Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy essays

Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy essays In November 1994 to December 1994, twenty-three bald eagles died due to an unknown cause (Fischer 1995). In November 1996, American coots were also found dead or dieing due to this mysterious disease (Fischer 1997). Labeled Coot and Eagle Brain Lesion Syndrome, it was changed to Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy when it was discovered to affect other species as well. It has become the most significant unknown cause of eagle mortality in the history of the United States. Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy causes lesions in the white matter of the brain and the spinal cord of an affected bird (USACE). What causes Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy remains a mystery even to this day. Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy is an avian disease that is believed to be caused by a neurotoxin of unknown origin. It causes lesions in the white matter of the brain and in the spinal cord of affected birds. Dead Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy birds appear to be in good body condition and have no visible external or internal changes with the exception of microscopic neural lesions. Electron Microscopy is used to confirm the disease, but can only be used on fresh specimens that have not been frozen. The clinical signs of a bird affected with Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy are quite noticeable. A water bird will demonstrate a partial paralysis on one side of the body. This will result with the bird swimming with one leg extended, swimming in circles, and swimming upside down. A bird flying will demonstrate erratic flight, a reluctance to fly, or an inability to fly. On the ground, affected birds stagger and wobble. Bald Eagles affected with AVIAN VACUOLAR MYELINOPATHY have been seen flying into trees and rock ledges. Brain lesions have also been found in coots that showed no clinical signs of infection. A few sick eagles have been captured alive and sent to clinics for treatment, but they all died within 1-2 days despite medical assistance (USACE). ...

Simple Random Sampling vs. Systematic Random Sampling

Simple Random Sampling vs. Systematic Random Sampling When we form a statistical sample we always need to be careful in what we are doing. There are many different kinds of sampling techniques that can be used.  Some of these are more appropriate than others. Often what we think would be one kind of sample turns out to be another type. This can be seen when comparing two types of random samples. A simple random sample and a systematic random sample are two different types of sampling techniques. However, the difference between these types of samples is subtle and easy to overlook.  We will compare systematic random samples with simple random samples. Systematic Random vs. Simple Random To begin with, we will look at the definitions of the two types of samples that we are interested in.  Both of these types of samples are random and suppose that everyone in the population is equally likely to be a member of the sample. But, as we will see, not all random samples are the same. The difference between these types of samples has to do with the other part of the definition of a simple random sample. To be a simple random sample of size n, every group of size n must be equally likely of being formed. A systematic random sample relies on some sort of ordering to choose sample members. While the first individual may be chosen by a random method, subsequent members are chosen by means of a predetermined process. The system that we use is not considered to be random, and so some samples that would be formed as a simple random sample cannot be formed as a systematic random sample. An Example Using a Movie Theater To see why this is not the case, we will look at an example. We will pretend that there is a movie theater with 1000 seats, all of which are filled. There are 500 rows with 20 seats in each row. The population here is the entire group of 1000 people at the movie. We will compare a simple random sample of ten moviegoers with a systematic random sample of the same size. A simple random sample can be formed by using a table of random digits. After numbering the seats 000, 001, 002, through 999, we randomly choose a portion of a table of random digits. The first ten distinct three digit blocks that we read in the table are the seats of the people who will form our sample.For a systematic random sample, we can begin by choosing a seat in the theater at random (perhaps this is done by generating a single random number from 000 to 999). Following this random selection, we choose this seat’s occupant as the first member of our sample. The remaining members of the sample are from the seats that are in the nine rows directly behind the first seat (if we run out of rows since our initial seat was in the back of the theater, we start over in the front of the theater and choose seats that line up with our initial seat). For both types of samples, everyone in the theater is equally likely to be chosen. Although we obtain a set of 10 randomly chosen people in both cases, the sampling methods are different. For a simple random sample, it is possible to have a sample that contains two people who are sitting next to each other. However, by the way that we have constructed our systematic random sample, it is impossible not only to have seat neighbors in the same sample but even to have a sample containing two people from the same row. What’s the Difference? The difference between simple random samples and systematic random samples may seem to be slight, but we need to be careful. In order to correctly use many results in statistics, we need to suppose that the processes used to obtain our data were random and independent. When we use a systematic sample, even if randomness is utilized, we no longer have independence.

Persuasive paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Persuasive - Research Paper Example By criticizing tobacco politics and highlighting financial burden, health hazards, and its prevalence, paper tries to persuade the readers about the danger of secondhand smoke and necessity of adopting effective laws and policies to protect people from secondhand smoke. On 18 June, 2002, Lynn French, a non-smoking flight attendant who worked for TWA airlines from 1977 to 1998 when smoking was still permitted in commercial flights, was awarded astonishing compensation of 5.5 million US dollars by the Miami Jury in a historic verdict against some of the leading cigarette manufacturing companies such as, Philip Morris, Reynolds Tobacco Holdings, Brown & Williamson Tobacco unit, and British American Tobacco (A WSJ News Roundup, 2002). The case against tobacco companies was filed under the accusation that Lynn French’s nonstop work in smoky, enclosed cabins of airlines caused significant negative impact on her health, including sinus problem. Lynn suffered from serious sinus infection due to the constant exposure to secondhand smoke, requiring long-term medical treatments (A WSJ News Roundup, 2002). The Lynn’s case is just another example of numerous victims of secondhand smoke all over the world, however, majority of them are not as lucky as Lynn in getting the justice. Today, the number of active smokers is rapidly increasing in the world. Consequently, at the same time, a large number of non-smoking populations, including children, has been exposed to secondhand smoke. Various researches and scientific studies have regularly highlighted serious negative effects of secondhand smoke on the physical and psychological health, yet the issue of secondhand smoking is widely neglected. The purpose of this paper is to emphasize on the severe negative effects of secondhand smoking and necessity of implementing effective measures against it. Before revealing health hazards of

Is Royal Mail justified in offering and promoting its direct mail Research Proposal

Is Royal Mail justified in offering and promoting its direct mail services - Research Proposal Example Under the Postal Services Act 2000, the UK government decided to introduce Postcomm as the regulator of a universal framework designed to protect the customers from unreasonable price increase of post stamps and poor quality postal services such as delayed, damaged or lost letters and parcels. (Postcomm, 2008; BBC News, 2004) As part of increasing the efficiency of post mail services throughout UK, the local government decided to open the post mailing business to other private operators. (BBC News, 2004) In line with the growing competition in the post mail industry, the researcher will answer the research question ‘Is Royal Mail justified in offering and promoting its direct mail services?’ by examining both the positive and negative impact of ‘junk mail’ under the British Royal Mail services. In the process of justifying the pros and cons of ‘junk mail’ services, the researcher will discuss the size of volume increase in direct mail; the commercial and social effects of increasing the ‘junk mail’ volume as well as the ecological effects of ‘junk mail’ services. There are pros and cons with regards to the delivery of ‘junk mail’ also known as the unsolicited or unaddressed commercial mails to households. To evaluate the benefits and consequences of junk mail, the researcher will discuss the following: According to the Local Government Association (LGA), roughly 78,000 tonnes of junk mail reaches the landfill sites each year. (Oliver, 2006) In 2005, as much as 4,002 million personal mails and 1,132 million commercial mails were distributed all over UK. (DMIS, 2006: 2) This figure reflects a 62% increase in Direct Mail in the last 10 years. (See Table I – Direct Mail Volume 1990 – 2005 on page ) The main social and commercial problem attached with the increasing volume of junk mail is the fact that not all households that constantly receive junk mail are reading the mails. As a major social consequence of increasing

The Best Advice Essay Example for Free

The Best Advice Essay We receive advice from someone just about everyday. Rather its good or bad , right or wrong , or easy or difficult. The best advice I have ever received would have to that life goes on. Because its true, no matter what mistakes you make in life. Life will go on. People make mistakes all the time. We know mistakes are prone to happen sooner or later. Dont get sad, mad, frustrated or give up what your doing because you failed. Stuff happens and your not going to always get things right the first time around. Just shake it off and keep on moving. When my grandaddy passed away a few years ago from Alzheimers. I thought I would never get passed the grief. I lost my best friend and thought my life would be over. Untill my daddy simply told me that even though grandaddy lost his life, I stiil have my own to live. He said not to dwell on it so much and just accept that he is in a better place now, and try to move on with my own. I also learned this lesson from my aunt Nicole when we recently found out that she had cancer. She is usually a happy go lucky type person, but now she is slow and usually tired. When she found out she had it she was already in stage four. She lost all her hair and looked very tired and sick. I wasnt sure if she would make it or not. I was so scared for her. She told me not to be scared and that she would inform me with any new information the doctors gave her. But most of all she said to me that whatever to her that my life will still go on and to live it to the fullest. She went through two Chemotherapys and it was gone. I was very excited ! ! Till this day I still use the advice that life goes on, and will always. To me its the best advice you could ever give someone when they are down in the dumps or even happy. These are some of the reasons why I choose â€Å"Life goes on†, as my best advice.

Health Care Within the NHS Essay -- Health Care

‘There is a minimum level of care that every person with diabetes deserves and should expect from their health service’ (DiabetesUK, 2011) During her time of care, Mrs Kaur will be entitled to regular checks of her cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure. Also her weight, legs, feet, eyes and kidney function should be regularly monitored and help with accessing educational courses and specialist treatments that are available. Mrs Kaur should also be entitled to emotional support, advice on quitting smoking, psychological support and an individual care plan. Other services that should be made available to Mrs Kaur are free prescriptions, support in managing her condition, access to support groups and the ability to take part in diabetes events such as the ‘living with diabetes day’ event. There are many risk factors for diabetes which include smoking, low HDL levels, high LDL levels, obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glycaemia, severe mental health problems, high blood pressure, previous heart attacks or strokes and overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Other risk factors are close family members (parents or siblings) with the same condition, women that have had gestational diabetes and the damage of any blood cells of any major organs. The reasons behind Mrs Kaur being at risk are firstly, her high level of junk food intake, as this has caused low HDL levels which is mainly caused by smoking, being overweight, poor diets, high carbohydrate diets, lack of physical activity and uncontrolled diabetes; the level of junk food she consumes has also caused her to have problems with her gallbladder which is most likely to be linked to gallstones as it is the most common reason for problems in this... ...itionist is the consultant nutritionist who is usually in private practice working with patients on an individual level creating meal plans specifically for increasing the patients’ health and losing weight. They also work with sportspeople creating specific meal plans for athletes. Lastly is the management nutritionists that largely work with schools to create healthy meal plans while being responsible for the ordering of all food supplies, keeping track of how all food is prepared and portion control for all meals supplied to students as well as this management nutritionists overseas all meal preparation in hospitals, schools, nursing homes and day care centres. Basically management nutritionists tend to work wherever there are big groups of people i.e. hospitals & nursing homes. Works Cited www.diabetesuk.org.uk www.prospects.ac.uk www.jobdescriptions.net

Hinduism and Buddhism Essay

Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the renowned religions world widely. Hinduism is the religion of the great majority of the people of India. The word comes from the Sanskrit sindhu, â€Å"river,† and originally referred to the Indus. Hinduism is actually a collection of many native Indian religions, past and present. It is responsible for the social structure of India, especially for the caste system (a hereditary class system). Hinduism has about 20 sects, with beliefs that range from primitive forms of animism to the highest reaches of mysticism and philosophy. Many of the sects and cults seem to be separate religions. Yet all have a family relationship since they spring from common traditions and thrive. Hindus believe in rebirth, or reincarnation, and in what they call the law of karma. Under this law the conditions of each new lifetime are determined by the actions of the preceding life. To the Hindu, salvation consists of liberating the soul from attachment to worldly desires in order to gain union with Brahman. If a Hindu dies liberated he must be born again into this world and again endure its suffering (Stutley, 2004). The Vedas describe four main castes. 1. The Brahmins exercise spiritual power. (Brahmin is also spelled Brahman). 2. The Kshatriyas are warriors who exercise secular power. 3. The Vaisyas are merchants and cultivators. 4. The Sudras are artisans and laborers. Hindu worship for most part takes place in the home. A Hindu temple or shrine is considered an abode of deity and is not used for communal worship. There are kinds of Hindu clergy. Temple priests collect offerings and care for the temples and shrines. Domestic priests perform rites involving births, marriages, and deaths. Gurus are spiritual teachers. Sadhus are monks; most live in monasteries, but many live as wandering mendicants (beggars) (Chaudhuri, 1999). While Buddhism is a religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama (â€Å"Buddha,† or â€Å"The Enlightened One†) in India about 500 B. C. Buddhism is the chief religion of Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Kampuchea, Laos, and China. It has been estimated that about one-fifth of the world’s people are Buddhists. Because many Buddhists also practice Confucianism or Taoism, however, some authorities estimate world membership to be much smaller. In the United States, there are a number of organized Buddhist congregations (Carrithers, 2003). Buddhism consists of numerous sects with varying practices and beliefs. Some of these sects are so different from the others that they appear to be separate religions. But all sects have in common the belief that they are following the principles laid down by Gautama. Early Buddhism, the religion as taught by Gautama, developed into two branches—Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism (Mizuno, 2001). Although Buddhism was originally a reform movement that rejected certain beliefs and practices of Hinduism, the two religions have several important beliefs in common. Among them are reincarnation, the ideas that a living thing can be reborn in a new body; the law of karma, which holds that events in life are effects whose cause lies in previous lives and acts; and liberation, or salvation, the state of being free of the law of karma and rebirth (Conze, 2002). According to Buddhism, liberation is attained through understanding and practice of the Four Noble Truths: 1. There is suffering in life. 2. Suffering is caused by desire for pleasure, existence, and prosperity. 3. Suffering and rebirth cease when one ceases such desires, leading to enlightenment, or Nirvana, a blessed state in which peace, harmony, and joy are attained. The Eightfold Path is also called the Middle Way—because of its emphasis on avoiding such extremes as following sensuous pleasures on the one hand, and self-punishment on the other. The Buddhists must at all times observe in the high moral principles described in the Eightfold path, which emphasizes nonviolence and the brotherhood of all. Reference: 1. Carrithers, Michael. The Buddha (Oxford University 2003). 2. Chaudhuri, N. C. Hinduism: A Religion to Live by (Oxford University, 1999). 3. Conze, Edward. A Short History of Buddhism (Allen & Unwin, 2002). 4. Mizuno, Kogen. Basic Buddhist Concepts (Tuttle, 2001). 5. Stutley, Margaret & James. Harper’s Dictionary of Hinduism: Its Mythology, Folklore, Philosophy, Literature, and History (Harper & Row, 2004).

Children Development 3-5 Years

3 – 5 YEARS PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT Buttons/unbuttons own clothing, cut out simple shapes, draw a person with head, trunk and legs, walk on a line, aim and throw ball, hop on one foot, form letters; write own name, colour in pictures, completes 20-piece jigsaw, skip with a rope, run quickly and able to avoid obstacles, throw large ball to a partner and catch it. Run, jump, begin to climb ladders; can start to ride tricycles; try anything; is very active. INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENTUnderstand concepts like grouping and matching, identify parts of a whole, draw, name, and briefly explain pictures, actively seek information. Tell their full name and age, show awareness of past and present, play with words, mimicking and creating sounds, and make rhymes, point to and name many colors, understand order and process, draw a person with detail, learn both by observing and listening to adults' explanations. Begins to notice differences in the way men and women act. Imitate adults. Continue t o learn through senses. Begin to see cause-and-effect relationships.Are curious and inquisitive. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Retell a story (but may confuse facts) Combine thoughts into one sentence Ask â€Å"when? â€Å", â€Å"how? † and â€Å"why? † questions. Use words like â€Å"can,† â€Å"will,† â€Å"shall,† â€Å"should,† and â€Å"might†. Combine thoughts into one sentence. Refer to causality by using â€Å"because† and â€Å"so† Follow three unrelated commands. Understand comparatives like loud, louder, loudest. Understand sequencing of events when clearly explained. Listen to a long story. EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Seem sure of self. May not obey limits, tests rules, and often says no.Need freedom with limits. Self-assured, stable and well-adjusted. Like to be around mother and like to be at home. Like to follow rules. Like being given jobs to do. Can wait for their needs to be met, can feel secure when in a strange p lace away from their main carers, are less rebellious and use language rather then physical outbursts to express themselves. May have imaginary fears and anxieties. Project their own experiences onto dolls and toys. Show awareness of their own feelings and those of others, and talk about feeling. Similar essay: How Different Types of Transitions Can Affect Children

Walmart Pepe Jeans Operations Essays

Walmart Pepe Jeans Operations Essays Walmart Pepe Jeans Operations Essay Walmart Pepe Jeans Operations Essay Case: Pepe Jeans Pepe Jeans began to produce and sell denim jeans in the early 1970s in the United Kingdom and has achieved enormous growth. The company maintains contact with its independent retailers via group of 10 agents and each agent is responsible for retailers in a particular area of the country. Pepe is convinced that a good relationship with the independent retailers is vital to its success. The survey of the independent retailers indicated some problems. It was felt that Pepe’s variety of styles and quality was the company’s key advantage over the competition. However the independents were unhappy with Pepe’s requirement to place firm orders six months in advance with no possibility amendments, cancellation, or repeat ordering. Some claimed that the inflexible order system forced them to order less, resulting in stock outs. Pepe felt that a change was going to be needed soon. The easiest solution would be work with the Hong Kong sourcing agent to reduce the lead time associated with orders but this was going to increase the cost significantly. Even with the significant increase in cost, consistent delivery schedules would be difficult to keep. Another suggestion was to build a finishing operation in United Kingdom. Pepe was interested to see how system worked at U. S. operations. They found that they would have to keep about six weeks’ supply of basic jeans on hand in the United Kingdom and they have to invest ? 1,000,000 worth of equipment. They also estimated that it would cost about ? 500,000 to operate the facility each year. They could locate the facility in the basement of current office building, and the renovations would cost ? 300,000. Today’s operations management many companies outsource. Companies have variety of reasons for outsourcing but primarily the reasons are to reduce costs and create a competitive advantage. Companies tend to outsource in logistics area. This includes complete cycle of material flow; from the purchase and internal control of production materials to the planning and control of work-in-process; to the purchasing, shipping, and distribution of the finished product. Pepe Jeans outsourced in logistics area. Even though the company was successful and profitable doing so, this resulted in inefficient delivery time and unhappy retailers due to the restrictions of the outsourced company asking for six month lead time in ordering products. Now company faced with changing the way the production flow works in order to respond the retailers and independent agents’ complaints. As it indicates at themanager. org companies that rush overseas in search of low production costs may be walking into a strategic trap. Its easy to underestimate the hidden costs in long supply chains and their impact on profitability. Customers in outsourcing transactions face both direct and indirect risks. If your outsourcing vendor fails to perform, you may suffer direct damages in the form of out-of-pocket expenses incurred to perform the function yourself or hire another vendor, and lowered profits caused by lost business and harm to your reputation. Strategically, a main goal of outsourcing has always been to shift risk from the customer to the vendor. But while the risks arising from implementing new technologies and labor markets can be shifted in this way, CIOs know that not all risk can be handed off. A broad spectrum of risks involving finances and goodwill can arise from failures in outsourced functions. Simply put, operational risk always remains with the customer. Youre always responsible to the marketplace for your own performance. As the articles above indicate risks of outsourcing, we see this very example with Pepe Jeans. The restrictions of outsourced company in Hong Kong made it very hard for Pepe jeans to respond customer needs and made them very inflexible to its customers (retailers). It seems like Pepe Jeans may lose its profitability with outsourcing where the initial purpose was to save money. Sourcing company in Hong Kong agreed to shorten the lead time to 6 weeks instead of 6 month, but the company indicated that this would increase the cost significantly. If I was the CEO of Pepe Jeans, I’d look at what is beneficial for my company. I’d try to sit down with the sourcing company to renegotiate the contract to be able to make both sides happy. What I understand from the case study is that there are only couples of options laid out for Pepe Jeans. One is the renegotiating with Hong Kong based sourcing company and it seems like they offered a lead time of 6 weeks but a significant increase in cost but the case does not indicate how much. Other option is to move the finishing operations to United Kingdom. The case indicates that this will be very costly for Pepe Jeans. They will have to invest enormous amount of money for both purchasing the equipment and operating the facility. This will benefit the company in a way that it would reduce the cost by some percentage because the volumes would be higher. The last option is to locate the facility in the basement of current office building which would save Pepe Jeans about ? 200,000 a year. I would definitely suggest keeping the facility in the basement. Thinking out of the box, I would suggest them to use web based ordering system among retailers, agents, and the sourcing company. Having accurate and up to date visibility of stock means that customer orders can be checked on site and processed immediately, significantly improving the overall fulfillment rate. This would enable the real-time visibility of what is available from the customers’ stand point. I think this would be a least costly solution. Of course the cost would involve designing and implementing this IT solutions and also the training the end-users. Another benefit may be cost savings as a result of fewer order entry errors, increased revenues as a result of fewer lost sales due to poor stock visibility. Reference: 1)www. themanager. org 2)www. outsourcing-legal. com 3)www. optimizemag. com Case 2: Wal-Mart There are other secrets to Wal-Marts leverage in the marketplace. One is that, far better than its competitors, Wal-Mart understood the power of information. It revolutionized the retail industry by blazing a new trail with information technology. Wal-Mart exploited the magic of the information hidden in the barcode. This move put Wal-Mart ahead of the curve, and ahead of its suppliers, in terms of understanding exactly what consumers want and are buying. Wal-Mart is known with its supply chain from factory floor to store shelf, insisting on just-in-time deliveries from its suppliers to cut waste and down-time in warehouses. Wal-Mart has great power on manufacturers and suppliers; process of production, movement of the goods, warehousing of the goods, making sure that it arrives at the right place at the right time. This way Wal-Mart has power to play with the price. So they insist that it be done cheaply, it be done accurately, it be done quickly. Wal-Mart knows what it wants, when it wants, and where it wants it. The bar-coding revolution makes this possible. As an example, the company knows what size shirt, what color, long-sleeves, short-sleeves – a precise description of the product. When a store scans an item when it is bought, the information is immediately collected. So Wal-Mart knows where you bought it, the brand name and so forth. When the sales are recorded, an order is generated. An order is automatically generated that evening at midnight, when the home office pulls that information through their data ports. Then that order goes to the distribution facilities throughout the company, and that distribution facility, the warehouse, fills that order, and the order is sitting back on the shelf the next night or the following night. They also know what prices are popular, so they are able to say: We want to sell this at a certain price. You make it at a certain price, or were not going to work with you. This gives Wal-Mart an incredible leverage and buying power in the marketplace and over its competitors. Wal-Mart’s Vice President for Federal and International Corporate explains the company’s success with these words. Sam Walton started the process of saying you dont become successful by creating a process to have larger margins. What you do is you work on supply-chain efficiencies in many ways. You pass those savings on to the customer; you dont put them in your pocket. You pass them on to customers. That volume makes up for the item-by-item lower margin, if you will, and that volume allows you to grow and succeed and prosper. It creates also customer loyalty, knowing they can come to us every time and find the lowest price. And so our global sourcing is not to create higher margins. Thats not what its there to achieve. Its there to achieve having low-priced goods so we can pass those low-priced goods on to our consumers† The cornerstone of Wal-Marts increased efficiency was its trend-forecasting software, which tracked consumer behavior. In 1985, Sam Walton and his chief lieutenant, David Glass, began developing a program called Retail Link. The software, and the hardware that went along with it, took years to perfect, eventually costing $4 billion. This revolutionary system delivered sophisticated information on consumer behavior, drawn from the data imbedded in the barcodes that passed through checkout counters. Wal-Mart shared this revolutionary software with suppliers at no cost, in order to help them meet the retailers needs more efficiently. If vendors wanted their products on Wal-Marts shelves, they had to implement Wal-Marts customized business plans. Each year, the big retailer handed its suppliers detailed strategic business planning packets. Wal-Mart would grade them on weekly, quarterly and annual report cards. And when it came to discussions of price, there was no real negotiation, even for household brands. Thus, Wal-Mart used its buying power and its information about consumer buying habits to force vendors into squeezing their costs and keeping their profit margins low. Over time, some suppliers especially middle-sized and smaller firms were bankrupted; and major firms moved production overseas and increasingly to China. Here are some interesting statistics and facts about Wal-Mart: 100 million: The number of people who shop at Wal-Marts 3400 American stores every week. 50 million: The amount of square footage Wal-Mart plans to add this year, including 50-55 new Wal-Mart stores, 220-230 new Supercenters, 35-40 new Sams Club and 130-140 new international stores. 1. 2 million: The number of Wal-Mart associates in the U. S. Any full- or part-time Wal-Mart employee, up to and including the CEO, is considered an associate, in Wal-Mart parlance. Internationally, Wal-Mart employs an additional 330,000 associates. 600,000: The number of new employees Wal-Mart hires each year. The companys turnover rate is 44 percent close to the retail industry average. 1979: The year Wal-Marts sales first top $1 billion. $256 billion : Wal-Marts sales in 2003. In the words of Wal-Mart CFO Tom Schoewe, Wal-Marts sales are equal to one IBM, one Hewlett Packard, one Dell computer, one Microsoft and one Cisco System and oh, by the way, after that we got $2 billion left over. 35: The number of Wal-Mart Supercenters in China. $15 billion: The amount of Chinese products Wal-Mart estimates it imports each year; others suggest the number may be higher. $120 billion: The U. S. trade deficit with China in 2003. 8 percent: The amount of total U. S. retail sales, excluding automobiles, accounted for by Wal-Mart. $9. 98: The average full-time hourly wage for a Wal-Mart employee. The average full-time hourly wage in metro areas (defined as areas with a population of 50,000 or more) is $10. 38. In some urban areas it is higher: $11. 03 in Chicago, $11. 08 in San Francisco, and $11. 2 0 in Austin Reference: 1)Always Low Prices by Sam Hornblower 2)Secrets of Wal-Mart’s Success www. pbs. org 3) michaelbergdahl. net

10 Facts About Spanish Conjunctions

10 Facts About Spanish Conjunctions Here are 10 facts about conjunctions that will be useful as you learn Spanish: 1. Conjunctions are a type of connecting word. Conjunctions make up one of the parts of speech and are used to connect sentences, phrases, or words with each other. Generally, a conjunction will link two words, phrases, or sentences of the same type, such as a noun with a noun or a sentence with another sentence. These sample sentences demonstrative just a few of the ways this part of speech can be used: asà ­ que (so): Estoy enferma, asà ­ que no puedo ir a la playa. (Im sick, so I cant go to the beach.)con el fin de que (so, with the goal of): Ella estudiaba con el fin de que sea doctor. (She studied with the goal of being a doctor.)o (or):  ¿Tà © o cafà ©? (Tea or coffee?)porque (because): Ganà © porque soy inteligente. (I won because I am smart.)si (if): Si voy a la tienda, comprarà © un pan. (If I go to the store, I will buy a loaf of bread.)y (and): Me gustan el chocolate y la vainilla. (I like chocolate and vanilla.) 2. Conjunctions can be classified in a variety of ways. One common scheme classifies conjunctions as coordinating (linking two words, sentences or phrases of equal grammatical status), subordinating (making the meaning of a clause depend  on another clause or sentence), and correlative (coming in pairs). Other classification schemes for Spanish list a dozen or more types of conjunctions such as conjunciones adversativas (adversative conjunctions such as but or pero that set up a contrast), conjunciones condicionales (conditional conjunctions such as if or si that set up a condition) and conjunciones ilativas (illative conjunctions such as por eso or therefore that are used in explaining the reason for something). 3. Conjunctions can be made up of more than one word. Spanish abounds with short phrases that are used as conjunctions and function as a single word. Examples include sin embargo (nevertheless), a causa de (because), por lo tanto (therefore), para que (in order that), and aun cuando (even if). (Note that the translations given here and throughout this article arent the only ones possible.) 4. Two of the most common conjunctions change form when coming before certain words. Y, which usually means and, changes to e when it comes before a word that starts with the sound of i. And o, which usually means or, changes to u when it comes before a word starting with the sound of o. For example, we would write palabras u oraciones (words or sentences) instead of palabras o oraciones and nià ±os u hombres (boys or men) instead of nià ±os o hombres. This change of y and o is similar to the way a becomes an before certain words in English, in order to help keep the sound of the first word from disappearing into the second. As with English a becoming and, the change is based on pronunciation rather than spelling. 5. Certain conjunctions are usually or always followed by a clause with a verb in the subjunctive mood. Examples include a fin de que (in order to) and a condicià ³n de que (provided that). 6. The very common conjunction que often doesnt have to be translated to English but is essential in Spanish. Que as a conjunction usually means that as in the sentence Creo que estaban felices (I believe that they were happy). Note how that sentence could also be translated without the that: I believe they were happy. But the que remains essential to the Spanish sentence. The que in such sentences should not be confused with que as a relative pronoun, which follows different grammatical rules and cannot be omitted in translation. 7. A conjunction can come at the beginning of a sentence. Although a conjunction is a linking word, it doesnt always come between the two clauses or words linked. An example is si, the word for if, which often is used to begin a sentence. It also is acceptable to begin a sentence with y, the word for and. Often, y starts a sentence to provide emphasis. For example,  ¿Y las diferencias entre tà º y yo? might be translated as What about the differences between you and me? 8. Many of the words that function as conjunctions can also function as other parts of speech. For example, luego is a conjunction in Pienso, luego existo (I think, therefore I am) but an adverb in Vamos luego a la playa (Were going to the beach later). 9. Distributive conjunctions are made up of two words that are separated by other words. Among these is o ... o, which usually means either ... or as in O à ©l o ella puede firmarlo (Either he or she can sign it). Also common is ni ... ni as in No soy ni la primera ni la à ºltima (I am neither the first nor the last). 10. Some conjunctions are used in explaining when or where something occurs. The most common ones are cuando and donde, respectively. Example: Recuerdo cuando me dijiste donde pudiera encontrar la felicidad (I remember when you told me where I could find happiness).

Ethics Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Ethics Paper - Essay Example This paper will analyze the role of Ethics and social responsibility in developing a strategic plan while considering stakeholder needs and agendas, engaging an example that is taken from real life and discussion preventive measures that could have been utilized to avoid this kind of situation. Speaking of role of Ethics in creating a strategic plan, one might point out the following. First of all, the engagement of the above mentioned concept allows people to focus on achievements in the long terms perspective, avoiding actions that might bring benefits in the short run, but result in devastating consequences in future. In addition to that, Ethics makes sure that the corporate plans respect human rights of the employees and provides with reasonable conditions to work in. Finally, it helps the stakeholders to find a perfect balance between their goals and the available tools to achieve them. There is another concept that should be taken into account while considering the issue in question. It is called corporate social responsibility. One might suggest that the acknowledgement of it is relatively new since businesses in the previous ages did not pay enough attention to it; nevertheless, nowadays it is considered to be one of the pillars that hold the strategic development of a company. Another point that should be mentioned with regard to corporate social responsibility lies in the fact that only company with a developed corporate culture are able to take this concept into account. Indeed, the essential part of it focuses on the acceptance of influence that an organizations has on the environment, both social and natural, as well as readiness to be responsible for any changes that are introduced, positive or negative. So, corporate social responsibility makes sure that the way the stakeholders want to achieve their goals is a sustainable one. It may be particularly useful to

Personal Privacy Vs. National Security Research Paper

Personal Privacy Vs. National Security - Research Paper Example Because of this very reason different opinions have been formed regarding the methods which should be adopted to avert terrorism. Moreover it is seen that the roots of terrorism extend up to the general population and hence important measures are needed to root it out. Policies of counter terrorism are formed all over the world through which the governmental agencies aim to obtain information about individuals who are believed to be linked with the acts of terrorism. As the world has advanced it is seen that technology has had a great influence on these counter terrorism policies. The situation however gets complex when the question of intruding in the lives of people arises. The governmental bodies have been entitled by many governments to intrude the privacy of all the individuals who are considered to be linked with a certain act of terrorism. Privacy is one of the most fundamental rights laid down in almost every constitution formed by the countries. It is the duty of the governm ents to ensure that the citizens are getting this right regardless of the ethnicity, race, sex or religion of the concerned individual. It is this topic that has given rise to a debate between the government officials and the people who are concerned with privacy. While the government may be able to stop national threats, it’s not worth our personal privacy being violated and invaded like airport security groping young children, our personal information no longer being private and unnecessary video monitoring and surveillance. In 1787 Alexander Hamilton wrote that ‘to be safer, nations at length will become willing to run the risk of being less free’. This statement clearly means that national security threats at one time will be averted at any cost even if it harms the basic democratic rights of the citizens. With time it has been noticed that the statement was quite right as privacy has been denied to many individuals regardless of their association with any te rrorist group. Previously privacy was considered as a privilege by the citizens which they could enjoy at any given cost however things have changed in the days today as the government is the sole authority which decides about the rights of individuals. In order to analyze a person the governmental bodies are using different methods through which their private data is being maintained. This data is then being used to identify the patterns or acts of the individuals and this whole process is known as data mining. If not legal, it is the moral responsibility of the government to maintain the privacy of all of its citizens, this being one of their basic rights. In some instances it is seen that the government does not apply limitations when they have to reach out to certain people. These acts include the new airport checking system which is harming the privacy of the individuals entering in different countries (U.S & Minow 2004). The rights of individuals to privacy has many benefits i n itself. It protects the individuals from discrimination which may be done on the basis of the information that the authorities receive from them. And hence it can be said that the right to privacy can eliminate the social divide which may be created otherwise. Privacy of individuals