The U.S. Presidents and Their Era

Learning the list of U.S. presidents -- in order  -- is an elementary school activity. Most everyone remembers the most important and best presidents, as well as those that served in wartime. But many of the rest are forgotten in the fog of memory or vaguely remembered but cant be placed in the right time frame. So, quick, when was Martin Van Buren president? What happened during his tenure? Gotcha, right? Heres  a refresher course on this fifth-grade subject that includes the 45 U.S. presidents as of January 2017, along with the defining issues of their eras.   U.S. Presidents 1789-1829 The earliest presidents, most of whom are considered to be Founding Fathers of the United States, are usually the easiest to remember. Streets, counties, and cities are named after all of them across the country. Washington is called the father of his country for good reason: His ragtag Revolutionary army beat the British, and that made the United States of America a country. He served as the countrys first president, guiding it through its infancy, and set the tone. Jefferson, the writer of the Declaration of Independence, expanded the country tremendously with the Louisiana Purchase. Madison, the father of the Constitution, was in the White House during the War of 1812 with the British (again), and he and wife Dolley had to famously escape the White House as it was burned by the British.  These early years saw the country carefully begin to find its way as a new nation. George Washington (1789-1797)John Adams (1797-1801)Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)James Madison (1809-1817)James Monroe (1817-1825)John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) U.S. Presidents 1829-1869 This period of U.S. history is marked by the searing controversy of slavery in the Southern states and compromises that tried -- and ultimately failed -- to solve the problem. The Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 all sought to deal with this issue, which inflamed passions both North and South. These passions ultimately erupted in secession and then the Civil War, which lasted from April 1861 to April 1865, a war that took the lives of 620,000 Americans, almost as many as in all other wars fought by Americans combined. Lincoln is, of course, remembered by all as the Civil War president trying to keep the Union intact, then guiding the North throughout the war and then attempting to bind up the nations wounds, as stated in his Second Inaugural Address. Also, as all Americans know, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth just after the war ended in 1865. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)William H. Harrison (1841)John Tyler (1841-1845)James K. Polk (1841-1849)Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)James Buchanan (1857-1861)Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) U.S. Presidents 1869-1909 This period, which stretches from just after the Civil War until the early part of the 20th century, was marked by Reconstruction, including the three Reconstruction Amendments (13, 14 and 15), the rise of the railroads, westward expansion, and wars with Native Americans in the areas where American pioneers were settling. Events like the Chicago Fire (1871), the first run of the Kentucky Derby (1875) the Battle of Little Big Horn (1876), the Nez Perce War (1877), the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge (1883), the Wounded Knee Massacre (1890) and the Panic of 1893 define this era. Toward the end, the Gilded Age made its mark, and that was followed by the populist reforms of Theodore Roosevelt, which brought the country into the 20th century. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)James A. Garfield (1881)Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)William McKinley (1897-1901)Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) U.S. Presidents 1909-1945 Three momentous events dominated this time period: World War I, the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II. Between World War I and the Great Depression came the Roaring 20s, a time of immense social change and huge prosperity, which all came to a screeching halt in October 1929, with the crash of the stock market. The country then plunged into a somber decade of extremely high unemployment, the Dust Bowl on the Great Plains and many home and business foreclosures. Virtually all Americans were affected. Then in December 1941, the Japanese bombed the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, and the U.S. was drawn into World War II, which had been wreaking havoc in Europe since the fall of 1939. The war caused the economy to finally turn up. But the cost was high: World War II took the lives of more than 405,000 Americans in Europe and the Pacific. Franklin D. Roosevelt was president from 1932 to April 1945, when he died in office. He steered the ship of state through two of these traumatic times and left an enduring mark domestically with New Deal legislation. William H. Taft (1909-1913)Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) U.S. Presidents 1945-1989 Truman took over when FDR died in office and presided over the end of World War II in Europe and the Pacific, and he made the decision to use atomic weapons on Japan to end the war. And that ushered in whats called the Atomic Age and the Cold War, which continued until 1991 and the fall of the Soviet Union. This period is defined by peace and prosperity in the 1950s, the assassination of Kennedy in 1963, civil rights protests and civil rights legislative changes, and the Vietnam War. The late 1960s were particularly contentious, with Johnson taking much of the heat over Vietnam. The 1970s brought a watershed constitutional crisis in the form of Watergate. Nixon resigned in 1974 after the House of Representatives passed three articles of impeachment against him. The Reagan years brought peace and prosperity as in the 50s, with a popular president presiding. Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977)Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) U.S. Presidents 1989-2017 This most recent era of American history is marked by prosperity but also by tragedy: The attacks of Sept.11, 2001, on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and including the lost plane in Pennsylvania took 2,996 lives and was the deadliest terrorist attack in history and the most horrific attack on the U.S. since Pearl Harbor. Terrorism and Mideast strife have dominated the period, with wars being fought in Afghanistan and Iraq soon after 9/11 and ongoing terrorism fears throughout these years. The 2008 financial crisis was the worst in the U.S. since the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929. George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)Bill Clinton (1993-2001)George W. Bush (2001-2009)Barack Obama (2009-2017)Donald Trump (2017- )

A Worn Path Summary - 805 Words

There are several different interpretations of A Worn Path, by Eudora Welty. Some believe that it is a story about life and death or about strength. While others believe it is about the love that a grandmother has for her grandchild. Although I am not completely opposed to the opinions of others, it is clearly a story that demonstrates a theme of racial inequality and the struggles African Americans had to endure to obtain freedom. The path itself is a symbol that makes it apparent that this is a story about racism. There is also evidence in the appearance of the main character, Phoenix, a black woman who is wearing a red bandana, apron, and a striped dress. Lastly, the supporting characters in the story such as, the white hunter,†¦show more content†¦These kids are an indication of the slaves that had already escaped and were celebrating their new found freedom. As Phoenix continues on her journey through town, she reaches the medical building, where she is not pleas antly welcomed by one of the attendants. As Phoenix enters the building, the attendant speaks about her saying, â€Å"a charity case, I suppose† and impolitely calls her â€Å"granny† (269). Once again, Welty uses characters to show the disrespect blacks received from white people in that era. The short story, A Worn Path,† represents through symbolism the obstacles that African Americans had to face on their path to freedom and racial equality. Throughout the story there are many references to race and racism, with some symbols being obvious and others being more subtle. Eudora Welty was one of the few writers of her time who were not afraid to show the hidden side of racial inequality inShow MoreRelatedSummary Of A Worn Path 1331 Words   |  6 PagesQuestion 1: In the short story â€Å"A Worn Path† there is this old lady that walks a long distance and faces plenty obstacles in her journey. Like her dress getting stuck on thorns in the woods, which she precisely untangles her dress very calmly and very precautiously because she doesn t want to mess it up. She encounters a scare from dogs which ultimately ends her falling into a well   and a huntsman guy helped her out and held a gun to her face which she didn t really phase from it since she toldRead MoreEudora Welty s A Worn Path956 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction James Saunders wrote an interesting article â€Å"’A Worn Path’ The Eternal Quest of Welty’s Phoenix Jackson† (The Southern Literary Journal 25.1, Fall 1992: p62-73.) that not only analyzed Eudora Welty’s â€Å"A Worn Path† (The Collected Works of Eudora Welty) from his perspective but also included the perspectives of other authors which makes his article an excellent source for interpretations of ‘A Worn Path’. Summary Saunders article summarizes Phoenix Jackson as a symbol of the ChristianRead MoreThe Road Not Taken Analysis Essays5699 Words   |  23 Pageslong I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sigh Read MoreFairytales are not what they seem. Essay1243 Words   |  5 Pagesvariation of Little Red Riding Hood called In the Company of Wolves, written by Angela Carter. I will recount ancient folklore of werewolves, introduce the sexually charged characters as I walk with you through the seemingly familiar yet much more raw path to grandmother’s house, and take you on a journey from virginity to womanhood. TR*: We should begin by introducing some key werewolf folklore†¦ BODY There was once a woman who married a man who vanished on her wedding night. The bride lay down onRead MoreRelationships In Hemingways The Old Man And The Sea1269 Words   |  6 Pagesand therefore our character for the better. Preview In order to prove this lesson Hemingway includes Manolin as the apprentice archetype when he is taught how to fish by Santiago, foreshadowing before Santiago leaves, and taking the â€Å"already worn hero’s path† when Santiago returns from his journey. Along with these proofs Harry Potter is a prime example of the benefits of this type of relationship. Evidence and Explanation One When we first meet Santiago and Manolin we immediately see their lovingRead MoreEudora Welty a Worn Path12166 Words   |  49 PagesA Worn Path by Eudora Welty Copyright Notice  ©1998−2002;  ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design ® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.  ©2007 eNotes.com LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storageRead MoreEudora Welty a Worn Path12173 Words   |  49 PagesA Worn Path by Eudora Welty Copyright Notice  ©1998−2002;  ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design ® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.  ©2007 eNotes.com LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storageRead MoreRobert Frost and Langston Hughes576 Words   |  2 PagesFrost and Langston Hughes Basic Information: Author: Robert Frost Poem: The Road Not Taken Publishing Date: 1916 Summary: Frost wrote this poem about how a person took a walk and had to choose one path or the other. Both paths seemed equally worn and leafy. However when looking back later the narrator begins to think that maybe he chose the path less traveled. Rhyme Scheme and Lines: This poem has Iambic tetrameter. It has nine syllables per line. Poetic Devices: FrostRead MoreEssay Reconciling the Cuban Embargo1249 Words   |  5 Pagesnotoriety do come from this technical arena. However he did attend the Harvard Kennedy School where he studied under James Sebenius. His study of negotiation is showcased in this work. Maybe there is a role for him on the next diplomatic mission. Summary The book opens with a primer on what reconciliation is and how one develops a competency in reconciliation. He advocates the need for both the US and Cuba to develop this skill set in order to move the current relationship forward. Next there isRead MoreEngineering Design And Manufacture By Looking At Traditional Manufacturing Processes And Non Contact Processes1558 Words   |  7 Pages1.0 – Summary In this assignment I have demonstrated an understanding of engineering design and manufacture by looking at traditional manufacturing processes and non-contact processes. I have selected the right process/process and its suitable materials, economics, quality issues, dimensional accuracy and they’re advantages/disadvantages. I have given a thorough conclusion on what method I believe is the best depending on the quantity of lathe carrier body’s being made and also value for money. Table

Effects of Fatigue Free-Samples for Students-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Fatigue management. Answer: Fatigue management Fatigue is the type of the disease that is caused due to tiredness and the fact that it lack of sleep. Due to the effects of fatigue, the physical and mental performance of an individual is significantly lowered and it also cause in poor judgmental capability. The excessive stress and the work pressure among the healthcare workers are regarded as the main cause of fatigue (Vogelaar et al. 2014). In order to manage the signs and symptoms that are related to fatigue disease, it is important to identify and do proper diagnosis of the disease. After the diagnosis is done, it is important to identify the cause of the disease, which will help to deal with the management of this disease. It is important to have a fixed working schedule for the healthcare workers, which will help them in the matters of dealing with the high level of stress. With the shifting type of duty, in the healthcare centers for all the workers it is possible to ensure that all the shifts are managed by the all the workers and the stress of working in the busy hours or in the night shift is being distributed among all the workers in a healthcare center. Even during the time of busy working hours and during the time of dealing with the critical cases, all the workers are advised to take short period of breaks. The healthcare workers, who are mainly involved in the emergency department of the hospitals can also take regular breaks and engage in other light and stress less activities of the daily life. As the factors that are responsible for causing fatigue are identified, it is important for the health care workers to take proper precautions to reduce the effects that are related that are related to cause of stress. It is the duty of every healthcare worker to maintain a strict working schedule, which will also provide them with adequate time of sleep. It is also important to use proper sleeping pills that can help in the matter providing adequate sleep (Mogush et al. 2016). However, it is important for them to take the sleeping drugs in the proper manner as without proper recommended dosage, as they are usually associated with severe side-effects. The workers also need to perform regular relaxing exercise, which help them to deal with the high level of stress and can also ensure that they can quality of sleep. The workers can also take short period of naps during the time of heavy working pressure. In order to have proper and quality sleep, it is important to maintain the healthy environment around the sleeping areas. For example, by maintaining the total darkness and use of proper cooling system to have a comfortable environment can help to provide nice quality of sleep. It is also important to keep away the cellular and mobile electronic devices during the time of sleep (Connolly et al. 2014). With the help of measures of fatigue management it is possible to overcome the physical exhaustion of all Health care workers. Hence, it is also possible to improve the quality of treatment that is provided mother health Care workers. The use of technology in healthcare management can also help in dealing with fatigue and exhaustion among the workers. Latest medical instruments can help the workers to ease up on the duties of health Care thereby ensure that the process of fatigue is minimized. Preparation of enough countermeasures of fatigue can help the health care workers to minimize the symptoms of stress and excessive work pressure (ORiordan et al. 2017). Effective management plan in the workplace of Health Care Unit needs to ensure that all the workers get proper time of rest after the end of each duty. This will minimize the risk of fatigue and exhaustion Reference Connolly, D., McNally, A., Moran, D. and Ryan, M., 2014. Fatigue in systemic lupus erythematosus: impact on occupational participation and reported management strategies. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(7), pp.373-380. Mogush, A., Lindstrom, K. and Mathiowetz, V., 2016. Effectiveness of One-to-One Fatigue Management Course on Fatigue and Self-Efficacy for Persons With Chronic Conditions. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(4_Supplement_1), pp.7011520299p1-7011520299p1. ORiordan, R., Doran, M. and Connolly, D., 2017. Fatigue and Activity Management Education for Individuals with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.Occupational Therapy International,2017. Vogelaar, L., van't Spijker, A., Timman, R., van Tilburg, A.J., Bac, D., Vogelaar, T., Kuipers, E.J., van Busschbach, J.J. and van der Woude, C.J., 2014. Fatigue management in patients with IBD: a randomised controlled trial. Gut, 63(6), pp.911-918.

International Monetary Fund

Introduction The economies of most countries were affected badly and left in a struggling state after the World War II. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was initiated in the year 1944 and then formally established in the year 1945. Initially, the organization consisted of only 29 countries (De, 2011). The major objective of the IMF was to help in reconstructing the economies of the nations that were badly affected by the war.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on International Monetary Fund specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Countries that had economic imbalances would borrow money from the fund and repay over an agreed period. It is normal that nations suffer in terms of economic, political, as well as social well-being after war. War is expensive to nations that participate in it. A country that is not strong economically will suffer more compared to nations that are economically stable in the event of wa r. It becomes difficult for economically weak countries to finance their activities post-war due to the effects they suffer during war. To revive their economies, such nations depend on loans and grants from international organizations (De, 2011). The International Monetary Fund not only assists countries that are affected by war, but it also gives loans to nations whose economic difficulties are as a result of any other reason. It is imperative to note that the number of member nations has grown from 29 in the year 1948 to about 188 countries today. All these member nations are also members of the United Nations, apart from the Republic of Kosovo. The IMF has helped in increasing the stability of nations. The IMF has also been instrumental in the development of international trade. International trade has become of more importance since it facilitates globalization over the past couple of decades. In addition, the IMF has helped in the reduction of poverty across the world, as well as reducing the rate of unemployment. This research paper will focus on the ways in which the International Monetary Fund helped in reviving the world economy following the 2nd World War. The promotion of global monetary cooperation One of the reasons why the IMF was created was to promote the global monetary corporation. The IMF is an international body that helps nations that have trade imbalances. Promoting monetary cooperation with the IMF was to be done via an institution where countries would make consultation, as well as collaborations regarding the international monetary problems.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is a forum where nations would bring their monetary problems to the set institutions. They would then explain the problems and later get advice on how to deal with them. Since the institutions were open to various countries who were members of the IMF, it provided the chance for countries to meet with other countries which they would collaborate with in order to find solutions to their problems (Lazarus, 2002). It is important to note that there was no monetary cooperation between nations prior to the mid-20th century. In addition, there was no economic cooperation. This changed in the 1940s when the IMF was founded. When the organization was formed, it established a mechanism that would encourage cooperation between nations. The mechanism that it established was a permanent one. The IMF believed that if nations worked in cooperation, they would increase their chances of succeeding both financially and economically. This was the philosophy behind the formation of these cooperation mechanisms. There were many restrictions that existed between countries before the organization was formed, thus making it difficult for them to trade among themselves and even cooperate in any economic activities. Exchange of currencies was dif ficult, making it difficult for nations to make payments for goods and services within the required time. This was a barrier to economic development since it made trade difficult (Griesgraber, 2009). Encouraging cooperation between nations was effective in that it brought ‘economic miracles’ to nations. Member nations of the IMF were able to meet the problems that barred cooperation between them. The developing nations and the developed nations were integrated into the global economy in order to help them deal with some of the problems that they were facing. For instance, when the nations were integrated into the global economy, they were able to deal with the debt crisis that existed in the 1980s. In addition, communist economies were encouraged and the economic crises in the 1990s were dealt with effectively. This was one of the initiatives that led to the development of globalization. It is important to note that globalization started in the 20th century, around the same time when the IMF was formed and following the end of the 2nd World War. It is, therefore, an indication that the efforts by the IMF to form cooperation mechanisms that eliminated barriers between nations was one factor that led to the development of globalization. Globalization is a major factor in the growth of the national economy in today’s economic world. Organizations such as multinationals are formed through globalization (Haynes, 2012).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on International Monetary Fund specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These are organizations that generate a lot of revenue to the economy and they are effective in the economic development of nations. It is due to globalization that most technologies have developed today. Innovations have also increased, making trade to develop and become of much significance in the growth of national, as well as global economies. Therefore th e IMF helped in reconstructing the economy of the globe after the World War II through the promotion of global monetary cooperation. Stability of the country’s financial standing The IMF was also instrumental in promoting the financial standing of nations. There were countries that were facing difficulties in terms of finance in the early 20th century, while others were financially stable. This created imbalances in the world economy, a factor that IMF was determined to address. One of the ways in which IMF addressed this issue is that it collected money from the nations. This is where nations would contribute through a quota system to a pool of money. Countries that contributed to this pool of money were mainly those nations that had some stability in their economies. Countries that were facing payment imbalances would then borrow from this fund and were expected to repay it over an agreed period of time. When a country borrowed the money, it would meet most of its financial obligations and improve the payment imbalances to increase its financial stability. In addition, lending countries money would help them establish corrective measures that would help them avoid any abnormal changes on external imbalances (Fritz-Krockow, Ramlogan International Monetary Fund, 2007). Countries that are facing difficulties in balance of payments are not likely to develop in terms of the economy, thus they remain highly unstable. Such countries may not be able to finance most of their government activities. This means that most programs in the country end up failing and the citizens face difficulties since it becomes difficult for them to meet their basic needs. The instability that results from such imbalances is what the IMF tried to solve in order to fuel reconstruction of the global economy after the 2nd World War. It helped member nations to mobilize external funds that would help them meet their needs on balance of payment and increase their economic stability (G artner, 2013).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The increase in international trade International trade is one of the things that contribute to the growth of the global economy. International trade refers to the trade activities between nations. It is important to note that international trade is not the same as globalization; however, globalization has developed through international trade. Despite the fact that international trade has the ability to improve the economy of the globe, it is faced with a number of barriers that prevent its development. Among the barriers are the restrictions that are put in place by various nations. These restrictions were very common in the early years of the 20th century. Most nations had put laws and regulations that prevented free trade with other nations. As a result, it was difficult for international trade to flourish and realize global economic growth. Among the functions that the IMF conducted was to promote international trade through elimination of these trade barriers. IMF informs its member nations about the conditions and the economic statuses in other nations (Pop-Eleches, 2011). This is a factor that helps the member states to take advantage of the economic status in other countries to exploit opportunities in order to promote international trade through investment. For instance, exchange of currencies was made easy by the IMF. It became easy for a nation to make payments for goods and services from other nations. The IMF also helped in the increase of the global supply of international reserves. The IMF facilitated the issue of an international reserve asset that was referred to as the Special Drawing Right (SDR). The reserve was to be issued in instances where there was need for supplementing the existing reserve assets. This SDR was kept as an international reserve and could be exchanged for currencies that were convertible. One thing that has to be noted is that the SDR is not a claim on the IMF. However, it is a unit under which the financial transaction s of the IMF can be accounted for. This reserve has the ability to impact on international trade. It is a reserve supplementing the reserves of the member nations and makes them get money to finance trade and facilitate exchange of currencies. Consequently, the International Monetary Fund was able to fuel reconstruction of the global economy after the Second World War and in the early years of the 20th century (McEuen International Monetary Fund, 2001). Advancing economic growth and high employment rate A large number of people were jobless in the early 20th century, a situation that had led to high poverty levels in most countries. One of the reasons why the rate of unemployment was high is due to the minimal trade that existed between nations. More business organizations and trading activities emerge when trade increases. As a result, people are able to get employments. Therefore, one of the strategies that IMF used to reduce the rate of unemployment was to improve international trade. As earlier mentioned, international trade failed to develop prior to the formation of IMF due to the many trade restrictions that existed among countries. The first initiative by the IMF was, therefore, to eradicate all those trade barriers among the member countries. This eased transactions that were to be conducted among nations (Gupta, Fonds moneÃŒ taire international, Development Assistance Committee’s Forum on Key Elements for Poverty Reduction Strategies, 1998). Another way through which the IMF helped in creating employment was by providing funds to nations that were suffering from trade imbalances. These funds would help the member nations make investments on government projects. This would also create employment for citizens. People have little or no income when they are not employed, and their standards of living are usually low and poor. However, the IMF helped in the reconstruction of the world’s economy after the Second World War by facilitating g rowth and development of international trade and creation of employment. Reduce the need and poverty around the world Many people were living in poverty as a result of high rates of unemployment. The rate of poverty was especially high in countries that were regarded as low income earners. These were nations whose economies were lagging behind and whose development was low. The IMF was committed to elevating the rate of in poverty in these nations. One of the reasons why the many parts of the world were living in poverty is because most citizens were not employed; therefore, people had no income to better their lives. It is difficult for a nation that has poor people to develop economically. In fact, one of the measures that indicate economic growth is increase in the living standards of people. This acts as an indicator that people have income to improve their living standards (Boughton, 2001). The IMF was determined to reduce the level of poverty that existed in various countries after the World War II. One way to do this was to give loans to such nations to help them meet their needs and finance their projects. The loans were given at a low interest rate and the payback period for the loans was given to be longer than normal. Further, promoting the development of productive resources would facilitate the creation of employment and, in turn, avail real income to citizens. This would help citizens improve their living conditions. The surveillance of the economic policies of the member countries was integral in improving the level of poverty that existed among nations. This helped in the reconstruction of the world’s economy after the World War II. Conclusion The IMF was formed in 1945 and has since then been playing a major role in establishing economic stability and growth among nations in the world. The organization was formed with only 29 member countries initially, but it has grown to include 188 countries today. The IMF helps member nations grow e conomically by providing loans to nations that have trade imbalances. As a result, the rates of employment in these nations’ increase and the levels of poverty are reduced. It is, therefore, evident that the policies set by the IMF have been effective in the reconstruction of the world’s economy after the World War II. References Boughton, J. M. (2001). Silent revolution: The International Monetary Fund 1979-1989. Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund. De, J. A. (2011).Transnational corporations and international law: Accountability in the global business environment. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub. Fritz-Krockow, B., Ramlogan, P., International Monetary Fund. (2007). International Monetary Fund handbook: Its functions, policies, and operations. Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund, Secretary’s Department Gartner, D. (2013). Uncovering Bretton Woods: Conditional transparency, The World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. George Washington International Law Review, 45(1), 121-148 Griesgraber, J. (2009). Reforms for major new roles of the International Monetary Fund? The IMF post-G-20 Summit. Global Governance, 15(2), 179-185. Gupta, S., Fonds moneÃŒ taire international Development Assistance Committee’s Forum on Key Elements for Poverty Reduction Strategies. (1998). The IMF and the poor. Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund Haynes, J. (2012). Overseeing the international financial and monetary system: a critical analysis of the International Monetary Fund’s Article IV surveillance mandate. Law Financial Markets Review, 6(4), 292-295 Lazarus, S. L. (2002). IFC and its role in globalization: Highlights from IFC’s participants meeting, Washington, D.C., June 6-7, 2001. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. McEuen, J., International Monetary Fund. (2001). Financial organization and operations of the IMF. Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund. Pop-Eleches, G. (2011). From economic crisis t o reform: IMF Programs in Latin America and Eastern Europe. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. This research paper on International Monetary Fund was written and submitted by user Lilly Cunningham to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Service Delivery Systems McDonalds

Service Delivery Systems McDonalds Abstract The hospitality industry is more of a service industry, thus for an effective operational management, the focus should be on the quality of service that customers receive from the company. When quality and satisfying services are offered, then customers can develop loyalty to certain company, a factor that builds a strong brand name for the company.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Service Delivery Systems: McDonalds specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the United States of America, the service industry account for over 80% of the economy’s job market; in hotel and tourism industry, much efforts has been made to improve the service delivery systems in the sector (McCluskey, 2004). The government has some policies meant to protect its population form poor quality form the sector players. McDonald is the world largest hamburger and fast food restaurants; which operates centrally and franchised business; to remain competitive in the fast developing industry, management should develop a quality service delivery system to all its over 31,000 restaurants in 119 countries. To manage and control service delivery, the management has to set some benchmarks and see their strict adherence (McDonald Official Website, 2011). This paper discusses service delivery systems in operation management; it will use the case of McDonald to diagnose the issue. Brief history of McDonald McDonald is a leading world sandwich provider with more than 31,000 restaurants in 110 countries in the world. Other than itself operating from a central point, it is in the business of franchising; the group restaurant was established in 1940 in San Bernardino, California by a duo by the names Richard and Maurice McDonald. It is known for its fresh quality fast food; the main fast food that the company is known with is sandwiches. The company offers both counter service and drive-through service depending with the locatio n and the nature of the particular outlet; it has both inside and outside catering however inside catering takes most of the business time. The company aims at improving quality and getting higher returns with the delivery of quality services and fresh foods (McDonald Official Website, 2011) Literature review Service in the hospitality industry In the hospitality industry the ability and willingness to provide quality services is seen as an essential strategy for success and survival; a service can be defined as an encounter between business and a customer that has supporting facility and using facilitated goods.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In McDonald for instance when a customer make an order for a hamburger then the hamburger is the facilitating good, the restaurant I the supporting facility while the people who were involved right from the supply of the ma terial to the service by the waiter form the chain of service (Neal and Quester, 2006). Any business, in the hospitality industry, has the customer as the most important stakeholder; they aim at creating good cooperation through the service they offer. Customers on the other side are motivated by factors within their psychological core, the consumer environment, and by marketer-controlled activity. Success in a business is attained when management can understand effectively the expectation of their customers and align their services and duties to satisfy those needs. As the saying goes, â€Å"a happy customer tells another while unsatisfied customer tells two others†. The phrase implies that it is much easy to lose customers than it is to gain them. The leadership of McDonald has been attributed to the quality of service they offer; however, no optimal level of service delivery that can be said to be the best, however, it should be continually be improved (Metters, Kathryn, M adeleine and Steve, 2006). Chart 1 The diagram below shows how different elements of service delivery lead to improved customer service: From the above diagram, it can be seen that service quality is an element of a number of elements that need to be implemented in an organization. McDonald and its franchisee should ensure that it ha s a flow chart of events that can be followed with the aim of having and end of satisfied customers.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Service Delivery Systems: McDonalds specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Organizations that offer service responsive to customers’ need perform better than those who do not care or are rigid to change. The hospitality industry is currently under pressure due to high competition and changes in consumers’ preferences. To remain competitive in this market, a company need to ensure it satisfy its customer. Sandwiches are fast foods present in most fast food joints but the choice of one is dependent on the customer. McDonald is an American Sandwich specialist company with its head office in United States of America. It has been in the business for over 70years thus the company has a pool of human resource that need to have well mastered the trade; at the same time, the company needs to have a service improvement charter for its continued success (McDonald Official Website, 2011) In the hospitality industry, there is high contact of service providers and the customers, the high interaction need to be strategically managed if it will be maintained. The experience that a customer gets now of service encounter has a wide influence on the attitude, perception and the feeling that he delivers from the institution. Though McDonald is a fast food restaurant, the internal customer has a large encounter with the external customer either directly or indirectly. Service quality and the experience that customers get form the company shoul d be looked into and improved accordingly (Cook, 2008) Service quality The utility that certain individual customers get from certain commodity is the quality of the commodity as long as the customer is concerned. There cannot be a single definition of service quality since it is more of the receivers’ perception that determines whether he will be willing to trade with the company in the future. When concerned on the quality of a service, there are two most important deviations: technical quality and functional quality. Technical quality deals with what is delivered while functional quality is all about how it has been delivered.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Technical quality is tangible while functional technical is not. McDonald management has the role of ensuring that the group of restaurants meets both technical and non-technical quality provisions (Kotler, Bowen and Makens, 2003). The chart below summarizes the service quality phenomenon: Chart 2 Service Encounter Or â€Å"Moment Of Truth Moment of service is the moment that a customer and the service he is receiving interact; it ranges from the general perception that a customer gets with the mention of a certain products or a certain business. McDonald has a strong brand name that offers the customer an appealing feeling; the name has to be protected by offering quality services and provision of goods that meets the demand of a customer. When a customer is within the premises of the business, the service offered, both tangible and technical should be of a high class that improves the general feeling derived by the customer. This is the way that the organization can strengthen its brand name (Kandampully, 2002), Service Operations Strategy When developing a certain effective service operational strategy, McDonald need to undertake an elaborate internal and external audit analysis, the analysis will offer the company with the right approach to improve its services. Three questions needs to be answered genuinely: Where the current position as far as service provision is concerned? What level of service quality does the company aim at offering? What are the expectations of the customers and what level are our competitors offering With clear answers to the above questions, then the management will be able to develop an effective service delivery system (Blomme, Rheede and Tromp, 2009). The following are the areas that need to be addressed in the system: Location issues To reach the target customers effectively, the management should ensure that it is located in areas that target customers can get delivery in the required time and space. McDonald being a fas t food needs to be located in areas with high population, and t accessible. For example, in busy streets, airport sites and bus terminals. When offering a franchise, the company should ensure that the franchisee company has a strategic location that can tap the target market effectively. In the cases, that the restaurant has low flow of customer, the chances that quality and fresh foods are not offered is high. When a restaurant is established, the managers should devise cost leadership, differentiation, and focus the products to the needs of the customer (Hartline, Wooldridge, and Jones, 2003), Service Strategy With the restaurants established, then managers should ensure they have a system of how service will be offered, service means that the those people offering the front service, waiters, cashiers, supervisors and manager, and those people offering the tangible products should be sensitive to the needs of a customer. Consumer preference theory states that for a customer to buy a certain product, the product must be outstanding among the options that the market offers; McDonald products can be said to be services, the services thus need to be outstanding and quality. To be outstanding, there must be continuous products innovation and an innovation that ensures that products can be differentiated. When a customer is able to differentiate a certain company’s products then the company is able to self-market itself and lead to increased customer satisfaction. Creativity and product innovation comes handy in creating product differentiation. McDonald is known for its international recognized sandwiches. To ensure that it remain competitive and create a more customer satisfactory goods, the company keeps inventing and improving the quality of sandwiches they serve. A continuous program of training of staffs should be implemented as it will assist the company offer the much need service quality (Grà ¶nroos, 2000). Products differentiation McDonald aims a t offering quality fast foods: the success of the company is dependent on the quality, freshness and reliability of the products. When a company is developing a product, there should be the need that the product is supposed to fulfill. Fast food joints are places where consumers should get a quick service; this implies that they should have an effective queue flow to ensure that they have ready products adequate for the consumers at a particular point in time and still the products have not stayed in the restaurant for many hours (PIZAM and SHANI, 2009). Other than the foods being available, the management should ensure that the foods are of the right quality and tastes that they offer is pleasant and offers a memorable experience to the customer; this will increase the utility that the customer will get. The trend that the customers follow at one given point is a change to the product that gives them a higher utility. When the product is developed, the team should always invest in offering something extra to the consumer. Products come with the idea of packaging, and how the product is presented to the final consumer, there is need to have a pleasant look as the way as the way the product is handled has an effect on its successes (Bebko, 2001). The role of operation managers in maintaining service delivery system Operations managers have the role of overseeing service delivery system are effective, they are the ones who make policies that target the improvement of the system. In an outlet of McDonald the operating management can be seen on three levels, outlet manager, daily managers, and supervisors; they should be working as a team to maintain and uphold high service delivery. When they are enforcing the laid down rules, they should be open for additions and improvement areas of deficiencies, they should from time to time undertake internal and external audit to gauge the success of the outlet. To implement and maintain high services operation manager shoul d adopt quality management systems like the use of TQM (total quality management system), adoption of Six sigma polices and the use of lean thinking; the spirit of Kaizen (continuous improvements) should be embarked on. With such polices that aim at improving the internal operations for efficiency developed, then the group of hotels will maintain and attain high service delivery. Of late the hospitality industry is faced with challenges of coping with changes brought about by globalization, people expectations are changing; McDonald operating management teams should be robust in analyzing and developing required intelligence that can assist the company improve on its service delivery. In foreign outlets, McDonald should develop culture intelligence teams that will assist when making decisions that fit the country of operation. Change in the industry should offer operating managers the drive to research on the best strategy to improve and grow their service delivery. Recommendation a nd conclusion McDonald is doing fairly well in the hospitality industry; however, the service of the chain of restaurants can be improved further to assist in the consolidation of the company’s leadership role. The major challenge facing the company is how to manage the large number of franchisee located in different areas. The management at central level should come up with a service quality charter that looks into technical and functional quality objectives. This will enhance service delivery. To expand customer base and get their loyalty, the company should look into its service delivery and aim at improving the experience that a customer derives; the â€Å"moment of truth† with the customer should offer a memorable experience that can make the customer hunger for more services. High quality service should look into the products quality, speed of service and the general outlook of the restaurants. McDonald leadership team has the role of pioneering a service improve ment strategy; an effective service strategy is strong competitive advantage in the hospitality industry. References Bebko, C. ,2001. Service encounter problems: Which service providers are more likely to be blamed?Journal of Services Marketing, (15)1, 6,pp. 480-495. Blomme, R., Rheede, A. and Tromp, D.,2009. The hospitality industry: an attractive employer? An exploration of students and industry workers perceptions of hospitality as a career field. Journal of Hospitality Tourism Education, (21) 2, pp. 6-14 Cook, S.,2008.Customer Care Excellence: How to Create an Effective Customer Focus. New York: Kogan Page Publishers Grà ¶nroos, C. ,2000. Service management and marketing: A customer relationship management approach. Chichester: Wiley. Hartline, M., Wooldridge, B. and Jones, K. ,2003. â€Å"Guest perceptions of hotel quality: determining which employee groups count most†. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 1(1),pp.43-52. Kandampully, J. ,2002. Service s management: The new paradigm in hospitality. Melboune: Hospitality Press, Kotler, P., Bowen, J. and Makens, J. ,2003. Marketing for hospitality and tourism. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall. McCluskey, M., 2004.How Mature is Your Service Operation? Supply Chain Management Review, (8) 5,Pp. 17–20. McDonald Official Website.2011. McDonald. Available at  https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us.html Metters, R., Kathryn, K., Madeleine, P., and Steve, W.,2006. Successful Service Operations Management. Thomson South-Western: Mason. Neal, C. and Quester, P.,2006. Consumer behaviour: implications for marketing strategy.NewJersey: McGraw-Hill. PIZAM, A. and SHANI, A,. 2009. The Nature of the Hospitality Industry: Present and Future Managers Perspectives. Anatolia, (20)1, pp. 134-150.

Research Paper Outline

Research Paper Outline Research Paper Outline Research Paper Outline The research paper should demonstrate your ability to research a topic assigned by the professor. Research paper topics may be different, however, in most cases, you are given a broad one and it is your responsibility to narrow it to specific research proposal. For example, while writing a research paper on automobile industry, you need to narrow the topic to more specific - current automobile industry in the United States. The first place to visit is your college or university library. Sure, you will find a lot of sources online, however, there no full-text reliable articles and you may face plagiarism issue. Therefore, try to use minimal number of internet-based articles. State your topic is a question (hypothesis) and underline the main concept in it. Sure, research paper writing cannot be based on one article or one book.University level research paper of 10 pages long should reference at least 15 sources (articles, books, publications, reports, etc.). In addition , you should avoid providing summaries of articles. On the contrary, you should strive to provide critical overview of the articles and skillfully integrate them into your research paper. If you need research paper help, you may also try our professional services online! While writing a research paper, you need to read a couple of articles on background information. Background information will help you to understand the broader context of your research paper and give you the basis idea what is already known on your chosen field of research. Always take notes and pay attention to the list of the publications in your textbook and in the articles you read. You may find very useful sources in the bibliography list. It is very important to reference all of the cited and consulted sources in accordance to the specific style! If you fail to reference the cited source, you are at risk of getting F on your research paper. You do not want to risk with your grades, do you? Research Paper Outline Research paper outline is written with the purpose to organize your ideas. You do not have to write a very detailed outline - the preliminary plan can consist of the list of your ideas only. Later, in the process of information gathering, outline points will evolve into detailed paragraphs. First, write down the main ideas, then, list the subordinate ideas below the main ideas. Avoid any repetition of ideas! Every research paper is made up of three parts: introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction is the first paragraph of research paper. It should begin with a general information on the topic and end with a more specific statement of the main idea of research paper. The purpose of the introduction is to let the reader know what the topic is, inform the reader about the purpose of research. The research paper body follows the introduction. It consists of several paragraphs in which you develop research paper ideas in detail. While writing research paper, limit each paragraph to one idea. Do not cover several topics in one paragraph! Prove your points by using specific examples and quotations from reliable sources. Use transition words to ensure smooth flow of ideas from paragraph to paragraph. Custom Written Research Paper Not sure how to write a good research paper? Ask our writers for assistance and we will deliver custom research paper prior to deadline! You are entitled to request unlimited number of revisions and claim free plagiarism report. If we fail to deliver custom written research papers prior to deadline, we guarantee 100% refund!

Occupational Health and Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Occupational Health and Safety - Essay Example Marvin Schneiderman’s approach to work-place safety is unrealistic and impractical because he takes a position which largely ignores the dynamics of the workplaces themselves. Teachers and office personnel very rarely, if at all, are required to handle or come into close contact with dangerous or hazardous material. Therefore the level of protection required of employers in classrooms and offices are minimal when compared to workers who are exposed to hazardous situations on an ongoing basis in the workplace. This is not meant to suggest that once the job involves continuous risks of harm, no measures should be taken to safeguard against them. The reality is, when there are certain hazards, there is always a risk of harm, regardless of safety measures involved. The higher the risk of harm, the more likely it is that harm will occur, regardless of safety measures taken. There are two principles of safety that makes it virtually impossible to implement a safety standard across the board that will produce the same safety record for all workers, as those reported by the review from England and Wales. These principles are â€Å"safe-persons† and â€Å"safe-place.† (34) In order to facilitate a safe-place a number of initiatives are required with respect to the workplace. This includes â€Å"engineering controls or process changes† which are necessary to â€Å"reduce exposure to noise or airborne toxic contaminants.† (34) In addition, tools and â€Å"office equipment designed with attention to basic principles of ergonomics† will have to be purchased. (34) There is an obvious difference in the level of workplace safety that can be facilitated at minimal costs in a factory or on a construction sight as opposed to an office. Purchasing tools and safety gear for employees exposed to heights and hazardous materials can only provide limited protection, regardless of expenditure. Nose and

Philosophy of Justice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy of Justice - Research Paper Example Socrates was a mysterious personality, attributed as one of the originator of Western philosophy. He was a firm believer that justice is good, this could be attained through self-knowledge. It is imperative to understand what is good i.e. justice and what is injustice or evil. According to Socrates, natural needs are good. Good is always desired. The desire or the requirement to be satisfied varies with a person's nature called the daimon. It is exclusive to every person. Thus, in this scenario, it is the individual's knowledge that plays a vital role in deciding the good and taking the decision. If knowledge is enabling a person to apply for good, then knowledge is also good. It is knowledge that empowers a person to discriminate between good and evil. A wrong action is a direct implication of ignorance. Socrates defined four virtues viz. bravery, self-control, justice, faithfulness (Socrates: the Search of Justice). According to Socrates, retribution for the offense is the treatmen t for wickedness and justice leads to that penalty. A man who has done no erroneous is better-off than a man who has received retribution for his proceedings. Socrates pronounced that the just life is more significant than outside belongings. If one scale evil, first is the man who does incorrect and finds chance of escaping where as the man who does wrong comes second (Socrates: the Search of Justice). On the contrary Adolf Hitler was a firm believer of Bible. According to Hitler, "As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice". He said, "I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator" (Brainy Quotes). These quotes imply Hitler's temperament towards justice. He defensible his battle for the people of Germany and in opposition to Jews by means of Godly and Biblical interpretations. In reality, one of his most enlightening declarations further enunciate this: "Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord." Apart from Socrates, who believed that knowledge plays an imperative role in judging and providing justice; Adolf Hitler was of the opinion that God and His preaching aids in interpreting and defining justice. Although, Hitler was always misapprehended as he never practiced religion in church (Hitler's religious beliefs and fanaticism). In today's scenario this holds true to some extent. Knowledge is powerful in making a person judgmental and to appreciate the truth and honest opinion. Beliefs related to religion and its preaching find little relevance in the epoch of technology. Justice is what is being followed as per the guidelines set by the organizations of the nations, any violation of these set norms is considered to be injustice. Knowledge and awareness about self and surroundings is vital in taking decisions. To some e xtent the saying "power corrupts" holds true as it is capable of changing the thinking of a common man about the justice in the present scenario. The dictatorship portrayed by Saddam Hussein is known worldwide. He was known for creating horror and terror of his personality against his own crew. He was known to be the greatest tyrants. He was a brutal killer and neither knowledge nor the

Social Media and Innovation Essay Example for Free

Social Media and Innovation Essay Methodology The purpose of this literature review is to explore recorded literature and evidence relating to social media and innovation. The research method for the review consisted of by surveying a total of 20 articles; 15 journal and conference-proceeding works, and five practitioner articles centered on the topic in different contexts. A selection of trusted databases were accessed through MSU Libraries Electronic Resources in the search to find articles, include the ACM Digital Library, the IEEE IET Electronic library, Proquest and Google. All of the studied literature exists between the years of 2010 and 2012. Table 2 (p. 10) reflects the articles that were used in this review, listing the author and title of the work, the implication of the study, and any limitations of the study noted. Different combinations of keywords were used to extract literature related to the topic, for example: social media and innovation, social product innovation, and web 2.0 and innovation, and many other configurations. The executive summaries and abstracts of the articles included were briefed to ensure relevancy, and later the articles themselves were reviewed in entirety. To make the task of reviewing the bulk of literature streamlined, and manageable key points were recorded for each article. The notes contain the main takeaways for the articles: the authors’ purpose of the research or studies conducted, the main points, and claims most relevant to the general subject, the key findings, or results of the studies conducted, the challenges faced (regarding the specific research/studies themselves, and those relating to the broader topic) and lastly, the recommendations offered, if any, including those applying to future research in the area of the study, or those involving the companies and entities covered in the research. A table compiling all of this important information will be provided for quick comparison of the different contexts that social media and innovation were applied to. The research yielded a variety of perspectives regarding established literature and research in the area of social media and innovation, in addition to the real-world application of various social media and innovation models and evaluation of their performance. This literature review will explore the perspectives, claims and findings of the articles included highlighting similarities and contrasts to discuss gaps and overlaps. Recommendations for future research in the area will be provided in the conclusion. Introduction The term social media most commonly falls under the guise of the some of the most popular social networking websites to date, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Linked In. Truthfully, the phenomenon that is social media involves more than just photo sharing and status updates. Social media networks are powerful tools when used for knowledge creation and shared creativity. A more contemporary field of study, social media and innovation tends to branch off into other areas like crowdsourcing, and open innovation. These platforms enable virtual communities, or groups of people using social technologies for collaboration efforts, of all kinds to execute tasks, solve problems, express ideas, and function in a group environment. To date, collaborative thinking has been proven to aid in the innovation process. The central idea is that groups of users possess crowd-wisdom (sometimes referred to as â€Å"the wisdom of the crowd†). It is a term describing the relative expertise or p otential of knowledge available from a crowd of people as opposed to restricted internal â€Å"experts.† In, â€Å"Rising Creativity and Participation in Innovation and Knowledge Management Activities,† Gourova Toteva describe the effect that involving the â€Å"crowd† has had on product development specifically in the business sector. â€Å"The shift from vertical to a horizontal production model has brought changes in the innovation process, whereas end users and external stakeholders provide additional benefits to organizations, which are increasingly using the wisdom of the crowd.† (Gourova Toteva, 2011) With the evolution of the Internet’s landscape brought on by social networks and social technologies, comes the shift in methods of productivity. Crowd collaboration is at the heart of social media and innovation models, and according to the articles has began to cause somewhat of a stir in organizations’ creative and development areas. Holtzblatt Tierney (2011) warn that â€Å"iterating and developing ideas in isolation or with limited awareness of similar research in other parts of the organization can present missed opportunities and duplication of effort. â€Å" Collaborative innovation processes via social media networks have potential to manifest effective results when utilizing u ser-driven innovation activities. â€Å"Socially-enabling innovation processes can have positive effects on outcomes when participation is broadened, and greater dialogue around ideas is fostered. (Holtzblatt Tierney, 2011) The article â€Å"Six Key Takeaways on Social Media and Innovation from Digital Marketing Pioneer Porter Gale,† stressed the importance of the shift of one-way dialogue into real conversations, and urged firms to get to know their channels and customers, and to look beyond a numbers-only approach to measuring success. â€Å"Results are not always return-on-investment; returns may also be made by added fans/followers or with enhanced customer engagement.† (Arthur, 2012) Firms and organizations, realizing the advantageous properties of social media networks have began to use them, attempting to reap the benefits of them. Research and Development, product and software innovations, and internal employee communications to help garner virtual communities are just a few of the areas in which social technologies have been applied to help innovation. Social media and innovation is an area in which the common practices and functions of social networks are manipulated, exposing the greater potential of productivity that they withhold, and so often, not credited for. The studies included in this review feature real-world applications of social media networks in business and in development, and theoretical evidence that the models merging social technologies and the innovation process have the potential to be successful. Summary of Literature The articles chosen for this review were extracted from the different databases mentioned previously. The literature explores social media and innovation from different perspectives, and how both the internal and external innovation process can be enhanced using social media. The variance of perspectives and focuses from different authors fostered a host of different terms and models relating to social media and innovation. Below, table 2 illustrates the different keywords and key terms used in the literature, their definitions and the title and author of the work that contains those terms. Table (1) Social Media + Innovation keywords Term| Definition| Author Work| Open innovation; open innovation model| A method for capturing value form technology innovation- whether that innovation occurs within or outside the organization.| Defining Open.(Gobble, 2012)| Crowdsourcing| The act of accessing the â€Å"wise crowd† for ideas and solutions (term coined by Jeff Howe).| The Revolution Will be Shared: Social Media and Innovation(Anonymous, 2011)| Web 2.0| Technologies that enable users to communicate create content and share it with each other via communities, social networks and virtual worlds.| Social Media Use and Potential in Business-to- Business Companies’ Innovation.(Jussila et al, 2010| Social product innovation| The practice of leveraging social media technologies in the innovation process.| Kalypso: Social Media and Product Innovation Research Findings.(Anonymous, 2011)| Innovation-related collaboration| Collaboration activities utilized in the innovation process.| Social Media Use and Potential in Business-to-Business Companies’ Innovation. (Jussila, 2010)| Communities of creation| Groups of people who engage in generation of ideas for future products and services, actively discuss, further elaborate and test them.| Virtual Worlds as Collaborative Innovation and Knowledge Platform.(Fuller et al, 2012)| User-driven innovation| An approach in which users are the sources of ideas, drivers of the design, and decision makers throughout the design process.| Practical Model for User-Driven Innovation in Agile Software Development.(Koskela et. al, 2011)| Co-creation| Describes the active role of users.| Platform Model for User-Driven Innovation in Agile Software Development. (Koskela et. al, 2011)| Customer Communities| Communities of a company’s end-users. | Benefits of Social Media in Business-to-Business Customer Interface.(Jussila et al, 2011)| User-driven innovation| Describes users contributions to challenges launched by companies. | Practical Model for User-Driven Innovation Agile Software Development.(Koskela, 2011)| Lead user| Active in idea development over an extended period of time.| Getting Customers’ Ideas to Work for You: Learning from Dell How to Succeed With Online User Innovation Communities(Gangi et al, 2010)| Crowd Futurology| Refers to the â€Å"forum of the future.† Social media crowdsouced environment.| | Enterprise 2.0| Describes social networking software to support and enhance the continuously changing and emergent collaborative structures across enterprise| Governing Web 2.0(Dedene et al, 2011)| Wisdom of crowds| The characteristic of crowds to create content, solve problems and even do corporate research.| Raising Creativity and Participation in Innovation and Knowledge Management Activities. (Gourova Toteva, 2011)| Enterprise social innovation| Method that allows companies to take advantage of extensive networks, by providing open channels of communication and stimulating innovation.| Enterprise 2.0 and Semantic Technologies for Open Innovation Support(Carbone et al, 2010)| User Innovation Communities| Virtual community of customers that participate with organizations in RD.| The Next Digital Wave Using Social Media (Accenture, 2012)| Social media and innovation begins with one concept: social media technologies. Each article that was studied for this literature review, emphasized in one way or another, the revolutionary power that these technologies possess. Though different terms were used to describe the technologies, such as web 2.0, enterprise 2.0, and social technologies, the consensus between the authors is that they hold much potential (and often times untapped) to foster successful creative and productive environments. Real World Application/ Challenges The literature reflects a variance in knowledge, and evidence available in the social media and innovation area, directly affecting the rate of adoption of companies and organizations. The articles studied for this review were published in the past two years. The general trend is that the older pieces (2010-2011) reflect a lack of knowledge, resources, and statistics regarding social media and innovation. Jussila et al (2010) identified four major challenges responsible absence of innovation processes using social media technologies in business to business companies: lack of understanding possibilities of social media in innovation, difficulties of assessing financial gains from social media, difficulties in adopting new mental models and practices needed for adoption, and lack of evidence of similar using social media in innovation. (Jussila et al, 2010) The authors identify one cause being a â€Å"relatively scarce† amount of information in the area, and â€Å"fragmentedâ⠂¬  theoretical and empirical research. (Jussila et al, 2010) Similarly, Bettina Mikko (2010) agreed that â€Å"the literature is relatively scarce concerning open innovation in the specific channel on online communities. (Bettina Mikko, 2010) Despite the lack of knowledge, they acknowledge efforts to incorporate these type of â€Å"open† collaboration activities.â€Å" Although some firms have adopted these principles, the way for users to communicate their ideas to the firms remain underutilized with a few exceptions.† (Bettina Mikko, 2010) A general lack of knowledge in the area of social media and innovation is not the only cited issue relating to real-world applications of models and policies. In the article, â€Å"Social Media and Product Innovation Research Findings,† (2011) a survey of more than 90 manufacturing and service companies revealed that 70 percent of the participating companies â€Å"are using or were planning to use social media for product innovation,† but of those respondents, less than half had an implementation and/or management strategy in place. Forty-six percent of respondents revealed a lack of knowledge regarding effective approaches. (Anonymous, 2011) The article notes one of the causes of this trend as the lack of knowledge among companies’ uncertainty of benefits (of social media innovation strategies) and leading practices. (Anonymous, 2011) Gangi et al (2010) acknowledges the potential of business models using social technologies to engage users as a competitive advantage, but also lists challenges companies face in implementation: 1) understanding users ideas posted, 2) identifying the best ideas, 3) balancing needs for transparency against disclosure (protecting user-submitted ideas for competitors, 4) sustaining the community (developing strategies for interacting with the community to sustain user participation. Koskela et al (2011) confirms the claim that â€Å"companies do not have enough knowledge of utilizing user’s input and social media-based interaction in innovation and software activities,† in the article† Practical Model for User-Driven Innovation in Agile Software Development.† A changing of perspectives occurs in the articles written between 2011-2012. Gourova Toteva (2011) argue that the rate of adoption of creative activities involving customers in the process is increasing in companies. The authors concluded the article â€Å"Rising Creativity and Participation in Innovation and Knowledge Management Activities,† by stating â€Å"Nowadays social media is increasingly supporting innovation and is behind most open innovation processes and user’s co-creation activities.† Following in line with this claim, Figge et al. (2012) reveals that â€Å"most big corporations chose to tap into the growing portion of participative consumers to refine their marketing strategy practices,† and that social media, being major sales and marketing channels, have allowed for increasing collective trends in consumption. (Figge et al., 2012) Pena (2012) concluded after a study of multi-national corporations’ use of social innovation sites and application of content found on those sites that â€Å"while multi-national firms did not formally embrace social platforms for innovation, passive or informal use of these sources were endorsed by 100% of the interviewees. (Pena, 2012) The two main barriers to use of the sources included 1) a lack of clarity around the owner of the finished idea and the potential for litigation and 2) the fact that competition becomes informed of firms’ intentions as they pursue innovation from social formats. (Pena, 2012) Business Contexts Several articles applied to or studied social media technologies and the innovation in the creation processes of firms. There were several articles analyzing and comparing the use of social media innovation processes, specifically business-to-business and business-to-consumer firms. The differences between the two in terms of categories of clientele and business practices reveal similarities and differences in innovation and collaboration methods. In Social Media Use and Potential in Business-to-Business Companies’ Innovation, Jussila et al, makes the point that the use of social media in innovation processes can reveal great potential for success in b2b companies, like in b2c companies, and was used with innovation partners (outside audience) more often than with b2c companies. (Jussila et al, 2010) Jussila et. al (2011) acknowledged the assumption that â€Å"it is much more difficult to utilize social media in business innovation and customer interface for business-to-business innovation and customer interface for business-to-business products, markets and product development.† Research exploring social media and benefits from the business-to-business customer interface perspective found potential causes for variance of social media use in different phases of innovation processes: patterns of interaction between firm and customers vary with roles, knowledge creation activities vary depending on nature of knowledge to be created and lastly, customers motivation to participate or be involved in innovation process activity rather than product support. Other articles focused on business in a broader context in order to make implications or recommendations in the field of study Fuller et al (2012) studied IBM’s use of social media use in innovation and collaboration pr ocesses using virtual worlds (second life) in the article â€Å"Virtual Worlds as Collaborative Innovation and Knowledge Platform.† During the course of the study, IBM gathered experience by using 3D environments as communication and interaction platform within the organization. The study findings indicated potential for virtual worlds to foster creative ideas both within, and beyond the company. (Fuller et al, 2012) Similarly, Gangi et al (2010) analyzed and assessed challenges present in the first 18 months of Dell’s IdeaStorm program implementation and offered recommendations for successful management of online user innovation communities. The recommendations are relevant to any application of a user-driven innovation platform; create a user toolkit, strategically position key personnel to ensure clear, logical flow of ideas to proper internal resources, engage the lead users of the platform, promote self-governance in users to enable community to carry more of workload, respond quickly and ask questions, make user-submitted votes count and present progress clearly and openly to the community. (Gangi, e t al, 2010) Software Development The use of social media for innovation purposes is applied to the development of software in both internal and external (employees of organizations vs. user activities) contexts. In â€Å"Using Web 2.0 to Improve Software Quality.† Black Jacobs (2010) assert that the development process has been altered due to social media, now including interaction design where feedback from users is encouraged, and used as part of the ongoing development process. The study examined social media use in collaborative group work using distant teams. Organizations are encouraged to focus implementing social technologies for purposes of group work. â€Å"The use of social media presents an opportunity for an organization to build a distributed knowledge base and increase employees’ sense of connection to companies initiatives and to each other. (Black Jacobs, 2010) Koskela et, al (2011) claims that online co-creation among users and developers needs continuous facilitation; thus allowing direct user interaction to enhance the perspectives of each group and placing more importance on the use’s goals. According to â€Å"Practical Model for User-Driven Innovation in Agile Software Development,† by implementing user-driven innovation integrating users, even in a quick, agile software development process is not only possible and can be potentially beneficial to the organization. (Koskela et. al, 2011) Technological Applications Innovation and social media have technological implications, especially in the areas of enterprise 2.0 and open-innovation processes. Structuring Web 2.0 collaborative platforms and strategies is discussed in two of the articles used for this review. In the article â€Å"Enterprise 2.0 and Semantic Technologies for Open Innovation Support,† Carbone et al (2010) emphasizes the potential of enterprise 2.0 technologies by asserting that they â€Å"have the power to usher in a new era by making both the practices of knowledge work and its’ output more visible. The article proposes a new model â€Å"Semantic web† to transform human-readable content into machine-readable content. This new model controls and structures the heavy flow of user-submitted information, an aspect brought on by the â€Å"collaborative paradigm.† (Carbone et al, 2010) Dedene et al (2011) proposes four grounding principles to help organizations get the most out of their Enterprise 2.0 investments. In the many-to-many, decentralized environment present in Web 2.0 collaborative activities, structuration is emphasized as a key process and is made possible by these four principles: 1) â€Å"empowerment principle- empowers users to discover desirable uses of technology rather than draw up barriers to unwanted use, 2) processes principle- enables process workers and managers to capture value from experimenting and progressively synthesizing new ways for processing, 3) collaboration principle- lets virtual communities and teamwork emerge from a free-flow of collaboration engagements, rather than pre-assign bulk of roles, activities and access rules and finally 4) people and culture principle- invites people to participate, rather than coercing them to work in a particular way.† (Dedene et al, 2011) Findings/ Pitfalls All of the articles studied for this review acknowledged the potential of the use of social media for purposes of innovation to be successful avenues reaching end consumers and sparking creative thinking within a firm or organization. The articles, both theoretically focused, and case studies of real-world application conveyed the benefits of implementation and recognized the area as revolutionary, and the inevitable direction of the innovation process for firms and organizations. It goes without saying, that there is another side to the coin when it comes to model and strategy implementation. Gangi et. al (2010) identified one potentially damaging characteristic of social media that could negatively effect innovation efforts. â€Å"The viral aspect of all web 2.0 technologies means that an org could quickly lose control of negative content.† (Gangi, et al, 2010) The pervasiveness and instantaneous aspects of social media can be damning to an organization based on self-published material, or user-published. (Carbone et al, 2010) Managing the overwhelming amounts of information that exists, as an end-result of the decentralization of ideas may be difficult to achieve. Ideas contributed via social media networks present an issue with idea ownership due to blurred line between what is idea adoption and what could be conceived as theft of intellectual property. As mentioned by Pena (2012) this is one cause of avoidance regarding companies’ implementation of social technology strategies. Recommendations Dedene et al (2011) notes that managing the technologies for effective use requires strategy and knowledge, and that organizations have not fully mastered these concepts. â€Å"The promise of Enterprise 2.0 is enticing to many orgs; however experience and research into managing such investments to effective benefits realization has not yet reached full maturity; making people mindful about the capabilities of the technology is an absolute precondition to benefits generation from the technology.† (Dedene et al, 2011) The lack of knowledge available in the application of social media for innovation purposes, though lessening over time, is still a viable issue of concern for companies attempting to implement models. It is important for there to be an accessible collection of literature to foster field knowledge, and to increase in real-world applications. The lack of understanding due to little to no knowledge base has attributed to the skepticism among businesses and IT professi onals. (Dedene et. al, 2011) More research should be executed in this area and more literature developed. Organizations will not invest in ideas that are not fully understood. The reach of evidence of benefits of the use of social media for purposes of innovation needs to be increased. Not only should literature about implementation be increased and shared, but also firmer guidelines for successful use of social media for innovation should as well. Many of the major and minor firms and organizations venturing into this somewhat â€Å"unchartered territory† are doing so without a definitive strategy. A set of published principles, assisting first-time implementation, corrective implementation, and for use throughout operation, (management of platforms) should become accessible. This set of principles would provide some protection against simple mistakes and allow for smoother, more streamlined implementation for firms and organizations. Table (2) Table of Literature Author/ Work| Implication/ Findings| Limitation(s)/ Pitfalls| Benefits of Social Media in B2B Customer Interface in Innovation(Jussila, et. al, 2011)| Social media can be useful in all stages of B2B companies’ innovation processes. | Companies don’t understand how to be active with social media effectively.| Measuring the Effectiveness of Social Media on an Innovation Process(Holtzblatt Tierney, 2011)| Using social media, it is possible to â€Å"accelerate the transition of new technology and knowledge to customers by expanding staff and end-users direct communications.| Limitations of data: restricted to interactions that occur on-line inside the IdeaMarket (platform used in research).| Is Open Innovation Open?(Bettina Mikko, 2010)| Social media and open innovation principles remain underutilized by companies. | Most innovative firms that were studied were multinational with multiple websites, all using different content. | Platform Model for User-Driven Innovation in Agile Software Development(Koskela et al, 2011)| The model using co-creation tools and direct user-interaction can be applied to the innovation processes of other consumer-targeted products and services..| Companies do not have enough knowledge of utilizing user’s input and social media based interaction in innovation and software activities. | Raising Creativity and Participation in Innovation and Knowledge Management Activities(Gourova Toteva, 2011)| Nowadays social media is increasingly supporting innovation and is behind most open innovation processes and user’s co-creation activities.| N/a| Social Media and Product Innovation(Anonymous, 2011)| When it comes to applying social technologies to product developments and innovation, most organizations are still in the early adoption phase.| N/a| Social Media Use and Potential in B2B Companies’ Innovation(Jussila et al, 2010)| Both B2B and B2C companies’ were taking advantage of social media use in innovation processes| The gap of perceived use between t wo different business types is significant. Research should be carried out to facilitate adoptions and fill gap. | The Revolution Will Be Shared: Social Media and Innovation(Anonymous, 2011)| Social technologies used for innovation purposes are revolutionary| N/a| Using Web 2.0 to improve Software Quality(Black Jacobs)| Social media among other benefits, has changed the development process to include interaction design, where feedback from users is used.| N/a| Virtual Worlds as Collaborative Innovation and Knowledge Platforms(Fuller, et. al, 2012)| Virtual worlds can offer new ways of having access to knowledge and creative ideas within and beyond companies. | Virtual community lacked total security and some complained about poor graphics| Getting Customer’s Ideas to Work for You: Learning from Dell How to Succeed With Online User Innovation Communities.(Gangi et al, 2010)| A poorly managed user innovation community could have devastating consequences for an organization.| Challenges for companies included: Understanding users ideas posted, Identifying the best ideas,Balancing needs for transparency against disclosure (protecting user-submitted ideas from competitors) and Sustaining the community (developing strategies for interacting with the community to sustain user participation. | Governing Web 2.0(Dedene, 2011)| Enterprises can use principles and lessons to avoid the fallacy of going into social media for innovation endeavor with too much of a command/control view on tech adoption| Many organizations have not effectively mastered management of social media and innovation platforms| Investigating the Increasing Role of Public Social Networks Within the Innovation Process of Large, Multi-National Corporations(Pena, 2012)| Use of strong social networking within an organization propels innovation| Firms did not embrace platforms, but all endorsed informal use.Two main barriers to use of sources by companies: lack of clarity around owner of ideas, 2) competition may become informed of intentions| Enterprise 2.0 and Semantic Technologies for Open Innovation Support(Carbone et al, 2010)| The web 2.0 environment helped in establishing an innovation culture in the firms, while the sematic technologies helped not just in fostering interaction for the creation of new ideas, but also in supporting the decision process.| N/a| Defining Open(Gobble, 2012)| Open innovation is among the new resources available for conceptualizing, creating and managing open innovations efforts at every scale.| N/a| Six Key Takeaways On Social Media And Innovation From Digital Marketing Pioneer Porter Gale(Arthur, 2012)| One-way dialogue has evolved into 24/7 real-time conversations.| N/a| Social Media for Innovation Efforts (Lindegaard, 2013)| The use of social media for innovation efforts is still new and full of opportunity.| N/a| Social Product Innovation2013 Kalypso| Social media technologies are rapidly changing the way we communicate and collaborate. A comprehensive and sustainable strategy must be developed to deliver results.| N/a| Five Emerging Innovation and Social Media Trends and Why They Matter Now(Ben-Yehuda, 2012)| Social media and a renewed emphasis on innovation and DIY is transforming how government agencies operate and how they interact with citizens.| N/a| The Next Digital Wave: Enterprise Social Innovation. 2012 Accenture| Through enterprise social innovation, companies can benefit from a greater pool of ideas, ones that are aligned more closely with the wants and needs of end-consumers.| N/a| Works Cited Jussila, J., Karkkainen, H., Meino, M. (2011). Benefits of social media in business-to-business customer inerface in innovation. 2011vACM, Holtzblatt, J., Tierney, M. L. (2011). Measuring the effectiveness of social media on an innovation process. 2011 ACM, Bettina, M., Mikko, L. (2010, Sep). Is innovation open? evidence from the most innovative firms and the most valuable brands. European conference on innovation and entrepreneurship, United kingdom. Koskela, K., Nakki, P., Pikkarainen, M. (2011). 17th international conference of concurrent enterprising, Finland. Gourova, E., Toteva, K. (2011). Raising creativity and participation in innovation and knowledge managment activities. 17th internation conference on concurrent enterprising. Anonymous. (2011). Social media and product innvoation research findings. Professional services close-up, Jussila, J., Karkkainen, H., Vaisanen, J. (2010). Social media use and potential in business-to-business companies innovation. 2010 ACM, Anonymous. (201). The revolution will be shared: social media and innovation. Research technology management, 54(1), 64-66. Black, S., Jacobs, J. (2010). Using web 2.0 to improve software quality. 2010 ACM, Fuller, J., Hautz, J., Hutter, K., Matzler, K., Muller, J. (2012). Virtual worlds as collaborative innovation and knowledge platform. 2012 IEEE, Gangi, P., Hooker, R., Wasko, M. (2010). Getting customers ideas to work for you: learning from dell how to succeed with online user innovation communities. MIS quarterly executive, 9(4), Dedene, A. G., Hertogh, S., Viaene, S. (2011). Governing web 2.0. Communications of the acm, 54(3), Pena, V. (2012). Investigating the increasing role of public social networkd within the innovation process of large, multi-national corporations. Business studies journal, 3, Carbone, F., Contreras, J., Hernandez, J. (2010). Enterprise 2.0 and semantic technologies for open innovation support. IEA/AIE 2010, part II, 18-27. Gobble, M. (2012). Defining open. Research technology management, Arthur , L. (2012, 3 6). Six key takeaways on social media and innovation from digital marketing pioneer porter gale. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaarthur/2012/03/06/six-key-take-aways-on-social-media-and-innovation-from-porter-gale-former-virgin-america-marketing-vp/ Lindegaard, S. (2013, 01 31). Free webinar: social media for innovation efforts. Retrieved from http://www.15inno.com/2013/01/31/smwebinar/ Kalypso. (2013). Social product innovation, capabilites, kalypso. Retrieved from http://kalypso.com/capabilities/services/social-product-innovation/ Ben-Yehuda, G. (2012, 11 1). Five emerging innovation and social media trends and why they matter now. Retrieved from http://www.govexec.com/excellence/promising-practices/2012/11/five-emerging-innovation-and-social-media-trends-and-why-they-matter-now/59179/ Accenture. (2012). The net digital wave: enterprise social innovation. Retrieved from http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-next-digital-wave-social-media-harness-innovation-summary.aspx

Exile :: Literary Analysis, Julia Alvarez

The poem â€Å"Exile† by Julia Alvarez dramatizes the conflicts of a young girl’s family’s escape from an oppressive dictatorship in the Dominican Republic to the freedom of the United States. The setting of this poem starts in the city of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, which was renamed for the brutal dictator Rafael Trujillo; however, it eventually changes to New York when the family succeeds to escape. The speaker is a young girl who is unsophisticated to the world; therefore, she does not know what is happening to her family, even though she surmises that something is wrong. The author uses an extended metaphor throughout the poem to compare â€Å"swimming† and escaping the Dominican Republic. Through the line â€Å"A hurried bag, allowing one toy a piece,† (13) it feels as if the family were exiled or forced to leave its country. The title of the poem â€Å"Exile,† informs the reader that there was no choice for the family but to l eave the Dominican Republic, but certain words and phrases reiterate the title. In this poem, the speaker expresser her feeling about fleeing her home and how isolated she feels in the United States. The poet uses four line stanzas or quatrains, and this is a narrative poem because the speaker tells a story. The speaker seems a little odd in a way because she does not know what is happening; â€Å"Worried whispers† (6) is an alliteration, and it also symbolizes the speaker’s anxiety. Both her uncle and father do not tell the truth to the speaker, instead they â€Å"Sugarcoat† it. This is similar to Emily Dickinson’s poem â€Å"Tell all the truth but tell it slant† because the children might get scared if they learn the truth right away. In the line â€Å"What a good time she’ll have learning to swim,† (11) the poet again emphasizes how adults lie to children so they do not hurt them. The speaker feels as though her parents are lying to her; however, she just trusts them because she believes that what adults do cannot go wrong. Also, â€Å"A week at the beach so papi get some rest† (15) sounds as if the speaker’s fath er has to leave the Dominican Republic because he is some kind of danger. The speaker struggles throughout the poem because she is leaving everything she has known behind, and she is going to a new land that she knows nothing about.

Avon Rubber Diving Aggressively Into Rebreather Market Essay

Rebreathers, the subject of this article, are an exciting new technology. The background and chemistry of rebreathers is quite interesting in that they were largely improved upon and regularly used by a famous American cave diver, Bill Stone, who wanted to more deeply explore underwater cave passages. He demonstrated his rebreather in 1987 to the diving community. They allow a human to breathe for long periods of time either underwater or in a different atmosphere. Through a carefully controlled exothermic reaction in one partition of the device, they essentially â€Å"scrub† exhaled carbon dioxide in order to allow it to be â€Å"rebreathed† in a closed system, hence the name of the equipment (Tabor, 2010). This article, which was just published on June 18th of this year, cites an acquisition and expansion by a company, Avon Rubber P. L. C. , in order to manufacture rebreathing devices. The fact that this article exists highlights the fact that they are fast becoming more widely used and sought-after. One main focal point of the article is the fact that the US Navy has commissioned Avon Rubber for a rebreather device worth an initial estimated $30 million to the company. The article mentions their future uses in diving and military applications, and it’s of note that the company is expanding into several countries to further develop â€Å"respiratory protection system technology† (McNulty, 2013). This article leads this reviewer to think about the exciting future possibilities in exploration that the advancement of rebreather technology will lead to. However, the questions raised, in this reviewer’s eyes, largely have to do with the safety aspects of rebreathers and the social issues surrounding their military use. The knowledge that our military is spending huge sums on rebreathers leads to the questioning of the need for such technology in a military fashion (instead of in an exploratory manner by NASA, for example). The risk factors involved are also rather high, especially as the technology becomes more widely available. An inherent problem with rebreathers is the swift death that can occur from breathing in carbon dioxide that has not been sufficiently â€Å"scrubbed†. As stated in the book Blind Descent, the user has no warning that the air they are breathing is tainted with insufficiently scrubbed CO2. Hopefully, this will be further perfected in advanced versions. Even though there will always be risks involved in their use, the very fact that we have been able to manipulate the chemistry of respiration in such a way is exciting in terms of human scientific advancement.