How Is the Verb Concentrer Conjugated in French

Its pretty obvious that the French verb  concentrer  means to concentrate. While the English and French look very similar and that makes it an easy word for your French vocabulary list, it still needs to be conjugated. A quick lesson will show you how its done. Conjugating the French Verb  Concentrer Verb conjugations help us express the action in the past, present, or future tense. We do this in English with endings like -ed and -ing. In French, its more complex because the verbs change not only with the tense  but also according to the subject pronoun. That means you have more words to remember. Concentrer  is a  regular -ER verb  and that can make learning its conjugations a little easier. This is particularly true if you have already studied similar verbs like  chauffer  (to heat)  and  briller  (to shine). The endings for all of these verbs are the same and its just a matter of adding them to the verb stem. The stem of  concentrer  is  concentr-  and it forms the base for all of the verb forms. Using the chart, you will quickly be able to recognize the verb pattern and attach the appropriate ending. For instance, I concentrate is  je concetre and we concentrate is nous concentrerons. Subject Present Future Imperfect je concentre concentrerai concentrais tu concentres concentreras concentrais il concentre concentrera concentrait nous concentrons concentrerons concentrions vous concentrez concentrerez concentriez ils concentrent concentreront concentraient The Present Participle of  Concentrer Adding an -ant  to the stem of  concentrer  gives you the  present participle  concentrant. Its very versatile and can be an adjective, gerund, or noun as well as a verb. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà © A  common way to express the past tense concentrated in French is with the  passà © composà ©. To form this, begin by conjugating the  auxiliary, or helping,  verb  avoir  according to the subject pronoun. Then, attach the  past participle  concentrà ©. As an example, I concentrated is jai concentrà © and we concentrated is nous avons concentrà ©. More Simple  Concentrer  Conjugations to Know There may be times when you want to insinuate that the verb  concentrer  has some degree of uncertainty. This is when the subjunctive or the conditional verb form will be useful. In rare cases and primarily in literature, you will come across the passà © simple or the imperfect subjunctive forms of  concentrer. Even if you do not use them yourself, its a good idea to be able to recognize them as you read French. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je concentre concentrerais concentrai concentrasse tu concentres concentrerais concentras concentrasses il concentre concentrerait concentra concentrt nous concentrions concentrerions concentrmes concentrassions vous concentriez concentreriez concentrtes concentrassiez ils concentrent concentreraient concentrrent concentrassent Used primarily for exclamations, demands, and requests, the imperative form is an easy one. Rather than include the subject pronoun --  tu concentre  -- its acceptable to simplify it to  concentre  alone. Imperative (tu) concentre (nous) concentrons (vous) concentrez

Change Of Vegetation Stress On The Canterbury Plains

CHANGE OF VEGETATION STRESS ON THE CANTERBURY PLAINS DUE TO CHANGES IN FARMING PRACTICES Hamish Kingsbury, GEOG313, University of Canterbury CONTENTS 1 Introduction 2 2 Methods 3 2.1 Data 3 2.2 Processing 4 2.3 Analysis 4 2.4 Validating 5 3 Results 6 4 Conclusion 8 4.1 Limitations 8 Appendix A 10 Appendix B 11 Appendix B Cont. 12 Appendix C 13 1 INTRODUCTION The Canterbury region is the second largest dairy producer in the country (Statistics New Zealand, n.d.). Over the period of 2007 to 2012, the region has seen an increase of 60,000 hectares of irrigated farm land (Hills, 2013) due to the conversion of beef, sheep and crop farms to water intensive dairy farming. There has also been an increase of 58% in the number of dairy farms and a 31% increase in the average herd size of dairy farms (Burns, 2013). For maximum production, sufficient irrigation is required for dairy farms (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2000). Therefore dairying requires at least ten times more water than other farming practices (Ward McKague, 2007). Over the summer months of December, January and February, this irrigation increase would represent a decrease in the amount of stressed vegetation in the study area. The study area is a 30km2 section of the Canterbury Plains, situated between the Waimakariri and Rakaia Rivers (Figure 2), to the west of Christchurch City. It falls within Path 74, Row 90 of Landsat’s reference system. The area encompasses a variety of land use

Stefan’s Diaries The Craving Chapter 6 Free Essays

After returning from the walk, I found myself being sewn into a brand-new suit while Mrs. Sutherland instructed the tailor on where to pin and prod me. I knew I had to leave, but I also couldn’t tear myself away from Mrs. We will write a custom essay sample on Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 6 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Sutherland quite yet. We spent the entire afternoon chatting about my mother and her French relatives, along with my wish to one day travel to Italy to see the Sistine Chapel. Before I knew it, the tailor had made his final stitch, and night had arrived. Even I had to admit that my suit was fantastic. I looked like an urbane prince of industry in my pleated white shirtfront, silk top hat, and cravat. Winfield loaned me one of his pocket watches on a fob covered with a tasteful number of gold charms and gems, and I wore matching gold studs. I looked the very picture of humanity and was ashamed to be enjoying the part so thoroughly. Bridget simpered when I offered her a hand getting up into the carriage. Her skirts were full and cumbersome, an apricot version of the white gown she wore just the night before. Cream-colored silk netting floated over everything, giving her a look somewhere between a dancer in a European painting and a giant pastry. She giggled and tripped and pretended to fall, throwing an arm around my neck. â€Å"Save me again, kind sir,† she laughed, and I reminded myself that I had only to entertain her for another couple hours. Then, no matter the affection I felt for Mrs. Sutherland, I vowed I would make good on my promise to leave the family to their lives, disappearing into the crowd of the dance and returning to my home in the park. After a short ride, we approached another mansion of considerable size. It was solid stone, like a castle, but filled with windows. I helped Bridget from the coach and we took our places in the receiving line. In my human life I had been to many dances, yet I was not prepared for a New York City ball. There was someone to take my coat and hat – and because this wasn’t Mystic Falls, where everyone of renown knew one another, I was given a ticket with a number on it to retrieve my things at the end of the evening. We approached the ballroom through a seemingly endless hallway of silver mirrors lit with candles and chandeliers, sparkling as I imagined it must have been like in Versailles. A thousand silvered reflections of Bridget and myself filled the space behind the glass. A full orchestra of violins, cellos, horns, and flutes played in the corner, the musicians dressed in black suits. The room was filled, wall-to-wall, with dancers in the most amazing array of dress I had ever seen. The young women lifted delicate gloved hands with sparkling diamond bracelets, then twirled in gowns that ranged in color from bloodred to dusty gold. Gauzy skirts swished in time with the high-paced mazurka the orchestra played, netting, tulle, lace, and the finest silk petticoats floating like petals strewn across a lake. If my eyes were dazzled by the sight of the dancers, the scents of the room almost overpowered the rest of my senses: expensive perfumes, huge vases of exotic flowers, sweat, and punch, and somewhere someone was bleeding from a pin left in her dress by a careless maid. â€Å"You’re supposed to fetch your lady a dance card,† Lydia murmured into my ear as I stood there, stunned by the opulent and overwhelming scene before me. â€Å"Is that . . . is that Adelina Patti?† I stuttered, pointing at a demure-looking woman standing in the corner and surrounded by admirers. â€Å"The opera singer?† I had seen photographs of her. My father had wanted his sons to have working knowledge of their Italian culture and heritage. â€Å"Yes,† Bridget said, rolling her eyes and stamping a pretty, satin-covered foot. â€Å"And over there is Mayor Gunther, and over there is John D. Rockefeller, and . . . can you take me to my seat now? I want to see who asks me to dance.† Lydia let out a polite cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. â€Å"In the South,† I whispered to her out of the corner of my mouth, â€Å"it’s considered impolite to dance with your escort overmuch.† Lydia put a gloved hand to her own mouth, covering her smile. â€Å"I’ve heard that they still actually dance the quadrille in the South and have no parlor games at their functions. Good luck, Mr. Salvatore.† And she glided off into the crowd. Margaret gave me a tiny smirk. She was on the arm of her husband, Wally, a short fellow with a pince-nez and a serious bent. But when she whispered to him, a smile broke out and he was radiant. I felt an odd jab of jealousy. I would never know what that was like, the simple rituals of a close-knit couple. The orchestra struck up a waltz. Bridget stuck out her lower lip. â€Å"And me without a dance card yet.† â€Å"My lady,† I said, inwardly sighing. I gave her a slight bow and offered her my hand. Bridget was a fine dancer and it was almost pleasurable twirling her across the floor. I could forget where and who I was for the few minutes of the waltz: just a man in a tailcoat, feet flying, in a room full of beautiful people. She turned her leaf-green eyes up to me, and for one beautiful moment I could pretend she was Callie, alive and well and getting the happy ending she so desperately deserved. The illusion came to an end the moment the music stopped. â€Å"Lead me by the edge of the dancers,† Bridget begged. â€Å"I want everyone to see us!† She dragged me past the refreshment room, where all manner of exotic food was laid out. Delicate ices made from foreign fruit, real Vienna coffee, blancmange, tiny chocolate cakes, and glass upon crystal glass of champagne to wash it down. For the hungrier set there seemed to be every kind of fowl, from quail to goose, neatly carved into small pieces so a dancer could eat quickly and return to the floor. Once again I wished I was hungry for normal human food. But instead I indulged in a glass of champagne. â€Å"Hilda, Hilda,† Bridget called out in a voice that carried well considering how crowded the space was. A beautiful girl in a rose-pink gown turned from her gentleman friend, face lighting up when she saw Bridget. Her eyes traveled up and down me with a quick flick of her eyelashes. â€Å"This is Stefan Salvatore,† Bridget said. â€Å"He is the one who rescued me!† â€Å"Mademoiselle,† I said with a slight bow, taking her fingertips and bringing them to my lips. Bridget gave me a look that was somewhere between jealousy and pleasure that I was so polite. â€Å"Brooklyn Bridgey! Who’s your friend?† A dapper young man with a twinkle in his eye and giant grin sidled up to us. He had a sharp nose and curly black hair; rosy dots appeared on his cheeks that made him look vaguely tubercular. â€Å"This is Stefan Salvatore,† Bridget told him, exactly as proudly and carefully as she had with Hilda. â€Å"He rescued me when I was overcome in the park!† â€Å"Pleasure to meet you! Abraham Smith. You can call me Bram.† He grabbed my hand and shook it hard. â€Å"That was terribly naughty of you, leaving the party unescorted like that, Bridgey.† Bram shook a finger at her and she pouted. â€Å"Brooklyn Bridgey?† I asked, my head spinning a little. â€Å"Why, the Brooklyn Bridge is only going to be the biggest, most fantastic suspension bridge ever built!† Bram said, eyes lighting up. â€Å"No more ferries, no sir. We’ll drive ourselves back and forth across the mighty East River!† â€Å"Oh look!† Bridget squealed, pointing in a very unladylike manner. â€Å"There’s Lydia and her beau! Let’s go talk to them!† I gave Hilda and Bram a helpless salute good-bye as Bridget directed me toward her sister with an iron grip. The Italian count was surrounded by admirers, including Lydia. I caught glimpses of him as we walked closer. His raven hair gleamed, and his black formal suit fit him perfectly. He moved with a careless grace waving his arms as he told his story. The glint of a ring shimmered on his hand. The truth hit me only moments before he turned, as if he’d been expecting my arrival. I did my best to hide my shock when I looked into my brother’s ice-blue eyes. How to cite Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 6, Essay examples

Tell Tale Heart Essay Example For Students

Tell Tale Heart Essay TRUE!- nervousvery, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses- not destroyed not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in heaven and on earth. I heard many things below the earth. How, then am I mad? Harken! and observe how healthily, how calmly I can tell you the whole story. It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object- there was none. Passion-there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I thinkit washis eye. Yes! it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture.a pale blue eyewith a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold. And so, by degreesvery graduallyI made up my min to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of that eye-forever. It is simply one of the old man?s eyes, which is either blind or not up to one hundred percent visibility. The narrator?s description of the eye is that it resembled that of a vulture?s eye, pale blue with a film over it. He described his emotion toward the eye by saying, ?Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold.?(303) This emotion eventually drove him to madness and caused him to kill the old man. The narrator begins to believe that he hears the old man?s heart beating while he was killing him, and after he was dead. The pounding became louder and louder and drove him crazy. The sounding of the heart forces him to tell the police officers, which are searching his house, that he killed the old man and where exactly the body was buried. This is the most ironic and unanticipated event that could have happened. The irony comes into play when his heightened sense of hearing and sober madness is the cause of his downfall. The same craze that led him to kill the old man is the same craze that led him to his demise. We have no idea of the relationship between the old man and the narrator. Could they have been related in some way or was the narrator simply a servant that spent his days caring for the elderly man? The narrator has left a lot up to our imagination on the relationship of the characters. The narrators? insanity has made him an extremely paranoid man, believing that everyone is out to make a mockery out of him, even though he was carrying out a flawless murder. He bragged about his preparation, and knew that the old man suspected nothing of his plan of terror and mayhem. The narrator believes that since he is able to recollect and present every detail of the events that took place, he is not insane. Because the manner in which the murder was carried out, he tries to justify his madness. His reasoning for wanting the old man dead is without motive. He tells us, ?I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire.?(303) The narrator was coming to the realization that he had logical reason for the murder of the old man. The truth of the matter is that he knows that he cannot Bibliography: .

Battle of Derna During the First Barbary War

Battle of Derna During the First Barbary War The Battle of Derna took place during the First Barbary War. William Eaton and First Lieutenant Presley OBannon captured Derna on April 27, 1805, and successfully defended it on May 13. Armies Commanders United States William EatonFirst Lieutenant Presley OBannon10 US Marines and soldiers200 Christian mercenaries200-300 Muslim mercenaries Tripoli Hassan BeyApprox. 4,000 men William Eaton In 1804, during the fourth year of the First Barbary War, the former American consul to Tunis, William Eaton returned to the Mediterranean. Titled Naval Agent to the Barbary States, Eaton had received support from the US government for a plan to overthrow the pasha of Tripoli, Yusuf Karamanli. After meeting with the commander of US naval forces in the area, Commodore Samuel Barron, Eaton traveled to Alexandria, Egypt with $20,000 to seek out Yusufs brother Hamet. The former pasha of Tripoli, Hamet had been deposed in 1793 and then exiled by his brother in 1795. A Small Army After contacting Hamet, Eaton explained that he wished to raise a mercenary army to help the former pasha regain his throne. Eager to retake power, Hamet agreed and work began to build a small army. Eaton was aided in this process by First Lieutenant Presley OBannon and eight US Marines, as well as Midshipman Pascal Peck. Assembling a ragtag group of around 500 men, mostly Arab, Greek, and Levantine mercenaries, Eaton and OBannon set off across the desert to capture the Tripolitan port of Derna. Setting Out Departing Alexandria on March 8, 1805, the column moved along the coast pausing at El Alamein and Tobruk. Their march was supported from the sea by the warships USS Argus, USS Hornet, and USS Nautilus under the command of Master Commandant Isaac Hull. Shortly after the march began, Eaton, now referring to himself as General Eaton, was forced to deal with a growing rift between the Christian and Muslim elements in his army. This was made worse by the fact that his $20,000 had been used and money to fund the expedition was growing scarce. Tension Among the Ranks On at least two occasions, Eaton was forced to contend with near mutinies. The first involved his Arab cavalry and was put down at bayonet-point by OBannons Marines. A second occurred when the column lost contact with Argus and food became scarce. Convincing his men to eat a pack camel, Eaton was able to stall until the ships reappeared. Pressing on through heat and sand storms, Eatons force arrived near Derna on April 25 and was resupplied by Hull. After his demand for the citys surrender was refused, Eaton maneuvered for two days before initiating his attack. Moving Forward Dividing his force in two, he sent Hamet southwest to severe the road to Tripoli and then attack the western side of the city. Moving forward with the Marines and the other mercenaries, Eaton planned to assault the harbor fortress. Attacking on the afternoon of April 27, Eatons force, supported by naval gunfire, met determined resistance as the citys commander, Hassan Bey, had reinforced the harbor defenses. This permitted Hamet to sweep into the western side of the city and capture the governors palace. Wounded, Yet Triumphant Grabbing a musket, Eaton personally led his men forward and was wounded in the wrist as they drove the defenders back. By the end of the day, the city had been secured and OBannon hoisted the US flag over the harbor defenses. It was the first time the flag had flown over a foreign battlefield. In Tripoli, Yusuf had been aware of the approach of Eatons column and had dispatched reinforcements to Derna. Arriving after Eaton had taken the city, they briefly laid siege before assaulting it on May 13. Though they pushed Eatons men back, the attack was defeated by fire from the harbor batteries and Hulls ships. Aftermath The Battle of Derna cost Eaton a total of fourteen dead and several wounded. Of his force of Marines, two were killed and two wounded. OBannon and his Marines role has been commemorated by the line to the shores of Tripoli in the Marine Corps Hymn as well as the adoption of the Mamaluke sword by the Corps. Following the battle, Eaton began planning a second march with the goal of taking Tripoli. Concerned about Eatons success, Yusuf began suing for peace. Much to Eatons displeasure, Consul Tobias Lear concluded a peace treaty with Yusuf on June 4, 1805, which ended the conflict. As a result, Hamet was sent back to Egypt, while Eaton and OBannon returned to the United States as heroes. Sources Smitha, Frank E. . First Barbary War Overviewfsmitha.com/h3/h27b-pirx.html. Jewett, Thomas. Terrorism in Early America. https://www.varsitytutors.com/earlyamerica/early-america-review/volume-6/terrorism-early-america.

Selected Tips for Political Science Essay Writing

Selected Tips for Political Science Essay Writing What Is a Political Science Essay? The initial part of the political science essay relates to the establishment of the general understanding of the meaning of such a form of writing and the difference from the other types of materials. Political science essay is eminent for the discussion of the advanced information related to the particular subject. Study of the specific information requires the in-depth knowledge of the discipline to share the experience with the audience. Political science orients on the improvement of the civil autonomy that leads to the conclusion that the paper related to the topic has to discover the aspects of the government and role of varying agents in the satisfactory operation of the society on the local and global basis. Improvement of the acknowledgment of the role of political science essays is necessary for the development of the general world-view of the audience so as the widening of the practical skills. How to Ð ¡hoose a Topic for Political Science Essay Writing? The choice of a topic is the primary step in the process of working on a successful essay. Such a decision has immense significance because of the determination of the course of the following work. Therefore, there is a need for the advanced analysis of the different topics and evaluation of the personal credibility of the author. People should not teach others if they are not ready to share the information. The specified condition leads to the conclusion that the author should pick the topic where the one has considerable authority. Lack of the readiness to write on the chosen topic does not mean that it is useless, yet points out that there is a need to deepen personal acknowledgment before the beginning of the writing process. Choice of the topic helps people to straighten their ideas and realize the following procedures of the work that makes it crucial. The topics for political science essay can be either broad or detailed. The following examples refer to interesting topic choic es: The History of Political Science; Postmodernism; Neoinstitutionalism; Political Systems; Rationality and Rational Choice; Principal–Agent Theory; Political Psychology; Impact of Elections on Democracy. Presented topics reveal the theoretical, historical, philosophical, and other directions of the discipline. It means that the research related to political science can be devoted to the massive scope of varying topics. Discussion of the theories and movements in the science also deserve the deep study and explanation because of the development of the social acknowledgment with the politics. Valuable Recommendations on Writing a Political Science Essay Writing the political science essay is a complex process that requires broad knowledge and skills. Therefore, it is useful for a writer to use the recommendations for the advancement of their works. The first guideline is the planning of the work before the beginning of the writing as it provides the author with the capability of the powers optimization. Another important aspect of the work is the research of the topic, even if the writer has an in-depth acknowledgment with the subject of the essay because it helps to see the approach of other authors and shape the personal approach to the work. Organization of the work and division on the logical sections also provides a person with the vision of the working course. Another useful tool is the application of the personal style for improvement of the text attractiveness and the writer’s representation of the individuality. What to Avoid When Writing a Political Science Essay? In the process of writing the political science essay, there could occur mistakes people tend to make. It leads to the necessity to widen useful hints related to the detection of the potential drawbacks. The first and the most significant recommendation is to avoid plagiarism. All writers use the sources for the establishment of credible ideas and improvement of the personal knowledge of the subject. However, in specific cases, performers rewrite the same information in the exact or similar words. Described approach to work damages the credibility and status of the text as it is considered to be a combination of the outside information without the proper input of the writer. Avoidance of plagiarism is one of the rules that must be followed in the political science essay (actually, in any writing). Therefore, there is a need for writers to be attentive to the entire scope of the guidelines to the essay. Essay Structure The structure of the political science essay is similar to other types of writing, yet has a variety of points to consider. The structure of the document includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Part of the body paragraphs can include personal position. However, there is a need to mention that it requires correct presentation to become credible and worthy in the essay. In the introduction, paragraph writer has to provide a clear statement the one wants to prove or discuss in the document. Following part of the paragraph has to support the position of the first sentence and lead to the broad description of every supporting evidence in the body paragraphs. The goal of every body paragraph is to convince the correctness of the author’s claim and disprove the counterarguments. The conclusion of the political essay is a summary of the main ideas and restatement of the supportive arguments. Introduction The introduction is the first part of the essay that makes it crucial for the audience and writers to emphasize the particular part of the text. Attention to the first sentence and the paragraph as a whole are a necessary measure for the successful result of the entire text. The introduction reveals the intent and personal position of the writer, yet does not provide an adequate explanation of the position. Therefore, it has to be catchy and attractive to make the audience interested in the chosen issue and devotion of the attention to the study. Through the correct positioning of the ideas and intents of the essay, writers can maximize the impact of their works and advance the audience in the specific area of political science. Another significant part of the introduction is a thesis statement because it sums the entire work in a single phrase creating the frames of the following work. Thesis Statement The thesis statement is the most significant part of the political science essay. It provides a brief overview of the key points in the writing. The structure of the thesis statement will vary depending on the length of the argument. However, it is essential to include the key arguments and reasons for enlisting them. The following examples reflect properly written thesis statements: Civic society should represent a consequence of consistent work on public awareness of the governmental process, engagement in democratic processes, and interest in the participation of the communities. American politics is an entangled notion that structures around conflict, negotiation, and compromise of parties. Provision of data safety in elections is a common concern, as results of recent election reveal inconsistencies and inaccuracies in results. Terrorism is a concern of international law, as stakeholders cannot reach the notion of agreement on cooperation in eradicating it. Public opinion on the death penalty reflects the historical background of the country’s political means of handling a criminal case. And, these are the examples of thesis statements to avoid: Political science is very important to the government. Nationalism cannot be a part of the modern state. Political cartoons are interesting to study. Civil society is an unattainable idea. Democracy holds an entangled structure. Thus, thesis statements should be rather specific and describe the main point of the essay’s content. Body Paragraphs After the presentation of the general directions of the essay, the work has to discover every single part of the subject to prove its credibility and disprove the opposite positions. The section with body paragraphs is the biggest in the essay because of the in-depth analysis of every piece of the information related to the chosen topic with the detailed explanation of the correctness of the chosen position. Effective body paragraph has to present general conditions of the topic for the improvement of the social understanding of its realities. One of the essay’s body paragraphs can be devoted to describing the reason for including statistical information in a graph and its value in the discussion of the researched topic. Critical analysis of the facts leads to conclusions that reveal the position of the author making the reaction adequate. Additionally, body paragraphs widely apply external sources of information that prove that the author did not make up the information, yet applied real evidence and worked on the ideas of other credible writers. Conclusion The conclusion has a high significance similar to the value of the introduction because, in the process of the subject study, readers might lose the connection between the evidence and the general idea of the work. Conclusion repeats the work of the introduction through the restatement of the intents of the writer and also presents the way the writer managed to prove and explain the statement. The conclusion is the last part of the work that means that after the end of the study, the memory about the finishing part of the text will be the freshest. Therefore, there is a necessity for a writer to ensure that the conclusion provides a correct and laconic summary of the information discussed through the course of the essay. A particular part of the text also frames the entire work through the repetition of the thesis that also receives finished and proven form. Choice of Sources: A Few Tips from Our Experts Choice of sources has a considerable influence on the credibility of the essay because of the capability to prove the adequacy of the personal position and refer to the existing works related to the same subject. Following the requirement for the particular type of the document to present some credible data, there is a need for the political science essay to include the sources that would prove the efficiency of the information. Application of the references is a part of the body paragraphs because this section is the one that proves the statements of the author through the critical analysis and discussion of the facts. Credible sources always emphasize the name of the author, name article with the date of publishing, and the journal or book that consists specific ideas along with the pages that present the chosen statements. Application of the Visual Materials One of the eminent aspects of the political science essay is the opportunity to use visual materials including statistics and graphs. Despite the condition that the author can describe the entire scope of data presented in the graph without its direct application in the text, there is a need to consider that the visual state of the work plays a significant role in the efficiency of the work. Additionally, it might be useful for the preservation of time of the writer and space in the document. However, it is important to provide the analysis of the depicted information to prove its necessity and meaning. Editing and Proofreading Students frequently disregard the influence of proofreading and editing of the text that lowers the quality of their work along with the representation of the lack of professionalism. Proofreading is a useful tool for the elimination of grammar issues or logical mistakes. Application of the specified tool improves the influence of the work because of the attraction of the writers by the professional presentation of the ideas. Editing helps the author to rethink the approach to the presentation of the data. It is a necessary measure for the maximization of the impact of the essay because different styles of information presentation result with the growth of the text interest. It develops the aesthetics and also makes people capable of studying longer as they continuously approach the data differently. Overall, editing and proofreading have high significance to ensure the general quality of the work. Referencing Referencing is the insertion of the signs denoting the materials used for writing a specific section or statement in the text. References do not include the entire scope of the information presented in citations. Nevertheless, application of the in-text citations is necessary for the navigation of the audience and easy access to the information the author applied in the course of work. References are the continuation of the citation page because of the establishment of the connection between the text of the political essay, and ‘works cited’ page. Ignorance of the in-text citations is a critical mistake because the work loses the credibility without the proper guidance of the applied information. Therefore, individuals interested in the improvement of political essay writing skills have to consider the necessity of in-text citations application. There are a few primary formats of political science essays, and they include: MLA, APA, Chicago and Harvard For example, a source in MLA format has the following structure: Barrow, Clyde W. â€Å"Political Science.† Research Gate, 2015, pp. 1–5. In-text citation for the mentioned source would look as (Barrow, 3), including the second name of the author and the page that contains applied data. Overall, the political science essay has a variety of similarities with other types of work, yet includes a considerable amount of the crucial differences. There is a need to advance the knowledge of the specified type of writing because the goal of the political science documents is the advancement of the society and government that proves the necessity for attention and devotion to the subject. Improvement of the personal adequacy in political science would develop the personal outlook of the audience and widen its perspective.

International Interview Project Assignment Research Paper

International Interview Project Assignment - Research Paper Example Chan, personal communication, January 29, 2012). Located in Southeast Asia, the country shares its water borders with China in the form of the South China Sea which is east of Vietnam. It turns out that the Philippines has a long history of being colonized by other countries and their quest for independence as a country is still being fought for until today. The first and longest staying colonizers of the Philippines according to Jennifer were the Spaniards. The country was annexed by Ferdinand Magellan in the name of Spain which was the country that financed his expedition into Asia but, the management of the country was left mostly to their Mexican counterparts. It was during this colonization that the Chinese came to settle in the Philippines. This was followed by the American Occupation, the Japanese Occupation, American Liberation, and finally, independence for the republic that began as a Commonwealth country. Jennifers ancestors came to settle in the country during the American Liberation era and have become naturalized cit izens of their adopted country. I would be hard pressed to find a Filipino with pure Filipino blood she told me. Their population always carries a mix of either one, two, or all of the following bloodlines: Chinese, American, Spanish, Japanese, and Arab blood due to the interracial marriages that always freely happened even during their colonized periods. If there is one thing that always strikes any person who first meets Jennifer, it is the fact that she has such a bubbly personality and seems to always put the comfort of those around her before her own. The department of tourism website for the Philippines (2012) explains that this spirit of kinship and camaraderie is something that was inherited from their Malay forefathers. The local hospitality though, is something that seems to be hard wired into their DNA. Nobody really knows where the race inherited it from.

The reference list for my dissertation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The reference list for my dissertation - Essay Example [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.basf.com/group/corporate/en/investor-relations/basf-in-brief/verbund/index" http://www.basf.com/group/corporate/en/investor-relations/basf-in-brief/verbund/index [Accessed 25 July 2011]. Bloomberg, 2011. Galleon, Barclays, Primary Global, SAP-Oracle in Court News. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-14/galleon-barclays-primary-global-sap-oracle-in-court-news.html" http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-14/galleon-barclays-primary-global-sap-oracle-in-court-news.html [Accessed 3 August 2011]. BLS, 2011. Employment situation summary: Table A. Household data, seasonally adjusted. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm" http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm [Accessed 24 November 2011]. Bornhorst, F., 2010. IMF Working Paper: A status update on fiscal exit strategies. [Online] IMF Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2010/wp10272.pdf" http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2010/wp10272.pdf [Accessed 9 October 2011]. Cronje, C., 2011. Rising Demand for Polymer and Plastics to Boost South African Chemicals Industry, Reveals Frost & Sullivan, Frost & Sullivan. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/press-release.pag?Src=RSS&docid=223480314" http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/press-release.pag?Src=RSS&docid=223480314 [Accessed 15 July 2011]. Datamonitor, 2011 a. Global Chemical Manufacturing, Industry profile. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://360.datamonitor.com/Product?pid=7292829E-580A-451B-A14C-C1F665004379" http://360.datamonitor.com/Product?pid=7292829E-580A-451B-A14C-C1F665004379 [Accessed 15 August 2011]. Datamonitor, 2011 b. Chemical Manufacturing in Asia-Pacific, Industry profile. [Online] Available at: HYPERLINK "http://360.datamonitor.com/Product?pid=FC328F7C-A445-40F0-AEA9-34E93E87BD77"

Social justice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Social justice - Assignment Example As such, social justice should ensure that every member in the society lives a fulfilling life. Social justice often occurs in the forms of various rights enjoyed by the people. A society should therefore have appropriate institutions to protect the rights of the people. Language is a fundamental tool that enhances social interactions. As such, language rights refer to the ability of the members of a society to use language freely in enhancing their communications. Every member in the society has a right to a language or two (Tania & Cornelius, 2008) (Page# 66 Lines# 117-119). Mother tongue is a primary language for example that everyone must use effectively by the virtue of existing in a society. The society has effective institutions that protect and progressively advance the growth of languages. From the family institution to schools among other similar institutions, people learn and perfect their skills in various languages thereby enhancing their communication skills. While able-bodied individuals enjoy expressive use of language, the deaf on the other hand remain marginalized and their language rights often ignored. Deaf people constitute a vulnerable minority group in the society. Most societies do not always consider and safeguard their language rights. The deaf communicate in signs and symbols. Deaf students therefore go to special schools where they learn how to communicate in their special languages. They therefore become proficient communicators but only with other deaf individuals. The able-bodied individuals in the society often do not strive to learn the sign language a feature that develops a primary incompatibility in communication thus communication breakdown. Deaf children born of deaf parents learn the language from their parents and therefore enjoy effective communication from early ages. In fact, such children develop faster than normal children born of deaf parents do

Enteral Feeding After Gastric Intestinal Resection

Enteral Feeding After Gastric Intestinal Resection Optimum nutrition has always been a major target of post: operative care. Ileus is a common phenomenon after abdominal surgery, therefore early oral feeding is avoided and nasogastric decompression is being used. Conventionally, post abdominal surgery, the passage of flatus, or bowel movement was the clinical evidence of starting an oral diet. The end of post operative ileus based to be taken by the passage of flatus usually occurred within 5 days. The many studies have proved that the routine use of a nasogastric tube after abdominal Surgery and colorectal surgery may not be necessary. studies were undertaken to evaluate /whether different abdominal surgeries could benefit from early feeding. Early feeding improves the outcome of the patients with trauma and Burns although few studies have examined its use after gastro intestinal anastomosis. In case of laparoscopic colectomy patients have been fed routinely on day 2 after operation and that is being safely tolerated by the majority of patients. There are many evidences which indicate that immediate feeding after operation is actually feasible and safe whether post laparoscopic or post laparotomy , including gastro intestinal surgery. It has been proved by many studies that early enteral feeding in surgical patients improves nutrition and immunity and ultimately reducing septic complications and over all morbidity when compared with parenteral nutrition. A study conducted that compared an early regular diet to conventional post operative dietary management to determine G1 complications and mortality after major G1 anastomosis. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and tolerability outcomes of early oral feeding after elective gastro intestinal anastomosis. Patients and Methods Between July 2006 and December 2009, after the study was approved by ethical review committee, patients were offered participation and informed consent taken. Patients with chronic liver disease or those with metastasis and patients with histories of acute obstruction, perforation and intra abdominal infection were excluded. Patients were subject to a thorough history, physical examination and investigations. The patients were then randomized into two groups. Randomization done using sealed envelopes. Group 1 (Early feeding); 30 patients were offered simply a liquid diet within 6 hours of arrival on the ward. If 1 liter was being tolerated they were free for free liquid on the second day and then regular diet on the third day. (Tolerance is being indicated by an absence of vomiting or abdominal distension). Group 2 (Regular feeding) 30 patients were managed conventionally (that is nothing by mouth until the resolution of ileus, then a fluid diet, followed by regular diet. All patients underwent general anesthesia no nasogastric tube was inserted in any patients during surgery in patients in group 1 and a nasogastric tube was inserted in all patients during surgery and continued till the resolution of ileus in group 2. The patients were monitored for vomiting, abdominal distension length of ileus, tolerance of regular diet, length of hospitalization and complications. If there were two episodes of vomiting in the absence of bowel sounds or passage of flatus in the absence of any bowel movement, insertion of nasogastric tube was implemented.Also those who suffered from abdominal distension, emesis and succussion splash of stomach were diagnosed with acute dilatation of stomach, subjected to G I decompression. If there was anastomosis failure, treatment ensued such as antibiotics, nutritional support, ileostomy or colostomy. Patients with normal post operative course were discharged when they could tolerate a regular diet. Demographics were age and sex, medical and surgical histories of the patients and indications for anastomosis were noted. Different patients had different types of anastomosis were randomly allocated to group 1 irrespective of anastomotic type to eliminate bias. Table 1. Indications group 1 group 2 Tuberculous 5 5 Stricture at Ileum Closure of 20 20 Ileostomy Colorectal surgery 5 5 The main outcome was to evaluate post operative complications that included wound infection, leakage of anastomosis, obstruction, mesenteric emboli, upper G1 bleeding, wound dehiscence, prolonged ileus, and mortality. Ileus was defined as hypoactive bowel sounds, abdominal distension and no passage of flatus or bowel movement with or without nausea or vomiting after the first post operative day 3. Statistical analysis of data done by SPSS version 10. For continuous variables, descriptive statistics were calculated and were reported as mean +SD. Categorical variables were described using frequency distribution. The student T-test for paired samples was used to detect difference in the mean of continuous variables and the chi-square test was used in cases with low expected frequencies (a P value

Passionate Learning :: Philosophy Psychology Education Essays

Passionate Learning To lack [self-respect] is to be locked within oneself, paradoxically incapable of either love or indifference.....It is the phenomenon sometimes called 'alienation from self.' In it's advanced stage, we no longer answer the telephone, because someone might want something; that we could say no without drowning in self-reproach is an idea alien to this game. -Joan Didion, "On Self-Respect" Last Spring, as part of a senior project, I took Tai Chi classes and researched how meditation is used in mind/body medicine. I read several books by doctors who use meditation as a form of healing, in stress-reduction clinics and as treatment for people suffering from severe pain and panic disorders. One doctor in particular, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn teaches a method he calls mindfulness, in which he has his patients meditate in order to achieve total mind/body awareness. Zinn instructs patients to focus on their pain and to become aware of it. This often helps them realize that they can live with their pain. No pain is too extreme, he says, in the same way that no emotion is a wrong emotion. Awareness is the only absolute, and the only thing that allows people to live in the moment. Not live for the moment, but live in the moment. I left that project feeling extremely aware and extremely at peace. After three years of struggling to find answers, happiness, and a sense of purpose, I began to appreciate my present state of mind. I began to revel in the struggle, confusion, and push of not knowing. And as I approached graduation, my high school experience suddenly made sense to me. I understood life as a system of games. High school was simply one of them. I came to realize that playing games was both understandable and necessary as long as we are aware that we are playing them. I realized that a major struggle throughout high school had been my struggle to resist playing its game. I spent my three years at boarding school governed by my passions rather than playing by the rules of the institution. And in refusing to play by its rules, I made it increasingly more difficult for me to function within its realm. By rules, I do not mean the actual do's and don't's, but rather, I am referring to the prompts the school sets up in order to fulfill its goals as an academic institution.

Rational Theory

This paper introduces Rational System Perspectives in relations to four promin ent schools of organization theory; which are Taylor’s scientific management, Fayol’s general principles of management, Weber’s theory of bureaucracy and Simon’s discussion on administrative behavior. Rational System Perspectives There are two key elements characterizing rational systems: 1) Goal Specificity Specific goals support rational behavior in organizations by providing guideli nes on structural design, which leads to specify what tasks are to be performe d and how resources are to be allocated. ) Formalization Formalization is an attempt to make behavior more predictable by standardizing and regulating. Formalization provides stable expectation, which is a precond ition to rationality. Selected schools The author related rational system perspectives to four schools of organizatio nal theories. Taylor’s Scientific Management (1911) Taylor Scientifically analyzed t asks performed by individual workers and disco vered the best procedure that would produce the maximum output with the minimu m input of resources.His attempts (to rationalize labor at level of the indiv idual worker )led to changes in the entire structure of work arrangement. Ther efore, efficiency improved. His four principles includes: 1) Develop a science for each element of an individual’s work. 2) Scientifically select and train workers. 3) Heartily cooperate with workers to ensure that each work is done as plan. 4) Divide work and responsibilities between management and workers. Taylor also proposed the use of incentive system based on performance as a mot ivation tool.Arguments: 1) Workers resisted time-study procedures that attempt to standardize every as pect of their performance. 2) Workers rejected incentive system requiring them to perform continuously at a peak level of efficiency. Fayol’s Administrative Theory (1916) Fayol emphasized management functions by proposing broad administrative principles as guidelines to achieve rationalization of organizational activiti es. Fayol’s and other supporters believed in two main types of management activi ties. ) Coordination includes any elements related to collaborations of individuals such as scalar chain, unity of command, span of control and exception princip le. 2) Specialization involves various activities distributed among positions abou t how such positions can most effectively be grouped into work units. For exam ple, departmentalization, line-staff principle. Arguments: Herbert Simon was one of the main opponents of this theory. He commenced that so-called principles are truthful, but not realistic. Thus, they are inapplica ble (details will be discussed).Weber’s Theory of Bureaucracy (1922) Weber developed a theory of authority structures and describes organizational activity on the basis of authority relations. By building the structure, task responsibilities and de cision-making authorities would be clearly defined. He proposed that rational-legal authority (the authority a person possesses be cause of his/her position in an organization, not because of wealth, social st atus or individual’s admirable character) provides the value to develop the u niversal authority structure called â€Å"bureaucracy†.Weber’s ideal bureaucracy principles includes: 1) Division of labor. Jobs are broken down into simple, routine, and well-defi ned tasks. 2) Authority hierarchy. Positions are organized in a hierarchy, each lower one being controlled and supervised by a higher one. 3) Formal selection. Members are selected on the basis of technical qualificat ions (training, education of formal examination). 4) Formal rules and regulations. Managers must depend on formal rules to ensur e uniformity. 5) Impersonality. There is no personal preference of employees. ) Career orientation. Managers do not own the units they manage. They work fo r sa lary and pursue their careers. Arguments There are self-contradictions in Weber’s principles. 1) Management based on discipline: individuals obey the rules and orders becau se they regard the rules and orders as methods to fulfill organizational goals . Therefore, obedience is a mean to an end. 2) Management based on bureaucracy: individuals obey the rules because rules a re considered as commands, setting aside their judgements. Thus, obedience is an end itself.Simon’s Theory of Administrative Behavior (1958) Simon proposed a more realistic view related to rational system perspectives b y pointing out the boundaries (limits and constraints) on how rational manager s can be in making decisions. He introduced the term â€Å"bounded rationality†. Rather than pursuing all alternatives to identify the best solution that would maximize returns, managers will choose the solution that appears to solve the problem, even though they realized the chosen solution is not th e best one, d ue to time/cost constraints and other limitations.Furthermore, Simon clarified the process by which goal specificity and formali zation contribute to rational behavior in organization. Goal specificity: He introduced â€Å"means-ends chains† which establish a hierar chy of goals. According to organizational level, each level of activity is con sidered as an end relative to the levels below it and as a mean relative to th e level above it. Formalization: Simon believed formalized structure supports rational decision making in the sense that formalization simplifies a border of responsibilities among participants and provides participants with guidelines to handle them.Conceptual Framework (means) (ends) Formalization Goal Specificity Input Output Rational System Conclusion 1. Rationality in this paper can be viewed in two senses as follows: 1. 1) Technical or Functional rationality which can be attained through a serie s of actions (means) which lead to predeterm ined goals (ends) with maximum eff iciency. In short, Technical or Functional rationality emphasizes instrumental means-ends efficiency. Taylor’s and Fayol’s theories are related to rationa lity in this sense. 1. ) Formal rationality which can be derived through imposing rules an regulations to organization. Weber defined bureaucracy as rational in this sen se. 2. Level of Analysis 1. 1) Social psychological level. Taylor and Simon focus on individual participants as they perform tasks or make decision. 1. 2) Structural level. Fayol and Weber attempt to analyze the characteristics of organizational structures. Direction for my further research According to the paper above, I would like to examine which ideas of the above theories are still applicable to current information technology era.Furtherm ore, adding to my personal interest in strategic management, I would like to a nalyze how classical theories influence managers on strategic decision-making. Please see the su mmarized table in the next page. Table: Summarize and compare four organization theories. Taylor Fayol Weber Simon Year introduced 1911 1916 1922 1958 Means l Scientifically analyzed tasks performed by individual workers. l Concer ned with management at the shop levels l Generated broad administration princi ples. l Focused on activities of all managers l Described organizational activi ty on the basis of authority relations. Proposed rational-legal authority as a value to develop bureaucracy. l Proposed â€Å"bounded rationality† individuals have limits (boundaries) on how rational they can be. l Introduced means-ends chains. Ends Max. efficiency by using one best way. Max. efficiencyby using management expertise Max. efficiency by using bureaucratic structure Choose a fairly goo d solution, not optimal one. Assumptions Technical & Functional Rationality Technical & Functional Rational ity Formal Rationality Bounded rationalityLevel of Analysis Social Psychological Structura l Structural SocialPsychologic al Arguments 1) Workers resistedTime-study procedures, attempting to standardize every aspect of performance. 2) Workers rejected incentive system, requiring th em to perform continuously at a peak of efficiency. 1) So-called principles ar e truthful, but not realistic. 2) Simon: Due to limitations & constraints, the se principles are not thoroughly applicable. Self-contradictions 1) Based on d iscipline: Obedience is a mean to an end. 2) Based on bureaucracy: Obedience is an end itself.

America’s New Free Trade Agreement Essay Example

America’s New Free Trade Agreement Essay Example America’s New Free Trade Agreement Essay America’s New Free Trade Agreement Essay The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), implemented in the year 1994, is meant to remove barriers to trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. An important component of this free trade agreement is the member countries’ concern for environmental as well as labor issues, which must be worked on and agreed upon by the member countries. Yet another significant component of NAFTA is that of conflict resolution between the member nations. For this, the free trade agreement outlines procedures (Topulos).Since the time that it was first implemented, NAFTA has proved to be a positive experience for all member countries. In Mexico after NAFTA, poverty rates were reduced, and the real income increased, despite the economic crisis that the country went through during 1994-1995. Experts believe that the free trade agreement has the potential to reduce the poverty of Mexico even further. Trade among member nations has already increased tremendously. Goods produced in the United States, Canada or Mexico, are now distributed simultaneously in all three member countries. Moreover, the Mexican factories that process imported raw materials into finished goods for export have seen a dramatic increase in their income. Trade in other sectors of the Mexican economy has also increased. In the area of agriculture, Mexico has witnessed a steady increase in exports every year since the inception of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreeme nt). Undoubtedly, NAFTA is expected to benefit Mexico also in the future, just as the benefits of the agreement are being realized more fully today by the United States and Canada. The latter are expected to still increase their benefits of NAFTA with Mexico’s economic development.Given the benefits of NAFTA to the economies of the member countries, and the faith of the United States that it should have firm economic relationships with its neighbors – in December 2003, the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua completed their negotiations on the newest free trade agreement in the region: the Central American Free Trade Agreement or CAFTA (Promoting Trade With Central America And The Dominican Republic). The United States and Costa Rica agreed on the latter’s participation in the new free trade agreement in January 2004. Two months later, the United States concluded negotiations also with the Dominican Republic to integrate the latter int o the CAFTA. This changed the name of CAFTA to DR-CAFTA, or the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (Costa Rica).The goal of DR-CAFTA was the establishment of a free trade zone, which would be similar to the NAFTA. Thus, the DR-CAFTA removes tarrifs on approximately 80 percent of the U.S. exports to the other member countries (Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement). By so doing, the new free trade agreement makes it especially beneficial for member countries that are economically weak to buy high quality U.S. products and thereby raise their standards of living. What is more, the agreement allows for easy access of goods from member countries into the United States market. Once again, the economically weak member countries are bound to benefit substantially through the new agreement, seeing that they may now have the gigantic U.S. market to sell their products to (Runyon).Other provisions of the DR-CAFTA include: (1) a promise made by the govern ments of all member countries that foreign investment is guaranteed in their respective nations; (2) a gradual removal of all barriers to trade that were initially meant to protect domestic production; (3) no duties on the import of agricultural goods; (4) subsidies on all agricultural goods, except sugar, must be eliminated; (5) intellectual property rights must be maintained; (6) a gradual removal of protectionist barriers in all sectors; (7) national monopolies must be dismantled so as to allow foreign investments to compete equally with the domestic organizations; (8) transnational companies would be given the right to resolve conflicts in private international courts; (9) the environment must be respected, and environmental laws abided by; (10) the major labor standards of the International Labor Organization must be enforced in all member countries; and (11) government corruption must be reduced and eventually eliminated in all member countries, especially the economically wea k ones where corruption is rampant (Dominican Republic).The United States’ economy would benefit by selling tariff-free goods to the member countries of the DR-CAFTA. The DR-CAFTA states would be able to purchase more U.S. goods than before, seeing as the tariffs would have been lifted. It is worthy of note, however, that the combined GDP of the DR-CAFTA states is only 0.5 percent of the GDP of the United States. The quantity of U.S. goods that the DR-CAFTA states would be able to purchase would be limited but naturally. Still, the benefits that these states achieve in the long run through the DR-CAFTA are expected to be greater than the benefits that the United States would be able to realize. This is because the DR-CAFTA states are all economically weaker than the U.S. Thus, positive changes manifested in the economically weak states would appear to be much greater in extent (Runyon).Although the effects of the new free trade agreement between the United States, Dominican R epublic, and five Central American countries, have not been documented as yet, it is believed that once the DR-CAFTA has been fully implemented, the United States would be able to increase its exports to the member countries by approximately 15 percent. U.S. imports are similarly expected to increase by around 12 percent, while the effect on the aggregate output as well as employment in the United States is expected to be little. Hornbeck states: These estimates are in line with expectations made prior to the negotiations that the marginal effects of the DR-CAFTA would be small, but positive for the U.S. economy as a whole, given the DR-CAFTA countries had small and already largely open economies.Once again, the overall benefits of DR-CAFTA would be more clearly visible in the DR-CAFTA states in the long run, just as the case of Mexico and NAFTA reveals greater interest in the benefits of NAFTA to Mexico. Just as NAFTA reduced poverty rates in Mexico, increased trade in the DR-CAFTA nations is expected to reduce poverty rates in these nations. However, it may take a while before the full benefits of DR-CAFTA are realized in these nations. Molly Runyon explains why the full range of benefits of DR-CAFTA would not be immediately visible in the economically weak nations: 1. Costa Rica. Retrieved from ustr.gov/assets/Document_Library/Reports_Publications/2004/2004_National_Trade_Estimate/2004_NTE_Report/asset_upload_file462_4745.pdf. (7 April 2007).2. Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement. Wikipedia (2007). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/. (7 April 2007).3. Hornbeck, J. F. The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). Congressional Research Service (2005, July 6). Retrieved from http://price.house.gov/UploadedFiles/CAFTA%207.6.05.pdf. (7 April 2007).4. North American Free Trade Agreement. Wikipedia (2007). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement. (7 April 2007 ).5. Promoting Trade With Central America And The Dominican Republic. The White House. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov/index.html. (7 April 2007).6. Runyon, Molly. Free Trade in Weak States: The Case of DR-CAFTA in Nicaragua. Retrieved from http://fletcher.tufts.edu/research/2006/Runyon.pdf. (7 April 2007).7. Topulos, Katherine. NAFTA. Duke University School of Law (2007). Retrieved from law.duke.edu/lib/researchguides/pdf/nafta.pdf. (7 April 2007).

The 1st Punic War

The 1st Punic War One of the problems with writing ancient history is that much of the data  just isnt available any longer. The evidence for early Roman history is notoriously problematic. Roman historians developed extensive narratives, preserved most fully for us in two histories written in the late ï ¬ rst century bc, by Livy and by Dionysius of Halicarnassus (the latter in Greek, and fully extant only for the period down to 443 bc). However, Roman historical writing only began in the late third century bc, and it is clear that the early accounts were greatly elaborated by later writers. For the period of the kings, most of what we are told is legend or imaginative reconstruction.Warfare and the Army in Early Rome,- A Companion to the Roman Army Eyewitnesses are in particularly short supply. Even second-hand accounts can be hard to come by, so its significant that in their A History of Rome, historians M. Cary and H.H. Scullard say that unlike earlier periods of Rome, the history of the period of the First Punic War comes from annalists who had contact with actual eye-witnesses. Rome and Carthage fought the Punic Wars during the span of years from 264 to 146 B.C. With both sides well-matched, the first two wars dragged on and on; eventual victory went, not to the winner of a decisive battle, but to the side with the greatest stamina. The Third Punic War was something else entirely. Carthage and Rome In 509 B.C. Carthage and Rome signed a friendship treaty. In 306, by which time the Romans had conquered almost the entire Italian peninsula, the two powers reciprocally recognized a Roman sphere of influence over Italy and a Carthaginian one over Sicily. But Italy was determined to secure dominance over all of Magna Graecia (the areas settled by Greeks in and around Italy), even if it meant interfering with the dominance of Carthage in Sicily. The First Punic Wars Begin Turmoil in Messana, Sicily, provided the opportunity the Romans were looking for. Mamertine mercenaries controlled Messana, so when Hiero, tyrant of Syracuse, attacked the Mamertines, the Mamertines asked the Phoenicians for help. They obliged and sent in a Carthaginian garrison. Then, having second thoughts about the Carthaginian military presence, the Mamertines turned to the Romans for help. The Romans sent in an expeditionary force, small, but sufficient to send the Phoenician garrison back to Carthage. Carthage responded by sending in a larger force, to which the Romans responded with a full consular army. In 262 B.C. Rome won many small victories, giving it control over almost the entire island. But the Romans needed control of the sea for final victory and Carthage was a naval power. The First Punic War  Concludes With both sides balanced, the war between Rome and Carthage continued for 20 more years until the war-weary Phoenicians just gave up in 241. According to J.F. Lazenby, author of The First Punic War, To Rome, wars ended when the Republic dictated its terms to a defeated enemy; to Carthage, wars ended with a negotiated settlement. At the end of the First Punic War, Rome won a new province, Sicily, and began to look further. (This made the Romans empire builders.) Carthage, on the other hand, had to compensate Rome for its heavy losses. Although the tribute was steep, it didnt keep Carthage from continuing as a world-class trading power. Source Frank Smitha The Rise of Rome

Capital Budgeting Problems Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Capital Budgeting Problems - Article Example Rather than that it is easier to the investment. This is due to the difficulty the future organization face in calculating the future benefits; most organizations normally do not undertake new investments. These judgements can be undertaken if the assets are quantifiable. The benefits attached to the intangibles can only be judged by the educated senior executive of the organizations and investments in such projects can be made on the basis of the beliefs of the organizations heads. The investments in these projects should be formally budgeted on the other hand it is strongly recommended to undertake periodic reviews of the outcomes and benefits attached to these projects. With investment in value delivering projects it is also important to invest in organizational skills and system since they affect the value. Activity Based costing system is used to achieve the organisation's objectives by supporting decision-makers inside the enterprise. Internal decision-makers are employed by the enterprise. These internal decision-makers create and use internal accounting information in order to undertake cost cutting and enhance the business profits (Meigs, Williams, Haka & Bettner, 1999). The development of effective management accounting systems although has played an important part in dealing with the problems discussed above but also it has given rise to the problems of downsizing and cost cutting. There are several factors, which were identified to have influence on the structure of these systems. These include differentiation degree of integration (internal & external) and the configuration of the organisations. Some researchers reveal contextual relationship between the above mentioned factors the management accounting system and information systems. (Daft and Mac intosh 1978; Khandwaila, 1972) Although many theories have been put forward in order to find out the efficient allocation of resources of the organizations but each of them has different drawbacks attached to them. Open theories: Open theories address all the social, psychological and structural factors. According to the open theories organisations are the organisms which take inputs from the environment and give outputs. Open systems undertake the analysis of all the different disciplines and levels. The open theories address all the aspects such as political social and technological extending its scope from other theories, which are confined only at studying the economic consequences. Cybernetics: covers the techniques applications. The cybernetics theories contend goal oriented behaviour and emphasise the change of role of individuals according to the situation. The main drawback of the theory is that it doesn't provide a universal solution and fails to provide specified guidelines for the individuals about their behaviour in different scenarios. (Aney, 1980) Social

Impact of Rewards on Employee Motivation and Organisational Dissertation

Impact of Rewards on Employee Motivation and Organisational Performance - Dissertation Example This research will begin with the statement that majority of the studies on the links between reward, motivation and performance are conducted in Western organizational context, so additional studies in Middle Eastern settings are needed to determine differences and similarities across cultures.   There is also a gap in literature regarding the connection between Saudisation policies and private-firm human resource practices. This dissertation aims to identify the drivers of motivation for Saudi nationals in Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF), to assess the impacts of various financial and non-financial rewards on sustaining high motivational levels within varied categories of employees such as workers,   to understand the contribution of employees’ motivational levels on individual and organizational performance, and to examine if incentive preferences differ by duration of employment, age, educational attainment, gender, job type, and social class. The research used survey resear ch design and weighted average charts to analyze results. Findings showed that financial incentives significantly drive performance and motivation more than non-financial incentives, but non-financial incentives are still important to motivation. Saudi culture, duration of employment, job type and social class greatly affected motivation differences than other factors too, while future studies should consider how sector and organizational culture interact with national culture to shape motivation and performance.... Saudi culture, duration of employment, job type and social class greatly affected motivation differences than other factors too, while future studies should consider how sector and organisational culture interact with national culture to shape motivation and performance. Implications for Saudisation of workforce and recommendations to BSF and the government are provided. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all, I want to thank God for His blessings in my life. I dedicate this paper to our Creator who makes all things possible. Next, I thank my mother for her enduring support and my late father for being my running inspiration and for his guidance. I want to show appreciation to my supervisor for his help, support, and patientguidance. He has provided invaluable knowledge and assistance that enabled me to complete this dissertation. Finally, I would also like to express gratitude to the management and employees of Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF). They have opened both their doors and minds by particip ating in this research and they deserve heartfelt thanks. Table of Contents Impact of Financial and Non-financial Rewards on Employee Motivation and Organisational Performance of Saudi Nationals in i Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) i DECLARATION 1 CERTIFICATION STATEMENT 2 ABSTRACT 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 3 Table of Contents 4 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLES 8 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 9 1.1 Saudisation and HR in the Middle East 9 1.2 Motivation and Performance 11 1.3 Incentives, Motivation, and Performance 11 1.3.1 Financial incentives and performance 12 1.3.2 Non-financial incentives and performance 13 1.4 Problem Statement 13 1.4.1 Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) 13 1.5 Research questions, aims, and objectives 14 1.6 Summary 15 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE

General Electric Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

General Electric Report - Essay Example The General Electric Company also obtained the fourteenth rank of among most profitable companies globally. The General Electric Company is an American transnational conglomerate business integrated in Schenectady. The company is located in New York but has its headquarters in Fairfield, Connecticut situated in the United States. General Electric Company operates in four main areas of production and service to their customers. The areas include Technology Infrastructure, Industrial and Consumer, Capital Finance and Energy. General Electric has endeavoured into the world market hence achieving global acknowledgment for its exclusive goods and services. Â  In the year 2009, Forbes magazine graded GE as the world's biggest company. Â  Hurbert in 2007 noted that General Electric's brand is the globe's most identified brand. Â  This kind of detection has given it an aggressive advantage over other organizations due to its capacity to be a focus for more customers. The technology infras tructure incorporates the company’s business group consisting of the General Electric Company’s constituents such as transportation, healthcare and the General Electric aviation. The formulation of this unit resulted from the staggering losses experienced by the company in the year 2008. The General Electric capital finance entails the major financial services of the company that are grouped into five elements. The financial services include the General Electric money, capital aviation services, energy financial services and the capital real estate. The General Electric Capital offers commercial lending and leasing services within the company. The sectors gaining from the capital are the aviation, entertainment, communications, healthcare, consumers and media. The General Electric Energy concerns with the creation of the energy necessary for the running of the company’s activities as well as making profits from the consumers. The energy of the company is based i n Georgia and Atlanta in the United States of America. The company’s energy is categorised into Power and Water, oil and gas and the energy management. The industrial and consumer refers to the company’s businesses and their solutions to the company and the consumers. The unit targeted efficiency in customers’ services through increasing their productivity. The critical tool used by the company in this case is the employment of superb information management and the automation of the specific solutions at every instance of their application. The basic categories of the industrial solutions of the General Electric are the appliances, intelligent platforms and lighting. Statement of Financial position ASSETS 2011 2010 Cash and equivalents $ 84,501 $ 78,943 Investment securities 47,374 43,938 Current receivables 19,531 18,621 Inventories (Note 5) 13,792 11,526 Financing receivables—net 280,378 303,012 Other GECS receivables 7,561 7,571 Property, plant and equ ipment—net (Note 7) 65,739 66,212 Investment in GECS Goodwill (Note 8) 72,625 64,388 Other intangible assets—net (Note 8) 12,068 9,971 All other assets (Note 9) 111,707 94,299 Assets of businesses held for sale (Note 2) 711 36,887 Assets of discontinued operations (Note 2) 1,255 12,425 Total assets (a) $717,242 $747,793 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY 2011 2010 Short-term borrowings (Note 10) $137,611 $137,611 Accounts payable, principally trade accounts 16,400 14,656 Accounts payable,

Comparison of Indirect Cost Multipliers for Vehicle Manufacturing Essay Example for Free

Comparison of Indirect Cost Multipliers for Vehicle Manufacturing Essay Disclaimer This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor The University of Chicago, nor any of their employees or officers, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of document authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof, Argonne National Laboratory, or The University of Chicago. COMPARISON OF INDIRECT COST MULTIPLIERS FOR VEHICLE MANUFACTURING INTRODUCTION In the process of manufacturing and selling vehicles, a manufacturer incurs certain costs. Among these costs are those incurred directly as a part of manufacturing operations and those incurred indirectly in the processes of manufacturing and selling. The indirect costs may be productionrelated, such as RD and engineering; business-related, such as corporate staff salaries and pensions; or retail-sales-related, such as dealer support and marketing. These indirect costs are recovered by allocating them to each vehicle. Under a stable, high-volume production process, the allocation of these indirect costs can be approximated as multipliers (or factors) applied to the direct cost of manufacturing. A manufacturer usually allocates indirect costs to finished vehicles according to a corporation-specific pricing strategy. Because the volumes of sales and production vary widely by model within a corporation, the internal corporate percent allocation of various accounting categories (such as profit or corporate overhead) can vary widely among individual models. Approaches also vary across corporations. For our purposes, an average value is constructed, by means of a generic representative method, for vehicle models produced at high volume. To accomplish this, staff at Argonne National Laboratory’s (ANL’s) Center for Transportation Research analyzed the conventional vehicle cost structure and developed indirect cost multipliers for passenger vehicles. This memorandum summarizes the results of an effort to compare and put on a common basis the cost multipliers used in ANL’s electric and hybrid electric vehicle cost estimation procedures with those resulting from two other methodologies. One of the two compared methodologies is derived from a 1996 presentation by Dr. Chris Borroni-Bird of Chrysler Corporation, the other is by Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc. (EEA), as described in a 1995 report by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), Congress of the United States. The cost multipliers are used for scaling the component costs to retail prices. ANL METHODOLOGY The ANL methodology described here is based on an analysis concerned with electric vehicle production and operating costs (Cuenca et al. 2000; Vyas et al. 1998). The analysis evaluated the cost structure for conventional vehicle manufacturing and retailing and assigned shares of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) to various cost contributors. Multipliers developed from the ANL methodology are applied to the manufacturing cost of an individual component in order to scale the component cost to the retail price. Several cost contributors are included in the methodology, as summarized in Table 1. Some of the vehicle components for electric and hybrid electric vehicles would be procured from outside suppliers. This assumption is applied to electric drive components, excluding the battery; the vehicle manufacturer would produce the rest. Thus, two cost multipliers, one for the components manufactured internally and the other for outsourced components, are necessary to estimate the price of electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Outside suppliers would incur some of the costs normally borne by the vehicle manufacturer. In the ANL methodology, we assume that the costs of â€Å"Warranty,† â€Å"RD/Engineering,† and â€Å"Depreciation and Amortization† are borne by the Page 1 suppliers of outsourced components. The outside suppliers would include these costs in their prices. The following two cost multipliers are computed by using â€Å"Cost of Manufacture† as the base: Cost multiplier for components manufactured internally = 100/50 = 2. 00. Cost multiplier for outsourced components = 100/(50 + 6. 5 + 5. 5 + 5) = 1. 50. Table 1 Contributors to Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price in ANL Methodology Cost Category Cost Contributor Relative to Share of Cost of Vehicle MSRP Manufacturing (%) Vehicle Manufacturing Cost of Manufacture 1. 00 50. 0 Production Overhead Warranty 0. 10 5. 0 RD/Engineering 0. 13 6. 5 Depreciation and Amortization 0. 11 5. 5 Corporate Overhead Corporate Overhead, Retirement and 0. 14 7. 0 Health Selling Distribution, Marketing, Dealer 0. 47 23. 5 Support, and Dealer Discount Sum of Costs 1. 95 97. 5 Profit Profit 0. 05 2. 5 Total Contribution to 2. 00 100. 0 MSRP METHODOLOGY DERIVED FROM BORRONI-BIRD PRESENTATION In his presentation, entitled â€Å"Automotive Fuel Cell Requirements,† at the 1996 Automotive Technology Development Customers’ Coordination Meeting, Borroni-Bird included charts on the â€Å"Typical American Automobile: Price/Cost Breakdown. † The charts provided a graphical breakdown of vehicle price, showing cost contributors and profit. We used the charts to arrive at percentage shares of vehicle price by various contributors. Table 2 shows the resulting allocation. Page 2 Table 2 Price/Cost Breakdown Based on Borroni-Bird Presentation Cost Category Cost Contributor a Vehicle Manufacturing Fixed Cost Selling Sum of Costs Profit MSRP a Material Cost Assembly Labor and Other Manufacturing a Costs Transportation/Warranty Amortization and Depreciation, Engineering RD, Pension and Health Care, Advertising, and Overhead Price Discounts Dealer Markup Automobile Profit. Relative to Cost of Vehicle Manufacturing 0. 87 0. 13 0. 09 0. 44 Share of MSRP (%) 42. 5 6. 5 4. 5 21. 5 0. 10 0. 36 1. 99 0. 06 2. 05 5. 0 17. 5 97. 5 2. 5 100. 0 These two contributors are scaled to sum to 1 in the third column, as in Table 1. In his presentation, Borroni-Bird did not evaluate the treatment of in-house or outsourced components. His methodology does not lend itself to easy computation of cost multipliers comparable with those in the ANL methodology, unless we make a few assumptions. We have assumed that â€Å"Material Cost,† taken together with â€Å"Assembly Labor and Other Manufacturing Costs,† would form the â€Å"Vehicle Manufacturing† base for the in-house components. The costs of â€Å"Transportation/Warranty,† â€Å"Amortization and Depreciation,† and â€Å"Engineering RD† would be borne by the suppliers of outsourced components. However, â€Å"Amortization and Depreciation† and â€Å"Engineering RD† costs were merged with â€Å"Pension and Health Care,† â€Å"Advertising,† and â€Å"Overhead† costs by Borroni-Bird. We assumed that half of the costs under this category would be borne by the suppliers of outsourced components. Our assumptions led to the following cost multipliers: Cost multiplier for components manufactured internally = 100/(42. 5 + 6. 5) = 2. 05. Cost multiplier for outsourced components = 100/(42. 5 + 6. 5 + 4. 5 + 10. 75) = 1. 56. These cost multipliers are very similar to those computed with the ANL methodology. Comparison of ANL and Borroni-Bird Methodologies The information from Tables 1 and 2 is shown in terms of cost categories in Table 3. Both methodologies use vehicle manufacturing cost as the base and add other costs to it. The share of MSRP attributable to â€Å"Vehicle Manufacturing† is 50% in the ANL methodology, compared with 49% in the Borroni-Bird Methodology. Borroni-Bird combined several cost contributors under â€Å"Fixed Cost. † These contributors include (see Table 2) â€Å"Amortization and Depreciation,† â€Å"Engineering RD,† â€Å"Pension and Health Care,† â€Å"Advertising,† and â€Å"Overhead. † Except for the inclusion of â€Å"Advertising,† â€Å"Production Overhead† and â€Å"Corporate Overhead† in the ANL methodology can be combined to form an equivalent category. ANL’s total of 24% by production Page 3 and corporate overheads is slightly lower than the total of 26% by Borroni-Bird. The ANL category of â€Å"Selling,† which includes â€Å"Distribution,† â€Å"Marketing,† â€Å"Dealer Support,† and â€Å"Dealer Discount,† is broader than that of â€Å"Price Discounts† and â€Å"Dealer Markup† specified by BorroniBird, and this category’s contribution is understandably slightly higher in the ANL methodology. The share of MSRP by â€Å"Profit† is the same in both methodologies. The absolute differences, computed as ANL value minus Borroni-Bird value, are 1% for â€Å"Vehicle Manufacturing,† –2% for â€Å"Fixed Cost,† and 1% for â€Å"Selling† cost. Table 3 Comparison of Vehicle Price/Cost Allocation by ANL and Borroni-Bird Methodologies ANL Methodology Cost Contributor or Category Vehicle Manufacturing Production Overhead Corporate Overhead Selling Sum of Costs Profit MSRP EEA METHODOLOGY The methodology of Energy and Environmental Analysis is summarized in the OTA report OTAETI-638, entitled Advanced Automotive Technology: Visions of a Super-Efficient Family Car, published in September 1995. The values of some cost contributors are not listed in the report. Moreover, depreciation, amortization, and tooling expenses are assumed to be case-specific and therefore must be computed for each case. In order to make the EEA and ANL methodologies comparable, some assumptions were necessary. These assumptions are described in the summary below. The EEA cost equations can be simplified as follows: Cost of Manufacture = Division Cost ? [1 + Division Overhead] Manufacturer Cost = [Cost of Manufacture + Assembly Labor + Assembly Overhead] ? [1 + Manufacturing Overhead + Manufacturing Profit] + Engineering Expense + Tooling Expense + Facilities Expense Retail Price Equivalent = Manufacturer Cost ? [1 + Dealer Margin] Borroni-Bird Methodology Share of Cost Contributor or Category Share of MSRP (%) MSRP (%) 50. 0 Vehicle Manufacturing 49. 0 17. 0 Fixed Cost 26. 0 7. 0 23. 5 Selling 22. 5 97. 5 Sum of Costs 97. 5 2. 5 Automobile Profit 2. 5 100. 0 MSRP 100. 0 Page 4 The report lists the following values for overhead, profit, and dealer margin: Division Overhead = Supplier Overhead = 0. 20 (We assume that division and supplier overheads are equal; only the supplier overhead is given in the report. ) Manufacturing Overhead = 0. 25 Manufacturing Profit = 0. 20 Dealer Margin = 0. 25 Because the documentation in the OTA report does not provide values for â€Å"Assembly Labor,† â€Å"Assembly Overhead,† â€Å"Engineering Expense,† â€Å"Tooling Expense,† and â€Å"Facilities Expense,† cost multipliers cannot be computed directly from these data. The â€Å"Assembly Labor† and â€Å"Assembly Overhead† share of MSRP is 6. 5% in Borroni-Bird’s presentation. The engineering, tooling, and facilities expenses can be taken as the sum of â€Å"RD/Engineering† and â€Å"Depreciation and Amortization† from the ANL methodology, at 12% of the MSRP. In deriving the division cost and price relationship below, we use the term Retail Price Equivalent (RPE) from the OTA report instead of MSRP. The RPE can be computed as follows: RPE = = = {[Division Cost ? 1. 2 + 0. 065 RPE] ? 1. 45 + 0. 12 RPE} ? 1. 25 Division Cost ? 2. 175 + 0. 268 RPE Division Cost ? 2. 175/(1 – 0. 268) = Division Cost ? 2. 97 Putting ANL and EEA Methodologies on a Common Basis As it was described in the OTA report, the EEA methodology did not provide enough data to compute the cost multipliers. We assumed some cost shares to be the same between the EEA, Borroni-Bird, and ANL methodologies while developing the above relationship between Division Cost and RPE. The EEA methodology is based on the material and labor costs of a division of the vehicle manufacturer, with other costs added on. The ANL methodology evaluates an assembled vehicle, using the vehicle manufacturing cost as the base cost. The ANL methodology also assigns additional costs to the outsourced components, whereas the treatment of such components is not clear in the EEA methodology. We have attempted to develop a common basis for the ANL and EEA methodologies by assigning shares of the final vehicle price, RPE in the EEA methodology, to individual cost categories similar to those listed in Table 1. Table 4 presents such a summary for the EEA methodology. Three cost contributors, â€Å"Division Cost,† â€Å"Division Overhead,† and â€Å"Assembly Labor and Overhead,† are combined under the â€Å"Vehicle Manufacturing† category. Two cost contributors, â€Å"Manufacturing Overhead† and â€Å"Engineering, Tooling, and Facilities Expenses,† combine to form the â€Å"Overhead† category. The â€Å"Dealer Margin† in the EEA methodology represents a factor applied to all manufacturer costs and profit. We assumed that this factor represents all costs of selling the vehicle. Although the profit is computed at the manufacturing level by EEA, we moved the profit to the bottom of the table to be consistent with prior tables. The cost allocation in Table 4 allows us to compute the in-house components cost multiplier as follows: Cost multiplier for in-house components = 100/(33. 7 + 6. 7 + 6. 5) = 2. 14 Page 5 To compute the cost multiplier for an outsourced component, one more assumption is necessary. In the ANL methodology, we assumed that the supplier will bear the costs of â€Å"Warranty,† â€Å"RD Engineering,† and â€Å"Depreciation and Amortization. † However, the EEA methodology does not identify the warranty cost separately. We assumed it to be half of â€Å"Manufacturing Overhead† at 5. 05%. This, with the earlier assumption related to â€Å"Engineering, Tooling, and Facilities Expenses,† led to the following computation: Cost multiplier for outsourced components = 100/(33. 7 + 6. 7 + 6. 5 + 5. 05 + 12) = 1. 56. These multipliers, adapted from our extension of theE EA information on vehicle costs, are very close to those derived from the ANL and Borroni-Bird methodologies. Table 4 Contributors to Retail Price Equivalent in EEA Methodology Cost Category Cost Contributor a Vehicle Manufacturing Overhead Selling Sum of Costs Profit Manufacturing Profit Total Contribution to RPE a Division Cost a Division Overhead Assembly Labor and a Overhead Manufacturing Overhead Engineering, Tooling, and Facilities Expenses Dealer Margin Relative to Cost of Vehicle Manufacturing 0. 72 0. 14 0. 14 0. 22 0. 26 0. 49 1. 97 0. 17 2. 14 Share of RPE (%) 33. 7 6. 7 6. 5 10. 1 12. 0 22. 9 91. 9 8. 1 100. 0 These three cost contributors are scaled to sum to 1 in the third column, as in Table 1. Comparison of ANL and EEA Methodologies The information from Tables 1 and 4 is presented in terms of cost categories in Table 5 for easy comparison. The â€Å"Vehicle Manufacturing† cost share is 46. 9% in the EEA methodology, compared with 50% in the ANL methodology. EEA’s RPE share of 22. 1% by overhead is lower than the ANL value of 24%. The cost of selling is 22. 9% in the EEA methodology, which is close to the ANL value of 23. 5%. The largest difference is in the RPE share by profit, which is 8. 1% in the EEA methodology, more than three times the ANL value of 2. 5%. According to Economic Indicators: The Motor Vehicle’s Role in the U. S. Economy (American Automobile Manufacturers Association 1998), the average net income before taxes for the three domestic manufacturers was 3. 9% during 1994-1997. Aside from vehicle sales, this value (3. 9%) includes income from spare parts sales and vehicle financing. Thus, the profit share appears very high in the EEA methodology. The absolute differences – computed as ANL value minus EEA value – are 3. 1% for component/material cost, 1. 9% for overhead, 0. 6% for selling, and –5. 6% for profit. Page 6 Table 5 Comparison of Price Allocation by ANL and EEA Methodologies ANL Methodology Cost Contributor or Category Vehicle Manufacturing Production Overhead Corporate Overhead Selling Sum of Costs Profit MSRP SUMMARY An attempt to put three methodologies for automobile cost allocation on a common basis is presented in this technical memorandum. This comparison was carried out to verify the reasonableness of the cost multipliers used in ANL’s cost models for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. When put into a common format, by means of certain assumptions, the three approaches yielded the cost multipliers provided in Table 6. Table 6 Summary of Cost Multipliers Computed on a Common Basis Multiplier for In-House Components Outsourced Components ACKNOWLEDGMENT Funding for the analysis presented here was provided by the Planning and Assessment function of the Office of Transportation Technologies of the U. S. Department of Energy, managed by Dr. Philip Patterson. This technical memorandum is produced under U. S. Government contract No. W-31-109-Eng-38. REFERENCES American Automobile Manufacturers Association, 1998, Economic Indicators: The Motor Vehicle’s Role in the U. S. Economy, Detroit, Mich. Borroni-Bird, C. , 1996, â€Å"Automotive Fuel Cell Requirements,† Proceedings of the 1996 Automotive Technology Development Customers’ Coordination Meeting, U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Transportation Technologies, Washington, D. C. ANL 2. 00 1. 50 Borroni-Bird 2. 05 1. 56 EEA 2. 14 1. 56 EEA Methodology Share of Cost Contributor or Category MSRP (%) 50. 0 Vehicle Manufacturing 17. 0 Overhead 7. 0 23. 5 Selling 97. 5 Sum of Costs 2. 5 Profit 100. 0 RPE Share of RPE (%) 46. 9 22. 1 22. 9 91. 9 8. 1 100. 0 Page 7 Cuenca, R. M. , L. L. Gaines, and A. D. Vyas, 2000, Evaluation of Electric Vehicle Production and Operating Costs, Argonne National Laboratory Report ANL/ESD-41, Argonne, Ill. (to be published). Vyas, A. , R. Cuenca, and L. Gaines, 1998, â€Å"An Assessment of Electric Vehicle Life Cycle Costs to Consumers,† Proceedings of the 1998 Total Life Cycle Conference, SAE International Report P339, Warrendale, Penn. , pp. 161-172.

Training practices used in the Shell Corporation

Training practices used in the Shell Corporation Populations are growing and economies are developing. The global demand for energy will continue to increase. And finding responsible ways to meet that demand will be the defining challenge of the 21st century. As result, more workers needed in the Shell company which it fulfills demand in the market. So, many ways was taken by Shell to retain more workers in company, also retrain them to be productive worker in the company. In Shell, they providing the training they need to fully optimize their skills and potential. Thats why they offer a huge range of training and development activities. Trainee can choose one or more training which provided by Shell of the following: On-the-job learning you can expect to move both sideways and upwards through the business, building on your skills as you go Training for recognized professional qualifications either through external organizations or Shells own extensive training services and facilities Personal development programmed Direction and support from buddy schemes, mentoring and regular appraisals with line managers. In addition to these initiatives, Shell also has tailored training for all of their new starters, including inductions and Shell Life. Shell Life is a highly experiential and interactive course for graduates designed to develop your leadership potential.   The course helps participants reflect on their personal direction and the leadership, interpersonal effectiveness and business awareness qualities theyll need if theyre going to have a successful career with Shell. Shell Aviation offers a number of different courses addressing subjects of importance to the Aviation Industry. These include: The Aviation Competence Education (ACE major) The Aviation Competence Education (ACE) provides personnel working in the Aviation Fuelling business with a basic knowledge of all facets of Aircraft fuelling. The course incorporates a structured series of modules with clear concise training material, informative video presentations, training needs analysis and documentation, programme development, plus refresher courses and assessments. Practical exercises and assessments ensure that the knowledge is absorbed and operator skills are proven in practice. It is also offered either as a traditional taught course delivered by Shell Aviation consultants, or alternatively in a series of self-learning computer modules. Train the Trainer This three-day course provides the user with the ability to deliver for example, the ACE training in-house. The course syllabus includes communication techniques, the skills training process, recall retention and assessment skills. The Operations Training Course This focuses more deeply on the specifics of fuelling operations, and is delivered as a combination of classroom and on-site teaching at one of Shells worldwide facilities. Courses are conducted mainly in English as standard, but are also available in other languages. The Famous Fuel Tech Course Offers deeper insight in advanced Quality Control, product knowledge and covers more technical issues concerning various aviation products and their use. The Supervising for Safety Course Targets Aviation Operations Supervisors, and helps them understand their role in managing safety in the aviation workplace. Others Shell Aviation also offers competency assessment tools to customers; WINGS, a general competency program, and CAF, an HSE competency program. Both of these assist management in profiling employees, deciding which competence levels they have reached, and identifying gaps in their knowledge. Courses are also custom designed based on specific customer needs and can cover all aspects of the supply chain, from the refinery to the wing-tip. As innovative training methods are developed, improvements and revisions are made to the programmed and new materials produced. These are incorporated into the refresher programmed together with updates to include developments in operating procedures and standards as they occur. This ensures that operators are always trained to the current standards. Training systems are available in multiple languages, using multi-lingual presenters and assessors. Training may be delivered by Shell Aviation or self-delivered by Aviation fuelling companies to their own staff. Whether Shell Aviation courses are delivered at the trainees workplace, or at Shell training centers, the benefits are always quickly secured. Training may be delivered by Shell Aviation or self-delivered by Aviation fuelling companies to their own staff. Whether Shell Aviation courses are delivered at the trainees workplace, or at Shell training centre, the benefits are always quickly secured. Furthermore, Shell also continues to complement the governments efforts to develop and enhance Malaysian human capital through its scholarship programmed. As the business community can play an integral role in realizing this manpower requirement, Shell contribute to sustainable development in the country by enhancing our nations intellectual asset pool through scholarship .The students to continue to work hard and be motivated to succeed not only in their studies but in their future careers. Funding from the Shell Scholarship Fund (SSF) set up by Shell Malaysia provides scholarships and incentive awards to deserving Malaysians to pursue studies in approved institutions either locally or abroad. Shell Malaysia invests RM11 million country-wide in various educational assistance or capacity building programmed annually. Out of the amount, RM3.4 million is allocated for Sarawak. Some 235 students from Sarawak were selected to receive scholarships and bursaries from Shell this year. Shell would continue to partner the state government as well as other stakeholders in their long-standing educational, youth development and other community-oriented programmed which are designed with the underlying objective of progressing capacity building, knowledge enhancement, skill development and promoting health and safety and environmental concern. Shell also works closely with universities in Malaysia to regularly share information on the oil and gas industry and employment opportunities within Shell Malaysia as well as collaborate on research programmed. These include a study on dolphins conducted with UNIMAS and Sarawak Forestry Corporation as well as the Campus Ambassador programmed with Curtin University, Miri. The long running Shell Scholarship programmed has benefited many bright young boys and girls from Sarawak and Sabah and a number of them have become leaders in their chosen fields within and outside Shell.   Training was provided in many courses at Shell which provides students with a work-and-learn experience that compliments their classroom curriculum. This opportunity will enable them to learn how to apply theory to practice, explore career options and gain knowledge of the working world. Commercial opportunities: Commercial Upstream and Midstream Contracting and Procurement Finance Human Resources IT/Information Management Sales and Marketing Supply Chain and Distribution Trading Technical opportunities Asset Maintenance Engineering Discipline Engineering Geology/Geophysics Petrophysics Process Engineering Product Process Research Production Engineering Production Technology Reservoir Engineering Well Engineering HSSE There are many examples, in developing and transition countries and industrialized ones, of the private sector directly sponsoring road safety initiatives. Four main areas of sponsorship have been identified: (i) road safety education and knowledge transfer; (ii) publicity and awareness campaigns; (iii) enforcement; and ( iv) driver training. Whilst these four groups are the main areas of business involvement in sponsorship, it should be noted that this is not an exclusive list. There are examples of companies sponsoring road signs, or reflective markings to enhance the visibility of vulnerable road users and heavy goods vehicles in Central and Eastern Europe. The initiatives invested in to date, however, do not generally include hard engineering measures. Corporate sponsorship of the four main areas of involvement is discussed below: For example, Petroleum companies have been identified as being a major contributor to child road safety education through a number of initiatives. These include resource material that teaches children about road safety, yet also ties in with the school curriculum and through direct investment in road safety education. For instance, BP developed a teaching resource pack in the UK, Living with Traffic, which was produced to help with primary school road safety education. Indeed, BPs own road safety team has been touring schools in the UK for some 30 years teaching road safety to primary school children. Indeed, Shell, for their part, have funded road safety education for primary school children in Germany and established the Deutsche Shell Youth Centre in 1950. Initially, participation involved development of fixed site traffic schools. Shell constructed the traffic schools and provided equipment including, eventually, miniature cars. In addition, mobile traffic schools were often provided in the form of equipment that could be taken to, and used in, individual schools. Deutsche Shell Youth Centre provides the equipment, and the State Government or town/rural districts fund the set up and operation costs. It is important that publicity campaigns target according to areas of specific concern. For example, Shell Canada has provided training to their drivers addressing collisions with wildlife. This area of road safety was highlighted through monitoring accidents and identifying that a number of animal strikes were being recorded. To highlight the problem, Shell has worked with other petroleum companies and has helped develop workshops within the petroleum industry to identify ways and means to reduce animal strikes. One third of Canadian traffic accidents are attributed to animal strikes, and it is hoped that a reduction will lead to lower costs, improved profitability and reliability of equipment. As well as car and truck driver training, cycle and motorcycle rider training is currently being sponsored in various locations. Shell Malaysia has been involved with the Emergency Motorcycle Unit (EMU) of the Malaysia Red Crescent Society. Volunteers in the EMU attend crashes and are able to get through traffic jams on a motorcycle where it would be impossible for a car or ambulance. In 1997, Shell assisted in training EMU volunteers in defensive riding, through its Road Safety Academy. The Road Safety Academy itself was built in 1991 to conduct safe and defensive driving courses for the companys own staff and contractors. 3M have been involved in Romania in highlighting the presence of vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, through the provision of retro-reflective safety devices and markings. Shells Introductory Trial of Overdriveà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ System Proves Safety and Efficiency for Running Casing on Floating Rig had objective to; Conduct a safe introductory trial on a floating rig of the OverDrive system with its TorkDriveà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ 750 HD (heavy-duty) casing running and drilling tool, Prove the ability of the OverDrive system to serve as the primary method for running casing on floating rigs in the future, Achieve no-incident health, safety, and environmental performance, Avoid cross-threading of connections, Minimize the time required for the rigs drillers and tool pushers to become proficient in the use of the OverDrive system. As a result, Shells first OverDrive system run (also the first OverDrive system run for any operator on a floating rig/semisubmersible) was successful, with no reportable incidents, No connections were cross-threaded, the operators drillers and tool pushers were running up to 16 joints per hour by the third hour of operation. The value to client are no reportable safety or environmental incidents occurred, use of the OverDrive system reduced operational risks and costs by eliminating manually operated, moving equipment from the rig floor, the need for a stabber was removed, and the number of rig floor personnel was minimized, training of Shells drillers and tool pushers by Weatherford personnel minimized non productive time and expedited operations. The success of this trial provided the operator with a proven means of avoiding the dangers of manual equipment manipulation on a floating rig. This success also reassured Shell that, with proper planning and discussion, new technology can be introduced safely and effectively without compromising the well.The Shell Training Center offers training in several areas including drilling and well operations, instrumentation and product operations. Classroom at the Shell Training Center designed to simulate operations on the rig. For example, PS3054 SUBSEA PRODUCTION OPERATOR TRAINING-PHASE I, this workshop is an introduction into the operation of subsea and subsea-related topside equipment. Issues addressed include an overall system presentation, equipment overviews, and flow assurance concerns, operating guidelines discussions, surveillance requirements, control system operation, ROV capabilities and the unloading of subsea wells. Shells standardized subsea system will be addressed significantly. Training videos, computer assisted training, control system simulator training, in addition to presentations by various Shell personnel and equipment manufacturers will be a portion of the training tools utilized during the workshop. The workshop is recommended for production operators or individuals that are involved in the operation of subsea systems. SKILL PERFORMANCE BASED PAY, upon completion of this course, successful participants will obtain the necessary foundation to self assess and certify at their field location the Level II subsea operations Skill Certification Manual. An introduction of Level III topics concerning site specific operating guidelines and simulator training will also be addressed. Objective of this workshop are: Provide platform personnel with an understanding of the overall subsea system, Furnish operating personnel with a working understanding of operating guidelines and control sequences and Provide personnel with flow assurance knowledge as it relates to an operating environment. Outline of this workshop are; I. SUBSEA SYSTEM OVERVIEW II. EQUIPMENT OVERVIEW III. FLOW ASSURANCE IV. SURVEILLANCE V. CHEMICAL SYSTEM VI. EROSION, CORROSION, SAND DETECTION VII. OPERATING GUIDELINES VIII. MCS SIMULATOR TRAINING IX. FLOWLINE PIGGING X. ROV OVERVIEW XI. UNLOADING SUBSEA WELLS Awarded MSC status in 2010, Shell  Business Service Center Kuala Lumpur was incorporated in January 2000, and is one of six global shared service centres of Royal Dutch Shell plc that provide a wide range of finance, accounting, human resource, customer service, contracts procurement and information technology services to Shell operating companies globally.   The KL centre was  the first milestone towards the Groups vision to enable the delivery of common business operations and services for Shell, at world-class operational excellence. The Shell Business Service Centre Kuala Lumpur (SBSC-KL) is one of six global business service centres providing finance, accounting, human resource, customer service, contracts and procurement services, and information technology to Shell operating companies globally. These centres enable the delivery of common business operations and services for Shell, at world-class operational excellence. Five services currently operate out of SBSC Kuala Lumpur. Finance Operations Finance Operations provides finance, accounting and business services to Shell operating companies across the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.   The finance processes include: Revenue: Master Data Maintenance, Processing Invoice and Billing Adjustments, Cash Application and Allocation, Monitoring of Debts, Account Reconciliation and Reporting, Intra-Group Transaction Processing Expenditure: Processing Invoices and Expense Claims, Payment Run Processing Record to Report   Ã‚  Ã‚   o Financial Reporting: Group and Local Reporting, Business Planning and Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚   o Financial Accounting: Bank Reconciliation, End of Day (Cash Forecasting), Fixed Assets   Ã‚  Ã‚   o Hydrocarbon Management: Stock Recording, Reconciliation Valuation, Accounts Payable, Contracts Pricing, Customs Excise, Chemical Stock Accounting Management Information: Management Internal Reporting, Variance Analysis, Decision Support, Budgeting Planning Governance, Risk Assurance (Controls Framework): Controls Migration, Controls Assurance, Governance Compliance, Design Deploy HR Services HR Services delivers a full range of HR services to Shell employees across Asia Pacific and the Middle East: First point of contact for HR support and advice Enabling effective Self Service Capabilities Managing HR Data and Information Provision of HR Infrastructure Payroll Management   Processing of HR Transactions Downstream Customer Service Centre The Downstream Business to Business (B2B) Customer Service Centre (CSC) is a single touch point contact centre covering customer service order to cash activities for B2B, Retail and Lubricants business across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Contracting Procurement Contracts and Procurement (CP) helps ensure standardization in the efficient management of monetary resources. CP supports Shell operations and capital projects by guaranteeing timely delivery of goods and services, to the right specification. Information Technology Kuala Lumpur is the global hub for some of Shells Information Technology (IT) activities. Its service portfolio includes IT infrastructure services such as Desktop, Applications Hosting, Helpdesk and Telecommunications. Collectively, these services involve the support of more than 1,500 servers and 115,000 desktops across the group worldwide. It also provides business applications support and applications development, both predominantly SAP-based. IT operates on a truly global basis, and provides an opportunity to showcase Malaysian IT talents to the world. Shell Malaysia today awarded seven scholarships to the value of RM251, 000 to enable outstanding Sarawak-born students with disability to realize their full potential and pursue pre-university or first-degree studies at approved institutions locally. Datuk Tuan Haji Fadillah Yusuf, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, presented the scholarships to the recipients, in the special award ceremony held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur this morning.This special category of education assistance was introduced this year to mark Shells 100th year of operations in Miri. Similar scholarships will be offered to students originating from Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia from 2011. In making the announcement, Anuar Taib, Shell Malaysia Chairman, said that the Company was proud to contribute to sustainable development in Malaysia through the enhancement of its intellectual asset pool. Education is often seen as the great leveller. With the introduction of these special scholarships, we wan t to offer a more inclusive education assistance programmed, where the mental capability of our applicants becomes the only criteria for selection.   With the inclusion of this category of scholarships, we hope that no talent with physical disabilities misses out on the opportunity of a good education on account of financial inabilities, Anuar says. Shell recognizes the importance of high quality education in fuelling the countrys growth and prosperity, and applauds the Governments focus on improving educational outcomes to build a competitive workforce and high income, Anuar adds. Shell Malaysia has been awarding scholarships and bursaries for over 40 years as part of a long-standing commitment in support of the governments effort to develop human capital.  In 2010, Shell presented scholarships and awards to the value of RM14.5million to students in Malaysia to pursue further studies at local and foreign universities. The partnership programmed that held on March 2009, was organized by Shell Malaysia Gas Power and the School of Engineering and Information Technology of UMS, in collaboration with Department of Environment (DOE) and Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). Over the last three years, over 250 students from UMS as well as UNIMAS have successfully completed this capacity building programmed, which highlights Shells best practices in HSE and showcases how they are applied in the workplace using real-world examples.  The programmed is designed to benefit student engineers as they enter the workforce, to help them appreciate the importance of good HSE practices, and recognize their roles and responsibilities in ensuring their implementation. In 2008, in order to help develop the undergraduates capabilities in Deepwater, Shell has been and will continue to sponsor a Deepwater Platform Model competition in collaboration with the Faculty of Civil Engineering.   Shell and UTM are also currently looking into the possibility of setting up of a Deepwater laboratory.   Deepwater is a challenging environment and Shell has developed the ability and the necessary technologies to conquer its complexity and provide access to the oil and gas that lies deeper, in dispersed reservoirs. Shell has set up a Deepwater Engineering Office in Kuala Lumpur to manage the Companys deepwater projects in the region and is able to easily draw on its experts to assist in the capacity building of the UTM. Training Development initiatives at Shell can drive your career progression based on: Professional Development Onboarding Early Career Development Learning Programmes Finance in Projects Formal Learning Informal Learning Online Learning The firmly believe Finance can support Shell in building on its position and reputation as a leading global energy company. But realizing their potential as a firm means continuing to attract, develop and retain great people in Finance. At Shell, there are committed to your ongoing professional development. Their in-house team, Shell Finance Learning, provides a comprehensive Onboarding programme, a broad range of formal and informal learning, networking events and workshops globally. They are also offer e-learning and a number of initiatives with a clear Diversity Inclusiveness focus. In addition, Shell runs a Leadership Development Framework. These development courses are designed to help people with high potential to develop the specialist skills and experience theyll need to establish themselves as senior members of the organization. This whole learning programmers is supported by a tailored Finance Competence Framework that helps applicant identify the requirements of his job, match them with his own competences and locate gaps for Training Development. Onboarding means the firm want to ensure that you feel at home with us straight away So whenever you join firm in Finance, youll undertake a comprehensive half day Onboarding programme entitled Welcome to Shell. Early Career Development means if you join firm at the early stages of your finance career, youll be able to take advantage of firm Develop Early Career Development programme. Key features of this programme include assignment rotations, development discussions and mentoring or coaching. In other hand, Shell also developing talented young Malaysians. For Shobana Gnanam, 18, who grew up in a modest home in Selangor, studying abroad always seems like a distant dream. Undeterred, she worked hard and scored straight As in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia public examination. Her efforts have been rewarded she is now pursuing A levels on a Shell scholarship, in preparation for further studies in Britain in 2010. The Shell Malaysia Scholarship Awards are presented annually to students in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. We invested over RM11 million (US$3.1 million) in these awards in 2008, benefiting some 530 students. Apart from the scholarship awards, Shell supports such capacity building programmes like the joint development of a Deepwater laboratory in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, an industrial welding course aimed at addressing a national shortage in this area, a personal computer assembly and maintenance course, and Practical Environmental, Safety and Industria l Guidance for Engineers (PRESTIGE) for engineering undergraduates. With the full support of Shell, employees and contractors have been helping in many ways: like build homes for the less fortunate, run blood donation drives, take special needs children to self-development camps, trek to marginalised communities in the interior to offer clothing, medicines or household essentials and join communities in keeping beaches clean. Upstream employees took the spirit of the programme further by establishing the Shell Employees Voluntary Fund (SEVF), to respond to crises and emergencies. Staffs who sign up have deductions made from their monthly salaries and the funds collected are distributed to community projects selected by a committee. In 2008, SEVF provided financial relief of RM59, 000 (US$16,000) to fire victims, cancer patients, and other groups in need, with the company matching many of these donations. In 2008, Shell was named Malaysias most popular graduate employer of the year in the inaugural Malaysias 100 Leading Graduate Employers and doctor jobs Students Choice Awards held by GTI Specialist Publishers.Shell was also the most popular graduate employer in the Engineering sector. The award is the result of surveys conducted by the GTI Group in the UK, Ireland and Australia, involving some 15,000 final year university students. Says Vimi Venugopal, Shell Recruitment Marketing Manager for Asia Pacific: Winning the most popular graduate employer award is affirmation that Shell Malaysia is on the right track towards attracting the cream of the crop when it comes to engaging graduates. Noting that the Shell Campus Ambassador (CA) programme had contributed to this success, she added: By liaising with students, careers advisers and academics, CA volunteers help to bring the Shell experience to life and play a vital role in enhancing Shell reputation among one of our key audiences. In the 2008, with the theme Small changes, big difference. With its emphasis on personal action, staff and contractors were encouraged to take steps and make pledges to change at least one aspect in their work that will help improve health and safety. Shell Malaysia Chairman Dato Saw Choo Boon took the lead when he pledged to intervene on any non-complying behaviours he comes across, while also inviting staff to stop him should they spot him committing a non-compliant act. To help monitor safety performance, a standard safety measure had been used- Total Recordable Case Frequency (TRCF). This reflects the number of injuries of contractors and staff requiring medical treatment or time off work, for every million hours worked. The injury rate has come down over time, improving approximately 23% since 20042. This reflects our efforts to build a safety culture where all employees and contractors must aim for Goal Zero operating with zero fatalities and significant incidents. Lost Time Injury frequency (LTIF) is an indicator of the number of injuries with time off work for every million hours worked by employees and contractors. Employees performance has been improving since 2005, successfully halving the number of cases per million work hours in 2006. Shell Company is a firm believer of enabling employee training that enhances performance. Their managements task is to ensure that their workforce is equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are necessary for optimal performance. Employee training forms an integral part of the corporate and human resources strategy and is available to all employees.