Saturday, August 31, 2019

Distribution Of Mrsa And Mssa Health And Social Care Essay

Controling MRSA and MSSA remains a primary focal point of most hospital infection control plans, these pathogens now a job in infirmaries worldwide and progressively recovered from nursing places and the community. Bacterial strain typing distinguishes epidemiologically related or clonal isolates from unrelated isolates Strain word picture is indispensable in set uping the epidemiologic features of nosocomial infections and in planing effectual control methods Using a combination of several methods increases the specificity and sensitiveness of epidemiologic typewriting. The function of strain typing methods is to find whether epidemiologically related isolates are besides genetically related, stand foring the same strain. The consequences obtained by typing methods are besides supplying valuable cognition about the epidemiology of MRSA and MSSA and the relationship between genome content and virulency strains. To find the national prevalence and epidemiology of S. aureus and MRSA colonisation in several infirmaries and wellness attention centres. To find the prevalence of a MRSA colonisation and infection among the staff of whose covering with MRSA infections. To measure schemes to forestall recurrent MRSA infections and transmittal of MRSA in these infirmaries and wellness attention centres and close-contact scenes To measure the molecular features of epidemic MRSA strains including opposition mechanisms and virulency traits. To constructing a national library ( data base ) of MRSA strains to place familial forms or relationships among different types MRSA that could be used to inform bar and control schemes. To measure the efficaciousness of infection control†¦ †¦ .Methodology:Protocol design: The survey will be conducted in three stairss: ( I ) a local survey qualifying MRSA and MSSA isolates collected from infirmaries and wellness attention centres in coveted location, allowing the acknowledgment of the major MRSA and MSSA ringers ; ( two ) a countrywide survey of the spread of the major ringer ; ( three ) a worldwide survey comparing the features and familial content of the major pandemic MRSA and MSSA ringers found in this protocol with informations in the literature.4.2 Designation of isolatesNasal, pharynx swabs and blood will be obtained from representative staff and patients ( including bad patients in special-care units ( e.g. grownup, paediatric, and neonatal ICUs ; burn ; haemodialysis in add-on to outpatients from each infirmary and wellness centre included in this protocol. MRSA and MSSA designation will be performed by utilizing standard methods harmonizing to Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute recommendations ( CLSI. 2007 ) . Phenotypically confirmed isolates will be reconfirmed by sensing Sa442 and mecA DNA fragment for MSSA and MRSA severally by PCR, originally described by ( Martineau et al. , 1998 ) is a popular DNA mark for designation of S. aureus by PCR and will be used as a verification tool for all samples in this survey.4.3 Antimicrobial Susceptibility TestingAntibiograms will be determined by disc diffusion on Mueller-Hinton agar harmonizing to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards ( NCCLS 2007 ) . The undermentioned antimicrobic agents will be included: penicillin, oxacillin, Garamycin, clindamycin, Erythrocin, Vancocin and daptomycin. ( These antibiotic can modified harmonizing different infirmaries and wellness centres demands )4.4 Genotypic analysis:4.4.1 DNA extraction:Genomic DNA will be extracted from staphylococcal positive civilizations by utilizing the undermentioned methods: a loop full of bacteriums is picked from home base and transferred to 1 milliliters PBS buffer and extractor at 14000rpm for 5 min. Supernatant is discarded and the pellet is re-suspension in 100 µl TE 10:1, this suspension will be boiled at 95C for 10 proceedingss and reassign straight to ice and 1ml of TE 10:1 will be added as concluding measure. The sensing of staphylococcal toxin cistrons: staphylococcal superantigen ( SAg ) Sequences specific for staphylococcal enterotoxin cistrons ( sea to see ) , the toxic daze syndrome toxin cistron ( tsst-1 ) , exfoliative toxin cistrons ( Basque Homeland and Freedom and etb ) and Panton-Valentine Leukocidin ( PVL ) cistrons ( lukS-PV-lukF-PV ) will be detected by PCR with the undermentioned conditions and primers: an initial denaturation at 94 & A ; deg ; C for 5 min followed by 35 rhythms of elaboration ( denaturation at 94 & A ; deg ; C for 2 min, tempering at 57 & A ; deg ; C for 2 min, and extension at 72 & A ; deg ; C for 1 min ) , stoping with a concluding extension at 72 & A ; deg ; C for 7 min. ( This portion is non necessary†¦ †¦ .. )Detection of Antiseptic cistrons cistrons4.4.3 Determination of SCCmec type.Typing of the nomadic familial component ( SCCmec ) will be determined utilizing a antecedently published manifold PCR scheme that generated a specific elaboration form for each SCCmec structural type4.4.5 Multilocus sequence typing MLSTMRSA isolates will be genitically characterized by Multilocus sequence typewriting ( MLST ) , which is based on the sequence analysis of defined subdivisions of seven housekeeping cistrons. ( Sequencing of both DNA strands will be performed commercially ) . The allelomorphs at each of the seven housekeeping venues were identified by compa ring the sequences obtained from the trial isolates with sequences held in the MLST database ( hypertext transfer protocol: // saureus.mlst.net ) . This database was besides used to place the allelomorphic profile and therefore the sequence type ( ST ) of each isolate. STs were assigned to clonal composites ( CCs ) utilizing the constellating algorithm eBURST ( based upon related sequence types ) ( Feil et al. , 2004 ; hypertext transfer protocol: // eburst.mlst.net ) . Using eBURST, isolates with specific STs are assigned to a peculiar CC if they are related to at least one other ST in that CC at six out of the seven MLST venue used. Isolates that do non portion allelomorphs at six of the seven MLST venue with any other ST in the MLST database are deemed singletons.4.4.6 spa typewriting:watering place typewriting will be performed as described by Shopsin et al. , 1999, this strategy relies on the polymorphism of the variable-number tandem repetition part of the spa cistron. Strains will be categorized as indistinguishable on the footing of an indistinguishable watering place type appellation ( Shopsin et al. , 1999 ) . PCR for elaboration of the S. aureus protein A ( watering place ) repetition part will be performed by utilizing this primer F: 5†²- TAA AGA CGA TCC TTC GGT GAG C -3 ‘ and R: 5'-CAG CAG TAG TGC CGT TTG CTT -3 ‘ With these PCR conditions: an initial denaturation at 94 & A ; deg ; C for 5 min followed by 35 rhythms of elaboration ( denaturation at 94 & A ; deg ; C for 2 min, tempering at 57 & A ; deg ; C for 2 min, and extension at 72 & A ; deg ; C for 1 min ) , stoping with a concluding extension at 72 & A ; deg ; C for 7 min. ( O?O ­O?O §O ¬ O?O?O?USU„ ) PCR merchandises will be purified and sequenced. A spa type is deduced from the sequence and figure of spa repetitions, which are generated by point mutants and intra chromosomal recombination events. Mutant of a individual base brace consequences in a different watering place type. With the BURP algorithm ( Ridom GmbH ) , spa types were clustered into different groupsEfficacy of the Infection Control plan:The efficaciousness of the infection control will be evaluated by utilizing the standards listed in table 1, in add-on to proving the ability of this infection control plan to: Surveillance of hospital infection. Constitution and monitoring of policies and processs designed to forestall infection ( e.g. catheter attention policy, antibiotic policy and bactericidal policy ) . Probe of eruptions beginning and paths of transmittal.S.aureus surveillance:AS surveillance is a critically of import constituent of any infection control plan, the clinical microbiology research lab consequences obtained as portion of everyday clinical attention will be monitored leting sensing of any freshly emerging strain.Statistical analysis:Differences between groups will be assessed utilizing the qi square trial. P values of 0.05 will be considered statistically important. Eventuality tabular arraies will be used to compare the prevalence of a peculiar cistron type between clonal composites. Expected consequences: Strain typewriting is indispensable in set uping the epidemiologic features of nosocomial infections and in planing infection control methods. The function of strain typing methods is to find whether epidemiologically related isolates are besides genetically related or stand foring the same strain. Multilocus sequence typewriting ( MLST ) is a new molecular technique that was developed ab initio for S aureus. It is based on placing allelomorphs from DNA sequences of internal fragments of housekeeping cistrons. Multilocus sequence typewriting has been successfully used for the survey of molecular epidemiology and for the geographic expedition of the population construction and development of virulency of assorted bacterial species. Because there are many allelomorphs at each of the 7 venue, it is improbable to hold indistinguishable allelomorphic profiles by opportunity, and isolates with the same allelomorphic profile can be considered members of the same ringer. The major advantages of MLST are the ability to compare consequences obtained in different surveies via computerized databases on the Internet and the installation to readily compare sequence informations among research labs. The end of strain typing surveies is to find whether epidemiologically related isolates collected during an eruption of disease are genetically related and represent the same strain. The usage of strain typing consequences in infection control determinations is based on the undermentioned 3 premises: ( 1 ) isolates stand foring the eruption are recent offspring of a individual ( common ) precursor, ( 2 ) such isolates will hold the same genotype, and ( 3 ) epidemiologically unrelated isolates will hold different genotypes. Health centre A Health centre B Example of distribution of isolates within clonal composites. . MLST CC terminology was deduced from watering place CCs utilizing the Ridom SpaServer database. CC30 was overrepresented strains from Health centre B, CC8 was overrepresented among isolates from Health centre A, and CC5 included merely Health centre A. Example of eventuality tabular arraies will be used to compare the prevalences of a peculiar cistron type between clonal composites. Here merely agr and superantigens genens were included in this illustration and this tabular array applicable for all virulency cistrons. Example of MLST, SCCmec type, and staphylococcal toxin cistrons in MRSA isolates distributed among hdfjkfh

Friday, August 30, 2019

Corporate Governance in Family Businesses in Serbia

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN FAMILY BUSINESSES IN SERBIA PhD Katarina Djulic, Faculty of Economics, Finance and Administration, [email  protected] edu. rs MSc Tanja Kuzman, Faculty of Economics, Finance and Administration PhD Katarina Djulic is Assistant Professor at FEFA on subjects of Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance. She also works as Senior Consultant in KPMG Serbia. She worked as an Associate Operations Officer at the International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group, on the Corporate Governance Program. She holds a Bachelor of Law from the University of Belgrade, a Master of Law (LL.M. ) from Northwestern University, a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University JFK School of Government, and a PhD degree from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics. Prior to joining IFC, Ms Djulic worked as a legal adviser to firms in Belgrade and New York and afterwards at the Ministry of Finance, first as an adviser to the Minister and then as an Assistant Minister in cha rge of the Financial System Division. She also worked for European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London in Office of General Council.PhD Djulic was a member of Board of Directors in DDOR, Novi Sad, a member of Supervisory Board in Jubanka, Beograd and Chairwoman of Supervisory Board in Central Securities Depositary and Clearing House, Republic of Serbia. MSc Tanja Kuzman is Teaching Assistant at Faculty of Economics, Finance and Administration. She teaches Corporate Governance and Corporate Finance. She is also Advisor for Corporate Governance and Corporate Finance in Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Executive Director of the Institute at Faculty of Economics, Finance and Administration and a Member of the Board of Directors of Alumni FEFA.She holds University of Sheffield Masters Degree with Distinction in Banking and Finance, where she was proclaimed as one of the best students, and a BA from the Faculty of Economics, Finance and Administration. She was awa rded with two HEAD’s list certificates for outstanding academic achievement of the University of Sheffield and in February 2011 she started her PhD studies in Finance. From September 2009 to December 2011 she worked as Coordinator of the National Competitiveness Council of the Republic of Serbia and Junior Advisor for Economy and Finance in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration.In July 2011 she has spent a month working for European Commission, Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs in Brussels, on the issues related to the financial stability and financial institutions of the European Union. She has finished training on European Negotiations organized by Centre des etudes europeennes de l’ENA from Strasbourg. Abstract Family businesses constitute the world’s oldest and most dominant form of business organizations. In many countries, including Serbia, family businesses play the key role in the economy growth and workfor ce employment.Yet many of them fail to be sustainable in the long-term often due to some specific governance challenges (family business succession, professionalization of the management etc. ). In Serbia, it has recently been recognized that family businesses need more institutional support in the area of corporate governance. The corporate governance scorecard (questionnaire on key aspects of corporate governance) for family businesses in Serbia was developed as part of cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the IFC.This paper presents the results of the scorecard used in assessing corporate governance in seven family businesses in Serbia. Analyses of the results represent a unique case study that provides an overview of the quality of corporate governance in family-owned companies in Serbia. It shows that the state of corporate governance in family businesses on the Serbian market has a lot of distance to go to reach best practice. All companies recognize th e fundamental importance of family governance to their business. However, they lack knowledge and guidance on how to systematically deal with governance challenges.Key words: family businesses, corporate governance, scorecard, board of directors, transparency, controlling environment. Paper classification: Case study. INTRODUCTION Family businesses are one of the oldest and most common forms of business organizations, drivers of economic growth and economic development, representing a large percentage of the total number of companies in the world. Family businesses in most countries in the world account for over 70% of the total number of businesses and have very significant impact on economic growth and employment. For example, in the U.S. family businesses create 59% of new jobs, while their share in the GNP is 50%, and they represent nearly 90% of all businesses (Kuratko and Hodgetts, 2004). Family businesses in Spain and Latin America produce, respectively, 75% and 60% of the GD P (Network for Family Enterprise, 2008). Poutziouris (2000) also notes that in addition to economic growth and employment, family businesses build entrepreneurial spirit and enable knowledge transfer between generations as well as development of a sense of loyalty, long-term commitment and corporate independence.Therefore it is considered that the creation, growth and sustainability of family businesses is crucial for the development of national economy. According to data of the KPMG Canadian Centre for family business in next 20 years 15 trillion dollars of wealth in the world will be transferred from one generation to another. The same source also points out that 70% of family businesses do not survive the transition to the second generation, 90% do not survive the transition to the third generation, and 95% of family businesses do not plan succession.Other sources confirm these findings indicating that only 5-15% of the family businesses continue to exist in the third generation of the successors of the founder (Davis and Harveston, 1998; Neubauer and Lank, 1998; Poutziouris, 2000, Ibrahim and Dumas, 2001; Grassi and Giarmarco, 2012 ). The reasons for the unsustainability of family businesses are sometimes exactly the same as the reasons for all other businesses. Management processes, informality and lack of discipline are the most common weaknesses of family businesses (IFC, 2008). In the process of managing the family usiness, unlike other businesses, feelings and family problems can be involved complicating in that way the management process. On the other hand, the lack of procedures and informality in the conduct of business, can lead to inefficiencies and conflicts, while lack of planning in terms of succession, property management and absence of policies for the employment of family members leads in most cases to the failure of the family business. All the above mentioned reasons for the failures of family businesses stem from various weaknesses in Co rporate Governance (hereinafter: CG) practices employed in family businesses.Therefore, several researchers have investigated the relationship between the level of CG and family businesses as to determine whether these two variables are positively or negatively correlated. In their study Cheung et al (2010) have found that quality of CG appears very significant for family businesses. They have shown that good CG practices in family businesses are linked to higher stock returns and lower unsystematic risks (Cheung et al, 2010). Results of their study for family businesses are consistent with findings of Renders et al (2010) who found a positive correlation between CG practices and company performance.Furthermore, Renders et al (2010) have proven that higher CG ratings lead towards improved operating performance and higher market values of companies. These positive effects of CG ratings on market values of companies have also been recorded in emerging and transition countries (Gary an d Gonzales, 2008; Khanchel El Mehdi, 2007; Black et al, 2006; Durnev and Kim, 2005; Black, 2001). Notwithstanding, Cheung et al (2010) and Geksen and Oktem (2009) find that family businesses have poor CG practices.Cheung et al (2010) explain that family businesses, which in most cases have concentrated ownership structure, are associated with low level of CG. Furthermore, their finding indicates a concerning fact that family businesses improve their CG practices slower than their peers (Cheung et al, 2010). Geksen and Oktem (2009) also find that practices which prevail in family businesses strongly contradict the recommendations of the CG codes of best practices. When it comes to Serbia the picture is more or less the same as in all developing countries.We have large number of family businesses which went from being an entrepreneurial project to holding structures, now with several hundreds of employees. Family businesses in Serbia perceive CG as something abstract, fleeting, someth ing that is hard to define and measure, and hence there is the conviction that CG does not bring concrete, tangible and quick benefits. Better business results which follow concerted CG efforts are nearly never exclusively linked to improved CG mechanisms as from stances of family businesses in Serbia.At best, they are ready to admit that CG can contribute to moderately improved business results. Despite this perception, the goal of the authors was to investigate the level of CG in family businesses in Serbia in order to be able to recognize the main weakness/problems and provide recommendations which could solve them. This paper presents the findings of analysis of CG practice in 8 Serbian family businesses that responded to the invitation for assessing CG practice using the scorecard methodology.The scorecard was developed by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS) as part of the Program for Improving CG, with the support of the IFC and with participation of one of t he co-authors of this paper. The scorecard consists of questions that are systematically organized into CG areas that reflect the basic principles of good corporate governance. Based on the scorecard the CG rating in Serbia can be created and even though it is quite hard to produce a quantitative evaluation of CG the scorecard can still be a valid indicator of good or bad CG practices. The paper is divided in three additional sections.The introduction is followed by a presentation of the methodology used in assessing corporate governance practice. In second part, results of the assessment of CG in family businesses in Serbia are presented. In conclusion, closing considerations followed by recommendations for further CG improvements in family businesses in Serbia are noted. METHODOLOGY The CG scorecard for family businesses in Serbia, developed as part of cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and IFC, is a questionnaire whose questions are systematically presented under headings that reflect the basic principles of good CG.Responses to questions generate a score that is expressed as a percentage and indicates what percentage of best practice was applied by a given family business in a particular CG area. The main goal of the scorecard approach is to enable companies to easily assess their own CG practices, to allow investors to determine their preference regarding the level of CG which companies need to have in order to be considered as possible investment and to enable comparison across countries and industries (Bassen, 2004; Strenger, 2004).The scorecard is divided into the following five areas of corporate governance: 1) commitment to good CG practices; 2) board of directors; 3) supervision, control and independent audit operations; 4) transparency and disclosure; 5) owners; Each of these areas has a relative importance expressed in percentages in relation to the total of 100%. In view of the fact that each area is significant in its own way and has a different contribution to governance, their relative importance differs accordingly.A relatively greater weight is carried by two areas for which experience shows that they represent vital points of good CG in a company –company commitment to CG principles and supervision, control and independent audit operations. As a result these two areas are weighted with 25%, board of directors and owners are weighted with 20%, while transparency and disclosure is weighted with 10% in the final score. In each of the specified areas there is up to eight questions that reflect recommended practice for realizing principles to which a particular area is dedicated.Answers to those questions are graded with marks from 1 to 10, where each mark is related to certain percentage of the mark for that specific area. A total result of around 50% means that a company has implemented CG practices as required by relevant legislation. In order to achieve a score of over 50%, a comp any needs to go beyond the requirements of statutory regulations. Finally, a particular quality of the scorecard is that it takes account not just of the overall score, but also of the scores of individual CG areas, which gives a test company a clear indication of the areas in which its CG practices lag behind the company average.The CCIS and the IFC, with participation of both authors in the process, have conducted an assessment of CG practices in 8 family businesses in Serbia. Family businesses were guaranteed confidentiality in respect of scoring and results, with a view to ensuring objectivity and realistic assessment of current status. ASSESSMENT RESULTS Commitment to good CG practices As first area in the scorecard it consists of questions which provide a general sense of the level of CG practices employed by the family business.The scorecard for this area seek to establish: (i) the existence of a CG code (whether developed in-house or whether an existing code has been adopted ), (ii) to what extent the company’s internal corporate documents reflect the CG principles, (iii) whether implementation of CG principles is discussed in company (if yes, how often and on which level), and (iv) do principles of CG and corporate social responsibility take into account the interests of various stakeholders, thus preventing conflicts.The figure below summarizes the scores of family businesses for this area (companies are designated by letters to ensure confidentiality of results). [pic] Chart 1: Commitment to good CG practices. CG Codes are not present in six out of eight family businesses, implying that those companies have not developed their own codes and have not adopted the existing codes of CCIS or Belgrade Stock Exchange. Despite that fact, owners and higher management have shown a great level of consciousness regarding the importance of CG and further improvements they need to make in CG area.When it comes to conversations about CG and succession proces s in most cases owners and family members talk about those issues from time to time and except family members involved in family business management others lack the interest or they are rather passive in the whole process. Internal documents exist in all companies but they usually satisfy the minimum requirements prescribed by law and do not encompass the CG best practices and principles. Most of internal acts exist formally due to legal requirement but they are not implemented in conduct of family business.Furthermore, owners and higher management have clear strategy for future development of family business, but that strategy in not formalized in the form of document. Due to that fact family members adhere to goals mentioned and set through formal or informal conversations between family members and higher management. Although poorly implemented in practice, family businesses show a clear vision of how their business should be organized and in which direction should be developed. All family businesses recognize the importance of corporate social responsibility.Therefore they pay more attention to local communities in which they undertake their operations but their corporate social responsibility in most cases boils down just to the philanthropic activities. In conclusion we can state that in family businesses in Serbia there is the absence of CG codes, that business strategies are not formalized in the form of documents, that internal documents fulfill legally determined norms but do not encompass the CG best practices and principles, that owners and higher management attach a high level of importance to CG and that family businesses in Serbia undertake large number of philanthropic activities.Board of directors In assessing the functioning of the board of directors questions in this section try to give a snapshot of practices regarding the management of family businesses and the role of the owner in them. In this CG area family businesses are asked whether there is a clear demarcation between operational and strategic/supervisory level in the company, is there a ormal board of directors or some other body which is responsible for the formulation of the strategy and supervision of the management, if there is a board of directors is there an internal act on the functioning of the board which defines needed competencies of the members of the board of directors and their responsibilities, is the function of the general manager and president of the board of directors clearly separated, how compensation of the members of the board is determined, is there a process of evaluation of effectiveness and quality of the work carried out by the board, whether the board establishes committees which could contribute to the quality of their work, is there the annual plan of board of directors meetings and whether members of the board of directors get the materials for the meeting in advance. [pic] Chart 2: Board of directors. In all of the tested comp anies there is the absence of Board of directors. Members of the families often have management functions and are directly involved in the operational management of the business.On the other hand, they are usually the ones determining the strategic path of future development of the family business implying in that way that there is no clear distinction between operational and strategic/supervisory level. In most cases owners convenes meetings when he assesses the need for doing so and only in two family businesses there is clear and established dynamics of these meetings. Only in one of the tested companies owner of the family business is not as the same time a director and there is no overlapping of responsibilities and in just two companies owner sees themselves as president of the board of directors in future. Three of the tested companies have family meetings during which they discuss performance of the family business, family issues which can influence the business and its futu re development.When it comes to the professional management, in only two of the companies tested, managing of the company is undertaken by family members and externally hired professionals which proves the low level of consciousness and the need for professionalization of the management. In most of the family businesses there is no established and formalized reward system. Absence of reward system is also a potential problem, because it reduces the possibility of objective and adequately rewarding or punishing of employees. The commonly established practice in tested companies shows that owners usually determine the rewards, its level and they make assessment of the effectiveness of the management. Even though the test has shown that owners of family businesses have aversion for professionalization of the management they feel reluctant in hiring external experts and consultants from time to time.Based on the results of the scorecard we can conclude that in family businesses there is no formally established board of directors and that there is no clear distinction between operational and strategic/supervisory roles. Supervision, control and independent audit operations In this area the questions concern internal controls, internal audit function, external audit and reporting mechanisms in the company. Seeking to determine whether the company has any kind of internal supervision system in place, the scorecard focuses on functions rather than on formal bodies. It tries to gauge comprehensiveness, sophistication and effectiveness of the existing system. The area has a 25% weight in the final grade.Two groups of questions focus on the system of internal controls – Has the company formalized its procedures? If yes, who is in charge of development of such a system? Have the owners formally discussed risks and have they analyzed the existing procedures and the company’s modus operandi in light of the identified risks? How does the company ensure that it is compliant with relevant laws and regulations? The next two groups of questions relate to the internal audit function – Does it exist in any form? Is it formalized? What kind of resources does it have at its disposal? Is it independent from the management? The third group of questions relates to the external audit and tries to capture the company’s experience with external auditors in the ast couple of years – Does the company have an external auditor? Who is the external auditor of the company? Has the external auditor ever issued a qualified opinion? The last question relates to the supervisory level of the company (the board if it exists or the owner(s)) and seeks to define to what extent and in which way the management communicates with the company’s supervisory bodies. [pic] Graph 3: Supervision, control and independent audit operations. In the tested companies, internal controls are either altogether absent or they have been introduced in response to customers’ or regulatory demands without any prior analysis of internal risks in the company.The tested companies that operate in regulated industries (food production, medical supplies, transportation) and that are export-oriented received relatively higher scores since there is a large number of international industrial standards in these industries/markets that allow companies to adopt these standards routinely rather than to develop independently in-house internal control systems. Although these standards represent a type of internal control system, an internal control system should not be reduced to their implementation. In order for an internal control system to fulfill its purpose, it must be implemented in an adequate control environment and be based on a company-specific and comprehensive risk analysis and assessment. None of the tested companies has any form of internal audit function and the entire supervision is performed by the owner personally and, sometimes , the employed members of the family.This monitoring style lacks a structured approach and a supporting system. Supervision is performed either continuously, which is extremely cumbersome keeping in mind operational responsibilities of the owner, or on an ad hoc basis. Often, the owner does not have sufficient technical knowledge to supervise all the business processes in the company and as a consequence he focuses on the business areas where he feels comfortable resulting in considerable supervisory â€Å"blind spots†. Supervision further suffers as the business expands since at certain point in time, the owner’s physical capacity becomes limitation for an effective supervision. Finally, since the owner often operationally anages the company, he effectively supervises himself which is far from good practice. The external audit function seems to be understood inadequately. The companies still perceive external audit primarily as an expense so the function is introduced only if it is legally required. It often happens that the owner does not have any direct communication with the external auditor. The contact person for the external auditor is, in the majority of cases, the head of accounting (whose work is verified by the auditor). Where the function exists, the auditors, as a rule, are small, local businesses that issue unqualified opinions. Their mandates are automatically extended for the period of 3 – 4 years.Transparency and disclosure Although a great majority of family businesses in Serbia are small and medium non–listed companies, some of them are rather big and require a solid organizational structure, some have extensive international business operations, and others seek significant external funding (from banks primarily but also from individual investors and private equity funds). Due to these considerations, the scorecard has a part that relates to transparency and disclosure. However, since the scorecard primarily focus es on non-listed companies, this CG area has relatively smaller significance and it contributes only 10% to the final grade.In this domain the scorecard seeks to determine whether the company has a reporting policy (formalized or not), whether it uses its website for publishing relevant information and, finally, whether all relevant information is also released in English (which allows a company to reach a far broader investor and/or client base). After this, the scorecard focuses on specific types of information which practice indicates to be of greatest interest to stakeholders. Thus it seeks to determine whether the company releases in timely manner: (i) its financial statements, (ii) its management report, (iii) materially significant information, (iv) biographical information of all members of management i. e. family members that are involved in business, and (v) related party transactions. [pic] Graph 4: Transparency and disclosure.The poor results presented in chart 4 are not surprising since, as already mentioned, the tested companies are mostly small and medium family businesses. In addition, there are no legal requirements for non-listed businesses regarding transparent business operations. Thus, the research confirms once again the assumption that companies in Serbia, as a rule, tend to fulfill only the legally prescribed minimum. Some companies have decently informative websites but they contain only marketing information relevant for customers. The companies that export have also websites in foreign languages. No single company in the tested group has a structured approach to information disclosure. Some of the tested companies do have monthly or quarterly bulletins that are distributed to their customers.Financial statements, as a rule, are not public and if some financial information is available on the company website, it is out of date. Only one company in the tested sample regularly prepares an annual report because it participates in interna tional tenders and this exercise helps it present its business efficiently to a more sophisticated business community. A majority of the interviewed owners stated that they would like to keep their business within the family and that they did not plan an IPO. Finally, most of the tested businesses engage in related party transactions but, as expected, these transactions are not regulated neither are they transparent.The research indicates that Serbian companies are still not adequately motivated to publish information and still continue to misunderstand the importance of transparency in business. Owners The last CG area of the scorecard deals with owners. This part of the scorecard focuses on key issues of family governance and has a 20% weight in the final grade. The scorecard tries to determine if there is any formal document which spells out family business guiding principles such as â€Å"family protocol†, â€Å"family business rules† etc. Formally establishing the se rules could result in the most important piece of work achieved by the family business in managing its family component and the process of succession. The econd group of questions tries to determine quality, effectiveness and timing of communication between family members that are actively involved in the business ant those members that pursue other interests and thus are not familiar with the day-to-day state of the family business. The purpose of this communication is to provide a forum that allows all the family to learn more about the family business and to provide them with an opportunity to express their views on family issues that impact the business as well as business issues that impact the family. The third group of questions enquires about the family grooming plan. The grooming plan outlines the most important business skills required by successors to effectively manage the family business at the transition date. The scorecard tries to determine how the family prepares the next generation for management succession and if it has a formalized grooming plan.The fourth group of questions asks if the family has developed an employment policy for family members. It’s understandable that the senior generation would like to have all their children involved in the family business. However, allowing children a safe employment haven just because they have no better alternative, can cause major problems. Thus, having criteria that outline what is required and expected from the family members who wish to be employed in the family business is crucial. The fifth and sixth groups of questions try to determine if the family members have any formal form of communication which would allow them to manage the key family component separately from managing business operations.The purpose of this forum is to lay out agreed ground rules and objectives for the firm and to discuss major issues (like succession) while minimizing the threat that conflicts in the famil y could jeopardize the business. [pic] Graph 5: Owners. The tested companies scored the highest in this CG area. The primary reason for such a good result is great commitment of the first generation to prepare the second generation for the future transition. Although only one of the interviewed owners is familiar with basic CG mechanisms that family businesses have at disposal for managing ownership and management succession, all of them expressed great readiness to learn and to apply these mechanisms in their businesses.In fact, all the interviewed owners have been trying to find ways to manage these challenges and all of them expressed a great concern regarding succession process in their businesses. Now, there might be some research bias since the tested businesses volunteered to engage in the CG testing and all were attending a workshop on CG organized by CCIS. It is probably true that a random sample would yield lower scores in this CG area as it would in Commitment to good CG practices. Still, we believe that a succession threat is looming over the first generation of Serbian entrepreneurs and that all of them are experiencing problems due to a lack of the entrepreneurial tradition in Serbia and a lack of CG knowledge.None of the businesses had any form of family protocol neither did they have any formal for gathering family members involved in business to discuss family issues that affect the business and to prevent conflicts. Further none of the businesses had a formal channel of communication between the family members involved in business and those that are not but they all claim that communication is regular and intensive. The grooming plan is, as a rule, somehow implemented in practice but it is not formal neither does it lay out ground rules for the second generation aspiring to join the family business. Finally, no formal family employment policy exists in any firm but there are certain guiding principals that are clear to both family and non-fam ily employees alike in almost all businesses.We can conclude that the research has indicated (i) a great need for raising awareness among Serbian first generation entrepreneurs on CG issues and mechanisms; (ii) an avoidance of the first generation to formalize the ground rules assuming that this formalization would lead to family conflicts and that it might destabilize both the family and the business; (iii) a fear that the upcoming ownership and management succession will not be performed smoothly and successfully; and (iv) an honest commitment of the family businesses to implement good CG mechanisms if it would help them overcome governance obstacles. CONCLUSION Serbia has a relatively short entrepreneurial history. Serious attempts to establish a family business could be linked primarily to the post-Milosevic period, i. e. after 2000. This research is providing a scan showing where the first generations of Serbian entrepreneurs, i. e. the first generation of owners of Serbian fam ily businesses is today from the governance point of view and what kind of family governance challenges they face. As it was already mentioned, there is a certain bias which should be taken into account when interpreting the scores of the tested businesses.All of the tested businesses attended a workshop organized by CCIS for family businesses, they were present when the scorecard was launched and they applied to participate in a pilot CG testing voluntarily. This indicates that these businesses will most likely show greater commitment to CG and a deeper understanding of the family governance issues relatively to an average family-owned firm in Serbia. This also explains relatively higher scores in the CG areas Commitment to good CG practices and Owners. Still, we believe that the results obtained from this pilot testing are a good approximation of general state of affairs in Serbian family-owned businesses.Specifically, most of the family businesses in Serbia will sooner rather tha n later face serious succession challenges. Most of them still avoid putting these issues formally on the agenda, but there are triggers that will or have already forced them to do so. These triggers might be results of some positive or some negative circumstances. â€Å"Positive† triggers include: age and retirement plans of the first generation owners and/or CEO; a boom in the economy or the firm’s industrial sector which could lead to a rapid expansion of business; an external take-over initiative coming from a strategic partner; a need for a significant external funding to finance the rapidly growing business etc.On the other hand, typical â€Å"negative† triggers would be: health problems and physical and/or physiological exhaustion of the first generation owner/CEO; marriage problems of the first generation owners or their children; financial problems; a significant loss of the market share; conflicts among the owners and/or their heirs etc. The testing co nfirmed that the interviewed owners had serious doubts that the management and ownership succession could occur smoothly i. e. without seriously destabilizing the family business. What are obstacles that prevent the Serbian family owners from tackling the succession challenges more successfully? According to the testing and the interviews, there are three major challenges that need to be resolved. First, there is a substantial lack of CG knowledge among owners of family businesses in Serbia.CG is usually perceived as an expensive exercise created primarily for listed companies. Most of the interviewed owners were not aware that a significant body of research in CG refers to family businesses only. Second, tackling succession presses some emotional and financial concerns of the first generation. Often, the founder of the firm, who belongs to the first generation, has invested emotionally a lot in the family firm. He feels that the family firm is a great part of his life and his legac y for the generations to come. From the financial point of view, the greatest assets of the founder(s) have, as a rule, been invested in the family business and they are quite illiquid.Lacking any reasonable diversification, the founder is exposed to a serious financial risk. Without a clear exit strategy and a meaningful succession plan, the founder creates a void in the governance and ownership systems which present a great burden for the heirs. The results have also shown that most of the interviewed owners lack time, capacity and knowledge to successfully resolve these issues. Relatively higher scores in the CG area that relates to Supervision and control mechanisms could be explained by an obvious need to professionalize the firm and to decentralize the management. Most of the businesses are economically healthy and have had a rapid expansion of business that outgrew its respective organizational structure.The owners show the greatest readiness to implement practical supervisio n CG mechanisms since they expect that these mechanisms would increase effectiveness of their control over the business and the â€Å"outside† managers and thus reduce a burden which they barely handle. However, we have to emphasize that better supervision, although of a great value, cannot substitute for unresolved succession issues. Poor management and ownership succession would almost certainly lead to a collapse of the family business in the next generation despite good internal controls, internal audit function or any other form of internal and/or external supervision. Low scores in the CG area that relates to Board indicate that most of the businesses have not separated the supervisory and strategic level on one hand and the operational level on the other.This leads to a common situation that even in rather big family-owned businesses in Serbia that employ more than 1000 employees, we still have so-called one-man show and the key man risk. This risk scatters away invest ors and leaves these businesses without substantial external funding. It is rather common that many rapidly developing Serbian businesses finance their investments form short-term lending since banks refuse to carry governance risks over an extended period of time. This lack of good professionals at the helm of their companies, most of the interviewed owners explain with a lack of qualified managers to whom they could entrust the family business.Finally, the lowest score in transparency area is somewhat expected. As already mentioned, these businesses are not listed and there are no legal rules that would insist on greater transparency for bigger, closed companies. While this is understandable, it also indicates that the Serbian businesses do not see any value in transparency per se which begs further investigation. Our assumption is that in very non-transparent, public and private sectors in Serbia too much of transparency is perceived as an unnecessary exposure to both the governm ent tax authorities and competitors. The businesses are convinced that transparency would only lead to vulnerability without bringing any other value-added.Scorecard results imply that in family businesses in Serbia CG is on a low level, that there is a huge space for improvements and even quick wins which can significantly contribute to the business operational functioning as well as contribute to its overall performance. The authors will continue to further employ the scorecard and assess the CG level in family businesses as to create a solid basis for scientific conclusions in the area, but as well to see whether improvements through time will be made. LITERATURE Black, B. (2001) The corporate governance behavior and market value of Russian firms. Emerging Markets Review, 2, p. 89–108. Black, B. , Jang, H. and Kim, W. (2006) Does corporate governance predict firms’ market values? Evidence from Korea.Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, 22, p. 366–413. Bassen, A. (2004) The importance of good corporate governance by institutional investors: The Scorecard for German Corporate Governance. International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, 2(3), p. 244-263. Gheung, Y. , Stouraitis, A. and Weiqiang, T. (2010) Does the Quality of Corporate Governance Affect Firm Valuation and Risk? Evidence from a Corporate Governance Scorecard in Hong Kong. International Review of Finance. 10(4), p. 403-432. Davis P. S. and Harveston P. D. (1998) The Influence of Family on the Family Business Succession Process: A Multi-Generational Perspective, Family Business Review, 22. Goksen, N. and Oktem, O. 2009) Countervailing institutional forces: corporate governance in Turkish family business groups. Journal of Management and Governance. 13, p. 193-213. Grassi Jr S. V. and Giarmarco J. H. (2008) Practical Succession Planning for the Family Owned Business, Journal of Practical Estate Planning, 10(1), p. 27-60. Ibrahim A. and Dumas C. (2001) Strategie decis ion making in small family flrms: an empirical investigation, Journal of small business strategy, 12(l), p. 1-11. International Finance Corporation (2008) IFC Family Business Handbook, Belgrade. Durnev, A. and Kim, E. (2005) To steal or not to steal: Firm attributes, legal environment, and valuation. Journal of Finance, 60, p. 461-1493. Gary, U. and Gonzalez, M. (2008) Corporate governance and firm value: The case of Venezuela. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 16, p. 194–209. Khanchel El Mehdi, I. (2007) Empirical evidence on corporate governance and corporate performance in Tunesia. Corporate Governance:An International Review, 15, p. 1429–1441. KPMG Enterprise (2011) Family Business Succession, Managing All-Important Family Component, Canada. Kuratko D. K. and Hodgetts R. M. (2004) Entrepreneurship: Theory, Process & Practice, 6th Edition, United States, Thomson Publishing. Network for Family Enterprise (2008) www. fbn-i. org/fbn/main. nsf/doclu/facts.N eubauer Fred and Alden G. Lank (1998) The Family Business: its Governance for Sustainability, New York, Routledge. Poutziouris Panikkos Zata, (2001), Venture capital and small and medium-sized family companies: an analysis from the demand perspective, Family Business Review, 14(3), p. 277-291. Renders, A. , Gaeremynck, A. and Sercu, P. (2010) Corporate-Governance Ratings and Company Performance: A Cross-European Study. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 18(2), p. 87-106. Strenger, C. (2004) The Corporate Governance Scorecard: a tool for the implementation of corporate governance. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 12(1), p. 11-15.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Business and Virtue Ethics Essay Example for Free

Business and Virtue Ethics Essay Abstract For the purposes of this assignment we will analyze the Mattel case and discuss the actions of the company regarding the behavior and actions in conjunction with the Global Manufacturing Process that was implemented. Breaches of the two business ethics elements of integrity and egoism will be assessed. Within the discussion I have identified the virtues prudence, justice, fidelity, and courage that were largely violated by the Mattel organization and how it affected the employees of Mattel. We will discuss the implications of virtue, deontological, and utilitarian ethics regarding their potential usefulness in evaluation of the Mattel case. Introduction Mattel’s concept of Global Manufacturing Principles (GMP) was not a novel concept. The many forms of GMP including International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) have been around for decades and have worked to insure that specific industries are held to a standard that is industry wide. ISO’s model is â€Å"Say what you do, and do what you say†. When a company endeavors to become ISO qualified, it is required to document every activity (as a standard operating procedure, SOP) that occurs within the company and adhere to that process without deviation. ISO qualified companies are always subject to audit by other ISO registered companies and is initially audited by four such companies in order to acquire certification. Having been directly involved with ISO implementation at a former employer that supplied fasteners for manufacturing, I am fully aware of how involved the certification is. The company SOP was over 1000 pages. Additionally, another ISO company can and will come in and audit your company prior to electing to conduct business with your company. In some instances, ISO qualification is not enough to be awarded the business. The nutrition industry also adheres to the Good Manufacturing Practices, of which I was required to be certified in every year. Each department of the nutritional company I worked for had its own GMP standards that we were to adhere implicitly. The nutrition industry, while not regulated by the FDA, is controlled indirectly by the FDA. GMP is an FDA requirement. Having worked in two industries where the concept is not only expected, but required in some instances; I was not impressed by the fact that Mattel implemented GMP of their own volition for the sole purpose to improve public perception after misconduct was exposed by the media. Business Ethics Issue The one word that I found that resonates throughout the article, whether spoken or implied, is â€Å"integrity†. The incoming CEO stated that Mattel would behave in all actions with â€Å"unwavering integrity† and that the company’s commitment to the GMP remained unequivocal and undiminished. (Sethi, Shapiro, Emelianova, pg.490) Ironically, I identify the most noticeable and important business ethics issue as just that; a lack of integrity. Merriam Webster defines integrity as â€Å"the firm adherence to a code of especially moral value, the quality or sate of being complete or undivided, and the quality of being honest or fair. Mattel exhibited none of these traits insofar as where their GMP’s were concerned. In fact, there were numerous infractions regarding the non-enforcement of their GMP’s across the board in the Asia and Mexico based manufacturing facilities. The second ethics issue I identified was narcissism. Mattel implemented this GMP program with the attitude of ‘look at what we’re doing’ but with minimal effort to ensure the success of the program. According to Duchon and Drake (2009) extreme narcissistic organizations will establish these formal ethics programs but will not have much effect on hindering unethical behaviors. This was evident in that the supervisors at the factories knew what they were supposed to be doing; but found ways to circumvent the system and there were no reprisals as a result of their nonconformance. Ultimately, it was a program of words and not deeds. Three Virtues Prudence â€Å"Careful good judgment that allows someone to avoid danger or risks. † (M-W, 2013) In my opinion, a great deal of misfortune and hardship could have been avoided if Mattel would have practiced a modicum of prudence before ever moving their manufacturing to Asia. In a perfect world, and especially in a modern world we do not expect children to work. However, when dealing with underdeveloped countries; it is normal for children to work in conditions that would be an affront to any American’s moral nature having abandoned child labor decades ago. If Mattel had done due diligence, they would have known that the facility in Indonesia was operating in an unacceptable manner (Sethi, et al. pg. 486) and could have implemented working conditions and requirements from the get-go. Then the exposure by the media would have never been an issue. I have no doubt that the draw of paying lower wages and increased productivity was the catalyst to overlook the conditions in those overseas factories. Justice â€Å"The quality of being just, impartial, or fair. Conformity to truth, fact, or reason. † (M-W, 2013) The concept of justice was completely lost on Mattel. While the implementation of the GMP program was comprehensive; the execution and enforcement was unconscionable. The last paragraph of the GMP, exhibit 1 says that if â€Å"Mattel determines that any of its manufacturing facilities or vendors violate these principles, we may either terminate our business relationship or require that facility to take corrective action. If corrective action is advised and not taken, Mattel will immediately terminate current production and suspend placement of future orders. †(Sethi, et al.pg. 487). However, when audits were performed; the facilities were rife with infractions but there was no follow through when corrective actions were required. The facilities were allowed to continue to operate unhindered. Astonishingly, the 20 plus companies that were not owned by Mattel were allowed to operate without any disciplinary actions imposed by Mattel for infractions if any auditing was conducted at all. Considering the fact that both Mattel owned and vendor factories employ some hundred thousand plus employees; Mattel’s actions were nowhere near impartial, fair, or conforming to fact or reason. Fidelity â€Å"Quality or state of being faithful, accuracy in details. †(M-W, 2013) For this virtue, I am concentrating on the act of being faithful to the employees. Whether or not the GMPs were self-imposed or not, Mattel had an obligation to the people it employs. Throughout the article, it was found during audits that the employee’s time cards would systematically be incomplete where they were not being allowed to clock-out. This resonates that these people were being required to work overtime ‘off the books’. Employees were not being given the appropriate days off or vacation time. Some living conditions and canteen conditions were substandard. Fines were being imposed. (Sethi, et al. 2011) The list goes on and on. In my opinion, Mattel should have had impartial representatives on the ground in these factories to ensure that the rules for payment, working overtime, and work conditions were being upheld. There should have been constant supervision and vigilance on a corporate level. To think that audits that were being conducted every three years was comprehensive enough to get the job done was blind and narrow minded. Courage To go one step further. A virtue is an attitude. Courage is measured when there is risk involved; but also rationality. To be truly courageous there needs to be a clear picture of what a person’s values are. Courage does not need to be proven beyond a doubt. (Hartman, 2008) In the case of Mattel, I feel it was courageous to implement such a comprehensive GMP program although it was misguided and ultimately failed. An even more courageous act would have been to rehab the program and bring it to its full potential and fruition. The article does not mention whether Mattel experienced any loss of revenue as a result, but public perception is a fickle entity and once all of the attention over sweat shops and child labor overseas died down, Mattel was no longer under the microscope. Financially, Mattel was spending money it perceivably no longer needed to spend. Since their program was self-imposed; it is no surprise that Mattel just unceremoniously abandoned the GMP program after nine years. When some organizations implement and enforce codes as part of a self-regulation process and others do not, those who self-regulate invariably incur greater costs. These costs are usually passed onto the consumer who subsequently (and sensibly) choses the organization which offers the cheaper product. (Blackburn & McGee, 2004) Virtue Ethics â€Å"Virtues† are attitudes, dispositions, or character traits that enable us to be and to act in ways that develop this potential. They enable us to pursue the ideals we have adopted. Honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, fidelity, integrity, fairness, self-control, and prudence are all examples of virtues. (Andre, Meyer, Shanks, and Velazquez. 1988) Virtue ethics indicates that business decisions should be made in a manner that attributes to the overall goals of the professional. It stresses activities and motives, what we do and why. Virtue ethics proffer that action and motive are connected to character and disposition. Actions are taken and decisions made because they are linked to a certain character. (Blackburn and McGee. 2004) â€Å"That â€Å"ought† does not imply â€Å"right† can be seen in another sort of case as well, namely, when what one ought to do in one’s circumstances results from one’s own prior wrongdoing. In such a case, doing what one ought to do may not be the same as doing a right act or a â€Å"good deed†. In fact, the same prior failure may both increase one’s level of obligation to do a given act now and decrease one’s level of praiseworthiness. † (Russell, 2008) The above quote is especially poignant in the Mattel case. Because Mattel implemented the GMP program on the heels of a media expose, the intentions were not solely based on the ‘right’ thing to do, but on what they ‘ought’ to do. Mattel probably did not get the recognition or good press they were looking for and therefore had no proclivity to ensure that the plan was a success. Utilitarian Ethics â€Å"Actions are approved when they are as such to promote happiness and disapproved when they have a tendency to cause unhappiness. † (Driver, 2009) We also know that utilitarian ethics work for the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Mattel directly employs over twenty thousand people throughout Asia and Mexico. If the happiness of those employees would have been considered; the pay, working conditions, time off, and canteen programs would have never been an issue. If the executives of the company would have experienced any of those adverse conditions, they would have cried â€Å"foul† all the way to an attorney. The employees are ultimately left without a voice and no recourse. Deontology â€Å"To act according to the maxim that you would wish all other rational people to follow as though it were universal law. † â€Å"Never treat a person as a means to an end. † (Pecorino, 2000) Kant contends that where morality is concerned, it is guided by law and therefore judgment is not necessary to fill in the blanks, because there are no blanks. He believed that people can conform to duty and not be morally limited. He believed that we could use indeterminate action-guidance for imperfect duties, and I’m paraphrasing; to weigh the moral options for decisions regarding duty towards others. Because that decision requires the minimum of our morality. Kant rejected virtue ethics. (McAleer, 2001) My opinion is that deontology would not work in the Mattel case. There are too many variables to consider in order to narrow down the maxim that will be comprehensive enough to include thousands of people over a number of cultural variances. Conclusion While the design of Mattel’s Global Manufacturing Principles may have been well intended and meant to improve the working conditions of the employees, the implementation was short-sighted and poorly executed. All too often when the few aspire to set standards for the many, the end result is a miscalculation. GMP’s are not a one size fits all type of endeavor. Each facility should have had a program that was custom to their country and working conditions. The ethical treatment of employees was the intention; but the ultimate governance was not enforced. The aftermath was the abandonment of the program due to the lack of interest and participation on the public and other companies in the industry. References Andre, Claire, Meyer, Michael and S. J. , Shanks, Thomas, Velasquez, Manuel. (1988) Ethics and Virtue. Issues in Ethics, V1 N3. We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Art in the Stone Age Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Art in the Stone Age - Research Paper Example The essay "Art in the Stone Age" discovers Stone Age's art. Despite the fact that there is no ‘written’ record of these people and their beliefs, the artwork they produced reveals much about the way they thought, what they believed and the technologies they had developed for the easing of everyday concerns or needs. Although both the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods are named for the dependence upon stone as the primary material for everything from tools to shelters, these two eras are distinctly different in the ideas expressed and the technologies mastered evidenced in their artwork as these objects were created. Although it is traditionally thought these two eras are easily marked by a profound shift in social development, this study will show that Paleolithic cave paintings are a highly innovative technology reveling a society far more advanced that previously thought. According to Phillip Myers (1904), early Paleolithic art is essentially non-existent. Based upon t hose items that have been found, the early Paleolithic period is marked by a concentration on the production of chipped flint tools with an occasional use of bones, horns, tusks or other material to assist in cutting, scraping and other survival needs. â€Å"What we know of Paleolithic man may be summed up as follows: he was a hunter and fisher; his habitation was a cave or rock shelter; his implements were in the main roughly shaped flints; he had no domestic animals save possibly the dog and the reindeer; he was ignorant.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Critically assess the ideological differences between Old Labour and Essay

Critically assess the ideological differences between Old Labour and New Labour - Essay Example Following the internal transformations in the party’s ideology from which had already started to take place since 1979, Tony Blair in 1993 pointed out the confusing ends of the clause IV and put forward the alternative statement for the clause IV. During his first speech as the leader of the Labour Party he explained that in order to find out the solutions to the various problems being faced by the British nation, the country needs a transformation and that transformation has to first take place in the Party’s aims and objectives. Concluding his first address as the party leader he said: Let us be blunt. Our system of Government has become outdated. Our economy has been weakened. Our people have been under-educated. Our welfare state and public services have been run down and our society has been made more divided than at any time for 100 years, but our politics need not be like this. Our country need not be like this. Ours is a project of national renewal, renewing our commitment as a nation, as a community of people in order to prepare and provide for ourselves in the new world we face. We must build a nation with pride in itself. A thriving community, rich in economic prosperity, secure in social justice, confident in political change. That is our hope. Not just a promise to change – but to achieve it. Our party; New Labour – Our mission; New Britain. New Labour New Britain. Old Labour proclaimed its faithfulness with socialism but could not establish it in the true sense. The New Labour claims that it stands for a democratic socialism which can be termed as a benign capitalism, and unlike the Old Labour, New Labour stands with what it says. The problem with the Old Labour party was the fact that it believed in gradual change; it always claimed its loyalties to be with socialism, however it never succeeded to implement it, the policy of gradual change only complicated things

Monday, August 26, 2019

Performance Enhancing Drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Performance Enhancing Drugs - Essay Example The first factor is the developments in the field of science that have led to the finding of a larger number of performance enhancing drugs. The second factor has been the dramatic increase in the financial rewards that accrue to successful sportsmen, and hence the incentive to attempt to use any means to succeed. Measures have been introduced to discourage the use of performance enhancing drugs in the field of sports, but anecdotal evidence suggests that these measures have in no way reduced the use of performance enhancing drugs in the field of sports. (Athletes and Performance-Enhancing Drugs). Strychnine, heroin, cocaine, and morphine have seen use as performance enhancing drugs, but probably was more harmful than in providing an enhancement of performance. During the Second World War amphetamines were used widely by soldiers to avoid fatigue, due to the toll of a long war on their physical capabilities, and as such represents the first use of performance enhancing drugs in the form of stimulants. (Athletes and Performance-Enhancing Drugs). The stimulant group of performance enhancing drugs includes amphetamines, caffeine, B-agonists, phenylpropanolamine, and ephedrine. Stimulants work on the Central Nervous System, and speeds up certain parts of the brain and body. This capacity of the stimulants makes it useful to sportsmen like athletes and weight lifters, as it quickens reflexes, improves confidence, and reduces an athlete’s sense of fatigue. The side effects due to the use of the stimulants include anxiety and psychosis. The anabolic-androgenic steroids makes up the next group of performance enhancing drugs, and include stanozolol, methanedienone, nandrolone, clostebol, oxandrolone, and testosterone. Anabolic steroids are the synthetic equivalents of testosterone, which is the naturally occurring male hormone. Chemical modifications enhance the muscle building capabilities,

Managing Performance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managing Performance - Assignment Example on what awaits in the achievements list as a strategy of organizing and empowering the human resources to meet important organizational goals and objectives. Managing performance underlines and therefore is inexorably related to every tasks of the human resources of a company (Cardy and Leonard 169). This includes its organizational culture, the approach to completing tasks and communications strategy. The extent and importance of the performance management plan is based on the structural context and can differ across organizations. Moynihan specified that managing performance involves applying strategy by aligning the job designations of the staffs along broad organizational issues and long-term objectives (189). In addition, it should be integrated, in the sense that it links different organizational aspects, human resources management, aspirations of individual staffs and working teams. As such, performance management ought to incorporate: a) ways to improve performance of the staffs across all units of the organization including individual respect among the workforces; b) teamwork; c) a clear development plan since this is the only way to ensure continuous productivity and development of individual workforces and teams to enhance their performance, and d) managing behavior by ensuring that the staffs are motivated to adopt a working culture that permits and encourages sound working relationships (Cardy and Leonard 170). Effective communications between staffs and across departments and proper tools to measure and make vital improvements it is one of the ways in which employee performance management can be achieved. Managing performance ensures the workplace is safe and enjoyable for every employee to work in (Cardy and Leonard 171). It improves interpersonal relations, psychological and physical health by eliminating risk factors associated with them such as harassment. As such, it improves productivity, efficiency at work, and career development. In

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The WTO has been hijacked by rich country interests, thereby worsening Essay - 1

The WTO has been hijacked by rich country interests, thereby worsening the conditions of the poor in less prosperous countries. ( support) - Essay Example 3). The needs of developing countries were to be put at the center of international trade ring the Ministerial Declaration at Doha. Despite this pledge, the WTO has sidelined the developing countries in favor of promoting the interests of rich countries which are global powers. This paper seeks to provide proof of how the WTO has marginalized developing countries in favor of the rich countries, using the case studies of Zimbabwe and Burma. Under the WTO, all countries, regardless of their stature are supposed to adhere to the lowering of tariffs. As Kachiga (2008, pp. 91) states, one of the main objectives of the WTO is to reduce tariffs by up to 3 per cent in the course of the 21st century. According to the composition effect in which countries specializing in exporting agricultural products are penalized in the same manner as those exporting to protectionist countries, has a negative effect on developing countries in terms of tariffs and true preferences. Essentially, in international markets, exports from developing countries are given lower preference over those from developed countries. Kill & Mcgee (1999) give the example of Zimbabwe which apart from having a lot of mineral wealth also has a lot of food products, yet the latter are not competitive in the international market. In fact, the country relies more on agricultural exports than mining products, with the former making up approximately 40 per cent of all export earnings (Hess 2001, pp. 7). The major agricultural exports include maize, tobacco, and cotton. As a result of the lower preference for agricultural products from rich countries in the international area, Zimbabwe is forced to sell her food products at lower prices than other rich countries with similar food products. Burma also suffers the same tribulations under the WTO as Zimbabwe. For example, Burma exports rice as its major agricultural product. However, due to the political

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Marketing Plan for SmartTravel App Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 8

Marketing Plan for SmartTravel App - Essay Example One of the featured and most interesting feature will be that of allowing users upload videos and pictures of places they have visited, stayed and had fun. Therefore, it is hoped that this feature and the user friendly, interactive and clean interface will boost SmartTravel to be the fastest growing travel app market. SmartTravel is the name of the company as well as the first product that this company will launch. However, all the future products will be listed under the company name but will have different names that will reflect the target market. SmartTravel aims to harness the power of the crowd like no other designed app has managed to do. It will offer printed travel guides that will and that have been essential for tourists. However, such publications are printed after a two year period so as to offer up to date information to the clientele base. However, the guides are printed by one person who does not cover the different tastes of different people. Furthermore, they only cover one region which implies that tourists have to spend lots of money to purchase the guides if they are embarking on numerous tours in different places. Therefore, as there has been a continuous influx of smart phones with WiFi and also mobile coverage is everywhere, it will make sense to travelers to leave their cumbersome, outdated travel guides at home and carry smart phones loaded in an app that can update them with important information very fast. For instance, if one was in the Himalayas, they can share that information instantly on the SmartTravel. Thus, SmartTravel’s objective is to be the heart of this customer-focused movement by getting to let tourists share information, encounters and insights with each other directly and at the same time, bypass ancient channels. SmartTravel aims at venturing into the tourism industry. Traveling is a hobby for most people. Those who do not travel frequently, at least travel during the holidays.

Friday, August 23, 2019

GROUP PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

GROUP PROJECT - Essay Example Thus, this paper aims at looking how a particular research in the field of business is conducted. As such, the process or processes will be highlighted and compared to Sekaran’s research roadmap. There have been several suggestions on how research should be conducted depending on its nature, purpose, relevance, and contribution to the existing body of knowledge. In social sciences, especially in all fields related to business management and administration, many trends have surfaced out in the pursuit of delivering the best output both quantitatively and qualitatively so as to achieve certain goals necessary to the overall success of companies. Using the Sekaran research process, our group analyzed how Dennis Tourish and Paul Robson went about their research entitled Sensemaking and the Distortion of Critical Upward Communication in Organizations published by the Journal of Management Studies in its June 2006 issue. Dwelling on the importance of Critical Upward Communication or CUC as its point of inquiry, the researchers began by making sure that the readers can have a gist and eventually a full grasp of the whole paper by defining certain terminologies critical to the overall understanding and appreciation of the research. The research topic was then carefully introduced through the aid of â€Å"exemplifications and illustrations† which can be subsumed under â€Å"general observation,† the very first step in the process outlined by Sekaran. It was not difficult to identify the focal point of the research because it was overtly stated in its introduction coupled with clues that lead to the paper’s hypothesis. This is a clear deviation, at least in the manner or chronology of presentation, from the one outlined by Sekana. Steps 1, 2, and 3 were all jumbled up in the introduction. However, the paper can still be thoroughly understood as it presented its points and concerns in a deductive way. The literature review came right after the problem was

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Dream Essay Essay Example for Free

Dream Essay Essay Imagine yourself 10 years from now. After spending most of your young life cramped inside of an overpopulated school, you are anxious to begin your dream job, the job that you have been waiting for since grade school. Now, it’s finally yours and no one can take it away from you, no matter how hard they try. Everyone has a dream that they would like to have come true later in life, whether it’s to have their dream job, or to meet their favorite celebrity. My dream in life is to finish school and become a doctor. I want this dream to come true because ever since the doctors at Saint Barnabas hospital saved my mother from dying from birth, my brother from dying from multiple asthma attacks, and my grandma from breast cancer, I knew I wanted to be like them someday, helping to save the lives of young(and old)people. There are multiple steps that I would have to take for me to fulfill my dream of becoming a doctor. The first step to accomplishing my goal is attending an Ivy League School. The best way to be able to attend an Ivy League School is getting admirable grades early. Ivy League Schools most likely won’t admit you to their school if you start doing well in school late in high school. You should also challenge yourself academically. This means taking advanced courses, especially ones that offer college credits. Ivy League Schools prefer students who do well in a challenging course than one that does exceptional in an average one. Although this may be a tedious task, I believe that it’s worth the wait. To accomplish my goal to become a doctor, I will have to be very studious and diligent for me to be able to finish school. When I close my eyes, I can imagine myself 15, 20 years from now, accomplishing my dream of becoming a doctor. After a long day of working as a doctor in my office in California, I finally get to come home to my wonderful husband, 2 kids, 2 dogs, a turtle, a hamster, and a guinea pig. The scene when I get home is different everyday. Sometimes, I come home to the find everything serene and the kids doing homework or the kids watching television with the dogs at their feet. But other times, I come home to total chaos. The kids are fighting for no apparent reason and the house is flipped completely upside down. But, even with the chaos, I love my family and wouldn’t change anything, even if I could. I can already imagine myself taking care of a patient. I’m working in my office when the doctors rush him in, telling me that he’s been in a horrible car accident and is unresponsive. They also tell me that a piece of the metal highway barrier has entered his body and when I look down, I can see it jutting out of the lower section of his thigh. We rush him into an operating room, give him the anesthesia, and start the procedure to remove the jutting highway barrier from the man’s body. After 6 hours, 3 cups of coffee, and a lot of skin and blood lost, we finally removed the piece of metal out of the man’s thigh. After the procedure, I got many accolades from my fellow doctors. Being a doctor demonstrates all of the capricious things that happen in life, but everyday, I revel the fact that I get to live out my dreams. Now that my dream is a reality, I can say that after many years of working hard in school, have accomplished my goal of becoming a doctor. Now, I can probably better understand how tired my mom actually was taking care of two kids and working full time. Working full time and becoming a mother to two kids makes me appreciate my mother even more than I already do. I know how hard she works to take care of me and my little brother and also to be able to pay all bills. Becoming a doctor changed my family’s life because now, instead of them taking care of me, I am old enough to take care of myself, and my family members. I hope that instead of fantasizing about it, I will actually get to live out my dream 15, 20 years from now.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Social Housing Provision Changes Since 1980

Social Housing Provision Changes Since 1980 Changes in the Organisation and Provision of Social Housing Since 1980 Abstract Did the Housing Act of 1980, which granted tenants the right to buy council property, along with other housing policy geared towards a neo-liberal attitude to economics and the housing market, such as the stock transfer from local authorities to housing associations, the direct payment of housing benefit into tenants accounts and rent increases due to deregulation eventually lead to increased social polarisation between rich and poor and, in particular, homelessness in urban environments? If so, how did this happen and what were the implications of this policy on the present housing climate? Introduction to Problem The Housing Act of 1980 was a flagship policy by the newly elected Conservative government. It allowed five million tenants the right to buy their council house from the local authority at a reduced rate. This opportunity to buy was extended further in years to come, and was used primarily as a means to reduce the amount of council owned housing in favour of a number of other economic models more conducive to the right wing Conservative party ideology. The central principles of the right to buy policy, intended to reduce the amount of publicly owned housing stock, was eventually extended to include initiatives for councils to voluntarily give up their hold on their housing property. This included the allowance of private landlord ownership, the selling of council property though voluntary transfers, and also continued into present Blairite policy with the Arms Length Management Association. While the 1980 Housing Act provided revenue for run down council estates and their tenants, an d also allowed working-class tenants an opportunity to get onto the property ladder, it also contributed to fuelling a growing minority of underclass citizens, who were deprived of the council housing stock on which they were previously reliant, and were subsequently forced into a cycle of unemployment and homelessness. Although housing stock was overinflated in comparison to other capitalist countries in the 1980s, and the Housing Act was initially beneficial in many ways to the owner of the housing association. Other policies that directly affected housing stock also reflected this trend towards neo-liberalism and a policy of equal responsibility, whether the citizen was rich or poor. These policies include the stock transfer from local authorities to housing associations, rent increases due to the deregulation of the housing sector and the payment of housing benefit directly into a tenants bank account rather than to the landlord. This resulted in an increase in homelessness and social polarisation between the rich and poor. Literature Review A great deal of literature has been written on how Thatcherism has affected British housing and the effects that this had on the development of homelessness. The British Political Process: An Introduction (Wright, 2000, pp. 30-3), along with Jean Conways Housing Policy (2000) offer a good general overview of the policies forwarded and their effects this had on the power of local councils, as well as an analysis of their motivations for instigating these privatisation policies. Wright includes some details on how the Housing Acts tended to profit smaller, richer rural councils to the detrement of poorer communities, and both books go into detail about the 1988 and 1989 Housing Acts, the latter of which forced council rents up, which meant that they were unable to fund any major repairs or new building on their housing stock. Anne Power (1993) in Hovels to High Rise stresses that the right to buy polarised the market because it left behind those who aspired to buying their council hous e, but couldnt afford it. Similarly, Andy Thornley (1992) in The Crisis of London comments that, despite the intentions for right to buy to raise revenues to fund the regeneration of squalid and neglected housing estates, very little money was actually raised to reinvest in council housing because of the restrictions in place on capital receipts (p. 15). This, coupled with the deregulation of the private rented sector of the housing market in the Housing Act of 1988, led to a substantial increase of the price of rental accommodation and an increased inability for people on lower incomes to pay their housing associated costs (pp. 10-24). Tim Blackman (1995) in Urban Policy in Practice also comments that because the better parts of Britains publicly owned housing stock has been sold off, many of Britains remaining council estates have effectively become welfare ghettos (p. 153), and rife with drugs, poverty and squalid housing. Keith Dowding and Desmond Kings Rooflessness in London (Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 28, 2000) focuses on the difficulty of getting a coherent study of homelessness because of the ambiguity of the terminology homelessness which, in British law, excludes almost everybody. They argue the problem with the term intentionally homeless, a term used in the 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Act. This concept of intentionally homeless is used to varying degree of exactitude by different councils. Johnston Birchall (1992) comments how this varies wildly from council to council (p. 142). David Robertson (1998, p. 14) comments how this judicial discretion is often used to deliberately introduce ambiguity into policy and law, allowing for councils to absolve their obligation to house the homeless. Alison Ravetz (2001, p. 199-204) argues further that the extreme right agenda of Conservative policy combined with the 1977 Housing Act, which changed the way housing was allocated based on priority, ensu red that the priority homeless began to usurp ordinary council house waiting lists. Paradoxically, because these people were in themselves labelled as a priority for councils, potential tenants would become homeless simply in order to qualify for housing. As the number of publicly owned council houses decreased, this increased the numbers of homeless people in Britain at the time. Loveland (1995) in Housing Homeless Persons argues that the right to buy also degraded the remaining housing stock, as the properties sold tended to be in more desirable areas, and also, even at a discounted rate, only the more affluent tenants could afford to buy (p. 35). MacEwan (1991) in Housing, Race and Law mentions that the incidence of building society repossessions increased in districts responsible for Housing (Homeless Persons) provisions from 218 in 1979 to 748 in 1987, half of which were former council houses bought under the right to buy. The effects of the various Housing Acts passed by the C onservative Government on the elusive statistic of homelessness is variable. Tim Blackman in Urban Policy in Practice comments on the GNI (Generalised Needs Index), which is used to assist councils in allocating funds to housing stock (p. 97). Methodology The problem of homelessness in Britain is twofold. First, it has been very difficult to statistically measure homelessness. Many homeless people are disillusioned and unaware of their rights to apply for housing. Also, the 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Act uses the problematic statement of intentionally homeless which can be used in many different guises. Thus, this study of the effects of homelessness in Britain will have to take this into account, and the wildly varying statistics on homelessness testify this difficulty. However, it is safe to assume that the housing policy has led to an increased number of homeless people in Britain. This dissertation will look at the existing literature on homelessness in the 1980s, of which a great deal has been written. Secondly, the problem with homelessness and the underclass in general is that they occupy a class on the fringes of society and therefore, are not easily put into traditional catgories of class or structure. In order to eschew these difficulties with information presently available, it may be apt to conduct an independent study of homelessness, via the means of a questionnaire. This could either target the street homeless, the advantage of this method being that the questionnaire would be more quickly implemented, or else a random cross-section of society. The advantages of this method would be that it would take into account the innate elusiveness of the homeless section of society. Conclusions/Implications Thatcherism and right wing policy has led to a minorty of underclass people. Due to the strict enforcement of Thatcherite and neo-liberal housing policy that has degraded council housing stock, deregulated private sector rental markets and sold off much of the higher quality housing stock and led to a ghettoisation of many more run-down council estates, especially in urban areas of Britain. This dissertation will look primarily at the effects this has on generating an underclass of homelessness. The implications of this study will be to chart how the implementation of right wing housing policy has generated and exacerbated the continued dependency of the underclass. Bibliography Birchall, J., Housing Policy in the 1990s, (London: Routledge, 2000) Blackman, T., Urban Theory in Practice, (London: Routledge, 1995) Burrows, R., Please, N., Quilgars, D., Homelessness and Social Policy, (London: Routledge, 1997) Conway, J., Housing Policy, (London: Gildredge, 2000) Dowding, K., King, D., Rooflessness in London from Policy Studies Journal, Vol. 28, 2000 Loveland, I., Housing Homeless Persons: Administrative Law and the Administrative Process, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995) MacEwan, M., Housing, Race and Law, (London: Routledge, 1991) Ravetz, A., Council Housing and Culture, (London: Routledge, 2001) Robertson, D., Judicial Discretion in the House of Lords, (London: Clarendon Press, 1990) Thornley, A., The Crisis of London, (London: Routledge, 1992) Wright, T., The British Political Process, (London: Routledge, 2000)

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Civil war Essays -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Civil War  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the United States, the southern states' economies were mainly based on agriculture, but not any normal kind of agriculture, they were based on the agriculture of slave labor. Slavery was deeply ingrained in the culture, so much that only a war could stop it. This war was a gruesome war, made far worse because of the advent of modern rifles, combined with an ignorance of advanced military tactics and lack of medical knowledge. At the time, the method common method of warfare was to line up on a big field and stand up and then shoot. The time that the war occurred was pre-germ theory, methods of antiseptics were unknown. This made it so that great damage would be inflicted upon a person, but there would be no way to properly heal treat it. This combination of factors made this war a particularly bloody and devastating one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A main factor of this war was that the social entrenchment of slavery ran particularly deep. The institution of slavery had been in place since the first colonies were established in the Americas. Early in American history, when the Constitution of the United States was drafted, slavery was also part of the institution. The southern states wouldn’t have ratified the Cons if slavery were outlawed. The Constitution of the United States was held to be the most holy of documents regarding law. Yet even these â€Å"high principled people† and â€Å"educated and sophisticated hierarchs† that approved and created the constitution left grievous discrepancies that later cause a terribly bloody war. If they had taken a clear stance on anti-slavery, the southern states would never have joined the Union. They discretely mentioned slavery in three different sections, but never out right say that it is legal, or illegal. It gave people the right to sue agai nst slavery. And that put doubt (whether they should be in the union) and fear into southern slaveholder’s hearts. This fear and suspicion was only deepened by the growing abolitionist movement, and gin. The cotton gin was of particular importance because much more cotton could be processed. That meant that more acreage could be planted and harvested. This created a huge increase in the am... ...vernment of Great Britain to have become destructive of these ends, the declared the colonies ‘are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown.† By that argument they are saying that it has all been done before, look, you yourself did it, so don’t be unjust and let us break away like you did.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The citizens South Carolina were feeling that they had been violated and abused by the breaking of a viable contract. The northern states were trying to take away their inalienable rights, and they would stand for it. President Lincoln tried to make it clear that â€Å"I hold that, in contemplation of universal law and of the constitution of the Union of these States is perpetual.† South Carolina and all of the other southern states simply did not listen. Lincoln tried to talk sense into them, counter arguing their every point but they would not take any middle ground, as they felt they had already tried that. When it came down to fighting, Lincoln had the high moral ground, and not only that, the larger, more advanced, and better equipped armies. Lincoln tried to not push the point but he was forced to attempt to keep the union together by any means necessary.

Biography And History: Harriet Jacobs The Life Of A Slave Girl :: essays research papers

Biography and History: Harriet Jacob's The Life of a Slave Girl To be a good writer, you must posess a careful balance between detachment and association, a delicate waltz where you are not so wrapped up in the events of a story that it alienates the reader, and yet not so far separated from the subject matter that the readers cannot get into it. This is espectially the case in an autobiographical narrative. In this case, it is very difficult to detach yourself from the main subject matter, that is, yourself. Yet it must remain a story, and the story at its heart is a reconstruction of facts from the memory of the author. In the case of Harriet Jacobs, it was also important that she make sure the readers understood slavery from a woman's perspective. The hardships she had to endure not only entailed the work and the punishments, but also the sexual aspect of being a slave-girl. Her task is difficult, because in order for the reader to really understand her position as a woman and a slave, she must make the story extremely personal. If it is too personal, however, the reader looses sight of the bigger picture, and does not relate all these hardships to the condition of the general female slave. She accomplishes this in two ways, through her writing style, and the writing content. The style that the novel is written varies from a dialogue to a narrative, depending on the subject matter being written about. For example, the dialogue where Mrs. Flint confronts Linda (Jocobs) and asks her what has been going on with her husband is handled very effectively, because as a conversation between two people, we are able to pick up on the nuances of meaning. Also, it makes the situation seem to the reader as very exhilarating, because we don't know what's going to happen next. Two paragraphs later, though, the story has turned back into narrative, because Jacobs is trying to examine the entire situation in her present day, as a free woman. She has to be detached from the conversation in order for her to draw any conclusions. The conclusion she draws is that even though they are in different circumstances, (Linda is a slave and Mrs. Flint is her mistress), they both have a shared problem as women -- that is, the problems of infedelity. This general topic cannot be dealt with effectively unless it is done at a distance, looking back with the experience she has gained. Jacobs does this a lot -- she takes her own present-day experiences and