Five Moral Dimensions Of The Information Essay

1.The Moral Dimensions of Information Systems The moral dimensions that can control the major ethical and social concerns generated by information systems are as follows: (i) Information Right and Obligation What information rights do individuals and organizations possess with respect to themselves? What can they protect? What obligation do individuals and organization have concerning this information? (ii) Property Rights and Obligations How will traditional intellectual property rights be protected in a digital society in which tracing and accounting forownership is difficult and ignoring such property rights is so easy? (iii) Accounting Liability and Control Determining who should take responsibility for decisions and actions. Many of the laws and court decisions and actions establishing precedents in the area of accountability, liability and control were firmly in place long before information systems were invented. (iv) Quality of System This has to do with data quality and system errors. As werely more on information systems, data quality issues are gaining more importance. These issues affect you as a consumer and as a user. (v) Quality of Life An interesting quality of life issue that affects more and more people personally is the ability to work from home. Before the advent of  information systems most people used to have a regular day job 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., five days a week in a typical office setting in our society. But with the introduction of information systems people can work seven days a week, all hours of the day, at home and on their wayse specially the management staff in a company. Also, the quality of life issues would be incomplete without mentioning online love affairs. People also lose their jobs and ways of life because of information systems. All these are valid concerns of information systems. 2.Ethical Analysis This section presents various step processes of how one should analyze ethical concerns when confronted with such asituation: (i) Identify and Clearly Describe the Facts This involves finding out who did what to whom, and where; when and how. In most cases, you will be astonished of them is takes in the initially reported facts, and you will find that simply getting the facts straight helps in defining the solution. Also, this assists other opposing parties involved in an ethical quandary to agree with the facts. (ii) State the Inconsistency and Identify the Higher-Order Values Involved The parties involved in disputes over ethical, social and political concerns always claim to pursue higher values such as privacy, freedom and protection of property. It is very important to clearly define the conflict in ethical concerns and identify the ones with higher values. (iii) Identify the Stakeholders You must find out the identity of the stakeholders as every ethical, social and political issues have stakeholders; players in the game who have an interest in the outcome and that have invested in the situation and what they want. (iv) Identify the Reasonable Options to Select It may be discovered that none of the options may ever satisfy all the interest involved while some of the options performs a better job than others. So, sometimes concluding at a good or ethical solution may not always be a balancing of consequences to stakeholders. 3.Property rights and obligations trade secrets copyright patent law Trade secrets are any intellectual work or product used for a business purpose that can be classified as belonging to that business. Copyright protects the creators of a property against copying by others for any purpose during the life of the author. Patent law grants the owner an exclusive monopoly on the ideas behind an invention for 20 years.

Cases Research

* Masters v Cameron (1954) * Estate agent retained by Cameron drew up a sale note for the sale of Cameron’s property to Masters. * Cameron’s insistence included in the sale note a clause. * Agreement made subject to the preparation of a formal contract of sale, which shall be acceptable to solicitors on the above terms and conditions. * Both parties signed the sale note. * Masters paid a deposit. * Masters did not signed the contract prepared by Cameron’s solicitors as Master experienced difficulties arranging necessary finance and wished to withdraw the purchase. Cameron wished to proceed the sale. * The court have to decide whether the parties were contractually bound by the sale note(which has been signed by both of them) or whether they would only have formed a binding contract by Cameron’s solicitors(which could not apply, since Masters did not signed. * Souter v Shyamba Pty Ltd (2003) * Shyamba owned land at Merimbula, NSW on which it operated a hote l and motel. * 8 October 2001, Souter wrote to Shyamba enquiring whether the property was for sale and one Bennett, a director of Shyamba, telephoned Souter and told him that the price was $3 million. Negotiations at lower figures failed. * Fresh negotiations in March and April 2002 resulted a signed document by Souter and by Bennett and one Mirabito on behalf of Shyamba. * The document provided that â€Å"This sale will become unconditional upon the purchaser paying the amount of $1,000 into the vendor’s bank account. The purchaser agrees to pay a further $299,000 to the vendor’s solicitor upon exchange of contracts, not later than 16 June 2002 and the balance ($2,700,00) at settlement 1 July 2002. On 1 May 2002, Souter paid $1,000 unto the vendor’s bank account and Shyamba instructed its solicitors to prepare formal agreements. * On 31 May 2002, Bennett wrote to Souter, stating that the sale had â€Å"hit a hurdle in the form of a huge Gazzumpt†. * Ben nett Stated that he had been informed that the agreement of 1 May did not bind the purchaser and could not therefore bind Shyamba as vendor. * Souter sued for specific performance of the agreement dated 1 May 2002. The court held that the document dated 1 May 2002 did not constitute the binding contract and made an order for specific performance. * The judge held that the decisive issue is always the intention of the parties, which must be objectively ascertained from the terms of the document when read in the light of the surrounding circumstances. * If the terms of the document indicate that the parties intended to be bound immediately, effect must be given to that intention irrespective of the subject matter, magnitude or complexity of the transaction. * The judge itemised the reasons for his finding that the document had the effect of a contract. * Instrument 7020202154 v Ormlie Trading Pty Ltd * The court held that the parties had no intention of entering into a binding contrac t of sale despite reaching agreement on the essential terms. * In both the letter of offer and in the letter of acceptance of the offer the words â€Å"in principle† were used. * The word â€Å"in principle† used was indicated and unqualified acceptance by the offeree of the offer. Teviot Downs Estate Pty Ltd & Anor v MTAA Superannuation Fund (Flagstone Creek and Spring Mountain Park) Property Pty Ltd * Alleged agreement made on 29 August 2003 for the sale of land of Spring Mountain Estate, Beaudesert in Queensland for $11m. * Teviot sent a letter of offer to the defendant on 22 August 2003 and a response accepting the offer was sent on 29 August. * Deposit of $1. 1 million was paid. * 3 October 2003, the firstnamed plantiff wrote to the defendant saying that its due diligence enquiries had been satisfactorily completed and that the contract was unconditional. On the same day, defendant wrote to Tevoit saying that its Trustee did not approve of the sale. * The Supreme Court of Queensland has to decide whether the exchange of correspondence (the letter of offer of 22 August and the letter of acceptance of 29 August) constituted a legally enforceable agreement (as the defendant contended). * The court observed that the case suggest that there is no binding contract unless and until formal contact documents are signed and exchanged. * Tinn v Hoffman and CO (1873) Two offers, identical in terms, cross in the post, there will be no contract as neither can be construed as an acceptance of the other, even though there is a meeting of the minds. * Patterson v Dolman (1908) * The offer may be construed by the court as being accepted by a number of persons and the offeror will be bound to each and every person who accept. * The contract is only able to be performed with one party, the offeror may be liable in damages for breach of contract to the others who accepted the offer. Felthouse v Bindley (1862) * An uncle and his nephew had conversation about the possible sale of the nephew’s horse to the uncle, but there had been some confusion about the price. * The uncle subsequently wrote to nephew, offering to pay $30 and 15 shillings and saying, ‘If I hear no more about him, I consider the horse mine at that price. * The nephew was on the point of selling off some of his property in an auction. He did not reply the uncle’s letter, but did tell the auctioneer to keep the horse out of the sale. The auctioneer forgot to do this and the horse was sold. * The court felt that the nephew’s conduct in trying to keep the horse out of the sale did not necessarily imply that he intended to accept his uncle offer. * The nephew actually wrote afterwards to apologise for the mistake and so it was not clear that his silence in response to the offer was intend to sell but there are many situations in which it would be undesirable and confusing for silence to amount to acceptance.

The Nicaraguan and Cuban Revolution

Nicaragua, the state with the least â€Å"fertile dirt for the proliferation of Left groups† , was the lone state where a revolution prevailed following the Cuban Revolution ( 4 ) . Despite many similarities between Cuba and Nicaragua, they established rather distinguishable revolutions. InSandinista, Matilde Zimmermann, frequently compares and contrasts the FSLN motion with the Cuban Revolution. In add-on, she besides provides non merely a thorough survey of the military and ideological leader Carlos Fonseca, but offers insight into the development of the FSLN. Unlike the Cuban Revolution, the Nicaraguan revolution under the leading of the FSLN was chiefly a societal revolution. Harmonizing to Zimmermann, the FSLN of Carlos Fonseca was responsible for mobilising the Nicaraguans into a societal revolution. However, following Fonseca’s decease, Zimmermann attributes the death of the revolution to the fact that the Sandinistas failed to follow Fonseca’s vision. Although Cuba and Nicaragua both suffered from inhibitory and weak democratic establishments, their revolutions are distinguishable. On the one manus, Cuba experienced a political revolution. The societal ends of the revolutionists were 2nd to the political 1s and remained mistily defined even after 1959. The revolution in Nicaragua was a societal revolution. The bulk of the Nicaraguan population massively supported the actions of the FSLN. The same can non be said about Cuba, where the bulk of the Cuban population was non mobilized by the Rebels. The radical battle against Somoza was marked by category struggle and the resistance against Batista was non. Despite the differences, the Cuban revolution in peculiar the leading of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro had a important impact on the development of Carlos Fonseca’s political political orientation. Zimmermann argues that the Cuban revolution had a profound influence on Fonseca’s thought and the Sandinista motion ( 9 ) . The voluntarism of Che Guevara and the personal appeal of Fidel Castro captured the attending of Third World hereafter revolutionists. For Fonseca, the triumph of the Cuban Revolution convinced him that revolution was possible and that a new organisation was needed to take it ( 56 ) . Fonseca found a hero in Che Guevara and became influenced by Che’s Hagiographas. Fonseca set out to double the Cuban triumph in Nicaragua. Similar to Fidel Castro’s usage of Jose Marti in Cuba, Fonseca appealed to the nationalist image of Augusto Sandino. Sandino’s battle in the 1930s divine Fonseca and as a consequence Sandino became a Nicaraguan rallying symbol for the revolution ( 61 ) . Fonseca’s political authorship remained committed to both socialist revolution and national release from imperialism. Sandino and Che Guevara were the two most of import influences on Fonseca’s political idea. Guevara’s Marxism and Sandino’s patriotism became rooted in a motion capable of doing a successful revolution. Carlos Fonseca’s political political orientation became woven into early FSLN literature and philosophy. Carlos Fonseca was really much the motivation force behind the Sandinistas. In the Historic Program, Fonseca outlined his doctrine of encompassing the experiences of the Nicaraguan workers and provincials. This doctrine was cardinal to the FSLN initial platform ( 208 ) . Unlike the 26th of July Movement, whose forces merely represented a minority of the Cuban population, the Sandinista alliance was genuinely representative of the lower sector of Nicaraguan society. From the get downing the FSLN was organized chiefly to stand for workers, provincials, and the urban hapless. They believed in educating the lower category by transfusing in them an apprehension of Nicaraguan history, which taught them about the Nicaraguan battle against imperialism ( 191 ) . In add-on, this doctrine contributed to the entreaty of the FSLN and helped mobilise immature activists. Throughout the sixtiess, Fonseca and the little group of vernal revolutionists launched a guerrilla motion. Fonseca helped form g uerilla units, recruited clandestinely for future action, and endured prison. Despite the frequent lickings, Fonseca’s strength and dedication to the cause helped keep the integrity of the organisation during long periods of belowground being. In the late seventiess, the members of the FSLN became divided and frequently argued over scheme and tactics. Zimmerman demonstrates that Fonseca understood the grounds for the divisions and differ with the cabals ( 184 ) . In 1975, Fonseca returned to Nicaragua to repair the rifts in the FSLN and to re-validate his leading. However, Fonseca died on his manner to a jungle acme meeting he called with the purpose of mending the divisions. Following his decease, the factional struggle became significantly worse. The three different cabals in the FSLN: the Insurrectional Tendency, the Prolonged People’s War, and the Proletarian Tendency, strayed off from the Historic Program designed by Fonseca ( 208 ) . In add-on the FSLN became more moderate. Zimmerman argues that the 1978 revision of the 1969 Historic Program foreshadowed a continual series of via medias intended to lenify the national businessperson resistance ( 208 ) . The FSLN bit by bit abandoned their ain radical docket. In 1979, the Sandinistas succeeded in subverting the Somoza government. The FSLN without Fonseca lost Fonseca’s focal point on apprehension and reacting to hapless Nicaraguans and their diverse signifiers of development. Rather than prosecuting them as radical topics, they made the multitudes the object of radical policy, a displacement that produced opposition instead than dialogue. In add-on, the arguments that gave rise to the FSLN cabals remained integral within the nine leaders of the National Directorate ( 226 ) . The Directorate lost sight about what was best for Nicaraguan workers and provincials. Although the FSLN claimed to be regulating in the involvement of workers and provincials, their refusal to convey new leaders from oppressed societal categories to the Directorate did non back up their claim. In the 1990s, National Directorate led to another split. That, along with the civil war took a important political toll on the FSLN. In February 1990, after a disruptive decennary in power, the FSLN was voted out of office when Conservative leader Violeta Chamorro round Daniel Ortega in the presidential race ( 228 ) . By taking to concentrate on the political vision and political orientation of Carlos Fonseca, Zimmermann was able to explicate the flight of the Nicaraguan Revolution as a gradual procedure. Carlos Fonseca was influenced significantly from the successes of the Cuban Revolution. Although certain facets of the Cuban Revolution were different, it did supply Fonseca with a political design of how he planned on conveying about a revolution in Nicaragua. Fonseca’s thoughts were to a great extent influenced by the instructions of Che Guevara and Augusto Sandino. He chose to concentrate on the Nicaraguan workers and provincials. This doctrine became the FSLN initial political platform. The early FSLN under Fonseca used this platform to make out to the laden categories and mobilized them against the Somoza Regime. Following the decease of Fonseca, the FSLN in power became more moderate, to a great extent divided, and bit by bit strayed away from Fonseca’s vision. By 1990, the FS LN had wholly changed. They still honored Fonseca as a radical icon, but they no longer incorporated his doctrines into their policies. The FSLN in power shifted off from the involvements of the workers and provincials which created much opposition. Zimmermann finally argues that it was the Sandinistas’ treachery of the thoughts and illustrations of Carlos Fonseca that attributed to the death of the revolution.

Internet Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Internet Strategies - Essay Example Drawing upon this idea, Treese and Stewart (1998) assert that the internet offers two key sources of value – the ability to transform customer relationship and the ability to displace traditional sources of business value. They suggest four key competitive internet-marketing strategies – the Channel Master, Customer Magnet, Value Chain Pirate, and the Digital Distributor. Channel Master strategy opens up new channels to the customers on the internet. It facilitates better customer service including delivery of products. The customers are directly connected to the companies offering the products and the services. Amazon.com is an example of how a virtual storefront is available to the buyers (Webonomics). Customers have the flexibility to choose the hours of business. Ghosh emphasizes that companies can master their internet channels by providing the same level of service as they would in person. This strategy helps the customer to track the status of delivery too. The Customer Magnet helps the companies to focus on a specific type of product or service. They then become dominant players in the field, have controlling access to customers and define the business rules. Customers are attracted through meeting knowledge needs and then a virtual community is formed of the people who share similar interests. Tripod has used this strategy and is able to provide online sales to its customers. The Value Chain Pirate on the other hand, is very useful in eliminating the intermediaries or the cybermediaries or the existing distributor chain. It helps fight competition. The costs are lowered because the agents’ remuneration can be done away with. The travel trade benefits immensely as most airlines have reduced their agents’ commissions. As Ghosh states, in pirating its value chain, publishers can bypass retailers or distributors

Love and Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Love and Justice - Essay Example The author stimulates the belief that the answer is in the reader and not the writer. The balance of love and justice is an individual tenet that is modified by reason, situation, and values. The study of ethics is of no value if we do not apply it to our own life. Applying the contradictions of love and justice can be a difficult task when confronted by a loved one who we perceive as in need of justice. At the ends of the spectrum, justice implies the distribution of punishment based on the crime and love demands that all is forgiven. The crime need not be specific and the relationship does not need to be defined. Love, especially erotic love, will hold justice at bay and tend to make the object of one's affections immune from harm. This understanding is the beginning of putting the ethical standards to work. There is a battle on the senses when we are conflicted between the compassionate soul and the revengeful mind. The demand for reciprocity in love is in itself an act of calculation and falls outside what Kant and others call a pure act of love. There can be no request for reciprocal action in the case of real love. As the golden rule instructs us to love only when we are loved in return, the commandment of loving God can also be seen as an evolution of the natural love we feel for a mate. We are continually ordered to love me or love God. Yet, as Ricoeur says, it is only the "expression of the tyranny of the superego over the affective sphere".1 It is in this realm that love gets metered and parceled out and in doing so becomes simply one more aspect of our overall emotion. Bringing the nature of love and justice into a single feeling can best be shown by example. If we meet a stranger who is in need of food or housing, helping the person with no expectation of return is an act of love. Helping the person with an expectation of being paid back at a future date is the anticipation of justice. However, we may look for a return on our investment from a more spiritual plane and expect the grace of God to be returned for the act of kindness. The expectation of justice diminishes the value of love. No matter what the outcome of the act is, whether returned in direct compensation, indirectly through grace, or no acknowledgment at all, it is still an act of justice. Justice, in God's eyes is not for the observer to measure. Powles (1998) contends that it is only the whole and healthy personality that is able to evaluate these conflicts and gain a moral barometer in the context of religion.2 The fairness and the equality of the universe will always be reached th rough the laws of God. Love can be evaluated, and if there is a demand for return, it can not be real love. It is simply an act of kindness or sterile business deal with terms and conditions. Finding the balance between love and justice is a balancing act only if we proceed from an idea that we deserve a quid pro quo for love. Values and reason should dictate that our search for love transcends our need for justice. If we seek equality for real spiritual love, it becomes a demand that immediately removes the spiritual quality of true love. Our senses may battle for justice and it is easy to be drawn into that arena by the material values we place on objects. Love is reduced to a demand for repayment of either kindness or grace. These conditions place an undue burden on love and relegate it to the need for

Instruction Set Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Instruction Set - Essay Example While ATMs are relatively user friendly, they can nevertheless, be confusing and intimidating for those who have never used the machine or for those who are uncomfortable by technology in general. A simple step-by-step guide to using an ATM machine can hopefully dispel such apprehensions, since an ATM is a facility that all should access without fear. This guide may also be useful for those individuals who are comfortable with an ATM, but need to be aware of the precautionary elements involved in using such a machine in a public place. Indeed, it is only through the wise and careful use of technology that it can be harnessed fruitfully for one’s own benefit. While most commonly used for the purpose of cash withdrawal, an ATM can be used for multiple other tasks as well. These include: Cash withdrawal Cash deposit This guide will give step-by-step instructions to conduct the above mentioned tasks, in addition to providing precautionary information. Things needed: ATM Card: This card is provided by the bank. Personal Identification Number (PIN): The PIN is the code to accessing the account, therefore, must be kept hidden and secure at all times. A stolen card is of little value to the thief if the PIN is unknown. ATM: An Automatic Teller Machine is specifically designed for the purpose of making transactions via an ATM card. ... is in a well lit place There are people around, but not too close to see you enter your PIN Make sure you haven’t been followed by someone Remember! If at any point you feel uncomfortable with the ATM, look for another one, or go to a bank for your required transaction. Personal safety is always the first priority! Cash Withdrawal: Once a secure ATM has been chosen, carefully follow these steps to withdraw cash from the machine: Insert the ATM card into the machine. There will be a slot indicating the correct direction in which the card needs to be inserted. Remember: do not try inserting a card if the slot is not free. It may result in malfunctioning of the machine, and eventual confiscating of the ATM card. To avoid all such problems, be patient and insert the card in the card slot only when a green light is on. Once the card is inserted, select a language. This option is available for ATM cards that are registered in banks that support multiple language options. After selec ting the language, the ATM screen will ask you to enter your Personal Identification Number. Carefully enter the correct code, and press Enter. This will give you access to your personal account. The screen will now display a list of options to choose from, including cash withdrawal and fast cash. Both options are for cash withdrawal purposes, however, fast cash allows you to go through the process quicker. Cash withdrawal: Select the cash withdrawal option The machine will ask you to enter the amount needed to withdraw Use the ATM’s keypad to enter the amount you wish to withdraw. Remember, there is a limit to the amount of cash one can withdraw from an ATM. While the limit differs from country to country and region to region, it is useful to be aware of the limit on cash withdrawals to avoid

Should deathrow inmates be required to be organ donors Research Paper

Should deathrow inmates be required to be organ donors - Research Paper Example Other segment of society must also be targeted. Thus, there should be massive educational and awareness programs and other imitative to let the people appreciate the need for organ donation support. The government could consider giving some kind of allowance, benefits and incentives to those who donate their organs. The issue of family role in matters relating to organ donation and donor decision also need to be addressed. Key Words: Death row inmates, Organ, Organ donation, Organ transplant Should death row inmates be required to be organ donors? There have been proposals among various stakeholders including the legislators and scholars that death row inmates be allowed or worse still, required to donate organs shortly before execution. Others have suggested that the death row prisoners should have their sentences converted to life imprisonment without parole upon donating their kidney, bone marrow or any other organ that may be suitable for transplant. This is seen as a useful way of tapping their organs which would have otherwise been wasted upon execution. However, the issue as to whether the prisoners on the death row should be required to donate organs is a very complex one and involving intricate medical, ethical and legal issues all which needs to be resolved if the most appropriate position is to be reached. While donation of an organ by these prisoners may save some patients in a very desperate situation, it is very vital that their voluntary consent is got and that they are not coerced by legislations and policies to donate the organs. Medical perspectives Organ transplant from the prisoners has a lot of potential health risks. A number of homosexual sex scandals associated with the prison life. 1This implies that the prisoners stand a significantly high risk of being with a transmissible diseases and health conditions, particularly HIV and hepatitis. It is very important that any organ to be transplanted to a recipient must be maximally healthy and this depends on the health of the donor. Whereas there are bloods test that the medics concerned may be able to carry to verify the health of the donor prior to donation, the medics submit that these test methods are not and cannot be a hundred percent effective. As such none of the blood test and screening can be trusted to completely rule out the possibility of a donor being free from these transmissible illnesses. This explains why the doctors have always sought to obtain the history of the donors before making their donation. Even the idea of carryon gouty testing and screening itself raises public issues. Because a very rigorous testing process is to be undertaken, to the extent of clearing any scintilla out doubt as to the health risks posed by the donor to the recipient, lots of public funds will be used in testing the prisoner. This follows from the fact that the government’s department concerned will be interested in knowing the prisoners who are fit to donate and th ose who are not. In the long run lots of funds may be wasted. This is in contrast with the optional and voluntary donation, where in most cases only those who are at least certain of their health well being will be going to seek testing. The government will therefore be incurring unnecessary expenditure to meet tests and screening which may in the long run end up not being useful. A lot of time will also be wasted carrying out a routine test of those who are lined to provide organ

Health and Spa Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Health and Spa Tourism - Essay Example As the study outlines in recent times, there has been great mushrooming of these travel agencies and the tourism industry has flourished at an unprecedented rate. With the competition becoming tougher everyday, it has become important that new strategies and plans incorporating exotic and special themes be introduced. Innovative ideas in attractive packages are being prepared for a select target thus opening a whole new vista of tourism. The exclusivity of the package has special appeal which has popularized the concept of special interest tourism (SIT). This type of tourism goes beyond the usual definition of the word and fulfils the extra demand that the body or the mind or sometimes, both, require. Tourism that caters for a specific target group with focus on one special activity has become very popular among the elite class. This discussion declares that holidays have always held a special charm for the young and the old alike. Krippendorf says ‘travel is: recuperation and regeneration, restoring body and soul’. Vacations to different places have not only provided a way to rejuvenate the mind and the body after the humdrum monotony of the routine life but they have also been a great source of information and knowledge about people and places. Though the pattern of holidays and vacations, has changed over the years, the basic aim of relaxing has remained the most important feature.

Ecoproject3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ecoproject3 - Essay Example Gross domestic is one of the leading predictor of the economic size of the country and his significantly influence the financial market and economic cycles which would be useful in formulating business plan and target projections (Madura,2008,99). Good GDP figures indicate positive performance of the overall economy and vice versa. Inflation rate is a factor in price and cost of input factors and therefore significantly influences investment decision. It would therefore be imperative for the trader from Japan to analyze this factor in the context of US economy. Unemployment rate reflects the consumption level and living standard in general. In the event that unemployment in US is relatively high then this would send wrong signals for a better business future in the country. Considering the trend of the above mentioned factors in the past 12 months in the US, it would be easier to make informed decision in respect of viable engagement. ... Positive GDP predicts better market response for any potential investor and it would therefore important for the Japanese investor to consider starting the venture. Nonfarm payroll employment over-the-month change, seasonally adjusted, April 2012–April 2013Month Data retrieved on May 10, 2013 from: http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2013/ted_20130506.htm Month Employment change Apr 2012 112,000 May 2012 125,000 Jun 2012 87,000 Jul 2012 153,000 Aug 2012 165,000 Sep 2012 138,000 Oct 2012 160,000 Nov 2012 247,000 Dec 2012 219,000 Jan 2013 148,000 Feb 2013 332,000 Mar 2013 138,000(p) Apr 2013 165,000(p) From the change of employment rate that can be observed above, it is important to note that the trend in unemployment has been steady and changes very insignificantly. However, the latest period running through March and April 2013 there is slight fall in this change and this means that level of income is still in the right track. It would therefore be viable for the Japanese lady to kick -start the business as the US future is bright except for small disturbances that are likely to arise from economic cycles. Unemployment is one of the most important indicators of the overall economic progress and this is clear from the socio-economic and political concepts that surround employment in the society (Madura, 2008, 99). When the rate of unemployment is fairly down, there is better business prospects in the country and this can be predicted to be working out for US from the data provided by the Federal bureau of statistics. Inflation data for Jan 2012 to March 2013 Retrieved on May 10, 2013: http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Rate/CurrentInflation.asp Year Jan Feb Mar

Policy review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Policy review - Essay Example 2006: 1). Perioperative environment area is the sterile area that should be free of the infection-causing bacteria. Therefore preventing cross transmission of the MRO must be addressed in all perioperative settings including, day surgery, the surgical ward, the holding area, the surgery suite, and the PACU. It is the responsibility of all healthcare staff to protect themselves and their surgical patients from contracting MRO infections. The Infection Control Policy: Prevention and Management of Multi-Resistant Organisms (MRO), a policy directive of the NSW Department of Health, or PD2007_084 would guide all health workers in the prevention and management of MRO. The content of document, PD2007_084, the NSW Department of Health policy directive which is the Infection Control Policy: Prevention and Management of Multi-Resistant Organism (MRO) outlined the roles and responsibilities of healthcare staffs by highlighting the general and specific measures that should be observed as standar d practices in all healthcare units. The general measures refer to infection control measures, use of antimicrobials, and environmental cleaning. Specific measures included surveillance of MRO, screening patients and healthcare workers for MRO, risk categorisation of patients and healthcare workers for MRSA, decolonisation and clearing a patient of MRSA, and risk categorisation of patient care area. Guidelines on specimen collection, decolonisation protocol for MRSA, and relevant readings are also included in this policy. Lee and Bishop (2002:273-274) stated that nosocomial infections are grouped into two categories: exogenous infections and endogenous infections. Exogenous infections refer to those infections from the hospital environment, staff, other patients and visitors. Endogenous infections are cause by microorganism in the patient’s own normal flora, including hospital strains. Lee and Bishop (2002: 274-275) also stated that the Australian survey showed a higher preva lence of nosocomial infections in large teaching hospitals because they usually have a large reservoir of infection in intensive care unit, specialised burns unit and in transplant operations facilities. In Australia, there has been an increasing awareness of the importance of controlling and managing infection control in the recent years. All staffs are responsible to control hospital infection by observing the infection control policies and guidelines (Lee and Bishops, 2002: 276). Purpose of the Policy The purpose of infection control policy is primarily the prevention and management of MRO in healthcare facilitates so as to ensure the safety of patients and healthcare workers through the implementation of routine and standard practices of preventing and controlling the risk of transmission and colonisation of infectious agents. This will prevent fatal illness or death from MRO infection, prolonged hospital stays, readmissions, and additional diagnostic and treatment cost associat ed with such infectious contamination. Implementation would thereby improve the delivery of healthcare services and protect the lives of both patients and healthcare workers. The purpose of infection control policy is not only for the prevention and management of multi-resistant organism in the perioperative environment but also in every aspect of the

Behaviour Self Management Essay Example for Free

Behaviour Self Management Essay Behaviour Self-Management Project to Increase Studying Behaviour Behaviour Modification is a technique or approach used by behavioural psychologists to modify a particular behaviour and is largely used in a clinical or educational setting, particularly with those with learning disabilities (Atherton, 2011). Moreover, it also considered to be a treatment approach, as it substitutes undesirable behaviours with desired ones through the process of positive or negative reinforcement (Gary, 1988). Furthermore, behaviour modification has been used to treat numerous mental problems such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), phobias, enuresis, generalised anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder and many more. Subsequently, this technique has also been used to correct maladaptive behaviours by changing undesirable behaviours such as smoking, overeating, nail biting and others, as it aims to encourage the substitution of good behaviours such as studying, weight loss and etc (O’Donohue and Ferguson, 2006). The principles of behaviour modification were first developed by B. F Skinner, who had formulated the concept of operant conditioning. Skinner, had developed the concept of positive reinforcement or punishment, whereby behaviours are changed or encouraged through a reward system. Furthermore, the operant conditioning theory also states that for learning to occur, it is important that the subject is an active participant (Sheldon, 1982). In addition, behaviour modification was also formulated by Ivan Pavlov and is famously known as classical conditioning, as it is merely based on a stimuli-response formula. Besides that, Albert Bandura also contributed to behaviour modification principles, through his theory of social modelling (Baldwin Baldwin, 1981). The theory states that learning occurs as a result of copying or imitating other people, and is termed as vicarious learning. Additionally, the theory also states that external reinforcers are important because it enables learning to occur independently of the reinforcements. Consequently, behaviour modification underlies a number of theoretical positions such that human behaviour can easily be influenced by the presentation of consequences and could be strengthened if the behaviour is followed by rewards, as well as substandard if followed by negative consequences (Guez Allen, 2000). Moreover, human behaviour is not only controlled by internal factors, but is also driven by external factors such as social rewards like praises or gifts. Thus, the principles of behaviour modification is different compared to other techniques in changing behaviours, because it addresses the surrounding factors as well as individual factors that can promote or derail behaviour change. Additionally, behaviour modification has also proved its effectiveness in increasing student’s appropriate classroom behaviours. A study had employed behaviour modification in two second grade Negro girls in a demonstration school for the culturally deprived (Wasik, Senn, Welch, Cooper, 1969). Data collected in the study was based on type, duration, and frequency of teacher’s verbal interactions with the student. The study also had implemented an ABAB design, whereas treatment included positive social reinforcement when appropriate behaviours occurred. Punishment had included the use of timeout from social reinforcements, as these behaviours were contingent on inappropriate attention getting behaviours. It was observed that after 25 days, desirable behaviour in the classroom had increased remarkably from 80. % in baseline to 99. 20% in treatment and continued to remain high even after three months. Therefore, this shows that behaviour modification is an effective method to increase desirable behaviours. Target Behaviour It is essential and important that the target behaviour an individual wants to change is operationally defined. The particular behaviour would also require assessment, through collection of the baseline data. Furthermore, the behaviour that I want to change is to increase my studying behaviour, which is a behavioural deficit. Ever since I was in school, I was always known to study towards the end of the semester and could generally be considered as last minute studying. Subsequently, I would tend to be easily distracted by external stimuli such as watching movies or series on the computer, calling up friends and talking for hours as well as easily persuaded to go out. I have been known since young to be very outgoing, thus whenever friends call and ask me to meet up with them, I am bound to go. Therefore, it usually delays my ability to follow my studying schedule that I have created before the semester starts. Moreover, my main antecedent that unable me to complete my suggested two hours studying per night every weekday is also because I have a tendency to download movies or series on the computer and wasting 4 hours or more watching it. There are also consequences that I face because of my procrastination to study, because after watching these series, I would only tend to study less than an hour or not at all if I am tired. Consequently, I would cram all the materials during study week and end up being exhausted. This also is a reason as to why I tend to get ill during exam week, because it causes me to have high level of stress and in turn would affect my health. Hence, these are valid reasons as to why I feel like I need to change my behaviour and start studying more hours as I should so that I would not be stressed out during exams. Besides that, stress could also cause ulcers and the common cold, which in turn could be a setback to me during exam week as I am prone to get ulcers. Additionally, it would also allow me to focus more to improve my grade ratings to my expectations as I will soon complete my undergraduate program. Other than that, increasing my studying behaviour would also allow me to get sufficient sleep and rest for the upcoming exam and it would also benefit me in terms of managing my time efficiently. Method Design The design that I have chosen for this particular self management project is the ABAB reversal design. This design represents the attempt to first measure the baseline, the treatment that follows the initial baseline, the introduction of the second baseline as well as the reintroduction of the treatment again. Additionally, this method of application helps identify the effects of treatment and measure what happens when treatment is removed. Hence, this research design would help establish whether functional relationship exists between the target behaviour and intervention. Materials The materials used in this project include a structured diary that is recorded in the computer, behaviour contract, handphone, post-it notes, playing cards and reminders. Procedure Additionally, for this particular behaviour modification project, the operational definition is first defined as reading pages from the textbook and underlining as well as understanding sentences in the text and reading notes from the lectures for two hours. Furthermore, the behaviour would be recorded through self monitoring during baseline and treatment period as the behaviour does not occur frequently throughout the day and it only occurs during the period when no one else is around to observe. The observational period is recorded in the natural setting, which is in the study room at my home, and it is where studying behaviour typically occurs. The type of behavioural recording used is the duration recording, whereby studying behaviour is observed for two hours, between 8. 30p. m to 10. 0p. m on weekdays only. Next, in order to increase studying behaviour during weekdays, a generalised conditioned reinforcer, which is the token economy system is used because it reinforces the behaviour and minimises the need to use reactive strategies to deal with setbacks as well as it enables the ability to pair up with a variety of other reinforcers. In addition, the token economy is a playing card with my housemate’s signature on it, and one card would be given each day, whenever the desired behaviour occurred at least 2 hours a day. Furthermore, the acquired tokens would be eligible to trade with certain privileges and would be forfeited if the behaviour does not meet the expected requirements. Hence, a variety of backup reinforces are used in exchange with the accumulated playing cards on every Friday to determine the type of privileges that would be given and further information is provided in the behavioural contract (Appendix A). Besides that, punishment would be provided if I fail to meet the expected requirement. Additionally, the schedule of reinforcement chosen for this particular project is fixed interval, whereby studying behaviour is reinforced only if it occurs for at least two hours. The behaviour occurrence would also be recorded in the computer, as the behaviour occurs at home in the study room. Besides that, during the treatment period, my friends and housemate have also promised to give me social support and reinforcements. In addition, various types of response and stimulus prompts are also used in this project. Verbal prompts such as reminders to study are used by friends and housemates to evoke the desired behaviour in myself. They will do this by not persuading me to go out with them and reminding me to study instead. Furthermore, environmental prompts are also used in this project such as post its on the mirror, computer in the study room and class file that I carry to class every day, as well as using the hand phone to set alarm to study. In addition, within prompt fading was used in the second treatment period, for response prompts, whereby friends and boyfriend provided fewer verbal prompts as the week progressed during treatment period. Next, stimulus fading was also used in the second treatment period for environmental prompts, whereby on the first day, removal of alarm clock would be used and for subsequent days, one post its would be removed from either the mirror, computer or class file until the last day of treatment. Results The baseline and treatment data was collected for a period of four weeks and intervention was applied during treatment 1 and treatment 2. Figure 1: Studying behaviour in baseline and treatment weeks. Figure 1 shows that during the first baseline, studying behaviour did not occur at all for the first two days, one hour for the third, again none on the fourth and two hours on the fifth day. Hence, the average studying hours for the first baseline week is 0. 4 hours or 24 minutes. Furthermore, this could be clearly seen in the structured diary attached for the first baseline (Appendix B). Next, intervention took place in the second week, whereby various strategies were used to increase studying behaviour. Results showed that studying behaviour had occurred for two hours for the first and second day, one hour for the third day, two hours for the fourth day, and none on the fifth day. This shows that studying behaviour had increased to an average of 1. 4 hours a day and that there was an increase of 50% from the initial baseline to the treatment period. Moreover, the self management project had returned to baseline on the third week and results showed that studying behaviour had occurred for 2. hours on the first day, one hour on the second, none on the third and fourth and two hours on the fifth day. Thus, the average studying behaviour was 1. 1 hours a day for the second baseline period. Although the average hours were less compared to the treatment period, however, there was definitely an increase compared to the first baseline period, whereby average hours were only 0. 4 hours. Next, intervention was again applied and the second treatment results showed that studying behaviour occurred for one hour on the first day, 2. hours on the second, two hours on the third, one hour on the fourth, and two hours on the fifth day. Hence, the average studying hours is approximately 1. 7 hours a day. Thus, this also shows that there is an increase of studying behaviour between the second baseline and second treatment period. Besides that, there is also a staggering increase from the initial baseline and second treatment period, that precedes to fluctuate in the second baseline, when intervention was removed. Discussion  The behaviour modification project to increase studying behaviour was definitely a success because the graphs showed an increase in hours of studying as compared to the baseline data, thus indicating that there us a functional relationship between the target behaviour and the procedure. Furthermore, it is clear that the token economy system was a contributor to the success of increasing studying behaviour because once token economy was removed in the second baseline; the target behaviour had decreased tremendously. In addition, the target behaviour had increased when the second intervention was applied in the fourth week. Moreover, the use of reinforcements and punishment also helped me to keep myself motivated and determined to achieve the weekly goal that was set. Besides that, the use of within stimulus fading helped me generalise my behaviour to the subsequent weeks ahead, hence I had gradually adjusted myself with getting used to having less and less prompts throughout the week. However, there were also some limitations in this project, whereby, the duration of treatment intervention is too short to allow the behaviour to fully adjust and be generalised without the use of prompts. In addition, self monitoring was used during observation of behaviour for the baseline data. Observer may not be trained enough to record her own behaviour, hence data may not be as reliable as compared to having an inter rater observation. Moreover, the implementation of reinforcement contingency was my housemate, and sometimes the reinforcements were given a day later because she is not around. This has affected the effectiveness of the token as a reinforcing consequence as some deliveries of the token did not occur immediately after the response occurred according to the expected schedule. Furthermore, due to the delay between the response and token, it could have also affected the connection strength of the behaviour. In conclusion, behaviour modification is definitely an effective treatment method to help increase, decrease or develop new behaviours and it is applicable to use in a variety of problematic behaviours.

Gattaca Oral Presentation Draft Essay Example for Free

Gattaca Oral Presentation Draft Essay From the day Vincent was born, he had always been concidered as highly flawed, and as an invalid. His parents were planning on carrying on the family name with their first born child by calling Vincent, Anton, after his father, Antonio. However, once finding out that Vincent was prone to illness such as neurological disorder, manic depression, attention deficit disorder, heart failure, and was expected to live for only 30.2 years, Vincents father felt that he wasnt worthy of the family name, and decided to call him Vincent Anton instead. Mother and Father, Maria and Antonio had a second child, who Antonio felt was worthy of the family name, because unlike Vincent who was conceived the natural way, Anton was born through genetic engineering. As the two boys grew up, Anton was always considered superior to Vincent as he was always upstaging him at everything they did. Until one day, when the two boys played a game of chicken. Like usual, Anton was expecting Vincent to turn around and swim back to shore. However, no matter how much effort he put into trying to beat his brother, Anton and Vincent were neck and neck the whole swim. Anton was confused at how Vincent still had the energy to swim, and finally Anton wasnt able to go on any longer and he gave up. Passing out and starting to drown, Vincent saved his brothers life. For the first time in their lives, Vincent was better than Anton at something. Even though everybody believed that he wasnt good enough to acheive his goals, Vincent now believed that he could achieve anything that he set his mind to. Vincent decided to run away from home and he got a job as a janitor at Gattaca. This was his first glimpse of Gattaca, and he liked what he saw. Vincent met Jerome (Aka Eugene), a depressed and alcoholic Gattaca valid who was hit by a car, which left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Nobody that was apart of the Gattaca institite knew that Eugene was in a wheelchair, which saw an opportunity for Vincent. Eugene decided that his life was concidered over because he was crippled, and he felt that even though his dream of becoming a gold medal swimmer would never come true, he would attempt helping Vincents dream of travelling into space to come true, so he gave a makeover and his next-to-perfect vailid identidy to Vincent. Eugene would shed and collect his own dead skin particles, loose hair, urine and blood and would store them away for Vincent to pass off as his own and each day, Vincent would remove any loose skin and hair that was at risk of somebody finding and tracing it back to him. After being accepted into Gattaca, Vincent was going to be apart of the once in a lifetime space launch to Saturns largest moon, Titan. However, one of the directors was trying to stop the space launch from happening, resulting in his murder. Coincedentally, one of Vincents invalid eyelashes was found at the crime scene which started a search for him because everybody thought that he was the murderer, when infact, he wasnt. Although everybody knew what Vincents invalid self looked like, nobody suspected the valid Vincent (Aka Jerome) to be the murderer because he no longer looked like his old self. Nobody suspected Vincent to be imitating Jerome except for Vincents brother Anton, who was working as a Gattca detective. It took a while for Anton to confirm his suspicion, but he did in the end, although didnt turn his brother in for fraud. Once arriving to Gattaca on the day of the Titan space launch, there was an unexpected urine sample test. Vincent took the urine test and it came up with a photo of his invalid self. However, the Gattaca doctor felt somewhat connected to Vincent because his son was also classed as an invalid and had health problems just like Vincent did. The doctor then revelied that he had known the whole time and turned his invalid into a valid and therefore, Vincent was able to continue on his space mission. In the end scene, we see Eugene sitting in his boiler and Vincent sitting in the rocket capsule. The rocket launching and the boiler lighting fire happen at syncrinized times. Eugene commited suicide and Vincents dreams had come true. Not only was he going to space, but he had also fallen in love with a co-worker, Irene, who would be eagerly waiting for his return to earth.

The Globalisation Issue In The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay

The Globalisation Issue In The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay Globalisation is a key issue  for the  hospitality industry. Identify and critique up to three impacts of  globalisation on the hospitality industry and discuss strategies that hotel companies may implement to address globalisation. Abstract  Globalisation is becoming increasing important these years in international hotel industry. In this essay, a literature review has been conducted to identify 3 impacts of  globalisation on the hospitality industry. When hotels flag their properties in a new country, they must localise their products and services in order to adapt the culture traditions of that country. Thinking global and acting local (glocal) is vital strategy for no matter big or small hotel companies. Besides the glocal strategy, differentiation strategy is also useful for hotel companies to become competitive in the global environment. Hall (1997) indicates that globalization has become a key concept in business, economic and political activities since 1990s. The hospitality industry is often regarded as one of the most global in the service industry (Litteljohn, 1997). Nowadays, more and more people are traveling around the world, when they are far from their home they need a place to stay, a bed to sleep, food to eat. They might end up choosing hotels. This is where the hospitality industry comes into play (Frink, 2009); this is why hotels are everywhere. Due to the fast increase of tourism and business activities around the globe, in every corner of the world, there must be hotels such as Hilton, Marriot, and Westin. Go Pine (1995) state that the hospitality industry is a subsector of the travel and tourism sector, and one of the most rapidly expanding fields in the service sector. This article is going to identify and review 3 impacts of globalisation on the hospitality industry. And discuss strategies that ho tel companies may implement including standardisation and localisation strategies and differentiation strategies when they enter into the globalisation. Frink (2009) described globalisation as the process of companies developing their business or operations overseas. It has several impacts on the hospitality industry. First of all, it forces hotel companies to choose best locations all over the world to expand their properties. Location is essential to a hotel, no matter whose target market is business travelers or tourists. Johnson Vanetti (2005) state that the size and nature of the place in which the hotel is located are seen to be the most important factor for big or small chains. The famous tourism destinations and CBD of a city are the best choice for hotel groups to develop their properties. However, when those areas are not in their own country, or when they want to flag their hotels as many as possible, hotels have to globalise. There is a good example of how a good location can benefit a hotels business. Hyatt group has one hotel in shanghai which name is Grand Hyatt Shanghai, it is located in the centre of the Lujiazui bu siness district, and occupies 53rd to 87th floors of the Jin Mao Tower building (Hyatt, 2010). Jin Mao Tower building is a business building as famous in shanghai as the World Trade Center in New York. There are many 500 fortune companies in this building, when those big and wealthy companies have employees or clients come from other world to visit shanghai, Hyatt is the first hotel on their list. This is part of the reason why Grand Hyatt always has the highest RevPAR (revenue per available room) in Shanghai. Reversely, wrong location will lead hotels to failure. For example, The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas closed on  May 2, 2010 after several years struggle, this was the first time for the reputable Ritz-Carlton brand and this negative record will have inevitably impact on this brand in the future. Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas locates in the suburb of Las Vegas, though it was a luxurious and high-end resort hotel, people come to Vegas for a much more exciting and lively vacation (Hernandez, 2010). The next impact of globalisation is economics, which is also very important. There is only so much of the market share a hotel company can get by staying local or in their own country. Frink (2009) states that globalisation enables hotel companies to expand their business to other countries to gain additional market share. The more properties the hotel group has, the more customers it might have, thus the more opportunities for them to gain more profit. Frink also states that many hotel companies go global mainly because they desire to achieve a larger customer base. Ohmae (1989) claimed that big companies must become more global if they want to compete, they must view the whole world as one single borderless marketplace (as cited in Vignali, 2001). Most big hotel group such as Intercontinental, Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt are surviving even when economic crises come because they have globalized. According to Hotels Giants Survey 2008, Intercontinental has hotel in 100 countries, whic h is the most, followed by Starwood, which has establishments in 95 countries and Accor has hotels in 90 countries. A great number of hotel companies are forced to globalize in order to remain competitive, otherwise they can not survive, and they should always expand their business to make progress and keep pace with the rivalry. Generally speaking, the more places of business that a hotel company has, the better chances for the hotel company to be successful in the hospitality industry (Frink, 2009). In terms of cost economies, quantity buying can always reduce purchasing cost, thats why many international hotel companies set up their central procurement department to sign global contracts with suppliers and do the centralized purchasing  for their respective establishments in the meantime maintain the same standard. The third impact of globalisation on the hospitality industry is culture. The world is a global village and difference places have different culture and traditions. Frink (2009) mentioned that globalisation makes hotel companies adapt different culture and alter their approaches when they enter a new country. Expansion to a country with totally different culture is a big risk to most hotel companies, they must consider the different cultures in the destination image of the places, what cuisine the locals or natives have and what types of foods are forbidden due to the religion or law when they are trying to sell their products. Frink (2009) also mentioned that hotel companies must understand the difference in currency and the difference in language. For example, Hilton Tokyo Bay Hotel located in Japan cannot have too many English speaking front office receptionists, who can not speak Japanese, in order to serve local Japanese guests. There must be someone there who knows how to speak Japanese to effectively serve the guests. And they will have local employees who understand the local culture and speak the native language to serve the native guests. Frink indicated that globalisation forces companies adapt different cultural perspectives; if a company refuses to adapt it might lose. Globalisation also brings culture diversity to the industry, which is always a positive thing and it also brings hotel companies more understanding of the perspectives of different cultures, which help them to do better. Besides those above three impacts, Frink (2009) also mentioned other impacts, for example, globalisation in hospitality industry has created more job opportunities help with the growth and stability of the hospitality industry. When hotel companies entered into globalisation, it actually becomes survival of the fittest. Strong businesses will survive and become stronger and the weak ones will be eliminated and fade away. Frink (2009) states that globalisation requires adjusting and evaluation of various factors. Harvey (2007) indicated that hotel companies need to keep the same standard in each and every establishment because customer loyalty will depend on whether a hotel can deliver the brand promise consistently throughout their hotel experience. In the mean time, the companies need to think appropriate ways to present their products to different cultures, which means they really must use and balance the standardisation and localisation strategies. Rutihinda Elimimian (2002) indicated that standardisation requires operations with resolute constancy, providing same things in the same way everywhere, while localisation needs adjusting of products and practices in every single place. It is not so easy to b alance the two exactly opposite strategies. However, both of them are equally important. In another word, hotel companies must think global and act local. This concept is becoming increasingly vital for hotel companies no matter big or small, to remain competitive. The term glocalisation used by Salazar (2005) perfectly expresses the concept think global and act local, it helps one to take hold of the many interconnections between the standardisation and the localisation strategies. Peters and Frehse (2005) stated that already in the 1970s international hotel companies tried to use standardisation strategy in their services with an appropriate consistency in terms of quality. Whitla et al. (2007) state that standardisation makes a hotel brand recognizable and that is what people are looking for, the consistency and the predictability especially for business travelers. However, Whitla et al. (2007) also mentioned that hotel chains need to balance the provision of a standardized level of service and amenities with customers tastes or preferences in some degree of local adaptation. Frink (2009) found hotel companies, when they decide to globalise into foreign countries, are faced with many barriers to overcome, such as language, funding, competition, and cultural differences Sometimes it is very hard for a hotel company to enter a new country, especially when the new county has a totally different culture and tradition. For example, alcohol is forbidden in muslin s ocieties, Indians dont eat beef, gambling is illegal in many countries. Whitla et al. (2007) believe that adaptation is required for many reasons including consumer interests, laws, culture and traditions. For instance, hotels in western countries often rely on accommodation revenues to make profit, whereas hotels in Asia count on food charges. Asian hotels therefore need to focus more on offer more and larger restaurant outlets, targeting local diners as well as overnight foreign guests. Rutihinda Elimimian (2002) mentioned that many hotel companies who localised their marketing strategies and products have been successful. However, some others fail due to their applications of wrong implementation strategies and insensitivity to the consumer culture of the country. Czinkota Ronnenken (1995) emphasized that glocalisation in the marketing plans is essential and vital to suit local tastes, to meet special needs and consumers non-identical requirements (as cited in Vignali, 2001). B esides, some customers, especially tourists are looking for local flavor in hotels (Armstrong et al., 1997), which means hotels design could reflect the destination image (Hawkins, 2007). In term of this, the famous 7-star hotel Burj al Arab has got great success, the hotel were designed in the shape of a billowing Arabian dhow sail, it represents a significant tribute to the nations seafaring heritage (Jumeirah, nd). It has already become the icon of Dubai, the destination image of Dubai, and the hotel itself became the tourist attraction of the country. Besides hotel design, Heide et al. (2007) believes hotel ambience is also very important part of the glocalisation, because ambience is a key success factor that is directly linked to financial consequences. It is worth mentioning that Human resource management (HRM) also needs to use glocalisation strategy in the hospitality industry. HRM departments are the spine of every organization; they must learn and understand the employee rights and laws for not only their home companies, but for all of their establishments around the world. Different countries have different employee rights and labor laws. Frink (2009) states the hospitality industry Human resource managers must be very careful of these employee rights and labor laws or it could cost those hotels millions in fines and penalties. Nowadays many hotels are localised in term of staffing. Local staff members know their own culture very well and they can speak local language to serve local guests while having multilingual staff is better to serve the guests from all over the world. Harvey (2007) mentioned it is always good to have staff from different counties which brings diversity, but they have different beliefs, background, custo ms and traditions. How to think global and act local when dealing culture differences is a challenge that HR managers need to conquer. Sometimes hotels glocalisation strategies are still not enough, especially for the purpose to attract leisure guests. Ghemawat (1991) stated that when tourists travel to another place to spend a vacation, they want to experience difference and try something new. Otherwise they lose fun when they stay at the hotel. Nowadays the global competitions between hotels are getting fiercer; some hotel companies are using differentiation strategies in order to succeed. Rutihinda Elimimian (2002) stated that differentiation strategy is based on the ability to provide guests with distinct products or services. Ghemawat (1991) stated that these special and distinctive attributes make them unique in the eyes of their guests (as cited in Rutihinda Elimimian, 2002). For example, there is a hotel in America called Dog Bark Park Inn, the hotel looks like a giant beagle. Guests sleep and have breakfast in the body of the beagle. For another example, in German there is a hotel which name is Alcatraz H otel, it used to be a prison, the owner kept the original spirit of the building, so every guestroom is like a cell, and the toilet is just next to the bed. Guests also get striped pajamas instead of a normal bath robe which makes them look like prisoners, the only difference between this hotel and a real prison is seem like guests can leave it whenever they want. The more special one is a hotel made of real ice, it sounds unbelievable but it is true, its called the Ice Hotel in Canada, this hotel has become world- famous for winter experience. The architecture of the hotel including artwork and furniture carved form ice blocks. Most guests believe this hotel is amazing and beautiful and the experience is special and enjoyable. These successful stories have told us, the hoteliers must not only think and act glocal, but also think difference. In conclusion, Globalisation has become a key issue  for the  hospitality industry. It is the process of hotel companies expanding their business or operations to foreign markets, and taking their business to new heights. This literature review addressed three impacts of  globalisation on the hospitality industry including location, economics and culture. Globalisation enables hotel companies to choose locations all over the world to expand their business. If businesses expand, the hospitality industry will expand with it. Globalisation helps hotel companies to gain other market share and thus gain more profit and reduce purchasing cost through quantity buying or centralised purchasing. Besides globalisation also causes hotel companies to consider different cultures and traditions when they enter a new country and bring culture diversity into the industry which is always a positive thing. When hotel enter into globalisation, they should use standardisation and localisation stra tegies which means they should keep the same standard in terms of service and quality while altering their service and product to adapt to the different culture and traditions. The concept Thinking global and acting local (or thinking glocal) is essential for hotel companies development. Besides, using differentiation strategies is also a good way to become competitive. Differentiation strategy is about providing guests with distinct products or services. These unique and distinctive attributes make them attractive in the eyes of their guests.

The Historical Geography of Mesopotamia Essay -- History Iraq Papers H

The Historical Geography of Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region in southwest Asia where the world's earliest civilization developed. The name comes from a Greek word meaning "between rivers," referring to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, north or northwest of the bottleneck at Baghdad. It is known as Al-Jazirah, or "The Island," to the Arabs (3). South of this lies Babylonia. However, in the broader sense, the name Mesopotamia has come to be used for the area bounded on the northeast by the Zagros Mountains, and on the southwest by the edge of the Arabian Plateau, and stretching from the Persian Gulf in the southeast to the Anti-Taurus Mountains in the northwest (5). Only from the latitude of Baghdad do the Euphrates and Tigris truly become twin rivers, the "rafidan" of the Arabs, which have constantly changed their courses throughout the ages. This region was the center of a culture whose influence extended throughout the Middle East and even the rest of the known world. This paper will focus o n the importance of geography in raising this small region to such a level of high importance in the history of the world. Explanation of the Applicable National Standards for Geography The National Standards for Geography are being employed into school education programs throughout the United States. The source for the standards is Geography for Life in which they are published. The book suggests the essential knowledge, shills and perspectives that students should master by grades 4,8,and 12. One of these such standards is "knows and understands the physical and human characteristics of places." This is very important to the extent that people cannot fully understand a place unless they first ... ...peoples. The geography of this area certainly played a central role in the importance and influence of these lands. Geography has had a heavy hand in the culture and history of Mesopotamia, as it does in all areas of the world. Works Cited 1. Fertile Crescent Civilizations. http://killeenroos.com/1/mesodata.htm (4-27-99) 2. Fertile Crescent Home Page. http://www.leb.net/~fchp/FC-MNFM.HTML (4-27-99) 3. Kramer, Samuel Noah. The Sumerians. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1963. 4. Mallowan, M.E.L. Early Mesopotamia and Iran. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1965. 5. "Mesopotamia." Encyclopaedia Britannica: Macropaedia. 15th ed. 1997. 6. Oates, David. Studies in the Ancient History of Northern Iraq. London: Oxford UniversityPress, 1963. 7. Oppenheim, A. Leo. Ancient Mesopotamia. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1964.

The Human Genome Revolution in the Rio Grande Valley :: Genes Biology Argumentative Essays Papers

The Human Genome Revolution in the Rio Grande Valley Most, if not all, of the technological and scientific advances throughout history, were influenced by the burning desire to discover, to know, and to be in control. The ambition to acquire knowledge has led mankind to embark on controversial and risk full, yet promising and intriguing fields, such as genetic research and study. In our modern day world, genetic research, or what we know as the genome revolution, has caused unceasing turmoil and controversy; however, behind all the ethical and religious opinions lies the hope for a brighter future for humanity. Whether we realize it or not, genome research brings with it many benefits, as well as new subjects of debate closer to us, in our community- the Rio Grande Valley. The Rio Grande Valley is populated with a vast majority of Hispanic people. A Hispanic myself, I know that our people are passionate lovers of our culture and faithful followers of our faith. Many Hispanics do not favor genome research, (human cloning in specific), because it is an insult to the Christian faith, which holds God as the one and only creator of life. The knowledge of the human genome structure, equips man to become "architects" of life. Beyond the concern of man creating man, lays the uncertainty of the spiritual being and integrity of the newly created human clones. In an area where Hispanics are the dominating ethnic group, conflicts are definitely sure to arise between those who oppose and support cloning. The Rio Grande Valley is also an agricultural area, and genome research provides new and more perfected techniques for farming and cultivating. These modern processes, are far more perfected than latter day techniques, and result in higher quality products, in much larger quantities. Greater and faultless productivity will promote and generate better business opportunities for agricultural companies in the valley. In return, employees of these companies will receive better salaries. It is important to keep in mind that many Hispanics do not only support their immediate family but also those that are away from them, like elderly parents. In this way, the Rio Grande Valley's inhabitants will be greatly benefited. Hispanics are prone to many diseases already inscribed in our DNA, like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, as well as many others.

Is Caffeine Addictive? Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Is Caffeine Addictive? As exams approach, students everywhere reach for their coffee mugs, their Vivarine and No-Doz. Legions of wide-eyed and shaky young people stay up late into the night, printing out final papers and cramming a year worth of information into their over-burned minds. Falling asleep over books is not acceptable at this time of year. But this is not a new thing; many students have a late-night lifestyle supported by caffeine, getting an average of 5 hours of sleep a night. These young people are a part of the nearly 80% of Americans who depend on caffeine (1). They use it to stay awake when their bodies tell them they need to sleep. Many people use it simply to feel more awake or simply because they like the taste of coffee, sodas or teas which contain the drug. For those who love coffee, the taste is often cited as the reason for the "addiction" and the use of that word does not imply anything like a drug addiction. However, try to take away someone's coffee abruptly and chances are they will experience withdrawal symptoms (2). The body develops a dependence on caffeine which is very obvious; stop drinking coffee for a day after being a regular drinker and get a headache, then drink coffee and it goes away. Some call this an addiction, coining terms such as "caffeinisme" and "caffeine withdrawal syndrome" (4), and classify caffeine as a mind-altering drug (3) (5) (6) (7). Many others protect caffeine, saying it does not compare to a true drug addiction and some even claim it has benefits-that it not only increases alertness but has other healthful properties (2) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13). It is very difficult to find an objective article on the effects of caffeine, for while the information is often c... ...xhaustion. There is great need for more research regarding the properties of caffeine. There is too much contradictory information and studies are not conclusive. A huge number of people around the world consume enough caffeine to be diagnosed as dependent who have not been reassured that it is safe. Nor have they been given a good enough reason to stop their consumption or cut down to safer levels of caffeine intake. It would take a lot of negative findings to dissuade people from using the drug, but a better understanding on all properties could also find more uses for caffeine and could reassure those who are doubtful of the safety of caffeine consumption. Internet Sources: http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/publications/usa-gymnastics/1996/4/body-balance.html http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=800 http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=2046

An Unhealthy Image Essay

Over the years, models have become skinnier and skinnier, and now most models are just too thin. Being a fashion model went hand-in-hand with being slim, but now being a fashion model goes hand-in-hand with no body fat whatsoever. It took the death of a young adult at a fashion show taking place during Fashion Week for officials in Madrid to finally say ‘No more’ to overly underweight models, and others are being to follow suit. Luisel Ramos was one of Uruguay’s top fashion models at the age of only 22. In preparation for Uruguay’s Fashion Week, she stuck to a strict diet of only lettuce and Diet Coke for about three months leading up to the show. Shortly after exiting the runway during a fashion show, she collapsed backstage trying to fight through a heart attack, but because of the lack of nutrition was unable to win the battle (Phillips). The strict dieting Ramos stuck to left her weighing only 98 pounds. This is the average weight of a 12 or 13 year old standing a little over 5 feet tall, but at a height of almost 5’10, this is alarming (Average Height to Weight Chart). That’s a body mass index, or BMI, of only 14.5! BMI is calculated using a person’s weight in conjunction to their height and is used to categorize a person’s weight to determine if they are underweight, average weight, or overweight. (Healthy Weight: Assessing Your Weight: Body Mass Index (BMI)). According to The World Health Organization, a BMI of 16 is already considered starving, so 14.5 is extremely underweight. To add insult to injury, Lusiel’s 18-year-old sister died the following year for the same contributing reason, malnutrition (Phillips). Australia, along with some European countries, and a few case-by-case fashion shows in the United States have already started banning severely underweight models, but a majority of countries have yet to join the movement. There should be a weight minimum on models because without one the pressure to be thin forces unhealthy dieting and eating disorders, the fashion industry is promoting an unhealthy body image, and because we simply should not be encouraging a sickness. There is definitely an undeniable pressure for models to be thin in the fashion industry. According to Martin J. Tovee, a professor at Newcastle University and one of the conductors of the study â€Å"Supermodels: Stick  Insects or Hourglasses?†, â€Å"model cards provide accurate biometric data on the basis of which the models are hired† meaning to models and designers, numbers are everything (Tovee). Unfortunately, it is usually the lower the numbers, the greater the chance of being picked, putting a great amount of pressure on fashion models to be skinny. But there are a host of health problems that go hand-in-hand with being super skinny. One with an eating disorder will most likely suffer from an irregular heartbeat; sensitivity to cold temperatures; thinning of bones; lowered blood pressure but also a lowered pulse, lowered body temperature, and breathing rates. Lack of proper nutrition can even cause damage to vital organs like the heart, brain, or kidneys (â⠂¬Å"Eating Disorders: Complications†). None of these health problems can and should be taken lightly. After reading a list like this, it’s not surprising that 1 out every 10 eating disorders leads to death (Weltzin). What is shocking, however, that it is said that one of the most common causes of death among those with an eating disorder is not directly related to a physical health problem, but instead the mental aspect of it. It appears that suicide among those with eating disorders is one of the most common causes of death and was confirmed in one of the many studies done titled, Suicide and attempted suicide in eating disorders, obesity and weight-image concern, which is a study completed by the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rome. They have determined that, â€Å"individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa commit suicide more often than their counterparts in the general population; also a few studies have suggested that suicide is the major cause of death among patients with anorexia nervosa, refuting the assumption that inanition generally threatens the life of these patients† (Pompili). Suicide is often a result of pressure or challenges becoming unbearable. These models are literally dying to be ‘beautiful’. Since 2010 alone, there have been seven reported cases of suicide among models as young as 16-years-old (Coles). With a minimum weight requirement put in place, some of the pressure put on by the fashion industry to be too skinny will be taken off of these young models. The fashion industry is crawling with designers and the â€Å"beautiful† people they chose to represent them. Sadly, the fashion industry’s idea of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"beautiful† is unhealthily underweight bodies attached to pretty faces. In many aspects, models are widely respected. They introduce the world to the up-and-coming trends; they show the world different ways to put together outfits; and they make up a small portion of the population who are portrayed as physically â€Å"perfect† and who doesn’t want to be what others think â€Å"perfect† is? For those who feel they are not already beautiful, they look to these models to try and discover how â€Å"beauty† can actually be defined. A few things might stick out to those who look to models for guidance. They might notice the pretty hair, or the seemingly flawless skin, and they may even notice the models’ above average height, but one thing that cannot be looked over: the modelâ₠¬â„¢s weight. Fashion models are all very petite and most are lacking the natural curves of a woman. But models and the fashion industry are promoting this body image as what ‘beauty’ can be defined as. Former Victoria Secret model, Frederique van der Wal, was in awe at the sight of how skinny the models were who strutted down the runway during New York’s Fashion Week in 2006. She commented on the sight by stating, â€Å"This unnatural thinness is a terrible message to send out. The people watching the fashion shows are young, impressionable women† (Hellmich). It can be agreed that the situation is bad when one of their own comments on it. But there is plenty of truth to stand behind what the model is saying. In fact, a professor of psychiatry at Rush Medical College in Chicago and the vice president of the American Psychiatric Association, Nada Stotland agrees, arguing that â€Å"We know seeing super-thin models can play a role in causing anorexia†¦ because many models and actresses are so thin, it makes anorexics think their emaciated bodies are normal† (Hellmich). With this definition of beauty, young people who aspire to be models are doomed. Whether they like it or not, many models and actresses are seen as role models, and many young girls growing up look to models and actresses as such. When females look to some of the models as role models, and see all the glam, glory, and attention that these models are receiving, it only encourages the disorder. Role models should be that: role models. They should be promoting a positive image, both mentally and also physically. However, overly thin models display the exact opposite. They are mentally unhealthy, and it shows physically. What these young people may not know about wanting to be a dangerously underweight model are the health problems  that being dangerously underweight are linked to. In fact, the models that are participating in being dangerously underweight may not know the health problems they may be bringing upon themselves either. However, this is not a suggestion that thin models cause eating disorder in those who look up to them. One of the misconceptions and arguments against applying a weight minimum to modeling is that thin models do not cause eating disorders, it has yet to be proven so this is a valid argument, but on the other hand, it cannot be denied that it could be an attributing factor in some cases. Another argument against weight restrictions, is that if models are seen as role models to others and are being held accountable, then others in the limelight need to be held accountable, also. The flaw in this argument is that ‘others’ are actually being held accountable. Some may considered musical artists a role model. With this said, newly signed rapper, Wiz Khalifa is known for his reference to marijuana in his songs, but is still adored by the younger generation. However, this caught up with him last year when he was arrested for drug position (Miller). Without this minimum weight requirement, these severely underweight models are only being encouraged. The thinner the model, the more work and opportunities that are available to them. Hiring the thinnest models is justified by saying that designers need models that will fit sample clothes. There has been discussion by The Council of Fashion Designers of America about increasing sample clothing sizes but only few have taken the initiative to increase the sample clothing size. Sample clothing is prototype of clothing designers create for a model to wear down the runway, before mass producing. Sample clothing sizes usually range from a size zero to a size two. A former runway model, Valentine Fillol Cordier, explains, â€Å"The measurements have changed – I’d say the perfect hip size now is 10cm less that it was in the 90’s. All the girls have lost on the hips† (Fisher). She then goes on to explain that since she was unable to keep up with changing measureme nts, â€Å"[she] can’t work anymore† (Fisher). The editor of respected fashion magazine, _Vogue_, Alexandra Shulman, sent a letter to major international fashion houses complaining that â€Å"sample sizes sent by designers are now so ‘minuscule’ they force fashion editors to use models  with ‘jutting bones’ and ‘no breasts or hips'† (Fisher). As sample sizes get smaller and smaller, the healthier models find themselves out of work while the unhealthy models get all the glory. By the unhealthier models getting all the glory, it is only reassuring the models that being severely underweight is a good thing, and encouraging other models to get skinnier when in fact is it absurd. The world might wince at the sight of skin and bones walking around, but as long as these models are being used to showcase designers’ apparel and still getting paid, who is going to stop them? Some have finally said enough is enough to severely underweight models. The first ban on overly underweight models took place in 2006 in Madrid. In order to determine what a healthy weight is for a model, fashion shows taking place in Madrid evaluate the Body Mass Index, or BMI, which compares the models’ height to their weight. Any models falling below the â€Å"healthy† weight limit being turned away. The mayor of Milan in Italy, has decided to do the same. She says that the only way that this policy will be overturned is if there is another to keep the models from looking â€Å"sick† (â€Å"Skinny Models Banned from Catwalk†). More recently, Victoria Beckham banned 12 models from her New York fashion show last year. Even though she is quite thin herself, she did not want to keep the trend going by supporting underweight models. Placing a weight minimum on models would not be put in place to discriminate against models and designers, but instead for the welfare of models and the people who look up to them. Without the weight minimum, the fashion industry is promoting an unhealthy body image. They are sending the message to consumers and the people who look towards the models as role models that it is okay to be severely underweight. Not only is the fashion industry negatively impacting others, but it is also negatively impacting the models, themselves. They are killing themselves to be this idea of â€Å"beautiful† that the fashion industry has defined. Just as important, without this minimum weight requirement, this unhealthy lifestyle, this sickness, is being glorified and encouraged, wherein it should not be. Eating disorders are exactly that, illness, and no one should be cheered on for it. Bibliography â€Å"Average Height to Weight Chart.† _Disability News, Information and Resources – Disabled World_. Disabled World, 28 Oct. 2007. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. . Coles, John. â€Å"Aspiring Teenage Model Gabby Joseph Killed by a Train.† _Metro.co.uk_. Metro, 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. . â€Å"Eating Disorders: Complications.† Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 12 Jan. 2010. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. . Fisher, Alice, and Caroline Davies. â€Å"Fashion Houses Hit Back In Row Over Who’s To Blame For ‘Size Zero’ Models.† The Guardian. The Observer, 13 June 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. . â€Å"Healthy Weight: Assessing Your Weight: Body Mass Index (BMI).† _Centers for Disease Control and Prevention_. CDC, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. . Hellmich, Nanci. â€Å"Do Thin Models Warp Girls’ Body Image?† _Health & Behavior_. USA TODAY, 26 Sept. 2006. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. . Miller, Carlin DeGuerin. â€Å"Wiz Khalifa Arrested: Rapper Bonds Out of Jail in Time for â€Å"Cheese Eggs Pimp† Breakfast – Crimesider – CBS News.† Breaking News Headlines. CBS, 9 Nov. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2012. . Phillips, Tom. â€Å"Anna Carolina Reston: The Model Who Starved Herself to Death.† _Latest News, Sport and Comment from the Guardian | The Guardian_. The Guardian, 13 Jan. 2007. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. . Pompili, M, Girardi P, Tatarelli G, Ruberto A, and Tatarelli R. â€Å"Suicide and Attempted Suicide in Eating Disorders, Obesity and Weight-image Concern.† _Eating Behavior_ (2006): 384-94. _NCBI_. NCBI, 23 Jan. 2006. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. . Povoledo, Elisabetta. â€Å"Milan Wants to See More Meat on Models.† _The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia_. The New York Times, 15 Sept. 2006. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. . â€Å"Skinny Models Banned from Catwalk.† Featured Articles from CNN. CNN, 13 Sept. 2006. Web. 24 Nov. 2011. . Tovee, Martin J., Suzanne M. Mason, Joanne L. Emery, Sara E. McCluskey, and Esther M. Cohen- Tovee. â€Å"Supermodels: Stick Insects or Hourglasses?† _Supermodels: Stick Insects or Hourglasses?_ 350.9089 (1997): 1474-475. _TheLancet.com_. The Lancet. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. . Weltzin, Theodore E. â€Å"Eating Disorders.† _American Bar Association_. GPsolo Magazine, Oct.- Nov. 2004. Web. 24 Nov. 2011.

Contract Laws Essay

When it comes the laws of business there are a broad range of categories and topics. A topic that we would find when studying business law is contracts. â€Å"A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more people.† (Rogers, 2012) In the world we live in learning about contract laws is very vital when entering into one. We must be aware that there is more than just on type of contract and there are several steps that both parties must follow before any contract can be legal. There are several types of contracts that individuals can enter. These types are expressed, implied, bilateral, unilateral, simple, formal and quasi contracts. An express contract are â€Å"formed by the express language of the parties—the actual words they use in their agreement—and can be either written or oral.† (Rogers, 2012) This type of contract does not have to be in writing. An expressed contract contains the offer, acceptance and consideration elements of a contract. Express contracts are usually compared to implied contracts. Implied contacts are â€Å"formed not by the express words of the parties, but rather by their actions.† (Rogers, 2012) With this type of contract the agreement is implied by actions. There are no expressed words within an implied contract. It can be either implied in fact or in law. If a contract will result in inequity or harm it will not be implied. If there is any doubt or discrepancy exists, then the court might not con clude a contractual relationship. If an implication arises that they have jointly assented to a new contract that contains the same requirements as the old agreement. Another type of contract is a bilateral contract. A bilateral contract is a† reciprocal arrangement between two parties under which both parties promise to perform an act in exchange for  the other party’s act† (BusinessDictionary.com). When entering into a bilateral contract there is a joint agreement among the two parties that entails the performance of an act. The promise made by one party constitutes sufficient consideration for the promise made by the other party. It is a common contract because we enter into a bilateral contract everything we make a purchase, order or receive any kind of treatment. Bilateral contracts are compared to unilateral contract. Unilateral contract are agreements that deal with a promise that is made by only one person involved in the contract. This agreement is when there is an exchange for the performance or non-performance of an act by the other party. Only one of the contracting parties can be enforced to comply with contract. This type of contract is one-sided because only the offeror is legally bound in complying with the terms of the contract. The offeree can comply or refrain from performing the act, but he or she cannot be sued if they do not comply. If you accept an offer from a unilateral contract it cannot be achieved by making another agreement only by performance or non-performance of some particular act. An offer can be revoked until the act has been performed or there was no act completed and the date has passed. The following contract is called a simple contract. It is in no way a lawfully recorded or legitimately sealed contract, but breeches are still frequently ruled on by a judge. It â€Å"is any oral or written contract that is not required to follow a specific form, or be signed, witnessed, or sealed.† (Rogers, 2012). They are not necessarily formalized contracts and do not entail court proceedings in order to make them binding. They are simply an agreement that is among the parties involved. They are usually compared to formal contracts. Formal contract are â€Å"a written agreement between two parties that are considered to be legally binding and enforced my law† (Laws.com). They must be in writing, signed and seal by all parties entering into the contract. In order for a formal contract to be valid it must contain three elements, which are the offer, the acceptance and a payment for the services provided or goods delivered. This type of contract eliminates any uncertainty regarding its terms and conditions. It contains a preface section which is utilized to clearly define the essentials terms that are utilized within the contract. This helps in eliminating redundancy in the use of common language. It also insures substantive terms of the contract  that are described and referenced in t he contract. Quasi contracts are the last type of contract discussed in the text. Quasi contracts are not a realistic contract. â€Å"They are a remedy that a court may offer to make things fair.† (Rogers, 2012). This type of contract is implied by law. Courts will imply a fictional contract to require one party to return benefits to the other party where unjust enrichment has occurred. Unjust enrichment doctrine deals with the equality of a quasi contract. It states that no party should profit at the expense of the other without making restitution of a reasonable value. When there is no oral or written agreement, courts depend on this doctrine to provide a legal remedy for a quasi contract. A Quasi contract can be compared to an implied contract. There are two types of implied contracts. These types are Implied-in-fact and Implied-by-law. A quasi contract is considered to be an Implied-by-law. It is different from an implied-in-fact because the courts treat the former as an express written contract because of the actions and words that both parties have expressed. Even though neither party has verbally expressed the acceptance of the contract their actions might be viewed differently. A contracted can be valid and enforceable, but can also be found to be unenforceable and can be voided. In order for a contract to be valid and enforceable it must contain the five elements of a contract to be legally binding. These elements are offer, acceptance, consideration, legality and capacity. The first element of a valid contract is the offer. An offer â€Å"is an invitation for another to enter into a contract† (Rogers, 2012). Offers can be verbal or written, but must at all times be clear terms. They can be bilateral or unilateral terms. They are not legally binding. Offers can be voided is any of the individuals involved cannot or do not comply with their promise. Offers can also be voided, repealed or annulled after parties have accepted the offer, unless there is a clause where it states that revocations are not allowed. The following element is acceptance. An acceptance â€Å"is an acquiescence to enter into a contract under the terms of the offer† (Rogers, 2012). Once an offer is made the parties must agree on the terms. All parties must be willing to enter into the agreement. Acceptances can be implied or  expressed. They can be directed to all parties involved or just one person. There are times when the individual making the offer will invite the person accepting the offer by actually performing the acts that the offeror is bargaining for. This occurs when special tribulations of notification, revoking and confidence in the form of limited performance can occur. Consideration is the next element of a valid contract. A consideration is â€Å"anything of legal value that is asked for and received as the price for entering into a contract† (Rogers, 2012). For a contract to be considered to be legally binding it must be supported by a valuable consideration. For instance, a party is required to do something in exchange for the promise that was made in a benefit of value. It is what each individual in the contact provides to the other as the established value for the other’s promise. For the most part, considerations are usually a payment of money, but are not always. At times they can be a promise to do something such as a type of work in return for something. The fourth element is legality. This is â€Å"an agreement may be considered illegal if it would violate a statute; result in commission of a tort; or violate public policy.† (Rogers, 2012). In contract law, legality of purpose is required of every enforceable contract. Agreement of a social nature are presumed not to be legally binding, but with evidence can be rebutted in court. Also, any domestic agreements such as agreements created by a parent and a child are generally unenforceable on the basis of the system of law. The last element is capacity. Capacity is â€Å"the mental competency of an individual and also with special rules for people who are under legal age† (Rogers, 2012). In other words, it deals with the competence of all parties. In order for an individual to enter into a contract they must be capable to do so. All parties entering the contract have to be over the legal age, mentally capable and cannot be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If a contract is made with an individual that is under the age of 18 or 21, depending on the jurisdiction, the contract is voidable, but is legal and enforceable until or unless the individual revokes it. In the  eyes of the law, individuals under the age of 18 or 21 are deemed to be immature and naà ¯ve to enter into a contract. The individual may avoid the legal duty to perform the terms of the agreement without being liable of breach of contract. All parties must also be mentally capable of entering into a contract. If a party does not understand the nature and/or consequences of the contract when it is formed the contract can be voided. An individual that lacks the legal capacity can be declared incompetent in a court and can be appointed a legal guardian. If someone is to enter into a contract with someone who is not mentally capable the contract will be voided and there will not be any legal effects because neither party may be legally compelled to comply with the terms. Lastly, no one entering in to a contract can be intoxicated. All parties must be sober at the time of entering a contract in order for the contract to be deemed enforceable. When someone is under the influence they are not capable of knowing what they are doing and why. They might also not comprehend the terms of the contract which makes it unenforceable. A contact can appear to be legally binding because it may contain all the elements of a contract, but there are defenses to a contract that can also make a contract unenforceable and voidable. There are two types of defense to a contract, which are lack of genuine assent and lack of proper form. Genuine assent or â€Å"meeting on the minds† is a criteria utilized to determine validity of acceptance of an offer for a contract. This occurs when the acceptance of a contract is secured through improper or illegal means such as fraud, mistake, duress and undue influence. The first type of genuine assent that will be discussed is fraud. Fraud is the premeditated falsification of an essential matter of the contract. When there is an existence of fraud in a contractual proceeding it makes the contract unenforceable and can be voided by the party upon whom the deception was perpetrated. According to our text, there are two types of fraud, which are fraud in the execution and fraud in the inducement. Fraud in the execution merely occurs when one of the individuals who entered in to the contract isn’t aware that they are entering in to one. The second fraud is when both parties are aware they are entering into the contract, but one of the  parties is deceived when entering into it. The following type that can make a contract unenforceable and invalid is a mistake. A mistake is also known as a mutual mistake. When there is a mistake this means that both parties made a mistake to something that is vital to the contract. Just because one party can make a mistake doesn’t necessarily mean that the contract is voidable. In order for it to be considered as unenforceable it must have a significant effect on the exchange or bargaining development. The following factor is duress. Duress is when one party forces the other party to sign a contract. The force can be either physical or emotional pressure. When there is use of duress the contract is voidable by the party that was under duress during signing. Duress can be defined by three categories, which are actual or threatened violence to an individual, threats to an individual’s property and/or economic duress. Economic duress is the more difficult to prove because you have to establish the boundaries of acceptance behavior of this kind of pressure. Duress is sometimes compared to undue influence, but there are different. As mentioned above, duress deals with someone being pressured into signing the contract, whereas undue influence is when a party is manipulated in to signing the contract. If one party has put inequitable and inappropriate pressure on the other in the discussions leading to the signing of the contract, common law will allow duress and undue influence to allow for the terms of the contract to be set aside. Common laws are laws â€Å"made by the decisions of judges in individual cases. â€Å" (Rogers, 2012). Undue influence is easy to recognize because it can involve the parties having a fiduciary relationship or one of the members involved depends on another due to their age, illness, infirmity, etc. A fiduciary relationship is a relationship where one individual has a responsibility to act for the other’s benefit. When undue influence occurs the individual who is suppose to be helping the other person out is taking advantage of that person. Lastly, the second type of defense to a contract as listed above is lacks proper form. This is generally when it lacks writing. There are certain types of contracts that are required to be in writing, but at times we aren’t aware. If these types of contracts are not in writing then they  cannot be enforced. It is important to learn about contract laws. They are the foundation of our society. Since we enter into contracts on a daily bases we should be aware of these laws. Contracts can be complicated and having knowledge of the different types and what makes them enforceable or voided can really be helpful. If there were no laws on contract then the agreements we make could become impractical and unworkable. References Lewinsohn, J. L. (1914). Contract Distinguished From Quasi Contract. California Law Review, 2(3), 171. Rogers, S. (2012). Essentials of Business Law. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Smith, C. A. (2012). Contracts. http://www.west.net/~smith/contracts.htm Information regarding elements of a contract and remedies for breach. Undefined. (n.d.). Bilateral Contract. In BusinessDictionary.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/bilateral-contract.html. Undefined. (n.d.). Know the types of Formal Contract. In Laws.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://contract-law.laws.com/types-of-contracts/types-of-formal-contract.