Knowledge management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Knowledge management - Assignment Example Companies which have been able to enjoy the competitive advantage have been as a result of effective implementation of knowledge management within its workforce. Knowledge management has been effective to the companies in increasing their performances since it comes with a number of benefits to the company which makes it more efficient for the companies. Knowledge management encompasses many strategies which are used in identifying, creating, representing and enabling the employees to better understand their roles. This research paper will focus on how DHL international has used knowledge management in improving its services as well as the challenges it met during its implementation. DHL DHL is a logistical and communication company offering services all across the globe. The company provides its customers with easy to use services and products which are of innovative and provide solutions ranging from dialogue marketing to supply of industrial materials in the supply chain. DHL Comp any services include Shipping, Tracking, Export services, Import services, Domestic services as well as providing small business solutions and industry solutions. The company operates in more than 200 countries around the world among them being USA, Germany, England, and Kenya among other countries. In efforts to ensure that the company renders its services effectively to the clients, the company has employed different professionals which have been efficient in putting the company at the competitive advantage every year in. The company has a workforce of over 470, 000 employees worldwide which makes it one of the largest top employing companies in the world. The company also manages over one million customers per hour of those who seeks its operations (DHL, 2012). Since the inception of the company in 1969, the company has been steadily increasing in its performances over the years as a result of its innovations in the workforce. Even with the upswing and global economic turmoil, DH L increased its revenues in the first half of the 2011 which was also witnessed in the second quarter. As a global logistical company, the company has been benefiting through increasing its trade volumes with increasing revenues each year among its divisions. The improved profitability of the Company has been achieved through the companies restructuring measures which were implemented in the previous years. Additionally, the companies consolidated revenues increased by 3.5% on the second half the year 2011 to stand at more than 25, 681 Euros. The company has outreach programs through Corporate Social Responsibility program which ensures it maintains its relationship with the customers who are part of the society as well as introducing new products to them (DHL, 2012). Challenges in Implementing Knowledge Management Implementing knowledge managements has been a challenge to many organizations as a result of many reasons. It demands a lot which organizations are not just willing to of fer immediately though they are willing to enjoy the benefits of its implementation. DHL is one of the companies which have been successful as a result of its implementation though it faced a lot of challenges for it to be finally incorporated in the organization. The challenges which were met by DHL are discussed below. One of the challenges that the organization experienced was developing the culture in the organizati

Review of Cleland Prosthetic Bodies and Virtual Cyborgs Essay

Review of Cleland Prosthetic Bodies and Virtual Cyborgs - Essay Example According to Cleland, the cyborg-like emerging of bodies and technology has become commonplace for a majority of the human activities, such as industrial manufacturing and exploration and that we have, at this point in history, largely embraced human-machine coupling thus enhancing their presence among the populations. Cleland goes further to suggest that a percentage of the world’s population is now composed of cyborgs. These â€Å"cyborgs† come in various types: for instance, people who have GPS chips implanted in their bodies, people with artificial arms and skins as well as those with implanted eye lenses. All of these are examples of practical cyborgs in ordinary human life. Cleland then further expands upon the notion of virtual cyborgs. Virtual cyborgs, or rather, avatars, have become commonplace in the online environment as they provide a critical connection between the virtual world and reality. She states that â€Å"avatars are perceived digital representatio n that behaves or are executed in real time by a human being†.The article succeeds in expounding upon the virtual re-embodiment that becomes possible through avatars in the sense that people can expand their sensory perceptions into virtual environments through the help of avatars. Video games are a perfect example of how this virtual re-embodiment takes place since the player is connected to the virtual environment through the joystick or mouse that can simulate the movement of the avatar in the manner in which the player wants the avatar to behave.

The Boston Tea Party Essay Example for Free

The Boston Tea Party Essay The Boston Tea Party was protested by American colonists. They stood up against Great Britain. In this paper i will closely examine the boston tea party. The hard-fought American Revolution against Britain (1775-1783) was the first modern war of liberation against a colonial power. The thirteen American colonies wanted to be free from rule by Great Britain. The war was resulted with the victory of this thirteen colonies, and Americans reached to the independance. American Revolution is a result of forcing American Colonies to pay more and more taxes by King of England, George III, and this will be the starting point of a new civilization. There were too many acts before the revolution get started. These are Sedicion Act, Alien Act, Quebec Act, Tea Act and Sugar Act. The most important act is Tea Act. The occurrence of the Boston Tea Party on 16 December 1773 was perhaps the most significant event in the period of disagreements between the British Government and American Colonists from 1763 to 1774. It effectively came about when Lord North decided to allow the East India Tea Company to sell tea in America through agents, rather than the traditional public auction system. For financial and political reasons, the Colonists opposed this new development and the crisis exploded at the port of Boston when 90,000 pounds of tea were thrown into the harbour. Whether justified or not, the Colonists felt the British Government were taking away their right to govern themselves. From that point until mid 1772, The Revolution was still unlikely, calmer heads had prevailed despite the undying efforts of Massachusetts native and cousin of John Adams, Samuel Adams. Sam Adams traveled throughout Massachusetts and the Colonies establishing what he called Committees of Correspondence and called for a formal separation from Britain. These Committees were designed to provide a superior communications system between the separate Colonies. Then, beginning in June 1772, a number of events took place which carried all Americans, whether they willed it or not, across the line from malcontent, to revolution, and eventual freedom. One evening in June, near the port of Providence, in Rhode Island the British schooner Gaspee grounded herself and was set upon by a group of Colonists who put ashore English crew and then burn her to the waterline. In the following months Virginia and a number of other colonies establish official Committees of Correspondence in order to keep other colonies appraised of English activities in their respective lands. In May the English passed the Tea Tax, granting a virtual monopoly to the East India Tea Company in order to bail it out of debt and thereby avoid a massive domestic economic tragedy. The tea is not only taxed higher than before, but now the East India Tea Company is able to price gouge without any threat of competition or governmental retribution. All over America, mass meetings are held in regard to what should be done about the tax. Following two meetings in Boston where Royal Governor Hutchinson orders the citizenry to pay the tea tax. On the night following the second meeting, Sam Adams an a number of his followers attacked the tea freighters in Boston harbor. Disguised as Native Americans, they overpowered the crews and threw their loads of tea into Boston harbor. This event was to become known as the Boston Tea Party. In Annapolis, Maryland a similar event occurred resulting in the burning of both ships and cargoes. (â€Å"Prelude to Revolution†The American Pageant) In response to the Boston Tea Party, an enraged parliament passed the Intolerable Acts of 1774. They were designed to punish the whole of Massachusetts, and especially Boston. Worst of all was the Boston Port Act which closed Boston harbor until the lost cargoes were paid for and order was fully restored to the city. Coinciding with the ratification of the Intolerable Acts was the passing of the Quebec Act. The Quebec Act was a skilled move by the English to appease the conquered French in Canada. It allowed them to retain their old customs, the Catholic Religion, and gain large tracts of land extending all the way south to the head of the Ohio River. In French Quebec, it was not expected that people would be able to elect legislative assemblies nor that a jury would be hired for civil cases, the British kept this aspect of the French-Canadian government and was seen by the Quebeckers as just and fair. To the Americans who valued their juries, suffrage, western lands, and often despised Catholicism, it was seen as yet another attack on them and their liberties. It seemed clear in the Colonies that the time for action had arrived. (â€Å"Prelude to Revolution† The American Pageant â€Å"The Revolutionary War†) On March 5, 1770, a mob of Bostonians harassed Red Coat guards outside a customs house and when the harassment became unbearable, a soldier opened fire and the others followed suit. This event, the Boston Massacre, inspired one of the most effective pieces of patriotic propaganda that were becoming popular in newspapers. Paul Revere created an engraving depicting that night showing how brutal the Red Coats were, although it was the colonists who instigated it. These propagandas were important because they influenced the common beliefs of what would define patriotic Americans. The Bostonians were against the new Tea Act, which put a heavy tax on tea. One night, a group called the Sons of Liberty led by such patriots as Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and John Adams, dressed up like Indians a dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This famous night called the Boston Tea Party infuriated the British government who demanded that Massachusetts pay for the lost tea. When Massachusetts refused, Britain punished Boston with the Intolerable Acts. The ports of Boston were shut from any ships coming or going. The town meetings were forbidden. Boston was put under martial law and any soldier who misbehaved was to be sent to England to be tried because Britain thought they would not get fair trial in America. The Americans perceived this as the Englishmen getting away with their wrong doings because they were unlikely to be convicted in London. The Americans began to call George III a tyrant. The Sons of Liberty were the first to talk about separation and were the biggest threat to British sovereignty. They began to lose a respected connection with England and would rather govern themselves like Mather Byles who would prefer to be ruled by his own countrymen (black, j 1994). Within a month after Boston was shut down, Virginia contacted the other colonies to meet in Philadelphia. Five people were killed by British soldiers, and Britain’s harsh military tactics also angered the colonists, because even those who were not involved in revolutionary tactics were accused of rebelling against the British. The Boston Massacre exemplifies how British military measures backfired and allowed the colonists to gain a sense of unity in working towards a common goal of independence. Therefore, militarization was also a factor which led colonists to the outbreak of war with Britain, and help towards the dispute between the Britain and its American colonies. The boston tea party led to the so first Continental Congress. Fifty-six delegates assembled at Philadelphia and talked about the issue with Boston. The colonies gathered supplies to be sent and help relieve the citizens of Boston (Black, J 1994). This was a sign of unity and concern for their fellow colonies. During the Continental Congress, the delegates wrote another Declaration of Right and Grievances asking that all laws passed by Parliament after 1763 be repealed. George III wouldn’t even receive the document though. They also began to prepare their military by organizing their militias, gathering weapons and training men. They also established the Continental Association which would not trade with Britain. The American were uniting against there new common foe and becoming Americans (David, D 1990). In the events that led up to the revolution, a sense of unity was definitely acquired, but an American identity was not as prevalent. Although there was a strong opposition to the British government, it did not represent the entire population of the American colonies. Colonists felt the British were trying to take the power away from their colonial assemblies to govern them. They were also angry because they believed they should not be taxed simply to raise revenue for Britain. Therefore, in conclusion, I think that rhetoric of liberty and representation were the predominant issues in the dispute between Britain and American colonies, between 1763 to 1776. Who was to blaim for the boston tea party and the ensuing masacre is up for debate. However, other factors also had an important part, but all of the other factors which have been looked at above, always angered the American colonies because they felt these factors took away the colonists liberty, and felt that it wasn’t fair for Britain to have such control over them if the colonies had no representation. Works cited 1 Black,Jeremy. War For America. New York:St. Martin’s Press,1994 2 Davis,David Brion. Rvolutions. London:Harvard Universtiy Press,1990 3 The American Pageant. Prelude to Revolution 4 From Revolution to Reconstruction. Common Sense Index I. (odur. let. rug. nl/~usa/D/1776-1800/paine/CM/sense01. htm)

Reinforcement and Punishment in Our Daily Life Essay Example for Free

Reinforcement and Punishment in Our Daily Life Essay Reinforcement is a term in operant conditioning and behaviour analysis for the delivery of a stimulus, (immediately or shortly) after a response, that results in an increase in the future rate or probability of that response. The response strength is assessed by measuring frequency, duration, latency, accuracy, and/or persistence of the response after reinforcement stops. Experimental behaviour analysts measured the rate of behaviours as a primary demonstration of learning and performance with non-humans. For example, rate is measured as the number of times a pigeon pecks a key in a 10 minute session. Reinforcement is the stimulus, event, or situation whose presentation is dependent upon a response. B. F. Skinner, the researcher who articulated the major theoretical constructs of reinforcement and behaviourism, defined reinforcement according to the change in response strength rather than to more subjective criteria, such as what is pleasurable or valuable to someone. Accordingly, activities, foods or items considered pleasant or enjoyable may not necessarily be reinforcing (because they produce no increase in the response preceding them). Stimuli, settings, and activities only fit the definition of reinforcement if the behaviour that immediately precedes the potential reinforcement increases in similar situations in the future. For example child who receives a cookie when he or she asks for one. If the frequency of cookie-requesting behaviour increases, the cookie can be seen as reinforcing cookie-requesting behaviour. If however, cookie-requesting behaviour does not increase, the cookie cannot be considered reinforcing. Reinforcement theory is one of the motivation theories; it states that reinforced behaviour will be repeated, and behaviour that is not reinforced is less likely to be repeated. The sole criterion that determines if an item, activity, or food is reinforcing is the change in probability of behaviour after administration of that potential reinforcement. Other theories may focus on additional factors such as whether the person expected the strategy to work at some point, but in the behavioural theory, reinforcement is descriptive of an increased probability of a response. Primary reinforcement A primary reinforcement, sometimes called an unconditioned reinforcement, is a stimulus that does not require pairing to function as reinforcement and most likely has obtained this function through the evolution and its role in species survival. Examples of primary reinforcement include sleep, food, air, water, and sex. Other primary reinforcement, such as certain drugs, may mimic the effects of other primary reinforcement. While this primary reinforcement is fairly stable through life and across individuals, the reinforcing value of different primary reinforcement varies due to multiple factors (e. . , genetics, experience). Thus, one person may prefer one type of food while another abhors it. Or one person may eat lots of food while another eats very little. So even though food is a primary reinforcement for both individuals, the value of food as reinforcement differs between them. Secondary reinforcement A secondary reinforcement, sometimes called a conditioned reinforcement, is a stimulus or situation that has acquired its function as reinforcement after pairing with a stimulus that functions as reinforcement. This stimulus may be a primary reinforcement or another conditioned reinforcement (such as money). An example of a secondary reinforcement would be the sound from a clicker, as used in clicker training. The sound of the clicker has been associated with praise or treats, and subsequently, the sound of the clicker may function as reinforcement. As with primary reinforces, an organism can experience satiation and deprivation with secondary reinforces. 3. 1 Increase of desire Positive reinforcement A positive reinforcement may be used as part of a behaviour intervention plan (BIP). Unlike negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement are strategies used to help increase targeted behaviours in students who are experiencing academic or behavioural problems at home and school. How is Positive Reinforcement Used? Positive reinforcement helps students learn behaviours necessary to be successful academically and socially. For example, a students behaviour goal may be to increase the amount of time he stays on-task in class. Positive reinforcement would be used as a reward for improving over a period of time. Positive reinforcement includes any actions, consequences, or rewards that are provided to a student and cause an increase in desired behaviour. They may include rewards and privileges that students like and enjoy. For example, a student may earn physical rewards such as school supplies, healthy snacks, or choice of free-time activities. When choosing a positive reinforcement, it is important for the IEP team to know the child well. If possible, it can be helpful to allow the child to help choose the type of positive reinforcement he would like to earn. Examples: Positive reinforcement increase a students targeted behaviours. Positive reinforcement is similar to rewards, but they are also intended to increase behaviours over time. They are not just a one-time reward for good behaviour. 3. 2 Drawbacks of Positive Reinforcement Positive reinforcement may seem to be an ideal technique to increase certain positive behaviours. Managers may be able to motivated employees using positive reinforcement techniques. However, there can be some drawbacks. First, the use of positive reinforcement techniques may result in people becoming more extrinsically motivated. Extrinsic motivation may undermine creativity. In Amabiles (1985) experiment, people were asked to write two poems. Before writing the second poem, some people were given a questionnaire in which they were asked to rank the importance of some reasons for writing. In one condition, these reflected extrinsic motivation. In another condition, they reflected intrinsic motivation. In the control condition, people did not receive a questionnaire with reasons for writing. The poems in the extrinsic-orientation condition were judged to be less creative, on the average, than the poems in the control condition. Second, the ideal employee may be one who is intrinsically motivated and does not require constant supervision. Intrinsically motivated employees may be less likely to be late. They also may be more likely to excel at their jobs. Thus, positive reinforcement techniques may not lead to ideal employees in a company. 3. 3 Effect of Positive reinforcement for children Positive Reinforcement Can Improve Your Childs Behaviour: Using positive reinforcement is an easy way to nix behaviour problems. You can use positive reinforcement can help you encourage your child to do everyday tasks you need her to perform. Turning off an annoying song when a child asks their parent is an example of negative reinforcement (if this results in an increase in asking behaviour of the child in the future). Another example is if a mouse presses a button to avoid shock. Do not confuse this concept with punishment. There are two variations of negative reinforcement: oAvoidance conditioning occurs when behaviour prevents an aversive stimulus from starting or being applied. oEscape conditioning occurs when behaviour removes an aversive stimulus that has already started. A lot of students are confused about negative reinforcement. Whats the difference between that and punishment? Perhaps some examples of negative reinforcement would be helpful (remember, its reinforcement so the behavior increases, and because its negative, the reinforcement is removed after the response). Negative Reinforcement strengthens behaviour because a negative condition is stopped or avoided as a consequence of the behaviour. Punishment, on the other hand, weakens behaviour because a negative condition is introduced or experienced as a consequence of the behaviour. Here are two examples of Negative Reinforcement: 1. A rat is placed in a cage and immediately receives a mild electrical shock on its feet. The shock is a negative condition for the rat. The rat presses a bar and the shock stops. The rat receives another shock, presses the bar again, and again the shock stops. The rats behaviour of pressing the bar is strengthened by the consequence of the stopping of the shock. 2. Driving in heavy traffic is a negative condition for most of us. You leave home earlier than usual one morning, and dont run into heavy traffic. You leave home earlier again the next morning and again you avoid heavy traffic.

Drug Abuse Essays -- Papers Drugs Narcotics Legal Essays Papers

Drug Abuse The term drug abuse most often refers to the use of a drug with such frequency that it causes physical or mental harm to the user or impairs social functioning. Although the term seems to imply that users abuse the drugs they take, in fact, it is themselves or others they abuse by using drugs. Traditionally, the term drug abuse referred to the use of any drug prohibited by law, regardless of whether it was actually harmful or not. This meant that any use of marijuana, for example, even if it occurred only once in a while, would constitute abuse, while the same level of alcohol consumption would not. In 1973 the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse declared that this definition was illogical. The term abuse, the commission stated, "has no functional utility and has become no more than an arbitrary code word for that drug presently considered wrong." As a result, this definition fell into disuse. The term drug is commonly associated with substances that may be purchased legally by prescription for medical use, such as penicillin, which is almost never abused, and Valium, which is frequently abused, or illegal substances, such as angel dust, which are taken for the purpose of getting high, or intoxicated, but actually have no medical use. Other substances that may be purchased legally and are commonly abused include alcohol (see alcoholism) and nicotine, contained in tobacco cigarettes. In addition, in recent years, chemists working in illegal, clandestine laboratories have developed new chemicals that ha... ... policy and full legalization would be most effective. Needle exchange programs have cut down on drug-related AIDS transmission in Liverpool, England. The Dutch policy of de facto decriminalization for marijuana and hashish has not resulted in a rise in use or abuse. Perhaps the guiding policy on drug use ought to be on harm reduction rather than waging a war on drug abuse. Some aspects of this policy should include a flexible or selective enforcement, vastly expanding drug treatment programs, needle exchange programs, a distinction between "hard" (cocaine and heroin) and "soft" drugs (marijuana), expanding antidrug educational efforts, and focusing on reducing the use and abuse of tobacco and alcohol. The first priority should be to make sure that the users and abusers harm themselves and others as little as possible.

Going the Speedlimit Essay -- Speeding Driving Tickets Essays

Going the Speedlimit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many approaches that we humans use to weasel out of a speeding ticket. This is not an easy task, but it has been mastered by a select few. The very reasonable way of just not speeding is used quite often. The method of lying is frequently used. This is sometimes effective and usually safe. The flirtatious approach (which usually is used only by females) is tried numerous times on male officers. Finally, there is the method of "outrunning the cops". This method quite often ends in arrest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not speeding is probably the best bet of not getting a ticket. If you aren't speeding then you have removed yourself from the situation of ever getting a ticket. Although this is the most intelligent and safe way to avoid tickets, it is also the least enjoya...

ObamaCare is Driving a Wedge Between the Socio-Economic Classes Essay

The Affordable Care Act is amplifying the difference between socio-economic classes because the ACA encourages employers to cut employee hours. The mainstream of college students hold jobs while studying so that they can pay rent and phone bills, and occasionally go to the movies or out to dinner. We get the money for these bills and happenings through bi-weekly paychecks. We work hard, usually for forty to fifty hours a week, and are compensated near minimum wage. Although miniscule, it is still enough to cover the daily expenses in our lives and to have a bit left over for extraneous items, however if hours are lost then this will not be the case for us students. Big businesses for example, are often the ones who disburse paychecks to people attending college. They offer entry-level jobs that are easy to come by, are constantly expanding, and have a high turnover rate. Large corporations, such as Regal Entertainment Group, Five Guys Burgers, and Petco, are cutting employee’s hours down to less than thirty a week. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) supports employers to provide health insurance to employees working full-time (thirty-plus hours weekly). By cutting the  hours, people are no longer are entitled to health insurance provided by the employer. The lower class of the U.S. economy consists of a demographic of people whose hours are being cut. A continuing decline of hours will only result in more financial burdens on the employees. Losing eleven hours could mean an individual who manages paying for groceries as well as car insurance with the same paycheck may have to start choosing between the two when receiving future checks. In addition to cutting hours, many employers are limiting hiring to avoid spending more money on health coverage. Robert Samuelson supports the idea that the ACA’s costs and complexities are going to deter some companies from hiring, and that it would be divisive to the socio-economic classes. In â€Å"Both Sides May Lose the battle over Obamacare† from October 25’s Register-Guard, Samuelson states that as a result of employers not being able to afford health care for all employ ees, hours must be cut. A business only has reduce hours to under thirty a week in order to avoid paying health care. Once this cut is made, a previously full-time employee is taking home 100-200 dollars less each paycheck. This unfortunate trend will continue and even increase: 15% of larger employers and 20% of small businesses plan to reduce employees’ hours or benefits according to a recent survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Small businesses play an important role in the U.S. economy and are a strong driver of job growth and innovation. But small business are severely disadvantaged by the current U.S. health care system relative their larger counterparts. A new report by the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) examines the challenges faced by smaller firms under the current health care system, and the likely impacts of health care reform on small business and the workers they employ. This implicit tax disadvantages small firms in both the market for the best workers and the market for their products. For example, both Trader Joe’s and Home Depot have stopped providing health care to part-time employees, and Forever 21 plans to cut hours and reclassify some employees as part-time. In fact, businesses all over the country, compelled by the financial strain introduced by the ACA, are making similar decisions. Once the ACA goes into effect, even more businesses will be forced by the financial reality o f the Act to reduce employee hours. As the wage earning potential of part-time employees falls, we can expect more extreme changes to the economy. Among these changes, businesses are now expecting employees to find and fund their own health care. This is nearly impossible when many workers are already living below the poverty line. Irrespective of how small the premiums will be, it will still over-burden many employees. There will be times ahead when many Americans are going to have to choose between paying for their health insurance and paying a monthly bill; disturbing when you consider the children and people with disabilities. Even after these employment cuts, the White House claims that the number of part-time employees that are looking for full-time work remained the same during the month of September at 7.9 million employees. Jason Furman, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advises said, â€Å"We are not seeing any effect in the data.† With this data being manipulated, it would appear that all of the employees that have been reassigned as part-time workers are okay with it. This is not the case; busin esses have until 2015 to cut hours and avoid paying for employee healthcare. The number of part-time workers looking for full-time work will steadily increase over the next twenty-four months; the statistics need to be revisited when people are more aware of cuts that businesses are enforcing. People who fall below the poverty line will pay less for health care compared to those who are in the middle class. Based on individual/family income, people may be eligible for tax credit subsidies through state-ran exchanges. Based on household income, people are placed in different subsidy brackets. Even with the tax credits, people have no choice but to take home less money and to pay out of pocket for health insurance that they previously did not want. Many businesses have claimed they are not cutting hours, but instead are holding off on hiring because of costs caused by the ACA mandates. Employers who postpone hiring are still damaging to the economy. In fact, postponing hiring can do just as much damage, if not more to the economy than cutting hours. People would much rather have fewer hours at a job, than no job at all. In turn, this also increases the unemployment rate, thus driving the wedge between social classes even deeper. Any employer that cuts hours to avoid paying h ealth insurance will create a bigger difference between the socio-economic classes. By taking away hours that an employee is able to work at a business, the employee has no choice but to take home less money in their paychecks. Earning less money reflects  directly on their socio-economic class, setting them farther apart from the wealthier individuals on the scale. Without resolution, cuts in full-time employment will increase the gap between socio-economic classes. It is making the poor even poorer, and separating the less wealthy from the rich even more then they already are. The economy is going to fall into a slump, people will not be able to pay car payments, nor provide adequate food for their families. What is going to happen to our country, the country that is based on the forty-hour workweek, if corporate business does not cease their greedy actions? Our only option is to wait and see what happens. Works Cited Conover, Chris. â€Å"Who Can Deny It? Obamacare Is Accelerating U.S. Towards A Part-Time Nation.† Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 31 July 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. â€Å"economic effects of health care on small business.† executive office of the president council of economic adviers (2009): 18. â€Å"health reform .† summary of the affordable care act (2013): 13. McVeigh, Karen. â€Å"US Employers Slashing Worker Hours to Avoid Obamacare Insurance Mandate.† The Guardian. The Guardian, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. Myers, Lisa, and Hannah Rappleye. â€Å"Obama Admin. Knew Millions Could Not Keep Their Health Insurance.† NBC News. NBC, 28 Oct 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. Nicks, Denver. â€Å"Trader Joe’s Explains Why It’s Cutting Health Benefits For Part Timers.† Swampland.Time.com. Time Magazine, 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

Primary Healthcare Services Rural Seniors Health And Social Care Essay

One of the most dramatic demographic tendencies in the universe today is the ripening of the population: an addition in the proportion of senior citizens relative to the young person and working age population. The grounds for this tendency are frequently complex. Some of the grounds could be the enormous impact of the babe boomer coevals, additions in life anticipation, alterations in birthrate forms and for many geographical locations, emigration of the younger members of society. This population alteration is apparent in rural Canada where there is a higher ratio of seniors to youth. With this alteration in composing of the rural population, the demands for services are increasing ; in peculiar, primary wellness attention services are particularly of import for senior citizens in rural countries. This includes more focal point on bar and intervention of common diseases and hurts, basic exigency services and wellness publicity. In this essay, I will be analysing Canada ‘s agi ng population, primary wellness attention services, enterprises taken by LHIN ‘s in Ontario to undertake the issue and besides European schemes. Canada ‘s Aging Population Canada faces important ripening of its population as the proportion of seniors increases more quickly than all other age groups. Seniors can be defined as those above the age of 65. In 2001, one in eight Canadians were aged 65 old ages or over. By 2026, one Canadian in five will hold reached age 65 ( Natural Resources Canada, 2009 ) . The challenges of an aging Canadian society will necessitate: continued attempts to better wellness, wellbeing and independency in ulterior life ; ease the engagement of older Canadians in economic and societal life ; strengthen the supportive environments within communities ; and, prolong authorities plans profiting Canadians of all ages ( Natural Resources Canada, 2009 ) . Canada ‘s seniors are a diverse population. Issues related to their overall wellness and wellbeing may change depending on their topographic point of abode ( urban, rural, or northern countries ) , their gender, and their ethno-cultural background every bit good as if they are among Canada ‘s Aboriginal people. Primary Health Care Services Primary wellness attention refers to an attack to wellness and a spectrum of services beyond the traditional wellness attention system. It includes all services that play a portion in wellness, such as income, lodging, instruction, and environment. Primary attention is the component within primary wellness attention that focuses on wellness attention services, including wellness publicity, unwellness and hurt bar, and the diagnosing and intervention of unwellness and hurt ( Health Canada, 2006 ) . Primary Health Care is besides relevant to secondary and third attention. The Primary Health Care attack focuses on advancing wellness and forestalling unwellness. The Primary Health Care attack means being attentive to and turn toing the many factors in the societal, economic and physical environments that affect heath – from diet, income and schooling, to relationships, lodging, workplaces, civilization and environmental quality ( Health Canada, 2006 ) . In add-on, the Primary Heal th Care attack topographic points citizens and patients on the same degree with wellness professionals when it comes to doing determinations about wellness issues that concern them. The five rules normally associated with the Primary Health Care attack are handiness, public engagement, wellness publicity, appropriate engineering and inter-sectoral cooperation ( Health Canada, 2006 ) . Accessibility refers to a go oning and organized supply of indispensable wellness services available to all people with no unreasonable geographic or fiscal barriers. Public engagement means persons and communities have the right and duty to be active spouses in doing determinations about their wellness attention and the wellness of their communities. Health Promotion is the procedure of enabling people to increase control over and to better their wellness. Appropriate engineering includes methods of attention, service bringing, processs and equipment that are socially acceptable and low-cost. Inter se ctoral cooperation is the committedness from all sectors ( authorities, community and wellness ) is indispensable for meaningful action on wellness determiners ( Canadian Nurses Association, 2005 ) . Health Care in Rural Canada The challenge of supplying good quality wellness attention close to place in a state as huge and sparsely populated as Canada is non new. In malice of major scientific promotions and a wellness attention system that is rated amongst the top in the universe, the challenge remains. A figure of factors play a function in the handiness of, and entree to, good quality attention for rural occupants. Distribution of Doctors The uneven rural-urban distribution of doctors has been at the Centre of treatment for a figure of old ages. Less than 10 % of all doctors are known to be practising in rural Canada where about 20 % of the Canadian population resides ( Government of Canada, 2002 ) . When the information is broken down between household doctors general practicians and specializers, it is clear that specializers are even more under-represented in rural parts. Rural parts encounter troubles in recruiting and retaining doctors. Many factors play a function in a doctor ‘s determination to come in rural pattern, including both personal and professional dimensions. Physicians most interested in working in rural countries frequently come from rural backgrounds and are committed to working in this environment. Physicians ‘ determinations to go forth rural pattern are normally influenced by non-monetary factors, such as a deficit of professional back-up, long hours of work, limited chances for farther medical preparation, deficient occupation chances for spouses, and concerns over kids ‘s educational chances ( Government of Canada, 2002 ) . Levels of satisfaction with rural work appear to lift with propinquity to big urban centres. Several inducements are being implemented to promote and retain doctors in rural parts by most states and new schemes are ever being discussed. Another suggestion for covering with the deficit of rural doctors is to do rural wellness a more of import portion of the course of study in medical schools across Canada. The Canadian Medical Association has put forth recommendations that the instruction of doctors for rural pattern deserves particular attending to guarantee adequateness and rightness of larning experiences to run into the alone demands of rural Canada. Medical specializers are besides under-represented in rural countries with, harmonizing to the Canadian Medical Association, merely 5 % of the entire figure of Canadian specializers practising in rural countries. In Ontario, merely 4 % of specializers pattern in rural communities ( Government of Canada, 2002 ) . This state of affairs is expected to go worse in the following 20 old ages, when two-thirds of retiring doctors will be specializers and one-third household physicians/general practicians. This deficit of specializers will doubtless hold an impact on the rural community. It is of import to observe that there are grounds that one can reason with to apologize the uneven distribution of doctors. With Canada ‘s rural population being sparsely distributed in little Numberss, it is non executable to hold many doctors in rural and distant countries where the population is merely a few hundred. Having doctors for such a little figure of people is non economically executable and can take away from other countries that have a greater population. Sing the fact that many to a great extent populated countries are already missing doctors, increasing the figure of doctors for smaller populations may non be the best determination. Distribution of other Health Care Professionals The distribution of doctors is one of the biggest jobs in rural Canada and it is besides the most widely discussed ; nevertheless, it is of import to observe that the handiness of and entree to, other wellness attention professionals is besides of concern. The Canadian Medical Association has found that there is a deficiency of psychiatric nurses, physical healers, occupational healers, address diagnosticians and linguistic communication diagnosticians in rural countries ( Romanow, 2002 ) . Attempts are being made to counterbalance for this job by implementing household wellness squads. A Family Health Team is an attack to primary wellness attention that brings together different wellness attention suppliers to give the best possible quality of attention for the patient. Family Health Teams consist of physicians, nurses, nurse practicians and other wellness attention professionals who work together and convey their ain alone experiences and accomplishments so that the patient receives the really best attention when it is needed ( Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, 2009 ) . This attack is designed to convey wellness attention as stopping point to place as possible for people populating in rural and distant countries every bit good as urban countries. This attack is besides meant to give physicians support from other wellness attention professionals so doctors and general practicians do non hold to bear the load of covering with patients entirely. Distribution of Health Care installations There is an uneven distribution of infirmary services and wellness attention installations and this reflects the uneven distribution of medical professionals every bit good. The sum of clip and distance it takes for people populating in rural countries to acquire to wellness attention installations is a major job. Traveling for a long clip for a long distance requires clip and money and besides adds to the uncomfortableness of the individual that is badly. There are no infirmaries in many little rural communities. The nearby urban centres may hold infirmaries with basic medical installations. However, patients need to be taken to big urban centres when specialized intervention is needed. For illustration, in Ontario, larger rural communities have infirmaries that provide indispensable services such as 24-hour exigency attention, OBs, anaesthesia, and general surgery. Smaller infirmaries may besides supply these installations ; nevertheless, these medical installations can be dependen t on specializers who may necessitate to be brought in from different infirmaries located in urban centres ( Romanow, 2002 ) . Rural countries have a limited figure of infirmaries which provide a limited figure of services, unlike their urban opposite numbers. When infirmaries do non supply certain services, which can be an issue for people populating in those countries, who already have such limited picks on their wellness attention. For illustration, if the lone infirmary available in a distant country is operated by spiritual leaders and followings, so installations such as abortion can non be available to the people. Although the option of abortion is available in several urban countries, many rural countries do non hold the option and if person is seeking abortion, so they would hold to go long distances to entree such a installation. It is of import to observe that similar to doctors, it may non be economically executable to hold a infirmary for every distant country where the population is much smaller than many of the urban countries. Hence, alternate options such as household wellness squads can be a good option for many of the rural countries. Rural Seniors Large populations of seniors in Canada live in rural countries. Approximately, one tierce of Canada ‘s seniors live in rural countries and little towns ( Minister of Public Works and Services Canada, 2002 ) . Seniors are besides the largest consumers of wellness attention. A figure of wellness jobs are peculiarly prevailing among aged Canadians, including depression, dementedness ( including Alzheimer ‘s Disease ) , osteoporosis, malnutrition, and loss of bodily maps ( sight, hearing, mobility, continency ) . All of these may necessitate specialised medical attention and support services. Traveling long distances to make needed services is peculiarly disputing for seniors with mobility jobs. The bulk of seniors in Canada live independently and it has repeatedly been proven through surveies that independency is a critical influence in seniors ‘ lodging picks. The capacity to populate independently, nevertheless, depends upon a figure of factors, including wellness, fiscal position, and the handiness of support services, which include professional services, such as medical or personal attention ( Minister of Public Works and Services Canada, 2002 ) . Over the old ages, a figure of support services have been developed to assist seniors. These services include repasts for seniors, particular transit, homecare, sing housewifes, societal and recreational plans, and reding and information. Although these services are effectual, they are for the big portion available merely in urban countries. In rural and distant countries there are jobs with entree to primary wellness attention. The deficiency of after hr ‘s services can take to the usage of exigency suites in the infirmary for instances that are non so terrible such as minor hurts or unwellness. Besides, if primary attention suppliers such as household physicians are non available at all, so patients have no pick but to travel to exigency suites in infirmaries for minor hurts and unwellnesss ( Minister of Public Works and Services Canada, 2002 ) . These patients who lack the primary attention supplier and therefore hold to see infirmaries are known as orphan patients. A bulk of the orphan patients are seniors. Besides, due to miss of appropriate attention, many of the patients that need specialized attention have to wait in infirmary beds, and occupy a bed, until they can be transported to other medical installations that offer such attention. The patients that occupy hospital beds in such manner are known as pati ents who need Alternative degree of Care ( ALC ) ( Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, 2009 ) . It is of import to cover with the deficiency of primary wellness services in rural countries in efficient ways because seniors are more concentrated in rural parts and seniors are the largest consumers of wellness attention. An effectual manner to undertake this would be to use household wellness squads as you can hold a assortment of professionals working together and this can be good to patients every bit good as the medical professionals. Another effectual manner to turn to this issue, particularly the issue of ALC, is to utilize telemedicine. Ontario has one of the largest telemedicine webs in the universe and it is known as the Ontario Telemedicine Network. Telemedicine is the bringing of health-related services and information utilizing telecommunications engineerings. Through videoconferencing, digital instruments like stethoscopes and patient scrutiny cameras, telemedicine can present wellness attention straight to the places of the patients alternatively of patients holding to go ( Ontario Telemedicine Network, 2010 ) . This is particularly effectual in rural countries as the distance required to go can take a batch of clip and money. Cuting down on the traveling can besides be really good to seniors as they would salvage clip, money and they would non hold to go while ill. Telemedicine can assist with Alternative degree of Care patients as the patients now would non hold to go to urban centres and travel to specializers as the specializers can now come to them via videoconferencing. North East LHIN Enterprises The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care ( MOHLTC ) has started the Aging at Home Strategy with an purpose to reenforce the ability of community support services to let seniors to populate healthy, independent lives in their ain places. The enterprise is being led by the Local Health Integration Networks ( LHINs ) , with each LHIN having a specific support allotment to run into the demands of their local communities. Programs being funded include: enhanced place attention and community support services such as repasts, transit, shopping, snow shoveling and attention giving supports ( Northeast LHIN, 2010 ) . The North East LHIN ‘s enterprise can be peculiarly helpful with primary wellness attention. Their inaugural includes heightening the scope of place attention services for seniors to avoid unneeded ER admittances and support seasonably discharge from ER and infirmary. The North East LHIN besides looks to make intensive community based instance direction, in-home primary attention, enhanced community supports and enhanced mental wellness services ( Northeast LHIN, 2010 ) . European Primary Health Services Initiatives States in Europe besides experience similar issues in primary wellness attention services as Canada does. Looking at the enterprises taken by European states and comparing it to initiatives taken in Canada can be an effectual manner to compare and contrast the different wellness systems and besides to look for farther betterments in the Canadian wellness attention system. In Greece, the authorities has put forth the thought of community centres for the business and protection of older people. There are many of these centres, called KAPI, throughout the state. These centres combine the socialising facet with primary wellness attention installations every bit good as other societal services ( Oxford Institute of Aging, 2003 ) . These centres have societal nines and activities every bit good as primary wellness attention suppliers including doctors and physical therapists. Baseball clubs such as these can besides possibly be effectual in Canada. The nines do non needfully hold to be extras like those in Greece, but utilizing a similar thought can be helpful in footings of primary wellness attention services for seniors. Decision With the uninterrupted rise of the aging population in Canada, the demand for primary wellness attention services are increasing. This includes more focal point on bar and intervention of common diseases and hurts, basic exigency services and wellness publicity. It is of import to implement primary wellness attention services in rural Canada as the bulk of Canada ‘s seniors live in rural countries and besides because seniors are the biggest consumers of wellness attention. Current enterprises such as household wellness squads, telemedicine and the Aging at Home Strategy are taking good paces in footings of presenting primary wellness attention services. A combination of such plans along with larning from several plan applied around the universe can take to better primary wellness attention services for seniors, every bit good as the population as a whole.

Andre’s Mother

1. Discuss the many symbols in the play and what they represent. Andre loved to play the role of Hamlet, a character in Shakespeare’s play. This symbolizes Andre’s character. In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet struggled in deciding whether or not to avenge his father’s death. This situation was similar to Andre’s. Andre, as a homosexual, had personal struggles regarding gender issues. Specifically, he struggled in terms of whether or not to tell his mother about his conditions. Cal provides a direct symbolism of the balloons he brought to the scene. The balloons represent the souls of departed loved ones. As the balloons rose in to the sky, the souls of the departed loved ones were slowly unbound from their earthly ties. Arthur, Cal’s father, called Andre â€Å"Mensch† which means a person of integrity and honor (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2008). Andre may have AIDS or be homosexual, but still he is a good man. In Yiddish, it also means â€Å"nice guy. † This symbolizes that Arthur has accepted Andre’s condition. He sees Andre as a family. 2. Who is to `blame` at the end of the play? Andre’s mother has to be blamed for her son’s agony. Andre died in grief and pain, knowing that her mother would never accept his condition. Being homosexual and having AIDS, Andre suffered the tremendous disapproval of the society. The only person left for Andre to ask for help is his mother. In the play, McNally, Andre’s mother, seems to be a person of few words. In Cal’s monologue, he described Andre’s mother as someone like Lulu’s mother, anonymous in her remoteness. Her remoteness severed her relationship with Andre. Her silence messed Andre’s thoughts. Andre died in fear of her mother’s disapproval, and death was the only way for him to be accepted. 3. What are McNally’s themes about friendship, unconditional love, and respect? McNally provided a concrete description of love through Cal and Andre’s relationship. McNally’s theme of friendship, unconditional love and respect, was shown through Cal’s attitude towards Andre. In the play, Andre had AIDS and was homosexual, a condition which was not easy for Cal to accept, but he still did. It surpassed the love a mother could give her son. It is hard for Andre to gain any respect from anyone, but Cal respected him unconditionally. As the play reached its end, the monologue given by Cal proved that he was not just a friend but family to Andre. He was enraged by the silence of Andre’s mother. This emotion heightened the theme of unconditional love.

A Strategic Report on Emirates Airlines Essay

It is important to study of any business, particularly in a global environment of rapidly changing contexts. In this regard, there are several core strategies that management need to consider and monitor in reviewing the ongoing performance of their business. In order to respond to change effectively, management must regularly assess its efficiency in several different areas of the performance of within company life. Management strategists need to identify their competitive advantages, properly position themselves and clearly identify their competitiveness in the marketplace. Therefore, management must constantly analyse and respecify their business objectives as well as setting new strategic goals to keep up their operations in a dynamic environment. Airlines Industry We live in a global world that is more interconnected than at any time in history. In combination with enormous changes to the communications industry and the rapid spread of information via the Internet, the world constantly experiences 24 hour a day movement of data, goods, services, and people traveling every corner of the world in less than one day. As quoted by Oxford Economics, â€Å"every day in the skies above us; our globalized world has long been woven together by a web of flights, creating ever-expanding social and economic networks across the planet†. (Aviation: The Real World Wide Web 2008, p. 7). In 2011, for example, airlines transported 2. 8 billion passengers and 47. 6 million metric tons of air cargo and actively connected the world’s cities with 36,000 routes. (The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013, p. 7). In addition to the transport of goods, business travel has also grown as companies become increasingly internationally focused. As a result, airline industry is a strategic sector having a crucial role in other industries globalization. According to The airline industry, the outlook for the air travel industry is one of strong growth, but it will not be without challenge. Those airlines that would be able to deal with their cost and enhance their product would be successful. An example of the market threats for airlines was seen in 2009, when airline businesses faced global economic downfall and overall industry-wide losses of $9. 4 billion caused by high oil prices, long global recessions, falling demands, fierce price-cutting, collapsing yields revenue per mile and low consumer confidence. A result, the demand for air travel decreased, and the market contracted resulting in global bankruptcies and necessary shrinkage in networks and service levels. Although Emirate Airlines faced the same challenges as other airlines, it performed remarkably well against prevailing industry norms despite the worldwide increasing contraction (Nataraja & Al-Aali 2011, p471). This case study will further explore the strategies competitive advantages used by Emirates management team to perform in such a competitive market. Emirates Airlines Samthomasuae ‘s weblog post (2011) covers that Emirates Airlines, known as Emirates, is part of the Emirates Group which has become a reputation for aviation, travel and tourism. The group is owned by the Dubai Government. Emirates is connected to all continents in the world with one hundred and twenty destinations over six continents. Therefore, with more than 50 business units and associated firms, Emirates is one of the largest employers in the Middle East. Emirates is the seventh largest in the world based on the number of carried international passengers, and fourth largest in the world in terms of scheduled international passenger kilometre flown. Within the first 11 years of operation, it has doubled its size every 3. years (Nataraja & Al-Aali 2011, p485). History Emirates started its business in 1985 with two aircrafts, a Boeing 737 and an Airbus 300 B4, with start-up capital of $10 million. Emirates made history by generating of profit within nine months of operations, and It went on the further develop its international routes by adding new destinations such as Bombay, Colombo, Dhaka and Cairo. The result of this bold expansion strategy was that within two years, Emirates had added European destinations including the key city of London, as well as several other new key European destinations. The success of the global strategy of Emirates is not due to the fact that the airline is wholly owned by the Government of Dubai, or because they have received inadvertent government protection but is clearly a case study in the implementation of a successful global competition strategy, in particular taking advantage of Dubai’s open-skies policy which enables Emirates to benefit from the liberalization of international aviation rules and regulations. Emirates, therefore, received initial start-up investment from the Government of Dubai, but it now successfully operates as a wholly independent business entity. Emirates successfully carried 35 million passengers by 2012, representing 50% of total airport capacity (emirates. n. d. ). Emirates market share among regional competitors According to Articlebase weblog post (2010) Emirates Airlines has developed to become highly reputable in the Asian Pacific Continent. The company has pulled itself up very well in the region and as seen from the figure 1, it is the most successful company in the region. Figure 1-Emirate region market share Emirates financial highlights According to Emirates annual report (2013), Emirates revenue (including operating costs) in 2012-13, reached US$19. billion, representing a 17. 4% increase over the financial year of 2011-12. Net profit was US$622 million, reflecting the enormous impact that fuel prices continue to exert on the airline industry. Emirate airlines reported that their profit margin was 3. 1% and the companies’ cash in hand at the end of financial year 2012-13 was US$6. 7 Billion. The company also reports that more people continue to choose Emirates with the number of passengers flown in 2012-13 totalling 39 million, a 16% increase over the previous financial year. Figure 2, Emirate financial highlight/Source: Emirates Annual report 2013 Key Success Factors in the airline industry In order to be successful in the airline industry, various factors such as differentiation, alliances, strong brand name and relation with suppliers are needed to be considered. Differentiation Airlines tend to be differentiated by offering advanced services. For instance, latest technology, e-ticketing and wide seats which may distinguish the company among other competitors. Strong brand name Airlines build a strong brand name by means of different techniques like ffering prizes, frequent flyer programs. Alliances The airlines tends to establish alliances which enable them to share their resources through linking their network. it also helps them to share experiences which result in lower operating cost. â€Å"The Emirates has never joined to any cargo or passenger alliances as they see some anti-competitive elements in them and would be a brake on Emirates business plan. † (The public affair journal of emirates, 2009). the only recent partner of emirate is Quantas from Australia. Relations with supplier Airlines need to have long term contract with the suppliers to keep them safe in case of increasing prices. Environmental analysis of Emirates Macro Environmental Analysis PESTEL analysis of Emirates PESTLE analyse focuses on external factors and gives a strategic overview of the various macro-environmental factors that the company needs to take into account, the PESTEL analyse has been conducted on Emirates. The PESLE analyse is also a useful strategic tool to interpret market growth or decline, business position, potential, and direction for future operations. Political  Emirates and most of the countries in the Asian continent have signed inclusive business agreements as well as with several countries in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the USA. Such relationships facilitate better political cooperation and trade opportunities between countries, including the growth of the aviation sector. These agreements have opened up several world markets and provided opportunities for Emirates to grow its network. Emirates is strengthened by the support of the Government of Dubai by providing infrastructure developments to boost the growth of Dubai and Emirates. Low fees and charges at Dubai Airport; same opportunities for all the air carriers provided by the open skies policy; the low taxation policy encouraging the companies and businesses which boost the economy in Dubai; and the easy immigration legislation of Dubai Government enabling companies to secure entry visas and work permits for foreign workers to fulfil their labour requirements are other beneficial policy for Emirates. In contrast, a potential problem for Emirates is the ongoing political instability in the  Middle East region which has the potential to hinder for the further growth of Emirates. (Nataraja & Al-Aali 2011, p482). Economic The sustainable rate of a growing economy in the region, in particular the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has increased the overall level of household income and affordability of people to use air transportation. About 3. 5 billion people are living within the radius of eight hour flight from Dubai and , therefore, such a huge financially stable population generates an ever- increasing demand for air travel in the region. There is an exceptional shift in the aviation market demand, customer choices, and travel behaviour that is changing rapidly which has been evidenced by Nataraja et al (2011, p483). The reason Emirates has experienced phenomenal rise over the past few years is that the regional governments are streamlining their economic policies to suit the growth of the airline industry. This has reflected in growth rates, overall income and potential investments in Dubai among other companies in the tourism industry and the world business.   social  Nataraja et al (2011, p483) state that well-designed strategic management system is sound in the Emirates Company, but this could be compromised if attention is not given to personnel development in the organization. Personnel issues are adversely affecting airline businesses globally and employees are becoming increasingly aware of their high market value and potential. An abundance of multicultural workforce having lower expectation in the region in which Emirates operates is a social advantage in comparison to the expectations of employees from countries namely the USA and UK, Emirates experiences a significant difference in labour costs. Most of the organizations in the UAE are using only 10 precent of their operating expenses to pay their employees and this trend includes Emirates, in comparison to more Westernized businesses which use up to 40 precent of their operating expenses for the same purpose. Consequently, the Airline has benefited extensively and made good profits on these grounds. Technology In response to the advances in technology over the past two decades, Emirates has been able to take the advantage of technology in its operation. Since Emirates has spread its wing globally to serve diverse customers who require global technology, it has invested more resources to place each individual market. Emirates is benefiting from a single global system that is distributed in 14 languages which supports payments in 42 currencies. (Nataraja et al,2011, p483). As it is demonstrated in figure 1, Emirates is interestingly positioned as the youngest and most modern fleets in worldwide commercial aviation industry. The company aims to be a pioneer in technological advances such as in-flight mobile phone coverage to develop and expand the use of mobile phones on-board. Figure 3 , comparison of Airlines’ average fleet age Emirates airlines has also invested in a trip planning system which allows the planning of trips that aim to achieve of time savings and fuel led which lead to obvious costs savings but also reduced emissions. Implementation of this new technology, called Flextracks, saves approximately 10 million liters of fuel as well as 772 hours in travel time in five years of operation. atwonline, 2011) Emirates airline has also recently used the latest airbus 380 aircraft which is known to be environmentally friendly because it consumes less fuel. Technology utilized by provides many time consuming benefits such as the development of online ticket purchase which increases customer convenience and satisfaction and the likelihood of repeat business. Environment Organizations have various obligations to formulate and implement strategies from an environmental perspective. Increasing numbers of firms are implementing tougher environmental regulations as they make economic sense because of conservation of natural resources and air pollution control in the region. They preserve and conserve natural resources and control pollution in the region making good sense from a cost saving perspective as well as a public relations perspectives(Nataraja & Al-Aali 2011, p484). Emirates reports a vision to make their company an environmental leader in the aviation and travel industries with a goals to make sustainable and eco-efficient operation in the air and on the ground. Interestingly, as part of a global trend towards environmental consciousness, Emirates considers their customers, staff and regulators to be increasingly aware of the environment and emission of greenhouse gases and the company has , therefore, committed to environmentally-responsible operations through the Group’s Environmental Policy. This policy is implemented through the ‘Environment’ programme (Emirates environment policy,2013) , which is communicated to customers, staff and stakeholders. The company also reports different environmental considerations to be advantageous from a business perspective because becoming an ecologically-efficient organisation enables them to become economically sustainable, when it comes to consumption of fewer resources and whilst using fewer resources and causing less pollution. These strategies in turn, reduce labour and overall company expenses. Legal In the past, most governments within the Asian continent and in the Asia-Pacific region operated under a paternal government policy and felt that they had to protect airlines against external factors. The recent changes in the economic policies of these governments have allowed airlines to compete more openly having their own economic model without worrying about government hindrances in order to preserve their competitive advantage. In addition, less government control allows the company to operate more freely in the region with less legal impediments in the region resulting in a positive growth and an exceptional performance (Nataraja & Al-Aali 2011, p484). Emirates-porter’s five forces Porter’s 5 forces model is used by businesses to evaluate the environment that a company is competing in. Strategies implemented by Emirates also are a function of environment in which it operates. (Elnamaki, MSS 2007). By using Five Forces Analysis we are able to identify who are the Emirates competitors and where are potential threats; which aspect in Emirates should be improved and focused on; and to analyse whether Emirates and its industry is attractive or destructive. Threat of new entrant There are many barriers that dissuade new entrants in the airline industry. Enter to the market depends on how many barriers exist. Airlines high capital cost positively affect Emirates Airline. Strong brand value is critical to compete. Emirates is a high brand value that cannot be copied because it is a long time it has been operating, and markets heavily depend on its services. Advanced technologies are kind of barrier for a new entrant as they need to develop and implement them before effectively competing Based on Emirates loyalty programs, customers are loyal to Emirates. Building a value brand needs money and time and it uses resources which not to be allocated to compete in the marketplace. Based on the above factors the threat of new entrant is weak. The bargaining power of customers Due to buyer price sensitivity, it is difficult to compete with competitive prices of budget carriers but Emirates compensates by offering world class food, services, comfort and in-flight entertainment, world class service, A380 aircrafts, choices of menu for the elite class, its own private terminal, and non-stop direct flights to various routes including some of the world’s longest non-stop direct flights. I suggest that this power is moderate.

Solar System Science Project Ideas

Solar System Science Project Ideas Do you have a science fair project in your future? If so, consider focusing on the solar system. Outer space is rich with mysteries and scientific questions to explore, from the phases of the moon to the existence of space dust (micrometeorites). Start with this list of solar system science fair projects. Build a Working Sundial The ancients used sundials to tell time using the position of the Sun in the sky.  You can build your own sundial with two simple materials: a flat surface (e.g. paper, cardboard) and a thin object that can stand up (e.g. a popsicle stick or straw). Once your sundial is functional, test it for accuracy a few times per day by comparing the sundials reading to your watch or clock. Make Your Own Telescope Build a telescope. Galileo did, and so can you. Learn about the basics of telescopes  here, then check out  NASAs page on building your own. The easiest one to build is a Galileoscope, made out of a cardboard tube and some lenses.   Build a Model of the Solar System You can make a scale-model solar system out of paper or in a diorama. First, find out the distances between solar system objects, then do some math to get the distances to scale within your own model. Some tabletop scale-model solar systems contain marbles for the planets, a tennis ball for the Sun, and other smaller pebbles for asteroids and comets. Make a Spacecraft Model Build a model of a NASA space probe. Many of the major probes and space-based observatories have patterns you can download and use to make scale model, including the  Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Track the Lunar Phases First, read about the phenomenon of lunar phases here. Then, for a few months, observe the Moon in the sky each night, recording how, where, and when it appears. Record the information in a chart and include a drawing of the moons shape each day.  If you have the materials, you can construct a 3D model of the sun using small balls and a light source to show how the Sun illuminates the Moon and Earth throughout the month.   Study Renewable Energy For many years, NASA and other space agencies have been using solar panels to power their satellites and the International Space Station. Here on Earth, people use solar power for everything from household electricity to powering their watches and other electronics. For a science fair project on solar power, study how the Sun generates light and heat and how we convert that light and heat into usable solar power. Collect Bits of Space Micrometeorites are tiny bits of asteroid that drift through our atmosphere and land on the surface of the Earth.  You can collect them by looking in places theyre likely to end up. For example, rain and snow can wash them off of roofs, and they can flow down the drainpipes and storm gutters. You might also try looking in the piles of dirt and sand at the bottom of a rain spout.  Collect that material, remove anything that obviously is not a micrometeorite (e.g. large rocks and leaves), and spread out the remaining material on a piece of paper. Place a magnet underneath the paper and tilt it. Most of the material will slide right off; anything that does not slide off is magnetic. Study the remaining magnetic material under a magnifying glass or microscope. Micrometeorites will appear rounded and may have pits. Edited and updated by  Carolyn Collins Petersen

Enthalpy change of neutralisation Essays

Enthalpy change of neutralisation Essays Enthalpy change of neutralisation Essay Enthalpy change of neutralisation Essay I familiarised myself with the Material Safety Data Sheets of toxic substances. PLANNING (A) Enthalpy (H)1 The sum of the internal energy of the system plus the product of the pressure of the gas in the system and its volume: Esys is the amount of internal energy, while P and V are respectively pressure and volume of the system. To measure the enthalpy we have to first figure out the mass of a substance under a constant pressure and determine the internal energy of the system. The enthalpy change (H)2 is the amount of heat released or absorbed when a chemical reaction occurs at constant pressure. The standard enthalpy change of neutralization3 is the change in enthalpy that occurs when an acid and base undergo a neutralization reaction to form one mole of water under standard conditions (298k and 1atm), i.e. react to produce water and a salt. It is a special case of the standard enthalpy change of reaction. HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ NaCl (aq) + H2O (l) H+ + Cl- + Na+ + OH- à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Na+ + Cl- + H2O H+ + OH-à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ H2O Heat energy = ms?T. The amount of reat required will depend on how much of the substance there is to heat, what is it made of and the amount by which the temperature is increased. Hypothesis: If the temperature of a given substance is known, we may calculate the enthalpy of this substance. Prediction: The results of this experiment will probably be similar for sets of different acids and hydroxides. Different concentrations of the same acid will not influence the enthalpy of neutralisation. Assumptions: The density of acids is equal to the density of water and amounts to 1.00 g cm-3 Key variables: m mass of a substance in grams s specific heat capacity in J g-1 K-1 ?T the amount by which the temperature is increased in K PLANNING (B) Requirements: 1 burette (25 ml) 2 beakers 3 calibrated flasks (500 ml) 1 plastic bottle (1500 ml) phenolphthalein Procedure: We were provided with 2 mol dm-3 hydrochloric acid (HCl), 2 mol dm-3 nitric acid (HNO3), 2 mol dm-3 potassium hydroxide (KOH), 2 mol dm-3 sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and 4 mol dm-3 sodium hydroxide (NaOH). 1. We measured 30 cm3 of approximately of 2 mol dm-3 nitric acid into the beaker. 2. We took the temperature of the nitric acid and recorded it in table 1. 3. We measured 30 cm3 of approximately of 2 mol dm-3 sodium hydroxide into the beaker. 4. We took the temperature of the sodium hydroxide and recorded it in table 1. 5. Subsequently we added the NaOH to the HNO3 and stirred the mixture carefully with the thermometer. 6. While mixing we recorded the maximum temperature of the solution. 7. We repeated it 5 times with different sets of acids and hydroxides. a) hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide b) hydrochloric acid and potassium hydroxide c) nitric acid and potassium hydroxide d) nitric acid and sodium hydroxide e) hydrochloric acid and 4 mol dm-3 sodium hydroxide DATA COLLECTION a) HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ NaCl (aq) + H2O (l) H+ + Cl- + Na+ + OH- à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Na+ + Cl- + H2O H+ + OH-à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ H2O Amount of hydrochloric acid 30 cm3 Temperature of hydrochloric acid 20.0 oC Amount of sodium hydroxide 30 cm3 Temperature of sodium hydroxide 20.0 oC Amount of the mixture 60 cm3 Temperature of the mixture 31.0 oC Table 1. b) HCl (aq) + KOH (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ KCl (aq) + H2O (l) Amount of hydrochloric acid 30 cm3 Temperature of hydrochloric acid 21.0 oC Amount of potassium hydroxide 30 cm3 Temperature of potassium hydroxide 20.0 oC Amount of the mixture 60 cm3 Temperature of the mixture 32.0 oC Table 2. c) HNO3 (aq) + KOH (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ KNO3 (aq) + H2O (l) Amount of nitric acid 30 cm3 Temperature of nitric acid 23.0 oC Amount of potassium hydroxide 30 cm3 Temperature of potassium hydroxide 20.5 oC Amount of the mixture 60 cm3 Temperature of the mixture 33.0 oC Table 3. d) HNO3 (aq) + NaOH (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ NaNO3 (aq) + H2O (l) Amount of nitric acid 30 cm3 Temperature of nitric acid 24.5 oC Amount of sodium hydroxide 30 cm3 Temperature of sodium hydroxide 21.0 oC Amount of the mixture 60 cm3 Temperature of the mixture 33.0 oC Table 4. e) HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ NaCl (aq) + H2O (l) Amount of hydrochloric acid 30 cm3 Temperature of hydrochloric acid 20.5 oC Amount of 4 mol dm-3 sodium hydroxide 30 cm3 Temperature of 4 mol dm-3 sodium hydroxide 22.5 oC Amount of the mixture 60 cm3 Temperature of the mixture 33.0 oC Table 5. DATA PROCESSING AND PRESENTATION Heat required = ms?T m =d V n = c V ?T = Tmix (T1 + T2) ?H = heat required * 1/n s = 4.18 J g-1 K-1 The amount of heat required to heat the water can be calculated as follows (we assume that the heat energy required to change the temperature of the other substances present may be ignored): a) HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ NaCl (aq) + H2O (l) V = 60 cm3 d = 1.00 g cm-3 m = d V = 60 cm3 * 1.00 g cm-3 = 60 g ?T = Tmix 1/2(T1 + T2) = 31.0 oC 20.0 oC = 11.0 oC heat required = ms?T = 60.0 g * 4.18 J g-1 K-1 * 11.0 oC = 2758 J = 2.758 kJ nHCl = c V = 2 mol dm-3 * 0.3 dm-3 = 0.06 moles nNaOH = c V = 2 mol dm-3 * 0.3 dm-3 = 0.06 moles ?H = heat required * 1/n = 2.758 kJ * 1/0.06 moles = 45.97 kJ mol-1 ?H = 45.97 kJ mol-1 b) HCl (aq) + KOH (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ KCl (aq) + H2O (l) V = 60 cm3 d = 1.00 g cm-3 m = d V = 60 cm3 * 1.00 g cm-3 = 60 g ?T = Tmix 1/2(T1 + T2) = 32.0 oC 20.5 oC = 10.5 oC heat required = ms?T = 60.0 g * 4.18 J g-1 K-1 * 10.5 oC = 2633.40 J = 2.633 kJ nHCl = c V = 2 mol dm-3 * 0.3 dm-3 = 0.06 moles nKOH = c V = 2 mol dm-3 * 0.3 dm-3 = 0.06 moles ?H = heat required * 1/n = 2.633 kJ * 1/0.06 moles = 43.88 kJ mol-1 ?H = 43.88 kJ mol-1 c) HNO3 (aq) + KOH (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ KNO3 (aq) + H2O (l) V = 60 cm3 d = 1.00 g cm-3 m = d V = 60 cm3 * 1.00 g cm-3 = 60 g ?T = Tmix 1/2(T1 + T2) = 33.0 oC 21.75 oC = 11.25 oC heat required = ms?T = 60.0 g * 4.18 J g-1 K-1 * 11.25 oC = 2821.50 J = 2.822 kJ nHCl = c V = 2 mol dm-3 * 0.3 dm-3 = 0.06 moles nKOH = c V = 2 mol dm-3 * 0.3 dm-3 = 0.06 moles ?H = heat required * 1/n = 2.822 kJ * 1/0.06 moles = 47.03 kJ mol-1 ?H = 47.03 kJ mol-1 d) HNO3 (aq) + NaOH (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ NaNO3 (aq) + H2O (l) V = 60 cm3 d = 1.00 g cm-3 m = d V = 60 cm3 * 1.00 g cm-3 = 60 g ?T = Tmix 1/2(T1 + T2) = 33.0 oC 22.75 oC = 10.25 oC heat required = ms?T = 60.0 g * 4.18 J g-1 K-1 * 10.25 oC = 2570.70 J = 2.571 kJ nHCl = c V = 2 mol dm-3 * 0.3 dm-3 = 0.06 moles nKOH = c V = 2 mol dm-3 * 0.3 dm-3 = 0.06 moles ?H = heat required * 1/n = 2.751 kJ * 1/0.06 moles = 45.85 kJ mol-1 ?H = 45.85 kJ mol-1 e) HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ NaCl (aq) + H2O (l) V = 60 cm3 d = 1.00 g cm-3 m = d V = 60 cm3 * 1.00 g cm-3 = 60 g ?T = Tmix 1/2(T1 + T2) = 33.0 oC 21.5 oC = 11.5 oC heat required = ms?T = 60.0 g * 4.18 J g-1 K-1 * 11.5 oC = 2884.20 J = 2.884 kJ nHCl = c V = 2 mol dm-3 * 0.3 dm-3 = 0.06 moles nKOH = c V = 2 mol dm-3 * 0.3 dm-3 = 0.06 moles ?H = heat required * 1/n = 2.884 kJ * 1/0.06 moles = 48.07 kJ mol-1 ?H = 48.07 kJ mol-1 CONCLUSION AND EVALUATION As we can see from the results above, the prediction made at the very beginning of this lab was correct. Neither type of acid or base nor the concentration of acid does not have influence on the enthalpy of neutralisation. Hence we may assume that the enthalpy of neutralisation is equal to the enthalpy change for H+ + OH-à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ H2O. The enthalpy change for this reaction, however, is -57.9 kJ mol-1. The differences between my results and the theoretical value may come from the fact that the measurements were not very accurate. The temperatures of the acids, bases and mixtures might have been influenced by cool beakers. Therefore the temperatures were a bit lower than they should have been. If the ?T was higher by 3oC, the enthalpy of neutralisation would be almost the same as in the sources. I do not know how to improve the experiment so that data gathered will be similar to theoretical values. I reckon in classroom conditions such mistake is not a serious one.

Sleep and Ultimate Funny Moments Essays

Sleep and Ultimate Funny Moments Essays Sleep and Ultimate Funny Moments Essay Sleep and Ultimate Funny Moments Essay Essay Topic: Funny Funny Boy The Ultimate funny Moments I have a lot of funny things that has happened in my life really too many situations. From me peeing on myself when I was young, to my football pants ripping when I scored a touchdown my Junior year in high school. I look back on all of my situations now and Just laugh, because its not that serious to me no more. I have two favorite situations that have happened to me in my lifetime. One of my funniest situations is last weekend when I went back home to Memphis and my second funniest moment, s when I was sleep one night one of my homeboys put mustard in my hand and made me rub my face. My last but not least favorite moment is when my little brother scared my grandma by acting like a ghost. First, Last weekend on Seep. 14, 2013 me and some friends went back home to Memphis to go to the southern heritage classic. It was a very long and horrible, but funny weekend with my friends. We had a wreck it may not seem funny, but the way it happen is, we was racing a car in a two lane zone trying to get over, but about time we tried to get over we couldnt because of his car that stopped in front of us. We had Just left to get something to eat and all of my fries flew out of my hand and out the window into the car that was next to us. Next, when I went to my dad house in Detroit my friend had come over one night, and we turned up to welcome me back home, getting closer to the end of the night things starts to settle down, people started to leave and go home. I was one of the first people to fall asleep. While I began to sleep everyone decided to play a prank on me just because I went to sleep first. My homeboy Kenneth put mustard inside the palm f my hand and somehow made me rub my face. I woke up the next morning and got a phone call from my cousin asked me, did I clean my face yet? Im thinking to myself huh. She finally told me to go look in the mirror and I had mustard on my face. Last, one day my little brother scared my grandma with a white sheet to go on a bed. She has gotten elderly so that what made the situation funny, he came out of the closet on her and made a scary noise from his Nintendo DES. She actually ran through the house, so when he pulled the cover off my grandma told my little brother they were going to run away together from the ghost. In conclusion, despite of all the funny and crazy moments things funny continue to happen to me. Its Just a part of life though; life wouldnt be life if we didnt have funny or sad things happen to us. I rather have funny things happen to me, like going back home and acting wild, having mustard put on my face, or even my little brother scaring my grandma. Everybody has had something funny happen to them whether its funny or not. Sleep and Ultimate Funny Moments By Chancellorship

Industrial Revolution and Web. Essays

Industrial Revolution and Web. Essays Industrial Revolution and Web. Essay Industrial Revolution and Web. Essay 1982. Print . Impacts of the Industrial Revolution 17 February 2003. Industrial Revolution . Web. 26 Octomber 2013. Kreis, Steven. The Orgins of the Industrial Revolution in England. 2001. History Guide . Web. 25 October 2013. Pearson Education. Industrial Revolution, Its Effects. 013. Infoplease . Web. 25 October 2013. BBC. Why the Industrial Revolution Happened in Britain 14 January 2013. BBC. Web. 25 October 2013. Pearson Education. Industrial Revolution, Its E ffects. 2013. BBC. Why the Industrial Revolution Happened in Britain . 14 January 2013. BBC Revolution . 17 February 2003. Industrial Revolution . Web. 26 Octomber 2013. Kreis, BBC. Why the Industrial Revolution Happened in Britain . 14 January 2013. BSC. Infoplease . Web. 25 October 2013.

How to Use Shakespeare Quotes

How to Use Shakespeare Quotes You can make your essays interesting by adding a famous quote, and there is nobody better than a Shakespeare to quote! However, many students feel intimidated at the thought of quoting Shakespeare. Some fear that they may end up using the quote in the wrong context; others may worry about using the quote verbatim, owing to the archaic Shakespearan expressions. If you wish to learn how to skillfully quote Shakespeare, you have reached the right place. In this article, you will learn how to use quotes from Shakespeare in your own writing and how to attribute the quote correctly.   Find the Right Shakespeare Quote You can refer to your favorite resources, be it your school library, a public library, or of course, your favorite content destination on the internet- thoughtco.com. Make sure that you use a reliable source that gives you complete attribution, which includes the name of the author, the play title, the act, and the scene number. Using the Quote You will find that the language used in Shakespeare plays have archaic expressions that were used during the Elizabethan era. If you are unfamiliar with this language, you run the risk of not using the quote correctly. To avoid making mistakes, be sure to use the quote verabatim- in exactly the same words as in the original source. Quoting From Verses and Passages Shakespeare plays have many beautiful verses; its up to you to find an appropriate verse for your essay. One way to ensure an impactful quote is to ensure that the verse you choose does not leave the idea unfinished. Here are some tips for quoting Shakespeare: If you are quoting verse and it runs longer than four lines, you must write the lines one below the other as you do when you write poetry; However, if the verse is one to four lines long, you should use the line division symbol (/) to indicate the beginning of the next line. Here is an example: Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, / Too rude, too boisterous; and it pricks like thorn(Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Sc. 5, line 25)If you are quoting prose, then there is no need for line divisions. However, to effectively represent the quote, it is beneficial to first provide the contextual relevance of the quote and then proceed to quote the passage. Context helps your reader to understand the quote and to better grasp the message that you wish to convey by using that quote, but you should exercise caution when deciding how much information to supply. Sometimes students give a brief synopsis of the play to make their Shakespeare quote sound relevant to their essay, but it is better to pro vide short, focused background information. Here is an example of how a small amount of context can be provided before a quote to improve its impact:Miranda, daughter of Prospero, and the King of Naples son Ferdinand, are to get married. While Prospero is not optimistic about the arrangement, the couple, Miranda and Ferdinand are looking forward to their union. In this quote, we see the exchange of viewpoints between Miranda and Prospero: Miranda: How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people int!Prospero: Tis new to thee.(The Tempest, Act V, Sc. 1, line 183-184) Attribution No formal Shakespeare quote is complete without its attribution. For a Shakespeare quote, you need to provide the play title, followed by act, scene, and line number. It is a good practice to italicize the title of the play, as shown here: In order to ensure that the quote is used in the right context, it is important to reference the quote appropriately. That means, you must mention the characters name who made the statement. Here is an example: He was ever precise in promise-keeping.(Measure for Measure, Act I, Sc. 2)In the play Julius Caesar, the relationship of the husband-wife duo (Brutus and Portia), brings out the conniving nature of Portia, in startling contrast to Brutus gentleness: You are my true and honourable wife;/As dear to me as are the ruddy drops/That visit my sad heart.(Julius Caesar, Act II, Sc. 1) Length of the Quote Avoid using long quotes. Long quotes dilute the essence of the point. In case you have to use a specific long passage, it is better to paraphrase the quote. A Final Word of Advice On this site, you will find a vast resource of Shakespeare quotes. These quotes have been categorized by the title of the Shakespeare play. You can also find more information on how to use quotations in essays.

Biography of Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President

Biography of Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809–April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865. During his time in office, the nation fought the Civil War, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. One of Lincolns greatest accomplishments was the abolition of slavery in 1864. Fast Facts: Abraham Lincoln Known For: U.S. president from March 4, 1861–March 3, 1865; issued  Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, freeing slaves in the southern United StatesAlso Known As: Honest AbeBorn: February 12, 1809 in Sinking Spring Farm, KentuckyDied: April 15, 1865 in Washington, D.C.Spouse: Mary Todd Lincoln (m. 1842–1865)Children: Robert, Edward, Willie, TadNotable Quote: Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. Early Life Abraham Lincoln was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809. He moved to Indiana in 1816 and lived there the rest of his youth. His mother died when he was 9 but he was very close to his stepmother, who urged him to read. Lincoln himself stated that he had about one year of formal education. However, he was taught by many different individuals. He loved to read and learn from any books he could get his hands on. On November 4,  1842, Lincoln married  Mary Todd. She had grown up in relative wealth. Many historians believe that Todd was mentally unbalanced; she struggled with mental health issues throughout her life and may have suffered from bipolar disorder. The Lincolns had four children, all but one of whom died young. Edward died at age 3 in 1850. Robert Todd grew up to be a politician,  lawyer, and diplomat. William Wallace died at the age of 12. He was the presidents only child to die in the White House. Thomas Tad died at 18. Military Career In 1832, Lincoln enlisted to fight in the Black Hawk War. He was quickly elected captain of a company of volunteers. His company joined regulars under Colonel Zachary Taylor. Lincoln only served 30 days in this capacity and then signed on as a private in the Mounted Rangers. He then joined the Independent Spy Corps. He saw no real action during his short stint in the military. Political Career Lincoln worked as a clerk before joining the military. He ran for the Illinois state legislature and lost in 1832. He was appointed as postmaster of New Salem, Illinois by Andrew Jackson and later elected as a Whig to the state legislature, where he served from 1834 to 1842. Lincoln studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1836. From 1847 to 1849 he served as a U.S. Representative in Congress. He was elected to the state legislature in 1854 but resigned to run for the U.S. Senate. He gave his famous house divided speech after being nominated. Lincoln-Douglas Debates Lincoln debated his opponent for the Senate seat, Stephen Douglas, seven times in what became known as the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. While they agreed on many issues, the two disagreed over the morality of slavery. Lincoln did not believe that slavery should spread any further through the United States, while Douglas argued for popular sovereignty. Lincoln explained that while he was not asking for equality, he believed African-Americans should receive the rights granted to all Americans in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Lincoln lost the election to Douglas. Presidential Election In 1860, Lincoln was nominated for the presidency by the Republican Party with Hannibal Hamlin as his running mate. He ran on a platform denouncing disunion and calling for an end to slavery in the territories. The Democrats were divided, with Stephen Douglas representing the Democrats and John Breckinridge the National (Southern) Democrats nominee. John Bell ran for the Constitutional Union Party, which took away votes from Douglas. In the end, Lincoln won 40 percent of the popular vote and 180 of the 303 electoral college votes. Since he was in a four-way race, this was enough to ensure his victory. First Presidential Term The main event of Lincolns presidency was the  Civil War,  which lasted from 1861 to 1865.  Eleven states seceded from the Union, and Lincoln firmly believed in the importance of not only defeating the Confederacy but also reuniting North and South to preserve the Union. In September 1862, Lincoln issued the  Emancipation Proclamation. This declaration freed the slaves in all of the Southern states. In 1864, Lincoln promoted  Ulysses S. Grant  to commander of all Union forces. Reelection The Republicans, at this point called the National Union Party, had some concern that Lincoln wouldnt win but still renominated him for a second term with Andrew Johnson as his vice president. Their platform demanded unconditional surrender and an official end to slavery. Challenger George McClellan had been relieved as the head of the Union armies by Lincoln. His platform was that the war was a failure, and Lincoln had taken away too many civil liberties. Lincoln won reelection after the war turned in the Norths favor. In April 1865, Richmond fell and  Confederate General Robert E. Lee  surrendered at  Appomattox Courthouse. In the end, the war was the most costly  in American history and also the bloodiest, with hundreds of thousands of casualties. Slavery was forever ended with the passage of the  Thirteenth Amendment. Death On April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated while attending a play at Fords Theater in Washington, D.C. Actor John Wilkes Booth shot him in the back of the head before jumping onto the stage and escaping to Maryland. Lincoln died on April 15 and was buried in Springfield, Illinois. John Parrot / Stocktrek Images / Getty Images On April 26, Booth was found hiding in a barn, which was set on fire. He was then shot and killed. Eight conspirators were punished for their roles in the plot to kill the president. Legacy Lincoln is considered by many scholars to be one of the most accomplished and successful presidents in United States history. He is credited with holding the Union together and leading the North to victory in the Civil War. Furthermore, his actions led to the emancipation of African-Americans from the bonds of slavery. Sources Donald, David Herbert.  Lincoln. Niagara, 1996.Gienapp, William E.  Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: a Biography. Oxford University Press, 2002.