Operations and Legacy of the Dell Corporation Essay -- Business, Compu

Portfolio Project – Dell, Inc. Dell, Inc.’s origins date back over 25 years ago when it was founded under the company name PC’s Limited (Edwards, 2007). This once small company got its start when founder Michael Dell began building personal computers for students at the University of Texas. Today, Dell has developed its product line to offer more than computers; they also sell entertainment and office equipment. Dell’s leadership, guided by the corporate code of conduct, has shown a clear commitment to environmental matters and frequently publicizes the ways in which the company has developed new techniques to reduce the company’s energy use and product waste (â€Å"Latest update,† 2010). The main reason for Dell’s success is their ability to manage the financial health of their company. This success is reflected in the firm’s financial statements. There are three main financial statements that should be evaluated to understand the financial status of a firm – the balance sheet, the income statement, and the firm’s statement of cash flows (Keown, Martin, & Petty, 2011). The balance sheet provides a snapshot of the firm’s financial position on a particular date and includes information about the firm’s assets, liabilities, and shareholders’ equity. This particular financial statement is an overview of what the firm owns and what the firm owes (â€Å"Beginners’ guide to financial statements,† 2007). An analysis of Dell’s current balance sheet shows that they have approximately $40 million in assets - of which $29 million are current assets. This means that the firm expects to turn this amount of current assets into cash within the next 12 months (Keown, Martin, & Petty, 2011). Further analysis of Dell’s balance sheet reveals that the fir... ...1087&p=irol-reportsAnnual Keown, A. J., Martin, J. D., & Petty, J. W. (2011). Foundations of finance: The logic and practice of financial management (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Latest update on Dell corporate responsibility progress. (2010, October). Retrieved from http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/corp-comm/cr-newsletter.aspx Loan rates. (n.d.). Omniglot. Retrieved from http://www.omniglot.com/info- articles/chicago/loans-rates.html Ogg, J. C. (2011, January 27). 2011†²s new dividend candidates from giant companies. 24/7 Wall Street. Retrieved from http://247wallst.com/2011/01/27/2011s-new-dividend- -from-giant-companies-amgn-brk-a-dell-ebay-emc-kss-csco-aapl/2/ Peavler, R. (n.d.). Use profitability ratios in financial ratio analysis. About.com. Retrieved from http://bizfinance.about.com/od/financialratios/a/Profitability_Ratios.htm

Order vs Chaos in John Steinbecks Cannery Row :: Cannery Row Essays

The theme of Cannery Row, in short, is no less than a poetic statement of human order surrounded by a chaotic and essentially indifferent universe, and this is one reason why the structure of the book does seem so "loose" - why Steinbeckian digressions and interchapters so often interrupt the flow of narrative. A wandering and mysterious Oriental threads his way through the story with no "purpose" but to remind us of the emptiness and pathos and loneliness we all share, things which render our cruelty or ambition futile. The face of a drowned girl appears like a paradoxical vision of "immortal death"; a chaos of sea-life-and-feeding is given order and shape by an obscure scientist - observer, who realizes the he is himself part of the processes which he catalogues; a serio-comic painter devotes himself to work which inevitably comes to nothing - and we recognize an allegory of our own labors; there is suicide, loneliness, joy, love, and isolation jumbled together in a peculiar and haphazard fashion which somehow results in emotion neither peculiar nor haphazard; the recognition of ourselves. The symbolism of chaos-and-order is basic to Cannery Row; various characters, each in his own fashion, try to arrange and observe what cannot, in any essential aspect, be changed. As Steinbeck says in one of his "inter-chapters" or digressions, it is the function of The World-of human communication-to create by means of faith and art an Order of love which is mankind's only answer to that fate which all men, and indeed all life, must ultimately share. And if John Steinbeck turns to the "outcasts" from society as symbols for this vision, it may be that only the outcasts of machine Order vs Chaos in John Steinbeck's Cannery Row :: Cannery Row Essays The theme of Cannery Row, in short, is no less than a poetic statement of human order surrounded by a chaotic and essentially indifferent universe, and this is one reason why the structure of the book does seem so "loose" - why Steinbeckian digressions and interchapters so often interrupt the flow of narrative. A wandering and mysterious Oriental threads his way through the story with no "purpose" but to remind us of the emptiness and pathos and loneliness we all share, things which render our cruelty or ambition futile. The face of a drowned girl appears like a paradoxical vision of "immortal death"; a chaos of sea-life-and-feeding is given order and shape by an obscure scientist - observer, who realizes the he is himself part of the processes which he catalogues; a serio-comic painter devotes himself to work which inevitably comes to nothing - and we recognize an allegory of our own labors; there is suicide, loneliness, joy, love, and isolation jumbled together in a peculiar and haphazard fashion which somehow results in emotion neither peculiar nor haphazard; the recognition of ourselves. The symbolism of chaos-and-order is basic to Cannery Row; various characters, each in his own fashion, try to arrange and observe what cannot, in any essential aspect, be changed. As Steinbeck says in one of his "inter-chapters" or digressions, it is the function of The World-of human communication-to create by means of faith and art an Order of love which is mankind's only answer to that fate which all men, and indeed all life, must ultimately share. And if John Steinbeck turns to the "outcasts" from society as symbols for this vision, it may be that only the outcasts of machine

Understanding Self and Others

After watching the movie crash a couple of times, I decided to mainly focus on Anthony who is played by Ludacris, who is an African American car thief. I felt that Anthony was a good character to choose for this character analysis because in my opinion he is the one character who had one view at the beginning of the movie, and by the end his views seemed to totally turn around. He was a very stereotypical man. Anthony’s view of people from another colour, race, gender or economic class was strongly offensive, he assumed that â€Å"white people† were always racist towards blacks. Did you see any white people waiting an hour and a half for spagagetti†(Haggis, 2004) Anthony was under the impression that although the waitress was black, she saw that they were black and were not going to tip. Anthony’s views of any other race they his own, is very negative, but in his eyes African American people should all stick together, and never go against each other.  "Bias is not a bad word. Biases is an attitude or belief- it’s not until we act it out in behaviour that our bias affects someone else- it may advantage or disadvantage an individual or a group†( Valenti, 2011).I felt that Anthony was very bias to cultures outside of his own, he was very stereotypical, with that being said, I would consider him to have a very negative attitude towards others with a different racial background. â€Å"She got colder as soon as she saw us† (Haggis, 2004), this was said by Anthony after noticing that Jean linked arms with her husband. Anthony just jumped to a conclusion that just because she was a â€Å"white† girl, she grabbed her husband’s arm to protect her from the â€Å"black† men. I think he is very self conscious and thinks that everyone has racial Character Analysis 3 iscrimination towards him. â€Å" this white women sees two black guys who look like ucla students strolling down the sidewalk and her rea ction is blind fear†( Haggis, 2004). He is very bias, because if instead of it having been Jean and her husband walking down the street, if it was Christine and her husband, I am highly sure that he would not of made those comments that he did, after all that being said, he decided to steal they’re truck anyways, just because they were white, and assumed racial discrimination.When Anthony communicated with others he was the one being racist, and he assumed people made decisions based on their race. A perfect example of that is when he was talking to his friend Peter who is black, but is not African American like himself. Anthony: No, no, no, take that voodoo-ass thing off of there right now! Peter: I know you just didn't call St. Christopher voodoo. Man's the patron saint of travelers, dog. Anthony: You had a conversation with God, huh? What did God say? Go forth, my son, and leave big slobbery suction rings on every dashboard you find? Why the hell do you do that?Peter : Look at the way your crazy ass drive, then ask me that again! (IMDB, 1990) Although throughout the whole movie Peter was Anthony’s best buddy, and he was always with him, he still did not believe in what Peter believed in, he made fun of Peter because he wanted to put a statue of a Saint on the dashboard of the truck that was STOLEN, from the married couple. Anthony talks to others as if they are always incorrect or stupid. Anthony: That waitress sized us up in two seconds. We're black and black people don't Character Analysis 4 tip. So she wasn't gonna waste her time.Now somebody like that? Nothing you can do to change their mind. Peter: So, uh†¦ how much did you leave? Anthony: You expect me to pay for that kind of service? (IMDB,1990). This is another good example of how he interacts with others, he thinks everyone looks down to him, at the beginning of the movie he stated that all black people stick together, but after going to a restaurant and getting this poor se rvice from a black waitress, he still finds away to turn it around as if people were hating on him because he is black, and took it into his own hands and decided to walk out without paying.He made it seem like he got poor service because he did not tip, but maybe the waitress was the only one working and was extremely busy? , No according to Anthony everyone he interacts with his racist. In the beginning of the movie Anthony came out as a stuck up black man that was always right, and never wrong. He lived by the motto â€Å"Black people stick with they’re own kind† . His friend on the other hand took into consideration of others, and tried to help Anthony understand but he was too stubborn.In the beginning of the movie, Peter and Anthony had no way of getting around so Peter waved down the bus, for them to take Anthony was shook by the fact and said â€Å"you have no idea why they put them big windows on sides of buses do you? † Peter was curious was to why Ant hony thought they put big windows on buses, any other person would just know they are there just to let some natural lighting in the bus, and to open windows on warm days, but Anthony stated â€Å"One reason only, to humiliate the people of colour who are reduced to riding on them. Anthony again assuming that only coloured people are meant to ride the bus and the Character Analysis 5 reason windows are on buses is so that people could look inside and laugh at them. Later on in the movie Peter and Anthony ran over a â€Å"china man† and Anthony wanted to ditch the Chinese man, and drive away. Peter then explained to Anthony how if they left him laying on the ground there was a high possibility that he would die. Anthony then began to understand, so they provided him for him and pulled him out from under the truck. Later on in the movie, Anthony was then seen riding on the bus.It goes to show that his attitudes in the beginning of the movie did not reflect who is was near the end. He slowly began to realize that not everybody was against him because he was black. A specific scene that really caught my attention is when Anthony took the Chinese man’s truck and brought it to the shop to get cleaned up, and then realized there were a bunch of Asians in the back of the truck that had been locked up for only God knows how long, The man at the shop offered Anthony 500$ a body, and he decided to turn down the offer, and bring them into the city. He then gave money to one of them to go buy everybody chop suey.I found that very positive of him to do, which really showed that there was a turning point from him, and he started to see situations in a more mature manner. I think the character that I feel I can relate to best is Jean Cabot. I think that I relate to her most is because when I was young, I was at my grandmothers house who lives in Jane and Finch, where the majority of the population is coloured people, and I heard a bang and just assumed it was a bang from a gun, and I went crazy and blamed it all on â€Å"black people† because they all have guns. I was then freaking out and made my grandmother ock all the doors, and whenever I seen a black person I would hide in fear. The scene where Jean was still in shock from her truck being stolen, and Daniel the Character Analysis 6 Latino was changing her lock, she freaked out on her husband because of his appearance, and assumed that he was a gang member, when really he was an innocent guy who changes locks for a living. I feel that I relate a lot to her also because, I have had many people turn their backs on me when I need them most, and the one person you never thought you would rely on turns out to be your greatest friend ever.Me and Jean seem to judge a book by its cover, when it is not the cover that is important, it’s the information written in the book that is important. A few scenes that had a strong reaction from me was right in the beginning of the movie, wh en Jean and her husband were so innocent walking down the sidewalk, not causing any harm and Anthony and Peter noticed Jean link arms with her husband and they just assumed they did that because they were black, so they then decided to steal their truck for absolutely no reason.It is so scary to think that black people think like that, it makes me wonder, if I am ever in public and I decide to hold on to my boyfriends arm, and a black person seems to notice, does that mean my life is in danger? Another scene from the movie that evoked a strong reaction from me was when Officer Ryan pulled over Christine and her African husband for literally nothing, and he disgustingly physically put his hands on her in ways an officer should never even think of.This scene had me worried and disgusted at the same time, it also worries me because if I was ever put in a situation like that I am not sure as to what I would exactly do, would I open my mouth to him knowing he has a gun attached to his be lt? or would I just accept the fact that a dirty pig just offended me physically. When Daniel was trying to fix the store owners lock, he tried to explain to him in Character Analysis 7 a calm manner that in order to fix the lock he needed to change the door, and the store owner didn’t believe him, he was constantly calling Daniel a liar nd a cheater, and was saying that Daniel was trying to steal his money. It made me upset because Farhad was only saying that he was a cheater and a liar because of his appearance, when really Daniel is an innocent guy who works hard for his money, and just because he has tattoos people get the wrong impression. I was so upset at the scene where the store owner showed up at Daniel’s house with the intention to shoot him without even confronting him of the situation, but when his daughter Laura ran out to save her daddy, Farhad then decided to shoot, with the impression that he shot the little girl it got my eyes to water.I was then reli eved that the gun had blank bullets and did not harm either of them. The scene that I felt very offended by was when the man in the shop offered Anthony 500$ a person for the innocent Asians that were found at the back of the truck, why would this man want innocent Asians for, I am so proud of Anthony that he realized that money was not the only thing in the world, and he allowed the Asians to experience life outside of the truck that they probably thought they would never see again.This movie has changed my perceptive of others because of the fact that in this movie there were so many different stereotypes and so many people being judge because of their race. I was never really aware of the types of discrimination that went on in the world until actually watching this movie, it really opened up my eyes. It is not fair to be treated based on your race, everybody was put on this earth to do the same thing, there is no reason that someone should be discriminated.It really broke my hea rt at some of the Character Analysis 8 situations that occurred in the movie, I almost couldn’t handle them. Sometimes we are to blind to see how a silly little comment can affect somebody so much, and really hurt they’re feelings. This movie really changed my look on other cultures, I realize that everyone is equally the same. I am happy that Anthony realized that not only coloured people take the bus and he put his pride aside and actually rode the bus, because in eality the bus is for anybody, there is no such thing as â€Å"he does this because he is black† or â€Å"she is only good at doing that because she is Spanish. † It is very important to keep in mind other peoples feelings, imagine being the only white person in a class of majority colour people, would you want to be treated like the outsider? Or did you want to be treated the exact same way as the other 23 people in the classroom.

Health Psychology: Stress and Well Being

Health Psychology: Stress and Well Being Shavonia Finley PSY 101: Introduction to Psychology Destiny Champion February 14, 2011 Health Psychology: Stress and Well Being In everyone’s life a little stress must fall. We all have to deal with daily hassles and various personal stressors that effect our emotional and physical health. The manner in which we deal with these stressors can alleviate or reduce stress or it can make things worse. Mind and body issues have bemused philosophers and psychologists since the ancient Greeks; however recently a new subfield in psychology has immerged to investigate the subject. Health psychology focuses on psychological factors and how they relate to wellness and illness. This would include prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of various medical ailments. More specifically, psychoneuroimmunology is a growing field dedicated to examining how psychological factors, the immune system, and the brain work together. For most people life is filled with small hassles that recur on a regular basis. Busy schedules at home and at work coupled with a traffic filled commute before your day even gets going can cause stress. These stressors are known as background stressors and are the most easily dealt with. They are the daily hassles that irritate us, do not require much coping, and are soon forgotten. Other background stressors can be classified as long term, chronic problems. Dissatisfaction with work, a relationship that is not fulfilling, or a culmination of minor stressors can manifest into health problems such as psychological symptoms, backaches, sore throat, or even the flu [ (Feldman, 2009) ]. The opposite of the daily hassle is uplifts. These are those positive little things that make us feel good. Uplifts are usually temporary, but when we experience more uplifts than stressors we experience less psychological symptoms. An example of an uplift might be something like getting a compliment or completing a task. Stressors such as the terrorist attack in 2001 or Hurricane Katrina in 2005 are classified as cataclysmic events. Cataclysmic events are experienced by many people at once and usually do not have potent, lingering effects. Social support is abundant because so many people share the same first-hand account of the event and can understand each other’s feelings. Another major category of stressors is personal stressors. This would be brought on by things that are more personal such as the loss of a job or the death of a loved one. These types of stressors yield an immediate response that tapers over time allowing us to better cope. How we initially react to a stressor shows that there is a direct link between our mental and physical functions. Walter Cannon’s research in biological psychology, early in the 20th century, led him to describe the â€Å"fight or flight† response of the sympathetic nervous system to perceived threats to physical or emotional security (Feldman, 2009). The body reacts with an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, increase in perspiration, hearing and vision become more acute, and the hands and feet become cold due to blood being directed to large muscles in preparation for fight or fleeing. Hans Selye took this a little further and popularized the concept of stress in the 1950’s. His theory, which he called general adaption syndrome, suggests all individuals have the same or similar response to threatening situations. He believed that not only did the sympathetic nervous system respond, but also the adrenal cortex and the pituitary gland. The theory is that enough epinephrine, or adrenaline, is produced to focus the body on immediate self preservation and shut down other functions such as digestion, reproduction, tissue repair, and the immune system. A constant threat or stressor would leave these functions inhibited and cause the individual to be susceptible to illness (Richmond, 1997). This inhibition of bodily functions can also exacerbate an existing illness. There are three stages; alarm and mobilization when the stressor is realized, resistance or the attempt to cope, and if coping was not adequate, exhaustion and the onset of negative consequences. One example of how stress can leave someone vulnerable to illness is clear when we look at the case of an adolescent girl named Tatiana. Tatiana has had to take on parental responsibilities for her little sister for the past several years, giving up all social time with her friends to do so. She has also had knowledge of the financial difficulties her parents have had to deal with recently. To make matters worse, she has had to move from her home, just as she is starting middle school, to a whole new state. Recently she presented with severe abdominal pains from constipation. None of the over-the-counter remedies helped and she was admitted to the hospital. She was diagnosed with a virus that paralyzed her intestines so the doctor gave her antibiotics and a special diet to follow. Unfortunately, her condition continued to decline and the doctors decided her symptoms were psychosomatic, implying her illness was not real. She eventually lost all muscle function in her arms and legs and was confined to a wheelchair. She then was enrolled in a program run by a health psychologist designed to treat psychophysiological disorders. Since her physical ailments were already being treated by a pediatrician they could concentrate on the psychological and emotional difficulties and how they all interacted. After two months in the program, Tatiana is now able to walk on her own and is no longer having digestive difficulties. As she has stated, â€Å"I was very angry with my parents. They never asked me what I wanted. They treat me like a baby, but they want me to do grown-up stuff. I hated them for that† (Wells, 2011). While Selye’s theory has impacted our understanding of stress, it has also been challenged. His theory suggests that no matter what the stressor, the biological reaction will be similar in all individuals. Health psychologists today believe the reaction is also determined by how the individual appraises the situation or stressor. For example, another adolescent in Tatiana’s situation may simply have acted out instead of becoming ill. The situation could have been perceived by another as stressful, but not unusual, therefore the different perception would result in a different outcome. Due to these differences in perspective, there has been an increased focus on psychoneuroimmunology and stress. Psychoneuroimmunology takes a broader approach to stress. It focuses more directly on the outcomes of stress; three main consequences have been identified. First, the physiological results of stress include increased blood pressure, hormonal activity, and an overall decline in the effectiveness of the immune system. Second, stress can cause people to behave in ways that are not productive and even harmful such as drug, alcohol, or nicotine use, poor eating habits, and a decrease in sleep. Third, indirect consequences that can cause a decline in health and the likelihood that medical advice will be ignored if ever sought. One of the biggest illnesses associated with stress is coronary heart disease. You may know someone who is always in competition with others, is easily irritated, or is overly aggressive. We all feel this way sometimes, but there are those who carry the set of personality traits know as the Type-A behavior pattern. Then there are those who fall into Type-B behavior pattern which is more patient, noncompetitive, nonaggressive, and cooperative. These two behavior types are the polar ends of a continuum and most people fall somewhere in the middle. Type-A personalities in males are highly associated with coronary heart disease. Hostility seems to be a key factor since it triggers the production of epinephrine and norepinephrine, increases heart rate, and raises blood pressure. When this response is exaggerated and continuous there is an increased incidence of coronary heart disease (Feldman, 2009). For most of society stress has been recognized as a part of life. Therefore people have devised many ways to control, reduce or tolerate it. These methods are known as coping and are often utilized in multiples. The most common methods of coping with stress are emotion-focused and problem-focused. Emotion-focused coping focuses on people trying to change the way they feel about or perceive a problem; like looking on the bright side. Problem-focused coping strategies include modification of the source of the stress; an example would be learning how to fix your own car to maintain and avoid costly repairs. Common coping methods vary widely in individuals. Most will choose healthy resolutions such as relaxation techniques to slow down the sympathetic nervous system. These include exercise, meditation, prayer, joining a support group, or any other activity that relaxes you such as painting or listening to music. There are also those who will choose unhealthy courses of action. For them alcohol use is the number one choice. Others may choose to use drugs, nicotine, overeat, or starve themselves. Some people choose yet another course of action called learned helplessness. This is when someone is faced with a situation that seems intolerable and they eventually give up. Their environment has ingrained in them that certain situations cannot be controlled or changed regardless if it can or not. The opposite would be the person with a hardy personality. They seem to have the most success with dealing with stress. This personality type has three distinct characteristics: commitment, challenge, and control. They usually throw themselves into whatever they are working on, they believe change is the norm in life rather than stability, and they give the perception that they can influence the events in their lives. Managing stress before it becomes too difficult to control is another aspect of coping. Having a healthy perspective of most situations will allow you to prioritize your life reducing the potential stressors. Also, having a realistic self image and reasonable expectations will allow you to set appropriate goals. The achievement of such goals will result in an uplift rather than a perceived failure. Once stress can be managed there can be a pursuit for happiness. Over the course of a life there will be times that are happier than others or not happy at all. In a study performed by Carol Ryff it was determined that happiness can be measured in six dimensions; prior studies did not include as many dimensions (1989). The dimensions described in her study would be self acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth. Her study surveyed 321 men and women of varying ages. Someone scoring high would possess a positive attitude toward themselves including their good and bad qualities. They would also show empathy towards others and understand the give and take of relationships. Autonomy is seen in someone who is independent and able to resist social pressures. Someone who has become an environmental master has a sense of competence in controlling external activities. Believing you have a purpose in life means you have goals and a sense of direction. Finally, having a feeling of continued development and openness to new experiences shows personal growth. Another study used the person-environment fit theory to compare work and family experiences to the person’s values and how they relate to stress and well-being. The idea behind the study was to see if the amount of supplies we value influences well-being when they increase and decrease. The dimensions looked at were autonomy, relationships, security, and segmentation. Person – environment fit theory says that stress occurs when there is a perceived mismatch between the environment and a person’s goals, desires, and values (Edwards & Rothbard, 1999). Cognitive appraisal is directly incorporated into the concept of stress. Basically, person – environment theory predicts well-being when there is a perceived match in environment and values. The opposite, or stress, occurs when there is a mismatch. The onset of stress will cause mental and physical strain and stimulate efforts to cope. There are three reasons why well being should be higher when autonomy supplies and values are both high rather than low. First, high autonomy supplies may consist of high supplies for responsibility and authority, in other words accomplishment and status, which many people value. Second, desiring and attaining high levels of autonomy possibly constitutes a supply for values pertaining to accomplishment and adjustment. Third, autonomy allows for freedom to allocate time and resources to meet life’s high demands. High control in addition to high demands gives people the ability to successfully cope with challenging situations, which leads to satisfaction and growth. The next dimension is relationships or personal connections with other people. People are naturally motivated to establish and maintain relationships. This is true at work and with family members. Relationships play such a dominant role in stress research because they provide social support that facilitates coping with stress and achieving well-being. When a person has a desire for strong connections with others it suggests they have achieved ambitious goals regarding social integration. The third dimension of well being is security, which is defined as â€Å"the belief that membership in a role is stable and likely to continue† (Edwards & Rothbard, 1999). An example would be the feeling of job security or security within a marriage. Security is yet another basic human motive. Finally, the degree of separation or insulation there is between work and family is segmentation. Keeping your family stresses and work stresses separate requires an active effort on the part of the person. Managing boundaries between the two allows the person to inhibit the transfer of stressful experiences between the two. The study of mental and physical well being done by health psychologists and psychoneuroimmunolgists is still relatively new and is opening the door to many new career fields. The opportunities for careers in health psychology in this country are plentiful. Medical settings, especially medical centers, have expanded their employment opportunities for psychologists. In addition to medical centers, health psychologists often work in colleges and universities, medical schools, health maintenance organizations, rehabilitation centers, pain management centers, public health agencies, hospitals, and private consultation/practice offices [ (American Psychological Association: Health Psychology, 2011) ]. In addition to the specific skills that psychologists offer to patients and staff in the medical community, psychologists offer a unique perspective that assists other healthcare professionals make certain that health care is helpful and cost-effective. Health psychologists have focused on how life’s ups and downs can affect our mental and physical health. They have stirred professional and public interest in how biology, the environment, and our behaviors influence health and illness. Their studies have provided us with methods of coping and anaging stress so it is possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The more we learn about the relationship between biology, our environment, and behavior the better equipped we will be at preventing, diagnosing, and managing chronic illness. References American Psychological Association: Health Psychology. (2011). Retrieved January 27, 2011, from APA Division 38: http://www. health-psych. org/abouthowtobecome. cfm Edwards, J. R. , & Rothb ard, N. P. (1999). Work and Family Stress and Well-Being: An Examination of Person-Environment Fit in the Work and Family Domains. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes , 77 (No. 2), 85 – 129. Feldman, R. S. (2009). Understanding Psychology (9th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill. R. L. Richmond, P. (1997). The Psychcology of â€Å"Stress Management†. Retrieved January 2011, from A guide to psychology and its practice: http://www. guidetopsychology. com/stress. htm Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is Everything, or Is It? Explorations on the Meaning of Psychological Well-Being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 57 (No. 6), 1069 – 1081. Wells, T. (2011, February 5). (S. Finley, Interviewer)

An Analysis of the Declaration of Independence and Its Use

An Analysis of the Declaration of Independence and Its Use American history is recorded in various literature materials, such as biographies, books, articles, newspapers, and even statues. Although some of the events are directly stated in the sources, some information about the socio-political and economic issues can be inferred from them. Also, a lot of material on the peoples living statuses, their ideologies, needs, and wants can be gleaned from them. This is the case with the document The Declaration of Independence. It is a useful text that covers a myriad of historical happenings, the drive behind its making, and the authors ideologies and beliefs. Summary of the Declaration of Independence Having been fed up with the colonial system and governance of the British over America, a group of native legislators from thirteen states in the United States of America met to state their position on the matter. These individuals, led by John Adams from the state of Massachusetts, chose Thomas Jefferson to come up with a writing that detailed their grievances, their determination to be free, and the decision to declare that they will no longer be under the oppressive rules of the colonial government. Thus, Jefferson drafted these particular claims and put it before the committee of five congressmen to review and vary the contents where possible. The main tenets of The Declaration of Independence are two-faceted: the need to enjoy certain rights and the reasons for refusing to continue being governed by Great Britain. These forms are the basis for the preamble, which states that every man is equal and has particular inherent rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and the right to be happy; truths, which must not be denied. On the other hand, The Declaration of Independence narrates the ordeals that the Americans experienced. They include being forced to use foreign laws, forced taxation, extrajudicial killings, use of natural resources, and military forces to benefit the colonizer rather than the colonies and the refusal for the natives to have their own representatives in the legislature. The Analysis of the Document The Declaration of Independence was thus a response to the tyrannical British rule and the need to be free from its powers. During 1774, people had started to realize that no human being was less than the others through Enlightenment. In this sense, they wanted to be as free and independent as the colonizers, with the ability to make their own governing rules including their legislations. As a result, Americans needed to remove the barriers to their freedoms and violators of their human rights. One of the ways in which the Enlightenment affected the Declaration was in the need to have Americans making their own laws and defending their right to life, liberty, and making own social choices in place of those imposed on them by the British. These ideas are put in the form of the facts and reasons that brought the thirteen states together. For instance, a part of the Declaration states that He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected the State r emaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within (UShistory.org 1). Moreover, the main author of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in giving the document its content, power, voice, and shape as it is. Being the leader of people, he voiced his discontentment about how Americans were denied the right to choose their own leaders into the parliament. This is constitutional rights that ensure that democracy is practiced. Also, human rights are protected by legislators who make them. As a consequence, when Jefferson saw that these rights were being infringed upon, he ensured that he find ways of allowing the subjects to enjoy them. That is why he included their violation as one of the grounds for defying colonial rule through the Declaration. Besides, the Declaration clearly shows that Americans were oppressed. They were paying mandatory and exorbitant taxes; they were forced to serve in the army for the benefit of the British government; their people were killed at the slightest opportunity, and the laws governing their existence were made by the British who neither knew nor understood the American peoples needs and wants. All these information is laid down in the Declaration in the form of facts submitted to a candid world (UShistory.org 1). Here, the facts are summaries of the sufferings and the need to be independent from the colonial rule. Contrarily, although The Declaration of Independence was framed by the need to have American political representation, freedom, and equality for every citizen, it sidelined some sections of the population, which were the women and minorities (Wade 1). These group of people was the most affected by the colonial rule, which forced them to provide labor for little or no pay at all. There is no portion of the declaration that states anything about their torture and mistreatment by the colonial regime (Wade 3). Therefore, it is always assumed that the only people who faced mistreatment and sufferings were men who served in the army, the American leaders who were denied the opportunity to make their own laws suitable for Americans needs, and the men who paid taxes as the heads of their families. In summary, The Declaration of Independence is an important source of American history, which was influenced by socio-political and economic ideologies. The main author, Thomas Jefferson, applied his political knowledge and experience to draft the text, which gave the citizens an opportunity to exercise constitutional rights of equality, right to life, and right of liberty as against the colonizers. Also, the document was shaped by the Enlightenment ideas, which called for human treatment of all human beings. Nonetheless, the source was exclusive of women and minorities plights as it completely failed to mention how they were oppressed.

The effectiveness of the budgetary control system in 'Cleaning For Essay

The effectiveness of the budgetary control system in 'Cleaning For London' - Essay Example It will include illustrating and evaluating the role of budgetary control in support to internal planning and decision making. It aims to create an effective budgetary control system for its operations, to identify cost behaviours and to propose a suitable recommendation for improvement. Budget is a quantitative financial plan of operations. It identifies the resources needed in order to accomplish the organisation’s goals and objectives. It contains detailed plans and policies to be pursued in a future accounting period. It is continuous where one updates the budget for the year at the end of each month or each quarter. A continuous budget remains more relevant and more current. As a service company, â€Å"Cleaning Services for London† the operating budget includes purchase budget, human resources budget and sales budget. One of the major facets of budgeting is cost control. Budgets are the key to cost control. The purpose of budgetary control is to help master the financial aspects of the company’s operations and solve problems before they occur. Financial control is exercised by managers in preparing budgets for revenues and expenditures of an organisation in advance. Budgetary control facilitates the management and allocation of resources and funds in operating the business to achieve desired outcomes or to provide basis for revision of business objectives and plans. The activities of the company are categorized into two – revenue generators and cost drivers. These main activities summarise the operations of the company in financial terms where revenue generators are cash inflow of the company while cost drivers are expenses incurred in the operation of the business. The company utilises a simple budget system in line with a business plan for one year. The manager who is responsible for the financial, marketing, administrative and operational matters uses cash flow forecasts as basis

Combating Employee Turnover Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Combating Employee Turnover - Essay Example This has been explained in the form of a model in the diagram below: Figure 1: Employee’s Turnover Model Source: (Allen, Bryant & Vardaman 2011) If an organization sees that employees are unhappy with the work environment and there are some factors that may start the cycle of Employee’s Turnover Model, then the organization should try to remove them from the environment. They may develop strategies that will improve the work environment, improve employee’s relationship with others in the organization and try to focus on individual characteristics of workers to make them happy. These strategies will ensure that the employee does not leave the organization. Another idea suggested by Allen et al. study is that the organization should conduct employee’s surveys at regular intervals and should develop evidence-based strategies based on the problems identified in these surveys to make sure that employee’s turnover is reduced and this can be an effective w ay to combat the problem of high turnover in the large corporations and organizations. (Allen, Bryant & Vardaman 2011) Another study done on 76 organizations concludes that employment benefits and effective retirement policies reduce the problem of employee turnover by almost 34%. The study’s rationale was that employee’s benefits and retirement programs are given to employees after their retirement. Since gratuity fund grows exponentially, so employees think that longer they will stay with the organization, the bigger gratuity or pension they will get. Hence, this motivates them not to quit the job. Therefore, organizations with effective employee’s benefits and retirements plan tend to retain workers for longer periods than organizations that do not focus on these programs. Another important finding of the research was that it takes almost $3000 to replace a work in mid-management position. Hence, if these $3000/worker are used in creating effective retirement and pension plans, then an organization is likely to retain its workers for longer periods (Sutton 2001). In a model developed (Darmna 2000), it was found that replacing the employees that are leaving the organization is quite expensive. Hence, organizations could use half the costs that are spent on recruiting new staff to appease or solving the problems of the leaving staff. They can use the same money to increase their wages or to reduce the de-motivation factors from the organization. This would improve the problem of high employee turnover because factors that were perturbing the employees are being removed from the environment and hygienic factors such as increased pay are being given to them. Hence, there is no reason for them to leave the organization. (Darmna 2000) Participative management is another technique to reduce the problem of high turnover. Participative management believes in the autocratic leadership. It is an approach that calls for management by objective. Her e the responsibility is delegated to workers who are then free to decide how they will go about doing their work. This kind of approach has been highly successful in staff retention and large MNCs are making use of this approach. The illustrious lists of organizations that use this approach are Unilever, Proctor and Gamble, Reckitt-Beckniser and Siemens. It was found that these organizations retain employees twice longer than any other company. One reason for this high retention rate is responsibility management and participative