NonProfit Management Case Study Essay

Introduction The civil society has taken a very active role in the quest for democracy that continues to spread across the continents till it reached the Middle East region only recently. This is clear given the successive revolts that have taken place in many of the Arab countries calling for real democracy. Therefore, especially in Egypt, efforts should be directed toward defending civil society organizations and activists who are being threatened by the coercive authoritarian government actions over the past decades (Naidoo, 2007). The civil society as identified by Khallaf (2010) comprises â€Å"non-governmental organizations (NGOs hereafter), community groups, professional associations, trade unions, media organizations, research institutes/ think tanks, and advocacy and human rights civil society organizations† (p. 2). However, the current paper aims at focusing mainly on the role of NGOs in strengthening democracy. This is due to the major role NGOs play in several areas in order to enhance democracy. Among these are their role in: (1) allowing a wider range of interest groups to have a ‘voice’, pluralizing institutions to act in a ‘watchdog’ role vis-a-vis the state, networking and creating alliances of civic actors to place pressure on the state, (2) working with grassroots organizations comprised of poor and marginalized groups, and (3) exerting some pressures on the state by pressing for change and developing alternative policies (Mercer, 2002). Previous Studies of civil society in Egypt, over the past twenty years, have been both superficial and confined to only limited areas, namely (issue based publications, academic publications, training materials/ manuals, directories, conference publications, empirical comparative studies, civil society organizations’ (CSOs) publications, donor guide books and publications, CSOs coalitions occasional papers, evaluation studies, and web based sources) (Khallaf, 2010). (Figure: 1). Figure : The diversity of civil society research in Egypt Therefore, more detailed studies should be directed toward deeply investigating the civil society organizations operating in Egypt. Khallaf (2010) has mentioned that more research has been directed recently to track the actual magnitude of civil society through donor efforts in Egypt. However, the literature has pointed to serious gaps in the study of NGOs in Egypt. These include; First: Updated statistical information on number of NGOs. Second: The systematic evaluation of NGOs activities. Third: periodic assessments such as the CIVICUS or Civil Society Index and the Philanthropy study. Forth: studying participatory governance and the involvement of civil society in decision making processes. Fifth: changing Laws and regulations governing NGOs in Egypt. Sixth: An impact assessment of all new NGOs working in charity or development. Seventh: an assessment of aid effectiveness to Egypt (Khallaf, 2010). Finally: a detailed diagnosis of the NGOs operating in Egypt is needed. This should focus on both internal and external analyses of the selected NGOs and provide policy recommendations for possible improvements in the sector. The current paper attempts to draw light on how the civil society operates in Egypt. A well recognized Egyptian NGO was selected in this ethnographic research. It is called the Future Protectors Association for Care and Development or â€Å"Homat Al-Mostakbal†. The reason behind selecting it is the higher credibility and the good reputation it is enjoying. This is quite well perceived by the researcher based on her personal experience with this association. The current research can add valuable insights both theoretically and practically. Theoretically, it attempts to cover few of the gaps mentioned about the civil society research in developing countries and Egypt in particular. Practically, proposed recommendations can serve as strategic agendas for improving the performance of the selected NGO in particular and the entire NGO sector in general. The current paper is organized as follows; the first section will provide detailed information about association’s background. This will be followed by the analysis section which would sum up the major facts collected about the association. The analysis is based on qualitative in-depth interviewing1 conducted with five key persons in the association including its founder. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are presented, to guide future research directions, at the conclusion part here later. Background Future protectors association for care and development (homat al mostakbal) is one of the well known non-governmental organizations in Egypt. It is located at 425 Avenue Road, Roushdy, Alexandria, Egypt. It is a group of young people who work in the field of developmental work and volunteerism in for a better future and a true renaissance to Egypt. It serves in the great Cairo area and some other governorates including; Alexandria, Dakahleya, Gharbeya, Menoufeya, and others. It was originally founded on the 2nd of Novermber, 2004 by Eng. El-Dreiny and his daughter engineer Marwa El-Dreiny. It was mainly founded seeking community development. The vision of the association is to be one of the largest civil society organizations working in the field and leading the areas of development, community care, and voluntary work in Egypt and the Arab world by year 2020. The mission of the association is the development and care of the community through several dimensions including; raising the general level of education and the development of production philosophy, increasing awareness of drug taking problems, providing health awareness, raising the cultural level of young people, and providing a variety of social services. These are to be achieved while taking into account the mastery of work and commitment to the principles of ethics and team work cooperation. The primary objectives to fulfill the pre-mentioned vision and mission include the following; Providing guidance and better utilizing the power of potential volunteers in various activities of the association and developing their skills while strengthening their moral values. Increasing the awareness of community members about the dangers of drugs and training of cadres for different age groups. In addition to providing technical support to partners and trainers in the field of awareness against the dangers of addiction and drug. Training community members by spreading the production thinking and helping youth and poor families in establishing small craft projects to supply industries with high quality products at competitive prices. Providing social services (in kind – physical – technical) and the work projects for poor families, orphans, deaf and dumb cases. Developing different segments of the society, especially children and young people both culturally and scientifically. This would entitle them to acquire new skills, open their horizons to different lives, and raise the level of education among the educated classes with aim of bringing progress and prosperity to the society in large. The major values of the association comprise the following; Intentions precede action Our basic principles are our main priority. Understanding the priorities and giving a high commitment to them. Mastering our work. Best employing our resources. Our clients are our core interest. Team work spirit. Commitment to a safe environment. The association is registered under the old NGO law. This entitles the association to be under the scrutiny and supervision of the Directorate of Social Affairs. Here is the copy of the registration certificate. Figure : Formal Registration Certificate The association tries as much to manage its institutional memory. This can be manifested in the form of reports including information about what happened in the past. Other reports are prepared for each activity and collected annually to be archived and documented for each committee. Also, there are few attempts to record religious seminars and cultural meetings either video or audio. Sometimes the association registers the campaigns to serve the new members by providing them with information about the work flavor. These tentative mechanisms are aimed at saving association heritage of knowledge and transfer it to the future generations who would complete the mission. The organization chart of the association was revised recently. There are intentions to modify it also however some limitations hinder this at the current period. The chart is decomposed into the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Executive Director, the Chairmen of the various Committees – the Vice Chairmen of the various Committees -who are appointed by the administration according to experience and seniority- the executive management including Secretary, the financial management. There were areas for development and the last updated organization chart was reproduced recently in 2011. The association was built on the basis of predominantly volunteerism however; there are 17 formal employees who are getting paid monthly. There are mainly three managers; executive, financial, and legal affairs. Staff members do not perform overlapping roles, instead there is a clearly specified job description for each single role. This would allow the upper management to apply a strict accountability procedures based on assigned responsibilities. The association is able to deal smoothly with the threat of losing any/all staff member(s). Sometimes, the operations of a highly specialized department, which loses a key staff member, can be postponed until the appointment of a new person. However, in the key roles like secretarial work, work cannot be stopped and duties can be referred to any interested volunteer. The collectivity and shared team working spirit that characterize the association enable it to face sudden problems of this sort. The association is having a board of directors. It is composed of 9 members, 1/3 of them are dropped during each nomination period. The nomination is made for 6 upcoming years. It is preferred to nominate persons with strong public relations to offer some facilities and those who have the expertise and strong knowledge about association’s policies. The association is membership based. There are different types of members including volunteers, affiliated, and working member. The membership status is documented only for continuing members who are then entitled to receive a formal membership card. Members pay a symbolic annual fee of about 20 pounds which represents one of the financial resources received by the association. The following chart represents the progress that has occurred in association’s membership from 2004 to 2008. In 2010, the number of volunteers has reached 4000. Figure : The number of volunteers The following chart represents the geographic allocation of volunteers across the different governorates. Figure : The geographic allocation of volunteers The social and economic background of the members is diverse. Majority of members are classified to be from the middle to upper middle social class. They are almost well educated having a clear intent toward the importance of charity and development societal roles in their country. They have strong religious understandings which enable them to volunteer their efforts for the sake of making others happy while earning credits (thawab) and pleasing the only god (ALLAH). The association has completed a huge number of successful projects2 and some of which are seasonal. The seasonal projects include distributing El Kheir bags and Ramadan lamps. It is planning to undertake some continuous projects not to be owned by the association but by encouraging the youth to execute them and the association can be a partner by 10%. Attached here below in the appendices is a list of the projects and activities the association is involved in. The primary beneficiaries of the association are; Volunteers, university students, school children, widowed women, poor families, knowledge seekers, patients, orphans, and the elderly at large. The association is not specifying a certain population to focus on serving. Activities are therefore not based on the coverage of a particular area, but they are tailored to achieve certain goals across the various geographic segments. 3 The association has unique policy for recruiting both members and staff. For the former, recruitment is based on the real intention to perform volunteer work. For the latter, recruitment is based on the exact mission to be completed within the functional department the potential candidate will join. The association views the current recruitment policy to be an effective one. Therefore, there are no plans to change its policy during the current period. The ratio of association’s founders to its members is roughly estimated to be 10%. Taking into considerations that the number of registered volunteers is roughly 4000, only 100-200 of them are active ones. The association depends on a self financing scheme. Majority of funds come from membership fees, donations (in cash or in kind), and revenues from profit-based committees. There is one company which operates in the field of quality and 75% of its income is transferred to the association. There are some funding projects such as the share the good, CSR, and Ijada company. Only 10% of the directed donations are taken to cover a proportion of administrative expenses but the money of Zakat is kept untouched. The association collects money from Egyptians. The money comes in forms of Zakat, sadakat, and in cash or in kind donations. It utilizes no foreign funding alternatives except for the single initiative with the United Nations. This partnership agreement was made under pressures from Dubai police and entitled the association to receive a fund of $ 10. 000 in order to execute some projects. The association has neither an initial endowment nor an emergency fund. It depended mainly on donations during the initial construction phase. There is a bank account for the association where the money collected from the various sources is being deposited to or withdrew from when necessary. The association does not always profit from most of its projects because they have low profit margins. Some seasonal projects might generate profit like the partnership with Toshiba Company to distribute Ramadan lamps. Donations are considered as part of the revenues. The association uses money coming from donations, sadakat, and the yield of some revenue-based activities. The general overhead costs of the association are estimated roughly to be from 30-40% of the budget. The ways to manage costs to the least possible level include, inducing members to rationalize consumption rates, closely monitoring monthly expenses, rationalizing staff recruitment process, and covering the costs of high telephone bills, hospitality and administrative outlays through collecting in kind donations. The association does not recognize any kind of support offered by the Egyptian government. The old government has provided only some facilities to make agreements with some concerned authorities such as ministries. This was mostly perceived prior to the revolution. However, the picture of the new potential government is still vague and there is no assurance that the new government would adopt a pro-civil society philosophy or not. There are tentative expectations about possible cooperation from the ministry of environment in the future. Analysis Based on the results of the in-depth personal interviews conducted with key persons in the association two types of analysis were made. The following section starts by presenting the first type of analysis which is the SWOT. This will be followed by the PEST analysis. 1. SWOT analysis The association enjoys a number of strength points. These strengths include, but not limited to, the following; a. Strong team spirit is a huge asset, good and efficient management system, good public relations, raising the skills of volunteers through gained experience, and very good reputation perceived by partners and the community at large. b. The presence of strong networks both locally and internationally. Locally with government institutions such as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, the Adult Education in Alexandria, the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Environment (protocol of cooperation),partnership training with the engineering industries sector TV ITV’s affiliated to the Ministry of Industry, Alexandria Biblotecha library (Department of Public Relations and Information), Morkoseya Church, the Food Bank, and the Egyptian (permanent agreement). Internationally, networks with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Organized Crime in the United Nations, the Dubai Police (working as technical/training consultants to raise awareness of the damages of drug addiction. c. Good coordination with other local and international organizations. Examples include organizing joint training programs with renaissance makers club in Kuwait, the Ministry of Awqaf in Kuwait, the American University of Kuwait, Gulf University, CID in Kuwait and the Ministry of Defense, Union of Arab Doctors (donations to Libya), the office of Dr. Muhammad Salim Al-Awa, Toshiba Arab company and Ocean Express Company and Isam Abu-setta for heavy transport, New Horizons and Xeon, Arab Academy for Science and Technology, University of Pharos, Alexandria University, Cairo University, Helwan University, Ain Shams University, Menoufiya University, Western University , Mansoura University, Assuit University. Alshanek ya Balady Association, Alexandria west investors association, and set your goal association, the future hands Hospital. In addition to cultural partnership cooperation with the Egyptian-Turkish Friendship Association. d. The presence of a strong infrastructure in the main headquarters in Alexandria. It is located in a prestigious location, well furnished, and highly accessible. However it is not a private property and thus imposes the burden of paying high monthly rent. This location is equipped by personal computers, laptops, wireless network, and they have electronic marketing forces empowered by strong specialists in the field. e. The presence of an independent financial management and independent social affairs and legal affairs units whose staff are paid. The recycling project, the specialized teams used in field case studies, the illiteracy teachers, and volunteers. f. The lack of specific religious or political directions and the presence of strong relationships with respectable figures in Alexandria. The inclusion of small associations in the many events organized by the association. Dependence on respectable personalities in providing certain services. g. Partnering with the association provides the partner several privileges and huge returns. A list of those privileges and returns to partners and individuals can be found later in the appendices. The obvious weakness points observed in this association include the following; a. Funding problems (almost self-financing by 99% from members) and the presence of many projects in second row but (senior management has recently begun to train the middle class members to complete these projects and continue the transfer of expertise to their followers). b. There are no integration links between the projects. c. Some personal conflict problems might arise sporadically among members. d. Administrative problems, and lack of strictness and formalization procedures due to a conflict between the role of leader and manager, but they overcome this problem by appointing an executive director. e. Inadequate promotion for the association in the media compared to other competitors. The reasons are mainly to reduce expenses and due to the imposed security restrictions. f. The absence of headquarters in some governorates like Dakahleya and Gharbeya which constitutes a big problem because the teams there are highly specialized and they need the proper setting to grow on it. g. The lack of specialization between the work forces in undertaking the projects. h. Some communication problems were present however, the Human Resources Director has solved them. i. Lack of volunteers and problems with their continuity/tenure. In some cases the volunteer has a desire to see the immediate result of his voluntary work which makes them less patient to continue. Most of the projects carried out by the association have longer term impacts and feasibility. j. Shortage in financial resources and operational tools. The major opportunities, brought from the external environment, facing the association for the time being include the following; a. Activating some agreements with the Union of Arab doctors, the Ministry of Environment, various associations, political awareness teams, in addition to different charitable and awareness-raising teams seeking support from the association in terms of logistics and training. b. A strong deactivated relationship with Al-Jazeera training center which is currently under study. c. The existence of many public figures, associations, and young modest advocates who have neither political nor religious direction. The association can take advantage of their cooperation efforts. d. A number of donors from America, Canada and Morocco who have appeared after the revolution as service volunteers like doctors. e. Localities and the Council of the People elections. This can be achieved by nominating independent members. Any successful nominated member can offer some facilities and services to the association. Also, this will give the chance for the association to be presented as one of the active civil society organizations participating in crafting the new constitution. f. Offering many partnerships to join the association with large well known institutions such as New Horizons, the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, and other new companies through exhibitions. Their offered contributions come mainly in the form of donations. g. The existence of promising facilities to complete some strategic projects through governmental entities. h. Reducing some of the strict scrutiny procedures imposed previously by the old government and the security apparatus. i. The expansion and proliferation in the environment of charity work, the launch of various public events and the intense presence of the civil society activities. j. The potential for participation with other unknown may be small, associations to perform some other projects outside the scope of work of the association. This represents the potential for diversification and expansion of work coverage. k. People’s Openness and their new reconciliation with the community with the desire to join the civil society institutions to provide charity services. l. The presence of various finance institutions through which the association can expand its operations scale after getting approvals from concerned authorities. m. The neutrality of the association both politically and religiously is a major strength. It is manifested in attracting bodies of various ideologies either as beneficiaries or participants. These include for example, Morosely Church or El-Azhar in my life project. The major threats or challenges, brought from the external environment, facing the association include the following; a. The societal openness can produce many competitors; some of them are supported by huge funding schemes and are biased toward the fulfillment of certain political religious agendas. b. Security threats to volunteers and the possibility of exposure to risk in places where they provide services. The possibility of being abused by law breakers due to the lack of security in the Egyptian streets mainly after the recent events. c. Exploiting association’s activities for the beneficial interests of others. This is totally rejected. This might impose the threat of diluting the association’s public image. Examples include candidates’ coverage for elections or political support using association’s name and good reputation. d. The presence of some competitors with high media coverage, such as resala. e. The culture of voluntary work is still somehow tentative. The lack of awareness of others about the culture of volunteerism and societal responsibility. f. The necessity to invest in volunteers to improve their skills and derive maximum value out of their participation. g. The unstable economic situation of the Egyptian State. h. The role of the Ministry of Social Solidarity has been hindering the progress of the work of the civil society for long years ago. i. The emergence of the Muslim brotherhood and the ancestors (salaf) as major competitors. j. Lack of human rights and political awareness and the prevailing unjustified freedom leading to chaotic results. k. The culture of the conspiracy against Egypt and the presence of some many unnatural Egyptian T. V talk show moderators. l. The owners of certain rented headquarters are drug dealers. This represents a major threat calling for immediate actions in moving those headquarters. 2. The PEST analysis a. Political Factors The political environment in which the association operates appears to be unstable. This status has recently turned to be much intense following the revolution due to the emergence of new political groupings. There are some promising expectations that the new democratically elected government will set new policies that are pro the civil society. The new policies are expected to contain modified laws that regulate taxation and provide more support and facilities to NGOs’ operations. The old government economic policies seemed to be incredibly inefficient resulting into a deteriorated national economic performance. This government had also no hand on regulating the marketing ethics of operating NGOs. Its major concern was on prohibiting religiously oriented activities and banning NGOs participation in the political life. b. Economic Factors The slowdown in Egyptian national economy has impacted the role of the association. This was reflected into low interest rates on savings and high interest charges on borrowings. The inflation rate continued to grow reducing the purchasing value of the Egyptian pound. The long-term prospects for the economy Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita and other economic indicators will depend on the policies and procedures adopted by the new elected government. c. Socio-cultural Factors The dominant religion in Egypt is Islam. The association is not discriminating against either religion or gender. The partnership with morkoseya church is an evidence to support this claim. The role of women continues to grow largely and rapidly in the Egyptian society. They are becoming well educated, highly paid, and having a self commitment toward volunteer work. The majority of people the association is targeting its services are illiterate. The general population lacks a solid awareness regarding green environmental issues. This is a very important role of the association in advocating for a green environment and promoting green activities. These include reducing consumption and disposal rates, saving energy, recycling disposed items†¦etc. d. Technological Factors Technological innovations make life easier for all. The association utilizes as many of the technological facilities like wireless connections, fax, and international calls to carry out daily activities. The emphasis should be directed toward strengthening association’s technological infrastructure to be able to do business through online communication channels. There are strong promises regarding what the future can bring to the civil society in general and to the association in particular. This is manifested in several key points. First: the majority of people are becoming motivated to volunteer work. Second: the increased public awareness of the importance of civic and collective actions in contrast to confining the role of the individual to achieve purely personal goals. Third: the strong promises and positive perception maintained by the majority of the poor toward the role of the civil society due to government failure to satisfy their needs. Forth: the diversity in working areas removes many of the restrictions imposed on the civilian work. Fifth: the potential for cooperation from the new elected democratic government. Sixth: the potential for receiving huge inflows of international donors’ funds. Finally, the presence of many initiatives aimed at community and society renaissance that could be built upon. Conclusion and Recommendations Based on the previous systematic analyses, the following conclusions are reached. The selected association is one of an above medium size. It has several branches covering a range of governorates in Egypt. In addition to that it has multiple international partnership agreements abroad with some countries like Kuwait and Dubai. It is innovative due to the creativity exercised by its members in proposing and launching new project initiatives given the limited financial and physical resources available to them. The diversity of its projects adds to its effectiveness by solving problems in multiple critical areas. Administratively, the association can be run more efficiently than its current status. The overhead costs can be controlled so that not to exceed 10% of the annual budget. This can be achieved through cutting back on hospitality, renting, and utilities expenses or finding a sponsor company to offer them for free. The remainder of the budget should be entirely devoted to implementing key projects and programs. Once those two objectives are met – keeping O. H costs to the minimum and maximizing the pool of resources available to projects – the association can enhance its reliability and credibility as perceived by the various stakeholder groups. It has to overcome one of its critical weaknesses which is the deficient public media coverage. Adopting innovative promotional campaigns, through media, flyers, and positive word of mouth, can bring in extra revenues, many volunteers individuals or corporations, government support, and a favorable public image. It has to integrate advanced sophisticated techniques to save institutional memory for the next generations. Applying digital archiving, video and audio recordings of important projects, seminars, and events, keeping records of association’s best practices are all effective methods to save memory beside the conventional paper-based archiving mechanism. Web presence is very critical to the association. It is not well developed because the current website is down and the main gate to potential members is through the social media like the face book. Thus, developing a full featured website can provide good communication channels for the association both locally and internationally. The association has to allow potential members to register online. The composition of the board of directors needs some adjustments. A combination of co-founders, highly prestigious figures, wealthy capitalists, experienced technocrats – given the fact that they are all politically and religiously unbiased – will allow the association to leverage each party’s privileges respectively. The reason is that co-founders are well informed about the association, its mission, vision, goals and have an intuitive inner commitment to achieve them. The highly prestigious, well known, famous, and rich members – who represent the status symbol – can bring in extra money through their special donations and strong contacts with bureaucrats. The wealthy capitalists can have a win-win situation. On the one hand, they can enjoy public credibility and commitment toward social responsibility and on the other hand they will cash in the association to derive this legitimacy. Experienced technocrats can propose better structural reforms, manage operational complexities, and implement strategies to improve performance by capitalizing on strengths and overcoming weaknesses. The association is membership-based and it serves multiple interests. It channels members’ annual fees to implement projects serving members of the poor communities. It also develops the skills and competencies of its members in return for their volunteer time, money, and efforts. The non-profit nature of the association should not hinder its attempts to implement profit-based projects. These projects are important to cover the high overhead cost, keep an emergency fund â€Å" to hedge against bad economic conditions,† invest surplus in revenue earning initiatives, finance new developmental projects, and finally keep work flow smoothly while enjoying the tax exemption privilege. Providing full fledged free support should be only restricted to severe cases. These include very poor, eldery, disable, and young sick children in highly marginalized areas. Otherwise, providing services should have something in return. For example, providing microfinance for poor families can be balanced against donating a certain percentage of periodical revenues to fund other projects. One more thing that should be emphasized specially after the revolution of January 25th is augmenting international funding options. The association has to devise an effective strategy to share a large portion of international donor money coming into Egypt to support democracy. Only with a clear schedule of valuable projects, the association can guarantee international donors’ support without facing the threat of policy conditionality i. e. , imposing a certain development agenda on fund recipient as a condition to be granted the money. This can secure association’s activities financially, allow it to cover O. H costs, implement expansion plans, and better serve society’s compelling needs. General recommendations to improve the civil society in Egypt; 1. The presence of a regulatory environment for transparency rather than for control. 2. Ensuring enough flexibility in law application and enforcement i. e. , the law versus the implementation issue. 3. Promoting an openness commitment to partnership between government and public institutions and the civil society. 4. Supporting a bottom-up approach to development from donors’ side. 5. Supporting the creation of institutions rather than only short or medium term programs to promote for sustainable development. 6. Mobilizing mechanisms to maximize the real value perceived by the beneficiaries from the donors’ dollars. Page (2011) mentioned that only 10 to 30 percent of this actual grant will go to the real beneficiaries. 7. Supporting the youth-led NGOs so that they can actually participate in leading the winds of change toward democracy in Egypt. P. S. for those interested in accessing the association for donations, or more research work, here are association’s contacts. Address

Summary of Human Resource Management

It is very important that human research management to transform from being primarily administrative and operational to strategic partner. The reason is it important is because the human resource department plays a crucial role in determining the culture of an organization. Human resources promote and implement policies and procedures. The key areas are hiring practices, compensation, management relations and employee conduct and behavior. The decisions made by the human resources department will effect an organization in a positive or negative way. The areas that will feel the impact or challenges will be creating awareness, compensation plans, hiring practices and behavior. â€Å"The role of the Human Resource Manager is evolving with the change in competitive market environment and the realization that Human Resource Management must play a more strategic role in the success of an organization. Organizations that do not put their emphasis on attracting and retaining talents may find themselves in dire consequences, as their competitors may be outplaying them in the strategic employment of their human resources†. The human resources department can give the benefit of showing management what the culture is really like. What is revealed may lead to positive changes in the organization culture, it could also lead benefits that the employee’s need. The human resource office can also help management decide if there is a need for change or eliminate programs that are not necessary. The human resource depart is vital when it comes to compensation because it is responsibility for the design or layout programs for the organization. A lot depends on how well the human resource department does their job, such as the positive and negative impact on organizational culture. It is instrument that the HR department creates a plan with an incentive program for employees, which could motivate the employees and increase productivity. If productivity is up, then I believe they are headed in the right direction. The human resource department also determines the hiring and recruiting practices used by the organization, which has a great impact on the organizational culture. The relationships between a successful business and Human Resource Management have to be incorporated into an organizations plans and strategies to be able to maintain longevity of success. The history of the development of human resource management can be traced back to the early 1900s. Human resource manager’s original function was to basically manage the relationship between businesses and labor unions. Galbraith and Nathanson developed a model for the human resource management function that divided the human resource management function into four basic sub functions. The human resource management function was divided into seven parts. Human resource management are viewed as an essential part of an organization, also seen as a necessary to deal with labor unions. Human Resource Management focuses on securing, maintaining, and employing an effective work force, which organizations can strive. Human Resource Management involves a variation of activities, which include recruitment, and screening employees, preparing training needs, analyze human resource forecasts, compensation systems, and an understanding of the laws. The Human Resource Management function has evolved significantly since the early 1900. The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) was undergoing a renewal period. With renewal and change, it is essential for the human resource management function to adopt a strategic role in order to support and enable CSC ‘s business drivers. CSC is in the people business, and people and positive relationships comprise our most important asset; this is essential for fulfilling our public safety mandate. Every person at CSC has a role to play in helping to achieve the results set out in this Plan. CSC ‘s managers have shared accountability for these results. The Assistant Commissioner Human Resource Management is accountable for setting the foundation and people services that will enable managers to meet their business goals efficiently and effectively. The Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners, and managers and supervisor within their region or sector, are accountable for the implementation of good human resource management to provide a healthy workplace and ensure a productive and innovative workforce, and enabling learning and development. Employees are responsible for being a partner to create a healthy workplace, productive and innovative workforce, and for their learning and development. Regional support for the Plan will be assumed primarily by the Assistant Deputy Commissioners of Corporate Services. [Full description of figure: CSC's Program Activity Architecture] This Strategic Plan for Human Resource Management covers the period of 2009-2010 to 2011-2012. The Plan integrates CSC's business lines as found in the Program Activity Architecture and as outlined in the CSC Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP). In December 2007, after completing an in-depth review of the federal correctional system, an Independent Review Panel delivered its report, A Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety. The human resource management priorities are aligned with the Review Panel's observations and recommendations. The CSC Review Panel endorsed CSC ‘s Strategic Plan for Human Resource Management for 2007-2008 to 2010-2011. The Review Panel developed a set of recommendations to respond to issues that came out of discussions with frontline staff and to the underlying issues CSC must address in order to further the strategic priorities outlined in the Plan. The following chart provides a summary of the Panel's recommendations. These recommendations are integrated throughout this plan. Full description of figure: Human Resource Management] In endorsing the previous Strategic Plan for Human Resource Management , the Panel stated that â€Å"CSC ‘s priorities in matters related to human resource management must ensure that practices are robust and effective to allow the organization to deliver on its key operational priorities and other activities in a cost effective manner, and that this is done in a way that is consistent with public service values that are essential to a healthy workplace and to the confidence and trust of Canadians. † 2 This statement is as true today as it was then, and whil e the previous 2007 CSC Strategic Plan for Human Resource Management achieved a number of milestones and brought ownership and accountability to CSC leaders by placing important HR issues on the organization's agenda, there is still much work to be done. This Plan builds on the results of the initiatives put forth in the previous plan and continues to build on those important achievements to further support the organization in meeting its evolving business needs and the Government's overall public safety agenda. Regional and Sector activities in the area of human resource management and services flow from this Strategic Plan. Integrated into the foundation of services provided by human resource professionals in all regions and at national headquarters in support of CSC activities, are plans and measures related to CSC priorities. Of importance in the medium and longer term is forging relationships and engaging our partners to continue to build on the current foundation of human resource management, and investing in our people through several key activities outlined under these three priorities. These priorities and key activities, including Public Service Renewal, will bring about improvements in human resource management in support of CSC's transformation and business objectives. The organization that I would like to discuss is actually the United States Air Force. As the Career Assistance Advisor, I work with the hiring officials and putting the proper individuals with the right job. There is a process that the Human Resource department has to follow and it is imperative that they get it right. Each year the military need individuals in certain positions that meet certain criteria fill jobs. The HR department at Randolph Air Force base has to work closely with organizations or units to fill their manning needs in order to support their mission. There is an analysis of manning done for each career field to determine if a position needs to be filled, once that is determine, HR department matches members with the location and job. Also, each year the Air Force determines that some career fields are over manned and some are short manned. This situation creates a need for hiring for the short manned career field to meet the Air Force retention goals. The HR department works with units to fill special duty, regular and chronic critical jobs. The HR department finds out the needs and requirements for the positions from the units. Then the HR department creates the advertisement and screens the applicants that apply to ensure that they make the right decision based upon the needs and requirements. The HR department must ensure that the applicants meet the requirements, because when they do hire the individual, there is a lot that follows. The first thing to follow in getting the individual trained which might require technical school. The next step is getting the member to the new job location, which both cost the government money to do. The HR department that I deal with on a daily basis does a thorough job of ensuring that the individual is even eligible, before they go any further in the process, so by doing so save the government time, money and resources. The HR department is the key to keeping the Air Force properly manned and ready at all times for the mission. (2013, 02). Discussion Essay Questions. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 02, 2013, from http://www.studymode.com/course-notes/Discussion-Essay-Questions-1428542.html http://www.zeromillion.com/business/hrm.html (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })()

Comparison of Two People in the Same Profession Article - 1

Comparison of Two People in the Same Profession - Article Example To be able to do this, this paper settles on two teachers.     Robots can be exact duplicates whereas, in human beings, all people are unique. It is because of this reason that no single firm can leave the role in making decision role to robots. Moreover, another question can be raised from this fact is: Why are there people to make decisions? The fact of two teachers being on the same level and under the same management and governance does not mean the same level of intellectuality and ability to make decisions. The degree to how fast an individual can make a right decision varies from one person to the other depending on a number of factors. Some of these factors range from inborn capability, experiences in life, age, gender, family backgrounds to the level of education. A crisis of the same magnitude presented to two teachers can be mandated to have different responses if the crisis is not numerical. In the same manner, response to decisions made by the management can vary no matter the fact that they can be trained to respond to such. These differences, however, do not despite the fact that it is possible to make a similar decision or give similar reasons for a crisis (Yengoyan 14). These two teachers can be agitated by different occurrences in a classroom, for instance, one can be so furious with a student who does not hand in his or her assignment in time while the other can get so angry with one who is late for classes. None of the two makes one a lesser teacher or vice-versa, but the situation acts independently to bring out the diversity of people although in the same field. At this juncture, it is good to state that either teacher or both could be in the profession out of lack, passion, family reasons or even religious reasons. A teacher in the profession out of passion is quite different from that is in it because of any other reason. To start with the former will have an inner driving force to work while the latter will work out of external forc es. Amazingly, both perform to the expectation of the organization. The diversity of reasons unto why one is a teacher is by its own an explanation for a myriad of responses in the teaching field. It is because of the diversity of these reasons that explain the difference between teachers when faced with a challenge. For example, when a teacher reprimands a student out of misconduct and the student takes him or her in a court of law. No matter the sentence of the court the fact of being to a court of the law may either make one feel humiliated or a rise in self-esteem. The capability that one can be allured into the wind of a riot or a strikeout of poor work conditions can also have its basis on the same reasons. The reasons for the dynamic behavior of teachers also have an association with the reasons for being in the profession.

Russian gas industry and its effects on people environment and Research Paper

Russian gas industry and its effects on people environment and business - Research Paper Example Environmental problems are of a great challenge to Russia’s citizens and the economy causing among others, respiratory and gastrointestinal illness, budgetary strains, reduction of labor productivity and damaging natural resources. This paper focusses on the Russian gas industry and its effects on people environment and business. Russia boasts of holding the largest natural gas reserves with 1, 688 trillion cubic feet as per 2013 reports, a figure that accounts for about a quarter of the world’s total proven reserves. Most of Russia’s reserves are situated in Siberia, Urengoy and Medvezh’ye that account for almost 40% of the country’s total reserves as other reserves are located in the northern Russia (Miller, 2013). Looking at the gas sector organization, the state run Gazprom dominates Russia’s upstream and produces almost 74% of the Russia’s output and further controls more than 65% of proven reserves (World Watch Institute, 2014). Independent producers such as Novatek and LUKoil have also significantly gained and enhanced Russia’s production even though upstream opportunities are narrowed. However, the Gazprom’s monopoly on the Russia’s gas export is on the verge of ending as per the government’s plans. Most of Russia’s natural gas reserve under development and production are in the upper part of Western Siberia although Gazpron is investing in new regions such as the Yamal Peninsula to bring gas deposits into the areas. The renown prolific fields in Siberia include Yamburg , Urengoy and Medvezh’ye that are licensed by Gazpron although the three fields have recorded output declines in the recent years (Miller, 2013). The higher production rate of natural gas in Russia has been triggered by the many companies entering the gas industry such as oil companies preempting to develop their gas reserve. The government is also trying to reduce the ever increasing gas

Defining Territories in different regions Essay

Defining Territories in different regions - Essay Example certain types of clothes whereas others do not, for instance in most Arabian nations it is a requirement that women adorn in veils in a move to symbolize their status and religion. Finally, there are modern gulf cities such as Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait that evolved from colonial dependency into statehood (Commins, 2012). The essay will relay information on the four types of territories in addition to how they are marked and maintained. A continent such as Europe, the culture of a single city such as trade in addition to its population is most likely to become cosmopolitan and varied. Although hopelessly outweighed in matters regarding geopolitics, networked cities are normally in a better position of achieving and retaining astonishing power hence achieving independence in terms of nominal sovereignty (Hohenberg & Lees, 2002). This is similar in the case of gulf cities, for instance Bahrain. According to Kermeliotis (2010), just like any other nation in the gulf, Bahrain has its own territories. This is because the city has a global recognition for its tolerance and openness hence becoming the most liberal society in the region. Apart from having the lowest cost of living, it also boasts of being the first nation in the gulf to allow education for both boys and girls. The veiling territory is when a city comes up with measures on how its citizens ought to appear in public. Whereas some nations embrace veiling territories, others such as France and the US do not have it; instead, their dress code is normally termed secularism or westernization. Conversely, gender territories involve both male and female in which they ought to receive equal recognition. This is normally achievable through abolition of certain norms such as the urban planning that has gender dimensions whereby whereas men travel distance locations in search of employment while women are to stay at home and take care of the home and children (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2007). Due to the

Paper of fact how the death penalty costs more than life in prison Essay

Paper of fact how the death penalty costs more than life in prison - Essay Example Thre had been 550 executions carried out since the reinstitution of the death penalty (Radelet and Borg 43). The death penalty is considered to be a method of deterrence, the primary reason for the argument for the death penalty in the 1970s centered on this debate. However, this has been denounced as a viable excuse for the death penalty as it is rarely considered as part of the cost/benefit internal discussion of an offender during the commission of a crime that would warrant a death penalty verdict. According to Radelet and Akers, as related in Radelet and Borg, â€Å" in a recent survey of current and former presidents of three professional associations of criminologists (the American Society of Criminology, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and the Law and Society Association), 85% of the experts agreed that the empirical research on deterrence has shown that the death penalty never has been, is not, and never could be superior to long prison sentences as a deterrent to criminal violence† (45). Therefore, deterrence is not a viable argument for the death penalty. The second argument for the death penalty is incapacitation. ... life in prison went on to commit a murder later on, and ironically, this figure turned out to be the same percentage of those 630 offenders who were discovered to be innocent of the crimes for which they had been originally sentenced to death (46). One way in which the death penalty provides context is in consideration of the nature of law and race relations. The statistics show that since the new laws have been put into place, the death penalty is far more likely to be put into place by an average of three to four times more often when the victim is white. There is a less bias when the offender is concerned, but more often it is within the racial nature of the victim (Radelet and Borg 48). The nature of law, unfortunately, has shown that race is a defining factor in the treatment of an offender, whether it be through their own race or through that of their victim. Because law is subjectively applied, race has an effect in the decisions of the judicial branch of government. In additi on, it has been very rare that anyone of any means has been sentenced to death, making the death sentence relative to the poverty of the offender (Geraghty 209). However, the best argument that has come into existence, one that covers a vast number of issues in regard to the use of the death penalty as a punitive measure, is that concerning the financial costs of the issue. One of the reasons that is often given, by a factor of 11%, in support of the death penalty is because there is a belief that a death sentence is cheaper than supporting a life sentence of incarceration. However, the estimates in 1988 for the overall costs of an execution were 3.2 million, with it costing a mere 600,000 for life in prison (Radelet and Borg 50). While these figures are more than likely very different 20

Concert review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Concert review - Essay Example They can either play with a director or not depending on the occasion. This was the Concerto Stella Matutina’s debut in the Rheingau music festival. The group was led by Rolf Lislevant, who is the group’s baroque guitarist (Manson, 2013). Rolf Lislevant has had a major role in the development of early music performances. This he has done by not just using original music and period instruments, but he also reinstated missing elements of imprecision. This technique was well established and widely used when the music was originally composed. However, its use has become rare in the classic and baroque music. Lislevant was accompanied by two of his colleagues from Kapsberger Ensemble: Thoharald Johnsen a former student and compatriot and Bjorn Kjellemyr. They primarily played in Jazz style on the double bass, using the fingers instead of the bow. Thoharald Johnsen can also play the Renaissance lute, baroque guitar and chitarra battente (Buelow, 2004). The flagship location f or the Rheingau music festival was at the Kloster Eberbach, a former imposing monastery. The concert was sold out, and the attendance was up to one thousand people, who came together for a music session known as â€Å"Early Music Meets Jazz†. The first concert took place in February 2012 in Australia. This concert was one of the most memorable and scintillating that has ever been witnessed in recent years. The change in the venue from their first concert which was done in a concert hall, to cavernous Basilica had some major impacts on several aspects of sound projection. This was mostly experienced with the lowest register instruments. The amplified bass experienced this as it generated a lot of reverberations and the baroque was most of the distinguishable. The brass instruments also at some point could not be heard through the acoustic space. However, this did not prevent players from rocking the concert as they took the problem as a motivation to play better. This gave thi s different concert much joy (Manson, 2013). The pieces that were mostly played dated back to the 16th century, which is very much close to the lutenists’ remit. There were also two pieces from a field that is considered to have been rather neglected by recent  music composers. This is the Australian High Baroque which the Concerto Stella Matutina has made to be their own. One of the Australian High Baroque founding fathers is Johann Heinrich Schmeltzer. His Sonata a 3 was a slow graceful work which since Heinrich’s time has showed the Cornett player’s technical abilities. During that time, the Cornett players were seen on the basis of virtuosity as equals to the violin. Then to the evening’s main business, here the jazz started meeting the earlier music such as the performance of the Aria di Firenze composed in the 16th century. The composer of the lyrics is anonymous. The two guitarists with their fluid and crisp flow of rhythmic precision alternating improvisation and melody vividly brought the out concert’s latest dance theme. This was subsequently supplemented by jazzy trombone. The second half started close to night fall with breathtaking music by Thor-Heralds Johnsen’s alteration of the Kapsberger’s Toccata 2. This was developed by the seamlessly movement of Lislevant’s guitar through Aria Di Passacaglia by Frescobaldi to his electrifying arrangement of Passacaglia Andaluz by an anonymous composer. The two performances by Francesco da Milano were the main highlights of

Db1 managing high performance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Db1 managing high performance - Research Paper Example I prefer the free reign type of leadership to the autocratic. Free reign leadership style is motivational to employees, and it gives them room to exchange ideas within themselves and even work towards the same goal. Autocratic does not give the employees room to participate in the decision-making process, exercising of individual leadership styles hence influencing negatively on worker talents and skills (Gino, 2013). While working with Digg Company, I observed the management styles employed by the company director, Mr. Willy to be laissez-Faire. Mr. Willy delegated duties, responsibilities coupled with adequate authority to his junior staff, gave them room to take part in the decision-making process, and without strict supervision. It helped the company meet its set goals within the period; employees felt encouraged and motivated. On the contrary, Mrs. Helena, the sales representative of Frontier Marketers Company, where I started my career, designed an autocratic style that did not achieve success (Benincasa, 2012). She harshly directed her employees, fired and hired without warning. It led to employees feeling inferior, could not contribute much to organization’s development, and soon losses struck the company. Benincasa, R. (2012, JUNE). 6 Leadership Styles, And When You Should Use Them. Retrieved OCT 8, 2014, from FC leadership: http://www.fastcompany.com/1838481/6-leadership-styles-and-when-you-should-use-them Nayab, N. (2011, SEPT 28). Examples of Companies with Autocratic Leadership. Retrieved OCT 8, 2014, from Bride Hub Project Managment:

Is skill in implementing coordinated information technology really a Essay

Is skill in implementing coordinated information technology really a competitive advantage for a firm Why or why not - Essay Example nt of the effective human resource and sphosticated technology establshment is simlimy intended for taking a better competetive edge or is also aimed at improving the business, operations managemnt, business managnet and corporate processes handling. This paper will analyze and assess the answer of this question. This paper will also outline differetnt aspects of information technology implementation regarding the corporate business opertions enhancment or simply taking a better competetive edge. Data are collection of unprocessed facts demonstrating events occurring in firms or the physical environment prior to they have been structured and organized into a structure that people can identify and make use of these facts. Data can include text, numbers, images and videos. On the other hand, information refers to data that have been processed or transformed into a form that is valuable and functional to human beings (Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2005, p. 6; Norton, 2001, p. 4; Laudon & Laudon, 1999, p. 7). Oz Effy (2008) states that decision making and problem solving both require information. Decision making is vital part of everyone’ life, as people perform theirs tasks, play games, communicate or do anything they need information. In a corporation gathering the accurate information efficiently, storing properly so that it could be utilized and manipulated when needed, also making use of it to assist the firm or individuals to accomplish personal or business objectives . Therefore, the main intention of information technology implementation is to facilitate and support the above mentioned areas. We can utilize and apply these understanding and information for getting the success in all the areas. In a corporation an information system (IS) encompasses hardware, data, telecommunications, activities, software, and workers. Oz Effy (2008) mentioned that, an increasing number of ISs are modules of a huge enterprise system, like ERP or SCM system (Oz, 2008; Laudon &

Owner vs. Steward Essay Example for Free

Owner vs. Steward Essay Owner vs. Steward BY vflnel 23 Owner vs. Stewart Owner vs. Steward in the Kingdom Being the owner means that it belongs to you. Its yours. You have all rights to it. There are no limitations on what you decide to do or not to do with it. You are in full control of your possessions, regardless of how much you have. You are faithful to what is yours. You rule over it. It is your Lord. And nothing or no-one can take it from you. A owner knows all commands all and administers all. A owner makes all the decision on your life, your finances, your well being, your past. Present and your future. Now being a steward you have to understand that you are Just a manager of the affairs of the master, with the best interest of the master in mind, the steward knows that the master will return and settle all accounts for which they are responsible. A steward doesnt own anything. For every beast of the field is mine. And the cattle on a thousand hills. ow all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beast of the fields are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you: For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. -Psalms 50: 10-12. 1f you take away the servant/master relationship from the idea of stewardship then you take away obedience and put sovereignty in the hands of the steward. As a steward you dont have a say so over things that dont belong to you. Being good steward is impossible to do unless you have the proper perspective about the things in your life. Being a steward you have to be careful about your desires to be rich! Even money doesnt belong to you. Therefore in order to be a good steward you must never view money as a end in itself, but merely as a resource used to accomplish goal and obligation as outlined by God. A good steward has its rewards. God promises that if we are faithful stewards over what we have, God will reward us to be stewards over more things. (Matthew 25:23). So understanding the two we can go on to prosper in the Kingdom.

Cell Division Mitosis And Meiosis Biology Essay

Cell Division Mitosis And Meiosis Biology Essay The cell cycle describes the sequence of events that occurs during the life of most eukaryotic cells. It spans through mitosis and cytokinesis,( together referred to as the M phase), then through interphase (G1, S, and G2.) Cell division involves the distribution of identical genetic material, DNA, to two daughter cells. It consists of two phases, nuclear division followed by cytokinesis. Nuclear division divides the genetic material in the nucleus, while cytokinesis divides the cytoplasm.There are two kinds of nuclear division-mitosis and meiosis. Mitosis divides the nucleus so that both daughter cells are genetically identical. In contrast, meiosis is a reduction division, producing genetically variable daughter cells that contain half the genetic information of the parent cell. In either mitosis or meiosis, the whole process begins with the condensation(shortening and thickening) of the genetic material, chromatin, into tightly coiled bodies, the chromosomes. Each chromosome is made of two identical halves called sister chromatids joined at the centromere. Each chromatid consists of a single, tightly coiled molecule of DNA, the genetic material of the cell. In diploid cells, there are two copies of every chromosome, forming a pair, called homologous chromosomes. In a homologous pair of chromosomes, one homologue originated from the maternal parent, the other from the paternal parent. Mitosis There are four phases in mitosis prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Prophase The nucleoli disappear and the chromatin condenses into chromosomes → the nuclear envelope is degraded → the mitotic spindle is assembled. The development of the mitotic spindle begins as the centrosomes move apart to opposite ends (or poles) of the nucleus. As they move apart, microtubules develop from each centrosome. Microtubules from each centrosome connect to a specialized region in the centromere called a kinetochore. Metaphase The chromosomes are distributed across the metaphase plate, an imaginary plane lying at the equator, between the two poles of the spindle. Metaphase ends when the microtubules, still attached to the kinetochores, pull each chromosome apart into two chromatids. Each chromatid is complete with a centromere and a kinetochore. Once separated from its sister chromatid, each chromatid is called a chromosome. Anaphase Begins after the chromosomes are separated into sister chromatids. The microtubules connected to the chromatids shorten, thus, pulling the chromosomes to opposite poles. The microtubules shorten due to uncoupling of tubulin units at their chromosome ends. At the end of anaphase, each pole has a complete set of chromosomes, the same number of chromosomes as the original cell. Since they consist of only one chromatid, each chromosome contains only a single copy of the DNA molecule. Telophase The process of nuclear division is completed here. A nuclear envelope develops around each pole, forming two nuclei. The chromosomes within each of these nuclei disperse into chromatin, and the nucleoli reappear. A constitutive part of the Telophase called Cytokinesis (in my opinion)creates two daughter cells by a process known as cytoplasmic cleavage. Whereas conventional mitosis is all about nuclear division into two daughter nuclei, cytokinesis embodies cytoplasmic division to form two cells. Interphase Sequel to completion of mitosis (cytokinesis, inclusive), interphase begins. It is the resting period (The cell is not actively dividing) , and arguably the growth period of the cell cycle. This growth period is divided into three phases, designated G1, S, and G2 based of their inherent activities. Although the labels G1 and G2 are associated with growth and S with synthesis, it is worth noting that growth takes place during all three phases. However, S phase marks the time during which the second DNA molecule for each chromosome is synthesized. As a result of this DNA replication, each chromosome that appears at the beginning of the next mitotic division will appear as two sister chromatids. During the G2 period of growth, materials for the next mitotic division are prepared. Meiosis Meiosis is very similar to mitosis, however, major distinction is that meiosis consists of two groups of divisions, meiosis I and meiosis II (both consisting of 4 sub-stages) and occurs only in sexually reproducing organisms. In meiosis I homologous chromosomes pair at the metaphase plate, and then the homologues migrate to opposite poles, while, in meiosis II, chromosomes spread across the metaphase plate and sister chromatids separate and migrate to opposite poles. Thus, meiosis II is analogous to mitosis. A summary of each meiotic stage follows: Meiosis I Prophase I Starts like prophase of mitosis. The nucleolus disappears → chromatin condenses into chromosomes→ the nuclear envelope dissolves→ the spindle apparatus develops. Unlike mitosis, however, once the chromosomes are condensed, homologous chromosomes pair, a process called synapsis. These pairs of homologous chromosomes are called tetrads (a group of four chromatids) or bivalents (two pairs). During synapsis, corresponding regions along non-sister chromatids form close associations called chiasmata sites where genetic material is exchanged between non-sister homologous chromatids, a process called crossing over. Metaphase I Homologous pairs of chromosomes are spread across the metaphase plate. Microtubules extending from one pole are attached to the kinetochore of one member of each homologous pair. Microtubules from the other pole are connected to the second member of each homologous pair. Anaphase I Commences when homologues within tetrads uncouple as they are pulled to opposite poles. Telophase I Chromosomes are located at their respective poles, and a nuclear membrane develops around them. Each pole forms a new nucleus that will have half the number of chromosomes, but each chromosome will contain two chromatids. Since daughter nuclei will have half the number of chromosomes, cells that they eventually form will be haploid. As part of telophase I, the cells begin cytokinesis and form cleavage furrows or cell plates. In other species, cytokinesis is delayed until after meiosis II. Also, a short interphase II may begin. No replication of chromosomes occurs during this period. Instead, part II of meiosis begins in both daughter nuclei. Meiosis II Prophase II The nuclear envelope disappears and the spindle develops. There are no chiasmata and no crossing over of genetic material as in prophase I. Metaphase II Chromosomes align singly on the metaphase plate (not in tetrads as in metaphase I). Single alignment of chromosomes is exactly what happens in mitosis except that now there is only half the number of chromosomes. Anaphase II Each chromosome is pulled apart into two chromatids by the microtubules of the spindle apparatus. The chromatids (now chromosomes) migrate to their respective poles. Similar to what happens in mitosis except that now there is only half the number of chromosomes. Telophase II The nuclear envelope reappears at each pole and cytokinesis occurs. The end result of meiosis is four haploid cells (chromosome makeup of each daughter cell designated by n). Each cell contains half the number of chromosomes, and each chromosome consists of only one chromatid. Later in interphase, a second chromatid in each chromosome is replicated, but the cell will still have only half the number of chromosomes. Consequence of Meiotic Error Sometimes, a set of chromosomes has an extra or a missing chromosome. This occurs because of non-disjunction -the chromosomes failed to separate properly during meiosis. This error, which produces the wrong number of chromosomes in a cell, results in severe genetic defects. For example, humans typically have 23 pairs of chromosomes, but individuals with Downs syndrome have three-instead of two-copies of the 21st chromosome. A condition known as trisomy and designated as 2n+1 Chromosomal abnormalities also occur if one or more segments of a chromosome break. The most common example is translocation (a segment of a chromosome moves to another chromosome). Translocation involves transposons, DNA segments that have the ability to move around the genome. Sometimes when they move, they leave behind mutations, and they can cause mutations by inserting into a gene. Fortunately, in most cases, damaged DNA can usually be repaired with special repair enzymes. A Comparison between Mitosis and Meiosis Regulation of the Cell Cycle The cell-cycle control system triggers the events of the cell cycle and ensures that these events are properly timed and occur in the correct order. The control system responds to various intracellular and extracellular signals and arrests the cycle when the cell either fails to complete an essential cell-cycle process or encounters unfavourable environmental or intracellular conditions. This control system comprises of several checkpoints a critical control point in the cell cycle. Major checkpoints include G1, G2, and M checkpoints G1 checkpoint the Restriction Point. It ensures that the cell is large enough to divide, and that enough nutrients are available to support the resulting daughter cells. G2 checkpoint ensures that DNA replication in S phase has been completed successfully Metaphase checkpoint ensures that all of the chromosomes are attached to the mitotic spindle by a kinetochore. Cyclin-dependent protein kinases (Cdks) as the name implies, depend on cyclin for their activity. Oscillations in the activities of various cyclin-Cdk complexes control various cell-cycle events. Thus, actuation of S-phase cyclin-Cdk complexes (S-Cdk) initiates S phase, while activation of M-phase cyclin-Cdk complexes (M-Cdk) triggers mitosis. The mechanisms that control the activities of cyclin-Cdk complexes include phosphorylation of the Cdk subunit, binding of Cdk inhibitor proteins (CIPs), proteolysis of cyclins, and changes in the transcription of genes encoding Cdk regulators. The cell-cycle control system also depends crucially on two additional enzyme complexes, the anaphase promoting complex (APC) and SCF ubiquitin ligases, which catalyze the ubiquitylation and consequent destruction of specific regulatory proteins that control critical events in the cycle. Growth factors Cellular plasma membranes have receptors for external molecules, or growth factors, that stimulate a cell to divide. One such growth factor is produced by damaged cells, stimulating other cells to divide. More than 50 different growth factors are known. Density-dependent inhibition Conventionally, cells stop dividing when the surrounding cell density reaches a certain maximum. Anchorage dependence Some cells cannot divide except they are attached to an external surface, such as the flat surface of a neighbouring cell (or the side of a culture dish). Cells Which No Longer Respond to Cell-Cycle Controls Cancer Cells Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and division. Transformed/Mutated cells, cells that have become cancerous, proliferate without regard to cell cycle checkpoints (Cancer cells do not exhibit contact inhibition), density-dependent inhibition (If cultured, they continue to grow on top of each other when the total area of the petri dish has been covered ), anchorage dependence, and other regulatory mechanisms (or possess abnormal signal transduction sequences which falsely convey growth signals thereby bypassing normal growth checks). Thus, cancer is a disease of the cell cycle. Acknowledgement All diagrams/tables were got from http://www.uic.edu/classes/bios/bios100/f05pm/lect13.htm

Artificial Intelligence in William Gibson’s Neuromancer Essay -- Neuro

Artificial Intelligence in William Gibson’s Neuromancer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Artificial Intelligence is a term not too widely used in today’s society.   With today’s technology we haven’t found a way to enable someone to leave their physical body and let their mind survive within a computer.   Could it be possible?   Maybe someday, but for now it’s just in theory.   The novel by William Gibson, Neuromancer, has touched greatly on the idea of artificial intelligence.   He describes it as a world where many things are possible.   By simply logging on the computer, it opens up a world we could never comprehend.   The possibilities are endless in the world of William Gibson.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This world of artificial intelligence has the power to produce many questions and theories because we don’t understand something that isn’t possible.   â€Å"How smart’s an AI, Case?   Depends.   Some aren’t much smarter than dogs.   Pets.   Cost a fortune anyway.   The real smart ones are as smart as the Turing heat is willing to let ‘em get.†Ã‚   (Page 95)   This shows that an artificial intelligence can be programmed to only do certain ...

Women, Beauty and Self-Esteem Essay -- Body Image & Self Esteem

Ambrose Bierce (1958) once wrote, â€Å"To men a man is but a mind. Who cares what face he carries or what he wears? But woman’s body is the woman.† Despite the societal changes achieved since Bierce’s time, his statement remains true. Since the height of the feminist movement in the early 1970s, women have spent more money than ever before on products and treatments designed to make them beautiful. Cosmetic sales have increased annually to reach $18 billion in 1987 (â€Å"Ignoring the economy. . . ,† 1989), sales of women’s clothing averaged $103 billion per month in 1990 (personal communication, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 1992), dieting has become a $30-billion-per-year industry (Stoffel, 1989), and women spent $1.2 billion on cosmetic surgery in 1990 (personal communication, American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, 1992). The importance of beauty has apparently increased even as women are reaching for personal freedoms and economic rights undreamed of by our grandmothers. The emphasis on beauty may be a way to hold onto a feminine image while shedding feminine roles. Attractiveness is prerequisite for femininity but not for masculinity (Freedman, 1986). The word beauty always refers to the female body. Attractive male bodies are described as â€Å"handsome,† a word derived from â€Å"hand† that refers as much to action as appearance (Freedman, 1986). Qualities of achieve ­ment and strength accompany the term handsome, such attributes are rarely employed in the description of attractive women and certainly do not accom ­pany the term beauty, which refers only to a decorative quality. Men are instru ­mental, women are ornamental. Beauty is a most elusive commodity. Ideas of what is beautiful vary across cultures and change ... .... Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 10, 129-38. Stoffel, Jennifer. (1989, November 26). What’s new in weight control: A market mushrooms as motivations change. New York Times, p. C17. Thompson, J. Kevin. (1986, April). Larger than life. Psychology Today, pp. 41-44. Walker, Alice. (1990). Beauty: When the other dancer is the self. In Evelyn C. White (Ed.), The black women’s health book: Speaking for ourselves (pp. 280-87). Seattle: Seal Press. Walster, Elaine, Aronson, Vera, Abrahams, Darcy, & Rottman, Leon. (1966). Importance of physical attractiveness in dating behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 4, 508-16. Wernick, Mark, & Manaster, Guy J. (1984). Age and the perception of age and attractiveness. Gerontologist, 24, 408-14. Williams, Juanita H. (1985). Psychology of women: Behavior in a biosocial context. New York: Norton.

Definitions on the Internet of Things Essay

Here is a list of existing definitions for the Internet of Things:- * â€Å"Things having identities and virtual personalities operating in smart spaces using intelligent interfaces to connect and communicate within social, environmental, and user contexts† or â€Å"Interconnected objects having an active role in what might be called the Future Internet† or semantically â€Å"Internet of Things means a world-wide network of interconnected objects uniquely addressable, based on standard communication protocols† ETP EPOSS 05/2008 * â€Å"A global network infrastructure, linking physical and virtual objects through the exploitation of data capture and communication capabilities. This infrastructure includes existing and evolving Internet and network developments. It will offer specific object-identification, sensor and connection capability as the basis for the development of independent cooperative services and applications. These will be characterized by a high degree of autonomous data capture, event transfer, network connectivity and interoperability.† Casagras 02/2009 * â€Å"A world where physical objects are seamlessly integrated into the information network and where the physical objects can become active participants in business processes. Services are available to interact with these ‘smart objects’ over the Internet, query and change their state and any information associated with them, taking into account security and privacy issues.† Stephan Haller, SAP 05/2009 * â€Å"Internet of Things (IoT) is an integrated part of Future Internet and could be defined as a dynamic global network infrastructure with self-configuring capabilities based on standard and interoperable communication protocols where physical and virtual ‘things’ have identities, physical attributes, and virtual personalities and use intelligent interfaces, and are seamlessly integrated into the information network. In the IoT, ‘things’ are expected to become active participants in business, information and social processes where they are enabled to interact and communicate among themselves and with the environment by exchanging data and information ‘sensed’ about the environment, while reacting autonomously to the ‘real/physical world’ events and influencing it by running processes that trigger actions and create services with or without direct human intervention. Interfaces in the form of services facilitate interactions wit h these ‘smart things’ over the Internet, query and change their state and any information associated with them, taking into account security and privacy issues.† CERP-IoT 09/2009 * â€Å"The future Internet of Things links uniquely identifiable things to their virtual representations in the Internet containing or linking to additional information on their identity, status, location or any other business, social or privately relevant information at a financial or non-financial pay-off that exceeds the efforts of information provisioning and offers information access to non-predefined participants. The provided accurate and appropriate information may be accessed in the right quantity and condition, at the right time and place at the right price. The Internet of Things is not synonymous with ubiquitous / pervasive computing, the Internet Protocol (IP), communication technology, embedded devices, its applications, the Internet of People or the Intranet / Extranet of Things, yet it combines aspects and technologies of all of these approaches.†

World War 1

â€Å"Le feu tue† (‘Firepower kills') Henri-Philippe Petain – 1916 Verdun. World War 1 is often called â€Å"the first modern war†. During World War 1 many new kinds of weapons and technology were invented and improved. Some of these weapons included tanks, chemical gases, grenades, and machine guns. Chemical Warfare was used for the first time on a large scale in World War I. many advancements were made during the war; in the air, on the ground, and in the sea. World War 1 started by a conflict and was fought between countries that were equipped with modern weapons. Some of these weapons rose and were very powerful like machine guns and others declined like bayonets. Both weapons and technology made a drastic impact on World War 1.Land battles were mostly fought on both the Western and Eastern fronts. Soldiers were surrounded by new technology and weapons that helped throughout the battlefield but also caused danger/death. Soldiers experienced a great deal of hardship while fighting on the fronts. The western front consisted of small parts in Europe, most of the fighting took over in France and Belgium. The eastern front was made up of battlefields in Eastern Europe, especially in Russia.†But on the last day an astonishing number of English field guns opened up on us with high-explosive, drumming ceaselessly on our position, so that we suffered heavily and came back only eighty strong† (1.4). Land war started by the use of Machine guns. Machine guns were the first and most famous weapon used in war, they are claimed to be the most dangerous weapon because the killed numerous lives during the war. Machine guns were invented by the Americans, however the idea was stolen by the Germans. Machine guns at the time could fire up to 500 rounds per minute, but they were very heavy and they were very heavy. They had to be used by well trained men who knew how to setup a gun and operate it quickly. Tanks were armored steel plated, belt tired, and heavily armed combat vehicles. First use of tanks on a battlefield was the use of british mark 1 tank at the battle of flers courcelette in 1915. The french soon followed the idea and created renault FT, which established the look of tank we see today. The germans never got to producing their own tanks in WW1. The only german design of war was the A7V. Flamethrowers were first invented by a German inventor named Richard Fiedlar. The flamethrower was designed to be carried on soldiers backs. It had two tanks, one that carried flammable liquid and the other that carried propellant gas. The squeeze of the trigger would send shooting flammable liquid up to 18 meters away, it was a weapon used to shoot big flames of fire against its enemies. It was used to burn soldiers and wooden obstacles such as bunkers. The germans used these flamethrowers to attack more than 650 soldiers, mainly the British and French. Small bombs thrown by hand or shot by a rifle attachment were called grenades/bombs. Germans are the ones who created and mostly used these grenades during war. The British made their own model of a grenade but it needed more work. By the year of 1917 all troops were required to carry extra grenades to capture and hold them against their enemies. Poisonous gas was introduced by the Germans in 1915. It is toxic smoke that can be very deadly if inhaled by humans. When the gas is inhaled it burns and liquidizes your lungs which causes death. If wind currents occurred while soldiers threw the gas at their enemies then it could easily be brought back to them and kill them. The only way to avoid the poisonous gas was to urinated on a cloth and hold up to ur mouth and nose. However over time gas mask kits were provided to the soldiers. Airplanes were very recent they were invented by the wright brothers 11 years ago. Airplanes were simple machines, more like to birds than anything else. The first missions were carried out as observation. Most airplanes at the time were slow/flimsy contraptions with barely enough power to lift a single pilot and perhaps one passenger. Airplanes technology developed throughout war they became very important/useful.In the beginning of the war most soldiers used the planes to spy on their enemies strategies. These planes usually carried a pilot and a photographer who would photograph the soldiers positions. The use of planes became very popular during war, it became a crucial part in achieving victories. One of the first contributions in the war was at the first battle of marne were reconnaissance planes spotted a gap in the german lines. The allies attacked the gap and were able to split the german army and drive them back. Fighter planes came into the war when they wanted to stop the reconnaissance planes. With more planes in the skies, enemy pilots began to fight each other in the air. At first, they tried throwing grenades at each other or shooting with rifles and pistols. It was useless and it didn't work very well. Pilots soon found out that the best way to shoot down an enemy is to mount a machine gun to the plane. However because the machine gun was mounted to the front of the plane the propeller would get in the way of the bullets. Soon a new invention called the â€Å"interredur† was invented by anton fokker, it allowed the machine gun to be synchronized with propeller, all planes started using this invention. As the war progressed, both sides began to use airplanes to drop bombs on enemy locations. The first planes used for bombings were made by the russians and could only carry small bombs and they were very powerless to attack from the ground. By the end of the war, faster long range bombers were built that could carry much larger weight bombs.Germany used zeppelins to drop bombs on targets from far away. These were slow moving but could carry a large load of explosives. Zeppelins were filled with hydrogen, so a small spark could blow up the entire aircraft. As the war continued it became useless because of the fast fighter planes that were used.The battles at sea were known as naval battles. These battles mainly took place in the northern sea and the atlantic. World War 1 World War 1 was different than any other wars that came before it by that it was the first war fought in on many continents, as well it was the first war where chemical weapons were used, and it was the first total war. The total number of casualties in World War 1 was 37 million. There were 9 million killed, 20 million wounded and others that weren’t were most likely dead. The expectations before the war started was a reason why the war began because people thought it was going to be a short, bloodless war and that there was going to be easy victory.According to Nial Ferguson, millions of Europeans saw war as the way to save their honor, as well as to solve internal and international problems that needed to be resolved. What were the major causes of World War 1 and could it have been avoided? The major causes of World War 1 were economic, intellectual, political, and geographic causes. If they could’ve avoided the war they would’ve avoided it because if they wou ld’ve thought about the consequences that the war was going to bring to them, they would’ve never been involved in it. Document # 1 is a chart of comparison of France’s, England’s, and Germany’s naval forces from 1890-1910.Document # 1 shows a political, economic, and geographic cause for World War 1. All three countries believed in militarism. Militarism is the belief that a country should maintain capability and be prepared to use it to defend their country. Governments were in conflict and militarism was a way to become superior to other countries. Tension was building up between some European countries. When one country saw that another’s country’s military was becoming stronger, the country would become â€Å"scared† and work on getting their military stronger. The chain went on and on like that with several countries.From 1890-1910, France went from 2 million tons to 10 million tons, England went from 10 million tons to 5 0 millions tons, and Germany went from 1 millions tons to 43 million tons. In order to build there naval forces, it takes a lot of money. The countries would use their colonies and what they’ve been able to gain from the industrial revolution. Not only that, but the navy had to fight in different parts of the world. Document # 2 is a map of Europe on the eve of World War 1. Document # 2 shows a political cause for World War 1. There was two different alliance systems.There was the triple alliance system and the triple entente system. The triple alliance system was a treaty between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, these countries were known as the Axis. The triple entente system was an entente between Great Britain, Russia, and France, these countries were the central powers. Since these countries had treaties with each other, that meant that, they would have to back each other up in case of a war. As this happened, more and more tension stimulated between the counties tha t they weren’t even thinking what could happen if the were to really occur.Everyone expected the war to be short, bloodless, but eventually they would find out whether that was going to be true or not. Document # 3 is an excerpt that outlines accusations against Serbia by Austria-Hungary. Document # 3 shows an intellectual cause for World War 1. The authors of this document are Austro-Hungarians, and they’re criticizing Serbian nationalism. Nationalism is a patriotic feeling for your country, it was the big idea of the war. Nationalism can be seen in two different ways, a bomb and a magnet. A magnet symbolizes unification, which in this case is Serbia uniting.A bomb symbolizes destruction, which in this case is Austria-Hungary’s imperial power, which could be destroyed. The spark to World War 1 was when a Serbian assassinated Franz Ferdinand and his wife. Of course there was a lot of criticism from Austria-Hungary. â€Å"[T]he Royal Serbian Government has done nothing to repress these movements. It has permitted the criminal machinations or various societies and associations directed against Monarchy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Document # 4 is a quote. Document # 4 shows an intellectual and political cause for World War 1.This quote shows how nationalism and resentment was a cause that led to the war. â€Å"The French wanted revenge for the loss of territory to Germany†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"Russia resented the growing influence of Germany in Eastern Europe. † and â€Å"Germany resented the desire of France and England to keep Germany week and underdeveloped. † Each country had a lot of pride in their country, and would eventually lead to hating the other countries and not trusting them. Each and county and its government were willing to do anything to make their country look superior.You can say that all countries were very ethnocentric. Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of one’s own ethnic group. Document # 5 is a political cartoon. Document # 5 shows a political and geographic cause for World War 1. The cartoon shows John Bull representing Great Britain, and he’s holding all the colonies that Britain has colonized. Next to him are other figures representing counties like Russia, USA, Italy, France, Turkey and Germany, they’re starting at him almost with hatred. Colonies were a great source of raw materials and market for goods.All of these countries governments were in competition for colonies, it was all about imperialism. Imperialism was the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries. As other countries saw Britain expand, they as well wanted to do the same, therefore resulting in completion, eventually even turning out to be war. Document # 6 is two quotes from two secret treaties, one from Bismarck and the other from Nicholas the second. Document # 6 shows a political and geographic cause for World War 1.Governments were uniting with other governments, forming alliances, promising to support each other. Countries kept trying to get other territories on their side, which would case a lot of tension. In one of the quotes, Germany claims that they just simply want to protect themselves from Britain, Russia, and France. Austria-Hungary was a very multi-ethnic country and in the second quote they were claiming that they would defend all Slavic peoples, because they were cousins to them. It was like each country started taking sides, creating a lot of tauten.Document # 7 is a chart showing colonial possessions in Africa in 1914. Document # 7 shows a geographic, political, and economic cause for World War 1. Germany was very resented with how many colonies France and England had taken over, they felt as though they were getting the â€Å"leftovers†, which resulted in them feeling humiliated and being angry. All the countries wanted to colonize because colonies were a great source of raw materials and market for goods. Germany wanted an empire, and Germany and Italy got late because at first they were divided into city-states.Later on in the mid-19th century, Germany and Italy, alone united their countries, but unfortunately France and Britain had already colonized many countries. As the chart shows, France had colonized 7 countries and England had colonized 9 countries. Germany was left with 4 counties and Italy was left with 3 countries. In conclusion, the powers that fought the war didn’t really know what the consequences of the war would be. Millions of people ended up dead and wounded because of World War 1. The economic consequence was that the countries were so destroyed that there was starvation.The consequences for the Tsar of Russia and his country were that, he was killed along with his family and there was a socialist revolution. Empires like Austria-Hungary and Germany collapse. There as a legacy for the world from the Armenian massacre, it was the first time that g enocide was committed against them. The intellectual cause for the lost generation was that they all loose the will to live and they’re afraid of another war. The war sew the seeds for another world war, because of the unfair treaty of Versailles, there was a lot of anger and Hitler used it to gain power, eventually leading to World War 2.

What Is It Like to Be Blind?

There are thousands of blind people in our country, and there are hundreds of thousands of them around the world. One can simply close his eyes in order to imagine what it is like to be blind. Such experiment is really the best way to understand how blind people feel and what they have to face in their daily life. The feelings I could experience after spending one hour with closed eyes touched me deeply. For some first minutes I was able only to make some slow and awkward movements, because I was quite scared of coming against the things around me.Certainly, I got used to the environment soon, but it was still difficult to cope with the situation and decide, what to do. Then, I got a new angle on the issue. What about career, accomplishments, love, success, or hope? Suddenly, I realized how helpless and apathetic the blind can feel. I tried to walk around my house and even came out of it, but I constantly felt stressed and very uncomfortable. I could experience how hard it must be fo r blind people to perform their daily routines without meaningful help of a sighted guide.Besides, it became clear to me that it takes more time and efforts of the blind to perform simple actions and operations, like turning on the oven or looking for the remote control, etc. Finally, I understood that, actually, the blind can not even do and enjoy many absolutely usual things we do and enjoy every day. They can not fully enjoy TV shows and movies like we can, can not read or surf Internet as fast as we can, and so on. Certainly, nowadays there are many technological solutions, which help blind people to read and write, or use computer, or stay organized, but it is still very complicated, I suppose.Therefore, this experiment helped me to experience some difficulties of the blind and taste the effects of failures they can face. Certainly, within the time such people get adapted to their disability and learn what they can and what they can not do. But this is really hard, and I only w ish all blind people to be strong, find their support and inspiration, and always use the power of their imagination in order to picture this world in bright and beautiful colors. Bibliography: †¢ â€Å"What Is It Like to Be Blind? † Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Chldren. Destra Business. 2007. 23 May 2007 .