Globalization †Has Globalization Made The World More Or Less Secure Essay

The world is evolving and in the last few decades, some of the major changes have taken place in the world. Out of the many changes, one of the major transformations that have taken place is what is referred to as globalization. Globalization has taken over the world by storm and reduced large distances; it has resulted in many changes in the last decade and has been supported and promoted by the advent of technology. The world has turned into a global village which is so small that distances no longer carry much importance. Globalization is not a single concept but one which has various aspects like technological, economical, cultural and social and each one of its dimension has a broad scope. Since, the world is now interconnected because of globalization, this has facilitated and created opportunities in different aspects, but has also resulted in increased competition and many insecurities. In this essay, we first discuss globalization and explain what it is, discuss briefly some of its drivers, then discuss some of the non state actors and the impact of globalization on the world in terms of security. Globalization Globalization can be defined in various ways. It is the process where extension of connections takes place on a global basis, creating a social connection of life at a global level and resulting in the fusion of global societies. The term is comprised of different large processes; the definitions thus also vary according to what is emphasized in the description. With respect to the true meaning of the word, there is difference in opinion as to what it actually refers to as it may indicate actual processes as they take place in life, thoughts which validate the course of action or simply the manner in which people form perception of these processes. Globalization is thus understood through the different definitions that exist and each of these definitions articulate diverse considerations of global change brought about by the phenomenon of globalization (Lechner, 1, 2001). Globalization generally is considered to be a procedure that increases the interconnectedness and inter reliance amongst the business and markets of the world (INVESTOR 2008). Thus, globalization results in bringing the markets and businesses of the world closely linked to each other, but the term is not limited to just an economical dimension, therefore, it would be more appropriate to inculcate in it the aspects of politics, social, culture and ethics. Globalization may also be considered as a practice of a social nature where the diminution of the limitations of geography on provisions of cultural and social nature occurs and people are more conscious over time of the fact that limitations are diminishing (Waters, 9, 1995). Drivers of globalization Globalization has been driven by a number of factors which have broadened its scope even more. The increased pressure on costs causes companies to move their resources to such places where they are more cheaply available. Many products have reached a certain level of market saturation in their respective markets, therefore, giving rise to the need to search for new markets. Customers have become more savvy and quality conscious which has resulted in globally increased demands that have to be met. Governments at different places have introduced policies to promote globalization such as levied taxed and allowing open markets. There is development in technology every other day and many of these technological changes facilitate globalization (Briscoe & Schuler, 14-15, 2004). There are a number of trading blocs existing in different regions that place different rules for trading among countries and pave way for open trade amongst them. The advent of internet has resulted in world wide communication and flow of information which makes information available at fingertips to be accessed at any time. The different cultures are more closely integrated and boundaries have become blurred because of global communication and availability of different products and services like music, food, clothing etc. the workforce is now more educated across the world and thus is able to meet the demands of globalization. Trade barriers have decreased and markets have become more open resulting in increased competition and thus searching for opportunities in overseas market to keep up with the competition. Finally, E-commerce makes a business global, the very moment it hosts its website online, making it available to customers across the globe (Briscoe & Schuler, 14-15, 2004). The major contribution to globalization has been made by technological advances which have paced up the process considerably in the last two decades, thus, facilitating traveling, communicating and conducting business on an international level. Amongst the many drivers of globalization, two major ones are advancement in telecommunication infrastructure and internet, which are a result of technological development (INVESTOR, 1, 2008). Non state actors Governments have a vital role to play in the process of globalization, they should be able to plan and implement vital policies and negotiate important international bodies for expressing the views of their nations and obtain benefits by stressing their national interests. Though the states are important but there are different non state actors, among them are organizations which support globalization. Among these, World Economic Forum and World Trade Organization are the two most prominent ones. The World Economic Forum lacks the authority to make decisions yet it has great influence and high importance. This foundation has played its part in providing a forum for the networking needs of governments, business and non-profit leaders on a global level. On the other hand, The World Trade Organization is an entity which was created with the objective of defining rules that will oversee global trade and capital flows by taking consent of its members and make sure that the established rules are adhered to by supervising the concerned acts of the member countries (INVESTOR, 1, 2008). The formation of WTO was meant to revolutionalize the scope of issues related to global trade and to assure the conformity of to its principles of international trade and settle conflicting disputes of the concerned domain by its dispute-settlement mechanisms (UN, 1, 2000). Another important non state actor is the UN which has a vital role to perform in globalization on the basis of its multilateral system, which is necessary for working globally as there is a need for cop operation with each other across the globe. The multilateral system is important for the making of international policies that reflect shared values within the boundaries of law (WC, 1, 2004). But the UN has delegated its power of dealing with social and economic subjects to WTO, WB and IMF. The WTO has such approach that often leaves out developing countries in the decision-making. The decision making policy of the UN need to have more participation from the developing matters at least in the issues pertaining to them so that they may efficiently serve the needs of such nations. The economic and social powers that were shifted to other bodies are over burdening these bodies and resulting in inefficient mechanisms, therefore, these powers should be brought back with the UN but with proper policies and rules that may benefit all nations (Khor, 1, 2000). Implications of globalization Globalization is now a common feature of the world economy but it is not accepted by everyone with open arms. Though globalization results in opportunities and competition for everyone across the globe and provision of opportunities is good and if viewed positively, even competition is good as it results in more efficient production. But on the other hand, globalization cause deprivation for specific groups of people who do not have sufficient resources to cope with it. Consequently, in the increasing pressure of competition brought about by the inter-connection of their economies with the rest of the globe, these people are incapable of functioning efficiently and thus stand at a disadvantage (INVESTOR, 1, 2008). Globalization requires economic, social and political adjustments for people of different societies, areas or regions to accept and characterize their culture with an aim to integrate it with that of the rest of the world. It endorses global integration significantly and asks for elimination of existing barriers between different cultures. Those who support the process justify this kind of integration by resembling it with that of the significant technological information devices like satellites and computers. The critics argue that the proposed integration of cultural is in fact aimed at cultural invasion and will result in the degeneration of cultural identity and its spirit whereas those who support it deem the declining of cultural boundaries as an ample indicator of improved communication processes, combination of societies and a signal of capacity aimed at amalgamation of civilizations. There is evidence of how the global socioeconomic forces belonging to the industrialized West have invaded these poorer countries and may eventually cause them to lose the characteristics of their religion and society. It is observable that the means which assisted in bringing cultures nearer to each other may also have caused the exhaustion of many of these global cultures (Moussalli, 1, 2003). An overlook of the governance of globalization shows that it is dictated by strong players and countries, proper rules and institutions to regulate the different aspects like trade or finance are lacking and poor people and countries stand at a clear disadvantage as they are unable to reap the benefits of the phenomenon (WC, 1, 2004). Globalization has not helped in equitable development as there is an increase in disparities and poverty. Politically, even though the national boundaries are growing blurred but upon closer observation, we get to know that it is not a result of the free choice of people but a model imposed by stronger powers (Sabourin et al. , 56, 2000). The focus of globalization has stayed on the aspect of economy and business for a long time but it is about time to realize its effects on the personal and professional life of people. Although problems like poverty, human rights violation, unemployment were present even before globalization took over but these have been fuelled by globalization along with added disadvantage of social exclusion for many poor nations of the world. Deduction from many of the studies related to globalization shows that it is someway responsible for the growing inequality as the poor usually do not get to derive their share of the benefits offered by the phenomenon; among such nations, the developing countries are most affected. But there are also studies that suggest the benefits availed by the poor from globalization when facilities are provided to the poor like credit access, technical know-how, social safety nets as income support and well targeted food aid (Nesvisky, 1, n. d. ). With respect to employment, we see that there has been a decline in labor intensive jobs which has consequently led to lower demand of unskilled labor and resulted in lower earnings for this group as compared to the skilled group of workers. Another phenomenon is that low-skilled jobs are moved over to countries which offer labor at lower wages; this results in low demand for low-skilled workers. Liberalization of economy is of great concern to the developing countries, which have a motive to derive benefits from increasing trade and investment flows, yet they yield increased unemployment and inequality (Lee, 1, 1996). The phenomenon of child labor is deeply interwoven within the context of the societies or households where it exists, it was present even before globalization in the developing countries and it is in these countries that the practice has increased even more because of globalization. In the developing countries, mainly those of the poor and consequently the pressure and need for working for women and children has increased and in certain cases become vital for survival. Due to inflation and decreasing social sector budgets, children have to work either to substitute for the working mothers domestically or to add to the family income by working outside (Raman, 1, 1997). Global insecurities The economic, technical and social changes brought about by globalization have greatly affected the lives of people. Global insecurities have been brought about by the fast spreading of information and growth of the media industry globally which has affected existing identities and resulted in decline of social cohesion and cultural diversity. Globalization is guided only by a few powers and works in their favor, the strategies established by them doesn’t seem to work and benefit the great majority of the people around the world. This has resulted in insecurity and ambiguity for the poor and the middle-classes (Raghavan, 1, 2000). There has been unsustainable development, excessive use of resources, negative impacts on existence of original communities, and a growing gap between the rich and the poor. Consequently, there are insecurities and social tensions coming from international and intra-national inequalities (Dass, 1, 2002). The insecurities are also attributable to the international bodies, which are explicitly in absence of state influence as these are non state actors. Their rules are designed and implemented on a basis which considers regulation of the global activities in various aspects of life by and under the control of such influences which are not considerate towards the smaller powers and play by their own rules without having a respect for the weaker associates who are exploited (UN, 1, 2000). The insecurities have also been created due to a lack of widely available social services for every country and social class. Global insecurities are also related to hindrances towards the development of low income groups and therefore it is vital to erase distortions like inequalities and take measures to encourage the productive potential of low-income groups. Globalization definitely has its benefits but they are accompanies with new vulnerabilities, for this reason, there is confusion in the voice of public opinion about globalization. Taking steps to reduce global insecurity and equally distributing the benefits may help in creating a sustainable support for the phenomenon (Brookings, 1, 2001). Conclusion: Though globalization may be considered to be a positive phenomenon which has resulted in various opportunities for people in the form of increased trade, choices of goods, improved lifestyle, enhanced communication and other benefits. But, globalization has also created many adverse impacts upon the life of people like increased poverty in poor nations, unemployment and low wages for low skilled workers, turning education into a commercial activity and cultures losing their individual identities. There are non state actors like international organizations which integrate the different nations together and formulate rules to guide their path in the light of globalization, making the process a little smoother but on the same lines, the same bodies result in insecurities for people magnified by globalization. Thus, globalization is a phenomenon which apparently may look beneficial to all but actually benefits only the dominant powers and that too at the expense of weaker ones and unless something is done to stop the exploitation and mutually benefit everyone, insecurities will continue to grow.

Atlantic Slave Trade †Causes and Effiects Essay

The yearning of the Europeans especially Portuguese, Spanish, British and the Dutch for exploration, colonisation and imperialism was a major factor in expanding the slave trade networks in the Atlantic. As discussed by Timothy P. Grady in the book The Atlantic World 1450-2000, â€Å"explorers from Portugal, Spain and other European nations expanded the geographic knowledge southward along the coast of Africa and westward across the Atlantic shores of the Americas†. The urge for this exploration was triggered by the fall of Constantinople in May 1943, the last vestige of the Roman Empire, to the Muslim Turks which shook the fortitude of the European countries and the Christian faith. The expansion of the Ottoman Empire around the Mediterranean region deprived European merchants of the lucrative trade routes along the Silk Road to the East. The threat of lost communication and trade routes across the Mediterranean into China, India and other regions of eastern Asia and lost access to silk and other precious commodities carried along this route, forced Europeans to explore alternate trade routes to Asia by turning westward for new opportunities. Discovery of new routes west of Europe through the Atlantic, led to European arrival off West coast of Africa in the late fifteenth century. By mid seventeenth century, the coast line of West Africa was infiltrated by fifty forts and slave trading posts of competing European countries – Portugal, Spain, Britain, Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany dividing the coastline into – Ivory Coast, Gold Coast and Slave Coast. The political set up in Africa also facilitated slave trade. Africa was divided into a number of small and large states, chieftaincies and independent villages each with their own form of government, religion, customs and traditions. These territories often fought with each other and the captives of war were taken as slaves. Such conflicts were justified wars which according to Warren. C. Whatley was â€Å"natural struggles of nation building† conducted in the normal course of affairs. The captives referred to as â€Å"joint-products of war† or â€Å"stolen goods† were then exported. With the advent of the Europeans, domestic conflicts became slave raids. As Robin Law asserted, the Kingdom of Dahomey dominated the slave raiding and trading from 1715 to 1850. Their kings held a royal monopoly on the trade and conducted slave raids through their armies. Thus the political ambitions of the European and African monarchy led to the development of the slave trade. The developments in technology and its impact on navigation, ship building, and firearms aided the growth in Atlantic slave trade. Navigation The desire for exploration spurred European scholars, navigators and sailors to expand their knowledge of geography and devise new ways of charting and mapping their journeys. Increased use of the hour glass and logs to measure time and distance and the Portolan charts clearly documented navigation. In 1462, the Portuguese navigators devised methods of figuring out latitudes by measuring the height of the Pole Star above the horizon. Later in 1484, astronomers in the court of King Joao II, using the midday sun to figure latitudes, produced a set of declination tables. Under the patronage of Prince Henry of Portugal, other significant developments were made in the study of winds, tides and ocean currents; documents from previous explorations were compiled and maps and charts were continuously improved. Thus a good number of problems associated with navigation were resolved by late fifteenth century. As navigation across the great oceans became manageable, the transportation of the slaves between the continents – Europe, Africa and America became less complicated. Ship Building The changes to the design and functionalities of the European ships were another major factor that contributed to the expansion of Atlantic slave trade. Between the fourteenth and mid- nineteenth centuries, sailing ships were the main means of transport of the slaves. These sailing ships kept changing over time in terms of design, fittings, equipments and materials used as sail. Use of three to four masts, sturdy hull, square lateen and sprit sails, and stern rudder enhanced their sailing power, speed and eased control of the ships in wild weather conditions. Small ships such as the caravel, highly manoeuvrable ships introduced in the fifteenth century encouraged the Portuguese to explore regions around West African coast such as Senegal and Cape Verde and Canary islands to secure staples, gold and slaves. Other ships designed by Portuguese for travel in the Atlantic Ocean were the carracks, four masted ships and the galleon, heavily armed multi deck sailing ships. The ships also grew in size and multi decks were able to accommodate larger number of slaves. The mean tonnage of the slave ships from Liverpool in 1730 was 75 tons. This increased to 130 tons in 1790 and 226 tons in 1805. Weapons The supremacy of Europe in the slave trade was driven by its guns, cannons and restraints. They used a variety of weapons to threaten the slaves and the enemy ships at sea, to maintain control both on land and at sea. The diffusion of the new gunpowder technology accelerated the slave trade. The African communities, threatened by armed neighbours, resorted to trading the captives for gunpowder, guns and muskets. In the words of Warren. C. Whatley, the vicious cycle, â€Å"a raid or be raided† arms race known as the Gun- Slave-Cycle was created. The replacement of the ineffective matchlock musket by the flintlock in1680s, drastically increased firearms demand in West Africa. According to J. E. Inikori, the firearms imported from England during the eighteenth century were between 283,000 and 394,000 guns per annum. The demand for firearms from West Africa was so high that manufacturing companies such as Farmer and Galton were forced to pressurise their workers to increase production. The demand for firearms was matched by supply of slaves. The developments in restraining technology aided the slave trade in terms of terrorising the slaves and reducing escapes. The restraints used in the trade included, neck restraints, iron collars linked by chains, tongue restraints and leg and wrist shackles to trammel movement. The ability to stow more slaves per cubic foot of the ship, ability to navigate better around the coast of Africa, the reduction in escapees due to draconian restraints, and the organisation of forts around the coast to lodge the captives helped to reduce costs and promote trade. African Demand for goods from Europe The introduction of a wide range of consumption goods in West Africa, the possession of which was a matter of social status and power, was another factor leading to the development of Atlantic slave trade. The African demand for iron and copper bars, textiles, salt, earthenware, weapons and firearms, rum, wine, gin and cowrie shells and a variety of both European and oriental goods had a profound impact on slave trade. The demands for these goods were so high that the European suppliers could not cope with the increased demand. J. E. Inikori commented that firearms and textiles were in such high demand by the slave traders that they were not prepared to clear their slave cargo, if they were not satisfied with the quantity of supply of these items of trade. The merchants were willing to trade their morality to capture slaves in exchange for European goods. Alan Rice clearly identifies this when he asserts, â€Å"The desire for luxury goods was so great that these African elites would consign war captives and domestic slaves to an unknown fate across the ocean in exchange for them†. Growth in Slave trading institutions Growth in social institutions to perform a more organised slave trade was a key factor in Atlantic slave trade. The increase in demand and prices of slaves encouraged the development of various institutions to address the issues associated with the trade – capture, enslavement, seasoning, trade, regulations and taxation. The merchants explored new ways of trapping the slaves – deception, kidnapping, ambush attacks, promoting conflicts between villages and the pretence of family substitution for the runaways. The kidnap of Olaudah Equiano in 1750s in his words, â€Å"One day when all our people were gone out to their works as usual and only I and my sister were left to mind the house, two men and woman got over our walls and in a moment seized us both†¦ and ran off with us into the nearest wood†. The drought and famine in Africa due to marginal rainfalls in the Savannah areas – Angola and the grasslands extending from Senegambia to Cameron, forced desponding families to sell themselves. People were too poor to survive and offered themselves as collateral for credits. Non repayment made them slaves. Development of enforcement mechanisms also encouraged the slave trade. Credit was offered to slave traders to cover costs of acquiring, transporting and housing slaves until they were boarded on the ships. Other types of such mechanisms, described by Warren. C. Whatley were â€Å"the use of factories and forts as holding pens and warehouses, African canoe houses and other trade coalitions, secret societies and treaties between European and African nations. The cycle of violence to hunt down the slaves continued leading to an upsurge in slave trade The decline in population in the Americas This was another important factor that led to the development of Atlantic slave trade. With the European colonisation of the Americas, there was a growth in mining and plantations in the islands between North and South America and the labour demands were met by native Indians. The massive mortality rates of the natives due to poor working conditions and new European and African diseases such as measles, small pox, the plague, influenza, malaria and yellow fever led to decline in the population of Americas. Figure 1 presents data on the drastic decline in population in Americas which led to a decline in labour. The Europeans now turned to the Negroes in Africa for labour. They soon found that the African slaves were more productive and the output quadrupled. Shiploads of slaves were exported to work in these American islands and soon the slave trade was transformed from a marginal institution to a global phenomenon. Growth in Plantations The development of Atlantic slave trade stemmed from the growth in plantation agriculture such as sugar, cotton, tobacco, tea and rice in the New World. The demand for plantation workers in sixteenth century Brazil, seventeenth century Caribbean and nineteenth century Cuba instigated slave supply from Africa. The intensity of the growth in plantations could be seen in small islands like Barbados. By 1650 Barbados had 300 plantations which multiplied to 900 by 1670, a rate of 100% per annum. The growing demand for sugar, multiplying at a compound rate of 5% per annum in the seventeenth century to about 10% in the nineteenth century, increased the demand for African slaves to work in the sugar plantations in the New World lands. As H. Hobhouse puts it, â€Å"‘food’ became responsible for the Africanization of the Caribbean†. This small group of islands accounted for 80% of the sugar and slave trade until the eighteenth century. The slave labour for majority of these plantations was secured from Africa through the Atlantic. As plantations became the expanded into a global trade network, so did the Atlantic slave trade. Slave Trade and Profitability There were various groups of stakeholders in the Atlantic Slave trade who participated in it due to the profitability from the trade in slaves. African Rulers profited in terms of taxes and custom duties paid by the European merchants. They were given the first choice of any merchandise that was brought into Africa for trade and were able to bargain lower prices for these goods. The rulers also commanded premium prices for their own slaves. They also received considerable gifts from the merchants in order to secure preferential trading agreements. Ouidah, a coastal town in Benin, West Africa was a strong European trading post since 1720 and was accessed by forty to fifty European trading vessels per year. Hence the ruler who started off with ten slaves in exchange for opening his market in 1700 was able to command a higher price of twenty slaves by 1720. This was in addition to the privileges in the purchase or sale of the commodities which included the slaves as well. According to Miles Ogborn, by 1800s the rulers in Africa were able to obtain â€Å"goods for each slave worth three or four times as much in 1700†. Both African and European slave traders were paid well. Overwhelmed by the profits from slave exports, wealthy merchants both in Africa and Europe, expanded slave trading networks to prodigious numbers. Figure 2 analyses changes in supply by African slave merchants in response to changes in prices. The data reveals that the supply increased as price increased. Hence, the largest emigration of slaves in the eighteenth century can be attributed to the increase in price from ? 14 to ? 25. Between the years 1779 and 1788, there was a decrease in demand for slaves due to the War of American Independence. This created excess supply of slaves in the African coast. Hence the planter in Americas started restocking their slave supply. The European slave traders capitalised on this by securing supply at cheaper prices from Africa and selling higher prices in the Americas; thereby making abnormal profits between these years. Thus slave trade allowed African and European slave traders to maximise profits from the trade. The consumers of Europe profited in terms of cheaper commodity prices due to increased output by African slaves in the plantations. Figure 3 presents data on the production of sugar and tobacco by British colonies. The increased volume of production of these commodities reduced their prices much to the favour of European consumers. Tobacco which fetched twenty to forty shillings in 1619 was sold for a shilling or less while the price of sugar halved between 1630 and 1680. Thus the consumers were able to enjoy the luxury of these commodities at affordable prices. The planters were another group of stakeholders in the trade who profited in their own way. Labour became cheap and more available due to Atlantic Slave trade. The planters always worked with a motive of profitable exploitation of the factors of production, especially labour and work was dictated by discipline and violence. Successful planters were able to create immense wealth and have extravagant lifestyles. While the slaves slogged day and night in the plantations, the owners were able to retreat in the Great Houses built on commanding positions, with beautiful gardens, imported china, furniture and furnishings. The fortune and lifestyle of Sir Charles Price, the largest land and slave owner of Jamaica between 1738 and 1772 demonstrates the height of planter lifestyles. The Decoy†, the Great House he built was a mansion with magnificent rooms with mirrors and wood carving in the decor, lakes and parks around the house and elegant gardens with fruits, flowers and vegetables. This essay has clearly illustrated the factors that led to the development of the Atlantic Slave trade. Eventhough the political set up in Europe and Africa and the growth in plantations laid the foundation for the trade, it was the technological developments and social influences on the Europeans and Africans that took the trade to global heights. Overall, the technological improvements lowered transport, handling and shipping costs enabling the achievement of economies of scale. Similarly, the growing demand for goods from Europe in Africa, the growth in slave trading institutions and the decline in Americas’ population fostered the slave trade. Finally, the profitability from the trade influenced various groups of stakeholders to become intensely involved making it an international trade spanning four continents and altering their social, economic and political composition.

Children and adults alike enjoy fairy Essay

Children and adults alike enjoy fairy tales because, to a certain extent, there are universal themes which make the stories predictable. Three of these themes are parental abandonment, victimization, and the all-important happy ending. Fairy tales provide an escape for the reader and a way to vicariously experience a different kind of life in which anything is possible. The idea of parental abandonment seems an anathema in a children’s story. Nevertheless, Little Red Riding Hood ventures alone into the forest to walk to her grandmother’s house, in spite of the danger presented by the wolf. Snow White and Cinderella’s parents die and leave them with cruel stepmothers. In â€Å"Beauty and the Beast†, Belle is without a mother and her father is a bit of a kook who can’t look after her properly. All of the characters are placed in situations in which they become victims. The three little pigs must protect their homes from a wolf; Little Red Riding Hood must outsmart a wolf who has eaten her grandmother and disguised himself. Cinderella and Snow White, on the other hand, must outsmart their cruel stepmothers in order to find true love. The most common theme in fairy tales (except, of course, for the Grimm versions) is that they have a happy ending. Cinderella and Snow White defeat their stepmothers and marry the prince, Little Red Riding Hood and the three little pigs outsmart the wolves and save themselves from certain death. A fairy tale just isn’t a fairy tale without a happy ending; after all, the story of Cinderella would be less compelling if she had missed the ball and one of her ugly stepsisters had married the prince. â€Å"Beauty and the Beast† would have been less of a fairy tale if Belle’s love hadn’t transformed the Beast.

Knowledge management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Knowledge management - Essay Example In addition, knowledge management has its basis in HR management approaches whose research tradition, particularly in the recruitment and training of talent and employee skill development, are of significant relevance to knowledge management. ICT represents a vital enabling factor for initiatives of knowledge management. In this case, both MIS researchers and computer scientists are substantially interested in knowledge management. Practitioners and researchers in Artificial Intelligence are especially interested in knowledge management, moving their focus away from knowledge and expert based systems. The most common theory in research on socio-technical systems is, generally, the systems theory. In addition, the view of organizations as systems of knowledge processing offers important insight for KM. Business transformation into knowledge intensive or knowledge based and intelligent organizations significantly influence organizations, especially with regards to management. Because these developments are essential in nature, several scholars have attempted to place knowledge as the basis of new theories concerning the firm. In the last ten years or so, competencies and knowledge have also been examined as part of the resource-based view of organizations in strategic management. On top of strategic management, other concepts and approaches of management are also influential on KM, which, by definition, is a function of management. Organizations for a long while have been a central focus of two active sociology and psychology fields; organizational sociology and organizational psychology. These research fields involve how humans behave from a collective and individual perspective in organizations. Some concepts have been adopted into organizational science and knowledge management. Also, concepts in knowledge sociology provide explanations for socially-constructed knowledge that is normally an underlying foundation of approaches in KM. From a practical

Youth justice in 2011 is tougher on crime than on the causes of crime Essay

Youth justice in 2011 is tougher on crime than on the causes of crime - Essay Example Youth justice provides justice to juvenile offenders who are legally not old enough or under 18 years of age. The main purpose of Youth justice or juvenile justice is to provide rehabilitation services to the youngsters rather punishing them. The basic aim of providing rehabilitation services to the youngsters is to prohibit them from future crimes and to lower down their criminal activities. Positive assistance is provided them to them by the involvement of their parents, social workers and probation officers in order to bring the positive changes in the behaviors of the young offenders and to prevent them from any other criminal activities in future. Youth justice in 2011 is tougher on crime than on the causes of crime: an analysis As discussed earlier, juvenile criminal activities are becoming the matter of growing concern for all the legal bodies around the world. Governments are taking special care and interest to minimize the causes of crime and to inhibit the criminal behavior in the youngsters. Recent riots in England have clearly showed the mental stability and the growing aggressive behavior in the young generation of England. ... ifferent criminologists, criminal activities involve all the public wrong doings committed by the teenagers falling into the age bracket of 12 to 20 years. There are several factors that sociologists believe are responsible for shaping such delinquent behavior in younger generation such as influence of the society, peer pressure and violation of different societal and moral norms. Some children are observed growing with antisocial behavior which may be the root cause of all the criminal activities. It has been observed that juvenile delinquent behavior is most common in age groups of 14 years while it is least in age groups of 17 years (Gilmore, 1990). Factors Contributing in Juvenile Delinquent Behavior: Our society emphasizes on punishing the offender for his crime rather than the cause that made him commit that crime and unless the root cause of the crime is eliminated; this problem will never be solved. Few of the most important factors that contribute in provoking and creating t he criminal mindset are: 1- Economic and Social Factors: Criminal behavior is the outcome of pessimistic consequences of social and economical development. Economic and political instability and weak state institutions are responsible for giving rise to criminal behavior. Among other factors; high unemployment rates and low incomes are also included. Such circumstances may provoke the involvement of young people in criminal activities. 2- Cultural Factors: Criminal behavior may also be the outcome of extraordinary efforts to fit in the society one is living in and to meet that standard one can be willing to go at any limits at that point in time one may fail to distinguish between the right and the wrong. Just to meet the status quo, one may be willing to commit any crime to any limit. It

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami 2011 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami 2011 - Term Paper Example Natural disasters account as a perfect example signifying the limitations of the human knowledge and control over the world. Scientists and researchers have tried to devise techniques to find out a solution to these occurrences but they have not achieved success in this field. A tragic natural disaster hit the country of Japan on the 11 march 2011. This tragic occurrence was analyzed to be the worst earthquake that had occurred in the history of the country and was highlighted to have set up alarms up till the United States and the South America. The earthquake was accompanied with a tsunami and resulted in a nuclear disaster in the country which was termed to have a higher severity than the Chernobyl nuclear event. These disasters not only hampered the infrastructure of the country but led to the displacement and deaths of thousands of people and resulted in great economic losses for the country (Japan — Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Crisis 2011). The earthquake in Japan ha s been ranked as the fifth most powerful earthquake of the world since the twentieth century. The earthquake was of the magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale. The earthquake had the highest severity in the northeastern part of Japan. Twenty four thousand people lost their lives or were missing following the earthquake. The tsunami, that resulted due to the earthquake, led to the destruction and drowning of complete villages in the northeastern part of the country. It was estimated that more than 3,400 buildings in the country had undergone destruction and damage. The power supply across the major cities was disrupted and people had to survive with no electricity and gas. Fires erupted across the areas that were hit mainly in the industrial locations as well as in places where there were oil reservoirs meant for storing the oil. The severity and strength of the earthquake did not settle and 100 minor earthquakes followed within a short period. The communication network across the are as that were hit was also disrupted. Immediately following the earthquake, it was understood by the nuclear experts that the tsunami that had resulted due to the earthquake had posed risk of damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The chaos that had resulted has not led to provide for a complete analysis of the situation. But owing to the risk, hundred thousands of people were moved from the areas that were close to the nuclear power plants to avoid the adverse effects that could have resulted due to the radiations from the power plants. The combined national organizations and the forces of the country set to work to save the people and move them to safer locations. These included the people from the fire department, police department as well as the armed forces of the country (Dawson et al 2011; Japan — Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Crisis 2011). The earthquake and the tsunami caused enough destruction and negative effects in Japan but the devastation in the country was aggravated by a nuclear breakdown and leakage that occurred in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The nuclear power station had been affected by the tsunami as well as the earthquake. The day following the earthquake hit the country, there was a first blast reported from the nuclear power plant. This was accompanied by a second blast after three days. The

Nicholas II Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nicholas II - Coursework Example Additionally, Nicholas not only relied on individuals who supported his ideas, but also enhanced autocracy. This incompetence in leadership catalyzed the problems Russians were going through. During the reign of Nicholas II, Russians experienced many problems as a result of Nicholas II incompetency. Russia lagged behind in terms of agriculture, commerce and industrialization (Hosking, 1993). Famine as well as high level of illiteracy also posed great challenge to the Russians whose population was increasing exponentially; people were allowed to cultivate and grow crops in traces of lands. Additionally, majority of the peasants were also very poor; they did not afford fertilizers leading to unproductive forms of agriculture. In addition, majority of the peasants were also unhealthy. In running Russia, Nicholas employed autocratic policies (Hosking, 1993). He believed in himself and wanted everything to be done according to his will. He also advocated foreign policies; he influenced the International Peace Conference that met at The Hague to promote universal peace. Additionally, Nicholas enhanced tsarist policies that that began in 1533 in leading Russians. In his reign as a czar, Nicholas rejected some policies that he considered threats to his leadership (Pipes, 2011). For instance, he highly rejected Russification policy. According to him, this policy was aimed at weakening his autocracy as well as the empire’s political

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Project Management - Essay Example The fertile soil of the Delta consists of alluvial and marine deposits; Increasing use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides â€Å"are compromising the water and habitat quality of large portions of the Delta ecosystem.† Fish grown and exported provide a large portion of the economy’s export earnings. â€Å"water quality is compromised from the industrial and municipal effluent of the capital city of B. located just northwest of the Delta.† Decrease in numbers of migratory birds in the Delta - affects the newly developing tourism industry. A stakeholder interest and influence chart is devised illustrating the stakeholder groups’ relative interest and influence in the project. This identifies those who should be managed, monitored, or kept informed or satisfied. Additionally, communities and environmentalists are specially interested in reducing pollution; workers in enhancing their livelihoods, and L due to violations of the EEZ. Desperate stakeholder groups are the poorer communities and those facing water shortages in S. Capacity for participation is expected to be greatest by those who stand to benefit economically, especially the tourism industry, and the international and national NGOs. Generally, those stakeholders with the greatest interest coupled with influence will have greater capacities. In keeping with the objective of frank disclosure of project information, fostering a culture of improvement, and stakeholders are encouraged to participate commensurate with their importance and valuable contributions. The WRB requires appropriate structures, mechanisms and systems in place, which all stakeholders must work together to ensure. The purpose of this analysis is to identify the problems and needs of the region, and, to recommend measures for poverty reduction, ecological sustainability and macroeconomic development. In doing so, we seek active involvement of

Awareness or anorexia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Awareness or anorexia - Research Paper Example This essay will examine will examine the reasons why it is essential to be aware of anorexia. It is important for one to be aware of anorexia since it is affecting a lot of people without their knowledge. As Anna notes, â€Å"Anorexia can cause the social life of a person to be greatly affected. People suffering from anorexia tend to suffer from low self-esteem and general body dissatisfaction, and this is mostly seen in girls and women.† This condition can in turn make them develop body image disturbances and this eventually, leads to anorexia. This can lead to extreme psychological and medical consequences. People suffering from this disorder have more chances of committing suicide, it cause cardiac arrest to an individual, and it can cause death due to starvation. A majority of anorexia is caused by genetics. Media is another cause of anorexia this comes about when one shares some environmental factors. Newspapers, magazines, and televisions contributes to a great extent to raising these complications since it portrays emaciated people as being a fashion and, super models and this makes majority of the public to emulate them (Anold 1). According to National Eating Disorders Association, â€Å"Eating disorders exists in three major forms, this include; bulimia, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.† Generally, those individuals suffering from bulimia and anorexia nervosa tend to suffer from low self-esteem, and they have a desire to have a perfect body weight and shape. A person suffers from anorexia nervosa when the weight of the body falls by 15 percent from the normal weight that is expected when compared to their height. Individuals with anorexia nervosa may seem to exercise excessively and can even resolve to force themselves to vomit the food that they have taken. As Anold says, â€Å"Anorexia nervosa may be characterized by the stopping

Capital Budgeting Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Capital Budgeting Worksheet Essay Read the scenarios below and select one to review and analyze. Determine the proposal’s appropriateness and economic viability. For all scenarios, assume spending occurs on the first day of each year and benefits or savings occurs on the last day. Assume the discount rate or weighted average cost of capital is 10%. Ignore taxes and depreciation. Proposal A: New Factory A company wants to build a new factory for increased capacity. Using the net present value (NPV) method of capital budgeting, determine the proposal’s appropriateness and economic viability with the following information: †¢Building a new factory will increase capacity by 30%. †¢The current capacity is $10 million of sales with a 5% profit margin. †¢The factory costs $10 million to build. †¢The new capacity will meet the company’s needs for 10 years. †¢The factory is worth $14 million over 10 years. Proposal B: New Equipment A company wants to buy a labor-saving piece of equipment. Using the NPV method of capital budgeting, determine the proposal’s appropriateness and economic viability with the following information: †¢Labor content is 12% of sales, which are annually $10 million. †¢The new equipment will save 20% of labor annually. †¢The new equipment will last 5 years. †¢The new equipment will cost $200,000. Proposal C: New Advertising Program A company wants to invest in a new advertising program. Using the NPV method  of capital budgeting, determine the proposal’s appropriateness and economic viability with the following information: †¢The new program will increase current sales, $10 million, by 20%. †¢The new program will have a profit margin is 5% of sales. †¢The new program will have a 3-year effect. †¢The new program will cost the company $200,000 in the first year.

Scotland Child Committee Purpose Social Work Essay

Scotland Child Committee Purpose Social Work Essay The North East of Scotland Child Protection Committee (NESCPC) has produced this Risk Assessment Framework in response to an identified need for a Pan Grampian approach. This framework is for use by all agencies located within Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray with the aim of ensuring that there is a consistency of understanding and approach to risk assessment across all sectors. The framework is written with the additional understanding that all practitioners have a responsibility to ensure that they are familiar with and follow their own organisations child protection procedures. These should all link to the overarching NESCPC Guidelines and give advice on who to contact, how to take immediate action and how concerns should be recorded. Background Several models of Risk Assessment exist but are not used in a systematic way because they are not thought to be comprehensive enough to be used in all situations (Scottish Government: Effective Approach to Risk Assessment in Social Work: an international literature review (2007). To enable greater consistency and conformity across Scotland, the Scottish Executive (2005) proposed a programme of change: Getting it Right For Every Child, incorporating the development work undertaken on an Integrated Assessment Planning and Recording Framework (IAF). This is based on requirements to gain a thorough understanding of: the developmental needs of a child the capacity of a parent/carer to respond appropriately to those needs the impact of the wider family and wider environmental factors on parenting capacity and on the childs needs This Framework emphasises the need to treat assessment as a process rather than an event. In evaluating the assessment and planning a response, practitioners are expected to consider the totality of the childs development and any unmet needs rather than focusing too narrowly on a need for protection. This approach should make sure that: Children get the help they need when they need it; Help is appropriate, proportionate and timely; Agencies work together to ensure a co-ordinated and unified response to meeting the childs needs; The plan is used to put in place arrangements to manage risk and to co-ordinate help for the child or young person; The plan is based on assessment and analysis of the childs world, including the risks, needs and resilience factors. What is Risk Assessment? Risk Assessment is a frequently used term without practitioners always being clear about what is meant. Risk assessment is merely the description of good methodical practice to risky situations (Jones, 1998). Risk Assessment is a critical element of the integrated assessment process pulling together, as it does the identified strengths within a family as well as those areas of concern or risk that need to be addressed. It is a complex, continuous and dynamic process, which involves the gathering and weighting of relevant information to help make decisions about the family strengths, needs and associated risks and plan for necessary interventions. Good systematic assessment confirms what may have happened, how this may affect the immediate and future safety of the child or young person, places this in context and informs what needs to be done. Risk assessments can also be used to predict the escalation of the presenting behaviour as well as the individuals motivation for change. Assessing risk is not an exact science; prediction involves probability and thus some errors are inevitable. Basic Principles when assessing risk. The welfare of the child is paramount. Risk assessment should be based on sound evidence and analysis Risk assessment tools should inform rather than replace professional judgement All professionals involved in risk assessment should have a common language of risk and common understanding of information sharing to inform assessment Risk assessment is influenced by professionals own personal and professional values, experiences, skills and knowledge The judgement and experience of practitioners needs to be transparent in assessment No tool, procedure or framework can adequately account for and predict human behaviour Effective communication and information sharing is crucial to protecting children Children, young people and family views should be sought, listened to and recorded with clear evidence of their involvement in decision making where possible. A good risk assessment process should elicit and highlight both commonalities and differences in professional and family perspectives Good risk assessment requires the best possible working relationship between worker and family members All staff must always be alert and aware to situations where children may be at risk and address any potential concerns through their own agencys child protection policy / NESCPC child protection guidance. Risk Assessment Framework This framework is adapted from the work undertaken by Jane Aldgate and Wendy Ross (A Systematic Practice Model for Assessing and Managing Risk, 2007) and is structured in 9 different stages: Using the SHANNARI well-being indicators (Safe, Well, Active, Nurtured, Achieving, Respected, Responsible and Included). 2. Getting the child and familys perspectives on risk. Drawing on evidence from research and development literature about the level of risk and its likely impact on any individual child. 4. Assessing the likely recurrence of harm. 5. Looking at immediate and long-term risks in the context of My World triangle. Using the Resilience Matrix to analyse the risks, strengths, protective factors and vulnerabilities. 7. Weighing the balance of that evidence and making decisions. 8. Constructing a plan and taking appropriate action. 9. Management of Risk 1. Using the SHANARRI well-being indicators: The Scottish Executive (2004) agreed a vision for Scotlands Children. They should be: Safe Healthy Active Nurtured Achieving Respected Responsible Included Using these SHANARRI indicators, professionals consider the childs holistic needs. In any assessment professionals should ask themselves the following key questions: What is getting in the way of this child being safe, healthy, active, nurtured, achieving, respected, responsible and included? Why do I think that this child is not safe? What have I observed, heard, or identified from the childs history that causes concern? Are there factors that indicate risk of significant harm present and is the severity of factors enough to warrant immediate action? What can I do? What can my agency do? Do I need to share / gather information to construct a plan to protect this child? What additional help may I find from other agencies? 2. Getting the child and familys perspectives on the risk. The involvement and partnership with children, young people and their families is integral and essential to successful risk assessment and management. Information is incomplete and a good understanding of the risks of harm and needs of the children cannot be reached without families perspectives on the risks to their childrens difficulties. An open and transparent approach that actively involves all involved, including the children and families is of clear benefit in that: Children, young people and families can understand why sharing information with professionals is necessary; Children and families can help practitioners distinguish what information is significant; Everyone who needs to can take part in making decisions about how to help a child; Everyone contributes to finding out whether a plan has made a positive difference to a child or family; Professionals behave ethically towards families; Even in cases where compulsory action is necessary, research has shown better outcomes for children by working collaboratively with parents. 3. Drawing on evidence from research and developmental literature about the level of risk and its likely impact on any individual child. Risks need to be seen in the wider context of short and long term risks to childrens wellbeing and development. Core factors can be identified in relation to abuse or neglect but these should not be used as predictors for current and future abuse without being considered in the context of the childs own nature and environment. In all cases of child abuse, parenting capacity should also be considered and this involves taking account of historical information as well as assessing the here and now. Protective factors need to be weighed up against risk factors and vulnerability to determine the level of risk to the individual child or young person and the likelihood of future harm. The factors should be used as a knowledge base to underpin more detailed assessments of strengths and pressures based on the My World triangle. (See Section 5). Factors to be considered: (This list is not complete but is a general guide). Adapted from City of Edinburgh Risk Taking Policy and Guidance (2004). Consideration of significant harm (link to Safety Threshold considerations, Section 3 NESCPC guidelines for further explanation); Current injury/harm is severe: the more severe an injury, the greater the impairment for the child/young person and the greater the likelihood of reoccurrence; Pattern of harm is escalating: if harm has been increasing in severity and frequency over time, it is more likely that without effective intervention the child/young person will be significantly harm; Pattern of harm is continuing: the more often harm has occurred in the past the more likely it is to occur in the future; The parent or care-giver has made a threat to cause serious harm to the child/young person: such threats may cause significant emotional harm and may reflect parental inability to cope with stress, the greater the stress for a person with caring responsibilities, the greater the likelihood of future physical and emotional harm to the child/young person; Sexual abuse is alleged and the perpetrator continues to have access to the child/young person: if the alleged perpetrator has unlimited access to the child/young person, there is an increased likelihood of further harm; Chronic neglect is identified: serious harm may occur through neglect, such as inadequate supervision, failure to attend to medical needs and failure to nurture; Previous history of abuse or neglect: if a person with parental responsibility has previously harmed a child or young person, there is a greater likelihood of re-occurrence; The use of past history in assessing current functioning is critical. Factors relating to the child or young person Physical harm to a child under 12 months: very young children are more vulnerable due to their age and dependency. Any physical harm to a child under 12 months should be considered serious and the risk assessment should not focus solely on the action and any resultant harm, but rather that the parent has used physical action against a very young child. This could be as a result of parenting skill deficits or high stress levels. Child is unprotected: the risk assessment must consider parental willingness and ability to protect the young child. Children aged 0-5 years are unable to protect themselves, as are children with certain learning disabilities and physical impairments. Children, who are premature, have low birth weight, learning disability, physical or sensory disability and display behavioural problems are more liable to abuse and neglect. The child/young person presents as fearful of the parent or care-giver or other member of the household: a child/young person presenting as fearful, withdrawn or distressed can indicate harm or likely harm. The child/young person is engaging in self-harm, substance misuse, dangerous sexual behaviour or other at risk behaviours: such behaviour can be indicators of past or current abuse or harm. Factors relating to the parent or care-giver The parent or care-giver has caused significant harm to any child/young person in the past through physical or sexual abuse: once a person has been a perpetrator of an incident of maltreatment there is an increased likelihood that this behaviour will re-occur. The parent or care-givers explanation of the current harm/injury is inconsistent or the harm is minimised: this may indicate denial or minimisation. Where a parent or care-giver fails to accept their contribution to the problem, there is a higher likelihood of future significant harm. The parent or care-givers behaviour is violent or out of control: people who resort to violence in any context are more likely to use violent means with a child or young person. The parent or care-giver is unable or unwilling to protect the child/young person: ability to protect the child/young person may be significantly impaired due to mental illness, physical or learning disability, domestic violence, attachment to, or dependence on (psychological or financial) the perpetrator. The parent or care-giver is experiencing a high degree of stress: the greater the stress for a parent or care-giver, the greater the likelihood of future harm to the child or young person. Stress factors include poverty and other financial issues, physical or emotional isolation, health issues, disability, the behaviour of the child/young person, death of a child or other family member, divorce/separation, and large numbers of children. The parent or care-giver has unrealistic expectations of the child/young person and acts in a negative way towards the child/young person: this can be linked to a lack of knowledge of child development and poor parenting skills. Parents or care-givers who do not understand normal developmental milestones may make demands which do not match the child/young persons cognitive, developmental or physical ability. The parent or care-giver has poor care-giving relationship with the child/young person: a care-giver who is insensitive to the child or young person may demonstrate little interest in the child/young persons wellbeing and may not meet their emotional needs. Indicators of poor care-giving include repeated requests for substitute placement for the child/young person. The parent or care-giver has a substance misuse problem. Parental substance misuse can lead to poor supervision, chronic neglect and inability to meet basic needs through lack of money, harmful responses to the child/young person through altered consciousness, risk of harm from others through inability to protect the child/young person. The parent or care-giver refuses access to the child/young person: in these circumstances it is possible that the parent or care-giver wishes to avoid further appraisal of the well-being of the child. Highly mobile families decrease the opportunity for effective intervention, which may increase the likelihood of further harm to the child/young person. The parent or care-giver is young: a parent or care-giver under 21 years may be more likely to harm the child through immaturity, lack of parenting knowledge, poor judgement and inability to tolerate stress. The parents or care-givers themselves experienced childhood neglect or abuse: however caution has to be exercised here; parenting skills are frequently learned/modelled but later positive experiences can counteract an individuals own childhood experiences. Factors relating to the Environment The physical and social environment is chaotic, hazardous and unsafe: a chaotic, unhygienic and non-safe environment can pose a risk to the child/young person through exposure to bacteria/disease or through exposure to hazards such as drug paraphernalia, unsecured chemicals, medication or alcohol. Conversely, an environment with overly sanitised conditions, where the childs needs are not recognised or prioritised is also harmful. 4. Assessing the likely recurrence of harm. When assessing how safe a child is consideration must be given to likelihood of recurrence of any previous harm. Factors for consideration: The severity of the harm (How serious was it? How long did it continue? How often?) In what form was the abuse / harm? Did the abuse have any accompanying neglect or psychological maltreatment? Sadistic acts? Was there any denial? This could include absence of acknowledgement, lack of co-operation, inability to form a partnership and absence of outreach. Are there issues with parental mental health? This could include personality disorder, learning disabilities associated with mental illness, psychosis, and substance/alcohol misuse. These also link to consideration of additional family stress factors, the degree of social support available to the family, the age of the children and number of children and the parents own history of abuse. Other agencies may be able to add additional knowledge and expertise to inform an effective risk assessment. Looking at immediate and long-term risks in the context of the My World triangle. The Assessment Triangle Being healthy Everyday care and help Learning and achieving Keeping me safe Being able to communicate Being there for me Confidence in who I am Play, encouragement and fun Learning to be responsible Guidance, supporting me to make the right choices Becoming independent, looking after myself Knowing what is going to happen and when Enjoying family and Friends Understanding my familys background and beliefs Support from School Work opportunities family, friends and for my family other people Enough money Local resources Belonging Comfortable and safe housing An important principle underpinning the evidence-based planning in Getting it Right for Every Child is that there are many positive and negative influences in the world each child experiences. Each child is unique and will react differently to these influences but all children will react to what is going on in different parts of the family and the wider world in which they are growing up. This is why recent thinking in child development urges that we take a look at all the different influences in a childs whole world when assessing childrens development. This is called a childs ecology and is encapsulated in the My World triangle. Each domain of the My World triangle provides a source of evidence that enable a full developmental holistic assessment of any individual child. The domains can be used to identify strengths and pressures, which balance risk and protective factors. 6. Using the Resilience Matrix to analyse the risks, strengths, protective factors and vulnerabilities. The Resilience Vulnerablity Matrix As defined by Daniel and Wassell, (2002). RESILIENCE Normal development under difficult conditions eg.secure attachment, outgoing temperament, sociability, problem solving skills. High Support / Low Concern PROTECTIVE ENVIRONMENT Factors in the childs environment acting as buffer to the negative effects of adverse experience. ADVERSITY Life events / circumstances posing a threat to healthy development eg. loss, abuse, neglect. Low Support / High Concern VULNERABILITY Those characteristics of the child, their family circle and wider community which might threaten or challenge healthy development eg. disability, racism, lack of or poor attachment. Low Support / High Concern Families assessed to be in this category are the most worrying. Low Concern / High Support. Families in this group have a network of support and are generally more able to cope with advice and guidance from standard services. Resilience includes the protective factors that are features of the child or their world that might counteract identified risks or a predisposition to risk such as: Emotional maturity and social awareness. Evidenced personal safety skills (including knowledge of sources of help). Strong self esteem. Evidence of strong attachment. Evidence of protective adults. Evidence of support networks (supportive peers / relationships). Demonstrable capacity for change by caregivers and the sustained acceptance of the need to change to protect their child. Evidence of openness and willingness to co-operate and accept professional intervention. Protective factors do not in themselves negate high risks, so these need to be cross-referred with individually identified high risks and vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities are any known characteristic or factors in respect of the child that might predispose them to risk of harm. Examples of these include: Age. Prematurity. Learning difficulties or additional support needs. Physical disability. Communication difficulties / impairment. Isolation. Frequent episodes in public or substitute care. Frequent episodes of running away. Conduct disorder. Mental health problems. Substance dependence / misuse. Self-harm and suicide attempts. Other high risk behaviours. The more vulnerabilities present (or the more serious one single vulnerability is) then the greater the predisposition to risk of harm. The presence of vulnerability in itself is neither conclusive nor predictive. These must be set alongside identified risk factors to be properly understood as part of an assessment process. 7.Weighing the balance of that evidence and making decisions. Decisions now need to be made about what to do to address the needs relating to the childs safety. These decisions lead to a plan to protect the child. This plan should also address the childs broader developmental needs. Stages of decision-making: Data gathering Weigh relative significance Assessment of current situation Circumstances which may alter childs welfare Prospects for change Criteria for gauging effectiveness Timescale proposed Childs plan (child in need plan, child protection plan or care plan, depending on the status of the child). What Factors Reduce the Effectiveness of Risk Assessment? Poor integrated working practices between agencies and individuals. Lack of holistic assessment. Inadequate knowledge of signs, symptoms and child protection processes. Information that has not been shared. Difficulty in interpreting, or understanding, the information that is available. Difficulty in identifying what is significant. Difficulty in distinguishing fact from opinion. Difficulty in establishing linkage across available evidence. Working from assumptions rather than evidence. Over confidence in the certainty of an assessment. A loss of objectivity. Making Effective Risk Assessments Assess all areas of potential risk Define the concern, abuse or neglect Grade the risks Identify factors that may increase risk of harm Consider the nature of the risk its duration / severity Set out and agree time scales for the assessment to be carried out Specifically document the identified risk factors Gather key information and evidence Has all the required information been gathered? Assess the strengths in the situation Check if any risk reducing factors exist? Build a detailed family history and chronology of key events/concerns Assess the motivation, capacity and prospects for change? What risk is associated with intervention? Be aware of potential sources of error Identify the need for specialist supports Plan your key interventions. Constructing a plan and taking appropriate action. Constructing the childs plan is a fundamental part of the Getting it Right for Every Child (Scottish Executive, 2005) initiative. This specifies that there will be a plan for a child in any case where it is thought to be helpful. This can be in both a single agency and a multi-agency context. The assessment of risk and the management of risk is incorporated into the childs plan. This also includes an analysis of the child or young persons circumstances based on the My World triangle and should cover: How the child or young person is growing and developing (including their health, education, physical and mental development, behaviour and social skills). What the child or young person needs from the people who look after him / her, including the strengths and risks involved; The strengths and pressures of the child or young persons wider world of family friends and community; and Assessment of risk, detailing: The kind of risk involved; What is likely to trigger harmful behaviour; and In what circumstances the behaviour is most likely to happen. The plan should note risk low, medium or high as well as the impact of the child or young person on others. (Guidance on the Child or Young Persons Plan, Scottish Executive. 2007, page 13). The plan should address key questions: What is to be done? Who is to do it? How will we know if there are improvements? The Childs Plan should be monitored and reviewed and amended as need, circumstances and risks change. (Scottish Executive, 2007). Child Protection Case Conferences play a key role in the management of risk. A Child Protection Case Conference will be arranged, where it appears that there may be risk of significant harm to children within a household and there is a need to share and assess information to decide whether the childs name needs to be placed on the Child Protection Register and be subject to a Child Protection Plan. (Link to Part 4 NESCPC guidelines) 9. Principles for Risk Management There is a need to ensure that the ongoing shared plan: Manages the risk Puts the decisions into a recorded form that clearly shows how and why decisions were reached. Makes the risk management an ongoing process that links with all areas of agreed and informed professional practice and expertise. Ensures that the decisions made have actions with named persons, clear timescales and review dates. Ensures that any agreed timescales can be reduced if new risks / needs become apparent. Ensures that new risk assessments and analysis inform reviews. Lessons from Significant Case Reviews. Significant Case Reviews repeatedly describe warning signs that agencies have failed to react to which have should acted as indicators that children and young people at risk of serious harm. Examples include: Children and young people who may be hidden from view; are unavailable when professionals visit the family or are prevented from attending school or nursery. Parents who do not co-operate with services; fail to take their children to routine health appointments and discourage professionals from visiting. Parents who are consistently hostile and aggressive to professionals and may threaten violence. Children and young people, who are in emotional or physical distress, but may be unable to verbalise this. Children and young people who are in physical pain (from an injury) may be told to sit or stand in a certain way when professionals visit the family or may hide injuries from view. Children and young people who have gone missing / run away (with or without their families). Workers should adopt an enquiring and investigative approach to risk assessment and not rely on parents or carers statements alone. Further corroboration of statements and challenging of parental views and perceptions is essential if to effectively determine the risk to the child or young person. Interventions should not be delayed until the completion of an assessment, but they have to be carried out in accordance with what is required to ensure the child or young persons safety, taking account of any indications of accelerated risks and warning signs. The type and level of intervention, irrespective of when it is made, must always be proportionate to the circumstances and risks faced by the child. Workers should pay particular concern to the rule of optimism. Many significant case reviews have illustrated that practitioners views can be strongly influenced by factors such as seeing indicators of progress or apparent compliance and co-operation. This does not, however, always mean that the child or young person is safe and such factors need to be balanced against the overall balance of evidence and actual risks. It is essential that those exercising professional judgement in relation to child protection take account of all multi-agency skills and expertise. This is of particular importance in relation to understanding of child development and the impact of child abuse and/or neglect on children and young people, both in the immediate and long term. Thus whilst immediate safety provisions have to be put in place, consideration must also be given to the longer term outcomes as a result of abuse or neglect. Significant case reviews highlight the importance of communication between all agencies that work either directly, or indirectly with children and/or their families. Thus it is imperative that: Adult services MUST ALWAYS consider any potential risks for any child linked to their adult clients. Childrens services MUST ALWAYS ascertain whether any adult services may be involved with their child clients. All services MUST ALWAYS ensure there is effective communication where there are concerns about the protection of a child. Concerns relating to actual or potential harm should never be ignored and are an indication that immediate intervention might be needed to ensure the protection of the child from future harm. Decisions to protect children and young people should never be delayed and where applicable, emergency measures should be considered. (see Part 3 of NESCPC Guidelines).

Advantages of using CNG

Advantages of using CNG Appeared like a monster for the first time in 1999 and threatened all Egyptians, it was huge, dangerous and cruel. So the Egyptian government declared the war against it, and started to take serious actions. Now its 2009 but no change, its still there darkening the skies of Cairo from October to December causing a lot of environmental and health casualties. Apart from the gray looking skies and awful smell spreading in cities, the Monster causes Respiratory problems. Mahmoud Abdel Majeed, head of Abbasiya Chest Diseases Hospital, said, People suffer from breathing difficulties, coughing and sometimes respiratory failure which requires artificial respiration. Adding that children and the elderly were the most at risk. Most of you now know who the monster is, its the BLACK CLOUD. Funny enough that its not a natural phenomenon but it is mainly caused by us!! According to some statistics its said that 40% of the pollution is from the burning of rice straws, another 23% from vehicle fumes as Cairo now has about 4.3 million vehicles in its streets. Factory emissions also cause 23% and 6 % from burning of wastes. We need solutions! One of the solutions is to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a fuel for cars instead gasoline. Natural gas cars are not different from gasoline fuelled cars except that the natural gas cars are fuelled by CNG not gasoline. And its mechanism is so simple; when u start your engine, the CNG enters a regulator that reduces the pressure before entering the fuel-injection system. The gas is then mixed with air and injected into the cylinders of the engine where its ignited by a spark plug resulting in an explosion which is used to drive the piston. CNG is not only good for the environment but also as for individuals there are other benefits. Using CNG is a new revolution which has economical, environmental and technical pros, yet not all people use CNG as a fuel for their cars for different reasons. CNG is quite economical; its about third of the price of regular gas, good news for the low paid and taxi drivers. Also people who own a natural gas car will have some tax incentives; the government makes them pay fewer taxes as a reward for contributing in protecting the environment from pollution. Further more, the cost of maintenance of natural gas cars is very low in long term compared to that of gasoline cars. From all sides, CNG is quite more economical than gasoline. The main advantage of using CNG as a fuel is because its environmentally friendly. Since it is the cleanest burning fossil fuel, as methane burns cleaner than petroleum fuels. According to a report by the Air Pollution Research Department at the National Research Center in Cairo, it was found that, compared to petrol, CNG has a vital potential to reduce carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide concentrations in exhaust released from electronic fuel-injection and well-carbureted engines by an average of 73 percent and 66 percent, 39 percent and 31 percent and 21 percent and 19 percent, respectively. With these figures, CNG became a friend to the environment and people as well, since it causes no or less negative health effects than the petroleum or gasoline. Using CNG also has some technical advantages. CNG gives a high compression ratio, which means that most of the fuel is burnt. The advantage of high compression ratio is that it gives the engine a higher horsepower ratio resulting in a high performance engine. One of the best things about CNG is that u can convert your car to be natural gas fuelled. The conversion process is an easy process; it is simply fitting storage tanks in the trunk of the vehicle and installing injection nozzles in the engine. After this u will have a bi-fuel vehicle! Bi-fuel vehicles have the capability to switch between using gasoline and other fuel like CNG manually or automatically to run the car, what do we need more!! But what makes some people refuse or afraid to convert their cars to natural gas cars? Well, like everything in the world, CNG has some disadvantages too. First, the conversion process can be costly as he/she will have to buy the conversion kit and pay for the mechanic who will convert it. Yes CNG is cheaper in price, but this is when you refill your car but when it comes to conversion, it can be costly. Another disadvantage is

Simple Sammy :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In John Updike’s short story â€Å"A&P†, small town New England life is teeming with a whole lot of nothing. Sammy, the man who tells all, seems very uninterested in his job as a check out boy at the local A&P, yet very interested in the people who shop there. He uses his boredom as a vehicle of his imagination that allows him to pry his customers open and expose their true selves. Updike’s Sammy shows himself as an observant, critical and very bored young man through his first person narration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Updike’s choice of first person perspective lends Sammy the ever powerful ability to quietly but relentlessly gather observations of the people and things around him. The first characters encountered are â€Å"three girls in nothing but bathing suits†(369). This scene would obviously catch the attention of any breathing male. But Sammy first takes in â€Å"the one in the plaid green two-piece. She was a chunky kid . . . [with] a sweet broad soft-looking can†(369). With these quick and most likely mindless observations, Sammy exposes himself as a person who judges others based on appearances. As he takes note of the three girls, he sees â€Å"the queen†¦ [with] a kind of prim face. Walking into the A&P with your straps down, I suppose it’s the only kind of face you can have†(370). Sammy’s observations of the girls in bathing suits are not the only ones made throughout the story. However, the notice taken of the girls i s the most kind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perhaps through his mindless job of ringing up items, Sammy finds that making quick judgments of his customers through brief interactions is quite entertaining. He sees one female customer as â€Å"one of those cash-register-watchers, a witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows†¦she’d been watching cash registers for fifty years and probably never seen a mistake before†(369). Sammy gathers this unfair judgment coarsely and without much thought. He uses this same technique while watching the girls in bathing suits, for example, he thinks the older woman is a witch while he thinks that the girl with her straps down is the queen of her group. And why? Because it’s easy for him to assume these things based on what he sees. He also sees a man â€Å"in baggy gray pants who stumbles up with four giant cans of pineapple juice† and wonders to himself â€Å"what do these bums do with all that pineapple juice?

The Effect of Racism on the Self-Esteem of African Americans and the He

Throughout the past, scientists have attempted to explain the health disparity between African Americans and Whites. With the completion of the human genome project, it was shown that there is very little difference between different races on the genetic level. However, â€Å"African Americans are twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease as their European counterpart,† the question that has arisen is where do these differences stem from (Harell, Floyd, Daniels and Bell). Recently, scientists have begun to believe that racism could possibly explain these differences (Belgrave &Allison, 2010). Racism has been an issue for African Americans since the early days of slavery. Everywhere they go, they face a possibility of being treated differently because of their race. Within the past fifty years, the racism that African Americans faced has dropped, however it is still prevalent. According to Belgrave and Allison, racism is defined as â€Å"the negative beliefs, actions, and emotions based on race† although there are different types of racism, this definition gives a generalization on what racism is. It seems as though racism is the cause of many of the health problems that are faced by African Americans. Whether it is because African Americans generally do not receive the same health service as Whites or because direct racism causes higher blood pressure, racism has a negative health effect on African Americans (Belgrave &Allison, 2010). Purpose The purpose of this experiment is to see whether racism has an effect on the self-esteem of African Americans and the health risks associated with racism, mainly high blood pressure. The independent variable is perception of racism and the dependent variables are the self... ...nd blood pressure. Racism is a problem facing many African Americans in the United States. It is affecting both their self-esteem and health. Until they are given the help they need or racism dissipates from society, they will always have these problems. References Belgrave, A. Z., & Allison, K. W. (2010S).African american psychology, from africa to america. (2nd ed., pp. 96-112). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc. Fischer, A. R., & Shaw, C. (1999). African americans mental health and perceptions of racist discrimination: The moderating effects of racial socialization experiences and self-esteem. Journal of Counseling Psychology,46(3), 395-407. Retrieved from psycnet.apa.org/journals/cou/46/3/395.html Harrell, C. P. J., Floyd, L. J., & Bell, S. R. Psychophysiological methods: enduring value to research within black psychology.

Critical Thinker Essay

Gandhi When you hear the name Mahatma Gandhi, what’s the first thing you think of? The terms nonviolence, civil disobedience, and mahatma (meaning great soul) are what most people will likely think hearing his name. From being raised as a child in India, to attending law school in England, to his countless movements for Indian freedom, to his tragic assassination, Gandhi and his critical thinking have helped pave the way for others who have brought change to our world. Born October 2, 1869 in the small state of Porbandar, located in the western part of India, Gandhi means grocer.The name came from generations earlier in which that had been his family’s occupation. He attended school where as a child he tended to run home from school for fear of being of being made of fun of because he had difficulty with multiplication. Another interesting fact about Gandhi is that he was married at age thirteen, as it was arranged and quite common in India. Gandhi's first true insight into nonviolence came when he stole gold from his brother. He felt guilty for doing so and eventually confessed to his father, who instead of being mad at him, wept. Information above from http://www. progress. org/gandhi/gandhi01. htm) This is where his journey to the great accomplishments he would reach later in his life began. Gandhi would go on to attend law school in London and eventually return home. He had only graduated with enough information to know English laws, not Indian/Hindu laws. He was given an opportunity by a large Indian firm where he was to travel to South Africa to assist in a legal case in court. He told his family goodbye as he went forth â€Å"to try his luck in South Africa†.Not only did he have luck; he would end up discovering himself, his philosophy, and his following from this expenditure. (http://www. progress. org/gandhi/gandhi02. htm) While on a train ride, a white passenger had protested to the officials and Gandhi was ordered to a lower clas s region. When he refused to move because he had a first class ticket, he was kicked off the train. Sitting alone in the cold that that evening, he realized he had two choices; fight for his rights or go back to India. He chose to fight for his rights and the rights for all people.After a difficult first week, he decided to gather the local Indians to discuss their horrible conditions. As more meetings were held, Gandhi soon knew the problems they experienced (couldn't vote, own homes, go out without permit, or even walk on public roads). (Information from http://www. progress. org/gandhi/gandhi03. htm) In Gandhi's attempt to bring equality to the Indian people, he was a strong believer in nonviolence. One time, while protesting peacefully outside a building for the Black Act, Gandhi was arrested. Read Critical Essay about Skurzynski’s NethergraveThis would be his first of a few different times he spent in jail. One of Gandhi's most known nonviolent/civil disobedience protests would be the salt march. They traveled 200 miles to the sea to extract salt from it as a way of fighting back against the British Salt Tax. As they picked up the salt, some were arrested. And this lead to more nonviolent protests that caused British shops and mills to close. In a march following the salt march, policemen became violent against Gandhi's followers, who in return did not fight back.The world took notice of this and embraced the nonviolence shown. This would eventually enable India to gain their freedom from Britain. Unfortunately, Gandhi was assassinated one late afternoon during a group prayer. (Information from http://www. progress. org/gandhi/gandhi14. htm) Even with his assassination, his philosophy of nonviolence/civil disobedience still lives on. Civil disobedience, nonviolence , and truth are pillars in Gandhian thought that would be used by others who wished to seek change for people (above information from http://www. ahatma. com/php/showNews. php? newsid=52;linkid=1). Martin Luther King Jr. would adopt Gandhi's philosophy and use it in his fight against discrimination of African Americans in the United States. Gandhi came from a humble beginning and was able to make a difference that not only helped free his people, but would be the sparks for another man’s dream have all people be equal and free. References http://www. progress. org/gandhi/gandhi01. htm (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 14) http://www. mahatma. com/php/showNews. php? newsid=52&linkid=10

Animal Farm Essay

The novel Animal Farm was cleverly written by George Orwell to make fun of the Russian government. Orwell made all of the events in the book relate to an event during the Russian revolution. The rebellion in George Orwell’s Animal Farm represents the Russian revolution during the reign of Joseph Stalin. This novel is an allegory that can be taken as a children’s book or a book with a serious political opinion. George Orwell was born in India in 1903 to the name Eric Arthur Blair. He was a very opinionated man who despised political lying. Orwell strongly believed in a form of government called socialism. He moved to England an attended Eton college. Shortly after, he moved back to India and joined the Indian Imperial Police for five years. After doing a variety of jobs around France he started to write articles until beginning to write his books. In the sources I used the definition of the Russian Revolution is â€Å"Russian Revolution, violent upheaval in Russia in 1917 that overthrew the czars government.† In the novel the rebellion of the animals was a violent upheaval on Manor Farm that overthrew Mr. Jones. Orwell’s point in writing this novel was to show the stupidity and flaws of the Russian government and the stupidity of the events that took place in the time period of the rise of communism. The main events that happen in the novel go word for word to what major events took place during Porter 2 the rise of Joseph Stalin. In the Russian Revolution Joseph Stalin took the words of the beloved Karl Marks and used them to gain power for his own doing. The same thing happened in Animal Farm when Napoleon used the words of Old Major to start his own Revolution. George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a story about rebellion. The farm animals rebel against Mr. Jones, the farm owner, because of neglect. When the animals chase out Mr. and Mrs. Jones, the animals immediately rejoice. The pigs gain control of the farm. They soon forget the real meaning of â€Å"Animalism† and the other animals cannot tell the difference between the humans and the pigs. Orwell’s Animal Farm parallels the characters, events, and socialism of the Russian Revolution. The characters in Animal Farm favor the main personalities of the Russian Revolution. Mr. Jones is a reflection of Czar Nicholas II, who lost control of his reign by rapid industrialization. The rebellion in the novel mirrors the R ussian revolution. The windmill is a symbol for Stalin’s Five-Year plan. Just a windmill was promised to make the animal’s life easier. The Five-Year Plan was supposed to improve Soviet industry to the point that the people’s life would be made easier. Stalin also thought that the Five Year Plan would increase production and allow the soviets to shorten the workweek. And just like the windmill, and Stalin’s plan was an utter failure. After the destruction of the Windmill, the Animals decided to build another one. Just like how Stalin kept churning out new Five-year Plans. Always promising that each new plan would solve all of Russia’s problems. The same as Porter 3  when Napoleon kept on making up plans that would benefit him in the long run. It all started when the hens refused to give their eggs up to the pigs. Napoleon then decided to starve them until they change their minds. Several of the hen’s die, and the rest simply give up. Soon after, Napoleon calls a general meeting. The dogs drag out several pigs. The pigs confess that they were working with Snowball and Mr. Frederick, and a moment later the dogs tear their throats out. After that, the same thing happens with the surviving hens from the rebellion. At the end, there is a pile of corpses by Napoleons feet. What we have here is a nightmare that mirrors to the Great Purge. The Great Purge took place between 1936 and 1938. Working to eliminate every last trace of the people Stalin had executed or sent to Gulag labor camps. Many of those who died, died because they claimed association with Leon Trotsky. Estimates of how many died in the purges ranges from about 500,000 up to 2 million. Stalin and Napoleon were evil men. Orwell was a very clever man. He had a lot of ideas on how government should be run. He also was a very talented writer. Using those skills he crafted the novel our class read Animal Farm. This novel could be read at an elementary level or at a high school level with a huge political perspective. Orwell cleverly used the story of animals taking over a farm to make fun of the communist government. In doing so he included the events as told in my past paragraphs. The Russian Revolution, Stalin’s Five-Year Plan, and The Great Purge. All events secretly mentioned in the form of a children’s fable. Orwell was truly a clever man.

Business Forms Worksheet Essay

There are seven forms of business: sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company (including the single member LLC), S Corporation, Franchise, and Corporation. 1. Research and provide three advantages and three disadvantages for each business form. 2. Provide a 100- to 200-word summary in which you provide an example business that you would start for each form. What is legally necessary to file in order to form that business? Discuss at least one of the advantages and one of the disadvantages of that form. Sole Proprietorship Advantages 1. Income taxes 2. Continuity of business 3. Control of business Disadvantages 1. Liability 2. Closure of business 3. Difficulty raising capital Summary Sole priprietors are not that difficult to set up and maintain. For example, if someone were to start up a photography or salon business, then they are considered to be a sole proprietor. Being a sole proprietor means that you do not have to pay a supplier or default on any debts, but creditors may take the sole proprietors person possessions. Sole proprietors must report any and all business income or losses on their income tax return on the IRS form 1040 with a Schedule C attachment. Most cities require that a sole proprietor register the business. Once they do this, the person will receive a business license or tax registration certificate. As a sole proprietor, control of business is important because that person does not have to follow the rules or regulations someone else has put out. They are able to charge prices they see fit and can set their own hours. Difficulty raising capital can be a burden for most sole proprietors who want to set up shop. It can cost a substantial amount of money to lease space and purchase equipment. Without proper equipment, the business could have difficulty bringing in customers. Partnership Advantages 1. Easy to establish partnership 2. More creative brainstorming 3. More complimentary skills Disadvantages 1. Liable for other partners actions 2. Shared profits 3. Limited life on partnership Summary A partnership consists of two or more people owning a single business. Each partner contributes their share into the business covering areas such as labor and skill, property, and money. Take a restaurant for example. All decisions are made together including any issues, profits, or change of ownership. A partnership can be easy, but expensive. All profits must be shared equally since the partners are equally invested in the success of the restaurant. Some forms that are required of a partnership are Schedule K-1 since they are not considered employees, but partners. For tax purposes, partners must fill out additional taxes such as income tax, self-employment tax, and estimated tax. A partnership needs to register with the IRS as well as state and local revenue agencies that will help with obtaining permits and tax ID numbers. It is easy to establish and partnership since usually it is with someone that person trusts in all aspects, but the issues may arise causing a limited life on the partnership. Limited Liability Partnership Advantages 1. Flexibility 2. Liability protection 3. Tax advantages Disadvantages 1. Death of partner 2. Partners not consulting 3. Money and property becomes owned by partnership Summary A limited liability partnership consists of each partner having protection under personal liability. The LLP is not a separate entity for tax purposes, but profits and losses are reported on each partner’s tax return. Because this is a partnership, each partner has equal rights in the management. What is great about a limited liability partnership is the flexibility. Flexibility allows the partner to have a certain type of control over the environment. Partners who do not consult each other can have issues in the future. This could lead to the closure of the company or a forming of a new partnership. To start a limited liability partnership, partners must register and submit it to the Secretary of State along with the required fees. A Limited Liability Partnership Alternative Security Provision transmittal form must be filed as well. Once these documents are approved, the Secretary of State will return stamped copies of the forms as well as a Certificate of Registration to the partnership. Limited Liability Company, (including the single member LLC) Advantages 1. Freedom in management 2. Limitless ownership 3. Pass-through taxation Disadvantages 1. Taxation 2. Building capital 3. Government regulations Summary A limited liability company consists of a single owner, or sometimes more than one owner, and are not taxed as separate business entities. All profits and losses pass through the business to those who own the company. Owners must report profits and losses on their personal tax return filing as a corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. If the LLC is ran by a single owner, they file a 1040 Schedule C form as a sole proprietor. Partners file a 1065 form consisting of a partnership, and a form 1120 is filed if the LLC is filing as a corporation. The LLC must be registered such as the State Corporation Commission, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, or the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code. The great thing about an LLC is that the owner has freedom in management. The owner is able to run the organization as they see fit not answering to anyone, but there are government regulations they must follow that can hinder some of that freedom. S Corporation Advantages 1. Protected assets 2. Straightforward transfer of ownership 3. Tax Credits Disadvantages 1. Restrictions on stock ownership 2. Tax qualification obligations 3. Closer IRS scrutiny Summary An S Corporation is an eligible domestic corporation that is able to avoid double taxation. Usually the corporation and shareholders are both taxed under a corporation, so S corporation avoids the extra taxation. The organization is not considered an S corp until it is qualified under IRS stipulations. The business is not taxed itself, but shareholders are taxed. The S Corp must register with the IRS, state, and local revenue agencies that provide permits and tax ID numbers. Depending on the state, all S corps are not taxed equally. To file as an S Corp, you must file as a corporation and have shareholders file a 2553 form to see if the corporation qualifies. In an S Corp, tax credits are a valuable advantage because only the wages of an employee who is a shareholder go into employment tax. The disadvantage of S Corp is that the IRS keeps close tabs on all tax filings. Franchise Advantages 1. Increases chances of business success 2. Provides establishes products from widespread brand name recognition 3. Provides franchisee independence to operate their own business Disadvantages 1. Franchisee must comply with franchisor on procedures and restrictions 2. Franchisee must pay advertising fees and ongoing royalties 3. Limited franchise agreement Summary Someone who owns a franchise is willing to take on a business, but under the franchisers rules and regulations. The franchiser provides the type of services, site selection, training, products, and marketing plans that will  allow the franchisee to run the location under this guidance. Franchisees provide the start up costs as well as the money for day-to-day operations.Types of forms that are used in franchises include a UFOC, franchise agreement, owners agreement, development agreement, and subfranchise agreement. What is great about owning a franchise is that the business owner increases their chance of becoming successful. Some franchises do well, while others perform not so well which could limit the owner’s franchise agreement. Corporation Advantages 1. Stock markets can help raise capital 2. Transfer of ownership to person with highest share certificates 3. Owners’ contribution, regarding liability, is at stake rather than personal assets Disadvantages 1. Requires central regulatory authority and listing on stock exchange 2. Board of directors 3. Double taxation Summary A corporation consists of many tasks for start up. The business needs to comply with state corporation rules. Directors need to be appointed as well as the many forms filled out. Some of these forms include articles of incorporation along with filing fees that are required. By laws need to be completed as well as issuing stock certificates to the shareholders. After  this, obtaining licences and permits for the business is prudent. This includes filling out form 2553 to obtain Tax ID numbers from the IRS. A permit from the state is required depending on the state. The advantage corporations have is that the shareholder with the most share certificates becomes the next owner if someone were to step down or pass away. A disadvantage is the double taxation. Taxation not only includes the business, but the shareholders as well.