Environmental health Epidemiology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Environmental health Epidemiology - Assignment Example Certain chronic illnesses tend to be common only among elderly women and rarely affects the young ladies (Brown, 2007). Addiction, substance abuse and treatment are dependent psychosocial variables. Alcohol and drug are big contributors to the development of chronic illnesses such as liver cirrhosis. Continuous use of alcohol results in increased cases of chronic illnesses and development of complexity during care provision for the sick. Alcohol is a dependent variable of chronic illnesses as in certain instances; alcohol disorders are associated with complex services for chronic illnesses and inconsistent attendance to treatment. Chronic illness can act as a functional limitation to an addict’s ability to access health care services for the treatment of addiction. On other cases there is increased interaction with the health care facilities and access of treatment. (Gordis, 2004) Social control is an independent variable of chronic illnesses. The degree of social control between married and unmarried men varies. The married are the most affected. Social control causes health behavioral change of the recipient. It tends to lead to an improved health behavior though one is at risk of suffering from psychological distress ( Hurtig,

Dctionary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dctionary - Essay Example One of the more distinguishing features of the word flourish as entered in both dictionaries, Encarta Concise English Dictionary 2001 and The Chambers Dictionary 1998 is the phonetic system used as a pronunciation guide. Encarta employs its own phonetic alphabet, as the pronunciation is clearly not comparable to the International Phonetic Alphabet symbols. The same could be said about the entry of the pronunciation of the word 'flourish' in the Chambers Dictionary. Both pronunciation symbols incorporated the accent sign found above the second syllable of the word. In the vocabulary section, both dictionaries enter the word once in bold fonts except that Encarta enters short definitions of the word in bold face provided with numbering but separated according to parts of speech, and for this entry, Encarta begins with the meaning of the word flourish as a verb which is numbered one to three, followed by five noun definitions, numbered one to five. Chambers dictionary also separated the definitions according to parts of speech, which include the word as a verb and then, noun but added an adjective definition as additional grammatical information.

Assessment and Accountability in Nursing

Assessment and Accountability in Nursing Mentors have responsibility to assist students to develop their clinical skills and knowledge on placements. As well as developing clinical skills, students also develop their interpersonal skills and as a result of this experience gain maturity. (NMC, 2008) .To determine students have achieved the professional standards or competence, mentors must make assessments while their placement. This is vital to protect the public from unsafe and incompetent practitioners. Assessment is an essential role of a mentor. A good assessment process gives the students valuable feedback, it helps them to identify where they are, highlights, deficits in their learning ,identifies what they need to do and enables them to set realistic future goals.(Danny Walsh 2010). A good assessment process help us to predict future behaviour of the nurse we train. However we can cut down the risks by ensuring that the assessment processes itself meets certain standards and criteria which are considered best practice. Proper assessments of students are essential because, they are the future nurses are responsible for protecting the public in patient care, (Necklin and Kenworthy, 2000:108).Through assessment mentor can identify the strength and weakness, knowledge and practical skill of a student. According to (Walsh 2010) student nurses are assessed for variety of reasons in their clinical practice. Examples of this; to monitor the students’ progress to give feedback, to discover learning needs, to encourage students, to monitor their progress, to assess students level of competence, to assess knowledge, skills and attitudes, to measure the effectiveness of the teaching and to safeguard the patient and protect the public. As students work alongside with mentors, need to encourage students to perform patient care through instructions, guidance and supervision. While they are caring the patients mentors can observe and give feedback, this means while student is learning she is being assessed. Managing the process of assessment and feedback is hugely important. Students fail their placements for a wide range of reasons, but certain key factors can help minimise this happening. The student needs to feel welcomed and wanted to be able to perform into the placement quickly and so get on with meeting their competencies. Duffy (2003) cited several reasons for students failing and the key aspect was the lack of a good mentor/student relationship. Mentors must be meeting with students regularly can identify the problems or deficits the students going through. Learning needs should then be identified and action plan must be put in place. Mentors and assessors have the right and responsibility of making professional judgements about the performance of their student. (ENB and department of Health, 2001).Students needs to be respected while maintaining their professional standards, it is important to recognise the rights and to be supported to succeed in clinical practice. Monitoring progress is about finding the students quality and quantity of learning and any difficulties students may experiencing that can be identified and action plan to be applied. There are different methods of assessment like observation of patient care, questions and answers, reflection, briefing, self assessment peer assessment, testimonies, portfolios.(Stuart 2003). Duffy and Hardicre (2007) identify the reasons of a failing student are lack of insight, lack of interest poor communication or interpersonal skills, personal issues, being over confident. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC2004a) states that nurses are accountable for their own practice. The public has a right to expect competence from the qualified professional in healthcare. With the purpose of assessment as a form of quality control for the healthcare professions, assessors should be able to identify failing students and provide enough support and resources to overcome the difficulties. As Maria was a first year student the initial priority was observations of the patient. At the beginning, I asked the questions about blood pressure ,heart rate(pulse) ,respirations, oxygen saturations ,pain scores etc†¦Then explained to Maria the theory, significant changes and if she notice any changes who to inform, then I demonstrated how to check observations and how to enter in a patient track or observation chart. The procedure was repeated in many situations under supervision which made her confident and also Maria received constructive feedback from other staff. A high level of a motivation and assessment is necessary for learning, (Gipps1994). During mid interview it was identified that student has achieved the skills to do the observations by using dyne map or manually, and also able to understand the significant changes and to report to the staff nurse. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2006a) specifies the responsibility and accountability of NMC registrants who supports and make summative assessment decisions are referred to as assessors. As part of summative assessment (Stuart 2003), I arranged final interview with Maria on last day of her placement. I reviewed all her progress and evidences recorded in her practice book. Maria’s portfolio, feedbacks from other colleagues and Maria’s behaviour while her placement in the unit, attitude towards the patients and colleagues, knowledge , skills and performance in order to determine whether, she is fit for practice without supervision. Constructive feedback has an impact not only on the teaching/learning process but also gives messages to students about their effectiveness and self esteem (Gipps1994).Feedback sessions should be designed to help students grow in their clinical skills and professional competence. It is not possible for the named assessor to work with the student on enough occasions to monitor the progress of students with validity and reliability, so that it is important that the mentor seeks the views of other practitioners who have worked with the student. The assessment activities of working alongside the student and observing practice, discussion with the student and examination of the student’s portfolio, discussion with other assessors are done both informally and formally to monitor progress (Phillips et al 2000). Lifelong learning is the term used to refer to the planned or unplanned learning occurs throughout the life ,usually the working life ,of an individual (Hinchliff1998).The mentor is advised not to give all the answers ,which deprive the student of the opportunity of carrying out some of the problem –solving and decision making activities (Stengelhofen1993).These cognitive processes foster deep learning ,and thus help the student extract more meaningful learning through experiences.Dreyfus model (Benner 1989) describes the five levels of proficiency the students pass during their placement .They are novice, advanced beginner competent, proficient and expert .The author believes that this model can be applied in assessing the students in placement area because this will help students to access frequent feedbacks that can help to improve clinical skills and become more self- aware. Every good placement should be gathering feedback from the student’s inorder to improve the student experience and enhance learning opportunities. Accountability involves responsibility, knowledge and being able to justify actions. It is always challenging for mentors to deal with failing student’s .However if planned in advance and strategies in place, it can be overcome without too much pressure on the student .In the mid-interview, if the student is not performing up to the standard it’s important to provide the student more support and inform the personal tutor. It is essential to note that few students unable to meet the criteria whatever the circumstances are, the mentor should act appropriately in order to fail the poor performing students rather than the fail to fail situation which may affect the public (Duffy2007). To succeed in placement assessments and achieve competencies the student cannot afford to leave it until later in the placement .It is the responsibility of the mentor to ensure that they give the student regular reviews and feedback to ensure that they keep on top of meeting their learning objectives (Walsh2010).Mentors needs to evaluate students time to time and it is important to provide constructive feedback .Mentors should focus to create a safe learning environment for the students and it is their accountability. When Maria started placement in my unit I ensure she has done all the mandatory trainings like moving and handling, fire training, health and safety, infection control. If Mentor takes the decision to fail a student, it should not come like a surprise to the student. Students who are not progressing or failing their placement mentors need to identify the learning needs and support them with available resources. Discuss any issues or concerns with the student and inform university tutor, and also make sure student understands the problem.

The Human Function Argument Essay -- Philosophy Aristotle

The Human Function Argument Aristotle argues that the human function is activity of the soul that expresses or requires reason. This argument is found in Nicomachean Ethics approximately between Bekker lines 1097b24 and 1098a9. 1. Humans must have a function, or else they would be idle, which is absurd. Aristotle directly asks the reader if humans might have no important overall function other than a chosen occupation in society but suggests that this would not be expected of nature. Terence Irwin used the word idle in his 1985 translation when phrasing this disjunct of Aristotle?s question. 2. Each human body part has a function, so the whole human must likewise have a function. This premise appears parallel to Aristotle?s argument that many goods serve higher goods within a hierarchy (1094a10). Aristotle is invoking the concept a hierarchy to consider functions of body parts. Each part has a function that serves a larger part with a different function, and so it seems that the largest unit, the human body itself, must have a function. 3. The human function is unique to only humans themselves. Aristotle does not seem to consider that unique human features could simply be superfluous; he simply states as a goal that he is looking for a unique function. 4. Human function is not growth and nutrition because these aspects of life are shared with plants. It is sensible to make this exclusion if one accepts the third premise. 5. Human function is not sense perception because this aspect of life is shared with animals. Fulfilling a function like this would constitute a life of gratification, which Aristotle rejected earlier (1095b16). 6. The part of the human soul with reason is unique to humans. This is simply... ...unction argument points out its inadequacy to stand alone since the argument provides little evidence for some of its premises and rests only on certain common beliefs without making a strong connection to the supporting evidence. Bibliography Aristotle. "Nicomachean Ethics." Classics of Moral and Political Theory. 3rd ed. Trans. Terence Irwin. Ed. Michael L. Morgan. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2001. Aristotle. "Nicomachean Ethics." The Internet Classics Archive. Trans. W. D. Ross. [sic]. Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. Terence Irwin. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1985. Aristotle. Politics. Trans. C. D. C. Reeve. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1998. Plato. Protagoras. Trans. Stanley Lombardo and Karen Bell. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1992.

Compare the poems “Hard Frost” and “winter the Huntsman”

â€Å"Winter the Huntsman† and Hard Frost† are both poems which have the same settings, both are in the season of winter, Hard Frost (HF) was set at the end of winter and Winter the Huntsman (WTH) was set at the beginning of winter. â€Å"WTH† is set in a forest being captured by winter and â€Å"HF† is set in a rural, and near habitation. Also the image in hard frost is completely different to image portrayed in W. T. H. The image from H. F is that there is human habitation this is proven by this quote ‘at every footstep a tiny brittle pane is broken'. With the idea of humans being able to live along side with frost gives me the effect a Christmas card feel to the poem. In W. T. H the image created by the poem is completely different. The image is a cruel and harsh. The theme is a huntsman hunting down all colour and life from summer. Differences in the poem are continued with the use of personification. In â€Å"HF† frost is depicted as a soldier of the army of winter, evidence of this is numerous. One particular piece from the poem describes it best, â€Å"Frost called to water â€Å"Halt! , this personifies frost as someone who would command like a sergeant in the army. More aspects of frost being humanlike is in the following quote ‘interns poor fish'. This means that he has the power to lock away fish like people in prison cells. In â€Å"WTH† the poem personifies winter as a huntsman, evidence of this is this quote â€Å"is it winter the huntsman galloping†, I think that showing winter to be a hun tsman is interesting idea. The effect of winter being a huntsman gives me image of a Huntsman hunting down the last of the summer, more good imagery from this idea is that it reflects winter as a season.What is the difference between a figurative and a literal analogy? It reflects it because winter like a huntsman it is unpredictable and kills animals and plants as well as being a strong season with a few deaths. I have also picked out some evidence of the image of the huntsman being of a cruel nature, this quote shows it well â€Å"Crashing his cruel whip†. My reasons for picking out this evidence is that its key word is cruel, normally a huntsman kills for keeping animal numbers down or for food. Being cruel for no reason has raised attention for winter the huntsman enjoying the deaths he causes. The idea of winter the huntsman taking deaths gives him more power than anything in the forest. Evidence of him having power is in this quote â€Å"hiding each tree from his brother†, this shows that he has the power to torture trees when the huntsman likes. Both poems are littered in figures of speech. One example in hard frost is a mixture of simile and alliteration this quote is it â€Å"and tench in water bowls lurk under gluey glass like fish in bowls†. The simile in this piece of figurative language is effective because it gives effect of fish trapped in fish bowls; the bowls are formed by a unfrozen ice in the centre of a pond, giving the comparison of tench acting like goldfish. The alliteration in this poem ‘gluey glass' reinforces the idea of the fish being trapped in bowls; it does this by the ‘gl' sound made when you say the words. The effect is given because if you say ‘gl' it slows down your speaking speed. This is similar to the situation the fish are in, because the fish are stuck in the bowls and the alliteration slows down your speech rather like glue does to objects. A good example of good figurative language in winter the huntsman is these two simple words â€Å"iron glades† its dramatic effect is to harness the fact that winter is in the forest. It does this by comparing a frozen patch grass to a open area made from iron. The writer has chosen to do this because the colour of iron is dull and boring which reflects the grass in the glade. The fact that the grass looks dull gives more effect to image that winter the huntsman is killing of colour. Also iron tough and hard this probably indicates that the ground is frozen solid, another property of iron is that it is shiny, this contrasts with idea that the glade is frozen so that is shines a it. Another piece of imagery generated by HF is a metaphor ‘hangs a dagger from house eaves', this metaphor is comparing icicles to daggers. Using daggers another way do describe icicles gives the effect of a shape material, also daggers are reflective so that reinforces the idea of sharp cold weapon. Use of language in both poems is quite similar except for some types which tend to be different in a few ways. An example of colour used in poems would be one in H. F, it mentions colours (green, black and white) and allows colour to be present in the poem. In winter the huntsman colour is being hunted down, this quote proves this idea â€Å"and copper leaves fall† this suggests that the last of the leaves are gone so there is no more colour. One more of creative language is how harsh the poem is. In Hard Frost people are allowed to live, an example of this is â€Å"at every footstep breaks a brittle pane†. The key word in the sentence to give the idea of human habitation is ‘footsteps'. With idea of human habitation this poem gives me the image of a Christmas card. In winter the huntsman this is completely opposite, because it's more about winter taking over life and being cruel to what's left of life. Evidence of this is â€Å"as night creeps from the ground hides each tree from its brother† this gives me the image that he is isolating the trees so that makes them more vulnerable to the winter. I got the impression he is killing trees and being harsh. This is in the sentence â€Å"till many a mighty branch is torn asunder† this means that he is ripping the limbs of the trees making them feel pain. In the end both poems are different in imagery but the best image in my opinion is the one in hard frost because it's the Christmas that everyone tends to see. However winter the huntsman is more realistic but it is a image of winter that people don't want to see, because of the holiday of Christmas.

How to Illustrate the Plate Tectonic Theory Essay

The Plate Tectonic Theory mainly revolves in the idea that the Earth’s crust was made up of rigid and thin plates that are in motion relative to each other. The theory was first proposed during the 1960 and was later on developed by other scientists and geologists to fully explain the logic behind the formation of continents and oceans, as well as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Two of the proponents helped in the development of the theory were Alfred Wegener and Arthur Holmes. Wegener was the first to observe the relationship between the shapes of the seven continents. He saw that their shapes fit together, as if they were pieces from a jigsaw puzzle. From here, he built up the continental drift theory, saying that the before, continents were just a mass of a large land, or simply a plate. This landmass drifted apart and turned to smaller parts—the seven continents. However, Wegener had nothing to support the theory, until the day Arthur Holmes suggested his of convection currents. According to Holmes, certain convection cells were the components of the Earth’s mantle. These convection cells are the responsible for the movements of the Earth’s crust through the radioactive heat they dissipate. Because of his discovery, Wegener’s theory was given support and proved to be true. However, how could we really imagine the process behind Plate tectonic? To better illustrate how the Earth’s crust move, an example using a pot of water could be used. Let us assume that the pot of water is the Earth’s mantle. If we would boil the pot of the water, heat would be produced. Let us imagine this heat as the convection cells composing the Earth’s mantle. Through the heat, the pot of water suddenly emits a great amount of energy that could move a material near it. The movements could be divergent, convergent, or transform. In divergent boundaries, the plates are sliding apart from one another. In convergent, though, the two plates are sliding towards one another. Finally, transform boundaries occur when the plates are grinding past one another.

Free Essays on Brown V Board Of Education

Racial segregation in southern public schools dates to the 1860’s before, and after the American Civil War. More than 95 percent of blacks lived in the southern states throughout the 19th century. So segregation affected the majority of the black population. In the influential case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1876) the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the practice of segregation as long as the separate facilities were â€Å"equal†. By 1900, the south was completely segregated. In 1909 the National Association for the Advancement of Color People or the NAACP was formed. The organization’s sole purpose was to fight for racial equality and to end segregation. From 1939 to 1950 the organization won various cases leading to the integrations universities in Mississippi, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Texas. The NAACP also had some success in forcing states to equalize public school funding, and to pay black teachers the same rate as white teachers. The Legal Background Brown v. Board of Education developed from a series of court cases involving school segregation. For an example, Briggs v. Elliott (1950), this case took place in Clarendon County, South Carolina. In the 1949-1950 school year the average annual funds per white students in Clarendon County totaled $179, but for black students it was only $43. The 6,531 black students attended school in 61 buildings. Many of the black schools lacked indoor plumbing and heating. These buildings were valued at $194,575. However the county’s 2,375 white students in the county attended school in 12 buildings worth $673,850. These building were the top of the line facilities. Teachers in these black schools were paid one third less than white teachers. And on top of that the county only provided free buses for whites, and not for black students. These conditions made blacks in Clarendon County to sue to create equal schools. In 1950 the United State district court in South Carolina ordered equal fun ding of... Free Essays on Brown V Board Of Education Free Essays on Brown V Board Of Education Racial segregation in southern public schools dates to the 1860’s before, and after the American Civil War. More than 95 percent of blacks lived in the southern states throughout the 19th century. So segregation affected the majority of the black population. In the influential case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1876) the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the practice of segregation as long as the separate facilities were â€Å"equal†. By 1900, the south was completely segregated. In 1909 the National Association for the Advancement of Color People or the NAACP was formed. The organization’s sole purpose was to fight for racial equality and to end segregation. From 1939 to 1950 the organization won various cases leading to the integrations universities in Mississippi, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Texas. The NAACP also had some success in forcing states to equalize public school funding, and to pay black teachers the same rate as white teachers. The Legal Background Brown v. Board of Education developed from a series of court cases involving school segregation. For an example, Briggs v. Elliott (1950), this case took place in Clarendon County, South Carolina. In the 1949-1950 school year the average annual funds per white students in Clarendon County totaled $179, but for black students it was only $43. The 6,531 black students attended school in 61 buildings. Many of the black schools lacked indoor plumbing and heating. These buildings were valued at $194,575. However the county’s 2,375 white students in the county attended school in 12 buildings worth $673,850. These building were the top of the line facilities. Teachers in these black schools were paid one third less than white teachers. And on top of that the county only provided free buses for whites, and not for black students. These conditions made blacks in Clarendon County to sue to create equal schools. In 1950 the United State district court in South Carolina ordered equal fun ding of...

Sandra Cisneros and Chicano Literature Essay Example

Sandra Cisneros and Chicano Literature Essay Example Sandra Cisneros and Chicano Literature Essay Sandra Cisneros and Chicano Literature Essay Essay Topic: House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros is an American writer and poet, was born on December 20, 1954, in Chicago. She is primarily known for her first novel The House on Mango Street (1984) about a young Latino woman. More importantly, Sandra Cisneros is acclaimed to be a central figure in Chicana literature. Given the fact Sandra was forced to migrate constantly between Mexico and the United States since she was a child, she became deeply interested in the challenges and relationships between Mexican and American cultures. Eventually, Cisneros achieved recognition far beyond Chicano and Latino communities for her accurate interest in the formation of Chicano identity and her contribution to the Hispanic civil rights movement. Some suggest that Sandra Cisneros is the most famous Chicana writer. She became a pioneer in this literary field and achieved to become the first female Mexican-American writer to be published massively. As the first successful Chicana author, Cisneros brought this genre to mainstream literature and made it widely popular (Sandra Cisneros). Most significantly, the writer firstly introduced innovations in her best-known novel The House on Mango Street, where she shifted from established poetic style typical for Chicana literature to a new one, creating a distinctive Chicana literary space. The most prominent topics of her literature brought up such social issues as gender inequality and marginalization of cultural minorities, specifically Latino. Due to her flourishing writing style, the novel The House on Mango Street became popular and readable far beyond the Chicano community. ?Drawing attention to the challenges Latino community faced, Cisneros played a significant role in Hispanic Civil Rights Movement. As a result of this movement, Hispanic population achieved to heightened awareness of the importance of culture affected many ethnic groups, including Mexican Americans. The primary goal of this civil right movement was to equalize

Judy Garland Biography and Profile

Judy Garland Biography and Profile Judy Garland ( June 10, 1922 - June 22, 1969 ) was a singer and actress who gained nearly equal acclaim in both fields. She was the first solo woman to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and the American Film Institute named her one of the 10 greatest female stars of American cinema. Early Years Judy Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Her parents were vaudeville performers, and soon Frances joined her older sisters Mary Jane and Dorothy to become the singing and dancing act the Gumm Sisters. The details remain murky, but around 1934, the Gumm Sisters, in search of a more appealing name, became the Garland Sisters. Soon after, Frances officially changed her name to Judy. The Garland Sisters group broke up in 1935 when Suzanne, the oldest of the sisters, married musician, Lee Kahn. Later in 1935, Judy was signed to a contract with film company MGM without the usual screen test. However, the studio was not sure how to promote the 13-year-old Garland; she was older than the usual child star but still too young for adult parts. After a few unsuccessful projects, her breakthrough moment came when she was paired with Mickey Rooney in the 1938  film Love Finds Andy Hardy. Personal Life Judy Garlands turbulent personal life was marked by several instances of heartbreak. When Judy Garland was 13 years old, her 49-year-old father succumbed to meningitis, leaving her emotionally devastated. Years later, her first adult love, bandleader Artie Shaw, eloped with actress Lana Turner leaving Garland crushed. She received an engagement ring on her 18th birthday from musician David Rose who was at the time still married to actress Martha Raye. After the divorce, Judy and David were briefly married. Just three years later, in 1944, the marriage ended.   Following an affair with legendary director Orson Welles, while he was married to actress Rita Hayworth, Judy Garland married director Vicente Minnelli in June 1945. They had one daughter, singer and actress Liza Minnelli. By 1951 they were divorced. During the late 1940s, Garland was hospitalized following a nervous breakdown, underwent electroshock therapy to treat depression, and began to have serious problems with alcohol addiction. During June 1952, Judy Garland married her tour manager and producer Sid Luft. They had two children, singer and actress Lorna Luft and Joey Luft. They divorced in 1965. In November 1965, Garland married tour promoter, Mark Herron. They were divorced in February 1969, and she married her fifth and final husband Mickey Deans in March. In 1959, Judy Garland was diagnosed with acute hepatitis, and she informed doctors that she was unlikely to have more than five years to live. She said she would likely never sing again and remembered feeling relief at the diagnosis because it reduced much of the pressure in her life. However, she recovered over a period of several months and began performing concerts again.   Film Career Following her success in a series of films with Mickey Rooney, the teenage Judy Garland was cast in the lead role of 1939s The Wizard of Oz. In the movie, she sang what became identified as her signature song Over the Rainbow. It was a critical success and Garland earned a special Juvenile Academy Award for her performance in both The Wizard of Oz and Babes In Arms with Mickey Rooney. Judy Garland starred in three of her most successful films in the 1940s. In 1944s Meet Me In St. Louis she sang The Trolley Song and the holiday classic Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. For 1948s The Easter Parade, she teamed with legendary dancer and actor Fred Astaire. She starred in 1949s In the Good Old Summertime with Van Johnson. It was one of her biggest box-office successes and featured the movie debut of Judy Garlands three-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli. By 1950, Judy Garland earned a reputation for being difficult while filming new projects. She was accused of showing a lack of effort while drugs and alcohol also interfered with appearing on time for shoots. In 1954, Garland made a celebrated comeback in the second film version of A Star Is Born. Her performance earned accolades from critics and audiences alike, and she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In 1961 she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Judgment at Nuremberg, but her days as a top Hollywood actress were over. Music Career The last two decades of Judy Garlands life were dominated by her success as a singer in concerts, TV shows, and on record. In 1951, she launched a highly successful tour of Great Britain and Ireland performing for sold-out audiences. The songs of vaudeville legend Al Jolson were a centerpiece of her concerts. During the tour, Garland experienced a rebirth as a performer. In 1956, she became the highest-paid entertainer yet in Las Vegas earning $55,000 a week for a four-week engagement. Judy Garlands first appearance on a TV special took place in 1955 on the Ford Star Jubilee. It was CBS first full-scale color broadcast and was a received stellar ratings. Following three successful TV specials in 1962 and 1963, Garland was given her own weekly series,  The Judy Garland Show. Although it was canceled after only one season, The Judy Garland Show earned four Emmy Award nominations including for Best Variety Series. On April 23, 1961, Judy Garland performed a concert at Carnegie Hall that many consider the highlight of her live performance career. A double album of the show spent 13 weeks at number one on the album chart and earned a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. After her TV series ended in 1964, Garland returned to the concert stage. She performed live at the London Palladium in November 1964 with her 18-year-old daughter, Liza Minnelli. A 1964 Australian tour turned disastrous when Garland was late to take the stage and accused of being drunk. Judy Garlands final concert appearance took place in Copenhagen, Denmark in March 1969, three months before her death. Death On June 22, 1969, Judy Garland was found dead in the bathroom of a rented house in London, England. The coroner determined the cause to be an overdose of barbiturates. He indicated the death was accidental, and there was no evidence of suicidal intent. Garlands The Wizard of Oz co-star Ray Bolger said at her funeral, She just plain wore out. Although initially interred at a cemetery in upstate New York, in 2017, at the request of Judy Garlands children, her remains were transferred to the Hollywood Forever cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Legacy Judy Garlands reputation as one of the greatest entertainers of all time remains strong. More than two dozen biographies have been written about her since her death, and she was listed by the American Film Institute at #8 among all-time greatest female movie stars. The American Film Institute also listed her performance of Over the Rainbow as the top movie song of all time. Four more, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Get Happy, The Trolley Song, and The Man That Got Away are listed in the top 100. Garland received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1997. She has been featured twice on U.S. postage stamps. Judy Garland is also considered to be a gay community icon. There are differing reasons offered for that status, but the most common include identification with her personal struggles and her relationship to camp culture. In the late 1960s, news accounts of Garlands nightclub performances disparagingly commented on homosexual men being a disproportionately large part of the audience. Many also credit Over the Rainbow as being an inspiration for the gay communitys ubiquitous rainbow flag.

The Law of Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Law of Contract - Essay Example On boarding the train, Maggie slipped on the carriage’s floor and injured her ankle and damaged her new coat. She lost her balance because the English Rail staff had failed to clean tea spilled previously on the carriage floor. The objective of exemption clauses is to exclude the liability of one of the parties. However, the Unfair Contract Terms Act, states that no contractual exclusion term can either limit or preclude liability, in cases involving negligence that resulted in injury or death of an individual. Moreover, in instances entailing a term of notice that is unreasonable; liability for negligence cannot be mitigated or excluded. The redoubtable Lord Denning, in Spurling v Bradshaw, opined that certain exclusion clauses were to be printed conspicuously and in red ink on the relevant document. Therefore, considerable importance is attached to exemption clauses by the courts. No such prominent notice was given to Maggie, and the reverse of the ticket contained a direction to view the website of English Rail, for information regarding its rules. As such, the exclusion clause was not incorporated into the contract, prior to the completion of the contract. Hence it is invalid. In Thornton v Shoe Lane Parking, the court rejected the exclusion clause and ruled that printing the exclusion clause on the reverse of the ticket constituted insufficient notice to customers. Due to the gross negligence of English Rail’s staff, Maggie sustained the injury to her ankle and her new coat was damaged.

The Terrorist Among Us Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Terrorist Among Us - Research Paper Example The second bombing was outside a building, near an abortion clinic, whichwas believed to have been the prime target in the bombing. His actions did only portray him as a hero to the people in the community who had similar views, but also encouraged some of his followers to commit similar acts (Collett, 2005). To make it worse, a restaurant even came up with the sign saying â€Å"Rudolph eats here† as a way of trying to reach out to more customers who had similar affiliations as Eric Rudolph. At the time of the two bombings, people were not that open to the idea of gay marriage or abortion. As of 1996, gay people and abortion was not a generally accepted fact among the members of the society. After managing to accept the death sentence, Rudolph wrote a over a dozen essays stating is beliefs on abortion and gays. Although a mail bomb is a rather rare occurrence, people need to be on the lookout for any suspicious mail that may arrive at their premises or organizations. In most instances, the return address is normally nonexistent of fictitious. In most cases, if not all, the bomb mails are normally addressed to particular people. The letter bombs always targets individuals Additionally, the bomb mails are usually marked as private. They are normally personal; and addressed a specific person unlike other forms of bombing. Personnel working in organizations need to be able to identify suspicious mail without necessarily opening it. There are various indicators, which may act as a red flag to mail bombs. Alternatively, there are various aspects, which may symbolize or give a clue to mail bombings. Some of the common aspects, which may indicate mail bombs, include excessive weight, attributed to the parcel of package, excessive postage, excessive postage material, unusual odors on the package an d excessive securing the material such as tape. In most cases, most

Evaluating the impact of international environmental laws on oil and Essay

Evaluating the impact of international environmental laws on oil and gas - Essay Example Recommendation(s) †¢ GEP-Oil Company must follow the principles of the International Environment law to the latter. †¢ The Company is bound to look for more advanced technologies to be able to exploit he Oil and Gas in an advanced manner. †¢ Experts in Climatic conditions should be consulted before the commencement of the drilling process. †¢ The company must compensate the inhabitants. 1. Background The main issues in the case study are that the presence of Oil and Gas plays an immense role in the economy of Russia and the welfare of the people as a whole. However, this exploration in the Arctic requires huge investments, which have prompted the Russian oil Companies to enter into an alliance with the international companies to expedite the exploration process. In light of this, the board paper has been organised into four sections. Each section analyses about an issue that pertains to exploration that is free from environmental destruction and one that depicts w hat is expected by the Russian government. The Russian environmental laws are similar to the international environment al laws in a number of ways. The Russian environmental laws also recognize that there is a need for each nation to be able to protect the environmental and at the same time each state should be given the freedom to be able to exploit their natural resources. According to principle one of the Rio Declaration, human beings are the centre of environmental concerns because they need to be able to have high quality life. The Russian environmental laws also recognize these factors and incorporate it in the principles of the law. There are also laws in the region where Russia is that are also invective of the need for the concerned stakeholders to understand the need to protect the natural resources for the sake of human beings. The arctic region in which Russia belongs, there are some environmental laws that need are very similar to international laws. The Arctic Environm ental Protection Strategy is an environmental guidance that helps nations in the arctic region to abide in within the environmental standards. Russian national laws are also similar to the international environmental laws in that they also recognize that there is an importance to protect the local waters (marine). This is in line with MarPol environmental laws and guidance that provide for the ways in which the laws must be able protect the environment. Russia is a member of the artist centre but he laws developed by the arctic centre are not abiding. The arctic centre has developed the laws and guidelines that help member states to abide within the guidelines of international laws. MarPol helps nations around the world to be able to deal with the seal pollution. The Russian environmental policy also recognizes that there is a need to protect the sea and reduce marine pollution. These laws are also in line with the Conventional of Biodiversity guides which emphasize on the need to p rotect the natural resounds especially living things. The other important factor about international law in relation to the Russian environmental law is the recognition of the need for the state to be able to protect the environmental and the need to be able to

Write plan addressing principal's directives Essay

Write plan addressing principal's directives - Essay Example The responsibilities every affiliate of the family has. I will require from each student an essay on how their family celebrates holidays like, thanksgiving and birthdays. In so doing students get to be grateful for the value of family, and gain invaluable knowledge that is practical and they can put it on paper in case of an assessment test on the subject. My teaching methodology of family history, growth and change, will slightly be off tangent. Each student will be required to research on their family’s history and note down an essay. In the family’s history, I expect them to identify their family heritage and the changes their family has encountered over time. I expect some of my students to contribute their family tales, songs, dances and even legends; this will make the unit highly practical. They will do this in groups, whereby one student volunteers to share a folktale while the classmates will ask relevant questions. The aim is to have students share information freely and respect each other. The concept of communities can be introduced by getting the students appreciate the variety of their communities. They get to know their cultural uniqueness, religious difference, ethnicity and school is what makes them unique. In this unit, I will task my students to try and locate the country, state and country on a map. They should list down geographical features, natural resources, artificial resources and significant symbols that identify their community. Their task will be to try and locate the school from the global perspective, give the cardinal directions, and how the school affects the environment. The last unit will have students getting to know how people satisfy their wants and citizenship. Students ought to know what their parents do for a living to provide for them. They will discuss in groups the types of occupation people carry out. The issues of trade and exchange, science and

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

History - Essay Example This paper will highlight the causes of the revolution and how the changes brought about by the revolution affected freed black Americans. In addition, the paper will discuss the rise of Massachusetts and Virginia. The French and Indian war had negative effects on Britain. Although Britain went home with victory, the victory came at a prize. It had exhausted most of its finances. Consequently, in 1763, America had enormous debts to settle. Britain sought to formulate strategies that would help it settle the debts. It is at this time that they exposed the colonies to extremes of oppression. The government began a search of all trade routes identifying the smugglers who avoided the heavy taxes levied on the route. This affected American traders mostly. The sugar act also came into place requiring Americans to pay tax at a time when economic times were hard. The colonists worsened the situation with the banning of production of the American currency. Moreover, the colonists expected the Americans to provide the British troops with accommodation in act called the quartering act. The Americans opposed all these acts but the colonists multiplied them. In 1765, introduction of the stamps act that required Americans to pay tax on all paper products sold made their opposition fierce. Their opposition involved a boycott on all American goods. The colonies reasoned that it was unfair for them to suffer from the oppressive acts of a government in which they did not have a representative. However, the imperial government fueled their opposition by introducing an additional import tax and more boycotts resulted. In addition, other restrictions after the some colonial leaders attacked a vessel and interfered with tea on the Boston port after a monopoly allowed a tea company to dominate America. The thinking of American people was changing with time. Most of the people were reading literature that highlighted the making of social contracts and were slowly adopting liberalism a nd other schools of thought highlighted in the enlightenment literature. In addition, some revolutionary clergy had committed to teaching the truth about equality and this prompted the people to oppose any form of oppression from the colonial government. In 1794, the people formed an association that would tie them together to fight for their liberty. All these factors mentioned led to the rise of the revolution in 1775 (Frank 43-49). Rise of Massachusetts and Virginia These two colonies proved to have different structures by 1700. Background information reveals that the two colonies emerged through the efforts of English colonists who had left their home country due to unrest. Puritans who ran away from the different forms of harassment they faced in their country set up Massachusetts with its capital at Salem. The colony was independent of any rule or joint ventures with other colonies. The puritans introduced a hierarchical system that determined religious and family leaders. The colonists in Massachusetts emphasized sharing between the rich and poor. The colonists intended to create a society that promoted equity. In this colony, slave systems did not exist. Instead, the colony depended on children and members of the family structure to provide the necessary labor. Native American in this colony preferred to sell land and adopt the puritan lifestyle. In this colony, fathers assumed the role of managing and supervising the

Research paper of a scholary published creative problem solving

Of a scholary published creative problem solving process - Research Paper Example Large corporations and small businesses can use creative problem-solving methods to re-think old approaches to production and build new approaches. The important aspect of creative problem-solving is that it encourages individuals to share their ideas with a workgroup, and that it recognizes the need of managers to facilitate this popularly in the office or work environment to foster change and improvement in operations. Without management trained in creative problem-solving and seeking to develop intra-office communication through knowledge-sharing, there is unlikely to be any new development or change in the way day-to- day operations in a business are conducted. From this and practical experience in the field, it is evident that creative problem-solving is most effective in business groups or industries which need to innovate to survive or have a competitive advantage over other similar businesses, for these situations require an awareness of the challenges of the industry placed continually to the forefront in order to keep vibrancy and dynamism in the workplace ongoing. In the first case study referenced, Vidal, Mulet, & Gomez-Senent (2004) discuss the â€Å"Effectiveness of the Means of Expression in Creative Problem-solving in Design Groups† based on this important need to challenge work groups to innovate and come up with new ideas for advertising-related careers. The first part of effective management is to knowing clearly the requirements of the job, and for a project manager in publishing or software development, this extends to knowing the requirements of every person’s job as well as communicating to the employees precisely what their responsibilities are in the workplace. However, the case has been made by industry insiders with years of practical management experience in advertising, media, and publishing, that creative campaign projects such as those found in design, magazine and television publishing require a unique management st rategy that is different from that of industrial activity or scientific research. Creative problem-solving approaches the ground of every business and communication problem as unique to the work environment and community engaged. Through this, the discipline can work with the management team and staff on premises to build an improved flow of communication that encourages workers in sharing ideas between each other in order to stimulate a more dynamic, creative process in the office. While it is easily understandable that disciplines such as design and publishing have their own unique need for creativity in the workforce, creative problem-solving as a management technique can be implemented in innumerable situations across all sectors of business and industry. The essential quality of creative problem-solving is that it frees up communication between individuals in channels that had not been previously open, welcome, or understood. In the example of the R. L. Reid study, â€Å"Creat ive Problem-solving Speeds Illinois Tollway Work† (2006), the management technique can even be put into effect in bridging the communication problems that separate workers from the public at large. The reason for this is that creative problem-solving as a management technique operates on the actual terms of the question or problem at hand,

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

History - Essay Example This paper will highlight the causes of the revolution and how the changes brought about by the revolution affected freed black Americans. In addition, the paper will discuss the rise of Massachusetts and Virginia. The French and Indian war had negative effects on Britain. Although Britain went home with victory, the victory came at a prize. It had exhausted most of its finances. Consequently, in 1763, America had enormous debts to settle. Britain sought to formulate strategies that would help it settle the debts. It is at this time that they exposed the colonies to extremes of oppression. The government began a search of all trade routes identifying the smugglers who avoided the heavy taxes levied on the route. This affected American traders mostly. The sugar act also came into place requiring Americans to pay tax at a time when economic times were hard. The colonists worsened the situation with the banning of production of the American currency. Moreover, the colonists expected the Americans to provide the British troops with accommodation in act called the quartering act. The Americans opposed all these acts but the colonists multiplied them. In 1765, introduction of the stamps act that required Americans to pay tax on all paper products sold made their opposition fierce. Their opposition involved a boycott on all American goods. The colonies reasoned that it was unfair for them to suffer from the oppressive acts of a government in which they did not have a representative. However, the imperial government fueled their opposition by introducing an additional import tax and more boycotts resulted. In addition, other restrictions after the some colonial leaders attacked a vessel and interfered with tea on the Boston port after a monopoly allowed a tea company to dominate America. The thinking of American people was changing with time. Most of the people were reading literature that highlighted the making of social contracts and were slowly adopting liberalism a nd other schools of thought highlighted in the enlightenment literature. In addition, some revolutionary clergy had committed to teaching the truth about equality and this prompted the people to oppose any form of oppression from the colonial government. In 1794, the people formed an association that would tie them together to fight for their liberty. All these factors mentioned led to the rise of the revolution in 1775 (Frank 43-49). Rise of Massachusetts and Virginia These two colonies proved to have different structures by 1700. Background information reveals that the two colonies emerged through the efforts of English colonists who had left their home country due to unrest. Puritans who ran away from the different forms of harassment they faced in their country set up Massachusetts with its capital at Salem. The colony was independent of any rule or joint ventures with other colonies. The puritans introduced a hierarchical system that determined religious and family leaders. The colonists in Massachusetts emphasized sharing between the rich and poor. The colonists intended to create a society that promoted equity. In this colony, slave systems did not exist. Instead, the colony depended on children and members of the family structure to provide the necessary labor. Native American in this colony preferred to sell land and adopt the puritan lifestyle. In this colony, fathers assumed the role of managing and supervising the

States and Territories of India and Chandigarh Essay Example for Free

States and Territories of India and Chandigarh Essay Chandigarh is a city and union territory in India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as The Fort of Chandi. The name is derived from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, near the city.[3] The city of Chandigarh was the first planned city in India post independence in 1947 (pre-independence planned cities include Dispur in Assam, New Delhi in Delhi, Jaipur in Rajasthan, etc.) and is known internationally for its architecture and urban design. [4] The city has projects designed by architects such as Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Jane Drew, and Maxwell Fry. The city tops the list of Indian States and Union Territories with the highest per capita income in the country at Rs.99,262 at current prices and Rs.70,361 at constant prices (2006–2007).[5] The city was reported in 2010 to be the cleanest in India, based on a national government study,[6] and the territory also headed the list of Indian states and territories according to research conducted using 2005 data by Human Development Index.[7] The Union Territory, Chandigarh lies in the foot of the Shivalik Ranges and shares its capital, Chandigarh city with that of Haryana and Punjab. Chandigarh finds Haryana in the East and Punjab in the North, West and South as its neighbours. After independence and partition of India in 1947, the capital Lahore of Punjab state had fallen in Pakistan and hence a need to construct a new capital was felt. Eventually, French Architect Le Corbusier was selected to design the new city, as a result of which, India saw its first planned city, Chandigarh, that acquired its name from the temple of Chandi (goddess of Shakti) and the adjoining garh (fort) to the temple. This cosmo-politan city, Chandigarh represents the flavour of modern India in its architecture, culture and life style. Well planned wide roads, spacious residential colonies and square markets take you to visit a completely different side of India which is affluent, systematic and serene unlike the metros and big cities of the country. The splendid view of Shivalik Hills guarding the city furtively is what makes Chandigarh even more charming.

Apples Ipad Promotional Strategy Marketing Essay

Apples Ipad Promotional Strategy Marketing Essay To survive in the global and competitive business environment, it is essential for a companys to conduct extensive research so that they can develop a strong brand image from the initial stage as it leads to greater financial benefits for the company. The marketing plan of Apples iPad is the topic where an effective marketing strategy is developed to ensure its success in the global competitive market where major plays such as Sony, Compaq and Dell have a significant impact upon Apples strategies. Apples latest ipad is the revolutionary product which is a portable mini device used as a pc anywhere with its wide range of options and innovative design. Apples marketing strategy will be focusing upon the product design, brand positioning, price and promotion of iPad in the global market. This will be linked to the research and analysis of the environmental forces and SWOT analysis to understand the companys position. Apples market strategy will be incorporated with the generic business strategy which is towards growth and maintaining a strong position in the market through its innovative products. Apple will use competitive marketing strategy for its iPad where two such strategies can be developed which are differentiation and Focus to make iPad a success in the global market. Marketing planning and strategies can become highly effective if Apple focuses upon its strategic human resource management and make continuous efforts to redesign its marketing plan to survive successfully. Company Description Apple Corporation is a highly successful organization that aims to advance in the technology field through its high quality and innovative products. The success of Apple is primarily based upon its innovation and dynamic technological advancement it takes to give its customers the ease and luxury to use its products. Apples latest product iPad is launched to compete with existing computers and tablet technology, as it is a portable high tech device for the usage of all needs of an individual whether personal or business use. Environmental Analysis/PEST Analysis This analysis will help in identifying the factors that affect the organizations ability to perform efficiently in the global markets. Political Forces: The political factors affect the organizations ability to operate efficiently in foreign markets. Therefore, Apples operations are affected by political conditions of developing countries in Asia where it is unable to meet its organizational targets successfully. The increasing suicide bomb rate and terrorism is another reason that limits the ability of Nestle to operate in some countries. Moreover, the changing legal requirements regarding the sales tax, import and export duties also affect Apple in terms of its rising costs and limitation to have access to a greater market. Economical Forces: Economical factors affect organizations ability to expand its business and achieve organizational objective of growth. The recent recession has slowed down economic activity and resulted in increase of prices of law materials, which have increase the costs and ultimately the prices of products. Apple faces low demand due to the big economies collapsing and going under stabilization phase, which has forced countries to boost their economy by discouraging imports and encouraging exports (Ball, McCulloch, Frantz Minor, 2006). Socio-Cultural Forces: In todays business enjoinment, people belonging to different backgrounds, experiences, values and cultures work together in multinational organizations with common objectives of gaining success in competitive global markets. Therefore, this creates a critical challenge for organizations to help employees develop positive and interpersonal relationships so that all people can work productively while respecting others culture and backgrounds. Apple has focused upon the cultural values of its employees as well as customers to achieve positive long-term relationships through maintaining an organizational culture which is highly flexible and culturally diverse. Technological Forces: Apple concentrates on the technological advancements of its work operations. The highly competitive and global business environment has forced organizations like Apple to become highly efficient through technology and internet revolution. Apple focuses upon innovation which can be achieved by meeting the new technological advancements and by being efficient in providing better quality and innovative products to its customers through advanced technology (Turban, 2004). SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis assists organizations to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an organization which are internal and opportunities and threats which are external. This will help in understanding how Apple can utilize its strengths and opportunities and overcome its threats and weaknesses to survive in the global competitive market. Strengths: Apple is a successful organization and its iPod has a high market share in the global market due to its brand perception and image as s high quality innovative brand. Moreover, in the I.T industry, Apple holds a strong position by catering to the needs of the dynamic market with its extensive research and developments that enables it to satisfy its customers with highly innovative products. Apple has maintained its brand name in the global market and the customer loyalty is increasing at a high rate (Barnet Cavanagh, 2006). Weaknesses: Apple provides highly innovative products in the market but it is having issues with the quality of its products as recently the Apple iPad was reported to have a faulty screen and it had replace all those products. This is one major weakness of Apples products. Moreover, the company has a relatively weaker research and development system as compared to other major competitors and needs to put more emphasis on building strong reliable products as its brand name portrays (Borrington Stimpson, 2004). Opportunities: Apple has many opportunities for growth and expanding its range of products and services. It can develop iTunes and music player technology into cell phones and iPad devices. It can focus upon developing Podcasts for radio shows through internet and can enhance its iPad into more sophisticated and reliable device to be used by every individual. The I.T industry is full of rapid and dynamic changes and there is growing demand for innovative and technologically advanced products so for Apple, there are unlimited opportunities to avail for growth. Threats: The major threat for Apple and its products is the intense rivalry among competition in the technology industry. The competitive global environment has brought critical challenges for Apple to maintain a competitive and strong position in the global market. Moreover, Apples iPod and iPad are subjected to demand which can go down at any time due to saturation and substitutes in the market. Hence, to meet with changing trends and globalization, Apple requires extensive research and development to create a diversified range of products to be successful. Marketing Objectives The objective of Apples iPad device is to capture the market by creating awareness and persuading customers to use this device. Its emphasis will be entirely upon positioning iPad in the global market as a highly reliable device which is a need for every individual in todays busy hectic life. The marketing plan of Apples iPad should consist of two major objectives that help to achieve organizational success in todays global business environment. First of all, Apple focuses upon its customers through thorough market research and planning then the second step starts by integrating all organizations functions which are related to the marketing plan of the organization. After this, Apple becomes competent in planning and implementing its organizational core objectives to achieve positive results (Barnet Cavanagh, 2006). Marketing Strategy The marketing plan of Apple iPad is based upon extensive research and planning so that it can expand its operations worldwide where the marketing strategy aimed to promote the following key elements to strengthen its brand image. The major brand elements are the superior quality, friendly usability, design and reliability of the product. It can be promoted as a product that not only provides an ease to an individuals life but a reliable cost effective solution to all computer related problems. The following are the major components of the marketing mix that can help in understanding the product and how it is to be marketed in the global market. The marketing growth strategy of Apple mainly aims to provide superior quality and innovative products and services. This strategy helps in increasing customer loyalty and building a stronger position in the global competitive markets. Innovation is the success key of Apple. In todays highly competitive environment, developing innovative products is a major key towards achieving success. This requires extensive research and development by the businesses to be successful. Although, innovation has become a key towards success but it has high financial risk because the customers can dislike the new invention and it can go into waste (Gannon, 2009). Product Design: IPad is the new invention of Apple with extensive Research and Development. It is the latest technological device which is mini pc device equipped with high compatibility mode and ease of usage for users. It is a fully equipped device where a user can take pictures, watch movies, download large amount of data and send/receive emails, attachments and documents. It is designed for personal and business usage where a user can be highly digitized and connected to the world within seconds with no hassle. Ipad is the new revolution introduced by Apple to provide ultimate user friendliness and access to all technological advancements together in one mini device (Hall Jones, 2000). Brand Positioning: Initially, Apples iPad target market can be the professionals and businessmen who require portable easy accessible devise for their usage. And then, young customers comprising of students will be targeted through emphasizing upon its innovative and trendy design that provides unlimited options will start gaining popularity and acceptance in the global market then it can expand and broaden its market segments by satisfying a larger market segment by positioning iPad as a need for every individual. Promotion: Apples iPad promotional strategy will mainly focus upon word of mouth advertising and point of purchase strategy where consumers will be encouraged to discover and try out the product themselves. Apples latest iPad requires extensive marketing through television and other media sources to achieve high customer response. Television is an effective medium of advertisement ad Apples advertisement has given it more importance and this industry is flourishing through these innovative ads. Price: Apples iPad will be charged at a premium price from the start to show and prove that it is a superior quality and innovative device than any other available in the market. As it is an innovative product, it will be promoted in the market as a premium priced device that has value for the benefits it provides. This way the consumers will consider Apples iPad as a highly reliable and portable pc device that can make their life faster and efficient in terms of both work and entertainment which will lead to its brand image strengthening through this marketing strategy (Borrington Stimpson, 2004). Place: Apple has to focus upon building long term relationships with its suppliers, wholesalers, and retailers worldwide because this way its supply chain management can become highly efficient. As the economic activity has slowed down, it resulted in increase in the prices of oil, which has ultimately increased the costs of production for Apple and reducing its cost effectiveness. Also, the concept of E-commerce has greatly helped Nestle to automate its systems through E-shopping and E-supply chain management. Implementation Plan Now, we can develop an effective competitive marketing strategy where two such strategies can be developed which are differentiation and Focus to make iPad a success in the global market. Differentiation: Apples strategy of differentiation has its focus upon producing unique and innovative products for its customers which are not provided by other competitors in the global markets. The major success key of Apple is that it offers superior quality and innovative products and services to its users with prime emphasis upon innovation and design. Therefore, marketers must focus upon their advertisements that promote these five actors to influence consumer buying decisions. This will create a buzz in the market and gradually the image as a premium high tech pc device will strengthen all over the world which will contribute towards its brand equity. The spread of this innovation will be influenced mainly by its attractiveness, quality, price, promotion and durability. Customers make high involvement purchase decision for innovative products as it involves high risks. Moreover, Apple being the first one to enter the market with a highly innovative device will lead to its strong brand image b uilding in the competitive global market (Barnet Cavanagh, 2006). Focus: Apple can focus on more than one segments of the market and develop its brand image in these market segments for its latest iPad. The target segment for iPad will be the upper and higher middle-income group who want to improve their lifestyle with revolutionary gadgets. Through this strategy, Apple will be able to focus on its resources and plan towards a selected target segment for managing it effectively. To survive in global business environment is very challenging for iPad, therefore conducting thorough market research will help in achieving the core organizational objectives (Barnet Cavanagh, 2006). Evaluation and Control To meet with the intensified global competition, Apple requires extensive research and planning for its success in the future. The highly dynamic and uncertain global market brings serious challenges for Apples iPad to survive successfully. The major competitors of Apple such as Compaq, Sony and Dell Co have forced Apple to focus upon its brand equity in order to maintain its brand image worldwide. Apple can meet and control the challenges and obstacles arising in its way of growth through its long-term business strategy where effective marketing plan emphasizes upon innovation and building customer loyalty (Gannon, 2009). Firstly, focusing upon the Strategic human resource management, Apple can create a competitive advantage that is not imitable by its competitors. As Apple is known for its quality and innovation as the first energy drank, it has captured a very large customer base as compared to its competitors but to maintain this customer base or increase the number, it must focus upon developing sustainable competitive advantage through its human resource which ultimately leads to excellent customer relationships. Secondly, the 4 Ps of marketing also require changes and continuous improvements to survive in todays highly global business environment. The marketing campaigns can emphasis upon the design and reliability of the iPad in future to make the most reliable functioning device in the market. This will strengthen the brand equity as well as help in surviving successfully in the competitive global market. The positioning of Apple can be altered according to the market trends, the children and teenagers can be the target for iPad in future (Sana Shah, 2008).

Theories of Motivation Essay -- Management Employee Motivation

Theories of Motivation According to Greenberg (1999) motivation is defined "as a process of arousing, directing and maintaining behaviour towards a goal." Where ‘directing' refers to the selection of a particular behaviour; and ‘maintenance' refers to the inclination to behave with consistency in that manner until the desired outcome is met. Motivation is therefore the force that transforms and uplifts people to be productive and perform in their jobs. Maximising an employee's motivation is necessary and vital to successfully accomplish the organisation's objectives and targets. However this is a considerable challenge to any organisation's managers, due to the complexity of motivation and the fact that there is no ready made solution or an answer to what motivates people to work well (Mullins, 2002). It is my intention in this essay to explore some issues around motivation and cite work based experiences to illustrate and substantiate any arguments or points of view. Main Body Mullins (2002) classifies motivation into Intrinsic and Extrinsic types. Intrinsic motivation involves psychological rewards to enhance job satisfaction, such as the opportunity to use one's ability, a sense of achievement, receiving appreciation and positive recognition or being treated in a considerate manner (Mullins, 2002:P490). Such methods ensure employees are constantly motivated while being engaged in activities that are enjoyable and rewarding. I was formerly employed by a supplier of automobile parts where in addition to using compensation as a means of motivation; they too were dedicated in ensuring their employees had maximum job satisfaction. This was achieved by giving autonomy in their job functions and assigning significa... ...its employees. In today's complex business environment; traditional approaches like monetary incentives are not the only prime motivators. In addition to expecting financial incentives for their performance, employee's expectations are much more. Appreciation, recognition and opportunities for personal growth; must be catered for to harness maximum productivity. Furthermore in an era where change is imperative for the organisation's survival, highly motivated employees, represent flexibility and show willing to change; a vital component for the success of any organisation. References Greenberg, J. (1999) Managing behaviour in organisations, Prentice Hall. Mullins, L (2002) Management and organisational behaviour, Prentice Hall FT Benabou, R. & Tirole, J. (2003) ‘Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation', The Review of Economic Studies, vol.70, pg.489-520.

Nothing in Common :: Personal Narrative Essays

Nothing in Common    After 19 years of marriage I decided it was time to try living on my own. It took another year and a half for me to actually do it. I had married my husband when I was barely out of high school and promptly gave birth to three sons in rapid succession. I won't go into the details of those 19 years. My husband was a good husband and an okay father. After about 10 years I realized that we were two completely different people with absolutely nothing in common except for our sons.    Moving out was the most devastating and liberating thing that I ever did. I first set myself up in a small above-garage apartment. I had no furniture except my bed and my computer. My first night there I sat in the empty living room listening to the sirens in downtown Lake Worth, a far cry from the peaceful cocks crowing in Jupiter Farms. The emotions running through me were a strange and horrible mix of elation, sorrow, and fear. What had I done?    After a few weeks I began to settle in. I had a full-time job with FPL, I saw my sons often, and I discovered the joy of solitude - something I hadn't known in a very long while with three boys and their friends always under foot. In the mornings I would have a cup of coffee on my balcony and then take a walk to the Intercoastal, which was only two blocks from my apartment. My chaotic soul started to slowly heal and slow down to a peaceful pace.    In the silence of that apartment I had plenty of opportunity to look hard at myself. I took advantage of the silence and finished writing the two books on healthcare and childcare in the late 1800's that I had barely begun a few years before. Those two books were published a year later. I renewed my love of poetry and spent hours reading the works of Pound, Rich, Atwood, and others. I decided to return to college.    I spent four months in my sanctuary over the garage. Then I went home. Everyone thought I would be the same, that life would be the same.

Best-Self Portrait

| Learning Project 1, Part 4-6 | | | LP1, Part 4: What are others' experiences of me when I am my best? Phase 1: Creating the Reflected Best-Self Portrait When I am at best, I help people. I motivate myself and feel motivated when I get to help others. Whether it’s a stranger, colleague, friends, or family, I feel my passion in assisting those in need. As long as it’s within my capability and moral belief that what people ask for help is ethical and legal, I give them my attention and time. I feel happy that I am able to give a hand, and I feel happy to see people become happy with the help I give them.Helping others put smiles on my face and also on them as well. I feel proud of myself that I have the power to help the others. For families and friends, I am always open for help and be supportive. I believe that if there are people out there who love to help, there will be many people who will return the helping spirit to other people. I always try to be responsible wit h tasks I have been given, and also be responsible with myself. I believe it is important to have trusts and both independence and dependence to others. Being responsible is an important part of me.When I make a promise, I try my best to keep the promise because it is my responsibility. I am persistent and drive myself to bring the end result, a good result, of things I was responsible for. As an employee, I hold onto the responsibilities as an employee to provide my best in each shift, and do all the tasks given by my supervisor and managers. It is in my best interest to never lose any reason to not smile. I try to find reasons to smile everywhere and every day, whether the reason involves weather, my job, friends, or smaller things like I woke up early for the day.So I make reasons to be optimistic, to start the day content and positive. I know that it’s important for me to stay positive and find things to be happy about. I love having opportunities to learn new things and experience and gain new skills. The fact that there still are opportunities for new experiences is important to me. Because I think these opportunities are getting less as you get older, I try my best to grab every opportunity I can do learn new skills that are practical in the future.When an opportunity is shown to me, I commit myself until I achieve in grabbing that opportunity and absorb everything I can do to face new challenges and learn. I adapt to the new circumstances and am open-minded to different things. I may not be competitive, but I am ambitious to get things done and be successive at it. I stay focused on what I have started and never give up until I complete the task. I am a hard-worker, who tries the best to achieve success. As long as I don’t bring negative effects around me in the process, I don’t only give up but also continue to put my best effort to be triumphant.I stay focused. My family is important to me. Because I can’t see them often o r regularly, I am more loyal to them than ever. I care and cherish them. I express my love in many different ways. I let them know I still love them no matter how far I am now today. I support them mentally and orally; I let some tension and troubles away from them; and I always stay responsive to them. When asked for help, I am enthusiastic to help them the best I can. I feel responsible to love them and be a supportive family member to them as they are to me.Like it is my job to love and be dutiful to my parents as a daughter, my job is exactly the same for all the other family members. I am a good friend. I am a good listener, listening to my friends’ problems and worries. I support my friends but I know when to be honest and realistic, with the purpose of helping them Patterns/Themes| Declaration| Examples Given| Helpful| I believe in being selfless, making small differences, putting smiles on others’ faces, being compassionate, and have a heart to help. | 1. Helpi ng Coral out, with the Calgary geography2. Listen to Danny's concerns and problems. Responsible| I believe in giving trust and confidence to others. I believe in being trustworthy, reliable, and accountable to my actions and behaviors, regardless of situations. | 1. Being the daughter to my parents. 2. Be responsible as an employee and a co-worker to help and provide fitting skills at Swarovski. | Supportive| I believe in backing up the people I care about, encouraging them, helping them, defending them, and loving them. | 1. Encouraging and complimenting Coral and her new place. 2. Compliment and Recommending the trendy styles to Danny. Adaptable| I believe in the power to adapt to new surroundings and situations, learning new skills and experiences to make them my own. | 1. Adapting to the new country, new city and new language when first immigrated to Canada. 2. Adapting to the new atmosphere of working places when got the job at the Swarovski. | Ambitious| I believe in being com passionate and eager to have goals, work hard, and successfully achieve them. | 1. Accepting new responsibilities and tasks at work. 2. Got in to the school band, to let off my flute skills. | Loyal| I believe in loving my families, giving them my time and effort.I believe in the presence of family value and care for one another. | 1. Be the best supportive and loving family member to all of my families and relatives. 2. Always be on the side of my friends, trusting them. 3. Have Danny's back with his problems. Cheer him up even when I wasn't very much interested. | Open-minded| I believe in the differences in ideas, interests, and conflicts. I acknowledge those differences and am unbiased and receptive. | 1. Be open to the sensitive questions from Danny3. Be receptive to what can be condescending questions and statements from Danny about my religion2.Open to different cultures, when first came to Canada. | Loving and welcoming| I believe in the loving and welcoming all of those who enters into my life. Once entered, I love and value them regardless of circumstances | 1. Welcoming Coral to Calgary and to my friends. 2. Making Sinae feel at ease at my place. | Appendices Best-Self Stories 1. From a work colleague: I have the ability to give a hand whenever any co-worker asked. For example, there was a time when Choa asked if I could help her with arranging all the inventories in the back room, I agreed to help with a smile.The back room was a mess and it was going to take a long time to arrange because the inventories were not in order of product names. Choa and I started get to work, by prioritizing the sections that we needed to organize. I set the sections in the best order so we could finish by the end of our shifts. Although we didn’t work together many times before, we managed to work together well, helping one another. I didn’t lose smile although there were lot of work to do. I helped her when she was handling heavy inventories. In the end , we managed to finish our jobs, and end up gotten closer than before. 2.From a work colleague: I was fast getting used to the new working place as well as being with new co-workers. When I got the job at the Swarovski, I was the only one who was new and all the others all so close to one another. But I got along with the co-workers, getting used to their system of how they do things in their own ways. Although Choa's way of working was bit different than the others, I soon adapt to her system, so I could help her better and let her work with me more effectively and faster. I was very civil and almost diplomat that she or others did not feel threatened or uncomfortable during my first couple of weeks.By the time my job was near the end, I was friends with everyone, including the manager. 3. From a friend: I am receptive and open-minded whenever Danny wanted someone to talk to. For example, there were times when he talked about religions. Although our religions were different, and th ere may have been times where Danny’s questions were perhaps inappropriate and offensive, I never judged him or get offended. I understood the differences in views of people, and I thought it is normal and possible for others to have such views or questions that might be condescending.I tried my best to help him understand my point of views with all the knowledge I know about my religion. And I listened to what he sees and perceives about religions and actually paying attention to what he is saying without stopping him or correct him. 4. From a friend: I was always nice to a friend, and be the best friend. For example, because Danny loves shopping, he used to ask me if I could join him time to time. If I wasn't too busy, I always accompanied him to the mall, helping him choose the clothes.There were times when I didn't want to go because I end up wasting my money but I still went most of the times because he needed that to be cheered up and I knew he needed a company. I was a lways supportive, even if I was tired and exhausted following him, and even recommended the trendy and fitting styles to him. He trusted me to tell him what was good or bad for him, and I did exactly that when necessary. I listened to his problems and gossips when we are together, when we were shopping, and I backed him up and cheered him when he felt down and discouraged about his relationships or looks. With the best advices thatI could give him, he could steam off some stress and worries for that week. And I was also happy because I could see he became happy. 5. From a friend: I am great at making people happy and comfortable. For example, I visited Korea with Sinae for the summer. And she was staying at my parents' place with me for the whole trip. She was little bit uncomfortable and apologetic that she might disturb any family moments. The whole atmosphere of the Korean neighborhood made her being unease. I made sure that she didn't feel uncomfortable by always being with her and invite her to the family outings.I constantly talked and joked with her when we were with my families so that she can join in the same conversation and be more active and feel welcomed. She later was fully relaxed and was herself. 6. From a family member: I am great being responsible. As a daughter, I did and still do my best to take care of family/daughter duties. For example, it is hard to live alone with both of my parents living in another country. But I always find the time to write them letters for celebrations, to call and email them, and always keep constant interactions with them.Because my parents do not know what’s going on with my life, I let them know, talking to them about almost everything, from small to big things. I feel responsible as their daughter to update them with my life, whether I have exams coming up or I have an interview. But I think it is also my responsibility to not make them worried. So I don’t tell them how stressed I am with my sch ool or having a boy crisis. 7. From a family member: I am great at adapting to new environment and new challenges. When we first immigrated to Calgary, all I know was the simple hi, how are you English.Everything was just so different, with people, language, and the culture. But when I started going to a junior high school, I never complained or cried. I never screamed at my mom, that I want to go back. I adapted well, studying English hard as well as other regular classes. I also got into the school band, because I wanted to play the flute. I was one of the good performers who knew how to play the flute, which helped me make friends lot better. If I didn't have power to adapt, I would've never fully got use to Calgary, made no friends, and cried every night. 8.From a friend: I am always being kind to her. From the moment I met Coral, I tried my best to be supportive and a friend to her because she was new to Calgary. Because she did not have any friends or didn’t know any pl aces to buy things or go eat, I showed her to good restaurants and good stores to buy school suppliers with good prices. If I had time, I sometimes went to the places she wanted to go with her so that she wouldn’t get lost. I introduced her to my friends with the same major as her or similar habits. I invited her when I hung out with my friends so she wouldn’t get lonely.Now, we are closer than anyone, trusting one another. Coral helps me with the problems I have, returning all kindness to me, which I am very grateful for. LP1, Part 6 Personal Integrative Analysis Analysis 1. What are the five ideas or insights from this course, central to the primary question? There are many ways to find out my transferable skills, and I actually have more transferable skills than I previously thought. The exercises taught me to never lose confidence within myself because they showed me different skills that I didn't realize before.Another insight that I learned is that there are many different ways to see things and each way can allow myself to express my transferable skills, capacities and/or values differently. Depends on how I value myself, I can have different skills on one thing. The more I can gain and improve many transferable skills, the more my individual genius to be able to overlap with the world of work. I believe that if I can increase my zone of skills and values, I will easily find the appropriate fit between myself and the world. I will know many skills, both professional and practical, to allow me to adapt to the outside world lot better and faster. . What are three insights that I have been able to integrate within this course? One of the insight that I was able to integrate within this course is that there are many things that I am and should be grateful for and I now know I should be expressing them. I learned that it is important for me to feel appreciated to things around me and within me; I shouldn't take things for granted. Feeling grate ful for even small things can change my mood and the way I feel and act. Another insight is that I should pause my life once in awhile and look at my life in terms of goals, achievement, and stages that I am in right now.Am I in the right path of being happy with my life? Where am I with my goals and achievement? I learned that although things around me, like a job and relationships with people, are important, taking care of myself and evaluating myself is also very important to me too. When I am working and trying to survive in the outside world, I will know better to stop and go through my life mission and goals. The knowledge I was able to grab from this course is that truly knowing who I am, what I want, and what I did and have is priceless.I always thought that I knew myself pretty well, better than anyone else, but this course taught me how and what to do in order to look within myself. I now know that I will try to go over these steps I have learned to update my info to mysel f time to time. 3. My individual genius when interacting with others? I think I am more aware of my individual genius when I'm interacting with others than before. Because I know more about my individual genius, I think I will be able to grab many opportunities to improve on them while interacting with other people.I know what and when I can exercise and best perform my transferable skills. 4. Two new interest or values? One of my new interest is the self-awareness. I think I entered this new level of not only understanding about myself, but of the ways and steps that I am to learn about myself. I never thought that knowing myself is valued this much by everyone in professional world as well as in personal life. I now know that it is in one of my best interest to continue with widen my self-awareness and self-understanding. It is good knowing myself, and it's beautiful being confident.After all the exercises, I now learn to be appreciative. Exercises I did in classes first forced me to find things that I feel grateful, and then after couple of them, I know the importance of being grateful. Things I have been ignoring are now the ones that am grateful for. These exercises opened my eyes. The fact that I feel grateful for small to big things, I feel like I am more positive. I didn't know that this exercise made to see more beautiful things than I did before. 5. When am I most confident? When am I least confident? I am most confident when I am using my top strengths, helping people.When I am in a position to help other, which is whenever, there is no need for me to waste time to see if I'm confident to help or now. If I can help, I help. If the help requires a special knowledge that I do not have, I either don't help or I take instructions. I am most confident when I look at myself. I know myself the best, and I can express myself to me the best. With the help of this course, I think I am better at it. When I'm at least confident, I'm standing in front of the cla ss, getting all the unwanted attention, and have to present.Although I may be most confident expressing myself to me, I am least confident when I am either expressing myself to the group of people or present. It makes my whole body shake and my heart beat fastens like there is no tomorrow even when I'm thinking about speaking out loud in a class full of people. I am also least confident when I need to be the sole leader. I think that even if I am qualified to be a leader, I can't come out and lead because I never had that many opportunities before. I think that when I am assigned to be a leader, that's when I'm scared for myself.

Record Management

Running head: Records Management Name Instructor Date of submission Executive Summary An effective records management program is an integral part of an organization’s effective business operations. Organizations must consider records management requirements when implementing the system management strategies or whenever they design and augment an electronic information system. Organizations are required by law to â€Å"make and preserve records containing adequate and proper documentation of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, and essential transactions of the organization. This legal requirement applies to electronic records kept by the organizations as well. Organizations that do not consistently adhere to standard records management practices run the risk of not having records that can be depended upon in the course of subsequent business transactions or activities. This paper focuses on the various methodologies that organizations can implement in order to develop ECM/ERM strategies that are backed with electronic signature systems. It also gives an insight into the various ways through which organizations can implement good IT practices to complement or parallel existing records management practices. In systems implemented in line with ECM/ERM guidelines, developing the most efficient systems will form the core of organizational success. This will be achieved by making electronically signed records the core of organizational IT systems. The organizational IT professionals will come to terms with the fact that signatures are an integral part of the records they keep. If the records need to be preserved, whether for a short duration of time or permanently, then the organization is required to promote integrity of its records by electronically signing them in scheduled series. Additionally, this paper discusses the general principles that govern application of electronic signature technology in organizations. Organizations can accomplish electronic signatures through the use of different technologies such as Personal Identification Number (PIN), smart cards and biometrics. However, some organizations can decide to apply additional technology specific-record management systems. Introduction Records Life Cycle vs. System Development Life Cycle According to Adam (2008), the terms â€Å"records life cycle† and â€Å"system development life cycle† are significant concepts that are often confused in information technology and records management discussions. Records life cycle: The records life cycle refers to the life span of a record from the time it is created or received to its eventual disposition. The process is usually carried out in three main stages: creation, maintenance and use, and eventual disposition (Sampson, 2002). Majorly, this paper focuses on information creation stage since the electronic signature record is created at the initial stage of the records life cycle. The second stage, maintenance and use, is the part in the records life cycle in which the record is maintained at the organizational level while in active use, or is maintained when not in frequent use. The final stage of the records life cycle is disposition, which marks the ultimate fate finish to the record. Most organizational records are categorized as having either a â€Å"temporary† or â€Å"permanent† disposition status (Addey, 2002). Temporary records are held by organizations for stated periods before they are destroyed or deleted. On the other hand, permanent records are initially held by organizations before they are eventually transferred to state and other involved agencies. The eventual disposition of the electronically-signed records is subject to debate between the involved agency and the statutory bodies, in which some organizations may be authorized to dispose some of the records. System development life cycle: The â€Å"system development life cycle† gives a description of the developmental phases that an electronic information system entails. These phases typically include initiation, definition, design, development, deployment, operation, maintenance, enhancement, and retirement. The most important steps in all this are the definition, development, and refinement of the data model, which mostly involves treatment of the records being created or managed (Stephens, 2007). Information systems are developed according to system development methodologies, including those that organizations use to implement the electronic signature as required by the statutory bodies; which govern production and augmentation of existing records. The records life cycle usually exceeds the system development life cycle. When it does the organization involved needs to retain the particular record for a period of time longer than the life of the electronic information system that generated the electronic signature. However, this presents special challenges, such as maintaining the integrity of record in case of system migration. Background Characteristics of Trustworthy Organizational Records Reliability, authenticity, integrity, and usability are the features used to describe trustworthy records from a records management perspective. An organization needs to consider these features when laying implementation plans for ERM programs; such that it can meet its internal business and legal needs, as well as external regulations (Boiko, 2002). The degree of effort that an organization puts into ensuring that these characteristics are attained depends on the organizational business strategies and the structure of the market environment. Transactions that are of great importance to the organization require greater assurance level than those usable with transactions of less criticality to the organization Reliability: A reliable record is one that carries contents that can be trusted as a whole and actual representation of the transactions, activities, or facts to which it refers and can be relied upon in the subsequent transactions Authenticity: An authentic record is one that is proven to be what it purports to be and to have been created or sent by the person who purports to have created and sent it. A record should be created at the point in time of the transaction or incident to which it relates, or soon afterwards, by individuals who have direct knowledge of the facts or by instruments routinely used within the business to conduct the transaction (Wiggins, 2007). To demonstrate the authenticity of records, organizations should implement and document policies and procedures which control the creation, transmission, receipt, and maintenance of records to ensure that records designers are authorized and identified and that records are protected against unauthorized addition, deletion, and alteration. Integrity: The integrity of a record refers to the state of being complete and unchanged. It is essential that a record be protected against changes without signed permission. Records management policies and procedures should specify what, if any, additions or annotations may be made to a record after it is created, under what circumstances additions or annotations may be authorized, and the people authorized to make the changes. Any authorized annotation or addition to a record made after it is complete should be explicitly indicated as annotations or additions. Another aspect of integrity is the structural integrity of organizational records. The structure of a record refers to its physical and logical format; as well as the relationship between the data elements contained in the record. Failure to maintain the structural integrity of organizational records can easily impair reliability and authenticity of the record Usability: These are records that can be located, retrieved, presented, and interpreted. In any subsequent retrieval and use, the record needs to be directly connected to the business activity or transaction which produced it. It should be possible to identify a record within the context of broader business activities and functions. The connection between records which document a sequence of activities should be maintained. These contextual linkages of records should carry the information needed for an understanding of the transaction that created and used them. Preserving Trustworthy Records For a record to remain reliable, authentic, with its integrity maintained, and useable for as long as the record is needed, it is necessary that it’s content, context and sometimes structure is maintained. A trustworthy record preserves the actual content of the record itself and information about the record that draws relation to the context in which it was first designed and used. Specific contextual information will vary depending upon the business, legal, and regulatory requirements of the business activity (e. g. , issuing land use permits on Federal lands). It is also necessary to preserve the structure of the record, as well as the content arrangement. Failure to preserve the content structure of the record will affect its structural integrity. That, in turn, undermines the record’s reliability and authenticity; which is of great essence. There are special considerations when dealing with the preservation of the content, context, and structure of records that are made possible by Electronic Record Management through electronic signatures: †¢ Content: The electronic signature or signatures in a record are part of the content. They give a clear indication on who signed a record and whether that person gave approval for the record content. In organizations, multiple signatures are an indication of initial approval and subsequent approvals. It should be understood that in ERM, signatures should accompanied by dates and other identifiers such as organizational titles. All of these peripherals are part of the content of the record and needs to be kept well. Lack of this information seriously impairs the reliability and authenticity of a record †¢ Context: Some electronic signature technologies are centered on individual identifiers which are not embedded in the record content, trust paths, and other means used to create and verify the validity of an electronic signature. This information is not inclusive of the record content but is nevertheless significant. It provides contextual support to the record since it provides evidence that can be used to support the authenticity and reliability of the record. Lack of these contextual records seriously impairs subsequent attempts to verify validity of the organizational records. †¢ Structure: Preserving the structure of a record means that the physical and logical formats of a record are well drawn. In doing this, organizations must ensure that the physical and logical formats of the record elements remain intact physically and logically. An organization may find it necessary to maintain the record structural form through the use of an electronic signature. In that case, the organization is required to preserve both the hardware and software that created the electronic signature, which can either be encryption algorithms or chips. This ensures that the electronic record can be revalidated at a later time when required Advantages and disadvantages of using ECM/ERM systems in organizations The main advantage of organizations using ECM/ERM approaches in organizations is the fact that it offers the platform to verify the validity of records. There are various approaches that organizations can use to achieve trustworthiness of electronically-signed records within their systems over time. This requires that organizations choose an approach that is applicable, fit for their particular line of business; as well as risk assessment The first approach may involve an organization deciding to maintain adequate documentation of its records’ validity. This involves maintaining of adequate documentation of the records such as, trust verification of records gathered at or near the time of record signing. This record keeping approach enables organizations to retain contextual information through an adequate document processes carried out at the time the record was electronically-signed, along with the electronically-signed record itself. The additional contextual information is then retained for as long as the electronically-signed record is retained. Thus the agency preserves the signature’s validity and meets the adequacy of documentation requirements by retaining the contextual information that documented the validity of the electronic signature at the time the record was signed. Maintaining adequate documentation of validity gathered at or near the time of record signing may be preferable for records that have permanent or long-term retentions since it is less dependent on technology and much more easily maintained as technology evolves over time (Rockley, 2003). However, using this approach, the signature name may not remain readable over time because of bit-wise deterioration in the record or as a result of technological obsolescence. Agencies must ensure that for permanent records the printed name of the signer and the date when the signature was executed be included as part of any human readable form (such as electronic display or printout) of the electronic record. Similarly, an organization may opt to maintain the capacity to re-validate digital signatures. The re-validation approach demands that an organization retains the ability to revalidate the digital signature, together with the electronically-signed record itself. The information necessary for revalidation (i. e. , the public key used to validate the signature, the certificate related to that key, and the certificate revocation list from the certificate authority that corresponds to the time of signing) must be retained for as long as the digitally-signed record is retained. Both contextual and structural information of the record must be retained. This is of benefit to the organization since it can review it records over time effectively (Jenkins, 2005). However, this approach of record keeping is potentially burdensome, particularly for records that are digitally signed records with long retention requirements. Conclusions Record keeping is consistently becoming a priority for many organizations with advancement in technology. The challenging part is keeping up with the drastic options that are being launched within short periods. As discussed in this paper, the most efficient method of managing organizational records is through the adoption of Electronic Content Management or Electronic Record Management systems (Halvorson, 2009). This is mostly achieved by electronically signing records depending on their importance and usage in the organization. In doing this, organizations are able protect the reliability, authenticity, integrity, and usability, as well as the confidentiality, and legitimacy of their records. When implementing electronic signature technology, organizations are expected to accord special consideration to the use of electronic signatures in electronic records that preserve organizational legal rights. This is based on the fact that long-term temporary and permanent electronically signed records have greater longevity than typical software obsolescence cycles, it is certain that organizations will be required to migrate those records to updated versions of software to maintain access to the records (Hackos, 2002). The software migration (as opposed to media migration) process may invalidate the digital signature embedded in the record. This may adversely affect an agency’s ability to recognize or enforce the legal rights documented in those records. References Adam, A. (2008). Implementing electronic document and record management systems. Boca Raton: Auerbach Publications. Addey, D. (2002). Content management systems. Birmingham: Glasshaus, cop. Boiko, B. (2005) Content Management Bible. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Hackos, T. (2002). Content management for dynamic web delivery. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Halvorson, K. (2009). Content strategy for the web. Indianapolis: New Riders. Jenkins, T. (2005). Enterprise content management: what you need to know; [turning content into competitive advantage]. Waterloo: Open Text Corp. Rockley, A. (2003). Managing enterprise content: a unified content strategy. Indianapolis: New Riders. Sampson, K. (2002). Value-added records management: protecting corporate assets, reducing business risks. West port: Quorum Books. Stephens, D. (2007). Records management: making the transition from paper to electronic. Alexa: ARMA. Wiggins, B. (2000). Effective document management: unlocking corporate knowledge. Aldershot: Gower.