History of SEMCO †Business Management Essay

History of SEMCO – Business Management Essay Free Online Research Papers History of SEMCO Business Management Essay Maverick’s story refers to a series of changes occurred to SEMCO, a Brazilian manufacturing company, initiated by the founder’s entrepreneur son, Ricardo Semler, turning it into one of the worlds most unusual and admired workplaces. SEMCO, whose headquarters is located in So Paulo, started in 1952 by Ricardo’s father, Antonio Semler, with a small patent for a centrifuge that could separate lubricating oil from vegetables, later growing under the entrepreneur’s hands into one of that countries most successful companies. Ricardo Semler’s concise and efficient form of writing lay way to a textbook that reads like a novel and yet manages to render the vision under which his company should be run, a company who has proven itself a definitive success in business and economics. Certainly Maverick is a book for more opened-mined readers, an unquestioningly beneficial and stimulating novel, and a necessary narrative. Semler’s vision was one which was not laid out to him from the very beginning it was drawn from not only his own ideas but from those of his close companions as well, he credits many of the people who work for Semler: Clovis, Joo Vendramin, Harro, Ernesto, Josà © Fiasco, etc. A vision that spread from giving his workers the confidence of eliminating supervisors and the desire to make them feel more involve in the process of production to eliminating nine layers of management and letting them set their own pay. A strong principal by which Semler has been guided is the trust in his employees. His view of them is not one of mindless slaves who are paid to do as they are told, but one of understanding individuals who are responsible for the cooperative effort of making a product. In the book we can see that SEMCO does not use a formal organization chart. They believe that without them they can create great leaders. If it is absolutely necessary to sketch the structure of some part of the company, they always do it on pencil, and dispense with it as soon as possible. The way SEMCO acquires new employees differs with other companies’ standards. When some one is hired or promoted, the other employees of that unit and his subordinates have the opportunity to interview and evaluate the candidates before any decision is made. This makes SEMCO a more united company because every person knows the capacities and abilities of his or her comrade. The working environment there is very flexible, because at SEMCO they want their people to feel free to change and adapt their working area as they please. Painting walls or machines, adding plants or decoration the space around them is up to them. The company has no rules about this, and does not intend to have any. People change their area according to their tastes and preferences according with other people desires. SEMCO has a philosophy built on participation and involvement. Any worker can give his or her opinion. It is not desired to have workers who are just one more person at the company they should be participants. An opinion is always welcome, even if it just an interesting observation. Workers should get in touch with committees, and participate in elections. Another interesting point is the evaluation of your boss. This assessment is made twice a year by means of a questionnaire to be filled out enabling the employees to express what they think about their boss. Worker should be frank and honest, not just on the form but also in the discussion that follows. Employees at SEMCO are guaranteed representation through the Factory Committee of each business unit. Each SEMCO unit groups of workers elect representatives to serve on committees. These committees meet regularly with the top managers at each unit to discuss any and all workplace issues or policies. They are empowered to call strikes, audit the books, and question all aspects of management. At SEMCO workers are motivated to defend their interests even though these will not usually coincide with those of the company. These conflicts are to be seen as healthy and necessary. At SEMCO they offer job security which is than any worker that has been with them for three years, or has reached the age of fifty, has special protection and can only be dismissed after a long series of approvals. This does not mean SEMCO has no layoff policy, but it helps to increase the security of their people. Women in Brazil have fewer job opportunities, promotion, and financial opportunities than men. At SEMCO, they have various programs, run by them, that seek to reduce this discrimination. They are known as â€Å"The SEMCO Women†. They inspire women to participate. Every one at SEMCO should take thirty days of vacation every year. It is vital for their health and the company’s welfare. No excuse is good enough for accumulating vacation days for â€Å"later†. Ricardo Semler has named this hepatitis leave. In his book he states his desire to make them feel more involved in the creation process. He uses a parable comparing three stonecutters and their response when asked what was their job. â€Å"The first said he was paid to cut stones. The second replied that he used special techniques to shape stones in an exceptional way, and proceeded to demonstrate his skills. The third stonecutter just smiled and said: ‘I build cathedrals.’† He understands the benefits for a company to have its people dedicated in what they build. He gives his workers as much freedom as possible, giving them voice in short of every decision the company deals with, from how the plants should look and where each section should be positioned to where the plants themselves should be located, what uniforms they would like to wear and making a lunch committee to choose the food available at the cafeteria to letting them set their own working hours and schedules as well as their pay. Not only is freedom offered, but also power. Ricardo Semler’s company is not a dictatorship, it is a cooperative democracy where titles are forgotten and unions are welcome with mutual respect and dialog, where committees recommend changes and surveys are made regularly, a place where it is possible for the employees to dismiss their boss or force their hire. SEMCO’s managerial staff was reduced almost completely. In his view: â€Å"The pyramid, the chief organizational principle of the modern corporation, turns a business into a traffic jam.† That is why chapter 24 refers to â€Å"rounding the pyramid†, which is simply the elimination of unnecessary management positions as well as the need for sophisticated titles. He implemented a system of circles: in which the innermost circle would enclose a team of half a dozen people, who will serve as a catalyst stimulating decisions and actions by those in the second circle, to be called Counselors. The second circle would enclose the leaders of SEMCO’s business units and be called Partners. The last, immense circle would be comprised of everyone else and be called Associates. With triangles scattered about enclosing a single individual to be called Coordinators, who are the first crucial level of management. There would be six to twelve triangles floating about each business unit. As a consequence wages evened out and titles were simplified. An important thing to remember is that all these things did not occur spontaneously, but more of a continuous flow of events, which started off a first-come first-serve parking policy. Another point that is emphasized in SEMCO is maintaining its people motivated. They are pushed to exchange job descriptions and positions with job rotation, for a minimum of two years and a maximum of five. New employees are required to be â€Å"Lost in Space†, they must work for at least twelve departments in twelve months. He believes this helps maintain his people happy, allowing them to choose the right job for them, or simply let them work for the ones they like, not just a single occupation, obliging people to learn new skills, discouraging empire building, providing employees with a broader view of a company, which lets them appreciate colleagues problems, forcing management to prepare more than one person for a job and creating additional opportunities for those who might otherwise be trapped. He also created the â€Å"Nucleus of technological innovation†, which are a small group of engineers who are free of day to day production or managerial responsibilities and have all their time to invent new products, refine old ones, devise market strategies, unearth cost reductions and efficiencies, even dream up new lines of businesses. Not mentioned above are the setbacks the company has faced. It is said more is learned form mistakes then from a success. SEMCO experienced growing pains, unnecessary hype So far as to what is considered to be different from other companies it is safe to say that almost every detail in his book is quire of the normal corporation. In fact his book is dedicated specifically to point out each one of these differences, why he believes them to be proper and how he implemented them. In general his view is one of democratic society where decision taking is not the role of one, but of many. He believes the only way to achieve this is with transparency, and a sense of equality where everyone is fighting for a greater good, the good of the company. For this he believes his employees’ well being must reflect the well being of the company, if the company simply assigns wages no mater what goes wrong then people will not feel impelled to make things go right. His ideas of risk salary, where employees are proposed to take a pay cut of up to 25% of their wages for the chance to receive a 150% bonus if the company has a good year, and profit sharing, where company profits are not unilaterally distributed, but instead more is given to those who make less, provide this incentive. Several other policies are promoted to ensure democracy at SEMCO. When strikes take place it is emphasized that everyone is an adult and should be treated as such, strikers are told that no one will be punished when they return to work, the police is never called upon, benefits are maintained, worker’s access to the factory, or access of the union representatives to the workers, don’t fire anyone during or after the strike, but make everyone see that a walkout is an act of aggression. This in our opinion protects their employees (which are the company’s greatest asset), the company itself and their politics. Their treatment towards union leaders is quite different as well. They are respected, union leaders are not kept waiting in line, they are attended with courtesy and equality as promptly as possible. No aspect other than Brazil’s economic conditions make SEMCO’s situation as a corporation distinctively separates the company so as to have an unequivocal and unique situation. Nevertheless this in itself is quite a big difference from companies in other countries, especially the United States. In Brazil there is an average of a 400% yearly inflation rate, with a peak year of 1,600%, Brazils currency has had three zeroes knocked off twice. Banks have made billions with the inflations, and fired 150,000 clerical workers when things go bad. Brazil has become a warfare ground were a 10% pay increase turns out to be a fluke when inflation is calculated at 15%, and everyone is trying to arrange contracts to their own benefit. Most other companies in Brazil abide by the traditional form of organization and because of this are plagued with strikes, low profit or even debt. Brazil has grown so fond of SEMCO that 25% of all graduates say that they would love to work for SEMCO. SEMCO was conceived under the chaotic, corrupted, inflation filled, strike infested society of Brazil, where a company must be as dynamic as possible to be able to adapt to the ever-changing hostile environment. A situation where all the techniques, described in Maverick, are constantly put under the test to prove themselves useful. Ricardo Semler’s ideas, if implemented correctly, are all catalysts for solidarity, cooperation, and friendship among the ranks of his workers. These attitudes are of great help in times of need where everyone instead of fighting each other, attempting to place the blame of hardship elsewhere in order to liberate the conscience and assure the position in the company are trying to find ways to levy the companies burden by voluntarily taking pay cuts and reducing expenses so as few people as possible will be acquitted by adversity, and if dismissal is the last surrender committees are formed to take into account who are the ones who can cope best wit hout their paychecks; seniority and the costs of living all outweigh a newly employed single individual. Not withstanding, SEMCO has been through several setbacks; since the very beginning with Ricardo’s first aggressive leap into the market SEMCO was suffering from crushing losses when buyers became very hard to come by, then later on as well as the company experienced what the author called growing pains as the company grew beyond its capacity by buying too many companies which were in bleak economic conditions. The writer later goes on to explain his opinions on a very important topic, economies of scale. It is the authors opinion that economies of scale are overrated, that worrying about buying and producing in large scales eventually ends up consuming what was saved through the need for warehouses and overstocked inventories where there are hundreds of units for a specific piece but none for another which will freeze the production process entirely, apart from the fact that once this occurs, receiving a shipment of that piece takes a considerable amount of time when anyone from the factory can just run to the nearest shop and by several unit with which to work with in the mean time, it is SEMCO’s policy to encourage this behavior as SEMCO employees have been known to present such receipts and the company gladly pays for them, just as long as what was bought falls between a rational set of items. Another trail and error mistake came in the eighties, when mainframe computers at the core of businesses were a new and coming trend. SEMCO had decided it too would enter the information age. So in preparation for a new computerized system to handle all of the company’s affairs the old hand written system had been left, and yet after several months past the deadline had gone by and the problem was either bug in the software or a glitch in the hardware it became clear that the project, as ambitious as it was, was destined to fail. Again SEMCO learned to take it slow. ‘The era of using people as production tools is coming to an end. Participation is infinitely more complex to practice than conventional corporate unilateralism, just as democracy is much more cumbersome than dictatorship. But there will be few companies that can afford to ignore either of them.’ Certainly Brazil’s situation as a country was a very crucial first step, if thing were to have been going well when Ricardo first entered the corporation then he would never have been so aggressive in implementing these radical changes. Another condition must be Ricardo’s personality, his qualities as a human being, his humility, always with an open ear to a new suggestion, his openness and forwardness. Ricardo Semler is a revolutionary individual, who had the balls to dismiss 75% of a stagnant company’s managerial staff immediately after receiving possession of it, risking everything for the desperate hope of breathing new life where the industry itself is loosing ground. Fortunately through much pressure and with plenty of luck, Ricardo had the ability to find talented people, individuals who gave much of their selves in support of the company. The transparency with which as much information as possible must be made accessible to the employee’s, as well as the means which allow for their comprehension. This appears to be the single most important factor for SEMCO’s successful change, transparency and the ability to think he has given his employees help make the efforts for cooperation between management and the working class as both sides learn to understand better each others situations, allowing the company to achieve its goals by means of favors and compromise. Concluding; the history of SEMCO is closely related to that of its leader, as the author matures into a more prudent individual so does his company, the large step of removing all the heads of a corporation without any replacement nor due time is no longer a part of SEMCO’s ways. And yet it remains fluid, ever changing dynamic and as little mundane as possible, just as the author is, the author and principle proprietor of SEMCO managed to instill his own personality into his corporation, just as his father had made it the strict, neat organizational reflection of himself. What is interesting is the authors respect for the working class, his humility in front of ‘unnecessary expenses’ and his transparency, strait forwardness and trust of his fellow man. Just as he sees himself, so he wished to see his company. Of course it was not the work of this one man, but he managed to surround himself of similar individuals who shared his ideals and most importantly his visio n. Through hard work and dedication they managed to surpass the many obstacles in place before this goal, of which other peoples closed mindedness was the most important one. Every time a new idea came into play, at least someone had to be convinced for its implementation. It is very hard to make a coordinator become more flexible and understanding of not only his subordinates, but of his equals in other areas. This has been such a difficult exploit that most of the changes were made to force superior attitudes towards bending in and those who simply could not learn where expelled. At the end, Maverick and the story of SEMCO help us remember that there is more than one way to do things, and being pleasant and courteous is indeed one of them. Research Papers on History of SEMCO - Business Management EssayAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaTwilight of the UAWMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Project Managment Office SystemNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayResearch Process Part OneDefinition of Export QuotasIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in Capital

Blood, Components and Blood Cell Production

Blood, Components and Blood Cell Production Our blood is a fluid that is also a type of connective tissue. It is composed of blood cells and an aqueous fluid known as plasma. Two major functions of the blood include transporting substances to and from our cells and providing immunity and protection against infectious agents such as bacteria and viruses. Blood is a component of the cardiovascular system. It is circulated through the body via the heart and blood vessels. Blood Components Blood consists of several elements. The major components of blood include plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Plasma: This major constituent of blood comprises about 55 percent of blood volume. It consists of water with several different substances dissolved within. Plasma contains salts, proteins, and blood cells. Plasma also transports nutrients, sugars, fats, hormones, gases, and waste material contained within blood.Red Blood Cells (erythrocytes): These cells determine blood type and are the most abundant cell type in the blood. Red blood cells have what is known as a biconcave shape. Both sides of the cells surface curve inward like the interior of a sphere. This flexible disc shape helps to increase the surface area-to-volume ratio of these extremely small cells. Red blood cells do not have a nucleus, but they do contain millions of hemoglobin molecules. These iron-containing proteins bind oxygen molecules obtained in the lungs and transport them to various parts of the body. After depositing oxygen to tissue and organ cells, red blood cells pick up carbon dioxide (CO2) for transportat ion to the lungs where the CO2 is expelled from the body. White Blood Cells (leukocytes): These cells play an important role in the immune system and lymphatic system by defending the body against infection. These cells locate, destroy, and remove pathogens and foreign matter from the body. There are several different types of white blood cells, each with different functions. Examples include lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils.Platelets (thrombocytes): These cell components are formed from pieces of cells found in the bone marrow called megakaryocytes. Fragments of the megakaryocytes circulate through the bloodstream and play a major role in clotting. When platelets encounter an injured blood vessel, they clump together to block the opening in the vessel. Blood Cell Production Blood cells are produced by bone marrow within the bone. Bone marrow stem cells develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Certain white blood cells mature in the lymph nodes, spleen, and thymus gland. Matured blood cells have varying life spans. Red blood cells circulate for about 4 months, platelets for about 9 days, and white blood cells range from about a few hours to several days. Blood cell production is often regulated by body structures such as the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and kidneys. When oxygen in tissues is low, the body responds by stimulating the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. When the body is infected, more white blood cells are produced. Blood Pressure Blood pressure is the force at which blood exerts pressure against artery walls as it circulates throughout the body. Blood pressure readings measure systolic and diastolic pressures as the heart goes through the cardiac cycle. In the systole phase of the cardiac cycle, the heart ventricles contract (beat) and pump blood into the arteries. In the diastole phase, the ventricles are relaxed and the heart fills with blood. Blood pressure readings are measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) with the systolic number reported before the diastolic number.Blood pressure is not constant and can fluctuate depending on various conditions. Nervousness, excitement, and increased activity are a few things that can influence blood pressure. Blood pressure levels also increase as we get older. Abnormally high blood pressure, known as hypertension, can have serious consequences as it can lead to hardening of the arteries, kidney damage, and heart failure. Persons with elevated blood pressure often experience no symptoms. Elevated blood pressure that persists for the majority of the time can lead to increased risk for health issues. Blood Type Blood type describes how blood is classified. It is determined by the existence or lack thereof of certain identifiers (called antigens) located on red blood cells. Antigens help the bodys immune system to identify its own red blood cell group. This identification is crucial so that the body will not build up antibodies against its own red blood cells. The four blood type groupings are A, B, AB, and O. Type A has A antigens on red blood cell surfaces, type B has B antigens, type AB has both A and B antigens, and type O has no A or B antigens. Blood types must be compatible when considering blood transfusions. Those with type A must receive blood from either type A or type O donors. Those with type B from either type B or type O. Those with type O can receive blood from only type O donors and type AB may receive blood from any of the four blood type groups. Sources: Dean L. Blood Groups and Red Cell Antigens [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Center for Biotechnology Information (US); 2005. Chapter 1, Blood and the cells it contains. Available from: (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2263/)What Is High Blood Pressure? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Updated 08/02/12 (nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hbp/)

Marketing Campaign for Ocean Spray Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Campaign for Ocean Spray - Essay Example In its recent practices, Ocean Spray intends to launch its product by using OrbitTM Easy Open lid with new design of bottles and canes in Australian market during Christmas. In the London’s market, Ocean Spray wants its modified products to be launched during the Christmas process. Promotion Mix Promotion mix is, in this paper, used to describe the features of OrbitTM Easy Open Lid. Procedure of launching the new modified products in the market by Ocean Spray has been described in the mix along with a few effective measures to promote the product. With this concern, the aspects of price, product, place and promotion will be taken into account for the development of promotion mix. Price The product price of Ocean Spray is suitable for the consumers. It is worth mentioning in this context that the customers, existing in the London market, are largely regarded as quality seekers rather than price seekers which in turn indicate that price might not be quite influencing in comparis on to the quality features. However, the product prices of Ocean Spray must be consistent with the process charged by the competitors of the organisation which in turn may render the product with better competitive advantages to penetrate in the market. Introducing the product in new market may lead to a substantial increase in price of the relevant products. Hence, it should be mentioned in this regards that the rise in price of Ocean Spray’s products must be reasonable and suitable for the London’s market keeping in focus the consumption power of the targeted customers which may also be beneficial in obtaining better customer satisfaction (Mason & Brice, 2012). Place With due significance towards the features of the modified product offered by Ocean Spray, the marketer needs to select the place where the product can be launched for better accessibility to the targeted consumers. Notably, as the customers in London tends to be highly persuaded towards quality assuranc e, the places which attract majority of customers from the young generation and niche economic stature can be considered as the most suitable region for the launch of the product. It is due to the reason that these groups of customers not only tend to be health conscious, they can be attracted with regards to the product features through quality services. Moreover, as the product is intended to be launched during the Christmas vacations, the Charing Cross road and various other Christmas markets which attract a substantial number of tourists can also be regarded as the most suitable places for the launch of OrbitTM Easy Open Lid (Farmer, 2011; Official London Guide, 2012). Product Ocean Spray is one of the most experienced companies in manufacturing of canned and bottled foods. In order to bring innovation and gain competitive advantages in its product line, Ocean Spray intends to launch its product in the London market by giving its product a new look and shape using the OrbitTM Ea sy Open lid. The new packaging product selected by Ocean Spray to be launched in the Christmas markets of London comprises basically of juice and drinks, cruising dried cranberries, dried fruit, sauces, fresh fruit and oatmeal and among others. The consumers in London are observed to be highly inclined towards the variety in which the product is

DOES UK DISCRIMINATION LAW PREVENT DISCRIMINATION IN THE UK RESTAURANT Essay

DOES UK DISCRIMINATION LAW PREVENT DISCRIMINATION IN THE UK RESTAURANT INDUSTRY extra literature review - Essay Example The study found that discrimination in the workplace is a common risk factor for mental disorders and the authors offer the opinion that provision of job opportunities alone may not be adequate to address the problem. Rather, the health and well being of minority employees can be improved by improving working conditions, challenging discrimination and promoting strategies that support coping behavior. Institutional racism was found to be a factor even in the British Medical Association, where some of its members sued it, for a failure to provide legal support to its minority members.(Pincock, 2004). Institutional racism may in particular, be a factor in the restaurant industry, where general prevailing attitudes of prejudice and racial stereotyping may disadvantage minority people. Discrimination against women exists in almost all industries. Some researchers have found that stereotypes about women and their commitment to their jobs results in unfavorable policies towards them in recruitment and promotion. (Halford et al., 1997; Maddock, 1998; Reskin and Padavic, 1994). Another study found that senior managers are reluctant to employ female employees who are young and married because of the family commitments that are assumed to exist.(Carrier, 1995). Women are not only discriminated against in the workplace, they are also harassed more frequently. Harassment, in general terms, is unwanted conduct affecting the dignity of men and women in the workplace. As per Section 3 of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000, a person would discriminate against another person if he/she applies a â€Å"provision, criterion or practice† which would put them at a particular disadvantage when compared with people of other races or ethnicities. This in effect would have the effect of violating the dignity of the other person or humiliating them on grounds of their race or ethnicity. The Sex Discrimination Act of

Natural world threatening Essay Example for Free

Natural world threatening Essay On the whole, Plath finds the natural world threatening. ’ In the light of this statement, compare the ways in which Plath and Hughes write about the natural world. You must include in your response detailed reference to ‘The Moon and the Yew Tree’ and to at least one other poem. ’ The natural world often seems to reflect the writer’s mood vividly and traditionally, nature is used to convey emotions. Plath uses nature to express her interior misery by comparing aspects of nature with her own emotions to show how she is alone, isolated and emotionally cold; this is particularly visible in both ‘The Moon and the Yew Tree’ and ‘Elm’. In contrast to Hughes, who finds the natural world fascinating as seen in ‘Hawk Roosting. ’ In The Moon and the Yew Tree, Plath focuses on two features of landscape, which are used to establish the mood. The poem quickly becomes a bleak statement of nothingness and despair, whereby she projects her feelings onto the moon and onto the yew tree. Throughout the poem, her gaze remains fixed on the moon, an image which Plath finds threatening since the light it gives off is ‘cold and planetary’ an unsettling image with Plath does not find particularly comforting, since she is describing the moon as emotionally cold. The moon seems to have its own troubles with it being ‘terribly upset’ here Plath uses the moon to express her own feelings of sadness, although the moon conveys her own despair, she describes the moon as having despair a reason why she ‘live[s] here’ –inside the moon, in her world of despair. The personification of the moon has made it a female character traditionally for Plath a symbol of barren coldness; hence Plath finds the natural world threatening by the negative power of the moon. The Yew Tree also lies at the heart of the poem, it is immediately associated with overwhelmingly negativity ‘the trees of the mind are black’. Plath uses pathetic fallacy giving emotions to inanimate objects throughout the poem, creating a tense, threatening atmosphere. In contrast to Plath who finds the natural world threatening, Hughes writes about the power of nature and how immense it is. Yet Hughes uses the power of creation to highlight the evil in nature, which is highlighted by the God like powers of the hawk, where the bird’s arrogance and self-importance is emphasised sitting ‘in the top of everything’. Metaphoric images underline the hawk’s opinion of its own superiority ‘Now I hold creation in my foot’ exemplifying the God-like power of the hawk. The hawk is like a prehistoric monster ‘nothing has changed since I began’ it is something that other creatures need to fear and that underlines the sense of its own power. Hughes finds nature threatening within the poem by the evil within the hawk – it is a killing machine, everything about it is geared to ‘the allotment of death’. Ultimately, what Hughes presents is an accumulation of onomatopoeic and metaphoric images that may cause the reader to fear the bird, which finally may persuade the reader to see nothing other than an immense specimen of nature. Similar to Plath who in ‘Elm’ writes the poem from the Elms perspective, Hughes adopts the persona of a hawk, effectively showing us the world from the birds prospective. However in contrast to Plath who uses Elm to show an image of femininity, Hughes uses the masculine hawk as a very powerful image, who is threatening because of the evil things it does.

Costa Rica and the CBD :: Government Essays

Costa Rica and the CBD Introduction Costa Rica has been well ahead of other developing countries with its environmental policies. Its involvement with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was in part due to the fact that the country had already been complying with many of the stipulations the convention put forward. In order to understand Costa Rica's environmental leadership one must first understand the history of the CBD and of Costa Rica's environmental policies, and the implications the CBD has had on Costa Rica . It is also important to discuss the increasing role of non-governmental organizations within Costa Rica for changing and creating environmental policy. Even though Costa Rica had advanced environmental policies before the creation of the CBD, the CBD has been important in jumpstarting more international relations between Costa Rica and other countries as well as with other international organizations. Costa Rica worked with international organizations before the ratification of the CBD, but they were more prevalent after the conference. Background to the CBD In 1992 the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One of the most important outcomes of Earth Summit was the creation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the enactment of the convention one year later. The CBD was the first global agreement for the conservation and the sustainable use of biological diversity. It identifies a set of problems, goals and policies that are common to states worldwide. Its three main goals are: to ensure the conservation of biodiversity; to require the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity; and to share the benefits from the commercial utilization of genetic resources in a fair way ("Text of CBD"). These goals were not new for Costa Rica. It is very important to consider the needs of developing countries when drafting international legislation regarding biological diversity because most of the world's biological diversity is found in developing countries. A reason for the c reation of the CBD was the global demand to protect biodiversity and one its provisions is that states have a sovereign right over biodiversity resources. Both of these factors are important when looking at where environmental policy is today because many developed countries who are not home to a significant amount of biodiversity are still concerned with it and that is why they want to impose regulations on the maintenance of biodiversity in other countries.

Ethics Paper †Abortion Debate Essay

The moral question on both sides of the abortion argument is when a fetus achieves personhood and is awarded moral status thus granting it rights. Does the fetus have a right to life at the use of the mother or does the mother’s choice for autonomy over her body take precedence over the fetus? How do we begin to answer this highly debated question and what conclusions can be made that have the most logical ethical answer? The difficulty in answering the issue of fetal personhood is that there is not one concrete indication of when that actually occurs in pregnancy. Pro- Life supports the position that personhood occurs immediately at conception thus granting the fetus full rights as a person born. In contrast Pro-Choice reinforces the mother’s rights to her own personhood and her choice to be autonomous from the fetus. The main ethical issue up for debate is whether society can infringe upon a person’s right to personal bodily security for the purpose to save the life of another. Should anyone or any entity force a person to give up their decision to do what they seem fit with their own body? How would that affect a woman’s right to her reproductive liberty? What precedents does that set forth for the future for women? IN SUPPORT OF PRO CHOICE The nature of abortion rights can be broken out into three different perspectives; the protection of unwanted social parenthood; the unwanted genetic parenthood and the right to bodily autonomy. (Manninen 36) The burdens of social parenthood weigh heavily on the woman who is forced to endure a pregnancy. These burdens can be detrimental to mental and physical health and psychological harm is likely to damage the child that is brought into a situation not fully embracing or prepared to care for its needs. Through abortion, a woman has the right to prevent the existence of a child with her genetic characteristics. It is an essential part of her overall reproductive liberty to have either the right to or the right not to conceive children. (Manninen 37) However, once a child is born, then it becomes a moral subject with its full entitlement to personhood and you cannot kill a child with your genetic characteristics or to avoid the responsibility of social parenting. Judith Jarvis Thomson’s thesis gives us a graphic description of a violinist who without your consent, is attached to you and relies upon you for his/her life. Are you morally obligated to submit to the unwanted bodily intrusion in order to support the life of another person? The clear answer to this question is â€Å"No.† A person is under no moral obligation whatsoever to use his body to sustain the life of another at the compromise of his own. The concept of forced violations of bodily autonomy is morally indefensible. This has nothing to do with the value of the fetus in general but the right not to be subject to the intrusion as the right to your body is exclusively yours. To make abortion illegal is to force pregnant women to surrender their own bodies to provide another human being all its needs for survival. Using Kantian moral philosophy, with specific attention to the second principle of the categorical imperative that describes using people as mere means to an end; aren’t the pregnant women being used? (Manninen 40) The women essentially become hosts to the fetuses and are used to cultivate life. How can the forced use of women’s bodies be a moral act? A blastocyst or a human zygote does not have the full characteristics of what human beings have. It cannot function on its own, communicate or have a consciousness attributed to it. It merely possesses the potential to form into personhood and ultimately a human life. If we cannot pinpoint the exactness of when a fetus achieves personhood, how can we correlate the crime of murder to something that hasn’t had a life? No actual person is harmed by having an abortion so there is no reason that the act in itself is morally bad. IN SUPPORT OF PRO LIFE Pro Life gains its understanding through what is commonly known as the substance view. This means that human life is valued for the type of thing it is from the moment of conception to its ultimate demise. Human beings are considered rational moral agents that are consistent with its original substance but possess capabilities that give it the ability to function. (Beckwith 33) Since human beings are considered living organisms, as substances they maintain their identity throughout the process of their life regardless of the physical changes that occur. Thus human beings are always considered persons because of their potential to develop abilities. In addition, humans are also considered persons even if the potential never actualizes because their overall substance. (Beckwith 36) The substance theory extends not only to the unborn fetus, but to other humans who for whatever reason are prevented from exercising their capabilities as a functioning person. These types of persons have similar parallels to the unborn because they have achieved personhood and full moral status simply because of being human. The rationale behind the substance theory is if it is permissible to kill the unborn fetus then it is equally permissible to kill a person unable to exercise their capabilities as a functioning person. Thus abortion is morally wrong. Another argument in the abortion debate is the precise moment when personhood is achieved. The Pro-Life position stems from the moment of conception because the zygote contains all of the chromosomes for human life. Some of the chromosomes have not been used yet since human life is in its beginning stages and does not require all of them at this time. However, the zygote contains all of the chromosomes and or genetic instructions to form a human’s physical, psychological, emotional, needs from the moment of conception. In addition to the scientific perspective to the pro-life position is the religious perspective that a higher power, God, created all life and humans do not have a right to take the power of God in their hands and destroy it. People who have this theory base it off the teachings of Scripture contained within the Bible. An example passage is: Psalm 139 again makes clear that the fetus (unborn baby) is a human whom God loves. And God told the prophet Jeremiah, â€Å"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.† (Jeremiah 1:5). God had plans for Jeremiah even while he was in his mother’s womb. Pro-life supporters interpret these biblical passages to be God’s direct and absolute view of the validity when human life begins thus giving a Divine definite determination that personhood is achieved at conception. Therefore since the fetus is considered a person, abortion is considered murdering a person and is ultimately wrong in the eyes of God. MY POSITION When it comes to the topic of Abortion, my views align with the moderate view. I neither condemn nor condone abortion but my belief aligns itself with the reasoning that a woman has a right to choose what happens in her own individual body. The mother’s rights to autonomy must be preserved at all costs. No woman should be forced to surrender her body in order to provide another human being its needs to survive. Without this fundamental protection securely in place, it sets a dangerous precedent for the abuse of women. It can be argued that if a woman must give up her body to sustain the life of another when it comes to reproductive rights, what about the means of other bodily rights such as organ donation, bone marrow extraction and other harvesting means? To reverse the pro-choice decision is reducing women from being independent beings to being merely hosts and have less rights then the potential for a human has. In addition, no woman should be forced to continue with a pregnancy she does not want, can cause her medical harm, or is a result of a violent crime. The physical and psychological damage that can be inflicted from forcing women to continue with unwanted pregnancies is too horrible to consider. As a mother to three children, I certainly do know the varying physical changes as a result of pregnancy. I can say that with my first child, I hardly noticed that I was pregnant. I did not experience any negative side effects and continued with my daily activities as if nothing ever happened. It wasn’t until I was able to hear the heart beat or see the fetus on the ultrasound screen did the potential for the pregnancy became real for me. I use the word potential because until the child is born, many things can go wrong with the pregnancy resulting in natural miscarriage. There has to be a certain environment with favorable variables for a pregnancy to progress into a full born infant. Science does not have the capability to determine if a pregnancy will be 100% successful but it does give a great success probability. As such, it was important for me to keep in perspective that although I was deemed pregnant with a child, that child is not fully realized until it is born and I am holding it in my hand. If, for whatever reason a woman chooses not to continue with her pregnancy, then I believe it ideally would be best to perform the abortion as early as possible most certainly before 12 weeks. There are many tests that can be performed to detect if the fetus has any genetic defects that could affect its overall life. Plus the timeframe is more than sufficient to personally determine if the pregnancy should continue. My choice for a timeframe has nothing to do with the determination of when a fetus achieves personhood with moral status, but more of a compassionate opinion in that by aborting earlier, the mother doesn’t develop a strong attachment to the potential of the fetus. My opinion does not mean to allow for a woman to use an abortion as a means to birth control. I believe that since a woman has the reproductive capability to cultivate potential life, with that capability encompasses a tremendous amount of responsibility. There should be available and economical birth control measures put in place to prevent the abortion procedure entirely. Abortion should be used as a last measure towards preventing an unwanted pregnancy. RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS Since the early 1980s, groups opposed to abortion have attempted to document the existence of â€Å"post-abortion syndrome,† which they claim has traits similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) demonstrated by some war veterans. In 1989, the American Psychological Association (APA) convened a panel of psychologists with extensive experience in this field to review the data. They reported that the studies with the most scientifically rigorous research designs consistently found no trace of â€Å"post-abortion syndrome† and furthermore, that no such syndrome is scientifically or medically recognized.[1] The panel concluded that â€Å"research with diverse samples, different measures of response and different times of assessment have come to similar conclusions. The time of greatest distress is likely to be before the abortion. Severe negative reactions after abortions are rare and can best be understood in the framework of coping with normal life stress.†[2] While some women may experience sensations of regret, sadness or guilt after an abortion, the overwhelming responses are relief and happiness.[3] In another study, researchers surveyed a national sample of 5,295 women, not all of whom had had abortions, and many of whom had abortions between 1979 and 1987, the time they were involved in the study. The researchers were able to learn about women’s emotional well-being both before and after they had abortions. They concluded at the end of the eight-year study that the most important predictor of emotional well-being in post-abortion women was their well-being before the abortion. Women who had high self-esteem before an abortion would be most likely to have high self-esteem after an abortion, regardless of how many years passed since the abortion.[4] Psychological responses to abortion must also be considered in comparison to the psychological impact of alternatives for resolving an unwanted pregnancy (adoption or becoming a parent). While there has been little scientific research about the psychological consequences of adoption, researchers speculate that it is likely â€Å"that the psychological risks for adoption are higher for women than those for abortion because they reflect different types of stress. Stress associated with abortion is acute stress, typically ending with the procedure. With adoption, as with unwanted childbearing, however, the stress may be chronic for women who continue to worry about the fate of the child.†[5] (Abortion Myths) ETHICAL POSITION CONSISTENT WITH MY PERSONAL POSITION I believe that my ethical position is in agreement with Judith Jarvis Thomson’s Feminism perspective in support of the rights of the mother over the rights of the fetus. She brilliantly explains in a rational and logical way that the mother deserves her status of personhood and bodily autonomy over that of the fetus. The only entitlement that the fetus has is the claim over its own body and not the mothers. â€Å"The pregnant woman owes no such duty to the fetus, unless she has affirmatively assumed the responsibility of carrying it to term, in which case she has assumed duty to avoid harming that fetus. Until that point, however, there is no duty, and the pregnant woman cannot be said to have breached a duty by aborting the fetus.† (Flicker 2) [pic] Since women posses the exclusive right to cultivate a potential life inside their bodies, it deems an increased level of responsibility to protect the possibility of that happening. Thompson thus argued that if a woman takes reasonable steps to avoid pregnancy she should not be held responsible for the pregnancy, and has the right to choose and have an abortion. I believe that to be true as well. With all the options for contraception available to women, responsible methods can be used for the prevention of pregnancy. Since nothing but abstinence is 100% effective and women are entitled to enjoy the healthy aspects of sexual intercourse, if an unwanted pregnancy does occur and responsible measures failed to prevent the pregnancy, then a woman is absolutely entitled to make informed decisions about the use of her own body and chose abortion. My perspective also coincides with Preference Utilitarianism which defines the moral course of action is the one that results in the most preference satisfaction. With regards to abortion, fetuses do not possess the ability for preferences, therefore only the mothers have that ability thus their rights to personhood and bodily autonomy outweight the interest of the fetus. Thus abortion is morally allowable. WORKS CITED Manninen, Bertha Alvarez. â€Å"Rethinking Roe V. Wade: Defending The Abortion Right In The Face Of Contemporary Opposition.† American Journal Of Bioethics 10.12 (2010): 33-46. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 June 2012. Beckwith, Francis J. â€Å"The Explanatory Power Of The Substance View Of Persons.† Christian Bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies In Medical Morality 10.1 (2004): 33-54. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 June 2012. Thomson, Judith J. â€Å"A Defense of Abortion, â€Å"From Philosophy & Public Affairs, vol. 1, no. 1 (Fall 1971): 47-66 Copyright  © 1971 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Reproduced by permission of Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Flicker, Lauren Sydney. â€Å"Pregnancy Is Not A Crime.† American Journal Of Bioethics 10.12 (2010): 54-55. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 June 2012. The Holy Bible, New International Version. Worldwide: Biblicia, 2011. Print â€Å"Abortion Myths.† National Abortion Federation, n.p. 2010 Web. 26 June 2012. ———————– [1] American Psychological Association. â€Å"APA research review finds no evidence of ‘post-abortion syndrome’ but research studies on psychological effects of abortion inconclusive.† Press release, January 18, 1989. [2] Adler NE, et al. â€Å"Psychological responses after abortion.† Science, April 1990, 248: 41-44. [3] Adler NE, et al. â€Å"Psychological factors in abortion: a review.† American Psychologist, 1992, 47(10): 1194-1204. [4] Russo NF, Zierk KL. â€Å"Abortion, childbearing, and women’s well-being.† Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 1992, 23(4): 269-280. [5] Russo NF. â€Å"Psychologicalaspects of unwanted pregnancy and its resolution.† In J.D. Butler and D.F. Walbert (eds.), Abortion, Medicine, and the Law (4th Ed., pp. 593-626). New York: Facts on File, 1992.

Should Lord of the Flies Be Banned?

English Debate 2011-2012 Should Lord of the Flies Be Banned From Chisago Lakes High School? Argument #1 Peer Pressure By: Elizabeth Gornik We’re sitting here talking, in Mr. Scharnberg’s first hour English class at Chisago Lakes High School, about how this classic book â€Å"Lord of the Flies† by William Golding affects our everyday lives. Half of the room believes it’s a life lesson and should be continued in our education curriculum and the other half believes its sending a horrible message to our society and should be forever banned from our school.I believe that it’s an educational book and should continue to be taught; it’s a great read and has changed my outlook on things in life. For the other half of you I understand where you guys are coming from, this book has sexual references, its violent and makes fun of disabled people; but you have to look past that and see the deep meaning in the gory paragraphs. In our lives we face many chal lenges; one of the big issues is peer pressure. We all face it in high school, drugs, sex, parties, alcohol, skipping school, etc. The dictionary definition of peer pressure is influence from members of one’s peer group.Lord of the Flies is a perfect of example peer pressure; it shows how everyone cracks under pressure. Choices they make are determined by the manipulation and domination of their more powerful friends. The littl’uns are faced with pressure because they don’t exactly know what’s going on, they whole lives they’ve been supported by their families and didn’t have to worry about seeing tomorrow’s daylight. Now they have to depend on boys twice their age because everyone else is and they don’t know how to take care of themselves. Another situation is when ll the boys first met and everyone was making fun of Piggy and calling him â€Å"Fatty†, Ralph decided to be part of the fun and giggles and tell everyone Pi ggy’s secret nickname to feel part of the crowd. Later on in the book the more Ralph realizes that Piggy was his one, true friend. Towards the end of the book Samneric were pressured into joining Jack’s tribe by threatening them. They end up joining to save their lives. This book clearly shows that how they’re acting is influenced by the things that they have gone through, the surroundings is what influenced them, not a book.Think about it, Jack became obsessed with hunting because that’s all he could do to entertain himself. When teens and children even adults are bored they tend to experiment things such as drugs, sex, alcohol. If you’re not keeping yourself busy and hanging around the wrong people, eventually you get influenced to do things you will regret doing in the future. Also, it shows that the consequences of our mistakes, it does not encourage us to do the same. If you actually thought deep about the text and not just surface through the offensive situations, you just might see what I see, a life lesson that each and every one of us need to learn.

Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students

Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students A tiered intervention is one of the most powerful techniques used to both prevent and overcome students behavioral problems. While a Tier 1 intervention presents only basic instructions, the following ones address a certain person and certain problems. Such kind of individualization allows to determine the core of a problem and succeed in solving it.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A Brief Summary of the Article Kern and Wehby (2014) describe a tiered intervention aimed to improve a behavior of one of the students of Highland Middle School, named Isaac. Firstly, teachers try a Tier 1 approach, which is school-wide (Kern Wehby, 2014, p. 45). Since the students behavior does not improve, they supplement Tier 1 with new instructions and proceed to Tier 2. Finally, the last one, a Tier 3 intervention is presented an d proved successful.  According to Kern and Wehby (2014), Isaac has both academic problems, (refuses to do his homework, appears unprepared for lessons, etc.), and difficulties getting along with his peers, which usually lead to aggression and even fistfights (p. 45). The first phase of intervention was based on Highland High Five Expectations, which were Be Ready, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Safe and Be Kind (Kern Wehby, 2014, p. 46). The students were encouraged to meet those demands, as well as aware of the consequences of not meeting them. However, Isaacs behavior remained the same, so a Tier 2 intervention was developed. As Kelley and Goldstein (2014) claim, a Tier 2 intervention is not a replacement of Tier 1, but a supplement. At this stage, personal information is also investigated. So, firstly, all students every day and after each period had to get points (from 0 to 2) for their adherence to each of Highland High Five Expectations. Secondly, the support team studi ed which of these expectations were the most difficult for Isaac and expanded the list for him. Nevertheless, he still managed to gain only the half of the possible points.  Finally, during a Tier 3 intervention, all of Isaacs problems were examined in details. He had to train his organizational skills, solve math problems and attend the homework club. He also got a specific schedule and was taught how to solve conflicts with his peers without any aggression. Finally, the support team members even managed to encourage Isaac to do all of these by letting him attend the sports team. As a result, Isaacs behavior improved, he showed better results in education and stopped having fights with his peers.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Article Analysis The student Isaac, whose story is described in the article, is fictional. However, his behavior model and the problems he faces ( both academic and social ones) are very common. Kern and Wehby (2014) explain how these problems can be solved even in the most difficult cases. As it is stated in Ephesians 6:4, Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. In other words, discipline is everything. Students should always be led by right teachers in order to develop their best qualities.  The approach presented by Kern and Wehby (2014) is supported by more than ten sources, including previous studies made in this area, what makes the information reliable. Article material is presented clearly and understandably and also sustained by several tables. I assume, an idea to show how intervention plans work on a particular example is very well-turned because it helps to understand the concept better. Finally, the information presented in this article is valuable since it can be applied to many other cases. As it was already mentioned before, a tiered int ervention is one of the most efficient methods of solving behavioral problems. References Kelley, E., Goldstein, H. (2014). Building a Tier 2 Intervention: A Glimpse Behind the Data. Journal of Early Intervention, 36(4), 292-312. Kern, L., Wehby, J. H. (2014). Using Data to Intensify Behavioral Interventions for Individual Students. Teaching Exceptional Children, 46(4), 45-53.

Differences Between Semantics and General Semantics

Differences Between Semantics and General Semantics General semantics is a discipline and/or methodology intended to improve the ways people interact with their environment and with one another, especially through training in the critical use of words and other symbols. The term general semantics was  introduced by Alfred Korzybski in the book  Science and Sanity  (1933). In his Handbook of Semiotics (1995),  Winfried Nà ¶th observes that General Semantics is based on the assumption that historical languages are only inadequate tools for the cognition of reality, are misleading in verbal communication, and may have negative effects on our nervous systems. Semantics vs. General Semantics According to Kodish and Kodish General semantics provides a general theory of evaluation. We can consider what we mean when we refer to this system by comparing it with semantics as people usually use the term. Semantics involves the study of language meanings. For example, when were interested in the word unicorn, what dictionaries say it means and its history of meanings, and what it might refer to, we are involved in semantics. General semantics involves such language concerns, but also involves much broader issues. Using general semantics, were concerned with understanding how we evaluate, with the inner life of each individual, with how each of us experiences and makes sense of our experiences, with how we use language and how language uses us. While were interested in what the word unicorn refers to and how a dictionary might define it, we have more interest in the person using the word, with the kind of evaluating that might lead people to look for unicorns in their back yards. Do they think that they have found some? Do they re-evaluate their search when they dont find any? Do they investigate how they came to be looking for unicorns? How are they experiencing the search? How do they talk about it? How are they experiencing the process of evaluating what has happened? General semantics involves an interrelated set of elements, which, taken together, can help us answer these and similar questions. (Susan Presby Kodish and Bruce I. Kodish, Drive Yourself Sane: Using the Uncommon Sense of General Semantics, 2nd ed. Extensional Publishing, 2001) Korzybski on General Semantics General Semantics turned out to be an empirical natural science of non-elementalistic evaluation, which takes into account the living individual, not divorcing him from his reactions altogether, nor from his neuro-linguistic and neuro-semantic environments, but allocating him in a plenum of some values, no matter what (Alfred Korzybski, preface to the third edition of Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics, 1947).Alfred Korzybski (1879-1950), the founder of general semantics, maintained that the structural assumptions implicit in language are of necessity reflected in behavior. . . . Korzybski believed that if, through general semantics, people generally could be trained in the orientations of science in the handling of all their problems (instead of just some of them), many social and personal problems now deemed to be insoluble would prove to be soluble. There is a messianic flavor to Korzybskis writingsa fact which led to the dismissa l of his views in some academic circles. (S.I. Hayakawa, The Use and Misuse of Language. Harper Row, 1962)

Identification and analysis of DNA repair mechanisms that contribute Assignment

Identification and analysis of DNA repair mechanisms that contribute to resistance against nucleoside analogues - Assignment Example For instance of repair pathways are homologous recombination (HR), trans-lesion synthesis (TLS), non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), nucleotide excision repair (NER), base excision repair (BER) and mismatch repair (MMR) (Martin et al., 2010). When there are double-strand breaks in the DNA strands and the replication forks, HR and the NHEJ pathways are at work to repair it. In the case of modified or incorrect basis, which can happen in DNA synthesis, the BER path works to remove them. When there are chemically induced damages to DNA or UV damage, the NER pathway removes the damage. MMR is the pathway repairing deletion, mismatch or insertion mutations that happen in the DNA and TLS pathways makes the polymerases bypass modified bases which can disrupt the replication forks. In other cases, multiple protein pathways take part in maintaining the genetic wholeness in different cell cycles, stopping the aberrant or anomalous cells from dividing. Thus, the daughter cells inherit the correc t genomic information (Martin et al. 2010). There are various mutations are happened at the same time, the repair process misses some of mutations and become part of DNA (Loeb, Loeb 2000). Currently, there are 346 genes, which are associated with the development of cancer and this number keeps increasing. In some cases these genes are mutated only in cancer cells, not in the normal cells. In other cases genes may show increased levels of deregulated. In both cases, the result can be a significant decrease in the effectiveness of the genes, which may lead to change pathways both in the cancer cell and the body itself (Huang, Wallqvist & Covell 2006). This suggests that mutations are very essential part of cancer formation. It is observed that when human cancer is first detected, there are already thousands of different mutations. Also, information that cancer can be passed from one generation to the next, means that some of those mutations are inherited in the genes (Loeb, Loeb 2000) . Cancer is characterised by a high rate of somatic cells cloning themselves. These cells do not go by the normal growth regulation mechanisms acting in a cell. This is why these cells can multiply far more rapidly than a normal cell would. In a similar way, mechanisms controlling apoptosis are also not working normally, which means that the cancerous cell does not die when it should (Evan, Vousden 2001). Most tumours that develop in the human body are substantially heterogeneous. This suggests that many mutations occur in the cancer cells leading to the creation of tumours and to the change in function of normal cells compared to cancerous cells (Loeb Loeb & Anderson 2003. That is why cancer can be seen as a disease, or many diseases, which happen because of genetic abnormalities piling up in the cells (Huang, Wallqvist & Covell 2006). In each generation of cancer cells, significant mutation occurs within different cells, and those that develop mutations that facilitate cancer grow th are selected for, resulting in an increase in the prevalence of these cells. Mutations may be subtle, such as changes in the sequence of nucleotides, or more substantial, involving changes in the chromosomes themselves (Wang et al, 2002). One important factor in the treatment of cancer is that therapeutic killing cancer cells, which make the cancer go into remission, can also make it more resistant to treatment in a similar manner to how some microorganisms can become

How the present day data centers are turning to virtual data centers Research Paper

How the present day data centers are turning to virtual data centers - Research Paper Example The Hyper-V process allows the virtual machine user to craft and manager one’s virtual machines process by implementing the popular virtual technology. Hyper V operates effectively in the Windows Server 2012 setup. Hyper-V allows the virtual machines user to run several operating systems together, starting and ending at the same time on a solo physical computer. The process includes implementing the different operating systems on a separate virtual machine. Consequently, memory usage can be increased more effectively and more efficiently. Virtual machines use lesser memory compared to physical machines, saving cost by increasing the virtual machines’ restarting functions. Hyper V administration implements strict security measures by implementing a local administrator’s setup (http://technet.microsoft.com). In addition, Harley Stagner (2009) insists that Microsoft’s Virtual Server 2005 Release 2, Hyper-V is a bare metal server virtualization product. The op erating system does not sit between the hardware and the hypervisor (the code implements the server virtualization process). The hypervisor (Hyper-V) is generates processing on Windows Server 2008. The Windows server is the parent partition, respectfully a privileged guest virtual machine. Virtual machines have gained popularity in the computer environment. To join the bandwagon, Microsoft offers Hyper –V program. The program works in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 20008 infrastructure environment. Hyper-V enhances software infrastructure and management tools needed to craft and administer the virtual server system. Hyper-V contains dynamic memory. The virtual environment augments and improves the use of the physical machine environment (http://technet.microsoft.com). How the move to virtualization affects our data networks today. Singh Amit theorized the move to virtualization enhances data network processing today (http://www.kernelthread.com). First, virtual mac hines can combine the data processing of many less maximized servers to a lesser number of machines, including only one server consolidating machine. Consequently, the users can reduce avoidable costs. Second, virtual machines increase the effectiveness and efficiency of legacy processes. Virtual machines help in the individuals’ or companies’ strive to achieve goals and plans. The same processes may not work on newly installed hardware or newly bought operating systems. Likewise, the use of the newly installed hardware or newly bought operating systems will not maximize server use, unlike the virtual machines (http://www.kernelthread.com). Further, virtual machines offer enhanced security that includes isolated sandboxes to access and process trust-lacking programs or websites (http://www.kernelthread.com). One can implement address obfuscation to implement on the fly environments that are downloaded from the internet sites, increasing the danger of accessing trust-la cking websites. Such websites may steal information from the downloading computer and wreak havoc on the computers’ processing time and processing output quality. Virtual machines popularity is based on the concept of creating secured computing environments (http://www.kernelthread.com). Furthermore, virtual machines offer hardware illusions and configure the users’ hardware, which is absent (http://www.kerne