EMERGENCY MEDICAL TREATMENT AND LABOR ACT Assignment

EMERGENCY MEDICAL TREATMENT AND LABOR ACT - Assignment Example The Medical Screening examination should be readily available when requested or needed for examination or treatment in case of an emergency condition. The section, 1867, also required that the Medicare-participating hospitals to also offer active labour efficiently and not considering the payment capabilities of the patients. The Section also requested that a hospital should provide appropriate and correct emergency medical treatment and stabilize the condition to a patient if found to have an emergency condition. In a situation where the hospitals physician finds out that the patients condition is quite unstable, it recommend for a transfer if and only if there is a guarantee that the transfer helps stabilize the state. Hospitals can accept requests for transfer of patient if they have specialized facilities to cater for the unstable conditions. Some of the specialized services that and hospital should have so as to accept the requests include; burn units. In hospitals, EMTALA functions and responsibilities are usually incorporated in the Medicare provider agreement. According to the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), all hospitals should meet all the provisions EMTALA.In addition: offer screening examination, give appropriate and accept transfers and necessary stabilizing facilities, keep the ir patients informed and updated on their rights to testing and treatment. Moreover, EMATLA also requires hospitals to keep proper records of patients’ transfers, and report any transfers that it considers as appropriate. If a hospital does not meet all the requirements of EMATALA, it is immediately terminated on the basis that it has violated and breached the agreement. The responsibilities of EMATALA involve all the Medicare specialists and the hospitals’ emergency department staff. Hospitals are expected to keep a record of all the on-call physicians who can complete the medical screening exams. The Medicare agreement also requires that hospitals

John Langdon Essay Example for Free

John Langdon Essay Who is John Langdon? John Langdon was one of the two first senators of the state of New Hampshire. Early on in his political life, Langdon was a supporter always of the Revolutionary War and then later served in the Continental Congress. After serving in Congress, Langdon turned a different direction and became governor of New Hampshire. He could have run for vice president of the United States but turned it down. He was a great part in America’s history and grew up with America as it has turned out to be today. John Langdon was played many roles in our country today including: a patriot, a soldier, and a statesman. Langdon’s family was one of the first to settle near the middle of New Hampshire’s river, the Piscataquis River. John was then taught as a kid growing up by an educator at a school near by. John Langdon’s father asked John and his brother, Woodbury, to join along on his successful agricultural business. They both ended up becoming apprentices of local merchants. Langdon was an unstationary man, as by the age of twenty-one he was captain sailing to the West Indies, and four years later John owned his first merchantman. His brother was even more successful. They both began to do the trade business and by 1770 both men were accounted as the wealthiest citizens in the area. In 1777, Langdon turned his attention to a different subject. He wanted to help the soldiers. Since he was the lower speaker of the house for New Hampshire, he spent much time reorganizing and making the states militia stronger. He then split them up into two brigades. One brigade was centered in the east was to protect and prevent ambushes from the Royal Navy and support the New England states. The second brigade was organized in the west to guard from any sudden ambushes from Canada. Then lastly John Langdon is most famously known for being one of two delegates of New Hampshire at the Continental Congress. He was in Congress from 1775 to 1776, and then resigned in June 1776. He then became a superintendent for the construction of several ships of war. He was also a participant at the Battle of Bennnigton and led a group into Saratoga. Then in 1784 he was a member of the state senate, and then the president of New Hampshire in 1785 and 1788. Then in 1787 he was a member of the Continental Congress and a delegate of New Hampshire. He led New Hampshire from the beginning of his life till the very end. From 1805-1811 he was the governor of New Hampshire. He then died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on September 18th 1819 and was buried in the North Cemetery. John Langdon was not a huge part of America’s course of history was he was overall a big part of New Hampshire. He was a leader of that state was the moment his family first lived there to dying and being buried there. I think New Hampshire should recognize more of what John Langdon did for their state. My name is Crystal Moreland and I am a Field Organizer for Congresswoman Shelley Berkleys campaign. I wanted to let you know that Brent Martelli has contacted me about his volunteer time with the campaign. We are very excited to have him and would be more than happy to show him all the different aspects of what goes on in a campaign such as voter identification and event involvement. I think this is a great experience for your students to have and I very excited to get them involved. I hope they have a great experience and learn a lot!

The Hero? In Macbeth Essay examples -- Macbeth essays

The Hero? In Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   The tragedy Macbeth highlights an ambivalent character who wants to be king. This paper will take a close look at his character.    Samuel Johnson in The Plays of Shakespeare states that every reader rejoices at the fall of Macbeth (133).    In Shakespeare and Tragedy John Bayley talks about Macbeth as a responsible agent for his actions:    It is essential to the hypnotic tension of the play that Macbeth should not seem in any ordinary way 'responsible' for his actions. Not only the witches but every other agency is like a portent or apparition - pity striding the blast, heaven's cherubim, the lamentations heard in the air, the voice that cried 'Sleep no more' - do not so much personify the haunted imagination of Macbeth as act as separate and rival powers, distracting us from the difference between the usurper and murderer and the mind which has drawn us in. [. . .] It is the feeling shared by both Macbeth and the audience, that something has 'come for' him, that the secure world of thought and possibility, of the individual self with its desires and secrets, has gone beyond recall. (191)    In "Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action" Francis Fergusson considers how Macbeth fully understands the irrationality of his deed:      I do not need to remind you of the great scenes preceding the murder, in which Macbeth and his Lady pull themselves together for their desperate effort. If you think over these scenes, you will notice that the Macbeths understand the action which begins here as a competition and a stunt, against reason and against nature. Lady Macbeth fears her husband's human nature, as well as her own female nature, and therefore she fears the light of rea... ... Samuel. The Plays of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1765. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990.    Kemble, Fanny. "Lady Macbeth." Macmillan's Magazine, 17 (February 1868), p. 354-61. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.    Lamb, Charles. On the Tragedies of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1811. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990.    Mack, Maynard. Everybody's Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. http://chemicool.com/Shakespeare/macbeth/full.html, no lin.    Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957. The Hero? In Macbeth Essay examples -- Macbeth essays The Hero? In Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚   The tragedy Macbeth highlights an ambivalent character who wants to be king. This paper will take a close look at his character.    Samuel Johnson in The Plays of Shakespeare states that every reader rejoices at the fall of Macbeth (133).    In Shakespeare and Tragedy John Bayley talks about Macbeth as a responsible agent for his actions:    It is essential to the hypnotic tension of the play that Macbeth should not seem in any ordinary way 'responsible' for his actions. Not only the witches but every other agency is like a portent or apparition - pity striding the blast, heaven's cherubim, the lamentations heard in the air, the voice that cried 'Sleep no more' - do not so much personify the haunted imagination of Macbeth as act as separate and rival powers, distracting us from the difference between the usurper and murderer and the mind which has drawn us in. [. . .] It is the feeling shared by both Macbeth and the audience, that something has 'come for' him, that the secure world of thought and possibility, of the individual self with its desires and secrets, has gone beyond recall. (191)    In "Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action" Francis Fergusson considers how Macbeth fully understands the irrationality of his deed:      I do not need to remind you of the great scenes preceding the murder, in which Macbeth and his Lady pull themselves together for their desperate effort. If you think over these scenes, you will notice that the Macbeths understand the action which begins here as a competition and a stunt, against reason and against nature. Lady Macbeth fears her husband's human nature, as well as her own female nature, and therefore she fears the light of rea... ... Samuel. The Plays of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1765. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990.    Kemble, Fanny. "Lady Macbeth." Macmillan's Magazine, 17 (February 1868), p. 354-61. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.    Lamb, Charles. On the Tragedies of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1811. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990.    Mack, Maynard. Everybody's Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. http://chemicool.com/Shakespeare/macbeth/full.html, no lin.    Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957.

Ebook Vs Paper Compare N Contrast Essay

Reading has become one of the important elements in our life. We have been exposed to the books and learn how to read since we were still children. Couples of books innovations have been created since the past couple years. It started out with paper books or what we can call it as ‘traditional books’ and as the wave of publishing changes, we have the ‘modern books’ or known as virtual books that we can just keep it in our pocket, portable and flexible. However, some prefer the traditional books because it gave them the excitement of reading a book and some are just not. They just prefer the modern one. There are several e-readers that we can obtain these days which includes kindle, nook and iPad. So, as a reader which one is worth to buy? E-books (the modern ones) or just a mere paper books (the traditional ones)? In terms of flexibility, e-books seems to have more advantages compared to paper books. This is because e-books are created eco-friendly and they do not involve any natural resources which includes trees. As we all know, the main resource of papers come from chunks of tree that are processed into paper pulp which then create the paper that we used these days. It would take about 24 trees in order to make a ton of uncoated non-recycle printing and office paper (Susan Kinsella). So, basically if we want to produce more papers, we need to cut more trees which may result to global warming since trees play important roles in providing oxygen to the human being, as well as the source of natural ventilation to the eco system. Besides that, e-books are also affordable and cheaper than paper books. Some of the e-books that are published in e-readers website, offered free e-books for certain authors and they are also offering affordable price for famous books. It is cheaper to create something virtual instead of investing money over papers, cover page and printing expenses (Books Avenue). By buying e-books, customers usually get half of the price from the printed version especially when the expenses over shipping, printing and other costs are cut off. In addition, by having e-books, we can format the fonts and styles according to our preferences. On paper books, their fonts and styles have been set and sometimes their fonts are too small to read especially by the ol der generation who mostly faced the problem of having bad eyesight. According to Prevent Blindness America, one of the main lead to bad eye  sights is age factors. So, by reading e-books on iPad for instance, older generations could read the book comfortably without any disturbance because they have bigger fonts and better styles. Thus, it is indeed that e-books are much more flexible than paper books. When travelling, it is more convenient to use e-book. Travelers do not have to worry about extra space or heavy luggage with e-book but paper book, it consume spaces and may give extra weight for the luggage. E-book users can put in storage thousands of books on a single device (McMaken, 2012). Besides, e-book or e-reader provides backlight to assist reader when reading in dark. Most e-books have light and adjustable screen brightness making it capable for reader to read it in any condition (Angela, 2013). Meanwhile, for paper books adequate source of light are needed in order to read it. Without light, reading the printed book may cause eye strain due to the intense use of eyes. Furthermore, by connecting the e-book to the internet, travelers can access vast collection of books online while paper book offers a limited reading material. E-book users do not have to go to libraries or bookstores as they can easily download books from all around the world right away. E-books are delivered almost immediately and faster than overnight shipping (Pastore, 2008). On contrary, to get paper books, it may take time as it needs several procedures such as ordering it online, waiting for the delivery. Conclusively, e-books is more practical for the travelers who like to read books. However, a book that is on a shelf would last longer than an e-book. Paper books do not need batteries to read whereas e-books need the batteries in order to function. Users need to charge the battery of the e-books first so that it can be use. From this aspect we can see that paper books do not require any computer chip to be function so it will immune to viruses , non- distracting from virtual advertisements and compatible with a wide variety of note taking systems like via highlighter and pen (Born , 2012).Besides, a paper book is not as fragile as e-book. Once you drop your e-books, it may get severely damaged than a paper book. Meanwhile, paper book is more durable and some readers love to read books traditionally because they get the feeling of reading and flipping through the pages of book itself. This has been proven by 2012 Pew Internet Research Centre Study  which states about 67 percent of Americans prefer read by physical books rather than e-books because they provide a better reading experience with touch, durability and emotional connections (Royal,2013).In addition, paper books are more readable for many years compare to e-books. This is because as time passes, the technology will ultimately change. Thus, users need to frequently update their books in e-books to avoid from losing their book collections. Also, paper books comes with beautiful packaging which are attractive to keep as collections but for e-books, sometimes there seem to be missing some parts of the images or painting on the cover or back of the books ( Macmanus ,2010). In a nutshell, in term of durability paper book is better than e-book. In conclusion, e-books are more flexible and travelers friendly but regrettably they do not last longer compare to paper books. Paper books can last longer from five to five thousand years or more but e-books, they depend on the models and technology at that time. On contrary, usually travelers seem to like bring their I-pad, Kindle, Notes and smartphones to read by e-books because they do not need space and weight with them. Besides, in term of flexibility e-books are better than paper books as they have provided readers with lights and easy to read anywhere and anytime. Therefore, which one is more worth to buy? It is on your choice.

Business Culture in Turkey

Business Culture Overview A brief overview of Etiquette/Relationships, Business Negotiations, and Communication when dealing with business in Turkey. Etiquette and Relationships Business etiquette in Turkey revolves around personal relationships. Appointments are necessary and should be made in advance. Avoid making these appointments during Ramadan and the months of July and August. Be punctual, although be prepared to be kept waiting for appointments or meetings. Small talk is welcomed during business meetings, do not open up with the business matter at hand immediately.Have all documents in English and Turkish, as well to include charts, graphs, and visual aids. When dressing for business in Turkey, it should be conservative. Exchanging of business cards is a sign of trust from most businessmen. It is important to shake hands when entering, however not so when departing. Business Negotiation Always come to Turkey knowing two things. Success is defined by your ability to establish to build effective personal relationships. Business is personal. Many businesses are still family run although it is changing with MNC’s growing fast.The first meeting is purely social, then from there it will be about business. Do not include any surprises or mystery to your proposal. They are more inclined to visual objects, so include charts, graphs, statistics in presentation. Decision making tends to be slow, it has to pass from less senior members all the way up the hierarchy. Turkish businessmen will start at extremes to engage responses. Know your target figure and work to compromise to a number in the middle. Do not use any pressure tactics or abrupt deadlines because they will just reverse this tactic right back at you and it may drive them away from the deal.Communication Turkish people prefer to conduct business with people they are very trustworthy of. Courtesy is crucial in all business settings. Stand close while conversing, do not back away as it considered ru de. Do not be impatient, many initial questions will not be about the topic at hand, but rather about family, children, soccer and more. Turks are proud to answer questions about their history, culture, but avoid political history. It is vital to maintain eye contact while talking, it is a sign of sincerity. Make sure any gifts are appropriate if given. It is not customary for them to exchange gifts in a business setting however.

Community Development in Theory and Practice

Community Development in Theory and Practice Introduction When one person gets wealthier in the society, it is difficult for others to enjoy the benefits that come with that increase in wealth. It has been therefore, the aim of every society to ensure equal distribution of income such that every one in the society can have access to resources that will enable them improve their living standards.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Community Development in Theory and Practice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The community tries to find ways in which it can develop as a whole providing accessibility to basic requirements that are essential to every member. For a long time now, people have believed that for the society to prosper then the poor or less privileged in the society should be empowered in various ways. Consequently, community development is found to be inevitable and requires special attention for it to be effective in the society. But community development proves to be an all round issue that is very flexible, open-ended, accommodating and doctrinaire at the same time. Definition Community development is the process by which people of a certain community are involved in tackling the problems that they face in the society. It is about trying to solve the problems that face the community through community groups who are thought to understand the effects better rather than applying a nationalistic approach. The concerned people are used to come up with ways that they can tackle their own problems using the available resources because it is believed that unless one decides to be involved in the process of development, any efforts to develop the person are futile (Morin 2011). Community development is also concerned with long term solutions because people are taught on how to fend for themselves as opposed to one time support for example food aids. On the other hand, community development tries to follow some laid down procedures on how t he whole process should be carried out. Community Development Theory Community development have some procedure that, those who advocate for it believe that, if followed properly then the aims can be achieved easily and early enough. Community development theory is a frame work of how the whole process should be carried out including the identification of the problems, the indicators of measuring development and the procedure of involving people in the projects (Craig Popple 2008).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Community development theory requires total elimination of all forms of inequalities, exploitation and social injustices while cultural, economical and human rights should be promoted. On top of that, community development theory outlines that every human being should have relatively average living standards which should be improving continuously as wells as a dequate food, shelter and clothing. Theory of community development is doctrine that strictly defines what strategies to be followed depending on the already existing human behavior theories which sometimes are not a reality. It has been said that this theory is based on unrealistic ideas and thus setting out targets which can not be achieved in the real world. Opponents of theoretical approach claim that problems that are facing human beings in the society require more practical solutions that should be tailored to every situation as it is presented rather than an inflexible approach that assumes that every society is the same (Midgley Conley 2010). It should however be noted that there are some problems which are similar in every society for example poverty but the method of solving cannot be the same because every society has different resources which can be exploited differently. Community development theory describes how various situations should be defined, the reasons behind every situation and steps that should be taken in the event that something goes wrong (Hughes 2009). As impractical as community development theories may be, they set out the initial stages that help in understanding the way society works and therefore, guiding the professionals who are involved in community development projects on how to approach different situations. Community development theory relies heavily on the content from other disciplines in its attempt to define the society and the different situations that human beings find themselves in since community cannot be approached in a linear way given that human behavior is diverse.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Community Development in Theory and Practice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, though the framework of community development theory might not be effective per se, it is inevitable in introduction as to how various problems can be solved a nd it lays the guidelines that are used to achieve practical solutions (Ledwith 2011). The Open Approach Community development theory is based on the assumption that community problems are similar in one way or the other across the societies and can therefore be approached in a more or less same way. Unfortunately, societies are different from one another and in many occasions they have different problems and even those that have similar problems attempts at solving these problems cannot be given the same approach since the endowment is diverse (Achatz 2011). Theory therefore just provides a skeleton of what can be done but the flesh should be added depending on the circumstances on the ground. Community development therefore does not bind one to the stringent rules of the theory but provides an open for one to choose the options that are more feasible to the community that is being supported. When involving the local people at the community level one is supposed to provide guidelin es only on how the problem can be solved but let the community come up a way on how best they think they can help in eliminating the problem (Phillips Pittman 2009). An agrarian community which is based in a place where there is abundance of land will find it very comfortable if irrigation is suggested as a means of increasing income. On the other hand, a poor community in slums somewhere in an urban center will find agriculture highly infeasible since in the first place finding a piece of land will be very expensive, but starting small businesses can be the best solution to the poverty problem. The opponents of theoretical approach to community development argue that, theory is generated by people who rarely understand the situation in the ground and cannot be applicable to problems that people are facing in the societies. They perceive theory as restricting and impractical efforts by professionals to exercise their authority in the whole process while the main question is left ou t.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They therefore propose that theoretical framework should be done away with and let community development personnel deal with the situation as they find it on the ground or use their past experience gained from areas of similar conditions. Holistic Approach In understanding how to approach the community development factor, it is important that we understand what the community is defined to be. Community is defined as a group of people who are brought together by the sense of belonging between them and have specific areas of common interests (Henderson Vercseg 2010). Often, a community has a geographical distinction and is expected to be there for ages, besides the fact that the operation of the community brings about numerous interaction perspectives. Additionally, community has been defined as a social system that involves people with a common interest but which is complex and large such as to allow predomination of instrumental relationships and one which is very dynamic. From the above definitions it is clear that community is a complex social system that requires care and maximum diligence when dealing with matters that affect its affairs. On the same note, it is important to note here that development as far as the community is concerned, cannot have a specific definition but can be taken to refer to improvement. Unfortunately, there is lack of clear cut indicators that can be used to measure community improvement thus, making community more subjective. Community has very entangled operations which make it impossible to handle community matters in one specific way but rather calls for mixture of approaches in order to come out with conclusive solutions. Though most of the problems that face the community require practical solutions, understanding the way the community operates in general is very vital in enabling one to prepare on how to tackle the situation at hand. Despite the differences that exist among various communities in the world, societies are intrinsically the same and to some extent similar methods can be used to solve the given problems. For example when dealing with poverty, it is important to understand what the poor people need mostly so that one can start by offering it (Robinson Green 2010). The poor have more or less the same needs throughout the world but may not necessarily have the same abilities. It is therefore important if both theories of community development and the practical solutions are interacted in attempting to solve the prevailing problems. Just as community development theory outlines, the community issues cannot be solved in isolation and this has been reiterated even by the advocates for practical solutions. The political, economical or social aspect of the community cannot be improved in isolation as they are all entangled and an attempt to tackle one brings the other aspect in view (Homan 2011). As such there is no one very important aspect than the other hence an understanding of how the co mmunity works, which is provided by theory, is instrumental in community development. Though community development does not restrict per se on the specific procedure to be followed, community development theory does gives a frame work of what is expected to be done at any given stage and in case of in outcomes. And both the theory and practical must be applied when carrying out any activities while putting the whole community in mind. It is very possible as it has happened in various communities for technological advancements to meet cultural opposition because culture was not understood before the introduction of the advancements though theory could have systematically outlined what procedure to be followed. Wrongly understanding the needs of society, has also led to rather pronounced opposition to development projects in communities because sometimes what is given priority is not what the members of the community give importance (Morin 2011). Though it is assumed that some groups in the community especially the poor will be less concerned with the political system but practical cases have proved the idea wrong where politics has manifested itself as important as any other component of community. In these instances therefore, community development cannot be achieved without involving the knowledge of political theory. Integrated Focus In order to effective achieve the targets of community development, the then two sides of the argument need to be connected and be applied together in solving the community problems. People of the community need to be understood and they are generally more concerned with the average improvement of their lives as opposed to only one aspect performing well, while others are lagging behind. On top of that, community development has proofed that community is made up of entangled issues then a disjointed approach to the problem will be impractical (Robinson Green 2010). Theory gives the understanding of the mechanisms that are avail able in the society which must be understood before any step is taken, while at the same time freedom is given for the professional to include feasible ways, according to their judgment, to solve the practical issue. Community people are also involved at the grass root levels so that they can suggest methods that they think can work for their situation. Community development has therefore to be all encompassing to enhance the understanding of the major concerns of the community, the most feasible ways of solving the problem and other factors that should be addressed in order to achieve sustainable improvement (Phillips Pittman). In some instances a specific framework is a must for progression to occur for the whole process requires a specific framework for example production after all requirements have been met while others require a more open approach. Conclusion Community development is a wholesome approach to community problems and cannot be inclined to one line of argument. Due to the interdependency of community development system, borrowing from other disciplines is inevitable preempting the reason why community development cannot have just a single approach. Therefore, community development should be open-ended to allow for freedom of participatory as well as involving the doctrines of human society. References Achatz, A 2011, Community Development: A People Centered Initiative to Achieve Sustainability, GRIN Verlag, Munchen. Craig, G Popple, K 2008, Community Development in Theory and Practice: An International Reader, Spokesman books, Nottingham. Henderson, P Vercseg, I 2010, Community Development and Civil Society: Making Connections in the European Context, The Policy Press, Bristol. Homan, SM 2011, Promoting Community Change: Making it Happen in the Real World, Cengage Learning, Stanford. Hughes, C 2009, Dependent Communities: Aid and Politics in Cambodia and East Timor, SEAP Publications, New York. Ledwith, M 2011, Community Development: A Crit ical Approach, The Policy Press, Bristol. Midgley, J Conley, A 2010, Social Work and Social Development: Theory and Skills for Developmental Social Work, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Morin, JP 2011, Community Ecology, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken. Phillips, R Pittman, HR 2009, An Introduction to Community Development, Taylor Francis, New York. Robinson, WJ Green, PG 2010, Introduction to Community Development: Theory, Practice and Service-learning, SAGE, Thousand Oaks.

Sediments Threaten Salmon

Sediments Threaten Salmon Free Online Research Papers In the year 2009, the Glines Canyon Dam and the Elwha Dam are scheduled to start being removed from the Elwha River, located in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The sediment that has built up behind these dams threatens the overall geomorphic condition of the river if released downstream. The Elwha Dam was built in the early 1900’s, 4.9 miles from the mouth of the river. The construction of this dam was finished in 1914. Glines Canyon Dam was completed 8.5 miles further upstream in 1927. Both of these dams impound reservoirs. The Elwha Dam forms the Lake Aldwell reservoir, and the Glines Canyon Dam forms the Lake Mills reservoir. (See Figure 1) The Glines Canyon Dam stands at 210 feet tall. This will be the tallest dam ever removed in the United States to date. Before the dams were built, the Elwha River was used my natives and produced about 380,000 migrating salmon and trout. The construction of Elwha Dam eliminated about ninety-three percent of the Elwha River habitat for these migratory fish, and thus began a very steep decline in the native populations of all ten runs of Elwha salmon and sea-run trout. The 1855 treaties between the Northwest tribes and the United States governm ent guarantee the tribes the right to fish in their accustomed places indefinitely, but the disappearance of the Elwha salmon runs has made this impossible for the Lower Klallam Elwha tribes. More than 300 dams have been removed in the United States in the last 20 years, but the Elwha River dams are the first to be acquired by the federal government primarily for the purpose of decommissioning, removal and restoring wild salmon. The Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act of 1992 authorized the Secretary of the Interior to acquire and remove the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on the Elwha River to fully restore the ecosystem and native fisheries. The National Park Service completed two Environmental Impact Statements. EIS-1, (Environmental Impact Statement 1) found that both dams, the Glinds Canyon Dam as well as the Elwha Dam, must be removed to meet the goals of the Elwha Act. EIS-2 recommends allowing sediments accumulated within the reservoirs to naturally erode downstream. When the Glines Canyon Dam is to be removed the sediment, which is built up behind the dam and then is released downstream, threatens the ability for salmon to get upstream and spawn natu rally. Figure 1: Figure 1 map shows the locations of the Glines Canyon Dam, Elwha Dam, and the reservoirs resulting from them in the Olympic National Park. [Source: www.AmericanRivers.org/elwha] The fundamental geomorphic change associated with a dam’s presence on or removal from a river is the alteration of the longitudinal profile of the river. Dams create a long, flat-water surface marked by an abrupt drop in elevation at the dam. After a dam is removed, water levels and channel positions more closely resemble the original morphology of the river, and the sediments that had been stored behind the dam are sculpted by the subsequent river flow. This adjustment to a new longitudinal profile can cause major changes in the distributions of aquatic organisms, like salmon and sea-run cutthroat trout.1 One of the major environmental challenges of removing high dams is the height of sediments behind the reservoir. This is less of a concern with low-head dams or dams in wide valleys, because the vertical relief of the low sediment deposits does not create as much potential for abrupt vertical erosion. The elevation of natural floodplains in most rivers is a small, from less than 1% up to 10% of the width of the bankfull river channel. A bankfull is a hydrological measure that generally indicates the height or stage of water that just fills the channel. After a high dam, like the Glines canyon Dam, has been constructed, deposits of sediment upstream of the dam may exceed the relative dimensions of floodplain and bankfull channels found in natural river networks. The removal of a dam with deep sediment deposits may create high, unstable terraces that are accessible to flood waters at the upstream end of the reservoir that existed before the dam’s removal but perched far above th e channel at the downstream end. The potential for episodic flood erosion of these high terraces and incision of lateral channels into the terraces complicates the restoration of the river and its floodplain after dam removal. The volume of sediments associated with dams can have major geomorphic and biological consequences for downstream reaches. Removing a dam can release large volumes of sediment to downstream reaches over short periods of time and creates easily eroded floodplains. The timing of sediment release and the downstream extent of sediment deposition are difficult to predict, leading to a high degree of uncertainty about ecological effects. Subsequent erosion of sediment deposits behind the dam results in frequent and complex channel change within the reach upstream of the dam. All this sediment greatly threatens biological life, specifically survival of salmon in the Elwha River.2 The life cycle of a salmon is quite interesting. Adult male and female salmon spawn together in gravel beds of rivers and streams. Using rapid fanning movements of her tail, the female salmon digs out a gravel nest. This nest is called a redd. The male fertilizes the eggs as the female deposits them. The female protects the redd for one to two weeks or as long as she is able before it dies. The fertilized eggs, or embryos, hatch and develop into alevins. An alevin is a newly hatched fish in the larval stage, one which has not yet emerged from the redd. As tiny alevins, they continue to live in the redd. Their food comes from a nutrient rich yolk sac attached to their undersides. The freshly hatched alevins mature into fry. This occurs as the yolk sac is absorbed into the alevin’s body, and the alevin emerges from the redd. Once they become fry, they develop vertical bars called parr marks on their sides that help them remain camouflaged from predators. The parr marks last from a few months to years, depending on the specific species of salmon.3 After a period of feeding and growth in freshwater, the fry begin migrating downstream towards the ocean. The fry become smolts as they migrate downstream towards the ocean. Smolts undergo physiological changes that allow them to adapt to the saltwater conditions in the ocean. One of the most distinctive physical changes is the transformation from a brown color with stripes to a more silvery color that serves as camouflage in the ocean environment. The smolts grow to a fully developed adult salmon as they continue their journey to the ocean habitat. Depending on the species, salmon will spend from one to five years in the ocean and travel hundreds to thousands of miles before returning to the stream where they were hatched. Some fish stray to nearby rivers, colonizing new areas and replenishing weak populations. These adult salmon become spawners themselves. Most salmon spawn only once during their lifetime and die within a week or so of spawning. One very important aspect of these s almon dying is the nutrients from their decomposing bodies help to fertilize the stream. Yet some steelhead and sea-run cutthroat trout can spawn more than once. After these adult fish, called kelts, spawn they migrate back to a saltwater environment.4 Excess sediment present can significantly affect the productivity of a salmon or trout stream.5 In a healthy stream, young salmon and trout hide in the interstitial spaces between cobbles and boulders to avoid predators. In streams that get extremely cold in winter, young steelhead may actually burrow into the streambed and spend the winter in flowing water down within the gravel. The area of the stream where flowing water extends down into the gravel is also extremely important for aquatic invertebrates; which supplies most of the food for young salmon, steelhead and sea-run cutthroat trout. If fine sediment is clogging interstitial spaces between streambed gravel, juvenile salmonids lose their important source of cover and food. Salmon, steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout are also very vulnerable to sediment pollution because they build their nests in the stream bottom. The eggs, buried one to three feet deep in the gravel redd, rely on a steady flow of clean cold water to deliver oxygen and remove waste products. In coastal streams the eggs usually hatch in about thirty days, depending on the water temperature. Eggs hatch into alevin and remain in the gravel another thirty days or so, living on the nutrients in their yolk sacs. As they develop into fry, the yolk is used up and the fry must emerge through spaces in the gravel to take up life in the stream. During the sixty-day period when eggs and alevin are in the gravel, major shifts of the stream bottom can cause them to die.6 Tappel and Bjornn demonstrated that increased fine sediment in spawning gravels caused decreased survival and emergence of salmonid eggs and alevin.7 (See Figure 2) Nawa and Frissel found fines less than 0.85 mm to have the highest impact on salmonid spawning success.8 Particles of less than 6.4 mm are recognized as having the potential to infiltrate their redds; forming a layer in the stream gravels which sometimes prevents emergence of the fry.9 Kondolf, in a review of this, found that when fines that were less than 6.4 mm exceeded thirty percent, it reduced salmonid emergence and survival by about fifty percent.10 Figure 2: Figure 2 graph shows that as the percentage of fine-grained sediment in streambeds increases, development of salmon eggs into emergent fry decreases. [Source: North American Journal of Fisheries Management 3:132] Studies conducted in actual redds in Olympic Peninsula streams in Washington State found that if there was more than thirteen percent fine sediment, less than 0.85 mm, intruded into the redd then almost no Steelhead or Coho salmon eggs survived.11 It was also noted that fine sediment levels inside and outside Coho salmon redds varied substantially. Fines less than 1.0 mm can sometimes average seven percent inside redds, yet can average thirteen percent outside them and with no inside redd measurement in excess of thirteen percent. Salmon do have the ability to substantially lower fine sediment in the redd pocket during redd construction. However, if fine sediment levels in the streambed outside the redd are high, there is a potential for fines to intrude into already constructed redds during high flows and high turbidity.12 Because the redd is a depression in the streambed, it creates the Venturi effect, drawing water down into the gravel. The Venturi effect is a special case of fluid or airflow through a tube or pipe with a constriction in it. The fluid must speed up in the restriction, reducing its pressure and producing a partial vacuum. This effect is named after Giovanni Battista Venturi. Fine sediment in suspension during storms may be sucked down into the redd. Tappel and Bjornn noted that pore space and permeability were key variables in the quality of salmonid spawning gravel, and suggested using the central tendency of particles as a standard.13 They assumed that, because of varying head diameters, Coho salmon have less success emerging as fry than Steelhead or sea-run Cutthroat when fine sediment levels in redds are high. Chapman suggested that measuring permeability itself might be a quicker, and more cost effective method of measuring sediment impacts on salmonids. Chapman concluded that measuring permeability was defined as the variability in spawning gravel quality with better resolution, and also at lower cost than substrate composition analysis.14 The relationship between permeability and salmonid egg survival is not as well known. Suspended sediment in the water column causes turbidity. Nawa and Frissel found that turbidities as low as twenty-five nephelometric turbidity units (ntu’s) caused a reduction in juvenile steelhead and Coho growth.15 High turbidity during winter impacts the feeding ability of juvenile salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout. The longer the duration of high turbidity the more damages to fish and other aquatic organisms.16 Measurement of turbidity were taken in excess of twenty-five ntu’s for weeks at a time in Freshwater Creek, located in Humboldt County California, in the winter of 1999.17 Coho and Chinook salmon do not have the leaping ability of Steelhead and are confined to low gradient reaches. These reaches were formerly the most productive spawning and rearing areas, with an abundant supply of good gravel and large wood. High bed load transport can bury low gradient reaches, making them much simpler and less productive salmonid habitat. These formerly productive low gradient reaches become wide and shallow and recovery of fish habitat may take a long time, perhaps decades.18 Lisle noted that recovery of streams with high gradient precedes much more rapidly following large flood events.19 Loss of pool volume has dramatic effects of salmon populations. During the year they spend in freshwater, Coho salmon prefer deep pools that form around large pieces of wood. High sediment transport can fill pools and cause reduction or loss of essential salmonid juvenile rearing habitat.20 Nawa and Frissel noted that optimal Coho habitat is comprised of pools of at least one meter deep, and found that yearling and older steelhead juveniles needed pools at least three feet deep for successful rearing.21 When both the Elwha and the Glinds Canyon Dams are removed, the river will flow freely for the first time is about one hundred years. That is a lot of time that sediments such as silt, sand, and gravels have had to build up behind these dams. In order to determine if river restoration is successful, it is important to have scientific information as to the geomorphic condition of the river before dam removal occurs. The USGS (United States Geological Survey) is developing suspended sediment monitoring systems, studying how sediment may be redistributed, and assessing how dam removal will affect the ecosystem of the Elwha valley. This will greatly help resource managers understand the effects of dam removal on sediment transport, watershed ecology, and aquatic habitat like salmon populations. This information will be essential for examining improvements in salmon habitat that may come with the removal of these dams on the Elwha River. My hope is that they use the Dredge and Slurry alternative, which is removing fine-grained sediment prior to dam removal by using suction dredges, and sending the slurry to a different location like the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In my opinion, this is the method that needs to be used when considering river morphology. The sediment that is built up behind the Glines Canyon Dam poses a huge threat on salmon habitat and survival. In order to ensure salmon survival after these dams are removed, the Dredge and Slurry alternative seems to be the answer to me. But we will just have to wait and see what the â€Å"experts† decide to do. A lot of time and research still needs to be done before the destruction of these dams begin. If the Elwha dam removals succeed, they will provide a really strong example of what a powerful restoration tool dam removal can be. Bibliography Behnke, Robert J. 2002. Trout and Salmon of North America. Chanticleer Press Inc. pp 2-10. Chapman. D.W. 1988. Critical Review of Variables Used to Define Effects of Fines in Redds of Large Salmonids. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 117: 1-21. Gilbert, Francis A. 2003. Restoring the Flow: Undamming of America. Blockwells Pub Inc. pp 32-47 Kondolf, G.M. 2000. Assessing Salmonid Spawning Gravel Quality. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 129:262-281. Lisle, T.E., and J. Lewis. 1992. Effects of sediment transport on survival of Salmonid embryos in a natural stream: A simulation approach. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science. 49: 2337-23344. McHenry, M.L., D.C. Morrill and E. Currence. 1994. Spawning Gravel Quality, Watershed Characteristics and Early Life History Survival of Coho Salmon and Steelhead in Five North Olympic Peninsula Watersheds. Lower Elwha SKlallam Tribe, Port Angeles, WA. Makah Tribe, Neah Bay, WA. Washington State Department of Ecology. Nawa, R.K. and C.A. Frissell. 1993. Measuring scour and fill of gravel stream beds with scour chains and sliding bead monitors. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 13: 634-639. Newcombe, C.P. and D.D. MacDonald. 1991. Effects of Suspended Sediments on Aquatic Ecosystems. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 11: 72-82. Tappel, P.D., and T.C. Bjornn. 1983. Methods of relating size of spawning gravel to salmonid embryo survival. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 3:123-135. Research Papers on Sediments Threaten SalmonMind TravelCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationStandardized TestingGenetic EngineeringRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanPETSTEL analysis of IndiaNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

30 Rhetorical Devices †And How to Use Them

30 Rhetorical Devices - And How to Use Them 30 Rhetorical Devices - And How to Use Them Rhetorical devices are as useful in writing as they are in life. Also known as persuasive devices, stylistic devices, or simply rhetoric, rhetorical devices are techniques or language used  to convey a point or convince an audience. And they're used by everyone - politicians, businesspeople, and even, you guessed it, your favorite novelists.You may already know some of them: similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia. Others, maybe not (bdelygmia, we’re talking to you). But at the end of the day, you’ve probably run into all of these devices some time or another. Perhaps, you’ve even used them yourself. And if you haven’t, don’t let their elaborate Greek names fool you - they’re pretty easy to implement, too. But before you dive in, let’s identify the different categories of rhetorical devices out there.Types of Rhetorical DevicesAlthough there exists plenty of overlap between rhetorical and literary devices, there’s one significant d ifference between the two. While the latter are employed to express ideas with artistic depth, rhetoric is designed to appeal to one’s sensibilities in four specific ways:Logos, an appeal to logic;Pathos, an appeal to emotion;Ethos, an appeal to ethics; or,Kairos, an appeal to time.These categories haven’t changed since the Ancient Greeks first identified them thousands of years ago. This makes sense, however, because the ways we make decisions haven’t changed, either: with our brain, our heart, our morals, or the feeling that we’re running out of time. What's the difference between rhetorical and literary devices? Find out here. So without further ado, here is a list of rhetorical devices designed to tug at those strings, and convince a listener to give you what you want - or a reader to continue reading your book. (Source: 20th Century Fox)Wham! Pow! Crunch! These are all examples of onomatopoeia, a word for a sound that phonetically resembles the sound itself. Which means the finale of the 1966 Batman is the most onomatopoeic film scene of all time.24) PersonificationIt’s a lot easier for humans to understand a concept when it’s directly related to them. And since rhetoric is used to convey your point more effectively, there’s naturally a rhetorical device for that: personification, which assigns human characteristics to an abstract concept.Personification is present in almost all forms of literature, especially mythology, where concepts like war, love, and wisdom are given humanity in the form of gods such as Ares, Venus, Saraswati. But anthropomorphism, which assigns human characteristics to animals, is almost as common, in everything from Peter Rabbit and Winnie-the-Pooh to The Hobbit and Watership Down.25) PleonasmDid you know that being redundant can actually be rhet orically useful? Certain words are so overused that they’ve lost meaning - darkness, nice, etc. However, â€Å"black darkness† or â€Å"pleasantly nice† reinvigorate that meaning, even if the phrases are technically redundant. Redundant phrases like these are called pleonasms, and they are persuasively rhetorical.26) Rhetorical comparisonsSome of the most prevalent rhetorical devices are figures of speech that compare one thing to another. Two of these, you surely know: the simile and the metaphor.  But there is a third, hypocatastasis, that is just as common†¦ and useful.The distinctions between the three are pretty simple. A simile compares two things explicitly: â€Å"You are like a monster.† A metaphor compares them by asserting that they’re the same: â€Å"You are a monster.† And with hypocatastasis, the comparison itself is implied: â€Å"Monster!†If you can't get enough rhetorical comparisons, check out these 90+ exampl es of metaphors in literature and pop culture!27) Rhetorical questionYou’ve probably heard of a rhetorical question, too: a question asked to make a point rather than to be answered. Technically, this figure of speech is called interrogatio, but there are plenty of other rhetorical devices that take the form of questions.If you pose a rhetorical question just to answer it yourself, that’s anthypophora (or hypophora†¦ they mean the same thing). And if your rhetorical question infers or asks for a large audience’s opinion (â€Å"Friends, Romans, countrymen Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?†) that’s anacoenosis - though it generally doesn’t warrant an answer, either. Do you know the three different types of rhetorical questions? 28) SynecdocheYou know how a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle isn’t necessarily a square? If you referred to all rectangles as â€Å"squares,† you’d have a synecdoche: a rhetorical device in which part of one thing is used to represent its whole. This differs slightly from metonymy, which refers to one thing by something related to it that is nevertheless not part of it. If you referred to an old king as â€Å"greybeard,† that would be the former. If you referred to him as â€Å"the crown,† it would be the latter.29) TmesisHave you ever, in a fit of outrage, referred to something un-effing-believable? If you have, congratulations on discovering a surprisingly useful rhetorical device: tmesis, the separation of one word into two parts, with a third word placed in between for emphasis.30) ZeugmaZeugma, often used synonymously with syllepsis, is a grammatical trick that can be used rhetorically as well: placing two nouns with very different meani ngs in the same position in a sentence. Mark Twain was a master at this:â€Å"They covered themselves with dust and glory."This might feel a bit like a list of fancy names for things you already do. If so, that’s great! You’re already well on your way to mastering the art of rhetoric. And, now that you know the specifics, you can take the next step: implementing it in your writing and swaying readers onto your side.Leave any thoughts or questions about rhetorical devices in the comments below!

Organization Innovation and change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Organization Innovation and change - Essay Example The next move in the realization of British airways came in 1974 when all these airlines merged to form the now famous British Airways (British Airways 7). In 1981,the airline was privatized by a conservative government. The reason for the move was the expectation that it would perform better as a private company. The conservatives government that made this move a head to overhaul the leadership by applying Lord John King to head the new company (British Airways 7). . British Airways Leadership Structure . At the top of the company is chief executive officer. He reports to board of directors. The board of directors has the prerogative of making all the strategic decisions concerning the company’s management (Brown 1998). The Chief Executive serves as the implementing force for the director’s decision. The chief executive and the board of directors constitute what is called the strategic apex in leader ship. Under the strategic apex are leaders of various departments suc h as logistics, finance, and human resources. All these officers play a very significant role in the operations of the company, and report to the strategic apex from time to time. ... It is vital to reiterate the fact that British Airways is multicultural as far as its workforce is concerned and this not to be forgotten in the analysis of change and innovation. . Research Method: The line of research was careful examination of information available on British Airways website. Information that guided the collection of information sought to gather information on company traditions. Employee treatment , the way the company handles changes in the external environment as far as air transport is concerned the management traditions, the workforce attitude towards the management and remuneration policies. As an outsider analyzing information that I have obtained, I had no bias in my analysis. . Overview of change and innovation in light of BA: It is essential that business entities ensure that there is perfect harmony between their internal environment and external influences (Bamberger& Meshoulam, 2000). This therefore calls for a calculated scenario where the speed of r esponse to external pushes and pulls is equal to changes in the external conditions (Hayes 2007). Companies always adjust their strategies when confronted by shifts in their immediate environments. This adjustment is what can be described as innovation can be defined as a set of changes made within a business entity that have an impact ( Hamel 2007). BA has experienced a number of changes in its immediate environment that have called for major changes in its internal structure ranging from remuneration policies to areas of investment. The extent of success of the responses or the innovation the company has undertaken will be discussed in later stages of the paper by exploring the different milestones achieved by the company. For

Sysco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sysco - Essay Example Day was required to give all the pros and cons of the implementation of the new software along with its detailed requirements. The obstacles to the implementation of new BI software were identified so that software faces no unknown resistances and obstructions. Questions were also designed for the software to answer to evaluate the efficacy of the software in terms of fulfilling Sysco’s requirements of information. Sysco has a number of companies under its governance due to which, all the steps taken by the company are required to be looked in good details. No change or development is without challenges, therefore, challenges were also identified in order to cope up with the challenges successfully. For increasing the IT expertise of the company as a whole, a data warehouse was also established. However, this data warehouse was required to be improved to a great extent as the staff and IT requirements of the data warehouse lacked competence to handle complicated IT related iss ues. For implementing BI software, the company required to look towards the investment that it was going to invest for the implementation of the software, the integration of the present system with the new software, acceptance of all the supervised companies and expertise of the IT staff. Obstacles Facing Sysco For implementing BI software, Sysco faces some obstacles. The company, Sysco has its own data sources that are required to be connected with BI software and for this process, IT help is required, which can be given by BI’s technical staff (McAfee and Wagonfeld 4). The company’s database needs to be attached with BI software. The company was to decide on purchasing the right amount of BI software for its information needs. Investment for BI software is also a major concern for the company. Day was fully aware that associated companies linked with Sysco were to bear the costs invested for implementing BI software due to which, there can be a problem in terms of in vestment approval by those companies (McAfee and Wagonfeld 11). The linked companies already have their own software solutions for information systems due to which, there were fair chances of resistance by the companies. Data warehouse started by Sysco was not fully complete and its staff lacked the necessary expertise to extract necessary data. The employees serving in the data warehouse were required to be trained better and the warehouse was itself an obstacle for the implementation of BI software (McAfee and Wagonfeld 3). Sysco lacked the essential IT competence in terms of its data warehouse and its IT staff, which is a clear obstruction. Questions Addressed by Sysco Sysco initially decided to address only two questions with its new BI software rather than use it as a more general analysis tool. The questions were ‘What additional products could we be selling to each of our customers?’ and ‘Which of our current customers are we most likely to lose?’ (M cAfee and Wagonfeld 8-9). These questions were initially asked because they support the company to look forward in their future in terms

Organizations and group behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organizations and group behavior - Essay Example In accordance with the issues discussed in the paper the increase of competition in all industries has led organizations to search for strategies, which can help them to develop a competitive advantage towards their rivals. In order to identify the key elements of group behavior it should be necessary to understand primarily the characteristics of a group, as part of the organizational life. In accordance with Martin within organizations, different forms of group can be identified: a) individuals working on similar organizational activities may not constitute a group; for example, the lecture staff in the same department of a particular university may not meet or cooperate; these individuals cannot be characterized as a group, b) the sub-sections of certain organizational departments are often parts of formal organizational units and they are likely to help towards the completion of organizational tasks of low importance, c) informal groups within organizations are common for promoti ng specific organizational tasks or ideas; for instance, the case of ‘friendship groupings and task-depended networks’, d) groups related to a particular organizational project can be developed within an organization; these groups, formal or informal, are not permanent, as for example ‘a project group working on the building of a new oil refinery’, e) formal and informal groups can be developed within organizations for completed a particular organizational task; these groups are ‘transient’, as for example a formal group working on the reduction of the organization’s travel expenses by 10%.... within an organization; these groups, formal or informal, are not permanent (Martin 232), as for example ‘a project group working on the building of a new oil refinery’ (Martin 232), e) formal and informal groups can be developed within organizations for completed a particular organizational task; these groups are ‘transient’ (Martin 232), as for example a formal group working on the reduction of the organization’s travel expenses by 10% (Martin 232). The development of group activities within modern organizations has been often related to the trend of firms to imitate the strategies of their rivals (Griffin and Moorhead 2011). In the study of Griffin and Moorhead (2011) reference is made to the risks that such strategy can hide mostly because of the following fact: the use of teams for promoting organizational plans can be beneficial for organizations but the costs involved can be also significant. The case of Ampex is mentioned as an example of the benefits of team development within modern organization: in Ampex, the involvement of teams in organizational activities led to the increase of ‘online customer delivery by 98%) (Griffin and Moorhead 272). In Texas Instruments, the use of teams for developing the daily organizational tasks resulted to the reduction of organizational costs for about 50% (Griffin and Moorhead 272). Also, in Eastman, the development of teams across the organization supported the increase of organizational performance at significant levels; the productivity of the organization was increased for about 70%, a result which was directly related to the involvement of teams in all organizational projects (Griffin and Moorhead 272). In accordance with the above findings, the role of group in the development of organizational performance,

Unilateral and bilateral contracts Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Unilateral and bilateral contracts - Article Example Unilateral and bilateral contracts The distinction between bilateral and unilateral contracts has been considered a fundamental principle of contract law and essential to the order of the contractual system. The focus of this analysis is to critically evaluate the theoretical legal dichotomy between unilateral and bilateral contracts and consider the practical similarities between the two. If we firstly consider unilateral contracts, the concept of a unilateral contract is illustrated by reference to a classic contract law case of Carlil v Carbolic Smoke Ball Limited4. In this case, the defendant was the proprietor of a medical substance and placed and advert in the Pall Mall Gazette promising to pay $100 to anyone who used the carbolic smoke ball for two weeks and who for a limited time after contracted the flu virus. Mrs Carlil took the substance and contracted the flu virus and sued for the $100. Mrs Carlil's claim succeeded and on appeal, Carbolic Smoke Ball Limited argued that the advert did not constitute an offer but was rather an invitation to treat. The Court of Appeal rejected this argument and held that there was a legally enforceable contract. The advertisement constituted an offer to the whole world and was capable of amounting to an offer of a unilateral contract without the requirement for acceptance. Moreover, this decision was the first case to highlight the requirement of intention to create legal relations. The Carlil decision had far reaching implications for contract law, with some commentators arguing that there is no difference between an â€Å"invitation to treat† and a contractual â€Å"offer†."invitation to treat" and a contractual "offer"5. The law of contract stipulates three fundamental requirements for the formation of a legally enforceable contract; namely; offer, acceptance and consideration (it is important to note that contracting parties must have legal capacity to enter into a contract). Lord Wilberforce presiding in the case of New Zealand Shipping Co Limited v A M Satterhwaite, The Eurymedon6 asserted the rule for contract formation thus: "English law having committed itself to a rather technical'' doctrine of contract, in application takes a practical approach''. Into the market slots of offer, acceptance and consideration7. An "offer" in the context of contract law has been described as "an expression of willingness to contract on certain terms, made with the intention that it shall become binding as soon as it is accepted by the person to whom it is addressed, the "offeree.8" The "expression9" may take different forms and the intention element is an objective consideration and the case of Smith v Hughes 10emphasised the relevant consideration as being a focus on how a reasonable person would view the situation. Furthermore, the law distinguishes between an offer and an invitation to treat, which is not an offer but an indication of willingness to negotiate a contract11. For example, in the case of Gibson v Manchester City Council12, the words "may be prepared to sell" constituted an invitation to treat and not a distinct offer. Moreover, an invitation to treat is an action inviting others to make an offer. Whereas an offer is itself binding, accepting an invitation to treat is making an offer13. This is particularly evident in the construction industry where tender

Constructing Gender through Body Customization Essay - 1

Constructing Gender through Body Customization - Essay Example The same goes for me as I try to combine different styles of clothing along with different accessories. The way we dress portrays our self-identity and thus when we choose a dressing style we have control over the way we want to present our personality. Moreover, my dressing style has impact on my emotions. For instance, I prefer to wear light color clothes as they keep me calm while tight-fitting clothes make me uncomfortable and impatient. 1. It is a fact that the way a person dresses and adorns their body reflects the personal beliefs of that person. In society, the personality of a person is manifested in their dressing sense and it helps other people to characterize them by interpreting their behavior and attitude, and this becomes significant in the context of social gatherings. It has become a practice to stereotype people according to their dress like those who are well-dressed are considered as happy, optimistic, outgoing, and financially affluent (Sanders, 2009, p.1). When I reflect on my personal beliefs I realize that they get reflected in the way I dress. My casual attitude consists of leggings and cool t-shirts along with natural makeup that indicates my belief that everyone looks best with physical features with which they were born. Therefore I refrain from coloring my hair or having tattoos on my body. I also do not generally apply heavy makeup on my eyes with bright colors of eyeshadow as I believe that takes away the natural look of my facial features. A stranger will most probably consider me as a laid-back person with a casual sense of fashion. 2. The core beliefs and values of my family lay in their broad minded perspective of modern day fashion. The elder members of my family are aware of changing trends in fashion and they do not usually provide unsolicited advice to the younger generation. However, the young people of my family do not indulge in vulgar dressing styles and try to

Analyzing Supply Chain Management and Innovation (WAL-MART) Essay

Analyzing Supply Chain Management and Innovation (WAL-MART) - Essay Example The success of Wal-Mart stores Inc. can be attributed to its ability to manage the supply chain efficiently. This essay analyzes the strategies that Wal-Mart uses for its supply chain management and innovation practices. Wal-Mart has a wide array of products targeting families and middle class individuals with modest incomes. Most of these customers are more focused on the quality of the products they purchase from Wal-Mart stores, rather than the branding of the products. There are four main elements of Wal-Mart’s supply chain management strategy. These are technology, vendor partnerships, integration, and cross docking and distribution management (Leeman, 36). The whole process starts from strategic sourcing, which is aimed at identifying high quality products at the best prices from reputable suppliers who have the ability to meet the existing demand. The organization then forms strategic partnerships with most of the vendors, creating a long term relationship that benefits the customers. The suppliers will then ship their products to the Wal-Mart stores for cross docking and delivery to stores in other locations around the world. The cross docking process, efficient management of distribution, and the transportation process helps Wal-Mart to maintain a constant inventory to cater for market demand. The company also focuses on eliminating inefficiencies that can undermine the whole process. Wal-Mart is highly regarded for its innovative business practices in the industry(Leeman, 69). For instance, it was among the first companies on the global scene to centralize their distribution system and rely heavily on Information Technology. Wal-Mart manages its Supply chain by using a highly integrated approach that brings together elements of logistics, operations management, information Technology, and procurement. The success of Wal-Mart’s strategy of

Constructing Gender through Body Customization Essay - 1

Constructing Gender through Body Customization - Essay Example The same goes for me as I try to combine different styles of clothing along with different accessories. The way we dress portrays our self-identity and thus when we choose a dressing style we have control over the way we want to present our personality. Moreover, my dressing style has impact on my emotions. For instance, I prefer to wear light color clothes as they keep me calm while tight-fitting clothes make me uncomfortable and impatient. 1. It is a fact that the way a person dresses and adorns their body reflects the personal beliefs of that person. In society, the personality of a person is manifested in their dressing sense and it helps other people to characterize them by interpreting their behavior and attitude, and this becomes significant in the context of social gatherings. It has become a practice to stereotype people according to their dress like those who are well-dressed are considered as happy, optimistic, outgoing, and financially affluent (Sanders, 2009, p.1). When I reflect on my personal beliefs I realize that they get reflected in the way I dress. My casual attitude consists of leggings and cool t-shirts along with natural makeup that indicates my belief that everyone looks best with physical features with which they were born. Therefore I refrain from coloring my hair or having tattoos on my body. I also do not generally apply heavy makeup on my eyes with bright colors of eyeshadow as I believe that takes away the natural look of my facial features. A stranger will most probably consider me as a laid-back person with a casual sense of fashion. 2. The core beliefs and values of my family lay in their broad minded perspective of modern day fashion. The elder members of my family are aware of changing trends in fashion and they do not usually provide unsolicited advice to the younger generation. However, the young people of my family do not indulge in vulgar dressing styles and try to

Rising of Oil Prices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rising of Oil Prices - Essay Example On the one hand, the western world led by the United States as the world’s largest consumer of energy, has been practicing geo-political policies that would ensure control and supply of this vital natural resource; on the other, the realization of the value of this near monopoly resource by the world’s leading oil producers has upset the supply, demand and price equation in a most significant manner. This conflict of interest has resulted in what we are witnessing today: cartelization of the oil industry, soaring oil prices, weakening the dollar, rising inflation and worst of all, war/threat of further wars in West Asia - the major oil-producing region of the world. At USD 110 per barrel, there are ominous signs of not just in the US but a serious worldwide economic downturn.  In the West Asian region, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf countries are among the world’s largest oil producers. The US, UK, and other European oil corporations were controlling th e oil exploration and refining industry here and setting the price of this vital commodity. The growing economies of the western countries and Japan needed ever-increasing volumes of the oil products, which had to be imported mainly from the Gulf region. The Arab-Israel conflict and the formation of the oil cartel – Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led to the first oil price shock. In the words of Meyer et al., â€Å"†¦possession of a monopoly resource by OPEC countries †¦a rising tide of nationalist self-awareness, old resentment at exploitation †¦would force renegotiation of the terms on which petroleum was to be made available†¦ The  outbreak of the Yom Kippur war in 1973 and the subsequent oil embargo led to a quadrupling of the oil prices† (Meyer et al., p.6). The days of cheap oil were over once and for all, although the later fluctuations in the prices were generally in tune with the increased availability of non-OPEC s upplies, the occasional breakdown of cartel arrangement, supply/demand situation etc. For example during 1982 – ’83, oil prices fell by 15% (Meyer et al., p.95) due to a decrease in US demand. Disruption of supplies due to the recent militant events in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, has also impacted oil prices (Shanmugam & Singh). Similarly, Russia’s stranglehold on supplies of oil and gas to east European nations dictates the energy prices.

Financial Control Auditing Essay Example for Free

Financial Control Auditing Essay If you use a computer to record your business activity and maintain this data electronically, you are a candidate for an electronic audit. * What are the Benefits of e-Auditing? †¢It saves time – Electronic audits are completed much faster than traditional, manual audits. Company personnel and tax auditors spend less time working on the audit. †¢It saves paper – Electronic tax auditing reduces the amount of paper normally needed during the audit. †¢It is less disruptive to business – Electronic audits permit tax auditors to work at the tax office most of the time. Computer-assisted tax audit techniques reduce on-site audit time. In this way, there is minimal interference with the normal business of your company. †¢It is more efficient – More efficient techniques for reviewing taxpayer information are used in electronic audits. * The process of e-Auditing? To corporate taxpayers: 1- The preparatory stage begins when a tax auditor contacts the company. 2- He then familiarizes himself with the accounting system of the company, and negotiates with company managers responsible for accounting and finance. 3- They make agreements on when and how the electronic material should be delivered to the tax authority, and what copies of files should be created for the purpose. The tax auditor receives the files and converts them into a special database format used by the Finnish Tax Administration. 5- Later, the chief auditor and the company management will discuss the time schedule of the on-site tax audit, i. e. the part of the tax examination that takes place on company premises. * What are the Auditor†™s Responsibilities towards e-Auditing? Our tax auditors have received special training on information technology; they are aware of information security considerations and work under strict rules of confidentiality. Their PC and laptop workstations are protected and secure. They store the original material in a locked cabinet, and they make sure that the work files created from the company-supplied electronic materials are removed from the computers immediately after the audit. Depending on what has been agreed, physical data media (CDs etc. ) will either be returned to the company or destroyed. After the tax authority has issued the assessment decision or tax debiting decision, any files saved in Tax Administration systems will be deleted. The company will receive a message confirming the deletion. The use of expert systems in e-Auditing As computer power is enhanced and auditors are faced with making decisions in more complex environments, some accounting firms have begun to develop expert systems to assist their personnel in the audit process, An expert system is a complex system of computer progams that models the decision process of a human experts. The psychological methods used to gain an understanding of the human experts decision process and conversion of this decision process into mathematical equations and computer programs are fair beyond the scope of this text. Legal Authority The right of the Finnish Tax Administration to receive computer files for the purposes of audit is based on the following tax laws:  § 14, Act on Assessment Procedure (1558/1995),  § 3, Ordinance on Assessment Procedure,  § 169, Value Added Tax Act (1501/1993),  § 10, VAT Ordinance, and  § 37, Prepayment Act (1118/1996). The Decision of 26 Jan 1998 (no 47/1998) of the Ministry of Trade and Industry concerns bookkeeping methods. The first section of this Decision concerns the use of computer automation in accounting. The Accounting Board has issued an official instruction on 22 May 2000 on the implementation of the provisions of the Decision. These instructions include more specific rules on the use of information technology in accounting. In the interest of expediency during tax audits, the Finnish Tax Administration urges corporate taxpayers to follow the recordkeeping rule of six years. In other words, full documentation showing each transaction separately including its entries in accounting records should be kept for six years after the closing of the accounting period. These records also include auxiliary documentation, and they are to be kept in a legible format. * Rules on recordkeeping and reproduction of data Companies are requested to keep the following files and details in a machine-sensible, software-independent format. They should cover the entire time periods to be audited: 1. Journal-type file of the accounting system listing each transaction separately , including the following detailed facts if applicable for the company: †¢Company number, business unit number †¢Document type Sequential number of the accounting voucher/document, which should be the same number as that of the original receipt, voucher or other document found in the books. †¢Date of accounting document / Date of transaction / Accounting period †¢Account number †¢Cost center number †¢Amount in euros (marks), amount in foreign currency, code of currency †¢Descriptions of accounting entries – several descriptions are accepted †¢ Project no, investment no, process no, product no etc. †¢Customer no, supplier no †¢VAT code †¢Any other data fields that help identify the transaction. . Additional files in case the names (of accounts or of cost centers) are not included in the accounting transactions files: †¢Chart of accounts showing every account used during the period, including account name and account number. †¢Lists of cost centers (and their numbers and names) used during various years. †¢Lists showing details of project numbers, investment numbers, process numbers, product numbers etc. used during various years †¢Lists showing VAT codes (with explanations) used during various years †¢Lists of accounting voucher types used Lists showing the sequences of sequential numbers used by the accounting system (can be delivered on paper instead of a computer file) †¢Registers of suppliers and registers of customers, as a computer file, including at least the following facts: ? Business IDs and European VAT numbers ?Customer no, supplier no ?Name ?Address ?Postal code ?Country code 3. Other details: †¢Specifications of records, descri bing each delivered file. †¢Detailed versions of balance sheet (showing each account separately) for the accounting periods to be audited. †¢Model list printed on paper, to show the eginning of the accounting transaction list file, in case numerical fields have been zipped / compressed. * What are the Permissible file types? The files should consist of fixed-length consecutive strings and be free of software-specific characters (and they should not be backup files). Accounting transactions and additional files such as charts of accounts and lists of cost centers should be delivered to us on a physical data medium, which is usually a CD or DVD. The following technical information is mandatory : * Encoding (ascii / ebcdic) Existence of zipped/compressed data elements (please unzip/uncompress) * Number of records * Length of records. If the company cannot deliver the accounting system files where transactions are primarily recorded, tax auditors can alternatively utilize repo rting files or list files. Accounting systems create reporting files and transaction lists associated with the general ledger and journal, accounts receivable and accounts payable What are the Pros and Cons of both manual and E-audit? (Conclusion) There are pros and cons to both the manual and electronic audits. The manual chart review is more time consuming and is subject to both the benefits and liabilities of requiring human judgment during the audit process. The electronic audit is much quicker, although it requires time and attention to careful set up before the first audit can be run. E-audits are independent of human judgment since determinations are made by internally programmed computer logic and are therefore more consistent than manual audits. Their accuracy is more subject to proper PCC documentation, coding and data entry issues. More and more facilities are opting to perform e-audits due to the time savings and ease of performing regular periodic audits once the initial setup has been completed. We encourage the use of electronic audits whenever feasible. For facilities wishing to transition from a manual to an electronic audit, it is imperative that they initially run simultaneous manual and e-audits to compare the results. In theory, the results from the manual and e-audit should be quite similar. If the results of one or more of the audit elements are significantly different, an investigation into the reason(s) for the difference needs to be undertaken.

The Triple Bottom Line In Hospitality Tourism Essay

The Triple Bottom Line In Hospitality Tourism Essay The last few years have been very challenging for the whole hospitality sector, as the majority of business people and travelers moved to online conferences whenever possible and holidays became a luxury for many people. Beside this shortage the most important hotels in the world and its shareholders have decided to give a lot of emphasis in sustainability and green technology. This happened because they understood that in order to be a key player in this competitive market, they absolutely needed to set up a long term strategy, which consisted in profitable operation combined with particular focus to the needs of the people who both use and work in the hotel and also focus on careful trusteeship of natural resources. These ideas, well known as the triple bottom line, were pointed out for the first time by John Elkington  [1]  in 1997,who basically assumed that in order to be sustainable, without particular regards of the industrial sector, it is vital and necessary for a corpora tions business to operate with more responsibility, and concerning of not only economical margins (profit), but also environmental (planet) and social issues (people). My purpose in this research is to investigate how these three pillars of sustainability should fit the nowadays hospitality sector. According to Dr. Hervà © Houdrà ©, General Manager of the Willard InterContinental Hotel, the triple bottom line in hospitality is achievable giving a lot of emphasis to all the three steps, starting from the economic viability: The Sustainable Development concept is not the consequence of the delusion of people who determined that this world would be better if we were going back to our natural roots and resources. SD is definitely geared toward profitability and the future. Without profit it seems obvious that no business would be sustainable(Hervà ¨,2008). From this quote we understand that it is very important to remember that an hotel it is not a NGO or a NPO and must be profitable to remain sustainable. With this crucial principle, the idea should be to drive a business with also an ethical point of view and use sustainable development to reach an high turnover but also lowering the costs, in order to have a better profit margin, wich creates value for the shareholders. The second step concerns social responsibility. As briefly pointed out in the introduction, hotels two major components in this issue are employees and the community. An hotel should be recognized as a fair employer and be sure that its employees are happy and proud to be associated with its name, for instance Accors hotels motto is encouraging its 170,000 employees through the idea that one employee can make the difference.. The hotel should also be well integrated in the community by helping worthwhile causes and every organization should select those that are appropriate to its goals and community. Not only it is right and ethical to offer our help across borders, but if an international clientele sees that the hotel is involved in international causes, this will probably reinforce the perception of generosity and caring of both the hotel and the country, facing in this way a double outcome. The last pillar is about the environmental protection. Among other steps, the hotel will apply for national and international environmental certifications and awards, such as ISO 14001, ISO 22000 (both are international environmental certification), and the IHRA environmental award. An hotel may also consider the idea of starting a his own initiative concerning the environment, like Taj Hotels Group did with EARTH (Environment Awareness Renewal at Taj Hotels), a project which is about the effort of one of Asias largest and finest group of hotels to commit to energy conservation and environmental management. This project has also received a certification from Green Globe, the only worldwide environmental certification program for travel and tourism. Moreover, in everything that an hotel does in order to reach this kind of goal, it will be useful to research for an association with a well-known organization to benefit from their existing infrastructure and consequently to ensure the c orrect and ethical application of the funds that will be donated or, more in general, the actions that will take place. STAKEHOLDER APPROACH As pointed out by Business Ethics,Ethical Decision Making Cases: O. C. Ferrell, John Fraedrich, Linda Ferrell,it is crucial for a 21st century company to build a strong relationship and interaction with its stakeholders, because they are both influenced by and have the ability to affect the business, as noticed before in the second pillar of sustainability. This general view has been transposed also in the hospitality sector, where now it is frequent to witness this kind of stakeholder approach in order to maximize the positive impact and minimize negative impact on society. Although there are many different approaches, it is important to highlight key features, which include assessing the corporate culture, identifying stakeholder groups and related issues, and gaining also feedbacks from them. After that being stated it stands to reason that communication is a key part of this project and letting all stakeholders know about the strategy is just as important as setting and implemen ting the triple bottom line strategy in the first place. The hotel industry is well positioned to demonstrate to the world that a sustainable development is possible, because every year hundred millions of people enter in contact with it. Consequently, as a major player, hospitality can reach many families and individuals through a good communication plan. Travel and tourism represents one of the most important sources of economic activity in the world, and therefore a single hotel can influence many industry stakeholders. It has already been noticed how an hotel may enter in contact with some of its primary stakeholder such us employees, clients and shareholders in the three pillars. It is also interesting to investigate more deeply the links with other primary stakeholders like suppliers and then to have a look at a secondary stakeholder like the media. Regarding the suppliers, hotels are in the right position to share the values of sustainability development and they should actually encourage them to embody this principles in their strategy. One big example is given by the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, which is actually asking its suppliers to deliver sustainable products, also forcing them to search for and add these products to their catalogues, in order to be available also to other clients. This is really important because in this industry, usually, one supplier deals with more clients and consequently the approach of a sustainable product strategy by a supplier may lead to a massive usage of these sustainable products throughout the entire hospitality sector. In fact, as highlighted by dr. Houdrà ¨, Willar Intercontinental procurement company, Avendra, represents also Fairmont Hotels, Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels Corp. and Club Corp USA. This means that, thanks to the hotel efforts (in this case the Willard Intercon tinental), if Avendra completely embraces the strategy its 3 billion dollars buying power will reflect in 3 billion dollars of sustainable products purchased, which furthermore will be sold at all their hotel clients and which will finally enter in contact with the final customers, creating in this way a real virtuous circle of sustainable awareness. How anticipated in the introduction an organization should also be conscious of its secondary stakeholders, in order to handle efficiently its position with particular focus in the external market. In the hospitality sector a key player may be identified as the media. Nowadays, in fact, they are facing a lot of interest and coverage of initiatives related to the sustainable development. All the regards shown about global warming and oil prices means that the media are seeking for stories concerning the strategies to thwart these issues. A hotel should make efforts to be acknowledged of its initiatives and values by the media representatives (both normal and web-based) and also share news of its actions in order to encourage its clients to spend their nights in it. By doing this, sustainable development becomes a unique selling point for a hotel, which enables him to gain also competitive advantages. There may be also another step, where the hotel encourages or shares the initiatives even with its competitors (for instance exactly as Willard Intercontinental did with Avendra) but, in this case it will be paramount for the hotel to be acknowledged by all the stakeholders as the early mover and pioneer in the sustainability field and to do that clear values that support the hotel vision should be provided in a mission statement: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Accountability: We are dedicated to performing our assigned tasks with excellence and to deliver outstanding results; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Education and development: We provide everyone the opportunities, knowledge, and skills to grow both personally and professionally; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Empowerment: We have the authority to take ownership, anticipate needs, and make decisions which exceed our customers expectations on first contact; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Integrity: We believe in honesty, ethical behavior, respect, and trust; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Professionalism: We are an action-oriented team of savvy experts who are passionate and quality driven; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sustainable Development: We are committed to economic viability, and social and environmental responsibility; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Working smart: We encourage innovation, proactivity, agility, and a safe work environment. Houdrà ¨, H., 2008. Sustainable Hospitality ©:Sustainable Development in the Hotel Industry.Cornell Industry Perspectives No. 2. Ã¢â‚¬ ºOnline Ã‚  P.5-20. Available at willarddc.com/sd/docs/willardwhitepaperproof.pdf  Ã¢â‚¬ ºAccessed 20 Oct 2010 Ã‚ 

L.a. confidential :: essays research papers

Commonly, when we make value judgements about people we speak as if there were a single norm towards which everyone ought to be growing. They're supposed to succeed in becoming perfect specimens. You can tell whether they do by seeing how well they perform according to a checklist of desired features. We also speak as if people have an outside and an inside, and that on the inside, they're really either good or bad. It's hard to analyze Ellroy's characters in these terms. For Bud White we'd have to say that he was warped by his early trauma. What his father did to him made him a brute, yet he still has enough inner decency to try to prevent women from being abused. Or—Wait a minute!—is it the opposite? Maybe, he's a brute by nature and it's only thanks to the terrible thing that happened to his mother that he has some morality. Neither of these explanations seems to satisfy, because the framework on which they are constructed is inadequate. Bud doesn't seem to fit into a dichotomy of outside versus inside. Also, the things that make him bad seem more or less identical to the things that make him good: his hatred of violence towards women, his blind persistence. Bud White doesn't seem to have had any chance at perfection. So, what can he do then, assuming he wants to make a decent adult out of himself? Maybe Bud has to start out from where he is and we have to interpret his current actions against that background instead of comparing them to an abstract, one-size-fits-all standard. L.A. Confidential is about three men and a woman who find themselves in medias res. They don't get any single chance to decide forever what they'll be. They're already on the wrong side. They don't seem to be able to separate out their imperfections from their perfections, so their job seems to be to take all of what they've got, including their neuroses and the ghosts from their past, and to use it as raw material to continuously reconstruct themselves. They can't make themselves perfect: the moving finger has already written and moved on. The things that they go through, terrible as they are, do give them a chance to make themselves better.