Heterogeneous vs. Homogeneous Mixtures

Heterogeneous vs. Homogeneous Mixtures The terms heterogeneous and homogeneous refer to mixtures of materials in chemistry. The difference between heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures is the degree to which the materials are mixed together and the uniformity of their composition. A homogeneous mixture is a mixture where the components that make up the mixture are uniformly distributed throughout the mixture. The composition of the mixture is the same throughout. There is only one phase of matter observed in a homogeneous mixture. So, you wouldnt observe both a liquid and a gas or a liquid and a solid in a homogeneous mixture. 1:43 Watch Now: What's the Difference Between Homogeneous and Heterogeneous? Homogeneous Mixture Examples There are several examples of homogeneous mixtures encountered in everyday life: AirSugar waterRainwaterVodkaVinegarDishwashing detergentSteel You cant pick out components of a homogeneous mixture or use a simple mechanical means to separate them. You cant see individual chemicals or ingredients in this type of mixture. Only one phase of matter is present in a homogeneous mixture. A heterogeneous mixture is a mixture where the components of the mixture are not uniform or have localized regions with different properties. Different samples from the mixture are not identical to each other. There are always two or more phases in a heterogeneous mixture, where you can identify a region with properties that are distinct from those of another region, even if they are the same state of matter (e.g., liquid, solid). Heterogeneous Mixture Examples Heterogeneous mixtures are more common than homogeneous mixtures. Examples include: Cereal in milkVegetable soupPizzaBloodGravelIce in sodaSalad dressingMixed nutsBowl of colored candiesSoil Usually, its possible to physically separate components of a heterogeneous mixture. For example, you can centrifuge (spin out) solid blood cells to separate them from the plasma of blood. You can remove ice cubes from soda. You can separate candies according to color. Telling Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Mixtures Apart Mostly, the difference between the two types of mixtures is a matter of scale. If you look closely at sand from a beach, you can see the different components, such as shells, coral, sand, and organic matter. Its a heterogeneous mixture. If, however, you view a large volume of sand from a distance, its impossible to discern the different types of particles. The mixture is homogeneous. This can seem confusing! To identify the nature of a mixture, consider its sample size. If you can see more than one phase of matter or different regions in the sample, it is heterogeneous. If the composition of the mixture appears uniform no matter where you sample it, the mixture is homogeneous.

Make Carbonated Fizzy Fruit With Dry Ice

Make Carbonated Fizzy Fruit With Dry Ice Use dry ice to carbonate fruit. The fruit will be filled with tingly carbon dioxide bubbles, like a soda. The fizzy fruit is great to eat on its own or it can be used in recipes. Fizzy Fruit Materials Dry iceFruitPlastic bowl You only need two ingredients for this project: dry ice and fruit. Make sure to use  food grade dry ice. There is another kind of commercial dry ice, not intended for use around food or consumption, which may contain icky-tasting and potentially unhealthy impurities. Food grade dry ice is solid carbon dioxide, minus the nastiness. Technically, you can use any fruit for this recipe, but there are some that work better than others. Apples, grapes, oranges and other citrus fruit, and bananas work great. Some people dislike the effect carbonation has on the flavor of strawberries. You may wish to experiment to suit your taste. A plastic bowl is recommended because it isnt likely to get cold enough to handle. There is a small risk of getting frostbite handling the base of a glass or metal bowl filled with dry ice with bare hands. Of course, if you wear gloves or use care, its not a big concern. Carbonate the Fruit You want the dry ice to be in relatively small chunks. If your dry ice came as pellets or chips, youre in good shape. Otherwise, you will need to smash your dry ice. Do this by placing the dry ice in a paper bag or by covering it with a dishcloth and whacking it (gently) with a hammer. You want to break it into pieces, not pulverize it.Dry ice vigorously sublimes into carbon dioxide gas. As this happens, the gas is pushed into the fruit. Thinner slices or pieces of fruit will become more saturated with carbon dioxide bubbles than larger pieces of fruit. You can use whole grapes or strawberries, but be sure to slice or chunk larger fruits, such as apples or bananas. Slicing grapes or strawberries in half opens them up and helps them get fizzier.Place some dry ice pellets in a bowl. Set the fruit on the dry ice. You can add more dry ice if you wish. If you like to play with my food, you can stir the mixture, but its not really necessary. If you want the fruit to get fizzy, but not free ze, place a small cutting board over the dry ice and set the fruit on top of the cutting board. The board should offer enough thermal insulation to protect the fruit. Allow time for the dry ice to sublime (at least 10 minutes). The fruit will freeze and become carbonated.Eat the fizzy fruit, using it in recipes or add it to drinks (makes interesting ice cubes). The fruit will remain fizzy as it thaws, but it should be used (frozen or thawed) within an hour or so because it will lose its bubbles. Fizzy Fruit Safety Tips There are videos that show people carbonating fruit by sealing dry ice and fruit in a plastic bottle. This is not a particularly safe plan since overpressuring the bottle will cause it to explode. If you decide to try this method, make sure your bottle is plastic (less shrapnel in the event of an explosion) and use a minimal amount of dry ice. I do not recommend this procedure. You can get fizzy fruit without risking a trip to the emergency room.This goes along with the first point: dont seal dry ice into a closed container.Dry ice is very cold, so dont handle it or eat it.Freshly frozen fizzy fruit is the same temperature as dry ice (around -109 °F) so allow it to warm a bit before consuming it. Fizzy Fruit Fun Facts Carbon dioxide bubbles, whether they be in soda, beer, or fizzy fruit, trigger a minor pain response in the nerves of the mouth and tongue. This actually enhances flavor and is one reason why carbonated food and drink is (ironically) pleasurable.Carbonation also affects the flavor of food directly by changing its pH. It makes food more acidic. Whether or not this improves flavor depends on the composition of the product.The pH change can also change the color of the fruit. Deeply-colored fruits are often natural pH indicators. Carbonated Fruit Recipe Ideas Slice strawberries, sugar them, and add a bit of water to make a syrup. Stir dry ice into the mixture to carbonate the berries and syrup. Use the carbonated strawberries as a topping for strawberry shortcake or ice cream.Slice apples and strawberries. Carbonate them with dry ice. Add them to champagne.Slice a banana. Make it fizzy then coat it with chocolate. Allow the banana to warm slightly before eating it.If you have leftover dry ice, another fun fizzy recipe to try is dry ice ice cream.

Communication in Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Communication in Economics - Essay Example While private investments showed growth of 0.72% and net exports rose by 0.99% in last quarter of 2013, the government spending is a major drag on the economy as it declined by 1.05%. In view of the economic recovery observed in 2013, it was expected that economys momentum will continue; however, bad weather in first quarter and overseas volatility have reduced hopes of further improvement. The third quarter healthy growth of 4.1% in 2013 had generated enthusiasm across the businesses and industries to continue to have rapid job creations, but certain other economic measurements have been found to giving differing signals. Job creation, consumer spending, factory output and the construction industry data are not in line with the expectations. Many attribute this down performance in the first quarter of 2014 to extreme winter in many parts of the country. Jeremy Lawson, an economist at Standard Life, is of the view that the growth rates recorded in the previous quarters were, in fact, over stating what was happening actually. First-quarter consumer-spending is not as per expectations and the mining industry is still passing through a weak market globally. On export front, the US economy registered a 9.4% growth, which was originally anticipated to rise by 11.4%. Business spending showed buoyancy in the second half of 2013 as companies continued to invest in buildings, software, and equipments. Fixed investment grew by 7.3% in the fourth quarter generating hopes for future growth. Public-sector wages are mostly stagnant not showing any hopes of recovery. As usual, the saving rate has been registered only 4.5% in the fourth quarter that is one percentage point less when compared with the average of the previous three years. Consumers are spending but the government is holding back. In the last quarter of 2013, the Federal Government spending was down by 12.8%. The Federal Reserve is

Case 1 FedEx Corporation Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

1 FedEx Corporation - Case Study Example The company is facing a big problem of culture diversification. Most of the employees come from different countries and hence have different backgrounds. It is hard to meet their culturally demands and hence it becomes a problem in managing them. The company solves the problem of culture barrier by learning different cultures of people. Learning different cultures of people help in understanding them well and hence avoid work conflicts. FedEx offers training to employees in order to improve their working efficiency (Anthony & Perrewe, 2010). FedEx has a good paperless system of storing data of its employees. They have programs called PRISM HIRS which records any information pertaining to a worker. This programs record jobs posting, applicants and training information. It is important to maintain this strategy because information can never be lost. Information stored in files is mostly misplaced. There is also communication where employees airs their grievances and make suggestions. This should be maintained because it boosts the morale of

Fmla Persuasive Speech Essay Example for Free

Fmla Persuasive Speech Essay THESIS: American families will benefit from Family Security Insurance. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: If your like me, youre getting a college degree to not only provide your self with an income, but also to take care your family members in their times of need. STATEMENT OF CREDIBILITY: I have found through researching work and family in the United States, that we as a country are doing a poor job supporting parents, and I have found a policy that I believe would help. PREVIEW OF MAIN POINTS: First, well examine why working families need a better safety net today than working families have in the past, second, well take a look at how current laws are not doing enough to protect families from hardship in the current workforce, and finally, well understand how a modest proposal will make a dramatic difference for the lives of American families. BODY I. Working families need a better safety net in todays workforce. A. The problem is that todays workplaces have not caught up with societal changes. 1.The work-life balance is getting increasingly harder for women because the current economic situation requires two earners. 2.Bankruptcy expert Elizabeth Warren stated that two-incomes are needed to make ends meet for middle class families in a 2006 article for the Social Science Research Council. B. This problem has the consequences that more children and women living in poverty. Elizabeth Warrens 2003 book The Two-Income Trap, she states that having a child is now the single best predictor that a woman will end up in financial collapse. The US Census Bureaus 2011 data show among women who head families, 4 in 10 lived in poverty (up from 38.5 percent in 2009). The child poverty rate, already high at 20.7 percent in 2009, jumped to 22.0 percent last year. More than half of poor children lived in female-headed families in 2010. C. This problem started when health insurance, middle class taxes and housing prices experienced a sharp increase, yet incomes remain flat. 1. Warren illustrates that there is a paradox, because families make more, yet have more money but less income to save. 2.The addition bump in income has placed families in a higher tax bracket giving them another financial burden. The cost of child care is another financial burden. D. This problem has the largest impact on middle class and poor families. 1.Joan C. Williams writes in her 2010 book Reshaping the Work Family Debate that many single mothers are one sick child away from being fired. 2. Elizabeth Warren points out that now, more children will live through their parents bankruptcy than their parents divorce. TRANSITION: Now that I have shown you that working families need a better safety net, let me tell why todays workplaces is placing families in a precarious position. II. Working families are going to workplaces where the current laws dont do enough, and rules still represent the outdated society of the 1960s. A. The current law, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) doesnt go far enough. 1. Under the current Family and Medical Leave Act, parents are only offered legal protection from getting fired for taking a leave of absence to care for newborn or sick family members. 2. According to a 2010 report from Georgetown University Law Center and the University of California Berkeley, the FMLA protections reach only half the workforce because it excludes small businesses. 3. The FMLA provides protection for workers to take only unpaid leave, which many workers cannot afford. B. Few are advocating for changes in FMLA, so working mothers often quit their jobs when they have a baby or there is a family crisis, which is making America fall behind in the global market place. 1. According to Edward E Gordans 2009 book Winning the Global Talent Showdown a lack of family friendly workplaces is causing a stampede of new mothers out the office door. 2. Gordon concludes that Americas inability to retain talented women is making America less competitive in a global economy. C. Working families today are still working under workplace norms from the 1960s. 1. Joan C Williams notes that in the 1960, only 10 percent of mothers worked and only 10 percent of couples divorced. 2. Today, 70 percent of American children live households where both parents work and 40 percent of couples divorce. 3. Today, many families will end up in economic ruin if only one spouse works. TRANSITION: Finally, since the workplace norms and current laws have not caught up to our changing society, lets look at a policy that could provide some relief to families. III. Working families would benefit greatly from Family Security Insurance (F.S.I.) policy initiative co-authored by researchers at Georgetown University Law Center and the University of California at Berkeley in 2010. A. Family Security Insurance would provide paid leave to both men and women for health and care-giving reasons. The policy could be implemented by the State or Federal Governments The policy would pay a federal minimum wage for up to 18 weeks. a. This pay is taxable, b. We could also provide baby bonus (appox. $5000.) to parents who dont take the leave to offset the cost of child-care. c. This policy has already been implemented in Australia in 2010. B. Lew Daily of Newsweek, Aug 3rd, 2009 published 2007 study from McGill University found that out 173 America is â€Å"among the worst† for supporting families. 1.We stood with only Liberia, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea as the only countries providing no paid maternity leave. 2. Of all the wealthy countries, excluding ours, parents are entitled to up to 47 weeks of maternity leave. 3. Australias 2011 Paid Leave Scheme is the most modest; least costly of all industrialized nations family leave acts. C. Some would argue that implementing a broader family leave act would hurt businesses. 1. A broader family leave act will lead to better business outcome. 2. It would retain talented workers who have families. Paid time off for sick employees would aid in full recovery causing less chronic conditions saving businesses money on healthcare. 4 Recent research at Georgetown University Law Center and U of C Berkeley found parents receiving paid leave to care for a new born came back to work afterward and were more productive overall. D. How to help Washington State lead the way with Family Security Insurance. 1. Write your congresswoman, Jaime Herrera Beutler, expressing your concern for the families of Washingtons 3rd district. 2. Raise awareness by talking to your friends and family. 3. Call your parents and say thank you for whatever choices they have made to get you here. CONCLUSION REVIEW OF MAIN POINTS: Today, we have first examined why working families need a better safety net in the current workplace, second we have looked at how the current laws are not doing enough to protect families in 2012 from financial hardship , and finally we understand how a modest proposal could go a long way toward making American families more secure.

Uncontrollable Lifestyle Changes :: Legal Issues, Illegal Immigration

Out of the hundreds of thousand immigrants who illegally cross the border there are some who make it to America. The dream of living in America and finding work so they can support their families in Mexico can become a reality. When it becomes a reality many immigrants who make it across start to realize their stuck in America. Through generations after generations many immigrants succeed at earning money in the states and return home to enjoy their success with their families. However, others find out that America has influenced their persona and they decide to stay in America permanently. The beliefs and values they possess are still with them but hidden from the fast paced life of America. Hispanic/Latinos culture is very different from the culture in America. Coming to America has its influences on all immigrants. Situations and plans tend to fade after experiencing the in different cultures of America. Martinez (2001) writes, â€Å"Raul came to America alone to give his children a future. He just never thought about how that very future might swallow them up† (p. 235). It seems it is usually the children of immigrants who tend to be changing their beliefs because of the American influences. Most Hispanic/Latinos come to America to earn money for their families then move back to Mexico. Living in America for several years maybe even a decade can change someone. Martinez (2001) writes, â€Å"Baltazar is likely to disappoint his father and be swallowed up by an American future† (p. 277). Some Hispanic/Latinos still have the same family values from Mexico but manage to change their mind about moving back. They may think the struggle of Mexico’s economy will never change or couldn’t imagine living in those types of poverty environments again. It is like they are sacrificing their traditions and cultures to provide their children an education. Skinner (2006) writes, â€Å"The danger and concern to the U.S. are that poverty places even stronger pressures on the Mexican undereducated and unemployed to migrate north to the U.S. in search of low skill jobs and survival† (p. 7). In order to survive the only option is crossing the border illegally for some Hispanic/Latinos. In poverty stricken homes in Mexico there are not many choices for someone’s future. Education is the main attraction for immigrants who think about future purposes for their children.

Barclay’s Bank

Barclays is the third largest bank in the United Kingdom. The bank can trace its roots back to 1690 in London. The name â€Å"Barclay† first arose in 1736. Today the bank is a global financial service provider operating in the UK, Europe, United States, and Africa. The bank's headquarters are at One Churchill Place in Canary Wharf, in London's Docklands, having moved there in May 2005 from Lombard Street in the City of London. Barclay's US headquarters are in Wilmington, Delaware where it acquired the former Juniper Bank (Answers Barclays Bank 2006).Barclays is a UK-based financial services group, with a very large international presence in Europe, the USA, Africa and Asia. It is engaged primarily in banking, investment banking and investment management. In terms of market capitalisation, Barclays is one of the largest financial services companies in the world (Barclays Newsroom 2006). Barclays has been involved in banking for over 300 years and operates in over 60 countries w ith more than 113,000 permanent employees (including 33,500 at Absa). For the year ended 31st December 2005, the group achieved a pre-tax profit of ?5,280 million, up fifteen per cent on 2004. In 2005 Barclays paid approximately ? 3 billion in taxes (Barclays Newsroom 2006). Customers are served through a variety of channels comprising: the branch network, cash machines, telephone banking, online banking and relationship managers. It is managed through two business areas, UK Retail Banking and UK Business Banking. In UK Retail Banking there are 14 million retail customers, including current accounts, savings, mortgages, and general insurance (Barclays Newsroom 2006).Local Business provides banking services to 592,000 customers; UK Premier provides banking, investment products and advice to 286,000 affluent customers (Barclays Newsroom 2006). UK Business Banking provides relationship banking to larger and medium-sized businesses. 183, 000 customers are served by a network of relation ship and industry sector specialist managers (Barclays Newsroom 2006). Barclay’s strategic objective is to â€Å"To deliver top quartile total shareholder return relative to our peers, consistently over time† (Barclays p 2 2004). The company focuses directly on increasing shareholder value rather than employee retention and morale.Barclay’s does not have a directly available mission and values statement that is visible to the external environment. The internal environment at Barclay’s is one of traditional top-down management. The corporate culture at Barclay’s maintains a hierarchy of experience and education, where the management team places a large amount of focus on meeting the shareholder strategy. According to Barclay’s â€Å"In recent months, we have taken a number of steps to enhance further our corporate governance practices. We have expanded the remit of the Remuneration Committee to cover strategic human resource issues† (B arclay’s 2004 p 3).These strategic changes included: â€Å"continued and upgraded our investment in established; programs for the community, equality and diversity, and the environment; built on our reputation as a pioneer and leader in the field of financial inclusion; excellent terms and conditions for colleagues impacted by offshore outsourcing; developed a clear statement on human rights, and continued our participation in the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights; and made good progress in adapting our branches and offices to be fully accessible to customers with disabilities (Barclays p 12 2004).Barclay’s did not, however, remunerate a corporate strategy or mission to address its near 20% turnover rate which has been continuous and barely changing for the past three years, an indication that Barclay’s focus is on stakeholder value and not developing or addressing employee morale. However, Barclays does have a large focus on community service, receiv ing the â€Å"2004 National Business Award for Corporate Social Responsibility† (Barclays p 12 2004). Roadmap-Thesis The thesis statement is that the lack of direct employee relationships may have a strong impact on the seemingly high turnover rate.Personal interviews were conducted over the telephone with two Barclay’s employees, neither of which are relatives. Saunders et al (2003) define an interview as â€Å"a purposeful discussion between two or more people,† and can collect data which is both reliable and valid. Saunders et al (2003) describe a structured interview as using questionnaires based on predetermined and standard or identical sets of questions; a semi-structured interview as having a list of themes and questions to be covered; and an unstructured interview as informal but used to explore in depth a general area of interest.The interviews conducted were unstructured, which is decidedly the best format for discussing the interesting concepts of Ba rclays organizational strategy and how it relates to the employees . Interview Results The organizational strategy at Barclay’s seems almost non-existent to the participants, who each note that while dedication to customer satisfaction is important, manager and leadership concerns are impacting the employee morale. One interviewee even equated working at Barclay’s to a prison system, which is a reflection of the top-down managerial strategy.This managerial strategy has not been forthcoming to create or enhance employee morale, in fact it almost seems as though the employees are afraid of, or diminished by, the current leadership strategy. Customer service metrics are well known, however it is the organization strategy to continue team training that focuses on the same customer service strategy and not on new information, such as training opportunities or important technological concerns of the employees.This creates an atmosphere where the employees may feel constricte d, rather than encouraged, by internal training and education. The organizational strategy may be clear to stakeholders, investors, and corporate government, but there seems to be a distinct lack of information dissemination to the ground floor employees, which makes it hard for employees to follow a strategic vision and understand their basic role in the organization.The organizational culture at Barclay’s seems another sore point with the participants, who explained that there is a concern with office politics. Both employees examined that within the organizational culture, there is a strong adherence to management rule where favoritism is accepted. The other disheartening view of the organizational culture is that one participant was made to feel frequently inadequate for asking questions.Another concern about the organizational culture is the manner in which management responds to employee’s needs, which seems seriously lacking in its execution. Both employees made statements regarding lack of quality leadership motivation and that management’s engagement with employees and their customer service does not fit into the employee’s need for motivation. Both interviewees understood the importance of customer service and were able to relate customer service quality to their functional roles.They did not state that leadership has offered a beneficial measurement of customer service or employee motivation, because neither participant made any positive statements regarding motivation as an organizational strategy. Based on these interviews, the concern with organizational strategy is not simply turnover rate as noted before, but that employees are not offered constant educational information about the organization, its values, mission, goals and opportunities. Academic Research Recommendations for ImprovementIn human capital management, organizational changes should be administered by a general framework according to Dreher and Doherty (p 16-17 2001): motivating change requires that the people within the organization understand and commit to the change; creating vision in employees is a continuation of commitment where employees know where they fit into that change; developing political support means that stakeholders-from employees to HR professionals-have been assessed according to their place and function in the change; managing the transition must be set by parameters and adequate available technology as well as an understanding employee wide of how the parameters and technology work towards the goals; the momentum is sustained by â€Å"(1) providing resources for change, (2) building a support system for the agents of change (3) developing related competencies and skills among those charged with administering and using the modified process and (4) reinforcing new behaviors called for by the changed environment.† To this effect, Barclays must alter their strategy towards change and not the change itself by adequate communication and technology as well as transition training and reinforcement of change strategies amongst employees to foster a positive environment and develop open lines of input and communication. Incentive programs involve a system of rewards and recognition. There is a distinction between recognition programs and reward programs. Recognition is acknowledgment, appreciation and approval, and targets the psychological need of the individual. Reward, by definition, is usually something given in return for good or evil done or received, especially that is offered or given for a service. Rewards focus on the physical benefit, usually financial, however â€Å"self-esteem, respect, intrinsic motivation and dignity are not guaranteed by a competitive salary† (Glasscock and Gram 1995).Both recognition and rewards are important in reinforcing intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, and provide positive reinforcement for desired behavior performance. Employees will differ on which has the greater personal impact, but ultimately both reward and recognition programs affect an individual’s self esteem. The value an employee has on an incentive program is therefore highly correlated to the employee's engagement in customer service. According to Dr. Mohammed S. Chowdhury of Monroe College, Bronx, New York and Mohammed Nurul Amin of the West Virginia University of Technology: Employee values, attitudes, and leadership behavior play a very important role in enhancing employee work motivation and performance.Employee work values, attitudes and leadership behavior can carefully be adjusted to produce a strong impact on employee work motivation (www. sba. muohio. edu). A customer-focused culture is enhanced when employees understand that the organization will reward them for exceptional performance and customer service. Research shows that employee motivation and engagement is greatly enhanced when employees clearly understand the link between organiza tionally desired behaviors and rewards. It is important to recognize that an employee focus and a customer focus are complementary. It is noted that the importance of employee engagement in a sales environment to diminish the amount of money spent on employees.Accordingly, research has shown that improving the employee engagement will increase employee retention. Kenexa. com states that: Research has shown that fully engaged employees tend to be more productive, conscientious and have higher levels of organizational commitment. In addition, research has shown that an engaged work force tends to stay employed longer, miss work less often, have higher levels of customer satisfaction and service quality, attain and surpass organizational goals more regularly, are more productive and have comparatively lower worker's compensation and accident claims (2005). To measure constructs of employee engagement, benchmarks would be an above average response of high values.A successful research wo uld develop an increase in value rating per employee per category. In essence, the purpose is to develop employee engagement in conjunction with the benchmarks and defined constructs according to the majority values of tenured employees. Benchmarks for evaluation of success can be defined by an organizational increase in retention of employees compared to past trends in the facility, with increase in employee engagement of facility compared to past trends. The recommendation is to focus on team and individual development to ensure that employees become fully engaged within their function and as team members. According to David Beswick of the University of Melbourne:Mangers generally, and anyone formally or informally responsible for oversight of others who are engaged in work or learning tasks, will be aware that some people are participating more out of interest in the task than others are. Others gain their satisfaction principally out the way in which their performance on the tas k leads to rewards like pay or status or good grades in a course. But typically there is a mixture of motives for which a range of different incentives is relevant. (www. beswick. info 2004) Any recognition program will reflect an organization’s culture and values. Increasingly, recognition programs are part of company’s total quality program.Recognition programs may take several forms, from highly formalized programs induced and implemented by management to informal, spontaneous â€Å"ceremonies† arising from fellow co-workers. Recognition and celebrations are a ways of reaffirming to people that they are an important part of something that matters. Conclusion Engaged employees receive training for necessary skills and are â€Å"on board† with the organization's goals. Employees will be unable to perform if they lack the skills needed for their roles, so organizations need to identify employees with gaps in their training. Formal performance appraisal pr esents a good opportunity to do so.Research shows that organizations with good performance appraisal systems have significantly higher levels of employee engagement that those with a poor performance appraisal system. However, for performance appraisal to identify employees with specific needs, managers first need to have a good understanding of the performance appraisal system. Therefore, the training needs of managers should not be overlooked. Managers should be trained to identify performance weaknesses as well as how to effectively tie performance to recognition and rewards. Engaged employees receive training for necessary skills and are â€Å"on board† with the organization's goals.Employees will be unable to perform if they lack the skills needed for their roles, so organizations need to identify employees with gaps in their training. Formal performance appraisal presents a good opportunity to do so. Research shows that organizations with good performance appraisal syst ems have significantly higher levels of employee engagement that those with a poor performance appraisal system. However, for performance appraisal to identify employees with specific needs, managers first need to have a good understanding of the performance appraisal system. Therefore, the training needs of managers should not be overlooked. Managers should be trained to identify performance weaknesses as well as how to effectively tie performance to recognition and rewards. ReferencesAnswers Barclays Bank 2006 Barclays Bank Barclays plc Type Public Founded 1896 Location London , United Kingdom Key 2006 Answers Corporation . Retrieved September 15, 2007 from www. answers. com Barclays Bank PLC (2006) Barclays Newsroom. Registered in England. Registered No: 1026167. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP. . Retrieved September 15, 2007 from www. barclays. com Barclays (2004) Annual Report 2004. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP. Retrieved September 15, 2007 from www. investor. barclays. co. uk Beswick, David (2004) of the University of Melbourne. Copyright:  © David Beswick 1997-2004. Retrieved September 15, 2007 www. beswick. info Chowdhury, Mohammed S. (n. d.) Relative Importance of Employee Values, Attitudes and Leadership Behaviors in Employee Motivation. Monroe College, Bronx, New York Retrieved September 15, 2007 from www. sba. muohio. edu Dreher & Dougherty. (2001). Human resource strategy: A behavioral perspective for the general manager. New York: McGraw-Hill Glasscock and Gram (1995) Secrets of a Successful Employee Recognition System. BT Bastford. LTD. 2000 Kenexa. com (2005) 650 East Swedesford Road 2nd Floor Wayne, PA 19087 Retrieved September 15, 2007 from www. kenexa. com Saunders, M. , Lewis, P. and Thornhill, D. (2003), Research Methods for Business Students, 3rd Edition, London: FT Prentice Hall.

Introduction for “Piaget †Stages of cognitive development” Essay

Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980) proposed the idea of the four stages of childhood cognitive development. These are age-related stages and refer to certain accomplishments that should be achieved, by the child, at the end of each stage. The first stage of cognitive development is the Sensorimotor stage, which lasts from birth to around two years of age. During this stage, children learn to coordinate their senses (hearing, sight, touch etc.) with their motor abilities. From two to seven years is the Pre-operational stage. Children of this age become capable of more sophisticated thinking. The Concrete operational stage lasts from about seven years of age to about twelve. These children put together what they have already learnt, with knowledge gained from new experiences. The final stage of cognitive development identified by Piaget, is the Formal operational stage. This lasts from twelve years of age onwards. People in this stage are capable of more complex thought processes. During the Concrete operational stage (7 to 12 years), children should develop an understanding of the principle of conservation. Conservation refers to the idea that if an object alters its shape or appearance, its volume, mass, length or area will not change. A child with an understanding of conservation should be able to think logically and see that these qualities have not changed, even if they appear to have done so. Achievement of conservation of mass can be demonstrated with two small balls of plasticine. A child is shown the plasticine and agrees that the balls are the same size. One of the balls is then squashed down. A pre-concrete operational child will probably decide that the ‘squashed’ ball is bigger, while a child at the Concrete operational stage should acknowledge that they are still the same weight or mass. This illustrates the ability of the child to understand how the object has changed, not only see the beginning and end result.

The Effect of Famine in North Korea

The Effect of Famine in North Korea The Asian continent is the world’s largest and most populous located mainly in the eastern and northern hemispheres. The population in Asia is estimated at about 4 billion people representing a whooping 60% of the world’s total human population as it currently stands (Lee 500).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Effect of Famine in North Korea specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Pacific Ocean borders Asian to the east while India is to the south of Asia. Asia is also bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean. There are several independent states in Asia with China as the single largest country. It is these many countries that define Asia’s varying distribution of wealth. It is also characterized by its immeasurable size and magnificent range of different cultures, historical backgrounds, environmental orientation, natural resources and different government systems. The paper seeks to primarily f ocus on the effects of famine in North Korea. It will highlight its background information, the cause of famine in detail as well as the role of its government system in influencing economic development. North Korea is a one of the countries in the larger Asia. It is also referred to as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) (Lee 513). Pyongyang is the largest and capital city of North Korea. It is divided from South Korea by The Korean Demilitarized Zone. North Korea borders China to its western region and Russian to the North-east. In 1948, North Korea declined to participate in an election that was held in the south which was supervised by the United Nations. This refusal led to the creation of the current independent governments of North and South Korean states (Lee 517). Continued tag of war for the sovereignty over the whole of Peninsula resulted in the Korean War in the year 1950. The war ended three years later with armistice but no peace treaty was ever sig ned which implies that the two states are still at war on book. The two states joined the UN in 1991 with North Korea withdrawing unilaterally from the armistice in May 2009.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As far as politics is concerned, North Korea has been a single-party state. Its united front is steered by the Korean Workers’ Party and is governed by the ideology of self-reliance known as Juche which was advocated by North Korea’s late â€Å"Eternal President† Kim Il-sung. The ideology was made official in 1972 when the state adopted a new constitution. Juche had been used all along by Kim Il-sung to develop policies since mid 1950s. North Korea is officially a socialist republic but its operations have made other outside countries to regard it as a totalitarian Stalinistic characterized by dictatorship. Kim Jong-il, Kim Il-sung’s son, is the current leader of the armed forces and secretary of the KWP Central Committee Secretariat. Kim Il-sung is the only president since he was never replaced when he died in 1994, but instead he was the given the name, â€Å"Eternal President†. The ceasefire of 1953 marked the end of the Korean War but since then the relationship between the government of North Korea and America, Canada, Japan, Europe, the European Union, as well as South Korea has been tense (Eberstadt, Marc, Albina 86). This has been fueled by North Korean program of enriching uranium. North Korean legislature is the Supreme People’s Assembly which is currently being led by Kim Yong -man North Korean climate is also of notable importance. It has four major seasons across the year. Long winter season comes with biting cold. This country experiences snowfall of 37 days on average during the winter season. It ha s also been established that the northern mountainous regions have a tendency to exp erience particularly harsh weather which in turn may negatively affect cultivation (Noland, Sherman, Tao 437). The period during which summer occurs is relatively shorter.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Effect of Famine in North Korea specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It tends to be hot, humid, and rainy as a result of the southern and southeast monsoon winds that blow moisture from over the Pacific Ocean. It is during summer that the Peninsula is affected by typhoons with a frequency of once every summer. The third and the fourth seasons are the spring and autumn respectively. They are transitional periods which are characterized by mild temperatures and varying winds which bring forth pleasing weather. Moreover, there are natural hazards that occur in North Korea which include; drought experienced during the spring season and later occasionally followed by destructive flooding. Typhoons, on the other hand, ar e experienced mostly for the period of the early fall. North Korea has experienced disasters of varying magnitudes that have impacted negative on the country’s general development. In 1995, North Korea was hit by devastating famine and by 1997; the damage was at its peak. The famine’s origin was traced by the country’s authority to the extraordinary floods coupled with the collapse of the Soviet Union in the mid-1990s (Noland, Sherman, Tao 459). The losses caused by starvation and hunger-related illness have been estimated, according to North Korea’s Public Security Ministry, to be between 2.5 million and 3 million lives. This was during the period between 1995 and March 1998, which represents about 12 % of the country’s total population in 2009 (Eberstadt, Marc, Albina 94). Prior to the famine, North Korea could provide food to all its citizens following the massive industrialization program of agricultural production in the preceding decades. T he economic system had been relatively stable due to healthy relationship with the Soviet Union as far as trade and pricing was concerned.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 economic development has always been directly under the control of the state. The dawn of the unfortunate fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s impacted negatively on the economic growth of the country due to loss of ready market (Eberstadt, Marc, Albina 97). There was a significant decrease in productivity in the country’s agricultural and industrial sectors. These events were to set the pace for the then looming crisis in North Korea. It was in the year 1992 and 1993 that the media in North Korea started advocating for regulation of daily meals by the citizens (Smith 98). The media requested people to reduce the meals per day to two rather than the usual three, claiming that excessive eating was unhealthy for the body. People in some regions started experiencing food shortages and they could go for days without food despite the government’s concerted efforts to supply the rationing coupons. Food distribution started going down in the later months of 1994 a nd this implied that the shops had nothing to offer then. In 1994, the North Korean media officially admitted that hunger existed in the country (Niksch, 11 April, 1996). A year later, the North Korean government gave in to the fact that there was a national food shortage. This admission triggered negotiations for external food aid and in June, the government in Pyongyang reached a consensus with the governments of Japan and South Korea. The following month, government announced to its citizens that the country will receive foreign food aid, though the authorities did not mention the role of the South in the emergency rescue. While still reacting to the national hunger crisis emanating from the failure of trade and production systems, North Korea was yet to experience another equally devastating disaster that only helped to enhance the existing disaster (Smith 107). It was in the months of July and August, 1995 that the country experienced catastrophic floods that brought North Kore a crumbling. The effects were overwhelming. According to government sources, it resulted in the displacement of 5.4 million people as well as the destruction of about 330, 000 hectares of land used for crop production. Furthermore, about 1.9 million tons of grain had been completely lost in the havoc (Eberstadt, Marc, Albina 101). The damage accruing from floods alone, as reported by the government, was estimated at about $15 billion. The impacts of the floods were immensely huge. At the end of 1995, reports from reliable sources estimated that about 2.1 million and 500,000 pregnant women were at risk of dying due to starvation, especially in the following months (Noland, Sherman, Tao 467). In July 1996, floods, though of lesser severity were experienced resulting in renewed call for help in anticipation of more devastating effects in the form of famine. In March 1997, North Korea started reporting cases of malnourishment caused by famine. The claims of a major famine were, howeve r, disputed by other observers on the ground. It is imperative to note that famine in North Korean is a product of so many other factors characterized by systematic crisis and continued decline in income generation (Smith 106). Entitlement of vulnerable groups has also helped in escalating the problem due to starvation. Decisions by the government to regulate supply of food through the Public Distribution System (PDS) exposed the entitlement groups to starvation more than the market forces did. PDS as a system has been used for some time to supply subsidized food rations to about 62% of the country’s population (Smith 110). Apart from the ray of other structural problems in North Korea, the organizational problems in the agricultural sector have added to the crisis. The over-centralization of decision-making as well as over-reliance on state farms has been identified to be part of the major causes of famine (Smith, 112). Most of the country’s crisis, therefore, does no t arise solely from natural disasters but government policies and operations have helped in courting trouble for the North Korean people. Immediate reforms to the government system should be made as well as the restoration of the country’s global image since even after a decade into the 21st century; the country has sour relations with most partner states like South Korea and the US. The essay has briefly discussed North Korean as a country. It has elaborated on the causes and effects of famine which include poor trade systems, and catastrophic floods resulting in the deaths of millions of North Korean people. Government policies have been identified as playing a major role in thwarting economic development in North Korea and that a lot need to be done to save the country from further devastation. Eberstadt, N., Marc, R., Albina, T. (2005). Impact of the Collapse of Soviet and Russian Trade with the DPRK, 1989-1993. The Korean Journal of National  Unification. 4 (2) 86-10 3 Lee, H. (2009). Korea and World Affairs: Supply and Demand for Grains in North Korea.  Journal of Policy Reform. 14 (3) 500-52. Niksch, L. (1996). North Korean Food Shortages: U.S. and Allied Responses. CRS  Report to Congress, Washington, 11 April. Noland, M., Sherman, R. Tao W. (1999). Rigorous Speculation: The Collapse and Revival of the North Korean Economy. Working Paper Series No. 99-1.  Washington: Institute for International Economics. 435-67 Smith, H. (2000). The North Korean Food Economy: Catalyst for Collapse? In Economic Integration of the Korean Peninsula. SPECIAL REPORT. Washington: Institute for International Economics, 97-112

7 Top Tips on Writing the Time

7 Top Tips on Writing the Time 7 Top Tips on Writing the Time As anyone who has turned up for a midday meeting at midnight will tell you, clarity is vital when writing the time of day. But there are many ways to write the time, and the best approach isn’t always obvious. So to help out, we’ve prepared this guide to putting the time down on paper. 1. Words or Numerals? You can write the time of day using either words or numerals. If you are using numerals, you would usually include both hours and minutes, although you can omit the minutes in less formal writing. For instance, all the following would be acceptable: She gets up at six in the morning every day. She gets up at 6:00 in the morning every day. She gets up at 6 o’clock in the morning every day. As a rule, though, you would only write out the time as words when: It is part of a full sentence, particularly in descriptive or literary writing. Using a 12-hour clock (never with a 24-hour clock). Youre referring to an approximate or round time (e.g., saying â€Å"ten thirty† is fine, but you would not usually write â€Å"twenty-four minutes after eight†). In most other cases, numerals are the clearer option for writing the time, especially in scientific and technical writing, where precision is vital. 2. AM and PM The abbreviations AM and PM can be used when writing the time as numerals. Each applies to a different time of day: AM is short for ante meridiem, meaning â€Å"before noon.† PM is short for post meridiem, meaning â€Å"after noon.† As such, we use AM and PM to indicate the time of day when we are using a 12-hour clock. We can see how this works more clearly if we write out various times of day in both 12-hour and 24-hour formats: Time 12-Hour Clock 24-Hour Clock Midnight 12:00 AM 00:00 Three in the morning 03:00 AM 03:00 Half past eight in the morning 08:30 AM 08:30 Midday 12:00 PM 12:00 Three in the afternoon 03:00 PM 15:00 Half past eight in the evening 08:30 PM 20:30 You can see here that we need AM and PM with the twelve-hour clock for clarity. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between, e.g., midday and midnight. Likewise, though, you do not need to include AM or PM with a 24-hour time because it is already clear. There are also several ways to write AM and PM, including: ALL CAPS, small caps, or lower case (e.g., 12 AM, 12 AM, or 12 am) With or without periods between the letters (e.g., 8 PM or 8 P.M.) With or without a space after the number (e.g., 1 AM or 1AM) Consistency is key here, so make sure to apply one style throughout your document. You may also want to check your style guide if you have one, as some organizations will have their own rules for how to write AM and PM. 3. When to Use O’clock You’ll have noticed we use â€Å"o’clock† in one of the examples above. This term means â€Å"of the clock,† so we can use it to show that a number refers to a time. However, you should only use â€Å"o’clock† with exact hours: It is precisely 5 o’clock. âÅ"” I’m leaving at seven o’clock. âÅ"” It arrived at 7:34 o’clock. âÅ"Ëœ The gig starts at half past seven o’clock. âÅ"Ëœ We’ll save a discussion of when wine o’clock is for another blog post. 4. Past, After, Till, and To When writing the time as words, use â€Å"after,† â€Å"past,† and â€Å"to† for intervals between hours. You can combine these terms with either numbers or the words â€Å"half† and â€Å"quarter† depending on the time in question: Use after or past for intervals up to half an hour past the hour. Use to for any interval after the half hour up to the hour. Use half past to indicate 30 minutes past the hour. Use quarter past  or  quarter after for 15 minutes after the hour. Use quarter to for 15 minutes up to the hour. For example, we would use the above accordingly in the following times: 7:05 → Five after seven 7:15 → Quarter past seven 7:30 → Half past seven 7:45 → Quarter to eight 7:55 → Five to eight Keep in mind that using after for times is only standard in American English. In other English dialects, past is far more common. 5. Punctuating the Time When writing the time as numerals, you can use either a colon or a full stop between the hour and the minutes. In some cases, such as in the military, you can even write out a 24-hour time without any punctuation. For instance, the following are all acceptable ways of punctuating a time: We need to leave by 6:45 pm at the latest. âÅ"” We need to leave by 6.45 pm at the latest. âÅ"” We need to leave by 1845 at the latest. âÅ"” The colon is the most common option here, but it is a matter of preference. Unless you’re in the military, in which case we suggest sticking to protocol. 6. Time Zones For the contiguous states in the USA, we have four standard time zones: Pacific Time (PT) [UTC-08:00] Mountain Time (MT) [UTC-07:00] Central Time (CT) [UTC-06:00] Eastern Time (ET) [UTC-5:00] We also have regional time zones for Alaska, Hawaii, and 5 US dependencies, plus daylight saving time in some places during the warmer months of the year. And people in other countries use different time zones entirely! Basically, we’re saying geography can make time complicated. This is why we sometimes include a time zone when writing the time. The initials UTC in the examples above, for instance, stand for Universal Time Coordinated. We can use this to compare times in different places. So, â€Å"UTC-8:00† means that Pacific Time is 8 hours behind UTC. And since we know that Pacific Time is 8 hours behind UTC and Eastern Time is 5 hours behind UTC, we can work out that ET is 3 hours ahead of PT. In other words, by including a time zone when we write a time, we can help people in other places â€Å"translate† it into their own time zone. This is especially important if you are writing for an international audience, since not everyone will be in the same time zone. You therefore need to include a set of time zone initials so your reader can calculate the equivalent time wherever they are. For example, if we were making an announcement for an international audience, we might say: The live broadcast will begin at 9:00 pm UTC. Someone in Bolivia could then look up the difference between UTC and BOT (Bolivia Time) and know the broadcast begins at 5:00 pm where they are. 7. Avoiding Redundancy when Writing the Time In writing, redundancy means using a word unnecessarily. We mentioned above, for example, that you do not need to use AM or PM with 24-hour times because we already know whether a time is the morning or afternoon/evening when using a 24-hour clock. Other cases of temporal redundancy you may want to avoid include: Using â€Å"in the morning,† â€Å"in the afternoon,† etc., alongside AM/PM. Combining â€Å"in the morning,† â€Å"in the afternoon,† etc., with a 24-hour time. Using â€Å"midday,† â€Å"noon,† or â€Å"midnight† alongside a time in numbers. We’ll end this post with a few examples of redundancies so you know what to watch out for. Check out the table below, good luck writing the time, and let us know if you need any help proofreading your work. Redundancy Correction The event ends at 17:00 PM. The event ends at 17:00. The event ends at 5:00 PM. We leave at 6AM in the morning. We leave at 6AM. We leave at 6:00 in the morning. He went to bed at 23:00 at night. He went to bed at 23:00. He went to bed at 11:00 at night. I’ll see you at twelve noon. I’ll see you at twelve. I’ll see you at noon. (N.B. ‘Noon’ is the better correction here, since ‘twelve’ by itself could be either midday or midnight.)

The Evedence that Led to the Invasion of Iraq Was Bogus Personal Statement

The Evedence that Led to the Invasion of Iraq Was Bogus - Personal Statement Example An inspection team was sent by the United Nations and the team could not verify existence of any WMDs. These weapons were suspected to be used in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare against the coalition and also the surrounding region.3 The claims made by the US have still not been verified. Iraq was suspected of having cruise missiles as a mean to deliver these weapons. Saddam Hussein was accused of war crimes and the country was suspected of harboring Al Qaeda. To support all these accusations and to convince the world the US demonstrated evidence of their claims. The evidence provided by the US was not considered by many of the member states of the United Nations to be sufficient for an invasion. The evidence and claims made by the US will be analyzed in detail. Arguments will be made as to how convincing the evidence was. Before starting with the evidence, keep in mind that the evidence provided is the basis to invade a country. This means that the evidence must be solid en ough to form basis of occupation and destroying the complete infrastructure of a country. To take such a step intelligence must be spot on and confirmed by on field sources. The evidence provided in the United Nations meeting is as follows; Evidence Signals Intelligence Few of the intercepted telephone calls were presented as evidence. These included mention of a modified vehicle that required to be hidden from the inspection teams. Others included hiding and cleaning out â€Å"forbidden ammunition†.4 The evidence was aimed at convincing the world that Iraq had been distracting and misguiding UN inspectors to check sites for presence of WMDs. Measures were taken to hide data indicating Iraq’s counter measures against the UN inspection teams. Satellite Imagery Satellite imagery was shown to indicate chemical munitions bunkers. These bunkers were magnified and it was argued that the presence of â€Å"security† and a truck standing nearby, which was identified as a decontamination vehicle, were signs of presence of unconventional weapons.5 The bunkers were shown to be cleared and abandoned before the inspection in the next imagery. Furthermore, a missile site was shown before the inspections to be active by the presence of trucks and cranes in the area. The site was shown to be cleared just before the inspection. Human Intelligence Sources were referred that Saddam Hussein had threatened people if information was given to the inspectors. Interviews held outside Iraq would be considered as treason. People were not allowed to leave the country. Training was imparted to mislead and perform counter intelligence activities against the inspection teams.6 Workers were under house arrests. These claims were aimed at convincing the world that Iraq has been hiding information and misleading the inspection teams. Furthermore, an Iraqi engineer was sited to refer to mobile biological weapons production facility and a civil engineer confirmed the producti on of these mobile factories. In a similar way Al Qaida was suspected to be growing in the country as per the sources. Analysis The evidence presented by signals intelligence is not convincing. Signals intelligence is always a source to register a possible threat. They are confirmed by ground reports. Signals intelligence in different wars needs to be thoroughly filtered and must present the evidence at multiple occasions