A day I will remember for the rest of my life! – Creative Writing

My name is John and I am a normal 15 year old boy attending school. I have a mother and a father, Susan and Jack and one sister called Molly. I thought we were all just a normal family and that nothing exciting or extra ordinary ever happens to people like us but I was wrong, very wrong. Well it all happened along time ago on one Monday afternoon, I was just threw the door home from school on my own as usual until five thirty. But as soon I had closed the door there was a knock on the door, so I went to answer but the man behind the door did not look familiar to me, I had never seen him before. He asked me was my mother or father at home and I told him that they were both still at work and would not be home until after 5 thirty. Next thing I know the man is pointing a gun at my head and tells me to move into the house. I was so scared I had never even seen a gun before never mind getting one pointed at me knowing that if I say one wrong thing to the man all he has to do is pull the trigger and that would be the end of me. The man then began to tie me up to the chair and began to talk to me he told me that all I had to do was keep quiet and not say a word, he told me that he did not want me he wanted my father. I then began to think to myself why would anybody come barging into our house with a gun looking for my father but before I could even finish thinking about it he began to tell me why he wanted my father. â€Å"Do you know who your father works for† he said and I told him â€Å"yes, he works for the government, he is a scientist† The man began to tell me how wrong I was about my father â€Å"Your dad is a scientist, that's true, but did you know that your dad is one of the best in the world? Did you know that your dad is working for the NWDF?† â€Å"The NWDF† I said to him confused â€Å"Yes he said the THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT FORCE and did you know that your father has recently just designed one of the most sophisticated and most deadly weapon ever dreamed about? In theory it is so deadly that if it was ever to be used it would wipe out the entire planet within a matter of hours† I was stunned I didn't know what to think and then†¦.. my father walked threw the door, and to his surprise he seen a man with a gun but the difference this time was that my father knew the man. â€Å"Edward† my father said in amazement, â€Å"What in the name of God do you think you are doing† â€Å"I am doing what I should have done along time ago, Jack , I'm taking back what is rightfully mine and which you have received all the credit, fame and gratitude for. I'm taking back the prototype for the Nuclear detonation programme. He held a gun to my fathers head and ordered him to get it but my father refused. † â€Å"How dare you Edward I treated you like a father when you came to NWDF I showed and taught you everything you know and this is what I receive in return† My father said â€Å"You can say what you like Jack but I will be taking back what is rightfully mine I designed it and you took all my plans and made the device knowing what it was capable off and what it could do if it ever got into the hands of the wrong person, now I will show you all what MY device can do† The man continued, he then dragged my father into the other room, all I could hear was the constant screaming and impounding thuds as if they were fighting, from the room for a couple of minutes and next thing it stopped and went quiet, a very scary and tense quiet and then I heard it. A Gunshot, I was screaming, â€Å"DAD, DAD† I roared but there was no reply I roared roared and roared but still no reply. He's dead I thought to myself DEAD!!! I was very very, very scared I did not know what to think and then†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. My father came out from the room. But he was unharmed!! I thought to myself well then who got shot and then my father began to cry!!! I had to, I had to shot him if not god knows what could have happened. Dad came over to me and began to untie me, as soon as I was free he immediately told me to ring the police and I did and within minutes the were her with ambulances and squad cars. My father told the police man what had happened and before he could finish dad's boss entered the house and began to demand answers to what happened. My dad began to tell him and once he had finished explaining, dad's boss told him that he had done the right thing, done what he had to do and possibly saved many lives. My dads boss began to talk to the police and within minutes the were gone, and the house we quiet but myself and dad stunned by the whole ordeal were not going to talk about this incident at all, that was the e nd of it. A couple of weeks after the whole thing my dad resigned, told the company he had enough and that he wanted to spend to time with his children and wife and they accepted his resignation considering the circumstances, and so we are all a happy normal family again but with a story this time.

Neil Postman: Amusing Ourselves to Death

Neil Postman was a special type of a man and considered that he was not an expert on anything, and yet he was ready to express his opinion on every subject under the sun. The person's mind was continuously working at jokes, headlines and different ideas. This infected an individual when he met Mr. Postman and that could be responded to only with humor, and even that was likely to bring out more ideas. There were a lot of people who knew him – in excess of a hundred thousand or so – had first met his humor. This was also reflected in the books that he wrote. Each of these is also a source of propaganda for his views and written like an essay. The first was â€Å"The Disappearance of Childhood† in 1982, and this was on the infantile nature of American culture. The next book was in 1985 and a satire on entertainment and was named â€Å"Amusing Ourselves to Death†. The last was in 1993 called â€Å"technopoly† and this criticized the fall of culture to technology. He had an excellent intellectual pose along with poise in public meetings and all this rode on the back of his capacity for humor. He always felt that he was the civilized man in a barbaric setting. This setting gradually changed into television and was concerned with the dots, and pursued him all his life. Now let us look at what is this television and how it connects with people. In the United States it first started transmission in New York and the British play, â€Å"The Man with the Flower in His Mouth† was broadcast there in July 1930. Thus one can say that television started off in the heart of United States and the television station was located in South Eastern New York at the mouth of the Hudson River. The station began broadcasting seven days a week on July 21, 1931. This was a television channel or station that broadcast on the terrestrial mode as that was the only mode available then. The bandwidth was then highly confined and this led to a high control by the government. Yet, from the beginning television has been highly used for advertising. Organizing the TV programs that are to be broadcast can be worked out either as a direct production by the manufacturers and then selling to the station that intends to buy it. Sometimes the production itself is paid for by the TV station that will show it. (Television) In other cases the station issues a license to the producers to produce the show for the channel. The show is sometimes carried on in other centers after the show is over on the main channel. In TV terminology this is called secondary programming usage. The secondary shows may be in the original country where the show was produced or in other countries from where the channels are interested in the show. The shows may be controlled by the original producer or not depending on the agreement. Sometimes a group of TV stations run some common programs in their own interest, or through an individual. This is called syndication and the show may be sold by the producers themselves or their agents. Yet with all this it has been seen that doctors recommend that children should only see TV for an hour or two at the maximum in the day. Excess of TV viewing is known to cause various diseases like ADD, excessive weight and heart problems. These may lead to diabetes or excess aggression. Thus it is clear that viewing of Television is not recommended in a high dosage for anybody, and the problem in our country is made worse by the situation of having a number of stations at every town or city due to the possibility of multiple channels being available now. These channels can also be seen on the set through a cable and the customer only has to pay a monthly fee. This is the problem that was envisaged by Postman quite a few years ago, and possibly he foresaw the worsening of the situation due to the advent of cable TV. The problem was also made clear by the decline of the family in the country and as a result the children are being left with only one parent. Most of the time, the single parent is working and is not able to attend to the child when the child comes back from school. These let the child free with the television and see any program of their choice. (Television) Neil Postman is an authority on children and has written many books about different subjects. These are mostly concentrated on education, as he was a teacher himself. He has written on the crisis in the schools, the effect of Television on our public and political life and the nature of modern childhood and education. He has taken the position of conscientiously objecting to whatever he saw being harmful to the society. In certain cases he has pointed out institutionalized mistakes or organizational stupidity and asked for their solution. Throughout the West, there has been the concept of three stages in life – infancy, childhood and adulthood. This had gone undisturbed for 350 years, but is now being questioned by a new element in the communicational facilities – television. This is seriously disturbing as the contents of life that would be normally faced by adults are now being made open to the children through this new medium. The children do not have to go through the portals of adulthood for reaching this information. Earlier this was being protected by the adults through certain secrets that are known to adults, but not revealed to children till they reached the appropriate age. These secrets are the social, political and sexual secrets that an adult must know. At the same time Television reveals all these secrets at once, and this makes it difficult to control the socialization of the young among themselves. This is making the young less discernible from adults. Stirring Up Trouble about Technology, Language, and Education) In the past there was a time when alcoholism was seen only among adults, and not at all among children. Today it is common to see child alcoholics. The same situation exists among children for drugs and it is quite common among children. The same situation exists for sex and sexual disease and this is seen from the total crime statistics. There are a number of figures that show the young being involved in crime today while this was not the situation even in 1959 as the figures for crime by people under the age of 18 shows. Thus it is clear that television is making the concept of childhood as being different from adulthood being different extremely difficult to sustain in North America, and childhood is disappearing from that region of the world. At the same time, there some parents who are well off and if they know what is happening to the child may still provide him or her with a childhood. This requires the parents to be very careful on the influences of the media on the child, among other factors. The problem is that not many parents can meet those conditions, and the influence of television among media is still rising. As mentioned earlier, there are many single parent houses in America and their difficulties have already been discussed. Even when there are two parents, both of them are working at the same time and that stops them from being able to give enough time to the children for socializing. This transfers the socializing exercise to the television set, and many of them are unable to control the channels that the children see or what films they see, or even know what records they have. These activities require the parents to have a lot of time for the child, and advise the child. Yet not many parents find the time for that. Thus for the children to have a childhood, the parents must spend a lot of time with the child. On the other hand many parents are too busy and there children get the required education from the advertising of NBC, CBS, Steven Spielberg, Coca-Cola and Proctor and Gamble. In certain countries television is being controlled – Denmark. They have now limited the extent of commercials that an advertiser supported station can have. These stations are not permitted to have advertisements on cigarettes, liquor, beer, banks, medicine, religious organizations, political organizations, or even advertisements aimed at children. Also, in Denmark, the television operates for the full 24 hours in a day. But, it is not possible for this to happen in the United States as the Americans would feel it is very restrictive, apart from the ideology of the present day administration. The present day administration may even be called the extreme type of free market supporters. This has not started today and even Ronald Reagan was not conservative, and he was probably as oriented to the free market as is the present President Bush. They are all willing to get as much out of technology as possible in terms of gains of dollars. Thus there is no chance of any restriction being put on the hours of operation of the Television through any social policy. This attitude goes on in Americans well beyond the limits of television and is being applied by them even in the case of computer technology. The issue is not of one particular technology, but the general question of using technology for financial gain to extreme limits, or no limits. (Stirring Up Trouble about Technology, Language, and Education) It can be said that in the exploitation of technology, there are no limits in America and they generally do not have any concerns about the psychological and social effects. They are just interested in knowing what the new technology can do. They are not concerned about the effects of the new technology in changing the social or cultural behaviors of the citizens. This is reflected in Sesame Street which makes the children get more attached to television than school. The concerned program is well prepared and makes the maximum possible use of a visual image based medium. When the makers of the program say that the program will make the children like school it is only right in the sense that the children will like school if it is a show like Sesame Street. The show is probably helping the children learn the elements that are taught in school like the letters and the numbers, yet at the same time, it is also giving the children some built in impressions about school. This is teaching the children that school must be entertaining, and that images have to form the basic of learning. It also gives the children that feeling that learning is immediately rewarded by getting of rewards in some form or the other. The impressions which are built into the children turn out to be more important than the learning that they get, and that is the problem. The children learn the numbers and letters in other forms also, and that also happens within the expected time, but the normal learning process does not build in these difficulties. It is often said that these methods of education make the children more intelligent, but that is a moot question to answer as the differences in intelligence are hard to define and their benefits are also hard to judge. The question of intelligence is easy to be used, as nobody probably understands what we are trying to say, but it is much easier to understand when we say that a person is stupid. It is possible that the technology available in the computer will help the technology of printing to a large extent, and that would be a service. It also increases the thinking by the children as to program a computer the child has to think quite a lot. Yet the total effect that this would cause is rather difficult to guess. (Stirring Up Trouble about Technology, Language, and Education) Technological development has had a very big impact and much more so when the development has been on the matters of information and communication. They have great impacts in terms of socialization, ways of thinking and methods of learning. A lot of these changes have taken place in the latter part of the 20th century and this brings up the question of defining the new Child of the Information Age. Some people may be defining all the children of today as Children of the Information Generation with television, computer games and video games. This had also been the thinking of Neil Postman, and he believed that this made the child cross puberty physically but never reach maturity. Thus they loose their childhood but are then are lost to mankind. The phrase â€Å"technology development† normally refers to the development of tools and these are being developed from the time that men have started on the path to development. (Children of the Information Age: A Reversal of Roles) Until the seventeenth century, tools of a more primitive kind were being used by all civilizations. Not that all countries were using the same tools and some had only spears and cooking utensils available to them. On the other side, others had water mills, coal and horse power. At the same time, these tools were not intended to change the civilization which had brought them into existence, and they were not intended to attack. Thus the tools did not stop people from believing in their versions of god, politics, and methods of education or their methods of social organization. (Kaplan, 34) Some cultures and religions believe that television is intruding into their religion and the use of television is banned by some sections of believers in Islam in some parts of the world. In the world of today, children and adults see the same movies thanks to television and highlighted by Postman. They all get into telephone romances; get informed about the same pop music and the same computer games. These come through both the television and the computer. This results in the adults never growing up and becoming more childish as time goes on. The children become more mature as they are exposed to all matters of adulthood, or at least seem so. This adulthood is only superficial and not emotional, as the amount of information to be passed on to the child should be passed on in a controlled manner by the concerned adult, as otherwise, the concept of being a child will end. This gradually stops the clear line of demarcation between adults and children, and the sense of independence and responsibility also becomes unclear. This is highlighted by Postman who describes the present day children as living between illusion and realty. This has also made the adults loose most of their authority, and it is a world without borders. (Children of the Information Age: A Reversal of Roles) In truth these makes them totally dependent for all the time, and never grow up into adults. Yet the children of the present day differ a lot from the children of earlier years and they consist of a larger section of the people who come to the net regularly. This is quite understandable as the net is a part of their life which has never been the case with their parents. In studies it has been seen that as much as 73% of the American population between the ages of 12-17 use the Internet regularly and the study was in June 2001. These children also certainly have a care in the world for the world that they live in. One of their main contributions is through the creation of web sites for helping others. Jason Fernandez from Mumbai had built a site which supported children with learning disabilities along with their parents and teachers. This is a site for common good. The new facility of Internet has made it possible for everybody to publish his or her work. This is irrespective of age, gender, or education. The control is not with groups of people that existed in earlier generations where the work could only go out in the printed format. This change will also bring in other changes in the methods of learning, working and social structure. (Children of the Information Age: A Reversal of Roles) Postman had been concerned that the importance of all items was being reduced by television – be it politics, religion, news, athletic education or commerce. This was how we were amusing ourselves to death. It also showed that image was viewed as more important than content, and television was the master of images. (Neil Postman's amusing ourselves to Death) If Postman were to now concentrate on the newer developments he would write on the Internet. To be negative, the Internet contains a lot of false information, and this would hurt the beliefs of a normal human being. But this is also something that we learn while growing up into adults from childhood, and is not necessarily negative. (Final Project Paper: Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman) To conclude, one can thus say that while television makes the audience less responsible and childish, the Internet makes the audience more apparently mature. It is up to the audience to carry the work further, and not live for their own life, abandoning the responsibility of the children that they created.

Wild Animals As Pets

According to HSUS, the human society of the United States, wild animal trade is a multi-billion business, following to drugs and weaponries on the black market. It is a fifteen billion dollar industry in America alone. Keeping wild animals as pets not only risks your life but the people around you too. Not to mention, the animal itself and the environment. There has been numerous cases where the animal has been killed, neglected, and where they have unsatisfied its basic needs.Exotic animals deserve to live in their natural habitat where they are most happy; consequently more legislation needs to be enacted that restricts and makes owning wild animals illegal. The five worst common wild animals that are kept as pets are Primates, large cats, venomous snakes, bears, and coatis. There are many reasons why these would make terrible pets such as the animal can injure you or even kill you. Some big cats at first might be cute to play with while they are young. However once an adult, it ca n end up being very aggressive.Furthermore, instinctive behavior and behavioral disorders are normal, you can never know what to expect from them. It takes time to domesticate an animal, taming dogs and cats took centuries. They simply do not do well with people like ordinary pets do. There was a case where a two-hundred pound pet chimp in Stamford, Connecticut, fiercely attacked a woman he had been well known for years, leaving her severely wounded with most of her face ripped off. The woman, Charla Nash of age 55,was visiting her friend, Sandra Herold, who owned the chimpanzee.The chimps name was Travis, who was a famous figure downtown, who had performed in TV advertisements and frequently modeled or snapshots at the shop ran by his proprietor. Sandra aggressively tried to get Travis off, but she was no match for a two-hundred pound ape. So she called for help, shortly, the police had come. Once they had arrived Travis ran away, the police went in search for him and shot him, but then he had ran away again. The police ultimately picked up a hint of blood leading to the household and discovering him deceased.Charla had to go through a twenty hour, multiple face transplant operation and is blind for life. Outbreaks like the one in the Charla Nash case wouldn’t of happened if wild animals were kept in their natural habitat. Keeping the animal is just bad for the animal itself. Some owners will have the exotic animals teeth or claws detached, not only does it hurt the animal but it is cruel. How does a bird feel if it can’t soar in the sky? Even if an animal does keep its entire body parts, the minimal room it has as related to the wild regularly generates insanity, depression, and vicious behavior.Such psychological problems can be often seen as a mutilation in such as tearing fur or feathers off their limbs. Most people who own wild animals keep them in a cage or captive. Cages are prisons to animals. Animals held confined cannot wander, fly, cl imb, pick a spouse or live at will. They are imprisoned, hampered, and isolated. They are stripped of regulation over their natural lives! Also, having medical maintenance for the animal is very hard. Some owners are afraid to bring their wild pet to the vet because it is often banned to have them in the first place.Additionally, various exotic animals hide the signs of sickness, and the majority of people wouldn’t even know what indications to look for. Lastly, finding an appropriate veterinarian could require a visit to the wildlife park which can be quite expensive. There are also significant environmental aspects to take in mind. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals informs that newborn animals are the most wanted and produce dealers the biggest profits. Poachers will generally slaughter the defensive mother so that it's easier to capture the baby, furthering the stimulation of the extinction  rate of countless already endangered animals. While some exotic pets have been created in confinement, many wild animals are taken straight from their inherent homes.The pressure of being violently removed from their families causes certain animals to pass away before they even get to a private residence. Removing exotic animals from their natural environment, like the tropical rain forest or African savannas negatively disturbs the ecosystems, which, confirming from the ASPCA, depend on those species to advance the life progression of vegetation and maintain animal populations in check.There are fairly a couple national laws that disallow the exportation and federal transmission of certain wild pets in the United States. These consist of the imprisonment of Wildlife Security Act, the Wild Bird Conservation Act and the Endangered Species Act. Furthermore, numerous states have limitations on the possession of exotic pets. According to the ASPCA, these regulations vary immensely from one state to another state and can estimate from to tal sanctions to merely demanding a license.Internationally, the Settlement on the Global Trade in Endangered Species of Plants and Wildlife standardizes the import and export of vanishing species. In a somewhat different disposition, animal benefit establishments like the human society of the United States have established assemblies like the Species Survival Network to endorse wildlife fortification and educate communities about the endangerments of wild pet ownership. Though, despite these legislations and a humanitarian purpose, the exotic pet trade is still a thriving industry.

A Certain Night Essay

Knowledge and Understanding 1. As it is quite obvious in the story, the narrator does not think that these men and women deserve to die. This is abundant when in the very last line of the story the narrator states, â€Å"when will it be light?† 2. Throughout the story, the narrator describes the communists as young, brave and handsome, although they are powerless martyrs. The narrator makes the nationalist seem â€Å"murderous looking,† and â€Å"cunning, malicious and smug.† The chief executioner has a â€Å"revolting moustache,† and an â€Å"evil voice†, as well as an â€Å"ugly and vicious face, which seemed to symbolize the cruelty of all the rulers to the oppressed.† This made it easy enough to distinguish between the communists and the nationalists. 3. The nationalists regard to the commended prisoners with no respect at all. It was because they didn’t care for them, because they were communists, and the nationalist police were just there to execute them. They were very rough towards them as they â€Å"pushed them clumsily and hard, hitting them with rifle butts and putting ropes round their chest to tie them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  As well, they would refer to them as â€Å"criminals†, as they would count them one by one making them seem no more important than counting the hairs on your chin. The nationalist’s regards towards these prisoners were cruel and very careless. 4. Near the beginning of the story, the young poet becomes overthrown by anger and pain that he actually passes out. Once he saw a familiar face, he began to calm down and gather a sense of encouragement. This familiar face started to make him feel more brave and resolute. Near the end, the mood is totally flipped around when they remembered their g overnment was being formed. Their attitudes were now positive as they died, proudly singing for their country. 5. Ting Ling wrote this store to raise awareness of the disapproving murders the nationalist party committed. I think she honored her husband with the passionate, loyal, hardworking poet. Maybe she wrote this story more for her self, as a forever memory of her husband. Not only of his death, but also by showing her passion for her beliefs. 6. A major theme in the story is to stand your ground, and fight for what you believe in. In other words, be willing to die for what you stand for, but proudly. Another theme is showing the absolute cruelty of humans. It is showing the brutal behaviors humans can portray on one another. Thinking and Inquiry 1. The tone of this story is dark and bitter. Ting Ling achieves this in the characters emotions throughout the story. This is also shown through imagery, through the gloomy vibe of the story. Ting Ling used figurative language and vivid descriptions to make the story come across as both bitter and dark. 2. The setting of the story contributes to the tone because it is set up during a dark, cold, windy, snowy night. The overall mood of the story was both gloomy and somber, which contributes to the tone I think Ting Ling was going for. Everything from the prisoners falling down in the snow, to the soldiers stomping throughout it, made the tone come alive through the text. 3. There are many different symbols throughout the story. For the chief executioner, he resembles both cruelty and oppression whereas the young poet symbolizes innocence and better reform. At the end when the prisoners are singing to their death, it shows a sense of resistance, which symbolizes the acceptance of their death. 4. The sound of trampling feet connotes punishment as a result of the communists standing up for their beliefs. It also shows desperation because the prisoners have basically hit rock bottom, and have nothing left to do. Ting Ling repeats this image to implement the despair in the prisoners, and to get the point across. 5. This story reflects a political bias because they make the communists seem innocent, as if they have done nothing wrong. Not saying they are innocent, but it is persuading the audience as if they are so. Yes, it is wrong for the nationalists to execute them, but you don’t hear the past story between the two groups. Therefore, it reflects a political bias by only showing the â€Å"innocence† of the communists.

Australia in a Business Context Essay

1.1 Introduction In today’s world, internationalization is inevitable for companies competing in the global world, where their production, target market, business model were integrated across different frontiers (Robins 2000) and between different people in different countries (Schulte 2000) In this report, we will discuss about Fraser and Neave and the potential of a joint venture with University of Queensland, Brisbane to build student hostels within the university’s premises. The entry mode will be suggested based on supporting context and company analysis. Predicted impact of action will be considered and suggestions for further expansion of the university hostel market under the name of Fraser and Neave will also be made. 2.1 Context Analysis 2.1.1 Australia in business context Australia, being an open economy with open policies for trade and investments, she has attracted many foreign investors without the need of providing any special incentives (Euromonitor business environment: Australia 2013). Reaching a $986.7 billion of total GDP in year 2013, $618.9 billion comes from FDI alone. Due to harsh contractions in mining financial tightening by both the state and federal governments and the strong Australian dollar, the country’s economic growth will ease in the year 2013. (Euromonitor Australia Country Profile 2013) 2.1.2 Australia: Cultural Analysis Culture is a ‘powerful social construct’ (Boyacigiller, 2004) in diverse multicultural workforces, particularly vital in the sustainability and success for any international business (Doney, 1998). Through a series of empirical studies, Australia being a country of low context culture (Markus G 2011, 75) has 4 main characteristics identified of their community (Australia World View, 2001) and (Communicaid: Doing Business in Australia): 1. Linear, logical, individualistic, and action-oriented people. Australians are generally results orientated. Therefore when dealing business with Australians, statistics and figures are essential for a successful deal. Since they can be seen to have confrontational and strong opinions, business dealings with them would need to back up with research or evidence in order to convince them. 2. Community likes to avoid uncertainties As Australians are people who like to avoid uncertainties, they tend to be very straight to the point with their words with the intention of having them taken literally. To avoid any misunderstanding or future conflicts, business dealings with them would have to be very literal with all conditions on the table for discussion. Implicit messages will most probably go unnoticed. 3. Adopts a very egalitarian culture Australians avoids differentiation between individuals and are often preferred to be impartial, modest and have mutual respect for others. Therefore they prefer a more down to earth approach to business. They are also altogether more receptive to innovation, fresh ideas and encourage active discussions or debates. 4. Appreciates privacy When dealing with Australian business counterparts, it would be wise to stay within the lines and treat attempts at developing interpersonal relationships with much caution. 2.1.3 Australia: Legal Environments In relation to the construction of property, we would be looking at laws that are relevant. As a joint venture is suggested for the construction of the student hostel, we would have to consider the complications of contract law besides the obvious property law, employment and industry relations, and general tax issues. As the land that we are proposing to construct is within the University’s premises, a partnership with the university will give Fraser and Neave access to the land without any legislation to bind or cripple the project. Nevertheless, there would be a need to attain approval for development through the Integrated Development Assessment System (IDAS) under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009. An application would have to be submitted in order to get a development permit for the construction of the hotels. Required information for the approval will be as follows: * Material used * Any impacts to the surrounding environment * Completed development look (Queensland Government: Development Approvals, 2013) Further legal issues will be discussed at a later date when the university of Queensland accepts the joint venture intention. 2.1.4 Australia: Political Environments The Australian’s political environment have been consistently stable since the year 1996 to 2011 with a small drop in the year 2009 according to the political stability index (World Governance Indicators, 2011). Ranked top 50 worldwide, Australia’s political environment has made the nation an attractive location for business makers to invest in. In order to protect Australia’s AU$15 billion international education industry from competition, the government have made its commitment to quicken visa processing for international students and release a list of policies universities, international education and research (Back to board on foreign students, 2013). Although concrete releases of these policies are not known yet, we can expect better support from the government on Australia’s international education industry. This would mean the future outlook of industry sees potential for further educational development. With a faster visa processing for international students, the demand for accommodation will increase and there will be our market. 2.1.5 Market Size and Growth We first identify the primary market for student hostels as domestic and international students, those in which plans on residing away from their homes in pursuit of their academics. Based on the study by Government of Australia and assuming 20% of the Domestic Students and 80% of the International require hostel accommodation, Australia Universities will require hostels to accommodate about 450,000 students: Australia| Domestic| International| Full Time| Students enrolled| 934,110| 323,612| 884,179| Students(estimated) needing Accomodation | 20%| 80%| | Rooms Required| 186,822| 258,890| 445,712| Study done by Government of Australia (Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education) in 2012 Looking at the numbers reflected above, the demand for student accommodations is substantial, especially among international students where accommodation serves great importance as it puts their respective parents at ease of sending their Children overseas. Students commencing would also be a positive indicator for high occupancy turn over rates. Although reports have shown that Australia is one of the most expensive countries to study abroad in (Cost of studying in Australia putting off international students, it is claimed, 2013), Australia remains optimistic about the future of international education program as part of their GDP contributor. In the report by International Education Advisory Council (Australia – Educating Globally), there would be an estimated increase in total number of international students by 30% in the year 2020. Market growth in this market would be projected to be escalating even if it might be time periods where the growth might temporarily slowed down (Australia focused on international student enrolment growth, 2013). 3.1 Company Analysis 3.1.1 Fraser and Neave Formed in the year 1883, Fraser and Neave have flourished into a brand that is ranked as one of the most successful and established organization in the Asia Pacific region. With a remarkable array of renowned brands that relish strong market leadership, Fraser and Neave traditionally made its reputation through the production and distribution from its own F&N range and several other international brands. In the recent decades, Fraser and Neave have moved on to property development and publishing with ravishing results. Operating at S$32 billion worth of shareholders’ funds and total assets, Fraser and Neave is present over 20 countries spreading across Europe, Asia Pacific and the USA. Leveraging on its strength in brand and financial management, research and development, marketing and distribution, as well as many years of acquisition experience, its subsidiary companies across the three industries are able to receive strategic directions and key resources to ensure sustainability and success. 3.1.2 Fraser and Neave: Properties As part of the business diversification, Fraser and Neave developed the Property Industry as a new core business. Since 1990 from a single mall operator, Fraser and Neave have blossomed into a full-fledge real estate group, Frasers Centrepoint Limited (â€Å"FCL†), which achieved a total of $1,345 million dollars just in year 2012. The group’s overseas property subsidiary in Australia, Fraser Property Australia, has made outstanding success in the Australia property market with the very prosperous development of residential and commercial projects. Involved in joint venture partnership with Sekisui House Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Fraser Property Australia has established its brand and reputation as a property developer in Australia having their projects span across Perth, Western Australia and largely in Sydney. Aside from just property development, the group have also developed and runs a service apartment under their Fraser Hospitality where they own full management rights. 3.2.3 University of Queensland Ranked in the top 100 universities in the world, University of Queensland is the first university that opened in the state and the largest university in Queensland. With a total of 4 major campuses – St Lucia and Herston in Brisbane and Ipswich and Gatton in South-East Queensland, the University have invested significantly in development and construction providing students with conducive environments for studies, research and other school activities. Covering a total of 1376 hectares of land 754,500 m2 (gross floor area) of which occupied by 764 buildings holding 522 teaching rooms and 1588 laboratories. 10 of which are residential colleges that provides student accommodations and places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty. All residential colleges are located at the main St Lucia Campus. We note that there are no other student accommodations located in the other 3 campuses – Herston Ipswich and Gatton. Students studying in these campuses are encouraged to look for accommodations that are near the schools. In the University of Queensland, there are more than 46,863 students including 11,389 international students from 142 nations around the world. Of the total 46,863 students, there are presently only 2,955 rooms available within the University as follows: College with Residence| Student with Residence at the College| Cromwell College| 247| Duchess College| 200| Emmanuel College| 340| Grace College| 180| Halls of Residences| 440| International House| 238| Kings College| 298| St. John College| 263| St Leo’s College| 212| Union College| 334| Woman’s College| 203| Total Residence| 2,955| Assuming 80% of the International and 20% of the Australian Students desire accommodation within the University, the University of Queensland will require an additional of 13,000 rooms that it does not have today! Based on an average AU$4,500 per year per residence fee, we estimate a Business Potential of AU$58 million per annum if all 13,000 rooms are provided. 4.1 Entry Mode 4.1.1 International Joint Venture We proposed that the entry mode for Fraser and Neave in developing and managing Hostel Accommodation within the University be an international joint venture with University of Queensland. This entry mode is proposed mainly due to the ownership rights for the land within University. This also simplifies the challenges of property rights and taxes. This Joint Venture is formed on the basis of University of Queensland providing the land while Fraser and Neave will provide the resources to build and operate the Hostel, which is the key strength of Fraser Property Australia. Through the company analysis, it can be seen that University of Queensland has a potential shortage of 13,000 student accommodation. Therefore the construction of a student hostel in the campuses will increase the attractiveness and reliability of the school to domestic or international students. In the initial phase, the proposed hostel construction would take place in campuses in South-East Queensland (Ipswich and Gatton) as these campuses are far away from the only campus in Brisbane that provides student accommodations. Based on the current capacity of only 2,955 residences within the University, we are confident that there will be strong student occupancy rates to uphold the sustainability of the hostels. We believe that the University of Queensland would be able to attract and house more domestic and international students with the value addition of these hostels while receiving percentage of it earnings. Fraser and Neave could also benefit by entering the market of student hostels through this singular joint venture. If proven to be a success, Fraser and Neave could move into the development of student hostels in Australia and the rest of the world that offers international studies aside from residential and commercial buildings. This is a niche market that has not been developed by any multinational companies and has the potential worth looking into. As Fraser and Neave is already in a joint venture with Sekisui House Australia Holdings Pty Limited with its subsidiary Fraser Property Australia, it would be wise to approach this new joint venture as partners. This would allow Fraser and Neave to once again tap onto the expertise of its local partner and mitigate the development cost between its partners. Therefore the joint venture will be proposed to run three ways. 5.1 Scale Analysis: International Joint Venture 5.1.1 Scale of Entry Since construction and management of student hostels in a University is considered to be a new extension of Fraser and Neave’s properties development, we would propose a conservative approach in the scale of market entry. We would propose an initial accommodation for 500 students, which will generate AU $2.25 million per annum, and this can be subsequently expanded to more accommodations depending on the availability of land within the University of Queensland. Although small, it allows Fraser and Neave more time to learn about this market. As this particular market is very niche with only small players traditionally, it will take time for Fraser and Neave to study the characteristics of the market and develop the most effective and functional way to progress this into a large-scale international hostel construction business. This also limits Fraser and Neave’s exposure to the monetary and economic losses that might follow if this project is a failure. 5.1.2 Risk Levels and control Given that the hostel is only for 500 students, the risks in this project are also relatively low in relation to the small scale of entry. Nonetheless, these are the possible risks involved and how to mitigate them: Sudden project withdrawal from the University of Queensland Land owned by the school required for the hostel constructions may be needed for other University purposes. To avoid this risk, conditions for the withdrawal of the joint venture have to be carefully constructed in the contract to ensure a high penalty cost if any party were to decide to withdraw. Disapproval of property development by local authorities or state government agencies To avoid last minute disapproval, Fraser and Neave must ensure that all conditions posed by the authorities are fulfilled before filing for approval. Sudden hike of interest rates for the properties building sector Although this is a risk that cannot be mitigated substantially, a possible way to minimize it would be to make payments in full. This would however increase the financial investment for the project in a shorter time frame. A more prudent approach is to ensure fixed interest rates are negotiated prior to the start of the projects. Sudden drop in student numbers in the proposed campuses Opening the rooms for rent to students of schools nearby could mitigate this risk however; it would have to be based on agreement with University of Queensland. Students from the university will also be given priority in this case. 5.1.3 Return Levels Return of investments for the proposed project will be 17% – 20% per annum for each hostel. Payback period for the hostels will be at approximately of 4 years. 5.1.4 Control Levels Control levels for this form of entry mode is lower due to the number of parties involved. As this is a three way partnership proposed, Fraser and Neave must ensure that it has all the management decision for construction and management of the hostel thereafter. The agreement with the other 2 joint venture partners is needed and should be detailed in the agreement prior to project start. 5.1.5 Integration Levels With a long-term joint venture partner (Sekisui House Australia Holdings Pty Limited), integration with the local construction environment will not pose a great threat to Fraser and Neave. Along with the past experiences of commercial and residential properties in Australia, the integration of their construction contribution in this project is expected to be positive. On the other hand, partnership with a University is a first for Fraser and Neave and they might be hindered by the new rules and regulations that are imposed by the school. This can be mitigated by understanding the limitations of the school and its school grounds before the commencement of the construction. 6.1 Conclusion There is a great potential in extending Fraser and Neave construction line towards hostels construction with the increasing demand of international education in Australia. Being an undermined market, hostels construction will give Fraser and Neave competitive advantage as one of the first multinational company to internationalize this business. A joint venture with a renowned University worldwide gives the group an exposure to other Universities if proven to be successful. The joint venture would also provide the group with reliable knowledge and information essential for bringing this business into international grounds. A possible development can also arise from this business plan with the introduction of a brand new brand extension ‘Frasers Hostels’, the management of all the Fraser and Neave hostels across the globe. Total Word Count: 2750 References: Websites Fraser and Neave. Our Business. Available: http://www.fraserandneave.com/FN_ourbusiness_properties.asp. Last accessed 17th Aug 2013. Central Intelligence Agency (2013). The World Fact Book: Australia. Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/as.html. Last Accessed: 17th Aug 2013. Fraser and Neave. Fraser Property. Available: http://www.frasersproperty.com.au/. Last accessed 23th Aug 2013. Alvin Chua. (2011). Fraser and Neave. Available: http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1792_2011-03-04.html. Last accessed 23th Aug 2013. Communicaid. (2009). Doing Business In Australia, Australian Social and Business Culture. Available: http://www.communicaid.com/access/pdf/library/culture/doing-business-in/Doing%20Business%20in%20Australia.pdf. Last accessed 20th Aug 2013. College of Marin. High-context and Low-context Culture Styles, Available at: http://www.marin.edu/buscom/index_files/Page605.htm. Last Accessed: 18th Aug 2013. http://acad.depauw.edu/ (2001). Australia World View. Available at: http://acad.depauw.edu/~mkfinney/teaching/Com227/culturalportfolios/australia/WorldView.htm. Last Accessed: 18th Aug 2013. Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2012). Legal Systems. Available at: http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/legal_system.html. Last Accessed: 22th Aug 2013. Intead International Education Advantage, LLC (2013). Australia focused on international student enrolment growth. Available at: http://www.intead.com/australia-focus/. Last Accessed: 23th Aug 2013. Queensland Government Department of State Development. Infrastructure and Planning (2013). Development Applications. Available at: http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/development-applications/development-application-process.html. Last Accessed: 25th Aug 2013. Queensland Government Department of State Development. Infrastructure and Planning (2013). Development Assessment Process. Available at: http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/development-applications/development-assessment-process.html. Last Accessed: 25th Aug 2013. Worldwide Governance Indicators. Australia. Available at: http://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi/sc_chart.asp#. Last Accessed: 25th Aug 2013. Newspaper Article Andrew Trouson and Bernard Lane (2013). ‘Back to board on foreign students’. The Australian, 04 September, Available at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/election-2013/back-to-board- on-foreign-students/story-fn9qr68y-1226710079478. Last Accessed: 4th Sep 2013 Books / Peer reviewed journals Jan Aart Scholte (2000). Globalization: A Critical Introduction Second Edition. Great Britain: Creative Print and Design (Wales), Ebbw Vale. Robins Kevins (2000). ‘Encountering Globalisation’ by David Held & Anthony McGrew. The Global Transformations Reader. Great Britain. TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall. pg 239 – 245. Markus G. Kittler, David Rygl and Alex Mackinnon. (2011). Beyond culture or beyond control? Reviewing the use of Hall’s high-/low-context concept. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management. 11 (1), pg 63-82. Doney PM, Cannon JP, and Mullen MR (1998). Understanding the influence of national culture on the development of trust. Academy of Management Review 23: 601–20. Boyacigiller NA, Kleinberg J, Phillips ME, and Sackmann SA (2004). Conceptualizing culture: elucidating the streams of research in international cross-cultural management. In: Punnett BJ, Shenkar O (eds) Handbook for International Management Research. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press 99–167. Reports Fraser and Neave (2012). F&N Annual Report 2012. Fraser and Neave. Singapore. Last accessed 17th Aug 2013 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank (2013). Doing Business 2013. The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. Washington Dc. Last accessed 17th Aug 2013. Euromonitor International (2013). Business Environment: Australia. Euromonitor International. Last accessed 17th August 2013. Global Market Information Database Euromonitor International (2013). Australia Country Profile. Euromonitor International. Last accessed 17th August 2013. Global Market Information Database Clayton UTZ (2012). Doing Business in Australia. Clayton UTZ. Last accessed 22nd Aug 2013 International Education Advisory Council (2013). Australia – Educating Globally. International Education Advisory Council. Australia. Last accessed 23th Aug 2013. Government of Australia Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (2012). Summary of the 2012 full year higher education student statistics. Government of Australia Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. Australia. Last accessed 23th Aug 2013.

The Acquisition Between Merck and Schering-Plough

On March 9, 2009, Merck & Co., Inc. and Schering-Plough Corporation announced that their Boards of Directors have unanimously approved a definitive merger agreement under which Merck and Schering-Plough will combine, under the name Merck in a stock and cash transaction. As the two companies' combined 2008 revenues were $47 billion. The deal officially closed on November 3, 2009. Background of the two parties Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) was initially formed in 1891 as a United States subsidiary of the German chemicals and pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA. During World War I, it was established as an independent company from confiscated assets. Since then, it has grown to become one of the top seven largest pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide. Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP) is one of the medium-sized players in the pharmaceutical industry, with sales of $18.5 billion in 2008. Its two largest products are autoimmune medication Remicade, sold internationally, and Zetia & Vytorin, a joint venture taken with Merck that fights cholesterol. While growth of Remicade has been strong, Vytorin has taken a hit after studies questioned its efficacy compared to the older drug it is based on and in treating blockage of the heart valve. The process of the acquisition The Merck and Schering-Plough took the typical reverse merger arrangement during the acquisition process. The Merck- Schering-Plough merger agreement contemplates a two-step transaction involving Merck, Schering-Plough, and Schering’s two special purpose, subsidiary holding companies, Blue, Inc. and Purple, Inc. In step one of the mergers, Blue will merge into Schering-Plough and each share of Schering-Plough will be converted into the right to receive (i) 0.5767 shares of the surviving Schering-Plough and (ii) $10.50 in cash. In step two of the merger, Purple will merge into Merck and each share of Merck will be converted into 1 share of the surviving Schering-Plough. After the completion of these two steps, the surviving Merck will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the surviving Schering-Plough. Yet, the shareholders of pre-merger Merck will own approximately 68% of the surviving Schering-Plough and shareholders of pre-merger Schering-Plough will own around 32% of the surviving Schering-Plough. Although Merck will become a subsidiary of Schering-Plough Merck’s pre-merger shareholders will together possess a majority of the voting and economic rights (or beneficial ownership) of Merck’s new parent company, Schering-Plough. One peculiarity of the Merck-Schering reverse merger transaction structure is that between steps one and two Merck finds itself in a slightly precarious situation. After the completion of step one, Schering’s pre-merger shareholders will have received shares of the surviving Schering-Plough and a cash payout, but Merck’s pre-merger shareholders will not yet have seized control over the management of the surviving Schering-Plough. The merger agreement has come up with a way to protect Merck’s shareholders during this governance gap. Simultaneously with the completion of step one of the merger, Schering has agreed that its board will cause all of its directors (other than 3 specified exceptions) to resign and to elect the members of pre-merger Merck’s board of directors as the directors of the surviving Schering corporation. Even before pre-merger Merck’s shareholders acquire their supermajority share of the beneficial ownership of the surviving Schering corporation after step two, they indirectly will have already taken the helm of the surviving Schering corporation through the election of their own directors to the new parent company’s board. The motivation of the acquisition Merck faces many of the challenges that face all pharmaceutical companies, including issues surrounding patent expiration and FDA approval. Patent expiration may affect 30% of sales through 2008. In addition, there is growing pressure in the US and abroad to lower the price of medication. Schering-Plough has a particularly small pipeline, with very few drugs currently in development. In the near term, it does however have one of the safest profiles in the industry, with very few major patents coming up for expiration in the coming years. The newest merger will result in a strengthened product pipeline in areas such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease and oncology, and should eventually yield $3.5 billion annually in cost savings. Merck is also set to be hit by patent expiries of some of its top sellers in the next decade, while Schering-Plough is not.

Demonstrating Math Competency through Life Application Essay

Demonstrating Math Competency through Life Application - Essay Example How I applied Math in My School Days During my school days, I invariably used to come across the discount wars among marketers. Someone would offer a discount of 10% while their rival would come forward to lure with huge 30% discount. It was difficult for me to understand in those days what financial impact it could make on buyers like me. In one of the instance, during mid ‘80s, in one of the campaigns ADIDAS shoes were offered with huge 25 % discount if three pairs were bought at a time. As such, if I bought a single pair it would cost me $24 and I had no capacity to buy three in a single stretch. I calculated the saving that I would get if I bought three pairs and that came to 24 ? (25/100) = $6. That was huge for me as that was my weakly pocket money. I immediately convinced my two of the friends and purchased three pairs of ADIDAS shoes from the shop, one for each of us and that is how each one of us saved a good sum of money. Since then I grabbed many opportunities of buy ing stuffs available during their huge discounted offerings. In fact, I truly realized the mathematical meaning of the discounts then. My Outing to the City of New York At age 20, I decided to go to New York City for outing with my three friends during our 4-day vacation in college. I needed to estimate the money that we must have in our pocket before we could really plan such tours. Since we decided to hire a car, our expenses on gas needed to be counted to arrive at the major travelling expense on this tour. We selected Honda midsized rental car. In those days, they used to charge rental of nearly $20 a day. We selected Honda because that would give us a good fuel economy of 36 miles per gallon. I checked map and found that the distance between Richmond and New York was 340 miles. Counting two and fro distance between these two cities, I got the distance of 340 ? 2= 680 miles. For roaming the tourist places around the New York City during our three days’ stay over there, I added another 300 miles in total mileage. Thus, I arrived at the figure of 680+300= 980 miles that our rental car would run around in our outing. Based on this, I needed to calculate the gas consumption and its cost, given that Honda gave fuel economy of 36 miles per gallon. Consumption of gas = total running / fuel economy = 980/36 = 27.22 gallons. In those days, gas would sell at $1.2 per gallon. Hence, expense toward gas would be 27.22 ?1.2 = $32.66. Car rentals for four days would be 20 ? 4 = $80 Total expense on transportation would be 32.66 + 80 = $112.66 Dividing the expense among four of us, each one needed to bear the cost of 112.66/4 = $ 28.16. Adding the cost of hotel rooms and food expenses on this, I got the fair idea what we needed to have in our pocket before starting this tour. Math did help me in planning and preparing a budget for the tour. Math in Recipe Preparation I am fond of cooking and love preparing, serving and eating desserts. A couple of years back, I cam e across a recipe from an East Indian author. The name of the recipe was Almond Jelly with Fruit Cocktail. The recipe had 8 ingredients and the preparation was given to serve 8 people. Since we were 5 people in the family and I was making it for the first time, I decided to go for quantity that was enough for 5 people. The recipe had the following ingredients. China grass-- 15 tablespoons; Sugar- 18 tablespoons; Milk-- 4 cups; almonds blanched -- 2 tablespoons, Leeches- 500 grams; Pineapple

Read 3 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Read 3 - Coursework Example Therefore, my relationship to technology has improved significantly upon learning that it is possible to create creatures that imitate and act like humans through technology. The question one asks on this is the morality surrounding the creations of these creatures, or whether such creatures have a conscience, feelings or a soul. Green is quoted saying â€Å"sometimes we forget that we are still in the middle of history.† In this quote, Green was implying that modern science is engaging in research activities and end up creating creatures that come back to harm its creators, who in this case are human beings. Through this quote, Green was questioning the extent of which scientists need to engage in while performing their experiments. Therefore, all research and scientific initiatives need to remember that the human race is still in the middle of the entire process. The same concepts relate to Frankenstein in the manner of which he ended up destroying one creature for fear that they would reproduce an offspring that would be beyond the control of its creator (Shelley 95). All of this was in the name of limiting the extent of scientific experiments. The concept thus tells the reader that ethical and social issues need to be in place while engaging in any scientific experiments, especially those concerni ng the creation of new creatures. From the presentation, Green questions if Victor sees himself as a god and if he is a good or bad god. Green also asks if the monster deserved his exile. To answer this question, there is a point where Victor was comparing himself to Lucifer, who was an Archangel with the inspiration to beat God through his dying monologue. He went ahead to state that this experiment will take place again. On killing the monster, Victor saw himself as the superior to the creature that he had created, thus justifying his decision to exile the monster. Victor’s experiment fails in that context that he was unsure of what the

Compensation Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Compensation Practice - Essay Example In order to keep low charges, the company decreases costs by the use of innovative electronic technology and warehousing. It also negotiates contracts for produce straight from manufacturers, eliminating the middleman. Wal-Mart incorporated in 1969 and became Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. In 1972, Wal-Mart was added to list of companies on the New York Stock Exchange, and it is the grocery retailer in the United States. Wal-Mart provides general produce: family attire, health and beauty assistances, electronics, toys, fabrics, crafts, lawn & garden, jewelry and shoes. Wal- mart runs a pharmacy department, Tire and Lube Express, and Photo processing center (Foley et al, 2000). Compensation strategies of Wal-Mart Inc., best practices they are applying, and compensation-related challenges they are facing. Effective compensation systems attract and retain qualified workers motivates employees, communicates an organization strategy, its cost structure reflects the organization’s ability to pay, and complies with all government laws and regulations. Compensation in Wal- mart is divided into two, cash compensation and fringe compensation. Cash compensation is the direct pay to the employee for work done. It has two components: base pay that is paid in terms of hourly or weekly over time basis. The second component is the payment contingent on performance. This is based on the merit increase, bonuses and increase sharing. Fringe compensation refers to employee benefits programs. Fringe compensation has two dimensions: legal required programs such as social securities and discretionary programs like health benefits, tuition reimbursement and pension plans. Wal- mart also faces compensation challenges such as high turnover rate. Approximately 70% of Wal- mart workers leave within the first year. Wal-Mart employees have been quitting their jobs because they have found other companies that pay them better and fair wage. The high number of employees quitting due to low wages has caused Wal-Mart to have a high turnover rate. Despite high turnover rate, Wal- mart is still able to affect the unemployment rate. Lack of health insurance benefits offered to employees is the main cause of high turnover rate for Wal-Mart. Workers need health insurance for themselves and families. Since their employees are not getting the health benefits needed they are leaving Wal-Mart to find another company that will give them the health benefits desired and for a lower out of pocket premium. Costly legal challenge is another challenge faced by Wal- mart, where it was accused of colluding to bound medical care for injured staffs in an attempt to save cash. In Colorado, the law gives workers with on-the-job injuries the right to file medical-care dues against their boss. Most companies carry insurance policies to pay such claims (Swezey et al, 1985). How Wal-Mart applies compensation practice to determine the positive or negative impact to the company and its stakeholders Sta keholders are people, organizations or groups who affect or can be affected by a company or organization. These stakeholders can be separated into two groups: the market and non-market stakeholders. The market stakeholders are those sets and individuals who have an economic post in what the company does. The non-market stakeholders are those groups and persons who have a non-economic stake and political stake in what progress the company takes. Wal- mart must strive to

Creating Added Value for the Customer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

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Importance of Maps to GIScience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Importance of Maps to GIScience - Essay Example Goodchild  introduced the term  GIScience  in the year 1992 to describe the basics of  GIS  technology.  Ã‚  These discussions dealt with the scope of a new branch of  GIS  and the obstacles in the way of its application of the technology.  GIS  is defined as the Science dealing with the interpretation and management of spatial information in scientific context, including associated technology, and implications of these for Commerce, Social life and the environment.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Information Analysis and interpretation of Data and transforming these into visual representations constitute among other things the Information Management function. Hardware and software that facilitate this process come under the category of associated methodology. Geographical Information and the GI system have tremendous applications to commerce and environment and naturally they will impact the society as a consequence.  GIS  now facilitates production of all kinds of Maps which ser ve as stimulants to visualized thinking. GI System therefore admirably fits in as Research on GI Science. Experts addressed the problem of developing visualization methods and techniques to present GI data interpret and synthesize them and explore them further, (MacEachren, 1995). This goes on further to assess the impact of these on the efficiency of problem solving. They further described the processes by which maps and graphics could be generated and the Computations systems to back these operations. The inter-connections between maps and  GIScience  and its associated steps in the process and the possible outputs also engaged many research works. Maps have the power to visually represent data, synthesize these and then explore the world. This is possible because of the ability to take selected data from the complex maze of facts and make visual presentation. The Discipline of Cartography has evolved a wide range of design guidelines which help in creating a map that best rep resents the desired results in terms of spatial patterns and inter-relationships. The traditional maps have helped in their own way in the above functions of map making. Yet, the advances made by  GIS  have revolutionized the way spatial information is synthesized, analyzed and explored. The numerous maps that needed to be made in the past for presenting different aspects of data pertaining to the same spatial area can now be overlaid on the same spatial outlay and interpreted. The paper will also study the advances made in the versatility of the map making process today, after the development of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Also, while recognizing the traditional role of maps in representation of data it must be pointed out that the maps should go further to be flexible and  Ã‚  facilitate exploration of the data underlying the maps. Therefore, in view of their ability to visualize the data and stimulate thinking about the  geo-spatial  patterns, maps are extensiv ely used in the GI Science process. The field of operation for these maps is Geo-visualization. It is a loosely defined domain and it addresses the presentation, analysis and synthesis of geographical information in combination with other disciplines including Cartography. Scientific visualization, image analysis, information visualization and analysis of exploratory data are the other disciplines contributing to the advancement. 1.1 Developments of Maps With reference to the design of maps, self-made professional maps, particularly Paper Made Topographic Maps are the work of professionals and are very practical under various conditions. Such maps will still be continued to be produced in the future, even though the demand from the users is already exerting pressure on large Map Maker organizations to adopt a different modern outlook towards the market. There

Outline an activity that will promote creative engagement using Essay

Outline an activity that will promote creative engagement using electronic educational games.You can choose an electronic game f - Essay Example Education has developed over the years into a highly intricate developmental activity for humans in all civilized locations of the world. Set patterns of curricula and defined standards have to be met in order to qualify for the desired and specific professional goals. Modern education involves the usage of electronic media which can be either in the form of informative multimedia presentations or interactive activities using a computer interface. The following paragraphs illustrate an educational activity planned for 12 year old children. By the age of 12 years most children have acquired basic language and mathematical skills and are well aware of themselves and the surroundings they live in. However, the real world is quite different from the narrow confines of a classroom or home and there is a need to increase the awareness of children about other places of economic importance to humans, like factories, farms, markets and industries. Students in cities usually are isolated from such places and rarely visit them until advanced age. They can however, now be given a virtual experience of any environment using interactive electronic media like computers and interactive games. Instead of going to an actual place, children can now visit virtual farms, factories, etc. on a personal computer through role playing games which are available freely on the internet. Some examples are HP (Hewlett Packard games) which come bundled with their PCs (personal computers) or other online interactive game sites like Shidonni, Runescape and Roblox (Respective websites) Activity The purpose of this activity will be to familiarize children with farm life through a role playing game, ‘Farmscapes’, available for trial download from the Hewlett Packard (HP) website (HP website). Children will be assisted by the teacher to sign up for role playing games’ available at the HP website which offers free (trial) as well as paid games for online subscribers (HP website). Co branded as Wild Tangent games, these are thoroughly well designed, interactive and attractive games for children (Wildtangent website). To play the game, a person has to register with a valid email and the teacher can assist the students in doing so. As the students’ may not be aware with the intricacies of downloading and installation of the game, the teacher will download, install and assist the child to initiate the game on a desktop PC. For this particular activity, the children will be asked to choose the game ‘Farmscapes’ and familiarize themselves with various farming operations. The main character of this game is ‘Joe’ who owns a ranch. Children will assist Joe in various farm activities like sowing, fertilizing, growing, harvesting the crops and selling them to reap profits for the rancher. They will learn how to run a dairy, a chicken farm, a beehive, etc., and indulge in interactive activities on the computer screen akin to actual farm operations. The children will learn to cope with natural disasters and farm operations necessary for running a profitable agricultural business. There are hidden treasures and mysteries which attract the children to the game and sustain their attention. Children can spend the allotted time on the game and leave the rest for the next day, on which they can resume activities on their farm. This takes away the strain on children from having to complete an activity in a single instance. Ability to resume on the next day provides adequate rest to the

Bullet Velocity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bullet Velocity - Research Paper Example A bullet is a metallic projectile loaded in cartridges and fired from firearms, the cartridge consists of a cartridge case, propellant charge, primer, and bullet. Pulling the trigger strikes the primer which in turn ignites the gunpowder, high pressure is built which propels the bullet forward and ejects the casing. The flight path of a bullet includes travel down the barrel, path through the air, and path through a target or wounding (Fackler, 1996). The burning gunpowder produces pressure given by Force divided by Area and the larger the barrel the greater the acceleration of the bullet. It is difficult to measure forces within the barrel but the velocity at which the bullet exits the barrel (muzzle velocity), can easily be calculated (Bruner et al, 2011), and is given in feet per second. Bullet velocities are classified as below 1000 fps, 1000-2000 fps and above 2000 fps as low, medium and high velocity respectively. (Wilson, 1997) (Wilson, 1997) Bullet Velocity Initial/Internal B allistics Pressure exerted on the bullet by the burning powder is given by Pressure=Force/Area Whereby: Area = base of bullet= diameter of barrel = constant Energy transmitted to the bullet thus depends on: 1. Mass (ponds) 2. Time of travel (seconds) 3. Time interval over which force is applied (seconds) 4. Barrel length (metres) The pressure and time is related as shown in the graph below Pressure Time over which force is applied As the bullet travels through the barrel, it phases minor deformations called setbacks resulting from imperfections in the barrel, however, the effect of this deformations are negligible (Jandial et al, 2008) External Ballistics/In Air to the Target This can be determined from Kinetic energy formulae as follows: Let: m=mass of bullet a=acceleration of the bullet x=distance travelled From Newton’s second law F=ma †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦(1) Then; Work done is given by work done=ma(x) From the expression v2=u2+2ax (Zitzewitz et al, 1995) Wh ere: v=final velocity u= initial velocity =0 since the bullet starts from rest Thus; a=v2/2x †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (2) Substituting eqn(2) into equation of work Work done = mv2x / 2x †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (3) Since work done=Kinetic energy Kinetic energy of bullet, KE=mv2 2 Rearranging for velocity V2 = 2KE M Velocity, V= (2KE M) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.(4) OR Let W = Weight in grains. Then M = W/ (7000grains per pound 32 ft/s) where: 32 ft/s – gravitational acceleration Kinetic Energy = WV2/450435 ft/lb Hence velocity, V= (KE450435 W) This is the bullets velocity as it leaves the muzzle. This velocity is affected by Drug as it heads towards the target. Let f (v/a) - ratio of velocity of bullet to velocity of sound in the medium of travel k- Constant for shape of the bullet &- constant for yaw p- Density of medium d- Diameter of bullet Drug, D = f (v/a) k&pd2v2 The degree to which a bullet is slowed by drug is calle d retardation given by Retardation, r = D/M Velocity is thus given by misery Velocity, V = (KE450435 W) – D/M A bullet fired straight upwards will slow down, stop and fall back to earth obeying the lows of free fall. It accelerates until it reaches a point where its weight equal to resistance of the air, this velocity is called terminal velocity (Cecil 2012). The formulae for free fall is expressed as V= ? gt where: g—gravitational acceleration t—time of fall References Bruner D, Gustafson CG, Visintainer C. Ballistic injuries in the emergency department. Emerg Med Pract. 2011;13(12):1-30. Cecil Adam, Retrieved from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Formula_for_velocity_of_a_bullet Fackler ML: Civilian gunshot wounds and ballistics: dispelling the myths. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 1998;16:17-28. Jandial R, Reichwage B, Levy M, Duenas V, Sturdivan L. Ballistics for the neurosurgeon. Neurosurgery. 2008;62:472-480. Wilson JM: Wound ballistics. West J Med. 1977;127:49-54. Zit zewitz, Paul W. & Robert F Neff.  Physics: Principles and Problems. New York: Glance, 1995:

Tort of Negligence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tort of Negligence - Assignment Example The duty of Care – This is the first thing which needs to be proved.Did the defendant owe a duty of care to the plaintiff? As Clumsy was your employee; this relationship falls under the established categories and thus it is clear that a duty of care towards clumsy was present. The pool of water might have been left there by another employee but he was asked to keep the floor clean by you and thus the ultimate responsibility in the hotel to keep your employees safe lies with you. (Roger LeRoy Miller, 2008)   Was the Duty of Care Breached – To establish a breach of duty under the tort of negligence it needs to be proved that the defendant failed to do what a reasonable person would have done in similar circumstances? (Roger LeRoy Miller, 2008) The failure to exercise required standard of care is regarded as an act of negligence under the law. In this case, as the manager of the restaurant, it is my duty to ensure that employees have a safe environment to work in which does not cause any injury or harm to them. As water was spilled over the floor, a reasonable person would have kept the floor clean – so there was a breach of duty. Even if the water was spilled on the floor – the reasonable thing to do would have been to put up a â€Å"Wet Floor† sign in order to warn anyone approaching the area. As neither was the floor kept clean and nor was a warning sign placed; it can be reasonably proved that there was a breach of the duty of care on the part of manager of the restaurant.   Damage/ Injury Caused by the Breach of Duty – The plaintiff needs to establish that due to a breach of the duty of care on the part of the defendant he suffered some sort of damage or injury. This damage or injury would not have been caused if there was no breach of the duty of care.

BHE 415 - Community and Domestic Violence (Module 3-SLP) Essay

BHE 415 - Community and Domestic Violence (Module 3-SLP) - Essay Example In addition, it contains factors that affect violence against women and the characteristics of victims and committers of violence. The rationale for choosing the topic of violence against women is that the violence that is done against women is far more critical and harmful than violence against men. Men as physically more powerful exercise their power over women without considering the aftereffects that women have to face. They do violence against women because they think that women are inferior to them and they have full right of assault against them. Many researchers have worked on this issue and recommendations are also given for the improvement of resolution of this problem. The topic of violence against women needs to be looked at in depth in order to find whether any prospective steps are taken for its solution or not and also to analyze the problems faced by women because of being victimized. Macmillan and Kruttschnitt (2005) report in their study, â€Å"Patterns of Violence against Women: Risk Factors and Consequences† that National Violence against Women Survey (NVAWS) conducted a telephone survey from November 1995 to May 1996, which included 8000 women and 8005 men. The survey took women into much consideration because of their being much affected because of violence. According to the report, women face higher risk of violence from their partners as all the violence strategies such as stalking, sexual assault, kicking, choking, beating, slapping, pushing, hair pulling, hitting with objects and threatening by weapons, all were in higher ratios from the male partners (Macmillan and Kruttschnitt, 2005). Watts and Zimmerman (2002) inform that the ratio of women victimization has increased not lessened. From 1993 to 1999, 21 % women (Switzerland, 1994-1996), 29 % women (Canada, 1993), 16 % women (Cambodia, 1996), 34 % (Egypt, 1995-1996), 33 % (Zimbabwe, 1996), 40 % (India, 1999), 35 % (New

Irs and orgainzed crime Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Irs and orgainzed crime - Research Paper Example , permanence, hostility or threat of violent behaviour, prohibited ventures, legal business penetration, fraud, and lack of principles (Finklea, 2010, p. 2). The structure, however, is not rigid but is hierarchical. In the United States, organized crime has held its roots for a long time but came to be popular in the 20th century. This was with the penetration of Italian mafia, Russian mafia, Japanese Yakuza and Chinese Tongs that the federal government battled with for most of the century (Finklea, 2010). IRS was established with a mission to offer Americans taxpayers with excellent service through assisting them to comprehend and comply to their tax obligations, as well as enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all (Internal Revenue Service, 2012). Under this mission, the service has a criminal investigations (CI) department. The department seeks to serve the American public by investigating potential criminal violations of the internal revenue code and related financial crimes. The crimes that the IRS investigates include tax evasion, money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act laws. It is only the IRS that has the authority to investigate potential criminal violations of the Internal Revenue Code despite there being other agencies, which deal with the same crimes (Internal Revenue Service, 2012.). For these reasons, the IRS criminal investigation works on a global scale. The federal bureau of investigation attempts to put a stop to organized crime from all over the world. To counter the problem of financial crime, the IRS’s criminal investigations department is divided into three interdependent divisions: Legal Source Tax Crimes; Illegal Source Financial Crimes; and Narcotics Related and Counterterrorism Financial Crimes (Internal Revenue Service, 2012). The service, since the 1919 has attempted, succeeded and failed in investigating organized crime that include narcotics and money laundering. One of the earliest cases is that of Al Capone in the

Business plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business plan - Essay Example This piece of paper presents a brief business plan of studentevents.com, describing the business objectives, mission and vision of the business and analyzing projected financial performance. This paper addresses the conceptual framework related to various components in a business plan and are applied to the example of studentevents.com. StudentEvents: The Business Rationale An effectively prepared business plan must be able to describe the proposed business venture in terms of the products or services it provides, available resources and business opportunities (Leach and Melicher, 2008, p. 74). It means that the what, where, and why explanations about a business is critically important aspect in a business plan. As far as StudentEvents.com is concerned, it is small start-up company with six full time employees. Five of them are expert and qualified in computer engineering and software development and one is an educator who can update the company regarding trends, seminars, events, ac ademic sessions, syllabus components, tuition program, etc that are important to education and students around the world. Though plenty of websites attract students for chat with friends, none of them are found user-friendly and convenient for online sharing of events and parties. StudentEvent.com is not just an alternative to a social network, but an extremely useful database wherefrom students can obtain information about competition, event and programs that they may benefit attending. The image and video sharing of school-programs also will certainly attract wide numbers of customers to the website. Business Objectives As a critical component to business plan, the business objective need to cover both long and short term expectations and these need to be measured in terms of money or other tangible means (Ochtel, 2009). The primary objective of the company is to provide students with opportunity to get connected with others and to share their memories of school-events. From a bus iness point of view, it will target students, design a service wherein they can entertain, increase the traffics and commercialize this with a view to benefit the investors. Mission Statement This is meant with a view to continually add vitality to students’ life. We would like the students get connected with others and share their feelings of happiness and mishaps they experienced with various events or celebrations within their school or college campuses. Success Measures StudentEvents.com will take measures to ensure greater success in its business. The company aims: To facilitate access for students to the website to update with parties, events and celebrations, To help students organize birthday or valentine parties to friends online by automated-email messaging, To arrange summer campaigns, study tours, graduation ceremonies etc through specific online gaming arrangements To take dynamic business strategies to retain the visitors and increase traffic to get more marketi ng advantages. Marketing Plan Marketing Mix Elements Today’s business environment is rigorously competitive. No matter

Health Psychology and the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Psychology and the Media - Essay Example The target audience in the documentary was adolescents who as per the writers are the group of people who drinks heavily. The legal minimum drinking age is stated as 21, however, there still exits a problem on the sale, procession, and consumption of alcohol among adolescents. This particular group of people is more vulnerable and at risk considering the messages that bombards the media on the use of this substance. Different figures were shown reflecting the results of the psychosocial treatment methods carried on various individuals. The author investigated patterns of treatment completion and outcome among a set of heavy drinking adolescents. Participants received a cognitive-behavioral treatment that included education, relaxation, CR, and imaginal and in vivo exposure. Fourteen percent of the sample (N = 8) did not complete treatment; when completers were compared to dropouts on baseline characteristics, very few differences emerged. ... when completers were compared to dropouts on baseline characteristics, very few differences emerged. With regard to treatment outcome, cluster analysis revealed two patterns, one for responders and one for partial responders. In comparison to responders, partial responders to treatment showed more severe pretreatment numbing symptoms, as well as greater depression, pain, and irritable nature as well as lower level of global functioning. It is of note that responders and partial responders did not differ in number of sessions attended, homework compliance, stressors occurring during therapy, or the presence or absence of any litigations. Although the description provided about the techniques applied and the figures related to the participants and so on had been specific and well communicated, yet a tabular or more numerical approach to the data would have been more precise, clear and understandable. Considering that the targeted group by this page is adolescents' emphasis of passing the content should have been made clearer by the use of aids like graphics, pictures, and diagrams that are clearly and colorfully illustrated. The adolescent may learn more from such illustrations rather than literature which will take time to read through. The graphics may also look attractive to the adolescent and make the article interesting to read. These young minds can easily recall the content when it is illustrated much more than when it is in a literary form. Evaluation: Significant social problems arise from the consumption of alcohol among adolescents. These young people are looked at by the society as being deviant and anti

Child with Autism Essay Example for Free

Child with Autism Essay There are many books out there relative to the matter of Autism, but I have to say that â€Å"Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew† is a the must read for my parents and my colleagues at work, that’s why I chose it for this assignment. Summary This book is an expansion of a successful article that Ellen Notbohm published in 2005. She used the same title. Ellen is a mother of two special needs children, one with autism and the other one with ADHD; however this book is written from the perception of an individual with autism. This is not a long book. It has only ten chapters and is about 130 pages, including the preface and the introduction, called in this book as, â€Å"It begins†. In this part of the book, â€Å"It begins†, the author tries to convince families and caregivers who are dealing with autism, to see it not like a disease. Ellen wants people to help their children to live with it, not to teach them to suffer for something that the children can not even control or they may not even know about. After this introduction, we found that each chapter can be described like a handbook. Each of the ten chapters has just a few bits of information about the common problems that a child with autism presents. However, when you finish reading the book, you will find that this information all together is a complete and trustful story encyclopedia that can help parents, teachers and many other professionals who work with ASD individuals a young age. In the first chapter, the wish is that people may be able to understand that she or he is just a child that needs love, patience, and help. I’m â€Å"autistic†; I’m not a label, I’m just a child. Going beyond with this marvelous book we found how the sensory issues are the reason of many behavior problems. Behavior doesn’t appear from nowhere, an incomprehensible and unexpected behavior has a sensory cause. Ellen advises parents and caregivers to think and reconsider about their beliefs. She also made some suggestions that can help us to identify and work around the child’s sensory structure. Meltdowns, the well-known meltdowns. These are also addressed in this book. Ellen describes the four trigger clusters, sensory overload, physical/physiological, emotional, and poor examples from adults. She indicates the way to identify their causes as well. She makes us to stop thinking or saying that â€Å"she/he won’t† to analyze and identify what is causing the behavior. Visual learners, this is explained in chapter four. This chapter tells us how these children are concrete learners, and visual thinkers. She also illustrates how verbal communication doesn’t make any sense to these children, by given some examples that she calls common snags. She reminds us that we have to help these children by developing a functional way that she/he can use to express their needs, wants, feelings, fears, etc. If they don’t know how to communicate they will find the way to let us know, which can be expressed with any variety of behaviors. Some techniques are also provided in this book, to help these children to develop or improved social interaction and the formation of self esteem. Ellen, who is talking in this book as a child, reminds parents and caregivers that he/she is trying his/her best with his/her poor and limited social skills. Ellen describes her feels when her son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She pictures her emotions and thoughts, and her continued fight with her hopelessness. Ellen finishes the book by saying that it didn’t take long to realize she wouldn’t change her son in any aspect even if she could. â€Å"I wouldn’t have him be anything other than exactly what he is†. Relationship between the book and CEC Standards of the course The relationship between this book â€Å"Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew† and the standards for professional educators, CEC, can begin with Standard One, that states how the â€Å"special educators use this knowledge as a ground upon which to construct their own personal understandings†. This book provides valuable information that can help teachers who work with ASD students to get a better idea of their world, and gather this information to build strategies or interventions that will help these children to develop or increase skills that will lead to improvement of their lives. Standard Nine, which addresses the engagement in professional and learning activities with families, colleagues, and activities that will lead to a professional growth, have a relationship with this book, because even though this book is more like a personal reflection from a mother of a child with autism, the book offers with details a full description of the primary problems that every child with autism has to face every day. The information provided in this book is helping educators to obtain knowledge and develop understanding of those incomprehensible and unexpected behaviors that many children with autism have. The last standard and the most important: Standard Ten which emphasizes â€Å"collaboration with families, other educators, related service providers, and personnel from community agencies in culturally responsive ways†, collaboration that can help to address the needs of the students. The collaboration can be practiced by sharing this book with parents, teachers, therapists, etc. As I mentioned in my introduction the information provided by the author can be considered as a handbook. Therefore by sharing this book with them, the special educator can be seen as a resource that is facilitating information to parents across settings and services. Professional practice with parents of ASD children My professional growth as a special educator has been impacted by this book enormously. Last school year when I was transferred to Redondo Elementary, although I have a background as a Special Educator, I didn’t know about autism at all. As a result I found myself desperately trying to find information that will help me to understand autism. One of my colleagues recommended this book and I purchased it immediately. I will say that Standard One is reflecting on my professional growth, because, when I read this book, I found the answer to many questions such as: Why is it that she/he claps? Why is it that she/he spins around? , etc. Knowledge that I apply to my teaching every day. Standard Nine reflects on my professional growth because, after reading this book, I am more â€Å"aware of how their own and others attitudes, behaviors, and ways of communicating can influence my practice†. Now I am able to understand more the culture of autism, and I’m also feeling more perceptive about my students’ needs and parents’ concerns. Standard Ten, which is always the most important for my â€Å"collaboration†. I like to extend an invitation to all my parents during my open house or family nights that we have at my school to read this book. I also like to extend an invitation to my parents to come and see me if they are having difficulties with their child at home, so we can work together to implement an intervention to address that particular problem. I would like to finish with this personal account book review/reflection sharing my favorite quotation of this book. â€Å"Patience. Patience. Patience. Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than disability†.