Chemical Equilibria Essays - Chemistry, Chemical Elements

Chemical Equilibria Darryl Fagan Pd. 4 01-20-00 AP Chemistry An Activity Series Chemistry Lab 5 Introduction; In this experiment you will study some metals and some nonmetals to find their relative reactivity. A ranking according to reactivity is called an activity series. For example, an activity series containing the elements calcium, gold and iron would put the reactive calcium at the top, iron in the middle, and the unreactive gold at the bottom. If a piece of iron metal is placed in a solution of gold nitrate, the iron will dissolve forming positive ions while the solid gold metal appears. The more reactive metal will displace ions of the less reactive metal from solution. The less reactive element will appear as the solid element. Purpose; To determine an activity series for metals using a microscale technique, and to determine an activity series for halogens using a solvent extraction technique. Procedure; a. Determine an activity series for some metals. Place a 24-well plate so that there are 6 wells across and 4 wells down. Place 1 dropper full of copper (II) nitrate solution in rows 2 through 4 in the first column. Put one dropper full of magnesium nitrate in wells 1, 3, and 4 of the second column. Place 1 dropper full of lead (II) nitrate in wells 1, 2, and4 of the third column. Put one dropper full of zinc nitrate in wells 1, 2, and 3 of the fourth column, and put 1 dropper full of silver nitrate on each of the 4 wells in the fifth column. Put a small piece of copper metal in each of the wells containing a solution in the first row. Add magnesium metal to each of the solutions in the second row, lead to the third, and zinc to the fourth row. Allow to stand at least 5 minutes. Determine if a reaction has occurred in each well by observing if a metal precipitate has formed or if the surface of the metal has become coated. If a metal ion is reduced by a metal, than the reserve reaction should not occur. One metal is more reactive than another if the metal will replace the metal ion in its compounds. Record your data. Dispose of all materials by the suggested manor of Methods #26a and #26b. b. Determine the activity series for some halogens. In this part you will test to see if the halogens Cl , Br ,and I ,can be reduced by the halide ion Cl , Br , and I . To determine what products will be formed, you will need to have a test, which will tell which halogen is present, Halogens dissolve in the nonpolar solvent mineral oil forming different color solutions. Mineral oil does not dissolve in water, but when shaken with an aqueous halogen solution, the halogen is extracted from the water into the mineral oil. The color of the mineral oil layer indicates which halogen is present. First, test to see what color each halogen shows in mineral oil. Place 1 dropper full of chlorine water, 1 dropper of Bromine water, and 1 dropper of iodine water into separate 10mm test tubes. Add one dropper of mineral oil to each, cork the tube and shake it for ten seconds. Let the mineral oil layer separate and record the color that each halogen shows when dissolved in mineral oil. Test to see if the halide ions give a color to mineral oil. Place 1 dropper of NaCl, KI, and NaBr solutions into different test tubes, add a dropper of mineral oil to each, cork and shake to determine if the halide ions impart a color to the mineral oil layer. Report your data. React each halogen with the other two halide ions to see if a halide ion can reduce other halogens. Place 1 dropper of NaBr solution into one test tube and 1 dropper of KI solution into a second test tube. Add 1 dropper of chlorine water to each, cork and shake to mix. Now add 1 dropper of mineral oil, cork and shake again. When the mineral oil layer has separated, record its color and determine if a reaction has occurred. Record your data. If chlorine appears no reaction has occurred, if either bromine or iodine appears there was a reaction. Repeat

How to Implement OnCreate Event for Delphi TFrame Object

How to Implement OnCreate Event for Delphi TFrame Object TFrame is a container for components; it can be nested within forms or other frames. A frame, like a form, is a container for other components. Frames can be nested within forms or other frames, and they can be saved on the Component palette for easy reuse. Missing OnCreate Once you start using frames, youll note theres no OnCreate event you can use to initialize your frames. In short, the reason that a frame does not have a OnCreate event is there is no good time to fire the event. However, by overriding the Create method you can mimic the OnCreate event. After all, the OnCreate for Forms gets fired at the end of the Create constructor - so overriding Create for Frames is as having the OnCreate event. Heres the source code of a simple frame exposing a public property and overriding the Create constructor: unit WebNavigatorUnit;interface uses   Ã‚  Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Variants, Classes,   Ã‚  Graphics, Controls, Forms, Dialogs, StdCtrls; type   Ã‚  TWebNavigatorFrame class(TFrame)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  urlEdit: TEdit;  Ã‚  private   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  fURL: string;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  procedure SetURL(const Value: string) ;  Ã‚  public   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  constructor Create(AOwner: TComponent) ; override;  Ã‚  published   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  property URL : string read fURL write SetURL;  Ã‚  end;implementation{$R *.dfm} constructor TWebNavigatorFrame.Create(AOwner: TComponent) ;begin   Ã‚  inherited Create(AOwner) ;   //OnCreate code   Ã‚  URL : http://delphi.about.com; end;procedure TWebNavigatorFrame.SetURL(const Value: string) ;begin   Ã‚  fURL : Value;   Ã‚  urlEdit.Text : Value; end;end. The WebNavigatorFrame acts as a website launcher hosting an edit and a button control. Note: if you are new to frames, make sure you read the following two articles: visual component development using frames, replacing tabsheets with frames.

Statistics 401 Mod 2 Case - Hypothesis Testing 1 Coursework

Statistics 401 Mod 2 Case - Hypothesis Testing 1 - Coursework Example Since then in the U.S. genetic engineering has expanded in various areas of food production. In 2006, among all countries of the world, United States alone grew 53% of genetically modified crop (Oak Ridge National Laboratory). The purpose of this study is to evaluate influence of GM food over non-GM food. In order to do so, this assignment has selected Tomatoes. It is claimed that genetically modified tomatoes show longer shelf lives than non-genetically modified tomatoes (Discovery). This assignment uses statistical design method to verify this claim. The design method is called hypothesis test. There are two different hypotheses; null hypothesis, and alternative hypothesis. If one hypothesis is true then the other hypothesis is false. In this design, null hypothesis is defined as Ho: The mean value of shelf lives of GM tomatoes is equal or greater than the mean value of shelf lives of non-GM tomatoes. The alternative hypothesis is defined as Ha: The mean value of shelf lives of GM tomatoes is less than the mean value of shelf lives of non-GM tomatoes. In a mathematical way, the test tends to satisfy the condition SL mean GM > = SL mean non-GM, where SL mean GM is the mean value of shelf lives of genetically modified tomatoes and SL mean non-GM is the mean value of shelf lives of non-genetically modified tomatoes. ... are less than       non-GM tomatoes non-GM shelf lives                   Hypothesis Evaluation against observations Acceptance of hypothesis Observations Ho Ha Ho Ha Test confirms null, Ho Null is TRUE Alternative is FALSE No Error Type I Error Test does not confirm null, Ho Null is FALSE Alternative is TRUE Type II Error No Error Type I error: Tomato growers do not buy GM plants and lose money from rotting tomatoes. Type II error: Tomato growers buy GM plants, which are more expensive than non-GM, but shelf lives do not increase. Tomatoes may be produced both from genetically modified or non-genetically modified plants. The study claims that shelf lives of GM tomatoes are greater than the shelf lives of non-GM tomatoes. Through statistical test it can be verified whether the distributions of shelf lives of GM and non-GM tomatoes differ from each another or not. This can be achieved through Chi-square test. The Chi-square test consists of (1) hypothesis formulation, ( 2) test design plan, (3) sample data analysis, and (4) result interpretation. The Chi-square test also assumes the following: GM tomatoes sampling is random; the population is10 times larger than the sample; the variable is categorical, and each level of the variable has at least 5 frequencies. The Chi-square study uses shelf lives values from GM tomatoes population and compares them to the shelf lives values of non-GM parameters. In Chi-square test, shelf lives of non-GM parameters are considered as expected values. The shelf lives of non-GM parameters include three levels: (1) mean value of the population, (2) greater than the mean value, and (3) less than the mean value. If the GM tomatoes do not increase the shelf lives, then the study will duplicate the non-GM results. On the contrary, if the GM

The relative importance of Reward and Resourcing within the overall Essay

The relative importance of Reward and Resourcing within the overall role of the Human Resource function - Essay Example The present composition describes employee rewards and resourcing aspects of management. Contemporary rewards management focuses on integrating HRM and strategic rewards in a manner that prioritizes managerial deliverables The concept of employee rewards is a complex framework that reinforces the interplay between different aspects of organisational behaviour other than the financial perspective. Employee resourcing is concerned with equating business goals in terms of resources as per the forecasted work. It also involves evaluation of the required skills and technical know-how. In this composition, an attempt to understand the relation between employee resourcing and rewards has been made along with an understanding of how these practices impact each other and the business in positive and negative ways. From rewards perspective, contemporary organisations and businesses focus on developing attracting and developing talent alongside improving organisational performance. A comprehens ive reward system has to meet the requirements of flexibility in terms of pay and incentives; as well as meet governmental regulations put forth in the form of labour law and wages; in addition, this system should include a provision for continuous negotiation between employer and employee, which will extract optimum performance from the employee and also provide maximum benefit in the form of rewards. Framing such a comprehensive reward system is therefore very complicated. ... The reward systems are strategically integrated with organisational goals. These rewards are based on performance and can be flexibly altered according to the business and/or employee preferences. As described by Armstrong and Brown (2006, p.22), the holistic approach of total rewards provides for the integration with reward of a number of HR policies and practices such as employee development, resourcing, life-work balance, recognition schemes, work design and participation. Yet, the total rewards system does not make the purpose of attracting and retaining the best talent simple; the system is always complex and time consuming. Different practices adopted in reward management include merit or individual performance pay, profit-sharing, broadbanding, competence-related pay, flexible benefits, team pay and gain-sharing. Of these, merit or performance pay practice is adopted by most of the companies (Armstrong, 2002). Evolution of the contemporary rewards system has culminated in tota l rewards system, a concept that has been adopted by most of the organisations. organisations have modified the system to fit their strategy, which has further resulted in a variety of total reward models. The most renowned models according to CIPD are those of WorldatWork, Hay Group, Towers Perrin and Schuster-Zingheim and Associates (Thompson, 2002). Of these, the most elaborate and comprehensive model is that of the Hay Group, which considers reward design to be a platform that enhances engaged performance. This model includes financial, motivational and practical aspects of work and is made of six elements: inspirational values, quality of work, enabling environment, tangible rewards, work-life balance, and future

An analysis of uk economic perfomance in third quarter 2012 Essay

An analysis of uk economic perfomance in third quarter 2012 - Essay Example The recent riots in the streets of the capital, London and other major cities are an example of that. Several economic strategies have been employed to arrest the slide with little success. In the midst of all these despair, the government led by Prime Minister David Cameron has even sought to convince the people that economic growth is not the only indicator of prosperity. He has sought to use the ‘happiness index’ as a marker that the economic situation is improving. However, preaching this new gospel to a generation that has been obsessed with growth has been akin to preaching to the converted. This paper shall seek to analyze the economic woes facing the U.K, look at the remedies the government has put in place, suggest more effective policies and even explore the likely positive or negative reactions of the economy to these measures. The fourth quarter of the year 2012 ran from October to December; and during this period the UK economy contracted by 0.3 %. This is a ccording to a report by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Anon 2013b). The same report went on to blame such slide on the unrealistic expectations raised by the economy in the third quarter. This is when the Olympics took place, and there was an economic revival caused by large numbers of incoming foreigners. This in essence means that the UK did not witness any period of growth over the last four quarters. However, amidst all this economic gloom, the service sector, the biggest in the country, actually grew although at a marginal rate of 0.1% in the month of October (Elliott 2012). This slide in the last quarter also intensified fears that the economy was on track for its third recession in almost as many years. There was also increased fear that the UK was headed for a triple-dip recession. Amidst all these angst the government was, as expected, defensive at the suggestion that its policies were not working. The Chancellor cited the crisis in the Eurozone as a contributory factor and even suggested that huge public debt built under the previous administration was to blame (Anon 2013a). As all this happened, the credit rating agencies were watching waiting to pounce. Any downgrade in the status of the UK’s credit rating would be the final blow. The government has over the last few years tried different measures which have had varied amounts of impact in the course of the recession. Among the most prominent have been the Treasury’s Deficit Reduction Program, raising taxes, cutting spending on welfare and ‘raising the axe to capital spending programs (Kirby 2012). All these shall be discussed below. Their initial objectives shall be analyzed, their current successes or failures shall be looked at, and finally I shall suggest alternative means to push for these policies or suggest new alternative policies altogether. Deficit reduction is indeed the most prominent among all the policies that have been instituted by the go vernment. The government put this program in place soon after taking over. and in 2010 it held some promise, even drawing praise from the IMF. Under this program, the government sought to reduce the public debt that had ballooned under the previous Labor administration. By August 2012, the deficit stood at 14 billion pounds (Anon 2013a). The deficit is already rising and so the Chancellor shall have to abandon the program

Consultation Skills In Relation To Nurse Prescribing

Consultation Skills In Relation To Nurse Prescribing Nurse prescribing was translated into reality in the latter part of the 1990s when a cohort of about 1,200 nurses received specialist training in order to allow them to feel confident and competent in the prescription of certain drugs and medications. In the best traditions of scientific endeavour, they were subject to a barrage of audits and studies to see how they actually performed. As in any new project there were inevitable protagonists and detractors and the initial results of the first eight studies were extremely positive. (Legge 1997) the accumulative results of the initial studies showed that nurse prescribing had been proved in terms of safety, efficacy and improved working practices. The reports did not make any comment upon the cost-effectiveness of the prescribing as the cohort studied was too small for statistical analysis. The head of the evaluation team (Prof. Luker 1997) commented that at best, nurse prescribing should be cost neutral why should it be any cheaper? By 2000, the first comparative studies were emerging with sufficient cohort size to give a meaningful evaluation of the scope and efficiency of nurse prescribing. Venning (et al 2000) compared efficiency and cost of a cohort of nurse prescribers with doctors in the same geographical area. The study cohort was over 1,300 patients. This particular study was extensive in its analysis and many of the results are not particularly relevant to the subject of this essay, but the significant outcomes showed that there was no significant difference in health outcome, prescribing patterns or prescribing cost. Nurse prescribing was therefore proving itself to be both an effective and efficient resource for the NHS. (Little et al 1997) Consultation and communication skills Empowerment and education of patients is now well recognised as an important goal but most healthcare professionals. (Richards 1999) it follows that if patients are to be involved then their particular priorities must be ascertained and addressed, usually in the mechanism of the consultation. A frequent finding in many of the studies on the subject is the fact that patients tend to prefer prescribers (nurses or doctors) who listen and also allow them to discuss their problems in an unhurried fashion. (Editor BMJ 2000) This essay is particularly directed to the issue of consultation skills in relation to nurse prescribing. Although we have briefly examined the overall issues of nurse prescribing, the consultation is obviously the core skill required to establish the diagnosis and therefore the appropriate treatment and prescription. Many studies have looked at the influence of communication skills on prescribing and other factors related to the consultation. (Richards 1999) Many authorities (Butler et al 1998) advise that the prime skills associated with the prescribing process are: Adequate exploration of the patients worries Adequate provision of information to the patient regarding the natural processes of the disease being treated The advisability of self-medication in trivial illness The various alarm symptoms that should be notified to indicate that there may be problems with the treatment. (Welschen et al 2004) These various aspects are explored further in a particularly well written and informative book by Platt and Gordon (1999) it reflects on the fact that doctors and nurses are not generally particularly well trained in the art of communication skills. In the words of the author we re not very good at transmitting information, and were no better at picking up the signals that patients try to send. Critically, they make the point that individual prescribers are not particularly good at varying their approach to the different type of patient. Clearly, the better the level of perceived empathy between prescriber and patient, the greater the level of compliance is likely to be. This is likely to be reflected in greater patient satisfaction, greater compliance with instructions generally and improved outcomes and again, in the words of the authors fewer lawsuits This particular book highlights and gives practical advice on all of the common pitfalls of prescriber patient communication. The way that prescribers will often duck issues where they feel uncomfortable or feel that their knowledge is not particularly sound, or perhaps fail to respond to the distress signals sent out (either verbally or non-verbally) by the patient. They also highlight the dangers of closing the conversation early due to pressure of time and not adequately exploring ambiguous answers. The hostile and the heart-sink patient can be a particular headache to the prescriber and inappropriate decision can be made unless great care is taken to specifically tackle these issues. (RPSGB 1997) Some commentators in the field of nurse prescribing have refered to the fact that the skills of communication, when they have been taught, have concentrated mainly on the fields of history taking and diagnosis. The issue of communication in relation to prescribing has received much less prominence. (Elwyn et al.2000) The paper by Cox (et al.2000) found that it was common practice for prescribers to initiate the discussions about just what medication there were going to prescribe, rarely refer to the medicine by name and equally rarely refer to how a newly prescribed medication is perceived to differ in either action or purpose, to those previously prescribed. Patient understanding is rarely checked as it is usually assumed after the prescriber has given the prescription. Even when invited to do so, patients seldom take the opportunity to ask questions. (Cox et al 2000) The same author found that prescribers would emphasise the positive benefits of the medication far more frequently than they would discuss the risks and precautions, despite the fact that the patients perception was that such a discussion is seen as essential. In summary, this leaves a situation which is open to misinterpretation, uncertainty as a result of unadressed worries and for patients to be ambivalent towards the medication that they have been prescribed. (Drew et al. 2001). It clearly is not a situation which one could have confidence that the patient has a sound knowledge base about his treatment and has a positive attitude towards compliance. The point relating to communication failure resulting in poor treatment outcome (primarily in relation to non-adherence to treatment instructions) was explored in depth in an excellent paper by Britten (et al 2000). The various consultation skills were critically analysed and broken down into 14 different categories of misunderstanding. In short, all of the failures of communication were associated with a lack of the patients participation in the consultation process. Significantly, all of these 14 categories were associated with potential or even actual less than optimal Outcomes as they resulted in either inappropriate prescribing or inadequate treatment adherence. It was very significant that the authors concluded that many of the errors were associated with assumptions or guesses on the part of the healthcare professional, and in particular a lack of awareness of the relevance of patients ideas and beliefs which influenced their compliance with the prescribed treatment. (Elder et al 2004) There is evidence that failure to actively engage in, or even consider, the patient s perspective is a common failing amongst prescribers. (Britten et al 2000). Many take the view that simply arriving at and stating a diagnosis is sufficient credibility for the provision of a prescription. Even when drug therapy is considered essential (such as insulin and thyroxin) many patients will experiment with dosages and drug-free periods. (Barry et al. 2000). It follows that such experimentation is likely to be all the greater when medication is used when the benefits are less immediate (eg. In prophylaxis).If the prescriber is aware of these factors, it will undoubtedly help to achieve compliance if they are overtly addressed during the consultation process. Concordance vs. compliance Elwyn (et al 2003) took a slightly different approach with regard to the consultation process and prescribing. They advocate the process of concordance which is described as the process whereby there is a negotiation between the patient and the prescriber which involves a discussion about the perceived benefits and drawbacks of the proposed medication, together with an exchange of beliefs and expectations. This terminology reflects not only a change in emphasis but also a change in attitude of the prescriber. This area used to be termed compliance which was a reflection of the now outmoded concept of implicit power and authority invested in the prescriber. The term was seen as being authority laden (Marinker 1997) where it was expected that patients complied implicitly and without question when a prescription was given. There was little acceptance that patients would actively participate in the decision making process that surrounded the generation of the prescription. (Cox et al. 2002) At this point in time, there is little published evidence that this process actually leads to improved clinical outcome measures, but consideration of ethical principles would allow us to conclude that the involvement of patients will inevitably result in safer and better patient care. (Elwyn et al. 1999) If we examine this argument further, any healthcare professional will appreciate that a great deal of modern medical treatment involves prescribing in one form or another. We also know that a substantial proportion of the medication that is currently prescribed is not taken or, worse still, inappropriately utilised. (Haynes et al 2003). Careful research shows that where this occurs it is primarily due to a conflict between the prescribers views and those of the patient. (Britten et al 2003). Further studies have shown that where prophylactic (or preventative) prescribing has occurred the situation is statistically worse. One can presume that this is mainly because, in these conditions the patient tends to be asymptomatic and therefore the perceived need to take medication may well be less. Again, this reflects a failure of communication between patient and prescriber. (Coulter 2002) As a result of this, the prescriber, in general terms, has to be aware of the possibility of what is know, in academic circles, as intentional dissent. The patient may choose to actively disagree with the prescribers instructions because they may either have become party to other information about the medication, or because they may have experienced some side effect and, being not fully appraised of the reasons for taking prophylaxis, may simply choose to discontinue it. (Barry et al. 2000) Conclusions The last decade has seen important strides forward in the field of nurse prescribing. The success of this venture would strongly argue that it will progress further still in the future. Hand in hand with this success goes the realisation that nurse prescribing carries with it a responsibility to fully understand the issues that relate the act of prescribing to the eventual treatment outcome, together with the factors that tend to confound such linkage. The progressive acceptance of the paradigm of concordance (by all prescribers not just nurse prescribers) offers all healthcare professionals a mechanism to move towards ever safer and more successful prescribing. Accurate identification of the patients perspectives, needs and beliefs and then the addressing of any significant differences between these and the prescribers requirements, are seen to be progressively more important in the successful delivery of nurse prescribed health care. The advent of nurse prescribing brings added responsibility to the more traditional role of the nurse. It is important not to neglect the importance of the role of reflective practice in this area (Gibbs 1998). It is not just the act of writing out the prescription that is important, but it is the understanding of the processes and dynamics of the interactions that are taking place between prescriber and patient that are the fundamental key to good prescribing practice (Kuhse et al 2001).

Antisocial Personality Disorder: A Sociopaths Brain Essay -- Diseas

A good looking man in an expensive suite walks past a woman on the subway whistling a catchy tune. Many thoughts begin to run through her head, â€Å"He’s an important business man on his way to his next meeting.† Or â€Å"He’s a father on the way home from work.† As he stops she watches him read a news paper thinking how attractive and self composed he is. In the back of her head she’s wishing that he would speak to her. As she sits and hopes it seems that her wish is going to be answered. The young, attractive gentleman gets up and strides over taking the seat next to her. He introduces himself as Mr. Cromer and engages her in a charming conversation, sweeping her off her feet. In her head everything is going great, she has met the perfect man, all the while she hasn’t noticed that he has lead her to the door of a warehouse. By the time she realizes where she is it is too late, he has her now. As she begins to scream he shoves her in the bu ilding ending all hope. Mr. Cromer actually suffers from a severe case of antisocial personality disorder and has developed a bad habit of abducting, raping and killing women followed by an ostentatious dinner often buying dinks and food for others in the restaurant or bar to which he leaves without every paying. Those who suffer from personality disorders will not necessarily all become killers or rapists but most do participate in illegal activity of some sort. Antisocial personality disorder, also known as sociopathy or psychopathy, is often described as the person lacking any and all morals; they have no conscience. Often these individuals have difficulty or inability to feel empathy for others and as a result they do as they please, not conforming to social norms like the majority of the population... ...ey still commit count less crimes against society and fail to conform to any societal norms. Many perspectives have been trying to better explain what causes this disorder but the close we have gotten is correlation. Like with any disease there are multiple contributing factors so researchers need to take and eclectic approach and hopefully one day we will find a simple answer for this complex disorder that will lead to an effective treatment. Works Cited Haglin, R. P. & Whitbourne, S. K. (2010). Abnormal psychology: clinical perspectives on psychological disorders. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Moran, P. (1999). The epidemiology of antisocial personality disorder. Institute of Psychiatry, (34), 231-242. Ogloff, J. R. (2006). Psychopathy/antisocial personality disorder conundrum. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, (40), 519-528.

Riordan Enterprise Risk Management Plan

Riordan Manufacturing is a Fortune 1000 company that specializes in the plastic injection molding industry. They are an international company with facilities in California, Georgia, Michigan, and China. Their products include beverage containers, plastic fan parts, and custom plastic parts. Riordan prides themselves on their industry leading research and development (University of Phoenix, 2009). The following Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) plan was developed for Riordan Industries, Inc. and its subsidiaries. The goal of this plan is to help mitigate any legal liability on the part of Riordan by implementing the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) framework (Jennings, 2006). Alternative Dispute Resolution Alternative Dispute Resolution is a way of resolving differences outside of the courtroom. This includes anything from informal negotiations, to formal written arbitration (Jennings, 2006). Currently, Riordan keeps an attorney on retainer but does not have a dispute resolution in process, thus if a conflict were to escalate, they would not have a resolution plan in process. It is in Riordan’s best interest to have a mediation process in place to help settle disputes. The reasoning is mediation is cheaper than other dispute resolution methods, especially litigation, and it protects the confidentiality of the parties involved (Peters and Mastin, 2007). Riordan’s internal legal council will work directly with the law firm on retainer to develop a mediation process with varying levels of triggers based on levels of risk. In doing so, Riordan should set up a process for which their internal legal department can handle the brunt of the load to further reduce costs. Enterprise Liability Enterprise Liability suggests that those who profit from a risk should also bear the cost of accidents that arise from that risk (Keating, 2001). With manufacturing plants in several locations, including internationally, there is significant risk of an accident, of which Riordan would be liable for. Riordan provides employees with basic training and an employee manual outlining relevant laws (University of Phoenix, 2009). However, there currently is not a monitoring system or a proactive detection system in place to detect any transgressions. In the employee manual, Riordan outlines a rigorous discipline system. However, when looking through employee records, there is no record of any discipline associated with employees who violated the attendance policy (University of Phoenix, 2009). This leads to speculation that Riordan does not follow any of their discipline policies. If these records were obtained in a legal dispute it would leave Riordan extremely vulnerable. Employee records should be centralized and controlled area where they can be properly maintained. Product Liability Product Liability is defined as, â€Å"Legal responsibility of the manufacturers, wholesellers, retailers to the buyers or users of the damages or injuries caused by the use of defective products† (Legal-Explainations. com, n. d. ). With several manufacturing locations, Riordan focuses on quality and the elimination of defects in its manufacturing process by applying ISO 9000, and the Six Sigma standards for production, shipping, and quality control (University of Phoenix, 2009). However, they have no company-wide standards in place for dealing with quality control. For example, the Pontiac site has internal memos discussing quality control issues, yet no one took accountability to take action. Riordan will assume a significant amount of risk if it is discovered that they were aware of the quality control issues, yet took no action. Riordan should immediately implement a whistle-blower policy to encourage employees to report any compliance or quality control issues. In addition, Riordan should set up a team of individuals to work with an independent third party to handle these reports. International Law Riordan’s China location is a joint venture with their Chinese partners handling everything from labor, capital, regulations, and hazardous waste cleanup. The officers and directors of Riordan have no real authority over their Chinese partners, nor do they have any legal counsel there for support (University of Phoenix, 2009). Riordan should extend their internal legal department to include staff with expertise in Chinese regulatory compliance. Tangible Property Tangible Property is defined as the type of property we can see and touch (Jennings, 2006). At each of Riordan’s locations, they maintain a variety of angible property, such as: general office equipment, transportation equipment, and information technology equipment. Riordan must develop a better system to track the purchase, and use of this equipment, including management of leases, maintenance, and general accounting guidelines. Riordan also maintains a supply of raw materials at each location. However, there is not currently a process in place of investigating any missing material (University of Phoenix, 2009). It is recommended that Riordan develop a process for documenting the full inventory process from delivery to use in order to assist any investigation into missing materials. In addition, Riordan needs to develop a much more robust security and emergency plan to protect these assets from theft or other damages. Intellectual Property Intellectual Property or Intangible property is defined as bundles of rights with respect to goodwill, trade names, copyrights, patents, trade dress, trade secrets (Jennings, 2006). Riordan maintains various trademarks, patents, copyrights, software, and trade secrets. The protection of these assets is imperative to their future. Riordan needs to develop a system to identify their existing intellectual property and how to protect that property, such as: restricted areas to store data, encryption, and conduct background checks on employees – especially those with access to sensitive materials, and the use of non-disclosure agreements. In additions, copyrights, patents and trademarks must be registered and maintained (Jennings, 2006). Legal Forms of Business Riordan is a corporation with, â€Å"unlimited duration, free transferability of interest, limited liability for shareholders/owners, continuity, and centralized management,† (Jennings, 2006). This eliminates personal liability from officers, directors, and shareholders with the exception of negligence (Jennings, 2006). However, they are expected to act in the best interest of the company. This includes following all applicable tax laws and regulations. Riordan must address the varying finance and accounting systems that each location currently uses. The existing process is slow and because of the manual data entry increases the chance of error. Riordan should implement one accounting system for the entire company to use. While expensive upfront, this system will cut down on the amount of manual work that is needed and over time will significantly reduce cost. In addition, Riordan is a publicly traded company, which means it must comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 (Jennings, 2006). With Riordan’s current finance and accounting systems, this would be extremely difficult. Governance Corporate governance is defined as a way in which a company protects itself with a framework of rules and practices by which the Board of Directors ensure accountability, fairness, and transparency (BusinessDictionary. com, n. d. ). Riordan needs to elect a Board of Directors to oversee the management of the company; in addition they will provide guidance for the senior management and any external auditors. As Riordan implements the ERM framework, the board should be consulted to make updates for the amount of risk they want to assume and adjust policy as they see fit. ? References BusinessDictionary. com. (n. d. ). BusinessDictionary. com. Retrieved from http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/corporate-governance. html Jennings, M. M. (n. d. ). Business: It's Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment (7th ed. ). Keating, G. C. (2001). The Theory of Enterprise Liability. Vanderbuilt Law Review. Retrieved from http://law. vanderbilt. edu/publications/vanderbilt-law-review/archive/volume-54-number-3-april-2001/download. aspx? id=2846 Legal-Explainations. com. (n. d. ). Legal-Explainations. com. Retrieved from http://www. legal-explanations. com/definitions/product-liability. htm Peters, R. J. , and Mastin, D. B. (2007, May – July). To mediate or not to mediate: That is the question. Dispute Resolution Journal, 62(2), 14-21. University of Phoenix. (2004). Riordan Manufacturing [Computer Software]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, Simulation, Law 531 website.

The Worlds Most Ethical Companies

The Worlds Most Ethical Companies Introduction Business ethics constitutes how organizations relate to their internal and external environments. The ethical climate therefore touches on things like working environment, safety of the employees, care and conservation of the environment and practices which promote the interests of the consumers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The World’s Most Ethical Companies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ethical conduct of corporations is also intertwined with what is referred to as corporate social responsibility. This concept is generally used to refer to the relationship between businesses and their environment. All businesses operate in social, political and economic environments. The concept therefore takes into account how businesses interact with these environments, either positively or negatively. The topic of corporate social responsibility can be broken down into four main components namely the et hical, economic, philanthropic and legal components (Aras Crowther, 2010). This paper is based on the topic of business ethics. It looks into the topic through analysis of a single company selected from the database of the world’s most ethical companies. Key issues which are discussed include how the company behaves in a morally responsible manner towards its consumers, employees and the environment. Other issues which are discussed include how the morally responsible behavior can affect the company’s bottom line as well as recommendations on how the company can improve its policies to enhance its relationship with the consumers, employees and the environment. The paper is based on various academic readings about the topic of business ethics. The company under focus in the paper is the National Australia Bank (NAB). The bank’s main products include consumer banking, wholesale banking, business banking, insurance and wealth management (Murray, Poole Jones, 2006 ). The consumers of the bank include individual bankers, private and public institutions, businesses and community groups. According to the bank’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Clyne Cameron, the bank’s strategic policy is aimed at putting the customers at the center in all operations to ensure that they realize their full potential.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More How NAB behaves in a morally responsible way towards consumers One way in which the bank behaves in a morally responsible manner towards its consumers is through the provision of quality services at fair prices. The bank also aims at having a relationship with consumers which is based on the principles of advice, guidance and help. The provision of quality services to consumers reflects a morally responsible behavior because it ensures that consumers are protected from any form of unfair trea tment such as fraud, exploitation and poor services. The other way in which the bank behaves in a morally responsible manner towards its consumers is through building prosperous communities. The bank believes that prosperous communities are based on prosperous economy and that is why it helps the communities to flourish by investing in industries and organizations which bring people together in groups for economic prosperity. Such groups are financed by the bank to tackle various issues such as social inclusion and education. Through its micro finance scheme, the bank provides loans to the groups at very affordable rates so as to enable them start or strengthen their business enterprises. In 2004, the bank launched a customer relationship management system which made it win the Cap Gemini financial innovations award in 2006. It also launched what it referred to as Ubank, a system which provides customers with an option of transacting business online with the aim of making them more satisfied by accessing banking services right at their homes or any other places of their convenience.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The World’s Most Ethical Companies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More How NAB behaves in a morally responsible way towards the environment In regard to the environment, the bank has established very clear guidelines in form of a policy which outlines its relationship to the environment. One way in which the bank behaves in a morally responsible manner towards the environment is through compliance with all laws and regulations which are put in place to protect the environment. For instance, it takes the necessary actions to ensure that its operations do not negatively affect the environment either directly or indirectly. Such a policy is a pointer of a morally responsible behavior because environmental pollution by corporates affects the health of the consumers. Having a clean en vironment ensures that the consumers enjoy a healthy environment and lead a healthy life. The bank also invests in providing its customers with services and products which help them understand their environmental challenges and how to mitigate risks associated with the environment. The bank uses this approach because it believes that for sustainability purposes, it must capacity build the customers to enable them understand their environment and take good care of it. How NAB behaves in a morally responsible way towards employees In regard to the relationship between the bank and its employees, the bank has a policy in form of employee code of conduct. The policy is guided by the principle that all employees should be treated fairly and accorded the dignity and respect which they deserve. This policy reflects a morally responsible behavior because the respect of employees is central to the success of any organization. Treating employees with respect and dignity not only makes them mo tivated but also enables them get the intrinsic value of work.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The bank also embraces the concepts of cultural diversity and gender sensitivity in its employment policy. It does this by ensuring that employees are not discriminated based on race, gender or color. The policy has seen many women rise to the top positions of leadership of the bank. The bank also ensures that employees are trained from time to time so as to enhance their capacity to discharge their duties. The training is part of the bank’s initiative to ensure that the customers get quality services at any given time. Training of employees is a morally responsible behavior because it not only improves the quality of services but also makes employees grow in their career. Such training is also important for the employees because once they leave the company, it serves as an asset by giving them a competitive edge over other job seekers thus increasing their probability of being employed in other companies. Effects of these morally conscious decisions on NAB’s bottom li ne If the bank keeps the spirit of treating employees with dignity, taking care of the environment and providing quality services to customers, it has a potential of increased growth which may see it open more branches in other countries. The fact that the bank has a policy which ensures that there are no discriminations based on gender and race can make it the preferred employer of many qualified employees. The nondiscrimination policy can also attract talented employees who like working in reputable and respectable organizations. Having talented and highly qualified personnel would inspire innovation which would trigger growth and expansion thus giving the bank a competitive edge over its competitors. Review of NAB’s policies from a critical perspective Towards consumers One area where the bank needs to improve its policy on consumers is in regard to the number of staff in its branches. According to the naked office website, it is claimed that the bank places a lot of empha sis on cutting costs (Naked office, 2014). This makes it have few employees in the branches to serve the constant or increasing number of customers. The employees therefore feel overworked without any additional compensation which is a form of exploitation. For the bank to make its customers more satisfied, there is need to recruit more employees to ensure that customers are served without delays. If it is not able to increase the number of employees, it needs to ensure that the employees are paid overtime so as to motivate them. The bank also needs to improve the efficiency of its online accounts so that customers using them are able to enjoy faster and reliable online services. There are claims that the banks online systems are sometimes very slow which is very embarrassing to the customers. Towards the environment In regard to its relationship with its environment, the bank needs to allocate more funds to environmental conservation. There is no evidence of significant activities which the bank undertakes to conserve the environment. It needs for example to contribute towards the management of greenhouse gases which cause global warming. It can also partner with other governmental and non governmental organizations to launch comprehensive environmental conservation programs both at the national and international platform. The bank needs to not only educate its customers on environmental management but also all members of the community where it has operations. This would ensure that it reaches as many people as possible thus increasing the impact of its efforts towards environmental conservation. Towards employees According to the naked office website, the bank has been accused of having poorly trained and inexperienced personnel at top leadership positions (Naked office, 2014). While it pays attention to the training of other staff, it has neglected the training and capacity building of its leaders and therefore, there is need for change so that it can have leaders who are not only experienced but also visionary and well equipped with the necessary skills and techniques of leadership. Such leadership would ensure that the bank comes up with strategic business decisions which would propel it towards excellence. The bank needs to as well scale up its employee motivation efforts by introducing more employee motivation programs and policies such as sponsorship programs for employees to further their studies, provision of retirement benefits, medical scheme for the workers and promotions based on merit. Conclusion The National Bank of Australia is one of the companies listed in the data base of the world’s most ethical companies. The bank behaves in a morally responsible manner towards consumers, the environment and employees through policies and guidelines which govern its business strategy and operations. It ensures that the consumers are provided with high quality services at affordable prices at any given time. It also has polici es which require employees to be treated with respect and dignity as a way of motivating them to be more productive. In regard to the environment, the bank provides its customers with information on environmental risks and how to mitigate them. These morally conscious policies have the potential of increasing the competitiveness of the bank in the banking industry, attracting talented employees and increasing innovativeness. However, the bank can do better through deployment of more staff, payment of overtime for the employees and provision of employees with more benefits for them to become more productive. It also needs to partner with other organizations to launch comprehensive environmental conservation programs as a way of scaling up its efforts towards environmental conservation. References Aras, G., Crowther, D. (2010). A handbook of corporate governance and social responsibility corporate social responsibility series. Farnham GU9 7PT: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Murray, P., Poole , D., Jones, G. (2006). Contemporary issues in management and organizational behavior. South Melbourne, Vic.: Thomson Learning. Naked office. (2014). NAB (National Australia Bank). Web.

Symbols essays

Lottery-Atmosphere/Setting/Symbols essays The setting seems to be the focus in the beginning of the story. The author tell us the exact day and time. The day is described as a "clear and sunny, with fresh warmth of a full-summer day; flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green." After reading that, I wanted to be there, sitting out on my porch or taking a walk. Next, we are taken to the town square where the rest of the story takes place. The town square is described as being between the post office and the bank. Those buildings are thought of as being common and trustworthy in every town. We are told they conduct square dance, the teen-age club, and the Halloween program there. We are led to believe this town square is a place of fun and excitement. It certain paints a picture of a lovely town, on a beautiful day. Next, we learn a little about the people that live in the town. We are told the children have just finished school. I am now thinking back to those warm carefree days, after just getting out of school. The boys are looking for stones, which doesn't seem that odd, since many boys play with rocks by throwing them or building with them. We have no idea what the stones will ultimately be used to do. The boys "broke into boisterous play" which make me think they are having a lot of fun. While the girls, are standing around talking to each other and not interacting with the boys, which is normal. Then the men are described as talking about planting and rain, tractors and taxes. This clues us in to another aspect of the setting, this is probably a rural farming community. Then women are described as gossiping, typical of women. These all seem to be ordinary activities by these groups of people. I feel the described activities are important because they help create the atmosphere. The autho r wants us to think this is Small Town (we know there only 300 people), USA. This town presents a "perfect" or stereotypical town. This story, therefore, could occ...

Operations case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Operations - Case Study Example Discuss about the initial floor plan of the Waterloo Mongolian Grill and the proposed design. (Exhibit 4) There should be continuous collection of feedback from customers and complain should be addressed as soon as possible. The proposed changes on design of the second restaurant should be continued to be checked against the current restaurant and see if it is still viable. John Butkus who is the owner of Mongolian Grill Restaurant located in London, Ontario needs to make design decision for his second restaurant in Waterloo, Ontario. (Silk and Haywood 547). Despite the first restaurant being a success, he needs to makes some changes to the new restaurant to be able to accommodate many customers and reduce the delays while serving customers. The existing restaurant is small in size and cannot receive reservations. John wants to have a unique concept to outdo the other competitors. 1.) Immediately call a meeting with the staff of Mongolian Grill Restaurant and explain to them the major design decision that is need in the second restaurant in Waterloo, Ontario. Currently, Mongolian Grill Restaurant is faced with the challenge of limited capacity and low speed of customer service. (Silk and Haywood 548). The staff will explain to the new customers the features of Mongolian Grill. These features are creation of environment for entertainment and interaction, involving customers in the preparation of meal and a lot of food which is healthy and fresh. New customers will be explained about the three food preparation stations which are food bar, the sauce, oil and spice bar, and cooking station.( Exhibit 1) 2.) Take notes on the attendance of the customers during different nights, the average trips a customer makes during dinner and the average time taken by each customer to be served. As the interactions with the customers continue, the staff shall take notes on number of customers who come each night.

Final Assignment Chapters 9 & 10 Research Paper

Final Assignment Chapters 9 & 10 - Research Paper Example ees as an opportunity to belittle her boss by stating it was too early to make such an early assessment yet she had not fully understood how politics had been used by Kathryn. It was very clear that everyone was trying safeguard his wellbeing but not the work of the organization’s development (Lencioni, p.25). The tech decision team also lacks significant communication in the sense that when Nick the chief operating officer suggests they acquire the green banana firm in Boston. Upon being questioned by Kathryn about the timing of the project, he responds with arrogance about her role in team building and not industrial technology (Lencioni, p.56). Another essential attribute missing from the tech Decision team that was a necessary for its effectiveness was lack of extensive collaboration. Lack of collaboration is when JR the sales head resigns and cities wasteful meetings as his reason for calling it quits with the company. Also by Mickey deciding to leave as a result of direct criticism for her focus in personal reputation rather than contribution to the team further exhibited lack of active collaboration (Lencioni, p.36). The Decision tech team experienced only the first three of the four stages of team development since we don’t see them working in respect to performing. Kathryn was effective in enabling the team moves through each phase in the following ways. In the forming stage the dominant human relationships are silence, dependence, self-consciousness, and superficiality. These are during the first week upon taking her new position as the C.E.O. She spent most of her early week walking in the halls, holding brief conversations with staff members and direct contacts and maintaining silence in majority of the meetings she attended. Since she was not well accustomed to her new job and proved her dependence by requesting Jeff Shanley to proceed with the weekly staff meetings as the head. She only maintained brief contacts with other employees and walked