BSB119 Global Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BSB119 Global Business - Essay Example The media also felt affected from the inhuman act which led them to air the documentary. The media highlighted the cruelty so as relevant stakeholders could intervene. Animals Australia which is an animal lobby group, demonstrated on the fundamental rights of the cattle. The group fights for the welfare of animals. The government was also affected through the loss of taxes. During the time of the ban, the government lost $320 million dollars from the entire six months period. b) The transfer risk is the most interfered from the ban of live cattle trade. Transfer risk refer to the government’s interference with a company’s ability to exchange funds to and from a country. The live cattle trade involves the international trade between Australia and Indonesia. The Australian farmers benefited through foreign exchange. The government also benefitted greatly through the realization of income and tax duties. Based on Christopher (2015) the government lost a total of three hundred and twenty million US dollars from the ban. Further, the ban also led to loss of employment, which provided income to the workers. A maximum of 300 jobs were lost leading to loss of income in subsequent departments. The Indonesian cattle importers also lost income from the ban. c) The cattle industry stakeholders could have had joint international consultations prior to the regrettable decision. The concerned parties could have had international talks to address the issue. The talks could have ended the issue peacefully without affecting the farmers and the consumers. The move promotes international trade and integration. The cattle importers and exporters could have used their respective Animal Councils to ensure that they operated within the accepted ethical framework. The Australian and the Indonesian Animal Councils formulate the accepted codes of practice for better outcomes. The Indonesian government through its Animal councils could have played their oversight

Video game literature review Essay Example for Free

Video game literature review Essay Violent video games are said to have a negative effect on those who play them, but there is also the debate that violent video games help those who play them rather than hurt them. There is a rating system that separates games into groups from games for everyone all the way to games that can only be bought if youre eighteen and older. The main questions with this rating system seem to be, Where do we draw the line, and Who draws the line? All to often younger teens get their hands on the video games that are made for the eighteen and older crowd, but will the game actually have a negative effect on the teen, or will it help the teen by allowing them to vent some anger or make them feel good about themselves because they solved a difficult puzzle within the game. As you may have seen there are many contrasting viewpoints, but before we explore the contrasting views on violent video games, we should try to understand our own views, and those of others who take positions that are different from ours, by reviewing some key insights. First we can start with the insights of a few different people who dont think violent video games are bad for teens. From there we can move to a couple of pieces that think violent video games are bad. To finish we will look at an article doesnt take a stance either way, but does provide some very good facts. Greg Costikyan, also known as Designer X, is an American game designer and science fiction writer. Costikyans career spans nearly all genres of gaming, including hex-based war games, role-playing games, board games, card games, computer games, online games and mobile games. Several of his games have won Awards. In Costikyans argument, The Problem of Video Game Violence is Exaggerated, he tackles violence in video games from many different angles such as video game advertising, the successful way to incorporate violence into video games, how violence is part of human nature, and the ignorance of the opposing viewpoint. When reading the argument it is easy to see that Costikyans viewpoint is biased, but he does a good job of stating the opposition and then shooting it down with his own research, and he does not avoid certain questions just to prove his point. I think that Costikyan makes his best argument when he talks about the artistic use of violence in video games. He says that when people play video games they develop a rhythm, but when violence is thrown in it creates a dissonance which breaks the players rhythm, which in turn makes the game that much more of a challenge. Costikyan sums it up best when he says, Violence used artistically is effective; violence used crudely is vile. Tom Kalinske is the former president and CEO of Sega America, Inc. , and now works for Educational Technology, LLC. In Kalinkses speech, Video Games do not Cause Aggressive Behavior in Children, he makes some very good points on why people might think that video games are bad. Kalinske poses a very good point in his speech where he says, Parents and educators who look casually at boys playing out fighting games are quick to condemn because the content of the games mirrors real societal problems. But to jump to the conclusion that game content leads to really inappropriate behavior is like speculating that students studying the Napoleonic Wars may lay siege to their neighborhood. Kalinske argues that parents fear technology because they have less of an understanding of it than their children, and those who think that kids will emulate the violence seen within the video games that they play have a very pessimistic view of kids. Kalinske also makes a very good argument about how video games can improve academic performance. He says that beating a video game takes more than good hand-eye coordination. It takes good puzzle solving, critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and problem solving skills, which all happen to be key skills for academic success. I think that Kalinske has many good points in his speech that will help me in writing my paper. David Deutsch is a physicist at the University of Oxford. He is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Atomic and Laser Physics at the Centre for Quantum Computation, Clarendon Laboratory. He pioneered the field of quantum computers, and is a proponent of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. In Deutschs interview he talks about how video games are beneficial to children, because it gives children a different and unique learning environment. Deutsch says that all the evidence that video games are bad boils down to the fact that children like them, and prima facie video games are bad. He suggests that if children like doing something so much, such as playing video games, then we should find ways to make it better and allow them to do more of it. Deutsch make a very good argument when he compares playing video games to playing the piano or playing chess. He says that all three take a lot of time to master, some more that others, and if a child is seen playing chess for long periods of time he is considered a genius, but if a child is seen playing video games for long periods of times he is stigmatized. This doesnt make sense, because all three are done for the same reason which is the impulse to understand things. Deutsch also argues the addiction to video games very well by saying that the reason why people choose to play video games so much is because the games make you engage you emotions as well as your intellect. He also gave this as a very good example, I remember once, I came back to playing the Piano after a long time, and I ended up with blood all over the keys. I saw that I had a cut, but I did not want to stop, so I carried on playing. If that had been a video game and I had been younger, people would have used that as evidence of addiction. Kevin Saunders is currently a professor at Michigan State University and is the author of two books, Violence as Obscenity: Limiting the Medias First Amendment Protection and Saving Our Children from the First Amendment. He has authored dozens of book chapters, law review articles, and commentaries in legal and popular periodicals. He also teaches a variety of courses and seminars on topics in Constitutional Law. In this article Saunders establishes a good topic for debate when he says that fps (first-person shooter) games create a realistic adaptation of an actual gun fight to whereas the armed forces and law enforcement agencies use fps games to train their soldiers. He then gives us a couple of examples of what these violent games can make teens do in real life. The first example is about Michael Carneal, a fourteen-year-old freshman who enjoyed playing the popular fps Doom. One morning Michael showed up at school with a stolen pistol and open fired on a group of kids. He killed three and injured eight. The second example is about Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold the two students who showed up at Columbine High School heavily armed and killed one teacher, twelve students, and injured twenty-three others. They too were avid players of the game Doom. These are both prime examples of what violent video games can do to teens. Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr. is a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami. Provenzos academic interests include the role of the teacher in American society, and the influence of computers and video games on children. His work has been reviewed in American and British media, including ABC World News Tonight, The Economist, and The New York Times. In this article Provenzo says he believes that real life simulators, such as video games, are taking kids out of the real world and teaching them about violence, and how to be violent. He argues that when teens play an fps (first-person shooter) game they virtually put themselves into an emotionless killing machine and by doing this they are behaviorally reinforced as they play the game thus being taught that its ok to shoot people. Provenzo makes a great comparison when he compares playing an fps and playing a game of paintball. He says that they are two different things because while playing paintball you can get tired and wounded, and there are serious consequences for getting out of control. When playing an fps there are no limits, players are not responsible for what they do, and there are no consequences for anybody. I think that Provenzo makes a great point when he says, Video and computer games are, in fact, highly effective teaching machines. You learn the rules, play the game, get better at it, accumulate a higher score, and eventually win. This next article is titled Video Games and Violence and it was taken from Issues and Controversies at facts. com database. The article covers both sides of the argument. It says that supporters of the legislation against violent video games say that violent video games make kids more acclimated to violence, and that violent video games cause an increase in violence within the kids. Critics of the legislation against violent video games say that our current rating system for video games is working and that video games should be protected as free speech. Within this article are some very good statistics one of which being in the year 2000 85% of minors sent to buy a video game rated M (M for Mature) were successful. Sometime after that study stores started to enforce an ID rule for M rated video games, and in the year 2003 the percentage of minors able to purchase M rated video games fell to 69%. Another good statistic within the article is that in the year 2003 out of all the video games purchased only 11. 9% were M rated games. The biggest percentage of games being bought were rated E (E for Everyone) with 54%, and in second were T (T for Teen) rated games with 30. 5%. This article brings up a very good point when it says that parenting is a big part of regulation in what youth under the age of eighteen watch and do. The video game rating system was originally put in place for parents to be able to judge what their children should be playing and to have an idea of what would be in the game that their children were playing. As you can see, with the information provided, there are many valid points around this debate. While reading Saunders and Provenzo I noticed that both of them brought up the Columbine school shooting which is a very emotional subject for some people. Kalinske and Deutsch both portray the general argument that video games can help educate teens, and video games could be a very powerful educational tool, if used correctly. All of these sources have helped me a lot in understanding more about the effects of violent video games on teens. Before my research I was not sure if I was for or against changing the rating system for video games, but now, with all this information, I will be arguing against creating a more strict rating system for video games. Works Cited Costikyan, Greg. The Problem of Video Game Violence Is Exaggerated. Video Games (2003) 25 Jan. 2007 . Deutsch, David. Playing Video Games Benefits Children. Video Games: Harmfully Addictive or a Unique Educational Environment? (1992) 02 Feb. 2007 . Kalinske, Tom. Video Games Do Not Cause Aggressive Behavior in Children. Violent children (2000) 02 Feb. 2007 . Provenzo, Eugene. Violence in Video Games Is a Serious Problem. Is Media Violence a Problem? (2002) 02 Feb. 2007 . Saunders, Kevin. Censorship Should Be Used for the Protection of Children. Censorship (2005) 05 Feb. 2007 . Video games and violence. Facts. com. (2007). Issues and Controversies. 25 Jan. 2007.

Irish Immigration 18001880 Essay -- essays papers

Irish Immigration 18001880 INTRODUCTION The history of Ireland "that most distressful nation" is full of drama and tragedy, but one of the most interesting stories is about what happened to the Irish during the mid-nineteenth century and how millions of Irish came to live in America (Purcell 31). Although the high point of the story was the years of the devastating potato famine from 1845 to 1848, historians have pointed out that immigrating from Ireland was becoming more popular before the famine and continued until the turn of the twentieth century. In the one hundred years between the first recording of immigrants in 1820 and the passing of immigration restrictions in 1924, over four and one half million Irish immigrated to the United States. HOW THEY PAID TO COME TO AMERICA Most of the pre-famine immigrants were single men who found jobs as laborers in the North and Northeast (Purcell 32). Although these were low paying jobs, they were still better than what they had in Ireland. Another thing typical of the Irish immigrants in the pre-famine years was something called the chain migration (Purcell 36). The first immigrants found jobs, saved most or all of their money, and sent money or tickets for sailing on the ships to relatives in the old country. By very hard work, immigrants made it possible to pay for their entire family to follow them to America. To save up all of the passage money was very difficult but they worked hard and did it. Many immigrants from other countries also used the chain migration idea, and it is still common for immigrants to use this system. However, the Irish were the first to use chain migration in such a big way. THE LAWS OF IMMIGRATION During the 200 years that this ... ...live in a free land, and a more full appreciation of the life we lead today, as well as a thankfulness to those who, long ago, paved the way. Bibliography: WORKS CITED Anderson, Kelly. Immigration. San Diego: Lucent, 1993. Danilov, Dan. Immigrating to the USA.1st ed. British Columbia: Self-Counsel, 1978. Danilov, Dan. Immigrating to the USA. 5th ed. British Columbia: Self-Counsel, 1989. Gmelch, Sharon. Irish Life and Traditions. Dublin: O'Brien, 1986. Griffin, William. The Irish Americans. Hong Kong: Hugh Lauter Levin, 1998. "Immigrants." November 1993. 10 November 1998 . Long, Robert Emmet.Immigration. Dublin: H. W. Wilson, 1996. Purcell, L. Edward. Immigration. Phoenix: Oryx, 1995. Reimers, David. The Immigrant Experience. New York: Chealsea House Publishers, 1989. Sandler, Martin. Immigrants. New York: Eagle, 1995.

Company Evaluation Essay

A: Evaluation: Company Q is a small grocery store chain working on being profitable in a large city. Company Q had a couple of stores that were not profitable and were in an area rated for higher crime, so they chose to close these two stores. The social responsibility choice by Company Q was abatement, choosing to remove the stores from the negative environment (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2008). Company Q has by request, been offering high margin items, specifically organic products which are considered a health conscious choice for customers concerned with the environment. These items have to be fresh and being perishable after being displayed for the day result in discarding or wasting by throwing the food away, which is of concern to the community. The community has a food bank which asked for donations of this organic food hoping to help those in need, but Company Q turned them down and showed no real interest in helping the community with the excuse for concern over possible fraud or empl oyees stealing the food that was claimed to be for donation. The social responsibility for helping those in need is being avoided by Company Q simply because they claim concern over fraud by employees. This choice by Company Q may give them a negative reputation for the community (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2008). Job seekers may not want to work for Company Q if they see it as not being socially responsible and the possibility of being stereotyped as a possible thief just because you work for Company Q. The employees may have lower morale because of the negative reputation and disgust towards management for the lack of trust as an excuse for being socially irresponsible towards those in need. This choice may also cause a drop in current shoppers and a choice by possible new shoppers to choose to shop elsewhere. Recommendations: 1. Regarding the stores that were closed in the higher crime rate section of the city due to loss in revenue, the employees and customers or primary stakeholders would be negatively affected. These individuals might not be able to find employment elsewhere and the customers may not be able to travel to another store to remain satisfied customers. This likely being  the case, Company Q has a social responsibility to improve this situation. They can reopen the stores, hire security employees, and install security cameras to discourage the theft problem. This will restore the positive attitude with the employees and customers. This will restore relations with the community and the suppliers. 2. Company Q by request has made a good choice to offer the health foods, though they are high margin products. However, the customers have been asking for years for healthy foods, so the responsibility of Company Q remains that they should sell much more in the health food line. They should choose to sell as much of the lower priced items in the health food line as possible. The community wants the healthy food and it is an important step for Company Q to care about the health of the community as well. Taking care of the community from a healthy standpoint is an important social responsibility that reaches out to the health and mental attitudes of all those who chose to take advantage of a healthy diet. The next step is to choose an ethical way to give back to the community as a social responsibility for the unsold perishable items. To relieve the concern of employee bad behavior, Company Q could draw up an agreement with the local food bank such that they would have to pick up the day-old products and sign a check sheet list of items that were accepted on the given day date. This would create accountability by the food bank personnel and eliminate the possibility for employee theft. It also would yield a positive attitude in the community for Company Q and possibly increase their bottom line making it attractive to shareholders. 3. Company Q has a responsibility to their employees to restore relations with them, as well. Company Q might explore the possibility of donating their time through volunteerism with employees who are willing to sign up for a given number of hours per week at the food bank. Therefore, Company Q would be showing their concern for the community and persons who are less fortunate. This will restore employee trust to know that they work for a company who is socially responsible by giving back to the community and employees would appreciate the opportunity to participate in a volunteer outreach to the food bank. These changes would improve the employee morale. This will get some recognition by the community and likely, some of the secondary stakeholders including media may want to air Company Q on TV relating the donation to the food bank of the day-old food and may film the  employees donating their time to the food bank. This could help Company Q with their interest in the community and shareholders by possibly making their stock go up and increase their sales in all of their stores. References Ferrell, O., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2008). An Overview of Business Ethics; Ethical Issues and The Institutionalization of Business Ethics. In O. Ferrell, J. Fraedrich, & L. Ferrell, Business Ethics Ethical Decision Making and Cases (pp. 4-85). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Legislative critique

In today's society we are constantly growing and changing in the U. S. Health care industry. It is clear that you cannot utilize all the paper records in a format that will benefit and capable of supplying primary care providers with all the information needed in a way that will be employed. We have a growing emphasis on providing the right information to the right person anywhere at any time. The world is globally unified, the U. S. Health care industry has been moving ahead with the electronic lath record (ERR) system.The software we use is significant in getting the Job done, I will say. It provides patient scheduling which allows you to schedule the patient appointment's In a timely manner. It also alerts you when the doctor will not be present and or out of town so you do not schedule a patient when the doctor Is not available. It also looks Into the system to see If you have any appointments with another provider on the same day in the organization to keep from double booking. Some organizations are linked to other organizations such as pharmacies or ideology departments outside of our organization.It allows online booking for lab test, procedures or radiology testing. This also prevents errors or misread prescriptions by emailing to local pharmacies. It cuts down on errors and lost prescriptions. The main source is online custom medical charting. You can put your patient's vital signs in the computer concerns and reasons for visit so it gives the doctor a heads up on your visit. Lab integrations can be made a lot faster and smoother preventing mix ups and mistakes In what Is ordered from poor hand writing. The doctor can see the nurse's notes to see what exactly Is going on with their patients.It keeps the nurse from being distracted and stopped constantly from the doctor. It allows him to know what is going on with his patient within the last eight or twenty four hours. It is really convenient for everyone as long as it is utilized in the correct and po sitive way. I say that you really have to have a positive attitude to use electronic medical record (EMMER). You can read your emails from your supervisors attend intranet in services order lunch for patients etc†¦ It really has a retreat deal of positive information that is useful in the wellness of the patient.In the article from (All scripts) Juniper Research forecast that health care savings attributed to remote patient monitoring could reach thirty six billion by the year 2018. With the good there Is some barriers and issues as well with the electronic medical records (Emirs'). The first and foremost is the purchasing of a system. There are so many systems of software available. Choosing the right one for your organization can be very demanding. Purchasing a system can be affordable but, also can run Into other expenses along the future.The source of electronic patient information that does not quite figured out how to capture data from the primary care provider in a coord inated and computer understandable form. When a patient encounters a health care provider, he or she leaves a trail of medical information at many sites. I know this first hand. The hospital, physician's office, nursing home or then the home health care system medical records are left at these different sites. Each may be on or use a different computer system, different labs and a host of different pharmacies and radiology services.A portion of a patient's medical information is carried. Some patients may have more than one doctor as I do and more than one pharmacist. Even one institution whether a hospital or a home health agency, we are not counting all the separate systems related to administration, accounting, payroll, paging and the telephone system. This can add up quickly and financially and have a healthy impact on an organization financially. Furthermore large organizations do not seize all of the information of interest to their practitioners. It does take a toll on health care personnel as well also.Some lab test have to be sent out to other laboratories. Some patients do not fill their prescriptions at the hospital pharmacy, which is rarely seen today. Some hospitals have a link to outside pharmacies and some do not. In our organization, electronic medical records (Emir's) are not being utilize as great as they could be. We do not have a link to the doctors, hospitals or pharmacies. We do not have a link to the laboratories or radiology agency. We still have to work on waiting for a fax to come over checking the machine to make sure it is stocked with paper and that foremost it is on and working.We have to wait for the doctor to call back with a response and the same thing goes for the labs and other tests. It has an effect on us fore as the paperwork is gruesome and the waiting is long. Financially, we could be in a better financial situation because we are a small agency and it would not cost as much to go live with electronic medical records. Th e impaction of EMMER have been very positive for patients. Everything is not perfect but patients can and will get better medical care or service. According to (Health IT. Gob. ), studies show that ninety two percent were pappy their doctor used e prescribing.Ninety percent reported rarely or only occasionally going to the pharmacy having prescriptions not ready. Seventy six percent reported it made obtaining medications easier. Medical data does not produce suddenly within the medical record. It all comes from sources elsewhere in the world. These Data resources are transferred to the (EMMER) electronic medical record. Effectively addressing Just one item in a daily email can have both an immediately impact on revenue and help you work towards achieving your long term ay for performance outcome goals.

buy custom Quality Education should be Made Affordable and Compulsory essay

buy custom Quality Education should be Made Affordable and Compulsory essay Prescriptive Argument: Good education in the USA is way too expensive for the majority middle class to afford. Majority of children from middle and low class income earning familys are left with no option but to attend the cheap or free public schools which offer low quality standard education. Good education should be made affordable and not just available but compulsory for all. Any child born has a right not just to education, but to quality education. According to Ashlock (1996), it appears that some familys still dont realize the importance of good education and therefore, quality basic education should not only be made affordable and available but also compulsory. Descriptive Argument: As described under the millennium goals, education is a basic requirement for any person in the world. Besides general education, statistics show that the quality of education an individual gets is highly influential to that persons future. Good education requires resources and facilities that are expensive to purchase and maintain. Therefore, good education tends to be expensive and unreachable to the common man (Ficksman, 2010). This has had an effect of creating a cycle of poor education among the majority in society. Only a few individuals manage to break through from the cycle and become wealthy. In order to break such cycle and provide equal opportunity for all kids, the government needs to facilitate for the availability and affordability of quality education (Johnson 2008). Given that some families among the middle class and poor may not understand the importance of good education, the government needs to make good education not only affordable and avail able, but also compulsory. This shall help in diversifying opportunities and reducing the wealthy and the middle class gap that exists today. Indeed, access to good or quality education is what governments need to consider if they are o sustainably solve other challenges in society. Buy custom Quality Education should be Made Affordable and Compulsory essay

INTERNATIONAL WORDS Essays - Culture, Language, Linguistics

INTERNATIONAL WORDS Essays - Culture, Language, Linguistics INTERNATIONAL WORDS As the process of borrowing is mostly connected with the appearance of new notions which the loan words serve to express, it is natural that the borrowing is seldom limited to one language. Words of identical origin that occur in several languages as a result of simultaneous or successive borrowings from one ultimate source are called international words. Expanding global contacts result in the considerable growth of international vocabulary. All languages depend for their changes upon the cultural and social matrix in which they operate and various contacts between nations are part of this matrix reflected in vocabulary. International words play an especially prominent part in various terminological systems including the vocabulary of science, industry and art. The etymological sources of this vocabulary reflect the history of world culture. Thus, for example, the mankind's cultural debt to Italy is reflected in the great number of Italian words connected with architect ure, painting and especially music that are borrowed into most European languages: allegro, andante, aria, arioso, barcarole, baritone (and other names for voices), concert, duet, opera (and other names for pieces of music), piano and many many more. The rate of change in technology, political, social and artistic life has been greatly accelerated in the 20th century and so has the rate of growth of international wordstock . A few examples of comparatively new words due to the progress of science will suffice to illustrate the importance of international vocabulary: algorithm, antenna, antibiotic, automation, bionics, cybernetics, entropy, gene, genetic code, graph, microelectronics, microminiaturisation , quant, quasars, pulsars, ribosome, etc. All these show sufficient likeness in English, French, Russian and several other languages. The international wordstock is also growing due to the influx of exotic borrowed words like anaconda, bungalow, kraal, orang- o utang , sari, etc. These come from many different sources. International words should not be mixed with words of the common Indo-European stock that also comprise a sort of common fund of the European languages. This layer is of great importance for the foreign language teacher not only because many words denoting abstract notions are international but also because he must know the most efficient ways of showing the points of similarity and difference between such words as control : : ; general : : ; industry : : or magazine : : , etc. usually called translator's false friends'. The treatment of international words at English lessons would be one-sided if the teacher did not draw his pupils' attention to the spread of the English vocabulary into other languages. We find numerous English words in the field of sport: football, out, match, tennis, time. A large number of English words are to be found in the vocabulary pertaining to clothes: jersey, pullo ver, sweater, nylon, tweed, etc. Cinema and different forms of entertainment are also a source of many international words of English origin: film, club, cocktail, jazz. At least some of the Russian words borrowed into English and many other languages and thus international should also be mentioned: balalaika, bolshevik , cosmonaut, czar, intelligentsia, Kremlin, mammoth, rouble , sambo, soviet, sputnik, steppe, vodka. To sum up this brief treatment of loan words it is necessary to stress that in studying loan words a linguist cannot be content with establishing the source, the date of penetration, the semantic sphere to which the word belonged and the circumstances of the process of borrowing. All these are very important, but one should also be concerned with the changes the new language system into which the loan word penetrates causes in the word itself, and, on the other hand, look for the changes occasioned by the newcomer in the English vocabulary, when in findi ng its way into the new language it pushed some of its lexical neighbours aside. In the discussion above we have tried to show the importance of the problem of conformity with the patterns typical of the receiving language and its semantic needs.

MEYER Surname Meaning and Family History

MEYER Surname Meaning and Family History From the Middle High German word meiger, meaning higher or superior, Meyer was  a surname  often used for stewards or overseers of landholders or great farmers or leaseholders- today a Meier is a dairy farmer. Meier and Meyer are used more often in Northern Germany, while Maier and Mayer are found more frequently in Southern Germany. As an English surname, Meyer derived from the Old English  maire, or  Mayor, an officer in charge of legal matters. Meyer could also have originated as an alternate spelling of the Dutch Meier or Meijer, or as an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname  Ãƒâ€œ Meidhir, from meidhir, \meaning mirth. Alternate Surname Spellings:  MEIER, MAYER, MAIER, MIER, MEIRSurname Origin: German, English, Dutch Where in the World Is the MEYERSurname Found? According to surname distribution data from Forebears, the Meyer surname is most common in Germany, where it is the 5th most common surname in the country. It is also among the top 100 most common surnames in Switzerland, France,  Luxembourg and South Africa. WorldNames PublicProfiler identifies the Meyer surname as being most frequent in northern Germany (Niedersachsen, Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein);  Nordwestschweiz and Zentralschweiz, Switzerland; and Alsace, France. Surname  distribution maps at  verwandt.de  show the  Meyer surname is  found in 439 cities and counties throughout Germany, most prevalently in Hamburg, followed by Region Hannover, Berlin, Bremen, Diepholz, Harburg, Rotenburg (Wà ¼mme),  Osnabrà ¼ck, Verden and Cuxhaven. Famous People With the MEYER Surname Stephenie Meyer - author of the Twilight seriesBernhard Meyer  - German physician and naturalistBertrand Meyer - French computer scientistConrad Ferdinand Meyer  - Swiss poet and writerFritz Meyer - Swiss founder of the Roamer  watch companyGeorge von Lengerke Meyer - former U.S. Secretary of the NavyHeinrich August Wilhelm Meyer  - German protestant pastor and theologianJulius Lothar Meyer - German chemist;  pioneer in developing the first periodic table of elementsLodewijk Meyer - Dutch physician, classical scholar and playwright Genealogy Resources for the Surname MEYER Meanings of Common German SurnamesUncover the meaning of your German last name with this free guide to the meanings and origins of common German surnames.Meyer  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Meyer  family crest or coat of arms for the Meyer surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.Meyer Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Meyer surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Meyer surname query.FamilySearch - MEYER GenealogyExplore over 9 million  results, including digitized records, database entries, and online family trees for the Meyer surname and its variations on the FREE FamilySearch website, courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.DistantCousin.com - MEYER Geneal ogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Meyer. GeneaNet - Meyer  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Meyer  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries.The Meyer Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Meyer surname from the website of Genealogy Today. Sources and Further Reading Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Avalon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Avalon - Essay Example Census Bureau 2000). The city's population is only about 3,500 according to the US population census in 2000. About 719 families live in the city composed of about 1,158 households at an average density of 252.7/km (654.2/mi) and 1,839 housing units. Population density is estimated at 429.7/km (1,112.4/mi). The racial composition of the city includes 71.63% White, 0.74% Black 1.02% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 20.37% from other races, and 5.40% from two or more races. 45.95% of the population are of Hispanic or Latino background. Out of 1,158 households, 38.3% had children below the age of 18 residing with them; 44.0% of these are married couples; 11.2% had a single female householder, and 37.9% are considered non-families. Of these households, 31.3% are individuals living independently and 10.3% are 65 years of age or older living alone. The estimated average household size is about 2.65 and the average family size is about 3.38 (U.S. Census Bureau 2000). Avalon City's population is quite diffused with 30.3% of the population below 18 years of age. 7.7% are from the age of 18 to 24. The population is also comprised of 30.2% of individuals ages 25 to 44, 21.7% of these are aged 45 to 64, and only about 10.1% are 65 years of age or older. 34 years old is the median age. ... The city's per capita income is recorded at about $21,032. 9.2% of families and 10.4% of the population live below the poverty line, which includes 11.5% of the residents under the age of 18. About 4.6% of individuals age of 65 or above live under the poverty level (U.S. Census Bureau 2000). There are various factors that will clearly affect both the expenses and revenues of the city of Avalon. First, it is apparent that about 4.5 percent to 10 percent of the ageing population is dependent on the city's health care systems. Second, employed residents constitute about 74.5. This percentage is high as compared to the national employment of about 63 percent. However, the city needs to consider the population living below the poverty level, which comprise mostly of the younger individuals. The city government then, needs prudence on planning which type of program to implement as the pattern of population is quite diffused and spread out. The target of poverty alleviation measures would be the young mostly, comprising of about 11.5 percent. Families who live below poverty level are estimated at 9.2 and individuals below poverty level, 10.4. The unemployment rate in Avalon is quite high at about 5.20 percent as compared to the US average of 4.60%. About 50 percent of the unemp loyed are of African descent and 8 percent are Hispanics. Although Avalon jobs have augmented by 3.35 percent, per capita is lower compared to the national figures. As of the last census, Avalon per capita stands at $21,032 dollars as compared with $21,587 national per capita. Hence, the Avalon government must increase its efforts to curb unemployment and increase income of the population. Job generation

Job Saisfaction and empoyee motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job Saisfaction and empoyee motivation - Essay Example I strongly believe that the culture of the organisation plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the employees are satisfied with their job. Corporate culture is the pattern of shared beliefs, attitudes, assumptions and values in an organisation which shape the way people act and interact and strongly influence the ways in which things get done (Armstrong 1994). Thus, according to information obtained from the official website of Google, it can be seen that under the leadership of Schmidt, the organisation has managed to inculcate a culture of strong innovation among its employees. At Google, the culture is that every employee has something important to say and what they say is an integral part of the success of the company (www.google.com/corporate). Accommodative culture is very effective as far as job satisfaction is concerned because it creates a sense of belongingness to the organisation among the members. Through the supporting style of leadership, the employees are motivated by various factors. They are given the opportunity to be part of the decision making process whereby a leader will mainly be concerned with maintaining effective relationships among the members of the group. Achieving the organisational task requires concerted efforts of all the members in the organisation so that the chances of having conflicts will be minimal. If they have the autonomy to contribute to the decisions that affect their daily operations, then they will be in a position to identify with the organisation since they will be part of it which is one great motivating factor. At Google Inc, it can be noted that the organisation has offices around the globe but regardless of the area, the company strives to nurture an invigorating, positive environment by hiring talented, local people who share the organisation’s commitment to creating as well as perfecting the popular search engine

What is the current social, economic and political status of women in Research Paper

What is the current social, economic and political status of women in Saudi Arabia What are the obstacles to true reform of womens rights in Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example This essay discusses the social, economic, and political status of women in Saudi Arabia today. Women in Saudi Arabia are seriously underrepresented in important positions in both the private and public sectors. Possibly most evident, women experience discrimination in personal-status laws, which focus on features of family life such as marriage, inheritance, and child custody. Most Saudi laws proclaim that the husband is the head of the family, authorize the husband to control the decision of his wife about getting a paid job, and in certain instances openly instruct the wife to submit to her husband.ii However, major attempts have been initiated to advance women’s status over the recent years. Women have become more involved in business, education, and public life all over Saudi Arabia. The specific issues that have been of utmost concern to women in Saudi Arabia today relate to employment opportunities, access to health care and education, political rights, and legal protection. These issues have been the focus of almost all women and women’s movement in the region.iii For decades Saudi women have fought for equal opportunities. Today, they fight for their right to leave their houses without the supervision of a male kin and their right to work. The authority of the male relative guarantees the lack of freedom of Saudi women. A reform in women’s legal status is certainly the major change concerning women’s status in Saudi Arabia. The status of women is continuously advancing and in numerous universities the population of female students continuously grows. There are still a small number of women involved in paid employment, but those who are part of the labor force occupy very important positions and are willing and prepared to stand up for their careers, a characteristic highly valued by private organizations.iv Women are becoming more visible in new industries wherein they are now permitted to work; yet, poverty, homelessness, and

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Plan - Essay Example Although, currently my cholesterol levels and glucose levels are controlled, which also significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but my habitual smoking and increased body fat are considerable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. It has been proved through research that smoking doubles the risk for ischemic stroke and smoking acts along with other modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Smoking however, is also one of the risk factors which can be easily alterable. Smoking is also associated with premature morbidity and mortality leading to approximately 430,000 deaths per year in United States (Ockene and Miller 3243). A body mass index of 30 or more is considered obese and is a significant modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Being overweight increases the risk of increased blood cholestrol levels and triglyceride levels and also predisposes the person to diabetes and high blood pressure (National Inst ituite of Health). Cardiovascular diseases such as coronoray heart disease can be prevented by changes in lifestyle and different medicines. Since I am not suffering from high blood pressure and high cholestrol levels, I need to focus on changing my lifestyle in order to attain maximum prevention. Lifestyle changes that I strictly need to follow are following a healthy diet, being physically active, managing my weight and quit smoking. Stress management is also important and should be made a part of normal lifestyle. I should eat healthy diet which includes high fiber, low saturated and trans fat, high in omega-3 fatty acids and reducing daily salt and sugar intake (National Instituite of Health). Low-fat dairy products, fruits and vegetables, fish, legumes, poultry, lean meats, and grains are good sources of energy which also do not increase the risk to cardiovascular disease. According to guidelines I should reduce

Gender equality in islamic Iran Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11500 words

Gender equality in islamic Iran - Coursework Example The methodology adopted is based on history of Islamic laws and policies on gender to compare the status of men and women in the society. This is further elaborated by a classical view, with particular emphasis on the status of women in the Islamic society of Iran and their present day situation outlining the developments that happened through various forms of reformist movements post the Islamic Republic of Iran movement of 1979. Discussion based on our findings from the methodology and approach revolves around the present status of Iranian Women under Islam with a comparison of modern and traditional women. Supporting the voice of modern women, the Convention of human rights laid post Revolution has been discussed. The paper concludes with a summary of the entire research and findings, extending to mention the current happenings in the name of reformist movements in Iran. Limitations of the study have been briefed along with a proposal for another method of studying the presence of gender differences in Iran. Gender, being a social and human concept, ideally does not enter the territory of God. Traditional views of gender roles and relations have persisted in tandem with changes in the status of women both within and outside the family. The realities of women's lives remain unclear and hidden to men and women, and this invisibility persists at all levels from family to the nation. Although men and women seem to coexist on earth, yet, they live in different worlds. They both enjoy different sets of rights, freedom, duties, culture, and even socio-economic status, and these differences cannot be traced to any particular period in history. Though, in front of God, men and women are equal as stated in Qu'ran, and status of women and men also defined with respect to their roles. Shari'a, the Muslim law, defines many differences between the two genders' roles, rights, and obligations. Most of the Islamic women do not enjoy uniform rights with regards to marriage, divorce, civil rights, legal s tatus, dress code, education, though the rules are said to be based on the Islamic holy teachings of Qu'ran. Majority of the social benefits given to women are based on teachings from Qu'ran. Nevertheless, scholars and other

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Plan - Essay Example Although, currently my cholesterol levels and glucose levels are controlled, which also significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but my habitual smoking and increased body fat are considerable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. It has been proved through research that smoking doubles the risk for ischemic stroke and smoking acts along with other modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Smoking however, is also one of the risk factors which can be easily alterable. Smoking is also associated with premature morbidity and mortality leading to approximately 430,000 deaths per year in United States (Ockene and Miller 3243). A body mass index of 30 or more is considered obese and is a significant modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Being overweight increases the risk of increased blood cholestrol levels and triglyceride levels and also predisposes the person to diabetes and high blood pressure (National Inst ituite of Health). Cardiovascular diseases such as coronoray heart disease can be prevented by changes in lifestyle and different medicines. Since I am not suffering from high blood pressure and high cholestrol levels, I need to focus on changing my lifestyle in order to attain maximum prevention. Lifestyle changes that I strictly need to follow are following a healthy diet, being physically active, managing my weight and quit smoking. Stress management is also important and should be made a part of normal lifestyle. I should eat healthy diet which includes high fiber, low saturated and trans fat, high in omega-3 fatty acids and reducing daily salt and sugar intake (National Instituite of Health). Low-fat dairy products, fruits and vegetables, fish, legumes, poultry, lean meats, and grains are good sources of energy which also do not increase the risk to cardiovascular disease. According to guidelines I should reduce

Financing Options Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Financing Options - Essay Example 41, No. 3, 2001, pp. 121-140). In this paper, various financial options available in the UK economy for large purchase will be evaluated and the issues associated with such options will also be analysed. Bank loans are considered to be the most reliable source of financing any large purchase. Bank loan is an agreement in which the borrower is provided with full or partial amount of the money required for purchasing certain assets from a large number of commercial banks such as HSBC, Barclays, Standard Chartered and Royal Bank of Scotland as well as cooperative banks such as Tesco Bank, Sainsburys Bank etc. available in the economy. Such sum of money is provided with an agreement of repaying the principle amount after completion of a stipulated period of time. Moreover, the borrower is subjected to pay the fixed or variable amount of interest rate, as applicable, on the principle amount taken as loan (M. Caglayan and A. Rashid, â€Å"The Response Of Firms Leverage To Risk: Evidence From Uk Public Versus Nonpublic Manufacturing Firms†, Economic Inquiry, Volume 5, No. 52,  2013,  pp 341–363). Bank loans can be of secured and unsecured. Unsecured loans are those source of capital in which fund can be quickly availed without any obligation of collateral. Such loan is provided, depending upon the current financial position of the borrower and his reputation in the market. However, in case of large purchases, loan is always made secured by involvement of certain assets such as housing property of the borrower which is used as collateral. The lenders hold the collaterals till the tenure of the loan. If the borrower fails to repay the loan or the interest payment within the stipulated time, the banks are entitled to acquire the right of ownership of the collateral. Secured loan is considered to be the best option for accumulating large amount of money. Mortgage loans are the most prominent example of secured bank loans (I. K. Nassr and G. Wehinger,

Analysis of the short story Essay Example for Free

Analysis of the short story Essay `This essay will discuss certain reaction to the story ‘Examination day’, as well as reviewing the lifestyle and world Dickie lives in. The Jordan family are not rich but they are part of the working class society. The accommodation is quite small, they’re ‘little apartment’ is described in line 21: ‘The boy †¦ wandered to that part of the living room which had been ‘his’ from infancy. ’ This shows that things have not changed in terms of housing since he was young and probably their wealth has not increased as much as they would have liked. In the ‘little apartment’ Mrs Jordan mentioned ‘the Exam’ which was why the tension was quite high in the room. ‘The Exam’ is the ‘Government intelligence test they give to children at the age of twelve. ’ This examination was to make sure that there is no-one clever enough to overrule the current government. This test shows an example of what a dictator ruled government is like. This government is a totalitarian government in terms of not wanting to lose power or authority of any sort. These citizens are stuck in an unwanted dictatorship. The examination room was just as restricted as the lives they lead. The room was very dim which represents amount of information they know about the world and their current government. Also in Dickie’s eyes the room doesn’t look very inviting or welcoming even if it was an examination room. Although Dickie could not really see the ‘gray-tunicked attendant’ he knew that this was a very serious matter. The dimness of the room also shows the secretiveness of the government and how much they want their citizens to know. On the day of Dickie’s examination his parents’ were very anxious to see whether or not their son was allowed to come home or not; there were ‘†¦ not speaking, not even speculating. ’ They were so apprehensive that when the phone rang they both tried to reach for it. This shows that they had a feeling that things were not going to work out perfectly for them. When Mr Jordan answered the phone to the ‘Government Educational Service’ he was told that his son’s ‘†¦intelligence quotient has exceeded the Government regulation. ’ This information was a shock to Mr Jordan that even his wife had read the expression of disappointment on his face. The government had announced that Dickie was going to die because he had breached the ‘intelligence quotient’. This shows that the government are too scared to let the clever people live their own lives or even work for them at their young age. This shows that the dictator is not as strong as he portrays himself to be. This shows that he is insecure and that if anyone clever was around he would probably crumble from having lack of authority. I think that the Jordan family live in a completely totalitarian world where they have no freedom to do what they like when they feel like it; unless they are in their own home. Their dictator is too worried about anyone overruling him; he feels the need to get rid all of the clever citizens to be secure in his position. This shows that this dictator is too unsecure to be head of the government. He needs to step aside and let someone else do the job properly.

Concrete: Advantages And Disadvantages

Concrete: Advantages And Disadvantages In this era which we live in, there are more than 7 billion (1) people on Earth and its resources are limited and quickly depleting. As a response to this high demand and burden on the Earths precious goods, there has been a green movement. Governments and companies are implementing laws and constantly looking for ways to be more efficient and conserve whatever little we have at our disposal. In the light of all this innovative research and as university students studying environmental engineering, concrete evolution has sparked our interest. Concrete is very much a large part of the environment, being one of the most widely used materials in construction, concrete is virtually everywhere. Its high durability and versatility has made it superior to all other building materials however there are some downsides to concrete that has made it a threat to the environment, mainly the greenhouse gas emissions that come with making cement. The cement manufacturing industry is under increasing pressure to reduce these emissions due to the fact that it releases a lot of gases, namely carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide. The real struggle is to find ways to produce a concrete that is environmentally safe, without losing the integrity of the concretes durability and reliability. In this paper, the making of concrete and its advantages and disadvantages will be discussed, alongside some different alternatives that have been implemented at present time to deal with energy efficiency and environmental security. Economic and social effects are also looked at and discussed. The main alternatives in focus are; the use of chemical admixtures, recycled concrete materials and fuel alternatives for the kiln. Kiln and Efficiency The most energy consuming part of the cement making process is the burning of the mixture of the constituent parts of cement within the kiln. A large amount of emissions is released by the fossil fuels used to heat the kiln up and the chemical reactions that take place within the kiln itself. A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber or oven, in which a controlled temperature is maintained and kilns used for making cement get to temperatures of about 1500 degrees Celsius (2). In order to get to these temperatures, large quantities of coal are burned to generate the energy needed for the kiln. Coal is the primary fuel burned in cement kilns, however, the use of alternative fuels in cement kilns is now common and increasing. This high energy consumption however leads to high carbon emissions, about 7% of the worlds total carbon emissions. Cement production is an energy-intensive process consuming thermal energy of the order of 3.3 GJ/tonne of clinker produced. Electrical energy consumption is about 90 120 kWh/tonne of cement.(3) These are the reasons why more efficient fuel alternatives are being investigated to firstly help improve the quality of air we breathe and secondly protect the earth from adverse conditions that come with too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There are two types of kilns being put to use, one utilizing a wet process and the other dry. The wet process is the older method and involves a slurry mixture of water and the cement ingredients being transferred to the kiln. The wet process however uses a lot of energy and therefore the modern dry process is more commonly used. It uses the dry ingredients blended together and then transferred to the kiln, the only disadvantage it that a lot of dust is released. Both diagrams below will illustrate the the cement making process and more importantly the two different kinds of kilns. Material Science According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, material science is the scientific study of the properties and applications of materials of construction or manufacture (as ceramics, metals, polymers, and composites).(5) The concise encyclopedia further explains how material science goes into how the properties of different materials depend on their composition such as atomic mass and electron configuration.(5) It also points out the importance of material science to engineers of all disciplines as they need to know as much as possible about different materials in order to come up with designs and fix problems in their respective fields. With a sound knowledge of materials and their properties, they can be manipulated in any way necessary to be an asset to us. In our case, understanding the chemical reactions that take place in concrete will help to understand why the methods chosen have been picked in the first place to help rectify any problems. From the manufacturing of the cement in the kiln to the demolition of concrete structures, knowing and understanding the reason behind different aspects surrounding the whole concrete process is very beneficial in finding alternatives to make it more environmentally safe and efficient. Alternative Fuels Fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, have been used as energy sources in the cement manufacturing industry for decades. In more recent years, these traditional fuel sources have become increasingly substituted with alternative fuels typically of waste sources such as municipal solid waste, scrap tires, waste wood, agricultural biomass, meat and bone meal, and petroleum coke. The list of candidate materials is continuously expanding and regulatory pressures, economic factors and the fact that we are running out of landfill space are all reasons why these alternative fuels are continuously sought for and studied. Alternative fuels used today in cement manufacturing and the different potential alternative fuels differ considerably from the traditional fuels, and the cement manufacturing industry is faced with several challenges in making the switch from traditional to alternative fuels. Some of these challenges include, inadequate heat distribution, blockages in the preheater cyclones, unstable precalciner function, higher SO2, NOx, and CO emissions, congestion in the kiln riser ducts and dusty kilns (6). Furthermore, due to the fact that the cement industry is strictly regulated by national and international legislation for environmental related issues, health and safety of practices, and the quality of cement produced, special approval is required for the use alternative fuel since they all different and can potentially introduce harmful environmental effects or affect the quality of the cement. The type of combustion implemented, which is determined by the type of fuel used can have a direc t affect on the composition and characteristics of the output product, and the function of the kiln as different manufacturing plants may differ in their design. A common practice in cement manufacture is the addition of the ash produced by the fuels, which are comprised of compounds containing silica and alumina, into the clinker (6). The composition of the fuel ash created by different fuels can determine in which proportions an alternative fuel can substitute a conventional fuel, for example some can yield silica rich fuel ash which can later reduce the amount of ground sand needed as a raw material to make cement. Moreover, the inclusion of constituents that can have a deleterious effect on concrete performance must be controlled, since this can happen even at very small concentrations. An example of this would be alkalis such as potassium oxide and sodium oxide, which can in the presence of moisture can cause reactions in concrete called ACR and ASR which can cause cracking in the structure. These alkalis can also react with SO3 to form alkali sulphates, which can affect the reactivity of the cement with aggregates, resulting in hardenin g problems (6). Therefore, the inclusion of alkalis from the kiln system should be minimized. In certain kilns that have preheaters, the use of alternative fuels can lead to the volatilization of certain molecules they introduce, which can lead to their subsequent recirculation in increasingly higher loads. Their recirculating can lead to their condensation in cooler areas, binding to circulating dust particles and can potentially cause blockages, thereby affecting the heat-exchange system. Some of these molecules are sodium oxide, potassium oxide, alkali sulphates, and chlorine, which not only are responsible for deposits, preheater blockages, and kiln rings but can also affect the quality of the cement produced if they are retained to some proportions(6). Petroleum coke or petcoke is a solid residue from the crude oil refineries. It is considered a low volatile fuel with a typical volatile content of 5-15 %. The fact that its volatile content is low means that it has a low reactivity / burning rate and therefore is not possible to burn 100% petcoke in kiln or precalciner without using other high volatile fuels along with it (6). Consequently, this alternative fuel requires finer grinding and is pushing new kiln designs into the market to allow for their complete burning. Another negative is the fact that it has a high sulphur and vanadium content. This can result in increasing the sulphur circulation in the kiln and precalciners and as mentioned before causing build-ups and blockages, and increasing sulphur dioxide emissions. Sulphur contamination of the cement can cause cracking and high vanadium content can cause reduce the strength of concrete (6). A 0.2 percent addition is reported to lead to a 10 percent reduction in 28-day stren gth of cement. However, due to low ash content of petcoke such high contents of vanadium in cement are unlikely (6). This is an attractive fuel as it has a high calorific content and relatively less expensive than coal and other fossil fuel conventionally used. Sewage Sludge is generated from wastewater treatment from industrial, residential, commercial, and institutional sources. Sewage sludge is usually disposed of by throwing it in the sea, its use as fertilizer, its incineration, or it is dumped in a landfill. Due to stricter environmental specifications associated with its disposal, the possible health and environmental risks in using it as a fertilizer and the increasing cost for its disposal in landfills, its use as an alternative fuel in cement manufacture is becoming more attractive. The organic components of the sludge are entirely destroyed when it is burned as fuel and the inorganic components and heavy metals are combined and included in the final product. The sulphur content of sludge is not greater than coal so it does not pose a major concern in comparison, and although it has higher nitrogen content the nitrogen oxide emissions are lower than when fossil fuels are burned (7). However, there are higher contents of volatile c ontent, ash, and low fixed carbon compared to coals. Sludge usually requires pretreatment before it can be used as a fuel and has to be burned in controlled conditions as with most alternative fuels. Using sludge is also attractive economically, as it resulted in an increase in return when used instead of fossil fuels, in spite of its lower energy content than coal and the fact that it needs to be stored in special silos in order to avoid contamination (7). Its storage and handling and reduction of water content are the most difficult part of its use as a fuel, however it is definitely a far better option than use of non-renewable resources since it is widely available and a nuisance to dispose of. The use of sludge as a fuel source cannot have much of a social impact other than perhaps peoples perception of it, some may regard it as a better option than incinerating sludge which forms poisonous by-products, while others may be bothered by its use in anything else. Scrap tires have become utilized as an alternative source of fuel for various parts of the developed world instead of fossil fuels in many industries including cement manufacture. When tires are burned the rubber is completely destroyed and the inorganic component and heavy metals are included in the cement product. Different cases present different conclusions about the emission of SO2 and NOx, which may suggest that it depends on the kiln system and the burning process implemented. However, two Portland Cement Association (PCA) reports (2008, 2009) found that nitrogen oxide, sulphur oxide, and particulate emissions were reduced when scrap tires substituted a portion of the conventional fuels (7). Heavy metal, dioxins and furan emissions showed different results in different studies however, again Portland Cement Association studies collected data from 31 cement plants that used tire as fuel and found a significant reduction in the emissions of dioxins and furans (7) . Some problems with tire derived fuel is incomplete combustion and zinc oxide present at concentrations that may be detrimental to the quality of the cement. Overall, the use of tires as fuel is an environmentally, and economically sound option compared to other end-of life alternatives of tires and the use of 100% fossil fuel. Tires have a higher energy content than coal and allow for savings in the purchase of coal. Another source of fuel being used is agricultural biomass, which includes all forms of biomass not included in the categories of meat and bone meal, or sewage sludge. Some common sources are rice and coffee bean husks, palm kernels, algae, and cottonseed oils. The use of agricultural biomass has been proven to be an effective way to reduce greenhouse gases and the dependency for fossil fuel (7). Furthermore, its been determined to have low SO2 emissions, low dioxin and furan emissions, and very low heavy metal emissions. Biomass in the form of waste from industrial or agricultural processes is less expensive than fossil fuels, and therefore its use would reduce operational costs. However, equipment specific to the processing of biomass may be needed and may incur additional costs. Also, supply seems to be a major concern, a continuous supply may be difficult to achieve. Socially it can be beneficial to some agricultural communities, allowing them to make an additional income from sel ling their agricultural by-products (7). Finally the last alternative fuel to be discussed is the meat and bone meal (MBM), a by-product of the rendering and food industries. Their co-incineration with fossil fuels in cement kiln systems has become a common way for their elimination. MBM has a lower fixed carbon and high ash content and high levels of phosphate, sodium, potassium, magnesium and chlorine (7). Due to the fact that chlorides can volatilize and condense at high temperatures in the kiln and can react with alkalis and sulphates to form compounds with low melting points, which can lead to their recirculation and condensation. As mentioned earlier this can can have harmful effects on the production process and cement produced . Consequently the MBM used as substituted fuel and the compounds introduced into the cement needs to be controlled and monitored. The sulphur content, on the other hand, is a little lower than can be found in coal, and the high calcium content in MBM can help retain most of the SO2 released f rom its combustion (7). The use of MBM in cement production reduces CO2 emissions, SO2 emissions, and introduces a safe and environmentally friendly way to disposing of them. And as with the previous alternative fuels mentioned, it reduces the demand for landfills and their associated environmental and health risks. In summary the cement kiln provides numerous advantages over other end-of life alternatives for much of these wastes. The high temperatures, oxygen rich environment, and adequate residence time provided by the kiln system allows for the complete destruction of the organic material. Also, aside from being able to process a wide range of waste materials, since the ash is incorporated into the final product there is no additional waste to manage from the use of these wastes. However, these alternative fuels are derived from selected waste streams and usually require some level of pretreatment, such as the shredding of tires, drying of sewage sludge and reducing its pathogen levels, etc. This is a extra investment of time and money that the cement manufacturers will need to take on as the pretreatment of these wastes is an integral part of their recovery and in most cases is taken care of externally by waste treatment experts or outside suppliers. Despite, these extra costs for the prepr ocessing of these wastes, the cement manufacturers are expected to make a larger return on this investment in comparison to the purchase of fossil fuels. Also, the use of these wastes as fuels would create a market for these them in neighboring communities, which will help reduce the number of operating landfills and put to use the calorific value in these wastes rather than have them wasted. The burning of carbon neutral wastes which include agricultural biomass, municipal waste, animal waste and paper waste are considered as GHG sinks since they would otherwise decay in landfills and form methane which is a more harmful GHG than CO2 (8). Other wastes that are derived from fossil fuels such as tires, are not carbon neutral, however burning them in cement kilns rather than incinerating them, which also induces GHG emissions, can result in significant CO2 reductions. Although the kiln emerging technologies and their capacities to process these fuels was not discussed, since it is too broad of a subject to cover and is not the main purpose of this paper, it is understood that some alterations to tradition kiln systems is required to adapt to the different combustion of these fuels. An example of these changes is features such as a multi-channel burner design and thermograph systems which allow for the control of the flame and optimize burning of different fuels (10). There are also different mathematical models, which look at which combination of alternative fuels in which proportions can produce optimal burning conditions (11). There has been much progress over the years in the substitution of fossil fuels in cement kilns, especially in the EU where substitution rates are much higher than in North America, however, there is much more work that needs to be done in the evolution of the cement industry towards greener and more sustainable practices. Advanced Chemical Admixtures Our society relies greatly on building materials, concrete being one of the oldest, and most important of those materials. Concrete is a combination of 60% to 75% aggregates and 25% to 40% paste. The paste is comprised of 7% to 15% cement, 4% to 8% of air content, and 14% to 21% water (15). Although paste only contribute less than 40% of concrete, the components greatly affects the overall quality. An example is with the reduction of water to cement ratio, and in turn increases the compressive and flexural strength, increases resistance to weathering reduces shrinkage and cracking, and lowers permeability. To achieve these characteristics in concrete, engineers came up with admixtures, an important ingredients used when the goals are to reduce the cost of concrete, maintaining the quality of concrete during the different stages of its production, basically to achieve desirable properties of concrete. Admixtures are classified under the following; Air-entraining mixtures, water reduci ng admixtures, plasticizers, accelerating admixtures, retarding admixtures, corrosion inhibitors, etc. Superplasticiser/High range water reduction is made up of synthetic polymers, which are admixtures that increase slump flow, essentially used for low to normal slump and water-cement ratio. The use of superplascticiser not only brings the water-cement ratio down, but it drastically increases the workability, as well as increasing the strength at an early stage up to 200% within 16 hrs (13) . A great example of a new and innovative plasticizing admixture is Glenium SKY. The third generation high range water reducer or superplasticizer also known as Glenium was introduced in the 1990s. Glenium is a polycarboxylic ether polymer, that attracts entrringite molecules, through a static electric charge. This entrringite provides a protective barrier around the surface of cement particle, which prevents hydration and crystallization. In September 2003 Glenium SKY (Synthesis of Key performance and Yield) was introduced. This new superplasticizer was developed for ready mixed concrete, concrete that contains high performance quality from the production to the usage. Unlike the other types of Glenium; Glenium 21 and Glenium 27 , Figure 1 Glenium SKY, new chemical monomers controls the rate in which the entrringite molecules cover the cement molecules. Therefore the cement molecules are not completely covered, which allows the crystallization to take place at a slower rate, and accelerated strength at an early stage without compromising the consistency. Glenium SKY was tested against Glenium 27, it is noticeable from the table below that Glenium needing less water and lower cement-water ratio, but still was a able to produce a more consistent slump and greater strength according to the test results in table 1. Within 90 min, the slump dropped only by 2 mm. The usage of Glenium SKY benefits socially, economically, and environmentally. With the increase in workability, decrease in water-cement ratio, and high early strength, allows the most optimum concrete design which in turns have a positive effect on the economical aspect The definition of sustainability means to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their need (15). Sustainability is achieved when these 3 factors are properly balanced, economy, social, and environmental. It is evident that the addition of the superplasticiser used in concrete mix designs will help to achieve environmental sustainability. The concrete industrys main goal is to produce a superior material with a positive impact to the environment. This super-plasticiser or high range water reducer will decrease the water-cemnet ratio, meaning less cement needed as well as water. Water usage can be reduced from 10% to over 30%. A 10% reduction is equivalent to 600 000 tonnes of water saved annually (14). Not only are the usage of water is reduced but also other environmental factors. Analyzing the effects of the super-plasticiser shows a generally positive effect on the environment. Figures 3 and 4, shows 2 concrete structures impact on the environment with the addition of super-plasticiser in relation with the structures without the admixture. For the flat Slab concrete, adding the super-plasticiser admixture decreases these negative impacts by a great margin. It is evident that the total energy requirement is reduced by 8%, the toxic impact on human health is reduced by 10 %, the acidifying pollutants is reduced by 8%, and the CO2 is reduced to almost 20%. However, using this admixture, there is an increase in chemical waste, the values have been normalized to 100% for the control, which means the increase of the non-hazardous chemical wastes will only increase by 1% (13). Overall for this cement mix the superplasticier admixture is beneficial because it decreases major negative impacts such as abiotic depletion and eootox sediment by 3% and another 3 categorie s by over 10%. The effect of the admixtures vary depending on the different type of mixes and their purpose. The concrete mix for a precast wall unit was also analyzed using these admixtures. Based on that analysis we can conclude that this admixture has the desired effect by decreasing the energy by 10% by volume of concrete. As with the previous concrete mix the superplasticiser has a greater impact on a number of impacts. While there is an increase in chemical waste by 10% by volume of control concrete the decrease in energy is of 20%. This outweighs the negative of this admixture. Overall the super-plasticiser admixture has a great effect on a number of impacts but also a negative impact on chemical waste. Figure 3 and 4 compare the strength with and without the admixture versus the energy and climate change. It is evident that the super-plasticiser are effective in reducing the CO2 emissions and the energy consumption. A cement mix with this superplasticiser admixture will have a positive overall effect and has very beneficial impact on the environment. The use of this super-plasticiser admixture in concrete mixes allows for social sustainability. As previously stated before, with the addition of this admixture, concrete mix can be made to have a higher strength. An increase in the strength of the concrete will result in a more durable material, and a longer life expectancy. With concrete having higher strength and a longer life, maintaining these structures will be reduced especially within major highways and roadways within a city. Traffic congestions greatly impacts our lives, career, and safety. By reducing the amount of traffic will allow a better quality of life. In central Ontario alone, there are 11 zones where major structures are being repaired and maintained. On the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) near Hamilton, a $7.3 million dollar contract has been approved for the structural rehabilitation (14). According to the traffic reports, the QEW Burlington Skyway Bridge, the Millen and Fifty Road structures and glover road will be u nder construction, which means a delay up to 30 minutes (14). The 30 minute construction delay with the addition of bottlenecked areas, and overcrowded vehicles can increase the delay to be even longer than 30 minutes. Lets say 30 minutes delay for construction, and because of a large amount of the population commute to the city of Toronto for work, another 10 minutes due to vehicles overcrowding the roads. We have a total of 40 minutes delay, and a total of 80 minutes delay a day, which comes up to 6400 minutes or 106.6 hours in traffic until this specific project is completed in 4 months. These delays will cause people to be late for work, school, or other commitments, which can lead to stress, and road safety. By producing an optimal concrete design using a super-plasticiser such as Glenium SKY, we can increase the strength and life expectancy of the structure, which will reduce traffic caused by maintenance and repair, and create a more socially sustainable environment. Reaching economic sustainability is just as important as social and environmental sustainability. With the increase in workability, decrease in water-cement ratio, and high early strength, allows the most optimum concrete design which in turns will help to achieve economical sustainability. The increase in workability allows proper installation into areas of low clearance, underwater placements, and areas where consolidating methods cannot be used. Which means savings on equipment, transportation, and time. When mix designing, with the addition of Glenium SKY admixture, the water-cement ratio is decreased, which results in a smaller amount of water and cement needed. Economically, this is a positive result, not only does it reduce the cost of the amount of cement needed it also reduces energy cost. According to the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario is increasing driver and vehicle fees in order to maintain bridges and roads. The price of maintenance has increased. Consequently this increases taxes and other fees. Using this admixture the amount of maintenance required can be reduced, with increase in tax will not be necessary. Recycled Concrete Concrete as one of the mostly used building materials when produced and transported creates a lot of CO2 and when disposed generates a huge amount of waste; therefore it causes a lot of concerns for environmental activists. In order to address these environmental issues, it is necessary to recycle the concrete when demolishing buildings built using concrete. Also reuse of this construction waste is important in terms of life Cycle Assessment that is the standard method of evaluating environmental impacts associated with different stage of products life, which includes recycling (22). There are 3 basic concepts to promote the proper reuse of the construction waste, (A) assurance of safety and quality, (B) decrease of environmental impact, and (C) increase of cost effectiveness of construction. In this paper we focus on some benefits of proper recycling of concrete for the environment. First, we are going to address some of the main environmental problems with concrete. Concrete production emits huge amount of CO2, which is the main issue of this industry that leads into global warming. Up to 8% of all the CO2 produced in the world comes from concrete production. Using recycled concrete can dramatically reduce the amount of emitted CO2 and fight against global warming. Nitrous oxide emission and other articulated air emissions on one hand, and on the other hand the traffic congestion caused by delivery of the ready concrete wastes a lot of energy and cause air pollution. Water pollution and adverse effects of concrete on health are among the other problems that make concrete recycling more essential. (19) In the past, the resulting concrete from demolishing the buildings was released in the environment which had enormous negative impacts. Conventionally recycling concrete has been considered as a difficult task, however recycling technology has been improved and now it has become a feasible technology. Recycling concrete has become a simple process that involves breaking the concrete pavements, removing them from the sites to the recycling machines that can be also installed near the construction sites and finally crushing the concrete into pieces that can vary in quality and size. (18) Furthermore, recycling technology has reached the stage that can prepare the recycled concrete to produce superior recycled aggregate for structural concrete. Recycled concrete has become one of the best construction materials as it is stronger than new concrete. There are only few restrictions on the type of concrete that can be used as recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) (20). Recycling now has become more common method of developing the waste produced by demolishing or renovating the structures made of concrete rather than transferring them by truck and leaving them in landfill. Environmental awareness and also the desire of contractors to keep construction costs as low as possible, has made concrete recycling an attractive proposal in any construction project involving concrete. Unlike most of the materials, such as, glass, bottles or metals that can be reused to produce the same material, once concrete has been made from cement, it cannot be decomposed to its initial component of sand, cement and water. However, Crushed concrete can be combined with virgin aggregate in producing concrete. (17) It is important to develop standardized guidelines to create new materials. These standards are needed for quality control of Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA), and the correct use of this recycled materials to produce new concrete. Recycling can reduce the amount of waste concrete that must be landfilled so it saves landfill space by keeping the waste concrete out of landfill. In addition, it reduces the need of virgin aggregates which help to cuts the negative environmental issues of extraction process. Recycled concrete can be used as gravel and it reduces the need for gravel mining. Another positive impact of recycling is the reduction of transportation requirements to transfer the new material to the construction sites, which in turn can reduce air and water pollution significantly and also decrease the greenhouse emission. One of the most important environmental advantages of concrete recycling rather than leaving the concrete in the landfill and buying the new material is to save up to 1,360 gallons water by recycling one ton of concrete. Using developed recycling system, to recycle the concrete waste produced from demolishing structures or roadways, can reduce t

Essay --

According to Kotler et al. (2010) believes the concept of positioning in marketing is identify customer needs, establish processes, innovate and implement products. When a company knows or determine their target market segments, they have to understand what are their positions, where are they now? Where they want them to be in those segments. Also, the product's position are very important to other competitive products because in the market there are so many choices which consumers can make a buying decision. However, once the product can occupies and leaves a good impression in the customer's mind immediately they are going to choose those products by the next time. Therefore, to create a unique value and position with customers are significant especially in hotel brand's management as well as other product's brand, they must have a clear concept and purpose to use their employees reaching company's goal. For hotel Golden Arch to make itself novel so they were trying to make something unique and differentiate itself from other hotels because they think it is going to work well and can attract more guests come to the hotel, they were using a concept by replacing â€Å"the traditional hotel industry applied job specialization and hierarchy system† Michel (2005, p.4). For examples, the guest can check-in and out of the hotel at the airport, use the foldable-wall technology for meeting room, comfortable bed, especially make the shower projected into the bedroom and the McDonald's restaurant located exactly next to the hotel which means that customers have one more option for their meal but other competitors they do not. From McDonald and Dunbar (2004, p.34) suggest that â€Å" market segmentation being the process of splitting custom... ...it seems like not so many people stay in the hotel, it was very quiet, unpleasant behaviour, no activity and they thought that the hotel would be one to two stars, they didn't expect it would be a four star hotel. Due to these reasons the company didn't success because the Golden Arches is a four star hotel, they are depending on the luxury type like other four and five star hotel. Although they were using their product's brand expand into hotel industry even for the design concept is like using everywhere with the existing logo of McDonald for example, like in the picture shown that on the head of the bed was painting with a shaped of yellow arches, from what they saw immediately they will think about McDonald's brand. Furthermore, because it is a four star hotel and next to the hotel is a fast food restaurant which cannot match with the concept of four star hotel.

AtlantiCare and the “Voice of the Customer” Essay

Introduction Located in southeastern New Jersey, AtlantiCare is a nonprofit organization that provides acute and chronic health care services in the following areas: cancer, trauma, cardiac care, stroke, behavioral health, urgent care, hospice, home care, family medicine, occupational medicine, child care, early learning, and mission care for the homeless. Because of the nature of the services it provides quality is essential at AtlantiCare, and the organization delivers it. In fact, AtlantiCare applies the principles of total quality so comprehensively and consistently that the organization has received the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. At the core of AtlantiCare’s quality program is a process the organization calls the â€Å"Voice of the Customer.† This is a five-phase process used to make the organization’s patients partners in its continual-improvement efforts. Voice of the Customer identifies patient requirements and then makes sure that AtlantiCare’s services satisfy these requirements. The company’s customer focus does not stop with external customers. It also includes internal customers-employees (Goetsh & Davis, 2011). Total quality is not a concept anymore in day to day operations at AtlantiCare. It is part of the management team work ethic and philosophy, and the rest of the nonprofit company staff. AtlantiCare applies the principles of total quality in such a way that not only takes care of its customers, but also its internal customers. By doing so, the company has achieved organizational excellence. The case that follows is about the steps taken by the administration at AtlantiCare and also the lessons learned by the executives and the staff to become a world-class health care provider. Questions AtlantiCare has learned how to apply the principles of effective communication in a Total Quality setting. If total quality is the engine, communication is the oil that keeps it running. Much of what total quality is all about depends on effective communication. Without it, total quality breaks down. Some of the key elements of the total quality concept are customer focus (internal and external), total employee involvement and empowerment, leadership, teamwork, decision making, problem prevention, problem solving, and conflict resolution (Goetsh & Davis, 2011). The core of the AtlantiCare’s Total Quality system is a process called the â€Å"Voice of the Customer.† This is a five-phase process used to make the organization’s patients partners in its continual-improvement efforts. Voice of the Customer identifies patient requirements and then makes sure that AtlantiCare’s services satisfy these requirements. The part that AtlantiCare applies perfectly well i s the focus in its internal and external customers. This approach has giving the nonprofit company the information necessary to fix its mistakes and to reengineer its process, so AtlantiCare keeps its customers satisfied. Basically, what AtlantiCare does is to listen to all the stakeholders, following the principles of effective communication: message received, message understood. To listen responsively, managers and employees must learn to simultaneously use their ears, eyes, brains, and hearts. Responsive listening can pay substantial dividends for managers in a total quality setting (Goetsh & Davis, 2011). PepsiCo and IKEA are among the top companies were people wants to work at. It is not only because these companies have a recognized name or they are multinational companies. It is basically because these two companies also apply Total Quality programs where listening the suggestions and concerns of its employees and customers is a very big component. According to IKEA Welcome Inside 2012 report they in many markets we are the employer of choice, and latest results from our co-worker satisfaction survey, VOICE, show a very high level of satisfaction among our co-workers. The VOICE result also identifies areas where we can improve. IKEA is listening actively. They paid attention to their employees. They are sensitive to the information they receive, and also they act in consequence. They are being creative by developing programs to help their employees to grow and develop. In 2012, PepsiCo was listed among the Top 25 ‘World’s Best Multinational Workplaces’ by the Great Place to Work Institute  (PepsiCo, 2012). PepsiCo is always looking for talent and sustainability for them it means to invest in their associates to help them succeed; providing a safe and inclusive workplace globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where they operate. In all of their markets, they are developing the talent of associates, preparing them to lead PepsiCo into the future. Through PepsiCo University and online courses offered by their global functions, more than 8,000 of their associates completed more than 11,500 courses in 2012. The professional development they offer to their associates enables them to develop the skills, capabilities and mindsets needed to drive sustainable financial performance and value creation. PepsiCo is combating the inhibitors of listening by providing to its employees with opportunities of professional development. Conclusion In order to have a Total Quality program that works effectively it is important to put at the core of the program the communication piece. Especially the information that is brought and communicated by the customers is the piece that has to have a mechanism that assures that it is inputted in to the Total Quality program. In the case of AtlantiCare, the nonprofit company has a system in place that voices the suggestions, complains, and demands of both customers: external and internal. The core of the AtlantiCare’s Total Quality system is a process called the â€Å"Voice of the Customer.† This is a five-phase process used to make the organization’s patients partners in its continual-improvement efforts. Voice of the Customer identifies patient requirements and then makes sure that AtlantiCare’s services satisfy these requirements. The part that AtlantiCare applies perfectly well is the focus in its internal and external customers. In the case of IKEA, the company has its own program called the â€Å"VOICE.† The VOICE result also identifies areas where we can improve. IKEA is listening actively. They paid attention to their employees. They are sensitive to the information they receive, and also they act in consequence. The area where this program could improve is in the external customer. According to this program they are only surveying the employees, but they are not taking in consideration the important information that the external customers have and can be used in the company’s advantage. On the other hand, in 2012, PepsiCo  was listed among the Top 25 ‘World’s Best Multinational Workplaces’ by the Great Place to Work Institute (PepsiCo, 2012), which means PepsiCo takes care of its internal customers. In all of their markets, they are developing the talent of associates, preparing them to lead PepsiCo into the future. Through PepsiCo University and online courses offered by their global functions, more than 8,000 of their associates completed more than 11,500 courses in 2012. PepsiCo provides for its employees professional developing opportunities and career growth, but they do not have a program in place that assures that its employees are providing information that could help the company. Less say they are not putting communication at the core of its Total Quality program. Finally, both companies could learn something from AtlantiCare by implementing Total Quality programs that included their external customers. Especially in the case of IKEA that sells directly to the final consumer. References David L. Goetsch, Stanley B. Davis. (2011) Quality Management for Organizational Excellence: Introduction to Total Quality, (7th Ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education IKEA Group (2012). Welcome inside 2012. Retrieved from http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/pdf/yearly_summary/ys_welcome_inside_2012.pdf PepsiCo (2012). Annual Report. Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/download/PEP_Annual_Report_2012.pdf