Business Culture in Italy

Doing business abroad introduces international business people to differences in approaches to business, business etiquette and protocol. Although these may not be crucial to business proceedings they should not be dismissed as unnecessary. Cross cultural awareness can enhance the potential of the international business person's trip considerably. Let us look at a brief example: There are two business people each planning on doing business in Italy. Both have similar proposals. One ignores the possible impact of culture and concentrates their efforts on the business proposal. The other also invests time and energy in the proposal but in addition realises that doing business in Italy is a lot different to doing business in the UK or USA. They look into the business etiquette of Italy, the way in which meetings are conducted and negotiation styles. Nine times out of ten the latter of the two will have the advantage. They will be able to tailor their proposal and demeanour to gel better with the Italian way. In addition, they would endear themselves to the Italian hosts. This guide to doing business in Italy is designed as a brief introduction to areas business people should take into consideration before travelling to Italy. Doing Business – Etiquette Good manners and courtesy are prized qualities in Italy. When doing business in Italy ensure your conduct is always polished. There are etiquettes and protocols for many social and business situations, however, it is important to remember that Italians rate considerateness above behavioural formulas. When meeting and departing always shake hands. This is valid for both individuals and groups. After doing business in Italy for a period of time and building relationships do not be surprised if you are embraced when being met. This indicates the relationship has reached an intimate level. When doing business in Italy you will notice that little personal space is left between people when interacting. In addition, Italians are a tactile people. Moving away or keeping your distance may be interpreted as cold and unfriendly. If you are familiar with Italian, use the polite ‘lei' form until a relationship is established, then use the more informal ‘tu' form. When doing business in Italy, address people using ‘Signor' (m) or ‘Signora' (f) followed by their surname. ‘Dottore' (m) or ‘Dottoressa' (f) is used for those who have graduated. When doing business in Italy, dress to impress. It is no coincidence that Versace, Gucci, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana are all Italian fashion houses. Italians like to make an impression with their clothes. What you wear speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. Doing Business – Punctuality Italians are usually relaxed around issues relating to time. Being late with a good reason will not have any negative consequences. However, deliberate lateness is considered sloppy and taking people's time for granted is simply rude. When doing business in Italy err on the side of caution and aim to be punctual. Doing Business – Business Entertaining Hospitality plays a key role in Italian business culture. Invitations to lunch and dinner are to be expected when doing business there. At such occasions a small exclusive group will usually be present. Each attendee will have a particular interest in your visit. If you plan to host a meal, ask the most senior Italian contact who you should invite. Dining does have certain protocol in Italy. However, do not place too much emphasis on this as more time would be spent worrying about etiquette mistakes than enjoying the experience. Major etiquette tips are that the most honoured guest sits at the middle of the table or on the right of the host; the host always pays; pass dishes to the left; keep your knife in the right hand and fork in the left and do not answer phone calls at the table. Doing Business – Meeting and Negotiations Italians prefer to do business with someone they know. When doing business in Italy, use contacts and networks to introduce you before proceeding to set up meetings. To arrange a meeting write, in Italian, first. Follow this up with a phone call, fax or e-mail. The best time for meetings is between 10 – 11 a. m. and after 3 p. m. Avoid August as most businesses will run on skeleton staff due to holidays. Negotiations can be slow. Demonstrating a sense of urgency is seen as a sign of weakness. At the beginning of a meeting avoid business and concentrate on some small talk. Topics of discussion could include Italian culture, food, wine and football (soccer). Italians will take away proposals and analyse them carefully. Be sure to offer as much information as possible in written form for them to take away. A known Italian tactic is to dramatically change demands at the eleventh hour to unsettle or test the flexibility of their counterparts. Remain firm. Location: Southern Europe, bordering Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3. 2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km Capital: Rome Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south Population: 58,057,477 (July 2004 est. ) Ethnic Make-up: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south) Religions: predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community Government: republic The Italian Language Italian is the official language of Italy, and 93% of population are native Italian speakers. Around 50% of population speak a regional dialect as mother tongue. Many dialects are mutually unintelligible and thus considered by linguists as separate languages, but are not officially recognised. Friulian, one of these dialects, is spoken by 600,000 people in the north east of Italy, which is 1% of the entire population. Other northern minority languages include Ladin, Slovene, German, which enjoys equal recognition with Italian in the province of Alto-Adige, and French, which is legally recognised in the Alpine region of the Val d'Aosta. Albanian is spoken by 0. 2% of the population, mainly in the southern part of Italy, as too are Croatian and Greek. Catalan is spoken in one city, Alghero, on the island of Sardinia, by around 0. 07% of the population. On the rest of the island, Sardinian is spoken by over 1m, which comes to 1. 7% of the Italian population.

Diverse Leadership Wealth of Our Nation Essay

Diversity is the mosaic of people who bring a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, styles, perspectives, values and belief to a group with which they are to interact. Diversity is a variation in ideas, opinion, cultural and ethnical background, style, values, and beliefs. Diversity is very essential in the portfolio of any organization or team that seeks optimum performance. The best form of learning is by learning from people with diverse ideas and methods of reasoning. Diversity is important in a team, because there will be more than enough idea and skill pool, which the team can benefit from when carrying out assignments and activities. Most people think of it simply as differences in race, nationality, or gender, but true diversity encompasses these attributes along with differences in opinions, ideologies, and interests, among other things. People tend to reflect on diversity as simply demographic, a matter of race, gender or age. However, groups can be disparate in many ways. Diversity also is based on informational differences, reflecting a person’s education and experience, and on values or goals that can influence what one perceives to be the mission of something as small as a single meeting or as large as a whole company. Diversity among employees can create better performance when it comes to creative tasks such as product development or cracking new markets. Managers have been trying to increase diversity to achieve the benefits of innovation and fresh ideas. Over the years, corporations and fortune 500 companies embraced diversity. They pushed diversity to the fore-front and embarked on campaigns to recruit, train and retain a diversified work force. The essential ingredients of performance in the workplace in the United States have always been teams and team-work. Companies built their teams in such a way that it always included people with diverse backgrounds, opinions and culture. Diversity within these teams brought about higher success rates in activities and projects because the team were able to pull ideas, strengths, knowledge and resources from a wider range of intellectual capital. The study of diversity in the workplace has taken on new importance as changing economics prompt many companies to restructure themselves into flatter, more decentralized entities. The result is that today’s corporations are built around groups that must find answers to novel and complicated business issues. These teams bring together diverse groups of people who incorporate a variety of backgrounds, ideas and personalities. Large corporations like JPMorgan Chase, Exxon-Mobil, General Electric, Ford Motor Company, American Express Company, Wells Fargo & Company, Washington Mutual Inc. , Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs were often honored for distinguishing themselves with first in class diversity initiatives in the Financial Services Industry. First the housing market collapsed; which impacted the financial markets; which impacted the stock market. On September 14, 2008, the financial industry held its breath as it watched the fall and death of Wall Street. Lehman Brothers collapsed; Merrill Lynch was sold to bank Of America. What followed was a veritable redrawing of the industrial map: Former cornerstones of the nation’s economy filed for bankruptcy or merged with larger companies to stay afloat. As the mergers are finalized, the new fear within the industry is not so much whether the companies will survive, but will the employees? â€Å"Regarding hiring, everybody will be affected,† said Carlos Orta, president and CEO of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. Carlos Orta knew everybody will be hurt, but his fears were the impact the freeze and layoffs will have on Hispanics. In all, the financial industry is thought to have lost more than 3000,000 jobs since the crisis started. Mr. Orta predicts that the restructuring of the financial industry will force it to focus more on diversity, because its customers will hold them accountable. He said that JPMorgan, which is now essentially a bank, will have to deal with banking issues. This will be a shock to their system because they don’t subscribe to diversity and never have, he said. The impact the financial crises will have on diversity in the workplace has been the subject of several discus and forums in the last couple of months. The discussion was part of Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. ’s 12th Annual Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project Economic Summit. The panel â€Å"The Economic Crisis on Diversity and Diversity Initiatives† explored the economy’s impact on women and people of color in the cooperate world. Many of the panelists weighed whether women and people of color have been disproportionately affected by downsizing due to the weak economy. Diversity in large corporations is definitely hard hit by the financial crisis. In recent years advocacy groups have pushed up the number of blacks and other traditionally underrepresented minorities being hired and promoted by financial firms. This current economic crisis has impacted every sector of the U. S. economy . During tough economic times; organizations are forced to focus on their â€Å"core business†. Projects and Initiatives such as diversity that reside in their support area may be delayed or cut often with trepidation about the potential impact delay will have on efforts to build an inclusive culture. Now, as financial firms and other companies downsize or disappear, many of those hired through diversity initiatives have been losing their jobs. As companies trim their workforce and cut costs to weather a faltering economy, women and minorities brace as they bare the possible brunt of the layoffs. Subha Barry, managing director of global diversity and inclusion at Merrill Lynch said that most of her firms’ diversity initiatives were tied to increasing revenue. In the words of Barbara Thomas, president and CEO of the National Black MBA â€Å" As we all know, when anything goes wrong in this country, black employees are hit harder than most other races† . She also stated that, When America gets a cold, black America gets pneumonia. Diversity hiring in the finance and insurance industries has been on the upswing in recent years. Some people opine that the actual effect on diversity when companies merge or downsize will likely vary according to the companies’ layoff and retention policies. Thomas said the Black MBA organization has been trying to refocus on industries less affected by the financial crisis: health care and biotech, global media and entertainment, energy, and food and beverages. The association she says, has been encouraging its members to pursue these industries. Yvonne Hart, associate director of MBA student programming at the Robert Toigo Foundation, which awards fellowships to minority students at business schools, said her organization has been keeping a close eye on how the financial crisis is affecting minority students. â€Å"We always have concerns about that, and definitely those concerns have intensified over the past 12 months† Hart said her organization has changed its programming in response to the recent turmoil of the past two weeks, adding six sector-focused Web seminars on navigating industries other than investment banking and intensified interview and mentorship guidance. The group also held a town hall-style conference call meeting last week, in which four professionals from the investment banking industry spoke to 130 minority business school students considering careers in finance, giving them insights and career tips on how to move forward in the new financial landscape. It’s not just racial minorities who are concerned. When word broke of Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy filing, the Forte Foundation, which encourages female MBA candidacies, sent out an e-mail to all the women in their database, reminding them of the career resources the group offers. Apart from the direct impact of layoffs, diversity advocates fear many financial firms will eliminate or cut back human resources or diversity programs. Most industries are already seeing the departure of some top diversity advocates and there are worries that there will be more to come in the next few months. It’s more that the people that are leaving are the ones who were around for years and knew the corporationa and really got what diversity was about. There’s going to be a lot more scrutiny at these companies. If they keep pulling staff, they can’t always justify keeping the programs and partnerships they are supporting. Also at stake is continued corporate sponsorship of diversity organizations. For instance, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, an organization that trains black, Hispanic, and Native American young people for business leadership positions, lists insurance giant American International Group and investment banks Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and Goldman Sachs as among their corporate sponsors. It is pertinent to note that two of their sponsors have ceased to be in existence. In conclusion, it is evident the concept of diversity will continue to be an intricate aspect of the business environments of today and in the future. Organizations must embrace and understand the importance of diversity in order to remain competitive, respond to globalization and promote innovation and productivity within its organization. Strong commitment and leadership will provide the necessary cultural atmosphere that promotes an inclusive environment. Training, education and effective communication will help execute strong change management practices. The rationale for understanding and managing diversity has never been stronger. As new possibilities and opportunities in the business environment arise, the need for diversity programs will be the key to successful organizations of the future. The world today is more diverse than ever before. Our ethnicity, religion, life experiences and all other personal attributes make us unique individuals. We all need to learn to accept what is different from us and more importantly respect it. In this environment, companies are going to have to be very, very savvy and very smart in terms of maintaining talent in their pipeline that is not just white males and even white females. They need to continually maintain a diversified workforce. There has been no report or research that has proved that diversity initiatives in large corporations is in part responsible for the current financial turmoil the economy is in If you want to really be ahead of the curve in your workforce, you have to pay attention to demographics. The pessimist in me says that diversity will slip down the agenda, for most firms, because in tough times business executives could be tempted to fall back on old, familiar practices rather than introducing innovative new ones. But there was also an optimistic way of looking at things, if companies were going to have to shed staff to cope with the crisis, what better time to restructure their operations so that workforces are more diverse. Since the financial crisis is forcing companies to reassess their core values and part of this process would involve a greater commitment to diversity. With a more diverse mix, companies will become a more wholesome organization which will herald new ways of doing business, post-financial crises era. Companies should embark on mundane diversity initiatives, with programs which will help recruit and retain minorities. Once hired, promotion policies that encourage diversity will ensure the best people get to top management positions, and these will stir these companies to paths of success and profitability. Despite all of the economic turmoil facing the workforce or even because of the turmoil there is a need for large corporations to maintain a strong focus on diversity. There has been no time better that now to invest smartly in diversity.

Die Opvoeder as Leier, Bestuurder En Administrateur

Question 1 1. 1. Write a paragraph in which you discuss the role of communication in creatinga sustainable positive atmosphere in your classroom. Communication is the transmission of an idea by someone, thesender, and the understanding thereof by another, the receiver. Communication is important to the success of any relationship,without it the relationship is doomed to fail. In order to increase thequality of the relationship the communication needs to be effective.Effective communication between the educator and the learners Inhis/her class is essential in order to create and maintain a positiveatmosphere in the classroom. 1. 2. Write a paragraph in which you discuss the importance of establishingpositive educator-learner relationships in the creation of a sustainablepositive atmosphere in your classroom. A positive educator-learner relationship is important as it enablesboth the educator and the learners to risk being honest with eachother, care about each other, it promotes inter dependence, ensuresmutual needs are met and allows each individual to develop their  own individuality.The creation of the above leads to trust between the educator andlearners and as such will result in a positive classroom atmosphere. Creating a good educator-learner relationship involves the following(Coetzee 2010:87): ? Creating open, professionally appropriate dialogue with learners. ?  Ã‚  Systematically building better relationships with learners. ?  Ã‚  Maintaining a high rate of positive to negative statements. ?  Ã‚  Communicating high expectations. ?  Ã‚  Creating opportunities for personal discussion.Guidelines that can be used to avoid the negative effects of educator  expectations are as follows (Coetzee 2010:87): †¢ Use sensitive information on learners carefully. †¢    Be flexible in your use of group strategies. Be careful how you respond to low-achieving learners duringclass discussions. ? Use materials that show a wide range of ethnic group s. Be fair inyour evaluation and disciplinary procedures. ? Communicate to all learners that you believe that they can learn. ? Involve all learners in learning tasks and privileges. ? Monitor your non-verbal communication. . 3. Discuss how you would promote learner participation in a multiculturalclassroom by creating a learning environment that supports socialising andintercultural interaction . ? I would first read through all the learning materials for that givensubject in order to determine if there is any aspect of the work or  activities which may be culturally insensitive to any of thelearners in the class. ? I am aware that cognitive learning styles are culturally dependentand therefore will use a variety of teaching styles, methods andstrategies in my teaching of the class. ?In order for the learners to participate and actively cooperate witheach other it is necessary to be aware of any instances of  cultural insensitivity immediately and take action, a way to avoidthe se situations, I could allow those members of differentcultures to explain about certain aspects of their culture to theother members of the class. This way I as the educator and theclass will learn about other cultures. ? I expect all the learners in my class to achieve to the best of their  ability as all people are able to learn provided they put in the timeand effort to do so.I am also aware that the academic andlearning ability of learners differ, so they at the beginning of theacademic year are required to set their own personal goals whichthey then work towards. These goals set are at levels slightlyabove what each learner believes they can achieve in order tochallenge them. When checking work done in activities the class needs to assistthe learner who is answering the specific question if they makean error in order to correct it, if they are unable to detect or  correct the error, I as the educator assist in guiding them to thecorrect answer. Question 2 2. 1.Name five wa ys in which educators can improve learner motivation in theclassroom . a) Make the learning task more challenging. b) Place less emphasis on teaching and grades. c) Move from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation. d) Have high expectations of each learner. e) Increase the learners ¶ perception that they control the learningsituation. 2. 2. Draw up the following of a classroom policy: 2. 2. 1. Aims and objectives of our class . Class Aims: To achieve our academic and intellectual potential through hardwork as a cooperative group, while promoting the acceptance of  others and respect for others.Individual Objectives: Each individual sets their own goals to achieve at the end of theyear (long-term) in order to contribute to the overall class aim. In order to achieve their own end of year goals the learners setshorter term goals in order to assist them in achieving their long-term goals. 2. 2. 2. Rules for our classroom . 1) We must respect ourselves, others and the educator. 2) We must be on time. 3) We must enter the class quietly, and get ready to work. 4) We need to bring all our stationary and books to class. 5) We must raise our hands to ask questions in class. ) We must not eat nor drink in class7) We must never disrupt another learner ¶s work. 8) We don ¶t leave litter on the floor, we put it in the bin. 2. 2. 3. Task division . Educator: ? Always prepared and punctual. ? Provide assistance to learners. ? Manage the classroom appropriately. ? Discipline learners fairlyLearners: ? Ensure all work is completed on time. ? Maintain a clean learning environment. ? Respect one another. ? Make sure all learning materials are brought to class. 2. 3. Define the following concepts: 2. 3. 1. L eadership The ability of an individual to influence other individuals or a groupto achieve goals. 2. 3. 2. C ntrol Assessment of work done and where necessary to realign andcorrect work done which is incorrect or not up to standard. 2. 3. 3. I ntrinsic motivation An inner d esire to be successful at a certain task (self-motivation) 2. 3. 4 . C ommunication The transmission of an idea by someone, the sender, and theunderstanding thereof by another. Communication can be verbal or  non-verbal. 2. 3. 5 . Co-operative learning A team approach to learning where each member of the group isdependent on the other members to accomplish a specific learningtask on an assignment. 2. 4 . Describe the autocratic and democratic styles of classroom management .Autocratic leadership style: Autocratic leadership is an educator-centred approach to theclassroom which is characterised by the strong leadership role of theeducator. The main focus of this type of leadership is on thecompletion of tasks and the learners ¶ ability to listen, work and do. Theadvantages of this type of leadership include the promotion of goodorder and an established routine in which some learners feel moresecure. The drawbacks of this type of leadership include one-waycommunication, rigid disc ipline, passive learner participation, a morereserved and unapproachable educator and little room for creativethinking.Democratic leadership style: This leadership style is characterised by educators that have goodsubject knowledge, who are good natured, helpful, fair, and warm. Educators who practice this management style encourage learner  participation. The advantages of this type of leadership include learner  confidence to participate in classroom activities, a relaxed positiveatmosphere and learners constantly being involved in learningactivities. 2. 5 . Explain how a message is conveyed by referring to the communication processmodel . In order for there to be communication there first needs to be apurpose for communication or a message to be conveyed.Thismessage is then encoded by the sender and passed onto the receiver  via a communication medium. The message is then decoded by thereceiver. This results in a transfer of meaning from the sender to thereceiver, who then may give feedback back to the sender. Question 3  µ A delict is an unlawful, culpable (intentional or negligent) act (or omission)committed by a person, which infringes the rights of another or causes himor her harm.  ¶ (Coetzee 2010:188) ? To constitute delict, one person must have caused harm or damage to another byhis or her action or conduct .The conduct must be voluntary human action and maybe either a positive action or an omission .  µ In terms of this element of delictual liability the school can be held liable asthey failed to remove the piece of steel or at least clearly demarcate thearea around the piece of steel, in order to make people aware of it. Thecoach, knowing that there is a possibility that players could fall during thewarm up due to the nature of the sport, could also be held responsible asthe teams were responsible for choosing a warm up area and the coachshould as such have checked the area for any objects that could causeharm to team members. The act w hich causes harm must be wrongful, that is, it must be legallyreprehensible or unreasonable in terms of the legal convictions of the community . To test for unlawfulness, the boni mores principle is applied . The question here iswhether the harm caused was unjustified in the circumstances . I n the absence of  wrongfulness a defendant may not be held liable .  µ The school can be held liable as they should have taken all precautions tohelp to prevent an injury of this nature to any person on their schoolgrounds.Knowing that they were hosting a basketball tournament theyshould have removed any objects that could cause injuries to any playersor clearly demarcate the areas where there could be concerns over theplayer ¶s safety. The coach in being responsible for the safety of his teamshould have thoroughly inspected the area chosen for the warm up for anydangerous objects. ? The act must be the result of fault in the form of intent (d  olus) or negligence(culpa) . Fault refers to blameworthy attitude or conduct of someone who has actedwrongfully .  µThe coach of the team was negligent as he should have inspected thearea for any danger to the players, if he had done so he would have seenthe piece of steel and then either have chosen a different warm up area or  at least warn the players to either avoid that area or be careful around it. The school could be seen to be negligent for failure to remove the piece of  steel or clearly demarcate the area around the piece of school. ? There is a casual relationship between the conduct of the perpetrator and the harmsuffered by the victim . I general, it should be shown that the person ·s injury didresult from the actions of the person charged with negligence . I n other words, theremust be a clear casual relationship between the act and the injury . A person cannotbe held liable if he or she has not caused any damage .  µ The school ¶s negligence in not removing the piece of steel or demarcatingthe are a around it resulted in the injury to the player, as such they can beheld liable. The coach for not thoroughly inspecting the area in which theplayers would warm up could also be held liable. ?A delict is a wrongful and culpable act which has harmful consequences . Damagesin the form of patrimonial loss or non-patrimonial loss must be present . There mustbe a connection between the negligent conduct and the injury (physical or mental ) . To receive an award for damages, a plaintiff must have suffered an injury as a resultof the defendant ·s negligent conduct . The plaintiff must prove that some damageoccurred . Although the injury or damage does not need to be substantial for anaward to be ordered, the injury must be real rather than be imagined .The courts aregenerally reluctant to award damages where there is not some form of injury .  µ Damages are present which are due to the negligent conduct on the partof the school, not removing the piece of steel or demarcating the areas urrounding the piece of steel, and coach, for not thoroughly inspectingthe area on which his players will be using to warm up. Contributory fault is where a learner does not show the degree of carenormally expected form someone of his or her age, knowledge andexperience.If this is present the educator will not be solely liable for anydamages resulting from an injury by his or her act. In the case in question,if the basketball tournament is for a junior age group (ie. under 15 ¶s) or asenior age group (ie. under 18 ¶s) will determine if there is contributory faulton the part of the learner ¶s. Under 18 learners ¶ can reasonably beexpected to be responsible enough to check themselves for any danger onthe warm up area chosen. Whereas the under 15 learners ¶ cannotreasonably be expected to check for any danger.

History of Mining engineering Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History of Mining engineering - Research Paper Example Researches on the history of mining tell us that mining engineering is an ancient form of engineering, the roots of which go back to the beginning of civilization. Agriculture and mining, the primary industries of early civilization, have been the first two endeavors of humans. Both of these fields also meet the primary needs of humans. Considering the importance of mining for oil and gas production, we can truly say that mining has continued to supply all basic resources not only to the ancient civilization but also to the modern world. People have been using stones and other metals since the beginning of the civilization. In those days, there was no special machinery to dig out precious minerals from the ground. People used to carry out mining operations by hands. In addition, those mining operations were not very scientific or technology based. The only method found for mining in the ancient Roman civilization was by setting fire on the exposed rocks in order to break and remove them.

Economic Tiger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economic Tiger - Essay Example Singapore is one of the leading economies in the world and is one of the economic tigers experiencing rapid economic progress over the period of time. Though smaller in geographical size, Singapore is considered as one of the leading economic hubs in international economy. One of the essential characteristics of the growth rates achieved by Singapore was its highly skilled and educated labor force. (Tulshyan, 2010). It is also important to note that the Singapore, as against other countries in the block, developed itself also as a financial hub of the region rather than achieving the growth mainly through industrialization. The overall economic growth is attributed to the export led growth which is mostly controlled through the state owned institutions. (Medina, 1996). Export of chemicals, refined oil as well as electronics are the main source of revenue for the country. Though geographically Singapore may be at disadvantage owing to its overall size and proximity with other countrie s, however, Singapore has been able to achieve the economic growth through a mixture of economic liberalization and state controlled institutions which are supporting the economy and creating the required level of economic prosperity.

How successful has the prison system been in achieving a balance Essay

How successful has the prison system been in achieving a balance between disciplinary and therapeutic strategies in dealing with - Essay Example Northern Ireland has the least number of inmates at less than 2,000 and only few prisons. Drug abuse in the UK is governed by Misuse of Drugs Act and several other laws that prohibit organised crimes related to illicit drugs. It is estimated that over 300,000 individuals in UK consume illegal drugs and one third of the drug addicts engage in routine crimes. About 75,000 drug users enter the prison system annually with about 16 percent of the drug addicts abusing drugs regularly while in prison (Robinson & Crow 2009). On average, 55 percent of prisoners have drug related problems while about one third of suicide deaths and self-harm crimes are committed within the first week of imprisonment (Robinson & Crow 2009). The UK prison system has successfully attained a balance between the disciplinary role of the prison strategies and therapeutic strategies in dealing with drug abuse problem (Tonry 2004). Historically, any prison system was used to discipline the offenders through harsh puni shments and long imprisonment terms. However, due to the high number of repeat offenders, many prison systems including the United Kingdom have implemented new measures of rehabilitating the offenders and controlling repeat offences (Robinson & Crow 2009). ... The prison system has contained the offenders in a humane manner thus allowing the offenders to successfully integrate in the society after their imprisonment term (Gravett 2000). Substance abuse is a critical problem among the prison population. Therapeutic treatments for the offenders benefit both the individual and wider society. Some therapeutic strategies include detoxification in order to manage the withdrawal symptoms and prevent the long run relapse in to substance abuse (Mathiesen 2006). The UK prison system has also implemented community based therapeutic services within the prisons that enable health workers to attend to drug offenders. The National Probation Service ensures that the prison staffs continually improve the access to therapeutic care and implement strategies that minimize supply of drugs in the prison system (Tonry 2004). Some of the challenges experienced in the therapeutic strategies include illicit access of drugs in the prisons, increased harm to prisoner s due to overdose and integration of the CARAT services in to a multi-agency therapeutic team. The prison system provides methadone or buprenorphine that is made to limit withdrawal symptoms. The prison population has increased and role of drug enforcement must be emphasized. Significant populations of the drug offenders are seeking minimal punishments under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Drug law enforcement is responsible for about one third of the imprisoned offenders in the UK prison system. Illegal drug users over the age of 18 years are considered serious criminals while high drug dependency among the low-income individuals is likely to engage in other

Personal Finance Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Personal Finance Assignment - Essay Example The current disposable monthly income after paying their fixed monthly expenses is $2,423 a month. The couple has to set some long term financial objectives. These objectives must be projected based on the amount of money that the couple currently has available. The fixed monthly expenses of the couple are $935. There are other variable expenses that occur during the month such as lunch money, additional gasoline expenses for leisure trips, car maintenance, entertainment, and medical expenses which must be considered in a budget. Sam and Judy must allocate approximately $500 for additional expenses. The total fixed and variable expenses of the couple are $1,435. The amount of disposable income Sam and Judy have after paying all their fixed and variable expenses is $1,923. It is time for Sam and Judy to set some short, medium, and long term financial goals. In the short term the couple must create a savings and investment plan for their future. The most common types of investments are stocks and bonds (Besley & Brigham). The cash that the couple has left over after paying variable and fixed expenses amounts to $23,076 for the first year. The $23,076 should be divided into savings, investment, and retirement plans. The allocation ratio of the plans is divided in the following manner: 65% savings, 25% investment, and 10% retirement plan. The short term goal of the couple should be to save enough money to get a down payment for a house. The most valuable asset of most Americans is the equity of their homes. The couple should target buying a home worth $150,000. To be able to buy the home the couple must save at least $15,000 for down payment and closing costs. The down payment of the home is 7.5% and 2.5% for closing costs. It will take Sam and Judy 12 m onths to save the $15,000. The mortgage payment of the $150,000 loan with a 7.5% down payment for a term of 30 years is $745. The couple after year one

To examine what entrepreneurial activities Abbey properties UK used to Thesis

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The critical thinking Essay With the intention to test the critical thinking ability of the people, the focus will be to ensure that everybody who took part in the test understood it. This allows all respondents to answer the questions based on how they are able to interpret what they have read. Nelson’s use of a write up gives an opportunity for each respondent to analyze the passage, understand it and respond to it. This supports Facione, Facione and Giancarlo’s measurement of reliability by the use of paper and pencil method to conduct the test (2000). Also, the use of elementary vocabulary gives a large number of people the opportunity to participate in this test at the same time. A content-related validity clearly shows in its result. According to Facione et al, there are no restrictions to the content on which the test can be based, (2000), the focus therefore, will be on the items that are used in the test. In this test, Nelson was able to develop thirty two (32) items with which he conducted the test. Based on the fact that Nelson wanted a wide range of people to understand the test and also respond appropriately, he used basic vocabularies. This, in essence, made it possible for people to be tested, not according to their language skills but according to their critical thinking ability. Hence, the criterion-related validity is established. In the use of a 32 multi-choice questions wherein there are more than one correct answers, Nelson gave respondents the opportunity to think outside the norm. The implication of this is that each respondent has to be certain about the answers. The comparison of different tests does not have a direct correlation with the content of the test because the items in consideration were not detailed. Detailed information of the items in consideration could have given the test comparison a more valid result. REFERENCES Facione, Peter A. , Santa Clara University; Facione, Noreen C. , University of California San Francisco; Giancarlo, Carol A. , Santa Clara University. (2000). The Disposition Toward Critical Thinking: Its Character, Measurement, and Relationship to Critical Thinking Skill. Informal Logic, 20(1), 61-84

Presentism Eternalism And Special Relativity Philosophy Essay

Presentism Eternalism And Special Relativity Philosophy Essay In this essay I hope to show that it is not necessarily true that Einsteins Special Theory of Relativity refutes presentism. It is not my aim to show that presentism is correct, nor is it my aim to show that eternalism is incorrect. I aim to show that it is naÃÆ' ¯ve for eternalists to assume that STR favours the eternalists view on time over the presentists view. I will start this essay by explaining and defining the views of the presentist and eternalist. For any valuable work to be done in defending presentism against the claims of STR, I believe a sound understanding of what both presentism and eternalism entails is needed. I will make it clear how presentism and eternalism differ and make it clear what is meant when they say something exists. I will then move onto discussing STR. I hope to explain STR in as clear a manner as possible, although I will not be explaining it in the depth found in physics papers. I will consider the postulates that make up STR and consider the imp ortant paradoxes these lead to. In particular, I will discuss the paradox of the speed of light and the paradox of simultaneity, as these are a concern to the presentists view. With STR adequately explained (in enough detail that I may hope to defend Presentism against its claims) I will move onto considering the arguments Philosophers have brought forward in an attempt that STR supports a 4D model of the universe, and as a result refutes Presentism. I will consider the Rietdijk-Putnam argument, and Penroses version of this argument, The Andromeda Paradox. By explaining these arguments I hope to show clearly the problem that STR poses for presentism. Finally, I will consider two defenses  [1]  of Presentism against the claims of STR. The first defense is brought forward by Hinchliff (2000), and the second defense is brought forward by Markosian (2004). I find the latter defense to be the more compelling, and I will explain why I think this. I will conclude by offering my reasoni ng for thinking that STR does not necessarily refute presentism. I start this essay by defining the terms presentism and eternalism, and by discussing what they mean when they say something exists. Section 1- Defining Presentism and Eternalism I start this section by considering presentism. To show what presentism actually entails, I think its important to first consider where the view comes from. Presentism can be traced back to McTaggarts famous 1908 paper The Unreality of Time. In this paper, McTaggart highlights two ways in which we experience time. These ways form what he calls the A-series and B-series. The A-series is a tensed series where events are arranged using tensed properties such as past, present or future. The B-series is a tenseless series where events are arranged relationally using terms such as before or after. McTaggart claims that the A-series is essential to time as events only change with respect to their tensed properties, and time must involve change (p26, McTaggart, 1927). No change occurs in the B-series. If event A is before event B, then event A will forever be before event B. Those who claim that we should talk about time using tenses, and claim that the A-series is essential to time are know n as A-theorists. Those who think tensed expressions are reducible to tenseless expressions, and claim that the B-series is essential to time are known as B-theorists. Some A-theorists advocate presentism, and some B-theorists advocate eternalism. Of course, it is not always the case that A-theorists are presentists, and not always the case that B-theorists are eternalists. Zimmerman notes two other views that the A-theorist could hold; the growing-block theory and the moving spotlight theory (Marcus, 2012). These will not be considered in this essay. Now that Ive explained where eternalism and presentism come from, I will move onto actually defining presentism. There are a number of ways in which presentism has been defined. In this essay, I will take presentism as the view that only things in the present exist or as Markosian (2004) defines it: Necessarily, it is always true that only present objects exist (p1, Markosian, 2004) The presentist distinguishes the present as being special over the past or the future, in that it is only objects in the present exist. The presentist believes in an absolute (universal) present, where all events happening now, exist. No events (or objects) that exist, exist in the past or future. We can see why the presentist will claim that the A-series is essential to time and why the B-series is not. Only in the A-series can objects or events be located (temporally) in a present moment. The B-series does not treat the present as being any more real than the past or future. Its hard to see what would count as the present in the B-series, as all events are arranged relationally as either before or after other events. Its important to note here that necessarily, it is always true that only present objects exist is not the same as saying only the present exists as some have interrupted it (e.g. Davidson, 2003).The presentist may say that the past and future exist (in some sense of the word exist), but no objects exist in the past or future. Nor does presentism equal the tautology that is only present objects exist at present (Vallicella, 2003). Nor is it the claim that all objects that have existed, and that will ever exist, exist in the present now. Its easy to see the difference between these statements when the flow of time is taking into account (the presentist view accounts for the flow of time, whereas the externalist view does not). The diagram below shows the presentists view. In diagram (a), the present moment (now) happens to be a moment in 1967. The presentist would say that only things (or objects) in this moment in 1967 exist. Nothing exists in the past or future. In diagram (b), the present moment (now) happens to be a moment in 2013. The presentist would say that only things (or objects) in this moment in 2013 exist. No objects exist in the past (which now includes 1967) or future. Now that I have defined presentism and made it clear how I will be referring to it in this essay, I will move onto defining eternalism and in the process, contrast it with presentism. Eternalism can be thought of as the main rival to presentism. As mentioned previously, the eternalist sees the B series as being essential to time and denies the existence of the A-series. Eternalism is the view that objects in the past and future are equally as real as objects in the present. objects from both the past and the future exist just as much as present objects (Markosian, 2010) Others have said that Eternalism is the view that all times are real (p326, Ladyman, 2007), but I see this is open to further interpretation. I will be interpreting all times are real as meaning objects can equally exist in the past or future. Its not hard to see how this contrasts with the presentists view, nor is it hard to see why eternalists accept the B-series. All times in the B-series are treated equally. Theres no special property given to a present moment. Eternalism is sometimes referred to as the block universe view, as the past, present and future all exist in a closed 4-dimensional Space-time block (p2, Peterson Silberstein, 2009). Presentism, on the other hand, may be thought of as endorsing a 3D view of the universe. As Valente (2012) puts it in The Relativity of Simultaneity and Presentism: For an eternalist (four-dimensionalist) a 3D object is just a slice of a four-dimensional (4D) worldline of a timelessly existing 4D world (or block universe) in which all the slices (i.e. the 3D objects) are actually all given at once. For a presentist, the 3D world consists of all 3D objects and fields existing simultaneously at the moment now or present. (p4, Valente, 2012) Presentism and Eternalism can be visually imagined as in the diagram below. Presentism features a present moving with the flow of time. Time to the eternalist can be imagined as a block  [2]  which contains the past, present and future, along will all objects and events. (Savitt, 2008) The differences between presentism and eternalism can be further shown by using an example. I will consider the example used by Lombard (2009) in his paper Time for a Change: A polemic against the Presentism Eternalism Debate. Lets take the statement Dinosaurs exist. Dinosaurs are not included on the presentists list of things or objects that exist. Dinosaurs are however included on the eternalists list of things or objects that exist. Of course, as Lombard points out, the eternalist is not saying that there are dinosaurs, that is, right now (p58, Lombard, 2009). As the eternalist believes that objects exist in the past, in the same way as they exist in the present, they must insist that dinosaurs nevertheless exist (p58, Lombard, 2009). This is point that can lead to confusion. Its important to understand what we mean by the word exist in the statement Dinosaurs exist. Markosian (2004) gives a brilliant explanation of what we should mean by exist in his paper A Defense of Presentis m. In what follows, I will consider this explanation and make it clear what exist means. Markosian highlights two ways in which we may think about the word exist. The first sense in which we may think of the statement Dinosaurs exist is what Markosian calls the temporal location sense. Under this interpretation, Dinosaurs exist is synonymous with Dinosaurs are present. Under the temporal location sense of the word, the eternalist will agree that no non-present objects exist right now i.e. Dinosaurs do not exist right now. However, this is not what we will be taking the eternalist to mean when they say Dinosaurs exist. Markosian calls the other sense of exist, the ontological sense. Under this interpretation Dinosaurs exist is synonymous with dinosaurs are now in the domain of our most unrestricted quantifiers, whether it happens to be presentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦or non-presentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p2, Markosian, 2004). The eternalist will agree with this. The presentist will argue that dinosaurs are not now in the domain of our most unrestricted quantifiers, as dinosaurs do not exi st in the present (now), and only things that exist in the present will be included in the domain of our most unrestricted quantifiers. Under this interpretation of exist the disagreement between the presentist and the eternalist becomes clear. According to presentism, dinosaurs do not exist i.e. dinosaurs are not included in the things that our most unrestricted quantifiers range over. According to eternalism, dinosaurs do exist i.e. dinosaurs are included in the things that our most unrestricted quantifiers range over. For the Presentist what objects our most unrestricted quantifiers range over is a changing matter of fact (p13, Kehler, 2011). This is because the objects of the present are forever changing as time passes (in line with change in the A-series, as discussed earlier in this essay). The opposite is true for the eternalist. What objects our most unrestricted quantifiers range over never changes (in line with the unchanging B-series as discussed earlier). With presentism and eternalism defined and discussed, and the difference between the two made clear by discussing the meaning of exist, I will move onto the next section of this essay. In the next section, I will be considering Einsteins Special Theory of Relativity (STR). I will be considering the postulates that make up Einsteins theory and discussing some of the paradoxical consequences of these. I will then discuss the arguments Philosophers have come up with in an attempt to show that STR implies a 4D view (eternalism). These arguments will be the Rieldik-Putnam argument, and I will construct my own version of Penroses Andromeda Paradox. Once STR is made clear, I will conclude the section by considering what these arguments mean for both presentism and eternalism. Section 2 The Special Theory of Relativity: the Thorn in Presentisms Side As this is a Philosophy essay, and not a Physics paper, I will not be going into any great detail in explaining Einsteins Special Theory of Relativity (STR), and Im unlikely to do it justice. I will, however, explain the theory in enough detail so to allow me to adequately discuss the arguments in support of the 4D model and against presentism. This will also help me in defending presentism in the final section of this essay. Without adequate knowledge of STR and its paradoxical nature, its unlikely I, or any other philosophers, would be able to even start defending presentism against its claims. I start by considering the postulates behind STR. In 1905, Albert Einstein presented STR in his paper On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies. The theory itself is derived from a number of postulates, of which two can be said to form the heart of Special Relativity (Hamilton, 1998). The first postulate is the Principle of Relativity: There is no absolute rest frame of reference (p1, Lee, 2012) The second postulate is the Principle of Constancy of the Speed of Light: The speed of light c is a universal constant, the same in any inertial frame (Hamilton, 1998) Together, these postulates open up paradoxes which lead Philosophers to the thought that STR implies 4D view of time (eternalism). Inertial frame (or inertial reference frame) here will be defined as frames of reference in which Newtons first law of motion is observed. Newtons first law of motion is that every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force (Benson, 2010). Before Special Relativity, the speed of light was thought to depend on the speed of the person observing and the speed of the source from which the light came (Lawerence, 2002). An experiment was conducted in the late 1800s by Michelson and Marley in the hope that this was correct (Carlip, 1996). As the earth orbits around the sun at .01% the speed of light (Lawerence ,2002), Michelson and Marely hoped they would be able to show that a light beam moving along with the orbit of the earth would be .01% slower than a light beam going perpendicular to the orbit of the earth. To their surprise, this was not the case. Every attempt to find a difference in the speed of light failed. The light always took exactly the same amount of time to travel down either leg (Lawerence, 2002) Since light always travelled at the same speed in the experiments  [3]  , Einstein took the constancy of the speed of light to be a fact of nature, and from it, formed the second postulate of STR. Now that the history behind STR has been discussed, and the postulates of STR have been explained, I will move onto discuss how these postulates lead to some interesting paradoxes. The second postulate leads to an interesting paradox. In order to understand the problems that STR poses for presentism, its important to understand what this paradox entails. I will construct this paradox by way of example, based on the example used by Hamilton (1998). Lets pretend Im standing on the surface of the Earth  [4]  . Im wearing a helmet on my head. The helmet has the ability to emit a powerful flash of light. My friend Bob has a super car which just so happens to be capable of moving at a constant half the speed of light (1/2c). Bob is moving in a straight line from my right to my left. At the very point that Bob passes me, my helmet lets out a flash of light. This light expands at the same speed (c) in all directions. According to the second postulate of STR, the speed of light is constant for both of us. This means that from my frame of reference, the light expands at the same speed in all directions, and that from Bobs frame of reference the light expands at the s ame speed in all directions (even though he is moving at half the speed of light away from the light source). The paradox here is that, from our own frame of reference, we both believe we are at the centre of the flash of light. Its not possible that we are both at the centre of the flash of light. Before considering the solution to this paradox, I will discuss the example of this paradox as shown by Penroses (1989) Andromeda Paradox. Using his Andromeda Paradox argument, Penrose attempts to show that the Universe is a pre-determined 4D Space-time block, which causes problems for presentism. Penrose (1999) asks us to consider two people (Jack and Jill) walking past each other on the street. Jack is walking towards the Andromeda Galaxy  [5]  and Jill is walking away from the Andromeda. From STR it can be said that Jack and Jill have different ideas about what events are presently happening in the Andromeda Galaxy. It would take light from the Andromeda Galaxy 2.5 million years to reach either person, and as such, they dont know what events are happening, but whether or not they know of the events happening is of no importance here. An event on Andromeda that Jack thinks is present (from his frame of reference), is an event that Jill still thinks is yet to happen (from her frame of reference). To Jill, the event is in the future. Penrose calculates the event is 5  ¾ days behind in time for Jill. One can calculate that their planes (or spaces) of simultaneity at the instant at which they pass each other on Earth intersects the history of the world line of Andromeda about 5  ¾ days apart (Savitt, 2008) Our planes of simultaneity  [6]  are different. The diagram below shows this: (modified from BobC_03, 2012) With the paradoxes explained, I can consider what they mean for both Presentism and Eternalism, and show how the minowski Universe appears to favour Eternalism. Its possible that an event in Andromeda is in the present (and according to Presentism does exist) for Jack, but the same event is in the future (and according to Presentism does not exist) for Jill. Here lies the problem that STR its paradoxical nature poses for Presentism. As can be seen, the problem has at the heart of it the second postulate of STR. No matter what speed they walk past each other in opposite directions, if Jack and Jill were to measure the speed of light (in their own frames of reference), they would get the same result. no matter at what speed or in which direction they or the source of the light are moving, must come to the same result when they measure the speed of light (Savitt, 2008) If its not known whether an event is present or past, then how can presentists hold the view that only things in the present exist? What things are in the present are both different for Jack and Jill. In an attempt to solve this, the presentist might try to say that the event is taken to be present or future depending on whether it is present or future in the absolute rest frame (p5, Eichman, 2007). However, according to STR there is no absolute rest frame, or absolute simultaneity, and therefore, there can be no absolute present. If we assume that STR is true, the following argument against Presentism can be constructed: (1) STR is true. (2) STR entails that there is no such relation as absolute simultaneity. (3) If there is no such relation as absolute simultaneity, then there is no such property as absolute presentness. (4) Presentism entails that there is such a property as absolute presentness. (5) Presentism is false. (p29, Markosian, 2004) Now that STR has been discussed adequately and that the trouble it poses for Presentism has been highlighted, I can move onto the final section of this essay. In the final section, I will consider two ways in which philosophers have tried to defend presentism against the seeming threat posed by STR. The first defense is brought forward by Mark Hinchliff (2000) in his paper A Defense of Presentism in a Relativistic Setting. The second defense, and the defense which I find more compelling, is brought forward by Ned Markosian (2004) in his paper A Defense of Presentism. I will explain why I find this defense more compelling, and why I think Hinchliffs defense doesnt work. Section 3 Defending Presentism The first defense against STR that I will consider is what Hinchliff calls The Point Model. In the point model, Hinchliff claims that in STR the present is to be identified with the here-now (pS579, Hinchliff, 2000). In other words, a presentist can argue that in STR, only a single space-time point exists; the here-now. Hinchliff does not hold this view himself and says that he knows of no one who actually holds this view (S579, Hinchliff, 2000). Nevertheless he feels its worthy enough to discuss. A standard objection against this model is to say that its lonely, in that nothing but the here-now exists. This objection is easily refuted however. Saying its lonely is akin to rejecting solipisism because theres no other people. Something stronger is needed in order to reject either the Point Model or solipsism. Putnam (1967) offers a better objection against the view however. Putnam says that anything that is past must have previously been present (p246, Putnam, 1967). Under Point prese ntism however, there are events in the past which have never been present. Therefore, Point Presentism violates the conceptual truth that what is past was present (S579, Hinchliff) This can be shown by way of example. Lets pretend an event occurs which is space-like separated from my here-now. It is therefore not in the present from my frame of reference. When time moves on, the event is however included in my past here-now, without ever being in the present, and therefore violated a conceptual truth. A presentist may try to argue that point presentism does not violate a conceptual truth, but this would lead them to trouble when trying to explain how certain objects of the present (objects that exists) cease to exist (fade into the past). I do not think this is a suitable defense of presentism against STR. I think if a presentist is to hold their view, then they must look for a way of fitting the outcomes of STR into that view. Point presentism attempts to change presentism in such a way that makes it compatible with STR, and fails to do so. Presentists should rather attempt to change STR in such a way that makes it compatible with presentism. I believe this is what Markosian (2004) attempts to do in his defense of presentism. I will now consider this defense and explain why I find it more compelling than Point Presentism. In his defense of presentism, Markosian (2004) considers whether STR contains enough philosophical baggage built into it to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ entail the proposition that there is no such relation as absolute simultaneity (p31, Markosian, 2004). If this is not the case, then there is no reason to assume that STR poses problems for presentism. Marksoian asks us to consider two different types of STR (p31, Markosian, 2004): STR+ : This version of STR does have enough philosophical baggage built into it to entail that there is no such thing as absolute simultaneity. STR-: This version of STR does not have enough philosophical baggage built into it to entail that there is no such thing as absolute simultaneity. Markosian rejects STR+ and accepts STR-. I believe the reasons for why he thinks this is key to any presentist wishing to defend their view against STR. All empirical evidence which suggests that STR+ is true, equally supports STR- (p31, Markosian 2004). Just because it is not physically possible to determine whether two objects or events are absolutely simultaneous (p31, Markosian) does not entail that there is no such thing as absolute simultaneity, and no absolute present. Consider the Andromeda Paradox as explained earlier. From their own frame of reference (or plain of simultaneity) their idea of what event is present is different  [7]  . The presentist is able to agree with this view. Agreeing with this, does not mean they must reject their view on absolute simultaneity or their view that an absolute present exists. It may be the case that an absolute rest frame is not accessible to us. The presentist can reject the first postulate of STR. With this said, it seems the etern alist is unable to refute presentism by appealing to STR, and it looks likely that any such argument will end in a stalemate. The eternalist and presentist view with regards to STR can be summed up as follows: Eternalist STR is true and entails there is no absolute simultaneity or absolute present. Therefore, presentism is incorrect. Presentist STR being true does not entail there is no absolute simultaneity or absolute present. It entails that these are not accessible to us, but nonetheless may still exist. According to me, they do exist. Its impossible to say whether either view is true or false (How would one prove that there is or isnt an absolute rest frame?), resulting in a stalemate. Its certainly seems that its not necessarily true that STR refutes presentism. Conclusion In this essay, I have achieved what I had set out to do. I have defined and explained what both presentism and eternalism entail. Ive made it clear what the differences between the two are and Ive shown that its important to understand what the word exists mean when discussing both views. I have also explained and discussed the Special Theory of Relativity. In doing so, I have shown how the paradoxes it leads to, causes problems for presentism, and have shown why the eternalist might try to attack presentism using STR. Finally, I considered ways in which the presentist may try to defend their position against STR and the eternalist. I have shown that any attempt by the eternalist to use STR against presentism will result in a stalement. The empirical evidence which supports STR+ equally supports STR-, and the presentist only needs to reject STR+ and accept STR-. The problem with using STR to attack presentism is that STR+ must be assumed to be true. It is not necessarily the case tha t STR+ is true, and the presentist may use this point in defending their position. STR+ (or a theory with the same consequences) may be shown to be true someday, but until that day comes, the eternalist should make use of some other weapon in trying to attack presentism. Word Count 4629 Student ID 1818201

Production Processes Of Top Glove Company Commerce Essay

Production Processes Of Top Glove Company Commerce Essay One of the successful reasons that TG Company can succeed in their business is because they have a strong and good production process in their latex glove making. They believe that they must have the most modern and advanced glove manufacturing machineries if they wished to be continuing as a world-class cost effective glove manufacturer. They have invested substantially in the machineries that are needed to ensure that they can fully adopt the latest manufacturing techniques for all their production lines. Other than that, they to ensure that they can consistently produce high quality latex gloves are also using a continuous engineering process. Competent and experienced personnel also contribute in smooth production line and consistency in quality of the latex gloves even though they have modern machineries. In addition, an on-line quality control measures have been instituted throughout the manufacturing processes to ensure the highest quality products. The latex is a white, milky liquid that comes from rubber trees, which is either from native or hybrid trees. Mostly, TG gets its latex from buying through the rubber market while the remaining latex is from their own rubber plantation. The latex will be harvested from rubber trees when the trees trunk is swollen and also every day, after the rain has stopped during the rainy season. The latex is a natural product and it will coagulate easily, therefore it needs to be harvests from the rubber trees as soon as possible and then send to TG factory to be manufactured. When the latex is sent to the TG factory, the latex will be manufactured with a standardized method that is set by the company itself. The flow of the production process of latex glove in TG Company is former cleaning, coagulant dipping, drying, latex dipping, leaching, beading, vulcanizing, post leaching, slurry dipping, stripping, tumbling, and quality control. Former Cleaning Before the latex can be process to the coagulant dipping process into hand-shaped, the glove formers need to be cleaned before it can be used to form hand-shaped latex gloves. A quality production of exam gloves includes the environment of latex glove factory is clean. This also means glove formers must be cleaned to ensure there is no dirt or debris anywhere because it will affect the final product to possibly have defects like holes. Firstly, glove former must be dipping into an acid bath and then rinse with clean water. Secondly, an alkaline bath is used by dipping the glove formers in them to neutralize the acid and again rinsed in clean water. Lastly, an important step that is the glove formers are brushed to ensure the surface of the glove formers is consistent and eliminate pinholes on the latex gloves after it form. TG factory have multiple production lines that produce batches of disposable gloves. If there is any dirt or debris on the glove former, it can result in the manufacturer being forced to trash the entire batch of latex gloves. This reason shows the importance of glove formers that must be regularly inspected and cleaned before the molds are dipped into coagulant tanks. Coagulant Dipping After the glove former is cleaned, it will be coated with coagulant (eg. calcium nitrate) and be dipped into the coagulant bath to help the latex mixture adhere to the formers and to help ensure the latex is distributed evenly. The glove formers are dipped into the coagulant tank under TG workers control to extract the protein from the previous glove dipping and this dipping is done once for every production cycle. Drying Drying is one of the stations in production process of latex gloves manufacturing whereby the coagulant converts the liquid latex film into a wet-gel on the glove formers and will eventually travel through a series of ovens to dry the gloves and end the coagulation process. In brief, it is a process of drying the gloves from wet to readymade gloves. Latex Dipping Latex dipping is one of the stations in the production process of latex gloves manufacturing and the tank is filled with compounded latex. A latex layer will be formed on the glove former after it goes through this tank. The thickness of the latex glove is determined at the coagulating and dipping stage. The longer the time the glove former travels in the coagulant tank, the thicker the latex gloves will be formed. TG Company will ensure that the latex gloves that produce is high quality and safe to be use. Leaching This leaching stage can called as the pre-vulcanization leaching. It also known as wet gel leaching. Residual chemicals and proteins on the surface of the gloves are put into the leaching process to be removed after the drying of latex mixture. A longer leaching line can wash out latex proteins more effectively. Besides that, the water must be hot and fresh enough to make the proteins dissolve better. This step is a critical step to minimize the occurrence of latex sensitivity. The water temperature, process duration, and water exchange rate will affect the effectiveness of the process. Good leaching line can result in a good and quality latex glove. Beading Beading is a process whereby up to a dozen chemicals are added to help in next manufacturing process of latex gloves. The chemicals added are antioxidant that prevents deterioration of the rubber molecules in the final product by heat, moisture, and ozone. Chemical accelerators are also added to help control the next vulcanization process. Vulcanization One of the discovery key in manufacturing rubber is the vulcanization process. It is a curing process in the production process of latex gloves whereby the latex particles are modified by adding in accelerator chemicals to it. When all the materials are heated, sulfur atoms are chained with the rubber molecules to form a cross-link that gives strengths and elasticity to the physical properties of the rubber. This process ensures the rubber will not be torn and melt easily. Post Leaching This process is similar to the wet-film leaching previously, but it is a little different whereby it is carried out on the dry/vulcanized latex film. Therefore, it is also known as dry-film leaching. Time and temperature is the most important element to ensure effectiveness in the process of water extractives reduction. Latex gloves may be leached up to 24 hours to ensure its effectiveness. Slurry Dipping This stage is also known as wet even powdering. The slurry tank containing the cornstarch solution can prevent latex gloves from sticking in the tank. The slurry is also referred to as wet powder. The benefit of this powder is acting as preservation of the latex gloves and to assist in the latex gloves donning process. TG Company has followed the international method in the specific stage whereby the latex gloves will go through more ovens for further drying and additional rinsing cycles where the powder will be removed. The process of removing the powder is to avoid latex allergic reaction. Stripping At this stage, the latex gloves are stripping from the glove formers. There are two types of methods, which are manually or automatically stripping the latex gloves from the glove formers. TGs latex examination gloves are stripped by fully automated stripping machine. By using this fully automated stripping machine, TG can increase the quality and safety of the latex gloves they produced. The latex gloves will be sent to the next phase of the latex glove manufacturing process for final drying. Tumbling The tumbling process at latex gloves manufacturing process is to remove excessive powder on the gloves. The latex gloves are putting into the commercial dryers to ensure that the powder is more evenly distributed and excess powder can be removed. Powder-Free Gloves Powder-free gloves stage is a technology to prevent stickiness of gloves by avoiding powder usage completely by going through chlorination or polymer coating process. This is one of the important technology processes in manufacturing latex glove nowadays because most of the glove makers are producing the latex gloves with powder-free. Top Glove produces latex powder and powder-free gloves. Basically, the powder-free latex gloves are transformed from powdered gloves when the powder is removed. Before the latex gloves dried, the powder helps the latex gloves give uniformity as well as to prevent the latex gloves from molding together. The tackiness on the glove surface can be removed by rinsing the latex gloves in water. Then it is placed into a chlorine bath to transform the powdered latex gloves to powder-free latex gloves. The glove is turned inside out and the process is repeated. The powder-free gloves are placed back into the dryers when the bathing process is completed. Quality Control TG carries out its quality control in total quality management system. In total quality management system, the process includes regular testing of raw materials, close monitoring the manufacturing process, continuous improvement on quality control, maintain regular quality control, complying with stringent quality standard, target for zero defects, good instructional labeling, efficient work standardization, continuous improvements in packing and loading, close monitoring of production process, tensile strength machine, innovative auto-stripping system, visual air pump test, water tight test, physical dimension test, protein test and powder test in their manufacturing process of latex gloves. The visual air pump test, water tight test and physical dimension test will be carried out in this quality control stage while the other test will be carry out during each manufacturing process of the latex gloves. The air pump test serves to check for holes and visual defects in gloves while th e watertight test serves to check for pinholes rate on the latex gloves. Each country will have their own acceptable quality level (AQL) in allowing the company to export product to their country. For example, the companies that want export their gloves to United States, a 2.5 AQL in the watertight test or better. The physical dimension test is used to measure the dimension of the gloves whether to know the measurement does meet the inspection level of 4.0 that set in AQL. Packing Packing is the final stage in the manufacturing process of latex gloves. TG packs their latex gloves in flat and efficient layer-by-layer to ease the dispensing of gloves in order to avoid latex gloves difficult to dispense from each gloves later. This type of packing method can reduces waste and makes latex gloves easier to take out from the box. For example, we can dispense tissue from a tissue box easily and the idea is applied to the latex gloves box dispensers. This layered technique is often use by all glove manufacturers. Lastly, when all production processes are completely carried, the latex gloves will be keep in TG warehouse for labeling and then send to their particular customers. In addition, the latex gloves are also being exported to other countries. The production processes of Top Glove are repeated for all the production lines and to ensure the latex gloves that are produced are in high quality and safe for use. Strength of the Production Process: The machine technologies that TG used to make their production processes of latex gloves are result in superior quality and it is safe to use by all consumers. The production process in TG adopts the latest manufacturing techniques by using the modern machineries. Other than that, the production processes in TG helps their company to increase precision and productivity in their latex gloves production. This is due to the advanced and modern technology that applied in the production processes. In addition, the production processes also increase the flexibility in producing latex gloves. The production processes will also increase the process stability during the manufacturing process of latex gloves. It is because the production processes are carried under a systematic production processes. The products will be produced gradually by following specific production processes and to ensure the product is high quality produced. The efficient production processes is able to help TG in saving a lot of production cost. It is because the efficient production processes can ensure that they can produce latex gloves effectively and efficiently. Then, the production processes also helps TG in reducing the number of workers. This is due to most of production processes are fully operated by the machine technology. This helps TG to save cost in the workers. Weakness of the Production Process: TG needs to invest heavily in buying the modern machineries and need to hire more experienced personnel in their production process. TG uses modern technology in carrying out their production processes to make latex gloves. The machineries that bought were extremely expensive. Thus, the maintenance of the machineries is expensive and if there had any minor or major accessories spoiled; it will be costly to the company to repair it back. It is because the accessories that are used in the machines are not for common use by other manufacturers within the same field area or other field areas and it is difficult to look for substitutes for that specific accessories. TG always checks and maintains the effectiveness of their machineries to prevent it from being spoiled. In addition, TG also needs to hire more experienced and skilled personnel with higher salary to operate the specific machineries and carry researches. Some machinery needs special skilled and experienced personnel to take charge and TG does not simply hire a worker to operate the manufacturing machineries. The experts for such operations in the latex industry are much fewer in other fields. Thus, TG needs to spend more money to hire those experts that operate their operations. Facility Layout: The layout of a company is very important because it establishes an organizations competitive priorities in regard to capacity, process, flexibility, cost, as well as quality of work life, customer contact, and image. An effective layout can help an organization achieve a strategy that supports differentiation, low cost, or response. The objective of layout strategy is to develop an effective and efficient layout that will meet the firms competitive requirements. Layout design has the following purpose:- Higher utilization of space, equipment, and people Improved flow of information, materials, or people Improved employees morale and safer working conditions Improved customer/ client interaction Flexibility (layout need to be change from time to time) TG is a company that used work cell layout to produce its products. Work cell layout means an arrangement of machines and personnel that focuses on making a single product or family of related products. A work cell reorganizes people and machines that would ordinarily be dispersed in various departments into a group so that they can focus on making a single product or a group of related products. Once the work cell has the appropriate equipment located in proper sequence, the next task will be staff and balance the cell. Normally it involves two steps. First, determine the takt time, which is the pace (frequency) of production units necessary to meet customer orders: Takt time = Total work time available/ Units required Second, determine the number of operators required: Workers required = Total operation time required/ Takt time By doing so, the company can increased equipment and machinery utilization due to better scheduling and faster material flow. Diagram below shows the layout of Top Glove company and the description of the components inside the layout:- The space of the layout is 80m (length) x 50m (width) x 8m (height) which can be categorize as a big company. Waste water- All the unwanted or wastewater will stored in this area. Latex storage- This is the place to store latex that use to produce latex gloves. It place near to the dipping line and chemical dispensing compounding ball mills because it easy for mixing work which need to combine other raw material and chemical substances with latex to produce the latex gloves. WC- This is the place for workers to refresh themselves. Tools/Maintenance- Places that put or keep the tools and equipments that used to produce the glove and for maintenance purpose. All the tools and equipments will be keeping in a specific place that easy the workers to find it. Chemical storage- All the chemical substances, which are dangerous, will keep here to avoid any accident happen and make sure the workplace is safety. This room is just nearby of the chemical dispensing compounding ball mills to make sure that the compounding work can be carry out smoothly. Dipping line- This is the place where machine is design for examination and surgical latex gloves, which include the process of auto washing, coagulants agents dipping, latex dipping, drying, and beading, fore leaching, vulcanizing, post-leaching, wet powdering, cooling, and stripping. Chemical Dispensing Compounding Ball Mills- The place that carry out the work of compounding or mixing of the raw materials, chemical substances, latex and many other to produce the gloves. Chlorination- A process of producing powder free gloves by treating these gloves with chlorine. It also removes the first layer of protein to an acceptable level. Tumbler Dryer- It is a machine that tries to dry up the gloves after all the compound mixed together. Sterilization- The place that sterilizes the gloves using Gamma irradiation to eliminate all microbial life, including highly resistant bacteria spores. Worker Canteen- Places for workers to have their meals. Plant Officer- This is the office for plant officer who supervise the production work of the company. Q.C Room- All the finished gloves will send to this room for checking before send to customer. The workers will checked the gloves one by one and see whether there are any rejected glove that do not meet the quality standard of the company. Lap Testing- Lap for chemist to test for new formula or compound that can improve the existing glove or testing for new products. This is good for the company to fight with his competitors however; some cost may be incurred for the research and development work. Packaging Area/Material- All the gloves that have go through Q.C checking will send here for packaging before sell to the customers. There are sufficient machine and material prepared for packaging work so that the glove will be pack nicely and keep in a good condition. Show Room- Room to display the products of the company. Customers who interested in the products of the company can take a look on the sample that show in this room. Company Office- Main office of the company where all the admin work of the company will carry out here. Finished Product Storage- The finished products will be stored here and waiting to send to the customers by the trucks. Strength of the Facility Layout: Top Glove used work cell layout as their strategy to produce their products to utilize the capacity of the company, which may bring a lot of advantages to the company. First, it can reduced work-in- process inventory which means there is less inventories or equipments needed to link up the work that is in different process because the work cell is set up to provide one piece flow from machine to machine. Second, less floor space required because less space is needed between machines to accommodate work-in-process inventory. For example, the tumbler dryer is place closely with the process of sterilization that uses to sterilize the gloves bacteria. Thus, it saves a lot of space between these two processes. Next, when the employees work in this kind of layout, it will heightened the sense of employees participation in the organization and the product which will encourage them to add responsibility toward the product quality because they directly associated with the products in their ow n work cell. For example, the employees who work as an operator in dipping line will feel motivated and carry out his work carefully when the manager empowered him to look after the machine or participate in any work that related to the dipping process. Lastly, increased equipment and machinery utilization is also one of the advantages because of better scheduling and faster material flow. When the glove is being chlorinate immediately it will proceed to the process of drying and after this it will go through the process of sterilization immediately as well. The fast material flow show that it utilize the machinery and equipment effectively. Weaknesses of the Facility Layout: However, there are still some weaknesses in this layout, which is the straight-line work cell layout as we can see in the dipping line. The workers in the dipping line are arrange in such way that sometime they will find that it is hard to divided their work evenly and more worker is needed compare to the U-shape work cell layout. This may cause social loafing in the workplace, which means some worker may work less as compare to his colleague. This is not good to happen in the workplace because it will lower down the morale of other worker who works hard but he just gets the same pay as his colleague who is lazy. Next, from the layout of the company, we also notice that there is only one main gate for exist and entry but no other emergency or back door in the layout. This is also a weakness of the company because there is no other emergency door for workers to escape if any accident happens. Goods and Service Design: The other strategic of this company is goods and service design. Top Gloves main productions are rubber gloves, synthetic gloves and surgical gloves. Top glove producing more latex glove as compare others glove, since latex gloves is a better choice of protection. The reasons are the latex is the main material in rubber gloves manufacture where it is the gold standard for durability. Where latex is referring to a milky, usually whitish, fluid obtained from over 1,000 species of trees and plants. It is the most important raw material used for the production of latex gloves, natural rubber latex, which derived from the Hevea Brasiliensis tree species found mainly in South East Asia though they originated from Brazil. It demonstrates superior elasticity, strength and barrier protection. It outperforms vinyl as well as any synthetic rubber in terms of maintaining barrier integrity in routine and high risks procedures. Based on the researches, the latex gloves provide up to 9 times more p rotection during normal use than non-latex gloves. The glove size is determined by measuring the circumference of the hand around the palm area with a tape measure. The usual size standard for examination gloves are of XS XL, while surgical gloves are of 6.5 8.5. The gloves thickness measured by depth protecting skin from exposure to elements. It was measured on a single wall using a micrometer over several parts of the glove, typically at the cuff, the mid-palm and the finger sections. The types of gloves are latex gloves, nitrile gloves, vinyl gloves, medical gloves, surgical gloves, disposable gloves, clean room gloves, household gloves, general-purpose gloves, and polyethylene gloves (PE glove). For example, the nitrile glove is one of the synthetic gloves that are produced from the synthetic latex of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Copolymer type, which is resistance to oil and exhibiting rubber-like characteristics. Its elasticity is good but less superior as compared to natural rub ber. It is generally more costly than natural latex gloves. Strengths of the Goods and Service design: The strengths of using this strategic which is the goods and service design are Top Gloves gloves are protect to lives and the price of it are low compare to other glove brands. When they manufacture the gloves, the gloves will test in the elongation or stretching test, to measure the strengths of the gloves. During extended surgeries, the practice of changing to a new pair of gloves prior to a critical procedure has been noted to reduce bacterial contamination. Weakness of the Goods and Service design: The weaknesses are poor donning techniques, which is can result in glove rips and tears. Healthcare personnel should take care to don gloves correctly and avoid excessive stretching. Thoroughly dry hands before sliding them into gloves. Quality Management: Quality is refers to the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. Every organization should manage and control of their products quality. It is important to help the organization to build a well reputation in the industry. By doing this, customer will more reliability on such product and finally help to gain the market share. Top Glove is a manufacturer company that pays much attention on the products quality. Top Glove committed and believes in top quality products, they are responsibility to ensure quality consistency and product reliability to all their customers and users. Before the products go into the packaging process and sell to the market, Top Glove has implemented the quality inspection process to make sure that their products are producing at the expected quality level. Top Glove is strongly stresses on Total Quality Management (TQM) and the Quality Control tests are conducted from the point we receive our raw materials straight through the production processes and the finished products points. Compulsory pre-shipment inspections are carried out before the delivery of each order. Top Glove is emphasis on stringent quality control procedures in line with ISO 9001 and in strict compliance with ASTM and EN 455 standards. Top Glove has using the tensile strength machine as the measurement of the stretch required to break the glove material. Glove without good vulcanized process tend to have higher tensile strength. Top Glove also has using the innovative auto-stripping system to removing the gloves from the formers, where they are turn inside out. By doing this, the productivity can be increase because it is faster than by using manual stripping. Air pump test has been used to check for holes and visual defects in gloves. Furthermore, water tight test also using by Top Glove to check on the quality of products which is a test that use to determine the AQL level of an examination gloves by checking on the pinholes of the particular gloves after filling up the gloves with 1000ml water and then check for any leakage in 2 minutes time. To ensure the quality of products, Top Glove has been conducted the protein test of the rubber. All natural rubber latex products contain protein. For latex gloves, it is t he measurement of total protein regardless of allergenic content. The ASTM D5712 standard is using the test method in the Modified Lowry assay for analysis of aqueous Extractable Protein Natural Rubber. Besides, Top Glove has using powder free technology to prevent stickiness of gloves by avoiding powder usage completely by going through chlorination or polymer coating process. Besides, Top Glove believes and emphasize strongly in Research Development (RD) to be in line with ever-changing business environment and to cater to the increasing high expectations of end-users. To keep pace with the latest development in the rubber production, Top Glove has been collaborating closely with the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRI) and Lembaga Getah Malaysia (LGM) in the latest development on rubber research technology in Malaysia. Strength of the Quality design: The company able to fulfill or able to follow the Quality control of the foreign site company needs such as European and American customers. Top Glove is a company that very strictly in controls their products quality. Before they sell the products into the market, they will make sure that all of the products are match with the ISO 9001. Because of the high quality control of the products, it may help Top Glove to have more competitive power in the market. In those western countries such as Europe and United States, most of the consumers may have high requirement of a product; they are more concern toward the quality of products instead of the price. They are willing to pay higher price that to get a high quality product. Because of the Top Glove is pay more attention on the quality control, therefore, the quality of the products is more consistent and reliability. To maintain the quality of products, Top Glove is using the innovative technology and always improving their system. With the high quality control of the products, the products quality is more consistent and seldom making substandard products; Top Glove is able to fulfill those consumers needs. Those western countries consider as larger markets in the world; by fulfill those consumers needs of the products, it may lead Top Glove to build their reputation in the market. When they have built a better reputation in the market, the consumers may tend to repurchase those high quality products; it may help the company to gain higher market share. Therefore, the company may have higher profitable. Weakness of the Quality design: The company must update their Quality control fulfillment on consistent basis from their Customers wants such as European and American customer. There is higher cost incur for updating the technology for fulfill the foreign site customer. Most of the western consumers are emphasis on the quality of the products when they are purchasing; therefore, to maintain the market share in the western market, fulfill all of the western consumers needs is important. To maintain the profitable of the company, Top Glove should always update their quality control of the products that based on the customers needs and wants. To fulfill those consumers needs, Top Glove has developed a Research Development (RD) department. This department is required to make sure that the company is using the most efficiency and latest technology in production line. To develop a RD department, there is required an extra capital investment. Besides the machines that is required of the department; some professional also needed to hire to assist in the department. When the department had developed the latest technology, Top Glove is needed to update the initial technology to the latest that can fulfill those consumers needs. However, it is costly to the c ompany. Global Forces: Political Forces The Malaysian government was strictly regulating the health and safety conditions in the Top Glove manufacturing workplace. Besides, under the regulation, the company had to follow the minimum wage on their workers. Besides, that every nation and country was conscious about the environmental issue, similarly happen to Malaysia, it was a compulsory recycling law was enforce to the Manufacturers in Malaysia. Due to this recycling law, it is good to Top Glove Corporation as they can recycle and save their cost on raw material. Thus, it significantly affects the operation of the company and there is a need for Top Glove to maintain good relationship with the ministry and government. Economical Forces Top Glove Corporation having taxes heavily as it taxed at rate that are quite high. Besides, approximately 10 percent interest rates prevailing in the Malaysia market that crea