E-commerce Organisations - Business Strategy of HP, PC World, Comet Free Essay Example, 4000 words

Economic weakness and environment uncertainty have affected the financial performance of HP such as inventory management, revenues etc. Declining consumer and business confidence, decreasing access to credit, increasing unemployment and reducing consumer spending has also affected operations of HPHPEnsuring right forecast has become difficult for HP, however, to reduce economic uncertainty, the company focuses on historical forecasts. However, currency exchange rates, interest rates etc impact HP PC WorldFinance and executive committee regularly review a portfolio of businessIn 2008, defined Renewal and Transformation plan of business (Dixonretails, 2010)CometRevenues of a company have severely affected during the global financial crisisSocialChanging social patterns Changing living styles Changes in income patterns HPThe company believes that its revenues will be affected negatively if customers expectations are not met; therefore, new products are developed to meet their needsPC Wo rldMonitor mystery shopping collects customer exist data and purchase data for analysisFIVES customer service training for all staffContinuous innovationEasy navigation on a website (Dixonretails, 2009)CometCustomer oriented operations as evident from business strategy so that the needs of customers could be metTechnologicalThe technological developments and their trends are particularly high in this industryThe increasing demand for technology is offering more and more opportunities to companies operating in this industryHPThe business strategy of HP focuses on designing and manufacturing products which are according to the latest trends in technology and changing needs and desires of the customersTo meet the changing the needs of customers, a significant amount is being spent on research and development by HP. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, HP spent $3.6 billion, $3.5 billion and $2.8 billion on research and development (HP Annual Report, 2009)PC WorldGood supplier relationship such as a partner with Apple iPads (Dixonretails, 2009)Store transformation and new tech in processesEmphasis on e-commerceCometOnline services, phone services and chat services. We will write a custom essay sample on E-commerce Organisations - Business Strategy of HP, PC World, Comet or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now

The Theory Of Development Concepts And Applications By...

Sadly, my early years of child rearing were not of heavy observation on my part! Our home was one of somewhat traditional roles in terms of family dynamic. I worked long hours away from the home and didn t have the one on one contact with our children that my wife had, and enjoyed. I of course got the play-by-play from her, but in hind sight, I was deprived of so many beautiful observations. Our text Theories of Development Concepts and Applications by William Crain outlines human development by many theorists. A few of those are John Bowlby, Mary D.S. Ainsworth, and Erik H. Erikson. I couldn t help but reminisce about the stages of my own children’s growth while reading the work of Bowlby, Ainsworth and Erikson. I remember having my young children with me when ever it was possible, but what attachments to them might I have missed while I was busy working or did I miss any at all? Bowlby’s work on attachment gives a compelling argument as to the importance of a ttachment in the first 6 months of a Childs life. Ainsworth’s work is focused on the idea of a child using the parent as a base for further exploration of their surroundings. Erikson’s work on the other hand considers the role of society and culture in development. In reading these works, the theories appear to be easily stitched together to give an all encompassing view of human development over an entire life time and how our attachment to our parents is critical to that development. Let’s furtherShow MoreRelatedThe views of Piaget and Gesell on how development occurs1430 Words   |  6 Pagestheorists have impacted and influenced child development as did the work of Jean Piaget and Arnold Gesell. Although they stand at opposite poles, both have recorded facts useful to parents and professionals alike. This paper presents the highlights of their theories and focuses on their major differences. The views of Piaget and Gesell on how development occursIntroductionIn Psychology, very few theorists have impacted and influenced child development as did the work of Jean Piaget (1896-1980) andRead MoreHow Do the Major Theories of Child Development (Known as the ‘Grand Theories’) Explore the Importance of Social Experiences?1675 Words   |  7 PagesHow do the major theories of child development (known as the ‘grand theories’) explore the importance of social experiences? Social experiences play a vital role in the development of children. Theories of child development have been created to help us to understand how children’s minds develop, taking into account the differences between cultures around the world. Some of these theories explore the possibility that children gain knowledge, develop new concepts and bridge new ideas through interactionRead MoreEssay about Born Into Brothels1821 Words   |  8 Pagesjoin the line, and many express that they want a better life for themselves. The movie highlights the internal conflict of the young girls as developmentally; they begin to acquire a self identity that contradicts social learning or behaviorism theory. Most of the youth want to be their own individual and to better themselves by education, but do disrespect the women and men living these lifestyles. Another theme interwoven into the story and equally compelling was the relationship betweenRead MoreMy Belief As A Teacher Essay3215 Words   |  13 Pagesthe beliefs that I hold about myself as a teacher. I will further touch on the practical and personal experiences that have helped shape who I am. The research that underpins children’s learning and development. Finally it goes to explore the image I hold towards young children’s learning and development. Metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison (Metaphor, n. d.) The metaphor that IRead MorePsychosocial Development Case Study Analysis1998 Words   |  8 PagesPsychosocial Development Case Study Analysis Darryl Albarado Survey of Research in Human Development for Professional Counselors The theory of psychosocial development created by Erik Erikson is perhaps one of the best known personality theories. The theory differs from many others in that it addresses development across the entire lifespan, from birth through death. At each stage, the individual deals with a conflict that serves as a turning point in development. When the conflict is resolvedRead MoreHow Mandela Was Born Into The Madiba Clan2641 Words   |  11 PagesApplying theories to Mandela s life Nature/nurture The study of human development has been plagued by the nature-nurture controversy. It is the debate over the impact of hereditary and environmental influences in shaping different personal traits and characteristic. To what degree does nature-nurture influences an individual? Assessing the impact of this factor cannot be easily explained since both are influential. Mandela’s leadership skills can be attributed to the nature/ nurture theory becauseRead MoreSolution Manual, Test Bank and Instructor Manuals34836 Words   |  140 PagesEstate and Gift Tax with HR Block TaxCut 5e Pratt William 2011 Corporate Partnership Estate and Gift Tax with HR Block TaxCut 5e Pratt William Kulsrud IG+Test Bank 2011 Corporate Partnership Estate and Gift Tax with HR Block TaxCut 5e Pratt William Kulsrud Solution Manual 2011 Corporate, Partnership, Estate and Gift Taxation, 5th Edition_James W. Pratt, William N. Kulsrud (SM+TB+IG w TB) 2011 Individual Taxation, 5th Edition_James W. Pratt, William N. Kulsrud (SM+TB) A First Book of C++, 4th Edition_GaryRead More8 stages of social development6628 Words   |  27 Pagesï » ¿ Contents UNIT 4 Unit 4 Development 4.1 Page No Social Development - 2 Eriksons stages of psychosocial development - 2 , 3 Stages of psychosocial development - 3 , 4 , 5 , Eight Stages of Social Development - 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 References - 13 , 14 SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Social development theory attempts to explain qualitative changes in the structure and framework of society, that help the society to better realize itsRead MoreOpioid Drugs And Their Receptor9764 Words   |  40 Pagesstructure-based approach in opioid drug development (Manglik et al., 2012) 1.1.1. Hyperalgesia Prolonged opioid use can lead not only to the development of tolerance and dependence, but also to hyperalgesia. The latter was defined by Chen et al. (2010) as a lowered pain threshold in response to treatment with opioids (Chen et al., 2010). This group associated development of hyperalgesia with CaMKIIÃŽ ± signalling pathway. Several mechanisms of hyperalgesia development were suggested by Mao and Price (1995)Read MoreCase Studies67624 Words   |  271 Pagesmanagement process to identify and solve organisational problems. Thus, by analysing situations that are described in cases and presenting the results, active learners (that is, students) become skilled at effectively using the tools, techniques and concepts that combine to form the strategic management process. The cases that follow are concerned with actual companies. Presented within the cases are problems and situations that managers and those with whom they work must analyse and resolve. As you

The Corporation Law of Australia

Questions: Question 1 Cotton Limited holds 89.5% of the shares in Satin Co Limited. The remaining shares are held by Silk and several other small investors. The Board of Satin wants the company to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Cotton Limited as they expect this will result in both taxation benefits and a saving on accounting fees and administration charges of about $230,000. Cotton Limited offers to buy the shares held by Silk and other minority members but they refuse. Arrangements are made to hold a members meeting to pass a resolution changing the constitution of Satin by inserting a new clause 53 any member entitled to 80% or more of the issued shares may compulsorily acquire all the remaining shares. Silk and other minority members receive written notice of the company meeting together with a proxy form and a valuation certificate stating the shares were worth $2.50 each. Although the offer is fair Silk does not want to sell her shares and wants to start legal action to prevent the proposed alt eration to the constitution. Discuss whether she may succeed in her action. Would your answer be different if the real reason for compulsorily acquiring the shares from Silk was that she discovered operating a business in competition with Satin Co and was using information gained as a member to take away some of Satins business? Question 2 Polyester is a director of Style Pty. Limited involved in making womens clothing. Has she breached any duties under the Corporation Act in the following situations? Situation 1. She arranges with the companys bank to transfer an amount of $65,000 from the company account into a personal bank account held by her in her own name. She uses the funds to finalise some outstanding personal debts. Situation 2. As a director she receives information that the company is in a serious financial position. She arranges to transfer a larger amount of the assets of the company over a new proprietary company that she formed with the intention of caring on the same business. Situation 3. Contrary to a resolution of the Board and notwithstanding established business practice that limits credit to $20,000 she allows a trade debtor (who has a history of bad debts) to exceed its credit limits by $25,000. The debtor fails to pay the outstanding amount of $45,000. Can she rely on the business judgment rule in this situation? Answers: 1. The Legal Position The corporation law of Australia had a strong command over the majority rule among the companies. The companys management is said to be in the hand of the board of director and hence they can run the company as they use their power within approved duties. As a result, the minority shareholders have a little, if any, control or influence over the operations of company. They may also be powerless for influencing the management, development and the direction of company in which they have their money invested. It is possible that the BOD and the shareholders decision are different on same transaction and at that time the BOD and majority of the shareholder can suppress the minority decision purposefully. The law provides protection to such minority shareholders who are purposefully suppressed. As per section 233 the minority shareholder can make an application to demand protection. The court may direct in such case to buy the stake of minority shareholder, also the direction of the winding up of the company. Sections 232 and 233 of As per Sec 233 of the corporation Act 2001, the Court is empowered to order that it may consider it to be appropriate in the situations where the necessities of the Sec 232 are been met. Such power may include the power of making the order that the party may purchase the shares of any another shareholder with the reduction in the share capital of company or in the order in which the company shall be wounded up. The Sec 232 of this Actstates that Court may have it ssole discretion to make such order if: -The affairs of the company is handling in manner or -Proposed move, act to be taken by company or its authorised or - Any resolution passed by class of members That affects shareholders interest or found oppressive on class of shareholders Compulsory acquisition The person who is bidding can also acquire remaining share compulsorily in the class of bid if following fact exist: If the bidder or and its associates hold 90% or more interest in bid class And acquired 75% or more shares as offered in particular class bid. under the takeover bid may also acquire compulsorily any of the remaining shares in the bid class if during the offer period, the bidder or their associates have: Significant interests in at least 90 percent (by number) of the shares in the bid class and Purchased at least 75 percent (by number) of the shares that the bidder had offered to purchase under the bid. Ch 6Astates the requirements for the compulsory acquisition process. Case Law Involved Oppression on the minority shareholder The ruler inthe case of Ample Source InternationalLtd v Bonython Metals Group PtyLtd; Re Bonython Metals Group PtyLtd (No 6)[2011] FCA 1484had held that there were number of cases where minority shareholders are oppressed . This oppression had been brought due to the manner in which the activities of BMG were operated, specifically: The Part management of the BMG in a way which is commercially unfair to the Source; Failure to give the significant information to the Ample Source; The judge ordered that the BMG shall be wind up under the sec 233(a) of the Act. The Given Case Facts And Figures Following are the facts of the given case: 1. Satin Company Ltd is a Subsidiary Company of Cotton Limited which holds 89.5% of its shares and the remaining shares were held by Silk Ltd and other minority shareholders. 2. The board of directors of Satin Ltd wishes that the company shall become a Fully owned subsidiary of Cotton Limited and that the remaining shares held by Silk Ltd and other minority shareholders shall be acquired by Cotton Limited, due to which there would be tax benefits and accounting or administration charges of both the companies, resulting in savings of $230,000. 3. Cotton Limited proposes Silk Ltd and other minority shareholders to sell their shares, but they denied the proposal, as a result of which the board decided to hold a shareholders meeting for passing a resolution to change the constitution of Satin Ltd. 4. Satin Ltd inserted a new clause 53 stating that, any member entitled to 80% or more of the issued shares may compulsorily acquire all the remaining shares. 5. Silk Ltd and other shareholders also received a notice stating that the company shall meet to pass the above mentioned resolution and they also received a valuation certificate stating that the shares $2.50 each. However Silk Ltd is not ready to accept this offer. Identification Of Relevant Issues Following is the relevant issue that aroused in the given case: Silk Ltd wanted to Sue the Satin Ltd for the proposal offering it to sell its shares. Whether Silk Ltd would succeed in this case or would it get a relief from oppression under sec 233 of corporation act 2001. Conclusions To Be Drawn As per Section 232 and Section 233 of Corporation Act 2001, the Court is empowered to order that it may consider it to be appropriate in the situations where the requirements of the sec 232 are been met. Such power may include the power of making the order that the party may purchase the shares of any another shareholder with the reduction in the share capital of company or in the order in which the company shall be wounded up. The Sec 232 of this Actstates that, Court has its sole rights to make such order if: The conduct of the affairs of company; or An proposed or actual act by or on behalf of the company; or A resolution of the members or class of members; is either: Contrary to the members interest as a whole; or Oppressiveto,prejudicialto, ordiscriminatoryagainst, the members whether in such capacity or in any other capacity. Hence, in the given case Silk Ltd has a right to initiate a legal action against Satin Ltd in the lights of Sec 232 and 233 of the Corporation Act 2001. However, the position would differ in case where Silk Ltd uses the Operative information of Satin Ltd i.e. its Competitor, by being its member and thereby getting insider information of the activities and transactions to be performed by Satin Ltd, in which case the court may order Compulsory Acquisition of the shares held by it under the provisions of Corporation Act 2001 as discussed above. 2. The Legalposition Duties Of Directors Under Corporation Act 2001 Directors are the top most authorities in the company and also the key persons for managing the companys affairs. The directors shall know their duties and responsibilities towards the company and its stakeholders. The careless, Ignorant and dishonest directors who do not care for their duties towards the company may lose their reputations and image and the savings and may also be subject to imprisonment, because they do not bother to connect the laid down standards which the law has imposed upon them. General Duties Of Directors Following are various general duties of directors: To bonafidely act towards the companys interest. To exercise the power as a director and shall not use them for any own benefits. Not to be occupied in such position for the conflicting interest. Fiduciary Duties Of Directors Following are some Fiduciary duties of the directors: Not to obtain any illegal benefit for their own selves They shall not utilise any information that they gained during their tenure of directorship to get the undue advantage. They shall put their powers for well-being of the company. They shall call their executives for any personal interest in case of conflicts. The directors may be held responsible towards the company for the gains made by breaching their Professional duties. Such duties are created if: 1. The directors had shown their own likeliness to act as the agent on behalf of the shareholders of company. 2. For a related company, the director having family relation and providing the advices or suggestions for the shares to any family shareholders, then it may create a strong relationship between the director and shareholders. The Conflicting Rule The director should not allow his duties and interests for the company in a conflicting state. He shall ask: For the conflicts that are more than the actual proposal? Should a director end to engage in the arrangement soon after getting a fact that he will have the chance of interests which is conflicting for the company? Is there some sorts of conflict whereby a director held the shares in any another related entity? As per Sec 191(1) the director may also possess a responsibility for notifying the remaining directors that he has a personal interest in the material transactions of the company and that he shall not remain present in the events of such meetings and discussions in which such material transactions are been held, otherwise there will be a conflict of the Professional duties and responsibilities of such director for which he may held guilty for the misconduct under the provisions of this act and may also be held culprit under the Corporation Act 2001. Because of this act, the reputation of the entity may be endangered and that the other directors image may also be affected. Following are various general duties of directors: To bonafidely act towards the companys interest. To exercise the power as a director and shall not use them for any own benefits. Not to be occupied in such position for the conflicting interest. Material Or Personal Interest According to Sec 195(1) the director having a own interest in some transaction, which has been confirmed at any of the meetings of board, may not have any voting right on the resolutions to be passed for such transaction , he will not be able get involved in the meeting where such transactions are considered. However, according to Sec 195(2),all the other directors who do not have anysuch personal interest are allowed to pass a resolution which states that all the directors are happy with even that the rights of particular director does not have power to restrain from attendance of meeting and voting, According to per Sec 195(3), the ASIC can o its own judgment that the said director will attend meeting as well as vote. The Given Case Facts And Figures Following are the facts of the given case: Polyester is a director of Style Pty. Ltd which is involved in making the womens clothing and has performed following activities: 1. Arranges for the transfer of $65,000 from the companys bank account into her personal account and utilises the funds for finalising some outstanding personal debts. 2. Receives information that the company is in serious financial position and that she transfer large amount of assets over a new company which is formed for caring the same business. 3. Allows a debtor having a bad history in past to credit the limit exceeding $25,000 as against the resolution passed by board. Issue Under Consideration The main issue in this case is that, whether Polyester shall be held responsible for negligence of Professional duties in the above cases. Conclusions To Be Made 1. As discussed above, the director who does any act for his personal interest shall be deprived from attending any board meeting in which such transaction is discussed and shall also be held responsible for breach of professional duties. As such in the first instance, Polyester has transferred $65,000 belonging to the company for her own personal interest shall be held liable for Professional misconduct under Corporation Act 2001. 2. In the second case, Polyester has transferred the companys assets to the newly formed business to carry on the companys business for the betterment of company. This act shall be deemed to have been done in good faith and for the benefit of company and thus she shall not to have breached her duties under corporation act 2001. 3. In third case, Polyester has allowed a higher credit to one of the companys Debtor having bad track record and also did not considered the resolution passed by board of directors. In this case also, she is said to have breached her professional duties as a director under Corporation Act 2001. The Compliance with Section 195(1)would not free any of the directors from the obligations of complying with the relevant Law. References: Holding Redlich, 2015, Oppressed Minority Shareholders reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://www.holdingredlich.com/dispute-resolution-litigation/oppressed-minority-shareholders-and-appropriate-relief-is-winding-up-a-solvent-company-an-extreme-step?utm_source=Mondaqutm_medium=syndicationutm_campaign=View-OriginalMark Easton, 2013, Minority Shareholders reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://www.companydirectors.com.au/Director-Resource-Centre/Publications/Company-Director-magazine/2013-back-editions/April/Opinion-Do-not-forget-minority-shareholdersRichard Brockett, 2015, Minority Shareholders reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://epublications.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1434context=blrAustralian Government, 2015, Compulsory Acquisition reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://www.takeovers.gov.au/content/DisplayDoc.aspx?doc=panel_process/summary_of_takeover_provisions_in_australia.htmJohn H Farrar, 2015, Minority Shareholder Remedies reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://epublica tions.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1207context=blrACIS, NT, Directors Duties under The Corporations Act 2001reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://www.acis.net.au/bulletins/Directors_Duties.pdfAustralian Institute of Company Directors, 2014, Roles, Duties and Responsibilities of Director reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://www.companydirectors.com.au/Director-Resource-Centre/Director-QA/Roles-Duties-and-ResponsibilitiesPWC.com, 2011, Directors Duties reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://etraining.communitydoor.org.au/pluginfile.php/608/course/section/95/GuideDirectors_Apr08.pdfASIC, 2014, Directors Duties reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://asic.gov.au/for-business/running-a-company/company-officeholder-duties/your-company-and-the-law/SBDC, 2015, Closing or Winding up a business reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/business-life-cycle/exiting-a-business/closing-winding-up/Dibbsbarker, 2014, Corporate governance and Directors duties reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://www.dibbsbarker.com/assets/document/Corporate_Governance_2014.pdfTakeovers Panel, ND, Directors duties reviewed on 5 February 2015,https://www.takeovers.gov.au/content/Resources/parliamentary_reports/social_fuduciary_duties_obligations.aspxFind Law, 2015, Directors duties reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://www.findlaw.com.au/articles/32/directors-duties.aspxCommonwealth of Australia, ND, Directors duties reviewed on 5 February 2015, https://archive.treasury.gov.au/documents/283/PDF/full.pdf

The Perils of Affirmative Action an Example of the Topic Economics Essays by

The Perils of Affirmative Action In the very beginning of this nation's history, Americans were under the power of England's monarchy. The Americans were able to overthrow the shackles of bondage and created a Constitution that declares its steadfast belief in the ideals of freedom, equality and the pursuit of happiness. But immediately after the Declaration of Independence and even after the Constitution was signed and accepted by leaders of the new government, not every American citizen is treated fairly. And a good example would be the Negroes and other minorities such as Asians and more so their women. Need essay sample on "The Perils of Affirmative Action" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed This clear violation of the Constitution prompted many to create a landmark law that will turn the tide once and for all. It was Affirmative Action that was supposed to save America from the evils of racism and discrimination but this directive failed and in fact it even backfired and instead of helping the oppressed it made them look less worthy of respect as ever before. Before going any further, a historical background of the United States of America is needed to fully understand where Affirmative Action came from. This nation was created from the union of disparate states and was made possible by two events. The first one is the successful War for Independence wage by patriots like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. The second, the creation of a piece of a document called the U.S. Constitution and authored by statesmen like Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams. The war that defeated the more superior English army was simply the beginning and enough to give the Union some breathing room to create their own destiny. The U.S. Constitution became the symbol of democracy around the world. The contents of this document was used to straighten the crooked path and when there is no road that will lead to progress and good governance the Constitution provided the necessary tools for great men to do their job. Yet every time the Constitution was used to promote the ideals of freedom, justice, and equality it made men of principles to question the inconsistencies and the glaring hypocrisy. How can the Americans say freedom for all when there are men and women who are treated a little higher than cattle in some territories? How can there be equality when there are those discriminated on the basis of race and gender? Afterwards there was a growing clamor to free the slaves and to be true to the declaration that all men are created equal. After a bloody Civil War that settled the issue of slavery the Negro race was still under a cloud of oppression and discrimination, African-Americans experienced the humiliation of segregation in the South. While the Negro race continued to suffer, America experienced an economic boom that attracted migrants from all over the world. The U.S. also became active in helping other nations and its people to battle tyranny and as a result many Asians left their war torn countries and settled in the land of promise. As a result the Negro race now have companions in misery. America has to be rudely awakened by the Civil Rights Movement to realize that there is still much work to be done with regards to racism in this country. When Martin Luther King, Jr. died, the nation was ready for a major change. Ending segregation in the South and improving the status of the Negro race is now the correct thing to do. It was the late John F. Kennedy, the first U.S. President since Abraham Lincoln who signed another landmark law, a directive that will improve the lives of all African-Americans in this country. Barely a few months in office, JFK issued Executive Order 10925 which created the Presidents Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. Its main objective was to eradicate discrimination in the U.S. or at least when it comes to the government and its contractors. Every federal contract includes a pledge that the Contractor will not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, or national origin (see Steven Cahn). The JFK administration was calling for an affirmative action and it is simply a government that will no longer pay lip service to the ideals of freedom and equality. They are going to do something deliberate about this issue. In Stanford University, Robert Fullinwider wrote that Affirmative Action simply means taking positive steps to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. Now, that there is a law that forces the issue then interest groups are encouraged to bring the issue to court and to pressure businesses and employers to comply. In this regard Fullinwider wrote, When those steps involve preferential selection selection on the basis of race, gender or ethnicity affirmative action generates intense controversy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). So the pendulum has swung to the other side. It is as if the government is trying to make up for a lot of lost ground. It is as if there is a deliberate act of atoning for past sins but the problem is, those who are so passionate about the issue are actually creating a reverse discrimination, instead of discriminating against the Negro for instance there is now discrimination for the Negro (Cowan 5). James Nickel was able to put it succinctly when he wrote: To state the argument in a slightly different way, one might say that if a group was discriminated against on the basis of a morally irrelevant characteristic of theirs, then to award extra benefits now to the members of this group because they have characteristic is simply to continue to treat a morally irrelevant characteristic as if it were relevant. Instead of the original discrimination against these people, we now have discrimination for them, but in either case we have discrimination (4) In one of the more glaring example of affirmative action gone bad was the case of The Regents of the University of California v. Allan Bakke (Dwokin 103). In this particular case the University Of California Davis School Of Medicine has an affirmative action program that was designed to admit more black students. In fact for the 100 slots offered every year there are 16 slots reserved for blacks and other educationally and economically disadvantaged minorities can avail. As it turns out Allan Bakke was forced to compete for the remaining 84 slots but he was rejected. The only problem here is that Bakke has significantly higher scores than the other black students who were admitted to the program, Bakke sued the school and the California Court agreed with Bakke while the school appealed to the Supreme Court. A similar case can be seen in the analysis of SAT scores in the 90s. According to researcher Byron Roth elite US Colleges require a score of over 600 on the verbal portion to be admitted to their program. But Roth found out something that will give a headache to advocates of Affirmative Action and he remarked, blacks represented only 2 percent of those scoring above 600, wile whites represented about 73 percent of those scoring above 600 (265). The same is true for Math scores where only about 3 percent of the total population of black students who took the test scored higher than 600, while 13 percent of whites scored higher than 600 (Roth, 265). If Affirmative Action forces the issue of giving up slots to minorities then how can this action be justified on the basis of fairness and rewarding people according to hard work etc.? Bakke as well as other white folks clearly deserve equal treatment as do members of the minority. There is no excuse for giving preferential treatment to black students or traditionally marginalized groups for this is actually doing them a disservice. Instead of helping them be strong this society is keeping them lame and forever bound to negative connotations of their social status. It is time to punish discrimination and at the same time promote equality in the proper way. A common feature of Affirmative Action is the establishment of quotas such as in employment or in the admission to academic programs etc. This may be a deliberate step to create a level playing field but there are now evidences to prove the contrary. It is even ironic that the same people that are supposed to be assisted from Affirmative Action are the ones who are suffering from the recoil so to speak. For instance there are increasing number of Jews and Asian who are now beginning to feel that Affirmative Action is actually hurting their chances to be admitted to academic programs (Swain, 296). This is because the high number of Asians and Jews who get high scores would simply mean that not all can be included considering that there are already reserved slot for other minority groups. On a final note, there was this documented story of a black man hired as a messenger in the Department of Commerce. It turns out that this man, Leslie Perry actually held a bachelors degree as well as a law degree but was only able to secure a job doing menial tasks (King, 72). There are many stories like that of Perry but there is no excuse for creating an inverse discrimination as experienced by Allan Bakke. No one is arguing the fact that deliberate steps must be done to rectify an injustice that has taken hundreds of years to correct. But discriminating in favor of minorities blacks, Asians, and women is similar to discriminating against them; it is without a doubt a flawed solution for it is not helping them at all. It is similar to a parent not training his children to lift themselves up and be self-sufficient. The child will grow weak and lack the motivation and confidence to succeed in life. No matter how tempting it is to give preferential treatment to members of the minority group in America, there is no excuse not to strive hard and compete just like the rest of the members of the American society. Works Cited Affirmative Action. Ed. Robert Fullinwider. 2005. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Stanford University). 24 March 2008 Cowan, J. L. Inverse Discrimination. The Affirmative Action Debate. Ed. Steven Cahn. New York: Routledge, 2002. 5-7. Dworkin, Ronald. Bakkes Case: Are Quotas Unfair? The Affirmative Action Debate. Ed. Steven Cahn. New York: Routledge, 2002. 3-4. King, Desmond. Separate and Unequal. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Minchin, Timothy. Hiring Black Worker: The Racial Integration of the Southern Textile Industry. North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 1999.

Sources of Business Start

The Wave of New Women essays

The Wave of New Women essays In Ibsen's play A Doll's House today, one may find it hard to imagine how daring it seemed at the time. Its theme, the emancipation of a woman, makes it seem almost contemporary. Written during the Victorian era, the controversial play featuring a woman seeking individuality caused more trouble than any of Ibsen's other works. This play portrayed the role of women as the comforter, helper, and supporter of man, "A Doll's House" introduced woman as having her own purposes and goals in life that they would like to accomplish. Nora Helmer, the helpless wife, slowly changes through the play and eventually realizes that she must stop being her husbands doll and become an individual. Although Nora's relationship with her husband was to be expected during the time it was written, there were many clues that set off at the kind of marriage Nora and Torvald had. Throughout the play it was obvious that Torvald did love Nora, but only how a person would love a prized possession. She relied on him for everything, from movements to thoughts, much like a puppet who is dependent on its puppet master for all of its actions. He enjoyed how everything was perfect, how he could do anything with her and loved having his perfect wife in his perfect house with their perfect children, and he loved her as deeply as he could understand the world. Nora pretended that she needed Torvald to teach her every move in order to relearn the dance. This is obviously an act, and it shows how much of a doll to Torvald she is. After the dance lesson, he states "When I saw you turn and sway in the tarantellamy blood was pounding till I couldn't stand it" showing how he is more interested in Nora physically than emotionally. When Nora responds by saying "Go away, Torvald! Leave me alone. I don't want all this", Torvald asks "Aren't I your husband? In what he said, it demonstrates how he thinks Noras duties a...

Macro & Micro economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macro & Micro economics - Essay Example The micro and the macro environmental factors influence the market and the marketing decisions. The product of a company considers the differentiation strategies so that the product is accepted by the consumers. Thus, for influencing the market the marketing decisions on the product is important. The price of the product also influences the response of the market towards purchase of the product. This influences the marketing decision for fixing a competitive price. Similarly place and promotion for launch and sell of the product influences the market. The decision on the distribution system of the products enables a smoother access of the products by the consumers. The decision on promotional strategies on the basis of the target customer segment influences the behaviour of the market. Similar to the micro environmental factors, the macro environmental factors like the political scenario influences the operations of the market. Thus marketing decisions should take into consideration the uncertainties of the political factors. Similarly, the other macro environmental factors like the culture of the society, surge in economic conditions, legal constraints influence the market investments. These factors are not under the direct control of the market and hence, the marketing decisions are influenced by the uncertainties associated with the market performance. Segmentation variables to define a market segment The various segmentation variables that need to be considered to define a target market segment are the sizes of the market segments, growth rate of the market segment, suitability of the market segment with respect to the product of the company, access of the market segment by the company and the purchasing power of the market segment. The various market segments are identified based on various features like the demographics, psychographic and the geographic factors. The target size of the market segment is identified based on the suitability of the market seg ment with respect to the product. The growth rate of the market segment is then determined to estimate whether its matches the required growth rate and the future prospects. After determining the suitability of the market segment, the potential access to the market segment is determined by the firm. Finally the purchasing power of the market segment is analyzed to determine whether it matches the price of the product. By considering all these segmentation variables, the target market segment is defined that matches the requirement of the company with respect to the desired features. Different types of pricing strategy The various ways of maximization of profits of the business lies at the cutting of costs, increase in sales and increasing the profits. In a situation where costs are reduced to the limit and it’s difficult to increase the sales of the company, the pricing strategies are adopted in such a scenario. The different pricing strategies are namely, cost plus pricing, market-oriented pricing and penetration pricing. The cost plus pricing method takes into consideration the basic cost of production and then adds a certain percentage to the basic cost to determine the sale price of the pro

The Nurse-Client Negotiations Model Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Nurse-Client Negotiations Model - Assignment Example I chose this model because it recognizes discrepancies that exist between notions of the nurse and client about health, illness, and treatments. This model attempts to bridge the gap between the scientific perspectives of the nurse and the popular perspectives of the client. Fundamental to understanding this model, one must recognize that most social systems include three structural arena of health care within which sickness is reacted to and experienced. The concept of popular, professional, and folk arenas is used to compare medical systems as cultural systems. Each arena or domain possesses its own model for explaining health and illness (Kleinman, 1978). This arena comprises the family context of sickness and care, including the social network and community perspective. In both Western and non-Western societies, approximately seventy percent to ninety percent of sickness is managed solely within this domain. The nurse-client negotiations model serves as a framework to attend to the culture of the nurse as well as the culture of the client. In addition to the professional culture, each nurse has his or her own personal beliefs and values, which may operate without the nurse being fully aware of them. These beliefs and values may influence nurse's interactions with patients and families. Each arena (sector) in the model can be viewed as a social cultural system with its own values, norms of behavior, beliefs, and ways of explaining health and illness. Explanations of the same phenomena may yield different interpretations based on the cultural perspective of the layperson or the professional. Anderson (1987) provided examples of different perspectives of the same intervention: Putting lightweight bedclothes on a patient may be interpreted by family members as placing their loved one at risk for "getting a chill," whereas the nurse will use this technique to prevent or reduce a fever; a Jeh ovah's Witness family considers a blood transfusion for their child as contamination of the child's body, whereas the nurse and other healthcare team members believe a transfusion is a lifesaving treatment. Important Aspect The important aspect of this model is that it can open lines of communication between the nurse and the patient/family. It helps each understand how the other interprets or values a problem or practice such that they respect one another's goals. Negotiations Negotiation implies a mutual exchange of information between the nurse and client. The nurse should begin negotiation by learning from the client' s about their understanding of their situation, their interpretations of illness and symptoms, the symbolic meaning they attach to an event, and their notions about treatment. Contingency contracting is a form of negotiation used in nursing in which negotiations focus on the values of goods to be forgone and

Taylorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Taylorism - Essay Example Taylorism is the name given to Taylor's Scientific Management or the Classical Perspective. In a statement, Taylor said that "The principal object of management should be to secure maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with maximum prosperity for the employee" [6]. This means that there should be a win-win situation for all the parties involved while no body would feel at a loss. In Taylor's view, the task of factory management was to determine the best way for the worker to do the job, to provide the proper tools and training, and to provide incentives for good performance. He broke each job down into its individual motions, analyzed these to determine which were essential, and timed the workers with a stopwatch. With unnecessary motion eliminated, the worker, following a machinelike routine, became far more productive. [5] With Taylor's radical theories of employee motivation and increased productivity, the organizations started to test them and gained favorable results. His theories began to change how organizations functioned. Before this time organizations were usually setup in homes or in formal businesses where the workspaces were open. There were no barriers to communication and ideas could flow freely among employees. Taylorism abruptly changed this feature of organizations. He proposed the concept of working in enclosed spaces so that each employee could get his or her own personal space. Also this was a way to cut down on social loafing in the organization. By this theory of 'division of labor', companies now assort work to each worker according to his skills set and capability to handle the type of work. [1] [3] According to Becker and Steele, "Taylorism has been a significant part of organizations from the early part of the century and has been polished by major American corporations for the last seventy-five years." [2] Some of the changes that are visible today in modern garment manufacturing are: [1] [3] [8] Hierarchical leadership Just like in every organization, garment manufacturing organizations also involves several chains in the organizational hierarchy. These levels include the management level who own and make high end decisions about which type of cloth, which style and how much to produce and whether to sell it locally or export it. The lower level employees actually work and oversee the mechanized production of the garments. Split locations for manufacturing and office work Generally there are a few locations where actually the garments are made and where the top

Production Processes Of Top Glove Company Commerce Essay

Production Processes Of Top Glove Company Commerce Essay One of the successful reasons that TG Company can succeed in their business is because they have a strong and good production process in their latex glove making. They believe that they must have the most modern and advanced glove manufacturing machineries if they wished to be continuing as a world-class cost effective glove manufacturer. They have invested substantially in the machineries that are needed to ensure that they can fully adopt the latest manufacturing techniques for all their production lines. Other than that, they to ensure that they can consistently produce high quality latex gloves are also using a continuous engineering process. Competent and experienced personnel also contribute in smooth production line and consistency in quality of the latex gloves even though they have modern machineries. In addition, an on-line quality control measures have been instituted throughout the manufacturing processes to ensure the highest quality products. The latex is a white, milky liquid that comes from rubber trees, which is either from native or hybrid trees. Mostly, TG gets its latex from buying through the rubber market while the remaining latex is from their own rubber plantation. The latex will be harvested from rubber trees when the trees trunk is swollen and also every day, after the rain has stopped during the rainy season. The latex is a natural product and it will coagulate easily, therefore it needs to be harvests from the rubber trees as soon as possible and then send to TG factory to be manufactured. When the latex is sent to the TG factory, the latex will be manufactured with a standardized method that is set by the company itself. The flow of the production process of latex glove in TG Company is former cleaning, coagulant dipping, drying, latex dipping, leaching, beading, vulcanizing, post leaching, slurry dipping, stripping, tumbling, and quality control. Former Cleaning Before the latex can be process to the coagulant dipping process into hand-shaped, the glove formers need to be cleaned before it can be used to form hand-shaped latex gloves. A quality production of exam gloves includes the environment of latex glove factory is clean. This also means glove formers must be cleaned to ensure there is no dirt or debris anywhere because it will affect the final product to possibly have defects like holes. Firstly, glove former must be dipping into an acid bath and then rinse with clean water. Secondly, an alkaline bath is used by dipping the glove formers in them to neutralize the acid and again rinsed in clean water. Lastly, an important step that is the glove formers are brushed to ensure the surface of the glove formers is consistent and eliminate pinholes on the latex gloves after it form. TG factory have multiple production lines that produce batches of disposable gloves. If there is any dirt or debris on the glove former, it can result in the manufacturer being forced to trash the entire batch of latex gloves. This reason shows the importance of glove formers that must be regularly inspected and cleaned before the molds are dipped into coagulant tanks. Coagulant Dipping After the glove former is cleaned, it will be coated with coagulant (eg. calcium nitrate) and be dipped into the coagulant bath to help the latex mixture adhere to the formers and to help ensure the latex is distributed evenly. The glove formers are dipped into the coagulant tank under TG workers control to extract the protein from the previous glove dipping and this dipping is done once for every production cycle. Drying Drying is one of the stations in production process of latex gloves manufacturing whereby the coagulant converts the liquid latex film into a wet-gel on the glove formers and will eventually travel through a series of ovens to dry the gloves and end the coagulation process. In brief, it is a process of drying the gloves from wet to readymade gloves. Latex Dipping Latex dipping is one of the stations in the production process of latex gloves manufacturing and the tank is filled with compounded latex. A latex layer will be formed on the glove former after it goes through this tank. The thickness of the latex glove is determined at the coagulating and dipping stage. The longer the time the glove former travels in the coagulant tank, the thicker the latex gloves will be formed. TG Company will ensure that the latex gloves that produce is high quality and safe to be use. Leaching This leaching stage can called as the pre-vulcanization leaching. It also known as wet gel leaching. Residual chemicals and proteins on the surface of the gloves are put into the leaching process to be removed after the drying of latex mixture. A longer leaching line can wash out latex proteins more effectively. Besides that, the water must be hot and fresh enough to make the proteins dissolve better. This step is a critical step to minimize the occurrence of latex sensitivity. The water temperature, process duration, and water exchange rate will affect the effectiveness of the process. Good leaching line can result in a good and quality latex glove. Beading Beading is a process whereby up to a dozen chemicals are added to help in next manufacturing process of latex gloves. The chemicals added are antioxidant that prevents deterioration of the rubber molecules in the final product by heat, moisture, and ozone. Chemical accelerators are also added to help control the next vulcanization process. Vulcanization One of the discovery key in manufacturing rubber is the vulcanization process. It is a curing process in the production process of latex gloves whereby the latex particles are modified by adding in accelerator chemicals to it. When all the materials are heated, sulfur atoms are chained with the rubber molecules to form a cross-link that gives strengths and elasticity to the physical properties of the rubber. This process ensures the rubber will not be torn and melt easily. Post Leaching This process is similar to the wet-film leaching previously, but it is a little different whereby it is carried out on the dry/vulcanized latex film. Therefore, it is also known as dry-film leaching. Time and temperature is the most important element to ensure effectiveness in the process of water extractives reduction. Latex gloves may be leached up to 24 hours to ensure its effectiveness. Slurry Dipping This stage is also known as wet even powdering. The slurry tank containing the cornstarch solution can prevent latex gloves from sticking in the tank. The slurry is also referred to as wet powder. The benefit of this powder is acting as preservation of the latex gloves and to assist in the latex gloves donning process. TG Company has followed the international method in the specific stage whereby the latex gloves will go through more ovens for further drying and additional rinsing cycles where the powder will be removed. The process of removing the powder is to avoid latex allergic reaction. Stripping At this stage, the latex gloves are stripping from the glove formers. There are two types of methods, which are manually or automatically stripping the latex gloves from the glove formers. TGs latex examination gloves are stripped by fully automated stripping machine. By using this fully automated stripping machine, TG can increase the quality and safety of the latex gloves they produced. The latex gloves will be sent to the next phase of the latex glove manufacturing process for final drying. Tumbling The tumbling process at latex gloves manufacturing process is to remove excessive powder on the gloves. The latex gloves are putting into the commercial dryers to ensure that the powder is more evenly distributed and excess powder can be removed. Powder-Free Gloves Powder-free gloves stage is a technology to prevent stickiness of gloves by avoiding powder usage completely by going through chlorination or polymer coating process. This is one of the important technology processes in manufacturing latex glove nowadays because most of the glove makers are producing the latex gloves with powder-free. Top Glove produces latex powder and powder-free gloves. Basically, the powder-free latex gloves are transformed from powdered gloves when the powder is removed. Before the latex gloves dried, the powder helps the latex gloves give uniformity as well as to prevent the latex gloves from molding together. The tackiness on the glove surface can be removed by rinsing the latex gloves in water. Then it is placed into a chlorine bath to transform the powdered latex gloves to powder-free latex gloves. The glove is turned inside out and the process is repeated. The powder-free gloves are placed back into the dryers when the bathing process is completed. Quality Control TG carries out its quality control in total quality management system. In total quality management system, the process includes regular testing of raw materials, close monitoring the manufacturing process, continuous improvement on quality control, maintain regular quality control, complying with stringent quality standard, target for zero defects, good instructional labeling, efficient work standardization, continuous improvements in packing and loading, close monitoring of production process, tensile strength machine, innovative auto-stripping system, visual air pump test, water tight test, physical dimension test, protein test and powder test in their manufacturing process of latex gloves. The visual air pump test, water tight test and physical dimension test will be carried out in this quality control stage while the other test will be carry out during each manufacturing process of the latex gloves. The air pump test serves to check for holes and visual defects in gloves while th e watertight test serves to check for pinholes rate on the latex gloves. Each country will have their own acceptable quality level (AQL) in allowing the company to export product to their country. For example, the companies that want export their gloves to United States, a 2.5 AQL in the watertight test or better. The physical dimension test is used to measure the dimension of the gloves whether to know the measurement does meet the inspection level of 4.0 that set in AQL. Packing Packing is the final stage in the manufacturing process of latex gloves. TG packs their latex gloves in flat and efficient layer-by-layer to ease the dispensing of gloves in order to avoid latex gloves difficult to dispense from each gloves later. This type of packing method can reduces waste and makes latex gloves easier to take out from the box. For example, we can dispense tissue from a tissue box easily and the idea is applied to the latex gloves box dispensers. This layered technique is often use by all glove manufacturers. Lastly, when all production processes are completely carried, the latex gloves will be keep in TG warehouse for labeling and then send to their particular customers. In addition, the latex gloves are also being exported to other countries. The production processes of Top Glove are repeated for all the production lines and to ensure the latex gloves that are produced are in high quality and safe for use. Strength of the Production Process: The machine technologies that TG used to make their production processes of latex gloves are result in superior quality and it is safe to use by all consumers. The production process in TG adopts the latest manufacturing techniques by using the modern machineries. Other than that, the production processes in TG helps their company to increase precision and productivity in their latex gloves production. This is due to the advanced and modern technology that applied in the production processes. In addition, the production processes also increase the flexibility in producing latex gloves. The production processes will also increase the process stability during the manufacturing process of latex gloves. It is because the production processes are carried under a systematic production processes. The products will be produced gradually by following specific production processes and to ensure the product is high quality produced. The efficient production processes is able to help TG in saving a lot of production cost. It is because the efficient production processes can ensure that they can produce latex gloves effectively and efficiently. Then, the production processes also helps TG in reducing the number of workers. This is due to most of production processes are fully operated by the machine technology. This helps TG to save cost in the workers. Weakness of the Production Process: TG needs to invest heavily in buying the modern machineries and need to hire more experienced personnel in their production process. TG uses modern technology in carrying out their production processes to make latex gloves. The machineries that bought were extremely expensive. Thus, the maintenance of the machineries is expensive and if there had any minor or major accessories spoiled; it will be costly to the company to repair it back. It is because the accessories that are used in the machines are not for common use by other manufacturers within the same field area or other field areas and it is difficult to look for substitutes for that specific accessories. TG always checks and maintains the effectiveness of their machineries to prevent it from being spoiled. In addition, TG also needs to hire more experienced and skilled personnel with higher salary to operate the specific machineries and carry researches. Some machinery needs special skilled and experienced personnel to take charge and TG does not simply hire a worker to operate the manufacturing machineries. The experts for such operations in the latex industry are much fewer in other fields. Thus, TG needs to spend more money to hire those experts that operate their operations. Facility Layout: The layout of a company is very important because it establishes an organizations competitive priorities in regard to capacity, process, flexibility, cost, as well as quality of work life, customer contact, and image. An effective layout can help an organization achieve a strategy that supports differentiation, low cost, or response. The objective of layout strategy is to develop an effective and efficient layout that will meet the firms competitive requirements. Layout design has the following purpose:- Higher utilization of space, equipment, and people Improved flow of information, materials, or people Improved employees morale and safer working conditions Improved customer/ client interaction Flexibility (layout need to be change from time to time) TG is a company that used work cell layout to produce its products. Work cell layout means an arrangement of machines and personnel that focuses on making a single product or family of related products. A work cell reorganizes people and machines that would ordinarily be dispersed in various departments into a group so that they can focus on making a single product or a group of related products. Once the work cell has the appropriate equipment located in proper sequence, the next task will be staff and balance the cell. Normally it involves two steps. First, determine the takt time, which is the pace (frequency) of production units necessary to meet customer orders: Takt time = Total work time available/ Units required Second, determine the number of operators required: Workers required = Total operation time required/ Takt time By doing so, the company can increased equipment and machinery utilization due to better scheduling and faster material flow. Diagram below shows the layout of Top Glove company and the description of the components inside the layout:- The space of the layout is 80m (length) x 50m (width) x 8m (height) which can be categorize as a big company. Waste water- All the unwanted or wastewater will stored in this area. Latex storage- This is the place to store latex that use to produce latex gloves. It place near to the dipping line and chemical dispensing compounding ball mills because it easy for mixing work which need to combine other raw material and chemical substances with latex to produce the latex gloves. WC- This is the place for workers to refresh themselves. Tools/Maintenance- Places that put or keep the tools and equipments that used to produce the glove and for maintenance purpose. All the tools and equipments will be keeping in a specific place that easy the workers to find it. Chemical storage- All the chemical substances, which are dangerous, will keep here to avoid any accident happen and make sure the workplace is safety. This room is just nearby of the chemical dispensing compounding ball mills to make sure that the compounding work can be carry out smoothly. Dipping line- This is the place where machine is design for examination and surgical latex gloves, which include the process of auto washing, coagulants agents dipping, latex dipping, drying, and beading, fore leaching, vulcanizing, post-leaching, wet powdering, cooling, and stripping. Chemical Dispensing Compounding Ball Mills- The place that carry out the work of compounding or mixing of the raw materials, chemical substances, latex and many other to produce the gloves. Chlorination- A process of producing powder free gloves by treating these gloves with chlorine. It also removes the first layer of protein to an acceptable level. Tumbler Dryer- It is a machine that tries to dry up the gloves after all the compound mixed together. Sterilization- The place that sterilizes the gloves using Gamma irradiation to eliminate all microbial life, including highly resistant bacteria spores. Worker Canteen- Places for workers to have their meals. Plant Officer- This is the office for plant officer who supervise the production work of the company. Q.C Room- All the finished gloves will send to this room for checking before send to customer. The workers will checked the gloves one by one and see whether there are any rejected glove that do not meet the quality standard of the company. Lap Testing- Lap for chemist to test for new formula or compound that can improve the existing glove or testing for new products. This is good for the company to fight with his competitors however; some cost may be incurred for the research and development work. Packaging Area/Material- All the gloves that have go through Q.C checking will send here for packaging before sell to the customers. There are sufficient machine and material prepared for packaging work so that the glove will be pack nicely and keep in a good condition. Show Room- Room to display the products of the company. Customers who interested in the products of the company can take a look on the sample that show in this room. Company Office- Main office of the company where all the admin work of the company will carry out here. Finished Product Storage- The finished products will be stored here and waiting to send to the customers by the trucks. Strength of the Facility Layout: Top Glove used work cell layout as their strategy to produce their products to utilize the capacity of the company, which may bring a lot of advantages to the company. First, it can reduced work-in- process inventory which means there is less inventories or equipments needed to link up the work that is in different process because the work cell is set up to provide one piece flow from machine to machine. Second, less floor space required because less space is needed between machines to accommodate work-in-process inventory. For example, the tumbler dryer is place closely with the process of sterilization that uses to sterilize the gloves bacteria. Thus, it saves a lot of space between these two processes. Next, when the employees work in this kind of layout, it will heightened the sense of employees participation in the organization and the product which will encourage them to add responsibility toward the product quality because they directly associated with the products in their ow n work cell. For example, the employees who work as an operator in dipping line will feel motivated and carry out his work carefully when the manager empowered him to look after the machine or participate in any work that related to the dipping process. Lastly, increased equipment and machinery utilization is also one of the advantages because of better scheduling and faster material flow. When the glove is being chlorinate immediately it will proceed to the process of drying and after this it will go through the process of sterilization immediately as well. The fast material flow show that it utilize the machinery and equipment effectively. Weaknesses of the Facility Layout: However, there are still some weaknesses in this layout, which is the straight-line work cell layout as we can see in the dipping line. The workers in the dipping line are arrange in such way that sometime they will find that it is hard to divided their work evenly and more worker is needed compare to the U-shape work cell layout. This may cause social loafing in the workplace, which means some worker may work less as compare to his colleague. This is not good to happen in the workplace because it will lower down the morale of other worker who works hard but he just gets the same pay as his colleague who is lazy. Next, from the layout of the company, we also notice that there is only one main gate for exist and entry but no other emergency or back door in the layout. This is also a weakness of the company because there is no other emergency door for workers to escape if any accident happens. Goods and Service Design: The other strategic of this company is goods and service design. Top Gloves main productions are rubber gloves, synthetic gloves and surgical gloves. Top glove producing more latex glove as compare others glove, since latex gloves is a better choice of protection. The reasons are the latex is the main material in rubber gloves manufacture where it is the gold standard for durability. Where latex is referring to a milky, usually whitish, fluid obtained from over 1,000 species of trees and plants. It is the most important raw material used for the production of latex gloves, natural rubber latex, which derived from the Hevea Brasiliensis tree species found mainly in South East Asia though they originated from Brazil. It demonstrates superior elasticity, strength and barrier protection. It outperforms vinyl as well as any synthetic rubber in terms of maintaining barrier integrity in routine and high risks procedures. Based on the researches, the latex gloves provide up to 9 times more p rotection during normal use than non-latex gloves. The glove size is determined by measuring the circumference of the hand around the palm area with a tape measure. The usual size standard for examination gloves are of XS XL, while surgical gloves are of 6.5 8.5. The gloves thickness measured by depth protecting skin from exposure to elements. It was measured on a single wall using a micrometer over several parts of the glove, typically at the cuff, the mid-palm and the finger sections. The types of gloves are latex gloves, nitrile gloves, vinyl gloves, medical gloves, surgical gloves, disposable gloves, clean room gloves, household gloves, general-purpose gloves, and polyethylene gloves (PE glove). For example, the nitrile glove is one of the synthetic gloves that are produced from the synthetic latex of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Copolymer type, which is resistance to oil and exhibiting rubber-like characteristics. Its elasticity is good but less superior as compared to natural rub ber. It is generally more costly than natural latex gloves. Strengths of the Goods and Service design: The strengths of using this strategic which is the goods and service design are Top Gloves gloves are protect to lives and the price of it are low compare to other glove brands. When they manufacture the gloves, the gloves will test in the elongation or stretching test, to measure the strengths of the gloves. During extended surgeries, the practice of changing to a new pair of gloves prior to a critical procedure has been noted to reduce bacterial contamination. Weakness of the Goods and Service design: The weaknesses are poor donning techniques, which is can result in glove rips and tears. Healthcare personnel should take care to don gloves correctly and avoid excessive stretching. Thoroughly dry hands before sliding them into gloves. Quality Management: Quality is refers to the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. Every organization should manage and control of their products quality. It is important to help the organization to build a well reputation in the industry. By doing this, customer will more reliability on such product and finally help to gain the market share. Top Glove is a manufacturer company that pays much attention on the products quality. Top Glove committed and believes in top quality products, they are responsibility to ensure quality consistency and product reliability to all their customers and users. Before the products go into the packaging process and sell to the market, Top Glove has implemented the quality inspection process to make sure that their products are producing at the expected quality level. Top Glove is strongly stresses on Total Quality Management (TQM) and the Quality Control tests are conducted from the point we receive our raw materials straight through the production processes and the finished products points. Compulsory pre-shipment inspections are carried out before the delivery of each order. Top Glove is emphasis on stringent quality control procedures in line with ISO 9001 and in strict compliance with ASTM and EN 455 standards. Top Glove has using the tensile strength machine as the measurement of the stretch required to break the glove material. Glove without good vulcanized process tend to have higher tensile strength. Top Glove also has using the innovative auto-stripping system to removing the gloves from the formers, where they are turn inside out. By doing this, the productivity can be increase because it is faster than by using manual stripping. Air pump test has been used to check for holes and visual defects in gloves. Furthermore, water tight test also using by Top Glove to check on the quality of products which is a test that use to determine the AQL level of an examination gloves by checking on the pinholes of the particular gloves after filling up the gloves with 1000ml water and then check for any leakage in 2 minutes time. To ensure the quality of products, Top Glove has been conducted the protein test of the rubber. All natural rubber latex products contain protein. For latex gloves, it is t he measurement of total protein regardless of allergenic content. The ASTM D5712 standard is using the test method in the Modified Lowry assay for analysis of aqueous Extractable Protein Natural Rubber. Besides, Top Glove has using powder free technology to prevent stickiness of gloves by avoiding powder usage completely by going through chlorination or polymer coating process. Besides, Top Glove believes and emphasize strongly in Research Development (RD) to be in line with ever-changing business environment and to cater to the increasing high expectations of end-users. To keep pace with the latest development in the rubber production, Top Glove has been collaborating closely with the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRI) and Lembaga Getah Malaysia (LGM) in the latest development on rubber research technology in Malaysia. Strength of the Quality design: The company able to fulfill or able to follow the Quality control of the foreign site company needs such as European and American customers. Top Glove is a company that very strictly in controls their products quality. Before they sell the products into the market, they will make sure that all of the products are match with the ISO 9001. Because of the high quality control of the products, it may help Top Glove to have more competitive power in the market. In those western countries such as Europe and United States, most of the consumers may have high requirement of a product; they are more concern toward the quality of products instead of the price. They are willing to pay higher price that to get a high quality product. Because of the Top Glove is pay more attention on the quality control, therefore, the quality of the products is more consistent and reliability. To maintain the quality of products, Top Glove is using the innovative technology and always improving their system. With the high quality control of the products, the products quality is more consistent and seldom making substandard products; Top Glove is able to fulfill those consumers needs. Those western countries consider as larger markets in the world; by fulfill those consumers needs of the products, it may lead Top Glove to build their reputation in the market. When they have built a better reputation in the market, the consumers may tend to repurchase those high quality products; it may help the company to gain higher market share. Therefore, the company may have higher profitable. Weakness of the Quality design: The company must update their Quality control fulfillment on consistent basis from their Customers wants such as European and American customer. There is higher cost incur for updating the technology for fulfill the foreign site customer. Most of the western consumers are emphasis on the quality of the products when they are purchasing; therefore, to maintain the market share in the western market, fulfill all of the western consumers needs is important. To maintain the profitable of the company, Top Glove should always update their quality control of the products that based on the customers needs and wants. To fulfill those consumers needs, Top Glove has developed a Research Development (RD) department. This department is required to make sure that the company is using the most efficiency and latest technology in production line. To develop a RD department, there is required an extra capital investment. Besides the machines that is required of the department; some professional also needed to hire to assist in the department. When the department had developed the latest technology, Top Glove is needed to update the initial technology to the latest that can fulfill those consumers needs. However, it is costly to the c ompany. Global Forces: Political Forces The Malaysian government was strictly regulating the health and safety conditions in the Top Glove manufacturing workplace. Besides, under the regulation, the company had to follow the minimum wage on their workers. Besides, that every nation and country was conscious about the environmental issue, similarly happen to Malaysia, it was a compulsory recycling law was enforce to the Manufacturers in Malaysia. Due to this recycling law, it is good to Top Glove Corporation as they can recycle and save their cost on raw material. Thus, it significantly affects the operation of the company and there is a need for Top Glove to maintain good relationship with the ministry and government. Economical Forces Top Glove Corporation having taxes heavily as it taxed at rate that are quite high. Besides, approximately 10 percent interest rates prevailing in the Malaysia market that crea

Football satire Essay

It is that time of year again; the NFL is kicking off another season. Millions of men are ready to get settled in their favorite chair and spend each Sunday afternoon in their underpants, watching hours upon hours of NFL games and highlights. It is also time for wives and girlfriends to meticulously plan and carry out sexual affairs, mostly with foreign men who have little or no interest in American football. Sally lives in downtown Pittsburgh and her husband is a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. â€Å"He watches every game, every highlight, and every report. He doesn’t miss anything, and that gives me time to have an affair with Simon, my British lover†, she told reporters. Like Sally, a growing number of American women now look forward to the NFL season, instead of dreading it as they have in the past. â€Å"I used to get so angry during football season†, said Sally, â€Å"but now, it’s a great time for both of us. He gets to watch all of the games, and I get to have an affair†. Last year, Sally suggested to several of her girlfriends that they too, have an affair during the NFL season. From this, a new subculture was born. â€Å"At first, I wasn’t sure if I should†, said Sally’s friend, Allison. A few weeks later, just after the pre-season, Allison found herself on a date with Simon’s friend, Ron. Days later, an affair began between the two. â€Å"It’s nice† says Allison, â€Å"Ron doesn’t care about football, I have my affair, then season is over and I can get back to my relationship with my husband. Everybody wins this way†. Marriage experts frown on what is being called â€Å"gridiron affairs†, but acknowledge that in some cases, it can keep a relationship or a marriage together. â€Å"Some men really do care way too much about the NFL†, says relationship specialist Dr. Parker. â€Å"Having the affairs may keep wives and girlfriends from getting angry and resentful, and therefore keep an otherwise healthy relationship together.† Parker stresses that there are better ways to deal with the NFL season, such as planning a night together each week when football is not televised. Sally and Allison, however, plan to continue their â€Å"football flings† as long as their husbands insist on watching hours of football each week. â€Å"No way am I giving up Simon†, says Sally. â€Å"Not until my husband stops loving football, which isn’t likely to happen anytime soon â€Å".

Demonstration Speech

Duyen Pham INTRODUCTION: I would like to ask the class with a show of hands, who has never blew a bubble or played with bubbles? I have never met a kid or an adult who could resist bubbles. I believe that there is something unique about a bubble from its fragility, to its rainbow of colors, and to the perfect circle shape. A bubble's life expectancy is usually measured in seconds unless you know how to make a SUPER BUBBLE! So today, I am going to demonstrate how to make a bouncing bubble. MATERIALS: * 1 cup of distilled water * 2 tablespoons of dish soap * 1 tablespoon of glycerin * Pair of gloves * Small bubble wand, straw, or pipette STEPS: . Start with 1 cup of distilled water 2. Add 2 tablespoons of dish soap 3. Then, add 1 tablespoon of glycerin 4. Last, mix together all the ingredients EXPERIMENT: * Allowing your bubble solution to sit undisturbed for at least 24 hours in advance, will allow the bongs in the bubble solution strengthen, which means stronger bubbles. After making up a batch of Bubble Solution with the ingredients listed above. * Using a small bubble wand start by blowing a bubble. If you are using the pipette instead of the bubble wand, cut the bulb off the top of the pipette, dip it into the bubble solution, and blow into the other end of the pipette.If using a straw just dip and blow out the other end. * Bounce the bubble off of your gloves. It can also be bounced off other fabrics. As you'll soon see, some fabrics work better than others. CONCLUSION: Most people don’t know that the bursting of a bubble is caused by contaminates that instantly breaks down the bubble’s mixture and destroys its surface tension. That is why even lightly touching a bubble causes it to burst. So, even though it is just a puff of air trapped in a thin film of soap and water we just need to enjoy the little things in life.

The History of World War IIs Battle of Singapore

The History of World War II's Battle of Singapore The Battle of Singapore was fought January 31 to February 15, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945) between the British and Japanese armies. The British army of 85,000 men was led by Lieutenant  General Arthur Percival, while the Japanese regiment of 36,000 men was headed by Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita. Battle Background   On December 8, 1941, Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashitas Japanese 25th Army began invading British Malaya from Indochina and later from Thailand. Though outnumbered by the British defenders, the Japanese concentrated their forces and utilized combined arms skills learned in earlier campaigns to repeatedly flank and drive back the enemy. Quickly gaining air superiority, they inflicted a demoralizing blow on December 10 when Japanese aircraft sank the British battleships HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales. Utilizing light tanks and bicycles, the Japanese swiftly moved through the peninsulas jungles. Defending Singapore Though reinforced, Lieutenant General Arthur Percivals command was unable to halt the Japanese and on January 31 withdrew from the peninsula to the island of Singapore. Destroying the causeway between the island and Johore, he prepared to repel the anticipated Japanese landings. Considered a bastion of British strength in the Far East, it was anticipated that Singapore could hold or at least offer protracted resistance to the Japanese. To defend Singapore, Percival deployed three brigades of Major General Gordon Bennetts 8th Australian division to hold the western part of the island. Lieutenant General Sir Lewis Heaths Indian III Corps was assigned to cover the northeastern part of the island while the southern areas were defended by a mixed force of local troops led by Major General Frank K. Simmons. Advancing to Johore, Yamashita established his headquarters at the Sultan of Johores palace. Though a prominent target, he correctly anticipated that the British would not attack it for fear of angering the sultan. Utilizing aerial reconnaissance and intelligence gathered from agents that infiltrated the island, he began to form a clear picture of Percivals defensive positions. The Battle of Singapore Begins On February 3, Japanese artillery began hammering targets on Singapore and air attacks against the garrison intensified. British guns, including the citys heavy coastal guns, responded but in the latter case, their armor-piercing rounds proved largely ineffective. On February 8, the first Japanese landings began on Singapores northwest coast. Elements of the Japanese 5th and 18th Divisions came ashore at Sarimbun Beach and met fierce resistance from Australian troops. By midnight, they had overwhelmed the Australians and forced them to retreat. Believing that future Japanese landings would come in the northeast, Percival elected not to reinforce the battered Australians. Widening the battle, Yamashita conducted landings in the southwest on February 9. Encountering the 44th Indian Brigade, the Japanese were able to drive them back. Retreating east, Bennett formed a defensive line just east of Tengah airfield at Belem. To the north, Brigadier Duncan Maxwells 27th Australian Brigade inflicted heavy losses on Japanese forces as they attempted to land west of the causeway. Maintaining control of the situation, they held the enemy to a small beachhead. The End Nears Unable to communicate with the Australian 22nd Brigade on his left and concerned about encirclement, Maxwell ordered his troops to fall back from their defensive positions on the coast. This withdrawal allowed the Japanese to begin landing armored units on the island. Pressing south, they outflanked Bennetts Jurong Line and pushed towards the city. Aware of the deteriorating situation, but knowing that the defenders outnumbered the attackers, Prime Minister Winston Churchill cabled General Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief, India, that Singapore was to hold out at all costs and should not surrender. This message was forwarded to Percival with orders that the latter should fight to the end. On February 11, Japanese forces captured the area around Bukit Timah as well as much of Percivals ammunition and fuel reserves. The area also gave Yamashita control of the bulk of the islands water supply. Though his campaign had been successful to date, the Japanese commander was desperately short of supplies and sought to bluff Percival into ending this meaningless and desperate resistance. Refusing, Percival was able to stabilize his lines in the southeast part of the island and repelled Japanese attacks on February 12. The Surrender Slowly being pushed back on February 13, Percival was asked by his senior officers about surrendering. Rebuffing their request, he continued the fight. The next day, Japanese troops secured Alexandra Hospital and massacred around 200 patients and staff. Early on the morning of February 15, the Japanese succeeded in breaking through Percivals lines. This coupled with the exhaustion of the garrisons anti-aircraft ammunition led Percival to meet with his commanders at Fort Canning. During the meeting, Percival proposed two options: an immediate strike at Bukit Timah to regain the supplies and water or surrendering. Informed by his senior officers that no counterattack was possible, Percival saw little choice other than surrender. Dispatching a messenger to Yamashita, Percival met with the Japanese commander at the Ford Motor Factory later that day to discuss terms. The formal surrender was completed shortly after 5:15 that evening. The Aftermath of the Battle of Singapore The worst defeat in the history of British arms, the Battle of Singapore and the preceding Malayan Campaign saw Percivals command suffer around 7,500 killed, 10,000 wounded, and 120,000 captured. Japanese losses in the fighting for Singapore numbered around 1,713 killed and 2,772 wounded. While some of the British and Australian prisoners were kept at Singapore, thousands more were shipped to Southeast Asia for use as forced labor on projects such as the Siam–Burma (Death) Railway and Sandakan airfield in North Borneo. Many of the Indian troops were recruited into the pro-Japanese Indian National Army for use in the Burma Campaign. Singapore would remain under Japanese occupation for the remainder of the war. During this period, the Japanese massacred elements of the citys Chinese population as well as others who opposed their rule. Immediately after the surrender, Bennett turned over command of the 8th Division and escaped to Sumatra with several of his staff officers. Successfully reaching Australia, he was initially regarded as a hero but was later criticized for leaving his men. Though blamed for the disaster at Singapore, Percivals command was badly under-equipped for the duration of the campaign and lacked both tanks and sufficient aircraft to achieve victory on the Malay Peninsula. That being said, his dispositions prior to the battle, his unwillingness to fortify Johore or the north shore of Singapore, and command errors during the fighting accelerated the British defeat. Remaining a prisoner until the end of the war, Percival was present at the Japanese surrender in September 1945.

Cinderella Essays

Cinderella Essays Cinderella Paper Cinderella Paper hi.. im just looking around Tattercoats Tattacoats is an English fairy tale gathered by Joseph Jacobs in his â€Å"More English Fairy Tales†. A fairy tale is a fictional story that may feature magical characters and numbers. They always ends happily, but they also contains a moral or message. So what’s the moral in Tattercoats? The tale is a about a girl named Tattercoats, who lived in a castle on an island in the middle of the sea. Her mother died in childbirth, therefore did Tattercoats grandfather swear that he would never look at her. So she grew up quite mistreated, and was called Tattercoats for her tattered clothing. One day an invitation from the king arrived, announcing a great ball at which the prince will chose a bride. Her grandfather sailed off to the palace, but Tattercoats was left behind. So she went to see her only friends, the geese, and there she meet a boy, who became her friend. The boy could fly a kite, so he used it to fly Tattercoats across the sea. They meet a handsome young man on their journey. He asked for direction, but they were already heading to the castle so he followed them. Suddenly he looked at Tattercoats. The young man had a revelation, and felt in love with the poor, tattered and dirty girl who never had experienced such a thing as love. The man was so impressed by her beauty, that he invited her to the ball. When she arrived to the, she discovered that the young man was the prince, and he chose her to be his bride. They lived happily ever after, meanwhile Tattercoats grandfather went back to his castle more bitterly than ever. Tattercoats† is based on a traditional English tale, that shares some features with the Cinderella story. First of all there is a poor and abandoned girl whose parents are dead, and therefore her only relative is a mean stepmother or, as in this case a vicious grandfather who don’t see her as a family member. The life of the girl is awful, but she has to live accordingly until one day she hears that the prince is looking for a bride. Sure there is no chance she is able to make it to the upcoming ball. Then something magical happens, a miracle. In â€Å"Cinderella† it is a fairy who conjures a pumpkin coach up whereas in â€Å"Tattercoats† it is a boy with a wonderful pipe and some geese, that makes it is possible for Tattercoats to attend the ball. SenderObjectReceiver The nurseThe PrinceTattercoats HelperSubjectOpponent The herd boyTattercoatsThe grandfather The nurse is the sender, because she is the one who encourages Tattercoats to go to the ball to â€Å"seek her fortune† which is the Prince. The nurse also asks the grandfather several times whether Tattercoats can be allowed to be guest at the ball, but she gets a rejection each time. Therefore Tattercoats goes to see her friends, the geese, and there she meets the boy who joyfully agrees to go with her to the castle. That makes him to the helper. The message in this story is, that its not how you dress or how much money you have that decides, what person you are, or what your future is going to look like. You just have to follow your dreams and believe in them. The message is also that the good persons always wins and they live happily ever after.

Themes Across Literature and Film Research Paper

Themes Across Literature and Film - Research Paper Example The stress associated with this disorder can trigger self-damaging impulses or suicidal, such as random sexual encounters (Baer et al 350), reckless behavior and minor crimes. Most of the people suffering this disorder normally have trouble operating in customary social environments. The women are more prone to this disorder than men. In many occasions, people suffering from borderline personality disorder experience feelings such as boredom, emptiness, feel mistreated and alone. Severe feelings of solitude or isolation are frequently accompanied by frantic struggles in order to avoid loneliness (Baer et al 350). The film Cruel Intentions features Kathryn Merteuil, a fictional character, and she plays as the main villain in this 1999 teen drama film. Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar plays the role of Kathryn Merteuil in this movie. Kathryn Merteuil, is the daughter of Tiffany Merteuil who is a very well respected socialite in New York. She went to school in Manchester Prep, which is a very prominent private school that is located just on the outskirts of the city. She lived with her mother on the Upper East Side. They moved into Valmont’s house immediately her mother was married to him (Porr). As Kathryn grew, she surpassed in a lot of school fields and turned out to be very eloquent and fluent in both Vietnamese and French Languages. She also learnt and became good at playing the Piano and she turned out to be well known and admired all over the school community as an idol and she became an inspiration to almost all the parents, yet she was clandestinely getting addicted to both cocaine and alcohol (Porr). Cassidy, a cousin to Kathryn, is even more devious than she is. Sebastian’s funeral inaugurates the new school year (Porr). As the service progressed, Kathryn makes a speech concerning her unsuccessful trials to get the late Sebastian to change his habits and

Geography The discussion in this class goes around (How Societies Assignment

Geography The discussion in this class goes around (How Societies Change) - Assignment Example ld lost his motors workshop which was operating quite soundly and he was hoping to employ two people but lost it to the tornado and many others like him have suffered a lot. The geographic location of the town became a hindrance in the peaceful life of the town but nature cannot be fought and people just have to wait until the disaster is over. â€Å"Lifeline connects state known as shifting sands (The New York Times, 2012).† Another geographic challenge faced by the US authorities as published in The New Times on 5-Mar-12, Hatteras’ lifeline the only bridge known as â€Å"Highway 12† connecting the small island with the world was trashed by hurricane Irene. The local authorities built the bridge afresh but nature seems to oppose the construction, winds and waves are still causing it harm spreading fear that it might not sustain and collapse again. This place is also stricken by its geographic location with a deadly ocean around it. These natural disasters can destroy lives and property while humans can do nothing to control them. Man seems powerless in front of such disastrous geographic changes. These disasters prove lethal to the economy and the infrastructure of the state, reconstruction cost millions and people having lost their precious properties are under heavy stress by the effects they encounter. Although people have settled down in these places and have adopted their lives following the geographical dangers of the place yet when it strikes the people can do nothing but watch helplessly at the poor state they are left in after the disasters. Economic situation is crushed and people seem crushed to poverty. Without homes they have to spend their days out on the streets and sleep under open sky or in their cars instead of their cozy beds. Life seems to be sucked out of them. With businesses destroyed it becomes a challenge for the people to re-establish themselves and the jobless people live a life of refugees in their very own city. With no money,

How Italian Food Defines You, Your Family, and Your Ethnicity Essay

How Italian Food Defines You, Your Family, and Your Ethnicity - Essay Example A side dish of salad or vegetables rounds out the meal. After a beverage, predominantly wine, a decadent dessert is also consumed. And always, conversation and laughter dominates the family table. Many Italian-Americans still keep the Vatican custom of seven fishes served on New Year's Eve, including squid, eels, and conch. The traditional meal on Easter is lamb. Of course, all meals are accompanied with a pasta side dish. Since gorgonzola, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses were first made by Italians, these dairy products are incorporated into just about all Italian fare. To discuss Italian culture and food, we have to include the topic of the all-American pizza. USA pizza is different from Italian pizza in that pizza served in Italy has less cheese, and the crust is thin as paper. The New York Times published an article stating that it is as important how we eat opposed to what we eat. That could be a lesson in cooking. When Italians dine, they take their time eating. They have a relationship with food. Mealtimes with the family are almost sacred. Conversation at the table strengthens the bond of family. Italians also lead active lives. Cars are not allowed in many Italian town centers. Therefore, walking is necessary. Most residents are walkups without elevators. Most importantly, portion sizes are much smaller in Italy.