Essay on A Tale of Two Cities Dialectical Journal

â€Å"Still, our first impressions of the Germans were rather reassuring. The officers were billeted in private homes, even in the homes of Jews. Their attitude toward their hosts was distant, but polite. They never demanded the impossible, made no unpleasant comments, and even smiled occasionally at the mistress of the house.† (5) | The idea that the Germans werent always harsh during that time baffles me. I always thought that the Germans were constantly beating down on Jews, and, even though they were for most of this historical time, this quote proves me wrong. There were times when they could be civilized and tolerant human beings. There was a belief during this time that the Germans and followers of the Germans believed that Jews were†¦show more content†¦I wonder how the officer would have felt if suddenly, the gun had been turned on him. | The night was gone. The morning star shining in the sky. I too had become a completely different person. The student of Ta lmud, the child I was, had been consumed in the flames. There remained only a shape that looked like me. A dark flame had entered into my soul and devoured it. (24) | This passage, I think, describes how much a person can change once he or she has been exposed to the many horrors present in the Jewish concentration camps. These people in these camps might have easily become mentally unstable, because they would witness murder and beatings every day; the suffering of countless people. The people themselves also had to endure unknown numbers of days in cattle cars and barracks, which could also have been traumatic. Seeing and experiencing all of these things can change a person, and the way they think. No longer is Elie the innocent child who wanted to study religion in his hometown, but now has to deal with the living hell of his mind, which has ultimately changed him. | What have you come here for, you sons of bitches?have hanged yourselves rather than come here. Didnt you know what was in store for you at Auschwitz? Haven’t you heard about it? In 1944? (20) | This passage surprised me in the severity and urgency of the mans words. But also, how could they have had a choice but toShow MoreRelatedA Tale Of Two Cities Dialectical Journal1253 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿A Tale of Two Cities: Dialectal Journal Doubles and opposites: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, (...) In the first chapter of A Tale of Two cities, Dickens emphasizes the fact of how bad the people lived. It was the worst of times, due to mistreatment from the third estate. But it was also the best of times, for the nobles, and higher class people who could actually afford things, and werent mistreated and starved. (...) John Solomon, or Solomon John? (...) Read MoreCleanth Brookss Essay Irony as a Principle of Structure9125 Words   |  37 Pagesbe due to each individually. For the most part they are attempts, arising out of actual work for the party, to clarify the theoretical problems of the revolutionary movement in the mind ,of the author and his readers. The exceptions to this are the two essays Reification and the Consciousness of the Proletariat and Towards a Methodology of the Problem of Organisation which were both written specially for this collection during a period of enforced leisure. They, too, are based on already existingRead MoreMethods of Qualitative of Data Collection19658 Words   |  79 Pagesindividuals share. As developed by Seidman (1998), three in-depth interviews compose phenomenological inquiry. The first focuses on past experience with the phenomenon of interest; the second focuses on present experience; and the third joins these two narratives to describe the individual’s essential experience with the phenomenon. Prior to interviewing, 04-Marshall-4864.qxd 2/1/2006 3:16 PM Page 105 Data Collection Methods 105 however, the researcher using this technique has written a fullRead MoreContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagesthe University of Oxford. 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Labor Unions And The Industrial Revolution - 1582 Words

The topic of Labor Unions has been the focus of many political debates in recent years, with these discussions having people advocate for and against the unions. Labor Unions are an organization that represent a collective group of employees to protect and further theirs rights and interests. Labor Unions were first introduced in the eighteenth century with increasing numbers around the United States and the world, but unfortunately during the past decade these numbers have drastically decreased, resulting in less education and achievement of solidarity among employees. Solidarity is the unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest. Workers in the United States would benefit more through†¦show more content†¦Work place benefits that are offered are higher wages, safe working conditions, and job security. The negotiation of better pay and terms of termination are two of the main goals of labor unions for their members. The perso nal benefits received by members are paid vacations and holidays, fair working schedules, advance training, and unemployment for those when facing a strike. Strikes began occurring in the eighteen hundred and although being rare they are still occurring today. Employees receive health care benefits of medical, vision, and dental insurances as well as coverage of prescriptions. When the time comes for retirement unions offer pension, 401K, and continued health care during retirement. Not only are there advantages for the employees, but also for the employers. Not only are there benefits for employees, but the employers themselves receive many advantages as well. The best benefits that employers receive is employee satisfaction. When being a part of a union needs and wants are met allowing people to become more satisfied with their job, with that satisfaction employees will be more willing to work harder for you. Not only will employees be willing to work harder for you, but you will also have less people leave their jobs or the ability to lose their say and position in the organization. With less turnovers of employees as aShow MoreRelatedLabor Unions And The Industrial Revolution1234 Words   |  5 PagesThe Labor Movement was necessary to protect the common interest of workers. The state of working environments during the Industrial Revolution produced a mandate for this movement. The Industrial Revolution served as a turning point for all western nations because of the influx of businesses and factories. America generally benefited from the revolution; however, it was at the expense of the workers. 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While there were many radical social changes made during the revolution, itRead MoreThe rise and fall of Labor Unions1545 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Kevin Campusano Class Prof. 30 November 2014 The rise and fall of labor unions Labor union is an organized association of workers, in a trade or profession, formed to protect and further their rights and interests. During the industrial revolution in Europe there was a rise in new workers without representation in the workplace. In the 19th century the industrial revolution spread to the United States from Europe, this resulted in the economy shifting to manufacturing from agriculture as an economicRead MoreThe Patriot s History Of The United States1589 Words   |  7 PagesAfter the Civil War, the United State began to experience an industrial growth that was unparalleled to any nation. There were new advancements among America’s transportation, manufacturing and agriculture industries. 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Com 220 Prison Overcrowding Harms Everyone Free Essays

Prison Overcrowding Harms Everyone March 18, 2009 Com 220 Axia College of University of Phoenix Did you know that the USA with 5% of the world’s population has 25% of its prisoners, making it the world’s no#1 jailer? The most recent statistics from the Department of Justice states that 1 out of every 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 has been jailed. Most likely, every person in the USA has either been incarcerated or knows someone who was. At the start of 2008, 2,319,258 adults were being held in prison or jail and this number keeps growing. We will write a custom essay sample on Com 220 Prison Overcrowding Harms Everyone or any similar topic only for you Order Now Because of the immense population of inmates, most facilities are overcrowded. To make room for all these inmates, correction departments have resorted to housing prisoners in tents, hallways, and gymnasiums. Below is a picture from USA Today of inmates being housed in a gymnasium. Locking up so many people in these overcrowded conditions creates serious emotional, physical, and mental problems for inmates and causes prisons to be even more dangerous. Due to these conditions, the prisoner winds up worst upon release than when they came in. (Smolowe and Blackman 1994) In addition to the overcrowding problem, there is a huge financial strain to keep these facilities operating. To incarcerate only California’s prisoners, it costs more than $7. 6 million dollars a day. While funding for education and public assistance decreases, the prison budget maintains growth. One would think that for all the important resources we take money away from to invest in prisons, we would see some positive results, but unfortunately the USA has the highest crime rate in the world. Locking up so many people causes serious overcrowding problems making rehabilitation next to impossible. Overcrowded prisons harm the rest of the population by breaking apart families, spreading diseases, and wasting valuable resources on a system that is not reducing the crime rate. (Clark 1994) The overcrowded prisons have a negative and dangerous impact on its residents’ physical well-being. Deadly and infectious diseases like HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculoses commonly exist in America’s prisons. With very few doctors available, many prisoners are not even aware that they are infected and go untreated. Every year, more than 1. 5 million inmates are released back into the society, infected. Once released, they spread these deadly diseases to their families and communities. As long as prisons remain understaffed, inmates and the rest of society will suffer. (USA Today) Insufficient staffing makes it impossible for prisoners to go through a detailed screening process. The monitoring, screening, and managing of vulnerable or problematic inmates are rarely maintained. Many times dangerous and mentally ill prisoners, untreated and undiagnosed, are put into the main population where they have a negative effect on other inmates as well as themselves. Prisoners are no longer put into facilities that best match their needs; instead they are squeezed into whichever facility has room. This environment is conducive to violence. Many times prisoners are assaulted and even raped by others because staff is not readily available to control the situation. Besides an increased chance of being victimized, research has shown that understaffed jails have more suicides than ones that are properly proportioned. (Haney 3-4) Overcrowding has created a dangerous atmosphere that has forced staff to focus on keeping order rather than worrying about meeting prisoners’ basic needs. Overcrowding has caused many staff members to fear for their personal safety and to look at prisoners with disdain. They are equipped with many lethal and non-lethal weapons to keep them safe and in some jurisdictions rifles and shotguns are carried inside cell blocks. In California, armed guards are kept inside housing units and authorized to respond to inmate disturbances with lethal force. Even while theses inmates sleep, they are kept under gun surveillance. (Haney 11) Education and work programs conducive to rehabilitation are being done away with to pay for room for more prisoners. These programs are necessary because the majority of prisoners are illiterate. A study conducted back in 1992 concluded that about 70% of prisoners were functionally illiterate or illiterate. The Bureau of Justice reported that in the 1990’s, 40% of the prisoners had no job assignments at all, that 40% had menial prison duties like laundry, and only 7% were involved in some type of industry program. This means that little is being done to help prisoners make a smooth transition back into society. Once released, prisoners will have a record that any future job prospects will frown upon. Without any kind of job training it is unlikely that ex-convicts will ever get hired. Many times, released prisoners who are faced with this dilemma, go right back to prison because they resort back to the same illegal practices of receiving money that got them arrested in the first place. When programs are taken away, it tends to increases the violence and frustration amongst inmates. (Haney 5, 7-8) Many people find it hard to sympathize for inmates who are victims of violence, bad health care, or rape because the victims are criminals and many people believe they deserve to be punished. I have heard many people make light of the current prison conditions by telling jokes about Bubba violating men in the shower that drop the soap. What many people do not realize is that it is not just hard core rapists and murderers populating the prisons, in fact, about half of the prison population is serving time for non-violent crimes. Now-a-days one can be incarcerated for certain motor-vehicle infractions and there have been numerous occasions of innocent people being incarcerated. The following chart depicts the types of crimes prisoners were serving time for, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics for 2005. USA Today NID) (Haney 4) Mandatory sentencing is a major contributing factor to the prison overcrowding problem and should be eliminated. Aaron Clarence is a perfect example of why mandatory sentencing should be done away with. Aaron was a 22 year-old college student when he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for a first-time nonviolent drug conviction. The local U. S. attorney charged Aaron with dealing crack cocaine, drugs that he never even touched. What did he do? He accepted $1,500 to introduce a couple of drug dealers and one of the dealers robbed the other. Aaron was pulled out of class months later and charged because one of the dealers claimed Aaron was a big-time drug dealer. No other evidence besides the testimony of the dealer, who benefitted by getting a reduced sentence for his testimony was given. Aaron is spending the rest of his life in prison. (Saunders 2004) The conservative approach to crime, investing in new prisons and jailing our way to a lower crime rate is not working. Now is the time that we realize that this approach is unaffordable and does not decrease the crime rate. Now is the time that different strategies to reduce over crowdedness are looked into. Barbara Flicker argues that a more thorough screening process to determine who to incarcerate or not, needs to be implemented at each stage. The prosecutor, judges, jail administrators, and probation officers should use other resources besides prisons like: unconditional release, third-party custody, a treatment center, bail, probation supervision, electronic surveillance, or work-release programs for non-violent and lesser crimes. Now is time that we stopped punishing all the different types of crimes that are out there by the same method. Many times drug offenders are locked up in the same facilities as pedophiles and are serving more time than them. (1990) (Smolowe and Blackman 1994) The current prison system is in desperate need of change. Prisons are supposed to be a deterrent to crime but this not the outcome. Now is the time that people realize that what goes on in prison affects everyone in society. About 95% of prisoners will be released back into society at one point. We need to ask ourselves, â€Å"Do we want these people released back into our communities without any kind of rehabilitation or worse off than they started out? Are people being sentenced to life for committing a misdemeanor fair? Is it right to deprive money from schools and the community to finance a system that does not work? † If your answer to these questions is no, then now is the time for action. Discussing the situation is the first step. Many people openly discuss the school system and other facilities that our tax dollars contribute to, and overlook the prison system which takes much more money to run. Many people are unaware of the overcrowded conditions or mandatory sentencing until someone they care about is affected. People need to be made aware in order for change to happen. Read about outrageous prison sentences like Aaron Clarence’s that have been handed out. Write to a local politician explaining concerns about the problems in our current prison system. If nothing is done, and this lock-them-up trend continues, half the adult population will experience the inside of a prison or jail. (Will 1998) Reference Page Clark, C. S. (1994, February 4). Prison Overcrowding. CQ Researcher, 4, 97-120. Retrieved March 6, 2009 From CQ Researcher Online Flicker, B. (1990 February). To Jail or Not to Jail. ABA Journal. Retrieved February 13, 2009. From Business Source Campus Database. Haney, Craig. Prison Overcrowding: Harmful Consequences and Dysfunctional Reactions. Retrieved February 13, 2009. From http://prisoncommission. org/statement/haney. craig. pdf. Rising prison problems begin to trickle into society. (nid) USA Today. Retrieved February 13, 2009. From Master FILE Premier Database Smolowe, J. , Blackman, A. (1994 February 7)†¦and throw away the key. (cover story). Time. 143(6). 54. Retrieved February 13, 2009. From Master FILE Premier Database. Saunders, D. (2004 November 28) Free Clarence Aaron. The San Francisco Chronicle (CA) retrieved March 5, 2008 from http://www. ovember. org/Blakely/Saunders11-28- 04. html. Will G. (1998 July 20) A jail break for geriatrics. Newsweek p. 70. Retrieved February 13, 2009. From Master FILE Premier Database. Peer Review Checklist* What is the main point of this paper? | The main point of the paper is the overcrowding of the prison system. | What is the greatest strength of this paper? | The greatest strength of th is paper is all the information provided. The statistics give the reader a chance to actually absorb numbers. | What material does not seem to fit the main point of the paper or does not seem to be appropriate for the audience? I think that all the information fit well into the paper. The statistics were there to represent the prisoners; you provided detailed information on what all the overcrowding did to the staff and others in the prison. You showed cause and affect of what the overcrowding did to the prison system. | Has the author sufficiently addressed counterarguments? Explain your answer. | I think the author sufficiently addressed the counterarguments represented in the paper. I would of like to of seen if there was any suggestions to fixing the problem though. | Where should the author add more details or examples? Explain your answer. | Suggestions on what they could do to fix the problem. Also a few updated statistics. The statistic from 1992 is little old. I would of liked to know if the prisoners are more alliterate now or then. | Where is the writing unclear or vague? | I found the writing to be clear. I did not find it unclear or vague. | What is your favorite part of this piece of writing? | I enjoyed the whole paper. I did not find myself liking one part better than the other. I enjoyed the whole paper. | What other comments can you provide for the author? I found the paper extremely informative. There was a large amount of information that I was not aware of. I would have to suggest that some of the paragraphs like the opener seem to be really long and there is a lot of information in them. I think if you broke them into smaller paragraphs it would make the information stronger for the reader. | *Adapted from Reinking, J. A. , Hart, A. W. , Von der Osten, R. (2003). Strategies for suc cessful writing: A rhetoric, research guide, reader, and handbook (6th ed. ). Boston: Prentice-Hall/Pearson Custom Publishing. How to cite Com 220 Prison Overcrowding Harms Everyone, Papers

A Visit to the Norton Museum Essay Example For Students

A Visit to the Norton Museum Essay I saw a lot of amazing arts when I went to Norton Museum. The one that I was interested in was Nude on a Sofa. It had a different felling form the other arts. The art had a comfortable feeling when I look at it. The art Nude on a Sofa was painted by Henri Matisse, in French, 1869-1954. The art give me a relaxing feeling. She was leaning on the Sofa in the portrait. The special detail about the art was that Henri outline her pink body. Also at the Norton Museum there was a panting by Vincent van Gogh of his mother. It was mad in 1988. The portrait of his mother came form a black photograph. Vincent had a picture of his mother already but he didnt like it because it was in black and white. Thats why he painted portrait of his mother. Vincent wanted to paint in color so he see as lasting memories. The memories that he could remember forever. Here is another great artist, Pablo Picasso. He painted Bust of Woman. The painted was made in Spain, on 1881-1973. Pablo Picasso painted with oil and black chalk on canvas. The body is gentle light. The background was mid black. She looks sensitive and shy. In a way she like she was in love. She looks young and beautiful. Finally, Paul Cezanne a French artist painted the art Vase of flowers 1838. Paul Cezanne painted with oil on canvas. The art was an Impressionist. The art is not that clear. But I could see the beauty of it. Paul Cezanne portrait is usually consist of fruits and vase with flowers. In the way he painted is about natural motions. In conclusion, I think Paul Cezanne had the simple art of all. But the art was attractive. Some of the art are bright, but they look amaze. The other arts are cool. I also liked the piece of art from Henri Matisse. It gave me a feeling of relaxation when I look at it. Even though The Norton Museum was small. It had a lot of good arts. I had a great time at the museum.

Human resource management Price Waterhouse Coopers

Introduction Human resource can be defined as the individuals’ contributions to an organization in terms of efforts, skills and capabilities, thus enabling the organization to maintain its existence. On the other hand, human resource management (HRM) is the division of the organization that deals with the management of human resource (Dessler, 2008, p. 4).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Human resource management: Price Waterhouse Coopers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Human resource management can be looked at in two different perspectives: First, human resource management is the personnel or support function in the firm. They provide backing to the HRM issues to keep workers in line, or individuals who are directly involved in the production process. Secondly, Human resource management is a duty of the senior level staff. Whether in the formal or informal sector, the management of employees is always a function of the managers (Sokun, 2004, p. 3). The management and staffing in organizations are done by individuals and without these individual organizations cannot exist. As a matter of fact, the prospect and challenges of developing and managing an organization is normally caused by individual-related problems that originate within them (Cascio, 2006, p. 43). On the other hand, individual-related problems often originate from the misconception that all people are equal and deserve equal treatment in organizations. However, this is far from the truth. No two humans are precisely the same, even with identical or fraternal twins. Each and every individual is unique both physically and psychologically (Cascio, 2006, p. 43). Even among individuals who are almost the same physically they must have different psychological characteristics. A number of them will be sociable, others snobbish; some will be gifted, others not. The point this study is trying to bring up is that the disparitie s among individuals in an organization call for more attention in order to maximize their potential. It also enables the organization to enhance efficiency and optimize the use of its human capital (Cascio, 2006, p. 43). Managing human capital is an important role of the managers because of the current changes both within and without the organization. Studies have shown over and over again that HRM practices cam makes a significant, feasible difference in terms of crucial organizational results (Sokun, 2004, p. 3). Maintaining a high level HRM system promotes strengthens employee commitment and loyalty which is very important in attaining business objectives. This applies to all types of businesses whether public or private. The success of any organization depends on the ability of the human resource department to acquire and assign individuals to a right job and pass on to them the necessary skills and knowledge (Wexley Latham, 2002, p. 12).Advertising Looking for essay on bu siness economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, the management of human resources should be on top of the list of the managers’ plans since it enhances productivity, effectiveness and efficiency and also improves the competitive advantage of organizations. Human resource management in Price Waterhouse Coopers is based on the above principles. The company has put HRM on top of the list of its agenda and this has helped it to gain competitive advantage over the rivals. This essay aims at exploring the human resource system used by the Price Waterhouse Coopers. Among the items that will be covered in the study include job design matters, training activities, recruitment, selection methods used, performance appraisal system used, promotion systems implemented, remuneration, and the overall style of supervision used and how they complement each other. The paper will be based on a case study of the company’s b usiness in Cambodia. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is an international corporation that deals with professional service. The company is ranked among the top companies offering professional services and accountancy. The company’s headquarter is in London, United Kingdom. PricewaterhouseCoopers operates in about 160 countries across the globe and has over 180000 employees. PwC was founded in the late 90s through a union between two major business service companies- Coopers and Lybrand and Price Waterhouse. As part of restructuring and re-branding exercise in 2010, the company’s trading name was changed to PwC (Pricewaterhouse coopers, 2013). Although the company is found all over the world, most of its business is in Europe. The company’s services are grouped into the following major classes namely: information risk advisory, tax consultancy and general advisory. The first one is an independent professional service aimed at enhancing in formation or information context for decision making purpose and to minimize information risk. Tax advisory service encompasses international tax planning and conformity with domestic tax laws, tariffs, HR consulting and pricing of transfers. Lastly, general advisory deals with other consulting activities such as performance enhancement, corporate finance, sustainability and management of crisis among others (Pricewaterhouse coopers, 2013). The company’s service lines in each market segment are specialized as follows: ICT (information communication technology) and entertainment, financial services, public/government utilities, consumers and industrial goods and services, and private company services. A number of these services may vary in different segments.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Human resource management: Price Waterhouse Coopers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More PricewaterhouseCoopers has come up with numerous consultancy initiatives in corporate risk management, global outsourcing service, and global advisory in politics among others. Other advisory services offered by the company include actuarial and insurance management and human resource services. The company also services government agencies through their public sector practice (Pricewaterhouse coopers, 2013). A Case Study: Price Waterhouse Coopers in Cambodia The company’s background PwC is one of the leading business service companies in Cambodia. The company has four main offices in Cambodia based in Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Phnom and Vientiane. With over 60 professional monitors across its main offices, PwC has carried out numerous visits to industrial units as part of their public compliance conformity screening service. In addition to the worker’s profound knowledge of the local environment, they also have far-reaching experience in working with manufacturing companies. As a result, they are most resp ected by the factory employees and the management (Sokun, 2004, p.3). Price Waterhouse Coopers has been helping a number of multinational corporations, especially from the U.S. and Europe is sourcing their goods and services in Cambodia, by carrying out public compliance screening service in their factories (Sokun, 2004, p.4). Why is public compliance so significant in Indochina? Many global brands/ retail outfits acquire their goods from the local manufacturers in budding economies. This strategy is aimed at minimizing the cost of production and maximizing profits since the labour cost in the developing economies is relatively low. All together, these companies are expected to conform to the national laws and public standards. The general working condition of their facilities is always under inspection. The persistent media focus on the working condition of these facilities is of great concern for both the companies and the consumers (Sokun, 2004, p.5). The public compliance servic es offered by Price Waterhouse Coopers include public compliance monitoring, advising on public compliance matters, and lastly training services. Public conformity screening entails regular visits to the factory facilities where the assessors check the facility standards and employees working conditions. The procedure is aimed at identifying potential non-compliance and advice accordingly. In addition, companies normally experience public compliance issues but are short of resources and expertise to resolve them. Owing to PwC’s profound understanding of domestic laws and the industry at large, they generally provide significant advices to assist their clients to promptly resolve such issues.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Lastly, PwC’s training services entail scheming programs based on domestic laws and social standards and training companies’ public compliance teams. PwC also regularly updates these teams on the current laws and social standards (Pricewaterhouse coopers, 2013; Sokun, 2004, p.5). Nature of PwC’s Business As already mentioned, PwC was founded in the late 90s through a merger between Coopers and Lybrand and Price Waterhouse. The two companies had already established themselves in the Cambodian market. Since entering the Asian market, the company has increased its services and currently ranked as the top consultancy firm. The company has employed more than 80 employees in the country, both locals and expatriates (Sokun, 2004, p.7). Price Waterhouse Cooper’s experience in local market has provided them with a wealth of knowledge and this enabled it to offer a variety of consultancy service to its customers. Particularly, the company’s position has enab led it to develop a rapport with public institutions and non-governmental organizations in the country (Sokun, 2004, p.7). PwC also has a thorough understanding of the country’s policies and regulations covering investment, taxation, accountancy and consultancy. The quality of PwC’s services conforms to the standards set by its parent company. Some of the services offered by PwC in Cambodia include assurance and industrial advisory services, business and technological solutions, taxation and legal services, human resource services, and corporate finance services (Sokun, 2004, p.8). PwC’s Human Resource Management Human resource activities in PwC have generally been implemented as follows: Recruitment activities The PwC recruitment process is normally carried out annually and it targets young fresh graduates. Choosing and developing career is one of the most difficult tasks facing many gradients. As a result, Price Waterhouse Coopers more often than not organizes or participates in job fairs where the university graduates meet the company one on one and gain more knowledge about PwC. At these events, the concerned graduates can attend the company’s presentation, get hold of the brochures and interact directly with the PwC’s staff. The company’s yearly presentation has almost become a norm. It provides the company with an opportunity to meet potential employees individually, market the company, and respond to specific questions. During these presentations, the candidates are made aware of the company’s motivation and individual preferences. PwC normally considers the following during the recruitment process: General business knowledge; excellent interpersonal and communication skills; novelty and ingenuity; flexibility and adaptability; capability to work under pressure; a good team player; passion and desire for success; good English; commitment to career development; and superb academic qualification. PwC also a dds a list of accepted behaviours to the above qualifications. They include accountability, entrepreneurship and sharing. Accountability involves taking responsibility for customers, tasks and individuals; being frank and straightforward about the goals and performance; and accepting criticism and willing to learn from others. On the other hand, entrepreneurship entails taking initiatives and being upbeat; persuading other people to be business-minded and providing professional advice; setting connections, searching for solutions and winning customers. Lastly, sharing involves contributing knowledge and ideas related to customers, business opportunities and organizational performance. Individual skills are also evaluated in accordance with the job demands. If the skills match the job demands then an applicant can be called for a string of interviews and aptitude tests with the HR professionals and the heads of a particular department or line of service. In cases where job applicatio ns are received when there are no vacancies in the organization, they are saved in the company’s database. They can later be reviewed when something comes up. The CV can also be forwarded to another recruiting firm who may consider it in case of other vacancies. Selection procedure Selection involves both the applicants and the company and therefore is a dual process. The company also makes sure that candidates have full information in order to make an informed career decision-wise. PwC normally achieves this by arranging informal and formal meetings and interviews between the staff and the applicants. The company generally selects candidates through the following stages. The first stage is reviewing of the application form. At this level the company normally searches for a balance between the excellent academic qualifications and evidence of the above mentioned skills and expected behaviour. The second stage entails testing candidates on their proficiency in English language . As already mentioned, most of the company’s clients in the country are large foreign companies that predominantly use English during their transactions. As a result, English is a fundamental requirement of the company. English Test encompasses reading and writing test. English test also involves an aptitude test which takes approximately 2 hours. The test is administered to assess an individual’s level of reasoning, interpretation of information and theoretical skills. All candidates progressing to the next stage must pass the aptitude test. The third stage entails visiting a centre of excellence. The aim of these centres is to evaluate the applicants’ aptness for a position as a graduate associate by assessing them based on various proficiencies pertinent to the company’s work environment. At the centre, candidates are required to complete several exercises individually and in groups to demonstrate their skills. Assessment centres provide candidates wi th an opportunity to demonstrate their skills practically instead of narrating them. Assessment in these centres takes about three hours. Soon after passing the English test candidates are invited to the proximal assessment centre. The fourth stage of the selection process entails interviewing and workplace familiarization. During the first interview, applicants have the opportunity to meet different line managers. The candidates are then taken round to familiarize themselves with the office environment they could be working in. They also get an opportunity to interact with other members of the staff. Subsequently, the candidates that have passed the first step at the centre of excellence will proceed to another interrogation with one of the company’s professional expert. This objective of this interview is to elucidate the candidates’ potential for the job sought. The interview involves a range of question and discussions related to their experience. The initial inter view is characteristically a group and takes about one and half an hour with a panel of 20 service line managers. Some of the qualities evaluated here incorporate teamwork, management, zeal, communication and presentation. For that reason, the company requires more than just technical skills. This is the stage where the applicants can now choose what they interested in. Applicants also have another chance to mingle with fellow applicants and other staff members. The next stage is the last interview. The last interview gives the company an opportunity to clarify any pending matters. Similarly, it provides the candidate with an opportunity to raise any outstanding issues. Candidates who have completed the first interview will proceed to another vigorous interview with another expert. The interview will take less than half an hour and will mainly focus on the candidates’ Curriculum Vita (CV) and his/her experience up to that moment. Finally, the sixth and the last stage is emplo yment offer. After the company has offered a candidate a job they are allowed take time and think about it. At this stage, the company encourages candidates to speak with their recruitment contacts to clarify certain matters. The offer is only given to the best candidates. Training programme Currently, most of the hurdles to international trade are being eliminated systematically. As a result, the main competitive advantage of most companies is in their human resource. This is in relation to the employees’ knowledge, proficiency and adaptability to change. The acquisition and nurturing of these competencies is a significant strategic advantage, and the company’s professional trainers play a major role in the training process. For instance, they provide a methodological support, assist in choosing and executing support systems, and aid in getting hold of competences. The company’s customers benefits from its global organization which emphasizes on the cultural di versity and execution of procedures of consistently superior quality regardless of the locality. PwC encourages their players to get professional training that is suitable for their job. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) is at the moment the most recommended qualifications for Assurance and Business Service and Taxation and Legal Services The cost of the training is normally covered by the company. All the staff in Assurance and Business Service at the management levels must have a statutory auditing licence. The company also covers the costs of studying for any particular certificate or licence. All the employees are responsible for their career development in the company. Employees can discover their development needs by talking to the career counsellors or supervisors. Any qualifications attained besides the ones listed in the company database must be important to the execution of duties. Education provides employees with an opportunity to access a wide rag e of knowledge and experience. Classroom training encompasses numerous activities and most of them are practical and requires group participation The Company’s classroom training program facilitate exchanges of knowledge and ideas similar to on-work training. The company also offers â€Å"Just-in-time† learning through personal training and development on a daily basis. In addition, the company has career coaches who help employees to maximize on their experience in order to develop their careers. Some of the company’s on job training includes learning while working, learning from other employees, learning from clients, and learning from knowledge-based tools. Learni8ng while working is meant to empower the staff to learn. The team senior managers offer constant on-job-training while the peer mentors assist with fresh recruits to acclimatise them to the working environment. The company’s employees also have access to rich knowledge through online knowledg e-based tools. The K-based tool acts as knowledge warehouse and procedural tools that helps employees to make the most of shared knowledge. Close engagement with the customers also provides fresh challenges and opportunities to gain more knowledge and experience. The company’s culture is built an extensive knowledge of their clients through day to day experience. Knowing the client in and out helps employees to gain more knowledge about the industry, corporate strategies, and other issues facing the business. Examples of the training programmes offered by the company include ACCA training programme, annual international courses and a range of informative events and seminars. The ACCA training program requires the candidate to pass fourteen tests and for that reason employees who sit for these exams acquire global accreditation and can even become members of the ACCA. The complexity of the questions offered in the annual international courses depends on the knowledge and exper ience of an employee. The events and workshops address pertinent matters and new techniques of doing business. In addition, the company encourages mingling during free times to promote teamwork. They facilitate this by organizing various events, for instance, sports. PwC’s Career Development PwC is highly devoted to developing the professional career of its staff. The company normally promotes the most competent and experienced staff. Employees are usually assigned a career counsellor who works closely with him/her. The counsellor helps the employee to prepare his/her career development path by taking into consideration the employees’ dreams and individual state of affair. They also assist employees to improve on their strengths and make the most of opportunities. The career development path of PwC is as follows: employees who have worked for a year or two are entitled to a promotion; those who have worked for more than two years can be promoted to higher positions; em ployees who have worked for the company for more than four or more years can be promoted to top most positions in the organization. The two main fundamental components of career development in the company are: exact and prompt performance evaluation; use of models that enhances opportunities and innovations. The company uses models that connect worker’s ambitions and their career development. These models take into account the fact that individuals have unique aspirations. The model offers assessable structures that are important in the development of employees’ careers. The company rewards and distinguishes highly performing and competent staff. The system offers momentous flexibility to adjust company’s objectives, career plans and strategies to maximize on employees’ strengths and ambitions. The PwC career development system links it with the company’s philosophy of â€Å"grow with us†. The model allows employees to develop skills and com petence in a number of fields or build expertise in a single field. The promotion and reward as said earlier are based on individual performance consistent with his/her capabilities. In addition to the apparent benefits to the employees, the models have strengthened the company by encouraging entrepreneurial culture. Price Waterhouse Coopers flourishes through the development of groundbreaking products and services, whereas the career development programmes promotes required environment for growth of expertise. The company not only recognizes workers’ career development but also promotes it. Currently, most organizations are experiencing high employee turnover. This is attributed to increased competition in the labour/talent market. The disadvantages of job mobility include loss of friends and benefits as well as the uncertainties of blending into a new environment. For that reason, the company is always sensitive to the affairs of the employees. Employees who want to change their job are always free to do so as long as the position they are looking for is vacant. They are allowed to make a confidential self-nomination for any particular job and maybe change their job. They will still leverage all they have vested in the company. The vacancies are posted in the company’s career choice database. Besides self-nomination, the employees are allowed to recommend their families, friends and relatives. Performance Assessment The company’s performance assessment programmes is a blend of excellent practices, strategies and ideologies. The performance appraisal programs develop and mature consistently, in order to provide the staff with the best guidance achievable. The programs are designed to facilitate dual communication. In other words, the programme allows the employee and the evaluator to discuss and concur on the set goals and assignments. At the end of a given project, the two are allowed to sit down and talk before the evaluation process co mmences. The model enables employees to play a major part in the performance appraisal process, for instance, in setting up objectives. The approach encourages success both from an individual and company’s point of view. The approach also guides employees and help them to understand what is expected of them. In addition, they offer required flexibility and space for ingenuity and employee development. Lastly, they act as controls and assist employees in understanding organizational goals and objectives. Reward System A study conducted by Aksu Aktas (2005) regarding job satisfaction of employees in service industry established that improved working conditions can enhance job satisfaction. Improved working conditions in this case encompass work promotions, boosting morale of employees, financial rewards, fringe benefits and compensation, and realistic working hours. Aksu and Aktas (2005) suggested in their study that training and development can assist in enhancing job satisfa ction in the service industry. The study also found out that an employee in the service industry plays a significant role in work commitment and satisfaction. The company’s main objective is to high highly qualified personnel and to reward those who perform exceptionally. Besides the normal salary, they give annual bonuses in accordance with performance and give allowances for special occasions, for instance, weddings, birthdays and leave. Conclusion The best human resource management practices are the one that is all inclusive and continuous in nature. All inclusive in this case means participation without discrimination and consensus building. HRM activities should be done on a regular basis and not on a spontaneous basis. The activities should aim at establishing the solutions to the current looming challenges and developing new ideas/ innovation. Human beings are always sceptical in nature when it comes to innovations. Therefore, apart from developing new strategies and i deas, HRM should act as a means of communication between the management and the employees. This provides the employees with confidence, trust and belief when implementing the new strategies/ideas. The employees in this case understand the benefits of the new ideas/ strategy and its challenges. The best design and strategy in HRM must integrate training with other elements of the organizations such as organizational structure, performance evaluation system, organization’s culture among others. This is the only way to achieve sustainability and organizational success. Strategic human resource management is a key component of strategic staffing; many organizations with efficient strategic planning techniques are always one step ahead of the competitors. Thus, it is really important for a manager to think strategically for the benefit of the company or organization as a whole unit. Key issues that hinder strategic human resource management should be identified at an early stage a nd dealt with in time. In order to achieve the most effective and efficient HRM in Cambodia, the PWC should consider the following: first, for recruitment activities, the PWC should consider using the internet to advertise job vacancies and receive applications (Wexley Latham, 2002). Use of the internet for recruitment process enhances the company’s image and profile all over the world. At the same time, it minimizes costs and time wastage. The company can also improve its recruitment campaign with the use of conventional media, for instance, newspapers, radio and TV among others. For the selection process, the company should do thorough reference checking to confirm the candidate’s background and competencies. This will also ensure that the company is not penalized in the future for negligent hiring. For training activities, the company can make use of the worksheets to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. They can also liaise with institutions that specialize in ce rtain areas to develop their employees further. For performance appraisal, the company should introduce accomplishment-based performance standards and assessable results. In addition, they should introduce a reward system that recognizes the hard work and contribution of the employees in other spheres besides their normal routine. References Aksu, A., Aktas, A. (2005). Job satisfaction of managers in tourism: cases in the Antalya region of Turkey. Managerial Auditing Journal, 20 (5), 479-488. Cascio, W. (2006). Managing human resources: managing productivity, quality of work, life, profits. 7th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Dessler, G. (2008). Human resource management. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs. Pricewaterhouse coopers (2013). Company Profile. Retrieved from https://www.pwc.com/. Sokun, N. (2004). Human Resource Management of Price Waterhouse Coopers. ASEAN Business Case Studies No. 23. Phnom Penh, Cambodia: National University of Management. Wexley, K., Latham, G. ( 2002). Developing and training human resources in organization, 3rd Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. This essay on Human resource management: Price Waterhouse Coopers was written and submitted by user Demarcus M. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The utility of Abraham and Sarahs maid, hagar, in Genesis.

The utility of Abraham and Sarahs maid, hagar, in Genesis. In the bible, Hagar seems to be present only when she is needed. Yes, she is the servant of both Abraham and Sarah, but they treat her very poorly nonetheless. Their behavior towards her shows another side to the characters of Abraham and Sarah and also the personality of Hagar.When Hagar is first introduced in the bible, it is when Sarah decides to give her to Abraham. This is when they know Sarah cannot bear any children. Already, this shows how they mistreat Hagar. Let me explain. In genesis 17, it clearly says: "and Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid to the Egyptian [...] and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife." (Genesis 17, chapter 16, verse 3). This shows that Hagar was not asked if she wanted to bear children or not, nor if she really wanted to be Abraham's, for lack of a better word, mistress.HagarShe is indeed subordinate to Abraham and Sarah, but she is still a human being. Maybe in those days, the servants were treated extremely badly, but to be forced to bea r children to please her masters is a tremendous sign of disrespect by them. She did not do it out of love, nor out of faith, not even to have an heir in the family. It was done by force and, probably, fear. Hagar probably did this because she was scared. To begin with, a woman scarcely had her say in a household. Not only was she a woman, but a servant also. If she had fought them off or tried to argue, she, in my opinion, would have probably been killed. Also, when both Abraham and Sarah cast her off with Ishamel, she does not even try to discuss the situation or try to...

Equilibrium and competition in the banking sector Literature review

Equilibrium and competition in the banking sector - Literature review Example Literature speaks of limited equilibrium modelling. General equilibrium, according to researchers depends on various market conditions. Further, level of equilibrium in banking industry depends on competition and financial stability, which depends further on banks’ risk-taking initiatives. Literature review discusses the opinions of various authors on the banking products as trade off between competition and financial stability on different risk choices. Various risk-transferring models are discussed. Role played by bank supervising technologies forms part of various models. New models of bank risk-taking, named partial equilibrium models are analysed. The UK banking sector is statistically reviewed through the Panzar and Rosse model. Literature review attempts various views on banking competition and financial weaknesses through various models to know if any relationship between equilibrium and competition can be established or not. Past Research As stated by Allen and Gale (2004a), the relationship between banking competition and financial health has been majorly discussed in the discourse of limited equilibrium modelling. There are not many general equilibrium models in literature. ... Banking sector can be stated in partial equilibrium if the exchange between competition and financial stability is generally achieved via a standard risk transferring statement practiced on a bank that arranges funds from insured customers and selects the risk of its investment. In such a scenario where market indicates limited liability, sudden risk alternatives, risk-free deposit demand, and stable return to scale in checking, a high in deposit market competition heightens the deposit rate, decreases banks’ anticipated margins and inspires banks to take advances in risk-taking. This conclusion has been derived by Allen and Gale (2000) in both fixed and ordinarily changing scenarios. A number of scholars in literature have supported this predictability in their works, including Keeley (1990), Matutes and Vives (1996), Hellmann, Murdock and Stiglitz (2000), Cordella and Levi-Yeyati (2002), Repullo (2004) among many others. Nevertheless, in the case of competition among banks i n loan and deposit markets, it is loan rate that governs the degree of risk-transfer initiated by companies, as stated by Stiglitz and Weiss (1981). Boyd and De Nicolo (2005) discussed the evaporating trade-off between competition and financial stability when various risk alternatives are analysed by firms. A rise in loan market competition cuts down bank loan rates, strengthening firms’ anticipated profits and prompting them to select secure investments, which gets written into securer bank loan portfolios. Amidst this increasingly conflicted environment, the risk-transferring statement is used on two market units, firms and banks, in stead of a single entity. Latest versions of this kind of model, including bank heterogeneity (De Nicolo and Loukoianova, 2007),

Forensic computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Forensic computing - Essay Example A user can use criteria such as size, filename, creation and modified dates in locating files. The search results returned by OS forensics are made available in different views which include the timeline view, thumbnail view and file listing (Beijnum, 2009, p. 23). This helps the user determine the pattern of activity on the computer and know where significant file change occurred. Besides locating the files, this tool can go further to search within contents of each file for a full analysis. OS forensics has a powerful pre-indexed search capability that offers full text search to hundreds of file formats. Below is a list of what results OS forensics can offer: Highlighting Wildcard searches Relevance ranked search results Exclusion searches Date sorting or date range searching Exact phrase matching "Google-like" context results File listing view of search results The file formats that can be indexed by OS forensics include: RTF, WPD, SWF, DJVU, DOC, PDF, PPT, XLS, JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF F, XLSX, MHT, ZIP, MP3, DWF, DOCX, PPTX and more. In addition, it has a feature that helps analyze files so as to determine their file type if they lack file extension. The advanced hashing algorithm in OS forensics can help create a unique fingerprint that is used to identify a file. OS forensics can help the investigator to organize the evidence discovered into a cryptographically secure single file. The expert can add more results and evidence to the case file for future reference and analysis and be confident that the case file cannot be tampered with. Case management helps the user to organize and aggregate case items and results from OS forensics. An advantage of this software is that it can be installed and run from a USB flash drive thus helps you in keeping your investigation tools and reports with you when you are mobile (Cansolvo & Scholtz, 2004, p. 85). A user should avoid installing any software on the target machine so as to avoid the risk of unintentionally overwritin g or deleting valuable forensic data left by the suspect. With OS forensics, the computer expert can export case files as customizable and accessible reports that show all the evidence gathered. This feature helps to deliver a summary of readable forensic findings to law enforcement agents or clients at any time during the investigation. OS forensics can be used to retrieve e-mail messages directly from their archives without the need to install email client programs such as thunderbird or Outlook (Dimitrova, Bellotti, Lozanova & Roumenin, 2011). It reads directly into the archive and displays everything from message headers, HTML, Rich Text Format and regular Text. Supported file formats are: Mbox for thunderbird, UNIX mail, Eudora and more. Pst for outlook. Msg for outlook. Dbx for outlook express. Eml for outlook express. All the attachments associated with the specified email can be extracted too. Email searching functionality embedded in OS forensics can be used to quickly sear ch across all the content in the email’s archive effectively. OS forensics Email Viewer The forensic value of carrying out the processes described above may vary depending on various factors such as who needs the information and for what purpose is the information in question needed (Lin & Stead, 2009, p. 67). This valuable

Entrepreneurship and innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Entrepreneurship and innovation - Essay Example ompany owes its popularity and success to the greatest talents that it nurtured that is why the employees benefits and thus career development are paid big attention. Such policy toward employees allows the company to continue its growing and development. ZTE Corporation also thinks what is best for its shareholders, so the investments made in the company activities were made not in vain. Speaking about the social responsibilities, ZTE acts proactively to satisfy the community with its needs and thus respond to the most critique considerations. Having the most complete telecommunications product line in the world, ZTE covers wireless networks, core networks, access and bearer networks and also services and terminals markets.  Along with it, the development capability and customer-oriented strategy that the company conducts, as well as the market-driven strategy, allow ZTE to be able to develop and produce the best market-leading technologies in wireless, access, data and telecommun ications software. These expert solutions enable the company to meet the needs of customers across the globe.  Once the company have realized the potential of the wireless and broadband networking for the global stage, it have opened new opportunities for ZTE in its ability to support transmission infrastructure, which is aimed to maintain demand for smart devices and intelligent network. As a new wave of the company’s activities, it should pay attention on reinvention of its activities to be able to use such opportunities at its best. For businesses, the positive environment predetermines its success. That is why, political, social and technological factors can greatly affect the way companies run their activities. Thus in 2012, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence reported about the threat toward the U.S. national security from the ZTE company side. ZTE stated its own equipment did not threaten the U.S. national security as its all equipment was assessed by the U.S.

Reversible Photochromism: Effects and Applications

Reversible Photochromism: Effects and Applications 1. Introduction In this report I will be looking at the smart material property known as Reversible Photochromism. This property contains a range of chemicals that react to UV light. This report will explore a range of the effects of the compound, which will include a review of the applications of this property and the process that make them possible, by exploring the, Ring Process, method. This report will also include looking at general applications where Reversible Photochromism technology is being used and any future concepts, such as, smart materials/technology involving textiles, dyes and inks. Including existing products, such as, transition lenses, and how that technology can be used for greater achievements. 2. What is Photochromism? Photochromism is the reversible alteration of a chemical variety between two forms by the absorption of electromagnetic radiation, where the two forms have different absorption spectrum. This can be described as a reversible change of colour upon exposure to light. Where the current substance transforms into a different colour once exposed to UV light. Once the UV light is removed, the substance under goes a transformation into its original state. Interest in Photochromism was constant but limited until the 1940-1960 periods, which saw an increase of studies, particularly in the research groups of Hirshberg and Fischer in Israel. In 1950, Hirshberg suggested the term photochromism [from the Greek words: phos (light) and chroma (colour)] to describe the phenomenon. This is the name used today. The mechanism for Photochromism in plastic crystalline materials is shown below. (Closed Form) (Open Form) Photochromic colours/dyes are plastisol-based inks, which are off-white when not exposed to UV radiation. It gains colour when exposed to Sun light / UV light. The colour change is reversible, i.e., the colour will fade again and appear colour less or clear upon removal from UV light / sun light exposure. These inks are available in various colours; ranging from dark tones to bright pink. 3. How  are Photochromic Lenses Made? There is a vast range of different states Photochromism can be manipulated into. All of these states have extra compounds and particles. The most common Photochromic state is glass lenses. Photochromic lenses are lenses that darken on exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Once the UV is removed, for example by walking indoors, the lenses will slowly return to their clear state. Photochromic lenses may be made of glass, polycarbonate, or another plastic. The glass version of this type of lenses was first developed by Corning in the 1960s. More recently, plastic versions of these lenses have been commercialised. The first of these was the Photolite lens sold in the early 1980s. But the first commercially successful plastic Photochromic lens was introduced by Transitions Optical in 1991. The glass version of these lenses achieve their Photochromic properties through the embedding of microcrystalline silver halides (usually silver chloride), or molecules in a glass substrate. Plastic Photochromic lenses rely on organic Photochromic molecules to achieve the reversible darkening effect. The reason these lenses darken in sunlight but not indoors under artificial light, is that room light does not contain the UV found in sunlight. Transport windows also block UV so these lenses would darken less in a car. Lenses that darken in response to visible (rather than UV) light would avoid these issues, but they are not feasible for most applications. In order to respond to light, it is necessary to absorb it, thus the glass could not be made to be clear in its low-light state. This correctly implies Photochromic lenses are not entirely transparent; specifically they filter out UV light. This does not represent a problem, because the human eye does not see in the UV spectrum. With the Photochromic material dispersed in the glass substrate, the degree of darkening depends on the thickness of glass, which poses problems with variable-thickness lenses in prescription glasses. With plastic lenses, the material is normally embedded into the surface layer of the plastic. Typically, Photochromic lenses darken substantially in response to UV light in less than one minute, and then continue to darken very slightly. This can take 15 minutes. The lenses fade back to clear along a similar pattern. The lenses will begin to clear as soon as they are away from UV light, and will be noticeably lighter much quicker than the darkening process. However, it can take up to more than 20 minutes for the lenses to completely fade to their non-exposed state. Because Photochromic compounds fade back to their clear state by a thermal process, the higher the temperature, the less dark Photochromic lenses will be. This thermal effect is called temperature dependency and prevents these devices from achieving true sunglass darkness in very hot weather. In contrast, Photochromic lenses will get very dark in cold weather conditions; which makes them more suitable for snow skiers than sun worshippers while outside. Once inside, away from the triggering UV light, the cold lenses take longer to regain their clear colour than warm lenses. 4. The Chemical Compounds of Reversible Photochromism Photochromism can be manipulated into different states, liquids; gels, dyes and water like substance, and solids; thin plastic like films and pigment powders. The most common form of Photochromism is liquid dye. This dye is a clear substance that can be penetrated and manipulated into different forms. Dyes reversibly alter their colour upon exposure to ultraviolet sources. These chameleon-like dyes respond to natural solar irradiation as well as artificial sources such as 365 nanometer black light. When sunlight or ultraviolet (UV) radiation is applied, the Photochromic dye becomes excited and the molecular structure is changed allowing a colour to appear. When the stimulus (sunlight/UV radiation) is removed, the dye will return to a state of rest, which is its colourless form. Photochromic molecules are not reactive in their crystalline state and need to be dissolved in a solvent or polymer to function. A common feature of the Photochromic is a colourless isomer that contains a carbon-oxygen bond which dissociates with UV activation. The colourless isomer contains two localized pi systems that absorb only in the UV part of the spectrum. Hence, the molecule appears colourless. After the carbon-oxygen bond dissociates, the two pi systems change into a single delocalised pi system which absorbs in the visible part of the spectrum, causing colour formulation. The life of Photochromic material depends on the amount of Photochromic compound used, the stabilisers used and the material in which it is used. Generally, it is suggested that 0.1 gram per square foot be used to provide an adequate reservoir of Photochromic compound. The use of ultraviolet absorbers will also extend the life of the Photochromic, but will reduce the colour intensity. There are effectively two changes occurring simultaneously; a chemical change arises when the molecule is exposed to UV light that enables conjugation to take place throughout the molecule; a structural change also occurs to enable the overlap of molecules. Therefore, spatially, the molecules must be able to flatten out to allow this conjugation to take place. It is a fully reversible reaction so that when the light source is removed, the molecule returns to its uncoloured state. Heat can also help drive the reaction back to the uncoloured form, so in very hot conditions, there is always competition between light and heat to determine the given colour observed. In general, a colour change is still observed, albeit weaker than at room temperature. Similarly, in cold conditions in the presence of sunlight, an intense colour is observed as there is little or no competition from the back reaction. Such dyes incorporated within a sol-gel matrix can have several practical applications, such as optical switches (if the reversal is very fast) and optical storage for computer memory (if the reverse colour change is not possible at room temperature). Sol-gel Materials mixed with Photochromic dyes have also been investigated as fibre optic delay generators (Meer 1990), fibre optic shutters, and in Photomasking and Photoresist materials (Hawker 1993). Sol-gel based coatings may also be used for ophthalmic lenses such as scratch resistant coatings on sunglasses. The colouring changing process is described as the, ring opening/ring-closing process (Brown 1971) This is where the molecules lie flat in there closed form before UV radiation. In this state the substance is colourless. Once UV light is exposed to the substance, the molecules react by twisting, creating an open form. This open form causes the Photochromic dye to turn into a colour. Once the UV light is removed, the molecules twist back to their flat state, reversing back to the colourless substance. Depending on the intensity of the UV light and heat, the speed of which the reverse effect may vary. This process can be repeated many times; however the colour will become less and eventually dim. New Photochromic dyes are now being introduced to slow the fading effect and eventually stop it. Scientists can create different colours of Photochromic dyes by mixing Photochromic pigment powder. In their pure state, Photochromic dyes are powdered crystals that must be dissolved in the inks to which they are added. Some manufacturers microencapsulate the Photochromic dye in their own system, as with leucodye microcapsules. Microencapsulating Photochromic systems enables them to be used in inks that cannot dissolve them, such as water-based systems. Even on cloudy days, Photochromic dyes exhibit bright colour changes when taken outdoors. (Just as with lenses) The colour you see may differ slightly on very hot days or if a UV lamp, rather than sunlight, is used to excite the materials. 5. Organic Photochromism Fritzsche reported in 1867 the bleaching of an orange-coloured solution of tetracene in the daylight and the regeneration of the colour in the dark. Later, Meer found a change of colour of the potassium salt of dinitroethane in the solid state (yellow in the dark; red in the daylight). Another early example was published by Phipson, who noted that a painted gate post appeared black all day and white all night (due to a zinc pigment). Research and experiments into organic photochromism has enabled the photochromic process to be used on plastic and other materials. However, organic photochromism is controversial, as this goes beyond the domain of variable optical transmission and includes a number of reversible physical phenomena such as optical memories and switches, variable electrical current, ion transport through membranes, variable wet ability, etc. For this purpose, organic photochromic compounds are often incorporated in polymers and liquid crystalline materials. 6. The Chemical Process of Organic Photochromism Organic Photochromic materials consist of a polymer matrix of optical quality having a refractive state and at least one dye that imparts Photochromic properties to the matrix. A dye must be selected from a group consisting of spiropyrans and chromenes. This compound is then put under intense radiation to form Organic Photochromism. This then can be placed in specialist lenses and materials. 7. Organic Photochromism in Cosmetics In general cosmetic materials, Organic Photochromism is being used in cosmetic and related formulations. Colouration has been employed as a cosmetic device for many centuries (Farrer-Halls, 2007) Materials and methods for achieving predictable and safe cosmetic colouration are being continually explored and improved as evidenced by the large and expanding worldwide cosmetic business. Materials which change colour under the influence of light, i.e. photochromics, can be designed on the molecular level to interact with light to maintain, or even evolve a particular colouration. These materials can be designed to maintain a particular cosmetic look as the ambient lighting changes or as the user moves from place to place. It may be advantageous for the Photochromic response to be reversible. The influence of water can be anticipated and pH balance must be incorporated into the overall system design. It would be advantageous to design a class of materials for which ambient office light, or highly directed light such as in a tanning booth, or even laser light, could be utilised, each creating and imparting a particular predictable cosmetic look. There are, of course, many organic Photochromic materials. However, by necessity, to have a strong absorption feature in the visible part of the spectrum which could be the basis for an effective cosmetic colouration system, the molecular structure often contains a delocalised pi electron system (Farrer-Halls, 2007) Molecules having bonding features associated with such electronic structure, e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, coal tar products, azo dyes, quinoline, and like molecules with or without fused heterocycles, are often carcinogenic and so less desirable or unacceptable as candidates for use as cosmetics as Gill Farrer-Halls (2007, pg2) claims in her book, Naturals and Organics in Cosmetics Many types of organic molecules penetrate the skin barrier and so pose increased toxicity risk. This is a major problem because it would require more complicated testing and evaluation to establish the risk of such materials. Inorganic materials are well known which, because of their insolubility in water and their relatively large particle size, do not penetrate the stratum comeum to any major extent. For example, rouge, being iron oxide, and titanium-dioxide are two widely used oxides with well established safety history (Farrer-Halls, 2007) In fact, most metal oxides, with the possible exception of those used close to the eyes, are more likely ingested, and therefore dangerous if the particles are breathed. There is, therefore, a negligible risk if the oxides are immobilised in a cosmetic formulation. The objective of the design is to identify metal oxides, metal bronzes, and protein based Photochromic systems (materials) which combine novel cosmetic properties with sun blocking. (Farrer-Halls, 2007 pg5) Organic Photochromic systems have novel applications in cosmetics because the colouration they supply can be accented and softened and otherwise manipulated by the application of light, allowing greater control and range of effect than for a single colour application. Conventional colouration, i.e. rouge, can only be manipulated by mechanical means, i.e. rubbing and spreading. In addition to using these materials for their pleasing colouration effects, they can also be used as an actinometer/dosimeter that a person can use to gauge his/her exposure to bright sunlight or in other tanning/burning settings. The concept is based upon the use of the intrinsic Photochromic properties of certain solid transition metal oxides for cosmetic and sun blocking effects. The solid metal oxides suitable for use in this invention are those which undergo Photo induced and thermo enhanced loss of gas phase O2 to produce mixed valence oxides and include WO3, V2 O5, TiO2 and MoO3 (Farrer-Halls, 2007) A particular oxide can be operationally established for any possible choice of oxide by exposing a possible candidate oxide to blue-green or shorter wavelength light under vacuum and observing whether a colour change occurs. In some cases, the oxide is doped with an alkali metal ion or proton to enhance the colour change. As described above, tungsten and molybdenum oxide, and oxides of other metals, and bronzes derived from such oxides, constitute a broad class of materials having potential application as Organic Photochromic sun block/cosmetics. These materials are well known in the context of Photochromic optical data storage media and they offer an excellent match with the very properties needed for cosmetic applications. This relates to the adaptation of the class of tungsten and molybdenum oxide-photochromics to sun blocking/dosimetry, energy storage, and cosmetic colouration (Farrer-Halls, 2007) 8. Photochromic Textiles Photochromism in textiles seems to be a long and complicated process. However it is rather a simple method to produce dyes and inks that can be transformed into fibre to create textiles that react to UV light. Generally the colour-change inducing light has a wavelength in the visible or near visible range. Other factors which may affect the colour of these pigments have been cited by Glyn Phillips (1997 pg 4) include, temperature, moisture, electricity, and gases. Photochromic pigments have previously been applied to textiles by coating processes. Such coated textiles have aesthetic qualities associated with the Photochromic pigments. However, these textiles are not sufficiently colour-fast and their aesthetic qualities are easily destroyed by soiling. Mentioned previously, each time the colour changes due to the reaction of UV light, the colour intensity drops to eventually no apparent change will take place. It has now been discovered that Photochromic pigments can be blended into resinous fibers, yarns or non-woven textiles without substantial loss of Photochromic properties. The dye used can be introduced into this process from a master pigment batch obtained by mixing chromogenic pigments with a low melting polymer. (Phillips, 1997 pg. 5) In the process, the dye is blended with resin (the primary resin) and the mixture is processed into textiles by spinning and drawing or by the spin-bond process. The textiles manufactured by this process are advantageous over the prior method coated products in that the resultant Photochromic pigment-containing textiles are more durable (e.g., more colour-fast), more brightly pigmented, easily laundered after staining (e.g., by soil, solvents or oil) and readily woven directly into the desired fashion. Generally, conventional methods of blending polymers and dyes and of extruding synthetic fibers or non-woven textiles are used in this process. Blending can be done in a fusion type metric mixer, a volumetric type mixer or a weight type mixer. (Phillips, 1997 pg 7) The processes that may be used to manufacture the fibers or non-woven textiles include spinning and drawing processes, continuous spin-draw processes and spun-bond processes for the manufacture of non-woven textiles. However, these processes are modified in accordance with the concept/product such that the Photochromic dye is not subjected to a temperature in excess of about 250 ° C. Preferably, the Photochromic dye is introduced into the polymer mixing process in a master batch of polymer-encapsulated dye pellets. Such Photochromic dye pellets have been described, Generally, the amount of pigment in the masterbatch is from 1 to 10%, preferably from about 2 to 7%. (Phillips, 1997 pg 8) The use of dye pellets in place of directly adding dye facilitates uniform mixing and enhances the the overall process. For use in the production of synthetic fibers or non-woven textiles containing Photochromic pigments, the master batch is mixed with a primary resin, which may or may not be the same as the carrier resin in the master batch. The amount of masterbatch blended with the primary resin ranges from 1:2 to 1:100. The resins used as the primary resin are those with a melting point between about 105 ° C. and about 215 ° C. (Phillips 1997 pg 8) Useful resins include, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyolefins copolymers and terpolymers. Additional fillers and pigments, such as talc, silica, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, and conventional organic pigments, may be added either to the master batch or during the final fiber or non-woven textile manufacture process. 9. General Applications General applications of Photochromism can be divided into two categories: a) Those directly related to the change in absorption or emission spectra such as variable transmission optical materials, optical information storage, cosmetics, authentication systems, and flow field visualisation. b) Those related to other physical or chemical property changes such as refractive index, electric conductivity, phase transitions, solubility, viscosity, and surface wet ability. Photochromic can now be used in many areas of design. As photochromism has a wide range of solid states, from textiles to glass, (but only one function) most products which use this process are novel. Here are some examples; On garments to create novel products and promotional items like T-shirts On fabric/garment to print company logo / brand name to prevent duplication On garment which are used for party wear Thermometers and temperature indicators Security printing Food industry to indicate temperature of packaged food Photochromic substances can be found in inks, paints, papers and textiles. This property is a boon for scientists doing research on intelligent textiles and smart materials where they are making use of this property to store data on the surface of textile fabrics and polymer sheets. (Whereas the same property of some reactive dyes; is a bane for textile processors. The change in shade after dyeing creates unwanted problems in dyeing) An optical recording medium contains, on a base, one or more dyes and a polymer which forms liquid-crystalline phases. The information is written into the equally oriented liquid-crystalline polymer layer, for example by means of a laser. During this procedure, the polymer heats up locally to above a phase transition temperature. By cooling, the resulting change is frozen in the glass state. The information can be erased by applying an electric field and/or heating. The recording material permits high-contrast storage and possesses high sensitivity, good resolution and excellent stability. There are other chromatic properties called electrochromatism and thermochromatism of dyes that are affected by electric field and heat respectively. 10. Future Products The first Photochromic eye lens is being developed by scientists in Singapore, the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the worlds first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute. This lens is another world first. The IBN has developed a Photochromic contact lens that will darken upon exposure to sunlight to protect the eyes against harmful ultraviolet radiation and glare. The lenses will conveniently adapt to changes in light and provide optimal indoor and outdoor vision. The IBN scientists also claim that this will help treat eye diseases by incorporating medication into the lens which can deliver medication effectively rather than eye drops. Another future product is Photochromic windows at home and workplaces. These windows will change colour when exposed to UV light from the sun, which will in return make home/workplace cooler and a more comfortable place to be in. Reversible Photochromic textiles have been around for 20 years, (mainly on novel garments) designers and scientists are trying to convert this technology into safety equipment and garments. The only drawback to this concept is that to make the product work during the night, when these safety garments are more needed. Photochromic relies on UV light to work effectively. Unless car head-lights radiate UV, this wont work, and car head-lights giving off UV light is a whole and completely different matter. As mentioned above in general applications, scientist can record and store data using Photochromic dyes. This data can be stored onto any material surface, but at the moment only being used on textiles. This technology has a huge amount of potential. Imagine the data on a personal USB device being stored onto a piece of fabric that the user can roll up into a pocket. The technology can be manipulated to give data back to the user through many objects. The user could watch/read the news on the users glasses; receive emails and correspondence and perhaps even text messages. The only drawback is responding to them. 11. Conclusion Photochromic technology has an immense amount of potential to create new products and in some cases a whole new lifestyle. Scientists can now manipulate Photochromic technology into most applications. Controlling the colour result of Reversible Photochromic is in itself a great achievement. Instead of a dull tone of grey, the colour can be anything from bright green to pink. Making Photochromic available in different materials, from glass to liquid, including textiles, makes this technology unique. Experimentation in novel-products, such as, T -Shirts that change colour when exposed to sun light, has enabled scientists to understand the chemical compounds and how to manipulate them to suit a concept. Now Photochromic technology is being used in more sophisticated ways, such as, the eye contact lens and storing data. This beak through in new technology can have fantastic results for future generations. It will affect the way people work and learn.

Economic Conditions of Japan :: Business Economics Globalization

Economic Conditions of Japan Japan is currently in an economic recession. We can see that the value of the yen is falling; unemployment is rising, and purchasing of durable goods is down. This unhealthy state of economy has progressively become bleaker over the years. Many believe that the start of the slump was due to the economic bubble in the late 1980’s when low rates encouraged an inordinately large amount of investment. When a country has an elevated investment rate, large amounts of capital stock are purchased. This means that an elevated rate of investment must be maintained in order to accommodate for the high levels of depreciation. In the early 1990’s when investment began to slip asset values imploded. As a result, banks were making bad loans. The Japanese government was not quick to react, and by 1998 many major banks were on the verge of collapse. To try to combat the trend of failing banks, the Bank of Japan Governor, Masaru Hayami, started a â€Å"zero interest rate policy† in 1999. This move built confidence in Japanese banks and the Japanese economy. However, this positive reform did not last. Banks were not using this recovery policy to write off their bad loans. They also did not get rid of very risky stock market shares. Hayami became fed up with the actions of the banks and raised interest rates in August of 2000. Then when the stock market began falling, those risky shares that the banks owned caused them to lose even more money. So now the country is a facing a major problem: what to do about the losses experienced the stock market and from default loans. In the worst-case scenario calculated by Merrill Lynch credit analyst Koyo Ozeki, banks would have to write off more than 70 trillion yen in loan losses. In order to do that, banks would have to pull the plug on thousands of deadbeat borrowers. This would be devastating to the unemployment rate. Japan’s unemployment rate is currently at 4.9%, which is a postwar high for the country. This is due in part to the number of workers losing their jobs. Another big part of the increase in unemployment is due to the increase in the labor force. Economic Conditions of Japan :: Business Economics Globalization Economic Conditions of Japan Japan is currently in an economic recession. We can see that the value of the yen is falling; unemployment is rising, and purchasing of durable goods is down. This unhealthy state of economy has progressively become bleaker over the years. Many believe that the start of the slump was due to the economic bubble in the late 1980’s when low rates encouraged an inordinately large amount of investment. When a country has an elevated investment rate, large amounts of capital stock are purchased. This means that an elevated rate of investment must be maintained in order to accommodate for the high levels of depreciation. In the early 1990’s when investment began to slip asset values imploded. As a result, banks were making bad loans. The Japanese government was not quick to react, and by 1998 many major banks were on the verge of collapse. To try to combat the trend of failing banks, the Bank of Japan Governor, Masaru Hayami, started a â€Å"zero interest rate policy† in 1999. This move built confidence in Japanese banks and the Japanese economy. However, this positive reform did not last. Banks were not using this recovery policy to write off their bad loans. They also did not get rid of very risky stock market shares. Hayami became fed up with the actions of the banks and raised interest rates in August of 2000. Then when the stock market began falling, those risky shares that the banks owned caused them to lose even more money. So now the country is a facing a major problem: what to do about the losses experienced the stock market and from default loans. In the worst-case scenario calculated by Merrill Lynch credit analyst Koyo Ozeki, banks would have to write off more than 70 trillion yen in loan losses. In order to do that, banks would have to pull the plug on thousands of deadbeat borrowers. This would be devastating to the unemployment rate. Japan’s unemployment rate is currently at 4.9%, which is a postwar high for the country. This is due in part to the number of workers losing their jobs. Another big part of the increase in unemployment is due to the increase in the labor force.