Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Reefs

Florida’s reefs cover the region between Dry Tortugas and Fowey Rocks in Miami, paralleling keys for three hundred and fifty six kilometers. Most of the reef tracts are found within the boundaries of the sanctuary a part from the northern cover.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Reefs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Additionally, several types of reefs occur mostly at the shore while others are found ten kilometers away. It is the most wide spread reef tract in North America and the third largest in the world (National Marine Sanctuaries, 2011). According to research, there are two coral species, sixty three of taxa corals and forty two species of otocorals. This essay addresses some of the disturbances which have been experienced in the coral reefs of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary together with measures which have been implemented to salvage the ecosystem . Coral reefs are mainly threatened by human activities around the world. Due to ever-increasing human population, coral reefs can be affected in countless ways. Some of these ways include but not limited to urbanization and agriculture which increases sedimentation, polluted runoffs and nutrient inputs. Emissions from industries and automobile engines further increase green house effect and leakage of waste products in water (National Geographic, 2011). Harvesting of resources and overfishing have also been identified as ways in which coral reefs in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are affected. Additionally, huge vessel groundings have caused significant impact on coral reefs in the sanctuary. For instance, nineteen acres of coral reefs were destroyed between 1984 and 1997 by large ships which were over two hundred feet long (National Marine Sanctuaries, 2011). Huge ships cause groundings which affect the health of corals plus other organisms surviving in the ecosystem. More over, sediments and nutrient pollution from farming and coastal development smoother corals, block sunlight and block settling of larval.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Discharges and nutrient-rich runoffs promote the growth if algal blooms and other competitors (Wadlow, 2011). These equivalently block sunlight and affect normal coral growth and reproduction. All these have weakened corals and created an environment which exposes corals to pathogens and diseases in the Florida Keys (National Geographic, 2011). Coral reefs in the Florida Keys have also suffered due to water diversion in the Southern part of Florida. This is because of the connection of the sanctuary with Florida Bay. The diversion has contributed to the growth of planktons, death of fish and sea grass die-offs. Overfishing has equally caused drifts in fish sizes, their abundance and overall composition wit hin the ecosystem (National Marine Sanctuaries, 2011). Due to the devastating nature of the ecosystem, there have been recovery efforts from the government and the surrounding community in recent years. Firstly, radar beacons have been installed which help vessels to locate paths relative to the position of coral reefs (Prosea, 2005). This has seen access to some regions by sea vessels denied. Similarly, long tanks and vessels measuring more than fifty meters have been restricted from certain coverage of the ecosystem (National Marine Sanctuaries, 2011). Fishing is currently regulated by enforcement of legislation which prohibits overfishing and promotes safe fishing methods. It is important to note that the recovery of coral reefs of Florida Keys was primarily led by human intervention through plans and strategies. As mentioned above, legislation and restrictions have played imperative roles in saving these reefs. Other intervention measures included public awareness through educat ion and research monitoring of the progress of the coral reefs (Prosea, 2005).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Reefs specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The approach taken in saving the Florida Keys reefs was the most appropriate and workable in saving this particular ecosystem. This is due to the fact that the proposed measures were aimed at protecting the ecosystem from threats like improper boating, pollution and overfishing (Prosea, 2005). References National Geographic. (2011). Impact of Climate Change on Coral Reefs. National Geographic. Web. National Marine Sanctuaries. (2011). Ecosystems: Coral Reefs. National Marine Sanctuaries. Web. Prosea. (2005). Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary Strategy for Stewardship. Professional Shipwreck Explorers Association. Web. Wadlow, K. (2011). New study: Keys marine ecosystem faces struggles. KeysNet. Web. This essay on Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Reefs was written and submitted by user Kasen Flynn to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Transformations Through War (all quiet on the western front) essays

Transformations Through War (all quiet on the western front) essays The novel All Quiet on the Western Front depicts World War I, the most devastating war up until its time. The author Erich Maria Remarque gets across a few forceful themes. Perhaps the strongest theme is the transformations that war induces. All Quiet demonstrates through the character Paul, that going through war transforms many different things. It changes a society and individuals in many ways. War can have a temporary positive effect but for the most part it corrupts everyone involved. The way that war can have a slightly positive outcome is through changing how people view war. It distorts things by making humans act primitively, changing the way they see life, and by corrupting a society. There are a few ways that war can improve the way a person sees things. One slightly positive effect of war is that it can change peoples patriotic outlook on killing people. Before going to war everyone has a positive view of what war is. All Quiet demonstrates this when Paul reminisces back to when he was going to enroll. He talks about how one of his teachers had influenced him and his friends to participate in the war. The teacher influences them by telling them what an honor it is to fight for your country and how everyone will look up to them. When they actually got out there and were fighting they saw that its not worth it for their country. Its queer when one thinks about it, we are here to protect our fatherland. And the French are over there to protect their fatherland. Now whos in the right? Knowing that the other countries are there for the same reason as they are makes them question what theyre fighting for. Its horrible that it had to get to the point of war, but at l east sooner or later the soldiers have to realize that what theyre doing is not for a good cause. Another meager positive effect also has to do with the way that the soldiers ...

Chinas Conflicts To Achieve Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chinas Conflicts To Achieve Democracy - Essay Example At the same time, members of the police all over the world are being provided with additional training in dealing with terror attacks like terror attacks using gas and similar. These measures have been somewhat successful, so it may be necessary to continue these measures more effectively for the long term. The media can play a significant role in alleviating the problems associated with terrorism, by promoting the desired message to members of the public. For instance, newspapers have a large scale access to customers and most of the public attitudes towards different issues are formed as a result of the coverage received through the media. The availability of the tools of technology via the Internet also provides a means to reach masses all over the world instantly and inexpensively to flash news, warnings, and information. The Internet contributes to the increase in terrorist incidents because it allows terrorists to propagate their message cheaply over the electronic medium to th ousands of people across the globe. But it also enables anti terrorist measures to be implemented more effectively, because it enhances communication and provides a medium for Government, police and other authorities to communicate directly with members of the public without much waste of time, which could come in very useful in the case of an imminent attack. Thus, the media could be used to address the threat of terrorism by providing an effective means of fast and reliable communication to large masses of people across the world.

Cross Cultural Management and Its Relevance in Supporting Global Essay

Cross Cultural Management and Its Relevance in Supporting Global Business Operations - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that culture and cultural identities affects interactions and human engagement with each other. People from the same culture feel more comfortable when grouped with others from a similar culture. This merging becomes more specific especially when money is involved. Same culture individuals consider partnership in the business world. However, when different cultures have to come together these people have to grow together to meet the organization goals. While growing together, these people face similar problems and have to agree on joint actions to defeat the problems. The more they solve the issues together, while embracing each others culture, the more it becomes a norm and system of rules that will later be local legislations that with practice will become the groups guiding principals. Cross-cultural management is thus the study of behavior of people from different cultures who have come together to meet a common goal. The study emphasizes on the m ain motivation factors like group dynamics, leadership structure and decision making practiced by such a mixed group.   This paper highlights that economic system is one aspect that has exposed cultures to elastic limits. Earlier, the economies were divided into first world, second world, and third world. First world economy had advanced free enterprise system, second world had centralized planning, and third world was more of a developing economy. Third world was built up by countries moving from agriculture economy to industrial economy. However, any global minded person knows that these dimensions have since changed. Many economies are mixed and many third world economies happen to have particular strengths that make them stand out.

Writing Historical Fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Writing Historical Fiction - Essay Example For a time I had decided after high school I wanted to pursue something different rather than simply entering college. I had no idea what I would do – get a job, study in a Buddhist monastery, join a commune – whatever it was it would ensure that my life was unique. One night I expressed this desire to my father, Daniel. Rather than rejecting my idea as I had expected he would, he empathized with me and told me that when he turned eighteen he had similar feelings. Rather than pursuing anything similar to what I had proposed, however, he went on a summer long excursion throughout the western United States. My father was born and grew up in Montana. Growing up in a large family he never really had the opportunity to travel throughout the country. After high school, before deciding on his next course of action, he and two of his friends piled into a Cadillac and started towards the western part of United States with nothing but a map and backpack of clothes. â€Å"We didn ’t really have a plan† he told me. â€Å"Really, all we knew is that we wanted to see California and take it from there.† They passed through Idaho and Oregon, heading straight for San Francisco. It was 1972 when my father and his friends drove over the Golden Gate Bridge into the city. Throughout the late 1960s San Francisco had become the center of hippie culture. Protests regularly occurred there, bands and artists frequented the area, and songs were even written about the city. While San Francisco had experienced this great idealism in the 1960s, the early 1970s were a time of growing cynicism. â€Å"We pulled into the city with a great sense of naivete, believing there would be young people with flowers and guitars all over the streets. In reality we were a few years late† he told me. They made it throughout many of the characteristic spots, â€Å"We went to Haight-Ashbury, saw Alcatraz, and rode the cable cars.† I had heard of San Francisco as the epicenter of 1960s culture, so I was very curious as to what had happened to the area’s optimism. â€Å"The month we pulled into the city was the same month men had been arrested for the Watergate scandal. A few years before Charles Manson had been arrested for leading the Tate-Labianca killings. It seemed like the collective culture of the area had grown tired of itself.† They explored throughout the city nonetheless. While San Francisco was the heart of the 1960s counter-culture movement, the city also has an illustrious history dating back to the 19th century gold rush. â€Å"What I remember the most is walking along the peer where the fishermen brought in their daily catch. Stands had been setup where you could buy fresh fish and chips. We sat along that peer each night looking out at Alcatraz.† After a couple days in the city they decided to explore the surrounding area. They ventured up a hill that overlooked the city. â€Å"The hill had actually bee n an old Northern Civil War army base† he told me. It really surprised me to discover that preparations for the Civil War had extended as far west as San Francisco. While the area was a designated no camping zone, they were traveling on a budget; they waited until night time and set up sleeping bags out of site of possible passersby. â€Å"We walked out to the top of the hill before right before the sunset and looked out across the Golden Gate Bridge and the city of San Francisco. I thought about all the people that had looked along here before and all the development the city had gone through. It was truly an American relic† he told me. He would go to sleep that night, but be woken up by cats clawing at his face.

Balanced scorecard is strategic planning

Balanced scorecard is strategic planning INTRODUCTION Balanced scorecard is strategic planning and management system used for business and industry, government, non profit organizations worldwide. it is used for business activities like vision and strategy of organization to improve internal and external communication to monitor organizations performance against goals. Balanced scorecard is designed by Drs. Robert Kaplan and David Norton for performance measurement in their series of articles in Harvard Business review. It is designed for executives and managers to get balanced view of organizational performance. In early balanced scorecard was only used for simple performance measurement system. The new system transforms an organizations strategic plan from attractive document into marching orders for organizations on a daily basis. The balanced scorecard system is totally works on:- -Companys Mission Companys Strategic Plan -The financial status of organization The level of expertise in the organization. -Customer satisfaction level. In the past, the organizational growth was measured in financial measures only, which were not adequate to measure the performance. However, to look into future with great value, companies must have to invest through customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology and innovation. The balanced scorecard has emerged as a effective tool in the process to allow organizations to implement different strategies successfully. Organizations all around the globe has benefited by balanced scorecard like increased financial returns, employee alignment in with overall growth, improved collaboration and focus on strategy. BALANCED SCORECARD PERSPECTIVES Balanced scorecard divided into mainly four perspectives. Learning and Growth Perspective The Business Process Perspective The Customer Perspective The Financial Perspective VISION AND STRATEGY LEARNING AND GROWTH FINANCIAL CUSTOMER INTERNAL BUSINESS PROCESSES BALANCED SCORECARD PERSPECTIVES 1. LEARNING AND GROWTH PERSPECTIVE:- This perspective mainly includes training and growth of employee potential as well as their practical skills. Now days, there is a rapid changes in new Technologies, so the employee must be in the continuous learning mode, so that they can learn new technologies and apply it. In this perspective, it is searched that, is there correct level of expertise for the job? Employee turnover ratio analyzed in this perspective, so that job satisfaction among the employees can be measured and corrective action can be taken. The learning and growth perspective concentrate on learning rather than training, because it includes tutors and mentors in the organization so that there will be easy flow of communication and problems can be solved within organization. 2. THE BUSINESS PROCESS PERSPECTIVE:- This perspective consists of internal business processes. By using this perspective managers can know that how well their business is running, whether its products meet to customer needs and demands or not. The process alignment is checked that it is right department. The process should carefully design to meet standards of product that meets customer requirements. 3. THE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE:- In recent studies, it has been seen that customer satisfaction and customer focus are important for success of any business. If customer is not satisfied then they will find any other supplier who satisfies their needs. These will surely the failure of the business that doesnt meet to the customer needs. Delivery performance, quality performance, customer satisfaction, customer percentage in market and customer retention rate are some of the important aspects of customer perspective. 4. FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE:- Financial perspective is very important to measure success of any company. When financial objectives reached, only then organization can exist successfully in the long run. This perspective expressed in the terms of budget and target achievements. This perspective focuses on the quarterly or yearly financial results, return on investment, cash flow, etc. Q. 1. Why change and how balanced scorecard approach different? The business environment in now days is very competitive in terms of product quality, market share, customer satisfaction and volatile than ever been. In order to survive in the market, organizations need to be far more efficient in the use of their resources, should understand needs of their customers, should organize their internal system and procedure, and have employees who have a far level of interpersonal skills than in the past. The financial system was mainly backward looking, focusing upon reporting achievements rather than upon the attainment and pursuit of objectives. The financial system was paying attention to fulfill short term objectives rather to fulfill long term objectives. This system need to in corporate data capture and analysis of non-financial measures, such as customer profiles, customer satisfaction, employee performance, employee satisfaction, product quality, service quality, organizational transformation and development. So, organizations need to think beyond the historical perspective of their traditional financial reporting systems. The financial system has limitations because of considering limited factors. To improve performance evaluation, there was a need to change old financial system with the more balanced and which bridges strengths of the traditional financial measures of past performance with the benefits of measuring factors that impact upon or drive future performance. Q.2) Discuss in general terms the information which would be required by a manager to implement this approach to measuring performance. The balanced scorecard approach is mainly consists of four approaches: financial, customer, internal processes and learning and growth. The balanced scorecard focuses mainly towards common goal. The process of developing balanced scorecard gives an organization a clear picture of future and path to reach there. To implement balanced scorecard, manager need to implement its four perspectives and also needs information of its key elements as follows:- Financial perspective: Financial objectives are used to represent long term goals of organization. In this perspective of balanced scorecard, a manager need to identify financial objectives of an organization and develop measures that indicate how successful the organization achieving those objectives. In this aspect of balanced scorecard, manager needs information of following measures: return capital employed return on net assets Bad debts of company Account receivables Gearing rate. Customer perspective: The customer perspective is designed to measure how well the company is meeting the demands of customers and market. The major goal of an organization is to supply for the demands of customers. In todays environment company must provide a quality product, and also timely delivery, and customer service following the sale. There are some more information which also to be considered like, The very important price of the product Customer satisfaction Customer retention Increasing customer base Delivery times Rate of goods returned by customers Customer relationship. The Internal business processes perspective: This perspective focuses mainly on internal processes to deliver the goals of customers and shareholders. This aspect works within the company. The information needs is related to: Quality control rejection rate Production lead times Level of production capacity utilization. Learning and growth perspective: This perspective identifies human relations and works to improve the Skills of employees, infrastructure and innovation. Employees are very important part of the organization and key to innovation. re Sources must be allocated to educate them on the processes of company and mission of company. This education should be coupled with the motivation. This starts with autonomy to employee so that they can suggest changes in organization. The manager should know information of this aspect: Employee capabilities Information system capabilities Level of spending per head on employee training Employee absenteeism rate Staff turnover rate Range of products This information is very important to implement the balanced scorecard approach within the organization. By having this information, manager can implement this approach in the organization to measure performance. Q.3) Comment on three specific examples of performance measures which could be used in service industry. 1. Balanced scorecard in the Hotel industry: The balanced scorecard derives its name primarily from the way it provides a structured focus upon the main organizational performance dimensions: the financial, customer, internal processes and learning and growth. Balanced scorecard thinks far beyond the traditional financial system, so that hotel appears the appropriate setting for implementation of the balanced scorecard. The first step in developing a balanced involves is determining a mission or vision. A vision outlines the purpose of an organization. After vision, we need to determine what strategy will be employed to achieve the mission. After strategy we need to translate this strategy into specific strategic objectives. If the strategic objective of staff is to be regarded among most friendly, appropriate performance measures could include: hours s pent to train staff on politeness and friendly customer engagement, customer survey ratings with respect to perceived friendliness of staff. As strategic objectives and performance measures would need to be developed for each of four balanced scorecards key perspectives. a] Financial perspective in hotel: The financial perspective contains strategic objectives that are developed from shareholders perspective. Kaplan and Norton suggest these objectives can be developed by answering the question: To succeed financially, how should we appear to our shareholders! Once these objectives have been developed, a set of financial measures generated. The financial measures includes departmental cost, cost of providing a room night, hotel profit, profit of market segment, revenue per available room, share price, revenue growth compared to budget, sales mix, operating profit compared to prior year, ROI, etc. b] Customer perspective: This comprises strategic objectives that are developed by customer point of view. To achieve our objectives, how should we appear to our customers! Once these objectives developed, a set of customer related performance measures can be developed. This includes: customer loyalty, proportion of returning customers, customer complaints, customer profitability, new customer acquisition, market segmentation, market share etc. These factors are considered while measurement of customer related performance. c] Internal process perspective: This perspective concerns the development of process related objectives that are consistent with achieving financial and customer objectives. These objectives can be developed by responding to question, to achieve our internal objective which types of processes should we undertake! A set of performance related measures are: customer billing errors, time taken to check-in, restaurant service errors, workplace safety, customer database availability, internal control practices, etc. d] Learning and growth perspective: This perspective concerns the development of organizational capability goals that are consistent with achieving financial and customer objectives. Possible learning and growth measures includes: training investment per employee, absenteeism, employee motivation index, employee satisfaction, personal growth of staff, internal promotion levels, staff retention, staff empowerment, frequency of training, etc. The balanced scorecards group-wide application has greatly increased opportunities to use the achievements of best practice hotels. Balanced scorecard provides focused approach towards the common objectives of a hotel. By using above all performance measures, we can use balanced scorecard successfully in the hotel. Refrence online book:- Accounting essentials for hospitality managers by Mr. Chris Guilding 2) Balanced scorecard in the Insurance sector:- Now days insurance sector is very competitive industry among the service industries. There are different types of insurance like car insurance, general insurance, medical insurance, etc. this sector is totally customer oriented sector and totally depends upon needs of customers. The performance Measurement of this sector by balanced scorecard is consists of measurement of its four perspectives. The mission and strategy of an insurance company is determined by board of director of company. After the strategy, the objectives and targets are set by management for the particular period of time. Then the company operates to fulfill those objectives. The measures of the insurance sector according to four perspectives are as follows: 1. Financial perspective:- The major financial perspective in the insurance sector is the share holders perspective because share holders are the important part to provide capital for the business. The measures contain cost of employees, incentives as percentage of salary, annual salary, increase in training cost, the cost per insurance, total profit earned, operating costs, total sales, share price, Etc. 2. Customer perspective:- Customer perspective focuses totally towards customer satisfaction and customer retention. Customer is leading indicator in the insurance sector, if he satisfied then only company can earn profit. The customer perspectives measures are number of referrals generated from the customers, number of customer focused products developed, decrease in customer complaints, and percentage of upgraded policies, etc. 3. Internal process perspective: This perspective works totally on developing internal processes to meet customer needs and demands, so that customer can be satisfied with the service. It improves on negative aspects of the internal system and try to improve it. The possible measures can be percentage of renewed policies to the number of policies sold, number of sales targets achieved, percentage of decrease in employee turn over, types of insurance policies generated. 4. Learning and growth perspective:- This perspective works on the employee development and corporate cultural attitudes related to both company and self improvement. It works on improving sales efficiency of the sales force. The possible measures comes under this perspective can be number of training sessions, number of brain storming sessions, number of motivational sessions, number of quality feedback from the employees, etc. 3) Balanced scorecard in the banking industry:- Balanced scorecard received a wide range of use and promotion by global business organizations and some international banks have successfully implemented this approach to measure and increase their performance. In response to different problems faced by the global banking industry like the recession of the year 2008, balanced scorecard research helps to solve those problems effectively and results in the profit. In the rapid innovation and development of financial sectors, the banking industry facing intense competition. The measures of banking Industries according to the four perspectives of the balanced scorecard are as follows:- 1. Financial perspective:- Balanced scorecard is not only indicator of appraisal system but also strategic management tool. The balanced scorecard breaks the traditional financial measurement system. It adds future value to the financial measures. The measures of the financial perspective can be improvement of product quality, time to complete orders, productivity, new product development, customer satisfaction into increased sales, reduction in operating cost, economic value, added bank profits, the per capital profit, net interest income, marketing cost, income ratio, office expenses, labor costs, loan, etc. 2. Customer perspective:- Due to intense competition, customer has become very important aspect of the banking industry. Attracting customers towards bank is very important so that the strategy of the bank should be customer focused. The possible measures of bank performance according to customer perspective can be: Market share, customer retention rate, rate of new customer, customer satisfaction, customer profitability level, customer complaints, etc. 3. Internal processes perspective:- In order to retain target customers and to meet the requirements of shareholders about financial returns, managers need to focus on customer satisfaction and improve internal processes and establish measurable indicators. In this perspective balanced scorecard not only paying attention to a simple process to improve but also confirms request of customers and shareholders as a starting point to satisfy both customers and shareholders. Measures are: product and service innovation, new product and service revenue, the new loan rate and increasing rate, the number of internal regulations, responsibility of accidents, etc. 4. Learning and growth perspective:- It includes an investment which the organization must be carried out to achieve long term performance in the future, like ability of employees, organization information system, employee satisfaction, staff violation rate, pass rate of status examination, professional development program, staff training sessions, etc. These are measures of a bank for performance measurement on the basis of the balanced scorecard approach. We can evaluate the performance of the bank by using these measures. Refrence: www.academypublisher.com REFRENCES:- www.google.com ( google books ) Magna Cara College online Library University of Wales online library Frank Wood and Alan Sangster Business Accounting 2 Chris Guilding Accounting essentials for Hospitality Managers www.magnacartacollge.org (moodle) www.academypublisher.com ( article)

Teaching Young Students Essay -- Education, Language, Music

Preschool, kindergarten, and first grade are essential years in children’s life for learning how to read and understanding the basic fundamentals of language arts. Some of these concepts include letter recognition, sight word recognition, capitalization, punctuation, and reading fluency. Everything that children learn during these important years will follow them the rest of their lives. Reading and writing must start with the very basics of letter identification and then progress to writing and reading words and sentences. It is important for children to have a positive learning experience because reading is a very important skill that will continually be needed in everyday life. Whole language and balanced literacy are two commonly used methods for teaching language arts to beginning students. There are many activities used to teach young children how to read and write including the use of music in the classroom, sight words, games, and worksheets. There are two main approaches to teaching reading to young students. One common approach is whole language. Kate Walsh states that whole language â€Å"emphasizes connecting children with meaningful text as the preferred path to developing fluent readers† (10). In whole language, using the context of the sentence to figure out a word is essential. Walsh further explains the importance of context cluing in whole language by describing it as â€Å"having children identify new words by discerning their meaning in the context of the text† (10). Another approach to teaching reading is balanced literacy which, unlike whole language, â€Å"fuses the literature-based approach with some phonological instruction but only on an â€Å"as needed† basis† (Walsh, Glaser, Dunne 10). Mixing these two conc... ... the student must understand the difference between an uppercase and lowercase letter and when to use them in different situations. Independent exercises are important in the learning process for children because it makes them feel like they have accomplished something on their own, and they show what the child truly knows. There are many different approaches to teaching language arts to young learners. It is important to understand that every classroom and every child is different. Different activities and methods should be used with different children and different situations. Learning the basics of language arts will follow with children throughout their years of schooling and throughout their life. Learning how to read and write for a young student should be a positive and fun experience. Through different methods, many teachers have made learning fun!

Ibm Ceo Virginia Rometty

Female CEO Biography Virginia (Ginni) Rometty, IBM CEO Abstract IBM recently promoted Virginia (Ginni) Rometty to its top leadership position. Ms. Rometty will become the first white female chief executive officer in the company’s 100-year history and every move she makes will be carefully watched. Rometty has truly earned this position and has an impressive history with IBM to show it. There are challenges ahead but Ms Rometty’s education, experience and determination will suit her well in this new role. Female CEO Biography Virginia (Ginni) Rometty, IBM CEO On January 1, 2012, Ms.Virginia Marie Rometty took the helm as CEO of the 19th largest revenue generating company in the world and 5th largest in market value, IBM (Hempel, 2012). At age 55, she will earn a $1. 5 million salary to add to her current net worth of $25 million. Rometty began her ascent at Big Blue over 30 years ago and hasn’t looked back. Research into her background, education and experience p aint a picture of a woman who is the true embodiment of success. Rometty has paved her way up the corporate ladder using unparalleled determination and drive that can only be admired by career women (and men) worldwide.Born in July 1957 as Virginia Marie Nicosia, the IBM leader grew up outside of Chicago, IL. She is said to come from a close-knit family, the eldest of four and raised by a single mother who saw great potential in all of her children. Ginny and her siblings were pushed to aim high. Brother Joseph is a figurehead in the commodities trading world and recently stepped down from Allenberg Cotton after serving 30 years as the CEO. One sister is a partner at Accenture and another is a senior executive at Coca-Cola. In September of 1975, Rometty entered the McCormick School of Engineering atNorthwestern University on a General Motors scholarship (Waters, 2011). She went on to intern for the automobile giant during her junior and senior years and graduated in 1979 earning a B achelor of Science with high honors in computer science and electrical engineering, an area of study dominated by males. Upon graduating, she accepted a position at GM where she was responsible for application and systems development. It is also where she met her husband, Mark Anthony Rometty. They married in 1980. Rometty & Rometty have been married for 32 years and have no children.They live their personal lives as far out of the spotlight as possible. They own homes in New York and Florida and enjoy scuba diving, Broadway plays and golf. Ginni credits her husband with providing great strength, support and encouragement throughout her career; something critics have interpreted as sacrificing his own career in the process (The New York Times, 2011). This societal stereotype that women should stay at home (or have a less successful career) and men should be the primary breadwinners is detrimental to the advancement of women.Mark Rometty should be applauded for his self-assurance and not falling victim to this mainstream thought process. Shortly after her second year with General Motors, Rometty accepted a systems analyst/technical consultant position at IBM (Hempel, 2012). She spent the first 10 years working her way up through sales and management positions in a variety of industries such as banking and insurance and made headlines in 2002 when she was credited with leading the largest professional services acquisition in history. Bloomberg (2011) reports that the $3. billion acquisition of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting gained her the attention of then CEO, Sam Palmisano. Palmisano promoted her to senior vice president of Enterprise Business Services in 2005 and within 2 years of the move, she increased EBS’ profit by 42%. In 2008, she was made Managing Partner of the Business Consulting division and rose to head IBM global sales where she was responsible for IBM’s worldwide results exceeding $99 billion in 2010 (IBM, 2012). It was at this p oint she became recognized as one of the most powerful women in business and a potential successor to Sam Palmisano.A strong voice of women’s initiatives, Rometty has been instrumental in IBM’s Women in Technology Council and the Women’s Leadership Council. She has been named to Fortune Magazine’s annual â€Å"Most Powerful Women in Business† list for eight consecutive years and is also a regular on the presentation circuit speaking at industry and business conferences. She continues to serve on the Board of Trustees of Northwestern University and the Board of Overseers and Managers of the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (Daily Finance, 2012).Her strategic approach, innovative mind and keenness toward risk-taking define her leadership style. Ginni Rometty has said, â€Å"I learned to always take on things I’d never done before† (Hymowitz, 2011). She admits to having an ever-present internal critic who judges everything she thinks and do es. She quite enjoys this process of objective analysis and believes â€Å"growth and comfort do not coexist† (Hymowitz, 2011). Rometty has a magnetic personality and has always been comfortable engaging people and forging lasting relationships.This strength helped her to be at the top of her game in a career she has spent largely courting big name clients. Ms. Rometty’s new role is a first in her career, a first for IBM and a giant leap forward for career women everywhere. However, all eyes will be focused sharply on Ms. Ginni Rometty. While many have high expectations and are watching in hopeful anticipation, it is understood that there are significant challenges ahead. Some believe Rometty is not up to this task and is only promoting her predecessor’s vision and strategy for the future of IBM.She has stated her goal of adding $20 billion in revenue growth between now and 2015, and has further confirmed she will be following a plan put in place by Palmisano to do it (Zolman, 2012). However, it should be noted that Rometty had significant input into this plan and has implicit faith and trust in its underlying principles. Rometty does not accept second best and would not take stock in any plan for the future that she did not whole-heartedly believe in. Another area of concern expressed by Zolman (2012) is the change in corporate culture at IBM.Skeptics are critical of the inefficiency and ineffectiveness resulting from the layers of management that have accumulated over the last decade. These layers slow the decision making process, hide true accountability and cost the company large sums of money to provide salaries to managers hiding virtually undetected within these layers. Further, IBM has changed from a hardware company to a professional services corporation. While this decision has served them well for the most part, the sales culture is quite possibly tainted in that their product knowledge is limited and their desire for higher and higher margins is criminal.Rometty will need to address culture issues to keep IBM ahead of its industry. While the challenges are many, there is no one better suited to lead this icon of corporate America into the second century. Her technological expertise along with her storied business and management success at IBM make her a top choice to lead IBM. Ginni Rometty is driven and unrelenting and will only accept the highest levels of achievement in her pursuit. At the same time, her feet are planted firmly on the ground. She knows this will not be a walk in the park, and she prefers it that way. pic] References Daily Finance. (2012). IBM Key Executives. Retrieved November 17, 2012 from http://www. dailyfinance. com/quote/nyse/international-business-machines-corp/ibm/key-executives Hempel, J. (2012, September 20). IBM’s Ginni Rometty looks ahead. CNN Money. Retrieved October 16, 2012 from http://management. fortune. cnn. com/2012/09/20/powerful-women-rometty-ibm/ Hymowitz, C . , & Frier, S. (2011, October 26). IBM’s Rometty breaks ground as 100-year-old company’s first female leader. Bloomberg. Retrieved October 19, 2012 from http://www. loomberg. com/news/2011-10-25/ibm-names-rometty-to-succeed-palmisano-as-its-first-female-chief-executive. html IBM (2012). Virginia M. Rometty Bio. Retrieved November 15, 2012 from http://www03. ibm. com/press/us/en/biography/10069. wss Stewart, J. (2011, November 4). A C. E. O. ’s support system, a k a husband. The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2012 from http://www. nytimes. com/2011/11/05/business/a-ceos-support-system-a-k-a-husband. html? pagewanted=all&_r=0 Waters, R. (2011, October 28). More than a

Ethical Practices in the Fashion Industry Essay Example

Ethical Practices in the Fashion Industry Essay Example Ethical Practices in the Fashion Industry Paper Ethical Practices in the Fashion Industry Paper Executive Summary Ethical practices in the fashion Industry can be defined as the production of materials with morality. With social responsibility of the world fashion houses, and designers are now acknowledging the significance of ethical business. Trying to run a fashion business on goods that do not harm the environment and are cruelty free is easier said than done as I will bring to surface the ethical issues emerging in the fashion industry. Because fashion is so indicative of the political and social climate n which we live, what we wear will always be a symbol of our environment Ethical fashion is not Just a mere integration of the sustainable development dimensions within the field of conventional fashion, but an entirely new paradigm of fashion (Starts et Erm, 2009). Ethics in a business creates a sense of right and wrong in a business, For the fashion industry to become more ethical they need to be able to satisfy their customers needs and at the same time being morally driven and sequestrating ten planet Ana term ethical include; Fair trade Child/slave labor Carbon footprint Organic Food miles isosceles Tanat teeny affect. Elements Incorporated Animal welfare/testing Recyclable/bio-degradable Global warming Supplier relationships Fair trade laws The major social and environmental certification schemes in fashion are the organic and fair-trade certifications, like the food industry the fashion industry now wants to address issues in their supply chains which I will talk about late on in this report. The organic stamp focuses on farming techniques used to grow organic materials and fair-trade focuses on the business relationships between the supplier and their customers to promote and improve farmers, artisans and suppliers livelihoods and reels above poverty tongue Tall-trialing. I en Tall trace trend Is now growing wit high street retailers opting for more organic and fair-trade certified goods. However even though these certifications present good they dont solve all the ethical issues in the industry because some companies that use these certifications still find a loophole and violate labor right. Fair trade promise consist of: No children under the age of 16 make our products. We provide: equality for men and women in pay and opportunity within the workplace. We pay: a fair wage to all workers that is either at or above the national average. To ensure: safe working conditions, regular breaks and holidays for all workers. To pay: producers in advance so that they do not go into debt buying materials. To promote: traditional crafts in order to keep traditions alive and provide vital income for villages. To work: with smaller community trade projects that provide essential support to disadvantaged people in rural areas. We always: use chemical free and natural dyes which have the least impact on the environment. Increasing :our range of organic cotton to promote sustainable and environmental fashion as well as protecting the health and wellbeing of the growers. To recycle: materials into some of our garments and to use waste fabric to make beautiful bags. We will: continue our research in order to increase our range of organic cotton and biodegradable packaging. To increase: awareness for the need to shop responsibly and to push the multi-nationals into working towards Fair Trade on a global level. (source : HTTPS://www. Intimidating. Com/content/firetrap/our- actions ) Fashion Supply chains In recent years there has been a growing interest in the design and implementation of agile supply chain strategies (Christopher, 2000). One of the most valuable aspects of being ethical especially in the fashion industry is transparency. The problem with this industry is that is very difficult for consumers to find out every detail about how their fashion garments are made and where they came from. The ever-growing globalization, the market expansion and the volatile fashion intensify competition in the fashion chain. Most consumers blame fashion houses for ethical issues in the supply chains, in the fashion world supply chain chains must be highly responsive and be able to satisfy market needs. Fashion brands such as H;M, Primary and Ezra can reduce the whole process cycle from intangible design to a final product ready to sell product in the retail store within a few weeks. The main challenges facing the global fashion supply chain are the rising costs, sourcing markets, the increased competition in retail and also the pressure to incorporate supply chains and alteration towards faster fashion cycles. Figure 2 shows a typical apparel supply chain Within the Fashion industry there are models that reflect directly on the supply chain. Trends must be identified quickly, products designed, samples created and then sent quickly out to the target markets. Each fashion house involves many functional domains such as manufacturing, planning, marketing etc. As snow In ten TTL-2 Detective supply canal manages now AT mean and supply. Making a supply chain ethical isnt about Just fair wages and elimination child labor reducing waste is also as important . For the fashion industry to have ethical supply chains they must therefore not only consider the present issues, but think about how, in the future, it can deliver the same financial rewards while using far less resources. Brands like levis Jeans are now working on detoxifying its supply chain and committing to not using hazardous chemicals from its ENTIRE production process in all countries they manufacture by 2020. High street brands Monsoon and New Look where given top rating for their supply chain policies by the ethical consumers buyers guide by providing decent working conditions for overseas partners and workers. Whilst other elite fashion houses pay no regards to corporate ethics. Fashion and the environment In Todays world everything is now growing at a rapid pace, which means people are starting to consume more in general and material wise because more countries are becoming industrialized. The fashion industry has the power to encourage the consumers to throw away the old products that are still useable and buy the new and more stylish products, is now emphasizing to reserve and preserve in order to be the part of efforts for sustainable development. Householders 1990) the growth in the consumption of fashion has led o major environmental issues such as: water consumption, textiles and clothing waste and landfill. Clothing sent to landfill increases each year not forgetting that some of the materials being thrown away do not decompose and contributes to global warming. The fashion industry is one of the main contributors to the emission in the atmosphere and the loss of resources. Over 5000 chemicals are used in the process of clothes making and the huge growth in water consumption keeps rising. So by choosing more efficient materials that use less resources, less water and cause sees pollution everyone can then begin to design the textile products and more sustainable systems ( Fletcher 2008). Cultural enforceabilitys 2005 Ill Chin Eddie Mort (photo Bags found via Google images)Fashion no longer trickles down from couture to the mainstream; fashion directions come from everywhere various ethnic groups, youth looks from the street, etc. (Gold, 1991). Fashion helps express and shape popular culture, and the fashion industry is the most visible and overlooked of cultural sectors. There are different stimuli that influence the fashion ultra which are low culture, high culture and pop culture. High culture refers to visual arts and other forms of arts such as music. These can be of great inspiration to the fashion industry by observing art, designers get ideas for their designs and some luxury brands collaborate with artists to produce iconic fashion essentials. A great example of a designer that based her collection on high culture is Viviane Westwood her Red Label show was based on women who enjoy art and culture. Hotplate: Jonathan Brady/Geoff Caddied/EPA/APP/Getty Images pop culture is highly influenced by celebrities, in recent years the exposure and power of celebrities has ridiculously increased. Celebrities have become somewhat of role models and also studied by the public. This culture is seen as commercial culture and this can influence lifestyles and self-image of many individuals. Especially that now music and fashion industries are more linked than ever with music and fashion magazines e. G. Rolling Stone marketing fashion conscious artists. Lastly we have the low culture also Known as ten cultures, wanly Includes street craze Tattoos e. G. Skaters style, street/gangster style and harmful style. These are influenced by graffiti movements, sports subcultures are quickly absorbed by mass cultures, low cultures has become more and more fashionable making them easily adaptable to the fashion industry Seasons trends Fashion is a mirror of history, its always rotating, coming back and mixing pieces from a certain time with new century pieces. Trends looks at the communication of changes in the consumer lifestyle fashion in general and culture and are a framework for the appreciation of change and development. During 2012 and this years fashion trends are the unisex clothing and fancy futuristic footwear. They also mix historic pieces and awaken the clouds with metallic giving them a futuristic look to them. Alexander Unseens Futuristic Fall nanny order to understand fashion trends one has to be aware of their social cultural way of living which include different influences. There have been more sustainable and ethical brands being introduced by large retailers than ever before. The seasons trends are changing due to the awareness increase of fashion sustainability issues. Consumers are looking to live and represent more sustainable lifestyles According to a survey constructed on consumers more and more women want to see more green products and clothing in product lines (organic exchange 2007). With the consumers becoming more responsible they have shifted from want more to wanting more quality and authentic fashion. It not about the quantity anymore its about the quality. Kenya West wearing a Cline Silk Blouse from the SP/US 1 1 Collection Unisex looks from the RAID by Raid Hooraying Spring/Summer 2011 Runway Show I I Conclusion It is well defined that the world is slowly but surely embracing the concept of ethical practices in the fashion industry and it is still emerging in different countries. There is still a lot of work that is yet to be done in the realm of fair trade and ethical practices.

About Jørn Utzon, Architect of the Sydney Opera House

About Jà ¸rn Utzon, Architect of the Sydney Opera House Any biography of Jà ¸rn Utzon (born  April 9, 1918) will certainly say that his best-known building is his revolutionary Sydney Opera House in Australia. Yet, as a private Dane born in Copenhagen, Utzon created many other masterpieces in his lifetime. He is noted for his courtyard-style housing in Denmark, but he also designed exceptional buildings in Kuwait and Iran. His architecture combines the organic elements of Frank Lloyd Wright with Middle Eastern and Islamic elements.   Jà ¸rn Utzon was perhaps destined to design buildings that evoke the sea. His father,  Aage Utzon (1885-1970), was director of a shipyard in Alborg, Denmark, and was himself a brilliant naval architect, well-known in the area for designing custom-made yachts. Yachting and racing was an activity within the Utzon family, and the young Jà ¸rn became a good sailor himself. The Utzons grew up with sails. Until about the age of 18, Utzon considered a career as a naval officer. While still in secondary school, he began helping his father at the shipyard, studying new designs, drawing up plans and making model yachts. This activity opened another possibility - that of training to be a naval architect like his father. During summer holidays with his grandparents, Jà ¸rn Utzon met two artists, Paul Schrà ¸der and Carl Kyberg, who introduced him to art. One of his father’s cousins, Einar Utzon-Frank, who happened to be a sculptor and a professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, provided additional inspiration. The future architect took an interest in sculpting, and at one point, indicated a desire to be an artist. Even though his final marks in secondary school were quite poor, particularly in mathematics, Utzon excelled in freehand drawing - a talent strong enough to win his admission to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He was soon recognized as having extraordinary gifts in architectural design. While in school, he became interested in the works of architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), who would remain influential all of Utzons life. He earned a Diploma in Architecture from the Academy in 1942, and then fled to neutral Sweden during War War II. He worked in the Stockholm office of Hakon Ahlberg for the duration of the War, where he studied the work of Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund (1885-1940), known for what is called Nordic Classicism. Following the War, Utzon had the great opportunity to work with the modernist architect Alvar Aalto at his studio in Finland. By 1949 Utzon had received a grant to travel in Morocco, Mexico, the United States, China, Japan, India, and Australia - a whirlwind world excursion that would eventually inform his architectural designs for years to come.. All of the trips had significance, and Utzon himself described ideas he learned from Mexico. As an architectonic element, the platform is fascinating, Utzon has said. I lost my heart to it on a trip to Mexico in 1949. On the Yucatan he saw land covered by low height, dense jungle. But by building up the platform on a level with the roof of the jungle, says Utzon, these people had suddenly conquered a new dimension that was a worthy place for the worship of their gods. They built their temples on these high platforms, which can be as much as a hundred metres long. From here, they had the sky, the clouds and the breeze.... Utzon remembered this experience as he submitted his design for the Sydney Opera House competition. The next year, in 1950, Utzon returned to Copenhagen, and opened his own practice. Utzons Architecture When looking at the architecture of Jà ¸rn Utzon, the observer notices repeating architectural details - the skylights, the white curves, the appreciation for natural elements, the stationary platform on which Utzon designs may soar. His last project, the Utzon Center in Aalborg, Denmark, opened the year Utzon died, but exhibits the elements he saw throughout his life - the Islamic-like towers, the interior courtyards, the curves and the skylights. The interior of the Bagsvaerd Church, built in 1976, was envisioned with a ceiling of clouds, a sweeping white pillow motif also seen in the 1982 Kuwait National Assembly in Kuwait City and the spiral stairway of the Melli Bank, University of Tehran Branch in 1960 Iran. Yet it is the Sydney Opera House in Australia that has captured the moniker of iconic architecture. The iconic design of the Sydney Opera House complex comes from the shell-shape of the multiple roofs - they are all geometrically part of one sphere. A bonze plaque located onsite visually demonstrates the architectural idea and design solution, who wanted the plaque to explain the spherical concept of the architecture. The key to the shell design is that each shell or sail is an element of a solid sphere. The plaque Inscription tells the story: after three years of intensive search for a basic geometry for the shell complex I arrived in october 1961 at the spherical solution shown here.I call this my key to the shells because it solves all the problems of construction by opening up for mass production, precision in manufacture and simple erection and with this geometrical system I attain full harmony between all the shapes in this fantastic complex.jà ³rn utzon Danish architect Jà ¸rn Utzon was only 38 when he won the competition to build the Sydney Opera House.   The project became the highlight of his career but brought enormous challenges in engineering and building technology. Utzons winning design, submitted in 1957, moved through a complicated process with many adaptations and innovations before the Sydney Opera House officially opened on October 20, 1973. Utzons Legacy Ada Louise Huxtable, an architecture critic and a member of the 2003 Pritzker Prize jury, commented, In a forty year practice, each commission displays a continuing development of ideas both subtle and bold, true to the teaching of early pioneers of a new architecture, but that cohere in a prescient way, most visible now, to push the boundaries of architecture toward the present. This has produced a range of work from the sculptural abstraction of the Sydney Opera House that foreshadowed the avant garde expression of our time, and is widely considered to be the most notable monument of the 20th century, to handsome, humane housing and a church that remains a masterwork today. Carlos Jimenez, an architect on the Pritzker Jury, noted that ...each work startles with with its irrepressible creativity. How else to explain the lineage binding those indelible ceramic sails on the Tasmanian Sea, the fertile optimism of the housing at Fredensborg, or those sublime undulations of the ceilings at Bagsvà ¦rd, to name just three of Utzon’s timeless works. At the end of his life, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect faced new challenges. A degenerative eye condition left Utzon nearly blind. Also, according to news reports, Utzon clashed with his son and grandson over a remodeling project at the Sydney Opera House. The acoustics at the Opera House was criticized, and many people complained that the celebrated theater did not have enough performance or backstage space. Jà ¸rn Utzon died of a heart attack on November 29, 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark at age 90. He was survived by his wife and their three children, Kim, Jan and Lin, and several grandchildren who work in architecture and related fields. There is no doubt that artistic clashes will be forgotten as the world honors  Jà ¸rn Utzons powerful artistic legacy. The architectural firm he founded, Utzon Associates Architects, is in Hellebaek, Denmark. Sources Biography, The Hyatt Foundation, PDF at https://www.pritzkerprize.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/2003_bio_0.pdfAbout the Utzon Family, https://utzon.dk/utzon-associates-architects/the-utzon-familyJury Citation, The Hyatt Foundation, https://www.pritzkerprize.com/jury-citation-jorn-utzonGouse History, Sydney Opera House, https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/our-story/sydney-opera-house-history.htm Fast Facts Born April 9, 1918 in Copenhagen, DenmarkInfluenced by Mayan, Islamic, and Chinese architecture; Frank Lloyd Wright and Alvar Aalto; growing up next to a shipyardBest-known as the architect of the Sydney Opera House (1957-1973) in Sydney, AustraliaDied November 29, 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark

Leading the Catholic School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Leading the Catholic School - Essay Example This paper declares that culture is a complex concept that admits of several definitions, but the most comprehensive is the synthesis proposed by Gallagher of â€Å"culture† as a notion that contains the following characteristics: human, traditional and dynamic, evolving and religious, shared by and with others, involves complex visible factors, an expression of a vision, contains behavioural norms and response patterns, institutional or symbolic, adds meaning to what is ordinary, spiritual and religious, self-communicating, fallible and renewable, and rooted in religious consciousness. This discussion explores that culture changes or evolves over time, defined and altered by interactions amongst the individuals who make up human society Culture is not monolithic because the human agents or actors who are imbued with intelligence and free will give culture its dynamism through interaction and co-operation, giving rise to sub-cultures that add to societal diversity. Culture is a feature of any human society and is shaped by the behaviour of everyone in that society who learns and shares that culture with future generations. Culture also shapes their behaviour and outlook on life, and determines how they think, feel, and act. Culture can be analysed using several perspectives and frameworks since it is visible to observers. These manifestations range from the very tangible and overt that one can see and feel to the deeply embedded, unconscious, basic assumptions that form its essence.

International Money and Capital Markets Research Paper

International Money and Capital Markets - Research Paper Example A developed economy is defined by high level of economic activities including foreign trade resulting to high demand of foreign currency, especially hard currencies such as US dollar. A higher demand of foreign currency induces increase in exchange rate and the other way round (Taylor, 2001). Exchange rate shares an important relationship to relative price level because; price level establishes a link between foreign price and domestic price. Relative price difference or purchasing power parity is an important determinant of exchange rate as it recognizes various adjustments that need to be made in the exchange rate for maintaining equilibrium in the international currency rates (Auboin and Ruta, 2013). Trade flow can be categorized as trade inflow (import) and trade outflow (export). When the cost of foreign currency is relatively high, countries focus on greater export and less import while low exchange rate result in increasing level of import. However, frequent fluctuation in the exchange rate has negative impact on trade flow because of fluctuation in transaction and conversion costs (Auboin and Ruta, 2013). Interest rate is an influential factor with respect to fluctuation in exchange rate. Studies suggest that higher interest rate result in appreciation in the currency value of a country with respect to that of other because, high interest rate attracts greater investment in the appreciating currency for earning better future returns (Taylor, 2001). Impact of economic factors on exchange rate equilibrium Assessment of exchange rate behavior is a perennial subject of international monetary economics where various macroeconomic factors are examined to understand their role in maintaining equilibrium in exchange rate.