The Definition of Success free essay sample

The American Dream is a large house, a speedy car, and financial freedom. For some, it includes a boat, a REV, and a cottage by the lake. However, another definition of success doesnt list any of these. Success does not have anything to do with material goods but is rather tied to broader concepts. One measure of success is how happy a person is. For some people, they might feel their happiest when they have luxurious items. However, this is not universally true and is consequently not a true measure of success.Happiness for most people is a pappy and loving family. If this is someones definition of success, then their family is what defines their success. For some, this success might mean trying new things and a lifestyle that supports it. Success Is tied in with happiness because they are both highly subjective. Health can also be considered a defining factor In success. We will write a custom essay sample on The Definition of Success or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People feel unsuccessful if they, or someone they love, are not healthy. For Instance, can father feel successful if his child is ill? This is why doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and hospitals are so important.Not only do they allow people to live longer, but they also allow people to feel successful In their life. Finally, success can mean overcoming hardships. No one Likes hard and rough times with tears and pain. Someone who has come through the pain often feels Like he or she has accomplished something. An Individual that has overcome an obstacle achieves a measure of success. As David Brinkley has stated, a man can be proud If he has laid a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. The most valuable lessons can come from failures. Like Dale Carnegie said, Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. And who could understand the meaning of success If they did not experience disappointment? Light would not exist without darkness and success would not be truly achieved without failure. But we all hope that this failure Is only temporary. People want to achieve success and make plans to reach It. However, with a narrow Interpretation of success, many people have no chance of finding It.They will continue to find themselves going the wrong way, mammals out on opportunities, and pappy moments along the way. The Definition of Success By instructor a lifestyle that supports it. Success is tied in with happiness because they are both Health can also be considered a defining factor in success. People feel unsuccessful if they, or someone they love, are not healthy. For instance, can father feel successful feel successful in their life. Finally, success can mean overcoming hardships. No one likes hard and rough times with tears and pain.Someone who has come through the pain often feels like he or he has accomplished something. An individual that has overcome an obstacle achieves a measure of success. As David Brinkley has stated, a man can be proud if understand the meaning of success if they did not experience disappointment? Light failure. But we all hope that this failure is only temporary.

Human Rights in Egypt essays

Human Rights in Egypt essays Many people in the United States are sheltered from what goes on in the rest of the world. Although every country has its flaws, some countries are much worse than anyone else could even imagine. Human rights are constantly being violated. An example of a country where many peoples rights have been violated is Egypt. Egypt has a very long detailed history. However, there are events that occurred not too long ago that have also helped shape Egypt as it is today. In 1967 Egypt was defeated by Israel. Due to this, Egypts Sinai Peninsula was occupied by Israeli troops. President said that he was going to resign and assumed all responsibility, but after protests were made supporting him, he changed his mind. In 1970 He died of a heart attack. Anwar El-Sadat then came to power. Irrigation, agriculture and industry were improved in 1971 because of the completion of the Aswan High Dam. Also in 1971 is when Egypt stopped renewing the cease-fire agreement with Israel. Egypts treaty with the Soviet Union was canceled in 1976. Saad Eddin Ibrahim is a citizen to both Egypt and the US. He was arrested on July 1st 2000 because he was believed to have made a film that would damage the image of the Egyptian government. This film was never broadcast and Ibrahim claims his innocence. His family safe, personal computer and files were all taken. Article 19 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. This right was violated when Ibrahim was punished for supposedly expressing opinion. The US does not agree with this situation. President Bush stated that the aid given to Egypt from the US (nearly $2 billion) would be withheld. The Foreign Minister of Egypt said that &quo...

Discuss the information technology control Essay - 1

Discuss the information technology control - Essay Example be considered as an important element of the organizational framework to achieve desired objectives and results in the competitive business environment. Information technology and control can be considered as an internal control initiative of organizations related to the maintenance of confidentiality and integrity of available data along with the effective management of the information technology functions within the organization. This means that management of confidential information along with controlling the flow of information is the major task of information management control. However, information technology control has different facets with different importance and value in the operational framework that also needs to be assessed and analyzed for a better understanding over the subject matter. Information technology control can be classified under two heads; Information technology general controls and information technology application controls with both having different value and benefits. Information technology general controls are based on controlling the information technology environment, computer operations, program development, program management and access of programs as per the need and demand. It can be considered as a basic framework of managing information technology functions within the organization. On the other hand information technology application controls refer to transaction controls mainly related to the input of data based on transactions. It also checks whether all transactions in the form of data have been stored and processed in an effective manner or not along with ensuring that only approved business users can access data and information in a logical and ethical manner. Basically, the whole act is to ensure that data has been stored in the right manner along with making them accessible to a number of users who are an important part of the organization. It needs to be mentioned that every organization has certain confidential

Role of Malta in WW1 and WW2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Role of Malta in WW1 and WW2 - Essay Example The dynamics of this involvement took different courses for the two wars, as Malta played different but crucial roles. A common aspect, however, is the interaction of Malta with the main countries involved in the war. These include UK, France, Italy and Turkey among others. The structure of the paper entails a look at the role of the island in World War I, followed by its role in World War II. In each case, a background on the state of Malta just before the war will start off the discussion, followed by analyzing the role it played in the given war in terms of its interactions with the world powers. The guiding thesis to this study is that Malta played a vital role in determining the course and outcomes of the world wars. Malta’s Role in World War I A brief overview of the state of Malta before World War I indicates that the island was a British Colony. In 1814, Britain had acquired Malta as part of its empire following the Treaty of Paris. The main attractions that Malta held were its geographical location in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is situated in approximately the middle-point of the Mediterranean Sea, which makes it a strategic position as a continental gateway between Europe and Africa. For Britain, Malta’s centrality between Gibraltar and the Suez Canal made the island an essential stop on the way to India, where Britain had historically strong interests. As a British colony preceding World War I, Malta served as shipping way stop and as a headquarter for British and other nations’ fleets. Britain’s interaction with Malta makes the country the first to be studied in terms of its interaction with the island during the First World War. An important point to note is that Malta did not play an active and substantial military role during World War I. The first instance of British-Malta interaction in terms of World War I happened in 1914 as Britain joined Russia and France in war against Germany. According to Austin (2004), Malta held a British Mediterranean Fleet of about 14 battleships prior to the First World War. The author states that Britain’s involvement in the war resulted in a rapid withdrawal of this fleet to meet the threat posed by Germany. British military was traditionally involved in patrol-like tendencies due to its strong navy, hence the need to involve the Mediterranean Fleet in war. Sciberras (2004) details the next level of interaction between Britain and Malta as the war progressed. According to this author, February 1915 saw an early enquiry of the possibility of hospital accommodation in Malta. The first arrivals of injured British (and other Allies’) soldiers were treated in the available hospitals, in Malta, during this period. The present hospital resource in Malta at the time was merely four small hospital facilities with 278 bed capacity (Rudolf and Berg, 2010). However, the projected increasing in number of casualties meant that the available hospital resourc es would be overwhelmed. Hence, there was provision of extra nursing accommodation in barracks and Maltese schools, with the available hospital resources expanded to make a total of 25,000 beds. The first convoys of wounded British soldiers arrived in Maltese hospitals in March 1915, and by September of the same year, Malta held about 10,000 soldiers under treatment. The Maltese population of the time took part in the treatment of these soldiers. With the progression of the war, Malta increasingly became a significant center for nursing British and Allies’ soldiers owing to its proximity to the areas of war and its ease of accessibility in comparison to the home countries. To highlight the importance of Malta’

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 19

Human Resource Management - Essay Example ue added activities that the HRM performs such as training; Learning and development; planning, performance appraisal; compensation and rewards & recognition. (Abu & Kamrul, 2000) For many organizations, the selection process consists of short listing the candidates and selecting the best. Different positions in the organization would require different kinds of selection criteria or technique. It is the duty of the HR to decide which technique needs to be used to recruit the best person and the selection technique will depend on number of criteria’s such as skills, characteristics, domain familiarity required for the position to be filled. (Choosing selection techniques, n.d) Selection of a candidate should not be just based on the selection method but should also involve 2 or more techniques to assess the skill set, communication, analytical knowledge and domain knowledge. Interviews can be done in different ways and this depends on the how the interviewer would want to acquire information. There are different selection techniques and the organization can use more than one selection technique to recruit the employees. This is the most relaxed form of recruiting an employee, by having a friendly chat. This method can be exercised to observe candidates’ manners and activities in a less formal environment. This method is usually used as one part of the selection process and this helps the interviewer in assessing the ability and the suitability of the job and also to evaluate if the candidate would be adding value to the organization. (Types of Interview, n.d) Some companies take a structured approach to interviews. The same sets of questions are asked to the candidates to assess how good they are against the other candidates .This method is very useful in case the interviewer wants to assess the presentation and communication skills of the candidate. This method involves assessing skills, attributes, behavioral patterns by giving the candidates some

Polymer formulation

Polymer formulation CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Pigments are additives in a polymer formulation which provide countless possibilities to designers who want to differentiate their product. Legislation and uprising environmental awareness has led to the gradual phasing out of heavy metal inorganic pigments and increased usage of organic pigments. Despite their good heat stability, light fastness, tinctorial strength and low cost, certain organic pigments are widely known to cause significant warpage in polyethylene mouldings (even at pigment concentrations as low as 0.1% wt).[1,2] This phenomenon is especially common in large thin-walled mouldings such as lids, bottle crates and trays.[3] It is generally accepted that the warpage phenomenon is caused by the nucleating effect these organic pigments have on polyethylene. They act as nucleating agents, increasing crystallisation rate and altering the morphology of mouldings. Morphological changes cause higher internal stress which leads to distortion.[2] Adding on to the problem, different organic pigments nucleate polyethylene to different degrees, making it impossible to produce mouldings with identical dimensions using identical processing conditions when a variety of pigments are used.[4] Numerous attempts have already been made, with usually moderate success, to solve organic pigment induced warpage. They range from adjusting process parameters, mould design changes, pre-treatment of pigments, to incorporation of additional additives. A review of literature in this research area showed that although some studies have been conducted to investigate the incorporation of nucleating agents to override nucleating effects of organic pigments on polypropylene, limited information of this sort exists for polyethylene. The specific mechanism behind nucleating agents overriding nucleation by organic pigments is also still unclear. Therefore, it is the aim of this research to study the influence of nucleating agents, based on potassium stearate and carboxylic acid salts, on the crystallisation and warpage behaviour of high density polyethylene containing copper phthalocyanine green pigment. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Optical Microscopy (OM) will be employed to follow the crystallisation behaviour of the formulations and correlations between rate of crystallisation and shrinkage behaviour will also be made. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Nucleation and Crystallisation of Semi-Crystalline Polymers 2.1.1. Crystallisation Mechanisms Crystallisation involves the formation of an ordered structure from a disordered phase, such as melt or dilute solution.[5] The crystallization process of polymers is thermodynamically driven. It is governed by change in Gibbs free energy, ΔG.[6] ΔG = ΔH TΔS (2-1) Where ΔH is change in enthalpy, T is absolute temperature and ΔS is change in entropy. When ΔG is negative, crystallisation is thermodynamically favourable. This occurs when loss of enthalpy upon crystallization exceeds the loss of entropy multiplied by absolute temperature. It can therefore be derived that as the absolute temperature of the system falls, the driving force of crystallisation will increase.[7] For a polymer to crystallise, it must conform to the following requirements:[8] Molecular structure must be regular enough to allow crystalline ordering Crystallisation temperature must be below melting point but not close to glass transition temperature Nucleation must occur before crystallisation Crystallisation rate should be sufficiently high A hundred percent crystallinity is not possible in polymers due to factors such as chain entanglements, viscous drag and branching. Thus they are termed ‘semi-crystalline. All semi-crystalline polymers exhibit a unique equilibrium melting temperature above which crystallites melt and below which a molten polymer starts to crystallise. The crystallisation of semi-crystalline polymers is a two-step process consisting crystal nucleation and crystal growth.[6] 2.1.2. Primary Nucleation Primary nucleation can be defined as the formation of short-range ordered polymer aggregations in melt which act as a focal centre around which crystallization can occur.[9] There are three mechanisms of primary nucleation, namely, homogeneous nucleation, heterogeneous nucleation and orientation induced nucleation.[10] 2.1.2.1. Homogeneous Nucleation Homogeneous nucleation involves the spontaneous creation of nucleus in a semi-crystalline polymer melt when it is cooled below its equilibrium melting temperature.[7] This process is termed as sporadic as nuclei are formed in timely succession.[11] Creation of nuclei occurs when statistical variation within a polymer melt results in the formation of ordered assemblies of chain segments larger than a critical size[7]; usually between 2-10nm.[11] Below this critical size, the nuclei are unstable and may be destroyed.[11] Generally, super-cooling to between 50-100Â °C below equilibrium melting temperature is minimally required to achieve true homogeneous nucleation.[12] The super-cooling is attributed to the energy barrier homogeneous nuclei are required to overcome to reach stability.[7]. When molecular segments pack next to each other to form an embryo, there is a change in free energy, ΔG, caused by two opposing mechanisms. The creation of new crystal surface increases free energy (ΔS is negative) while the reduction in volume of the system decreases free energy (Δ(U+pV) ≈ ΔH is negative). The two opposing mechanisms lead to a size-dependent free energy curve which defines critical nucleus size.[13] A small embryo has high surface to volume ratio and so ΔG is positive; in other words, crystal growth is not thermodynamically favourable.[13,14] However as nuclei grow, the surface to volume ratio decreases up to a point where volume change outweighs the creation of new surface and change in free energy decrease; crystal growth becomes increasingly probable. This point is defined as critical nuclei size and above this point, the energy barrier is overcome.[13,14] Eventually when ΔG becomes negative, nuclei are thermodynamically stable, pavi ng the way for further growth into lamellae or spherulites.[14] The minimum number of unit cells required to form a stable nuclei decrease when temperature decrease, due to a reduction in energy barrier. In other words, the rate of homogeneous nucleation increases when temperature of the polymer decreases.[7] 2.1.2.2. Heterogeneous Nucleation In practice, one usually observes heterogeneous nucleation and not homogeneous nucleation.[15] Heterogeneous nucleation involves the formation of nuclei on the surface of foreign bodies present in the molten phase of a semi-crystalline polymer. The foreign bodies can take the form of adventitious impurities such as dust particles or catalyst remnants, nucleating agents added on purpose or crystals of the same material already present in the molten phase (self-seeding).[7,8] The presence of foreign bodies greatly reduces the energy barrier for the formation of stable nuclei. This reason for this is, polymer molecules which solidify against pre-existing surfaces of foreign bodies create less new liquid/solid interface than the same volume of polymer molecules forming a homogeneous nucleus.[6] In turn, critical size of nuclei is smaller in heterogeneous nucleation as compared to homogenous nucleation so that heterogeneous nucleation always occurs at lower supercooling.[16] Foreign bodies with crystallographic spacings matching the semi-crystalline polymer are especially effective heterogeneous nucleating agents. Favorable nucleation sites include crystal grain boundaries, cracks, discontinuities and cavities.[7] 2.1.2.3. Orientation-Induced Nucleation Orientation-induced nucleation is caused by some degree of molecular alignment in the molten phase of a semi-crystalline polymer. Molecular alignment reduces the entropy difference between the molten and crystalline state of the polymer. This kind of nucleation is important in various processes such as fibre melt-spinning, film-forming and injection moulding. In these processes, polymer melt is sheared before and during crystallisation.[8,17] 2.1.3. Crystal Growth 2.1.3.1. Primary Crystallisation Primary crystallisation occurs when melt of a semi-crystalline polymer is cooled below its equilibrium melting temperature. It involves molecular segments depositing onto the growing face of crystallites or nuclei. The resultant crystal growth occurs along the a and b axes, relative to the polymers unit cell. These additions of molecular segments can occur through two mechanisms: tight fold adjacent re-entry or independent deposition (illustrated in Figure 2.3).[6] Tight fold adjacent re-entry requires that chain stems be laid down continuously from a single polymer molecule in a series of hairpin bends until its length is exhausted. This single molecule is thought to be ‘reeled in from surrounding molten material.[7] This mechanism requires that molecular motions along the polymer molecules contour length to be several times faster than the rate of crystal growth. On the other hand, the independent deposition mechanism only requires localized motion of molecular segments. Molecular segments only need to re-organise sufficiently to align with molecular segments at the crystallite face.[6] tight fold adjacent re-entry independent deposition[6] 2.1.3.2. Secondary Crystallisation After a semi-crystalline polymer is cooled to room temperature, crystallisation is still thermodynamically favourable but restricted by the low mobility of molecular segments in its amorphous regions. Over an extended period of time, which can span from hours to weeks, re-arrangement of molecular segments within amorphous regions can lead to further crystal growth. This process is defined as secondary crystallisation. Secondary crystallisation can take two forms; either thickening of pre-existing crystallites by re-organisation of amorphous chain segments adjacent to crystallite surface or creation of new crystallites by re-organisation of amorphous chain segments in interstitial regions between pre-existing crystallites. [6] 2.1.4. Rate of Crystallisation The crystallisation of semi-crystalline polymers is a two-step process and therefore overall crystallisation rate is governed by both nucleation rate and crystal growth rate. Both factors are highly temperature dependent, as illustrated in Figure 2.4. When temperature is just below equilibrium melting point, there exists a meta-stable region where rate of nucleation is low as nuclei that are formed dissolve easily due to high thermal motions.[8] As super-cooling increases, thermodynamic conditions become more favourable and rate of nucleation increases and reaches a maximum near the glass transition temperature. On the other hand, kinetic conditions are less favourable as super-cooling causes viscosity to increase. This results in a shift in maximum rate of crystal growth to higher temperatures where viscosity decrease is balanced by formation of nuclei.[8,18] Overall crystallisation rate at a given temperature is usually expressed as the inverse of time needed for half of the crystals to grow in the polymer (1/ t1/2).[8] When crystallisation occurs under isothermal conditions, its progress can be expressed by the Avrami equation:[8] Xc(t) = 1 exp (-K.tn) (2-2) Where Xc(t) is the fraction of material transformed at time t, n is the Avrami exponent and K is the Avrami rate constant. Equation (2-2) may also be written as:[19] ln ( -ln |1-Xc(t)| ) = n ln (t) + ln K (2-3) So that n and K may be obtained by plotting ln ( -ln |1-Xc(t)| ) against ln (t); n is the slope while ln K is the y-intercept.[19] The value of the Avrami exponent, n, is dependent on mechanism of nucleation and geometry of crystal growth. Theoretical values of n corresponding to different nucleation modes and crystal growth shape are tabulated in Table 2.1.[19] Crystal Growth Shape Nucleation Mode Avrami Exponent (n) Rod Heterogeneous 1 Homogeneous 2 Disc Heterogeneous 2 Homogeneous 3 Sphere Heterogeneous 3 Homogeneous 4 Table 2.1: Relation between n and nucleation mode / crystal growth shape[19] When crystallisation occurs under constant-cooling-rate conditions, its progress can be expressed by the Ozawa equation:[8] Xc(t) = 1 exp (-Ä ¸(t) / Ï•m) (2-4) Where Ä ¸(t) is the Ozawa rate constant, Ï• is the constant cooling rate (- ÃŽ ´T/ÃŽ ´t) and m is the Ozawa exponent. Equation (2-4) may also be written as: ln ( -ln |1-Xc(t)| ) = m ln (t) + ln Ä ¸(t) (2-5) So that m and Ä ¸(t) may be obtained by plotting ln ( -ln |1-Xc(t)| ) against ln (t); m is the slope while ln Ä ¸(t) is the y-intercept. Qiu et al. combined the Avrami and Ozawa equations to make a connection between the Avrami and Ozawa exponents:[20] log Ï• = log F(T) a log t (2-6) Where a = n/m and the kinetic function F(T) = (Ä ¸(t) / K)1/m. At a given degree of crystallinity, a plot of log Ï• against log t will yield a and log F(T) as the slope and y-intercept respectively.[20] 2.2. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) 2.2.1. Chemical Structure, Crystallisation Rate and Morphology High density polyethylene, HDPE, is a semi-crystalline polymer made up of repeat units (C2H4)n and has a general form as illustrated in Figure 2.5. It consists mainly of unbranched molecules with very few defects to disrupt its linearity or hinder crystalline packing. As such, HDPE has a high rate of crystallisation, degree of crystallinity and density (0.94-0.97 g/cm3).[7] Being a semi-crystalline polymer, HDPE exhibits a three-phase morphology consisting of submicroscopic crystals surrounded by a non-crystalline phase comprising a partially ordered layer adjacent to the crystals and disordered material in the intervening spaces. This is illustrated in Figure 2.6.[7] The unit cell of HDPE, defined as the smallest arrangement of its chain segments that can repeat in three dimensions to form a crystalline matrix, is orthorhombic; a cuboid with each of its axes having different lengths while the angles of adjoining faces are all 90Â °. Each unit cell is made up of two ethylene repeat units; a complete unit from one chain segment and parts of four others from surrounding chain segments.[7] Bank and Krim[21] reported that the a, b and c axes of a polyethylene unit cell are of dimensions 7.417, 4.945 and 2.547Ã… respectively. This is illustrated in Figure 2.7. orthogonal view, view along c-axis[7] HDPE unit cells pack together in a three dimensional array to form small crystals known as crystallites. Most commonly, crystallites of HDPE take the form of ‘lamellae; crystallites with a and b dimensions that are much greater than their c dimensions. Lamellae thicknesses are usually between 50 to 200Ã… while lateral dimensions can range from a few hundred angstroms to several millimetres. Figure 2.8 illustrates a HDPE lamella.[7] Various models have been proposed to explain the arrangement of molecular chains in lamellae. They include adjacent re-entry with tight folds, switchboard, loose loops and a model with combined features (illustrated in Figure 2.9). As molecular length of HDPE is known to be many times greater than lamellae thickness, all models indicate some form of chain folding. However, they differ in their specific nature of folding.[7] d) composite model[7] In HDPE, the most common large scale-structures composed of crystalline and non-crystalline regions are known as ‘spherulites. A spherulite consists of lamellae growing outward radially from a common nucleation site. As this growth advance into amorphous molten polymer, local inhomogeneities in concentrations of crystallisable segments will be encountered. This causes the folded chain fibrils to inevitable twist and branch. As illustrated in Figure 2.10a, a spherulite will resemble a sheaf in its early stage of development. Fanning out of the growing lamellae will subsequently produce a spherical structure but true spherical symmetry is never achieved due to impingement of neighbouring spherulites. This growth of spherulites also involves the segregation of non-crystalline materials into regions between lamellar ribbons. Thus the overall structure of a spherulite consists of twisted and branched lamellae with polymer chains mostly perpendicular to their long axis and amorphous regions (illustrated in Figure 2.10b).[22] 2.3. Organic Pigments 2.3.1. Copper Phthalocyanine Pigments: Copper Phthalocyanine Green Copper phthalocyanines are a class of organic pigments which dominate the sectors of blue and green coloration of polymers. This dominance can be attributed to desirable properties such as high tinctorial strength, bright hues, excellent light and weather fastness excellent heat stability and good chemical resistance.[23] In addition, in spite of its structural complexity, this class of pigments is inexpensive as they are manufactured in high yield from low cost starting materials.[24] The parent compound of copper phthalocyanine pigments is extremely easy to prepare; a phthalic acid derivative is condensed with a source of nitrogen such as urea and a copper salt such as cuprous chloride in the presence of a metal catalyst such as vanadium or molybdenum. This is usually done in organic solvents, at elevated temperatures (approximately 200Â °C) and sometimes under increased pressure. The resultant crude copper phthalocyanine (yields of over 90%) is purified commercially by one of several processes; salt attrition, solvent-free salt attrition, acid pasting and acid swelling.[3,25] Figure 2.11 illustrates the chemical structure of the copper phthalocyanine parent compound. It consists of a tetrabenzoporphyrazine nucleus containing a central copper atom. The planar molecule is in the form of a quadratic shape with length and thickness of 1.3nm and 0.34nm respectively.[27] This parent copper phthalocyanine compound, which is characterised by unsubstituted benzene rings, is used as blue pigment. Copper phthalocyanine blue is polymorphous and exists in five crystal forms. Out of the five, the two of commercial importance are the alpha and beta forms while the other three are distorted ÃŽ ± forms.[27] Different crystal forms bring about a variation in the blue shade. Alpha crystals exhibit a bright-red-shade blue while beta crystals exhibit a green-shade blue.[26] C.I. pigment green 7, b) C.I. pigment green 36 (3y), C.I. pigment green 36 (6y)[28] Copper phthalocyanine green, the pigment of interest in this project, is produced from the copper phthalocyanine blue by replacing the hydrogens on the four benzene rings with halogens. Unlike its blue counterpart, where variation of shade is achieved by modification of crystal form, variation in the green shade is controlled by degree of chlorination or bromination. Copper phthalocyanine green only has one known crystal form.[26] The two types of copper phthalocyanine green pigments are colour index (C.I.) pigment green 7 and colour index (C.I.) pigment green 36. C.I. pigment green 7 is a blue-shade green made by introducing thirteen to fifteen chlorine atoms to replace hydrogens in the benzene ring of the copper phthalocyanine blue molecule (illustrated in Figure 2.12(a)). C.I. pigment green 36 is a yellow-shade green made by gradual replacement of chlorine atoms in C.I. pigment green 7 with bromine atoms. The most brominated C.I. pigment green 36, known as 3y, has an extreme yello w shade (illustrated in Figure 2.12(c)) while the least brominated C.I. pigment green 36, 6y, has a much more bluish shade (illustrated in Figure 2.12(b)).[28] The outstanding tinctorial and fastness properties of both copper phthalocyanine green pigments allow their application under the harshest conditions. They can be used effectively in masstone tints and shades down to the very palest depth. Both green pigments can be processed at temperatures in excess of 260Â °C with little colour change. They have even better chemical and colour stability than copper phthalocyanine blues. On comparison, C.I. pigment green 7 is preferred over C.I. pigment green 36. The latter is weaker and more opaque and accounts for less than 5% of copper phthalocyanine greens used in the polymer industry.[3] 2.3.2. Effect of Copper Phthalocyanine Green and Other Organic Pigments on Properties and Crystallisation Behaviour of Moulded Polyolefins Although the combination of spectacular performance and low cost make copper phthalocyanine green ideal pigments, its use is not without challenges. It is widely known that copper phthalocyanine green and a few other pigments can cause unacceptable levels of shrinkage and warpage in moulded parts of polyolefins.[2,29] The problem persists even at pigment concentrations as low as 0.1% wt.[2] Shrinkage can be described as reduction in moulded part dimensions in reference to mould cavity dimensions.[30] Warpage is a measure of out-of-plane distortion and commonly arises from the relaxation of unbalanced residual stress in a moulded part or unbalanced shrinkage in flow and transverse direction.[30] The early work of Turturro et al.[2] demonstrated that this shrinkage and warpage phenomenon is only limited to organic pigments. It was reported that no distortion occurred in HDPE mouldings containing inorganic pigments such as BBS red (cadmium selenide), 21 M yellow (blend of PbCrO4, PbSO4 and PbMoO4) and 500 L yellow (complex of Ni and Ti). Findings from later studies by Bugnon et al.[31] and Suzuki Mizuguchi[29] are in good agreement. Suzuki Mizuguchi[29] reported similar observations when they incorporated inorganic pigments, TiO2, Fe2O3 and Cd Y into HDPE and PP. Using scanning electron microscopy, Bugnon et al.[31] were able to show that when inorganic pigments such as CdS or CrTiO4 are incorporated into HDPE, there is no interaction between pigment surface and polymer. The polymer essentially builds a cavity around the pigment. On the other hand, an organic pigment of diketo-pyrrolo-pyrrole chemistry was found to blend into the HDPE matrix. This led them to propose that in organic pigments do not induce shrinkage and warpage as their chemical constitutions and polar hydrophilic surfaces have no interactions with polymers and do not influence their crystallisation behaviour. It is generally agreed that the shrinkage and warpage of polyolefins induced by copper phthalocyanine green and other organic pigments is associated with the nucleating effect these compounds have on the polymers.[2,29,31] These compounds provide a foreign surface that reduces the free energy of formation of a new polymer nucleus.[27] Vonk[32] was one of the first few individuals who pointed out that organic pigments can act as nucleating agents for polyethylene. The nucleating effect of organic pigments on polyolefins has since been the focus of intensive studies over the years. The key literature identified from this research area is that produced by Koh[33] for Clariant (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Koh[33] studied the influence of C.I. pigment green 7 and C.I. pigment green 36 on the crystallisation and properties of HDPE. It was reported that the high level of differential shrinkage in HDPE mouldings incorporated with copper phthalocyanine greens was accompanied by increased crystallisat ion rate, increased peak / onset crystallisation temperature and reduced spherulite size. These findings clearly indicate that copper phthalocyanine green can act as a nucleating agent for HDPE. It was also reported that increasing pigment concentration will cause an increase in crystallisation rate and level of differential shrinkage. Kohs[33] findings are in line with those from similar studies carried out by Turturro et al.[2], Suzuki Mizuguchi[29] and Silberman et al.[34] Turturro et al.[2] observed a similar nucleating effect of copper phthalocyanine green on HDPE with the aid of depolarisation and dilatometry techniques. In addition, they found that the Avrami exponent value of HDPE decreases with increasing concentration of copper phthalocyanine green; which indicates a shift in morphology, away from the spherulitic one characteristic of pure polyethylene. They proposed that the strong nucleating effect of copper phthalocyanine green causes only the development of fibrils in HDPE, which subsequently do not organise into spherulites. Interestingly, they also found that pigments do not affect the absolute level of crystallinity in HDPE; implying that these compounds affect only the kinetics and not the thermodynamics of the crystallisation process.[2] Suzuki Mizuguchi[29] and Silberman et al.[34] showed that , apart from HDPE, copper phthalocyanine green can also act as a nucleating agent for PP. Moreover, Silberman et al.[34] found that the addition of copper phthalocyanine green into PP would increase its lamellar size and decrease the activation energy (Uact) of its crystallisation process. The explanation they put forward for these observations was based on the specific chemical structure of the pigment. The symmetry of nitrogen in the copper phthalocyanine green molecule, with an absence of complex structures was thought to promote the dynamic adsorption of PP molecules on the pigment surface and the subsequent crystallisation process. This will lead to the formation of a perfect crystal structure of large lamellar size. Together, the works from all three authors demonstrated that, besides copper phthalocyanine green, organic pigments of anthraquinone, perylene, quinacridone, copper phthalocyanine blue and condense azo chemistries can also act as nucleating agents for polyolefins.[ 2,29,34] At this point, with the aid of various papers, it is established that shrinkage and warpage of polyolefins induced by copper phthalocyanine green and other organic pigments are associated with these pigments serving as nucleating agents for the polymer. However the specific mechanism correlating nucleating effect and shrinkage or warpage has yet to be discussed. Both Turturro et al.[2] and Suzuki Mizuguchi[29] proposed the same explanation for this phenomenon. In a moulding process such as injection moulding, the quench rate is not the same at different parts of the polymer. Polymer melt in contact with mould walls crystallise and ‘freeze very quickly, which results in crystals of low perfection with polymer chains oriented in the direction of flow. This layer of imperfect crystals in turn impedes heat exchange between polymer melt in the core regions and the mould walls. As a result, polymer melt in the core regions cool slowly and give rise to regular crystals. As the surfac e ‘freezes very quickly, contraction in the core regions due to crystallisation will produce stress in the ‘frozen outer layer and cause distortion. In addition, relaxation of oriented regions after removal of polymer from the mould will also cause internal stress and lead to distortion. The presence of a strong nucleating agent such as copper phthalocyanine green will limit the time available for oriented chains to recover during cooling and also increase the thickness of the skin layer. Both factors will lead to more pronounced distortion.[2,29] Apart from altering the shrinkage and warpage behaviour of polyolefins, the nucleating effect of copper phthalocyanine green and other organic pigments is thought to also have a marked influence on the mechanical properties of polyolefins. An investigation of how certain organic pigments affect the mechanical properties of HDPE was undertaken by Lodeiro et al.[1] They found that tested pigments, copper phthalocyanine blue and irgalite yellow do affect the principal mechanical properties of HDPE. In particular, it was observed that the presence of small amounts of phthalocyanine blue in HDPE is sufficient to cause an increase in ductility, reduction in Youngs modulus (up to 10%), reduction in yield stress and increase in failure strain. They attributed these consequences to smaller and more numerous spherulites induced by the pigment; smaller spherulites in larger numbers, each surrounded by amorphous material, results in a polymer that will deform more readily and have lower yield st ress and higher failure strain. 2.4. Nucleating Agents 2.4.1. Heterogeneous Nucleation of Polyethylene: Nucleating Agents Based on Potassium Stearate and Carboxylic Acid Salts Nucleating agents have traditionally been added to semi-crystalline polymers to enhance processing and end product characteristics. The incorporation of these compounds results in shorter cycle time as they increase the crystallization rate of semi-crystalline polymers, ensuring faster solidification from the melt upon cooling. Their addition also results in the formation of smaller spherulites in semi-crystalline polymers. This change in spherulite size improves mechanical properties (such as tensile strength, hardness and modulus) and optical properties (such as haze and transparency).[8,35] Polyethylene, and in particular high density polyethylene, has an extremely fast rate of crystallization, which makes it very hard to nucleate.[8,35] This is probably the reason why little has been published on its nucleating agents. That being said, a handful of nucleating agents have been identified to date. Together, the works of Solti et al. and Ge et al. showed that benzoic acid, talc and Na2CO3 can effectively nucleate polyethylene.[8] Besides the use of particulate or low molecular weight nucleating agents, polyethylene can also be nucleated by epitaxial crystallization on another polymer substrate. Loos et al. was able to demonstrate the melt crystallisation of LLDPE on oriented HDPE.[8] Potassium stearate is another nucleating agent tha

john kerry :: essays research papers

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry was the second Democrat to enter the race, announcing on December 1, 2002. Going into 2004, he was not considered a front-runner but came back to win the Iowa caucuses and almost every primary and caucus afterward, gathering enough delegates to be the Democratic nominee. His history includes a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1966 and a law degree from Boston College in 1976. His military service includes the Navy from 1966 to 1970 and the Naval Reserves from 1972 to 1978. He was first elected Massachusetts lieutenant governor in 1982 until 1984. He was then elected as a U.S. senator in 1984, and he considered a presidential run in 2000. Kerry has his own unique position on many key issues, including national security, the environment and energy, and education just being a few. One issue that Kerry has spoken about is our national security. Especially after September 11th, many people want a president who will be able to provide us with a safe place to live. Kerry has many new plans that he will put into effect to do this. First, he backs letting the Patriot Act expire without congressional approval. He does not believe that this act will make Americans safer, but instead feels that it infringes on our rights as citizens. Also to protect our rights, he is against labeling U.S. citizens "enemy combatants". Next we need to be able to track and stop terrorists before they are able to strike. Many of the intelligence problems that allowed terrorists to slip into our country before 9/11 have not been addressed. Kerry will improve our ability to gather, analyze, and share information so we can track down and stop terrorists before they cause us harm by setting up new organizations and reforming the ones in place already. We then need to protect our bord ers and shores. Today, our borders, our ports, and our airports are not as secure as they must be. Kerry will make our airports, seaports, and borders more secure without intruding upon personal liberties by giving these areas the resources and training that they desperately need. Also to help improve the border situation, Kerry will speed the immigration process to help unite families and decrease the amount of illegal aliens crossing into the country. The hardening of vulnerable targets is also part of his plan to protect Americans.

Layoff and Strategic Downsizing Decisions Essay

INTRUDUCTION Downsizing is a permanent reduction of workforce through layoffs and other means. Organizations usually downsize to save payroll costs and prevent bankruptcy during tight economic conditions. Downsizing, when done right, makes the organization more efficient, lean, and mean .On the other side, a faulty approach to downsizing can cause the organization to run the risk of losing key talent and intellectual capital, and becoming dysfunctional by breakdown of hierarchies and systems. The criteria adopted for who stays and who goes largely determines the success of the downsizing intervention Many organizations, especially traditional ones, in a bid to ensure impartiality and objectivity adopt the LIFO or â€Å"Last in First Out† principle whereby those who joined the organization last become the first to leave. The rationale of making seniority the basis of downsizing is that newer employees have spent less time in the organization and are less committed or acquainted with the fin er nuances of its running. Also, the organization would have invested lesser time and resources training such employees compared to older employees. other organizations make the combination of competence and performance, or the ability to do required tasks well, the basis of retaining an employee during downsizing. A fresh performance appraisal should precede downsizing, or the last appraisal can be the basis for determining who goes and who stays. Those at the bottom of the appraisal list usually get the layoff notice first. While making performance the primary selection criteria for downsizing and restructure is apparently a just and equitable method, two major concerns remain The soundness and objectivity of the performance appraisal method adopted. A poorly designed performance appraisal method that does not assess the true indicators of performance might churn up a wrong list, causing the danger of the organization dispensing with true performers and retaining people who cleverly mask or cover up their in efficiencies. Whether the performance or competence ofthe employee remains relevant for the organization. The expendability of the person to the organization is another sound basis for determining the selection criteria for downsizing and restructure. This approach primarily considers the value added by the employee to the organization more than any other factor. Regardless of the performance of an  employee, an employee might remain critical for the functioning of the organization, or conversely not needed. For instance, with technology taking roots, most companies do not require specialist stenographers or typists, no matter how skilled or efficient they may be in their work. Similarly, closing down the marketing arm of the business and outsourcing the marketing effort might lead to the lay-off of all marketing executives, no matter how skilled or successful they may be. Organizations would, however, do well to identify people with good generic skills, and the right attitude and commitment, and retain them in other jobs even if the jobs they remain competent in become irrelevant to the organization. The commercial interests of the organization notwithstanding, legal considerations play an important role in determining who goes and who stays during downsizing. The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) requires employers to give employees, state and local officials a 60 days’ notice to mass layoffs when reducing their workforce by 33 percent or more, or laying off 500 employees within a 30-day period. WARN further requires employers of unionized employees to give the union 60 days’ notice before lay-off of their members, and provide individual notice to non-unionized employees. DEFINITION OF DOWNSIZING Downsizing occurs when a company permanently reduces its workforce. Corporate downsizing is often the result of poor economic conditions and/or the company’s need to cut jobs in order to lower costs or maintain profitability. Downsizing may occur when one company merges with another, a product or service is cut, or the economy falters. Downsizing also occurs when employers want to â€Å"streamline† a company – this refers to corporate restructuring in order to increase profit and maximize efficiency. Downsizing results in layoffs that are often followed by other restructuring changes, such as branch closings, departmental consolidation, and other forms of cutting pay expenses. In some cases, employers are not fired, but instead become part-time or temporary workers (to trim costs). ACTIVITIES OF DOWNSIZING It undertaken to improve organizational efficiency, productivity and competitiveness that affect the size of the firm’s workforce the costs and  the work processes. DOWNSIZING STRATEGIES: There are 3 types of strategies. These are below: 1.workforce reduction: 2.work redesign 3.systematic change 1. Workforce reduction: Typically a short term strategy aimed at cutting the number of employees through such programs as attrition, early retirement or voluntary severance packages and layoffs or terminations. Whils a number of these approaches allow for a relatively quick reduction of the workforce, the problem is that their impact is often short term and in many organizations. 2. Work redesign: Often a medium-term strategy in which organizations focus on work processes and assess whether specific functions, products and services should be changed or eliminated. this strategy which is frequently combined with workforce reduction, includes such things as elimination of functions, groups or divisions. 3. Systematic change: Long term strategy characterized by changing the organizations culture and the attitudes and values of employees with the ongoing goal of deducting costs and enhancing quality. By its very nature this strategy takes considerable time to implement. RESTRUCTURING HOW COMMON IS WORKFORCE REDUCTION AND?: The issue that comes up regularly involves how common workforce reduction in Canada. In a national study of major Canadian organization conducted in 1992 and in 1998, it was found that 56% of respondents permanently reduce the workforce over two year period ending in 1992, while 50% cut the number of employee during two year period prior to 1997-1998 about 31% of employee reduced in both 1992 and 1998 5% precent of organization did not engage in workforce. Three recent studies found 45% of participants reported that their organization permanently reduced workforce in two years. Among  organizations reducing the workforce average reduction was around 15% of the workforce. Similarly, when investing how the workforce reductions were carried out; combining the result from the studies revealed that about 355 of reductions were by attrition, 45% by voluntary severance or early retirement; and 40% by layoffs. Compared 1990s, these results suggest that organization s are relying less on layouts and more voluntary services. WHY DO ORGANIZATIONS DOWNSIZE? There are several reasons why organizational decide to downsize the workforce. Some of the factors most commonly mentioned include the following: Declining profits Business downturn or increased pressure from competitors Merging with another organization, resulting in duplication of effort Introduction of new technology The need to reduce operating costs The desire to decrease levels of management Getting rid of employee â€Å"deadwood† Simply put, many organizations engage in downsizing because managers believe that cutting people will result in reduced cost (with cost being more predictable than future and improved financial performance. In addition, labour cost is often seen as easier to adjust relative to other expenditures. Although executives often perceive that reducing the number of people in the organization will lead to lower overhead cost, reduced bureaucracy ,better communication, improved decision making, increased innovative activity and higher productivity, there is considerable evidence that workforce reduction programs often fail to meet their objectives, as has been observe by Cascio: Study after study shows that following a downsizing, surviving employees become narrow-minded, self-absorbed, and risk averse. Morale sink, producing drops, and survivors distrust management. Some organizations drastically reduce the workforce and employ a severe reduction strategy despite increasing demand and a favourable competitive enviroment.This development, which has been mentioned by HR managers in personal interview, may be due to a variety of reasons, including a decision to follow the lead of other firms engage in cutback management and increase awareness of the need of operate in a lean and mean  fashion. THE DOWNSIZING DECISION: For many organizations, going through a downsizing is a very painful and difficult experience. A 1994 article Business week profiled Robert Thrasher, executive vice-president at Nynex and the individual responsible for cutting labelled the â€Å"corporate assassin†. In speaking about downsizing Thrasher commented. This is tough, ugly work. The stress is palpable .I’m vilified throughout the company .that’s tough thing to carry around. â€Å"More recently, Robert Burtlon of Moore Corporation, when discussing his role in a cost cutting plan at a previous company, stated.† I don’t get frustrated any more. I just fire people.† Too often, organization embarks on a downsizing program without careful consideration of whether there are feasible alternatives to downsizing. Studies after study reveals that many downsizing are not well planned frequently ignore the linkage between downsizing and the strategic direction of organization, and underestimate the impact of downsizing on the organization and its human resource. ALTERNATIVES TO DOWNSIZING: Downsizing can be a costly strategy for organization to pursue and as a result, it is desirable to investigate whether alternatives to downsizing exis.In a number of instance, organizations discover that pursuing different alternatives to downsizing may eliminate the need to reduce the workforce or allow for a less severe downsizing strategy. Some of the alternatives include: 1. Cutting no personnel costs (e.g, through energy conservation, planned capital expenditures, leasing of capital equipment, reductions in travel or club memberships) 2. Cutting personnel costs (e.g, through a hiring freeze, job sharing, a reduction in work hours, reduced benefits, and wage concessions) 3.Providing incentives for voluntary resignation or early retirement Although this list is not complete, it emphasizes the need to consider other ways to manage costs within an organization One organization, road communications inc, asked each member of its staff to take one week of unpaid leave during the summer months. According to senior partner mia wedgbury , it let us keep our core team together while reducing cost. And  it went over well with the staff because it precluded layoffs. another organization acxion corporation cut the pay of each employee earning more than 25000 dollar by 5% but also gave the employee the option to by company stock that would be matched one-foe one by the firm INPLACEORMENT AND OUTPLACEMENT ISSUES: Outplacement Issues .Inplacement Refers To A Career Management Approach Inappropriately Placed Workers Into a Restructured organization ,while outplacement focuses on the provision of a program In Examining The Downsizing Decision, It Is Necessary To Consider Both Inplacement And of counseling and job-search assistance for workers who have been terminated. In making career management decisions, organizational decision makers may opt for an inplacement program or termination with outplacement In a survey of Canadian manufacturing firms completed in 2000, organizations that had gone through downsizing were asked to report on the benefits they provide to displace workers. These results are provided in figure11.2 .The most common benefits were severance pay, continuation of employee benefits, outplacement retraining assistance or family counseling PLANNING FOR DOWNSIZING: If downsizing is essential, the key issues that need to be considered: Determining how many people will lose their job and who will be let go (ie. based on seniority or performance) Determining how reduction will be carried out. For example, to what extent will the organization use attrition, early retirement or voluntary severance programs and layoff or termination. Its possible to consider the approach to workforce reduction from the perspective of employee? As indicated in figure 11.3,the approaches to workforce reduction vary in the degree of protection to employees and the cost to employee Determining the legal consequences. For example organizations often ignore or are unaware of legal requirements when downsizing the workforce .some areas of law to be aware of include the law of wrongful dismissal,employment  standards legislation, trade union law ,existing collective agreement provisions, and human right legislation. for instance, there may be a very narrow line between voluntary and involuntary termination, and with the termination of older workers, there exists a possibility of an age discrimination claim Designing current and future work plans .this issue represents a key challenge for the organization and is frequently neglected Implementing the decision. Implementation includes such elements as severance payments, outplacement counseling, the communication of the termination decision, timing if the decision, issues, and communications with remaining employees Performing follow-up evaluations and assessment of downsizing effort Figure 11.3 Approaches To Workforce Reduction Workforce Degree of Reduction protection to Implementation Approach Example Employee Time Attrition Hiring Freeze High Show Voluntary Early Retirement Redeployment Voluntary buyout Work sharing Involuntary Transfer Redeployment Demotion Imposed job sharing Layoff with Retraining Assistance job counseling Advance notice Layoff without Termination Low First Assistance No advance notice No Severance PROCESS OF DOWNSIZING: There are 6 processes. These are below: 1. Develop an RIF team to plot initial strategy. 2. Plan the goals and timing of the RIF. 3. Perform an overall workforce analysis. 4. Review employment policies, individual contracts of employment. 5. Ensure compliance with the Worker. 6. Special considerations for unionized employers. 1. Develop an RIF team to plot initial strategy: Nobody likes the prospect of a downsizing – especially employees who may feel particularly vulnerable to being laid off – and the mere mention of the word can trigger widespread hysteria and morale problems. At the early stages of the initial strategy phase, a company should limit discussion of downsizing to a trusted core of high-level management personnel and consultants. For large companies considering large-scale layoffs, the RIF team ideally should include the chief financial officer, the chief executive officer, the chief operating officer, a senior-level human resources or employee relations executive, an upper-level payroll specialist, an employment law attorney, and a public relations consultant. 2. Plan the goals and timing of the RIF: The first task is to determine the magnitude of savings that need to be realized from a layoff. This task is part of an overall cost-cutting plan, which could implicate other costs and expenses in addition to those related to personnel. Second, the RIF team should consider ways to realize the desired savings, such as subcontracting; consolidation of divisions, operating units or functions; the sale of the company or a work unit; and shutdowns. 3. Perform an overall workforce analysis and an analysis of each proposed termination: The most complicated and difficult aspect of the RIF process is determining which employees will be laid off. The most common legal challenges to layoffs are administrative charges and lawsuits premised on discrimination based on age or other legally protected characteristics. Accordingly, it is crucial for an employer to be able to give legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons for every termination decision. Those reasons need to be easy to articulate and logically consistent. 4. Review employment policies, individual contracts of employment, separation benefits and stock-option agreements under which affected employees may claim rights or benefits: The RIF team should perform a due-diligence review of potential liabilities and verify whether, by policy or contract, the company has limited its ability to lay off employees. Likewise, where a collective bargaining agreement or policy dictates a priority for reductions in force, or â€Å"bumping rights,† such procedures should be examined. The company should also review policies and agreements to determine eligibility for severance benefits and accrued benefits such as paid time off, vacation or sick leave. 5. Ensure compliance with the Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification (WARN) Act: Generally, employers with 100 or more employees are subject to the WARN Act. Covered employers are required to give 60 days’ advance written notice of a â€Å"plant closing† or â€Å"mass layoff.† A â€Å"plant closing† is defined as the permanent or temporary shutdown of at least one facility or operating unit that results in an employment loss of 50 or more employees at a single site of employment. A â€Å"mass layoff† is a loss of employment at a single site of employment that affects at least 50 employees and one-third of the covered employer’s work force. a loss of employment of 500 or more workers at a single site of employment. Special considerations for unionized employers: The National Labor Relations Board maintains that, with certain exceptions, employers must bargain with employee representatives over the effects of  layoffs stemming from entrepreneurial decisions such as closing a plant or transferring bargaining-unit work. In the case of layoffs that do not constitute a business closing or a transfer of bargaining-unit work, employers generally must bargain over the effects of such decisions and, depending on contract language, the very decision to lay off employees. ADJUSTING TO JOB LOSS: Workers who have lost their jobs frequently experience tremendous pain. As well, job loss can be very difficult for family members. Furthermore, many downsized employees are very bitter and angry with their former employer. A U.S. study of downsized workers revealed that 67% would never work for their former company again, 54% would not recommend that others purchase the organization’s products or services, and 11% considered going to the media and talking about their layoff experiences. One can start adjusting to job loss by using a little psychology. There have been a lot of studies done on how to deal with loss. Psychologists have found that people often have an easier time dealing with loss if they know what feelings they might experience during the â€Å"grieving process.† Grief doesn’t usually overwhelm us all at once; it usually is experienced in stages. The stages of loss or grief may include: Shock — you may not be fully aware of what has happened . Denial usually comes next — you cannot believe that the loss is true. Relief then enters the picture for some, and you feel a burden has lifted and opportunity awaits. Anger often follows — you blame (often without reason) those you think might be responsible, including yourself. Depression may set in some time later, when you realize the reality of the loss. Acceptance is the final stage of the process — you come to terms with the loss and get the energy and desire to move beyond it. The â€Å"acceptance† stage is the best place to be when starting a job search, but you might not have the luxury of waiting until this point to begin your search. While some people may see a job loss as a challenge which opens up new opportunities, most associate job loss with strong negative emotions. It is important to know that it is natural to have some negative feelings (especially at first) after a job loss, and that most people experience  them. Here are some feelings and experiences that you may have after losing your job: Loss of professional identity: Professionals identify strongly with their careers. Unemployment can often lead to a loss of self-esteem. Being employed brings respect in the community and in the family. When a job is lost, part of your sense of self may be lost as well. Loss of a network: The loss may be worse when your social life has been strongly linked to the job. Many ongoing â€Å"work friendships† are suddenly halted. Old friends and colleagues often don’t call because they feel awkward or don’t know what to say. Many don’t want to be reminded of what could happen to them. Also, when work and social activities mix, such as with company picnics and dinner parties, the job loss can be hard for all family members who participated in such activities. Emotional unpreparedness: Those who have never been unemployed may not be emotionally prepared for job loss and may be devastated when it happens. It is natural and appropriate to feel this way. You might notice that some people you know don’t take their job loss as hard as you have taken it. They might be more prepared for this time of uncertainty. Studies show that those who change jobs frequently, or who are in occupations prone to cyclic unemployment, suffer far less emotional impact after job loss than those who have been steadily employed and who are unprepared for cutbacks. A number of organizational interventions and practices have been identified as helping previously employed workers adjust to job loss and secure new employment. They include the following: Advance notification of layoffs, which gives employees time to dent with the reality of job loss and to seek future employment. Severances pay and extended benefits, which provide an economic safety net. Education and retraining programs, which give individuals time to acquire marketable skills. Outplacement assistance to inform employees of new job opportunities and to improve their ability to â€Å"market† themselves. Clear, direct and empathetic announcement of layoff decisions. Consideration of HR planning practices that represent alternatives to large scale layoffs. There are some benefits of losing a job: Time to reflect Grow new ideas, direction and career plan Get out of a job that was substandard Spend more time with family and hobbies

Life or death essays

Life or death essays Life and Death- In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan Today, modern medicine is nothing short of a miracle, and almost every living creature in our civilized world depend on the great wealth of knowledge occupants in this field of work contain. Today with the advancement of medicine, doctors can take patients from being close to death, and revive, or sustain them, through circumstances that otherwise would have killed them. Around the early seventies many major technological and medical advances began to arise in the U.S. During this time period many more people began to have long-term hospitalizations thus making people who would have otherwise died before, live longer. This happened to be the case with Karen Ann Quinlan of New Jersey in 1975. Karen had been in a comatose state for many months, living off of her vital organs and a respirator. Because medicine and technology were advancing so rapidly in the United States, many people had problems at first with the facts of how ethical this new technology was, and how effective it would be to sustain life for long periods of time. Another problem many people faced was the ethical problem of sustaining a person in a vegetative state. Because technology could sustain someone who had become vegetative for long periods of time, was it morally right to allow a person to continue living if they could not understand or communicate with the world? This was the question that New Jersey superior court had to rule on in the case of Karen Quinlan. There were two parties involved in this case, the plaintiff, Joseph Thomas Quinlan, and the defense, the court, which stood for Karens rights as an individual to remain on life support until she died of natural causes. Joseph Quinlan is called to the stand to testify and explain his reasoning behind his decision to ask the court to order the hospital to remove his daughter from her respirator. The defense attorney first begins questioning J...

St. Thomas Aquinas Confirms essays

St. Thomas Aquinas Confirms essays Through out the Middle Ages, Theology was considered the most important science and because of this greatly scrutinized. Although people accepted their beliefs, they wanted something to both explain and augment their faith. At this time, many of Aristotles writings were translated from Greek and Arabic into Latin, making them a great deal more accessible to people. This broadened knowledge profoundly influenced the people, who began to ask the question of what relationship existed between Christian revelation and Greek philosophy. St. Thomas Aquinas, the greatest and most significant philosopher of this time period, tried to make Aristotles philosophy compatible with Christianity by interpreting and explaining it in a way that they were no longer viewed as a threat to Christian beliefs (Garrder 180). St. Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican monk and lived an active life of listening to the people and teaching. When asked by the people, Whether God exists? he felt responsible to answer. The outcome of this attempt is known as Article 3. of the Suma Theologica, Whether God Exists?, in which he provided two objections to Gods existence, his Five Ways that prove the existence of God, and finally his replies to the fore mentioned objections. Aquinas begins with two objections to Gods existence. The first objection provides reason for claming that God does not exist and states that if one of two opposites were omnipresent, the other would be completely annihilated. Due to the fact that God is defined as He who is infinite goodness, if God existed there would be no evil in the world. There is evil in the world, and therefore God does not exist (Aquinas 1). The second objection states that there is no reason to conclude that a God does exist, for everything present in the world can be explained for by reasons other then God, for natural things can be reduced to the principle of nature while volunta...

Heathrow Airport - Terminal 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Heathrow Airport - Terminal 5 - Assignment Example The operations are a special department in an organization that deals with the scrutiny of the activities to be done in the company. The strategies to be adopted by an organization are guided, planned and crafted by the higher executive officers in the organization. The strategies adopted in business are actually the long term planning of the business firms. A business strategy can be adopted by a company for a period of 3 to 5 years, or sometimes even longer than that (Honda Motor Company, 2007). The major resource issues related to an organization are also solved by a business strategy like, the issue of raising funds for a new manufacturing plant. The resource allocation to be adopted in an organization is also decided according to its business strategies. The business strategies are majorly of two types. These are generic and competitive in nature (Dale, 2003). The generic strategies adopted by a business organization deals with its growth opportunities. Decisions related to new acquisitions or purchases made by a business firm are taken according to the established generic business strategies of the firm. After the emergence of globalization, most of the corporate firms have turned out to be multinational firms. However, the decisions of internationalization of the firms are also undertaken according to the generic strategies adopted by the organization. The retrenchment activities of a business firm are also carried out as per the generic strategies. Thus, it can be analyzed that the generic strategies adopted by a business firm are the factors that ultimately influence the growth of the firms (Alkhafaji, 2003). In the contemporary business world, the degree of competition among the firms is excessively high. Thus, following the views of David Ricardo, the firms try to focus on their competitive advantages. The competitive strategy helps a business firm to operate as per its core competences. For example, the strategy of differentiation (in terms of price or qualitative aspects of products), adopted by the corporate firms is a type of competitive business strategy. The modern firms take the decision to produce on the basis of economies of scale in production. This is also a form of the competitive strategy adopted by the business firms. In short, a business strategy explains the manner through which a company would be approaching the marketplaces. There lies a strategic link between the business strategies and operational strategies. Operational strategies are the ones that are mainly concerned with the process through which a corporate organization can translate its business strategies into a form of practical and cohesive implementation plan (Porter, 1998). The operational strategies adopted by a business firm enumerate the technology to be used in the organization. These strategies also assure that a company possesses the desired manpower. The operational strategy adopted in a business firm also observes and takes active initiati ves to improve certain departments that are not well developed. According to the views of some scholars, operational strategy is actually an extended form of business strategy. For instance, a firm must have an objective to augment its gross operating income by 10% in every three years. This is a kind of a business strategy that is adopted by the firm. Suppose in order to assure the above

Robert Adam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Robert Adam - Essay Example Born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland in 1728, Adam led the neo-classical era of architecture in England and Scotland from the mid-1700's until his death in 1792. Adam rose to be one of the most influential architects in Great Britain employing the famed Neo-classical style of architecture.This achievement is reminiscent in many of his works all across the United Kingdom. After he earned fame on the completion of the remodeling of the Syon House, a Tudor-style convent situated at the outskirts of London, Adam was commissioned to build new structures and remodel existing structures which include, the Osterley Park in Middlesex and the Kenwood House, to fit the Neo-classical genre. But most importantly, Adam's works of genius can be witnessed today in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland where his designs of various structures and interior decoration continue to elicit awe and respect. Adam's stylistic influence in architecture has been massive and long lasting. However, his influence and innov ative ideas on interior design and intricate attention to details even on his tiniest of creations earned him the reputation as one of the greatest masters of interior design. He employed more flexibility and integrated aspects of classic Roman design which manifested hints and mixtures of Greek, Byzantine and Baroque creations. THE ADAMESQUE STAIR HALL ORNAMENT One of his most influential creations, the Osterley House, manifests Adam's genius and innovations in the design of interior delineating the Roman classical details on this particular work. 1The house features coffered Roman ceilings, apses, pilaster and grotesques reminiscent of the age of Antiquity. Adam's inclusion of the Etruscan dressing room gave the Osterley Park creation its most original and distinctive aspect, as Adam's utilization of this design is the finest 18th century variation of the Roman motif. Furthermore, at Kenwood House, Adam built a vaulted library, celebrated as his most intricate and beautiful creation. The vaulted library boasts of its soft blue palette balanced by white columns and hints of gilts, a creation unfamiliar in that era apparent only in that age's most intricate porcelains. Adamesque Door Surround THE ROOM The aforementioned innovative designs are typical of Adam who mixed neo-Gothic features with 'Etruscan' and 'Egyptian' motifs, considered minor features of the 'Adamesque' movement. Adam's style is unique, in that, it includes ornamentations reminiscent of the Roman motifs 2such as framed medallions, vases, urns and tripods, arabesque vine scrolls, sphinxes and gryphons. His distinct interior design also includes 3flat grotesque panels, pilasters, painted ornaments such as swags and ribbons and intricate color schemes. Adam's room arrangements, ornamental ceilings, chimneypieces and furniture characterized a 'greater unity and architectonic quality' in many of their features which are found missing or lacking in the works of his contemporaries. Although he was more famed for his architecture, his works on the interior and decoration of it, are of more lasting importance. 4The Pompeiian features and influence are evident in his decoration and setting of interiors, which give them the feeling of perfection and intricacy as Adam values ornamental balance and open spaces. THE STAIR HALL Most designers