HIPAA and Information Technology

A â€Å"standardized medical records database† can offer providers promptness in receiving pertinent materials from the patient’s chart. This documentation may entail access to the patient’s medical, family history, contact numbers, and any other relative to notify in case of an emergency. Electronic prescribing, and sharing of reports, test results, and public health alerts with other entities promotes coordination of care. Diagnostics and readings, such as blood pressure, and sugar, are just examples of the data that is immediately available through the â€Å"health information exchange (HIE).Physicians, hospitals, and clinics will enter these facts and figures into â€Å"patient vault,† the central database for the patient. Along with these recordings, patients can leave messages for the physician, and request medication refills. With the convenience of the automated charting format, the doctor, and patient does not have to wait while paper reports are sorted through because of misfiles, disorganized records, poor communication with staff, or typographical errors. The electronic system ensures that records are in chronological order, and that all reports are current, adequately preparing the provider for the appointment.The Detroit Medical Center, which purchased the equipment to convert its paper record format into electronic, as has been developing the process since, has produced some promising statistics. Chief Nursing Officer Patricia Natale, credits the automated application for reducing the length of prolonged admissions, and misjudgments in administering medications through the â€Å"EMR-enabled medication scanning† feature. The hospital’s management team affirms that the electronic filing â€Å"system† has already generated nearly $5 in â€Å"savings† for the facility, and has been upgrading security for â€Å"patients.†This feat is accomplished by effectively supervising imperative acti vities conducted daily, and diminishing the occurrences of prescription inaccuracies by â€Å"75 percent,† as per the current assessments, observes DMC Chief Medical Information Officer Leland Babitch, MD. Findings by The United States Institute of Medicine indicate that hospital blunders are responsible for approximately 100,000 of patient deaths a year. DMC Vice President for Quality and Safety Michelle Schreiber, MD claims that the automated charting format has proven to greatly assist providers with treating patients throughout the day.The HIPAA issues that could arise are as follows. In the article in GreenvilleOnline. com website, â€Å"Growing Medical Identity Theft Puts Patients at Risk,† Osby, (2013) cites a report issued by The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, (2010). As a concern, health care â€Å"identity theft,† is in competition with the â€Å"other† most prominent national â€Å"identity† crimes, claiming over â€Å"5 million â€Å" victims in the year Osby (2013) apprises. Mark Savage, a senior attorney for Consumers Union, announced that breaking into patient’s â€Å"personal information† via automated databases is a problem that is worsening in the medical office.He recognizes that â€Å"electronic medical records† are capable of offering advantages to the health care industry, and its patrons. However, he adds that quandary lies in the assurance of safeguarding patient’s sensitive materials (2012). Individually identifiable information, such as â€Å"birthdates,† demographics, â€Å"social security,† and contact numbers, provide an abundance of facts which prospective felons find extremely attractive to when attempting to extort funds from â€Å"hospitals, or for other monetary rewards.These illicit activities wreak havoc on the patient, in the form of erroneous invoices, which can compromise â€Å"their credit,† their employment, and even s ubject them to improper â€Å"treatments,† stemming from inaccurate â€Å"medical† documentation (Osby, 2013). The author also alerts that â€Å"security† measures fail to match the demand for electronic records, data sharing, and social media and mobile technology to manage patient data, or the new uses for digital health information.†Stealing is the primary offender in the â€Å"medical† field, impacting over â€Å"500 patients,† trailed only by â€Å"authorized â€Å"disclosure â€Å"to,† or with â€Å"health information,† and staff oversights, and misplacing automated, or â€Å"paper† files (The Department Health and Human Services, 2010) GreenvilleOnline interviewed Chad Lawson, a spokesman for â€Å"Spartanburg Regional,† (where an information security council was comprised in 2012, to guarantee that regulations put in place to shield â€Å"patient information are† resilient, and dependable).During t his conversation, Lawson advised that â€Å"as technology grows and changes and becomes even more vital to the continuing development of improved quality, we must promise that our efforts to keep information safe are adaptable to the fast growth of electronic medical records and other portals for speed and efficiency in patient care† (2012).I believe technology in the medical records management industry is so far behind other industries primarily because of affordability, and that the perception of cost can outweigh the value. Although the president has allocated nearly â€Å"$3 million Medicare/Medicaid bonuses† to various health care establishments, including â€Å"clinics,† and hospitals,† to aid in the transition, the expense of purchasing, and operations still hinder progress.Despite the positive reviews from current customers of the electronic system, less than â€Å"4 percent† of facilities have followed through with conversion, having alread y limiting funding of many IT projects, The University of Michigan School Of Medicine reported. A quarter of American â€Å"hospitals,† â€Å"already† fiscally impaired by the down-spiraling economy, have upgraded only partially to automated â€Å"records,† or have remained with paper. Healthcare reform in general has been a political â€Å"hotbed† of controversy throughout several presidencies.The nation’s failing economy, rising unemployment, terrorism, natural disasters are already on the forefront of many debates. The fiscal budget â€Å"puts the squeeze† on any other programs, particularly those which would most likely require enormous funding to proceed. I am of the opinion that these are some of the reasons that the push to incorporate a universal electronic records format has been delayed, and still continues lagging behind other industries.

Ronnie Steel’s Drug Addiction

From the list of selected books, the one that stuck out to me the greatest was Ronnie Steele’s, â€Å"My Own Worst Enemy: A Memoir of Addiction. † This book observes the parallels between addiction and self-image. This book takes the reader into the mind of Ronnie Steele and analyzed how he not only coped with his addiction but how the addiction made him who he was. The reason why I enjoyed this book over many other autobiographies that I have read before is that Ronnie allows the reader to dive deep into the realms of his life. By reading this autobiography I could tell that Ronnie poured out every inch of his heart and soul into the pages. In order for the reader to gain a deeper understanding about his troubling addictions, Ronnie sacrificed his privacy and intimate lifestyle relationships. As I finished reading this book I began searching some feedback on the net, positive and negative. Many of the positive comments on this book exclaims how this autobiography helped them cope with the extremities and hardships of addiction in the present day world. The negative feedback, though, focused on how Ronnie’s stories seemed lavish and fabricated. Many of the people who wrote the negative comments focused not on the mission of the book; however, they focused on the satirical writing style and how the story related to present day extremities. Ronnie concludes his autobiography by stating that his biggest plight for this book is that he hopes it will influence someone to stop drinking, smoking, cheating, and lying. This book explores the differences between succumbing and overcoming an addiction. The protagonist, Ronnie Steele, dives into the realms of testament as he attempts to shield current addicts and future human beings who are interested in drinking and smoking from the same trials and tribulations that he went through. Throughout the book Ronnie consistently mentions how he was the sole cause of his substance abuse. He tells the reader that he felt like he couldn’t control his urge for alcohol, thus forcing him to continue to do it. Ronnie mentions how alcohol was not the only thing he was addicted to; lying, cheating, and smoking was a part of his addiction. Through months and months of dealing with his addiction, Ronnie finally was forced to go through treatment. He gives a detailed account of his road to recovery and how it was difficult yet necessary for his well-being and the future well-being for his family. Ronnie’s partner, Sarah, was a very good woman for seeing him through his recovery and treatment as he dealt with his addiction. The thing that surprised me about this autobiography was how Ronnie identified one of the sources for his addiction: early childhood problems. Being a psychology major, I know that many psychological abnormalities, such as addiction, can be explained by environmental factors. Ronnie gives a detailed account of how abuse was a huge and vital part of his childhood. The theory that is evident in this book is the on addiction. Addiction is described as using a drug in a way for which it is not attended for, that will lead to long or short term harm to the user or others, and the result in the user no longer being able to be responsible for his/her thoughts, feelings, or behavior. DSM-IV classifies addiction and drug abuse as a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress. There are currently five different models that covers addiction: medical model, psychodynamic model, social model, moral model, and bio-psycho-social model. The model that seems to cover the key experiences in this book is the psychodynamic model. This model explains how drug abuse and addiction is a symptom of underlying psychological problems and is used as a maladaptive psychological coping strategy. I came up with the conclusion that this model fits with the essence of this book because Ronnie uses drugs to resolve his internal conflict with the person who abused him in early childhood. From reading this book and exploring Ronnie Steele’s online blogs I can include a few different things about drugs and society. I can conclude that drugs are a big part of society’s coping mechanism. From the information that I know from being a Psychology major and the information I received from reading this book and blog, many addictions are triggered by drug abuse from use of drugs to cope with past and present day problems. In this autobiography, the main character uses drugs as an outlet to forget his past; with addiction, though, comes rehabilitation. I can also conclude, from this autobiography, that rehabilitation in America works. I can conclude this because Ronnie had fought a great fight with addiction to alcohol and through the encouragement of his partner and his rehabilitation he overcame it. It was a difficult battle and struggle for Ronnie but the fact that he overcame his addiction and uses his book as a catalyst for help for other addicts is amazing and inspiring to me. In all, I believe I made a great choice in selecting this book out of the many novels on the list. This autobiography explores not only the recovery from addiction, but also the road to recovery. I love how Ronnie is so open with his testament and how he wants his book to inspire others. I believe this book is a great read and I really appreciated this being on the list.

Transnational Corporations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Transnational Corporations - Essay Example Basically, TNCs' aggregate yearly sales would correspond to or are greater than the annual gross domestic product (GDP) of most countries. A classic example would be Itochu Corporation's sales which exceed the gross domestic product of Austria, while those of Royal Dutch/Shell run parallel with Iran's GDP. Together, the sales of Mitsui and General Motors are greater than the GDPs of Denmark, Portugal, and Turkey combined, and US$50 billion more than all the GDPs of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa (UNCTAD 1994). Because of their considerable size, TNCs are likely to control and dictate in industries where output and markets are oligopolistic, or converged in the hands of a comparatively small number of firms. The top five car and truck manufacturers are responsible for nearly 60% of motor vehicles' global revenues. The five leading oil companies account for over 40% of the industry's world market share (The Economist 1993). TNCs' operations cover the whole world; however, they are based for the most part in Western Europe, North America, and Japan. The Swiss electrical engineering giant ABB has facilities in 140 nations, while Royal Dutch/Shell digs up for oil in 50 countries, conducts refining activities in 34 homelands, and markets its products in 100 nation states. Offices of the US food processing firm H.J. Heinz cover six continents and Cargill, the US's largest grain company operates in 54 countries. Britain's major chemical firm ICI has manufacturing operations in 40 nations and sales affiliates in 150 countries (Hoover 1993). The term transnational corporation means a "for-profit enterprise" which is explicitly identified by two salient features -- 1) engages in enough business activities -- including sales, distribution, extraction, manufacturing, and research and development -- outside the country of origin so that it is dependent financially on operations in two or more countries; 2) management decisions are made based on regional or global alternatives (Hadari 1973). In essence, transnational corporations are recognised as prime components of capitalism and a most important conduit of globalisation. Globalisation, TNCs and Host Governments In this age of frenetic globalisation, the transnational corporation is indisputably the free markets' first-class and "untouchable" agent. Economically, these corporate giants dwarf the resources of many developing countries and evidently such status can be attributed to its extraordinary capacity and swift faculty to create wealth. Dubious however, is its reputation as an economic distributor, as a democratic contributor, and as a supporter of human rights in general (Letnes and Westveld 2004). These issues are specifically debatable in developing countries where some view the transnational corporation as a vehicle of development while others see it as nothing but a neo-colonial tool of exploitation. Interaction is Motive-Dependent In the face of contradictory motivations and intentions and the fact that TNCs overshadow many of the smaller economies in bargaining power (Evans 1985, 216-21; Walters and Blake 1992, 124), TNCs engage in positive dialogues with host countries economic and social conditions (especially in the sphere of human rights) -- out of either a genuine sense of social responsibility or out of respect for the market force of the spotlight phenomenon

A person or event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A person or event - Essay Example The great depression originated from the United States. This was because of the fall in stock prices starting 1929. It eventually became worldwide news with stock market crash of October in the same year. The great depression had major and devastating effects in both poor and rich countries. It affected the people’s income, profits, tax revenue as prices dropped. As a result, the international trade plunged with more than 50% leading to serious cases of unemployment in the US and other parts of the world (Miller 683). The great depression becomes relevant in the modern America as it offers guidelines on what the country should not do. In that case, America uses the occurrence to regulate its performance in local and international markets. For instance, the great depression was caused by the over investment in the capacity of the heavy industries compared to the earnings and wages of independent farms and businesses. As a result, the American government has learnt to regulate and manage the cash flow in the economy. In that regard, it pumps money into the pockets of the consumers in order to enhance their purchasing power. The country can maintain the industrial base and re-inflate prices and the wages to ensure that all the economic bases are in check. Furthermore, the decline in output was also a cause of the great depression. In this case, the decline caused an initial decline in the output, and it prolonged the recovery due to ineffective policies that affected the labour market (Hamilton 147- 150). Based on this situation, America has been able to streamline the labour policies. Its labour policy guides the labour sector and protects production. The country has managed to address the declining capital stock, labour force and productivity that complement the use of these inputs. The great depression is indeed a great time in the American history. It influences the economic direction taken by the US. For a long time, the country has undertaken

Pepsio's Ethical And Socially Responsibility Essay

Pepsio's Ethical And Socially Responsibility - Essay Example In today’s business environment, the practices adopted by PepsiCo provide an insight into how to involve key stakeholders in defining organizational priorities. The modern 21st century has the high focus on corporate social responsibility whereby commercial, profit oriented organizations are required to share their profits with the communities they serve. The concept is promoted as paying back to the society which is the major profit generating origin for commercial organizations. The contemporary response to corporate social responsibility obligations and initiatives has been quite negative when money spent on these activities was included in the cost budget with no identified revenue or profit contribution. Organizations like PepsiCo changed this perception and marked corporate social responsibility as an investment whose return is provided in terms of customer loyalty, employee loyalty, better corporate image and increased market penetration. The literature is rich in expla ining the benefits achieved through these factors and industry has uncountable evidence for them.Apart from conventional corporate social responsibility practices like spending on environmental cleanliness, waste reduction, recycling, donation for education, health and welfare of the deprived sector of society, PepsiCo included its business goal in its corporate social responsibility agenda. As mentioned in the case, it wants food and beverages to be available to consumers with convenience and affordability.

Application As Physician Assistant Personal Statement

Application As Physician Assistant - Personal Statement Example For five years, I worked as an Emergency Medical Technician for 72 hours a week, or more, whenever possible; and did my best at school. These challenges, and the psychiatric disorders of both, my mother and sister, provided the impetus for my decision to pursue a Physician Assistant Program. Thus, I have affirmed that my previous health care experiences and the commitment to undertake message-based volunteering with autism patients, veterans and chronically depressed patients in my Santa Ana Community through the California Fellowship of Neuromuscular Therapists organization, make me qualified to pursue the PA Program. I want to be a PA for professional growth in the medical field and to enable me to support my family and my community who needs health care workers who understand the "options" and "limitations" in their lives and can work with them to face an under-education in healthy resistance to care. I excelled in massage therapy school, with a 97% rating. I acknowledge that PA s chool is more difficult; yet, I strongly believe I would excel due to the time management skills that have been developed; and a perspective that recognizes placing education, as the priority. I affirm my conviction that I could be an instrumental contributor to the well-being of people through undertaking the responsibilities of a physician assistant. The challenges and difficulties that I have encountered in life were seen as little blessings in disguise to pursue a productive and rewarding profession.

Why did the Cold War not escalate into full-scale war between the USA Essay

Why did the Cold War not escalate into full-scale war between the USA and the USSR - Essay Example Even though there was no face to face conflicts these two blocks engaged in secret and indirect conflicts between each other. This was known to be the cold war. It continued till 1990’s when the Soviet Union broke up under the influence of perestroika and glasnost. To be precise, the cold war started in 1917 immediately after the Bolshevik revolution and ended in 1989 after the break up of USSR. It was a conflict between Bolshevism and democracy. The cold war is regarded as the most important political and diplomatical issue of the twentieth century. It got its name because both parties were afraid of fighting each other directly. Instead they fought the war indirectly. They played havoc in different parts of the world as well as fought with words on issues. Threatening and denouncement were common. Moreover they raced to make each other look foolish. The term cold war was used first by Mr. Bernard Baruch who was a senior advisor for the 33rd president of the US, Mr. Harry Tru man. He used this term because of the frequently occurring crisis between the two sides even though they fought side by side against Nazi Germany. The actual cause of the cold war was the Bolshevik revolution in Russia in 1917. ... This prompted Russia to behave negatively against west. Russians though that the west was interested in toppling their communist regime and used all its strength to defend and shun them. Even though the US recognized USSR in 1933, suspicion between the two countries continued on a high note. This continued in the Second World War where both the countries were allies. The cold war is considered as decade’s long struggle for world supremacy. It began escalating during 1945 when relations between Washington and Moscow started deteriorating. The deterioration ignited the cold war as well as set a stage for the dynamic struggle between the east and the west. Even though political leaders changed in both sides, the cold war continued. In another sense, the cold war was more political rather than military (Cold war. 2011). One of the main reasons why the cold war did not escalate into a full fledged war was because both sides knew that if the war was started, it could easily be a nuc lear war causing destruction to the whole world (Why the cold war did never escalated. 2011). During the cold war, many times there was concern that this would escalate into a full war with nuclear arsenal used by both sides and killing millions. However both the sides developed a deterrence policy that further prevented problems from escalating beyond localities. Often periods of escalations and crisis appeared during the cold war days. That was in 1953, when Josef Stalin’s sudden death caused a leadership gap in Moscow. During this time in US there was American presidential election. This crisis continued till the most famous Cuban missile crisis of 1962. Other critical events during the cold war include the Hungarian

How to Write the Best Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to Write the Best - Essay Example The structure of an essay depends on what type of essay it is, but most essays follow a general pattern that includes an introduction, two or three main body paragraphs, and then a conclusion to wrap everything up. The outline does not need to be very detailed because it only provides a guide for how the essay will look when finished. Each paragraph in the essay should only have a couple of sentences to explain the key points and supporting evidence if any. Part of the process of forming an outline usually involves some kind of research. There are many sources available for students to find information about their topic. Many students make the fatal mistake of including information from sites such as Wikipedia. The vast majority of lecturers do not approve of the use of such sources because they are not reliable. Any Internet user can change a Wikipedia page, so the information contained on a Wikipedia page may be untrustworthy. The types of sources that should be used in an essay mu st be reliable sources. This means that the information should invariably come from a book, a peer-review journal, or newspaper article. Any source that has been professionally published by an expert in a particular field of study counts as a legitimate source. Â   Â   Â   Â   The next step in producing a high-quality research paper is to write a rough draft. This stage is all about getting down thoughts on paper rather than trying to come up with the perfect essay. If an outline has already been completed, then this stage can be concluded at a faster pace than without one. The introduction of an essay should be designed to introduce the reader to the topic without giving too much key information away. The most common way to do this is through the use of a hook, which is designed to catch the reader’s attention. After the hook, a thesis statement should tell the reader what the student’s view on a particular issue is. This part is extremely important because it will set the tone for the rest of the paper. It will also tell the reader what reasons the student is giving for justifying their position on a topic.

Global Communications For US Brands Like Abercrombie and Fitch Essay

Global Communications For US Brands Like Abercrombie and Fitch - Essay Example Some important rights of the consumer are: 1) the right to choose, 2) the right accurate information, 3) the right to safety and 4) the right to value for money. Being a meticulous consumer, the British customers know where and how to get the best value for their money, and they usually know who to approach when things go wrong. It is essential for any organization who wishes to penetrate the British market, that value does not always mean the â€Å"cheapest† or the â€Å"most expensive†. It means that the consumers’ perception of it is if the standard or quality is commensurate with the price of the commodity. In the end, it is normally up to the customer to decide whether the price of the goods they are willing to purchase is worth it. (ii) In order to have a competitive advantage; A&F must incorporate the three (3) Cs or the Strategic Triangle by Ohmae. The three Cs are customer, corporate and competitor. In any business strategy, the organization’s primary concern should be its customers. Thus, it is recommended that management should implement an advertising strategy that could reach a larger portion of the market in order to edge out the competitor and penetrate more potential household consumers. However, before launching an entry into any new place, territory or country it would be best to assess the needs and wants of the target market and to know how far the competitor has come. The best advertisement campaign recommended will be a combination of the public information model where media and local press releases will be used extensively to inform the public of the A&F presence and to build wholesome image of whole organization; and the two-way symmetrical model which is a two way communication between the company and the public to sort out conflicts...

Ethical decsion making and the responsibilities and the conflicts of Term Paper

Ethical decsion making and the responsibilities and the conflicts of responsibilities of an administrator - Term Paper Example â€Å"Decision making ethics is an area of ethics which pertains to making decisions† (Smith). Decision-making ethics are not limited to any specific area or industry, rather it is applicable to all fields of life including medical practices, teaching practices, schooling, and in solving workplace conflicts. Smith asserts, â€Å"Ethics are standards of conduct which can be applied to a wide range of situations, from medical practice to running a major company†. Making a decision is routine activity in the life of any person. A person takes many decisions in life regarding different matters and issues. An important thing in this regard is to analyze the positive and negative consequences of the decisions before their implementation because without proper analysis, a decision may not bring expected benefits to the people. Incorporation of ethics in the decisions is very important because it makes the decision justified and logical for every person. The practice of ethical decision-making not only makes people identify decisions with ethical impact but also makes them know how they can take an ethical and fair decision regarding any specific matter. ... litarian Approach Administrators can make use of the utilitarian approach to take such ethical decisions, which should bring maximum benefits and minimum risks to the people involved in the conflict. The focus of this approach is to increase the number of benefits for the people and reduce the harmful aspects of the decision. It is a very positive approach towards decision-making because it makes the administrators take ethical decisions to solve the problems. The Virtue Approach Using this approach, administrators take such actions, which should be able to embody the character strengths of the people involved in the conflict. This approach helps administrators take such decisions, which focus character strengths rather than individual duties and responsibilities towards resolution of the conflicts. The Common Good Approach The focus of this approach towards ethical decision-making is to help administrators take such decision, which should be able to improve the quality of life of th e people involved in the conflicts. Using this approach, administrators take effective steps to bring improvement in the quality of life. Administrators find different ways to resolve the issues and use the most practical and ethical way to end the conflicts between different people. The Fairness Approach It is one of the widely used approaches towards ethical decision-making. Using this approach, administrators examine different ways to treat people fairly without any bias. This approach is closely linked with providing justice to the people. Administrators make use of this approach to take ethical and fair decisions based on actual causes of conflicts. Cooper’s Approach towards Decision-Making According to Terry Cooper, the ideal outcome of a decision is reached when the administrator

Reality TV is a huge success to the television industry in the 1990s Essay Example for Free

Reality TV is a huge success to the television industry in the 1990s Essay Reality TV is a huge success to the television industry in the 1990s. As a genre description, reality TV is widening its usage from news magazine programmes based round emergency service activities to talk shows, docusoaps and a variety of first-person programmes (Creeber, 2001: 135). Reality TV with extensive meaning becomes popular to describe any factual programme based on an aesthetic style of apparent zero-degree realism in other words a direct, unmediated account of events, often associated with the use of video and surveillance-imaging technologies (Creeber, 2001: 135). While Barnfield has criticized the loose usage of the term, suggesting that over the last decade such a wide range of productions have been categorized as Reality TV that one wonders if the term is too general to be helpful'(Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 3). It is true that reality TV is not explicit enough in meaning. However, it is the best word applicable to all situations and never unilateral. It gives producers more space to innovate new programmes as to prosper this genre. Reality TV evolves with the development of new technologies. New sub-genres emerged as the hybrids of established genres. It challenges traditional documentary and changes the serious content to more entertainment elements. Every format is close to everyday life to convince the audience as real programming. In the short history of only two decades, reality TV has evolved into various formats. I will focus on five main forms which have either had a remarkable effect on television history or unprecedented audience ratings with reference to relevant representative programmes of British television. Contested Generic Identification: Definition of Reality TV It seems difficult to issue a particular definition of reality TV to attest to debates over it. As Su Holmes and Deborah Jermyn point out: Producing a particular definition of Reality TV is nevertheless complex. This is partly because of the fundamentally hybrid nature of the forms in question. Yet it is also because of the range of programming to which the term Reality TV has been applied, as well as the extent to which this has shifted over time with the emergence of further permutations in reality-based texts. (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 2) Jon Dovey characterised this genre by reference to the dominant and original forms of Reality TV that feature police and emergency service work (Dovey, 2000: 80). In his opinion, as form and construction, reality TV should be: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ camcorder, surveillance or observational actuality footage; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ first-person participant or eye-witness testimony; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ reconstructions that rely upon narrative fiction styles; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ studio or to-camera links and commentary from authoritative presenters; à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ expert statements from emergency services personnel or psychologists. (Dovey, 2000: 80) These elements are helpful in interpreting the origins of reality programmes and in understanding its sub-genres and new development. Only by bearing these elements in mind can we make reference to relevant programmes when we trace back history to discuss the evolution of reality TV. Is it American Innovation? : Historical Precedent of Reality TV There is no consensus about the first reality programme. Jon Dovey thought that Reality TV is generally historically located as beginning in the US with NBCs Unsolved Mysteries in 1987 (Dovey, 2000: 81). While Bradley D. Clissold considered that during the years that it aired, Candid Camera (US, 1948- ), arguably the first Reality TV programme, proved itself to be one of US TVs most memorable, enduring and popular shows (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 33). There is a consensus that the earliest reality programme came out in America. In addition to these mentioned above, other commentators like Richard Kilborn, Chad Raphael and Gareth Palmer all agreed with this conclusion (Kilborn, 2003: 55; Palmer, 2003: 21). In the commercial environment in America, technologies like cable, satellite and digital prospered reality programmes in television market. However, reality TV as a television genre has evolved into a very strong Eurpoean form with regional variations in each country (Dovey). In mid-1980s, when surveillance technology such as CCTV (closed-circuit television) became accessible, Britain produced its own reality programmes, which revealed real accidents, crimes and emergencies. By using CCTV footage, these reality programmes departed from traditional documentary and were quickly accepted by the curious audience because of their witness techniques. They were real shows without actors and noted for low-cost which was attractive to most programme-makers. Among these early reality programmes, Crimewatch (BBC, 1984- ) was most influential. Jon Dovey said it has been seen as central to the development of the form, particularly in respect of debates around criminology and the media (Creeber, 2001: 135). Deborah Jermyn, who is experienced in studying television crime appeal, commented on Crimewatch: Promoting the growth of crime-appeal programming in Britain with a format where serious unsolved crimes are reconstructed, police and victims families interviewed, images of suspects publicized and the public encouraged to phone in and volunteer information by this time the series had comfortably established itself as Britains foremost crime-appeal programme. (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 71) The effectiveness of Crimewatch as a detergent to crimes has been under much debate. It entertained the audience, but it was weak as a warning to the criminals. As Jermyn commented: indeed some criminals have claimed that the poor-quality CCTV footage they witnessed on Crimewatch actually gave them an incentive to commit crime (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 82). The use of CCTV conspicuously enhances the programmes claims to authenticity and underlines its sense of a privileged relationship with real crime and actuality, qualities which programme-makers evidently believe to be ratings winners (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 83). In this case it is exciting for the audience to see the raw footage without caring much about its effect of crime appeal. These early reality programmes about crime appeal, accidents and emergencies formed a new documentary format, which was the precedent of a new genre-reality TV. Later popular factual entertainment programmes are based on these elements to innovate. Their effect is remarkable in a long term. Fly-Off-the-Wall: Video Diaries Known as Access TV The 1990s was a golden era for the prevalence of reality TV. Jon Dovey points out: it seems that ordinary people, non-professional broadcasters, have never been more present on our screens (Dowmunt, 1993: 163). Camera is no longer simply fly-on-the-wall to observe and record, but closes to the object to become active fly-off-the-wall. For a long time, access TV, as new reality television, has been in a great demand. According to Jon Dovey, there are some fundamental principles that identify access programming; they centre around control and power over the programme-making process, especially the authors should have control over the whole process of representation (Dowmunt, 1993: 165). Camcorder and video technology opened up expansive space for access TV. Non-professional broadcasters became a leading role in making these programmes. As Patricia Holland commented on this innovative style: The video diary style, in which programmes are made with domestic video equipment by members of the public rather than by television professionals, has introduced a new way of making programmes. Low-tech, with a less polished appearance, they seem to bring the audience even closer to the realities they show. (Holland, 1997: 158) Video Diaries, produced by the BBC Community Programme Unit from 1990-1999, was a representative of access TV. From these series of programmes, Jon Dovey noted: the Unit solicits and researches ideas from potential diarists with a compelling story to tell. Once chosen, the diarist is trained in the use of an S-VHS camera and packed off to shoot their story, with support from the Unit should it be needed. In this way the diarists are given not only editorial control but also control over the means of production. They return with anything up to 200 hours of material and attend all the edit sessions, from an initial assembly which is viewed and discussed at length to the offline and online edit processes. (Dowmunt, 1993: 167) The format of Video Diaries is a development of documentary. Gareth Palmer has explained that it imported the authorizing and legitimizing discourse of documentary into the personal, and in doing so it imported also documentarys ordering principle into individual lives (Palmer, 2003:168). It was popular to the audience and also gained acclaim from the critics because of its flexibility in recording reality. Nevertheless there were debates that the producers had already controlled the programme by selecting the diarists, and there were also problems of quality and legality. New Observational Documentary: Emergence of Docusoap Docusoap is one form of the new observational documentary and one sub-genre of reality TV. It is a hybrid of documentary and soap-opera. It improves from serious documentary to emphasize on entertainment, especially everyday lives. Developed in the UK in the mid-1990s, the docusoap enjoyed unprecedented success for roughly a four-year period (1996-2000) (Kilborn, 2003: 87). Docusoap combines documentary and drama. There are elements of narration, interviews and background music, and similar sequences as soap-opera. Each episode has a certain title and focuses on character, personalities, plot or situation. Technological advances promote the development of new observational documentary. New technologies like lightweight cameras, portable sound equipment and non-linear editing system accelerate editing process with better quality and effect. Besides, financial benefits also attract producers to choose new technologies. As Paul Hamann has commented, docusoaps already cost on average only a third of the price of the equivalent in light entertainment or sitcoms (Bruzzi, 2000: 77). The entertainment factor of docusoap makes it popular with audience. Driving School peaked at 12.45 million viewers (Bruzzi, 2000: 86). It focused on the trials and tribulations of people preparing for their driving test (Kilborn, 2003: 96). Compared to the core character of reality TV, docusoap is blamed to be less factual with aesthetic reconstruction. According to Bruzzi: The sequence most frequently cited is that in which Maureen Rees, on the eve of another attempt at her theory exam, wakes in the middle of the night and asks her husband Dave to test her on the Highway Code. The sequence is a reconstruction, and Jeremy Gibson (head of BBC Television Features, Bristol) and others have gone on record exonerating themselves from blame, commenting that, having gleaned that Maureen did get up at night ghrough panic, it was perfectly legitimate to recreate such a sequence without the film crew having to camp out in her bedroom for an entire night. (Bruzzi, 2000: 87) The producers intervention revealed obvious dramatic skills, which aimed at telling a complete story. In any case, under these circumstances one can never expect a totally natural performance from the character with the presence of camera. These factors make docusoap not so real, but the audience appreciate it for the entertainment value and these factors do not affect their enjoyment. However, by the end of 1990s, this new documentary format had gradually lost its popularity. Critics and executives of TV channels began to complain the similar content with in the same format between series. It was also blamed as a challenge of serious documentary. Then new factual programmes emerged and replaced docusoap in TV schedules. Docusoap is remembered as a creative hybrid of documentary and fiction with high ratings in the history of reality TV. Serve the Public: Prevalence of Lifestyle Lifestyle is another sub-genre of reality TV, of which BBC has been one of the biggest providers (Gareth Palmer; Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 173). It originated in the 1990s and is still popular today. It occupies a large part of TV schedule, shown usually in the daytime and prime time. There is a series of choices in dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor (House Invaders [Bazal for BBC1, 1999-2002], Changing Rooms [Bazal for BBC1, 1996- ]), clothes (What Not To Wear [BBC2, 1999- ]) and manner (Would Love To Meet [WLTM, BBC2, 2001-3]) (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 174). People now have strong sense that they are citizens and consumers. They are eager to improve their lives. Many are glad to show their private life in front of camera. For habitus, Gareth Palmer commented: Britain is a nation of homeowners clutching close the belief that the home represents a sort of castle. Hence, it makes sense to produce programmes aimed at the house-proud (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 179). For fashion, according to Palmer, in looking at fashion programming we come closer to seeing how the individual should ideally be styled according to the new class of experts (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 181). There is a debate as to whether fashion shows need be bitchy. Palmer has an interesting opinion: fashion without bitchery, like academia without snobbery, is inconceivable (Holmes and Jermyn, 2004: 184). Bitchery makes fashion programming as amusement. It does happen frequently in our life, which is a factual element of lifestyle. Lifestyle programming is an innovation that television is not only observing peoples life, but also changing peoples way of life. It serves the audience by giving instructions, which is the nature of European television, compared to marketing the audience of American commercial television (Ang, 1991). Lifestyle is a good illustration how culture affects social life. New Interactive Reality Show: World Success of Big Brother Endemols jewel in the crown, Big Brother was thirty months in development and was the brainchild of co-principal, John de Mol. First broadcast on Veronica in 1999 and an immense ratings success, the programme has been adapted in over eighteen territories in Western Europe, the UK, the US and elsewhere. (Albert Moran, the Global Television Format Trade; Hilmes, 2003: 120) Big Brother, a new reality programme is based on established genres such as game show, quiz show, documentary and soap opera. It is a social experiment, in which we witness the reaction of the participants to their new environment and changing circumstances are often beyond their control. With the feature of game show, Big Brother sets its game rules as: The programme involved ten housemates interned together over a ten-week period in a specially designed hermetically sealed environment. The housemates were supplied with food and drink and had access to all amenities, but were isolated from all contact with the media and the outside world; there were no television sets, radios, newspapers. Every week each housemate had to nominate for eviction two fellow-contestants; the two with the highest number of nominations would then be subject to public voting. It was the role of the public to select, by telephone vote, which of the two was to survive. By the final week there would be only two housemates remaining the winner was decided by the public, and took away a cheque for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½70,000. (Palmer, 2003: 182) From the above description, it is obvious that this programme innovatively uses interactive voting. The audiences have opportunities to join the programme and play a crucial role in deciding the result. In early 1990s, Mike Wayne criticized programmes at that time: broadcasters and programme makers have paid relatively little attention to the way in which people watch television. They have been concerned with how many people see a programme, rather than the way audiences interact with the images on the screen: what they absorb, what they challenge and what they discard (Hood, 1994: 43). It seems that Big Brother answers all these criticisms. Compared to the audience, the participants are powerless to control the programme. They are observed at all times and their lives are exposed to the public. Weve been looking at the housemates through the eyes of thirty-one unforgiving cameras we have seen them at their best and also at their worst (Ritchie, 2001: 279). What they need is just to relax and enjoy their time. For all of them, without exception, it has been an amazing experience. They have learned a great deal about themselves, and the rest of us have learned not just lots about them, but also about human nature in general (Ritchie, 2001: 279). However, all the participants are under much pressure exposing their lives to millions of audience. There is probably some negative effect on the psychology of most participants. Gareth Palmer calls the programme a psychological experiment. Programme experience is not always as wonderful as Ritchies comment in the above paragraph. In Sweden there was a suicide of a participant on a similar programme (Palmer, 2003: 185). So in Big Brother a team of mental health professionals will oversee both the selection process and the psychological well being of the participants while they are in the house (Palmer, 2003: 185). Big Brother creates a small society for the housemates away from the outside world. There are conflicts and also friendship. The participants are competitors and also partners. As the audience watch the trivia of their daily routine, the voiceover commentary helps them understand the situations. Big Brother, a hybrid of different forms with popular interactive elements, is a new format of reality TV. It is leading a new trend of reality programming. Many independent television production companies are professional and experienced in making these new reality shows. Channel 4 and ITV, such non-mainstream commercial channels have shown many this kind of reality programmes. The audience are looking forward to more innovation of reality TV. BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, R. C. and Hill, A. (2004) the Television Studies Reader, London: Routledge Ang, I. (1991) Desperately Seeking the Audience, London: Roughtledge Bruzzi, S. (2000) New Documentary: A Critical Introduction, London: Routledge Creeber, G., Miller, T. and Tulloch, J. (2001) the Television Genre Book, London: British Film Institute Dovey, J. (2000) Freakshow: First Person Media and Factual Television, London: Pluto Press Dowmunt, T. (1993) Channels of Resistance: Global Television and Local Empowerment, London: British Film Institute Gunter, B. and Svennevig, M. (1987) Behind and in Front of the Screen: Televisions Involvement with Family Life, London: John Libbey Hilmes, M. (2003) the Television History Book, London: British Film Institute Holland, P. (1997) the Television Handbook, London: Routledge Holmes, S. and Jermyn, D. (2004) Understanding Reality Television, London: Routledge Hood, S. (1994) Behind the Screens: the Structure of British Television in the Nineties, London: Lawrence Wishart Limited Kilborn, R. (2003) Staging the Real: Factual TV Programming in the Age of Big Brother, Manchester: Manchester University Press Ishikawa, S. (1996) Quality Assessment of Television, Luton: John Libbey Media Livingstone, S. and Lunt, P. (1994) Talk on Television: Audience Participation and Public Debate, London: Routledge Macdonald, K. and Cousins, M (1996) Imagining Reality: the Faber Book of Documentary, London: Faber and Faber Limited Palmer, G. (2003) Discipline and Liberty: Television and Governance, Manchester: Manchester University Press Ritchie, J. (2001) Big Brother 2: the Official Unseen Story, London: Channel 4 Books Swallow, N. (1966) Factual Television, London: Focal Press Limited Winston, B. (1995) Claiming the Real: the Documentary Film Revisited, London: British Film Institute

Environmental And Economic Impacts Of Green Architecture

Environmental And Economic Impacts Of Green Architecture Green buildings, also known as sustainable buildings, are structures that have revolutionized the way we live. These assemblies are designed, built, renovated, operated, or re-used in an ecological and resource efficient manner. Its sustainable development is helping maintain a balance between the human need to improve its lifestyle and feeling of well-being, while preserving natural resources and ecosystems. Green Architecture has the objective of using energy, water and other resources more efficiently and reducing the overall impact to the environment. It protects an occupants health, improves an employees productivity, and offers an optimal environmental and economic performance. Among its many economic benefits, it reduces operating costs, has marketing advantages, increases building valuations, and optimizes life-cycle performance costs. Its health and safety benefits include the enhancement of an occupants comfort and health. Its community benefits help minimize the strain on local infrastructures and improve the quality of life. (Ken 1) Green Architecture can be defined as the restructuring and creation of buildings that are beneficial and have a minimal impact on the environment. They are several approaches to green construction that involve the responsibility of recycling existing resources, along with the efficient use of environmentally friendly systems that will provide power and water services to sustainable buildings. Throughout the past century, more people have become concerned and aware of the proper use of the planets resources. This is why the fundamental concepts and objectives of green architecture have gained both societys interest and acceptance. (Tatum 1) A green architects mission is to design buildings that will provide the necessary functions, without posing a threat to the surrounding environment. This implies the use of building materials that are composed of organic compounds instead of synthetics. Some of these materials include the use of wood, stones, bricks, or other elements that are harvested from older buildings scheduled for demolition. These materials are generally joined with newer technologies creating structures that fit into the surrounding landscape. Some of these newer technologies refer to the instalment of solar panels and modern rainwater collection systems. This will make best use of the available resources for heating, cooling, cooking, and supplying water to the building. (Tatum 1) The quality of air is a crucial factor in any living or working environment, which is why it is easy to exclude pollution as only an outdoor problem. Nevertheless, it can still be quite problematic indoors due to poor ventilation systems that can be potentially hazardous to human health. Conventional building materials and furnishings emit formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals. Paints, solvents and household cleaning products emit volatile organic compounds and other fumes. Stoves and fireplaces emit carbon monoxide and smoke particulates. Most buildings contain natural biological pollutants such as dust mites and moulds. Product manufacturers in the construction and building industry have been able to introduce products that reduce these emissions of formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds and other potentially harmful chemicals. (Grey 1) Fresh air is a critical factor for optimal health. Homes in the colder climates have a closer structure that heats up the air and constantly recirculates the only air that leaks through the envelope providing fresh air. Heat recovery ventilation is a good insurance policy against build-up of indoor air problems without paying an energy penalty for direct fresh air ventilation. It uses stale indoor air while providing fresh air with only a small energy cost. Green buildings reduce IAQ problems by providing good ventilation allowing the natural flow of fresh air through the house. They have exhaust systems for radon gas; avoid wood products that contain formaldehyde, use less or no volatile organic compounds (VOC) interior paints, solvent-free-finishes, and solvent-free construction adhesives. (GreenBuilding 1) Green buildings seek to reduce our dependency on energy sources that come from non-renewable sources. Instead, they pursue to turn that reliance to sourcing energy from renewable sources and change our lifestyle of dependence. Certain programmes such as the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, like to emphasize the importance of householders in meeting several criteria in the property. It states that the entire loft space of the property must be insulated, have cavity wall insulation if the property has cavity walls. There should be basic controls on the home heating system that include a timer and a thermostat; and the installment of low energy light bulbs in all the appropriate light fittings. (Murray- White 1). In countries such as Canada, it is reported that municipal water systems leak up to a quarter of demand during distribution. Even though the infrastructure weakens, the use has increased by 26.7% since the 1980s as reported by the Eco-research team at the University of Victoria. However, there is enough renewable fresh rainwater to satisfy the needs of families with low resources. Rainwater lessens the dependency on municipal services and saves money, making it more than just sustainable. Organizations such as Health Canada have shown concerns regarding the safety and purity of the water source. This is why they have met with the challenge of building a sustainable water use system. Rainwater harvesting consists on collecting, storing and treating rainwater for watering exterior plants, toilet and laundry use, with potential portable use. The degree of treatment varies depending on its final use. (Hugh 1) Gathering water can come from hard surfaces, such as metal roofs, which is simpler than the capturing of water on vegetable roofs. For example, Lawn water can be collected from the surface or below grade using drainage piping which utilizes the earth for filtering. Regarding the maintenance or cleaning of water, other than removing the solids likes leaves; no special cleaning is required when the water is used for landscaping, swimming pools, laundry and toilets. However, ultraviolet is a safety measure used for killing bacteria which relies on the use of electricity. When water is intended for direct contact with humans, such as showers and sinks, additional treatments will always be necessary. (Hugh 1) Green architecture produces less waste by using renewable plant materials such as bamboo due to its rapid growth, lumber from forests certified to be sustainably managed, recycled stones and metals. It also uses other products that are non-toxic, reusable, renewable, and/or recyclable; for example: sheep wool, adobe, baked earth, rammed earth, clay, cork, coconuts, wood fibre plates, flax linen, and others. The Canada Green Building Council suggests the use of recycled industrial goods, such as coal combustion products, foundry sand, and demolition debris in construction projects. For example, the use of polyurethane blocks reduces carbon emissions, provides more speed, cost less and is environmentally friendly. Building materials should be extracted and manufactured locally to the building site in order to minimize energy use through transportation. Building elements should be manufactured off-site and delivered to the building site, to maximise benefits of off-site manufacture incl uding minimizing waste, maximising recycling, high quality elements, better OHS (occupational health and safety) management, less noise and dust. (Environment 1) The most criticized issue about constructing green buildings is the price, claiming it to be too expensive to be considered economically possible. However, studies have shown that the costs of green buildings are not anymore higher than regular development projects. Higher construction costs can generally be avoided by the incorporation of green designs from the outset of the project. Green Value is the net additional value obtainable by a green building in the market. This study shows that green buildings can achieve greater value than their conventional equivalents. However, it was discovered that the green building industry and others may be failing to get the message across that the main beneficiaries are the occupants. For example, a lot of attention has been focused on energy savings making it easy to measure. However, these are usually less than 1% of business operating costs. By comparison, total annual real estate expenses are usually around 10% of such costs while staff cos ts can be high as 85%. This means that the biggest return on investments should arise when green buildings improve business productivity. (Green Value 2) Due to the high increase in fuel costs over recent years, more people are choosing to purchase green homes and business premises. Green homes have more effective insulation, take advantage of the suns solar power, minimise the effects of summer heat, and favour energy efficient appliances and water conservation features. Even though the costs of these items may take time to recoup, there are many available loans, grants and subsides that assist people in helping them go green. Certain known green building practices benefit its customers as well as the environment. They incorporate longer-lasting materials, careful construction assemblies and design features that can reduce maintenance and costs. Strict indoor air quality guidelines ensure a comfortable and healthy living and working environment. The overall result of green building and its economic impact is the enhanced value and better resale across the lifespan of a home and business. (Durham 1) Canada has been recognized as a global leader in the green building industry, with more than 770Â  certified green buildings in use across the entire country. Canadian companies have earned a worldwide reputation for their innovation and excellence in the construction, design and operation of green buildings. Helping the planet recover requires a firm commitment, and Green building will lessen the damage being caused to the environment making the world a healthier place for future generations. The essence and definition of green architecture is to build in a way that minimizes environmental impact and promote a healthier indoor environment for occupants. As energy prices continue to rise and more people become conscious of their personal impact on the environment, green building has become the mainstream of the construction industry. It has become a movement that will affect and influence builders, property owners, and insurers for many years to come. (Canada Mortgage HC. 1)

Information Systems of TESCO

Information Systems of TESCO The report includes an analysis of the company major types of information systems, including a more detailed assessment of its Transaction Processing system, Decision Support System Enterprise systema and supply chain management. The company Decision Support System (DSS) is based on the effective collection of information through its Transaction Processing Systems. Management Information System (MIS) We are living in a time of great change and working in an information age. Managers in the big company now have to deal with masses of data, convert that data into information, analysis the information and making decisions leading to the achievement of business objectives. For an organization, information is as important resource as money, machinery and manpower. It is essential for the survival of the enterprise. Before computers are widespread used in the world, many organizations found difficulties in gathering, storing, organizing and distributing large amount of data and information. Development in Management Information System made possible for managers to select the information they required, in the form best suited for their needs and in time they want. This information must be current and in many cases is needed by many people at the same time. So it has to be accurate, concise, timely, complete, well presented and storable. Most companies in nowadays depend on IT. But personal computers (PCs) themselves will not improve organisational productivity: this only comes out about if they are used efficiently and effectively. This information system is the mechanism to ensure that information is available to the managers in the form they want it and when they need it. It is designed to support their work through providing relevant information for their decision-making. Computer system can clearly help organization in the processing of data into accurate, well-presented, up-to-date, and cost-effective information. However, weather that information is also concise, relevant, timely, and complete will largely depends on the capabilities of the people involved in its processing and selection. Management Information System Stages: Problem identification Implementation Search information System need System design Documentation Testing Definition: Information Systems is the application which designed to help, managerial needs, direct business and organizational operations. An information system needs to be knowledgeable of what information technology can give to an organization and how to get that solving solution of a particular condition. The effectiveness of an information system lies in the potential to apply the knowledge of information systems and technology collectively to help organizations strive more successfully in the marketplace. Introduction The organization I have selected is world famous retail giant TESCO. TESCO is a British based company working in general merchandising and retail business. Its profit exceeds three billion pound a year and it is the third largest retailer in the world. TESCO is working in more than 12 countries of the world. TESCO is the leading Superstore Company in UK with more than 2000 stores in the UK. It specializes in many items including food, drinks, clothing, electronics, financial services, home appliances, health care, insurance, dental care, music and telecommunication services etc. TESCO is world-class retailer company and everyday more than 11 million people visit TESCO stores. TESCO has got actually one of the most sophisticated retail supply chain in the world which makes it possible for all the guests to get whatever they need for the last 10 years. TESCO is also one of the most successful on-line grocery shopping services in the world which has more than 750000 active customers across the world Nature of Information system: Largest global grocery retailers TESCO, has successfully put into use Oracle and SAP Business Objects Polestar applications, because it is the retailer preferred enterprise system. For implementations of these enterprise system TESCO work out on feasibility, how they can make out best of these applications. TESCO, Oracle Retail Warehouse Management System, Oracle Marketing platform, Oracle accounting Hub, Oracle HR, Oracle BI, and SAP Business Objects Polestar has provided TESCO with a solution that is now a basis for common processes and operations locally and internationally. Functional uses of MIS Sales and marketing: Company previously were using Linux system for digital marketing purpose, since switching to Oracle Marketing platform TESCO business is closer to their customer than ever because of the digital marketing services which is in its providing supports intelligently targeting about the consumer buying habits. For example: Oracle generates personalized incentive and discount scheme to encourage customer loyalty. For these customers all they need to do is, register to receive Oracle promotion with the swipe of a credit or debit card which is located nation wide. Every time the customer of an Oracle subscriber makes a purchase the transaction data electronically transmitted to oracle’s database. This is how company are identifying and learning about their shopping patter and with the help of these discount and incentive scheme they can understand their customer future purchases. Accounting: Oracle accounting Hub helping TESCO to do day to day firm activates such as; Invoices Inventory control Customer detail Supplier details All sales and purchases Ledgers Products details Oracle financial Accounting Hub provides an internal control structure to ensure successful audit and compliance reviews. TESCO accounting structure is not also bound of Oracle accounting Hub, company can quickly accommodated with effective changing according to the organisation requirement which mean Oracle providing flexible accounting and finance system to the organisation. Human resources Management (HCM) and finance: TESCO encourages and provides opportunities to its employees to participate in higher educational programmes to get professional skills. TESCO has introduced two courses for its employees, these are training programmes and the once the workers complete these trainings they qualify for higher posts. These two programmes are Pre-Optional Test Optional Test These training programmes enhance the retail and customer service skills of the workers. In order to achieve that Oracle HR software are providing workforce information to the Managers. Through the software a manager can know starting and finishing time of a particular job. Human resources system (HRM) also helping in TESCO to manager regarding recruitment and retention objectives. Another example of effective Oracle HR system Retailers are well versed in the reality of store theft. Losses aren’t just about simple shop-lifting, however. They’re also about fraud and poor information management. Containing such losses requires a disciplined approach, starting with smart point of sale (POS) systems and travelling all the way up the chain to human resources. As an example, POS systems can be used to help cut back on fraudulent returns by allowing sales staff to quickly tap into customer, financial and inventory information to instantly show if a return is likely to be genuine or not. Sales staff should not be expected to distinguish between genuine and fraudulent returns without information, help and support. TESCO currently a system that allows personnel and finance department remain up to date with changes in employees preferences for work and their personal contact details i.e. bank account information, and tax contributions. Each time one of the employees clocks in and out of work it is processed electronically enabling personnel department to work out their wages and any tax contribution they owe, these are worked out automatically. Manufacturing and Production: Business circumstances demand immediate attention. Oracle BI Applications provide TESCO proactive, event-based, and scheduled alerts that are delivered directly to users via email, handheld, and other portable devices or to a personalized dashboard. Powerful, timely, and actionable information help prevent issues from becoming problems. Production planning: For example When overtime levels at a production facility are in danger of exceeding budgeted levels, Oracle BI Analytics sends an alert to the plant manager and company controller. Armed with this information, they can quickly correct the deviation, preserve profit margins and examine alternatives to paying overtime such as hiring contractors or more full-time workers. System from a constituency perspective: Transactional processing system: A Transaction Processing System also referred to as TPS is an information system used to collect, retrieve, store, and modify transactions within an organization. For a computer to be considered a transaction processing system it must pass the ACID test Atomicity Consistency Isolating Durability Each transaction process is standardized to increase competence, TESCO require a custom made TPS which works with TESCO business strategy and processes. This is why there are 2 types of transactions. Batch Processing: Batch processing stores data for processing at pre-defined times. Batch processing is useful to an organization because it needs to process large amounts of data using limited resources. Real Time Processing Real time processing systems are in place to react to an event within a prearranged time. These types of operating systems are found within organization i.e. banks. TESCO rely on their TPS because of the fact all there transaction made to there suppliers and customers and any middle parties involved are done by TPS also all the products have a bar code which the TPS uses to figure out how many products have been sold and needs ordering etc Key features of TPS Rapid Response Reliability Inflexibility Control processing Management information systems: Management information system also referred to as MIS and management information services, this is a computer based system which provides TESCO managers with essential tools for managing, evaluating and efficiently running their departments this enables them to provide past, present and prediction information, an MIS can also include software that helps managers in decision making, Within organizations the department which is usually responsible for computer systems is called the MIS department however other names such as IS (Information Services) and IT (Information Technology). For example TESCO can use this system to find out how many hours the employees have worked over a period of time, and get monthly reports of expenses compared to the costs. TESCO also use this system in Replenishment, Pricing Analysis i.e. Markdowns and Sales Management. Decision support systems (DSS) With the help of SAP Business Objects Polestar provided as part of SAP Business Objects Edge BI, TESCO guided data navigation application that helps TESCO to easily explore information and quickly answer important business question via simple search on daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Moreover, it helps to analyze the salary trend on regular basis. Furthermore, with the help of SAP TESCO is able to analyze recruitment success rate, applicant statistics and dropout reasons. Moreover, provide to TESCO accurate data from the HRMS application and provide the tools to make better, more strategic decisions. Executive support systems (ESS) A ESS (or DSS more in general) is a software system under control of one of many decision-makers that assists in their activity of decision making by providing and organised set of tools intended to impart structure to portions of the decision making situation and to improve the ultimate effectiveness of the decision outcome for the executives. Organizations should focus improving their ESS after it has been implemented to maximize its usage. The decisions the executive makes should be tracked with the use of cause effect relationships. The system can produce graphs, statistics, and etc. to show the effect of the decision and depending on the time frame of when the decision was made; it’s very much possible to turn a negative, decisional outcome into a plus for the organization. Executives should consistently monitor the system for opportunities to improve their decision-making. Oracle Credit-to-Cash Software enables information about activities to be presented to those responsible for the activities whatever is going internally and externally Uniquely enables to TESCO Via these capabilities Improve Cash Flow and Increase Efficiencies Streamlined credit decision; flexible invoice presentment; configurable collections strategies activity prioritization; customer self-service account management; automated receipts revenue processing Balance Growth with Financial Stability and Control Dynamic credit decision based on risk/revenue optimization rules; flexible role-based security, time, event, and rules-based revenue recognition For minute to minute Oracle Credit-to-Cash Software solution enables TESCO mangers to drive working capital efficiency with integrated business processes that lower DSO, increase customer satisfaction, and maintain fiscal discipline. Credit-to-Cash is defined as the business process flow comprised; Cash flow Revenue recognition Working Capital Closing and opening Inventory etc Interrelationship between the systems: The various types of systems in TESCO exchange data with one another. Transactional Processing system (TPS) is a Main source of information data for different systems, particularly Management Information System (MIS) and Decision Support System (DSS). TPS works in TESCO as, operational level systems that compile transaction data. Examples of these are payroll or order processing that leads the run of the daily happening transactions that are important to conduct business in TESCO. TPS make available data that are needed by office systems, KWS, MIS and DSS, regardless of the fact these systems may also avail other data in TESCO. KWS and office information systems not only conduct data from TPS but in addition from MIS. Decision Support System not only uses data from TPS but besides from Office systems, KWS and Management Information System. MIS depend upon heavily on data from Transaction process system but also avail data from Office systems and KWS. ESS gains most of their internal data from Decision support system and management Information system. Enterprise applications Enterprise Resource Planning systems form the ground units of building a complex information system of a company. The role of ERP systems within the wide portfolio of TESCO products is basically the same. Enterprise resource planning systems provide functionality for complex processing of all company internal economic agendas and allow for keeping up-to-date and true view of the companys economical management. Based on a complex and up-to-date approach to managing the information flow in the company, present-day ERP systems are of modular, open and parameter-driven character to be easily customized according to the customers needs. TESCO SW has wide experience in developing and implementing its own partial ERP system based on state-of-the-art technologies of Oracle. Prior to developing this solution, TESCO developed another, similar, system for keeping tally and processing of company internal economic data including assets management (the system was in the Turbo Pascal environment). Supply chain management systems: Oracle Retail Warehouse Management System provides TESCO to a standardization of supply chain pattern across the national and international business and is liable for a steep alteration in distribution centres productivity and potential. Oracle Retail Warehouse Management System is currently totally operational in Southeast Asia, and Europe and now in America. TESCO first put into use Oracle Retail Warehouse Management System at its fresh ambient distribution centre in South Korea. With a requirement to supply more than to 1 million cases across 10,000 SKUs per week, the purpose were to strip out amount from the supply chain, make possible transport through large extent capabilities via one site, and maintain a vanilla to put into practically to get the basis for all further implementations nationally and internationally. A collection of strong base functionality and TESCO-specific growth by Oracle Retail has fixed up TESCO with an answer that is now a foundation for common processes as well as operations across the international distribution centres. TESCO generated a set of centralized processes to convert, manage and join replenishment and distribution and take part with Oracle Retail to join these into the fresh warehouse management system. Where possible, TESCO tried to use a steady execution team to make easier to change management process. Customer relationship management systems: Primarily, TESCO is using the customer relationship management system to chase customer interactions through Email and telephone from the contact centre, and to generate a knowledge base of the information on products such as, food, drinks, clothing, electronics, financial services and frequently asked questions. TESCO Tech Support needs to widen the usage of the RightNow system to a web self service system for customers as well as for staff in TESCO stores. TESCO will further investigate development of web chat so all the customers can connect with the contact centre staff while they are online. Assessment of current used or MIS/Recommendation: SAP and Oracle currently have been using in TESCO to identify their needs in administration area. Both the software’s are currently not fulfilling the required target because they need a system which they can implement worldwide because TESCO has 240,000 employees around the globe. According to David Richardson, people insight director at TESCO, said in a statement. We looked at solutions from SAP and Oracle but felt that a combination of functionality and PeopleSofts culture matched our requirements best. The browser-based system will replace the existing mainframe infrastructure and will help centralise TESCO HR admin. Organizations who fail to upgrade their hardware in support of ESS face the possibility of experiencing slow response times especially when the system is conducting complicated and complex queries. Slow response times may be the result of the organizations unwillingness to spend money on new hardware Furthermore, Oracle Business Intelligence solutions carry best in class technology for Reporting, Analysis, Packaging application system. Day to day Sales and purchases Ground on an integrated, scalable, web-native architecture, Oracles unified and open BI foundation reduces cost of ownership, efficiently accesses information from heterogeneous sources, and provides an enterprise semantic layer with multiple channels of information delivery to support self-service, pervasive BI, and management excellence. Together with Oracle BI Applications complete, pre-built BI solutions that help people understand how their business is performing Oracles Business Intelligence Suite provides the most comprehensive, integrated solution available. Conclusion To Sum up, TESCO benefits from both the transaction processing systems and Management information systems. Using these automated systems helps TESCO to run efficiently by helping with stock replenishment and analyzing sales figures and help TESCO bringing in revenues Billions of Pounds. Resources: http://www.ameinfo.com/75391.html http://www.itbusinessedge.com/offer.aspx?o=00300079lib http://hardware.silicon.com/servers/0,39024647,11032001,00.htm http://www.oracle.com/appserver/business-intelligence/hr-analytics.html http://www.angelfire.com/rebellion2/jsmith/case_2.html http://www.oracle.com/applications/financials/credit-to-cash.html http://www.tescosw.eu/products/erp-systems/art_168/article.aspx http://www.oracle.com/corporate/press/2006_jan/tesco%20news%20release_final2.htm http://www.mcrit.com/ASSEMBLING/assemb_central/WhatESS.htm http://www.taloustieteet.oulu.fi/opiskelu/opiskelumateriaali/advanced-firm/Tesco_Report_2007_FULLlow.pdf

The Different Styles of Learning for Students Essay -- essays papers

The Different Styles of Learning for Students Just as in culture differences between colors of skin and the spoken language, people have different styles of learning. In the modern day classroom, children use all different learning styles. Teachers need to learn how to incorporate all the styles in their activities and involve every student so no one is left behind. The purpose of this paper is to identify the different learning styles that are applied to factors that effect learning. There are six main factors that have an affect or impediment on learning. They are brain processes, social factors, environmental factors, senses, physical needs, and emotional attitudes. (Creative Learning 1997) How students process within their brain is key on the learning style that would be most effective for them. The way a brain processes had either 2 ways to do it, left brain or right brain. The right brain is a person who thinks of a whole picture. As compared to a left brain thinker, who thinks and processes information in parts. Right brain thinkers also process information simultaneously and are impulsive thinkers. They do not weigh the pros and cons of situations as much as left brain thinkers, or reflective thinkers. Social factors play an important role in a students learning. The way a student learns is dependent on the number of people that are involved teaching, or the number of peers that are also learning. In a large group setting such as a lecture hall with 100-200 people, a person has to be attentive and pay close attention. There is less one on one contact with the professor because he can’t reach all of the students. Usually in a larger setting like this there is more group work. In a smaller setting, s... ...ions and expressions to judge and comprehend the information, and thus form new ideas from that information. The fourth and final general style is the same as one of the multiple intelligences. It is the interpersonal style of learning. They work well in groups and helping others out due to their normally stable understanding of the information within themselves. Each of the four general styles of learning covers the eight styles displayed in Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences. Even today, psychologists still find different ways to better identify how the students learn best and which method should be used. Just as technology, the information is getting better as we evolve. Through the eight different learning styles, people can better understand how to teach and how to shine in their best light, creating a more productive environment.

How can one truly define love :: essays papers

How can one truly define love Love is a wonderful thing; a wise man once said that to me. Although this statement leaves sparse room for argument, it does little to define what love is beyond the vague realm of wonderful. It is my duty as a stanch romantic to embark upon the seemingly tricky task of defining love by looking at the history, explaining what love is not, and investigative the uses of love and the results of which it brings. The origin of the word is probably the most understandable place to start. As with many words in the English language, love is a derivative of the Latin word "notquitesurewhatimdoing" which means "You think you want it when don’t have it, but when you have it your not sure if you want it." The word was created to explain the phenomenon that existed when certain couples came into contact with each other and either stayed together forever throughout the end of time, or went about their lives miles apart down separate roads of travel. Regardless of the outcome, the relat ionship was usually attributed of throat lumps, knotted stomachs, weak knees, speech impediment, sweaty palms, nausea, sneezing, and occasional runny nose. Quarrelsome insanity also resulted. History clearly defines this. Can we ever forget the face that launched a thousand ships? Federally expressing Van Gough's ear; Eric Clapton stealing away George Harrison’s first wife? When Ronnie left Jessie for Susie, then found out that Jessie had already left Ronnie for Karen, on â€Å" Days of our Lives†. All of these were results of love and love lost. Ill-fated lovers have stated that love is not hand nor foot nor any part belonging to a man. Matrimonial ceremonies also claim that love is not jealous or boastful. Let it be stated hear that love also is not a gourmet dish, a domesticated animal, or a latest trend. Love is neither a premeditated security instrument nor the most hidden secret at the Pentagon. Love is not another seasoning to bottle and stick on the dust-lined shelves of the spice rack. Love is not to be confused with adhesive tape. Instead, love is a great complement to late, evening thunderstorms on warm June nights. Love goes well with chicken soup and the sniffles. Love is cold, wet sand between bare toes.

Anna Livia Plurabelle: The Lost Truth of Feminine Subjectivity :: essays research papers

Anna Livia Plurabelle: The Lost Truth of Feminine Subjectivity The oppressed, repressed, and impressed subjectivity of feminism finds a new opportunity to assert its true self against the stultifying atmosphere of modernism and identity-oriented crisis of postmodern ambience by appealing to the unique characterization of Anna Livia Plurabelle which frequently oscillates phallocentrism and proves the me'connaissance of male selfism and female-otherness to establish a new doctrine based on the fact that the male subjectivity as a desceptionary ruling self is subverted through the intermittent alterity that the indispensable feminine Being-Anna Allmazifull-makes possible. Anna Livia Plurabelle (ALP) represents a kind of discourse (gramma's grammer) that grammatologically brings forth a new status in which feminine otherness is altered into an origin that governs all patriarchal claims postrated and confirms them margin subject to feminine alterity. To achieve a full subjectivity through alterity, Joyce appeals to dream, a means in which the self is fully lost and the process of becoming other flows without the trammel that consciousness brings about. Dream contains potentiality to make one which is two-Anna Livia and her daughter Issy or Anna and Kate. Anna lives so many lives especially her pre-self (Issy) her own current self, and her post-self (Kate) to certify feminine power which dwells in the male unconsciousness. Also, through dream, the three processes to which Freud refers as distortion, displacement, and condensation, are depicted to give more authenticity to gramma's grammer. That is through these processes the unconscious is structured to appeal the logic with the purpose of proving the nature of real feminine subjective manipulation over male-made canon. Hence the term alterity. Tracing back the origin of alterity, one comes to term with sexuality as a genetic drive, in possession of female. Again, at this point Anna Livia stands at the head as an invincible representative of women and manipulates the condition through her top hand. Anna who is prayed as "†¦ Allmazifull, the Everliving, the Bringer of Plurabilities †¦ (FW: 104.1-3) dissipates HCE into Howth Castle and Environs and gives us an important key to establish the motif of stone as death and the delineation of the creative power of sexuality reminds us the tree motif as life: so, the dialectic of stone and tree metaphorically stands for the dialectic of death and life within the sphere of the Hegelian Absolute Being (ALP).

My walk with the Lord

I realized I needed the Lord as a teenager. Because I grew up in a Christian home, and went to church on a regular basis, I never really experienced that close and personal relationship with the Lord. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I grew close to Christ. My father fought stomach cancer for two years, and the three months he spent at home with our family taught me to rely on God for everything. It was only through prayer and reading Bible passages that I was able to be strong as my father passed away. This was a tumultuous period for me; I was begging God for more time with my father, and praying for Him to ease my father’s pain. Instead of God healing my father, he showed me that Jesus is alive and with us. I was desperate to walk with Jesus Christ, and He helped me to see that He was with my father and my family. I always understood that Jesus is our Savior, yet I didn’t truly believe that He is alive in our heart, until my father’s illness. That was when I felt the promise that He would always listen to my prayers and be with me. The Spirit guided me through my prayers during different times, especially during my junior year in high school. I have faith in eternal life and a strong conviction that I could never obtain through education, but only by experience in Jesus Christ. As a result, I have decided I will do whatever God leads me to do until the day I get to meet my father in heaven. I now truly understand the principles and ideas being taught in my church, and I have begun applying them to my own life. I have learned that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above (James 1:17) and also that if I ask, it shall be given; seek, and I shall find; knock and it shall be opened. (Matthew 7:7). These lessons, although filled with a joyful promise, have not always come easy. There have been times I have prayed so much for something, to have it not happen or to not be fulfilled. It has taken many years to understand that The Lord’s path is the right path, and my way is not always what is best for me. Often times, however, I have been able to see God’s plan for me, after the fact, and was thankful that e is in control of my life. Any problems or questions I find in my life, I have learned that I can turn to the scriptures for the answers, like a handbook for life. I also know that the Lord is with me at all times. Like in Psalms 23, probably one of the most well-known verses, I know that The Lord is my Shepard, and I shall not want. And Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me. In times of solitude or despair, I have taken comfort from this passage. My walk with The Lord is a constant journey. Each day I learn more and trust in His grace further. Although at times it is hard to trust in the unknown, I have put all of my heart into Him, and I know that He will provide for me. Because I realize this, I hope to help others to also understand and come to know Jesus. He has said, in Luke 16:15-16, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. I want to live my life for Christ. I want others to see His good works through me. I want to continue to grow in His Almighty grace and spirit. I want to help unbelievers experience the incredible rock that I have found to help me through good times and bad, and to know the one I call Jesus.

Man Warms Up The Earth Essay

Abstract Many causes of global warming have been theorized by scientists and researchers for decades.   Some say it is caused by natural causes like orbital planetary alignments and geothermal progression of the earth while there are many who contradict by saying that man has brought it upon himself through his constant abuse of the environment. Economical and political principles add up to the confusing problem being focused on. Whatever the causes may truly be, global warming is already causing enough trouble for mankind and everything should be done to stop or slow it down. Man Warms Up The Earth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Global warming is a very sensitive issue in the scientific field.   Many scientists and environmentalists are doing their best to create programs for governments and communities to become more aware of human activities that are aggravating the situation. Many people believe that industrialization and other capitalist concerns have to stop or slacken its pace to rehabilitate the damaged environment.   There are those, however, who also believe that nature is simply running its usual course and that man does not have any way to stop it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The debates have grown mostly in favor of those who believe that man causes global warming.   A large number of studies have already been released and reported through different media like television, radio, newspapers, scientific journals, magazines, etc.   Countries have already tried to address the problem by convening through agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and the Montreal Protocol.   Assessments of these activities, however, do not always show that the agreements have been enough to really create change in the damage mankind has been doing to his environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These studies, agreements and activities lead to the conclusion that global warming and earth’s destruction is inevitable and coming too fast.   It creates a sense of panic for those who would read and listen to the debates being engaged in by scientists and environmentalists. This paper seeks to know the real causes of global warming and to conclude whether man truly gives a great contribution to the issue. What is global warming?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Global warming pertains to the increasing hot temperature within the planet.   According to scientific studies, carbon dioxide and methane gases collect in the atmosphere and form a sort of thick blanket that traps the heat within the earth. When heat is trapped, the resulting climate becomes warmer and changes the natural temperature and weather of the planet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although global warming seems just a simple change towards hotter temperatures, its effects can be devastating.   Warmer temperatures can make glaciers melt which can cause the release of greenhouse gases and unavoidable water shortages in certain areas of the globe.   The melting ice can also cause big floods that can drown out many parts of the world.    Warmer sea surfaces can lead to more serious hurricanes. The rising temperature also causes the increase of pests and the diseases that come along with it. The change in temperature can also affect the many habitats of the 30 million other creatures on earth and further their extinction which will upset the ecological balance even more. Man may be the only driving force towards these changes yet these affect the total population of the whole world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to different scientists, global warming has two major causes: natural and man-made or anthropogenic. Natural Causes – Theories and Myths?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Global warming, some scientists believe, is a predicament that is inevitable because of the earth’s cycle of climate changes and natural emission of greenhouse gases by living creatures. Evidences have been given to show that these factors are the main cause of the issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Climate Change Cycle. Scientists say that the earth changes its climate every thousands of years although there are variations to the number being projected.   There are those who believe that the cycle is every 40,000 years but according to the studies made by Tom Scheffelin (2007), a member of the California Air Resources Board, the climate cycles may be within periods of 1,800 years. He argues that based on marine scientist, Otto Pettersson, the relation of the sun with the orbital alignment of the earth and its moon occurs in the suggested period and this causes the alteration of underwater movement which in turn results to a modified ocean temperature change that consequently revises climate. Pettersson’s theory is based on his own review of many studies including Peter Freuchen’s Book of the Seven Seas (2003) which gives concrete observations and evaluations of tidal cycles. This theory was supported by Dr. Charles Keeling, a carbon dioxide scientist, through his research entitled, â€Å"The 1,800-Year Oceanic Tidal Cycle: A Possible Cause of Rapid Climate Change,† which gives many analysis of ice-core and deep-sea sediment-core records regarding the past million years. According to these theories, the planet shall continue to warm up until the year 2350 and may only return to its current state of temperature after around 900 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Carbon Dioxide Emissions. Living creatures naturally emit carbon dioxide as a product of breathing in oxygen.   Also according to Scheffelin, current carbon dioxide emissions should not be affecting climate change towards global warming as other scientists propose.   â€Å"Carbon dioxide levels track temperature changes between 300 to 1,000 years after the temperature has changed. â€Å" (par. 8) This simply means that carbon dioxide responds to normal biological activity and does not create changes in the earth’s climate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Methane Gas Emissions and the Arctic Tundra. Some scientists believe that the Arctic Tundra’s gradual thawing is a natural phenomenon and should not cause concern. These researchers theorize that the geothermal heat radiating from the core of the earth is causing the oceans to get warmer.   While this is happening, the ocean slowly stops absorbing carbon dioxide at its present rate.    This is a cause for concern because the carbon dioxide content of oceans are fifty times greater than the amount in the atmosphere. Therefore, even if only a two percent decrease rate happens, the amount contained by the atmosphere shall double and cause the oceans to increase its hot temperature even more. There are also theories that say that if the shallow Arctic Ocean will get warmer, it shall release more methane gas which will eventually make the atmosphere even warmer. Al Gore, in his book, The Shadow Our Future Throws (2006), explains that this can cause a great acceleration for global warming. When the tundra begins to thaw, methane gases will be emitted to the atmosphere and â€Å"each methane molecule is twenty times more effective as a greenhouse gas than each molecule of carbon dioxide.† (p. 53) Man-Made Causes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many causes of global warming are currently being attributed to man’s own destruction of his environment. Specific causes include fossil fuel burning, pollution, population, poor knowledge of environmental use and economic policies that threaten our natural resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fossil Fuel Burning. According to scientists, the burning of fossil fuels release carbon dioxide molecules into the air and these form a thick blanket that traps heat within the planet.   Fossil fuel is needed for many of the machines and transportation vehicles that man is using for economic development. Without fossil fuel, industries will not be able to flourish and the economies of many countries will fall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas that attributes to the entrapment of heat within the earth. Fossil fuels, as the name implies, are resources that have to be uncovered from the earth’s layers underground. Digging up fossil fuel not only releases carbon dioxide but also methane, another greenhouse gas.   Continual excavation for fuel and the resulting release of greenhouse gases is therefore dangerous.   However, digging up these greenhouse gases is only the start of the problem because the conversion of fossil fuel and its use also result to pollution that adds to the growing problem of global warming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pollution. Air pollution is one of the greatest concerns of environmentalists.   Scientists who support these ecologically concerned groups say that emissions from cars and other vehicles that use fossil fuel are worsening global warming. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (2007), automobiles are the second largest source of carbon emissions which creates around 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide yearly from the United States alone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From another part of the planet, Asians have also studied their own contribution to the problem of carbon dioxide emissions.   In a study made by Dollaris Suhadi and his colleagues (2005) from the environmental studies faculty of Universiti Putra Malaysia, the photochemical smog in Metropolitan Jakarta is also a major contributor to the problem of air pollution.    According to researchers, photochemical smog is a condition that develops when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are created by the burning of fossil fuel and biomass and are mixed with sunlight to produce dangerous secondary gas pollutants.   Ground-level ozone is then produced.   The results of the research concludes that smog pollution potential in the location is high because of the increasing traffic emissions of ozone precursors and the meteorological conditions (warm tropic temperature, high solar radiation and calm wind conditions). (p. 118)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Coal burning is also another major contributor to air pollution.   This activity is common to many countries because it is a process necessary to get power for the operation of many machinery.  Ã‚   Coal-burning power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon dioxide pollution — they produce 2.5 billion tons every year. (Natural Resources Defense Council, par. 1)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ozone Layer. In the 1980s, concern over the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) in chemical production was raised in relation to global warming.   According to a report published on In Focus, a newsletter propagated by the Interhemispheric Resource Center and Institute for Policy Studies, CFCs and other chemicals are destroying the ozone layer of the earth. The ozone layer is important because it blocks off enough ultra violet rays of the sun towards the earth.   Excessive exposure to the ultra violet rays causes skin cancer.   According to the report, ozone layer depletion is masking the problem of global warming because its effect on the stratosphere makes the climate seem cooler than it should.   The ozone layer simply aids in deceiving people from knowing the alarming rate at which global warming is rising.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Global warming and ozone depletion are interrelated because the rising temperature of the earth also adds to the content of water vapor in the atmosphere.   This traps infrared heat in the parts of the atmosphere nearer the earth that should have been thrown back into outer space via the stratosphere. On the average, the earth as a whole reflects around 30 percent of the total radiation back into space and a change in the amount of water vapor or any other element in the ozone layer can affect the heating or cooling of the atmosphere. (Tillery, 2007, p. 577) When the stratosphere is cooler, the increase in water vapor would have an effect on the increase of ice crystals within the ozone, concentrating on the polar regions wherein the CFCs are bound to stay.   The CFCs in the ozone near the polar region will then hasten the depletion of the ozone layer at an even faster rate. Population. The seemingly uncontrollable rise of population is another source of concern that can result to global warming. A research was made by a group of scientists from Canada and Spain, regarding the possibility of humans and domestic animals contributing highly to the problem of rising planetary temperatures.   The research was done by using allometric relationships that depict standard metabolic and defecation rates of the human and animal populations based on data that were gotten from the 2002 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations. According to the results, the â€Å"combined direct and indirect metabolic sources, estimated at 3.1 GtC year-1 have increased 7 fold since pre-industrial times and are predicted to continue to rise.† (Praire, et.al., 2007, p. 217). This therefore indicates that carbon emissions from living creatures also have a direct effect on the warming temperatures of the environment and may need to be considered for further studies involving global warming. Another cause for global warming attributed to population growth is the destruction of natural forests being done because of the need for additional housing and income.   When the population increases, the need for shelter and urbanization also increases.   These result to the need to clear up forests for villages and cities.   Trees have to be cut down to make houses and furniture.   Raw lands have to be turned into farms to create income from agriculture.   This has happened in many countries, especially the Third World nations who are grappling in order to cope up with world economy. Denudation of Forests. Forests are the very basic in the ecological system of balance. This is because much of the carbon dioxide on earth is replaced and converted into oxygen by the many trees and plants in these areas.   One of the major concerns of environmentalists is the rampant denudation of forests that could help in the balancing off of the carbon emissions of man. A great example of how forests can actually affect global climate was explained by Al Gore. â€Å"When I was flying over the Amazon rain forest in a small plane, I was struck by what happened immediately after a thunderstorm moved across an area of the forest: as soon as the rain stopped, clouds of moisture began to rise from the trees to form new rain clouds that moved west, driven by the wind, where they provided the water for new rain falling out of new thunderstorms.   An interruption of this natural process can have a magnified impact.   †¦ And when the overarching canopy of leaves is removed, the sudden warming of the forest floor leads to the release of huge quantities of methane and CO2, as a kind of biochemical â€Å"burning† takes place. (p. 51)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The example mentioned above is merely a depiction of how important forests are to mankind with respect to global warming.   The Amazon forest and the ones in Indonesia make up most of the forest reserves of the world. The importance of these forests cannot be undermined according to Franz J. Broswimmer (2002). According to this environmentalist, the top 15 underdeveloped countries who are debtors of international institutions have tripled the rates of forest denudation.   This is caused by the race towards international economic survival.   Brazil and Indonesia, for example, are some of the heaviest indebted countries who count on their virgin forests for the production of new goods that would earn their nation’s payments to world banks.   The deforestation rates of these countries have increased by 82 percent and 245 percent respectively since the 1970s. (p. 89)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The rampant increase of deforestation, without the allotment for planting new trees to replace the old ones, carry great implications in the upset of the natural ecological balance of the earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Economic Policies. Governments of different countries have been so focused on getting their numbers right for their Gross National Products but have disregarded the usurpation of natural resources.   Many international organizations have convened to help the growth of the underdeveloped or Third World Countries but have consistently ignored the possible consequences of their agreements to the earth itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to a study made by Julius Kenneth Ningu (2006) and his colleagues regarding the effect of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)co, the economic agreements made had a negative effect on the country’s environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The research analyzed the activities that happened from 1994 to 2004 since the NAFTA was agreed upon. Before NAFTA, 70 percent of imports were tax free and did not result to an increase in the destruction of the environment. In fact, Mexico established monitoring programs for pollution and had environmental policies being strictly followed. However, the NAFTA forced Mexico into an economic crisis and by the end of the first year, the country’s government had to relax its environmental policies by almost 45 percent. By the year 2002, â€Å"In 2002, the costs of environmental degradation and natural resources depletion amounted to 65,934 million dollars †¦ the expenses made in the same year for protection and reduction of environmental damage generated by production activities reached an amount of 3,473 million dollars.†Ã‚   This means that only 53 percent was recovered from the depletion of the natural resources used. The bulk of the environmental degradation was generated by air pollution due to the industrial factors and automobile emissions which accounted for 79.5 percent but 2.4 percent was alluded to the problem of forest denudation because of the need for timber products. (p. 7) Taxes have been instituted for protection of the environment.   However, the damage being done is excessive compared to the gains and the government is hesitant to improve these conditions due to the problem of the economy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Robert Suzuki, a staunch environmentalist, criticizes the point of view of economists with the disregard for the environment.   According to his book, The Suzuki Reader (2003), economists continue to ignore the problems that their policies are making for the environment in lieu of monetary gains. â€Å"†¦global economics is ultimately destructive because it is fatally flawed: it externalizes the natural capital and services that keep us alive while glorifying human inventiveness as if it allows us to escape finite limits and manage our biophysical surroundings; it assumes that endless growth is possible and necessary and represents progress; it does not value long-term social and ecological sustainability; it rejects caring, cooperation, and sharing as irrational while promoting selfishness; and it cannot incorporate the reality of spiritual needs.† (p. 93)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The need for global economists to unite with environmentalists is great if global warming is to be averted or slowed down.   Many studies have already been made to point out that economics plays a major role in the activities of mankind that directly affect the destruction of the environment which causes changes in the earth’s climate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lack of Education. One of the worst problems that is wreaking havoc on the environment is lack of education.   Although many studies have already been made to note that many of human activities are endangering every one’s survival on the planet, many people are still unaware that the lifestyle being promoted by capitalism does so. Most of the educational information being propagated in schools are related to pollution but the increased demand for progress ultimately sets these principles aside. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Man’s own industrial progress is making the earth a terrible place to live in   – whether these are causing global warming or not.   The activities being made in the name of economics is feeding on the natural warming of the earth. Some may say that orbital alignments of the earth, moon and sun give rise to the eventual thawing of the arctic tundra.   However, the increased release of methane and carbon dioxides due to pollution is aggravating it.   This problem would not have been so serious if man were disciplined enough to put ecological balance upright by replacing the natural resources that has been continually depleted for his need for progress. Global warming is already existent even when scientists debate on its causes.   Natural causes are unavoidable and will continue to exist even if man tries to stop them. However, man-made causes are totally in human control.   Air pollution and denudation of forests are increasingly adding to the number of problems that global warming is not even part of.   Sicknesses like lung cancer and chronic coughs are caused by air pollution.   Denudation of forests lead to the deaths of many people because of the landslides and flashfloods it causes. Pestilence and the accompanying illnesses that are produced by it are also because of the rampant deforestation that many governments are ignorantly encouraging for national development.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The issue of global warming is only one among the basic problems that man has to resolve due to undisciplined acts of torturing the environment.   Aggravating natural causes to the warming of the earth is still a major reason for concern and capitalism will never be a good excuse for destroying the only planet humans and the other 30 million creatures can live on.    References Broswimmer, F.J. (2002). â€Å"Ecocide and Globalization.† Ecocide: A Short History of the Mass   Extinction of Species. London: Pluto. Gore, A. (2006). The Shadow Our Future Throws. New York: Rodale. Pp. 36 – 55. Natural Resources Defense Council. (2007). Issues: Global Warming. Retrieved March 3, 2008,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp Ningu, J.K., Jacome, J.T., Silva Gomez, S.E. and Aviles, R.P. (2006). The Effects of North   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   America Free Trade Agreement on Mexican Environmental Policy (1994-2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   American Journal of Environmental Sciences Vol. 2(1). Pp. 5-8. Praire, Y.T. and Duarte, C.M. (2007). Direct and Indirect Metabolic CO2 Release by Humanity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Biogeosciences, Vol. 4, pp. 215 – 217. Scheffelin, T. (2007). Global Warming Causes Carbon Dioxide – Erroneous Scientific   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Consensus Stifles Progress. Design News. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.designnews.com/article/CA6493634.html Suhadi, D.R. Awang, M., Hassan, M.N., Abdullah, R. and Muda, A.H. (2005). Review of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Photochemical Smog Pollution in Jakarta Metropolitan, Indonesia. American Journal of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Environmental Sciences, 1(2), p. 110 – 118. Suzuki, D. (2003). Hubris of Global Economics, Economics and Politics. The Suzuki Reader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Vancouver:Greystone. Tillery, B. (2007). Physical Science. New York: McGraw-Hill. Annotated Bibliography Broswimmer, F.J. (2002). â€Å"Ecocide and Globalization.† Ecocide: A Short History of the Mass   Extinction of Species. London: Pluto. The book is about how global economy is actually hastening the depletion of the earth’s natural resources.   The author believes that a thriving global economy is not the most important thing that should concern mankind.   It is the opinion of the writer that the environment should be the priority because it is our primary source for survival. Gore, A. (2006). The Shadow Our Future Throws. New York: Rodale. Pp. 36 – 55. This book is about how mankind’s activities are affecting the environment.   It uses specific examples experienced by the author to show the importance of ecological balance.   It also gives theories like the â€Å"feedback† loop to show how each activity (man-made or natural) has interrelated effects on life and habitat. Natural Resources Defense Council. (2007). Issues: Global Warming. Retrieved March 3, 2008,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp The article is meant to make people understand the basic information about global warming.   It includes statistics and explanations on the causes and effects of global warming.   It also ventures to suggest that the U.S. government has the ability to impose change on the world when it comes to ecological concerns because it is the top-most contributor to the damage of the habitat. Ningu, J.K., Jacome, J.T., Silva Gomez, S.E. and Aviles, R.P. (2006). The Effects of North   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   America Free Trade Agreement on Mexican Environmental Policy (1994-2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   American Journal of Environmental Sciences Vol. 2(1). Pp. 5-8. This research is about the negative effects of Mexico’s economic policies on the environment.   It sought to discover how much damage has been caused in lieu of progress.   The research criticized that the Mexican government has to double its initiative in caring for the environment but is constrained by the need to uphold economic principles. Praire, Y.T. and Duarte, C.M. (2007). Direct and Indirect Metabolic CO2 Release by Humanity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Biogeosciences, Vol. 4, pp. 215 – 217. This research tried to analyze the difference between the natural carbon dioxide emissions of humans and animals in the pre-industrial era to the current situation.   The researchers made use of recognized international organizational statistics to show the difference. Scheffelin, T. (2007). Global Warming Causes Carbon Dioxide – Erroneous Scientific   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Consensus Stifles Progress. Design News. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.designnews.com/article/CA6493634.html This article is made to show how environmentalists and scientists are creating panic over a natural phenomenon such as global warming.   The article reveals studies made by other scientists who believe that the earth is merely undergoing a climate cycle that has been in place due to natural causes. The article sought to contradict other scientists and criticized that people are being made to panic when there is nothing that can be done anyway. Suhadi, D.R. Awang, M., Hassan, M.N., Abdullah, R. and Muda, A.H. (2005). Review of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Photochemical Smog Pollution in Jakarta Metropolitan, Indonesia. American Journal of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Environmental Sciences, 1(2), p. 110 – 118. The research is about how ground-ozone is created in Jakarta and its effect on smog pollution levels.   The research shows that the major contributor for smog pollution is the automobile use.   It also showed that weather or climate conditions can intensify the rate of smog pollution. Suzuki, D. (2003). Hubris of Global Economics, Economics and Politics. The Suzuki Reader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Vancouver:Greystone. This book is a compilation of many articles written by the author regarding the effect of global economy and politics on the environment.   It cites many instances wherein the government policies for economic progress have harmed man’s habitat.   It also seeks to find economists who should help in the environmental cause because the author believes that the economy is actually based on its natural resources that could be depleted if not taken care of properly.