Btc Pipeline: Turkish Delight or Russian Roulette?

INTRODUCTION Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline is an oil pipeline that transports crude oil Caspian Sea to the Turkish coast, over three countries. BTC Company is a joint venture company responsible for the construction and operation of the whole $4bn pipeline, led by BP as majority shareholder. Spread across Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey largest cross-border infrastructure construction project in the world dubbed the â€Å"contract of the century†. Financing was agreed after over two years of appraisal of the potential environmental and social impacts relating to the project.An underlying strategy is to reduce dependency on OPEC oil producers in the turbulent Middle East and to avoid Russia seen by America as a resurgent superpower. Aside from indirect benefits; Georgia and Turkey gain financial benefits through transit fees and Azerbaijan through the royalties and tax revenues, However, BTC co. encountered several social and environmental issues during the construction of the 1768km pipeline. Limited routing options meant encountering geo-hazard risks, potential harm and disturbance of communities and natural habitat, temporary land acquisition, revenue management and a volatile political environment.Thus this project received intense scrutiny by stakeholders and press for its lack in humility and effectiveness in resolving political, social, developmental and security concerns. THE OBJECTIVE/GOALS Stakeholder map. A visual mapping of parties that affect or about affected by an organization, strategy and in this case a project. Helps us identify the expectations and power of different stakeholders, this understand what ethical issues dilemmas are to be understood and resolved. METHOD / FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS We have chosen a normative approach (what should be done) for our analysis as opposed to a descriptive approach (how it is done).Generate solutions that enforce behaviorally standards; as we already have detailed evidence showing how it is done. Moral absolutism will be used by clearing stating what is right and wrong; which be rationally determined in order to come up with a universal applicable solution. This helps us come up with an objective stand-point on the subject. There will be examination of traditional ethical theories such as consequentialist and non-consequentialist approaches and stakeholder theories and new age concepts namely, corporate citizenship to help us justify our absolute perspective in solving the ethical dilemmas.THE MAIN ISSUES AND DILEMMAS BP FACE IN THIS CASE Political instability Pipeline Security Human Right Abuses Corruption Poor governance High expectations from local community Environmental Risks and Risk Assessment Intense scrutiny by pressure groups and media Land Acquisition and Land Compensation HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE BP’S APPROACH TO SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY? BP set up a Regional Sustainability Development program (RSDP) t o proactively address issues. Social 1) Community Investment Program ($20m addressed to social issues)-in Azerbaijan set with largely international groups-in Turkey with local Turkish organizationswith universities and private consultants firmsBP set up a monitoring and complaints procedure | Economical 1) Regional Development Initiative ($25m designed to accompany over 10yrs after opening) 2) Set up of local coordinators and in consultation with local community. ) Focus was improvement of local infrastructure in road and civil construction 4) Projects aimed at agriculture and skill development| Environmental 1) Environmental Investment Program (to ecological issues)| CEO Lord Browne appointed a Caspian Development Advisory Panel, which provided recommendations such as assembly of an external body to conduct periodic reviews.ASSESS THE APPROACH FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF UTILIARIANISM AND DEONTOLOGY? According to utilitarianism,an action is morally right if it results in the greatest amo unt of good for the greatest number of people affected by the action Based on cost? benefit analysis Rule utilitarianism * looks at classes of action and ask whether the underlying principles of an action produce more pleasure than pain for society in the long runStakeholder| Cost| Benefit| BP and BTC & co| * $25m +$20m programs * Opportunity cost * Failure of local actors * Subjected to a corrupt environment * Misuse of revenue * Complaints from locals| * Good Reputation * Helping society * Compliance| Financiers| % of investments go to CSR| * Mitigation of social development risks that would result to additional costs| Communities| Unfair treatmentHuman right abusesIssue of compensationLocal political divisions- 1 blood feud| * Financial investment in society and development projects * Structure in place for communication * First commercial strawberry farm| Government| External involvement of governance| * Investment for national development * Availability of resources| Pressure G roups| Alleged TortureHuman rights abuses| * Raised awareness of internal politics| Employees and Contractors| Unfair treatment| * Job Opportunities * Economic support| Environment| Destruction and disturbance of the environment| * Structure of a program to address issues| Agencies and NGO’s| Lack of credibility Public scrutiny | * Displayed support from BP * Increased involvement | Work from a German philosopher Immanuel Kant who development a theoretical framework called â€Å"categorical imperative†. This meant that this framework applied to every moral issue regardless of who is involved. It is made out of three maxims; which are: 1) Consistency throughout any situation ) Treat humanity always as an end and never as a means. 3) Universally acceptable These two theories introduce the issue of subjectivity due to intellectual scrutiny. ASSESSMENT FROM RIGHTS AND JUSTICE. HOW DOES IT DIFFER? Rights and justice is â€Å"based on a consensus about nature of human digni ty†. It is objective in that it conceptualized on natural rights that â€Å"certain basic, important, unalienable entitlements that should be respected and protected in every single action. † In addition Ethics of justices means fair procedures and fair outcomes. A violation of these rights means the approach is seen as unethical. BP’s poor social and environmental assessment led to a display of lack of humility.SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR MNC OPERATING IN ENVIRONMENTS OF CORRUPTION AND POOR GOVERNANCE. How far should BP made be responsible? Arguments against The corporation should solely be accountable to its shareholders in order to protect investments. In support of this argument, Milton Friedman published an article titled, â€Å" The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. † Stating only humans have moral responsibilities, managers should act in interests of its shareholders and social issues and problems are for governments to h andle. Another perspective is that of Archie Carroll’s four-part model of CSR. Stating that CSR can be met by going through each level consecutively. Arguments forCSR seems to be widely accepted because of enlightened self-interests. However, corporations are now perceived assume a social actors, not only because of legislation but companies rely on the contribution of other parties. It now exists in a society. Thus, the introduction of corporate citizenship, in which the company acknowledges an extended political role. Obtaining citizenship means entitlement of civil, social and political rights; which are attached to responsibilities. Social rights (i. e. freedom to participate in society): BP provider / ignorer Civil rights (i. e. freedom from abuses): BP disabler/ enabler Political righs (i. e. right to participate in process of governance): BP chanelling / blockingTransparency International Corruption Perception Index| Year| Turkey| Azerbaijan| Georgia| 2002| 64| 95| 85| 2003| 77| 124| 124| 2006| 60| 130| 99| It can be argued that BP has fuelled the level of corruption as seen in the figures above. Therefore have to commit them to solving this social problem. What is the appropriate way for BP to respond to its on-going criticism? Virtue ethics Transparency Expose finding Protection Acts Auditing Body Discourse ethics Dialogue and Stakeholder Engagement Effective Complaint Procedure – eg. Response period Right to Information Systems in Place Land Ownership options Introduce this all over Azerbaijan not only Baku

Life Course Case Study Essay

Introduction In this assignment I conduct a life course case study of a seventy-four year old man, Mr. Gambina, in order to find out whether structure or agency has been most influential throughout his life. The agent is the person who actually performs the action, while structure refers to the main structures in society that influence the way the agents act. Most structuralists share a conviction that individual human beings function solely as elements of the (often hidden) social networks to which they belong. The life course theory emerged in the 1960s out of the need to understand human development as occurring across the life span. This field, which emphasizes how individual lives are socially patterned over time, and the processes by which lives are changed by changing environments. Life-course studies emphasise the importance of epistemology in the study of society. Thus, collecting information on the four interrelated dimensions of the life story: structural, socio-cultural, interpersonal and personal story. According to Janet Z. Giele and Glen H. Elder, Jr., â€Å"Any point in the life span must be viewed dynamically as the consequence of past experience and future expectation,† I have tried to keep this in mind while conducting my study and analysis of Mr. Gambina’s life span. Theory The sociological theory that I shall be taking into consideration is that of C. Wright Mills. Mills’ aim was to develop what he called sociological imagination. The sociological imagination, he argued, is an outlook on society that focuses on the intimate connections between larger structural issues (what he called Public Issues) and the daily problems that confront individuals (Personal Troubles). Mills sought to demonstrate how issues of power, ideology and class are tied up with the daily troubles of ordinary individuals. Mills also sought to expose what he saw as the tragedy of sociology – the inability, unwillingness or refusal to cultivate the sociological imagination. An important assumption underlying Mills’ work is that social reality is both macroscopic and microscopic. Sociologists should try to understand social reality in terms of the meanings that social structures have for individuals. Failure to comprehend these macro-micro inner-connections results in sterile, pseudo-sophisticated rambling, which contributes little to the development of the social sciences or to the usefulness of sociology for progressive social change. This reluctance to cultivate the sociological imagination is, for Mills, the tragedy of modern sociology. Mills thought that social structure has a reality independent of the activities of ordinary individuals. Nonetheless individuals make and remake the social relations of everyday life. The aim of good sociology is to sensitise us to the many ways that social structure influences the daily lives of ordinary people. His greatest political and intellectual concern was that people in advanced societies would be manipulated into a state of acquiescence and political impotence, a state where the role of human reason would no longer play be an important force for progressive social change. He says, â€Å"we cannot adequately understand ‘man’ as an isolated biological creature, as a bundle of reflexes or a set of instincts, as an ‘intelligible field’ or a system in and of itself. Whatever else he may be, man is a social and an historical actor who must be understood, if at all, in close and intricate interplay with social and historical structures† . Literature Review There have been many life-course studies in the last century, each focusing on a separate element of the interviewee’s life, ranging from why and how people choose their friends to the female social climber . A similar study to the one I am conducting is Katherine R. Allen and Robert S. Pickett’s 1984 life-course study of women born in 1910, in America. Allen and Pickett paid particular attention to the variations in life patterns and choices fostered. They realized an increased trend in the employment of women, the expansion of educational careers, significant alterations in marriage and divorce patterns, a prolongation of the life course and a great  imbalance in the proportions of women to men in their later years. Also in 1984, Dieter Ulich and Winfried N. Saup conducted life-course research, conducted towards coping with crises in old age. They found negative stereotypes and self-concepts in the elderly. They argued that gerontology would help towards coping with stress. Susan De Vos and Steven Ruggles explored the connections between the life course and the kin group, in 1985, focusing on the demographic determinants of kin groups, such as frequency and timing of births, deaths and marriages, which all define the context within which rules of kinship operate. Steven Ruggles used microsimulation (following the kinship path of the individual as they age) to examine the connection between an individual’s life course and the nature of his or her kin group and its sensitivity to overall demographic conditions. A more recent study is that of Ulrich Karl Mayer in 1997, which examined the challenges faced in cross-cultural comparisons of life courses. He constructed two complimentary ideal types, based on life courses in deregulated societies and flexibly co-coordinated societies. Mayer found that links between macroinstitutional structures and individual life courses must be constructed as mutually reinforcing systems to enable successful cross-national comparisons. He concluded that cross-national comparisons of life course patterns should contain a description of the institutional configurations and of the make-up of collective actors and models of incentive systems and individual-level transitions. However, none of the life-course studies I reviewed deal specifically with the influence of structure and agency throughout the individual’s life, the topic which I am dealing with. Methodology and Methods Methodology There are two main kinds of research: quantitative and qualitative. In this case study I use qualitative research, also known as interpretive research, naturalistic research, phenomenological, descriptive research. There are three main types of qualitative data collection: interviews, observation and documents, the product of which is a narrative description. Qualitative research is very dependent on the researcher as a person. The researcher is an instrument, not a mechanical device or test instrument, as in quantitative research. By using qualitative research, the researcher gets much more depth and detail than in a standardised questionnaire, and it helps the interviewer see the world view of the people studied, the respondents’ categories, rather than imposed categories. Descriptive research attempts to avoid pre-judgements, although some disagree here as we always make judgements, but just don’t admit it, for example the choice of one location or group over another is a judgement. The goal is to try to capture what is happening without being judgemental; to present people on their own terms, try to represent them from their perspectives so reader can see their views. However, qualitative research gives a much less generalised result, and makes it difficult to collect data and make systematic comparisons. Some claim the qualitative research is too dependent on the researcher’s personal attributes and skills. Method In this case study the method I used is that of an intensive, or in-depth, interview. This is an unstructured one-to-one interview, in which broad questions are asked, giving the interviewee a starting point and then asking questions to help push him or her in the right direction. Interviews are the most flexible means of obtaining information, since the face-to-face situation helps answers to be in more depth and detail. Also, information can be observed by the interviewer without having to ask the specific question. Unlike in mail or telephone questionnaires, sensitive  questions cannot remain unanswered, and the interviewer can be certain who exactly is answering the questions, family members will not be able to confer. On the other hand, one-to-one interviews may create and interviewer bias: physical appearance, age, race, sex, dress, non-verbal behavior and/or comments may prompt respondents to answer questions untruthfully. In general, interviews are a disadvantage because a lot of time and money is required, but this is not the case for this particular life-course study, as it only deals with one person. Results Birth and Family or Origin The respondent, Mr. Gambina, born in 1927, was born during the lull between the two World Wars. When I asked him about his childhood, he told me that it was very normal, referring to things all children do, in particular his holy communion, confirmation, and that he was an altar boy. He had only good things to say about his parents, describing them both as quiet and devoted to their family. The little trouble he got into with his parents was to do with going out instead of staying home to study; he said he felt very carefree during his teenage years, telling me that they used to play in the streets, even though a war was on. The most significant even of his teenage years was the Second World War, and his father being repatriated to Sicily because of it. Education Mr. Gambina remembers enjoying school, in particular remembers his teacher who he described as gentle and well meaning. One of his lasting memories of school is the lessons being interrupted by air raids. He had a talent for languages, and remembered the name of an important book, Manzoni’s classic ‘I Promessi Sposi’ after only a second of thought. When asked about the role of education in a person’s life, he immediately replied, â€Å"Education is  everything†. Love and Work Mr. Gambina was 17 when he had his first date, which was a walk on the front. What he remembers as difficult about dating was that he a girl who he would have liked to ask out was always with a female friend of hers, making her very unapproachable. The respondent’s attitudes towards sex have always been in sync with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. He said that one of the main reasons with his wife was that she was a woman with her own mind, and he realized that the relationship â€Å"meant business† straight away. He held that he always wanted to get married and have a family of his own; in fact he went on to have four children, two girls and two boys. He describes the best part of marriage was the birth of his children, and the worst his wife dying. The values the interviewee tried to impart on his all his children are those of the Roman Catholic Church. The respondent’s ambition was only to live a normal life, which he succeeded in accomplishing. When he was young he had wanted to be a notary, but since schooling had to be paid for, and he was relying on his brother for income, he could not continue studying. He said the war helped him to understand and accept his adult responsibilities, and he realized he had become an adult when he began working as a clerk, which he decided to do because he liked office work, also there was not much choice at the time, as it was just after WWII. Historical Events and Periods As already mentioned, the Mr. Gambina lived through the experience the Second World War; also he mentioned the granting of Malta’s independence as the important historical events he saw. He has seen the development of cooking on the Maltese traditional kenur to gas ovens, and remembers old wives tales to cure sickness put into practice. He was, and still is, and active member of the community, from being an altar boy as a child, to being an active member of the Legion of Mary now: visiting old people’s homes, the mental  hospital and parishioners in their own homes. He considers the most important thing his family gave him as honesty, the most important thing that he gave his family as affection and the most important thing he gave to the community as his time. Retirement Mr. Gambina remembers feeling relieved when he retired from his full-time job, as it was during Mintoff’s government, and he was boarded out for being a nationalist supporter. He went on to part-time work with a relative, but eventually had to stop because of health problems. He says he doesn’t miss work, that he’s living a happy life now and commented on how nice it is not to have to wake up early every morning, rain or shine. The worst thing about being retired, however, is that, since he is a widower and his children do not live with him any more, it can get lonely. His time is occupied now with working for the Legion of Mary (as mentioned earlier), running errands for himself and his children, and baby-sitting his grandchildren. He says he is very proud of his grandchildren, the best thing about them being their affection, and the worst thing when they argue. He hopes that they will always give importance to family unity. Inner Life and Spiritual Awareness The interviewee says he had a happy childhood, he definitely felt loved; one of his happiest childhood memories is preaching the Christmas sermon. He counts his turning point as a teenager as WWII, especially since his father was not with him, and his turning points as an adult as getting married and becoming a father. He says the greatest stress of being an adult is responsibility. Spirituality plays a major role in the interviewee’s life, his primary beliefs being to love God and his neighbour, and giving importance to saving his soul. Even though he sometimes doubts, he feels he has inner strength, which he gets from God and when he feels drained renews his strength through prayer. He feels at peace with himself, which he says was achieved by keeping hope alive. Major Life Themes Mr. Gambina says that the most important gifts he has gotten are the values passed on to him from his parents, pointing out that they are the same as those of the Catholic Church. His crucial decisions were deciding to get married and have a family, which taught him to appreciate life more. He can handle disappointment serenely, knowing that life goes on. His greatest joy has been the births of his children and grandchildren, while the worst points are the deaths of his father, mother, wife and brother. His greatest worry is that he has to leave this world. Though he knows he stopped changing a long time ago, he does not feel old and believes he can cope, adding that his children and grandchildren keep him alive. Discussion Agency and Structure both play important factors in our lives. Agency is the power of actors to operate independently of the shaping constraints of social structure. Structure, on the other hand, is the main structures in society and their sway on our personal lives, such as the government, religion, education, and the work place, as illustrated through this life-course study. My job now is to determine where both structure and agency have influenced the subject’s, Mr. Gambina’s, life. When asked about his childhood, Mr. Gambina said he considered his it to be normal with reference to activities related to the Roman Catholic Church (namely his First Holy Communion, Confirmation, and that he was an altar boy), this is a clear indication that the structure of the Church has played a very large role in his life, so large that he defines himself by it. We can also see this influence in Mr. Gambina’s attitudes towards sex as a teenager, the values he tried to impart on his children (those of the Roman Catholic Church), which he also considers to be the most important gifts from his parents and what he considers to be that happiest memory of his childhood – giving the Christmas sermon. We can also see the weight religion carries for him in his choice of activities: working with the Legion of Mary, one of their activities being going to people’s houses to pray with  them, and to give them a statue of the Virgin Mary to pray to for a week. Another structure that played a significant role in Mr. Gambina’s life is education. Though he did not continue his education past ordinary level standard, this was not because he did not want to, but because it was too expensive to do so at the time. This obviously does not mean that he does not treat getting an education as important, and when he was asked, he himself said, â€Å"Education is everything†. Inevitably, the war played a large part in Mr. Gambina’s life. He counts it as the event that turned him into an adult. Also, since his father was repatriated to Sicily, his teenage years, the years in which he needed a father’s guidance most, were spent without that support. In this way, we can see, again, the dominance of structure in Mr. Gambina’s life course. In his work, Mr. Gambina was also affected by structure. Starting work when he did was due to the fees that had to be paid to continue schooling, which his family could not afford. The type of work he did was influenced greatly by structure to, although he wanted to work in an office job, he did not have much selection at the time, as it was just after the Second World War had ended, and there were a lot of people left unemployed (this is also another way in which the war affect Mr. Gambina’s life). I also cannot ignore the comment Mr. Gambina made about being relieved to have retired, as he was discriminated against, and in his own words, â€Å"boarded out,† of his job as a clerk because of his political beliefs. One aspect that structure did not control was Mr. Gambina’s choice for a wife. It was not common at that time for women to be working, but this is precisely what first attracted Mr. Gambina to who would become Mrs. Gambina. He liked that she was an independent woman. In this circumstance, we see that agency playing its role. Conclusion The life course study conducted was to indicate to what extent the  respondent’s life was a product of structure and/or agency. All individuals are affected by social structure, and at the same time, each and every structure is made up of individuals, all performing diverse social actions. In examining Mr. Gambina’s life story, it becomes clear that structure has played a much more prominent influence in his life than agency. First and foremost the Second World War, which affected not only Mr. Gambina’s everyday life, but also the life of each individual that lived through it. Education, another structure, is also a factor that Mr. Gambina considers to be important. In his work, we can see Mr. Gambina being affected by structure in the type of job he opted for, and also the influence of the government, even in his office, which had influenced his everyday life, and caused him to detest his last two years of work. In the case of Mr. Gambina, the great importance that he has given to his religion has throughout his life, as illustrated in both the results and the discussion, obviously leads to the reasoning that structure, and especially that of the Roman Catholic Church, has been given priority in his life span. The only case I could find in Mr. Gambina’s life of agency taking control is when he chose his wife, and his decision to rear a family, though I must admit, I am not exactly sure that the choice to have one’s own family is a choice made completely independently. In conclusion, I think the answer to the question ‘has agency or structure been given priority throughout the life course of Mr. Gambina?’ is indisputable. Structure has been the major influence in his life story, and still remains so. References Richard T. Schaefer, Sociology, seventh edition, McGraw-Hill, 2001 C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination, 1959 Janet Z. Giele and Glen H. Elder, Jr., Methods of Life Course Research Roger D. Wimmer and Joseph R. Dominick, Mass Media Research, An Introduction, Wadsworth, 1994 Internet sources http://www.socialscience.eku.edu/Ant/BANKS/CWMILLS_HT2.htm

Rodney King Riots Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rodney King Riots - Essay Example The riots caused a great deal of damage and injury and remain one of the most violent periods in the history of the city. The present research looks into the causes of the riots, the events that led up to them, the evidence that was brought forward and decisions handed down and how this news was received by the greater community. The immediate and long-term effects of the riots will be examined and the lessons learned will be explored. In 1991, a man named Rodney King was brutally beaten up by four police officers and the video recording of the incident had been publicized. The LAPD officers were put on trial for this controversial incident after the video was released. This caused it to stay in the center of the public eye. The verdicts handed down as a result of the trial amazed the public because only one officer was found guilty of the excessive use of force that all four officers were seen to take part in within the video. The other officers were released with no further charges or punishment (Los Angeles Times, April 29th 1992). The video coverage of the trials and verdicts angered the populace who perhaps felt threatened that the same thing might someday happen to them. They reacted in masses as hundreds of Black people filled the streets to share their anger and disbelief. This negative emotion fed on itself and began to tip over into violence. \ The result was the riots which have jarred the nerves of eve ryone involved. Three days of violence followed. Four thousand National Guardsmen were deployed to re-establish law and order. Live news television coverage showed fires raging in various parts of the city started by the rioters. People were rioting and looting and assaulting innocent bystanders leading to utter havoc in the heart of the city. By the time the riots were brought under control, the death toll was 50 and more than 4,000 people were injured. Property damage was assessed at $1 billion and 12,000

Whitman V. America Trucking Associations, Inc Essay

Whitman V. America Trucking Associations, Inc - Essay Example In a review conducted by EPA, it revealed that public health can be improved by lowering emission standards for ozone and particulates. The fine particles found in air pollution can cause premature death and chronic bronchitis. On the other hand, ozone can cause lung inflammation and prolonged exposure may cause permanent damage to the lungs. Both pollutants are considered as health hazards since they are closely associated with increased hospital admissions and can cause respiratory problems like asthma and respiratory tract infection. EPA lowered the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) which was challenged by industry groups for failure to account the cost of compliance. The Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the industry groups. Hence, appeal was made by EPA. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the constitutionality of EPA’s delegated power to set national air quality standards for the protection of the public from harmful effects of air pollution, without conside ring the economic costs of implementing the standards. The quality standards set forth by EPA is imbued with public interest for the protection of the nation’s health and safety. The High Court ruled that there was no violation of the non-delegated doctrine and EPA acted within the bounds of the delegated power. The key issue in this case is whether or not the (EPA) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) has the delegated legislative power to enact new regulations and set national air quality standards for the protection of the public from harmful effects of air pollution. Under Section 109(b)(1) of the CAA (Clean Air Act) enacted by Congress, it empowered the EPA to set ambient air quality standards and promulgate regulations for identified air pollutants.  When the EPA reviewed this information after five years, the EPA issued an amendment to the Act in Section 109(b)(1), requiring the EPA to set air quality standards necessary for the protection of public health à ¢â‚¬Å"the attainment and maintenance of which are request to protect the public health with an adequate margin of safety.† Plaintiff American Trucking Associations, Inc. brought suit in the District Court for the District of Columbia and argued that the amendment is unconstitutional while at the same time questioned the delegated legislative power to the EPA. The district court held that the CAA did not provide any â€Å"intelligible principles† to the EPA for enacting new regulations, and suggested that the EPA could avoid unconstitutionality by adopting a more restrictive version of Sec. 109(b)(1). The Court of Appeals (D.C. Circuit Court) ruled otherwise by stating that the standard making procedure delegated by Congress to the EPA to set air quality was an unconstitutional and runs counter with Article I, Section I of the U.S. Constitution because it found that the EPA had construed the statute to afford no "intelligible principle" to direct the exercise of authorit y of the agency. EPA misinterpreted the statute believing that the agency can exercise of authority and implement a national ambient air quality standard. The district court remanded the regulation to the EPA for review, and the agency appealed. The Court of Appeals agreed with the district court, thus, prompting Whitman and the EPA appealed to the US Supreme Court. The ruling of the Supreme Court found that degree of agency discretion that is acceptable varies according to the scope of the power conferred to it by the legislature. Administrative agencies, like EPA, are not given full discretion and blanket authority when faced with all-encompassing regulatory

Public Administration Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Administration - Assignment Example Wilson’s theory of public administration was put forward by Woodrow Wilson who is considered as one of the pioneers of public administration. In his 1887 article titled â€Å"The Study of Administration,† Wilson formally recognized public administration and the role it plays in the society. In the article, he argued that undertaking a course in public administration is essential in discovering what a government can successfully and properly do and how it can do things efficiently and with minimal cost and energy. The main theme of Wilson’s theory of public administration was that public administration should be founded on a science of management and separation of administration from traditional politics. Also, he advocated that public administration should involve a comparative analysis of private and political organizations. Besides, he advocated the need to enhance the effectiveness of public service through training of civil servants, as well as through assess ment that is merit-based. In addition, he advocated the improvement of efficiency of public administration by the adoption of business-like attitudes and practices in daily operations. Like other theories, Wilson’s theory of public administration has had key points of contention. The main point of contention of this theory has been on the view that politics and administration should be separated. On the one hand, there are those who argue that effective and efficient public administration can only be achieved through a distinction of politics and administration. On the other hand, there are those who argue that politics and administration are inextricably linked and, therefore, cannot be separated.  

Business marketing report Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business marketing report - Case Study Example The gist of this is the need for an effective marketing plan that carefully takes into consideration all of the available data, with the end goal of helping MMG achieve its yearly revenues target of $1 million, or a turnover of 100 guitars on a monthly basis (Finnbogason). II. Discussion A. Analysis of the Case Facts The total guitar market in Canada is $59 million, and the revenue targets of MMG accounts for a small fraction of that, indicating a certain amount of realism in the sales targets, given that the MMG play is purely online. The total market is made up of 2.5 million people, while the sales target is 1,200 guitars annually out of total potential sales of 146,000 acoustic guitars. Again this numerical target is realistic, and is just a small fraction of all unit sales in the country. Meanwhile, among age groups, those between 15 and 24 years and over 55 years had the most leisure time, and they are natural potential target markets for guitars, as a leisure product (Finnboga son). China is the traditional manufacturing base for MMG, but given a one percent increase in tariff and rising labor costs and transport logistics costs, there is some concern whether China remains viable moving forward. Scale is a factor in this decision, and given that MMG only moves 1,200 units a year by target, there is the question of whether the scale is significant enough that any upward movements in labor costs, shipping costs, and tariffs would be material increases in the cost structure of MMG, given profit margins exceed 50 percent of costs, as projected for the new dreadnaught product to be launched in June of that year (Finnbogason). That MMG guitars suffer from a quality perception problem over the fact that its guitars are made in China., even though its guitars in actuality are of high quality and are preferred by seasoned musicians even in TV-broadcasted blind tests, is not a deal breaker, and can be assuaged and managed with advertising. In this sense endorsement deals help. Likewise, word of mouth can be a powerful form of endorsement from ordinary players who become customers as well. In other words, this problem of quality perception is not really a major problem, assuming that the right marketing interventions are implemented in the context of a holistic marketing plan for all of MMG (Finnbogason). The table on pricing reveals that the two Summer Wages models have thinner margins than the premium Signature Dreadnaught model, which has a margin of 40 percent. The two basic models sell at $799 for the Tofino model and $899 for the Dionisio model, with margins at 30 percent and 35 percent respectively. In terms of sales contribution currently the premium model accounts for 50 percent of sales, and the latter two models 40 percent and 10 percent respectively. All of the models are substantially cheaper than respective competing models from other makers. On the other hand, the new product launch would make the sales mix different from the ab ove status quo, with the new mahogany-based dreadnaught model taking market share from the premium line and from the Dionisio line, to take up 25 percent of all revenues,

Is the long predicted elimination of middlemen (as opposed to the Essay

Is the long predicted elimination of middlemen (as opposed to the substitution of one type of middleman for another) on the horizon - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to determine whether or not the long predicted elimination of middlemen (as opposed to the substitution of one type of middleman for another) on the horizon. The main function of a middleman in this context would be to maintain an inventory of goods and distribute it to retailers. For instance a grocery warehouse can serve as a middleman between the food manufacturers and retail grocery stores. The grocery stores actually purchase their food in bulk from the grocery warehouse, whereas the grocery warehouse has already taken care of ordering the various types of food from the manufacturers themselves and having them on hand. This makes purchasing large varieties and volumes of food easier, faster, and cheaper for retail grocery stores. Another example of a middleman would be website that sells airline tickets and travel packages, such as Travelocity. The website would serve as a middleman between the airline and the customer. Customers find this arrangement convenient since they can shop various airlines at once for the best prices and even purchase additional travel items all in one spot. There are three types of middlemen that facilitate the flow of goods and services from the manufacturer to the customer. These are merchant middlemen, agents, and facilitators (Citeman Network, 2008). Who would assume responsibility for certain functions if middlemen were eliminated depends entirely upon where that middleman exists. For instance, in the grocery warehouse example above, the retail grocery store would be responsible for ordering their food from various different manufacturers if their middlemen were eliminated. In the travel example, customers would have to purchase tickets directly from the airlines if their middlemen were eliminated. The two main places that people shop and purchase are in person and online. In person shopping is performed during physical store hours and online shopping can be performed around the clock from the convenience of anywhere an Internet connection is available. The collection of information on existing, potential, and prospective customers by manufacturers will change if middlemen are eliminated from the channel. The manufacturers would then be selling directly to the consumers themselves instead of to wholesalers and retailers. Customers search for information about products and prices and changes in the distribution of the products they purchase. This is typically done via the Internet. Customers also use circulars and newspapers, as well as coupons, to shop around for the best price. Word of mouth is also a popular means by which customers learn information of this type (Marxists, 2008). There are differences between convenience, shopping, and sought goods/services and elimination of middlemen will not likely occur for one or more of those categories of goods/services. Even though people are always saying that eliminating the middlemen will result in huge savings, this has not been the case. They are simply too convenient. Manufacturers have an easier time selling to companies than they do millions of individual customers, whereas customers are attracted to one-stop shopping and do not want to go all over the place to find the best deal. Some sellers expect consumers to shop in their "brick n' mortar" stores, and these businesses

Reflection on christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection on christianity - Essay Example Loving the Lord God with all the heart, mind and soul is expounded in the law given to Moses where people are supposed to honor God first and foremost. Making graven images for people to worship is an act of dishonor to the God who made all things therefore, God commanded against it. Moreover, God teaches the people not to dishonor Him with their words but to praise Him with their lips instead and also to follow his footsteps, resting on the The second greatest commandment on the other hand encompasses the other commandments in the Law of Moses. It instructs the people how they are supposed to show their love and respect to each other by not murdering, slandering, nor committing adultery. The commandments do not just mention respecting people but it also tells them to regard what they own with respect by not coveting their neighbor’s house, wife, menservants and maidservants as well as his other belongings. Since undoubtedly, everyone would want to be loved, the second commandment simply says to love other people as one would love

Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Interview - Essay Example Adding to it was the way they are formulated in different forms like Tablets, Capsules, Syrups, Injectables, and so on. I always questioned the Doctors, Pharmacists, and my parents about this wonderful land of remedies, to calm the wondering mind full of artistic science. In today’s world, which is rightly turning into a global village, information is easily accessible. Information on drugs in public domain has impacted numerous facets of medicine usage and patient safety. As a responsible citizen, a pharmacist certainly adds significant value to educate and alert the patients about the outcomes of drug therapy programs. I like Science, and have a passion to help people. Being good at management, I prefer engaged with a job that gives opportunity to interact with people on a regular basis. It gives quite a flexible career and tremendous job openings, where one has an opportunity to pursue a diverse career as Hospital pharmacist, Community Pharmacist, Primary care specialist, a dvisor, and an industrial or academic pharmacist. To me, Pharmacy has been academically challenging, even more than the medicine courses. As mentioned earlier, it is getting more interesting with recent developments in drug discovery sciences, and I would like to be a part of this important journey. The ultimate goal for me is to improve the quality of life by contributing actively to the society as whole, and I believe, it is a logical step to achieve this by pursuing a career in Pharmacy. Pharmacy is changing at a rapid pace, which has thrown open new challenges and opportunities for the budding potential pharmacists. The demands of specialist care within hospital, the increasing complexity of drug therapy regime have resulted in innovative business models that has made Hospital pharmacy vital. It is required to stretch the limits of pharmacy practice, for a better patient management. Today, the role of the pharmacist in

Macro Economics Wall Street Journal Article Essay

Macro Economics Wall Street Journal Article - Essay Example It could not however be fully associated with higher future income or enrollment in schools (Da Costa ‘Wall Street Journal’). The lives and welfare of these disadvantaged groups in America were however changed for the better. The macroeconomic value of the ‘Summer Jobs Program for the Poor Youth’ is closely linked to the economic theories of Business Cycles and Unemployment. Investing in the summer jobs programs for the disadvantaged youths led to changes in the cycles of business and unemployment in America. Unemployment, which is a major factor affecting the young population in America is significantly reduced as more youths get opportunities for employment. Increased income and savings will see more young people venture into individual business investments. Resultantly, more cycles of business will arise. The underlying assumption is that by being part of the active production, these disadvantaged youths lower their risks of imprisonment and death. Lowered cases of imprisonment and mortality imply an increased labor force provided by the prime-aged population and hence higher productivity. The economy’s business cycles and unemployment trends will, therefore, be

Regenerative medicine Essay Example for Free

Regenerative medicine Essay Regenerative medicine Is the process of replacing or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function. It can be used for many things by many different techniques. It can benefit many different people in many different ways. Regenerative medicine replaces/repairs tissues that the body cannot repair on its own. This includes things such as organs like kidneys; if one needs to be removed we may be able to replace/repair It. Regenerative medicine can save lives and be a lot more useful than average people may think it Is. Using state of the arc technology we may be able to prevent organ transplant rejection due to the fact that we can grow the organ from the patients owns cells/tissue. Current estimates say that approximately one in three Americans can benefit from regenerative medicine. Stem cells are used a lot in regenerative medicine. The stem cells are what are used to create the organ in the lab. The scientists first take the stem cells and place them and a model for them to grow on. Once the stem cells have grown and formed tissues around the mold they add what the organ needs to do its function. They then end electrical signals to bring the organ to life, like a heartbeat, almost as if they are reviving it. This has the potential of saving millions of lives in the long run, maybe even billions, or eventually trillions if mankind last that long. Of course technology will advance and there will be dfferent techniques and approaches for regenerative medlclne, but technology Is developing faster than ever in the past 100 years, so we may not be as far away from achieving great things as you might think. Say someone needs a new bladder, but no bladders that match them are currently available. Well with regenerative medicine we can create a new bladder in a hopefully short period of time with the tissues and cells of the person who needs the bladder. Therefor there will be no shortage of organs and no problems regarding the body rejecting the organ anyways. The only downside of this Is that growing tissues and cells takes time. So, If the patient needs a new bladder Immediately, growing one will not be an opuon because It will not grow fast enough In time for the person to live. But I see that there are three solutions. Solution one is that people could regularly visit their octor to be sure nothing is wrong, so if something is wrong we may be able to notice it before Its too late. Solution two is that in the future we can only hope that technology will be advanced enough for us to speed up the growth of these tissues, this will help In situations where the patients does not have a lot of time. The third solution Is that If we have the materials needed, we could eventually create enough organs with enough different tissues that nine times out of ten, one of the organs will match. I believe that any of these three solutions could work, but they ingredient to chieving this is time and effort. This is why I feel like more people should be choosing careers in science. It is very interesting and can help benefit all humans on the plant in the long run. So If more people worked with regenerative medicine who knows what the limits could be. Fasclnatlon wltn ty to regenerate tlssues ana organs nas exlstea slnce mankind first realized that it is possible (This was thousands of years ago, even though they couldnt really do anything and the term regenerative medicine was not used). Long before the term Regenerative Medicine was came up with, humans were ealizing the effects and capabilities of medicinal intervention. The Ancient Civilizations of Sameria, Egypt, China, India, and South America all pioneered medical discoveries and techniques that still impact the field today. Practices that we take for granted, such as cleansing and debridement of wounds using vegetable and mineral concoctions were common. Hundreds of scientists and philosophers over thousands of years have worked to establish our current technologies. The early 1800s saw a huge expansion in the fields of biology and medicine when scientists revealed that all ife depends on chemical reactions that occur within cells, which could, in fact, be reproduced in the laboratory. The discovery and official introduction of antibiotics by Alexander Flemming in 1928 changed the field of health-care forever. Followed shortly after by the discovery of cell division and heritability in the form of a helical, ladder-like structure, called DNA, science was geared to bring a whole other ball game. These discoveries meant that human biology and the systems contained within could now be brought into and manipulated in the laboratory. As the turn of he 20th century hit, previously mystical processes of life science finally become tangible. Regenerative medicine has grown from prior activities including surgery, surgical implants (artificial hips), and increasingly sophisticated bio-material scaffolds (skin grafts). The work that truly launched regenerative medicine into a tangible area of science began as cell therapy. Work in the field of transplantation in the mid-1950s gave rise to some of the first therapeutic surgeries in medicine. Performed on identical twins, the first kidney transplant occurred in 1954 followed by he first liver and lung transplants in 1963, pancreas transplant in 1966, and the first heart transplant in 1967. Bone marrow transplants for treatment of leukemia patients had the public and scientific communities in an uproar of excitement. Following this wave of enthusiasm, cell biologists began to question the capabilities of the integrity of the tissues being transplanted and wondered whether it was possible to create, grow, and harvest these tissues in the laboratory. Thus began the era of Tissue Engineering which has lead us into the field of Regenerative Medicine. Cell therapy is a therapy in which cellular material is injected into a patient. Cell therapy originated in the nineteenth century when scientists experimented by injecting animal material in an attempt to prevent and treat illness. Although such attempts produced no positive benefit, further research found in the mid twentieth century showed that human cells could be used to help prevent the human body rejecting transplanted organs, leading in time to successful bone marrow transplantation. Today two distinct categories of cell therapy are recognized. The first ategory is cell therapy in mainstream medicine. This is the subject of intense research and the basis of potential therapeutic benefit. Such research, especially when it involves human embryonic material, is controversial. The second category is in alternative medicine, and perpetuates the practice of injecting animal materials in an attempt to cure disease. This practice, according to the American Cancer Society, Is not DacKea Dy any mealcal evidence 0T erectlveness, ana can nave aea01y consequences.

Mr. Mallards Story of an Hour Essay Example for Free

Mr. Mallards Story of an Hour Essay Experimental procedures where destined to be made about the emotion filled story, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin. The story details Mrs. Mallard’s situation about how she feels about her husband and the result when she finds that he is not dead. Kate Chopin does a great job telling the reader Mrs. Mallard’s feeling’s, but not at all tells the reader about Mr. Mallard’s point of view. I will be creating a point of view for Mr. Mallard to try and get a better understanding of what could have been the situation between the two. Since the very day I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the one for me. Her beautiful smile and her ecstatic personality made me come to realize that, I had to claim what was spiritually mine. Her name was Louis, a creative and ambitious young woman. All throughout my days of monitoring her every motion, I gained the courage to grow out of my shy state, and make my approach towards her. So from that point on we started engaging in conversation and growing closer to each other day after day. It seemed as if time had flown by faster than it had ever done before in my life. It came to the point that I loved this woman so much; all of my hard earned money I made from my small job down at the local grocery store in town, I took it upon myself to buy a wedding ring. So then I asked her for her hand in marriage, and ever so joyously she replied with such excitement in her voice, yes! Immediately, tears started rolling down my face and all of my best memories were erased, in storing the special memory that took place that very day. We had a simple but elegant wedding ceremony in the local chapel that she and I were both attending previously. â€Å"Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, I now pronounce you husband and wife. The moment I heard those very words, is when I knew I had accomplished my life goal at being happy. She had gone all around town screaming to her family that she is married now and that she will forever be happy for as long as she lives. I took it that we would always be united as one, and that nothing could ever come between the love we both shared. Several years went past and Louise and I seemed to be doing very well in our marriage. I had given her all of me and it seemed that she had given me all of her as well, but I would get an internal feeling that she was not happy in our marriage. Adding up reasons of why she may be unhappy with how things were going, it just did not seem to add up. It had dawned upon me that maybe she did not want to be with me anymore. Personality wise, she had become the total opposite. Before we got married she was kind, passionate, and had a smile that was golden; then she started to grow silent and mean towards me and others around her. For a while I blamed myself for reasons that seemed to be undeserving, and thought that I mistreated her in some unknown way. Unfortunately, Louise was found to have a very bad heart problem and often times she would blame me for her misfortune. As a caring man I would just accept the blame and try to do anything possible to try to make her forget about the condition and live her life fully. My plan always appeared to not succeed and I grew tired of the mistreatment that I clearly did not deserve. I took matters into my own hands and came up with a plan that would determine just how much she felt about me. I came across the daily paper and read about a local railroad disaster that left a number of people dead and injured. My good friend Richards was the side kick in the situation, I had him tell Louise’s sister, Josephine, that my name was on the death list and that she should tell Louise immediately. After receiving notice that my plan was fulfilled, I began to observe Louise’s reactions towards the situation. I hid in the main bedroom closet in a secret passage way that I created for emergency situations years ago. I heard Louise come in crying and sobbing about the news, I became excited that she was crying over my so called death and I felt that she did still love me very much. Hours went past and I became comfortable with the results that I got in my little experiment, but little did I know, Louise became happy with my death and stated that she was â€Å"free† numerous times to herself really loud and joyously. Very confused I asked myself how she switched feelings so quickly and how could she be happy about the situation. She would talk to herself very in-depth about how her life is now that she is independent and fantasizing about all of the days and years to herself that she wanted for so long. I felt so crushed inside because I had given her any and everything that she could possibly want. I took care of her when she was sick, made all of her wishes come true, and took it upon myself to do anything to make her smile. Why she would treat me this way, I asked myself over and over until I became fed up with it. When Louise went to the bathroom I snuck over to Richards’s house and told him what all I found out about and wanted to give her the news that I was not dead. Richards and I walked over back to the house to tell Louise that I was mistakenly put on the death list, and that I was indeed very much alive. I waited outside and let Richards go in the house first to make the plan free of suspicion and got ready to make my approach inside. Boom Boom! My heart was beating very loudly as I was nervous to go inside. I opened the door and Josephine is first to see me; she screams very loudly in shock of my appearance. Richards tries very hard to prevent Louise from seeing me, but was too late in the action. Louise dropped to the floor immediately and had no sign of life in her. I ran to her to see if she was ok holding her very tight, screaming for someone to call the doctor. The doctor arrived within twenty minutes, after only observing her for five minutes he pronounced her dead due to a heart attack. Tears ran down my face as if someone had poured a bucket of water on my head. I began to feel guilty for her death thinking maybe she would still be alive if I had never made that stupid plan in the first place. Thought maybe if I had known how she really felt, I would have just let her be free from me and live her life happily instead of me standing in her way. I learned a very important lesson that day; things in life should not be taken for granted no matter how much you want it to go your way.

History of Wine and History of Wine Making Processes

History of Wine and History of Wine Making Processes Introduction Wine is one of the oldest things in history. It was part of the history since the pharaohs existence and it is still to these days. Wine was consumed for several reasons such as rituals, religious purposes, or just for the love of it. This research will discuss the general history of wine, where the first grapes were trodden, a general history of wine making, the process of making wines, classification of wines and different point of views of wine from different people. This will answer the question: What does one need to know about wine? Wine making has been around for thousands of years. It has been used for at least 4,500 years. Egyptian records dating from 2500 BC refer to the use of grapes for wine making (â€Å"The Wine Making Process† 2008). The first wines seem to have originated in the Middle East. In the Old Testament, there are also frequent references to wine. In its basic form, wine making is a natural process that requires very little human intervention. Mother Nature provides everything that is needed to make wine; â€Å"it is up to humans to embellish, improve, or totally eradicate what nature has provided, to which anyone with extensive wine tasting experience can attest† (â€Å"The Wine Making Process† 2008). There are five basic components or steps to making wine: harvesting, crushing and pressing, fermentation, clarification, and aging and bottling (â€Å"The Wine Making Process† 2008). Undoubtedly, one can find endless deviations and variations along the way. In fact, it is the variants and little deviations at any point in the process that make life interesting. They also make each wine unique and ultimately contribute to the greatness or embarrassment of any particular wine. What One Needs to Know About Wine Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from the juice of grapes. During fermentation, the yeasts digest sugars found in fruit juice, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide gas in the process. Although grapes are the most common fruit used to make wine, wine is also made from the fermented juice of pears, apples, berries, and even flowers such as dandelions (Gabler 2003). Wine naturally contains about 85 to 89 percent water, 10 to 14 percent alcohol, less than 1 percent fruit acids, and hundreds of aroma and flavor components in very small amounts. Wine character is derived from many factors including the grapes it is made from, where they were grown, and the production techniques applied by the wine maker (Anderson 1989). The practice of making wine is as old as our most ancient civilizations, and wine has played a central role in human culture for more than 8,000 years. In contrast to most foods and beverages that spoil quickly or that can spread disease, wine does not spoil if stored properly. The alcohol in wine which is called ethanol, is present in sufficient concentrations to kill disease-causing microorganisms, and throughout history, â€Å"wine was often safer to drink than water or milk† (McGovern 2003). This property was so significant that before the connection between microorganisms, poor sanitation, and disease was understood, ancient civilizations regarded wine as a gift from the gods because it protected against disease. The earliest scientific evidence of grapes is the fossil vines. In the Old Testament of the Bible, Noah planted a vineyard and made wine (McGovern 2003). As cultivated fermentable crops, honey and grain are older than grapes. Wine and history have greatly influenced one another. History of Wine Wine was discovered by accident as a natural phase of grape spoilage. It has been established that by about 4000 BC, grape cultivation and wine drinking had started (McGovern 2003). The first developments were around the Caspian Sea and in Mesopotamia. There are also some texts found in tombs which prove that wine has been used in ancient Egypt. Priests and royalty were using wine during ceremonies, while beer was drunk by the workers. The Egyptians developed the first arbors and pruning methods (Hurley 2005). Archeological excavations have uncovered many sites with sunken jars, and this gave researchers the idea that ancient people have known that temperature had effect on stored wine (â€Å"Wine History† 2008). The spread of the Greek civilization started the wine origin in Europe. â€Å"Homers Odyssey and Iliad both contain excellent and detailed descriptions of wine† (Arkell 2006). Wine was an important article of Greek commerce and Greek doctors (i.e. Hippocrates). The Greeks also learned to add herbs and spices to mask spoilage. Starting at about 1000 BC, the Romans made major contributions in classifying grape varieties and colors, observing and charting ripening characteristics, identifying diseases and recognizing soil-type preferences (â€Å"Wine History† 2008). They became skilled at pruning and increasing yields through irrigation and fertilization techniques. They also developed wooden cooperage which is a great advance for wine storage which had previously been done in skins or jars. They may also have been the first to use glass bottles. The Process of Wine-Making Wine is the product of the fermentation by yeast of grape juice or grape must which is a grape juice that still contains the fruits skins and seeds. Once the grape sugar has been completely consumed, fermentation is complete, and wine has been produced. Enology is the science that deals with wine making. The basic production elements of wine are simple, manipulation of the grapes, juice or must, and wine to produce the desired combination of flavors and aromas which is very difficult. Many recognize this process as an art form. Wine makers try to optimize production of specific aromas and flavors that is described with terms like cherry, chocolate, and vanilla; and minimize the formation of negative flavors and aromas that is described as wet dog, plastic, and rotten egg. It is also important that the wine acids and alcohol are balanced. If the wine is too acidic, the wine may taste sour. If the ethanol level is too high, the wine will have a strong taste of alcohol. Harvesting The single most important factor that contributes to a wines character is the grapes that are used. Grapes influence the wines flavor, alcohol content, acidity, and even its color. White wine, which is actually straw to golden-yellow in color, is produced from white grapes, and red wine is produced from red grapes. Red and white wine production is basically the same except for one primary difference: the presence of the grape skins during fermentation. White grapes are crushed and the juice separated from the skins prior to fermentation. Red wine is fermented with the grape skins. Red pigments that are called anthocyanins and other compounds in the grape skins are extracted during the fermentation process to divulge the characteristic red color of the wine as well as other features (â€Å"The Wine Making Process† 2008). A blush or rose wine is light pink in color and is produced from red grapes not fermented with the skins. A little pigment is released when the red grapes are crushed, but not to the same extent as during fermentation. Crushing and Processing In modern wine production, the grapes are harvested from the vineyards and taken to a winery where they are passed through a machine called a destemmer-crusher that separates the fruit from the stems and cracks the berries open to release the juice (â€Å"The Wine Making Process† 2008). To make white wine, the must is transferred to a press where pressure is applied to separate the juice from the skins. The amount of pressure used influences what flavor compounds are extracted from the skins. After pressing, the white juice without the skins is transported to a fermentation tank. In red wine production, the must from the crusher is transferred directly to a tank for fermentation. Fermentation The containers used for fermentation are mostly stainless steel or wood. The type of container used and the temperature of fermentation influence the characters of the wine. Many of the aroma components of wine are volatile that is, they leave the wine by evaporation. This evaporation occurs faster at higher temperatures, so to retain fruity characters in the wine the temperature of fermentation must be controlled, usually by direct cooling of the fermentation tanks (â€Å"The Wine Making Process† 2008). Stainless steel is much easier to cool than wood and is preferred for temperature-crucial fermentation. Clarification The wine maker may allow fermentation to proceed relying only on the yeast naturally present on the grape skins and in the winery equipment or the wine maker may add extra yeast in a process known as inoculation. Two yeast species are used in fermentation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Saccharomyces bayanus (â€Å"The Wine Making Process† 2008). Yeast is responsible for the presence of positive but also negative aroma characters in wine. For example, when yeast is under stress it produces a compound called hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs. To avoid this undesirable quality, a wine maker may add nutrients to the fermentation tank. The duration of fermentation also influences wine character. Other naturally occurring microorganisms may grow in the must or juice, affecting the flavors and aromas of the finished wine. For example, lactic acid bacteria use the acids in wine as a source of energy, reducing the wines acidity. These bacteria also produce other aromas and are responsible for the buttery smells that can be found in wine. Sometimes the wine maker restricts the growth of lactic acid bacteria, especially if the wine is already low in acidity or if the buttery character would clash with other aromas of the wine. The acetobacter which is â€Å"another type of bacteria can spoil the wine by converting ethanol to acetic acid to make vinegar† (â€Å"The Wine Making Process† 2008). When fermentation is complete, red wine is separated from the stems and grape skins by passing it through a press. Both red and white wines appear cloudy after fermentation, and the wine maker must wait for the yeast and other solids to settle to the bottom of the fermentation tank, forming sediment called the lees (Warrick 2006). The clear wine is racked or drawn off the lees and stored in a clean cask. In a process called fining, the wine maker may further clarify the wine by adding ingredients that attract unwanted particles, such as proteins that can cause cloudiness. These added ingredients settle to the bottom and can be easily removed. Aging and Bottling After fermentation, the wine maker has to decide how the wine will be aged. Aging of wine significantly affects the flavors and aromas present, and several different techniques are used. For example, wine aged in oak barrels picks up some flavor and aroma characters from the oak wood, a very desirable quality in some wines. A wine may be aged under conditions encouraging the loss of some of the fruity, volatile compounds, producing a wine rich in other characters, such as spicy or toasted flavors. Air exposure during aging can cause the phenolic wine compounds, extracted from grape skins and seeds, to combine with each other, producing large chemical compounds called â€Å"tannins† (â€Å"The Wine Making Process† 2008). Over time the tannins become so large that they form reddish-brown sediment in the bottle. This reduces wine bitterness and astringency. The length of time a wine is aged before it is bottled determines the extent to which these reactions occur. Once the wine has been aged, it is ready to be put into bottles, where it may continue to slowly age for many years. The Components of Wine The tannins are a component of a wine that is derived from the pips, skins and stalks of grapes. They are vitally important if a wine is intended to age, as they are a natural preservative. The tannins give structure and backbone to the wine (Robinson 2001). Tannins are of more importance in the ageing of red wines rather than white. The tannins act as a preservative, and as they fade over many years, the simple, primary fruit flavors have time to develop into the more complex flavors that are found in fine, aged wines (â€Å"The Components of Wine† 2008). As like with fruits, wines need acidity. Some acids, such as tartaric acid, are known as volatile acids, and in small amounts these can really lift the flavors in the wine. Too much, and the wine begins to resemble furniture polish, acetone or even vinegar (Robinson 2001). â€Å"Higher acidity denotes a wine from a cooler region, such as Northern France, England or New Zealand while low acid wines come from countries with warmer weather, such as Australia, where acidity in the harvested grapes is often low enough to warrant chemical acidification† (â€Å"The Components of Wine† 2008). Alcohol is the product of fermentation of the natural grape sugars by yeasts, and without it wine simply doesnt exist. The amount of sugar in the grapes determines what the final alcohol level will be. The conversion of sugar to alcohol is such a vital step in the process of making wine, that the control of fermentation is the focus of much of the attention of the modern winemaker. Fermentation generates heat, and a cool, controlled fermentation will result in very different flavors in the wine when compared with wines where fermentation is allowed to run riot (â€Å"The Components of Wine† 2008). The level of sugar in the wine determines how sweet it tastes. Even wines that taste very dry have some degree of residual sugar.Most dry wines have less than 2g/L of sugar, although levels of up to 25g/L may be present in wines which still taste dry due to the presence of acidity and tannin alongside the sugar (â€Å"The Components of Wine† 2008). The greater the amount of residual sugar in wine, the sweeter it taste. Many wines are matured in oak barrels, and some are even fermented in oak. Oak from different sources will impart different characteristics on the wine, but in general oak maturation gives aromas of butter, toffee, caramel, vanilla, spice and butterscotch. It all depends on how much oak is used, how much of it is new as opposed to re-used, how long the wine stays in contact with the wood, whether the wine is merely aged in oak or whether the fermentation takes place in it, how the oak has been treated, and so on. For instance, barrels that have been toasted, which means the cooper has formed them around a small fire, often burning the oak shavings he has produced in the manufacturing process, will have aromas of smoke and toast (â€Å"The Components of Wine† 2008). Barrels that have been steamed during manufacture, however, may give more oatmeal aromas. Although grapes affected by Botrytis look terrible, discolored and shriveled, they are the starting point for making some fabulous wines. The Botrytis has the effect of reducing water content in the grapes, concentrating the grape sugars. The quantity of wine is thus reduced, one reason touted for the cost of these bottles. Another is the need for careful selection of botrytis-affected grapes, requiring large numbers of pickers making numerous passes through the vineyard during the harvest weeks (â€Å"The Components of Wine† 2008). The wine that results has a rich, luscious texture, with sweet, concentrated fruit flavors. In many wines, the yeasts themselves are the cause of certain flavors. When a wine has completed fermentation it remains cloudy and contaminated with dead yeast cells. Many different techniques are employed to clarify the wine. Wines that remain on the lees for a long time, however, will take on extra richness and texture, with bread-like, biscuit-like aromas. The Classification of Wine Wines are categorized using a number of different methods. Sometimes they are grouped into different categories by grape variety, region of origin, by color, by the name of the wine maker or viticulturalist, or by production technique. Three basic groups of wines are most easily distinguishable for the consumer: table wines, sparkling wines, and fortified wines. Table Wines Table wines which are also known as still or natural wines are produced in many different styles and make up the majority of wines on the market. Traditionally consumed as part of a meal, table wines contain between 10 and 14 percent alcohol and are further classified by their color, sugar content, and the variety and origin of the grapes that were used (Parker 2002). Depending on the grape variety and wine-making technique, wines can be white, red, or pink in color. Most table wines are fermented until they are dry that is, all the grape sugar has been turned to alcohol by the yeast. Slightly sweet or off-dry wines are made by stopping the fermentation before all the sugar is gone or by adding grape juice back to the wine afterwards. In wine-producing regions outside of Europe, particularly California and Australia, table wines are often classified by the grape variety they are made from. At least 75 percent of the grapes used to produce the wine must be of the named grape variety. Chardonnay, for example, is wine made from at least 75 percent chardonnay grapes. Wines classified this way are sometimes called varietals, and include wines such as Riesling, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot (â€Å"A Brief History of Wine† 2004). The traditional European classification system puts more emphasis on the region—or appellation—where the wine is from. The French system of Appellation dOrigine Contrà ´là ©e labels wines based on their geographical pedigree (â€Å"A Brief History of Wine† 2004). The most renowned wine-producing regions in France, and possibly the world, are Burgundy, in central France, and Bordeaux, a region on the southwestern coast of the country. Bordeaux maintains a famous geographical classification system for some of its viticulture areas, dating back to the year 1855. Bordeaux ranks its best wineries, called chà ¢teaux, and their vineyards—crus, into five classes called grand crus. The highest class, called premier grand crus, is still held by only five wineries: Chà ¢teau Margaux, Chà ¢teau Latour, Chà ¢teau Mouton-Rothschild and Chà ¢teau Lafitte-Rothschild in Pauillac, plus Chà ¢teau Haut-Brion in Graves (â€Å"A Brief History of Wine† 2004). Wine s from these vineyards in France are considered to be among the highest-quality wines in the world. Altogether, France produces about 600 million cases of table wine each year. The French Appellation dOrigine Contrà ´là ©e system has been adopted by most other wine-producing countries. In addition to the primary grape variety used to make the wine, American wineries use a tag on their wine bottle labels called Appellation of Origin to indicate where the grapes were grown. An appellation can be a country, state, county, or geographically defined American Viticulture Area (AVA) (â€Å"A Brief History of Wine† 2004). At least 85 percent of the grapes used to produce the wine must be from the viticulture area stated on the label. The United States currently recognizes more than 130 AVAs, distinguishable by geographical features. The largest growing region in the United States, California, has at least 75 AVAs, including the Napa and Sonoma valleys (â€Å"A Brief History of Wine† 2004). About 150 million cases of table wine are produced in the United States each year. Sparkling Wines Sparkling wine is made from table wine that has undergone a second fermentation. The wine maker adds a measured amount of sugar and fresh yeast to the dry wine. This can happen in a closed tank, or directly in the bottle, which is the way the most famous sparkling wine, French champagne, is produced. The yeast ferments the added sugar, but this time the carbon dioxide gas remains in the sealed bottle, creating carbonation. When the sparkling wine is poured into a glass, it produces the gas bubbles to the surface. Under the Appellation dOrigine Contrà ´là ©e system, only sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region of northeastern France can officially use the name champagne (â€Å"A Brief History of Wine† 2004). Sparkling wines produced in all other regions of the world, even those produced using the traditional champagne method, are simply referred to as sparkling wines. About 13 million cases of sparkling wine are produced in the United States each year. Fortified Wines Fortified wines contain additional alcohol and are usually consumed in small amounts as aperitifs before meals or dessert wines after a meal. Popular examples are port and sherry. In port wine making, which originated in Portugal, the grapes are crushed and the fermentation started but then stopped by the addition of more alcohol, which kills the yeast. The resulting wine is sweet and has an alcohol content that is 5 to 10 percent higher than table wine. Originally from Spain, sherry is made by adding alcohol to a young dry wine in an oak barrel intentionally filled only halfway. Special yeasts called flour yeast grow on the surface of the wine and create the distinct nutty flavor characteristic of sherry (â€Å"A Brief History of Wine† 2004). About 8 million cases of fortified wines are produced in the United States each year. Brandy is made from wine but is classified as distilled liquor, not as wine. Brandy is distilled from wine to concentrate the alcohol in the wine. To make a distillate, wine is heated in an enclosed copper pot until it boils and the alcohol evaporates (â€Å"A Brief History of Wine† 2004). The alcoholic vapor passes through a coiled pipe where it is cooled down until it forms a liquid again, or condenses. After distillation the brandy is aged. Bottled brandy typically contains 40 percent alcohol and has been aged in oak barrels for several years. The Uses of Wine Wine is a popular and important beverage that accompanies and enhances a wide range of European and Mediterranean-style cuisines, from the simple and traditional to the most sophisticated and complex. Red, white and sparkling wines are the most popular, and are also known as light wines, because they only contain approximately 10-14% alcohol. The apà ©ritif and dessert wines contain 14-20% alcohol, and are fortified to make them richer and sweeter than the light wines (â€Å"Uses of Wine† 2006). Wine has been used in religious ceremonies in many cultures and the wine trade is of historical importance for many regions. Libations often included wine, and the religious mysteries of Dionysus are usually thought to have used wine as an entheogen (â€Å"Uses of Wine† 2006). In the New Testament, it states that Jesus very first miracle was to turn water into wine while in the Old Testament; it states that the fermentation of grapes was known by Noah after the great flood. Wine remains an essential part of the Eucharistic rites in the Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican denominations of Christianity (Parker 2002). Wine Professions Since wines had been around for thousand years, the following are the professions that are matched with the process of wine making (â€Å"Professions† 2006). A cooper is someone who makes wooden barrels, casks, and other similar wooden objects; a nà ©gociant is a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers, and sells them under his own name; a vintner is a wine merchant or producer; a sommelier is a person in a restaurant who specializes in wine. They are usually in charge of assembling the wine list, staff education and making wine suggestions to customers. A winemaker is a person who makes wine; an oenologist is a wine scientist who is often referred to as a winemaker; and a viticulturist is a person who specializes in the science of the grapevines themselves. He can also be someone who manages a vineyard (decides how to prune, how much to irrigate, how to deal with pests, etc.) (â€Å"Professions† 2006). The Impact of Wine The health effects of wine are the subject of considerable ongoing debate and study. There had been many studies that reveal that wine consumption may reduce mortality due to 10% to 40% lower risk of coronary heart disease. This is because of the compounds known as polyphenols that are found in larger amounts in red wine, and there is some evidence that these are especially beneficial. One particularly interesting polyphenol found in red wine is resveratrol in which numerous beneficial effects have been attributed. Red wine also contains a significant amount of flavors and red anthocyanin pigments that act as antioxidants. With excessive consumption, however, any health benefits are offset by the increased rate of various alcohol-related diseases, primarily cancers of mouth, upper respiratory tract, and ultimately, cirrhosis of liver (â€Å"Medical Implications† 2008). Sulfites are chemicals that occur naturally in grapes and also are added to wine as a preservative. They can trigger a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction in a small percentage of consumers, primarily asthmatics. BIBLIOGRAPHY â€Å"A Brief History of Wine.† Honeycreek Vineyard and Orchard. 2004. Retrieved on May 22, 2008 from: http://www.honeycreek.us/history.htm Anderson, Stanley and Anderson, Dorothy. 1989. â€Å"Winemaking: Recipes, Equipments and Techniques for Making Wine at Home.† Harvest Books Press. 304 pp. Arkell, Julie. â€Å"Wine.† Collins Press. 2006. 192 pp. Gabler, James. â€Å"Wine into Words: A History and Bibliography of Wine Books in the English Language.† Bacchus Press. 2003. 503 pp. Hurley, John. â€Å"A Matter of Taste: A History of Wine Drinking in Britain.† The History press Ltd. 2005. 256 pp. McGovern, Patrick. â€Å"Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture.† Princeton University Press. 2003. 360 pp. â€Å"Medical Implications.† 2006. Retrieved on May 22, 2008 from: http://www.wineandwines.com/perso-23518.htm Parker, Robert. â€Å"The Wine Buyers Guide.† Sixth Edition. Dorling Kindersley Publisher Ltd. 2002. 1648 pp. â€Å"Professions.† 2006. Retrieved on May 22, 2008 from: http://www.wineandwines.com/perso-23618.htm Robinson, Jancis. â€Å"How to Taste: A Guide to Enjoying Wine.† Simon and Schuster. 2001. 208pp. â€Å"The Components of Wine.† Wine Doctor. 2008. Retrieved on May 22, 2008 from: http://www.thewinedoctor.com/advisory/tastecomponents.shtml â€Å"The Wine Making Process.† The Wine Month Club. 2008. Retrieved on May 22, 2008 from: http://www.winemonthclub.com/winemaking.htm â€Å"Uses of Wine.† 2006. Retrieved on May 22, 2008 from: http://www.wineandwines.com/perso-23418.htm Warrick, Sheridan. â€Å"The Way to Make Wine: How to Craft Superb Table Wines at Home.† First Edition. University of California Press. 2006. 267 pp. â€Å"Wine History.† 2008. Retrieved on May 22, 2008 from: http://www.winepros.org/wine101/history.htm

The Chrysalids: Perception is Molded by Environment Essay -- John Wynd

From the point of conception, a child’s feelings and thoughts are incredibly malleable. However, the question remains whether the environment changes our perception. This essay will delve into how perceptions are impacted by a North American lifestyle, and a lifestyle within the fictional world of The Chrysalids. Although a person has the ability to forge his or her own destiny, the environment plays a large part in shaping our perceptions everyday. Many throughout the world consider North America to offer the greatest quality of life. A myriad of nationalities and cultures have joined together resulting in North America being what it is today. This cultural patchwork has resulted in children being raised differently and developing unique perceptions relative to other countries. Variables that work to alter the American perception include family, education, and opportunities. One of the greatest influences on a person lis their family. For the duration of a person’s childhood, the majority of time is spent with family members. A family sustains a child’s livelihood and they work to determine how a child will mature in the hope of sustaining a successful future. Over this period, family members’ opinions and views wear off on the individual, causing a change in perception. Therefore, while maturing as a youth, family members hold a significant influence on sculpting a person’s perception. Another way in which perceptions can be altered is through education. Education is a building block for all of society; it is the foundation that establishes social interaction and it often determines a person’s future success. During the course of schooling and post secondary education, a person is introduced to an array of diffe... ...ths is limited. The result is a community where conventional thinking is readily accepted and rarely challenged. When comparing the North American society with that of the Waknuk society to determine whether the environment shapes our perception, the answer becomes transparent. Our perception is forever changing due to the environment. In everyday life our family, our education, and our opportunities change our perception. We do not know what is right until we learn alternative sources and develop an opinion on life. Through growing up, our family, education and experiences work to persuade our opinions and alter our perception in everything we do. Our perception can be changed through life as we grow, learn new ideas and gain new experiences, but through the duration of our childhood, our perception is molded into an everlasting building block for our future.

The Death of Ivan Ilyich Essay -- Literary Analysis, Tolstoy

In his novella, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Leo Tolstoy satirizes the isolation and materialism of Russian society and suggests that its desensitized existence overlooks the true meaning of life—compassion. Ivan had attained everything that society deemed important in life: a high social position, a powerful job, and money. Marriage developed out of necessity rather than love: â€Å"He only required of it those conveniences—dinner at home, housewife, and bed—which it could give him† (17). Later, he purchased a magnificent house, as society dictated, and attempted to fill it with ostentatious antiquities solely available to the wealthy. However, â€Å"In reality it was just what is usually seen in the houses of people of moderate means who want to appear rich, and therefore succeed only in resembling others like themselves† (22). Through intense characterizations by the detached and omniscient narrator, Tolstoy reveals the flaws of this deeply superfic ial society. Although Ivan has flourished under the standards of society, he fails to establish any sort of connection with another human being on this earth. Tragically, only his fatal illness can allow him to confront his own death and reevaluate his life. He finally understands, in his final breath, that â€Å"All you have lived for and still live for is falsehood and deception, hiding life and death from you† (69). Tolstoy establishes his satire instantly after the death of Ivan through the cruel and selfish reactions of his friends. The death of a friend would normally conjure feelings of grief and compassion, yet for Ivan’s close associates, thoughts of their futures drowned out any thoughts of death. â€Å"So on receiving the news of Ivan Ilych's death the first thought of each of the gentlemen in ... ...nt factors in an individual’s life. Tolstoy suggests that even though most of Russian society has lived similar to Ivan, an opportunity will always exist to redeem oneself of his past greed. Leo Tolstoy argues in The Death of Ivan Ilyich the importance of compassion in life and the pivotal role it plays in allowing an individual to live a truly satisfying life. In his eyes, the Russian nobility did not actually live since their sole priorities were themselves and obtaining possessions. While the poor, on the other hand, understood the importance of their time on this earth and seized every second of it. Although written in the late nineteenth century, Tolstoy’s work continues to apply to American society even today. People continue to isolate themselves from the world and suppress all difficult emotions, believing that their wealth-oriented lives are noble.

Summer of the Mad Monk Essay -- essays research papers

The Summer of The Mad Monk The year is 1936. Philip Tyler is an imaginative, 12-year-old boy. He lives on a farm outside of the small town of Delia in Alberta but their farm is suffering and their lives are suffering because of the Great Depression. They have lived in poverty for as long as he could remember, so he, like many other boys in that time had to be creative and imaginative. School was nearing the end of the year, and he and his best friend Digger had nothing to look forward to. Diggers father had noticed and he gave the boys an old .22 to work on because the barrel was crooked. Pip and Digger had worked on the thing for weeks and when they were done, it looked funny so they carved the handle to look like an old Colt .44. They had so much pride in their, â€Å"homemade† gun. The next thing Pip knew was that they were in town, when Digger took it out to show Pete McKnight. Pip knew this was not a good idea because Pete was known as the town trouble maker. Pete McKnights face was wiped clean of all expression, and he had a look Pip had never seen before on him, a look of raw envy. Pete took the gun, and was playing around with it when he accidentally shot it off and it went whizzing past the town drunks’ head. It noise was so loud that people came running from everywhere. So they threw the gun in a bush and they ran off. But they didn’t get very far before the sheriff caught them. After that, their parents came for the punishment at the town hall. The sheriff said that they would have to destroy the gun. So he gave the gun to the new blacksmith in town to destroy. The blacksmiths name was Raspinsky. There was something very odd about Raspinsky. He had ice blue eyes that could almost hypnotize a person and he walked and talked like he was authority. They said he was from Russia and that he knew very little English. A few days later he and his father had gone to visit a close family friend, Mr.Hewitt. Jack Hewitt always lent Pip books to read because Pip never had any. This week, Jack lent Phillip, â€Å"The Russian Revolution† which was only fourteen years before. Phillip got very caught up in the book and he started realizing that the Tsars family doctor, Rasputin, had seemed to remind him a lot of Raspinsky. Rasputin was a monk who gave aid to the tsar of Russia family, but many thought that he was evil because he could heal people telep... ... that his parent’s property was right across the road from theirs. So he left the horse there, and he crossed the road trying to feel for their fence. When he found it, a burst of relief overtook him! He followed the fence all the way to his house and he scrambled into the front door. He must have been covered in what felt like a foot of dust on him! He went and took a bath in the wash bucket and then went to the nice comfort of his bed. He had a dreamless sleep and in the morning, he went and filled some canteens. He then went for his horse and then again took off for the cave. When he got there, he was happy to see that Raspinsky wasn’t badly covered in dust. He was happy to see that Phillip brought him some water. When he was replenished, Raspinsky told Pip that he would have to leave the country right away if he were going to escape from the Mounties. Pip was sad but he knew it had to be done. Rasputin mounted Phillips horse and then promised that Pip shall have a good life! Rasputin took for the hills and Phillip waved to him and he waved back. Now Pip had the trouble of getting home, but if it was one thing that Phillip learned it was that nothing is impossible. The End

Sales Report Example

Table of Contents Executive Summary3 Part 1: GSM Personnel Specification4 1. Experience4 2. Qualifications4 3. Required skills5 Part 2: Key issues and Recommendations6 1. Introduction6 2. Key issues6 2. 1 Motivation and job satisfaction6 2. 2 Recruitment and selection7 2. 3 Training and development7 2. 4 Key account management8 2. 5 Sales team structure8 3. Conclusion9 4. Recommendations10 4. 1 Change the reward system10 4. 2 Set up the formal recruitment and selection process11 4. 3 Set up a standardized training11 4. 4 Restructure the sales team with the new role of KAM13 . 5 Action Plan15 4. 6 Expected Outcomes16 5. Limitations17 6. Bibliography18 7. Appendices19 7. 1 The recruitment process19 7. 2 Sales people calculation19 Executive Summary The report is divided in two parts. The first part ‘Personnel Specification’ is aimed to identify the required main skills areas of the new GSM. Those are: * Five to eight years sales experience and management; * University degre e of business or marketing management; * Excellent and proven communication skills and interpersonal skills; * Ability to reate a work environment and culture to stimulate individual’s development and motivation; * Ability to negotiate and high levels in numeracy and literacy skills; * Personal traits: high motivation, ambition in sales, enthusiasm, full commitment, and ability to work under high pressure. The second part, which is the most important part of this report, consists two main sections: key issues and recommendations. The key issues have been identified through analyzing our current company’s situations and related theories.Those key issues are: * Low motivation and decreasing job satisfaction; * The lack of formal recruitment and selection process; * The lack of quantity and quality in training and development; * The missing role of Key Account Management in the sales operation; * The inappropriate sales team structure. Based on the analysis of key issues, the fully detailed recommendations are provided in the end of this report, following with an Action Plan and expected outcomes. Part 1: GSM Personnel SpecificationAccuClean is in crucial need of a new General Sales Manager, who will be in charge of the sales team in all regions and report directly to the Managing Director, Peter Ward. Our company is facing several leadership problems and lack of focus in sales team. The new GSM is expected to bring the new fresh leadership style and able to manage the sales team in all regions to achieve the highest performance and long-term development. The personnel specification of GSM will be illustrated in details. Experience The new GSM is expected to have at least 7 to 8 years sales experience, preferably in B2B market (CPSA, 2012; Myjobs, 2012; Reed, 2012).The experience in B2B sales market is very important for our company since our customers are ranging from small to large sized companies, and many of them are with us more than ten years. He/she has a minimum of 5 years experience in business management, marketing and sales strategies and planning, and financial oversight (Inc, 2012; Myjobs, 2012). With these experiences, the new GSM is able to diagnose the management problems within our sales operation, and bring in his/ her new approach in leadership style, in order to improve sales team’s performance as well as increase the motivation and satisfaction of sales people.However, we should be very flexible in selecting candidates based on experience. If a candidate had excellent qualifications regarding his/ her education and 2-3 years experienced, we should not exclude him/ her from our shortlist. The requirement of sales experience is likely to cause a problem of excluding potential candidates (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Qualifications The candidate needs to have Bachelor degree of Business or Marketing Management (CPSA, 2012). The university degree is necessary since the good educational background will h elp the new GSM a lot in management.Besides, the combination of education and experience for the GSM position is ideal for long-term development of our sales force. Required skills The new GSM is required to have excellent and proven oral communication skills (Inc, 2012). In addition, the candidate needs to prove his/ her skills in exceptional customer facing and interpersonal skills to enable difficult situations to be overcome successfully (JCT600, 2012). Communication skills are the most crucial qualities of sales people, especially sales manager (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).Furthermore, the new GSM should be able to create a workplace environment and culture that allows all the sales people in the team to develop and excel their jobs (JCT600, 2012). This requirement is essential since the current leadership style in our sales operation does not seem to work very well and need a crucial change and improvement. The potential candidate is able to negotiate effectively and at the hi ghest level together with excellent numeracy skills and literacy skills (JCT 600, 2012). For both short-term and long-term development of our sales force, these skills are necessary.Besides, the most two important basic qualities that a good sales person must have are empathy and ego drive (based on the study of Mayer and Greenberg, 1964, cited in Donaldson, 2007). Empathy is defined as â€Å"the important central ability to feel as the other fellow does in order to be able to sell a product or service† (Donaldson, 2007, p. 60). Ego drive is a desire to want and need to make a sale (Donaldson, 2007). Both of these basic qualities are a must for our potential GSM since in order to be a good sales manager, he/ she should be a good sales person.Last but not least, we are looking for a new GSM with high motivation, ambition in sales, enthusiasm, full commitment, and ability to work under high pressure (Mathews and Redman, 2001, cited in Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Part 2: Key is sues and Recommendations 1. Introduction Part 2 is aimed to illustrate the key issues regarding our sales operation in AccuClean. The analysis based on our current situation and theory is presented for every issue. Recommendations are coming in the end of this report, followed by the Action Plan and expected outcomes.All the key issues and recommendations are ordered according to its priority of taking urgent actions. Key issues 1. 1 2. 1 Motivation and job satisfaction Motivation is â€Å"the amount of effort that a salesperson expends on each activity or task associated with the job† (Donaldson, 2007, p. 230). Many factors are believed to cause positive motivation, such as monetary reward, workload, promotion, degree of recognition, supervisory behaviour, targets, and tasks (based on Adams’s inequity theory, Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).In AccuClean, the first factor that causes the low motivation in the sales team is bonus system, which is perceived by many staffs as unfair. The bonus system in AccuClean is set based on achieving a sales figure above the individual sales target, starting from 5% above target sales with a bonus of 5% basic salary. Last year, only nine sales people out of 71 have been able to achieve the bonus, which gives the evidence about the inappropriate bonus system. In addition, the salary is based on individual negotiations when they joined the company, which might lead to unfairness between individual sales people in the team.According to Vroom’s expectancy theory, it is assumed that â€Å"people’s motivation to exert effort is dependent upon their expectations for success† (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). It means to what extent AccuClean sales people believe by working harder (increase effort), they will achieve 5% above target sales (high expectancy), and that higher sales will lead to higher salary – bonus of 5% of basic salary (high instrumentality), and higher salary is very important for t hem (high valence).Moreover, during the merger, there were several sales staffs left to join competitors, which may result from the lack of motivations. According to Herzberg’s motivation- hygiene theory, working conditions and company policies are two of the hygiene factors, which cause dissatisfaction, thus, lead to low motivation (Donaldson, 2007). Bonus as money is the only type of rewards that is used in AccuClean, nevertheless, there are many more types of rewards that could also be applied, in order to motivate various types of sales people.The suggested bonus system will be illustrated in the recommendation part in the end of this report. 2. 2 Recruitment and selection Bob Carter is in charge of the selection process for new sales people. However, he has no formal system for recruitment and selection as well as no job description. Formal selection process is crucially important to ensure the quality of sales persons, which can have a substantial effect on sales turnov er (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Furthermore, hiring a sales person is very costly, much more than the basic salary.Therefore, selecting the right person for the right position is essential, and can be achieved through setting up a formal selection procedure. Another problem is Carter’s way of selection – ‘he knows a good sales person as soon as he sees one’. This bias can harm the screening process, which is part of the recruitment process (see Appendix 5. 1). Either selecting the wrong person or dropping good persons is costly (Donaldson, 2007). Donaldson defines job description as the roles and duties attached to a specific position in the organization (2007).It is necessary for AccuClean to prepare job descriptions for any new positions in the sales team, to ensure the responsibility of each team members, thus, no role ambiguity can occur. 2. 3 Training and development Training is one way for sales managers to improve the performance of the sales peopl e under their controls, broadly to meet the company objectives (Donaldson, 2007). Training and development for sales people in AccuClean are lacked due to several reasons. Any trainings or development relies on the management style and differs in every ASM.There is no formal training process since Carter believes that sales people learn best ‘on the job’. Indeed, there are many kinds of training, which includes individual on-the-job training as Carter’s opinion (Donaldson, 2007). However, good trainings can also be achieved through company-specific programs that are organized in a standardized and professional manner. The irregular and occasional training sessions, usually occur when introducing new products (currently in AccuClean), might lead to the lack of knowledge about products and new skill practices.As the merger of one cleaning chemicals and the other in cleaning machinery, training should have been taken at the early stage of the merger, in order to sup port sales people in both companies about the company objectives and targets, the knowledge of different and new products, competitors and their products, selling procedure and techniques (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). 2. 4 Key account management Area sales teams are responsible for all accounts regardless their size and importance.The treatment for key accounts, medium-size accounts or small accounts is much dependent on each ASM’s view, its current mix of accounts in the area and experience. There are in fact 21 customers; each has accounts worth over ? 4 million. Those customers are important to our business and need to be prioritized as key accounts since the loss of even one of them would significantly cause a radical drop in sales and profits (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). Key account management seems currently necessary, in order to serve our key customers with special treatment in all areas of marketing, administration, and service (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).In additi on, key account management will help to develop a close relationship between our company as supplier and our customers, in order to enhance the communication and co-ordination between us, thus, create more in-depth penetration of DMU, which includes push and pull opportunities for buying decisions (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). 2. 5 Sales team structure The sales territories of AccuClean, which are merely geographic based, have not been changed since the merger. Geographic structure is traditional and the most widely used type of sales organization in the UK.It has several advantages such as simplicity, shorter journey times, low travel costs, and less potential for conflicts over responsibility (Donaldson, 2007). However, geographic structure has some drawbacks, which might influence to the effectiveness of the sales team and its management. Examples of disadvantages are the need to sell full range, broad expertise needed, and overhead costs for more layers of management evolved (Do naldson, 2007). In order for the sales team to work more productively and better management, it is necessary to make some changes concerning our sales team structure (see Recommendations, section 4).The number of sales people in AccuClean is currently more than necessary, compared to the number of customers. Figure 1 illustrates the current sales people in each ASM as well as the actual needed sales people based on the number of customers in each area. Territory| Number of customers| Current number of sales people| Actual number of sales people| Spare sales people| Midlands| 1973| 26| 18| 8| South| 1545| 22| 14| 8| North| 1196| 16| 11| 5| Scotland/ North Ireland| 499| 7| 5| 2| UK total| 5264| 71| 47*| 24*|Figure 1: Number of Sales people (* approximate number) 1 2 Conclusion Five key issues that have been listed and analyzed above are low motivation and decreasing job satisfaction, informal recruitment and selection process, unstandardized and the lack of regular training, the lack of key account management, and the ineffective sales team structure. Those issues are the most urgent in AccuClean that need to be solved as soon as possible, in order to improve the sales team to work more effectively. Recommendations 4. 1 Change the reward systemBonus (monetary reward), which is the only form of reward using in AccuClean, shows its limitation, therefore, improving the bonus system is crucial. The starting point of 5% should be set lower and dependent on different products and accounts. There should also be other chances to get commission, which can be based on the annual sales revenue and profits. In addition to the monetary reward, AccuClean can apply many other types of rewards such as promotion or workload (based on Adam’s inequity theory, Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).Not all sales people highly value money; some of them might place higher value on promotion, responsibility or recognition. Thus, the variable of rewards will motivate different type of sale s people, in order to maximize the expectancy and value of reward (Vroom’s expectancy theory, Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). A study of sales force practices by Chartered Institute of Marketing showed that sales people are mostly motivated by individual meetings with supervisor to discuss career, job problems, etc. The second ranked motivating factors is ‘regular accompaniment in the field by the sales manager’ (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006).These methods of improving leadership style should be aware by ASMs and higher management. 4. 2 Set up the formal recruitment and selection process The formal recruitment process is proposed as below (according to Jobber and Lancaster, 2006, p. 384). Bias in selecting applicants should be minimized by carefully preparing job description and personal specification. Of course, the experience of employer should be used during the selection process. However, those five steps above should be strictly followed to avoid any mistakes dur ing recruitment. 4. Set up a standardized training Good training programs will help to equip our sales people with sufficient knowledge and skills. Besides, it plays as a motivation factor for sales people and positively influences the job satisfaction. 4. 3. 1 When should our company train our sales employees? According to Donaldson (2007, p. 208), the training should be held properly when: * New sales person is recruited * A sales person takes on a new territory * New products * New business, new market segments * Company new policies or procedure * Selling habits are poor or inappropriate An individual is being considered for promotion The sales techniques are very important to train all sales people in the organization (69% of North European firms providing sales techniques training). The market and customer knowledge is also essential in training (42% of firms providing this, based on Roman and Ruiz, 2003, cited in Donaldson, 2007). 4. 3. 2 Who should do the training? Sales tra iner can be senior managers (i. e. ASMs, GSM), technical specialists (from Production department), external specialists, or inside experienced sales people (i. e. from other ASMs).In many cases, training is more likely to be provided by inside company specialists, who not only have the best understanding about the organization and individual needs, but also can tailor training programs to suit both internal and on-the-job requirements (Donaldson, 2007). 4. 3. 3 Where should training be done? The training can be organized in internal single location (different ASMs), a centralized external location or a decentralized location (on the job). It depends on the purpose of training and variable factors to decide where to hold the training.Below is the nine possible options that are proposed by Donaldson (2007, p. 210). 4. 3. 4 What methods of training should be used? Lectures, films, role playing, case studies, or in-the-field training are options of training methods (Jobber and Lancaster , 2006). Each has its advantages and limitations. The point is how to use them properly for different training purposes, in order to achieve the best results and highest satisfaction of participants. 4. 4 Restructure the sales team with the new role of KAM New proposed sales team structure is presented in Figure 2 with two radical changes. ASM North and ASM Scotland will be combined into Regional Sales Manager of North and Scotland * Key Account Manager is added to our sales team structure as one independent function Figure 2: Sales Team Structure (proposed) The Regional Sales Managers are formed to ensure the number of sales people is interrelated to the number of customers in each region. The number of customers in the North and Scotland, which is 1196 and 499 respectively, is much fewer than the number of customers in Midlands and South (1973 and 1545 respectively).Therefore, it is appropriate to merge two ASMs North and Scotland together, in order to enhance the performance in t he broader area, and increase the influence on organization’s decision-making of sales people in the North and Scotland area. The Key Account Manager is added to be in charge of all key accounts in the whole UK. KAM’s responsibility is to manage all sales people, who are managing those key accounts in different regions. Moreover, KAM is also responsible for potential key accounts and complex DMUs. The communication and leadership style are crucially important to be successful in managing sales people in different areas.Monthly meeting can be organized and the advanced record system (computer based) should be built up to develop the whole sales team’s communication flows in long-term. This proposed sales team structure is based on all forms of selling simultaneously: KAM for very big accounts, general territory representatives (Regional Sales Managers) for the medium and small- sized accounts (Jobber and Lancaster, 2006). The number of sales people in AccuClean i s currently more than necessary, as calculation based on the current number of customers. In fact, it is difficult to get rid of 24 sales people at once, and should not be done in that way.AccuClean can evaluate sales people in the whole company by their performance, motivation and achievement in past years. In a period of 12 months, it is expected to dismiss six sales people. After two years, 12 sales people in total will be fired. AccuClean may attract more customers in the future and need more sales people; therefore, it is dependent on the situation at the time to decide how many more sales people have to leave. 4. 5 Action Plan 4. 6 Expected Outcomes Limitations The merger of two ASMs North and Scotland into one Regional Sales might cause problem in the span of control.The new RSM will manage 20-23 sales people, which might lead to the role ambiguity and lack of coaching and supervision. The Action Plan illustrates many tasks that need to complete in the first year, thus, it mi ght be very challenging in the first year for the new GSM. It is a tough decision to fire some sales people in the next two years. It might cause several problems within the sales team concerning rumours or miscommunication. Therefore, it is necessary to have a serious evaluation based on a formal checklist and consultancy from different people in the team.Furthermore, the training needs to be held at the beginning of the year, to inform the sales team about new changes, thus, reduce miscommunication. Bibliography CPSA (2012) Sales Manager Job description [Online]. Available from :< http://www. cpsa. com/pdf/src/tools/Sample%20Sales%20Manager%20Job%20Description. pdf> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Donaldson, B. (2007) Sales Management. 3rd ed. NewYork: Palgrave MacMillan. Inc (2012) General Manager Job description [Online]. Available from :< http://www. inc. com/tools/general-manager-job-description. html> [Assessed 16 December 2012].JCT 600 (2012) General Sales Manager Job descripti on [Online]. Available from :< http://www. jct600. co. uk/data/cm/careers/1028. pdf> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Jobber, D. And Lancaster, G. (2006) Selling and Sales Management. 7th ed. England: Pearson Education Limited. Myjobs (2012) Senior Sales Manager (Oil Machinery) [Online]. Available from :< http://myjobs. classifiedpost. com/index. php/Job-Search/ENGINEERING-GENERAL-BUSINESS-DEVELOPMENT-ACCOUNT-MANAGEMENT-Job-Description/SENIOR-SALES-MANAGER-OIL-MACHINERY/597925> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Reed (2012) General Manager – Milton Keynes [Online].Available from :< http://www. reed. co. uk/jobs/general-manager-milton-keynes/22306659#/jobs/general-sales-manager-in-milton-keynes> [Assessed 16 December 2012]. Appendices 3 4 7. 1 The recruitment process 7. 2 Sales people calculation The Figure 1 calculation will be illustrated in details as below. Based on: Number of sales people = (Number of customers x Number of call pa) / (number of calls per day x Number of working day s per year) Suppose there are 225 work days per year, 12 times calling per customer per year (once a month) Each sales person supposes to make 40 calls per week, 10 of those are to be made to prospects.Therefore, each sales person has to make: (40-10)/5 = 6 calls per day. * Number of sales people in Midlands = (1973 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 18 * Number of sales people in South = (1545 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 14 * Number of sales people in North = (1196 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 11 * Number of sales people in Scotland/ North Ireland = (499 x 12) / (6 x 225) = 5