination with sodium, magnesium and aluminium There are also vast sedimentary deposits in the fossilized remains of marine life, such as shells. These minerals and sedimentary deposits containing calcium can be found all over the world. Calcium is often found in the compound calcite, which is the principal constitute of the rock limestone. (Enghag, p. 333) Chemists denote calcium with the symbol Ca and the atomic number 20, and it has the atomic weight 40.078. (Helmenstine, p.1) It is classified along with beryllium Be, magnesium Mg, strontium Sr, barium Ba and radium Ra as one of the alkaline earth metals. (Enghag, p. 323) The properties of calcium are that it has an atomic radius of 2.00A, and ionic radius of 1.14A, a melting point of 842?C and a boiling point of 1484? and it has a flame c olor of orange-red. Section 2. 10 compounds formed by Calcium. Calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) is made by heating limestone to a temperature of above 825?C and then adding water to it. (Wikipedia). Calcium sulphate (CaSO4 ·2H2O) is a powdery white material which is safe to handle. Calcium carbonate CaCO3 comprises more than 4% of the earth’s crust and comes in three main natural forms: chalk, limestone and marble. These are identical in chemical terms the have different purity, thicknes and homogeneity. (IMA-NA website, 2011) Calcium nitrate Ca(NO3)2 also called Norwegian saltpetre is obtained by â€Å"dissoving limestone in nitric acid or through the absorption of nitrous gases by milk of lime.† (Pubchem, 2011) Calcium chloride (CaCl2) can be produced from seawater, but this is inefficient and produces impure compounds. A better way of obtaining this compound is by combining high purity limestone and salt brine. (Morris chemicals Inc Website) Calcium carbide   (Ca C2) is a colorless compound produced at an extremely high temperature in a furnace from a mixture of lime and coke. (Wikipedia) Calcium hypochlorite  (Ca(OCl)2) is a yellow white solid which emits a strong smell from the chlorine part of its constitution. Calcium permanganate  (Ca(MnO4)2). This compound consists of calcium plus two permanganate ions. Calcium stearate  (Ca(C18H35O2)2) is a non-toxic compound of calcium with various solid organic acids such as stearic. Stearic acid is a naturally occurring fatty acid such as that found in animal fats and palm oil. Calcium arsenate  (Ca3(AsO4)2) is a â€Å"white flocculent powder which is practically insoluble in water.† Pohanish, p. 522. It is toxic to humans due to the arsenic component in it. Section 3. 4 Uses in everyday life. Calcium is used in making cheese, and it adds a valuable dietary contribution to many foods, or as a vitamin supplement combined with less reactive materials in tablet form. Another use of calc ium is in the steel industry, where it is as a deoxidizer used to help purify other metals in the heating process. A third use of calcium is in the production of cement. Calcium is used as an ingredient in many fertilizers and bleaching agents, including in textile and paper production. It is hardly ever handled in its pure form, but in its compounds (see sections 2 and 4). Section 4. 5 compounds and their everyday use. Calcium nitrate Ca(NO3)2 is a compound made with nitrogen which is used to fertilize plants. It was first applied in

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Transhumanism: Biotechnology and its Role in the Singularity

Transhumanism: Biotechnology and its Role in the Singularity BY SHAYMA ABUKAR ABSTRACT   Ã‚   Due to rapid advances in technology, our world is slowly progressing to the point where we may surpass human limitations. This report will aim to focus on the developments of biotechnology and its importance in the achieving this post-human state, as well as its role in reaching a hypothetical singularity. It will also follow the goals of transhumanism and the ethics related to genetic engineering. It is clear that if we are to achieve transhumanist goals, through the aid of, not just AI, but also biotechnology, life as we know will be vastly different. All research conducted for this report is secondary and data was retrieved from journals, scientific magazines and online articles[DS1]. INTRODUCTION What is transhumanism? With life becoming more and more efficient through emerging technologies, humanity is struggling to keep up with our rate of progression. Transhumanists belong to a group that believe we will one day enhance ourselves to the point of being post-human. Transhumanism can be defined as the belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations, especially by means of science and technology. (Oxford Dictionary 2016). Its a movement that believes that, through genetic engineering, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, etc., humanity will progress to a point of surpassing human limitations such as death, disease and other biological frailties (McNamee and Edwards 2006). The three main goals of transhumanism are achieving super-longevity, super-intelligence, and super-wellbeing. These goals can be achieved through our rapid technological advancements. Super-longevity is becoming more and more likely with our ever advancing medicine and drug development. Through genetic engineering and genome editing, scientists are now able to cure what were once incurable diseases[DS2]. Transhumanists generally fall into two categories: strong and weak. Weak transhumanists believe that technology should be used to simply enhance humanity, whether that be intelligence, appearance, life span, etc. (Strong Transhumanism | Ethical Issues In Health Care 2014). Strong transhumanists on the other hand have the radical belief that technology should be used to develop humans to another species all together. The ideas advocated by weak transhumanists are already accepted by many in todays world, and the development of drugs and nanotechnology to help solve medical issues is already seen as ethical by a majority. Strong transhumanist goals to develop a new species entirely, on the other hand, is met with accusations that its unethical and unlikely to happen. SINGULARITY Transhumanists generally discuss the concept of the singularity, which can be defined in various ways. In the mathematical world, a singularity is the point at which a function takes an infinite value. However, in regards to technological advancement, the singularity is most commonly defined as a hypothetical moment in time when artificial intelligence and other technologies have become so advanced that humanity undergoes a dramatic and irreversible change (The Best Definition Of Singularity 2016 ). The concept of the singularity is seen as either thrilling or daunting. Whilst techno-optimists believe it is sure to happen in the near future, those skeptical of the singularity and transhumanism believe that it is either impossible, or sure to do more harm than good. In an article on The AI revolution (Urban, T 2015), Tim Urban discusses the concept of DPU (Die Progress Unit). He introduces it as a measure of how far into the future an individual would have to travel before they die of shock due to the vastly developed and technologically advanced environments (relative to their time). Bringing a man from 1750 to 2016 would expose him to technology far beyond comprehensible to someone of his time, thus shocking him to the point of death. His DPU, therefore, is achieved in merely a few hundred years. However, in order for a DPU to be achieved in 1750, the person would have to travel a lot further back, to 12,000 BC. The man from 12,000 BC would then die of shock after experiencing civilisation and the more complex architecture of 1750[DS3]. As Kevin Kelly from Wired magazine stated, all change in the last million years will be superseded by the change in the next 5 minutes. The article suggests that the rate of our advancements are staggering, and as much as AI plays an important role in reaching the singularity, genetic engineering methods and biotechnology have begun to make just as large an impact. Scientists are growing increasingly worried that genome editing is moving too fast for humanity to catch up. Biotechnology plays a key role in achieving this hypothetical event that is so often discussed amongst transhumanists, and development of this technology will allow humans to alter their genome with precision and ease. The more advanced this technology becomes, the easier it will be to effectively surpass human limitations and for life to be transformed beyond recognition. In order for this to be widely accepted, it will need to be used for medical purposes only. GENE EDITING   Ã‚   One of the ways biotechnology is advancing our bodies and developing medical methods is through gene editing or genome editing. Gene editing can be described as the process of inserting, deleting or replacing areas of DNA within an organisms genome. This is done using molecular enzymes that act as molecular scissors (Editing Our DNA With Molecular Scissors | Understanding Genetics). This technology has incredible medical applications and may be used, in the future, to cure a vast number of diseases. Other applications of biotechnology include gene therapy and genetic screening, which both help solve medical issues. DNA is a cells genetic material and consists of a sugar phosphate backbone and nitrogenous bases, and it forms a double helix structure[DS4]. These nitrogenous bases make up nucleotides which carry the genetic data (Whats A Genome?). These nucleotides make up what is known as the genome. An organisms genome contains all of its genetic data thus containing all the information needed to build and maintain that organism. By finding methods and techniques to edit and change parts of our genome, we can effectively cure genetic diseases and medical problems. In 2003, a collaborative group of international scientists completed what is known as the Human Genome Project (What Is A Genome?). Coordinated by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy, the project sought to sequence an entire human genome. By achieving this, it paved the way for new genetic technologies and techniques to be developed[DS5]. Scientists have previously struggled to find a method of genome editing that is safe for human use, however, the development of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) has proven that it is now possible to genetically engineer our genome without damaging our DNA (Zhang, S 2015[DS6]). CRISPR is a component of a bacterias immune system that recognises and remembers threatening areas of viruses (known as phages) in order to equip itself to defend against them is they were to attack again. It also involves an enzyme called Cas which then precisely cuts the viruss DNA and prevents it from dividing. This intelligent mechanism now allows scientists to accurately and precisely edit and cut out parts of DNA. The specific enzyme used is known as Cas9, and whilst its responsible for snipping parts of the DNA, it works to edit the genome with CRISPR, which is a collection of DNA sequences telling Cas9 where to cut. CRISPR is already being used as a possible treatment for eye diseases in animals and lung cancer in their first human trials (Le Page, M 2016). Scientists are using the technique to remove immune cells from the body, edit their DNA to make the better at killing cancer cells, then put them back. The rate at which gene editing is progressing is far beyond the expectations of many, and will continue to be developed at a staggering rate. As this progresses, the concept of the singularity begins to be more of a reality. Although CRISPRs merits currently lie within its medical applications, scientists are already figuring out ways to use it to understand the human genome and molecular biology as a whole. Another form of genome editing is TALEN (transcription activator-like effector proteins). These proteins, like CRISPR, also come from bacteria and use its adaptive immunity to edit areas of the genome. The first medical application of TALEN was on an 11-month old girl who suffered acute lymphoblastic leukemia which is a form of cancer of white blood cells. The mechanism was used to extract T cells, genetically alter them, then insert them back into the body so they can better fight against the cancerous cells (TALEN-Based Genome Editing | Thermo Fisher Scientific). ETHICAL, FINANCIAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS Opinions on transhumanism and the use of biotechnology differ between varying groups of people. Some of the concerns regarding transhumanism and its goal of super-longevity is due to the possibility of over population. Whilst many believe that the medical applications of biotechnology and genetic engineering do well to extend our life spans and prevent us succumbing to diseases, there are some who fear that our world would not be able to withstand increasingly large populations of people. It would have social and financial implications. It is seen as unethical once the technology is no longer used solely for medical purposes, but to extend our life span in the absence of disease. Religious groups of people also believe that transhumanism interferes too much with human nature and what God has created. If we were to use our technology to become a new species entirely, as strong transhumanists believe will happen, then it would mean religious beliefs would be compromised, therefore many are against the ideology (Messerly, J 2015). CONCLUSION The faster we develop biotechnology, the more efficient our methods of curing diseases become and therefore, we are able to use genetic engineering methods to achieve a longer life span. As well as achieving super-longevity, biotechnology can also aid us in developing ourselves to the point of becoming post-human, which may then lead to the singularity. Whilst these techniques and developments have positive medical applications, the rate at which we are progressing is so fast, that its difficult to predict the turnout of our actions and advancements. It may lead to unethical consequences and results that favour strong transhumanists, as opposed to weak transhumanists. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to Amelia and Nuffield for arranging this placement, and thank you to Dekkel and Andre for supporting and guiding us along the way, and providing up with useful resources. REFERENCES Editing Our DNA With Molecular Scissors | Understanding Genetics. Genetics.thetech.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Messerly, John. Transhumanism And Religion. Ieet.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Strong Transhumanism | Ethical Issues In Health Care. Scholarblogs.emory.edu. N.p., 2014. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. TALEN-Based Genome Editing | Thermo Fisher Scientific. Thermofisher.com. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. The Best Definition Of Singularity. Singularitysymposium.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Urban, Tim. The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: Part 1 Wait But Why. Wait But Why. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. What Is A Genome?. Genetics Home Reference. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Whats A Genome?. Genomenewsnetwork.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Zhang, Sarah. Gizmodo.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Le Page, Michael. New Scientist N.p., 2016. Mag. 1 Sep.t 2016. The new genetic lottery. New scientist N.p., 2016. Mag. 1 Sept. 2016. Does Evolution Lead To Singularity?. Singularity Weblog. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. Gene Editing. Horizondiscovery.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Sept. 2016. [DS1]Good. [DS2]Good points, but need to be support with a reference. [DS3]Good. [DS4]Source needed [DS5]This paragraph is riddled with great points, but referencing sources will give it much more credibility [DS6]Good.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Appeal of Home :: Essays Papers

The Appeal of Home In the Greek camp at the end of the Iliad, we see Achilleus arrive at the conclusion that is the theme of the entire poem—that to be mortal is to suffer. However, Homer leaves unanswered the logical question regarding this conclusion: If to live is to suffer, then why live at all? This then becomes the central question of the Odyssey, in which we are given an entirely different kind of character who rejects two distinct possibilities—an immortal relationship and a utopian community—for his own â€Å"wife and his homecoming† (I, 13). The question we are then compelled to ask is, what could Penelope and his Ithakan household possibly offer that is worth more than utopia and immortality? To illustrate what Odysseus could’ve had, Homer shows us a contrast for each aspect of Odysseus’s longing—a couple and a community. Through these contrasts, we are shown just why these options don’t measure up for Odysseus. The immortal couple is embodied in the marriage of Helen and Menelaos, who have been promised the equivalent of eternal bliss in the Elysian Fields. While Menelaos had his homecoming delayed, he never had to resist temptation along the way. The Trojan War and the journey back are nostalgic stories for him, to be recounted for guests as a means of recapturing the past glory of fighting. And Helen, unlike Penelope, certainly has never been one to spurn attractive men and remain loyal to her husband, or to anything at all for that matter. She could not even choose a side in a war fought ostensibly for her sake (IV, 250-284). It is meaningful that, rather than have to deal with the guests’ weeping, she slips something in their drinks to prevent their show of emotion (IV, 219-227). Helen avoids connection with men while her husband wants only to connect with the past. Once guaranteed immortality, there is no pressing need for either of them to attempt the extraordinarily difficult task of truly understanding one another because there is always time for that later. This is the marriage that Odysseus could’ve had had he stayed with Kalypso, but he understands its emptiness and refuses it, instead choosing a woman whom he knows has spent the interceding years resisting men whom Helen would’ve jumped right into bed with. But Odysseus returns for more than just the single meaningful relationship between himself and Penelope.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Non Conformity and Society Essay

Even though an overwhelming number of people believe that law and its implementation is the decisive factor that determines the success of a society. But is this generalization justified? Tim Li explores whether this idea is reality or just another myth. A society is based on a system of rules and regulations which all individuals are expected to abide by. Conformity, in general, means to go in accordance with those rules that govern our society. For instance, a group is going for camping; now that group cannot function if each of their individual members do not display a reasonable extent of conformity. This e.g. implies that even though the literal meaning of conformity remains the same, the way the people embrace it changes. To a large extent on conformity is needed for the success and improvement of a society. In the following article, I will explain conformity by discussing about Copernicus, Euthanasia and the growth of science. About 600 years ago, the church was considered law. No one could defy its teachings and whosoever did so was publicly beheaded. One of the theories of the church was that the earth was the center of the universe and that other planets revolved around it. Copernicus was a genius who had a great interest in astronomy. It was he who stated that the sin was the hub around which all other planets revolved. In this case Copernicus was a non conformist i.e. he believed in something that was against the religious teachings/implications of the church, but his being non conformist was the sole cause of the development of a theory that bought about a great change in the scientific perspective of astronomy. At present a very serious issue has jumped into the consideration and thinking of the society. The government is pondering on whether to accept the growing numbers of Euthanasia or to deny them. Euthanasia is when people suffering from long term chronic .are non conformist i.e. who don’t want to live are benefited more than other people suffering from the same types of diseases. Here conformity does not help, or in other words, it is better to be a non conformist. Science too, plays a decisive role on our changing society. It surrounds us completely, from a common light bulb to aero planes and space travel. In short, a society cannot function without science. A critical analysis of science suggests that new discoveries in science break laws on which our older societies and generations are built on. E.g. Until the 1900’s everyone believed that man cannot fly, but now science has broken that barrier, it is therefore a non conformist in relation to that law which was dominant at that time. Revolutionary research into stem cells has prompted a heated ethical debate between the church and the scientific faction. So, if this situation is examined, the church has always seen science as a ‘hard core’ criminal but that form of science is needed for the mere existence of a society. All these arguments reinforce the original statement that some degree of non conformity is needed for a successful society. Although too much conformity means the elimination of all crimes, it also implies the abrupt stop in scientific technology and I can’t live in Stone age, can you?

Friday, November 8, 2019

Universal Neurosis Essays - Freudian Psychology, Sigmund Freud

Universal Neurosis Essays - Freudian Psychology, Sigmund Freud Universal Neurosis SIGMUND FREUD and UNIVERSAL NEUROSIS Sigmund Freud defined the goal of psychoanalysis to be to replace unconscious with conscious awareness, where the id was ego shall be, and through this an individual would achieve self-control and reasonable satisfaction of instincts. His fundamental ideas include psychic determinism, the power and influence of the unconscious, as opposed to the pre-conscious mind, the tripartite division into id, ego and super-ego, and of course the ideas of universal illusion and universal effects of the Oedipal Complex. The examination of the Oedipal Complex is the most essential to the understanding of Freuds theories since he claimed that due to the resistance, repression, and transference of early sexual energies the world had developed a universal complex which did not allow for the healthy development of individuals but lead instead to the neurosis and mass illusion of religion. For his perceivably vicious attacks on religion and his logical and yet totally undermining examination of religion and other vital social issues, Freud has been slandered and his theories criticised simply because of the away he addressed these painful issues. Through the systematic development of the theories of psychoanalysis, all stemming from one another and all tied together into a universal Oedipal Complex and religious illusion, the ideas of the tripartite human psyche and wish-fulfilment that Freud developed came under fire from critics for their controversial messages and analysis. Briefly stated, the Oedipus Complex is the preservation in the adult individual of the perceptions, strategies and scars of a conflict the individual underwent during his/her pre-school years. According to Freud, these perceptions, etc, later colour and shape the individual's future experiences. This psychological crisis results when a young child's sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex collides with the competition, rivalry and overwhelming power of the parent of the same sex. According to Freudian theory, the ghosts of this Oedipal crisis haunt us our entire lives. Psychopathology, slips of the tongue, dreams, and religious experience all were understood to be functions whose origins and energy resulted from this repressed material. In his later work, Freud interpreted the reports of his clients (reports offered under hypnosis, under verbal encouragement and suggestion, and finally, in the later work, reports given through free-associations) as revealing a universal Oedi pal drama. Freud found what he took to be evidence for the universal existence of the Oedipus Complex in the testimony of patients, in his analysis of the repressed in dreams, in slips, wit, and the transference phenomenon, as well as in art, philosophy and religion. As the child develops, he/she identifies with the parent of the same sex and renounces incestual desire. This renunciation is achieved and strengthened by the formation of the super-ego, a section of the child's ego identified with the childhood image of the parents (the parental Imago) perceived in consciousness as conscience and as the ego ideal. The ego ideal is the selfs conception of how he/she wishes to be and is a substitute for the lost narcissism in childhood when I was my own ideal. When projected onto or into the world, the Imago (a word used by Freud to describe unconscious object-representations) is taken by the experience to be a veridical perception of a divine being. Throughout life, these experiences of this childhood conflict are alive and present in the unconscious of the individual. This childish, magically thinking, ever desiring, instinctually driven self is described topographically by Freud in his tripartite division of the person as the id (Latin for it). Tha t part of the individual responsible for maintaining congress and connection with reality and mediating between the id and reality is the ego. That part of the ego, largely and usually unconscious, which bears and enforces the ego ideal, is the super-ego. An activity is ego-syntonic just in case it strengthens the ego in its function of mediating between the demands of reality, basic instinctual drives (of appetite, aggression, and sexuality), and conscience. As mediator, the ego needs to make adequate contact with both the external and internal demands involved. Thus, one of its main tasks is reality testing - making an accurate determination of the limits imposed on the organism by the external world including one's

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

IM in the Workplace Harnessing the Power of the Virtual Hallway

IM in the Workplace Harnessing the Power of the Virtual Hallway Abstract The technology convergence witnessed in the 21st century has heralded a new technological communication frontier for organizations. This report specifically aims to delineate how instant messaging (IM) could be harnessed to drive the business and organizational strategies of MM’s into the future.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on IM in the Workplace: Harnessing the Power of the Virtual Hallway specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The success of MM’s has been attributed to many factors, including eye-catching and distinctive advertisements and promotions, effective employee and consumer participation and feedback, extensive marketing strategies, affordable pricing, and a broad assortment of customized product possibilities. Through a critical evaluation of existing literature, it has been demonstrated that the real-time functionality of IM, simplicity of use, unique affordances, collaboration capabil ity, and rich presence has endeared many organizations to adopt the technology. Other factors such as presence awareness, visual alerting, and capability to support multiple synchronous conversations have been highlighted as strong points for IM. Among the disadvantages, it has been noted that IM can not only turn into a productivity drain if misused, but it can open a can of worms in terms of security risks and legal issues if it is ineffectually used. IM represents one of the most rapidly proliferating communications tools that are swiftly being adopted by global organizations. A critical review of literature contained in this report demonstrates that corporate IM use is substantial and growing. Consequently, the most fundamental thing for MM’s to do is to swing into action and ensure that policies and frameworks are put in place with the aim to holistically harness the power and communication capabilities offered by IM. Introduction The technology convergence witnessed in the 21st century has heralded a new technological communication frontier for organizations as unprecedented discoveries and innovations continue to bombard the global business scene with a panorama of communication technologies aimed at establishing and sustaining the groundwork for organizations to meet their business goals and objectives.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Business leaders are taking notice of the advantages offered by new and emerging technologies such as email, videoconferencing, mobile telephony, teleconferencing, and in recent times, instant messaging (Primeaux Flint, 2004; Cameron Webster, 2005), and many organizations have adopted either one or several of these communication platforms depending on their business needs and objective of use (Symon, 2000). While consecutive studies have been published to demonstrate the efficacy and productive capabilities of the emerging communication technologies, the knowledge of their weak links and perceived disadvantages is also in the public domain. This report specifically aims to delineate how instant messaging (IM) could be harnessed to drive the business and organizational strategies of MM’s into the future. A Synopsis of MM’s Company For the over 60 years that it has been in existence, MM’s has created a market share that is yet to be matched by the company’s close competitors. In 2004, the company was on record for realizing an impressive $201 million in candy sales in the United States alone, a feat that propelled it into the top spot in the market for boxed and bagged chocolates in the country (Wax, 2010). The success of MM’s has been attributed to many factors, including eye-catching and distinctive advertisements and promotions, effective employee and consumer participation and feedback, extensive marketing strategies, affordable pricin g, and a broad assortment of customized product possibilities(MM Website, 2010). According to Nash (2000), for contemporary businesses to remain competitive and be profitable, they must develop the right communication tools aimed at eliciting maximum employee and customer satisfaction. Although MM’s has a hierarchical organizational structure to allow for efficient leadership through the rank and file of the company, the management takes cognizance of the fact that its corporate culture must emphasize the brand essence, promise, and unique personality (Rehoboth, 2004). The concept that the company’s products, services, and experiences are a major constituent of its personification has been well enshrined in the company’s strategies geared towards fulfilling the needs and expectations of an expanding market base.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on IM in the Workplace: Harnessing the Power of the Virtual Hallway specifically for you for o nly $16.05 $11/page Learn More MM’s take cognizance of the fact that employees are the organization’s most valued asset and, as such, it exercises an open-door communication strategy aimed at availing to employees the leverage to be flexible, creative and innovative as long as products meets or surpasses customer expectations (Wax, 2010). MM’s has been in the frontline in adopting computer-based technologies with the view to integrate them into the frameworks and platforms that guide the day-to-day running of the company, especially in terms of management-employee interactions, management-customer interactions (feedback), and sales improvement (Rehoboth, 2004). The organizational culture in MM’s is aligned to the basic principles of enhancing employee value preposition, provision of unmatched products and services, and improving efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity through continuous uptake of relevant technologies. According to Key ton (2005), â€Å"†¦organizational culture is the set of artifacts, values, and assumptions that emerge from the interactions of organizational members† (p. 1). At MM’s, the management is aptly aware that creating an enabling environment for free and effective management-employee communication is the cornerstone to a prosperous and resilient organizational culture. A Comprehensive Analysis of the Impact of IM in the Workplace According to Cameron Webster (2005), â€Å"†¦Instant Messaging (IM) represents a communication technology that allows employees to send and receive short text-based messages in real time and to see who else is on line and currently available to receive messages† (p. 86). Intrinsically grounded on a previous technology known as the Internet Relay Chat, IM was initially intended to offer home internet users a platform through which they could socialize with friends and family members. However, as the efficient and cost-effective ca pabilities in supporting informal communications came into the public limelight in the 1990s (Huang Yen, 2003), conscientious and assiduous managers grabbed the opportunity and started to experiment with the technology, especially on how it could be applied to solve or lessen workplace communication challenges.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The discovery and adoption heralded a new form of communication medium that is today known as instant messaging. The uptake of IM by organizations has been unprecedented, with available statistics demonstrating that 26 percent of organizations operating in the U.S. were already using the technology as an official communication service by 2004, and an additional 44 percent of organizations had employees who used the technology on their own (Primeaux Flint, 2004). Market analysts’ projections for corporate IM stood at 229 million users worldwide in the first quarter of 2005 (Cameron Webster, 2005), and IBM (2008) â€Å"†¦estimates are that by 2011 business use of IM will have risen to about 400 million accounts – with applications designed for businesses used in 150 million of those instances† (p. 4). The statistics demonstrates the scope of IM adoption by organizations across a span of less than 10 years, with all indications showing the adoption is on an upward trend. The factors assessed below clearly demonstrate why such a trend in IM adoption is in the offing. IM and Employees Communication Patterns Collaboration is primarily perceived as the initiator of innovation (IBM, 2008), and innovation is key to achieving organizational efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. In today’s competitive business environment, sharing information and experiences can be decisive in driving organizational success and set outcomes, and the IM protocol guarantees an outstanding framework through which employee communication patterns can be molded to enhance information sharing and collaboration within the organization as well as across geographical locations (Quan-Haase et al., 2005). Traditional communication patterns may fail to strike a cord with today’s business requirements especially with the realization that many organizations have switched into virtual workplaces (IBM, 2008), and that employees are expected to have timely i nformation to make sound judgments relating to the daily operations of the organization. As such, IM proactively influences their communication capacities and patterns by not only extending a framework through which relevant knowledge can be tapped from the relationships established with other stakeholders, but also ensuring that the needed information is immediately available when it is needed due to IM’s aspect of immediacy (Symon, 2000). According to Cameroon Webster (2005), IM systems contain a presence or peripheral awareness capacity, implying that the management or employees will have a general sense of who is around what they are currently engaged on at specific times in the workplace. The authors further suggest this type of â€Å"†¦presence awareness represents a type of peer monitoring designed to enhance communication between colleagues† (p. 86). As such, IM greatly influences employee communication patterns by virtue of the fact that users can active ly see the status indicators of other subscribed users who are online, and who are presently available to perform certain functions as may be deemed fit by the organization. This function greatly reduces time wastage, and enables the organization to focus on the available manpower resources to perform tasks that may have great ramifications in terms of enhancing its competitive advantage. Time usage, according to IBM (2008), is critical to the attainment of productive capacities. Huang Yen (2003) observes that the solid and reliant communication patterns extended to employees by IM systems has enhanced workflow processes within organizations and across locations. It is also imperative to note that IM influences employees’ communication patterns by extending to them the capability to engage in multiple, concurrent, and synchronized conversations to influence consensus or decisions made in meetings or other corporate gatherings (Rennecker, 2005). For instance, an employee enga ged in a meeting convened by stakeholders may text his boss to request for advice or clarification while still actively engaged in the normal face-to-face conversation with the stakeholders. Lastly, it is true that the nature of communication in work-settings has dramatically changed and that â€Å"†¦managers and professionals often communicate in fluid, multiple social networks rather than being sorely embedded in a single work group† (Quan-Haase, 2005, para. 1). IM certainly influences the communication patterns in the social networks. Potential Impact of IM to the Organization Many researchers and business analysts have demonstrated a clear interest in evaluating the possible impact of IM as an emerging tool for business communication. The real-time functionality, simplicity of use, unique affordances, and rich presence has been noted by Greengard (2003), Cameroon Webster (2005), Primeaux Flint (2004), and Rennecker et al (2003) as some of the foremost factors why m any organizations are using IM systems for communication purposes. According to Rennecker et al (2003), IM provides the ability to not only detect when other employees are available for communication via the network (presence awareness), but the system makes use of visual prompts to notify recipients of an impending message (visual alerting). In the workplace, these capacities are fundamentally important to drive efficiency, productivity, and ensure that critical time is sparingly used to drive the organization’s agenda forward. The real-time function enables users to get immediate responses, thus are able to act and make decisions based on knowledge and collaboration. This, according to IBM (2008), is a plus in today’s knowledge-based economy. According to Rennecker et al (2005), â€Å"†¦IM is unique in its capability to support multiple, simultaneous, synchronous conversations† (p. 199). This capability, known as polychromic interactivity, is essentially needed in today’s business environment, especially in organizations dealing with offering a wide array of services to multiple clients. In such an arrangement, IM can be used by employees to communicate privately with other employees and request for clarifications or instructions while still engaged in another coordinated interaction, preferably with the customer. When employed in this manner, IM has the capacity to essentially alter the â€Å"†¦temporal ordering of meeting-related interactions, including fact-finding, consensus formation, and decision-making† (Rennecker, 2005, p. 199). This implies that IM does not only saves time, but also enables organizations to enhance their productive capacities by virtue of the fact that the interactions, consensus reached, and the decisions taken will have either positive or negative ramifications on the organization. IBM (2008) underscores the fact that some emerging communication technologies such IM boosts an organizati on’s collaborative capacities, hence its productive acumen. Collaboration, more than anything else, institutes the innovation needed to enable organizations achieve an edge over their competitors. Employees in a virtual workplace are now collaborating using IM, either as a complimentary platform to email communication or as its substitute. According to Quan-Haase et al (2005), IM is also popular among workers since â€Å"†¦it adds speed and ease to workplace communication, and eliminates the time typically lost to ‘telephone tag’ or wasted trips of a coworker who is absent or otherwise occupied† (p. 2). This has obvious time and productivity implications for the organization, not mentioning the fact that it acts as a bridging tool between departments, therefore saving more time and ensuring efficient coordination. Below, some of the disadvantages of IM are evaluated. Disadvantages of IM There has been some weak links and disadvantages associated with emerging technologies, and IM is no exception. Greengard (2003) acknowledges that â€Å"†¦while the goal of staying in touch with employees, customers, and business partners is noble enough, today’s technology can create more than a few diversions and even devastations along the way† (p. 84). According to the author, IM can not only turn into a productivity drain if misused, but it can open a can of worms in terms of security risks and legal issues if it is ineffectually used. The above sentiments are also shared by Chudoba et al (2005) and Primeaux Flint (2004), who argue that most employees take advantage of the communication technology to chat with each other on issues unrelated to business, and to friends and family members outside the organization. Available statistics reveal that â€Å"†¦30 to 40 percent of internet use in the workplace isn’t related to business, and employee misuse of the internet is a $63 billion problem for cooperate America † (Greengard, 2003, p. 85). While IM is only a small component of the enormous internet universe, there is no guarantee that such systems will not be abused by employees in the absence of a strict regulatory framework. Harmful computer viruses can be transmitted via IM protocols, with some having the capacity to sabotage critical business processes. Indeed, hackers and data thieves can easily penetrate the security settings of some free IM services such as Yahoo! Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger due to the fact that the texts sent through IM are not encrypted. Legal challenges can also be potentially dangerous. By virtue of the fact that IM communications are not electronically recorded at the organizational level, â€Å"†¦companies can find themselves in a netherworld where it’s one party’s word against another’s† (Greengard, 2003, p. 84). There are concerns that IM, due to its easy usability, may be a source of interruption of workplace ta sks (Garrett Danziger, 2008). A recent ethnographic study extensively quoted by these authors â€Å"†¦revealed that workers spent an average of just 11 minutes on a task before being interrupted or moving on to a new task, and more than half the interruptions (57%) were unrelated to the task at hand† (p. 1). While it is known that the most common types of workplace interruptions revolves around receiving calls and conversations, some computer-mediated communication platforms such as IM and email can actually exacerbate the problem. In many workplace scenarios, IM supplements other existing forms of communication, resulting in an increase in the overall volume of communications taking place during work hours, thus the disruption of workflow processes (Garrett Danzinger, 2008). In addition, most IM communications are neither initiated nor scheduled by the recipient, and therefore often results in disruption of current activity or workflow processes on the part of the rec ipient. What’s more, companies using the IM protocol to dismiss employees may find themselves being accused of wrong termination in the absence of necessary precautions (Greengard, 2003). Communications Best Suited for IM Due to security concerns, highly sensitive communications should be reserved for other communication channels rather than IM unless the organization has the capacity to encrypt the texts or use a secure IM platform (Greengard, 2003). However, other forms of communications such as customer feedback, employee sensitization and awareness, company notices, strategies and advice, sales and order requests, advertisements, employee collaboration, and human resource decisions can be communicated via IM (Huang Yen, 2003). This is in line with the numerous activities supported by IM such as multi-tasking, informal communications for effective collaboration in the workplace, coordination and scheduling of work-related tasks, organizing short-notice meetings, and socia l networking with friends and family (Nardi et al., 2000). Recommendations MM’s takes cognizance of the fact that enhanced communication between management and employees on the one hand and between management and customers on the other is of fundamental importance in assisting the company to drive its success story into the 21st century (MM Website, 2010). As such, it is recommended that the organization takes a bold step towards formalization of IM as a preferred communication platform especially in communicating general organizational policies to employees and receiving feedback from customers. Available literature has revealed that the communication technology’s real-time functionality, simplicity of use, unique affordances, and rich presence (Greengard, 2003; Cameroon Webster, 2005; Primeaux Flint, 2004; Rennecker et al., 2003) are key ingredients that are destined to drive MM’s success story forward. MM’s greatly depend on its innovative employees to come up with new and enticing candies. To further drive the urge for employees to remain innovative, it is highly recommended for the company to fully adopt IM technology in the workplace so as to enhance interdepartmental collaboration and the development of new ideas. Such a platform will indeed extend frameworks through which the management collaborates with customers to evaluate feedback, and hence develop mechanisms for improvement. According to IBM (2008), IM enhances informal and formal collaboration in the workplace. Lastly, MM’s should come up with ways of utilizing the interactive and immediacy capabilities of IM (Cameroon Webster, 2005) by channeling its advertisements through the platform in efforts aimed at complimenting other mainstream media used by the company for advertisement purposes. At MM’s, it is not difficult to manage IM for optimal deployment since the company exercises an open door communication style that encourages open and independent decision making and responsibility at the individual level. The organizational culture reverberates well with the wishes and aspirations of employees (MM Website, 2010), and as such, it is almost a guarantee that employees will utilize the new technology for the betterment of the organization as well as for their own collaboration. Chudoba et al (2005) argues that many organizations employ several communication technologies to ensure their communication needs are sufficiently met. This internet-based communication technology fits well within MM’s existing frameworks of communication, which are also technology-based. The company mostly utilizes email and telephone communications in the workplace, and satellite communications across geographical locations (Rehoboth, 2004). IM will not only serve in complimentary roles with email in inter-departmental communications, but can also substitute the use of telephones to communicate company policies and strategies to employees. IM can be used to replace satellite communications in areas with network connectivity, further bringing down operational costs and enhancing both efficiency and productive capacities (IBM, 2008). The successful implementation of IM technology in MM’s can only be hindered by security and productivity concerns. As such, the CEO is allowed to introduce austerity measures aimed at curtailing the improper use of the technology by employees. It is also the duty of the chief executive to develop a solid ICT team which will constantly look into ways through which the IM technology can be optimally used by the company and its employees without causing security vulnerabilities as demonstrated by Greegard (2003). As such, end-user security regulations must be introduced to successfully harness the power of IM. The company should also introduce regulations aimed at informing the employees about the complimentary or substitute roles of IM visvis other existing platforms so that it is used for t he purposes it is intended. This will go a long way in ensuring its success, while curtailing the potential drawbacks already discussed comprehensively in this report. To submit the concluding remarks, it is a well known fact that the pursuit for instantaneous connections and enhanced communication has occasioned the adoption of a wide array of technologies purposely designed to speed up organizational activities (Cameroon Webster, 2005). IM represents one of the most rapidly proliferating communications tools that are swiftly being adopted by global organizations. A critical review of literature contained in this report demonstrates that corporate IM use is substantial and growing. Consequently, the most fundamental thing for MM’s is to swing into action towards ensuring that policies and frameworks are put in place with the aim to holistically harness the power and communication capabilities offered by IM. Reference List Cameroon, A.F., Webster, J. (2005). Unintended cons equences of emerging communication technologies: Instant messaging in the workplace. Computers in Human Behavior, 21(2), 81-103. Chudoba, K.M., Wynne, L.V. M., Watson-Manheim, M.B. (2005). How virtual are we? Measuring virtuality and understanding its impact in the global organization. Information Systems Journal, 15(4), 279-306. Retrieved from Business Source Database. Garrett, R.K., Danziger, J.N. (2008). IM = Interruption management? Instant messaging and disruption in the workplace. Journal of computer-mediated communication, 13, 23-42. Greengard, S. (2003). IM speeds workplace communication, but it can also spell trouble: Workforce Management, 82(7), 84-86. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier Database. Huang, A.H., Yen, D.C. (2003). Usefulness of instant messaging among users: Social vs. work perspective. Human Systems Management, 22(2), 63-65. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. IBM. (2008). The new collaboration: enabling innovation, changing the workplace. Web. Keyton, J. (2005). Communication and organizational culture: A key to understanding work experiences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. MM Website. (2010). History. Web. Nardi, B.A., Whittaker, S., Bradner, E. (2000). Interaction and outeraction: Instant messaging in action. Proceedings of Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), Philadelphia PA, 70-88. Nash, E.L. (2000). Direct Marketing: Strategy, Planning Execution, 4th ED. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Quan-Haase, A., Cothrel, J., Wellman, B. (2005). Instant messaging for collaboration: A case study of a high-tech firm. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(4). Web. Primeaux, R.O., Flint, D. (2004). Instant messaging: Does it belong in the workplace. Intellectual Property Technology Law Journal, 16(11), 5-7. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. Rehoboth, W.G. (2004). Dandy Candy. Convenience Store News, 40(13), 28-31. Rennecker, J., Dennis, A.R., Hansen, S. (2005). Invisible whi spering: Instant messaging in meetings. Sprouts: Working Papers on Information Systems, 5(24). Web. Symon, G. (2000). Information and communication technologies and the new network organization: A critical analysis. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 73(4), 389-414. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier Database. Wax, B (2010). Target Marketing Thrives on the Web. Property Causality Risk Benefit Management, 114(14), 32-36.