Johnson & Johnson Green Business

Final Individual Research Paper *â€Å"Johnson & Johnson Company*† Table of Contents COMPANY DETAILS: 1. 1 Introduction: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is a global American pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Johnson & Johnson is one among the Fortune 500. The corporation’s headquarters is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States. The corporation includes 250 decentralized companies with operations in over 57 countries. Its products are sold in over 175 markets. Johnson & Johnson's brands include numerous household names of medications and first aid supplies. Among its well-known consumer products are the Band-Aid Brand line of bandages, Tylenol medications, Johnson's baby products, Neutrogena skin and beauty products, Clean & Clear facial wash and Acuvue contact lenses {text:bibliography-mark} . The company believes that it is responsible to the communities in which its employees live and work and to the world community as well. As a large, multinational organization, Johnson & Johnson's environmental footprint is complex and far-reaching. The company strives to take action in all its facilities to minimize this footprint. Johnson & Johnson has long been committed to energy conservation and improving the health of the planet {text:bibliography-mark} . J has not always been vocal about its socially and environmentally responsible efforts, even it has gotten attention for its sustainability strategies, including being #3 on Newsweek magazine’s Green Rankings List of green companies {text:bibliography-mark} . On a scale of 1 to 100, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson lead the first-ever review of the pharmaceutical sectors to rate above 70 in a recent survey of sustainability practices by Climate Counts. Climate count evaluates firms’ commitments in four areas: Whether they have measured their carbon footprint If they reduced their impact on global warming If they have supported or blocked climate legislation or policy To what level they have publicly disclosed their climate actions Johnson & Johnson scored highly in all sectors except for measuring its own carbon footprint, an area in which it scored 12 out of 22 {text:bibliography-mark} . Some interesting facts about J: It’s the second largest producer of solar panels in the U. S. it’s the largest corporate user of hybrid vehicles, and it gets 30% of its energy from renewable sources. It’s also done a lot to reduce its water footprint, reduce PVC content in products, sell waste as raw materials, and use recycled paper in product packaging (Gonzalez, 2009). 1. 2 Mission Johnson & Johnson does not have any mission statement. For more than 60 years, document known as â€Å"Our Credo† has guided in fu lfilling responsibilities to customers, employees, communities and the stockholders {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson’s â€Å"Our Credo† is attached in Appendix- B. The company continues to stand by that credo for 118,700 employees at its facilities in the United States and in 54 countries around the world. It states, â€Å"We are responsible to our employees, the men and women who work with us throughout the world. Everyone must be considered as an individual. We must respect their dignity and recognize their merit. They must have a sense of security in their jobs. Compensation must be fair and adequate, and working conditions clean, orderly and safe. Employees must feel free to make suggestions and complaints {text:bibliography-mark} . The philosophy at Johnson & Johnson is that â€Å"All accidents and injuries are preventable. An accident is the end result of a unique chain of events and conditions. The role of all Johnson & Johnson employees is to fore see these acts and intercept them before they occur {text:bibliography-mark} . At Johnson & Johnson, continuous improvement is the basis for ongoing operations. As per Joseph Van Houten, worldwide director of Planning, Process Design and Delivery, â€Å"Johnson & Johnson is never satisfied with maintaining the status quo. Each employee has a responsibility to identify, and has possibility to eliminate hazards. In areas where they cannot be eliminated, employees are expected to be aware of hazards and safeguard themselves and others around them†. As at many companies with stellar safety programs, Johnson & Johnson management believes safety is everyone's responsibility. Employees are expected to be concerned about their own safety and that of fellow employees, families, customers, contractors, visitors and the communities in which Johnson & Johnson operates. Johnson & Johnson’s vision is: bringing science to the art of healthy living. † The safety tenets embodied in the credo have been translated into a safety vision for the corporation that commits Johnson & Johnson to being the world leader in health and safety by creating an injury-free workplace {text:bibliography-mark} . 1. 3 Employee-related activities Johnson & Johnson has a wealth of programs and activities to support a diver se, inclusive culture which acts as an essential key to business success. Affinity groups are voluntary, employee-driven groups that typically focus on a shared interest. These groups provide support and networking opportunities such as mentoring, community outreach, career development and cultural awareness activities. Johnson & Johnson companies offer formal or informal mentoring programs to expand opportunities and support development of a diverse workforce. A number of affinity groups offer programs that match up new members of the work community with experienced leaders who serve as mentors. Johnson & Johnson Diversity University is a dynamic online resource designed to help employees understand and value differences and the benefits of working collaboratively to meet business goals. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion was established to foster recognition of unique backgrounds, talents and abilities as an important competitive advantage within Johnson & Johnson companies. This helps develop strategies to achieve the global diversity vision, helps operating companies share and leverage their best diversity practices, and reports to the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee on diversity within the companies {text:bibliography-mark} . 1. 4 Products: Johnson & Johnson offer products and information targeting baby care, skin and hair care, oral care, nutritionals, women’s health, pain relief, wound care &topical, vision care and Over-the-Counter Medicines. Baby products include Baby Powder, Baby Oil, Baby Cream, Baby Lotion, Baby Shampoo, Baby Hair Oil, and Baby Soap {text:bibliography-mark} . Skin Care products include Clean and Clear Face wash, Johnson Buds, Neutrogena, Aveeno and Ambi Skincare. Oral Health Care products include Listerine, Listerine Whitening, Reach, Efferdent, and Rembrandt. Nutritionals include Splenda, Viactiv, Benecol, Lactacid and Sun Crystals. Women’s Health products include Stayfree, Carefree, K-Y, Monistat, e. p. t and O. B. Wound Care *& Tropical *products include Band Aid, Savlon, Johnson Plast, Bengay, Caladryl, Neosporin, Cortaid, Tucks Hemorrhoidal Ointment, Daktarin, and Purell. Vision Care products are Visine and Acuvue Brand Contact Lenses. Over-the-Counter Medicines include Tylenol, Sudafed, Mylanta, Zyrtec and Zyrtec-D12-Hour, Motrin, Imodium, Pepcid, Nicorette, Benadryl, Rolaids, and Dolormin {text:bibliography-mark} . The figure 1 in Appendix-A shows some of the different products of Johnson & Johnson. J&J’s Strategies in Reducing Environmental *Footprint: Johnson & Johnson has high standards for operating divisions in the area of environmental responsibility- striving to reduce its environmental impact. The figure 1 gives an idea on the investments made in lowering its Carbon Energy Efficiency. Highlights of Johnson & Johnson green features include: Using renewable, efficient, and clean sources of energy. Reducing Green house gases from manufacturing units Reducing water use on a daily basis. Implementing a forward-looking building design and using natural materials. Purchasing green products/packaging, from cleaning supplies to computers. Reducing Carbon footprint – Implementing a robust recycling program. – Making tools available to help employees implement green practices at work and at home {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 1 Green Power: Johnson & Johnson (J&J), a long-time green energy purchaser, has surpassed the 400 million kWh per year mark for its annual renewable energy credit (REC) purchase. The total purchase size of about 435 million kWh per year makes the healthcare products provide the nation’s eighth largest purchaser, according to the EPA’s Green Power Partnership program. The purchase of various RECs from wind and biomass facilities represents about 38% of the company’s U. S. electricity use {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson has won numerous environmental awards over the past 15 years, including the Green Power Partner of the Year in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007and 2009. Among its environmental initiatives is its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 7% below 1990 levels by 2010. The company’s renewable energy portfolio also includes direct purchases of bundled green energy from low-impact hydro and wind power. In addition, the company has now installed 4. 1 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic installations at its U. S. facilities. Lastly, the company’s unique 3 MW onsite landfill gas project In Mountain View, California became fully operational in 2007. Under a 15-year gas purchase agreement with the City of Mountain View, ALZA Pharmaceuticals, a J&J subsidiary, uses the landfill methane gas to power three research and development buildings in the area adjacent to the landfill site {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 2 Heat and Power from Landfill Gas: To address volatile, escalating energy prices and concerns about climate change, many large energy consumers including Johnson & Johnson are looking for stable, nonpolluting sources of energy. Besides solar and wind power, landfill gas (LFG) is also an economically viable renewable resource but is often overlooked. 2. 2. 1 Johnson & Johnson’s LFG Project: Johnson & Johnson committed to reducing its GHG emissions by 7 percent below its 1990 levels by 2010. Each of the company’s business units has an emissions target whose progress is tracked annually {text:bibliography-mark} . ALZA pharmaceuticals, a division of J&J, needed to reduce its GHG emissions by 21. 5 million pounds per year or risk failing meet their target. ALZA’s research and development facilities in California are adjacent to the Shoreline Landfill. The figure 2 in Appendix A shows the layout of ALZA. The LFG produced in the Shoreline Landfill by decaying waste was captures and flares in accordance with EPA regulations for large landfills. ALZA and the city of Mountain View signed a 15-year contract for the sale of the gas, which ALZA uses to power three 970-kilowatt generators at each of its research and development buildings in the area. Electricity from the generators powers the buildings, and the heat captured from the exhaust is used to provide hot water {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 2. 2 The System: ALZA takes possession of the gas before the existing flare and processes it on-site at the landfill using a standard moisture elimination system. Three 60-horsepower blowers maintain the gas at a pressure of 6 pounds-per-square-inch (psi) as it passes through a chiller. The temperature of the gas at the inlet is 70 °F, and when it is exposed to the colder temperatures in the chiller, the moisture in the gas condenses and falls out of the gas as droplets. The system removes 90 percent of the moisture in the gas and is capable of processing 1,300 standard cubic feet of gas per minute. Although the landfill generates gas continuously throughout the year, ALZA’s electricity needs vary, and sometimes during the winter months the system generates more electricity than the buildings need. The system is expected to generate 24,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per hour of natural gas consumption {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 3 Solar Energy: A Solar photovoltaic (PV) system provides the clean, reliable, renewable energy. Johnson & Johnson has installed more than 4. MW of solar photovoltaic generation at ten locations in US. According to WRI as of May 2008, J&J is the second largest user of on-site solar energy in the United States {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 3. 1Energy and Atmosphere in J&J PRD, San Diego, California Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development (J&J PRD) facility in San Diego, California achieved Leaders hip in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and won several awards for their energy and environmental performance. The solar photovoltaic (PV) system provides the clean, renewable energy at J&J PRD as shown in Appendix- Figure 3. J&J PRD achieved a 2. 2 megawatt from co-generation system so far. J&J PRD roof mounted DC solar PV system which generated a 243 Kilowatt (KW) offsetting 10 percent of the annual electricity consumption in addition to its 90 percent offset from the co-generation system. This shows that J&J PRD has completely offset the building’s net annual energy consumption and making the facility carbon neutral. This Solar PV system is expected to generate annual energy savings of approximately $500,000 depending on the electric rates. J&J PRD solar energy generates power equivalent to power consumed by 80 homes {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 4 Green House Gas Reductions: In Johnson & Johnson since 1990, various company projects have focused on energy efficiency improvements for lighting, facility building envelopes, HVAC, compressed air, office equipment, fuel sources, and heat recovery. From 1990 to 2000, $12. 5M has been saved through these projects and 107,000 metric tons of CO2 have been prevented. Johnson & Johnson's GHG reduction efforts began with an internal goal adopted in 2000. Each operating company is responsible for meeting GHG reduction goals of 4 percent by 2005 and 7 percent by 2010. Many reductions were identified through Johnson & Johnson's Enhanced Best Practices (EBP), which include 245 energy-saving opportunities for affiliates to consider {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson also partners with organizations aiming to set the standard for GHG management such as EPA's ENERGY STAR ®, Green Power Partnership, and Performance Track; World Resources Institute (WRI); World Wildlife Fund; and the Carbon Disclosure Project. The company has received numerous energy and environmental awards including EPA's Green Power Partner of the Year, The California Governor's Award for Sustainable Practices, New Jersey Clean Energy Business Leader of the Year, and The Climate Group Low Carbon Leader {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 4. 1 J&J’s way of approach to GHG Management: Johnson & Johnson's Inventory Management Plan (IMP) has been integrated into its internal GHG Protocol. Using the IMP has given the company's internal protocol much more structure and clarity, making it easier to explain to those employees new to GHG management. Johnson & Johnson has various processes in place to track the progress of its goal. The company's Energy Tracking System (ETS) is solely dedicated to tracking energy and emissions goals. Through this system, affiliates report energy usage, cost, and projects with any applicable savings. The ETS utilizes the latest emissions factors from WRI and EPA, and the system adjusts when new factors are published {text:bibliography-mark} . The largest single component responsible for the emissions reduction is the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs) for wind power. The emission reductions due to the RECs purchases in 2004 accounted for 170,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent, offsetting 29 percent of the company's emissions from electricity use and 19 percent of the total corporate emissions in that year. The continued implementation of Johnson & Johnson's energy efficiency best practices and new facility design criteria have also been important contributing factors to its emission reductions {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 4. 2 Energy and Atmosphere in Janssen *H*eadquarters Janssen is a division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Janssen is driven by dedication to product innovation, customer focus, and organizational excellence. The Janssen Headquarters in Titusville site has been able to reduce energy use by 11% and reduce its carbon footprint by 5,019 metric tons annually; (over 75% reduction) through rigorous building commissioning and maintenance, installation of a 500 kilowa tt rooftop solar photovoltaic system as shown in figure 4 in Appendix-A, and the purchase of green power and renewable energy credits (REC). This is the equivalent of planting approximately 1,500 acres of trees or removing almost 1,000 cars from the roadways {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson generates 24 percent of its corporate electricity demand from renewal energy sources. Janssen has offset its CO2 emissions by installing the solar system on its Titusville facility {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 5 Energy Efficiency: Electricity Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters building was originally built with an all electric heating and cooling system and limited operating flexibility. The ENERGY STAR project which began in 2002 after an intensive energy audit and facility condition audit yielded an initial energy performance score of 52. The facility management team put in place a long-term strategic capital improvement plan to upgrade the building's infrastructure with the most technically advanced and energy-efficient equipment available. In addition to installing energy-efficient equipment, the new design enabled facility operators the ability to optimize the indoor environment to match the needs of the occupants {text:bibliography-mark} . A number of projects were completed, including direct digital control (DDC) upgrades to both air handling equipment and variable air volume (VAV) boxes. Central utility upgrades included converting electric boilers to high efficiency natural gas. The chiller plant was upgraded from a constant flow system to a primary/secondary system with high efficiency centrifugal chillers controlled by variable speed drives (VSD). The cooling tower was upgraded; and a condenser water reset program was installed and controlled by variable frequency drives (VFDs). A 232 KW photovoltaic elevated tracking system was installed on the upper level of the parking deck. Additionally, high efficiency motors and VFDs were installed on all major air handling equipment and the hot water reheat and chilled water pumps. Solar window film, high efficiency electrical transformers, and general office lighting occupancy sensors were also installed. All of the 24/7 air conditioning loads supplied by the central chiller plant were evaluated and replaced with smaller dedicated HVAC systems enabling the chiller plant runtime to be reduced by 5,000 hours per year. The operations and maintenance team replaced 300, 175 watt metal halide lamps in the parking deck operating 24 hours a day with 85 watt Phillips QL induction lamps. The cumulative results of these projects enabled the reduction of the building's overall energy consumption by 25 percent, yielding an improved energy performance score of 85 and qualifying for the ENERGY STAR for superior energy performance {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson’s new lab in La Jolla beats California’s energy efficiency standards by 18%. Efficient technologies installed include window glazing and shades, variable speed drives and lights that are all under 60 watts. A 2. 2-megawatt cogeneration system supplies 95% of electricity as well as heating and cooling. The figure 5 in Appendix-A shows the Cogeneration placement in La Jolla. The new lab met Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards. Johnson & Johnson was the recipient of a 2005 Flex Your Power Energy Efficiency Award {text:bibliography-mark} . This building itself achieves annual savings of $536,000 on its energy bill, compared to the amount a standard laboratory would expect to pay. According to a model used to estimate energy performance of new buildings employed by the local utility, San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), a standard building would have used $1,432,000 per year, which is 37 percent more than the J&J building. Based upon its exemplary energy performance, the building owners are awarded $143,000 for their inventiveness from SDG&E {text:bibliography-mark} . This building resulted in an impressive list of energy efficiency and water conservation features resulted in an annual savings of more than a half million dollars. This translates into: Enough electricity to power 680 homes Enough natural gas to heat 950 homes Reduced power plant emissions of 4. 8 tons of nitrogen oxides per year, 2. 1 tons of sulfur oxides per year, and 4,318 tons of carbon dioxide per year. 2. 5. 1 Building Envelope: The Lab building in La Jolla, California is constructed of steel framing and curtain wall. A white reflective cap sheet was installed on the roof, which both reduces the overall cooling load for facility and extends roof life because of the reduced roof temperature {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 6 Water Efficiency: Diminishing water supplies and decreasing water quality are pressing an environmental challenge, which is looked as a more acute problem at Johnson & Johnson. J&J have been reducing water use for many years. It achieved a 16 percent absolute reduction in water use from 2000- 2005, at a time when sales increased by 56 percent. To continue to identify and maximize water conservation, J&J set a Healthy Planet 2010 goal for a further 10 percent absolute reduction in water use from 2005- 2010 {text:bibliography-mark} . PRI provides multi-function support services for government and private facilities. Services include base operations, maintenance, building management, operations and maintenance of equipment, and maintenance of building management systems {text:bibliography-mark} . The figure 7 of Appendix-A shows the dropped level of water usage in J&J. Johnson & Johnson implemented a number of water conservation technologies at PRI. These include: Recovering condensate from cooling coils is used as make-up water for the cooling towers. Even though this measure had a 15-year payback, J&J felt that implementing this measure was consistent with their goal of environmental stewardship. Using reclaimed water for landscape irrigation and other uses: Using reclaimed water (which is available through a separate municipal water distribution system in the vicinity of PRI) for landscape irrigation and for providing makeup water to the cooling towers gives J&J a twofold benefit. First, the reclaimed water costs about 10 percent less than regular water. Second, making a commitment to use it may give J&J some beneficial considerations if drought conditions ever necessitate serious curtailment f water use in the future {text:bibliography-mark} Based in Titusville, New Jersey, Johnson & Johnson employs cooling condensate recycling that saves approximately 40,000 gallons of water per year. This eliminates the need for storm water discharge of the condensate and reduces chemical treatment needs for the cooling towers. In 2006, the site converted to 100% waterless urinals, which yielded a 12% reduction in water use (700,000 gallons per year) {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & J ohnson’s La Jolla Lab facility is also water efficient, reducing water use by 11 million gallons annually {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 7 Waste Reduction: * Johnson & Johnson believes that eliminating or reducing waste will not only help the environment but also reduce the associated costs and risks/liabilities from transportation, treatment and disposal. Johnson & Johnson has set a goal to reduce its hazardous and non-hazardous waste by 10 percent against its 2005 baseline levels. So far, J&J’s operating companies have achieved a 10 percent reduction in non-hazardous waste, largely through increased recycling and reuse of their waste and some innovative composting projects. Similarly, increased recycling and reuse of waste have allowed them to achieve a four percent reduction in hazardous waste since 2005 {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 7. 1 At Johnson & Johnson’s Division in Titusville, New Jersey: Initiatives to improve recycling compliance, combined with the elimination 70 percent of cafeteria disposables, have lead to a 29 percent reduction of non-hazardous solid waste which is 106,745kg per year. An innovative program to recycle all used carpet began in 2003 and 34,000 kg of carpet has been recycled till today {text:bibliography-mark} . . 8 Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: Although the vast majority of pharmaceutical and other compounds found in water systems arise from normal patient and consumer use, Johnson & Johnson operating companies are taking steps to evaluate and minimize or eliminate these compounds from their wastewater. Periodic wastewater monitoring has been used to determine potential toxicity to aquatic organisms, to conduct risk assessments, and to develop safe levels for Active pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) {text:bibliography-mark} . Another way pharmaceutical compounds can reach the environment is through consumer disposal of unused or expired medicines. Johnson & Johnson supports the U. S. White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for the Proper Disposal of Prescription Pharmaceuticals. This policy suggests a combination of take-back programs when they are available, trash disposal for most medicines, and flushing for some specific pharmaceuticals, such as narcotics {text:bibliography-mark} . For Example: Johnson & Johnson is also participating in an educational effort, called SMARTxT Disposal, being led by phRMA, the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the American Pharmacists Association to inform consumers about proper disposal of unused or expired medicines. 2. 9 Indoor Environmental Quality: Like most Johnson & Johnson’s buildings that reach an exemplary level of energy efficiency, the PRI facility features a high efficient interior lighting system in its lab division in La Jolla, California. This building’s efficiency lies on two reasons. Lighting energy use is huge. Lighting is the single largest energy end use in most commercial buildings, accounting for anywhere in between 25 and 50 percent of overall energy use. Through a combination of good design and efficient technology like using T5 lamps and electronic ballasts will result in load reduction of 0. 30 to 0. 50 watts per square foot. Lighting efficiency leads to downstream savings. The ample load reductions that result from efficient lighting lead to reduced cooling loads as well. As a result of reduced cooling and airflow requirements, a series of â€Å"downstream† savings are generated, including smaller ductwork, piping, air-handling units, and chillers. All of these down-stream efficiency gains translate into reduced operating cost, as well as construction cost savings for the smaller systems. The interior lighting system at the PRI facility is designed around high-quality fluorescent sources that are applied to balance efficiency with visual comfort. Other features of the lighting system include occupancy sensors throughout the building and the use of radioactive exit signs that glow without a wired power source {text:bibliography-mark} . Looking at Johnson & Johnson’s division in Titusville, New Jersey, an innovative program to reduce air contamination inside the building was implemented that utilizes ultraviolet lights in all air handlers. This system ensures the cleanest air supply possible, while eliminating the need for chemicals to purify air handler condensate. The site has also implemented low environmental impact housekeeping procedures since 2003, including compliance with Green seal cleaning product standards {text:bibliography-mark} . *2. 10 Carbon Footprint:* Johnson & Johnson has established a CO2 Reduction Capital Funding Process at the Group Finance level in 2004. The company targeted at $40 million per year for its energy and GHG reduction projects. Each J&J affiliated divisions apply for funding relief for these projects. The company completed 31 projects by the end of 2007. As of year-end 2008, 51 projects were completed and the company saved 90,044 tons of CO2 annually. J&J budgeted $99 million for the projects and expects an average 16. 3 percent rate of return {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson’s headquarters located in New Jersey is located near the train station with intent to reduce the carbon footprint. The major source for Johnson & Johnson’s carbon emissions is their fleets of roughly 36,000 vehicles worldwide. With the goal to improve fuel efficiency per mile by over 30% they have adapted their vehicle buying habits. It now boasts 2,100 hybrid vehicles in their fleet by March, 2008. Despite these measures, the company has not yet seen an overall improvement in distance per distance driven {text:bibliography-mark} . The figure 6 of Appendix-A shows the investments made in lower carbon energy efficiency. *2. 11 Packaging*: Johnson & Johnson primarily in the health care products. Since virtually all its products require some type of packaging for protection and preservation, Johnson & Johnson has found significant benefits by reducing packaging materials {text:bibliography-mark} . It began developing its waste reduction program in 1988. Since then, the company has reduced its packaging by 2,750 tons per year, including a reduction in its use of paper by 1,600 tons, plastic by 1,000 tons, metal by 100 tons, and other materials by over 50 tons. Over the first 2 ? years of the program, these reductions saved Johnson & Johnson an estimated $2. 8 million in material costs alone {text:bibliography-mark} . So far J&J achieved 93 percent of packaging and 83 percent of office paper to contain more than 30 percent PCR or fiber from certified forests {text:bibliography-mark} . The company began its program by comprehensively reviewing its product packaging, looking for ways to cut back on the amount of materials it purchased, as well as the amount of waste associated with the manufacture and use of these products. One measure Johnson & Johnson adopted was to reduce the weight of paper used to package one of its gauze products. Millions of these particular products are sold every year and the company realized that even a small change would make a big difference. The company reduced from 30-pound paper to 28-pound paper, Johnson & Johnson faced dramatic results: a reduction in waste of 115 tons of paper, saving $450,000 annually {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 11. 1 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Packaging: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has long been used in packaging for drugs, medical devices and personal care products because of its desirable physical characteristics for protecting product quality, including impermeability to moisture, gas and flavor. But Johnson & Johnson operating companies also understand concerns about the ability to dispose of PVC in an environmentally sound manner and the difficulties with recycling PVC. Its consumer franchise had a goal for 100 percent removal of PVC in primary packaging as well as secondary and tertiary packaging throughout the company. So far J&J has eliminated 84 percent of secondary and tertiary packaging across the company {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 11. 2 J&J Initiatives: Johnson & Johnson also has initiated more complex waste prevention initiatives. As one example, the company eliminated an aluminum pouch that surrounded a plastic layer used to contain Prolene medical sutures. This new procedure was implemented without causing any loss of sterility {text:bibliography-mark} . Band Aid brand adhesives bandages were originally packages in the metal â€Å"tin box. By converting 50 percent of the total packaging to recycled paperboard, i. e. , 35-percent post-consumer, the company significantly reduced the quantity of packaging material required {text:bibliography-mark} . Acuvue contact lenses were previously packaged in polypropylene blisters and polypropylene storage boxes. To reduce polypropylene usage and waste, J&J completely redesigned the blister holding the lenses and their fluid to permit opposing blist ers to nest. This change reduced the amount of polypropylene generated as waste during the manufacturing process and the size of the packaging required for the lenses {text:bibliography-mark} Stayfree feminine hygiene product was previously packaged in a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bag topped with a cotton drawstring and a â€Å"cuff† to carry the drawstring. The bag was redesigned to use a lower gauge LDPE, and the cuff and the drawstring were eliminated {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 11. 3 Waste Reduced: Prolene: 16,000 pounds of very high grade aluminum foil reduced annually, a 52 percent reduction {text:bibliography-mark} Band Aid brand adhesives bandages: 1. 6 million pounds of metal packaging are saved annually {text:bibliography-mark} Acuvue: Blisters – 264,000 pounds of polypropylene reduced annually, a 33 percent reduction {text:bibliography-mark} Stayfree: 440,000 pounds of LDPE and cotton string reduced annually, a 24 percent reduction {text:bibliography-mark} 2. 11. 4 Annual Savings: Packaging redesigns for Prolene, Band Aid, Acuvue and Stayfree save Johnson & Johnson over $3. million annually {text:bibliography-mark} . The annual cost savings associated with reduced packaging for each product are indicated below: 2. 12 Usage of Chemicals*, *Ingredients/ Materials: Johnson & Johnson maintains a list of regulated chemicals. In addition, the company works to anticipate chemicals that are not currently regulated but may be regulated in the future. The corporation has cr eated an â€Å"emerging issues process†, headed by an environmental toxicologist who is part of the worldwide corporate Environmental Health and Safety group and has the responsibility to evaluate new reports on chemicals. From this review process, the company has created a â€Å"Watch List† of chemicals that have been identified as being of concern by non-government organizations (NGOs) {text:bibliography-mark} . *2. 12. 1 Design tools for evaluating chemicals of concern and designing greener products:* chemicals file Johnson & Johnson has developed several tools to assist product designers in eliminating chemicals and materials of concern. The first tool is a â€Å"Design for Environment† software tool. Designers can input a chemical and see whether it is heavily or lightly regulated. There is a color-coded scheme which indicates the regulatory level. Red indicates the chemical is banned by a government agency somewhere in the world; black means highly regulated or on the â€Å"Watch List†; grey indicates the chemical is less regulated; yellow indicates minimal regulation; and, green indicates the chemical is not regulated. The goal is to evaluate the product lifecycle and to identify and reduce impacts from raw material selection, use and disposal {text:bibliography-mark} . The consumer segment of Johnson & Johnson convened an Ingredients Issue Task Force that has developed a rating system for greener materials. This group has reviewed every ingredient in Johnson & Johnson’s consumer products and has used resources such as the US EPA’s PBT profiler and other tools to identify chemical hazards {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 13 Recycling: Johnson & Johnson has a goal to have 90 percent of office paper and 75 percent of paper-based packaging containing more than 30 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) content or containing fiber from certified forests by the end of 2010 {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson believes that all its employees have an impact on the sustainable results. It has undertaken measures to best utilize the every product in their daily business activities. J&J has increased recycling by 25 percent. J&J has achieved it with the following steps: Encourages employees to recycle material using two side copying feature Using a reusable cups for beverages Encouraging staff members who purge old files to re-use folders again Recycling paper clips, binder clips, envelopes, cardboards, newspaper, magazines and other similar items. These items are collected from the recycle bins right next to the employee desks and re-used. Recycles computers, carpets, furniture etc {text:bibliography-mark} 2. 14 Maintenance of Scoreboard: In 2009, the corporation has rolled out a scorecard for green products. This scorecard was developed to give designers and marketers a â€Å"cleaner line of sight† in creating new products and goes beyond tools that assess chemical hazards. A product receives points along five dimensions. Seven points are needed to be identified as a â€Å"greener† product. The dimensions include: materials/ingredients, energy, waste, water, and packaging. This process includes a high level life cycle assessment to identify the areas of greatest environmental impact {text:bibliography-mark} . *2. 15 Climate Savers: Elements *of Fulfillment Strategies Johnson & Johnson identifies and extreme weather event that disrupts business as the greatest climate related risk the firm faces. Each major operation has a business continuity strategy in place and each business segment manufacture its products in more than one location {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson is tracking and publicizing its CO2 reduction goal worldwide to every level of management. The goal is also being included in the company's annual environmental report {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson has joined the following external initiatives: The Climate Group (UK); The Climate Registry; US EPA Green Power Partnership; WWF’s Climate Savers; WRI’s Green Power market Development Group; CDP’s Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration; and US climate Action Partnership {text:bibliography-mark} The company covering buildings, equipment, management practices, maintenance practices, and operational practices developed a comprehensive set of energy efficiency best practices. Sixty-seven percent of the best practices have been completed worldwide. J&J is participating in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification program for existing buildings with its world headquarters building serving as a pilot project. A task force has also been developed to create guidelines that will allow the company to obtain LEED certification for all new facilities. On-site renewable generation: Installation of four solar systems for a total of 1193 kW at California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania facilities. International on-site generation includes a solar hot water system at J&J Brazil providing 20,240 kWh/yr. of hot water and a solar hot water system at Janssen-Cilag, Portugal providing 8400 kWh/yr. of hot water. Purchasing of Renewable Energy: All Texas operations: 15 percent wind power, 10. 6 Million kWh/year. Cordis, Netherlands: 10 percent wind power, 1. 1 Million kWh/year. Centocor, Netherlands: 100 percent wind power, 12 Million kWh/year. An annual energy week is conducted worldwide to improve employee awareness. The theme last year was â€Å"You Have the Power to Save Energy for a Brighter Future. Activities to increase awareness include conferences in different regions and an active energy Web site, which includes a renewable site and graphics depicting CO2 reduction levels {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson conduct environmental campaigns every year and every facility created a five-year education plan to educate employees about climate change, sustainable forestry etc {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 16 Johnson & Johnson’s Green Chemistry Initiatives Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical segment participates in the Pharmaceutical Green Chemistry Roundtable and is investing in green chemistry approaches. Because of the high costs of drug development, an investment in a green chemistry approach generally does not occur until a new drug has been approved. Johnson & Johnson entered the US EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award Program in 2008 for its work to scale up a pharmaceutical ingredient called Darunavir, a new protease inhibitor. The goal of the project was to reduce health, safety and environmental impacts in manufacturing and to reduce sots. This approach resulted in reduced solvent usage, hydrogen gas formation was eliminated, and methylene chloride was replaced with a more benign solvent. This increased the yield of the drug by 40% and reduced manufacturing costs by 81%. The company eliminated 96 tons of methylene chloride, reduced hydrogen gas by 4800 cubic meters and reduced raw materials hazardous waste by 46 tons {text:bibliography-mark} . Green Suggestions and Recommendations: I believe Johnson & Johnson needs to step up instead of waiting for the clients to take the further lead on sustainability. The company should always make wise material choices and to make sure its best utilizing the environmentally friendly materials before it undertakes any new project by posing some questions like: Is the project designed to minimize waste? Can it be smaller, lighter, or made from fewer materials? Does it use renewable resources? Is reuse practical and encouraged? Are the products and packaging refillable, recyclable, or repairable? Is it made with post-consumer recycled or reclaimed materials? How much? Are the materials available in a less toxic form? Can it be made with less toxic materials? Are materials available from a socially and environmentally responsible company? Is it made locally? There are some small gestures which are worth doing to create a sustainable environment. The daily used printing ink must be environmentally friendly: It must reduce emissions, create less toxic waste, use a renewable resource, be easily de-inked, produce less hazardous sludge, and be more biodegradable than conventional ink. Design decisions like reducing the number of colors used to print a job is better on the environment as well as saves the company’s budget. Recycled content is just one of the ways defined to make a good paper. When choosing papers, company should look beyond recycled content and consider recyclability, raw materials, and how the paper is bleached and manufactured. Packing and shipping are also important to think about. Instead of simply accepting the suggested size for a printed piece, company should consider what size will result in the least waste on press. Instead of specking on an easy-to-find, standard material that happens to release VOCs (volatile organic compounds), progressive material choices must be made as part of the initial presentation. Johnson & Johnson should start conducting some recycling programs and should let its consumers know about it through advertisements. The recycle programs are designed in such a way that consumers are encouraged to buy more and more environmental friendly products like plastics that are easily recyclable, boxes or products that are packaged in paper materials certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or made from post-consumer waste. This recycling program should make the consumers to return the empty packages and receive discounts or free products in return. Conclusion: All modern buildings are constructed under a number of particularly stringent environmental constraints. These buildings use much less energy and are easy to maintain. The building’s success depended on a combination of J design philosophy which is reflected in the company’s â€Å"New Facilities Design Criteria†, careful modeling of building systems to envision how each works on its own and what its impact is on the others, and a steadfast vision of the need to produce a robust structure that will function well for many decades. Hardheaded cost benefits methods were applied to every system in the buildings. Most often focused on the importance of reliability and smooth operation over the long term. For example: Both of the two large chillers in New Jersey and La Jolla, California had VSDs installed to facilitate maintenance and provide flexibility with controls, though cost/benefit analysis did not support this decision. A condensate recycling system was installed in spite of showing a 15-year payback because J wants to be a good corporate citizen. Using reclaimed water provided cost savings, improved environmental performance, and also reduces the chances of future water crisis. One hundred percent completion of best practices does not guarantee Johnson & Johnson with a cost effective and energy efficient design. Firstly, it is important to setup ambitious goals to provide a compass for an organization. Johnson & Johnson Healthy planet 2010 goal that all operating companies have a plan to improve their product and process environmental profiles and eliminate high priority chemicals is a useful way to encourage improvements and track progress in a highly decentralized organization. Secondly, green design tools are important in implementing these goals. Johnson & Johnson has developed a number of valuable tools to help in designing greener products including a design for environment tool and a rating system for greener ingredients. Thirdly, it is necessary to maintain a scoreboard to measure greener products in an additional means of clarifying and implementing these board goals. Johnson & Johnson has developed a scoreboard for greener products with 5 dimensions: materials/ingredients, energy, waste, water, and packaging. Fourthly, participation is a valuable opportunity for information exchange. The company’s active participation in Product Sustainability Roundtable, a cross sector initiative, has been a valuable way to share information on improving product sustainability. Bibliography Appendix -A Figure 1: {draw:frame} Figure 2: {draw:frame} Figure 3: {draw:frame} Figure 4: {draw:frame} Figure 5: {draw:frame} Figure 6: {draw:frame} Figure 7: {draw:frame} Appendix B: {draw:frame} {draw:frame}

Proliferation of Interest Groups

ThÐ µ concÐ µrn about spÐ µcial intÐ µrÐ µsts is not a nÐ µw onÐ µ, as thÐ µ framÐ µrs of thÐ µ Constitution wÐ µrÐ µ worriÐ µd about it too. ThÐ µy fÐ µarÐ µd thÐ µ powÐ µr that could bÐ µ wiÐ µldÐ µd by organizÐ µd intÐ µrÐ µsts, yÐ µt thÐ µy undÐ µrstood that thÐ µ right to organizÐ µ was basic to thÐ µ notion of frÐ µÃ µdom. This dilÐ µmma of frÐ µÃ µdom vÐ µrsus powÐ µr was a tough onÐ µ for thÐ µm. ThÐ µy knÐ µw that if thÐ µ govÐ µrnmÐ µnt was given power to restrain organized interests it would be the same as the power to suppress freedom. This essay tries to answer whether proliferation of interest groups in recent decades a sign that the pluralist view of interest group representation is increasingly accurate or not. Interest group scholars began to note the proliferation of â€Å"outsider† groups at about the same time policy scholars began to question the utility of subgovernment theory. By the mid-1980s, it was widely acknowledged that the number of interest groups in the United States especially public interest groups–had exploded during the 1960s and 1970s (Walker, 1983). Pluralists had addressed the question of group mobilization years before the â€Å"advocacy explosion. † For example, in his The Governmental Process, David Truman argued that interest groups arise from two interrelated processes. First, societal change precipitates the emergence of new interests. Second, disturbances–political or economic upheavals disrupt stable patterns of interaction between individuals. In short, Truman argued that individuals with shared interests (reacting to social change and/or disturbances) band together (to stabilize relations among themselves, and between themselves and other societal interests) when these interests are threatened. By the late-1960s, Truman's â€Å"disturbance theory† had fallen into disrepute. Interest group scholars, spurred by Olson and drawing heavily upon Clark and Wilson's study of organizational incentives, began to examine how groups overcome the substantial barriers to mobilization. (Dine) While Olson emphasized material benefits, subsequent studies showed that solidary benefits (those derived from association in group activities) and purposive benefits (rewards associated with ideological or issue-oriented goals) also motivate group membership (Cook). Salisbury's exchange theory (which rests upon Olson's cost-benefit framework) is now the dominant paradigm for explaining group development (Cigler). Yet the basic â€Å"exchange theory† framework has a critical flaw: It underestimates the role of external patrons in group studies of group formation suggest that many groups –especially public interest groups –rely heavily upon patron â€Å"seed money. † For example, Walker found that 89% of (sample) public interest groups received â€Å"seed money† from foundations, large donors, the federal government, or corporations. He also found that many public interest groups rely heavily upon patrons for maintenance income. In general, public interest group proliferation has contributed mightily to the dissolution of subgovernments. There are number of factors that may help to explain both the proliferation of public interest groups and where public interest group activity is most likely. For example, pluralists argue that societal change and disturbances create conditions that foster group mobilization. In contrast, â€Å"exchange theorists† suggest that we examine group incentive structures and entrepreneurial activity to explain interest mobilization. In order to better understand the interest groups representation, one must understand the way the American government runs. There are many different systems of government structure and organization: representative democracy, pluralist democracy, elitist system, hyper pluralist, and anarchy. The United States is organized much like a typical representative democracy, but in operation, with all factors considered, it is in reality much more of a hyper pluralist society. A state in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain an autonomous participation in and development of their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization is pluralistic. When those special interests form large substantial voting blocks, the pluralistic nature of the government becomes more focused on fewer interests, but represented in many areas by larger numbers of individuals. The other question you need to ask is what do mean when you say big or special interest, who and what are you referring to specifically, industries, such as oil or pharmaceutical, ethnic groups such as Hispanic or African-American, social groups such as the elderly or woman, political groups such as Democrats or Republicans or different religious groups. All of these are special interests, they just might not seem like a special interest group if you are part of them. (Ceaser) Probably the largest big interest group to consider is the political parties themselves. Political parties are the foundation of a representative democracy, acting as a â€Å"crucial link between what citizens want and what government does†. The party is supposed to represent the needs of its members and use the party platform to express these opinions. Through public elections, voters elect those people they feel will best represent them. The Democratic Party and the Republican are the two main parties in the US though other smaller parties emerge occasionally to better represent those who do not feel that they are accurately represented by either of the major parties, usually because of special interests that they have such as environmental or other issues. This structure is typical of a representative democracy in which people are represented by parties and vote for leaders that they feel will work towards their best interests. (Miroff) In reality, the party system is not fully representative or fully functional. On one hand, part of the democratic process allows for the emergence of new parties to represent the people. On the other hand, if the existing parties accurately represented the people then other parties would not be needed. People however do not believe completely in the process, which is evidenced by poor voter turnout and voter apathy. The United States has an extremely low average voter turnout of only 55%. The Constitution guarantees one vote to each citizen over the age of 18, male or female, black or white, etc. This is indicative of a representative democracy in which each adult citizen has an equal say in how the government should be run. If voters do not vote, then the level of representation becomes skewed and the system is not fully representational. (Dine) People associate with not the candidate but with groups that represent their thinking and a special interest. A perfect example of this would be the NRA. Voters might not have a lot of opinions but they might have one on gun control. Instead of voting for the person who best reflects his ideas, he votes for the one that the NRA endorses, which in turn makes the NRA and extremely powerful interest group, and can influence congressional votes. In elections, political parties frequently send out mailers to voters that show which candidates running for office, or which of the Senate and House members receive financial support from the NRA. This suddenly reduces the value of every member of Congress to whether or not they have accepted money from the National Rifle Association. This is in turn translated into an assumed meaning on their stand on gun control, while all other issues and stands that they have on those issues are suddenly made unimportant. Their total worth relates to their assumed position on guns. The government in this case is reflecting the will of the big interest even though it's a single issue. A politician who might reflect very little of his communities values, can be elected by that community by receiving the support of a single-issue influence group. (Berman, Murphy) So the question becomes is this single issue the interest of a big group or the common goal of the majority? Who is pressing the issue and which way is the government going. If large oil companies are â€Å"buying† officials with large contributions to campaigns, are they actually influencing the government or merely a handful of officials and do they actually dictate policy or just have a louder voice in the debates that effect their companies. Misinformation seems to be the guideline of all campaigns now so it becomes almost impossible to figure out just what the goal is of the candidate that you are voting for. Because of that, the elected officials sometimes don't have a true feeling on what the voters wanted him to do. The power then slides back to the inner circle, which includes advisors who have their own individual desires, and those who paid for his campaign and therefore have vast influence. (Muller) Special interest groups appear to have a great deal of influence in campaigns and in political activities. Campaigns are extremely expensive: in 1992, the average winner of a House election spent $550,000 on his/her campaign; the average Senator who won a race spent more than $4 million. Dine) Presidential campaigns run into the hundreds of millions. Eight years later those numbers are significantly higher. Major contributors to election campaigns are corporations and interest groups. While some people believe certain industries or interest groups â€Å"buy† candidates through election contributions, it is not that simple. Those candidates heavily funded by the Sierra Club or gro ups that are concerned with environmental protection, will vote in support of environmental conservation – they will vote to reduce logging and not to save the jobs of the individual loggers who did not vote. This is a sort of paradox because the elected leaders are representing those who voted for them and helped them into office, but this group is a large group of special interests rather than the individual citizens who probably did not contribute and did not even vote. When viewed in this way, the US electoral system does not seem to be fully representative of the people and is again reflective of a more hyper pluralist society. A system of government labeled as hyper pluralist, means that there is a rapid proliferation of interest groups, all competing for influence over policy. The interest groups tend to overshadow the interest of individuals. The interest groups are powerful and influential, but there are also interest groups for both sides of most issues. In their battle to win the political coups they each seek, there develops a competition in which the interest groups try to influence politicians to vote for their side. The result is that there are a number of politicians supporting each side of an issue, there are overlapping concerns that related to other interest groups, and the outcome is political gridlock. Usually at this point, for anything to happen, concessions must be made with the end result that if any law is passed, it has little real effect one way or the other. The other possibility is that neither side will make concessions or give up any power in which case there is still nothing accomplished. This is very much the system that we have today. Again, gun control laws are a very good example. Congress goes back and forth arguing the pros and cons of gun control. The NRA is a very powerful interest group that does not want any form of gun control. There are many other interest groups that fight to ban assault weapons, others that want a total ban on guns of all types, some only want handguns banned. The feuding between the different groups is played out through the politicians and very little has been accomplished. Even when a bill is passed, it is oven later overturned. All special interest groups find this ying and yang to the system. There is no large interest that doesn't have a competing self-interest. Abortion has choice. Industry has the Sierra Club and other environmental groups. The NRA has anti-gun groups. Most of all, Republicans have Democrats. There might be the illusion that the government has been taken over by the special interests and that they control everything, but as we have looked into it we see that the basis of the questions revolves around who exactly is the special interests. It seems to me that they are us. (Peters) And thus we come to the contradictory conclusion that pluralist view of interest group representation is not increasingly accurate. While the public's perception might be that special interest groups are robbing them of their rights, and in a narrow sense, when it comes to a particular interest that effects them, they may be justified, what the public doesn't usually understand is that the activity of interest groups is in fact acting out in the interest of them or their fellow citizens. The public further misconceives that special interests influence government, overlooking the fact that special interests are formed, as often as not, as a response to government and not in anticipation of it.

Purdue Academic Integrity Seminar Questions Research Paper

Purdue Academic Integrity Seminar Questions - Research Paper Example [d] Some core values are broadly shared among people in diverse cultures, whether it is Chinese people in 3rd century BC, because human relationships bordered on same linearity, irrespective of people and time. 2. Alan Greenspan is being realistic about the possibility of "business ethics", that too in the current business environment, because ethics in business can protect the organization from external negative influences or criticisms. If an organization indulges in unethical practices in its functioning, it can be picked by external players like its customers, government agencies, watchdogs, media, etc., and that can result in failure of its products, deterioration of its brand or ethical image, thereby leading to its eventual fall. Greenspan validates this perspective by pointing out how economic transactions of organizations are bound by codes and laws, and how all the involved parties follow it to avoid dangerous repercussions. 3. To strengthen one’s self-control, individuals can take number of constructive steps. The first one is, clearly instilling in the individual’s mind, that their mind is totally in their â€Å"control†, and no external person or aspect could physically control it. That is, in line with the perspective of Roberto Assagioli, an individual should realize that although external persons could impact his/her mind through words and actions, they cannot physically ‘inject’ their words into the individual’s mind, and so it is in the control of the individual to allow only the thoughts that are favourable for him/her. The second strategy is, even if negative and unfavourable thoughts enter an individual’s mind, he/she should minimize the time those thoughts oscillate in the mind, and should eventually eliminate. The final strategy to strengthen self-control is, the individual should move on with their life by focusing on constructive and positiv e things, instead of allowing those negative aspects to

Therepresentationofblackfemalesexualityinpopularmusic Essay

Therepresentationofblackfemalesexualityinpopularmusic - Essay Example This will be achieved by first having discussing the images got from the popular music about these women as well as the contradictions that exist. In other words, the popular music shows how Black women are portrayed sexually in their daily lives within the popular music industry. Most Black women in the are represented and grounded in the popular culture through ideologies that surround the Black womanhood in the American society (Emerson, 115). These ideologies can be said to be the images that at most times reflect the degree in which Black women are marginalized (Emerson, 115). The media as well as the popular culture have been the sites for such ideologies on Black womanhood. For example, there are music videos that have received sharp criticism because their content was objective and exploitative in the manner they depicted women of all races and ethnicities. In other words, they have represent Black women according to images like hyper sexualized ‘hot mama’, ‘jezebel’, ‘the asexual’ and ‘the welfare recipient’. Apart from the representations drawn from the controlling images, the performances staged by Black women in popular culture also bear representations that counter the ideologies held on Black womanhood (Emerson, 117). Therefore, popular and expressive culture exists as a site to help resist such ideologies and representations (Emerson, 117). For example, performances staged by Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters showed how assertive they were in their empowerment and sexual subjectivity (Emerson, 117). Most videos done by Black women show how gender has been constrained and limited the independence of Black women (Emerson, 117). The context under which these videos were produced is shown in the images they portray. They are actually made porous by the controlling images that stereotype the Black woman (Mayhew, 64). This in the end brings about different stereotypes.

Current Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Current Issues - Essay Example The need to enhance knowledge and skills has also been realized. These changes have been politically, socially, economically and technologically triggered. Decision-making processes concerning healthcare provision also continue to change due to the full action of legal measures and requirements. However much health and social care faces various challenges, the changing landscape has had positive implications (Parton, 2002). During the past few years, social change has transformed operations of the health and social care sector from an independent paradigm to an all inclusive approach. Changing social perceptions and belief systems have necessitated the inclusion and adoption of various reforms. Participation of different players in all spheres of health and social care development has been embraced to the extent of including a wide range of stakeholders. Most leaders around the world are now focused on one agenda which is to improve the implementation of health and social care programs. Different stakeholders from both the private and public sectors have taken an active role in ensuring the health and social care providers meet their expectations (Davis, Finlay & Bullman, 2005). Reforms in the National Health Service (NHS) are enough evidence of the changes that health and social care continue to experience. In the United Kingdom, major health reforms have been realized through the Care Act 2014. The act has presented care providers with necessary support and control that they require to deliver services. For the very first time, this Act was able to limit the cost of health care (Department of Health, 2014). The Act has also given caregivers the right to receive support for their services. Carers are also being granted the legal right in terms of receiving support. They receive this support after being assessed and deemed eligible. Initially, health and social caregivers did not enjoy such privileges. These are just but a few among

MEDICATION ERRORS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

MEDICATION ERRORS - Essay Example The aim of medication is to alleviate a patient from his/her illness and improve his quality of life. Many risks are associated with providing drug therapy as mistakes can result in the lose life or adverse effects on the patient’s health. Hospitals should organize their systems for producing, dispensing and administering medications to reduce the probability of medication errors. Errors can occur at different stages of the system, either in the pharmaceutical company, the hospital, the practitioner, the nurse or even the patient. The hospital can implement formulary systems, whereby the doctors, nurses, patients and pharmacists form societies that evaluate previous medication errors and formulate principles to annihilate the reoccurrence of such mistakes. Charting systems can be used to reduce the amount of medication errors. These systems can be combined with a decision support feature which will helps detect any inconsistencies in the diagnosis. These systems should also be in the form of real time entry; this allows the next nurse to be up to date with the treatment. Independent double checks can also be carried out before a drug is administered to the patient. This process involves two nurses verifying the drug diagnosed to a patient by ensuring it coincides with his medical condition (Whitehead, 2012). This method detects and helps avoid errors at the point of care. However, when the nurses are under stressful working conditions, the double check method has a failure rate of 20% and some errors are undetected. Drugs which have serious adverse effects when administered incorrectly should be placed on high alert. More caution should be taken when prescribing these drugs and they should be double checked with higher caution. Information technology can also be used to try and prevent the number of medication errors. Bar medication administration has also been introduced to reduce the amount of medication errors

Culture Concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Culture Concept - Essay Example In his exposition of the role of anthropology in the communication and explication of culture, Geertz emphasises the imperatives of cultural relativism. As he quite explicitly states in his Interpretation of Culture, the role of the anthropologist in the communication and exposition of culture is that of the ethnographer whose responsibility is to "first grasp and then render" (p. 10). Engagement in the "thick description" of culture is predicated on the anthropologist's assuming the role of an ethnographer and within the context of that role, to understand the culture's codes and symbols from the inside. The point here is, according to Geertz, that loci of culture are the hearts and minds of its natives and this imposes the imperatives of entering the hearts of minds in order to understand culture and communicate it, not from the anthropologist's subjective point of view but, "from the native's point of view" (Geertz, Local Knowledge, p. 56). Cultural relativism is the optimal approach, not just to the study of cultures but, to their accurate comprehension. Geertz's "thick description" of culture, which translates into understanding culture "from the native's point of view" implies the comprehension of cultures from an internal perspective.

Destination Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Destination Marketing - Essay Example These DM initiatives in Vietnam have led to considerable improvement of tourist numbers with the number surpassing 5 million; this represents a 40% increase from 2009. However, Vietnam still lags behind other countries within the region for instance, Laos and Philippines which are smaller destinations. Vietnam marketers are also concentrated in promoting Vietnam as a cultural destination rather than focusing on other products like sports and eco-tourism which has gained much attention in the recent years. 1. INTRODUCTION Vietnam is the destination under focus and the country belongs to the greater Asia-Pacific tourism circuit. This report identifies the destination marketing organizations (DMOs) within Vietnam as well as giving a version of their structure and responsibilities. SWOT analysis is conducted to investigate the market’s competitiveness while also giving the challenges and constraints. Lastly, develop a two year marketing plan aimed at keeping the destination compet itive in a rapidly changing market place. We use the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s website to find information about their operations including their overall objectives, promotional activities; it also gives their structure and partner organizations in both private and public sector. This report analyses key destination markets while also gauging Vietnam’s competitiveness within the region; this assists in understanding trends of development in tourism industry while at the same time investigating threats and areas of opportunities that can be explored to improve performance in the succeeding 2 years. 2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE DMO The major DMO is the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) which is an institution under The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that is tasked with marketing key Vietnamese attractions (Kozak, Gnoth & Andreu 2009). In terms of structure, this authority is headed by a Director General who coordinates f unctions falling under the following departments: travel, hotel, finance, international cooperation, personnel organization and  tourism marketing departments (Schweyer, Pi?amme?tta?wat 2011). The following are the activities that VNAT is involved in: Planning This is a management function that indicates the process of formulating and organising all the activities needed to achieve desired ends. In the DMOs, planning determines how, when and who is going to carry out specific tasks within the tourism industry to promote brand Vietnam. DMOs plan on how to utilize both human and physical resources including finances and other government incentives to encourage growth and competitiveness. Business development This is a long term process that the DMO’s undertake in order to introduce new products as a response to changing customer tastes or tap into new markets. It is always accompanied by extensive research that interrogates the holistic tourism industry in Vietnam (Ritchie, C rouch 2003). Public relations They carry this out by managing information flow between the government and tourism stakeholders. This is in an effort to maintain a favourable image of Vietnam in order to keep the tourists coming in. Vietnam has had a history of conflicts and human rights violations but these DMO’s have tried to market the new face of Vietnam through the internet and

Basic Electrical Components Essay Example for Free

Basic Electrical Components Essay Electrical and What it is The work of an Automotive Service Technician also known as a Mechanic has changed from normal mechanical repair to a high knowledge and very technical job. Today, integrated electronic systems and complex computers run and maintain vehicles. They also measure their performance while on the road and can adjust to certain conditions. Technicians must have a good base of knowledge about how vehicles components work and interact, as well as the capability to work with electronic diagnostic equipment and computer based vehicles. The most important system of your vehicle would definitely be the electrical system; the electrical system maintains almost everything in you car; from climate control to just adjusting your seat. There are many components to an electrical circuit that many people don’t know of. There are tons of different switching devices, protection devices, moving devices and plain old ingenious devices that seem to not even be possible. The car industry has really turned to upgrading there vehicles with more electrical devices to make the driver more comfortable when operating this brilliant machine. The most updated electrical device on a vehicle that I can think of is the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), which actually measures a wireless sensor that is installed in your tire to let you know if your tire pressures are off. The first thing that I would like to do is explain what electricity is in an automobile. Electricity is the worlds most widely used source if energy. Electricity is the flow of electrons through a conductor to eventually be used to supply a load of some sort. The electrons flow from positive to negative. In order to understand how an electric charge moves from one atom to another, you need to learn a little about atoms. Everything that surrounds us is made of atoms; every piece of grass, every plant, every animal. The human body is made up of a great amount of atoms. Air and water are made if atoms too. Atoms are the building block of the universe and without them there would be nothing. Atoms are so small that millions of them would fit on the head of a pin. Atoms are created by even smaller elements. The center of an atom is called the nucleus. The nucleus is made of particles called protons and neutrons. The protons and neutrons are extremely tiny, but electrons are much smaller. Electrons also rotate around the nucleus in there orbit a good distance from the nucleus. The proton is the positive charge and the electrons have the negative charge. These protons and electrons are rotating around the neutron in there orbit. These electrons can be bumped and moved out of their orbits. Applying a force can make the electrons move from one atom to another. These moving electrons are electricity. There are a few types of measurements to electricity that you will have to know. The first measurement that almost everyone has heard of is voltage. Voltage is the amount of pressure applied to push the electrons in the circuit. The second measurement is amperes also known as amps. Amps are the amount of current flowing through the circuit. For example; think of a regular neighborhood street. It is just a small street that is normally a low speed for vehicles, if we were to measure the speed in witch the cars are going we would get a small ampere reading maybe even milliamps. Now if we were to look at a sky view of a fast speed highway with more lanes you can see the amount of cars passing through is faster. That would be a high amount of amps. The last measurement of electricity that we use on cars today is resistance. Resistance is a property that slows the electrons. It is measured in Ohms the thing that resists a circuit is the load like a light bulb. The light bulb slows the electrons in the filament witch then creates heat, once heat is created then the gas inside the bulb glows. There is a part that is used inside cars called a resistor in a electrical circuit and what it does is slows the current flow in the circuit to make whatever load you have move slower. For example a variable resistor is used for the dash lights, you can control how much current is flowing through that circuit to dim the lights. So how does a battery work? A battery doesn’t make electrons; it holds them like a storage tank. A battery is made of two different metals that are opposite of each other and a chemical solution (Battery acid) that lets electrons flow through it. Electrons inside the battery are stationary at the negative terminal until a circuit is completed on the outside of the terminals. Once the circuit is completed the electrons pass from the negative plate to the positive plate and out the positive terminal. Once the electrons are at the positive terminal they pass through the circuit, used up by the load (for example a light bulb) and completed at the negative terminal which then goes to the negative plate. Once the circuit is opened the electrons are stationary at the plates until the circuit starts again. A battery is measured by amps; how fast current can flow through it and how much load it can take

Reflective Account Essay Example for Free

Reflective Account Essay A new little boy started recently in nursery, as he entered nursery i bent down, smiled giving him eye contact i then said hello using his name and told him mine and he smiled back. He had never been to nursery before and he was very excited and had no awareness of the daily routine. i calmly held out my hand and he held out his. holding each others hands i showed him where his name card was, he picked up his name card and we walked over to the self-registration board. i asked him what he would like to play with and he chose to play with the cars. but during his play he become very upset because he wanted to play with the red car and another child had the red car. so i bent down and placed my arm around him and asked to look at me. Tears were rolling down his face and i explained to him that when the other child had finished playing with the red car he would be able to have a turn. i then sat down next to him to take turns in using the garage and sharing the cars. During the session i continued to support him, during lunch time and throughout the session. On occasions when he was unsure of what to do we went over to the routine board and talked him through the pictures so he knew what was happening next. Reflection I felt that i reassured him by letting him know who i was and at all times i made sure i gained his attention by using his name and ensure that he was listening by making sure we gained eye contact before speaking. I helped him with understanding the daily routine and I helped him with his social skills by supporting him with understanding the we need to take turns and share. Next time Next time I will carry on encouraging his social skills and communication skills by supporting him with sharing the toys and taking turns. I will also tell him the childrens names so he will feel part of a group and help with his self esteem. All while letting the child know I will be there to support him and help with his daily needs if he needs it.

Rights Based Ethical Theory Social Contract Sociology Essay

Rights Based Ethical Theory Social Contract Sociology Essay Recently internet filtering policy is not pursued by Australian government. Therefore, to avoid the unavailability of certain required data to Australian public. Child pornography is the undesirable information which needs to be filter on internet, but it is consistent with Australian anti-child pornography laws, which defines the level of filtering on the internet. This topic should reflect is Australian government filtering policy is ethical in which ways and for what purpose? Compare it with Right based ethical theory in conjunction to ACS ethics. Moreover, compare it with the culture distinct with your own culture and evaluate the arguments and attitude of government of that culture with your own culture. Prelude: Internet filtering policy by Australian government should be done therefore; unwanted data like child pornography can be controlled. On the other hand, Australian government decide not to seek any changes in internet filtering policy whereby required data is inaccessible to the public and people freedom will be affected. In what ways and purpose Australian government ethically controlling over the internet using Right based ethical theory in conjunction of ACS codes of ethics. I conceive Australian government is controlling ethical by filtering internet policy to stop child pornography. Therefore, it would stop individual and society morally that child pornography is wrong and against law. Moreover, compare it to right based ethical theory they are following legal and positive right in benefit for individual and society self-interest. Definition: Contract based ethical theory is based on pre-moral existence of human being and social contract, in which individual have rights to satisfy their desires to avoid antipathy and life, motivation to being moral, respectively. Social contract can be elaborated more how it is motivated individuals or group to being moral because it is the collective of self-interest. Like, it is unwritten agreement, but if we are honest with other then it would be easy for us to trust them and gained the same benefit. Social contract can be divided into two type legal right and moral right. Legal right are defined by the government or the law makers and enforced by the law officers of the community. Whereas, moral rights are formed by the society or community culture in which their personal and community relationship involved to follow them. These both rights are enforced to combine self-interest and common goods for a society. Define a  right  as a justified claim that individuals and groups can make upon other individuals or upon society; to have a right is to be in a position to determine by ones choices, what others should do or need not do. In the case of a  legal right, the claim must be justified by legal principles and rules. Likewise, a  moral right  must find grounding in moral principles and rules. One form of rights does not necessarily lead to another, although this distinction is not well recognized in contemporary society. (Beauchamp Childress , 2001) This social contract is criticised because of its minimalist molarity. In a sense where there is no formal or legal contract they would not behave morally. For example, child is drowning in 4 feet deep water. Therefore, according to minimalist molarity we have no obligation to save that child. This minimalist molarity can be perceived by two principles (1) do no harm, (2) do good. This means we do not harm that child (or anyone else) and do good for our society like free education to our community or society. But dont we think its morally good to save that child if we have power and have no inconvenient to ourselves. Philosophers and legal scholars have often differentiated rights into two kinds (a) positive rights (b) negative rights. Negative right can be explicit we have right to leave another alone that is not to interfere the rights of others. For example, rights to vote, rights to own a computer. They are negative in a sense that we have right to go to polls and cast vote to any particular election without the interference of others and right to purchase our own computer. Negative right holder must be aware that they cannot demand or expect others that they will take them to voting polls if they cannot travel or purchase them a computer if they cannot afford it because others are not obligated according to their rights. On other hand, positive rights are welfare right like giving education and health care to everyone. For example, Australian government provides free education till twelve grades to their citizens and give medical care even if they cannot afford because positive right state t hat it is their rights to be provided. Government filtering policy and Contract Based Theory: Australia Government control ethic over internet censorship is focus primarily on child pornography, sexual violence, and other illegal activities. This was compiled as a result of a consumer complaints process. In terms of Contract based theory, Australian government is playing ethical role to stop the maximum illegal activities, sexual violence and child pornography or child abuse or exploitation websites and materials and making amendments in Internet filtering policy. Like, in June 2011 two Australian ISPs, Telstra and Optus consent to block the vulnerable access lists of websites and materials to child abuse, provided by concerned govern bodies. This is an example of social contract in which law makers motivate individual and group to being moral for collective self-interest and common goods. This is collective self-interest for society and culture in a sense to save these and their children from child pornography. Government filtering policy is ethics which can also be evaluate d by one of the kind of right based theory that is positive rights. This positive rights explicit welfare rights like every individual and community culture should benefit from the government applied procedure or polices. These child pornography, create public concern and stimulate demand for legislative and other reform. Access by children to pornography and use of children in pornography are recognised as social harms even by those who support the industry. Interestingly there is more government and community concern about pornography. (Jeffries, S., 2008). Therefore, filtering the access of child pornography is applied as positive rights by the government. The purpose government filtered internet policy is to lead legal and moral rights as individual and society or culture. Furthermore, government decided not to advance the filtering policy to avoid the unnecessary interference in their freedom of speech and aversion from public. In conjunction too few of the ACS codes of ethics which are as follows; primacy of the public interest, professionalism and enhancement of quality of life contributes major insight from right based ethical theory. Right based ethical theory motivated that public should have collective interest with common goods. Comparing rights based theory with professionalism; it increases the unity of society and respects other members of the community or society. Moreover, Legal contract bond us to enhance the quality of life of those who are affected by our work. On the other hand, there is a rag of debates against internet filtering policy. They perceive Australian government act is not ethical by filtering internet policies and this law is the waste of money and this internet censorship would be creeping and never ends. For example, some people said filtering policy might make the internet speed worst; even some desirable material would be unavailable like any RC rated material which will include blocking access to web pages of banned  films and  hardcode pornography. This web filtering may easily by pass proxy servers. Those who retaliate against internet censorship they have the following arguments: (Dudley-Nicholson, 2011) Child pornography is not exchanging on World Wide Web, but on virtual private network, file sharing sites and peer to peer networks. No user can opt out of this short of changing to a new ISP. Government is only blocking URL, change in one sentence will change the complete website and need to start over again. This filtering is very strict that if it swept up the website no appeal process is available. Therefore, they believe internet censorship is an epic fail because of the above mentioned reasons and they feel their freedom of speech is being interfered. They also do not want child pornography material over the internet but they are against the web filter policy. Proposition: According to my arguments Australian government controls filtering policy is ethical by applying some necessary web filtering for internet censorship which includes child pornography as their main objective to block. As a result, their society and culture are educated that child abusive is immoral. To avoid antipathy from public, recently they are not pursuing filtering policy because high web filtering can make desirable data unavailable. My culture vs. other culture: One of the Arab countries Saudi Arabia is quite distinct from my culture. In Saudi culture they do not allow freedom of speech, especially womens or anything against their government or their religion. For example, they dont respect Shia (another religion distinct from Saudi religion) Muharram procession and completely banned them. However non-Muslims are free to worship in their own homes. Whereas, Australian culture give rights to their public for freedom of speech whether, its against their government or religion and respect all the religion and culture. Moreover, if Saudi found anyone deemed criticize their Royal Family, government or their religion they might imprison them. Saudi culture is ruled by dictatorship opposite to Australian culture which is democratic. Their media is also being censored by their government to avoid use of abusive material against their government, royal family and religion. They have a strong content filtering policy over the internet that no type of sex adultery, pornography and other abusive material could be access because they believe its against moral rights, their religion rules and acts and carry death penalty. Whatever their law makers have defined for their society benefit is enforced by the government officials to follow them whether they like or not because their law is based on Holy Book, the Quran. The system is often known as Sharia. In Australia pornography is legal; their internet filtering policies is only to stop child pornography because according to their ethics child abusive is immoral act to their society or culture. If compare Saudi government with the attitude of my government, people in my culture there are defined rules and regulation but they are not implemented by the society or culture neither government enforced them. Recently, they have taken an action against internet censorship by blocking pornography website access because they have realized that their youth quality of life is being affected by that. Therefore, its their right to stop abusive material over the internet to save their youth from pornography and sexual abusive materials. In my culture, government allow freedom of speech especially we encourage womens and media. Press media in our culture have extra ordinary rights for freedom of speech. They bluntly reveal government corruption secrets and most of the times they misused their power by criticising unnecessary to the government and law. Media sometimes portray good things wrongly to the public of our society and culture. Its illegal to criticise Saudi government or their religion and if they found anyone deemed they would imprison them. Government in our culture gives rights to other culture to celebrate their occasions. Like, Christmas, Shia Muharram procession etc. and because of this different cultural celebrations some other religion get offended and conflict started between different cultures in a society. Saudi governments only allow those events for cele bration which are defined by their religion to maintain decorum. Saudi government try to follow ethics firmly because for them honesty, quality of life and competence matters a lot. To sum up, in Saudi culture their government follows ethics as per defined in their religion. For example, welfare rights: The state guarantees the rights of the citizen and his family in cases of emergency, illness and disability, and in old age; it supports the system of social security and encourages institutions and individuals to contribute in acts of charity, education: The state provides public education and pledges to combat illiteracy. (Gulf Legal Services Ltd, 2001). In my viewpoint my culture now there are more divided into diverse cultures, therefore, the culture comes into power or government follow their own cultural rules. This means we do not have particular ethics only follow rules on discretion or ad-hoc basis.

James Joyces Eveline and Araby Essay -- Papers James Joyce

James Joyce's Eveline and Araby James Joyce uses similar themes and language devices in both 'Araby' and 'Eveline.' Although this is so, there are also important differences to be noted. Joyce wrote these stories over one hundred years ago but yet we can still relate to the issues covered in the modern world today. James Joyce could have written these short stories as an inspiration from his own background or based them on the events happening in Dublin at that time. These stories were written as a new century was beginning. The people of Dublin soon realized the sense of hope for the new century had faded due to the fall and death of Parnell. This relates to both of the stories as a sense of false hope is given in each. Joyce sensed exhaustion and emptiness in Dublin and these are also the emotional results in both stories. In 'Araby,' the story is written in first person narrative. This gives you a chance to get a detailed point of view of the boy's feelings. This makes you more emotionally involved in the story, as it becomes more convincing if you understand the range of emotions the boy is going through. On top of this, the story is written as though it were an event, which happened many years ago. It could have been a significant event in his life as it is very much portrayed in this way. In 'Eveline,' the narration is third person. Although the feelings are not expressed deeply, you can still get a sense of the emotions she was feeling. These emotions are expressed greatly through rhetorical questions. Themes are an important issue in both stories. Both stories contain the themes of blind love, religion, family, p... ... frequently in both. An example from 'Eveline' is, 'Why should she be unhappy?' This line shows that even though there is a third person narration, we can still experience her feelings. Both stories have a modern relevance that we can interact with. In 'Araby,' the boy experiences momentary infatuation and this is something everyone experiences in some point of their life. In 'Eveline,' she feels that she has to escape from her family and run away with the man of her dreams. Do many women not dream of this today? In conclusion, I think that both these stories were both very similar as the themes and language devices are essential in both. It has a very good relevance to the modern world and the writer conveys different advantages by using different narration techniques in both. Both stories were successful!

Atomic Bomb 8 Essay -- essays research papers fc

Atomic Bomb In 1945, two bombs were dropped on Japan, on in Hiroshima and one in Nagasaki. Theses bombs marked the end to the world’s largest armed conflict. Despite the ghastly effects of such a weapon, it offered the best choice for a quick and easy defeat of Japan. President Truman, who authorized the use of the atomic bomb, made a wise decision under the circumstances of the war. Fifty years ago this is what people thought. Now many people are starting to find out that there might be more to the story than what was originally thought (Grant 26).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima caused massive amounts of damage and ruined thousands of lives, but they saves many more lives by ending the war quickly. Many questions pop into the heads of people that might have doubts whether or not the bombings were necessary. Such questions might include: Why, exactly, was the bomb dropped? Was the second bomb necessary? Was Japan about to surrender? Was there a way to end the war less savagely? Would our current leaders have made the same decision? Was any authority opposed to the idea? Should we have bombed military bases instead of cities? These and many other questions arise. Before these are analyzed, a brief background on the bombs and the tests are in order (O’Neal 47). When a man from the Soviet Union successfully split an atom, the question of a bomb immediately arose. Einstein wrote a letter to President Truman stating that if a bomb was possible then the country to own it would have complete power. In light of this information, Truman formed an Interim Committee to research the topic and find out if it was possible. It was funded by Truman’s multi-million dollar personal budget. The results came back positive and full financial support was given to the team to start working on it immediately (Grant 29).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The calculations made by the research team were as follows. The bomb would be equivalent to 4,000 planeloads of the current explosives. And estimate on cost and time could not be predicted because some still believed it wasn’t possible (Reflections 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the end of a three-year research, a bomb was ready for testing. A test site was cleared in New Mexico. It had a 120-mile radius. Once the President gave the final confi... ... war quickly. This policy of maximum violence led to the quick end of the deadlock in Japanese politics. Had such a policy not been used, the war could have dragged on for months or perhaps years more with mounting casualties on both sides. The political power of the atomic bomb was unmatched and proved to be the only force that could get the emperor to intervene in Japanese politics and stop the hostilities. The atom bomb proved to be the ultimate ambassador in a war where conventional politics were futile (O’Neal 98). Works Cited Ferrell, Robert H. Harry S. Truman and the Bomb. Worland, Wyoming: High Plains Publishing Company Inc. 1996. Grant, R.G. Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Austin, Texas: Raintree Sterk-Vaugh Publishers. 1998. Meen, B.G. “Conflicts: The Atomic Bomb.'; Texas Monthly. June 89: 79. O’Neal, Michael. President Truman and the Atomic Bomb. San Diego, California; Greenahaven Press, Inc. 1990. Purcell, John. The Best Kept Secret: The Story of the Atomic Bomb. New York: The Vanguard Press, Inc. 1963. “Reflections of the Nuclear Age';. Atomic Archive: 3pg. Internet. http://www.atomicarchive.com/AAReflection.shtml. 12/11/99.

Hofede in China Essay

School of Business, Saint Marys University, Halifax, Canada Shen Cheng, Business School, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, China Abstract Questionnaires were completed by 554 respondents in cities in east-central China and in eastern Canada to compare the levels of Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions in the two countries and to examine the effects of gender and age on these levels. Country differences were found with four of the five dimensions. Differences in the evels of power-distance, masculinity, and individualism were observed across classes of gender and age. Introduction Hofstede’s (1980) dimensions of culture have become the most widely used model for explaining various effects across cultures (Yoo and Donthu, 1998). Stedham and Yamamura (2004) describe culture as stable and enduring but also somewhat changeable due to external forces. Hofstede’s five dimensions include the following. a. Power Distance. The power distance dimension has to do with inequality in a society. In a high power distance environment there would be greater tolerance for, nd expectation of, inequality in prestige, wealth and power. b. Uncertainty Avoidance. Hofstede focuses on uncertainty at the organizational level looking at the use of rules and strategies to reduce exposure to an unsure future. c. Individualism and Collectivism. This dimension has to do with the relationship the individual has with the group and more generally with society. Hofstede points out that the nature of this relationship determines not only how people think about themselves and their immediate group but the â€Å"structure and functioning of many institutions aside from the family’ (p210) . Masculinity and Femininity. There seem to be two elements to this dimension. One deals with the values held and the other with role expectations. Hofstede (1980) notes that in a work setting, males value â€Å"advancement, earnings, training, up-to- dateness† while females value â€Å"friendly atmosphere, position security, physical conditions and manager cooperation† (p281). The second aspect of this dimension culture, sex roles would be differentiated while in a feminine culture sex roles would be more similar. e. Long Term Orientation (L TO). This is a recent addition to the Hofstede model, dded as a new dimension to the model in the second edition (2001). It is based on the philosophy of Confucius and has to do with â€Å"persistence, thrift, personal stability and respect for tradition† (p351). It describes a longer term, higher level view of life. China was not included in the Hofstede’s original study (1980) as the sample for that study was from the offices of IBM and, in the 1970’s, there was none in mainland China. Its scores were not reported in the second edition Hofstede (2001) either. There have, however, been some efforts to study the Chinese using Hofstede’s dimensions. Pheng and Yuquan (2002) studied the Chinese in the Wuhan area of China, comparing construction employees there to those in Singapore. Taking a workplace focus similar to that of Hofstede, they found that, compared to Singaporeans, Chinese had lower levels of power distance and individualism, and higher levels of uncertainty avoidance and masculinity, but their scores are different from those of Hofstede and therefore are of limited use in predicting how the Chinese scores will compare to those of other countries. Culture has been observed to vary within Chinese areas. Huo and Randall (1991), for xample, used the framework to examine the differences among Chinese in Taiwan, Beijing, Hong Kong and Wuhan and found sub cultural differences. Just as there are differences seen in the dimensions between countries, it could be expected that there would be differences expected between groups of individuals within countries. Differences between attitudes and behaviors of males and females are extensively studied and well documented in Western culture. Similarly, individuals have been observed to change in their attitudes and behavior as they age. Variations in Hofstede’s cultural dimensions across age and gender have been tudied by some researchers. Stedham and Yamamura (2004), for example, examined the cultural differences between Americans and Japanese with a focus on sex and age differences. They found no differences due to age and differences between males and females on the power distance dimension in Japan (m>f), individualism (m>f) in both countries. In the current paper, differences in the levels of the four dimensions of Hofstede’s model are examined between Canada and central China. As well, differences in the levels of the five dimensions across age groups and sex category as well as nteraction among these three variables are studied. Hypotheses Main Effects was settled by Chinese several centuries ago and was the target of an influx of several million more Chinese around 1950. It seems likely that the culture of Taiwan would be similar to that of mainland China. As none of Hofstede’s scores were available for China, perhaps those of Taiwan would be useful for the purpose of hypothesis formulation. A large difference on the individualism score is apparent where Taiwan was one of the lowest of all the countries studied while Canada tended to be toward the top of the individualism scale.