Women Are Still Treated as Second Class Citizens

Plan: For |Against | |Same jobs, paid less |Able to do any jobs, just not cut-throat | |‘Traditional’ |Can do more jobs than before S&S | |Higher jobs dominated by men |Hard for men to be accepted in women’s jobs too | |‘Old boy network’ |Dangers for women | |‘Glass ceiling’ |Religion | |Just want to be taken seriously |Women saved first on crashes etc | |Exam results |Stay-at home dads | |Not stay-at-home-dads as they can earn more money | | The ‘Old boy Network’? Wrong Frequency For Women. Ladies and Gentlemen; I believe that it is time for change. Change not only to the ‘pecking order’ but to opinions as a whole. Read this with an open mind, as I believe that together in unity we can make women’s voices heard over the noises of vacuum cleaners and screaming children. Is there any reason for women to still be treated as second-class citizens here in the UK? Do their fingers really have the magic touch for housework and not hard work? Of course not! Everyone knows that women are perceived in this way because of tradition. A tradition that we cannot will not and should not be part of. Just because women used to have to stay at home and look after children, or men did all of the ‘dangerous jobs’ why should that still be the case? Women have undoubtedly proven themselves just as capable, if not more, than men in most jobs, so why is it still so hard for them to break through that ‘glass ceiling’? Many women will have been in the position where a male colleague earns more than them for doing the exact same job. This is unfair treatment and should not be condoned. A friend of mine called Annabelle is an excellent banker, the best out her level of the company, yet she has been repeatedly rejected from a higher positioned job in the company. Each of these times the positions have been given to a male. A coincidence? I think not. She was more highly qualified than these men, and had worked for the company for longer, so why was she overlooked? Has The ‘Old boy network’ been on the rampage again? Is it because women occupy only 1 in 20 of the ‘top jobs’? Will it really come to her loosing her femininity to get the job she really deserves? Women just want to be taken seriously and to get the respect they deserve, yet is seems that most of the time to reach their goals they have to loose friends, and dress or act like men. Why is it harder for women to gain the respect of men than the other way around? In a recent survey only 3 out of 50 women said that they would be comfortable being in control of an office or group of men, yet 42 out of 50 men said they would be comfortable being in control of women. Others will argue that women are the ones that are too scared to break out of traditional placements. There are no jobs that only men are allowed to do, it is just that many women won’t go into these jobs, as the dangers are too high, or the hours will not let them see their families often enough. Women are not ‘cut-throat’ enough. They do not want to trample on people on the way to the top, as they do not have that sort of mentality. Most men will go to any extremes to secure their ‘dream job’. Women can do many more jobs than even 50 years ago. Their rights have improved tremendously, and now cannot be discriminated against. It is extremely hard for men to be accepted into predominantly woman-dominated jobs. It is not something against women, just something that is to be expected if any sex is going into the ‘other sex’s territory’. For example, male nurses are often abused or made fun of because they are not doctors, and women doctors find it hard to be taken seriously by the male doctors. The dangers of some jobs for many women outweigh anything else. Men have the physiques to estrain, resist and persist against tough weather, or heavy objects, ‘it is a biological fact that women are generally weaker than men. ’ In many of the religions now observed in the UK the women are treated worse than the men, yet this is their choice. If they did not agree with it, the wome n could leave the religion, and be treated as equals in the multi-religion society that is the United Kingdom. There are 20% more ‘stay-at-home-dads’ than 30 years ago. This shows that the women are free to work, and the men can do all of the ‘traditional’ female jobs. Many women are not taken on at the higher jobs because of the worry of maternity leave. The companies employing them must think of the future and the inevitability that at some point most 30-year-old women will want children. Another main point is that women are saved first, along with children, on sinking ships, or crashes. This means that their lives are put above men’s. The fact that men are not generally the parents who stay at home backs up the argument that men will be more likely to be paid more, whether it is due to a higher position, or a wider range of jobs open to them. Girls have been out–shining boys in the public exams for years now, which shows that they are not only qualified to do the same jobs, but in many cases more qualified. If you think of any type of job that both men and women do, and think of the ‘high-flyers’ within those jobs you will certainly think of a man. This needs to change. Women will inevitably keep fighting for their rights; ‘we will not tire, we will not falter and we will not fail’ when it comes to getting what we deserve. Dr. James Macaroni of Oxford University told us that women get more stressed at work due to the pressure and strain of having to constantly work at the same level, whereas men get breaks within their stress when they get promoted. Do we really want to have women constantly put below men? Should women always stay traditional? So, fellow readers, I ask, why not change the pecking order today? Why wait until it is too late?

Mcdonald’s Business Strategy

A Comprehensive Business Plan developed by McDonald Management, Inc. 11410 N. E. 124th Street #223 Kirkland, Washington 98034 USA O: 425-822-3106 C: 206-257-9839 [email  protected] com Table of Contents Page 3 Page 5 Page 6 Page 9 Page 11 Page 12 Page 16 Page 18 Page 21 Executive Summary Our Business Plan The Market Defined World View Pilot Program (Ethiopia) Projected Market Share Market Strategy Promotion Competition The Bottled Water Industry Product Development – Four Keys Norit Ultra-Filtration System (Perfector – E) Solar Powered Modules Prototype configuration and assemblyThe Patented 20-liter Tamper-proof Bottle Organizational Development USAgua Partnership Program US Home Office East Africa Central Assembly Distribution (Operators to Owners) Mile Stones Financial Statements Sales Projections Personnel Budgets Cash Flow Projections Income Statements – Projected Expense Statements – Projected 2 Executive Summary W e are now in a position to profit ably enter into the lucrative and expanding worldwide market for pure, clean, safe drinking water. We have developed and will introduce to the world, the concept of small community commercial water purification systems. Also you can read  Business Ethics ComprisesWe call our systems ‘USAguaâ„ ¢ Pure Water Kiosks’. Each of our Kiosks is capable of taking in 8,000 liters of dangerously polluted raw water every day and, through the technologically phenomenal process of ultra-filtration, they process that unhealthy water into safe, clean, purified drinking water. Our systems are containerized, modular, solar powered and ultra-filtered — they function completely ‘off-the-grid’. Our markets are the vibrant, sophisticated, newly emerging middle-classes of the developing world. These middle-class niches represent over one billion people and their numbers are growing daily.These people realize the importance of safe drinking water for themselves and their families but, at the same time, they know that their governments are incapable of providing this most basic need. What is important to our program is that these middle class families are financially capable of paying fo r our water. The proof is the fact that they now consume literally tens of millions of gallons of bottled water every year. Our competition is the bottled water industry and, very soon, we will have a substantial piece of that market.The product we sell is clean, pure, safe drinking water. How we produce, market and sell our product is through our USAgua Pure Water Kiosks Program. Our Kiosks are a melding of two wonderful technologies just now coming into their own. The first is called ‘ultra-filtration’. Picture a bundle of spaghetti sized perforated tubes through which polluted water is pumped under pressure. The perforations are so small that they block viruses, bacteria and parasites down to a ‘Log 2-4’ EPA rating. This means that the water we sell is 99. 99% pure or better when it leaves our system.And, because the filters require only ‘back-flushing’ instead of costly filter replacements, the long-term costs are minimized. The second basi c technology we have employed is Solar Power. Our Kiosks, including all the necessary pumps, batteries, electronics and lighting requirements run perfectly using a Solar Power package designed specifically for our needs. The initial costs of the solar option are steep, but the long term reliability, the fact that we don’t depend on any outside sources of energy and the nearly-maintenance-free specifications we have developed, make them a perfect fit in developing countries. Our ultra filtration systems and our solar power systems have been rigorously field tested by their manufacturers. Our own design engineers have melded the two technologies together, combined them with our storage tanks and lab gear and integrated them seamlessly into our retail USAgua Kiosks. After a final prototype development program, our manufacturers will ship their modules to our USAgua Central Assembly Plants in our target markets. We will use local technicians to retrofit universally available frei ght containers and perform final installation and assembly.Once our Kiosks are complete, they will be delivered to our ‘Operators’ in the field. Our Management Team will locate, recruit and train local ‘Operators’ in our various ‘Target Markets’. In time, our Operators will be given the opportunity to own their own USAgua Kiosk, thus allowing us to tap the entrepreneurial energy and spirit that can be found within individuals in every corner of the world. Our USAgua Operator program will ensure our market position and stability through world-wide name branding, equipment standardization, standardized maintenance routines and universally accepted accounting procedures.With the help of some very smart engineers we have developed the concept of our USAgua Pure Water Kiosks. At the same time, we have put together a business model that takes the best of the American business concepts we are so proud of and we, very carefully, introduce them into the potentially lucrative new middle-class markets of the developing world. Our ‘financial package’ is strong. Our assumptions and our projections are conservative, our research is up to date and our key players are heavy on both education and real world experience. We are ready to take the next giant step forward.To that end, we are asking to secure a US $2,200,000 Investment package so that we can bring our USAgua International Program to fruition. Please, feel free to call me anytime for more information or clarifications. Sincerely, Timothy McDonald 4 Our Business Plan The World Wide Market Defined: Of the 6 billion people in the world today, over 3 billion1 live either totally ‘off-the-grid’ or in communities not serviced by safe, dependable water systems. Families within this demographic, no matter their economic level, are left vulnerable to water borne diseases including viruses, parasites and bacteria.The negative social and economic repercussions of not having access to safe, clean drinking water are immense. Some United Nations reports have gone so far as to predict that safe drinking water will be as economically significant as oil within the next decade2. We intend to be a big player in solving the drinking water problem. We have designed both our USAgua Water Purification System and our Business Model to be universally adaptable. Our equipment and our business model will function beautifully in the suburbs of Nairobi, along the Yangtze River in China and in the mountains of northern India.Anywhere there is both a source of water (no matter how polluted) and an open view of the sun, our USAgua water purification systems will work. Anywhere there are energetic and entrepreneurial individuals who aspire to a better life for their families, our USAgua Operator network will prosper. At the ‘Macro’ scale, our market is unlimited. Good business practices, however, dictate that we start small and grow carefully. We wil l introduce our program to a small, representative market we are familiar with. One that can be easily documented and controlled.In our ‘Pilot Market’ we will learn a great deal from both our successes and our mistakes. Once we have field proven both our equipment and our business model, we will enter additional markets with much greater knowledge and enthusiasm. _________________________________ It is very important to understand that we are in competition with the ‘Bottled Water Industry’ in all aspects of our program. The statistics and the markets for bottled water, world wide, are the statistics and markets relevant to USAguaâ„ ¢. _______________________________________ 1 2 United Nations Development Program Report – August 2008United Nations Development Program Report – August 2008 5 Our Ethiopian Pilot Program and Our Share of the Market For several reasons, including a thirty year professional involvement in East Africa, we have cho sen the country of Ethiopia to establish our ‘Pilot Program’. The Ethiopian Market Defined: Population (millions) 2007 Population growth (annual %) Life expectancy at birth (years) Literacy rate GNI (US $ billions) GNI per capita (US $ ) 78. 6 2. 6 55. 0 38. 5 19. 4 220. 0 The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) acquired these statistics: Health of population using improved drinking-water sources, 2006, total 42 (cut and paste from the UNICEF 2008 Report) These UNICEF statistics show us that there is a large segment of the Ethiopian population that understands the need for safe water. The definition of ‘improved drinking-water sources’, however, does not address the quality of the water. It only documents the fact that the water has been drawn from a centralized source and is conveyed to the end user via an established distribution network; either municipal water systems, tanker trucks or bottled water.The water may or may not be processed. It ma y or may not be safe. The quality of both the tap water and the bottled water in Ethiopia is suspect due to poor infrastructure maintenance and a lack of Health Department regulation enforcement. 3 3 UNICEF Annual Report – 2006 6 The Ethiopian Central Statistical Agency (CSA) estimates that currently 4. 18% of the households, nationwide, have access to community water systems and taps within their homes. Ethiopia Total 2004 2. 2 2006 2. 7 2008 3. 3 Current 4. 18 (cut and paste from the 2008 CSA Report)This means the vast majority of people considered to have access to ‘improved drinking water sources’ are using tanker truck delivery (very dangerous) or bottled water. (78. 6 million X 42%) – 4. 18% ) = 31. 4 million people drink non-tap water. ) The CSA also publishes a quarterly retail price listing for nearly every commodity found in Ethiopia. In 2008 the average cost per liter of bottled water was 6 birr. (Ethiopian currency) BEVERAGES – NON ALCOH OLIC Ambo Mineral Water†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 500cc 3. 00 3. 00 3. 00 3. 17 3. 00 3. 00 2. 50 3. 00 2. 96 2. 50 3. 00 3. 00 2. 50 2. 5 Bure Mineral Water†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 500cc – – – – – – – – – – – – – – (cut and paste from the 2008 CSA Report) ! (Or †¦ US $0. 48/liter at the current exchange rate) The CSA has not been able to estimate a total volume of bottled drinking water produced or consumed. We have been told many reasons for this lack of statistical documentation. The most plausible is the lack of government oversight and a huge black market for recycling local water in used plastic bottles. This is a very dangerous practice and one the central government has taken action to stop. 4 A few assumptions:W e are going to assume, in the interest of simplifying our Business Plan, that within and near the cities of Addis Ababa, Mekele, Bahra Dar, Nazerit and Awass a ( a total population of over 27 million ) there is a need for 27,000,000 liters of pure, safe drinking water every day. (27,000,000 X 365 days = nearly 10 Billion liters per year) (One liter of safe drinking water per day is the World Health Organization’s minimum requirement. ) 4 Ethiopian Health Ministry – 2008 7 Our Pilot Program Cities: 10% Purchase Vicinity of Population Addis Ababa 15,375,000 15% Purchase 20% Purchase 5% Purchase Bottled Water at US $0. 50/liter Bottled Water at US $0. 40/liter Bottled Water at US $0. 30/liter Bottled Water at US $0. 20/liter 1,537,500 2,306,250 3,075,000 3,843,750 Nazerit 3,580,000 358,000 537,000 716,000 895,000 Bahri Dar 1,790,000 179,000 266,850 355,800 447,500 Awasa 1,430,000 143,000 214,500 286,000 357,500 Mekele 4,825,000 482,500 723,750 965,000 1,206,250 27,000,000 2,700,000 4,050,000 5,400,000 6,750,000 $1,350,000 $1,620,000 $1,620,000 $1,350,000 $492,750 ,000 $591,300,000 $591,300,000 $492,750,000 Population Market Va lue Market Value Per Day Per YearOur Pilot Program Market Our Pilot Program Market focuses on five major cities in Ethiopia. We can take a very conservative but educated guess that 15% of the 27 million population is capable of purchasing 1 liter of drinking water every day for US 0. 40/liter. (about a billion and a half liters per year demand) 1,248,000 liters (62,400 20-Liter USAgua Bottles) is the annual sales figure we have projected for each of our USAgua Kiosks. Or less than one tenth of one percent (. 001%) of our Pilot Program Middle-class Market Demand. Our Kiosks are actually capable of physically producing ,920,000 liters of safe, clean drinking water annually, but for budgeting and logistical reasons as well as a conservative margin of safety, we are building our Business Model on a 1,248,000 liters/year basis or a 4,000 liters per day sales capacity, six days per week. ! The total cost to our USAgua Kiosk Program to produce, bottle and sell safe, clean drinking water is less than $0. 10 per liter The universal laws of supply and demand would tell us that we could completely dominate the ‘Bottled Drinking Water Industry’ in our Pilot Program Market.By assuring two things — Highest Quality, Lowest Price — we should expect to capture a substantial share of this huge market while at the same time realizing a very profitable return on investment very quickly. It is not difficult to imagine 40 USAgua Kiosks working profitably within Ethiopia within two years of start-up. 8 Market Strategy The Market for pure, clean, safe drinking water already exists. It is large, growing and lucrative. Our dominant piece of that worldwide market is what we will develop. Branding†¦ W e own the internet web domain and the trade marked name, USAguaâ„ ¢.We are now in the process of building a comprehensive website that will address everything from the biology of parasites, bacteria and viruses to the science of removing those contaminants from our drinking water. It will show how important safe drinking water is to individuals, societies and economies. It will differentiate our USAgua Water Purification Kiosks from our competition, the bottled water industry. Our website will play very well in East Africa. Since the election of President Obama, a new, very pro-American, attitude has emerged. America and all things American are now very popular.Our USAgua Kiosks provide safe drinking water at standards equal to or better than our American EPA standards for domestic drinking water. In East Africa, they trust our standards and want that same high quality for their families. Our Kiosks are painted in American national colors. The USA in USAgua is meant to emphasize our American roots and our American standards. When a USAgua Kiosk is delivered to an African community our customers will feel that part of America has arrived. Our USAgua 20-liter plastic bottles are designed to be used and re-used and re-used by the family to which they are assigned.The boldly branded bottles can not be refilled by anyone other than our Kiosk operator. Our branded one-liter personal bottles will be carried with pride on the streets of our communities. The name, USAgua, will be synonymous with American high quality and good health. Lower retail pricing†¦ W e know there is a large and growing demand for safe, pure drinking water. On the macro scale this is evidenced by the rise of the bottled water industry in every city and village in the world. In Ethiopia, our Pilot Program Market, we know the retail price of a liter of bottled water is US$0. 48.The laws of supply and demand dictate that as the price is lowered, the demand rises. The cost of our water, including all business related expectations, is less than US $0. 10 per liter. We will price our product to maximize both the quantity sold and the profit generated. 9 Flyers and Brochures Distributed Locally †¦. And a billboard or two Because each of our US Agua Kiosks are designed to satisfy the drinking water demand of only 400 families per day, (we are saying 10 liters per family per day) the geographic market area for each of our Kiosks is small, (by design) less than one square kilometer.Prior to our Kiosks arriving at their final destinations, a local flyer and brochure campaign will saturate the area to introduce our program. Community meetings will be held to educate members of our market and sell our products. A large colorful bill-board will be erected so that people will begin identifying our branding. 10 Competition: The Competition for our Pilot Program Market (and every other market in the developing world, for that matter) consists of a handful of legitimate Centralized Water Bottling and Distribution Companies as well as black-market water bottle recycling scams.The government is now in the process of both adopting new quality standards for all bottled water plus they are developing the means to enforce those standards. Because none of the major international bottled water producers (Danone, Nestle, and Coca-Cola) have entered the African markets, statistical documentation is lacking for total production and demand. We do know a few things, however. First is that the existing legitimate bottled water industry depends on centralized plants that are, by definition, saddled with the tremendous costs associated with transporting heir product to market. Plus, they must purchase plastic bottles that will be used only once, but then become potential competition as those same bottles are refilled on the black-market and resold. We also know that the end user of bottled water is becoming much more sophisticated. They know full well the problem with boot-legged water and in most cases have gone back to boiling local water (at a tremendous expense in fuel) rather than purchase suspect bottled water. The Bottled Water Industry is not the answer for the Developing World. 11 Product Development †¦.. some h istoryFor generations, scientists around the world have known that viruses, parasites and bacteria are present in much of the water we drink. They have also known that these tiniest of creatures are the source of the water borne diseases that have plagued humanity since Lucy stood up on her two legs and peered over the tall grasses of the African Savannah. Personal Note: McDonald was stationed in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia in 1973-75 only 20 miles from where Lucy – Australopithecus afarensisr – was discovered. On several occasions his Agricultural School and Farm hosted Lucy’s rcheologists. They appreciated the water system he had developed that pulled water from the muddy Awash River and provided them safe, pure drinking water. In the developed world, from our largest cities to our smallest villages, our technology has solved the problem of purifying our waters. In America, we long ago realized the importance of safe water to the overall health and well being of our society. It was so important to previous generations that they mandated our government to set and enforce the highest water standards in the world.Our municipal and community water systems now process and distribute a dependable flow of amazingly inexpensive water to the homes of every citizen. The success of America is due, in no small part, to the overall health of our people. And, the overall health of our people is, in no small part, due to our wonderful communal water systems. On the macro scale, the per gallon cost of water in America is very small; a penny or two a gallon at the most. The reality is, however, that a water purification plant and a distribution network are tremendously expensive to develop and operate; tens of millions of dollars.And, the technical sophistication necessary to maintain these systems is overwhelming to any but the most advanced economies. For so many reasons (economic, political, cultural, technical) there is little hope that the vast maj ority of people in the second and third worlds will ever be able to build and maintain the water systems necessary to provide safe water for their people. Even now, as a burgeoning middle class emerges, the central governments are powerless to act. The problem is just too large and the costs too high. 12 Product Development †¦. the Stars Line UpThe USAguaâ„ ¢ Pure Water Kiosk Program is†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Four Components. The product we sell is clean, pure, safe drinking water. How we produce, market and sell our product is through our USAgua Pure Water Kiosks Program. Our Kiosk Program brings together four independent but equally important physical components. Namely: Ultra-Filtration, Solar Power, Retro-fitted Freight Containers and Keyed, Tamper-proof 20-liter Bottles. 1. Ultra-Filtration†¦ This is a water filtration method developed and patented by Norit X-Flow, a member of the global Norit Companies. Norit is headquartered in theNetherlands with sales offices throughout the world including one just outside of Chicago. Ultra-filtration is easy to visualize. Picture a bundle of spaghetti sized perforated tubes through which polluted water is pumped under pressure. The perforations are so small that they block viruses, bacteria and parasites down to a ‘Log 2-4’ EPA rating. This means that the water they process is 99. 99% pure or better when it leaves their system. And, because the filters require only ‘back-flushing’ instead of costly filter replacements, the long-term costs are minimized.Norit’s filters can be used for months and then ‘back-flushed’ to remove all contaminants. The actual filters will last for years. Ultra-filtration is truly a marvelous breakthrough. One of the first applications that Norit X-Flow developed for its Ultra-filter technology was a very clever machine they call the Perfector-E Mobile Water Purification System. It was originally designed for emergency responders to be used in the aftermath of devastating natural disasters; earthquakes, floods and hurricanes. The systems are small, strong and highly mobile.They can be transported and set up in any disaster area within hours. They are totally self contained and can draw and purify water from almost any source including exposed surface waters, local lakes, rivers, ponds and irrigation systems. The Perfector-E System can provide literally thousands of gallons of pure, safe drinking water per day to a disaster area under the most extreme conditions. And, there is another very positive aspect to Norit’s system. It is not a big energy user. With some adaptations, we can actually run the systems exclusively on solar power. 13 2.The second basic technology we have employed is Solar Power. Our Kiosks, including all the necessary pumps, batteries, electronics and lighting requirements run perfectly using a Solar Power package designed specifically for our needs. Our solar energy system was designed by H-Dot Logic, a solar engineering company here in Seattle. The initial costs of the solar option are steep, but the long term reliability, the fact that we don’t depend on any outside sources of energy and the nearlymaintenance-free specifications we have developed, make them a perfect fit in developing countries. . Our Kiosks – Our Containers. We have chosen to utilize universally available, standard steal 20 foot cargo containers as the physical basis of our Kiosk system. Containers are strong and secure. They are easily transported on any flatbed truck in the world, and once they are delivered to our overseas locations, they will serve as the actual retail Kiosk facility. Our in-house engineers have designed the retro-fit of the containers to comfortably house all the various components in and around the retail shell.The solar panels, the gravel pre-filters, the external raw water storage tank, the internal finished water storage tank with the UV sterilizer, the Ultra-fil ter modules, the pumps, the battery packs, all the electronics and a water testing system are all neatly configured inside the container. In addition to designing the retrofit, our Kiosk’s will have a copy written exterior color and graphic scheme. The graphic scheme, once painted on our containers will provide a great advertising platform for our USAgua Brand. A prototype unit still needs to be assembled.USAgua Kiosk # 0001, the prototype, will be assembled in Seattle, Washington. A careful documentation video of the specifications and assembly methods will be produced. This process will take about four months to accomplish. Once the first Kiosk is ready it will be shipped from the Port of Seattle to Ethiopia. Once in Ethiopia, USAgua #0001 will be delivered to our Central Assembly & Fabrication facility. Our local Management will use it to train a team of assembly mechanics. We will then begin purchasing containers on the local market and preparing them for the arrival of o ur Filter and Solar modules.Within a four month period, we will be assembling and delivering two complete USAgua units per month. 4. The Keyed-Tamper Proof Bottle Program: One of the reasons the bottled water industry is not a good fit for the developing world is because the plastic bottles are disposable. Each new bottle, when discarded becomes a potential competitor as people refill the bottle and sell it on the black market. Our USAgua bottles are specially designed to discourage re-use by anyone but the family to which it was assigned. The bottles will have a tamper proof valve and seal that can only be refilled at USAgua Kiosks.This makes the bottles un-usable outside our network and assures our customers that the water inside our stamped and sealed bottles has not been counterfeited on the black market. Our prominent USAgua Logo on each bottle will help promote our brand where ever it is found. 14 Organizational Development Thirty years of experience working in developing coun tries has taught us many things. One of the most important is that without a very involved and powerful Management presence ‘on the ground’, no program can succeed.For the success of any project in the developing world, including ours, it is vitally important that we back-up our 21st century technology with an equally robust Management and Operations Program based on century’s old tried and true Business Practices. We call our In-Country USAgua International Management and Operations Program ‘Our Partnership Program’. It is based on five powerful strategies: 1. Recruiting the best and the brightest. Every developing country in the world has vibrant, honest, well educated, hardworking, entrepreneurs looking for an opportunity to improve themselves, their families and their communities.Our Country Director will identify and recruit these individuals. We will offer them a good basic family wage with the added incentive of merit-based pay raises. 2. In-C ountry Training for our Operators Our USAgua in-country Management Staff will train every recruit in Kiosk system functions, maintenance procedures, program hygiene, local marketing and program bookkeeping. Trainees will work with seasoned Operators during a six month apprenticeship program. If they prove themselves capable, they will be offered a position as an Operator or Operator’s Helper for one of our USAgua Kiosks. . In-Country Operations Management. We will have one Project Manager for every 10 USAgua Kiosk Operators. These Project Managers will visit each Kiosk Operator every month to make sure that the extremely high USAgua standards are being met and maintained. The PM’s are also in charge of auditing and banking functions. There will be zero tolerance for bookkeeping errors. In addition to our Project Managers, we have a Maintenance & Repair team that routinely visits each Kiosk making sure that no small maintenance problem becomes a big repair problem due t o lack of Operator vigilance. 4.Advertising and Marketing Support Each Kiosk comes with an introductory advertising budget for local marketing. We will saturate any new locale with USAgua literature. In addition, our Staff will visit each Kiosk to conduct community seminars in water quality and family hygiene. 15 5. Operators to Owners Program After two years as a USAgua Operator we will offer some of our most gifted and hardworking employees the opportunity to purchase their own USAgua Kiosk. We are wholly convinced that there exists a universally powerful business strategy that assures the success of a program such as ours.This is called ‘pride in ownership’ and we intend to tap that strategy to its fullest. Our US Office The home office of McDonald Management is in Seattle, Washington as will be the home offices of USAgua International, Inc. At the top of our organizational chart is the President and CEO, Timothy McDonald. Mr. McDonald has a BS in International Econo mics (minor in Civil Engineering) with Masters work in International Economics all from the University of Washington. He has been in and out of East Africa for over thirty years with our State Department as both an employee and an independent contractor.He will oversee day to day operations both in the US and overseas. Norit X-Flow International will provide the Ultra-filtration modules. H-Dot Logic will provide the solar package design and modules. R. L. Clark and Associates of Redmond, Washington will be in charge of Investor Relations, financial program development and implementation. Bahiru G. Egziabiher will be the Country Director in Ethiopia for our Pilot Market Program. He holds a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington and has worked for Seattle City Light for over twenty years. Bahiru holds duel US and Ethiopian citizenship.Dalrymple and Associates will be in charge of our Kiosk design and equipment coordination. In addition his company has desi gned our logo, the graphic presentation of our USAgua name and our color schemes and themes. RedRover Marketing will be in charge of our website design, maintenance and hosting. Our Office in Ethiopia W e will lease a centralized office/warehouse facility in Addis Ababa where we will identify, recruit and train a team of assemblers and fabricators to retrofit our containers, install our filtration systems, our solar modules and our storage tanks.Our paint shop will brand each Kiosk with our name, our logo and our color scheme. 16 Bahiru Egziabiher, our Country Director, will be in charge of our Ethiopia operations including the central warehouse and assembly facility. He will oversee the assembly of two complete USAgua Kiosks per month once we get underway. McDonald and Exziabiher and, eventually, a small team of Project Managers, will identify, recruit and train a Network of USAgua Operators. These Project Managers will be responsible for assuring the high standards of training, ma intenance, product quality and accounting standards for each of their Network Operators.Within two years there will be 40 Kiosks producing pure water in Ethiopia. There will be one Project Manager for every ten Kiosks. Our Operator Network is the key to our program. Once our USAgua Operators are identified and recruited, they will go through a thorough training program. They will serve a two year apprenticeship and then, if they have proven themselves capable of maintaining our extremely high standards, they will be given the opportunity to own their own Kiosk. In this way we will tap the entrepreneurial spirit of those who will make our entire program a success.How Hard is it to Enter the Ethiopian Market? The World Bank ranks countries world wide by their ‘Ease of Doing Business’. Of the 183 countries rated, Ethiopia ranks #107. In comparison, Egypt is #106 and Kenya is #95. Since 1993 when the people of Ethiopia removed their previous communist government and replace d it with one decisively more moderate and business friendly, the new leadership has striven to open its economy to a more capitalistic model. In the past 10 years, Ethiopia has been gradually re-writing its constitution in an attempt to open new markets and stabilize its business community.These efforts have paid off. In 2008-9 the World Bank ranked Ethiopia at #122 for ‘ease of starting a business’. This year they are ranked # 93. And, they are getting better every year. The following statistics are all from the World Bank. Ease of doing Business 107 Starting a Business 93 Dealing with Construction Permits 60 Employing Workers 98 Registering Property 110 Getting Credit 127 Protecting Investors 119 Paying Taxes 43 Trading Across Borders 159 Enforcing Contracts 57 Closing a Business 77 Summary of Indicators – Ethiopia Starting a Business Procedures (number) 5Time (days) 9 Cost (% of income per capita) 18. 9 Min. capital (% of income per capita) 492. 4 17 Dealing with Construction Permits Procedures (number) 12 Time (days) 128 Cost (% of income per capita) 561. 3 Employing Workers Difficulty of hiring index (0-100) 33 Rigidity of hours index (0-100) 20 Difficulty of redundancy index (0-10) 30 Rigidity of employment index (0-100) 28 Redundancy costs (weeks of salary) 40 Registering Property Procedures (number) 10 Time (days) 41 Cost (% of property value) 2. 2 Getting Credit Strength of legal rights index (0-10) 4Depth of credit information index (0-6) 2 Public registry coverage (% of adults) 0. 1 Private bureau coverage (% of adults) 0. 0 Protecting Investors Extent of disclosure index (0-10) 4 Extent of director liability index (0-10) 4 Ease of shareholder suits index (0-10) 5 Strength of investor protection index (0-10) 4. 3 Paying Taxes Payments (number per year) 19 Time (hours per year) 198 Profit tax (%) 26. 8 Labor tax and contributions (%) 0. 0 Other taxes (%) 4. 3 Total tax rate (% profit) 31. 1 Trading Across Borders Documents to exp ort (number) 8Time to export (days) 49 Cost to export (US$ per container) 1940 Documents to import (number) 8 Time to import (days) 45 Cost to import (US$ per container) 2993 Enforcing Contracts Procedures (number) 37 Time (days) 620 Cost (% of claim) 15. 2 Taking into account the above information provided by the World Bank, it will take McDonald Management about 90 days to secure all the necessary permits, licenses, patent protection registrations and lease agreements in Ethiopia. This will all be done prior to our first Kiosk leaving the US. 8 Mile Stones First Three Months Investors have been identified and secured†¦ A US $2,200,000 credit line is opened †¦ Dalrymple & Associates secures a short term warehouse lease where the prototype Kiosk will be assembled and the process documented. Norit X-Flow, H-Dot Logic and USAgua finalize specifications for the prototype filter/solar modules The USAgua Prototype is completed and Unit #0001 is prepared for shipment to Africa I n Month One, McDonald and Exziabiher leave for East Africa to secure business licenses and leases.While in Africa McDonald and Exziabiher identify and recruit a team of mechanics and fabricators as well as a Project Manager. They identify the first five individuals for the USAgua Operators Network. Months 4 and 5 USAgua Kiosk number 0001 is shipped from Seattle to Addis Ababa USAgua – Seattle begins producing and shipping filter/power modules to Ethiopia at the rate of 2 units per month. Containers are purchased and retrofitted in our Addis Ababa facility at the rate of 2 units per month.Assembly begins and the first delivery of a unit is accomplished. Months 6 -12 All elements of our program are coordinated and we are assembling and placing USAgua Kiosks in client communities at the steady rate of 2 units per month. Project Managers and Operators are continuing the training, quality control and apprenticeship programs. Month 13 W e achieve income/expense financial Break Even Month 24 The first 40 USAgua Kiosks are in place and working. The first USAgua Operator recruits are offered ownership of their Kiosks. 19 Business Plan SummaryW e are confident that a vibrant and lucrative market for safe, clean drinking water exists in every country of the world. We are also confident that we have the right Technology and Business Model to enter and eventually dominate those markets. To prove this, we are going to introduce 40 of our USAgua Kiosks into the Ethiopian market. There we will show that our technology is exactly right; that each of our Kiosks can be operated and maintained profitably for years. And, that our Business Model is sound and worthy of the trust our investors have shown.We have developed a set of financial projections. These itemize the key elements of our program and put a dollar figure on their implementation. They show that an initial two year investment of US $2,200,000 will produce an operating income/expense breakeven within a year and actual profit by the end of the 40 Unit 2 Year Pilot Program. Anyone interested in viewing our Financial Report, please, call Timothy McDonald. He will be more than happy to send along our spreadsheets. Many Thanks, Timothy McDonald 206-257-9839 20

Ethical Problems and Managerial Decision Making Research Paper

Ethical Problems and Managerial Decision Making - Research Paper Example Sometimes, making the right decision conflicts with the organization's goals. Conversely, resolving in favor of the organization may conflict with one's personal values. In recent years, both the Academy of Human Resource Development and the Academy of Management dedicated entire volumes of their journals to ethics and integrity (Veiga, 2004). The journals contain case studies about the ethical dilemmas professionals face and present guidelines for solutions. People in occupations without a formal set of ethical standards must rely on their own instincts, backgrounds, experience, and judgment to handle ethical dilemmas that arise in the course of their work lives. Leaders at various levels of organizations, large and small, face ethical dilemmas daily and must be prepared to make the right decisions for the organization and for themselves (Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999). There is a void in the empirical literature with respect to ethical decision-making because the literature on ethical decision-making has been based on hypothetical dilemmas instead of on actual situations. Decision Making Models When managers are faced with ethical dilemmas in their employing organizations, they are not always in control of the situation and often must consider other factors (e.g., employees, organizational risks, organizational pressure) in their decisions. Most of the ethical decision-making models have stemmed from the cognitive moral development theory of Kohlberg (1973). Two models that were introduced around the same time are those of Rest (1986) (Four-Component Model) and Trevino (1986) (Person-Situation Interactionist Model). Both Rest and Trevino expanded on the work of Kohlberg, and their models have been tested multiple times. Kohlberg, a social psychologist, was the first to expand Piaget's concept of stage development to include moral judgment. Moral judgment is a process of reflecting on one's values and choosing among them. Piaget, a Swiss biologist, was interested in how children reason. From his qualitative studies, he concluded that the ability to reason is age-related, and he identified cognitive stages ranging from infancy through adolescence. He studied moral judgment only in children under the age of 12 and held that cognition and affect develop separately, but in parallel ways, and that moral judgment is a cognitive process. Kohlberg's (1968) theory focuses on the moral reasoning process - how people decide which course of action to take when faced with an ethical dilemma. Using a research instrument that he developed, Kohlberg conducted a longitudinal study of 84 boys ages 10 to 16, following up at four-year intervals from 1956 to 1976. In the moral judgment interviews, Kohlberg presented the subjects with three dilemmas and asked the boys to tell what the resolution should be and why. The "why" is the determining factor for stage identification. People at different stages might reach the same conclusion, but Kohlberg was interested in the reasoning process. He was looking for consistency of reasoning across the issues. From his research, Kohlberg (1968) classified moral development into three levels, within which there are six stages, and concluded that there is a relationship between maturity of moral values and maturity of action in ethical dilemmas. He also concluded, like Piaget, that moral

Mini Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mini - Case Study Example This in turn has driven Panera to be a leading firm in restaurant industry and grown in sales and profit pies (as evidenced in figure 1 and 2) Panera has undertaken quite a number of strategies that have spurred it to stay ahead of its competitors. First, it has pursued customer excellence strategies manifested in areas such quality customer service rooted in all its systems and procedures. For instance, the order accuracy, time of delivery and ambience of service have improved the rate of satisfaction. This has boosted the loyalty and brand name of the firm.(comerford and Collaghan,p.14). Second, it has pursued both product and market development strategies. These have been evidenced in diversifying in more regions in order to bring products and services closer to their customers. Sales have increased through the adoption of innovative programs such as improving product features to suit and satisfy quite a variety of customers with various tastes and preferences.(Porter, 13) The firm has also undertaken proper financial management strategies that have ensured no debt. Its liquidity has trended upwards than any of its competitors. It is most efficient evidenced in asset that has translated into more profit. It has a narrower operating margin. The firm can also improve its value by pursuing the following strategic options (Collaghan and comerford,) Diversify into more strategic units so that a wide customer base. The improvement of service will create a better relationship with the community thus improving the profit margin pies of the firm in the end. Increase the budget in social marketing strategies with an aim of making a wider customer community. Today’s customer like sophisticated technologies such as facebook, twitter and yelp. This will involve a substantial financial investment. 1) The economic environment remains the same for seven-year period. For instance, that there will be no

Sonny's Blues (the story) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sonny's Blues (the story) - Essay Example In creating the characters of Sonny’s Blue, Baldwin has used the typical old idea of the ‘good and bad’ and made the two brothers the antagonist of each other. The elder brother, who narrates the story, is a very mature and sensible person, works as a teacher and is highly protective and concerned about his younger sibling. In contrast, the younger lad, Sonny, is said to be quite immature and does have neither the courage nor the will to withstand the pressures of the society. He deliberately indulges himself in drugs and music, considering them an escape route. Despite all the efforts the elder brother makes to help him adjust rightfully in the society, Sonny still gives in to the social pressures and becomes both a drug addict and a singer. He chooses Jazz music for his songs especially because he thinks that such a type of music allows him great liberty to express out the aggression and frustration that continues to build up inside him day by day. Brotherly love, affection and concern are what make the elder brother oppose the lifestyle the younger one has adopted. His opposition and Sonny’s stubbornness ultimately results in confrontation and conflict between the two of them and finally to an end of the friendship the two shared amongst themselves. The tension is great to such extent between the two that the younger tells the elder one to consider him dead from that moment on after they end up fighting really bad one night. Sadly, the elder brother behaves as immaturely as Sonny and turns his back on him too. It is only a whole year later that the elder one hears about Sonny, that too from a newspaper which says that he has been arrested by the police officials on charges of drug addiction. He then feels guilty and blames himself for the mess his brother has got into, thinking he should not have given up on him no matter what the circumstances were. Also,

Head-O produced by Fatih Akin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Head-O produced by Fatih Akin - Essay Example That night, in the streets all alone and with no one else to turn to, she decides she does not want to live anymore and baits some men to beat her up. She is stabbed by one of them and then they leave her all out there to die, but to her luck she does not die though it is not clear how she manages to recover from both the rape and assault. After serving his jail term, Cahit is out again. Determined to find Sibel again, he sets on for Istanbul where Sibel had gone to live with her cousin Selma. The cousin refuses to disclose to Cahit where Sibel lives but informs him of her being in a long-term relationship and her having a daughter. Cahit wants to talk to Sibel and is waiting in a hotel for a call from Sibel. When she finally calls, he tries to convince her to elope with him, something she finally agrees to. Unfortunately, she does not show up at the appointed date for reasons not disclosed. Eventually, Cahit beaten by life takes on a bus, probably headed to his place of Birth, Mersi n. Theme (main idea) The main theme brought forward by Head-On is the conflict of cultures between individuals of Turkish origin and their daily lives in Germany. Both characters are of Turkish origin but they live in Germany; Hamburg where the setting of the movie was made. Sibel’s family represents the conventional conservative Turkish culture. Sibel, having grown up within a liberal German culture yearns to break away from the yoke of her family restrictions. She is more open-minded and libel about her sexuality and that is why she can afford to engage in one-night stands. Cahit on the other hand is torn between both cultures. He has an element of both German and Turkish cultures and he is not yet decided completely which way... The main theme brought forward by Head-On is the conflict of cultures between individuals of Turkish origin and their daily lives in Germany. Both characters are of Turkish origin but they live in Germany; Hamburg where the setting of the movie was made. Sibel’s family represents the conventional conservative Turkish culture. Sibel, having grown up within a liberal German culture yearns to break away from the yoke of her family restrictions. She is more open-minded and libel about her sexuality and that is why she can afford to engage in one-night stands. Cahit on the other hand is torn between both cultures. He has an element of both German and Turkish cultures and he is not yet decided completely which way to go. This is the reason why he was reluctant to engage in a marriage of convenience in the first place and even after the marriage, he was in a relationship with a single partner, though on-again and off-again. This could also be the reason why he was enraged with Sibelà ¢â‚¬â„¢s previous partner and the eventual killing.The cities have also been carefully selected to effectively carry message home. Hamburg, the place where the movie is set, represents a multi-cultured population where people from various citizenry and cultures converge. The increased Turkish population could be traced to the 17th and 18th century the period during which there was an attempt to expand the Ottoman Empire to the North Balkan territories leaving a trail of Muslim Turks from the army.

Boeing versus Airbus Subsidy Dispute Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Boeing versus Airbus Subsidy Dispute - Essay Example The new competitors were not able to survive in a market which was virtually the sole provider of the jets. To help develop a strong competitive foundation, the European governments starting providing substantial subsidies to Airbus for the development cost. The subsidies played important role in forcing the Lockheed out of the jetliner industry whereas Douglas merged with Boeing (Pelletier, 2010). Airbus eventually took the major share of the market and is providing more jetliners as compared to Boeing which raised the concern among the US. This led them to form an agreement at the WTO to reduce the subsidies to provide healthy competitive economic environment. The agreement at WTO clearly stated that both Boeing and Airbus can enjoy the direct governmental subsidies at 33% of the jetliner’s developmental costs. It also included the limitation on the subsidies provided by indirect programs or civilian or military institutions as well. In addition to these, many other limitati ons were imposed on the subsidies. However the market share for Airbus kept on increasing at a steady rate which again raised the concern for Boeing (Gunstone, 2010). ... The EU threatened to sue Japan for providing this help because without this help, the Boeing aircraft will be more expensive and less competitive. Both these companies in order to have the greater market share used the subsidies but didn’t really share the actual figure which leaves the global competitors and market very dubious over the certainty of their accusations. This case leaves the global market very vulnerable to violation of agreements and can create the dissatisfaction among the other jetliners in the competence and central position of WTA as well (Pelletier, 2010). Ethically, Boeing engaged in the aggressive pricing strategy with the help of unlimited subsidies affected the European jetliner Airbus by cutting their sales short, price and market suppression of Airbus in various markets of its hold. Secondly, Boeing terminated the WTO agreement on its own and filed the case against Airbus which was pretty much against the essence of the business. The agreement comes to an end by the mutual consent of both parties. In addition to this, both the companies have created duopoly which has left the market pervasive to other competitors which is strictly against the global business’s essence and practices. In addition to this, at this time when the successful industrialized countries should work towards trade liberalization, their subsidies wrangling will have the trickledown effect on the suppliers. The emerging economies look towards the industrialized economies for markets access (Newhouse, 2008). Culturally, the general inclination of US towards Japan in the greatest interest of their economies has created the clear biasness towards the

Creation and Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Creation and Science - Essay Example For example, considering Hegel’s The Phenomenology of Spirit we see that everything exists is reasonable in this world is reasonable, vice versa everything reasonable exists. And all this happens because there is some Absolute Spirit, which makes everything rationally matched. Doesn’t it look like the Intelligent Design Theory? The theory explains that â€Å"many features of the natural world, particularly biological structures, are too complex to be explained by naturalistic causes and, thus, can only be explained as products of an intelligent designer – i.e., God† (Clark, et. al. 2007). The point is that this theory is some kind of combination of religion and science, a method of reconciliation of the two approaches to discovering creation of the world. Scientific development of 18-19th centuries showed that people started trying to avoid God as prime cause of the universe. Empiricists focused their attention on the method aimed to reveal all the mysteri es. In fact these methodological changes in research led to the great variety of theories, which denied God’s existence. But even though they denied it, there still were a lot of phenomena scientists weren’t able to explain. Darwin’s revolutionary theory of natural selection claims that human beings are just a result of evolution and struggle of certain species for existence, which caused creation of human race. It turns out that Darwin didnt need God to create the universe, and his theory is considered to be the most popular scientific theory of the origin of species, including humans. But when we talk about creation, we consider not only human beings and their origins; also we broaden our research trying to find the origins of every part of this universe, animated and inanimate nature. The most famous theory of creation is the one that was described in Genesis, the very first book of Bible. It is said in the narration that God made

350 chapter 9 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

350 chapter 9 - Case Study Example Further still, Bellum uses the point of the desires of the union to be honored. According to her, giving the union four seats would mean a lot to them since they have been crying for a single seat. This would honor their cry and make them feel heard and appreciated. Arguably, if the management listens to the workers in an organization, the workers are likely to agree to the decisions of the management without mass action (Appelbaum and Hunter, 2003). In addition, Bellum has a point that the workers would never vote for a strike because they will always feel that their views are being represented. Since they chose the leaders, it means that they trust them to a point that they will feel that they are fully represented because they hold meetings to pass their desires (Appelbaum and Hunter, 2003). Bellum also uses the point of imagination by telling the chairman that there is no other organization in the U.S to implement that move. She promises to win the race even under financial

Unsymmetrical Bending of a Cantilever Lab Report

Unsymmetrical Bending of a Cantilever - Lab Report Example The equipment was set up as shown in the laboratory manual. The two rearward were loosened and the inner two datum pegs made to contact by setting the angle between the two indicators at 900. One of the specimens was selected and fitted in the bottom chuck with the top chuck fitted with the top of the specimen and the extension piece to the bottom chuck. The cord was then placed on the groove and passed over the sliding pulley. The specimen was then rotated after undoing the top chuck. The indicators were allowed to travel 10 mm forward and 3 mm backward. The frame was tapped to reduce friction and loads applied in 100 g increments upto 500 g on the end of the cord. The resulting deflectins were recorded under Head angle: 0 °Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ title. The procedure was repeated while rotating the specimen clockwise 22.5 ° while tightening. By using dU/dP  and  dV/dP  as  a  point’s  coordinate, the points therein formed the Mohr’s circle as shown in the results. From the circle, the IX and IY were calculated for the experiment and compared to the theoretical calculation. Further, the graph of U and V (mm) against the pulling mass was used to determine the influence of the readings on load’s eccentricity. This graph was useful in finding the position at which the readings of the two indicators were equal. From this, the shear center was established by determining the intersection point. In which case, whenever the load is placed at the intersection point (shear center), the beam does not twist, since the two indicators’ readings are equal (Ross, 2009, 198). In order to verify the completeness of the results, hand calculations were done and then compared with the theoretical values. In which case, the distance between shear center and line L was calculated to confirm the accuracy of the results. However, there was a difference that can be

Human Rights Essay Example for Free

Human Rights Essay Human rights and the concepts concerning the treatment of man have received much publicity since 1948 during the formulation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Protection of human rights goes way back to the early society of humans and continues to evolve with time as a leading factor in revolution and politics of any given government (Symonides 2003 p. 15). Power limitation for most governors based on the concept of human rights, which provided the foundation for judgment of the rulers’ leadership standards. United States also adopted this concept in their Bill of Rights that later developed, and through stress put on the need for international rights for human beings, the Universal Declaration got formulated too( Maddex 2000 p. 60). Currently, the human rights concept closely relates to the political organization of a society and the relationship between the government and its people. This entails the right of the citizens’ participation in politics, freedom that people should be entitled to, responsibility of the government to the people and the preservation of the people’s human rights in the process of practicing contemporary politics. Governments and states owe the people their prime dedication to maintaining and protecting the human rights; which involves their participation, recognition and expansion of the basic rights of people without necessarily infringing on meeting their basic needs. In order for a state to ascertain success in practicing contemporary politics, they need to strategize on the importance of maintaining the human rights of the people in the process of legitimizing their power and command for obedience. This paper aims to analyze the depth of concern that maintenance of human rights should receive in relation to practicing contemporary politics. The international body’s concern on rights issues dwells entirely on the policies that countries develop, their politics and the respect they maintain in regards to the rights of human beings. For instance during the end of antagonism in the East-West the United Nations strengthened their policies and stand on protecting human rights (Eade Williams 1995 p. 3). In their view of politics, in the contemporary world, they formulated ways to protect such rights; such as offering humanitarian assistance to governing bodies, team inspections in relation to weapon destruction and an effort to fight for the internally displaced citizens. The four duty levels of a state in politics require that they respect the rights regime by protecting, respecting and meeting the rights of the people. Therefore in order to achieve this fundamental objective and obligation to the people, the state needs to resist in interfering with the people’s rights, respect them, allow the freedom of sharing resources, taking part in political action and participating in political autonomy, as well. In respect to the rights of the people, the view on socio-economic rights comes into play because for the political government to be able to dispose the resources equally and satisfy the peoples needs; they face an obligation to respect the people’s rights to free utilization of resources. Regarding a collective group, let’s say the family, an association the governing bodies and the contemporary political leaders need to respect the resources belonging to these groups in relation to their rights to the use of basic resources to satisfy their needs; this is what strengthens the human relations arm of politics in any governing state (Eade Williams 1995 p. 42). Additionally, in an effort to increase and enhance machinery for rights actualization the state has to ensure they meet their obligation in committing to protect the rights of the people. In contemporary politics, the state has to make sure they put measures in place to protect the rights of the people against political, social or economical interference to avoid cases of political wrangles and conflict between the citizens and the arm of the government. This tertiary duty practicality involves establishing and maintaining a legal framework; by effectively implementing laws and regulations that would give the common man avenues to realize and enjoy their freedom and rights. On the hand, human rights form the pivot of moral doctrine that gives political order to the contemporary practice of politics. Hence the observation of human rights in reference to the international bill of rights determine the direction, scope and content usable in contemporary politics in relation to the moral norms of the people. Maintaining this moral doctrine of the rights of human beings in contemporary politics requires the application of convention measures issued in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to rights of the people to quality health care and fair, legal attention; with the aim of improving lives. While the safest way to secure favourable conditions necessary for people to live exemplary lives still stands out as human rights activism; the public authorities remain best suited to secure those conditions for the people (Carey, Gibney Poe 2010 p. 32). Therefore, the much needed importance placed on maintaining the doctrine of human rights by most national institutions and international politics; in an effort to primarily avoiding interfering with the interests of the people. Moreover, the human rights doctrine in contemporary politics contributes to the ideological and geo-political order with a clear framework defining the basis of social, political and economic conditions required to lead better lives. Thus, the importance of practically monitoring and maintaining human rights through legal recognition and validation of the doctrine. Additionally, the human rights moral justification defines the sovereignty considerations made by a nation. Since human rights direct the legitimate criteria to be followed by individual nations, any appeals made by through politics should not by any means otherwise deter the nation-states from committing fully to maintaining the basic human rights. Thus, the human rights doctrine should be highly maintained because this determines the effective way of evaluating the contemporary legitimacy of the national and international political authorities (Shawki Cox 2009 p. 36). Another subject to consider in justifying the importance of maintaining human rights in contemporary politics cuts across the identity role it plays in a community of people. Human rights define the political identity of people living in a certain community; therefore any the political authorities need to be more careful in handling matters bearing the interest of the rights of a people because, in turn this reflects on their moral jurisdiction and legitimacy of order over a sovereign state (Shawki Cox 2009 p. 0). The morality of logic and justification of the individual rights and the community as a whole adds more weight to the extent of attention paid in maintaining human rights. Authorities in the contemporary politics have an understanding that human rights imposes positively to their control of power and effectiveness in law implementation; hence most of the leaders should formulate legislative laws that grant the people the freedom and the right to universal vision and contri bution in political issues. Also, in an effort to legitimize authority in current politics, the state will have to stand up and defend the universality and morals of human rights; indicating that their political concern is not entirely based on position and power, but emanates from their primary concern to retain the dignity and rights of the human beings. Considering the legislative role that humanity assumes in politics, the authorities should embrace the concept of human rights doctrine and pursue to promote high maintenance of human rights; to present the people with better living conditions. This is because human rights initiate the orientation and demand certain goods that lack political justification hence guiding the actions undertaken in contemporary politics. Furthermore in the past, human rights took the leading role in revolution activism; the same case applies to contemporary politics whereby the positive the authorities influence put on maintaining human rights the faster they will be able to expand their democratic control and command audience of the people. Therefore, since democracy in politics and human rights directly relate, democratizing the lives of the people and establishing lasting protective measures would go into creating political order and eliminating the ambiguity that politics has on the identity of humans (Neocleous 2006 p. 135). Alternatively, obligation to establishing and maintaining human rights should be emphasized, not just as for upholding the values of the society and mankind but leaders in the contemporary political world need to view human rights as political so that they will continue to defend and formulate new ones in favour of the people they govern. Satisfaction of the people through human rights- oriented politics involves the authorities appreciating the diversity of the peoples culture, understand people’s views, realize the other value of an individual apart from political persuasion and commit to the democracy of the community; allowing them to contribute to the overall contest for political power(Nash 2010 p. 53). The best response and support showed by the people to their political leaders emerges from their willingness to evaluate their own values, their role in the community, listen to the plight of the people, exclude favouritism and exploitation in their political hierarchy and utilize their personal privileges’ in power to improve the lives of the people. This practically justifies how deep the importance of human rights relates to contemporary politics; and so the need to deduce stringent policies that govern the authorities in dispersing their duties in the political setting. The Human Rights council and the International Criminal Court fall under the few international bodies established to direct and penalize the actions of contemporary political leaders; in an effort to maintain the rights of humans. Abuse of human rights results to tension between the authorities and the people; further disrupting the already acknowledge international rights and laws governing the same hence political instability (Baehr 1994 p. 60). Consequently the probing of the ICC, leads to positive change in the doctrine of human rights as the government and political body abusing the rights of man face tough penalties. Despite these changes emanating from negative political conduct, many ascertain their success and relevance in ensuring that peoples protection from greedy and selfish governance; thus ICC has gone further to increase the penalties tied to the practice of politics in the contemporary setting to reduce the political crime against humanity and the common cases of genocide. Despite the cry, for better leadership authorities through contemporary politics continue to violate the rights of humans; leaving humanity the remedy to seal the gap between the political reality and the democracy of a secure future for the people. Addressing the depth of this issue reflecting back to the controversies in United States of the Abu Ghraib Prison and The Guantanamo Bay prisoners (Johari 1991 p. 26); there’s need to address the relevant problems surrounding the fight for human rights and public display of political awareness through varied avenues like websites. Moreover, the common man can initiate the activism to retain the rights of humans through the family unit and the community which ultimately give rise to the leaders in the contemporary world. Direct campaigns on equality and importance of human rights need more boost in creating educative awareness and affirmative action; guiding the conduct of authorities in the modern world politics in relation to protecting the interests of the common helpless man. Since poor humanity directly reflects on global change, there’s need to cultivate the spirit of togetherness between the community and the political structures present in order to improve the living conditions of people and the growing generation(Symonides 2003 p. 8). Other motivating factors that push for the maintenance of human rights arise from the fear of denial from existence. The denial of human rights supports brutality in the regime of contemporary politics, therefore, to counteract this fear from becoming reality there should be incorporation of human rights policies in political debates; in the contemporary politics paired with their respective penalties in case of violation (Baehr 1994 p. 6). Political lea ders in contemporary politics continue to source out dubious avenues to evade observing such rights hence the need for the United Nations Program on human rights to effect change in contemporary politics through legitimate arguments and conferences with the relevant political bodies, humanitarian representatives and authorities. Conclusively, without pressure on appeals made to effect and maintain human rights, authorities, in the democratic political world, would continue to argue and ignore the desirable quality of human existence. Subsequently freedom and equality in terms of speech and sharing of resources respectively, would become less meaningful in comparison to the benefits that human rights induces in politics; hence instead of politics contributing to nation building the result would only push for the eradication of human existence. Therefore, despite the efforts made by international bodies to promote and maintain human rights, the common man also needs to start human rights activism from the grass root level to merge the two(the family or community with the political unit). This will go into fostering a positive political weather and educative awareness of self protection against abuse (Steiner Alston 2000 p. 55); that ultimately sums up to the minimum efforts towards maintaining human rights to sustain humanity.

Far from the madding crowd Essay Example for Free

Far from the madding crowd Essay This shows that hardy thinks love is based upon events like How terrible! she exclaimed, and clutched him by the sleeve. Gabriel turned, and steadied her on her aerial perch by holding her arm this shows that she can depend on Oak and trust him and. BOLDWOOD chapter 31, In farmer Boldwood, hardy presents a love that is obsessive and deranged. His unreasoning devotion to Bathsheba is described as a fond madness. In chapter31 Boldwood confronts Bathsheba and we clearly see a desperate man. He is desperate man because he is willing to kill for a woman who thinks of him as she never had you. When it is clear that she had she did more than just lead him on she made and broke a promise of not seeing nay one else and broke her word by saying that she would not marry him, What you call encouragement was the childish game of an idle minute. In this Boldwood deeply blames Bathsheba for how bad he feels. In this scene Boldwood does try very hard to keep controlled and he even refers to Bathsheba as darling when she has done so much wrong to him. Hardy describes Boldwood as desperate he does this to show an erratic and unpredictable natures but have an undying devotion to Bathsheba. He describes Gabriel Oak as solid he say this to give an impression of consistency and reliability and predictable. Hardy makes that point to show the different in the types of love in the 2 suitors she refused them both and the difference between the two men is the way they react to situation. BOLDWOOD MEETS TROY chapter 34, Moreover, when Boldwood meets Troy in chapter 34 it shows yet another type of love more of a fancy, want for sex type of love emitted by Troy. That is a huge contrast to Boldwood who has a type of utterly devoted desperate love. Hardy compares Troy and Boldwood because he wants to show that he can show that both are fond of Bathsheba but some much more hardy uses words like devil may cry to describe Troy and much more powerful words like over whamming to describe Hardys point on love is it comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes and can differ as much as it does between Boldwoods and Troys does. SERGEANT TROY chapter 28, Furthermore Troy is a reckless yet attractive character. He appears brash and direct; his unpredictable and shifting nature is clearly evident in his relationship with Fanny. Troys sedation and treatment of Bathsheba is therefore, anticipated. In chapter 28 Troy had lead Bathsheba into a small-secluded area of a field where Troy enticed and teased Bathsheba. By showing off his sword play or his dexterity as hardy put its temps Bathsheba to even kiss Troy. There is a lot of meaning behind this chapter, and it has relevance through out the whole book hardy really tries to put as much emphasis on the atmosphere as possible and the feel of the read he says words like scarlet fever and fever implies it to be hot and bothered. Hardy really ties to show just how in control Troy is. Troy even lies to Bathsheba and threatened her life it is ironic that he lies to harm Bathsheba and Boldwood lies to help her. Troy is in control, this also comes into play before they get married when Troy says that if Bathsheba does not get married then he can not give Bathsheba his word that he will stay faithful putting Bathsheba in a ultimatum and he knows it so much so that he even draws attention to her breasts and lunges his sword towards her heart to remove a simple bug and when Bathsheba questions Troy he claims that 1. If she gets hurt it would have been her fault and 2. He simply says o no dexterity other than luck. It does show just how intense the moment was Bathsheba was willing to die for Troy or at least the idea of Troy witch shows a contrast between Boldwood willing to die or indeed to kill for Bathsheba for the keen rush love or a form of love. FANNY chapter, The chapter Fannys revenge sees the fragile marriage of Bathsheba and Troy finally dissolve. In the chapter, before Troy arrives Bathsheba is happy and child like and takes little care over men, but has a mans care over things like business. When Troy kisses Fannys dead body Bathsheba is lonely and miserable and desperate for Troy to kiss her that should not be too much to accept for a wife. Troy is by no means sorry for his love for Fanny, he acts as if Bathsheba is not even their, hardy shows us how he is ignoring Bathsheba by saying things like Boldwood rushed to Fanny HOPE FOR GABRIEL chapter 56, By the end of chapter 56, Gabriel realises that Bathsheba might marry him after all. Bathsheba is now ready for Gabriel because Troy is now gone as well as the part of her that needed him to control her. She may still want him but she now needs some one to lean on and trust. Bathsheba is forced to act because 2 of her 3 suitors have either died or been put away and Bathsheba likes the attention. It is like Oak to still there for Bathsheba after his whole life has been turned upside down. Hardy discusses what is important about love at the end of the chapter, he writes usually occurring through similarity of pursuits, is unfortunately seldom superadded to love between the sexes, because men and women associate, not in their labours, but in their pleasures merely he then moves on to say that love which many waters cannot quench, nor the floods drown, beside which the passion usually called by the name is evanescent as steam. All this is to show just how powerful love is. This is the whole message that the book is going to put across. THE RIGHT MAN, It is plain from the beginning that Gabriel is the right man for Bathsheba. However she is not ready for it at the begging as she needs to be more controlled and even grow up, in the begging when clever things got hard, or she was wrong she just pulled rank so to speak like when she was making leather or on the hay bail. Bathsheba begins the book as a girl and grows up into a woman because she can see that she cant always have it her way and lead people on because they will get hurt or worse die. In conclusion, hardy portrays three kinds of love they are reckless lust, shown by Troy devotion, shown by Oak and dependence, as shown by Boldwood. Hardy does not show a clear best type of love you can think what you like of the best Boldwood ends up protecting Bathsheba and almost killing himself. She does end up courting Oak but that does not mean that it is the best type of love only that it is a constant happy kind of loves. Then there is trot the one that gave Bathsheba the most enjoyment and the most unpredictability.

Business Organizations In A Global Context Commerce Essay

Business Organizations In A Global Context Commerce Essay What is a business organization? A business organization can be defined as one or more business, which has in common the person or group of people controlling it. An organization may have more than one business but a business is limited to one organization. Business organization uses a systematic approach to achieve goals. Its people, the process in place and the policies are used to ensure that the organizations mission is realised. Within the structure of the organization is its culture which is essential to the success of the organization as it hinges on the workforce working together towards a shared goal Section 1 The Key Difference Between Global Business Operations Businesses are started for any number of reasons. And there are endless types of business due to the very fact that they are all started up by different people with different personalities and goals. There are three main sectors in the business world: private, public and voluntary. The private sector is made up of organizations that are privately or independently owned and not part of the government. This sector includes corporations (profit and non-profit), partnerships and charities. Retail stores, credit unions and local business operate in the private sector. The main objectives of businesses in this sector revolve around maximum sales and market growth. Examples of Private Sector Organizations are McDonalds, Tesco and Apple. The public sector is usually composed of organizations that are owned and operated by the government. They are established to achieve different objectives of society. The public sector operates on the taxes collected. Within the public sector lie public corporations. These have been set up by Acts of Parliament to run an industry or service. Examples of such corporations are Bank of England, BBC and the Royal Mint. Voluntary groups are set up by ordinary people and they aim to help others in the local community. Although they are not owned by any one individual, someone is elected to take responsibility of setting targets, budgets and day to day running of the group. In the recent past, businesses have seen a change in the economic setting. The domestic market is no longer able to meet the demands of the globalised people. Businesses have developed to ensure it thrives in the age of globalization. This development has made many domestic businesses become a household name worldwide. Besides globalization, an improved communication technology has also been a key factor in the success of these globally operating organizations. This allows efficient communication and swift access to global markets. One other strategy employed by global organizations is market research. This will help organizations pin point profitable areas for marketing. The internet and world-wide web has made available databases which enable organizations to access relevant information at a reasonable cost Section 2 The Impact of External Factors on Organization A number of factors are taken into consideration when measuring how the performance of a national economy impacts the activities of business organizations. Output effect: this is a measure profits generated by businesses in the UK Income effect: this is a measure of total income generated by businesses in the UK Employment effect: this is a measure of the number of jobs created by a businesses in the UK Further to this the direct, indirect and induced impacts of the categories above are generated using the IMPLAN methodology where the effects of the aforementioned are combined to reflect the total economic impact on the activities of business organizations. Direct impact: represents the purchase of goods and services by business owners from other businesses in the UK Indirect impact: represents business- business transactions, where the suppliers of the business owners purchase goods and services from other suppliers in the country Induced impact: The employees of the business owners and the employees of the indirectly affected businesses purchase goods and services in the UK. The second wave of economic impacts known more commonly as the induced effect is created b these purchases. The government has taken numerous steps to influence businesses. In some regions their influence is great but in most parts of the world they are kept at bay by capitalist leanings. Among the measures taken by governments is positive discrimination, also known as affirmative action. The term affirmative action was first used in the United States in  Executive Order 10925  and was signed by President  John F. Kennedy  on 6 March 1961; it was used to promote actions that achieve non-discrimination. Itrequires government employers to take affirmative action to hire without regard to race, religion and national origin. This law forces businesses to hire staff they might not have considered to hire in the past. Section 3 The Impact of Global Factors on Business Organizations How businesses are run differ country to country. A combination of a number of factors such as marketing, sales and technical skills are required to increase the productivity of a business. What makes a business successful relies a lot on the staff and the world experience they bring to the business. This varied background is what brings fresh insights to solving old problems as issues are seen from different viewpoints. Global integration is a challenge faced by all organizations. The environment in which the business is in prescribes changes in the structure of the organization. In addition to this there is also language, culture and regulations to deal with. In this instance it is essential that the organization does its best to foresee complications that may arise and put in place actions to overcome them. International trade has both good and bad effects on domestic products and services. International trade pumps money into local economies, which helps produce more goods for the local markets. It helps expand the local markets because the money derived from it goes into other business ventures. On the negative side, international trade shrinks local markets because some imports are far much cheaper than local manufactured goods. This results in people shunning local goods for the cheaper imports. The global economy has had an amazing impact on the way companies do business. In addition to the tremendous opportunities for growth and expansion into new markets that it brings, it also leads to interesting and unique challenges, as have been mentioned in the earlier paragraph. When contemplating expanding internationally organizations should consider a number of factors in order for it to be successful. Being strategic about the countries chosen to expand in Having a local presence in the country Taking into careful consideration the people, the culture and business environment Ensure all employees who are not local be given cultural awareness training Financial stability Developments in technology have made communications swifter and more efficient. Information Communication Technology has had a very positive impact on global economy. It can be said that ICT is one of the precursors to the success of global economy. Emails and internet ready mobile phones has allowed globalization to take place. The internet is also key to the achievements in banking, production of capitalism and globalization. ICT has made the banking industry the economic mover of the world. The adoption of ICT in banks has improved customer services, facilitated accurate records, provides forHome and Office Banking services, ensures convenient business hour, prompt and fair attention, and enhances fasterservices.ICT directlyaffects how managers decide and plan and what products and services are offered in thebanking industry. It has continued to change the way banks and their corporate relationships areorganized worldwide and the variety of innovative devices available to enhance the speed and qualityof service delivery. Not only has ICT impacted the globalization of banking, it had also impacted productivity. Productivity is one of the driving forces of economic progress. ICT has impacted economic progress in two ways. Firstly it has made it possible for an organization to spread itself around the globe, i.e. headquarters in London, design facilities in California and manufacture in China. The second way in which ICT has affected productivity lie in the ways in which companies are producing. Lines in the manufacturing industry which used to rely heavily on manpower have been replaced by computerised robotic production lines leading to faster, more efficient and better quality products. Section 4 A Review of the Current Issues Impacting On Business Activities After the recession of 2010, the global financial system remained fragile but this did not last for very long as economies started moving toward recovery and growth. Some economies, especially those from the emerging markets, continued to grow rapidly. There are six broad, long-term developments that shape the business world: Emerging markets increase their global power Clean-tech becomes a competitive advantage Global banking seeks recovery through transformation Governments enhance ties with the private sector Rapid technology innovation creates a smart, mobile world Demographic shifts transform the global workforce Global economies are strongly unified that companies, governments and industries will find that they are forced to cooperate in ways they did not imagine a few years ago. Ernst  Ã‚  Young believe the six trends are themselves connected by three underlying drivers that have helped establish each trend and perpetuate it. Demographic shifts that see population growth, increased urbanization, a widening divide between countries with youthful and quickly aging populations and a rapidly growing middle class are reshaping not only the business world, but also society as a whole. Reshaped global power structure. The balance of global power between the public and private sector has shifted quickly as the world recovers from the worst recession in decades. Disruptive innovation.  Improvements in technology continue to have massive effects on business and society. Emerging markets have become sourcesof innovation, especially in its efforts to reach the growing middle class and low-income consumers around the globe. As these trends change the ways in which businesses operate, grow and compete, winners and losers inevitably will emerge. The winners will be easy to identify. These are the organizations that will monitor trends in the environment, look for talent everywhere and embrace technology. They look outwards in their attempt to adapt to local environments and create global workforces. They are looking in to ways in which Clean-tech can fit into their growth plans and making it part of their global strategy. It is essential for organizations to develop strategies that will help expand the business in the environment it is set in. These strategies should address the issues that affect the business. A deep knowledge of the culture of the environment is key to success. Understanding the values and beliefs will promote the business as this makes the locals feel that the organization respects its interests and needs. Many times language can be a barrier. If effective communication does not take place business activities will slow down and in some instances come to a halt. Employees will need to be able to communicate verbally at a basic level, with on-going training to develop their language skills. It may be necessary in this instance to hire an interpreter or hire locals to do the job. The regulations of the country may also form another inhibitor. Each country comes with its own laws and regulations that apply to all businesses. A highly skilled and experienced specialist with experience in global integration would be the ideal choice. Such a person would help the company not only resolve and regulatory problems but also iron out problems where language and culture are concerned. Conclusion As businesses and governments move forward they will need to think deeply about the opportunities and risks that are presented by changing trends and the forces behind them. The mindset of organizations needs to undergo a transformation so that it can re-imagine what is possible, discover what they can do that is new and how to do it. With a different mindset, they can re-imagine what is possible, discovering what they can do that is new, and how best to do it. The dynamics of the global market is changing. Emerging markets are coming out strong and as they rise so do their companies. Many companies that had previously posed no competitive threat to multinational corporations now do so.These emerging market leaders represent a major shift in the global competitive landscape a trend that will only strengthen as they grow in size, establish dominance and seek new opportunities beyond their traditional domestic and near-shore markets.Those that succeed may find themselves not just navi gating tomorrows global trends, but actually shaping them.

Ethanol Proposal Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays Gas

Ethanol Proposal Purpose As the number toxin spewing cars rises, pollution has presented itself as a major problem in urban areas. There have been many solutions presented to help solve this problem, but few have been widely accepted by the general public. I believe the pollution problem is one that cannot be solved in one big step, but in smaller steps. I see Ethanol use as one of those steps. The intention of this proposal is to recommend an approach that would lead to widespread use of ethanol. Background Concern about air quality has been around for years. Emissions have long since been a contributing factor to air pollution. Ethanol didn't get its first real big push until the federal Clean Air Acts of 1990. These acts required that oxygenated fuels, such as ethanol, be added to gasoline to reduce harmful emissions such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, sulfur, and nitrates. So far these acts only apply to cities in which ozone and carbon monoxide levels are too high, as determined by the public health standards. Ozone and carbon monoxide are toxic in certain levels to humans outside of urban areas, but are not regulated. Needs The search for a cleaner burning fuel is not a new one. Although most people know that they?re cars are spewing out toxins that are harmful to the environment, they drive the car anyway. In this modern day when faster is better, cars have become necessities. Air pollution caused by cars hasn?t always been such a big problem. When there were fewer cars on the road, nobody thought anything about the possible consequences. Not thinking ahead has always been human nature though. Environment concerns have only arisen in the past few decades because technology has allowed scientist to m... ...is a direct product of corn and many other crops), the federal budget and the unemployment rate. Implementation and Recommendation Implementation of a tax break such as this would require action taken by the general public who is already knowledgeable about ethanol. These people must take the time to call their state and nationally elected representatives and ask for such a bill that would include the two-cent tax incentive. People must also vote for ethanol supporters when election time rolls around. Since this is a political proposal, it must be carried out by elected officials and then be supported by the public. Sources Cited: 1.Iowa Department of Natural Resources, "Ethanol Promotion," 1999 www.state.ia.us/government/dnr/energy/programs/ren/ethanol.htm 2. Renewable Fuels Association, "Ethanol Industry Outlook," 1998 www.enthanolIRFA.org

The College Choir Concert :: essays papers

The College Choir Concert On Wednesday, May 23rd, I attended the College Choir concert in the Reamer Campus Center. The choir performed a variety of songs, ranging from pieces in Latin to traditional American folksongs. Two of the pieces featured solos, and one even featured percussion instruments. Mrs. Elinore Farnum provided piano accompaniment for each of the songs, and performed beautifully. I was extremely impressed by the talented choir members and their ability to sing such a varied range of songs. The first song, Magnificat in C, was one of the longer songs performed, and featured many solos by Union students. This song is in Latin, but due to the English translation the audience received prior to the performance, we were able to follow along and comprehend the lyrics. This song demonstrated the various parts of a choir and allowed the sopranos, altos, and tenors to express themselves through sectional solos. The second piece, Paratum Cor Meum, was a much shorter piece with very few lyrics. It was interesting to hear a piece by Haydn, since we had discussed this composer in class. I was impressed by the choir members’ ability to remember words in another language, and I enjoyed the sounds of the piano accompaniment. â€Å"Reuben, Reuben† was a much happier song and the first of the songs performed in English; however, my favorite pieces were â€Å"Water Come-A-Me Eye† and â€Å"Great Day!† I especially enjoyed â€Å"Water Come-A-Me Eye† because of the percussion instruments that some of the choir members played. Jasmina Begovic kept a steady beat on the maracas and provided a pleasant accompaniment to the melodies of the choir. The other percussion instruments were equally enjoyable and added an element to the song that other songs did not have. â€Å"Great Day!† was particularly enjoyable because of the fast-paced rhythm and the energy of the performers. This song had a faster tempo than the other songs and was a great way to conclude the concert. Though it seemed as if the entire concert had picked up speed when the choir sang â€Å"Reuben, Reuben,† â€Å"Guantanamera,† and â€Å"Water Come-A-Me Eye† consecutively, the rhythm eventually slowed down when they performed â€Å"Fare You Well,† a traditional American folksong with a rather melancholy sound to it.