The Importance Of Meditation And Mental Health - 1201 Words

Begin meditating for 10 minutes a day Start by enhancing your ability to focus. The scientifically proven way to improve your focus and therefore your ability to have more willpower is through meditation. Research to the benefits of meditation and mental health is overwhelmingly positive. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to find a study saying meditation is negative for you. It isn’t even just the positive impact on your mental strength – studies have shown meditation to be beneficial for your physical health as well. Meditating can provide you with more energy, which is useful for your mental strength as well. When you have energy, you are more able to make good decisions and have the mental and physical strength to keep moving forward.†¦show more content†¦If so, how? For instance, you might be fretting over your big garden party coming up this weekend and you’ll start feeling the panic over the weather forecast. They say it’s going to rain and you can’t stop thinking a bout it. Now, consider this: †¢ Can you stop the rain from happening? No, so you shouldn’t waste energy on feeling sorry for yourself and the guests if it rains. †¢ Can you ensure you don’t need to party in the rain? Yes, you can have a Plan B in place. †¢ What is the Plan B? The solution could be to simply rearrange the party or organise it inside the house. So, when a problem or negative feeling/event occurs in your life follow the pattern: Can you control it? If not, stop thinking about it and if yes, focus on the solution. Replace negative thoughts with productive thoughts Similarly to the above exercise of cutting thoughts on things that aren’t under your control, you also need to start replacing negative thoughts with productive thoughts. Having to organise your garden party indoors can be a bummer, but it’s just a negative way of viewing it. A more productive way is to think how to turn it into a success indoors – focusing your energy on making use of things instead of just complaining about them. We all fall to negative thinking – we do it because it’s easy. It’s so much easier to sit grumpily at the train station’s cafà © and whine about the delays than going out to figure an alternative route. Next time you notice aShow MoreRelatedMeditation As A State Of Mind With Predictable And Adjustable Attention979 Words   |  4 Pagespredictable and adjustable attention. Meditation is known for changing how people view the world (3). Mindfulness can come in many forms, like meditation, and is known for reducing the symptoms of mental illnesses like stress, distress, depression, and other mental health problems. Moreover, meditation is linked with mindfulness, and is known as a state of awareness alteration with the purpose of enhancing knowledge of oneself as well as reducing self-awareness (1). Meditation has been known to promote lessRead MoreHow Meditation Affects Brain Plasticity Essay1374 Words   |  6 PagesMeditation means to concentrate and connect with ones’ own mind, to explore identity and emotions in order to be aware of conscious, sub-conscious and unconscious thoughts. Meditation originates and has been has been practiced in Asia for thousands of years for different reasons such as increasing concentration abilities, religious purposes and also to train the mind. This essay will focus on how meditation affects brain plasticity (ability to change), emotionally and intellectually, leading to betterRead MoreBuddhism, The Practical, Theatrical, And Its Social Aspects Of Buddhism1224 Words   |  5 PagesBuddhism practice in many varying ways based off their geographical and social conditions.The real practice of any Buddhist is to concern themselves with their spiritual attitude that affects themselves and their community. Meditation is used to refocus th e mind to develop a greater mental state. Buddhism can be defined as:the path, and livelihood to practice the spiritual development that leads to the true nature of oneself and reality. The basics of Buddhism: there are no fixed symbols in the religionRead MoreThe Effects Of Mindfulness Interventions On Health Care Professionals And College Level Students1543 Words   |  7 PagesLiterature Review In the area of health care professionals and college level students, there is evidence supporting increased stress in these populations. While these are very busy lifestyles, it is important for these individuals to engage in self-care techniques to reduce stress, which in turn could increase emotional health, physical health and life satisfaction. Research supports mindfulness practices used with students and healthcare professionals decreases perceived stress, anxiety and increasesRead MoreThe Feel Free Fitness Centre Essay907 Words   |  4 Pagesactivities in both physical and mental streams. Services will offer to the people who are in age range of fifteen years to seventy five years old. Especially, Feel Free focuses the people who are staying at home, professionals who are doing documentary work, decision makers, students and disables. Also, the doors open to improve the talents of professional athletes. This fitness institute not only focuses gym purposes but also give main priority to yoga learning, meditation, drug prevention counsellingRead MoreBuddhism : The Philosophy And Religion1426 Words   |  6 Pages In the 6th century BC, Siddhartha or Gautama Buddha was born in a royal family in the hills of the Himalayas. Prince Siddhartha was constantly in search of the origin of all sufferings and the path to end these sufferings. Practicing powerful meditation and freeing his mind from disturbing thoughts – Siddhartha strove to unravel the mystery of the world’s tragedies. At the end of his journey Siddhartha became Buddha or â€Å"enlightened† – his mission became the cornerstone of the Buddhist philosophyRead MoreThe Group Rules And Norms978 Words   |  4 Pageshidden in foods and legal drugs that cause anxiety, depression, and contribute to negative mental health symptoms. Will distribute handouts with lists of pseudostressors . Holistic: Benefits of exercise, nutrition, and meditation/mindfulness. Clients will learn about the benefits of exercise, which increases endorphins and reduces stress hormones. Will also demonstrate the benefits of nutrition, meditation, and mindfulness. Deep diaphragmatic breathing: Clients will learn the benefits of deepRead MoreSelf Care1408 Words   |  6 Pagesburn out, our group has integrated the practices of exercise and meditation into our daily schedules. In the following, we discuss how both mediation and exercise worked and didn’t work for us, what we learned while on this journey, and how we applied our learning to teach someone the skills and knowledge we obtained in meditation and exercise. Countless research and studies have been conducted to explore the benefits of meditation and exercise in relation to people’s well-being. Dimeo, Thomas,Read MoreHealth Issues Of The United States1525 Words   |  7 Pageschronic health issues, some of that independence and freedom is taken away from us by our own ill health. While it may seem that illness and health issues pop up overnight, the fact is, they take a long time to rear their heads and are a result of weeks, months, and even years of poor lifestyle choices (ie poor nutrition choices, lack of exercise, etc.). The good news is, we are not victims of the aging process like our parents and grandparents believed. We do not have to surrender our health, freedomRead MoreThe Role Of Therapeutic Recreation In Newfoundland1662 Words   |  7 PagesRecreation Association Conference. The conference consisted of sessions delivered by those in the field of Therapeutic Recreation and related areas in Newfoundland and Labrador. I was able to attend many sessions involving topics like inclusion, mental health and empowerment, and through which, attained many new skills and perspectives for my future in therapeutic recreation. Before this conference, I did not have a solid idea as to what therapeutic recreation truly looked like in Newfoundland. However

Social Loafing and Recommendations on How to Reduce Its...

Social Loafing and Recommendations on How to Reduce Its Occurrence within Groups Working on University Poster Presentations Abstract Social loafing occurs in groups and reduces group effectiveness and productivity. Various literatures on social loafing reviewed suggest that the group size, the identifiably of the participants, the evaluation of their performance, people’s beliefs about their feelings of uniqueness, envy, task difficulty, how people’s beliefs about their feelings of uniqueness and expectations of co-workers are variables that influence social loafing in a group. Based on the literatures, a better understanding of social loafing was reached and some recommendations on how to†¦show more content†¦The first experiment to suggest a possible decrement in individual motivation as a result of working in a group was conducted over 70 years ago by a German psychologist named Max Ringelmann (Latane et al 1979; Karau Williams 1993). In the experiment, he had people pull on a rope either alone or in groups. He noticed that, as more and more people are added to a group pulling on a ro pe, the total force exerted by the group rose, but the average force exerted by each group member declined. In addition, the results show an inverse relationship between the size of a group and the magnitude of group members individual contribution to the accomplishment of the task. Latane et al. (1979) continued Ringelmann study by conducting an experiment in which they had participants clap and shout, either alone or as a member of a group. Researchers measured how loud the participants clapped and shouted in various conditions and found that participants in the group condition clapped and shouted significantly less loudly than those in the alone condition. The researchers reasoned that social loafing occurred because people assume that other members of the group will not pull their own weight, and, therefore, they should not work any harder than their fellow group members. In addition,Show MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesOrganizational Behavior This page intentionally left blank Organizational Behavior EDITION 15 Stephen P. Robbins —San Diego State University Timothy A. Judge —University of Notre Dame i3iEi35Bj! Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto Delhi Mexico City Sao Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore Taipei Tokyo Editorial Director: Sally Yagan Director of Editorial Services:Read MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesbuilt-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Kim S. Cameron UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Prentice Hall Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto Delhi Mexico City Sao Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul SingaporeRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesPre-loaded, ready-to-use assignments and presentations www.wiley.com/college/quickstart Technical Support 24/7 FAQs, online chat, and phone support www.wileyplus.com/support Your WileyPLUS Account Manager Training and implementation support www.wileyplus.com/accountmanager MAKE IT YOURS! Fundamentals of Human Resource Management Tenth Edition David A. DeCenzo Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC Stephen P. Robbins San Diego State University San Diego, CA Tenth Edition Contributor Read MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 Pagesconsent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007007922 ISBN: 978–1–59158–408–7 978–1–59158–406–3 (pbk.) First published in 2007 Libraries Unlimited, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 A Member of the Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.lu.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To our grandchildren

Innovation in the Educational Context-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Enumerate whether Creativity and Innovation are mutually exclusive or mutually exhaustive. Answer: Introduction In the present era of globalisation and advancement creativity and innovation has become a widely discussed issue. In this particular assignment the author has conducted an extensive research on creativity and innovation. However, before ushering towards the huge canvas of the conducted research, it is necessary to effectively define the terms creativity and innovation. It is also necessary to identify whether these two are same and whether they are mutually exclusive. Defining Creativity and Innovation in the Educational Context While searching for the definitions of creativity and innovation apart from the context of the classroom notes, the researcher has obtained some interesting results. Author focused on the topics as a means of defining problems,idea generation, eliminating perceived valued, brainstorming, equilateral thinking and creativity(Somech Drach-Zahavy, 2013). However, the text clearly specifies that this is not the definition of creativity and innovation. On the other end of the spectrum, author of the paper Intelligence, creativity and innovation have defined creativity as the procedure of generating useful and novel ideas; the text has not focused effectively over innovation(Squalli Wilson, 2014).Nelsons Organisational Behaviour which is a necessary text book for a core unit for the students of Federation University contains both creativity as well as innovation in its index. As specified in the index creativity is emphasized in pages 142, 153-154 and 155-157 while innovation is explained in the pages 30-33, 142, 188, 248 and finally in 298. In page number 143 the title of creativity is found to be in bold letter, however, here a discussion about creativity in the context of teams as well as individuals is discussed rather than clearly defining it. Finally a definition of creativity can be seen in the page 155 which specifies that creativity is simply a process induced by factors which may be individual as well as organisational an d thereby gives rise to novel and useful ideas, products or both(Nelson Quick, 2016). At this point of research while the researcher was extensively emphasising on the undergraduate to post graduate course materials, it has been observed that there is no connection between creativity and innovation. At the same time no definition of innovation is available as well. As it has been observed in the Fatimahs personal website that creativity and innovation can be incorporated in the education system. As per Fatimah, alongside the other activities creative techniques for learning have been implemented in the classes. The teachers are being trained to become more innovative. The website explains that an innovative teacher or educator will always try to find out new ways through which the process of teaching could be made more effective and efficient(Fatimah's Personal Website, 2017). On an added notion authors have also explained creativity as a cognitive process through which ideas, commodities and concepts can be developed(Benedek, Jauk, Sommer, Arendasy, Neubauer, 2014). In this definition discovery is considered as novel by the creator or may seem to be novel to the target audiences. The text also defines innovation simply as a new idea which is applied for the initiation or improvement of a process, service or product. The main distinctive feature of this text is it links innovation with entrepreneurship and leadership but not with creativity. Creativity is discussed only in the context of decision making activities. Ultimately a connection has been specified by researcher, as nurturing creativity and innovation amongst those who are surrounding an individual is as challenging as improving the persons own creativity(Dawson Andriopoulos, 2014). Defining Creativity and Innovation in the Context of Business As specified by researchers creativity is the process of producing novel and creative ideas in any dominion of human activity and it is also identified as the first step towards innovation.They have also shed light over the definition of creativity provided by Gurteens (1998). The discussion of them looks upon creativity as procedure of generating ideas and innovation as the process through which these ideas can be implied into action by shifting and refining them. Recently Warby Parker has depicted the introduction of creativity in corporate culture and thereby it has achieved significant success as well. It has a devoted creative team within the enterprise that looks after the operations within the organisation. At the same time the team also arranges fun events, dinners and several other programmes(Dawson Andriopoulos, 2014). On the other hand creativity in a business context has also been defined as a process through which novel ideas can be generated(Somech Drach-Zahavy, 2013). The author also stated that creativity is very crucial for innovation. If creativity is attached with the ideas then innovation will remain attached with the products and services. The value of creativity gets reduced if and only if it is considered without innovation(Yoshida, Sendjaya, Hirst, Cooper, 2014). The creative ideas can be used to feed the pipeline of rigorous innovation and without creative ideas innovation can be considered as an engine without fuel. In a different way it can be stated that though creativity and innovation are two different processes they do rely on each other so as to yield effective results. Applying Creativity and Innovation in Business The 21st century skills have been divided into three broad categories and these are, creative thinking, collaborating and working creatively with the other people and implementation of innovation(Bateson, Bateson, Martin, 2013). However, it is necessary to identify whether this is a new concept or it has existed for a while? So as to answer this particular question effectively a chronological review of the literature where innovation and creativity has been applied in business have been undertaken. In the year 1997, the California Management Review published an article which was written by TeressaAmabile and in this article it was mentioned that, so as to achieve and sustain continuous growth in organisations innovation is crucially important(Amabile, 1997). On the other hand, author published an article and opined that it is mandatory for the organisations to encourage their employees to become more creative and through this the organisation will be able to develop innovative products, procedures and services. The article also emphasised over the fact that the employees are required to be trained in a creative environment and at the same time the organisation should design its culture in a manner that it would support and encourage creativity. This article was published in The Leadership and Organisational Development Journal in the year 1999 and also in Team Performance Management: An International Journal in 2000, the title of the article was Techniques to enhance creative thinking(Roffe, 1999). It has been observed that the Southwest Airlines also promotes a creative and innovative organisational culture. The key technique that the organisation applies is that it communicates the objectives and corporate vision of the company to all the employees and thereby encourages them to provide some additional feedback. This at the same time makes the employees to feel that they are a part of the business strategy making body. Through this strategy the company has achieved brilliant outcomes in its business(Dawson Andriopoulos, 2014). In the 2000, there were an article that stated that as with the emergence of globalisation there is a trend of increasing competition in the business environment, organisations are continuously trying to become innovation(Andriopoulos Lowe, 2000). It has been observed in the context of both not-for-profits as well as profit based organisations. The article proceeded towards defining the term creative organisation as a business enterprise which accrues its income through the development of innovative and novel ideas, products, processes and services to mitigate the needs of the clients. Authors of this article also found that so as to obtain the appropriate solution the staff are required to be extensively creative and should be involved in the pursuit of innovation. In the year 2002, Journal of Business Research published an article where they pointed out the fact that creativity can be considered as a resource to the organisation which possesses the potential to provide competitive edge to the organisation. The basic aim of the paper was to critically analyse the roles of teams as well as individuals in generating ideas as a non-separable part of the organisational creativity and innovation procedures(Martins Terblanche, 2003). They also outlined the fact that encouraging the process of creativity at an individual level will give rise to improved creativity at the group or organisational level. In the year 2003, The Leadership Quarterly published an article which emphasised on enhancing the creative activities within the work groups and the increased requirement for involving divergent thinking within the teams which will in turn make the teams more competitive in nature. Although, this paper enlightens the fact that divergent thinking is the speciality of an individual while the speciality of a team is embedded within convergent thinking(Jung, Chow, Wu, 2003). Divergent thinking is a process which is mandatory for solving problems in a creative manner and hence teams are essentially required to get engaged deliberately in the process of divergent thinking. This as a result will make the teams more creative and this is not only good for the bottom line but also is a rewarding experience. There is a paper that states the fact that the culture of an organisation can affect the creativity and innovation within the organisation. The research work of the author also brought out the fact that the organisations can be benefitted by designing and establishing a creative and innovative culture(Roffe, 1999). Therefore the human resources available within the organisation play a major role in facilitating the desired cultural change and thereby designing the initiatives of training. In the year 2010 IBM conducted a survey which covered nearly 33 industries across 60 countries and questioned more than 1500 Chief Executive Officers. The feature of creativity has been identified as the most crucial quality of leadership in the next five years. The creative leadersencourages disruptive innovation, induce others to discard the out dated approaches and undertake balanced risk. This is quintessential for the success of an organisation in the presently prevailing unpredictable and complicated business environment. In other words creativity can be regarded as the raw material for innovation when innovation is implemented in a creative manner; however the companies are not ready to embrace these factors. Although an effective and efficient leader can fetch the rewards of the creativity, innovation and adaptability of an organisation. However, in order to do so the leaders should effectively maintain the necessary frameworks of risk management and strategic alignment. The Harvard Business Review 2012, March edition published five articles based on creativity and innovation. The overall range of the themes of these articles were in an organisation a culture is needed that supports innovation and helps it to flourish in future, success is dependent over the technical innovation and human innovation, focus should always remain on rigorous creation, businesses are always required to support continuous innovation of products, management and processes. In other words, innovation is not only important for the organisations for maintaining their competitiveness but also for the employees who wish to feel satisfied with their jobs(Birdi, 2016). In 2013, the Inside HR printed an article regarding the reinvention of human resource department of Google with new employees as well as new strategies of management. According to researchers, executives started to realiser the fact that continuous innovation cannot take place until or unless the firm makes a shift towards focusing on excellent people management. This can be simplified as innovations originate from people and innovation cannot be maximised until and unless the organisation becomes able to recruit and retain innovative employees. This is not sufficient on an added notion an innovative environment is also necessary(Davies, Jindal-Snape, Digby, Howe, Collier, Hay, 2014). Google is a very famous organisation and is widely popular because of its workplace designing and promotions of collaborating activities. This is solely because it has realised the fact that continuous innovation is the result of three factors acting together, collaboration, discovery and fun. Again the fourth issue of Inside HR in 2013 included an article which was named 6 talent management lessons from Silicon Valley. These factors were considered to be essential for the organisations which were willing to innovate and move faster. The first and foremost factor is the productivity of the innovation supplants which is considered as the key goal of the workforce. It also emphasised over the recruitment procedures as 100 per cent of the innovation comes from the people associated with the organisation.The article also enlightened the fact that most of the firms are now realising why Silicon Valley is widely known for many years and this is because their innovation activities are increasing gradually with collaboration(Bateson, Bateson, Martin, 2013). In this particular year innovation and creativity kept on appearing in the various human resource magazines which are Inside HR and Human Resource Media. Author believed the fact that innovation is the compound effect of three materials, initiative, creation and passion. At the same point of time an organisation is also required where innovation is taking place continuously. As opined by author organisations always want their employees to be more innovative, agile and be able to mitigate problems in a way that nobody has seen before(Wyse Ferrari, 2015). In order to do so the firms must encourage creativity. The author also clarified that creativity is simply a discipline and like all the other talents it can be learnt. The firms should also support the people within it for developing these skills. This has a positive impact over the development of the organisations for the HR practitioners. Link between Education and Business Author stated the fact that young people looks at the world in a very creative way though in the education system creativity is not incorporated in an appropriate way. This is because the education system is so designed that it pursues the young people to go through tough examinations. Afterwards when they finish their education their natural potential of creativity gets suppressed(Davies, Jindal-Snape, Digby, Howe, Collier, Hay, 2014). This specific view is supported by the researchers as they have conducted investigation regarding the implementation of deliberate thinking tools within the classrooms and also in tertiary education. As it has widely been accepted that creativity is quintessential in the modern competitive world it will certainly not be beneficial for an individual to forego the opportunity of developing creativity within the classrooms. Hence it can be stated that though there is not a high association between education and creativity, the authorities should certain ly look after this fact and try to induce the association between these two. Personal Reflection As a student of master degree I have selected creativity and innovation as my elective subject. In this section I will shed light on why this particular topic is important. The answer to this question can be provided in the following manner. I have conducted an extensive literature review while I was writing this report. Numerous journal articles, human resource and business magazines and books helped me to realise the fact that creativity and innovation is mandatory for the success of any organisation in the present competitive environment. In order to achieve success the organisations are required to hire people who are creative in nature and also possess the ability to innovate new ideas. At the same time I have also got acquainted about the fact that creativity and innovation is a skill that can be learned, hence it will also be beneficial to teach the subject in different graduate and undergraduate courses. Moreover, I will also suggest that our education system does not incorporate creativity and innovation within itself. As a result the ability to think creatively gets diminished among the pupils. Hence I would recommend that one should try to accommodate and give way to creativity so that it can enter into the education system. Rather than teaching the students what the right answer will be, they should be given the opportunity to examine all the possible alternatives and then select the appropriate answer on their own. The extensive literature survey that I have conducted for preparing this report, have helped me to a great extent. It has enriched my knowledgebase and I hope it will also assist me in my further career development. Conclusion Creativity and innovation are not just words; they play a crucial role in our daily life. Through a chronological research of the relevant journal articles, it has been proved how important these are for an organisation. Moreover, different definitions of creativity and innovation have also been discussed in the paper. On the other hand, the organisations are encouraged to enhance creativity among its people and try to recruit and retain creative people in it. However, it can be stated that the report has successfully covered the necessary requirements and hopefully it will be a helpful documentation based on creativity and innovation. Works Cited Amabile, T. M. (1997). Motivating creativity in organizations: On doing what you love and loving what you do. California management review, 40(1), 39-58. Andriopoulos, C., Lowe, A. (2000). Enhancing organisational creativity: the process of perpetual challenging. Management Decision, 38(1), 734-742. Bateson, P., Bateson, P. P., Martin, P. .. (2013). Play, playfulness, creativity and innovation. London: Cambridge University Press. Benedek, M., Jauk, E., Sommer, M., Arendasy, M., Neubauer, A. C. (2014). Intelligence, creativity, and cognitive control: The common and differential involvement of executive functions in intelligence and creativity. Intelligence, 46(1), 73-83. Birdi, K. ( 2016). Creativity training. In Human Resource Management, Innovation and Performance. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. Davies, D., Jindal-Snape, D., Digby, R., Howe, A., Collier, C., Hay, P. (2014). The roles and development needs of teachers to promote creativity: A systematic review of literature. Teaching and Teacher Education, 41(1), 34-41. Dawson, P., Andriopoulos, C. (2014). Managing change, creativity and innovation. London: Sage. Fatimah's Personal Website. (2017). languageacademy.utm. Retrieved August 21, 2017, from Creativity and Innovation in Teaching and Learning Supervision and Assessment: https://languageacademy.utm.my/fatima/innovation-and-creativity-in-teaching-and-learning-approach/ Jung, D. I., Chow, C., Wu, A. (2003). The role of transformational leadership in enhancing organizational innovation: Hypotheses and some preliminary findings. The Leadership Quarterly, 14(4), 525-544. Martins, E. C., Terblanche, F. (2003). Building organisational culture that stimulates creativity and innovation. European journal of innovation management, 6(1), 64-74. Nelson, D. L., Quick, J. C. (2016). Orgb. London: Nelson Education. Roffe, I. (1999). Innovation and creativity in organisations: a review of the implications for training and development. Journal of European industrial training, 23(4/5), 224-241. Somech, A., Drach-Zahavy, A. (2013). Translating team creativity to innovation implementation: The role of team composition and climate for innovation. Journal of Management, 39(3), 684-708. Somech, A., Drach-Zahavy, A. (2013). Translating team creativity to innovation implementation: The role of team composition and climate for innovation. Journal of Management, 39(3), 684-708. Squalli, J., Wilson, K. (2014). Intelligence, creativity, and innovation. Intelligence, 46(1), 250-257. Stone, M., Woodcock, N. (2014). Interactive, direct and digital marketing: A future that depends on better use of business intelligence. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 8(1), 4-17. Wyse, D., Ferrari, A. (2015). Creativity and education: Comparing the national curricula of the states of the European Union and the United Kingdom. British Educational Research Journal, 41 (1), 30-47. Yoshida, D. T., Sendjaya, S., Hirst, G., Cooper, B. (2014). Does servant leadership foster creativity and innovation? A multi-level mediation study of identification and prototypicality. Journal of Business Research, 67(7), 1395-1404.

Stranded On A Desert Island Essays - Desert Island, Symbols

Stranded On A Desert Island Many people would say that if they went to a deserted island they would probably say that they wouldn't go to one. I would say the opposite if I had to go to one. If I went to a deserted island I would probably bring with me a CD player with CD's, three or four girls and one of my friends, and I would also bring supplies to build a large house. When I get to the island we start to build a very large house before we start to populate the island. After about five years we would have a large population of children. We will cut down trees and build a tree house for the children, and we also would make clothes out of animal skin and leaves. Many people would still say that living on an island like that is barbaric, but it is a way of life. This is a question to ponder, if you were the founder of America like the Pilgrims, what difference would there be except for no Native Americans? Would there be a difference? I don't think there is but it is a good question to ponder. I feel that I should try it sometime, go to a deserted island and stay there for a week, and see how it feels. My feelings on this is that you do not have to be brave to do anything you just have to have the courage and will. I recommend that you try it sometime, it will feel exhilarating.

Gullivers Travels - Satire In Lilliput Essays - Gullivers Travels

Gulliver's Travels - Satire in Lilliput Gulliver's Travels - Satire in Lilliput Generations of schoolchildren raised on the first Book of "Gulliver's Travels" have loved it as a delightful visit to a fantasy kingdom full of creatures they can relate to-little creatures, like themselves. Few casual readers look deeply enough to recognize the satire just below the surface. But Jonathan Swift was one of the great satirists of his or any other age, and "Gulliver's Travels" is surely the apex of his art. "Gulliver's Travels" tells the story of Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's surgeon who has a number of rather extraordinary adventures, comprising four sections or "Books." In Book I, his ship is blown off course and Gulliver is shipwrecked. He wakes up flat on his back on the shore, and discovers that he cannot move; he has been bound to the earth by thousands of tiny crisscrossing threads. He soon discovers that his captors are tiny men about six inches high, natives of the land of Lilliput. He is released from his prone position only to be confined in a ruined temple by ninety-one tiny but unbreakable chains. In spite of his predicament, Gulliver is at first impressed by the intelligence and organizational abilities of the Lilliputians. In this section, Swift introduces us to the essential conflict of Book I: the naive, ordinary, but compassionate "Everyman" at the mercy of an army of people with "small minds". Because they are technologically adept, Gulliver does not yet see how small-minded the Lilliputians are. In Chapter II, the Emperor of Lilliput arrives to take a look at the "giant", and Gulliver is equally impressed by the Emperor and his courtiers. They are handsome and richly dressed, and the Emperor attempts to speak to Gulliver civilly (although they are unable to understand one another). The Emperor decrees that every morning Gulliver is to be delivered "six beeves, forty sheep, and other victuals," along with as much bread and wine as he needs, his basic needs are to be attended to, and six scholars are to teach Gulliver the language of his new compatriots. Again, in this chapter, Gulliver is won over by the fact that the Lilliputians are well-dressed and articulate (despite the fact that they speak a language he cannot understand). He is still held captive by these people, both metaphorically, as in being entranced by them, and literally. It is in this chapter that Gulliver first asks to be freed and is refused. As Chapter III opens, Gulliver and his captors have become great friends. Much in the style of a travelogue, Gulliver describes for the reader some of the unusual forms of entertainment practiced by the Lilliputians. For instance, anyone desiring a high position at court is required to jump up and down on a tightrope stretched six inches above the floor (and remember, Lilliputians are only six inches high). Only those who are able to do it win the office, and anyone wishing to remain in office may be asked to do it again. If he fails, he's out the door, and a successful rope-dancer takes his place. Gulliver remarks that it would seem that noble birth or a fine educational background would seem to be better predictors of one's ability to govern than dancing on a rope, but the Lilliputians find no sense in that. A similar "trial" requires office-seekers to jump over or crawl under a stick, sort of a combination vault and limbo exercise. The Emperor, who holds the stick, raises or lowers the stick suddenly and without warning, so the performer is obliged to change tactics midstream. Winners receive a snippet of colored thread, which they wear on their clothing with great pride. Gulliver delights the Emperor by inventing some new forms of entertainment, also; one involves making the calvary perform military maneuvers on the drum-taut surface of his handkerchief, stretched above the ground, but when a rider is thrown, Gulliver stops the game. At the end of this chapter, Gulliver is freed after agreeing to nine silly conditions. Chapter III is where it really gets interesting. Look at the types of entertainment the Lilliputians engage in, and why they do so. Swift makes a point of telling us that the only people who perform the rope dance are people seeking to acquire or maintain a high position at court, so this is actually not a form of "entertainment" at all; it's a form of political selection. And, Swift implies, it makes as much sense as the way many political appointments in his day were made-which is to say it makes no sense at

Automotive Airbag History and Invention

Automotive Airbag History and Invention Like seatbelts, airbags are a type of  automobile safety restraint system designed to mitigate injury in the event of an accident. These gas-inflated cushions, built into the steering wheel, dashboard, door, roof, and/or seat of your car, use a crash sensor to trigger a rapid expansion of nitrogen gas contained inside a cushion that pops out on impact to put a protective barrier between passengers and hard surfaces. Types of Airbags The two main types of airbags are designed for front impact and side impact. Advanced frontal airbag systems automatically determine if and with what level of power the driver-side frontal airbag and the passenger-side frontal airbag will inflate. The appropriate level of power is based on the readings of sensor inputs that can typically detect occupant size, seat position, seat belt use of the occupant, and severity of the crash. Side-impact airbags (SABs) are inflatable devices designed to help protect the head and/or chest in the event of a serious crash involving impact with the side of a vehicle. There are three main types of SABs: chest (or torso) SABs, head SABs, and head/chest combination (or combo) SABs. The History of the Airbag At the dawn of the airbag industry, Allen Breed held the  patent (U.S. #5,071,161) to the only crash-sensing technology available at the time. Breed had invented a sensor and safety system in 1968. It was the worlds first electromechanical automotive airbag system. However, rudimentary patents for airbag predecessors date back to the 1950s. Patent applications were submitted by German Walter Linderer and American John Hetrick as early as 1951. Linderers airbag (German patent #896312) was based on a compressed air system, either released by bumper contact or by the driver. Hetrick received a patent in 1953 (U.S. #2,649,311) for what he called a safety cushion assembly for automotive vehicles, also based on compressed air. Later research during the 1960s proved that compressed air was not capable of inflating the airbags quickly enough to be effective. In 1964, Japanese automobile engineer Yasuzaburou Kobori  was developing an airbag safety net system that employed an explosive device to trigger airbag inflation, for which he was awarded patents in 14 countries. Sadly, Kobori  died in 1975 before seeing his ideas put into practical or widespread use. Airbags Are Introduced Commercially In 1971, the Ford Motor Company built an experimental airbag fleet. General Motors installed airbags in a fleet of 1973 Chevrolet Impalas- for government use only. The 1973 Oldsmobile Toronado was the first car with a passenger airbag sold to the public. General Motors later offered an option of driver-side airbags in full-sized Oldsmobiles and Buicks in 1975 and 1976, respectively. Cadillacs became available with driver and passenger airbags options during those years as well. General Motors, which had marketed its airbags as the Air Cushion Restraint System, discontinued the ACRS option for the 1977  model year, citing a lack of consumer interest. Ford and GM subsequently spent years  lobbying  against airbag requirements, arguing that the devices were simply not viable. Eventually, however, the automobile giants realized that the airbag was here to stay. Ford began offering them again as an option on their 1984 Tempo. While Chrysler made a driver-side airbag standard for its 1988–1989 models, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that airbags found their way into the majority of American cars. In 1994, TRW began production of the first gas-inflated airbag. Airbags have been mandatory in all new cars since 1998.

Rolls Royce Plc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rolls Royce Plc - Essay Example Rolls Royce PLC provides varied categories of products such as civil aerospace products, defence aerospace products, marine products, energy products and nuclear products. It develops and markets commercial aero engines for large and small aircrafts, helicopters and combat jets. It also manufactures transporters, propulsors, reduction gears, gas engines, fuel cells and steam generator services among others. Along with the various products, Rolls Royce PLC also offers variety of support services such as TotalCare, CorporateCare, MissionCare, technical support services and ‘Marine Tailored Solutions’ as well as reactor support services among others to its customers (Rolls-Royce Plc, 2012). Main Competitors Rolls Royce PLC is one of the world’s top manufacturers of high power gas turbine engines which gained its prominence in the global cutthroat market due to its use of extremely advanced technologies. One of the main competitors of Rolls Royce PLC is GE Aviation. O ther than GE Aviation, Aviation Industry Corporation of China, Siemens AG, Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation, General Electric Power Systems among others are also close competitors of Rolls Royce PLC. ... Group is a comprehensive product and service providing organisation with customers in 135 countries and manufacturing facilities in over 14 countries. In this competitive scenario, the needs and wants of the customers are the primary criteria which are considered by organisation in any field. Rolls-Royce PLC satisfies the needs of the customers by delivering cost-effective products and efficient global support services, and so it is highly preferred among others. The customers from the world's important airlines and jet operators mainly rely on the Rolls Royce among others due to its efficient support as well as understanding towards the requirements of the prospective partners and suppliers. The service strategy of TotalCare and updated technologies are the key factors which differentiates Rolls Royce from other competitors (Rolls-Royce Plc, 2012). Opportunities and Threats The Rolls Royce PLC is one of the leading international makers and suppliers of aircraft engines. It became su ccessful due to its advanced technologies and competent customer services. But both globalisation and competitiveness of the market, act as opportunities as well as threats for Rolls Royce PLC. In order to sustain in this global market, Rolls-Royce PLC should develop new products, new international markets, and innovative technologies and also try to diversify to different product lines among others so as to enhance its business growth, prosperity and customer loyalty. This may act as the opportunities in the next three years which can improve Rolls Royce PLC’s corporate image and profitability among competitors. Moreover, the threats which might hinder the growth of the organisation may be the entrance of potential competitors, economic recession, new developing rules and regulations

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW - Essay Example The author felt that choosing different organization in different industries and different sectors would give a good cross sectional overview for the report. According to the findings of the study it was apparent that depending on the type of the organization, marketing assistants were required to carry out many different tasks ranging from marketing planning, corporate communications and advertising copy writing. Based on the findings of the study and the author's knowledge, skills and abilities a curriculum vitae and covering letter were designed. The covering letter that was designed was of a generic nature to help the author to customize it with minimum effort to match specific marketing positions that she wishes to apply for in the next few weeks. The objective of this report is for the author to study the job of a Marketing Assistant from different angles and to assess herself in terms of the findings. In order to carry out this study the author chose five different organizations from different sectors and studied the specifications that have been set out by these organizations for qualifications that were necessary for role. In this report the author will describe the methodology that will be used to study the job of the Marketing Assistant, the manner in which the findings will be presented and the self assessment. Based on the findings and the self assessment the author will design and develop a generic curriculum vitae and a covering letter for herself, which she intends to use when applying for the position of Marketing Assistant. These two documents will also be included in this report. Methodology In order to carry out an in depth and meaningful study of role of a Marketing Assistant the author will collect information from five different companies in different sectors and industries on what these organizations look for in their potential candidates. The five companies that were chosen by the author are as follows 1. Coke Cola Corporation - Beverage Company - Private Sector 2. Tesco Supermarket - Retail Store - Private Sector 3. Axa Insurance Company - Insurance Company - Private Sector 4. HSBC - Financial Company - Private Sector 5. Salvation Army - Not for Profit - Non Governmental Sector The author studied the job descriptions of Marketing Assistants in the above companies and also interviewed individuals working in the marketing departments in the above companies before writing this report. In order to gain a good knowledge of the labour market and future prospects for individuals working as Marketing Assistants in these organizations, the author also interviewed former marketing assistants in these companies and asked them on how easy or hard it was for them to find jobs and if the experience they had gained while at the previous companies were sufficient. The author specifically studied the following areas pertaining to the job. 1. Tasks and responsibilities 2. Entry requirements 3. Training, development and future prospects 4. Terms and Conditions 5. Work environment and corporate culture 6. Labour market conditions and employment prospects Based on the findings the author then carried out a self-assessment and designed and developed a curriculum vitae

Summarize dialouge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summarize dialouge - Essay Example The possible reasons for dramatizing one part and summarizing the next one for Shah might have been to create a strong emotional feeling or sense of attachment and curiosity for the reader in the first part and then in the very next part summarizing the dialogue to neutralize the stirred feelings immediately by not quoting the dialogue directly but creating a distance between reader and happening by indirectly communicating. I strongly appreciate Shah’s choice as she has been smartly successful in keeping the reader engaged in the whole dialogue. It also helped in moving the story forward; a good dialogue helps the story to move forward (Kempton, 2004). If this order were reversed it would not create as effective result as it created in this order. Shah very wisely created feelings for reader first by dramatizing the dialogue and then readily neutralizing the whole scene by switching to another

Ascites Is A Special Case In The Medical Geriatric Ward Nursing Essay

Ascites Is A Special Case In The Medical Geriatric Ward Nursing Essay Background I think ascites is a special case in this Medical Geriatric ward, because I saw this only one case of ascites in this four weeks practicum. And it is my first time that care patient with ascites. Therefore, I interest and choose this case for studying the nursing care of ascites. In this total patient care study, I will talk about the information and relevant clinical data about this case, the pathophysiology of ascites, the nursing assessment, care plan within patient hospitalize period 20-21/09/2010, plan for future management, and what I learn from this case. Case presentation Patient X is 72-year-old male. He lives in old age home, chair bound for activities of daily living. He is dependent Comprehensive Social Security Assistance, exsmoker and exdrinker. He was admission to Accident Emergency at 20/09/2010. He complained that increased abdominal distension for 2 days, poor appetite, shortness of breath. Physcial condition: conscious, SaO2 95% under room air, afebrile, chest clear, no ankle edema. His primary diagnosis is cirrhosis and gross ascites. He has chronic renal impairment, diabetes mellitus, alcoholic cirrhosis of liver, and chronic ascites. Last time admitted from 05-07/09/2010 for ascites, therapeutic abdominal tap was done and 1.3L ascites fluid was removed. Ascites is an accumulation of extracellular fluid in the peritoneal cavity abnormally. It is the most common major complication of portal hypertension following liver cirrhosis. Blocking the blood flow through the liver sinusoids to hepatic veins and vena cava lead to increased pressure in the portal venous system. It results in plasma leaks out directly from the liver capsule and the congested portal vein into the peritoneal cavity. In addition, hepatocellular damage reduces the livers ability to synthesize normal amounts of albumin, which may deteriorate by leakage of protein in ascites. The evidence of hypoalbuminemia shows in the blood test that the albumin was 24g/L, which is a low level. Adlosterone cannot activate by liver to stimulate the kidneys to retain sodium and water due to hepatocellular damage. Thus, sodium and water are still retention, and the volume of peritoneal cavity fluid grows continue. In this case, the medical management can be performed to patient X should be paracentesis or abdominal tap. This procedure involves using a thin needle to pull ascites fluid from the abdomen (George Longstreth, 2009). Large-volume paracentensis repeated done in combination with Albumin administered intravenously, which can avoid a sudden drop in blood flow in the arteries and to replace each liter of removed ascitic fluid. The physician prescribed IV administration of Albumin 40g after tapping and 30g. 10500ml milk like in color of ascites fluid was removed. If ascites is recurrent, therapeutic abdominal tap may need to be done every two weeks or more frequently, and need to remove up to 10 liters ascites fluid (Cirrhosis Ascites). Ascitic fluid analysis also done before for provides a sample of fluid for analysis, which help for determine the underlying cause of the ascites. No malignant cell was found. An abdominal x-ray and ultrasonography study was done to comfier the presence of ascites. It may locate fluid in the peritoneal cavity. The result did not show dilated bowel. A low sodium and protein diet with restriction of fluids 1L per day. Edema in the form of ascites brings about shallow breathing and impaired gas exchange, as a result of respiratory compromise. We need to Promote and maintain an effective breathing pattern, Arterial blood gas analysis and pulse oximetry monitor every four hours were ordered. Potassium- sparing diuretic Frusemide tablet 40mg twice a day was prescribed. Nursing assessment In abdominal assessment, inspect for skin integrity (pigmentation, lesions, scars, veins, and umbilicus, etc), contour (flat, rounded, etc), distension, respiratory movement, visible peristalsis, and pulsations. Then to auscultation of the abdomen, warmed the stethoscope and the hands, light pressure act on the stethoscope is sufficient to detect bowel sounds and bruits. Then perform percussion of the abdomen; abdominal percussion is aimed at detecting fluid in the ascites, gaseous distension, and masses within the abdomen. Percuss lightly on abdomen according to auscultation site at each abdominal guardant. The sound will be dull if the ascites is presence. Measure the abdominal girth circumference. Assess the amount of distress leaded by the ascites that ask the patient whether the fluid is interfering with sleeping, eating, and breathing (Head-To-Toe Assessment (R. Abdomen), 2008). Nursing diagnosis Excess fluid volume and deficient fluid volume related to fluid shifts secondary to portal hypertension, hypoalbuminemia. It is a combination of volume problem for patient with ascites. The expected outcomes of this care plan are that a normal balance of fluid in the peritoneal cavity will be maintained as evidenced by normal serum albumin levels, without of hypovolemia, decreased abdominal girth, and normal blood pressure measurement. Electrolyte or acid- base are balance. For nursing intervention, monitor the intake and output of patient daily, and record the IO chart. Output should be equal to or exceed intake. Strictly restrict the patients fluid intake. If possible, administer medication with meals, so mealtime fluids can be used for taking medications. Assess the patients dietary intake and habits that may lead to fluid retention. Limit high sodium intake, because it can lead to increased water retention. Administer albumin and diuretics as physician prescribed. Aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may inhibit prostaglandin synthesis and impair sodium excretion by the kidney. Thus, it needs to avoid administering them. Weight the client and measure the patients abdominal girth daily. Closely monitor the patient after paracentesis procedure. To ensure the client has tolerated the procedure well, check the vital signs frequently. Check the dressing carefully to ensure that there are no losing excessive amounts of fluid. Use a pouch to co llect leaking fluid if necessary. Ineffective breathing pattern related to increased intra-abdominal pressure on the diaphragm. The expected outcomes of this care plan are that the patient express relief of feelings of faulty breathing pattern as a result of no shortness of breath and the presence of normal respiratory excursion. Patient has a normal respiratory rate, compared with baseline. (Lynda juall carpenito-moyet) For nursing intervention, position the client in a high-Fowler position with an arm supported with pillows. It can facilitate breathing and relieves the pressure acting on diaphragm. Monitor the clients respiratory status (crackles and increased respirations) for the development of atelectasis or pneumonia to identifies fluid in lungs. Encourage the patient to deep breathe and cough. Use an incentive spirometer to maintain and monitor the respiratory function. If the cough does not loosen to expectorate reparatory secretion, patient can receive ultrasound treatment For improving gas exchange, administer oxygen and blood products as ordered. Teach the patient some breathing techniques, such as pursed-lip breathing to overcome poor breathing patterns (Lynda juall carpenito-moyet). To evaluation the outcome, treatments of ascites enable the client to breath with minimal difficulty. Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements related to increased pressure on stomach and intestines, feeling of fullness, poor appetite. The expected outcomes of this care plan are that patient X has appetite and he can keep or increase body weight to an ideal weight and consume sufficient nutrients. Identify deficiencies in daily intake. For nursing intervention, measure the body weight daily to monitors the weight gain or loss. Monitor hemoglobin, hematocrit, albumin, total protein values for monitoring the intake of nutrients, presence of anemia, and colloidal osmotic pressure. Offer and encourage oral hygiene before meals, because poor oral hygiene may cause bad odor and taste, which can reduce appetite. Encourage the patient to rest before meals due to fatigue may decrease appetite and ability to eat. (Lynda juall carpenito-moyet) Provide small, frequent meals for patient instead of few large ones, because even distribution of intake can help to prevent feeling full and ensures enough nutritional intake. Determine food preferences and selected low or no protein and low salt (no more than 1500 mg/day of sodium). If possible, encourage the patients relative to bring permitted foods from home. Prevent constipation to reduce abdominal pressure and fullness. Administer Lactulose liquid 20mal three times a day as physi cian ordered. Plan for management after discharge, patient x should back to the old age home and have follow up by community geriatric assessment service. Recommend short the follow up clinically admission if symptomatic ascites occur. Refer PCU home care nurse for visiting and symptom assessment, and admission clinically for symptom management. Learning points After this total patient care study, I have learnt that more understand the cause and care of ascites. And know that to provide a holistic care not only physical nursing care, but also we need to care the patient mental, social, finical condition, and discharge planning Make sure patient can have a complete care after discharge. Word count: 1452 Black, J. M. Hawks, J. H. (2009). Medical-Surgical nursing: Clinical management for positive outcomes. Missouri: Saunders. George F. Longstreth MD http://www.healthline.com/adamcontent/ascites#ixzz11s5PVSzi Head-To-Toe Assessment (R. Abdomen) (Head-To-Toe Assessment (R. Abdomen), 2008) (Cirrhosis Ascites). http://www.healthcentral.com/ency/408/guides/000075_11.html

The battle between religios

Christianity vs. Judaism Did you know that Christianity evolved from Judaism? In fact in the Old Testament, which is part of the Bible, were the words of the Jews (Southwick). You may have never heard of Judaism because it is such a little religion that not many people practice. Although Judaism is such a small religion it means a lot, without it there would not be Christianity! Therefore, there are many similarities between Christianity and Judaism; however, there are also many differences. Christianity is the largest religion in the entire world, 32. of are world's population is Christian (Southwick). There are also thousands of different types of Christianity. As of right now there are about 33,820 â€Å"sub† religions, Catholic being the biggest with about 1,050,000,000 members (Wikipedia). Think about that, over 1/7 of the world is made up of Catholics. Christianity is one of many monotheistic religions meaning they believe in one god and that goes by the name of Jesus. J esus is actually of three people; God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit. They call this trinity which is a group of three people or things.Most Christians go to church very Sunday for about an hour and listen to the stories of God read out of the Bible. On the night before Christmas and the day of Christmas people usually go to church to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christianity is not a very extensive religion compared to most, there are very few requirements. The only thing you really need to do is believe in God/Jesus and you also must be baptized. This is probably why it is such a large religion. Unlike Christianity, Judaism is not a very large religion. Only 0. 2% of the world's population s made up of this religion.Compared to 32. 5% (Christian population) 0. 2% is not very much. This religion started in a place called Canaan and now a days Judaism is mainly practiced in Israel. Dissimilar to Christianity, 52% of Jews do not believe in gods. Appose to what most Christians think, most Jews do not thing God was the messiah. The sacred text of the Jews goes by the name of the Torah, which are the first five books of the Old Testament. The Torah was given to the people by God. Judaism is also a monotheistic religion. Jews did not eat shellfish or meat. https://donemyessay.com/why-was-the-battle-of-gettysburg-so-important/All of their meat had to be kosher. A big part of the Jews faith is to respect your elders! If you disrespected your parents they would have the right to beat you. One of the mail holidays in the religion is Hanukkah and is celebrated during the month of December. There are far more requirements to the religion which is probably why there are very few people that are a part of the religion. Because Christianity came from Judaism there will be many similarities but since Christianity started a lot have things have changed making it different from Judaism.One thing they have in common is that they both follow the Ten Commandments. They also both attend church and read out of the holy book. The Bible includes the first five books of the Old Testament which makes up the Torah. A major difference is the majority Jews do not believe Jesus Christ was the messiah. On the contrary; Christians believe that Jesus is the messi ah. Jews pray to Jehovah. Also Jews has different main day of worship then Christians. The Jews main day of worship is on Saturday oppose to Christians which is on Sunday. the battle between religios By noahwatsonl

How Energy Division Lead to Major Losses for Sime Darby

There are 4 multimillion Ringgit projects entered by Energy and Utilities division of Sime Darby, but turned out bad. One of the projects is collaboration with Qatar Petroleum (QP), the Bulhanine and Maydan Mahzam project. Sime Darby has been awarded a RM265 million contract to build wellhead platforms where the scope of works in the contract covers three wellhead platforms, installation of about 40 kilometres of pipeline, 23 kilometres of umbilical and alteration to existing platforms. It started in April 2006 and supposedly completed in August 2008. However, the division has encountered delays and cost overruns which resulted in losses on the project exceeding RM500 million, which have already been accounted for. At that time, they still try to negotiate with the QP project’s client on claims for the over budget cost, but the Board has already decided to reverse the revenue of RM200 million previously recognized in the Group accounts for Financial Year 2009. The second project is the Maersk Oil Qatar project (MOQ). Maersk Oil awarded Sime Darby Engineering the EPCIC contract to build and install a process platform, a utility platform and three bridges off the coast of Qatar in February 2007. It was scheduled for completion in October 2009 but there have been delays and cost overruns in this project which caused losses of RM159 million for Financial Year 2010. According to Sime Darby, the cost overruns were incurred on transport and installation, and hookup and commissioning works. It is not clear if the overruns were the result of under-budgeting, and unexpected increase in raw material costs, or both, or some other reason. Even though negotiations were made with the client, they still could not probe the losses. The third project related with the MOQ project, which is the construction of vessels for the MOQ project’s usage called the Marine Project. MARINE Project was meant to turn Sime Darby Bhd into a major marine vessel player in the oil and gas industry, but it didn’t turn out as planned when they picked the wrong shipbuilder. The project including building a derrick-lay barge, a pipe-laying ship, an anchor handling towing supply, and a tug boat that could send supplies to offshore oil rigs. Sime Darby had suffered cost overruns of some RM1. 3 billion for all three projects. And the last project is the Bakun hydroelectric dam project. The project was tendered to Sime Darby Group along with seven-member consortium by the government at a total of RM 1. 788 billion. The Bakun hydroelectric dam project, in which Sime Engineering Sdn Bhd holds a 35. 7% effective interest, was awarded in September 2002 and was initially scheduled for completion in September 2007. However, due to various factors, completion has been delayed and costs have escalated. There are three developments affecting the Bakun project. The first is the merger of the Sime Darby, Guthrie and Golden Hope into a new entity named Synergy Drive. The second is the proposed takeover of the Bakun project by the contractor, Sime Engineering. The third is the revival of the submarine HVDC cable under the South China Sea to transport electricity from Borneo to Peninsular Malaysia. These four projects were under the former president and four other senior executives’ control. They are Datuk Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid (CEO), Vice-president Datuk Mohamad Shukri Baharom, chief financial officer Abdul Rahim Ismail, head of oil and gas Abdul Kadir Alias and senior general manager of Sime Darby Engineering Mohd Zaki Othman. These personnel were accused of failing to carry out a due diligence on all projects. It also has been reported that they had neglected findings from KPMG, specifically on the deals with MLC shipping Group (construction and sale of four units of anchor handling towing supply at RM285 million and construction of a derrick lay barge for a sum of RM 295 million) and Puteri Offshore Pte Ltd. The VP was blamed for disregarding the due diligence process when he did not disclose or sufficiently highlighted the fact that he had already signed deals with MLC and Puteri Offshore. Sime Darby also has done investigation conduct by the legal and forensic consultants which has validated the finding where they may have been breaches of duties and obligations and inappropriate conduct.

Hell And Heaven Essays - Religion, Mythology, Belief, Hell

Hell And Heaven Essays - Religion, Mythology, Belief, Hell Hell And Heaven Matthew Jay Krachunis May 2000 Hell The idea of heaven entices and encourages believers and non-believers alike. It is enjoyable to envision a place of eternal rest and relaxation, in the presence of God and loved ones. Heaven does exist according to the Bible, and is the destination of the believer in Jesus Christ at the completion of life on this earth. What is not encouraging is the fact that there is a place for those whom God chooses will not inherit everlasting life. This place is commonly referred to in the English language as hell. It is not metaphorical nor is it mythological, it is real in every sense of the word; a true literal hell. It is a time as Guthrie says in New Testament Theology, to inquire about the state of the lost, a subject which tends to be neglected or else glossed over.....the final state of those who are not in the book of life (Guthrie p. 887). This will be the focus of this discussion, the eternal state of those individuals whose name will not be found in the book of life. To fully understand the implications of the declaration of a place of eternal damnation, one must first understand what that place is. The common use of the word Hell is considered colloquial and comical to some. In the bible, the idea of the term hell is expressed in more ways than one. The terms Gehenna (Matthew 5:22), Hades (Matthew 11:23), and Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15) are terms that have been interpreted to believe as hell. The term Gehenna occurs twelve times in the King James version of the bible. It occurs in all three of the synoptic gospels, but most notably in the book of Matthew in which it occurs seven times. Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible defines Gehenna as A name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment:-hell (Strongs p. 19). Jesus Christ spoke of Gehenna and warned people of it. Jesus said in Matthew chapter five verse thirty, for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go to hell. It is as Guthrie says, There is no way of avoiding the conclusion that Jesus firmly accepted that there was a counterpart to heaven for those who were condemned before God (Guthrie p.888). It is clear that Guthrie believes that there is an eternal and literal hell. Therefore, because Jesus stated it, and Guthrie supported it, shows that it must have a certain importance about it. In Mark chapter nine verses forty-two through fifty, Jesus is talking about the importance of understanding of the implications of a sinful life and where it will lead. In the following passage, the usage of the word hell is interpreted as the Greek word Gehenna and Jesus says, If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out (Mark 9:43). It can be construed from this statement that Jesus is adamant about the reality of the conditions in hell. It can be assumed that Jesus is not advocating the actual removal of the hand, but is speaking about the horrifying reality of hell. He is admonishing those who are listening to understand that theoretically, not having one of your hands would be better than spending eternity in hell. As Stamps says in the notes of the Full Life Study Bible, the place of unquenchable fire is so terrible that every influence of sin must be opposed and rejected no matter what the cost (Stamps p. 1497). Clearly, hell is an eternal existence that would be far worse than a missing limb. Next, Stagg states in The Broadman Bible Commentary that Gehenna was a term that came to symbolize the place of judgment for the wicked (Stagg p. 109). Furthermore, Stagg declares that Gehenna is derived from Hinnom, a valley west of Jerusalem, where the garbage was burned from the city (Stagg p. 109). The aforementioned passages reinforce the idea that hell is not a rhetorical or spiritual existence but a

Computer Tech essays

Computer Tech essays We are living in the era of a knowledge revolution and are entering an informative society. Information capabilities of computers have made possible multinational corporations, and their analytic and imaging capabilities have made possible scientific and engineering breakthroughs. Both at individual and institutional levels, computer technologies suggest fundamental changes in the organization of everyday life. So, what kind of tool is a computer, and in which way do people get engage with computers? Computers are objects that are becoming dominant features in the human environment. Initially, computers were not socially neutral (i.e. residual ideologies when computers were first launched); they were substitutes for humans and were defined as only appropriate for certain social roles belonging to young faculty and graduate students, signifying their lack of resources to hire human support staff. As time passes, people soon began to realize that computers have the potential for uses in diverse kinds of workplaces, diverse applications, and varied transformations in work (i.e. emergent ideologies as people began to understand the importance of computer existence). Now, in general, computers are intended as a dominant medium for introduction of technical pedagogy, problem solving, into education settings and with other pedagogies. Since computers are general-purpose devices, they are used for a variety of applications. There are many disciplines, professions and technologies where computers have become of central importance. For instances, as in education, computers are completely accepted into the mainstream activity. It is also clear that computers will play an increasing large and eventually dominant role in our everyday life. Computers often make more efficient use of resources and hence, they provide the ultimate rationale for precision and efficiency. Indeed, computers are everywhere. People view computers as...

Week 4 assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 4 assignment - Essay Example The young man who slipped was actually carrying a package that fell and causes some fireworks that seemed to have hurt Plaintiff. The package fell on the Platform where Plaintiff was standing and was actually estimated to have been fifteen inches of feet. It was due to the injuries caused by the package explosion that Plaintiff decided to sue or file a case. History: When the case was presented on the trial court, Plaintiff was actually found for by the court and the defendants were forced to appeal making the judgment to be affirmed by the appellate court. Ruling/ Analysis: Negligence in a real life situation is believed not to be a tort until it leads to a wrongful act that tend to deprive or violate one of his or her rights (Furgeson et.al, 2008). It is therefore right to show the possibilities of the obvious danger if harm was not willfully done. Since Plaintiff’s harm did not happen willfully as per the defendant’s part, it was therefore right to prove that package drop, had the obvious prospect of danger(Furgeson et.al, 2008). Being that the package was wrapped and there was no more evidence to prove that it had explosives, no negligence was thrown away. Negligence was not found and railroad had nothing to do with Plaintiff’s injuries. Judge Andrew actually opposed and started defining negligence. In his statement, he said that negligence is a comparative notion and everybody is to stay away from an act or substance that can intrude or interfere with the safety of others(Furgeson et.al, 2008). Summary: Actually, nothing was found in the situation to imply as the wrapped package could have dropped for anybody as this means that no one could have evaded such a situation. Plaintiff’s injury was caused by the explosion and this act was invisible as no one was aware of the incidence. This is one of the reasons as to why Judge Andrew reversed the

Reserve Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Reserve Banking - Essay Example There are two types of banking system that is the fractional banking system, and the 100% reserve banking system. This paper is a comparison and a contrast of these two types of banking system. The 100% reserve banking system is a practice whereby the full amounts of the funds of a depositor are made available to him or her at any given time. In the current global business environment, this system of banking does not exist. This is ever since the 1800s. The major reason is because banking organizations need to make profits, and having a 100% reserve banking system makes it difficult for these organizations to make money (Quagliariello, 17). Therefore, banking organizations and institutions would trade with the deposits in their vaults, for purposes of making profits. These trades involves, issuing of loans, mortgages, and involving themselves in the money market. However, in order to make some money, banking organizations that operates under a 100% reserve banking system, are involved in charging their customers some money, just for purposes of making them to be able to access their services. Lending in this kind of a system normally occurs when there is a separate arrangement, between the depositor and the banking organization, where the depositor is required to authorize the banking organization to lend some of his or her money. This is in direct contrast to the fractional system of reserve banking (Quagliariello, 27). Under this type of banking system, only a fraction of the depositor’s money is able to stay in the banking vaults, and the rest of the rest of the money are used for purposes of trade. Banks normally loan out these money, at an interest. Banks normally carry out this activity, through a vehicle referred to as a certificate of deposit. This system normally works, when the banking organization takes the money that is not needed by the customer, and it

Whether Achebes assessment of Heart of Darkness is entirely fair Essay

Whether Achebes assessment of Heart of Darkness is entirely fair - Essay Example The assessment presented by Achebe presents an analysis of the characterization in Conrad’s work. Achebe’s view of the comments presented by Marlow, the narrator in Conrad’s work, and the writer himself are subject to prejudice is fair. While taking the two (Conrad and Marlow) to be an entity, Achebe states that their wish is that things remain in the way they are. On a further note, Marlow represents a wrong image of the people of Africa. He refers to the pseudo-civilized African as a man who needs external support. In his assessment, Achebe is not happy at the fact that Conrad presents the Africans as having no language but the Europeans’ language as being superior. Achebe condemns what Conrad referred to as the lack of coherent way of human expression. This is a fair assessment since there were, native, African languages, through which they communicated. Since language’s core role is to communicate, there is no language fairer than another spoken by a different group of people, as Conrad tends to create in his work. The work by Conrad gives a view of Africa as a world in which the occupants are ignorant of events and display the least form of humanity. There is inaccurate information provided by Conrad about the description of some places in the setting of the book. The setting of the story is on river Congo, which evidently not River Emeritus. The depiction brought by Conrad brings that the two are distinct in value is wrong. He depicts that there was no food for a â€Å"civilized man† (Conrad 11) in River Congo, but the waters of Thames were drinkable. The racism evident through the presentation of Africa and its people by Conrad and Marlow (the character) works to invalidate the work. The author and character’s manipulation of the image of Congo in Conrad’s work denies it the credit any credit that it may attain from its readers. Achebe notes that Conrad never

April Morning by Howard Fast Book Review Essay Example for Free

April Morning by Howard Fast Book Review Essay The book April Morning by Howard Fast is a dramatic story of the bloody battle of Lexington set up with a one day structure from the view of a fifteen year old boy turning into a man. In the book we see the life of Adam Cooper changing from child to man in the matter of one day. Each chapter is a different time period of the day telling us what has happened and what the effects were on his life. Adam Cooper is a fifteen-year-old boy living in colonial Lexington, Massachusetts with his family. He feels demoralized by his father, Moses Cooper, but finds consolation from Granny Cooper, his paternal grandmother. When a meeting of the township Committee is called on the evening of April 18th, Adam wishes to attend but his father questions whether or not his son is a man and has earned the right to attend the meeting. Instead of attending the meeting, Adam visits his neighbor Ruth Simmons, a distant relative whom he loves whom he loves and sees himself marrying in the distant future. When his father returns home from the meeting, Adam eavesdrop as Moses tells his wife Sarah and Granny Cooper what happened, as the colonial communities prepare for a possible confrontation with the British army. During the late night early morning, a rider arrives in Lexington, waking up the community with news that the British army is on the march to Concord to take out supplies and ammunition that is being stored by colonists for a possible rebellion. Once the news of the night rider reaches the town the committeemen hold a muster for the militia, and Adam decides to sign the muster book and commit to fighting for the militia. His father is present when he is signing the muster and allows for it to happen. Moses Cooper no longer sees his son as a boy but as a determined man willing to fight for his family and community. Both Adam and his father prepared themselves for the battle and a total of seventy militia men wait for the arrival of the British army. Moses Cooper argues persuasively with the committeemen that the small number of men can’t stand up to the thousands of Redcoat troops they will be greeting alone, and so its decided that they will state their case but do no more; they decide to talk it out rather than to fight. However when the British finally reach Lexington, the officers are sneeringly dismissive of the colonists and tell them to leave the common and a mysterious shot is fired causing the British troops to begin firing on the colonists. The British massacred the small militia that stood in front of them, and Adam watched as his father and other men he had known his entire life be shot down. Adam hides in terror and cannot go home because of the British troops in town and it is unsafe. Adam is off to the woods to find the rest of the militia and he is almost discovered by British soldiers, but before they do so are called away to march towards Concord. Adam runs from the British and is shot at by redcoats, only to be caught in the grip of an older colonial man named Solomon Chandler, who helps Adam and provides him with some consolation and food. Adam joins Chandler on his journey to meet up with more members of colonial militias. Along the way, other colonists join the two, also ready to fight the British. Once at the pasture, Adam is greeted by Cousin Simmons and The Reverend, and is relieved that others from the Lexington militia had survived. Though the various town committees and militia have general instructions, there isnt a single leader chosen to lead the battle. It was a confused time for the colonists fighting and finally Chandler guides them and instructs the men waiting at the pasture to split up into groups according to the firing range of their weapons. Adam and the other men in his group lay under the brush and fire at the redcoats, Adams gun does not reach a far distance so he does not shoot but watches instead; he see the burning of Lexington and the bloodshed of the redcoats. Through the mist of all of the battle Adam seems to fall asleep leaving everyone to believe that he is wounded and dead. When Adam wakes up he finds that the battle has moved to a distant location; he hears Cousin Simmons and The Reverend talking, meets them, and they all agree to go home to Lexington, or what is left of it. Once home Adam is greeted with relief and happiness by the surviving members of his family and others from the town. Adam is now treated like a fully-grown man when he was only recently considered a simple child to everyone. Adam makes peace with his fathers corpse, and then helps to carry the casket to the church. At the church Adam lights some extra candles so his father won’t have to rest in the dark of night. Cousin Simmons makes sure that Adam is aware this battle was only the start, and that he must consider his other responsibilities as the new head of household when deciding if hell continue to fight. When Adam returns home his mother is already asleep but Granny Cooper is awake and says she knows he will go back into battle eventually. He puts off the question for the time being, and is relieved to finally go to sleep and end this momentous day. The book is a great and quick read being that it is only 202 pages long. The text gets you involved and makes it feel as if you are there with Adam Cooper through the battles and his day. You feel as if you are standing next to Adam while on the field holding your riffle awaiting the battles. The pressures and emotions that the boy is going through as he transitions into an adult are heartfelt and many people can relate to Adam in some ways. The pressure of becoming a man over night and resuming all these responsibilities he never had to deal with before is a struggle that many can relate too. I personally would definitely recommend this book to my peers as well as to younger and older audiences. This book in my opinion was very good in the fact that it drew me in and kept me wanting to read more as the story went on. I don’t usually like reading and the fact that this book makes me want to keep reading and not stop till it was finished in my opinion makes this a good book. Fast is a great author and knows how to draw in an audience. Overall this was a great book and I would definitely recommend it to all.

How Jack Bellews Speech Affects the Plot of Nella Larsens Passing

The term "passing" is shorthand for a racial passing which means people of one race passing for another. Nella Larsen's Passing is the story about two light-skinned women, who both have African blood. Clare Kendry is one of them who chooses and succeeds at "passing" and Irene Redfield is one who doesn't. They drive into each other twelve years later in a restaurant and Clare invites Irene to the tea party. The tea party which appears in the beginning of the story plays an important role throughout of the story because Jack Bellew enters the story at that moment. Jack is the white man who has a strong revulsion to African-Americans. He marries Clare, without knowing her secret ancestry. Jack's statements at the tea party lead the main characters' transformation throughout the story and shape the ending as well. Jack's disgust in colored people and assertion of his hate toward Negroes impact Clare Kendry, his wife, to re-estimate her value of life. When Clare and Irene run into each other at the restaurant, Clare is confident of her `passing' and is even sorry to those who didn't do the same thing. Passing to the white society is "even worth the price" to Clare (160). She believes that wealth is everybody's final desire and by passing she achieves that in a "frightfully easy" way (158). However she doubts her confidence on her passed life since the tea party in her house. At the tea party, Jack says words which humiliates African-Americans and shows how he hates Negroes (171-172). Against his statements, Irene exposes that Jack is "surrounded by three black devils" (172). It is significant that Irene includes Clare as one of the "black devils." This implies that Irene classifies Clare as a part of the black community even... ...at Jack didn't show up frequently during the story but his words which had spoken at the tea party remain and continuously affect Irene and Clare. After the tea party Clare finds her happiness is no longer coming from being an upper class and having wealth but she confirms that she belongs to the black society and is happy to mingle with them. Also Irene who always concerning safety and put it up as the most important thing in her life turns out to thinking about others beside security; those are considering herself and relationship with husband . Clare's death, the ending of the story, was already foreseen at the tea party by Jack and followed by his words. Without doubt Jack Bellew was the character who opens up the story and also, finishes up the story. Work cited Nella, Larsen. Quicksand and Passing. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University press, 2002

Sin Taxes

Principles and Processes of Government Budgeting| Sin Taxes, Good or Bad? | An Examination of the Use of Sin Taxes in the United States| By: Stacy Madden4/27/2012 | Executive Summary Historically sin taxes have been an effective and efficient way for the government to raise revenue. The federal government used tariffs and consumption taxes to generate almost all of its revenue in the early years of our nation. The tax structure and philosophy has evolved and changed since the beginning of our nation, however the use of sin taxes has remained a good way for governments to raise revenues.Sin taxes no longer provide a significant portion of federal or state governments; however they do provide a consistent stream of revenue. This paper examines the use of sin taxes in the United States. First, the paper provides a basic understanding of sin taxes, current definition, and history. Next, the paper outlines the goods and services most commonly targeted by sin taxes and provides information about the effectiveness of these taxes to raise revenue and accomplish policy outcomes.Common goods and services targeted by sin taxes include; tobacco, alcohol, fuel, hazardous chemicals, gambling, prostitution, pornography, and unhealthy foods. Lastly, the paper will examine the ethical and moral implications of sin taxes from the perspective of those who support and oppose the use of sin taxes in the United States. Introduction Ben Franklin adequately stated the importance of taxes with his famous quote, â€Å"but in the world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes. Citizens have vested governments with the power to tax in order to provide services for the common good. There are many different ways for a government to tax its citizens in order to raise revenues, ranging from taxes on income, wealth, and property, to taxes on goods and services. The United States uses many of these taxes in varying levels to raise the needed funds to carry out government busine ss. Some taxes are generally accepted and uncontested, while others are highly politicized and hard for Americans to accept.Presently, the federal government relies on income taxes for the bulk of its revenue whereas states and localities rely more heavily on other forms of taxes to raise money for their functions. The primary function of taxes is to raise revenue for the government, however governments have used taxes to help spark social change, punish those who partake of certain goods and services, or regulate the consumption of specific goods and services. In these instances, taxes move from matters of revenue to issues of social policy, acting as mechanisms to force certain behaviors from citizens.More specifically, sin taxes have been used in the United States to help change behavior or regulate the consumption of goods and services deemed as sinful. In this paper, I will define sin taxes and outline the political meaning of â€Å"sin,† provide a brief history of sin t axes and their use, examine the most common forms of sin taxes in the United States, and lastly discuss the ethical and moral implication of utilizing sin taxes as a mechanism of social change. Sin Tax, a DefinitionBefore considering the implications of sin taxes and their influence on the behavior of Americans, it is important to define the term. Taxes, most generally, are levied by governments to raise revenue in order to conduct business in the public interest. The United States, utilizing a progressive income tax to raise the bulk of its revenue, possess a culture where citizens pay most of their taxes on time. (Mikesell 493) This system is not one that commonly uses taxes as a punishment, instead encouraging its citizens to pay their taxes for the common good and success of the nation as a whole.Noncompliance is low, and the government has even employed strategies to enhance payment, such as instruction and assistance. (Mikesell 494) Sin taxes, however, do not take this positiv e approach to raise revenue, instead, governments use their powers of taxation to punish behaviors when utilizing sin taxes. Most commonly, sin taxes are excise or consumption taxes that charge fees for guilty pleasures or human indulgence. Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 60) Sin taxes, therefore, are intended to encourage citizens to consume or use taxed items responsibly or discourage behavior associated with the consumption of taxed items. Goods or services generally taxed through sin tax policy have some common characteristics including inelastic demand, promote behavior that is harmful to the individual, and promote behavior that is harmful to others.Goods or services targeted by sin taxes have an inelastic demand because they are generally habitual, addictive, or highly pleasurable. Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 60) Further, these goods or services are targeted by sin tax legislation because consuming or utilizing the good or services can lead to self-destructive behavior, negative consequences for c ommunities, and generally are considered socially undesirable. Thus, sin taxes are not prohibitive; citizens are allowed to consume targeted goods and services as long as the tax is not steep enough to make consumption of the good or service impossible. Viscusi 556) Further, the voluntary nature of sin taxes is generally more tolerable than involuntary nature of income taxes. (Schmidt, Barr and Swanson 1677) The most confusing and controversial element when considering sin taxes is the definition of sin.This word can be highly political and misleading, automatically making most think of sin in religious terms. However, sin, in the context of sin taxes, refers to addictive, self-destructive, and socially undesirable, behavior from the consumption of goods and services without crossing into religious doctrine. Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 60) In this context, then, sin is behavior that is undesirable enough to be targeted by taxes as a form of regulation or determent, but not so socially unacce ptable to be illegal to the public. (Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 60) Therefore, sin taxes should not be considered as forms of punishment for poor consumption choices, but instead be a catalyst to foster sounder and safer decisions. (Viscusi 547) However, this can be a slippery slope, the limited use of taxes on goods and services deemed as sinful could grow and encompass others outside the scope of sin.Sin Tax History Sin taxes have a long history, originating with religious doctrine and the power of organized religions to collect fees. Popes levied the earliest forms of sin taxes on prostitutes, brothels, and the sale of indulgence to raise money for religious projects. (Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 59) Laws required prostitutes to designate half of her property and fortune to convents, and brothels were taxed continuing through the 16th century. Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 59) Further, Russian Czar Peter the Great imposed fees on the length of beards to tax vanity, and the Puritans used sin taxes to curb ex travagance. (Lorenzi, Sin Taxes 59)The United States has a long history of utilizing taxes on socially undesirable goods and services to fund the government. In the early years of our democracy, the federal Government derived almost all its revenue from consumption taxes in the form of duties on imports and excise taxes on liquors and tobacco. American Economic Association 50) This tradition was set early when Congress enacted excise taxes on tobacco and snuff, refined sugar, distilled spirits, carriages, and property sold at auctions in order to finance the debts incurred during the Revolutionary War. (Hines 51) However, these taxes were not well received by a public that was over taxed by the British government and violent protests, in what was later coined the Whiskey Rebellion, resulted in the abolition of many unpopular excise taxes during the Jefferson Administration. Hines 52)The War of 1812 and the Civil War both required the federal Government to raise revenue and as a resu lt old excise taxes were reinstated as well as taxes on gold, jewelry, silverware, watches, playing cards, feathers, patent medicines, billiard tables, leather, telegrams, yachts, and many other luxuries, however these taxes were quickly repealed once the wars were over. (Hines 62) The federal Government was permitted to levy a personal income tax with the 16th Amendment, which became the main source of revenue in 1913. Hines) Federal excise taxes did not completely disappear during this time; however prohibition severely limited the possible revenue of excise taxes before the Depression.The repeal of Prohibition and expansion of excise taxes on luxuries during the Depression helped to finance the increased federal spending of the New Deal Programs totaling more than 15 percent of the federal revenue in 1933. Hines 52) The expansion of programming during and following World War II required higher income taxes, fully transferring the bulk of government revenue away from excise and co nsumption taxes to the system we employ today. (Hines) The federal government still utilized some consumption and excise taxes, however these were limited to those goods and services mostly deemed socially undesirable, or sin taxes. Popular Goods and Services Taxed as â€Å"Sin† Tobacco and Alcohol The scope of goods and services targeted by sin taxes is limited in American society.The two oldest and most widely targeted goods are tobacco and alcohol. As evidenced in the history of sin taxes, alcohol and tobacco have been taxed to finance federal and state governments, particularly in slow fiscal times or to raise money for major legislation or wars. These goods have been targeted by sin tax legislation because they have the potential to raise money rather quickly, have been relatively accepted as sinful, and have direct casual relationships with health or social problems. Hines 63) Further, it is easier for governments to justify taxes on tobacco and alcohol to the public si nce both goods tend to have negative consequences for the public at large. Legislators can disguise taxes on tobacco and alcohol as regulations to help protect society from the health and social consequences resulting from overconsumption of these goods while requiring those who consume tobacco and alcohol to finance the consequences of their consumption choices. (Boyd and Seldon 365) Thus, in times of increasing taxes it is easier and more popular to increase taxes on goods instead of taxes on income.Cigarettes have been a major target of sin taxes in most recent history as the health risks have been widely publicized. In order to combat cigarette consumption, the federal government and many states have levied taxes on the production and/or sale of cigarettes. The rationale behind this tax is quite simple, those who partake in the pleasure of smoking should help pay for the health care required resulting from their choice. (Gruber 203) Today, all states and the federal government i mpose an excise tax on cigarettes, and these taxes are increasing as governments try to balance their budgets. American Medical Association 1909)Cigarette excise taxes are widely accepted in public opinion, the hazards of smoking have demonized the industry and those who choose to purchase the products. (Gruber 194) Utilizing sin taxation to regulate consumption of tobacco has been highly effective, according to the CDC, â€Å"A 10% increase in the price of cigarettes can reduce consumption by nearly 4% among adults and can have an even greater effect among youths and other price-sensitive groups. (American Medical Association 1909) Sin taxation on alcohol, while a widely targeted good, seems to be less popular and publicized in popular media. Taxes on alcohol tend to be lower than those on tobacco, and many states handle the sale of alcohol differently (alcohol license tax, state operated liquor stores, etc. ), making the tax less visible to the public. (Johnson and Meier 580) Fur ther, it is harder to gauge the effect specific liquor, beer, and wine taxes have on consumption.For example, higher taxes increasing the price on one might cause consumers to substitute to another, more affordable alternative, such as substituting wine with beer. (Johnson and Meier 591) However, studies show increased prices on alcohol as a result of taxation have affected alcohol consumption rates to an extent even if it is minimal. (Boyd and Seldon 365) Sin taxation on both tobacco and alcohol have seemed to decrease the consumption of these goods while raising revenues for state and federal governments, however little attention is given to other factors affecting decreasing consumption rates.The American public has been flooded with messages about the dangers of smoking and national campaigns have worked to warn Americans to stop smoking, helping to decrease cigarette consumption in the United States along with the steep sin taxes increasing the prices. Further, many cities and states are adopting smoking bans in public places, limiting the accessibility of facilities for smokers. Also, there are very few substitutes for tobacco products, forcing smokers to either pay the tax or consume less.Political movements and tougher legislation against behavior resulting from alcohol consumption might be affecting consumption rates just as easily as increased prices resulting from sin taxes. Taxes on alcohol and tobacco can also increase production costs, causing producers to utilize their resources to raise other commodities that are not as heavily taxed, decreasing the overall production of tobacco and alcohol products. Boyd and Seldon 370) Further, lower consumption rates may not mean that consumption is actually dropping if consumers are turning to affordable black market substitutes. (Johnson and Meier 591) Environmental Americans have become increasingly accustomed to sin taxes that will help promote safer environmental practices and sustainability. Increased understanding of environmental factors surrounding pollution has increased the need for governmental regulation of emissions. As a result, the federal government has levied taxes on goods and services that contribute to pollution.The most common of these taxes is that on fuel; gasoline and diesel. Sin taxes levied on gasoline are intended to discourage driving and reduce pollution as well as traffic congestion in the process. (Hines 52) This tax is easy for government to justify since the majority of funds raised from the tax are spent on highway maintenance and construction. (Hines 52) While this tax may not have been enacted with â€Å"sin† regulation in mind, environmental regulation helps to justify it now, putting it in the â€Å"sin† category.Environmental sin taxes are not limited to fuel; they are also levied on gas-guzzler cars, heavy road vehicles, highway-type tires, and all forms of air transportation. (Hines 53) Ozone depleting chemicals also present an op portunity to tax environmental sin. Not only does the federal government limit the use of these hazardous chemicals, they are also taxed. (Hines 53) The strict regulation and higher taxes on these chemicals has severely reduced their production and use, almost making the usage limits irrelevant. Hines 53) In the future, scaled taxes on specific chemicals could help further reduce their use and potential harm to the ozone, however the federal government has not utilized sin taxes thoroughly enough to enact further environmental regulation. Gambling, Prostitution, and Pornography Gambling is a service that has been a target of sin taxes since the early years of our nation, easily defined as a sin but harder to single out and tax since it is not a good. The federal government has not taxed gambling with the same enthusiasm as tobacco, alcohol, or fuel taxes.Taxing gambling in the United States is tricky, Native American and state sponsored gambling is tax free, and setting gambling tax es too high can cause taxpayers to turn to alternatives, such as illegal gaming establishments. (Schmidt, Barr and Swanson 1682) Further, it is harder for consumers to feel the effects of gambling taxes since most tax costs are not directly funded by service prices. Instead, most sin taxes are levied on the gaming establishments in the form of license agreements for specific games or total revenue. Schmidt, Barr and Swanson 1687) Thus, gambling taxes do not technically raise the cost of the service and encourage citizens to make better decisions, instead gambling establishments bear the majority of the burden of the tax cost. While gambling sin taxes are hard to levy on individuals for regulation, they can be a tool to monitor and stop organized crime through IRS oversight. (Schmidt, Barr and Swanson 1681) Prostitution and pornography are equally difficult to tax, each for their own, separate reasons.Prostitution, while generally considered immoral, is legal in some states and on pa per is considered victimless since it is a consensual act between two adults. (Lorenzi, Taxing Antisocial Behavior for the Common Good 331) Further, taxes in this industry generally are levied on the establishment, much like gambling, and if the tax becomes too high, consumers will look for substitutes, generally illegal. Pornography is equally as difficult to tax, since so much of this product is available online.States are still trying to figure out how to charge a sales tax on online purchases, rather unsuccessfully, and pornography is no exception. Thus, taxes on this industry are limited to taxes on producers and networks, not individual consumers. (Lorenzi, Taxing Antisocial Behavior for the Common Good 331) In the end, taxes on prostitution and pornography are not as readily apparent to the consumer as with tobacco, alcohol or fuel, reducing the individual deterrent qualities of a sin tax on these goods and services. Fat TaxesObesity rates in the United States have been risin g, and as a result so have health issues and healthcare costs. (Chaufan, Hong and Fox 87) In recent years, state and federal governments have debated utilizing sin taxes to raise the cost of purchasing calorie dense foods with no nutritional value in order to deter consumption. However, these â€Å"fat taxes† are not new and have been present since the 1920’s. (Creighton 127) They are gaining in popularity as the obesity epidemic continues to cause widespread health issues.These unhealthy goods are particularly targeted by health officials because they are most commonly marketed to kids, and children who develop poor eating habits when they are young and more likely to become obese as adults. (Fletcher, Frisvold and Tefft 968) Thus, with evidence from the tobacco industry, sin taxes on unhealthy goods would seem to be a good method to encourage healthier food purchases. Further, taxing these goods could provide huge revenue increases for federal and state governments s ince the unhealthy food industry profits are similar to those of the alcohol industry. Fletcher, Frisvold and Tefft 968) Utilizing taxes as a mechanism to change behavior has not been as successful for curbing obesity. Taxing soft drinks has proved to discourage consumption, particularly for children and groups with limited spending capability. (Fletcher, Frisvold and Tefft 972) However, changing behaviors that lead to obesity takes more than just cutting specific foods out of a diet. For example, diets high in caloric intake can cause obesity regardless of where the calories are coming from if a person does not get enough exercise.Curbing obesity almost requires a personalized plan for each individual, focusing not only on their diet, but also exercise habits, genetic makeup, and lifestyle. (Chaufan, Hong and Fox 88) Simply targeting one factor does not help fix problems with the other factors. Further, there are too many substitutes for unhealthy junk food, allowing citizens to co ntinue to make poor health choices, even if we target certain goods. (O'Donoghue and Rabin 1841) Ethical and Moral Considerations of Sin TaxesSin taxes can be a valuable tool for government to raise revenue and help shape social policy. However, adding morals and values to a tax requires ethical and moral considerations above those of most other forms of taxes. These taxes are levied with a specific policy outcome in mind, yet sometimes it may be difficult to separate the government’s interest in raising revenue with the government’s overarching policy goal. Since these taxes generally have some sort of stigma attached with the goods or services taxed, it is also important to ensure these tax policies are enacted for the common good.Sin taxes have been the target of moral and ethical discussions mainly because it is hard to decide what exactly constitutes a sin. Disputes arise as legislators decide what goods and services need to be regulated for the public wellbeing. While many of the goods and services taxed as sin have historically been deemed evil, immoral, seedy, or bad; discourse about who decides these products deserve to be regulated and taxed above and beyond other goods and services must be evaluated. This seems to be the central moral question surrounding sin taxes.Should a minority of the population have to pay an extra tax to support the government simply because they partake or utilize a specific good or service? Taking this question a step further, sin taxes have the potential to raise large revenues, so is it ethical to make a few pay for government services for all? Who gets to decide how these funds will be spent, and who or what will this spending affect? (Green 70) The last overarching question surrounding the sin taxes focuses on the government’s power to tax, namely, can the government use its power to tax to shape and enforce social policies?Those in favor of sin taxes would argue there are many reasons why it is mor al and ethical to require consumers who purchase these particular goods and services to pay more than the average taxpayer. Namely, sin taxes target goods and services that cause negative consequences for the public at large. (Green 68) These could be increased health care costs or higher demand for social services. It is logical, then, to require these consumers to pay more since they are directly contributing to higher government costs for all.Not only is it logical and moral to require these consumers to pay more for the added costs as a result of their consumption, higher taxes can help them make better, healthier choices. Sin taxes have been proven to reduce the consumption of specific goods and services, helping to create sustainable, prosocial behaviors for the future. (Lorenzi, Taxing Antisocial Behavior for the Common Good 328) Sin tax policies can help deter and regulate antisocial behaviors as a result of consumption of sin goods and services while simultaneously raising revenues to pay for the programming needed to help those affected by this behavior.Further, sin taxes raising money on the backs of those partaking in antisocial behavior reduce the need to tax prosocial behaviors. For example, revenue generated from sin taxes can be used to fund government business, reducing income tax costs for the larger population. (Lorenzi, Sin Taxes) Targeting these immoral behaviors and using them to fund governmental operations ensures those engaged in prosocial behavior are not bearing a larger share of the cost of government. This is an attractive and easy sale to the public since higher taxes make all citizens unhappy.Sin taxes on paper are extremely regressive, and as a result unfavorable to many. However, lifetime incidence studies prove the effects of these taxes on lower income taxpayers is about equal to those in middle or higher income households. (Poterba 327) Those who oppose sin taxes see the value they bring to both government revenues as well a s the common good; however these positives do not outweigh the negative ethical and moral implications. First and foremost, opponents of sin taxes believe it is immoral for the government to rely on funding from the very behaviors it has deemed sinful and therefore is trying to regulate or change. Lorenzi, The Moral Grounds of Sin Taxes 68) Opponents see sin taxes as a stepping stone to banning certain goods and services, which should be a social policy decision supported by the public, not forced on them through prohibitive taxes. (Viscusi 547) Opponents therefore do not believe taxes should be used as a mechanism to enforce social policies or enact social change. (Creighton 135) In essence, the government is taking away the individual’s autonomy, legislating they should not purchase certain goods and products. (Green 72) This is a difficult issue to balance, Americans value independence and the freedom to choose.Further, sin taxes are regressive, putting the large burden of payment on those with the least ability to pay. (Hines 65) In slow economic times, when governments tend to raise sin taxes to help close the revenue and expenditure gap, sin taxes could actually hurt the economy, pushing these citizens to the end of their economic resources. (Johnson and Meier 582) In the end, the same population the government is targeting to raise the revenue would be the same population in need of government services once their resources were depleted.Further, utilizing sin taxes as a form of punishment or regulation directly competes with the message of the general tax code, namely, every citizen has the obligation to pay their taxes and support the government. The United States evolved their tax system from one based on consumption and tariffs to one based on taxing income based on the ability to pay. Sin taxes do not fit fairly into this carefully crafted tax structure we use today, sending the public mixed messages about citizen’s role in the taxatio n process. Lastly, opponents of sin taxes are skeptical if they are actually reaching the policy outcomes intended.Studies show increased prices on certain goods and services reduces consumption, however there could be many other factors contributing to the decline in usage. For example, reduced consumption might be a result of heightened public awareness about the health risks, greater access to prevention and rehabilitation, harsher criminal legislation surrounding a specific behavior, or any number of other factors. Further, sin taxes on some goods, like unhealthy foods, really do not work at all since there are so many additional factors that might be contributing to the issue. Chaufan, Hong and Fox 87) Opponents also are skeptical sin taxes even reduce consumption since the presence of similar or equal substitutes might encourage consumers to find these goods and services elsewhere, such as illegal gambling establishments or black market cigarettes. (Johnson and Meier 591) The availability of substitutes could in turn create greater antisocial behavior and costs to the government in the form of criminal investigation, prevention, and added health risks from unsafe goods and services. ConclusionTaxes are an inevitable fee all must pay to support the government. Citizens vest the power to tax with governments in return for government services. Governments take the power to tax a step further with sin taxes, not only raising revenue but also enacting or enforcing social policy. Sin taxes have been used successfully throughout history, particularly when citizens unanimously agree a sin exists. Sin taxes have also been successful in regulating or curbing consumption resulting in antisocial behavior as well as generating revenue.On the surface, it would seem as if sin taxes are a great way to raise revenues and influence or enforce social policy. However, there are many ethical and moral implications surrounding sin taxes. Digging deeper into the positive and n egative consequences of these taxes sheds light on the inherent problematic nature of the tax, and leads to questions about its place in the American tax structure. Legislators must be cognizant of these moral and ethical questions before deciding to enact taxes that could potentially be discriminatory to some members of society.These taxes should be evaluated on a case by case basis, with clear and measureable policy outcomes included in the evaluation. Policy outcomes that are not easily measured may not be the best use of sin tax influence for social change. In the end, taxes on goods or services labeled as sinful have great potential to raise revenue, and as a result these taxes are popular to help close revenue and expenditure gaps. Perhaps sin taxes are a great case study for tax structures based on consumption instead of income. Hines 69) Sin taxes target consumption, and this seems to work well to raise revenue for the government. 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