Interview an entrepreneur or small business owners Assignment

Interview an entrepreneur or small business owners - Assignment Example It integrates a comparison of my theoretical learning about entrepreneurship and the practical application of the theory in the business world. The reports reflects upon how entrepreneurs face failure initially and then they become successful. INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY The entrepreneur I interviewed is a young cook, who has opened up her own business of made-to-order fancy cakes and pastries. At the age of 23 years, Maham Baber began her business inspired by a few fancy birthday cakes she observed. Being a food fanatic and her passion for cooking and baking, she decided to open up a small business of made-to-order fancy home sweets of all kinds. Before opening her new business she took a few essential basic baking courses of professional baking. Based in her home town of Lahore, Pakistan, her business has flourished immensely over the past two years of the company's existence. The name of her bakery is Fiesta: Designer Cakes n Pinatas. Currently she works solo in the preparation of or dered sweets. The product offering includes designer cakes, desserts and pinatas. Each of these categories are available in numerous flavours. Cakes are custom made mainly fondant cakes with designs according to the customers' requirements. Desserts include all kinds of sweets like cupcakes, brownies, eclairs, macaroons, fruit and carrot cakes, moose, caramel crunch and tiramisu. Recently Fiesta has introduced a new variant to the business named Oh Ohs, which are chocolate coated cream filled rolls. The company takes orders through a Facebook page. Since it’s a young organization, it does not have a proper website as yet. However, the company works professionally as the orders are taken a week earlier and delivered to customers on the deadline. Sometimes the orders are picked by customers themselves from the owner's residence. At the inception of the business, the entrepreneur had to face certain challenges. For the initial few months, her business was running at a loss since at the time the demand for such fancy products was minimal. The product used to prepare the cakes were expensive as at times imported products were used which are usually expensive. She practically created the demand for designer cakes and other such sweets which took her more than an year. Moreover, her only communication was through Facebook which meant initially she was unable to reach her potential customer base. Also, since she took only a few courses in the beginning before starting, she had some cake and sweet disasters in the beginning which increased her cost immensely. One other main challenge was to convince customers to try out her product. This required good marketing skills which she lacked and hence gaining loyal customers was an extremely difficult phase for the entrepreneur. ANALYSIS OF ENTREPRENEURIAL CHARACTERISTICS As an entrepreneur, there are numerous characteristics which she embodies in her work and these entrepreneurial characteristics are the key to her im mense success in just two years of the business operations. However, her working solo on the orders hinders her way of developing some of the most essential entrepreneurial characteristics. Like every successful entrepreneur, Fiesta's owner loves her work. Her passion for baking is what led her to

Theories of Management in Small Businesses

Theories of Management in Small Businesses A Stationery Business Small businesses nowadays find it very hard to survive. Everyone is forced to embrace new changes in the environment he lives in due to global economy. Individuals in the work place are the basis of the performance of an organization, especially with the knowledge they bring along. In todays society, organizations are expected to provide the best quality available. This is where management takes place. Managers ensure the workers are using their energy to the maximum by supporting them, and also monitoring the environment to make sure the organization is maximizing its performance (Porter 1998). Management is made up of four parts which are planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Managers in the modern world must gain human and technical skills to succeed in the business world, as they must take risky decisions at some point. This essay talks about the four topics of management: workplace, management history, organization environment, and international organization. The essay also talks about a business idea to be formed at the UWA business school where it will use the different points. To take advantage of the workers, employers should help them by providing a relaxing work environment which respects work-life balance and which offers rewards. Nowadays, work requirements changed. They require employees have a set of skills in order to gain value in an organization( Evans 2015) . In addition, individuals in an organization must learn new technology skills, because nowadays, the internet is modifying the structure of organizations. For an organization to survive in the competitive world, it must offer quality services to the society which would lead to satisfied customers. This is how the performance of an organization is determined. The manager reviews the performance of an organization and makes decisions and certain changes so that the organization functions as planned and to reach the desired vision. To achieve that, the management process must be applied. It is made up of 4 steps (Cheng 2010). The first step is planning, where the manager states the goals that n eed to be reached. The second step is controlling which is done by monitoring the performance of the organization and comparing it to the results. The third step is organizing by allocating resources and giving roles to employees and groups. The last step is leading. Managers encourage the workers to do their best so that goals can be reached. Despite the fact that businesses are obliged to adapt to the new changing environments, managements history must not be ignored. Management can be approached in many ways that have evolved over time (Kilmann 1986).   Classical approach notes that universal work ethics are used in various states of management. The behavioural approach concludes that the worker is an important asset of the organization and plays a vital role in its performance, that is why, workers are given rewards and easy work schedules. The third approach is quantitative and it relies on math and complex calculations such as mathematical forecasting to take final decisions. The modern approach is the latest one and it states that organizations must adapt to the constant change of the environment and peoples needs. In the modern worlds, organizations need to be ahead of the game, monitoring any changes in the environment and to act immediately (Spicer 2011). That is why organizations must have a clear vision of its goals in order to succeed in a competitive world. Organizations have internal and external environments. Internal environments form the culture inside the organization which shapes its personality and how the people inside interact with each other. The external environment focuses on the external variables that directly affect the organization, such as the customers, or economy or laws governing the country (Borrello 2015). Organizations who embrace a robust culture inside   perform much better than others because its workers respect each other and the business ensures everyone is equal. Everyone is paid the same and treated the same regardless of their race and cultural differences. International management was found when organizations were created in different countries around the world (Ohmae 1996). The global manager is aware of every organization and its environment. However, the international business is affected by the global economy since countries and economies have become interdependent. Organizations who are willing to become international, must acquire skills related to export and import, in addition to sourcing (Kramar 2001). I have decided to open a stationery in the UWA Business school. The reason for this is because students do not have enough time to go outside the campus and purchase their stationery needs. In addition, students will always need to buy books, copybooks and other study material. This will save time and will provide low prices to students with a Student ID. The stationery will provide new technologies such as wireless printing and digital printing cards so that students can print before even coming to the store, thus, saving more time. Employees will be university students who are passionate about helping other students with their research or materials of study. That is why the workers at my business will be given routine trainings to ensure they gain new skills. They will be given rewards for helping more students, and a flexible work schedule to study at the university and work at the same time. The performance of the business will be monitored and changes will be done based on the o utcome. Changes can be introducing new services such as graphic design services and even coupons which offer cheaper prices. In conclusion, the performance of an organization is determined by different managerial processes. Customers expect businesses to always provide perfect quality of product or service. However, this can be fulfilled only if the organization takes care of its people and supports their talents. Managers must ensure that employees are learning new skills especially in the technology field since the internet has changed the equations and everything has become connected together. Managers role is to set a clear vision for the organization and to monitor the results of a certain plan, then compare the results with the performance in order to perform the necessary changes within an organization. References Michael E. Porter, The Competitive Advantage of Nations: With a New Introduction (New York: Free Press, 1998). Simon Evans, Blackmores to Give Six Weeks Bonus Pay for 900 Staff After Pro t Surge, The Sydney Morning Herald à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨(26 August 2015), www.smh.com.au. V. Cheng, J. Rhodes and P. Lok, A Framework for Strategic Decision Making and Performance Among Chinese Managers, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 21, no. 9 (2010), pp. 1373-95. Ralph H. Kilmann, Mary J. Saxton and Roy Serpa, Issues in Understanding and Changing Corporate Culture, California à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Management Review, vol. 28 (1986), pp. 87-94 David P. Spicer, Changing culture: A Case Study of a Merger Using à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Cognitive Mapping, Journal of Change Management, vol. 11, no. 2 (2011), pp. 245-64. Eliza Borrello, China FTA: Labor Agrees to Support Free Trade Deal; Says New Agreement Secures Protections for Workers, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨ABC News (21 October 2015), www.abc.net.au/news. Kenichi Ohmaes books include The Borderless World: Power and Strategy in the Interlinked Economy (New York: Harper, 1989); The End of the Nation State (New York: Free Press, 1996) Robin Kramar, Managing Diversity: Challenges and Future Directions, in Retha Wiesner and Bruce Millett (eds), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Management and Organisational Behaviour: Contemporary Challenges and Future Directions (Brisbane: John Wiley à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Sons, 2001).

Elizabeth Essay -- essays papers

Elizabeth The 1998 movie â€Å"Elizabeth,† directed by Shekhar Kapur, from a script by Michael Hirst, is a historical epic that takes place during and after the mid-16th-century period when England’s Princess Elizabeth was nearly eliminated by her half-sister, Queen Mary. It portrays the events of Mary’s death, Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne, and the struggles and events that she must overcome in order to preserve the strength of the English Monarchy, and establish Protestantism as the chief English religion. She must also maintain her stability and safety as a female ruler in a male-dominated society. The movie is beautifully made, with eloquent and realistic costumes, and prominent actors, and it successfully turns an important historical period into a riveting drama filled with action and romance. However, looking at â€Å"Elizabeth† from a historical standpoint, it is lacking in terms of accuracy. The chronological events in the movie do not follow with the historical events, and instances that happened over many years are crammed into a short period of time. Also, many events are exaggerated, or even completely made up in order to add to the dramatic appeal of the movie. Despite these flaws, â€Å"Elizabeth† does correctly relate the main aspects of Queen Elizabeth I’s rule. Elizabeth was born in 1533, the daughter of the infamous Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. When Elizabeth was three, her mother was beheaded for treason and adultery, and Parliament declared her marriage to Henry invalid, which made Elizabeth illegitimate. Her chances of ever ascending the throne were again thwarted by the birth of Edward, the son of Henry and his third wife. When Edward, a Protestant, died in 1553, his older half-sister, Mary, a Catholic, took the throne. Mary always held bitter feelings toward Elizabeth because Anne Boleyn treated Catherine of Aragon, Mary‘s mother, badly. To avoid angering Mary, Elizabeth â€Å"conformed outwardly to Catholicism,† but she secretly hoped and plotted to restore Protestantism. She was briefly locked up in the Tower of London, and was almost executed. The movie begins with the execution of three Protestant activists, ordered by Mary, illustrating her hatred and intolerance for Protestants. In order to avoid angering Mary, â€Å"Elizabeth continually had to proclaim her pious distaste for heresy.†(Jagger) In the movie, Mary ... ...o about two hours, and make these two hours interesting. To do so, facts had to be manipulated in order to make the movie more interesting and easy to follow. Important characters were omitted, conspiracies grouped together, and people were misrepresented. Elizabeth was portrayed as a happy and fun-loving young woman, when historians describe her as a somewhat cold-hearted woman who shared her father’s nasty temper. The filmmakers turned the history into a drama that has the essential characteristics of any entertaining movie: suspense, good guys and bad guys, and a riveting love story. They were not attempting to make an accurate documentary of Elizabethan England, but a dramatized interpretation of it that would be enjoyable to viewers, and provoke interest in the Elizabethan era. Bibliography: Hartl, John. Movie Review: ‘Elizabeth’ is unstuffy historical epic, stirring up overlooked British history† November 20. McCaffrey, Wallace, Susan Doran, Chris Haigh, and Norman Jones. Ridley, Jasper. The Shrewdness of Virtue . London: Viking Penguin Inc, 1987 Encyclopedia Britannica 1999-2000 Elizabeth I. Crown Copyright, 1997, 1998, 1999.

In Penal Colony Discussion on Narration

The narration of the story is in third person through the explorer. The explorer's thoughts and emotions are known by the narrator but the other characters’ minds cannot be read. Even though the narration is done through the explorer, there are many instances where we do not know what the explorer is thinking, therefore this can be classified as limited omniscient, moreover, the narrator in the story does not show any emotional attachment to the events around him or comment on the legality of what is taking place rather he simply describes the proceedings in a very monotonous way.For example, when the explorer finds out that the condemned man will be put to death by a machine without any chance of defending himself or having his innocence or guilt proven, the narrator shows no reaction to this unjust act. He continues to understate situations which would normally cause some type of reaction. Perhaps this is done intentionally so as to not influence the reader and let the reade r formulate their own thoughts.But, by being a passive bystander as the events unfold, one does feel a sense of helplessness and even some guilt as this line shows: â€Å"The explorer wanted to intervene and possibly bring the whole thing to a standstill; this was no torture such as the officer wished to achieve, this was outright murder. † (p. 73). This event, where the officer dies, is called a â€Å"murder† as the original purpose of the machine, to execute over twelve hours is not realized. The explorer is impressed by the officer’s devotion to the machine but the lack of action makes the narrator untrustworthy.

Analysis of Pawn Stars

Pawn Stars is a show set in a pawnshop in Las Vegas. The show goes through a day in the life of the workers. It shows all of the interesting people and items that walk through the door, and tells us a little of the history behind them. In the show pawn stars the coding and other elements in the background have a very profound effect on the show as a whole. All of the elements of the show can be broken down by the TAP model, which has three main elements text, production and audience. In the show the characters never look at the camera while they are buying and selling in the shop.The point of view is from a third person bystander. This is to give the feel that the cameraman and crew have no part in the day to day life of the characters. This third person view is broken however in the interviews and asides that the characters have. Most of the sellers of extravagant strange or expensive items are interviewed about there items using the outside as a backdrop to give the feel that the i nterview was very informal as they were walking up to the shop. The guys in the pawnshop are also interviewed. In which they give us specific information about the history of the objects and their opinions.It is all portrayed in a way to show that the guys who work at the pawn shop are very knowledgeable while the public is not. Every episode seems to be about one day at the pawnshop. They take all of the more interesting customers and objects from the previous week or month and put them into one day. They also have flash backs to earlier in the day, the lighting is different for these scenes, as they are more of a sepia color to signify the time difference. The lighting for most of the show is bright and welcoming, like they are encouraging you to walk right in.The music in Pawn Stars also takes a huge role in setting the mood. You have intense suspenseful music when Rick or one of the guys is negotiating, that then switches to happy music once an agreement is made. The element of music has made a huge impact on the more recent episodes as the producers strive to make the show more interesting, to attract more viewers. In previous episodes the coding was more low key, allowing the show to have more straight facts with out all of the drama. The opposite is now true in more recent episodes.Pawn stars is clearly a â€Å"reality show† while the facts and artifacts are real the sellers and every thing else for the most part is staged. There is a huge difference in the show’s dynamic when it first came out and where it is today. Originally it was simple and to the point there was very little drama and the show focused on the neat artifacts and collectibles being bought and sold at the shop. But over time they ran out of â€Å"real† costumers bringing in one of a kind collectibles. So they cheated a little by bringing in actors and merchandise.The level of drama and interactions or little quarrels outside the business has increased. Most new epi sodes have at least one very disgruntled customer or seller swearing at the camera and running off. There has been so much more drama and suspense added in in order to increase their viewers. A quick internet search shows its possible to get just about anything with the Pawn Stars logo on it, they even have short video games and books related to it. The main purpose of the show is to make money by maximizing profits with out losing viewers.The original audience for the show was the typical History Channel audience, male viewers. But in order to get more viewers they have taken a more true reality TV approach, put as much drama as possible in it to make it suspenseful and interesting. I do not like this approach and typically do not like shows that have so much â€Å"fake† drama. This TAP model is a great way to break down a media form into its basic elements in order to fully understand it I will never look at TV shows or other media the same way again.

How to Write an Economics Essay on the Inca Empire

How to Write an Economics Essay on the Inca Empire We have talked about the interesting facts of the Inca Empire, gave you a plethora of topics and finally, we gave you a sample essay as well. We hope all that should have prepared you to decide what you want to write about. Now that you know what you want to do, let’s talk about how you can do it. Here are our tips which can help you write an economics essay on the Inca Empire: Read the Reference Material.  Every time you’ll be told to write an economics related essay, you’ll be given a lot of reading material by your teacher. Going through them might seem mundane and tiresome, but it will help you greatly in writing your essay. We recommend that you at least go through the in-lecture-notes or the curriculum book. Go the Extra Mile.  When you are writing an economic essay on the Inca Empire, it is important that you go the extra mile for information. As mentioned, don’t just take information from your own book but search for interesting facts and figures, which can be found on the internet. Remember, the richer and more informative your essay, the better the grade which you will score. Know What You’re Doing.  Too often do people make a mistake as simple as misunderstanding the topic. We recommend that when you’re given the title of the essay, make sure you go through all of its requirements. It’s better to put yourself through this even if the topic seems simple enough, because even if you hand in the greatest essay that anyone has ever written, and it’s off topic, then your effort will go to waste. Make Sure There Is Enough Material.  Facts and figures should dominate your essay. Make sure there is enough relevant material, and that your main points are not overshadowed. Make sure you go past the bare minimum. Reading the reference material and quoting. The essay will not be as impactful as when you put in material from various books. Showcase Your Command of the Topic.  It is extremely essential that the person checking your essay understands that you have a certain command over the topic. Do not hold back and after you’re done, make sure the information inside reflects your knowledge on the matter. If you are not careful with this, you will get a bad grade and that will be very unlucky and frustrating. Make It Presentable.  It is very important that the material in your essay is relevant, what’s even more important is the way it is formatted. Keep the sentences articulated and make sure there are no repetitions. There should be a proper introduction and a conclusion. It is also important that you systematically segment your essay so it is easier to read. State Your Points Clearly.  Do not hang your essay on the edge, pick a side and speculate in a dominant tone. Indecisive arguments reflect badly upon your general research. Keep the sentences short and use your commas and full-stops in a correct way. Follow the Rules.  There will be constraints and limitations set by your professor and you will have to follow them. Most of them will be about how the essay should be formatted and how referencing should be made. One universal tip that we can give you is that you should never plagiarize your work because every educational and academic institute has all kinds of punishments up for it. Word limits should also be respected. Referencing.  Check with your professor about what kind of referencing method he\she is looking for. Referencing is extremely important because it helps the reader to do more research and it also compliments the original writer of the content. You can use various online citation generators if you have the website link or book’s ISBN number. Here is an example of a website being cited in APA: Tips for writing economics essays. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2016, from economicshelp.org/help/tips-economic-essays/ By the end of this article, and the ones before it, you’ll be able to know how to research, fixate on a topic and write an essay. We wish you all the best.

How to Use In, An or Auf Properly

How to Use In, An or Auf Properly Although German is a straightforward language once you learn the rules, you cant always directly translate every word from English. In fact, the more you study some words, the more confusing they may become. Three German prepositions, in particular, can be tricky for beginners: in, an and auf.   What Is a Preposition? A preposition is a word that is typically paired with a noun (or pronoun, like he or she) that helps you understand that words relationship to another part of the sentence. For example, prepositions can refer to the nouns position in space or time. Like put your feet  under  the table, or go shopping  after  class. But many English prepositions have different meanings. Under can be below, but it can also mean less than. Some prepositions are colloquial or you just have to memorize them, like get down with.   The same goes for German. You can memorize the meanings of the prepositions, but not all will be a direct translation of the English counterpart.   These are all two-way prepositions, meaning the noun/pronoun that follows this  preposition  will be conjugated in the accusative (if it is used to express motion/action, like I walk into the store) or dative (if it is used to express a location or position, like I stand in the street). In English, the preposition does not change the noun/pronoun it precedes.   In Means: in, into, to Examples: Ich stehe in der Straße. (I stand in the street.) Die Frau ist in der Universitt. (The woman is in the university, as in she is physically inside the university building. If you want to say you are enrolled in the university, you say, an der  Universitt, as in at the university. See below.)   An Means: at, to, up next to   Examples: Ich sitze an dem Tisch. (I am sitting at the table.) Die Frau ist  an der  Tankstelle. (The woman is at the gas station, as in she is literally standing up next to the vertical gas pump. It can be helpful to think about a side-by-side, vertical encounter to remember when to use an as in up next to.)   Auf Means: on, on top of Examples: Die Backerei ist auf der Hauptstraße. (The bakery is on the main street.) Die Frau ist  auf  der Bank. (The woman is on the bench, as in she is literally sitting on top of the horizontal bench. A horizontal encounter is often key for auf.)   Other Considerations Some verbs come standard with a preposition. Think about hang out or hang up in English; the preposition is an important component of the verb that actually changes the meaning of it.

Biography of Architect Norma Merrick Sklarek

Biography of Architect Norma Merrick Sklarek Architect Norma Merrick Sklarek (born April 15, 1926 in Harlem, New York) worked behind the scenes on some of the largest architectural projects in America. Notable in architectural history as the first Black American woman registered architect in New York and California, Sklarek was also the first Black woman to be elected to the prestigious Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA). In addition to being the production architect for many high-profile Gruen and Associates projects, Sklarek became a role model to many young women entering the male-dominated architecture profession. Sklareks legacy as a mentor is profound. Because of the disparities she faced in her life and career, Norma Merrick Sklarek could be sympathetic to the struggles of others. She led with her charm, grace, wisdom, and hard work. She never excused racism and sexism but gave others the strength to deal with adversities. Architect Roberta Washington has called Sklarek the reigning mother hen to us all. Others have called her The Rosa Parks of Architecture. Fast Facts: Norma Sklarek Occupation: Architect  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also Known as: Norma Merrick Sklarek, Norma Merrick Fairweather, Norma MerrickBorn: April 15, 1926 in Harlem, New YorkDied: February 6, 2012 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaEducation: B.Arch. from Columbia University’s School of Architecture (1950)Architecture with Cesar Pelli: San Bernardino City Hall (1972) ; Columbus Courthouse Center in Indiana (1973); Pacific Design Center in California (1975); The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan (1978)Key Accomplishments: As a Black female, Sklarek became a well-respected project director and educator within the white male dominated field of architecture.Fun Fact: Sklarek been called The Rosa Parks of Architecture East Coast Years Norma Merrick was born to West Indian parents who had moved to Harlem, New York. Sklareks father, a doctor, encouraged her to excel in school and to seek a career in a field not normally open to females or to Americans of color. She attended Hunter High School, an all-girls magnate school, and Barnard College, a womans college associated with Columbia University, which did not accept women students at the time. In 1950 she earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree. After receiving her degree, Norma Merrick was unable to find work at an architecture firm. After being rejected by dozens of firms, she took a job at the New York Department of Public Works. While working there from  1950 to 1954 she studied for and passed the grueling, week-long series of tests to become a licensed architect in New York State - on her first try. She was then in a better position to join the large New York office of Skidmore, Owings Merrill (SOM), working there from 1955 until 1960. Ten years after earning her architecture degree, she decided to move to the West coast. West Coast Years It was Sklareks long association with Gruen and Associates in Los Angeles, California where she made her name within the architecture community. From 1960 until 1980 she used both her architectural expertise and her project management skills to realize the many multi-million dollar projects of the large Gruen firm - becoming the firms first female director in 1966. Sklareks race and sex often were marketing detriments at the time of her employment with major architectural firms. When she was a director at Gruen Associates, Sklarek collaborated with Argentina-born Cà ©sar Pelli on a number of projects. Pelli was Gruens Design Partner from 1968 to 1976, which associated his name with new buildings. As Production Director, Skarek had immense responsibilities but was rarely acknowledged on the finished project. Only the U.S. Embassy in Japan has acknowledged Sklareks contributions - the Embassy website stated that The building was designed by Cà ©sar Pelli and Norma Merrick Sklarek of Gruen Associates of Los Angeles and constructed by Obayashi Corporation, as straightforward and matter-of-fact as Sklarek herself. After 20 years with Gruen, Sklarek left and from 1980 until 1985 became Vice President at Welton Becket Associates in Santa Monica, California. While there, she directed the construction of Terminal One at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which opened in time for the 1984 summer Olympic games in Los Angeles. In 1985 she left Welton Becket to establish Siegel, Sklarek, Diamond, an all-woman partnership with Margot Siegel and Katherine Diamond. Sklarek is said to have missed working on the large, complicated projects of previous positions, and so she finished her professional career as Principal at the Jerde Partnership in Venice, California from 1989 until her retirement in 1992. Marriages Born Norma Merrick, she was married three times. She is also known as Norma Merrick Fairweather, and her two sons are Fairweathers. Sklarek was the name of Norma Merricks second husband, architect Rolf Sklarek, whom she married in 1967. It becomes understandable why professional women often keep their birth names, as Merrick changed her name again in 1985 when she married Dr. Cornelius Welch, her husband at the time of her death. Quote In architecture, I had absolutely no role model. Im happy today to be a role model for others that follow. Death Norma Sklarek died of heart failure at her home on February 6, 2012. She lived with her third husband in Pacific Palisades, an affluent residential area of Los Angeles, California. Legacy Sklareks life has been filled with many firsts. She was the first Black woman to be licensed as an architect in New York (1954) and in California (1962). In 1959, Sklarek became the first Black woman to become a member of the American architects national professional organization, the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In 1980, she was the first woman to be elected a Fellow of the AIA (FAIA). Its notable that in 1923 Paul Revere Williams became the first Black architect to become a member of the AIA, and he rose to become a Fellow in 1957. In 1985, Norma Sklarek helped establish and managed the California firm Siegel, Sklarek, Diamond, one of the first woman-owned and operated architectural firm. Norma Merrick Sklarek collaborated with design architects to transform building ideas from paper to architectural realities. Design architects usually receive all the credit for a building, but just as important is the production architect who sees the project to completion. Austrian-born Victor Gruen has long been credited with inventing the American shopping mall, but Sklarek was ready to carry out the plans, making changes when necessary and solving design problems in real time. Sklareks most significant project collaborations include City Hall in San Bernardino, California, Fox Plaza in San Francisco, California, the original Terminal One at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in California, Commons - Courthouse Center in Columbus, Indiana, the Blue Whale of the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, and the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a Black American architect, Norma Sklarek more than survived in a difficult profession - she thrived. Raised during Americas Great Depression, Norma Merrick developed an intelligence and tenacity of spirit that became an influence to many others in her field. She proved that the architecture profession has a place for anyone willing to persist at doing good work. Sources AIA Audio Interiew: Norma Merrick Sklarek. aia.org/akr/Resources/Audio/AIAP037892?dvidrecspecAIAP037892Bellows, Layla. Norma Sklarek, FAIA: A Litany of Firsts that Defined a Career, and a Legacy. AIA Architect. aia.org/practicing/AIAB093149Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. Norma Merrick Sklarek.  bwaf.org/dna/archive/entry/norma-merrick-sklarekBWAF Staff. Roberta Washington, FAIA, Makes A Place, Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, February 09, 2012. bwaf.org/roberta-washington-faia-makes-a-place/National Visionary Leadership Project. Norma Sklarek: National Visionary. visionaryproject.org/sklareknorma/U.S. Department of State. Embassy of the United States, Tokyo, Japan. http://aboutusa.japan.usembassy.gov/e/jusa-usj-embassy.html

Managing and developing people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing and developing people - Essay Example Usually, big organizations could have thousands of employees. To manage such a magnitude of employees requires expertise, skill and a deep knowledge of principles of management. Regardless of the size of the organization, human resources are what keep a company moving. This paper discusses the role of motivation in getting work done and especially in increasing employee job performance. The following is a report on the factors that affect motivation in an given organization. The report highlights different technique and human resources theory, which different organizations use to give rewards and maintain a well-motivated workforce. This section of the report analyzes the techniques and theories with an aim of evaluating their effectiveness as strategies made to assist the organization in achieving its goals. It is evident that the task of motivating workforce in an organization is not an easy one and requires that organizations evident enormous resources in the process. Cranny, Smith, and Stone, (1992), defines motivation as the process of empowering an individual to continue acting in a certain positive behaviour. Motivation in organizations is aimed at encouraging employees to take initiative in execution of their duties at the work place. Motivated employees exhibit self-drive and desire to willingly perform their tasks in accordance to the organization’s objectives (Cranny, Smith, & Stone, 1992). According to the Maslow’s theory, employees’ behaviour is influenced by wants and desires which unless satisfied, they continue to determine and influence how an employee will act. In a business organization, employees have their needs and wants, which make them to work. However unless their expectations are fulfilled they may under perform or function in less effective manner. Business organizations have come up with different ways of fulfilling human resource needs. The most important of them is the motivation of workers. Unless workers are

Talent Practices at the Home Depot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Talent Practices at the Home Depot - Essay Example Therefore the only manner in which the company can truly differentiate itself is through its service standards. Employees are key to offering customers with the highest levels of service. Home Depot is aware of this fact and therefore uses its employees to gain competitive advantage over its rivals in all the different countries that it operates in. In order to gain competitive advantage through its employees, the company communicates the strategic importance of them to the company (Burke & Cooper, 2004). The performance levels that are expected of them are constantly communicated to them and they are provided with ongoing training to help them to update their knowledge and upgrade their skills, based on the area of the business the work in, whether it is on the shop floor or the office (Adamson, 2006). However since the company has to differentiate itself from its rivals in a highly competitive market, the company pays special attention to employees on the shop floor, who are the first line of contract with the customers and hence the most able to make a difference. Since this is the 'do it yourself' industry, the best employees are those who can help customers in their 'do it yourself' projects. ... refore when recruiting individuals to work on the floor in the retail outlets the company always looks for individuals who have an interest in 'do it yourself' projects (Clarke & Layman, 2004). The company gives priority to individuals who have specialist trades knowledge in areas such as plumbing, wood work, crafts, painting etc. Further individuals who are home owners themselves and have embarked on many different 'do it yourself' projects at home and have the necessary experience to help a customer are given priority. This is not to say that the company does not employ teenagers, high school and college kids. The company does recruit many such individuals but does so only if they have some interest in gardening or home maintenance or areas specific to electronics and home appliances. Therefore the company appeals to the above segments through various means such as trade schools for individuals who have specialist knowledge in such areas, these individuals not only work on the shop floor and as independent contractors for Home Depot but they also deliver work shops in areas such as gardening, wiring, tiling, etc. Next the company also uses the Internet through its website and also job sites such as Workopolis to recruit individuals. Another channel used by the store is in-store advertising for associates during high seasons, and walk in interviews. Discuss the critical programs used by Home Depot to keep talent in their pipeline. The company works with many different trade and vocational schools and builds relationships with these schools to gain access to their graduates, thus having a pipeline of qualified candidates to work for the company as independent contractors. Likewise all individuals who apply for positions within the company but are not successful at

Critically evaluate the status of Offender profiling as a Essay

Critically evaluate the status of Offender profiling as a psychologically - underpinned technique - Essay Example an either be â€Å"proactive or reactive.† Investigators use reactive profiling when solving crimes that have already happened while proactive profiling involves an attempt to interdict and foil crime before it happens. Profiling provides the police investigators with a personality snapshot or typology helpful in identifying and apprehending a suspect. It assists the police with a set of unique behavioural habits and personality characteristics. Alison and Canter (1999) say that profiling almost always takes place after a crime scene has been examined. Dr. Canter’s studies related to the link between Action versus Characteristics ( A v C ) of the offender including his criminal history, background and relationships to others has become known as the ‘profiling equations’ and has given rise to criminal behaviour identification which is crucial to models of inference related to investigations. Unlike detective fiction, these inference models operate at the thematic level. To collect information and test hypothesis for inductive reasoning; is at the heart of empirical science and investigative psychology where a wide range of empirical studies aims at providing objective bases for investigative inferences. Studies related to inference are slowly beginning to provide a basis for a general theory of offender consistency. But it would be unwise to rule out the possibility, that if the offender is intelligent, he’ll often alter his M.O. (Modus Operandi or method of operation) to avoid detection as in the case of Yorkshire Ripper; who used a screwdriver in his early killings and later changed to using a ligature. To help the police generate detailed information, psychologists have developed processes and guidelines for ‘cognitive interviews’ but to measure their precise relevance and accuracy, varies between situations. Similarly, psychologists are involved in studies and procedures to help reconstruct faces from memory. They have also contributed to the

Interesting topic would get your readers to know what your main point Essay

Interesting topic would get your readers to know what your main point - Essay Example In The Geography of Bliss, Weiner travels from east to west including India, Thailand, Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, and Moldova among other countries to investigate their idea of happiness. Among the countries he visits, the Swiss have an interesting view of happiness. Democracy, moderation, and the absence of envy are the factors that drive happiness in this country. While investigating happiness according to the Swiss, Weiner’s expresses his impression of the place concerning their behavioral habits and lifestyle. The author personally relates his experiences and investigations in the narrative. In chapter two of the book, Weiner looks at the Swiss source of happiness. While on safari with his girlfriend, he comes across a Swiss couple and their perfectionist tendencies. The writer takes his time to go to Geneva and learn a little more about the Swiss. The first thing that strikes him is how clean the streets are and how sober and controlled the Swiss are. Accordingly, he questions their lifestyle, habits, and general behavior, as well as wonders what makes the Swiss tick. Secondly, Weiner asks why the Swiss are so humorless and serious all the time. Further, the author questions how they could be so disciplined and focused. Additionally, Weiner wonders if a link could exist between the Swiss lifestyle and habits, and the high suicidal rates. Moreover, he tries to understand why the Swiss do not find it appropriate to talk about money. Given these revelations, he inquires where the Swiss get their happiness. Consequently, Weiner alludes that they could probably get happines s from not generating envy in others. Notably, there is little or no privacy in Switzerland, and everyone knows their neighbor’s business. Hence, it is hard to understand how they find privacy because such a lifestyle is hard to handle. The Swiss have one activity that helps them unwind. Skiing is a sporting activity that they love. According to Weiner, they usually take time off

Summary Dismissal of Mark Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summary Dismissal of Mark - Essay Example In the case of Mark, the employer had some grounds which could warrant for summary dismissal and he went ahead to dismiss him. From the point of view of Mark, the action of the employer is unlawful and as such it constitutes an unfair dismissal. The grievances of Mark presented in the case study are true and they form a ground upon which he can appeal against the termination of his contract. In this regards, I will argue that wrongful dismissal and violation of his rights as the basis upon which he can appeal against the dismissal. In summary dismissal, there has to be a proof of gross misconduct. In this case, Mark disobeyed a direct disorder from his superior.However, the manner in which it was carried out was not procedural. First off, the dismissal was not in tandem with the usual meaning of this type of dismissal which is instant.The case states clearly that Mark had been asked to work overtime which he refused and a fierce confrontation ensued.Although arguing with superiors is wrong especially in front of other employees, it does not warrant summary dismissal. He was allowed to go home and the next day after he had reported for work; he was given his marching orders after starting his work for the day. In this regards, if indeed summary dismissal was the case, it should have been done the previous day and not the next day after working for some time. ... In Marks case, it appears that the employer was trying to coerce him to fore gore his own commitments for the company’s sake. Such an unprecedented step to coerce an employee to work overtime constitutes violation of an employee’s rights2. Mark is therefore entitled to appeal his summary dismissal on the basis of gross violation of his employee rights. Dismissal of Simon Redundancy is major factor that is considered by employers when they are dismissing their employees. For dismissal on redundancy ground to be fair, the employer must be able to show consistent statistics in terms of underlying problem that led to the dismissal. To give more credence to redundancy dismissal, the employer must consult widely with other stakeholders as well as the concerned employee. However, regardless of whatever method is used to dismiss an employee, the employer must have a formal meeting with the earmarked employee for dismissal. In this meeting, the employee is given an explanation a s to why the employer is terminating the employment contract3. In the case of Simon, the employer used laid down procedures of the company to come up with a trumped charge of poor performance as the basis of his dismissal. First off, this is not a case of poor performance because the underlying problem is change of system from manual to a computerised system. Regardless of human learning capabilities and ingenuity, it is utterly impossible for one to learn new systems in under a month. When the company (Fit & Well Co. Ltd.) was instituting changes, it did not warn the employees to make the necessary preparations to adapt to changes in the work place. Similarly, after making changes in the

S5Ws9&10DQs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

S5Ws9 DQs - Assignment Example In his evaluation, he undertook a thorough study of various regions, cultures, religions and civilizations of the world and predicted the battle lines for future conflicts (Huntington, 1990). Huntington’s hypothesis is an appropriate model that elucidates the practice of international relations in the post September 11 world because on many counts the hypothesis has been proved right as the September eleven incident, and the conduct of foreign relations has been based on the conflict between two diverse cultural orientations. Fundamental Islam doctrine was responsible for the September eleven attack, on the one hand, and America was under attack owing to its strong western philosophy of capitalism, democracy and Christianity. Ever since the September eleven attacks, international relations have been determined by the fight between Christianity and Muslim fundamentalism; whereas America is seen as the key promoter of Christian religion, radical terrorist organizations with safe havens in Afghanistan are the advocates of Muslim fundamentalism (Seth, 2010). ... An evaluation of economy and politics in the Greater Middle East indicates that there is incompatibility between development and democratization in the sense that the growth in economy and other parameters is not consistent with democratic ideals (Felbab-Brown, 2005). The reality in the Greater Middle East is contrary to major theoretical frameworks that state that democratization is directly proportional to economic development. The western thought provides that development and democratizations are related and that economic development ushers in democratization. Though the region is not much developed there are certain indicators of development that do not coincide with democratization. The Greater Middle East comprises countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan and part of North America. Democracy has been a huge challenge for these countries and countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan are quite unstable politically though they have tried to embrace democracy. Both Pakistan and Afghanist an are safe havens for terrorist organization that have not only waged war against the West but also resisted any attempts to democratize the countries. Pakistan has some level of economic development but is not compatible with democratization in the sense that the country still faces numerous challenges regarding political stability and the prevalence of egalitarianism. Afghanistan, on the other hand, has been occupied by America since the overthrow of the Taliban regime following September 11 (Gregory, 2011). The huge challenge for America was to democratize Afghanistan and make it politically stable to rid of militants from its region. Therefore, as far as the Greater Middle East is concerned, economic development is not compatible with

Summary Dismissal of Mark Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summary Dismissal of Mark - Essay Example In the case of Mark, the employer had some grounds which could warrant for summary dismissal and he went ahead to dismiss him. From the point of view of Mark, the action of the employer is unlawful and as such it constitutes an unfair dismissal. The grievances of Mark presented in the case study are true and they form a ground upon which he can appeal against the termination of his contract. In this regards, I will argue that wrongful dismissal and violation of his rights as the basis upon which he can appeal against the dismissal. In summary dismissal, there has to be a proof of gross misconduct. In this case, Mark disobeyed a direct disorder from his superior.However, the manner in which it was carried out was not procedural. First off, the dismissal was not in tandem with the usual meaning of this type of dismissal which is instant.The case states clearly that Mark had been asked to work overtime which he refused and a fierce confrontation ensued.Although arguing with superiors is wrong especially in front of other employees, it does not warrant summary dismissal. He was allowed to go home and the next day after he had reported for work; he was given his marching orders after starting his work for the day. In this regards, if indeed summary dismissal was the case, it should have been done the previous day and not the next day after working for some time. ... In Marks case, it appears that the employer was trying to coerce him to fore gore his own commitments for the company’s sake. Such an unprecedented step to coerce an employee to work overtime constitutes violation of an employee’s rights2. Mark is therefore entitled to appeal his summary dismissal on the basis of gross violation of his employee rights. Dismissal of Simon Redundancy is major factor that is considered by employers when they are dismissing their employees. For dismissal on redundancy ground to be fair, the employer must be able to show consistent statistics in terms of underlying problem that led to the dismissal. To give more credence to redundancy dismissal, the employer must consult widely with other stakeholders as well as the concerned employee. However, regardless of whatever method is used to dismiss an employee, the employer must have a formal meeting with the earmarked employee for dismissal. In this meeting, the employee is given an explanation a s to why the employer is terminating the employment contract3. In the case of Simon, the employer used laid down procedures of the company to come up with a trumped charge of poor performance as the basis of his dismissal. First off, this is not a case of poor performance because the underlying problem is change of system from manual to a computerised system. Regardless of human learning capabilities and ingenuity, it is utterly impossible for one to learn new systems in under a month. When the company (Fit & Well Co. Ltd.) was instituting changes, it did not warn the employees to make the necessary preparations to adapt to changes in the work place. Similarly, after making changes in the

Australian Migration Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Australian Migration Law - Assignment Example There is no application charge. The applicant must in Australia, but not in immigration clearance. Also, one of the conditions for the bridging visa is that the applicant has made a valid application for a substantive visa that has not been finally determined. He is a person who is immigration cleared. You may continue your work as welder under this visa. However, I am concerned that you have told your employer that you hold permanent residence visa when you know you do not. While the position in Australia for those seeking employment is quite generous, you would do well to inform your employer about your actual visa status forthwith, even if it costs you your job. It is better to go through some hardship for a short time rather than complicate matters with information you would be hard put to substantiate at a later stage. The provisions of the Australian Migration Act 1958 and 1994, and other legislation relating to migration procedure make it abundantly clear that information provided in the visa application form are truthful and accurate. (Code of Conduct, p.3) While on the subject, I may inform you that there is clear... Code of Ethics Now I must highlight certain issues I have felt strongly about and I am duty bound to bring to your notice. The provisions of the Australian Migration Act 1958 and 1994, and other legislation relating to migration procedure make it abundantly clear that information provided in the visa application form are truthful and accurate. (Code of Conduct, p.3) You could retain your employment status under any one of the visa subclasses, if need be. The bridging visa is sufficient to allow continuance of your current job status, if your employer permits. While on the subject, I may inform you that there is clear-cut delineation between truths and falsehoods, rights and wrongs, facts and fiction. Most often it depends upon circumstances and situations, and where or how far away you stand from the dividing line. The visa application form you are required to fill gives you enough scope to state your particulars clearly and unambiguously without unduly affecting your job prospects. From the information I could gather from you, your status as law-abiding citizen is unblemished. Other than this, as ETA holder, you are quite well placed to apply for the appropriate visa and formally obtain the position you wish to secure in this country. The only criteria necessary in achieving objectives is presentation of facts as they stand in your individual case and how capable you are on supporting these facts. These facts depend upon the data available with you. It does no good to gloss over one's true position by resorting to misrepresentations and half-truths. By all accounts, integrity is a great personal asset and must be treated as such. Customs, traditions and the

Outbreak Of One Of The Conflicts In Africa History Essay

Outbreak Of One Of The Conflicts In Africa History Essay Africa from time immemorial has experienced numerous forms of conflicts ranging from ethnic confrontations to interstate wars. The idea of war still plays a veritable role in the post colonial Africa as well as in the international politics. An understanding of the situation in Africa has proved that most of these wars have been fought on the African soils and have had devastating effects on the continent and the world at large. Examples of these wars include Rwanda, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and just to name a few. These wars have greatly affected the African continent especially the countries involved as it has reduced the economies of these countries to nothing but a shadow on their own. It is obvious that most of these wars are taken place but in the developing countries and therefore leaves one with the question, whether the wars can be seen as a consequence of poverty or is poverty the consequence of war? To my opinion, war is not a solution to confli ct looking at the aftermath of the war, the vulnerabilities of the women and children, the political and economic imbalance of the states. In this light, the international community should seek ways of avoiding the outbreak of such wars especially in the developing countries. In this paper, I will analyzed the outbreak of one of the conflict in Africa which could have escalated to a full scale military conflict between two countries, had it not been settled in a unique showcase of conflict management by the UN. The conflict in question is the Cameroon vs. Nigeria claim of sovereignty over the potentially oil rich Bakassi peninsula, which almost trigger to an interstates war and sends fear and uncertainty across the two nations. B. G. Ramcharan describes the role played by the former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan in maintaining peace between the Republic of Cameroon and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in settling the dispute over the Bakassi peninsula, another fascinating story of conflict prevention at work in practice. The signing of the Green Tree Agreement by both countries enabled both countries to adhere to the ruling passed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), officially put to an end to the Nigeria occupation of the peninsula and fin ally led to the peaceful handover of the occupied areas by the Nigeria military to Cameroon. President Obasanjo Olusegun of Nigeria clearly described the way the conflict was handled in the following words: Our agreement today is a great achievement of conflict prevention, which practically reflects its cost-effectiveness when compared to the alternative of conflict resolution its significance, therefore, goes much beyond Nigeria and Cameroon. It should represent a model for the resolution of similar conflicts in Africa, and I dare say, to the world at large. For most conflicts especially in Africa, has been as a result of natural resources and the politics play by the international community for their own interest which more often has fuel the violent conflicts. I will seek to analyze in this paper the historical background of the contested area leading to the outbreak of hostilities. It will be follow suit with the underlying causes of the conflicts in part 4 and part five will shed more lights on how the conflict was resolved at the level of the ICJ and managed at the UN following the implementation of the famous Green-Tree Accord signed by both countries. While part six will emphasize on the conclusion with the way forward of ensuring that both countries respect the terms of the green-Tree Agreement and the unique showcase of conflict management and resolution achieved. 2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Bakassi peninsula is an island located along the eastern end of the Gulf of Guinea between latitudes 8 °20 and 9 °08E. The area is greatly made up of a low-lying, mangrove and swampy area with a population of approximately 150,000 to 300,000 inhabitants, as of 2005. The island is highly inhabited with the indigenous people of the Efik tribe, which they claimed to belong to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The peninsula is a veritable ground for fishing activities and other maritime wildlife activities, for the simple fact that two great ocean currents meet here that is the cold Benguela Current and the warm Guinea Current, has really made it possible for fishing activities to be the livelihood of the inhabitants. The historical background of the peninsula goes back to the colonial period after the arrival of the European colonial master to Nigeria in the middle of the 19th Century, the King of the Old Calabar kingdom entered into a treaty of Protection with the Queen of England on September 10, 1884. The territory covering this region was at this time under the control of the King of the Old Calabar Kingdom. So in signing this treaty, it means he has officially ceded the territory to the British as a protectorate. In this respect, Britain was free to carry out any activity and equally exercised whatever she deems fit in the territory. The claim of sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula is one of the numerous conflicts in Africa concerning border disputes. This however, should be in some extent put on the shoulders of the former colonial masters who partitioned Africa without taking into considerations of the ethnic groupings, geography and demography of the area, history, language and socio-cultural affiliations of the people. This has really hampered the integrity and sovereignty of most countries in Africa, as most often people from the same ethnic grouping happen to found themselves on two different colonial territories and governed by different colonial powers. The historical background of the Bakassi peninsula can be traced back during the era of colonialism. The Germans were the first colonial master to colonized Cameroon not until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, which saw the defeat of the Germans by the French and English in Cameroon. Before the outbreak of the First World War, the European powers having colonial territories were largely interested in securing their interests instead of the colonial people they claimed they were civilizing. A country like Germany were only interested in securing for itself the vast territorial waters in order to keep the huge amount of shrimps and other maritime wildlife found in this water for herself. In order to avoid conflict of interest amongst the colonial powers, Germany enter into an agreement with the British who were at this time the colonial master of Nigeria, limiting Britains expansion to the east, while Britain on the other hand required an undisturbed and free sea passage to Calabar, which was an important commercial seaport in eastern Nigeria. This agreement was later code name the Anglo German Agreement of 1913, which clearly defined the exact demarcation of the borders between Cameroon and Nigeria. The first part of the treaty entitled: The Settlement of the Frontier between Cameroon and Nigeria, from Yola to the Sea, clearly situate the territory of Bakassi under the jurisdiction of the Germans. The second part entitled: The Regulation of Navigation on the Cross River, placed the navigable portion of the offshore border of the Bakassi peninsula to Britain. Article 21 of the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913, which stipulates the exact position of the border: From the centre of the navigable channel on a line joining Bakassi Point and King Point, the boundary shall follow the centre of the navigable channel of the Akwayafe River as far as the 3-mile limit of territorial jurisdiction. For the purpose of defining this boundary, the navigable channel of the Akwayafe River shall be considered to lie wholly to the east of the navigable channel of the Cross and Calabar Rivers. This however, proves that from 1913, after the signing of the Anglo-German Treaty and onwards, British and German maps clearly show the Bakassi peninsula in Cameroon. Following the dramatic twist of event which saw the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the French and the English decided to extend the war in German colonial territories in Africa, aimed at fighting the Germans in their African colonial territories. At the end of the war, Germany lost all her colonies in Africa including Cameroon to the allied powers. Cameroon was ruled as a mandated territory under the League of Nations and later partitioned in 1919, into two territories among the British and French. The French took 4/5 of the territory called French Cameroons and the British get 1/5 of the territory called British Cameroons. The Franco-British Agreement of July 1919, placed the territory of Bakassi and the rest of British Cameroons under the mandate of Britain. The British introduced the system of indirect rule in their territory of British Cameroons as an integral part of Nigeria with respect to the borders agreements laid down in 1913. In 1931, a further agreement between both powers was signed to further codify the treaty of 1919. The two Cameroons that is French and English Cameroons were ruled as a mandated territory by France and Britain till the outbreak of the Second World War. With the collapse of the League of Nations and the subsequent end of the Second World War, the mandated territories of the British Cameroons and French Cameroons were placed under the United Nations Organization which succeeded the League of Nations as Trust Territories. Worthy of note here is that the agreement creating these Trusteeship territories re-ratified the Anglo-German treaties of 1913 demarcating the borders between Cameroon and Nigeria. Again maps produced during this period placed Bakassi under the sovereignty of Cameroon. It should be noted here, that the British Cameroons was divided into two parts namely British Northern and British Southern Cameroons respectively, with Bakassi falling under the competence of Britain Southern Cameroons. In the advent for the fight for independence in the late 1950s across Africa, tensions have grown in the territory of British Cameroons. In the light of this growing tensions for independence, the United Nations requested Britain to carry out a plebiscite in the territories under her jurisdiction. British Northern Cameroon and British Southern Cameroon were to exercise their rights and willingness as to which country they would like to join and become independent. A plebiscite was held in British Northern Cameroons as Do you wish to attained independence by joining the Federal Republic of Nigeria or by joining the Republic of Cameroon. The outcome of the result of the plebiscite was that British Northern Cameroons voted to achieve independence by joining the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The events of the political parties and their divided opinions made the plebiscite to be postponed in British Southern Cameroons. It was only on February 11th, 1961, that British Southern Cameroons voted to join the already independent Republic of Cameroon (former French Cameroons). It should also be noted here that at the point of independence, Bakassi was a territory under the jurisdiction of Cameroon. This can be seen from the fact that Bakassi itself has 21 polling stations and 73% of the population voted to become independent by joining the Republic of Cameroon. So there is no gainsaying that Bakassi was and remain a territory in Cameroon. The Bakassi peninsula is an area that was of no interest to the two nations, as the territory has been long forgotten and was not an issue looking back at the afore-mentioned paragraphs. It became a centre point of focus after the alleged discovery of oil by some foreign experts. As a result of the suspicion that Bakassi have a huge oil reserve, Nigeria was the first to claim sovereignty of the peninsula and immediately deploy her military in the territory to mark her presence and ownership. This dramatic twist of event gave way for the look back of the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913, which clearly defines and demarcates the maritime borders of the two countries and which both countries accepted it. In the wake of this post independent period, both countries sought way of regulating the colonial agreements of 1913, signed by the colonial powers. Leaders of both countries exchanges visits as can be seen in April 1971, the Nigeria Head of State, General Gowon accompanied with his collabor ators visited Cameroon and meet with his Cameroonian counterpart Amadou Ahidjo, in the capital city Yaoundà ©, to discuss the issue. The outcome of this meeting was the signing of the Coker-Ngo Line delimiting the navigable portion offshore border of the two countries, thereby reaffirming the 1913 agreement. Both Heads of States were very satisfied with the outcome of the meeting not only after General Gowon of Nigeria, hearing the advices from his advisers, reverse the decision arrived at the meeting. This trigger a second meeting as General Gowon again paid a second visit to the President Ahidjo of Cameroon at Maroua city in July 1975, in order to correct the wrongs of the Coker-Ngo Line referred in the 1913 agreement. Worthy of note here is that at this point in time, the sovereignty of Bakassi was not the issue, as the meetings were out to understand the colonial borders. Gowon was overthrown shortly after his visit to Cameroon in a military coup in July 1975, General Murtala Muhammed was the new Head of State of Nigeria and he was very strategic. In order to have the support of the Nigeria bulk population, he convinced them to believe that General Gowon has given Bakassi to Cameroon as a compensation for the assistance Cameroon played in the Nigeria Civil War. He goes further to reject the authenticity of the 1971 and 1975 agreements between Gowon and Ahidjo that it has not be ratified by the military council. He too was killed in a military coup just a year after and was replaced by General Olusegun Obasanjo. What a coincidence here that President Obasanjo was Nigeria Head of state during this period and he still re-emerges again as president when hostilities break out between the two countries and help to brokered peace by ensuring that Nigeria police and soldiers withdraw from the territory in accordance with the Green-Tree Agreement of 2006. 3. THE EMERGENCE OF HOSTILITIES As earlier discuss above, the obvious reasons for most violent conflict have been natural resources conflict, territorial and ethnicity, and political and economic. The case of the Bakassi conflict was as a result of the colonial legacy left behind by the colonial powers without taking consideration of the indigenous population. As also said above the Bakassi peninsula came into the lime line after the alleged discovery of huge volume of oil reserves by some Chinese experts. Cameroon and Nigeria share a 1600km long border running from Lake Chad in the north down to Bakassi in the south and a maritime boundary meandering into the Gulf of Guinea. It is worth noted here that with all the different borders that Cameroon share with Nigeria, it is only the Bakassi peninsula which has spark tension. This can be seen as a result of the oil discovery in that area and the water which was a veritable ground for fishing. During the 70s, minor tensions have been building up in the claim of ownership of the territory. Clashes took place where some human lives were lost and on May 16, 1981, the first major form of direct violence occur when the Cameroon National Radio announced that three Nigeria patrol boats have violated and entered the Cameroonian territorial waters in Bakassi up to Rio del Rey, and open fire on the Cameroonian army. This act was widely condemned in Cameroon and in retaliation; five Nigerian soldiers were killed by the Cameroonian soldiers. This incident brought a lot of suspicion between the two countries as both countries were accusing the other for causing the incident. While Cameroon on their part accused Nigeria that they were exploiting the matter politically by blaming Cameroon for the incident, Nigeria on their part, insisted that the incident took place along the Akwayafe River. The Nigeria claimed that the incident took place at the Akwayafe River means that they have not a cknowledge the maritime border set down at the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913, thus a gross violation. So Cameroon immediately apologizes for the deaths of those five soldiers and promised to pay reparations. This matter was resolved diplomatically and put to rest. But it has triggered the question of sovereignty over the territory. Things take a dramatic turn in the advent of multi party politics in Cameroon in the 1990s. Anglophone Cameroonians started feeling of been marginalized and under-developed. They started asking for their own autonomy and possible Bakassi been a territory under the English speaking part of Cameroon was a big concern to the government of Cameroon. So there was need to consolidate the entire sovereignty of the territory under Cameroon administration. In order to fight this Anglophone antagonism in Cameroon, the government became so hard on the Anglophones especially the Nigerians who have been living in the Anglophone communities for decades doing businesses. Through intimidation and high taxes, many Nigeria traders were forced to leave Cameroon. But the most deliberate incident that fully lead to the occupation of the territory and sends fear of an impending military conflict between the two countries occur in February 1994. At this point in time, Nigeria had deployed 1000 soldiers to Bakassi on the pretext that they were out to protect the Nigerian Traders and fishermen against the continuous Cameroonian Gendarmerie harassment. The deployment of Nigerian troops was not welcome by Cameroon and it eventually break out to an open fire from both sides. It led to many casualties and deaths on civilian population and soldiers from both countries. Cameroon has lost closed to 40 soldiers and many of its soldiers have been taken as pris oners of war by Nigeria. It was this bloody incident that prompted Cameroon to seize the ICJ for adjudication. A complaint was filed on March 29, 1994 to the ICJ. Whether due to a sense of premonition of defeat or due to the fact that many Nigerians were aware of the Bakassi lie, the Nigeria government criticizes the government of Cameroon for taking the matter to the UN. The pointed out that they would have prefer the matter be settled through a bilateral negotiations. They go as far as challenging the competence of the ICJ for lack of jurisdiction in handling the matter. While the matter was pending at the ICJ, fighting was still going on between the two countries. The Nigerian government again deploys another 1000 troops in February 1996. This last deployment of soldiers was the last major incident that shows sign of an impending full scale military war. The Nigerian soldiers invaded and occupied the territory of Bakassi despite the fact that the case was pending at the ICJ. Record holds it that by May 1996, more than 50 Nigerian soldiers had lost their lives and several others taken as prisoners of war according to diplomatic sources. One of the most leading African magazines, The Jeune Afrique has analyzed the situation by saying that the prerequisite for a major military conflict were all present in the case of Bakassi. It went further to analyze the strategic economic importance of the territory to both countries and as a pivotal factor for the cause of the conflict. As tensions continued to grow on the ground with the military presence of both countries in the territory, the government of Cameroon called on the ICJ to institute measures to halt down the fighting. The ICJ immediately asked both countries to stop the fighting while waiting for the final ruling on the matter. But that notwithstanding, both countries still maintain the presence of their military believing that it might work in their favor for the rightful owner of the territory. 4. THE CAUSES OF THE CONFLICT The claim of sovereignty over the peninsula between the Republic of Cameroon and the Federal Republic of Nigeria is one the several violent conflicts that have plagued Africa for a very longtime as I mentioned in the preceding chapters. It was one of an interstate state war that could have escalated to a full blown war if not of the high sense of responsibilities on the parts of the UN on one hand and the countries concern on the other hand. The causes of the conflict are discussed below. 4.1. Economic factors It is evident that economic factors might have stemmed up the conflict over the ownership of the territory. If we go back to the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913, we can see that both countries were more or less not interested in the area. Nigeria under British rule have surrender the area to the Germans who were at that time ruling Cameroon. British Nigeria ceded this territory to the German in 1913, and even after independence, Nigeria still did not made any claim to the territory. Cameroon on her part, knew and sees the peninsula as its territory but failed to carry out any development in the area. The government of Cameroon did not put up any administrative structure in the area to indicate that the rule the place. They equally left the place at the mercy of the dominant Nigeria indigenous population to carry out their trading and fishing activities along the peninsula with little or no control except the arbitrary tax collection from the people by the authorities of Cameroon. This point is to bring out the picture of the peninsula at that time, but things take a dramatic turn when during the late 70s and 80s, there was an alleged discovery of huge volume of oil reserves around the Rio del Rey area of the peninsula. A good number of foreign multi-national companies have carried out surveys in the peninsula and came out with the reports that the territory may indeed be a treasure of immeasurable economic value. The discovery of oil reserves was not the only determinant economic factor that almost plunged both countries to a war. The fact that Bakassi peninsula is situated between two great oceans i.e. the cold Benguela current and the warm Guinea current, makes it a veritable ground for fishing. It also harbors a wide variety of fishes and other maritime wildlife creatures. According to the internet encyclopedia, the Wikipedia, the fertility of the Bakassi peninsula as a fishing ground is comparable only to Newfoundland in North America and Scandinavia in Western Europe. It was as a result of these economic benefits i.e. the prospect of potential oil reserves and securing the fishing rights, that the Germans were so desperate on keeping the peninsula to themselves during the 1913 agreement. It would not be a gainsaying that economic factors attracted the attention of both countries to claim sovereignty of the peninsula, judging from the discovery of oil reserves and the sale of fishing rights. 4.2. Political reasons The Cameroon and Nigeria claim of sovereignty over Bakassi also has a political manoveuvres, i.e. political reasons also contributed to the conflict. It is believed that the political leaders of both countries wanted to use Bakassi as a means to divert public opinion from their respective home countries. This is evident of the fact that there was growing unpopularity of the leaders of both countries. They wanted to shift the public attention to Bakassi so that their citizens will forget about their worries at home when engaged in a full scale war. Both governments have failed to address the economic problems, unemployment, bad governance, bribery and corruption, lack of social services and the bad Human Rights records they hold. Cameroon under President Amadou Ahidjos human rights records was not a good one as he was notorious for the violation of human rights during his time as president. Examples of his bad Human Rights violation is the killing of more than 25,000 people during the UPC revolt in the 1960s as reported by Albert Mukong and Mongo Beti. Then came President Paul Biya who succeeded Ahidjo in 1982 and is still on seat. Under Biya, the economy has faced a severe economic crisis in the mid 80s that saw the currency been devalued. The salaries of normal civil servants was reduced to about 70% while those of the army was increase, and that is why the army is so loyal to the president and do not plan to overthrown him in a coup. On the part of Nigeria, the situation was not too different from Cameroon, but the prominent problem that Nigeria was undergoing before the return to civilian rule was the successive military coups that has seen their governments from time to time been toppled. In fact, Nigeria holds worlds record for the highest number of military coups and counter coup attempts. These coups have led to the deaths of thousands of civilians and soldiers. Looking at her human rights records, nearly all the successive governments have had a very bad human rights record. They are noted for killing their political opponents, an example is the assassination of the minority leader Ken Saro Wiwa and nine others in November 1995. The unreasonable imprisonment of acclaimed winner of the presidential election of 1992 Moshood Abiola and the events leading to his death while in prison still remain a fact to be told. Even the brutal murder of Abiolas wife made the government unpopular. It very evident from the above mentioned paragraphs that both Cameroon and Nigeria had nothing to ride home with because the governments of both countries were facing internal and severe ethnic nationalism and economic fallout. They believe that diverting the peoples mind into an external crisis will work in their favors. They made their citizens to believe that Bakassi was worth fighting for i.e. to defend their fatherland. 4.3. National and human securities Security issues have been very vital and play an important role in the peninsula, as such were one of the causes of the claim of sovereignty over Bakassi. This is true to the fact that during 1884, the Chief of Old Calabar signed a Treaty of Protection ceding the territory (Bakassi) to the Britain. Britain thereafter ceded the territory during the 1913 Treaty to German Kamerun in order to secure a safe passage to the port of Calabar and also reassuring the Germans that she will not made any further advancements to the east. Security in the wider sense could so also be seen in the domain of national security and human security. The former been the security of the states sovereignty and the latter been the security of the citizens. So in this light, both countries were fast to advance security reasons for the military occupation of the peninsula. Nigeria lay claims that she invaded Bakassi to protect her citizens who were doing business and carry out fishing activities in the area against the continuous harassment from the Cameroonian forces, while Cameroon on her part, claimed that the obvious reason was to protect the territorial integrity of the state as she claims Nigeria has violated its sovereignty and posed a threat to her national security. 4.4. Natural resources Natural resources have been the cause of several violent conflicts in the developing countries. The question is can natural resources be seen as a curse or a blessing. This is a territory which was out of the discussion tables of both country, but soon became a bone of contention to the countries immediately after the discovery of oil reserves or black gold as is commonly refer to in Africa. Many oppressive regimes will want to be in full control of the natural resources. For the fact that another border region which is the Lake Chad between Cameroon and Nigeria is gradually disappearing because of over used by the neighboring countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, DR Congo, Tchad and Equatorial Guinea. With the assurance that the Bakassi peninsula is blessed with natural resources such as oil and fishes, both countries divert their attention there claiming sovereignty. 4.5. Territorial integrity The territorial integrity of the peninsula also plays a very important role for both countries as they believed it was the responsibility of the state to protect the sovereignty of its territory against any form of external threat from its neighbors. So we can see here that the Bakassi conflict was an interstates military conflict aim at protecting the sovereignty of the territory as both countries claimed. The government of Cameroon was more than ever ready to defend and protect the sovereignty of the Bakassi people against an impending military occupation from Nigeria. None of the two countries was ready to let go off the territory, as Nigeria on her part, was sending a warning threat that they are very much ready to protect Nigeria citizens leaving in the area from arbitrarily harassment from the Cameroon Gendarmes and as such protecting the sovereignty of the territory. 4.6. Socio-cultural aspects The territory under question was largely inhabited by the Efik indigenous people who see themselves as belonging to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They made up about 90% of the population and would not understand why they should be forced to be governed by Cameroon in case the ruling of the Hague was in favor of Cameroon. This is a territory that has been long forgotten by the government of Cameroon with no social structure put in place to make it look like a Cameroon territory. Nigeria on their part has built some few schools in the area and putting up some structures to give life to her citizens leaving in the area. Nigeria used her large population advantage to claim sovereignty of the territory, though the government of Cameroon accuses the Nigeria government that they took advantage of their large home population and thereby transfer so many Nigerians to live in the Bakassi peninsula, so that it will give them an upper hand in claiming sovereignty of the territory. It can also be justified here that the bulk of the Bakassi population who claimed to be of Nigeria origin, were not willing to lose their territory to Cameroon and so urges the Nigeria government to go to war if it needs arise. Culturally speaking, we can also see that the colonial demarcations of the borders done a great deal to the people, as we can find the Efik people on the side of Nigeria speaking the same language with the Akwaya people in Cameroon. These two tribes have the same cultures, traditional rites and traditional attires during festivities. It cannot be deny here that peoples of the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon have similar cultures with the peoples of Benue, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Taraba states of Nigeria. So it is obvious that Nigeria based her claim of sovereignty over the territory was as a result of their large population in the area. 5. HOW THE CONFLICT WAS RESOLVED AND MANAGED When Nigerian troops violated the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913, by invading the territory of Rio del Rey in May 16, 1961, they claimed five of their soldiers were killed by the Cameroon soldiers. So in respond, the Shehu Shagari the president of Nigeria made it clear that the Nigerian soldiers were not on the Rio del Rey territory but on the Akwayafe territory and as such demanded an apology from Cameroon for the death soldiers. It can be seen here that both countries resorted to diplomatic means to queue down the growing tensions and somehow the conflict was managed. The government of Cameroon made an official apology on July 1981, and promised to pay reparations to Nigeria. This brought the misunderstanding to an end. But worth noting here, is the fact that Nigeria claimed their soldiers were on the Akwayafe river but not on the Rio del Rey river, meaning they indirectly acknowledged and accept the colonial maritime borders delineated by the 1913 Treaty. This sought of management and resolution of

Genetic Modified Foods Essay -- GMOs, Genetically Modified Crops

Genetic modification of organisms in general is a biotechnological process that forces genes to behave according to certain characteristics. Changing characteristics of organisms is based on changing their DNA (tech deoxyribonucleic acid; the acid which carries genetic information in a cell). It is being used for modifying genes in plants, animals or micro-organisms. It is being also used especially with food in order to improve the nutritious quality, make less use of chemicals such as pesticides, which proved to be extremely harmful, and sometimes to add flavour. Genetically modified food (GMF) is considered one of the modern production improvements and the largest food experiments in the world’s history. However, it is very vital to dispel misconception about the nature of food. GMF is a mixed blessing which has a lot of benefits but at the same time may arouse problems. It has many good aspects, such as making plants ripen faster, improving the specie’s taste and look, and providing Third World countries with healthier and cheaper food. Genetic modification of food has won the admiration of a lot of people, including myself, because of its new and attractive accomplishments, but at the same time we should take into consideration its disadvantages and try to find ways to avoid them. Genetically modified foodstuffs have several disadvantages which I believe are possibly avoidable through research and experiments. Most of the time, the sale of GMFs is being permitted without posing the risks and without informing the public with the possible danger. This of course is a violation of human rights which can Nagi2 easily be avoided by simply informing consumers of the characteristics of the product. When genetic engineers insert new genes into any organism, it can lead to disruption and unpredictable changes in the pattern and structure of the new genetic function. "In fact, the process of inserting genes is quite random and can damage normal genes " (Genetic Engineered Food - A Serious Health Risk 3). Therefore, harmful substances may appear unexpectedly and can possibly create viruses and new dangerous diseases. Therefore, it is the obligation of experts to examine GM products before making them available to the publi... ...d not avoid rice because of that." (Maryanski 3). So, vegetarians should feel safe when eating GMF. The conclusion to be drawn from the above is that GMF in one of the modern production improvements and the largest food experiment in the history of the world. Its appearance has been very sudden. Now, a very rapidly growing number of it is being introduced. Maybe in a few years it may be almost impossible to find natural food. No doubt, any dangerous food production through genetic engineering should be banned until scientifically shown that it is safe for everyone. In the meantime, labelling is required foe any foodstuff that contains genetically engineered ingredients, and any risk that could harm the environment should be banned. It has to be acknowledged that GMF is one of the best production that have emerged in our century. Hopefully, in the future, it will not have any side effects, and be healthier than the current natural food. Containing all the Vitamins and nutrition that we need. We have to put in mind that if people knew all it advantages, they will surely get convinced with the idea of producing GMF.

Comparing Society Today with Ayn Rands, Anthem Essay -- Government

Imagine a world where people are only expected to live up to 45 years old. In today's society, there are countries that experience this. In the novel Anthem, by Ayn Rand; there are many factors like lifestyle, government, medicine, and education that lead to this. There are a couple of ways where the world in the novel is similar and different to today's society. A reason why life expectancy is so short in the novel is because of the "Great Rebirth", the "Great Rebirth" led to a new world that doesn't have machinery or electronics. Because of this there was a lack of medicine. Life expectancy is so short in this society because there isn't any advanced medicine. They think that by cutting them open and letting them bleed the infections would go away. In fact, this would cause someone to bleed to death. This relates to us because in the beginning we didn't know much about medicine or technology, which lead to many deaths. Now, our society has greatly improved because medicine has been greatly developed and diseases that were once thought to be incurable now have a cure. Also, educa...

Policing in Kelsey Essay

The Police Department currently has an annual budget of $16,177,678. With the 15% budget cut, the mayor is requesting from the Police Department, that leaves a new annual budget of $14,235,356, a decrease of $1,941,322. The major change the will affect the fiscal cycle of this budget year is the decrease in the hiring of police officers. The City of Kelsey was in the process of hiring 10 new police officials to fill the 10 positions that were open, due to several retiring police officers and few police officers finding other employment. Now with the 15% budget cut, the City will not be filling those open positions, because saving the City $1,200,000. New maintenance and vehicle cost will also decrease, since not hiring the new officers. The last fiscal year the City manager allotted $150,000 for 5 new maintenance and vehicles cost for the hiring of the new police officers. As a budget director, I requested a 10% deduction through Police Union in wages or freeze the wages until the ne xt fiscal year, because saving $300,000. In addition, cutting 16 paid holidays a year will save the City a total of $400,000. The Police Union Committee advised the Union has only agreed to a 1% pay cut within the next fiscal year, which will save the City $30,000. The Committee has also agreed to 10 paid holidays a year instead of 16. This will save the City an annual $150,000 a year. The Chief of Police has agreed to cut the training by 80%. The City will save an annual budget of $125,000. With these cuts alone, the City will save $1,655,000 alone. Another proposal will cut community events/programs within the Since the City of Kelsey has an increase amount of criminal activity, it is the responsibility of the city to ensure that its citizens are safe. Kelsey should put this as the top  priority of every person on this board to ensure there is additional funding found so that additional police officer can be hired and trained. Police officers from lower crime areas can be moved to the higher crime areas but the police d epartment must ensure there is not an increase of crime in those areas with fewer police officers.

Upon reflection of my conversation Essay

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine regarding his out of control gambling habits as well as the level of debt he is quickly finding himself in. My friend hasn’t approached anyone else about this issue and thought because of my current study that I could help. I explained to my friend that I am not qualified to deal with issues such as these as I am not counsellor yet and only a student but would hear what he had to say as a friend. I listened to what he had to say with empathy and understanding while he told me his problems. After he had explained his situation to me I assessed what was going on and uncovered that he is suffering from depression, loneliness, helplessness and has thoughts of suicide. I told my friend that I think that he should talk to a counsellor about his problems and he told me that he didn’t want to and wanted me to tell him what he should do. Knowing that he wouldn’t seek professional help worried me greatly and I was finding myself trying to find solutions. Reflecting Upon reflection of my conversation with my friend I realized numerous things I shouldn’t have done such as: Find solutions for his problems Give advice as to what actions he should take Telling him the consequences of his actions Going through the Possibilities of his future without professional help Pushing my own point of view across The things I thought I do right in this situation were: Advice professional help Give support Showing empathy and understanding Explore possibilities Conceptualising After my friend had told me that he would not seek professional help and I knew there was no way I could persuade him to I started to give advice which felt like a lecture. After sometime I saw that he was losing interest in the discussion which made me feel helpless in helping him and was not the way I wanted the conversation to go. Planning In the future as a counsellor faced with this situation I think it would be much different given the client has already taken the first step in seeking help. In addition to dealing with this similar situation as a counsellor I feel I would be better equipped being fully qualified as a professional counsellor in a counselling environment, felling more confident in my ability’s in using a variety of skills and techniques. Given the same situation again with my current level of counselling I feel that I would still be understanding and caring but maybe less pushy in trying to help when all other options fail. I think what brought out this pushing of my own point of view across was my friend talking of suicide then refusing help so it felt like a matter of life and death to me.

Why is it important to understand the boundary conditions of any information systems project?

Before data may be automated, it must be evaluated for completeness. Examine the data tables that Kudler Fine Foods maintains for inventory. Resources: Kudler Fine Foods Virtual Organization, sample pivot table, andMicrosoft ® Excel Pivot Table tutorial Review the sample pivot table, available on the student Web site for this course, and the Microsoft ® Excel Pivot Table tutorial, available at http://office. microsoft. com/training/training. aspx? AssetID=RC010136191033 Access the Inventory Reports data table in the Kudler Fine Foods Virtual Organization intranet site, located under the Finance and Accounting tab.The table description is located under the Information Technology tab. Prepare a brief of no more than 750 words for Kudler Fine Foods management in which you address the following: Evaluate the design elements of the data tables from an accounting perspective. Create an entity relationship diagram illustrating the existing data tables. Recommend improvements to the data tables. Create a pivot table in Microsoft ® Excel using the general ledger inventory data located on the Kudler Fine Foods intranet. Explain how the information in thepivot table may improve decision making for management at Kudler Fine Foods; include an example from the data.Discuss this week's objectives with your team. Your discussion should include the topics you feel comfortable with, any topics you struggled with, and how the weekly topics relate to application in your field. Prepare a 350- to 1,050-word paper detailing the findings of your discussion. This week’s objectives focuses are on technical skill building with databases and its importance to AISs. Emphasis is placed on the basic concepts, organizing, manipulating, managing data, and finally the construction of database forms and reports using Microsoft Access.The most enlightening aspect of this week’s discussion topic is the importance of data records to a company. Databases can be one of the most im portant structures of a company and often times are irreplaceable. Valuable and sensitive information about a company’s economic and business events is stored in a database management system. The privacy of this information should be guarded at all times against unauthorized access, data loss, and inexperience users. Database records are maintained in a database management system by a database administrator.In order to keep track of data information, a data dictionary is used to document database records. A data dictionary is a â€Å"database that describes the data fields in each database record† (Bagranoff, 2008, p. 413). The data dictionary tracks assigned passwords, restricted users, field names, field size, data field type, etc. Without database oversight, a company’s livelihood is at stake. Bagranoff, N. A. (2008). Core Concepts of Accounting Information Systems. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.