Heat Emergency Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Heat Emergency Plan - Essay Example Many heat - wave plans for several communities from around the world have already been developed and these have been included in the bibliography for this report. 1 2 3 A heat - wave response plan is often a plan under a health emergency disaster plan and such a plan places an emphasis on helping people to protect themselves by seeking a cooler environment, with high quality medical assistance being extended to the community, especially the elderly. Although the precise procedures for presenting an alert warning about an impending heat - wave vary from country to country, France serves as a good example because of its experience with a recent devastating heat - wave. The biometrological advisory system in France presents a first forecast announcement to health professionals and civil service as well as social correspondents 4 to 7 days before the event. A further warning forecast is issued to professionals, the media and the public 1 – 3 days before the event and this is followed by a four – color biometrological advisory to the public one day before the event. The colors green, yellow, orange and red point to the intensity of the danger that can be associated with an impending event, including a heat - wave. 4 Thus, it is possible to predict a heat - wave emergency and to plan for recovery and response. Older people are often more seriously affected by heat - waves because they have lost the resilience to cope with extremes of temperature. The plan tries to provide a well coordinated response by public agencies to the heat wave and the agencies that are likely to be involved include hospitals and health services, education, Police, Fire Services and the Wildlife Service. The heat - wave plan is activated once an extreme weather event is certain and the authority to do this often rests with the Medical Controller or an equivalent office for a region. 5 Advising people

Establishing a New Business Venture in a Foreign Country Essay

Establishing a New Business Venture in a Foreign Country - Essay Example Social, economic as well as legal forces obtaining in developed countries often impact on foreign companies especially from emerging markets that need to establish their businesses in developed countries. As such, this paper seeks to critically analyse the factors that may affect companies from emerging markets in their quest to establish business in developed countries. The paper will also outline some of the measures that can be implemented by the managers in order to overcome these challenges. The main challenge that is likely to be faced by a company from an emerging market when it seeks to establish business in a developed country is related to cultural differences that may affect its ability to effectively manage the people in the host country. According to Ivancervich, Konopaske & Matteson (2011), society is composed of people with their own culture and these people share the same beliefs, norms, values, religion, language education as well as legal systems. Culture is a learn ed dispensation since it does not simply appear from nowhere. A nation’s culture affects how organizational transactions are conducted such as hiring practices, marketing, reward programs as well as supervisor-employee interaction (Ivancervich, Konopaske & Matteson, 2011).... differs and these include the following: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism and masculinity (Ivancervich, Konopaske & Matteson, 2011). Power distance relates to the level of acceptance by society of unequal power distribution in an organization. For instance, emerging countries like Malaysia have high power distance where authority is centralised (Ivancervich, Konopaske & Matteson, 2011). On the other hand, the concept of uncertainty avoidance relates to the situation where people feel threatened by unambiguous situations. For instance, emerging countries have high uncertainty avoidance and they follow a specific set of rules while countries like Britain have lower levels of uncertainty avoidance where risk taking is common (Ivancervich, Konopaske & Matteson, 2011). On the other hand, it can be seen that countries like the US have high individualism where people believe in hard work and individual prosperity while emerging countries believe in socialist ideologies w hich state that they must share what they have. Masculinity is another cultural dimension that is practised in other countries like Austria. As illustrated above, it can be seen that a new company from an emerging market can find it difficult to establish business in a developed country by virtue of culture differences. If a new company has its own cultural values that are not compatible with the host nation, then it can face an uphill task in as far as its quest to operate effectively in the host country is concerned. It is important for a foreign company penetrating a developed market to make sure that they understand the culture of the people in the host country. Failure to do so may negatively impact on its operations since it may be difficult for the managers to manage people in the

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Report - Essay Example There are recent examples of this mass socio-cultural shift: the arrest of the renowned â€Å"Queen of the Pacific,† Mexican drug lord Sandra Avila Beltran, and the portrayal of a brutal female drug kingpin by Salma Hayek in the soon-to-be-released Oliver Stone film Savages. Despite the unquestionably heavy feminine presence in the drug trade, the historically macho world of drug smuggling can still be said to have victimized women. Women, particularly in Latin American countries, have come to identify equality with access to commercial opportunity in the most lucrative business venture available to them: the drug trade. In this way, in their struggle for gender parity, women have wittingly become part of the same destructive cycle with which men have typically been associated. This may, in part, be driven by persistently high rates of violence against women in Latin America, with women seeking a measure of control amid the carnage (see graph, page 6). By asserting their femin inity, some achieve power but compromise their moral existence in what can best be characterized as a devil’s bargain. ... While this may once have been true, the burgeoning drug trade has carried women to power and international infamy on a scale heretofore unknown and unanticipated by many for whom females have always been the prototypical victims of the drug trade and the collateral damage it creates. New lifestyle, new opportunity This is not to argue that countless women are not thus victimized. But their increasing presence at the highest levels of some of the most powerful drug organizations indicates that women are susceptible to the same economic and psychological motivations that have previously been ascribed to men only. In his widely cited anthropological study of the Mexican drug trade, Hugh Campbell has ascertained that female drug smugglers enjoy â€Å"a pleasurable lifestyle and relative autonomy from men,† aggrandizing their power in the same violent and ruthless ways as men. Campbell examines a female subject he identifies as Zulema, whose pursuit of the high-risk, high-return li festyle is typical of the new breed of women in the trade. â€Å"Contrary to standard interpretations of women’s motivation for entry into drug smuggling, Zulema was initially attracted to crime, including drug-selling, by the opportunity it presented for adventure and revolt against bourgeois lifestyles† (antropologi, 2008). Such women have done more than simply reject poverty and a non-descript lifestyle; they seek the â€Å"high† that comes from a powerful adrenaline rush. There is an element of glamour to the drug underworld, and in a sense women have long been a part of the image it projects in mass culture. There is a long association between beauty and illicit activity. During Prohibition, bootleggers were famous for showing off beautiful female

Summary and response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Summary and response - Essay Example Some of the robots that will take part in the competition have artificial intelligence that is slightly lower than that of human being. As such, they require little human interception. Some are able to walk on four artificial leg with multiple joints that enables it to climb a ladder and hoofer around a building or an object. According to the article, participants reckons that the competition is a challenging affair as they impressive innovation from major manufacturers in America. In this case, the competitors equate the challenge with that of autonomous car challenge. On the positive note, they argue that the competition will improve the present day humanoid robots that can respond to disasters such as the nuclear plant disasters that have hit various parts of the world. Some of the robots such as the CHIMP will have legs that can fold and double as treads. These features enable the robot to operate in rough terrain and hence very efficient in rescue missions. Lastly, the article suggests that robots challenge will ensure great improvement especially in the consecutive years. As a consequence, it is most likely that advanced robots will serve human kind in various ways. I normally visualize the concept of robots as a convenient replacement of inefficiencies caused by human being. Though robots require human interception in their operations, it is worth noting that they are more efficient that human beings, especially in difficult tasks. I believe that robots can perform serious tasks in environments that are inaccessible or that pose danger to human being. The competition that is described in this article presents a prime opportunity to manufacturers of robots. Firstly, I believe that even those who will not participate will have a chance of gauging the level of technology exhibited in the competition. Secondly, the participants have a chance of walking away with huge sums of money as prices. This creates an

FDI Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

FDI Strategy - Assignment Example Additionally, firms should take into account the economic and political instability of foreign country that they want to invest. This is based on the fact that any instability either political or economic might have adverse effects on the performance and profitability of the entity. This paper analyses the strategies that AT&T, an American based firm would emulate in its endeavor to enter Morocco market. AT&T Company AT&T is a telecommunication company based in US. With Its headquarters in Whitacre Tower, Texas, United States, the company is the largest provider of fixed telephony as well as mobile services. Additionally, the company provides IP-based communication services to US companies making it to enjoy high revenue. To ensure that businesses across the US emulate effective communication among themselves and with their customers, AT&T under the leadership of Randall Stephenson the CEO, provides a 4G network that covers more than 280 million people across major cities. One of the major factors that have made the company to attain a competitive advantage over its competitors in the US telecommunication industry is the extensive use of the technology. For example, the company has initiated AT&T U-verse a high technology TV that has wide range of features and capabilities making it a dream product for US residents and other foreign customers. With an operating income of more than US$ 16.309Â  billion and total assets worth US$ 270.344Â  billion, AT&T Company has the ability to enter Morocco market. Although it is new company in the market, it foreign domestic investment strategies will play a significant role in facing off challenges that might occur in the new market. Challenges and advantages of AT&T entry of Morocco market One of the major challenges that the company will face in the new market is lack of adequate customers. It is worth to note that most of the Morocco citizens are already loyal towards Maroc Telecom, the major telecommunication company i n Morocco. This implies that AT&T will need to undertake extensive marketing to attract the attention of customers. Being a new company from a foreign country, majority of the telephone users may hesitate to switch to new operator since they are not aware of its benefits or intention. Another challenge that the company will face is stiff competition. Even though AT&T is well established in US, Maroc Telecom is equally recognized as a valuable company in Morocco. In this way, Maroc has acquired a wide market that has made it to acquire a competitive edge in the country (Timmons, 1994). An additional challenge is the political factors. Even though its entry in the new market has a long term impact on the Morocco economy in terms of creating employment and reducing poverty, the government may hesitate to support its operation in its effort to protect domestic companies. Despite the various challenges that AT&T will face in the new market, the company is financially strong. This implies that it has adequate resources at its disposal to enter the new market. For example, the company can employ skilled employees from its competitors by giving them high salaries and more benefits. In the same way, AT&T can lower its prices to a level that customers will start moving away from the domestic companies to adopt AT&T services. Based on its product diversification and large sales in the US market, lowering of the initial prices will not have a significant impact

Statement of problem, opportunity, objectives Essay Example for Free

Statement of problem, opportunity, objectives Essay Alan Baird, the founding figure of Stitch it, a primarily mall based service provider which officers alteration services to the private and public sector, was now the company’s CEO. In 1990, Baird sold Stitch it to a business group after sales and income had begun to slow. After selling his company and having stayed on as CEO, he oversaw the growth of the company and overall expansion form the initial 3 stores under Baird’s direct leadership, to today’s 84 stores throughout Canada and the United States. Now having the opportunity to buy back his business venture, his daughter, Jennifer Baird has expressed her interest I becoming an executive in the Stitch It Group. Analysis of situation Although Jennifer Baird has graduated from The University of Western Ontario with a bachelor’s degree in the administrative and commercial studies program in 2000, she lacks real-time experience to go into the Stitch It Group and lead as an executive. She would have a difficult time attempting to adjust to the fast paced environment in addition to having the support from her peers or the respect from her employees without having earned her â€Å"stripes.† To address the concern, Alain Baird proposed a plan of attack to expose his daughter to the much needed experience by completing a 10-year plan. The plan called for her to assume the role of a local store moving up to managing operations to various stores and then rotating thru positions in business operations, accounting department, marketing and human resources before heading into an executive position Identification and evaluation of alternatives Alternative #1: Jennifer Baird can continue with her education and her goal to be a top executive by taking courses and earning a degree in business management. Advantage: She would take this education into a tentative 10-year program her father will develop and expose her to real-life situations with the day-to-day operations of the group. Disadvantage: This option might deter her father from purchasing the group in the manner that it would be up to an additional four years of schooling before she can accompany and assist him the business operations. Alternative #2: Alan Baird takes his daughter, Jennifer Baird, under his wing and shows her â€Å"the ropes† after completing her education at The University of Western Ontario and assigns her to and extended internship program after he accepts the offer to buy back his previous business group. Advantage: Alan Baird fulfills his dream to operate a family business; in addition he assures himself his daughter obtains the necessary exposure to the successes and failure of running the business. Disadvantage: Within time, Alan Baird might not have the physical stamina to run the family business and keep up with his daughter’s training. Decision, course of action, implementation Alternative #2 is the best course of action available to Alan Baird. By taking his daughter under his leadership, he can share first-hand experience and knowledge to overcome and continue in the groups’ success and he can have the family business he always sought after.

Multimedia learning proposes Essay Example for Free

Multimedia learning proposes Essay Multimedia learning proposes ways of going beyond the pure verbal messages which have been used in lectures and printed lessons for hundreds of years. Multimedia learning as Thomas Edison predicted has proved to be an effective method of teaching, has revolutionized our educational system and has supplanted the use of textbooks. Multimedia presentations are known to help learners. The newly developed multimedia technologies which incorporate simultaneous presentations of narration, images and text make the possibilities for instruction vast. Yet how should educators use these technologies to ensure that there is optimal learning? The answer is that the multimedia messages should be designed in the best way using the eight principles for multimedia design as a guideline. Background to the multimedia principles: Mayer is known for his research in the field of cognitive theory. According to Mayer, a multimedia instructional message is a presentation which involves words (such as spoken or written text) and pictures (such as animation, video, illustrations, and photographs) in which the goal is to promote learning. Mayer links cognitive learning theory to multimedia design issues, validating three theory-based assumptions about how people learn from words and pictures: the (1) dual channel assumption which is based upon the theory that pictures are seen by eyes and are processed as pictorial representations in the visual-pictorial channel. Spoken words on the other hand enter through ears and are processed in the other channel of human cognition, the auditory-verbal channel. (2) Limited capacity assumption is demonstrated by auditory- verbal overload. Because each channel in the human cognitive system has a limited capacity for holding and manipulating knowledge, presenting too many visuals and a lot of sounds at the same time causes the auditory-visual channel to become overloaded. And the (3) Active processing assumption implies that optimal learning occurs when learners engage in active processing within the channels which include relevant words and pictures organized into coherent pictorial and verbal models and integrated with each other and other knowledge. The discovery of the eight principles of multimedia design was a result of Mayers research. Each principle was based on the cognitive theory and was supported by the finding of the research. The multimedia principles discussed with good and bad practice examples: These eight principles are explained as follows in more detail, along with their applications. Multimedia Principle: This principle states that carefully and selectively chosen words and pictures enhance a learner’s understanding of an explanation better than words alone. Mayer tells us that deeper understanding occurs because students mentally connect pictorial and verbal representations of the explanation. A study was conducted in which students viewed a narrated animation about pumps or brakes or simply listened to a narration; the students who viewed the narrated animation scored substantially higher. There are numerous examples of the multimedia principle. Desktop publishing programs and the illustrative capabilities of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint adding pictures to a multimedia presentation has become relatively easy. A good practice example would be to use an animation of how an earthquake occurs to support the textual and/or verbal description: when the frictional stress of gliding plate boundaries goes beyond a certain value and causes a failure at a fault line, which results in a violent dislocation of the Earth’s crust. At this point, elastic strain energy is released causing elastic waves to be radiated, leading to an earthquake. The goal of this principle is best achieved when graphics used are meaningful and illustrative in juxtaposition with text. Images which convey meaning, not simply multitudes of clip art images with no instructional purpose. It would be bad practice heaps of pictures which show destructions caused by earthquakes are used when explaining how earthquakes occur. It would actually be a hindrance in the process of learning as it would take focus off the topic and instead bring the costs of the earthquake into discussion. A good use of this principle would be when pictures and animations are used for presenting instructional content where there are used as lesson interfaces and not for any decorative purpose. Contiguity Principle: The contiguity principle examines how words and pictures should be coordinated in multimedia presentations. This principle states that there is more effective learning when the narration and animation are presented simultaneously rather than successively. Also, words and associative pictures should be close each other and presented at the same time so that when the narration or words describes a particular process or action, the animation or picture shows it at the same time. A good practice example of the contiguity principle would be showing a car assembly procedure where narration and video are presented simultaneously. Students would learn better when the two things are coordinated than otherwise. It would be bad practice if the entire textual description or narration of the car assembly procedure which has 23 stages is presented first, prior to the animation or when the animation is played prior to the verbal description. A good idea is to display the narration and animation in close time proximity so that when words describe the action, the visual depicts the same action at the same time. This will make it more likely for the learner to build mental connections linking the verbal and visual representations. Modality Principle: This principle states that students learn more deeply and effectively when words are presented as narration rather than on-screen text. Using animation and text is a method most people use when designing PowerPoint presentations. According to Mayer when both pictures and words are used are displayed in multimedia, only the visual channel is utilized and it easily becomes overloaded. A good idea therefore is to use both processing channels; the visual/pictorial channel and the auditory/verbal channel. When the narration presented is auditory, it is processed by the auditory channel allowing the visual channel the resources to process the graphical content without it becoming overloaded. A good practice example of this principle would be to present an animation of how a bicycle tire pump works together with the narration of the explanation. Presenting some information in visual mode and some in auditory mode will expand working memory capacity and reduce excessive cognitive load. It would not be a good idea to play the narration after or before the animation. Redundancy Principle: This principle states that students learn far better from multimedia presentations consisting of animation and narration than from animation, narration, and text. The redundancy principle rejects the idea of presenting duplicate instructions in different forms. Unless it is necessary, presenting the same information both in narration and on-screen text hinders the process of learning rather than facilitating it. Some people think presenting the same information in multiple forms is safe and at best advantageous. However we must understand the architecture of human cognition. When dealing with new and technical instruction, working memory is very limited and presenting the same information in narration and on-screen text will mean that not all information will be processed. A good practice of this principle would be when a lecturer uses presentations to deliver his lectures. He can narrate the instructions while his presentations present animation and pictures. It would not be good practice if the lecturer has text heavy-slides and yet continues to try to maintain the attention of the audience. This redundancy causes the learners or audience to become wrapped up in either the verbal presentation or the textual material and miss the other. Even worse the learner may decide to not pay attention at all when he is being bombarded with so much information. Coherence Principle: This principle states that students learn better from multimedia presentations when irrelevant material is excluded rather than integrated. Irrelevant words and pictures, interesting but irrelevant sounds and unnecessary words huts the students learning process. Learners throughout the multimedia presentation try to make sense of the material by building a coherent mental representation and any irrelevant information that comes out of nowhere is likely to disturb the process. A good practice example of this principle would be that when discussing the issue of widespread public display of affection and whether there should be laws imposed against it. It would be a good idea to stick to the topic and present points for or against the argument and the reach a conclusion. If however a person is tempted to spice up the presentation, it would be bad practice. Including dramatic stories of politicians engaged in the art of public affection and video clips where couples are seen showing affection in public would be highly entertaining but off topic and the audience might get upset if they do not make out anything from the four hour long presentation. It would also not be a good idea to include any other non instructional material such as unrelated clip arts, background music, sound clips or detailed textual descriptions. Personalization Principle: The personalization principle states that students learn better when words are presented in a conversational style than in a formal or expository style. Students or audience responds better when a more personalized tone is used in narration. A good example of this principle is when explaining how a human respiratory system works, there is a use of your instead of the. For example instead of saying During inhaling the diaphragm move down creating more space for the lungs we say When you inhale, your diaphragm moves down creating more space for your lungs. Also when addressing community issues using multimedia presentations it is always a good idea to use your community rather than the community. It will help the learners see that it is his community that has issue and not some other community and will provoke him to take action or become a responsible member of the community. Segmenting principle: This principle states that lessons should be divided into manageable segments. When an unfamiliar learner is introduced to a continuous presentation with a lot of inter related concepts which are complex it is easy for the cognitive system to become overloaded. A good practice of this principle would be when a lecture breaks down complex geometry problems into segments rather than present them as a single solution. This helps learners learn at their own pace. Pre-training principle: This principle suggests that people learn better from multimedia presentations when they are familiar with the names and idea of the core concepts. There is a better transfer of knowledge when the audience is trained on the components the presentation would use preceding a narrated animation. A good practice of this example is when explaining the phenomenon of global warming to children, it would work better when terminologies such as green house gases are explained and smaller concepts are built before proceeding to the presentation. This will help the children integrate their built in concepts into understanding the main problem of global warming. It is not good practice to start with the subject before providing the learners with an appropriate start up knowledge neither would it be a good idea to stop in the middle of the lecture to explain some terminology or a hidden concept. Conclusion: Multimedia enhances learning but for learning to be optimal, there should be effective use of animation, narration and on-screen test in multimedia presentations. Techniques to increase working memory by reducing cognitive load have been proposed by many theorists. These techniques improve instructional design, learning efficiency, and effectiveness. Richard E. Mayer and his Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning has highlighted well-established principles of multimedia learning which the research continues to support, including (a) the multimedia principle, (b) the contiguity principle, (d) the modality principle, (e) the redundancy principle, and (f) the coherence principle and (e) the personalization principle. These principles aid users to design effective multimedia presentations. References Clark, R. C. Mayer, R. E. (2003). e- Learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.