Interview The Difference Between Editing and Proofreading - The Writers For Hire

INTERVIEW: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EDITING AND PROOFREADING With traditional publishing on the decrease  Ã¢â‚¬â€ self-published books represented 31 percent of   e-book sales on Amazons Kindle Store in 2014 — more authors than ever  shoulder the responsibility of making sure their books contain clean, polished, and accurate copy. That means, ideally, that theyre hiring professionals to fine-tune their manuscripts once the writing is complete. The catch is, when people ask professionals to proofread or edit their books (or any other kind of copy) the clients expectations may not match the professionals. For some people, editing means checking spelling and grammar. Others think of it as shaping the overall structure of the manuscript. During her latest interview on The Price of Business, Wintress Odom of The Writers For Hire talks about requesting proofreading and editing services and offers tips that clients can use to make sure  everyone is one the same page. Click play to hear the interview. document.createElement('video'); https://www.thewritersforhire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/7-7-17-Wintress-Odom.mp4

10 Classification Essay Topics on Marketing Communications

10 Classification Essay Topics on Marketing Communications If you are tasked with writing about marketing communications, you have to decide whether you want to focus on a specific type of marketing, or a specific type of communication method to really reach your consumers, or even a type of leadership which is conducive to good communication or good marketing. Below are some facts to help you along the writing path. Figuring out how to manage marketing freelancers can be difficult, especially if your team is compiled of contributors from around the world. Part of the appeal of managing a freelance staff is the flexibility it affords and the cost savings pertaining to costs which would otherwise be incurred housing staff in a physical office. But this is not to say that managing freelancing staff is without its struggles. Some people utilize micromanagement, especially when they work with freelancers because the distance causes a fear regarding loss of control. Micro management causes so much attention to detail that it creates direct failure. It also leeches time otherwise devoted to responsibilities. When marketing freelancers make decisions on their own, it can cause irritation. A micro managing boss will ask for detailed reports on anything and everything that the marketing freelancers do and this will cloud overall goals and restrict the flow of information. The pathologies associated with this style include denial and narcissism, but perhaps more important is the overall doubt this management style brings. When a boss doubts their freelancers’ abilities and interferes on a regular basis, it stiffens creative abilities and inhibits working relationships. This is perhaps even more prominent in the world of freelance management because in life of a single board meeting or a face to face conversation where all project details are discussed, each detail of a project would otherwise be sent in an individual email or message, clogging up an inbox and appearing overbearing. The creation of this strict and overbearing work atmosphere causes marketing freelancers to leave. Not offering any oversight means a boss is failing to fulfill their role. They might be seen as â€Å"caring† by the marketing freelancers, someone interested in their daily lives and feelings, but this nice attitude is typically avoidant too and makes it difficult at best to carry on a legitimate conversation. By not assuming the responsibilities and roles of a boss, it threatens the success of the remote staff. This level of poor management causes simple errors, unintentional mistakes, which go unnoticed. When bosses attempt to manage their freelancers in this fashion, they avoid all confrontation or difficult discussions and never properly lead. Marketing communications are best done in the way of the transformational business leader who can adequately lead a group of freelance employees. This is a leader who is strict, but not too extreme, and who is also lenient and caring but not to the point that it interferes with productivity. This is a boss who inspires freelancers with the company vision of development and has clear goals established to meet all business ends. This form of management encourages and motivates all remote freelancers without inhibiting them or being overbearing. Managing a staff remotely can be made easier with the proper tools. For example: rather than emailing freelancers every hour and requiring detailed reports that amount to micromanagement, project management tools make it easy to add or assign tasks to freelance team members as those tasks arise. These tools convert traditional business settings into virtual ones which allow conversations, documents, and tags to be maintained individually for each project/project heading. This alleviates the need for micromanagement as it offers clear updates as soon as each person logs in. Other beneficial tools for the transformational leader include features that generate progress reports as necessary and alleviate the need for time wasting meetings. They also allow for automatic reminders to be sent to all freelancers. Transactional Leadership involves the idea of an exchange between manager and his subordinates: the employee is paid commiserate amounts of money in exchange for his co-operation and compliance. This would mean that communications with marketing staff would empower the manager to discipline his subordinates for failing to comply or underperforming. While at the outset, this style of leadership sounds excessively control oriented, the benefits to this style stem from the fact that it clarifies everyones purpose, providing a certain unity of vision. In addition, since it evaluates primarily on the basis of performance, ambitious over performing employees, it can be rewarded extra compensation, thus reinforcing that behavior. Downsides to this leadership are that it can stifle employees leading to low staff retention rates. It is focused on short-term tasks and can stifle creativity. While counter-productive in creative or knowledge-based industries, it may come handy in other situation s. Bureaucratic Leadership is characterized by managers who work by the book, rigorously following rules, while also encouraging their marketing subordinates to do the same in all professional communication. This style of leadership is effective, even mandatory in high safety risk environments (such as chemical and manufacturing plants) and where financial transactions involving large sums of money may be involved. Its downside however, is that it can be very constrictive in environments that seek to foster creativity and enterprise, since people are rewarded for their conformance rather than their talents or expertise. Proponents of the servant leadership marketing communication model suggest that servant leadership is a good way to get ahead, considering how ethics and values play an increasingly important role in businesses. It leads to a healthy corporate culture and highly motivated employees. However, servant leaders may get overshadowed by leaders who employ more aggressive leadership schemes. This form of leadership is also suited to environments that require quick responses to contingencies. This type of leadership is most effective in scenarios that involve elected leadership, such as teams, committees and community organizations. Autocratic leadership and communication is effective in low skilled industries, where a large number of unskilled laborers perform an allotted task, supervised by an autocratic management. It is also effective in the military, where the generals have to make a series of complex strategic decisions letting the soldiers focus on carrying out the tasks allotted to them. We hope that these facts will become a solid foundation for your marketing communications classification essay. Don’t forget to see our 20 varied topics list and sample essay below along with the guide on how to write one. Are you ready to hire an essay writer to have your classification paper written from scratch? Try our writing service now! References: Kotler, F. Keller K, L. Framework for Marketing Management 5th Edition    by Prentice Hall March 14th 2011 Belch, George E, and Michael A Belch.  Advertising And Promotion. Boston, Mass.: Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 2001. Print. Blythe, Jim.  Marketing Communications. Harlow, England: Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2000. Print. Pelsmacker, Patrick de, Maggie Geuens, and Joeri van den Bergh.  Marketing Communications. New York: Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2001. Print. Schultz, Don E, Stanley I Tannenbaum, and Robert F Lauterborn.  Integrated Marketing Communications. Lincolnwood, Ill., USA: NTC Business Books, 1993. Print. Smith, P. R, and Ze Zook.  Marketing Communications. London: Kogan Page, 2011. Print. Wood, Gill.  Marketing Communications. Oxford: Elsevier, 2004. Print.

10 Best Writing Communities You Need to Join Today - Freewrite Store

10 Best Writing Communities You Need to Join Today - Freewrite Store Back in the very early 2000s, when the internet was still young, YouTube didn’t exist, and Facebook was just a twinkle in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye, I joined a Yahoo Group for writers.  Ã‚   Why? I was writing fiction that I wanted to publish online – but first, I wanted to get it peer-reviewed. And not long after I signed up, one of the other writers reached out to me and offered to help me with my 30,000-word novella. She said she saw promise - and some things that needed fixing. I accepted her offer and began an amazing friendship that stands strong to this day.  Ã‚   It still amazes me that this stranger from across the world was willing to give up her time, for free, to help me hone my craft. It took several months of rewrites. She didn’t pull any punches with her feedback, but she was always constructive and kind, and her advice was invaluable, as was the input from the other writers after I finally reached the stage where I was happy to release my story to the wider group.   I’ve been a big fan of online writing communities ever since. If you’ve never joined one before, you might not be aware of the full range of benefits you can get by signing up.    Support   Writing is a pastime (or profession) with a unique set of challenges that only another writer can truly understand. Being part of an online community gives you the chance to interact with others who understand your struggles, frustrations and challenges, and who can offer helpful encouragement and wisdom. It provides you with a group of people with whom you can discuss and explore your ideas and your roadblocks, and who can encourage you to keep going when you’ve hit a creative brick wall.   Critique   When you’re emotionally involved in a piece of writing, it can be hard to assess it objectively. Not sure if your plot makes sense? Do your characters ring true? Are their motivations plausible? Family and friends often lack the technical ability or the courage to provide truly constructive feedback, whereas an online community provides you with a diverse group of writers with a wide range of experience who can help you gain valuable insight on your strengths and weaknesses.   Knowledge   Every writer brings something new to a community in terms of experience, genre, format, perspective, tips, processes and ideas. A writing community gives you a forum to exchange knowledge and take away the most useful tidbits to apply to your own writing. Offering to critique someone’s work can also be a valuable learning experience which gives you exposure to a plethora of writing styles. Many communities also offer their members access to learning resources.   Resilience   One of the things any writer needs to learn to deal with is criticism - no writer is going to be accepted by every publisher or enjoyed by every reader. Writing is a very personal and emotional activity, and it can be  difficult to hear negative things about your work, and scary to share it with strangers. Good writing communities will help you build your resilience to feedback by being constructive, thoughtful and helpful.   Marketing   If you’re going down the self-publishing route, you’ll need some marketing skills, and being part of an online community puts you in contact with other writers who have been there, done that, and can share what has worked for them. Most communities also have avenues through which you can promote your own books to other members.   If you’re keen to experience the support, companionship and knowledge that comes from joining an online writing community, here’s a list of the ten best groups you can join right now:   1.  Scribophile   One of the world’s largest and most active communities, Scribophile operates on a karma system, whereby you have to critique others’ work before you can submit your own. However, if you pay for premium access ($9 per month or $65 per year), you get unlimited submissions and an ad-free experience. Scribophile also offers the opportunity to compete in writing contests (for cash!). All levels of writing ability are welcomed and almost every genre covered.   2.  Insecure Writers’ Support Group   This community was created by sci-fi author Alex Cavanaugh, who realized that there were a lot of lost souls out there scouring the internet for help with their writing. Today, it has a Facebook group with over 4000 members and a mission â€Å"to share and encourage†. The community’s website boasts a wealth of information including links to writing tips, publisher lists, marketing guides and contests. There’s a weekly newsletter and even a free guide to publishing and beyond.   3.  Absolute Write Water Cooler   If you’re looking for a purely forum-style group, then Absolute Write Water Cooler is a great place to start. With almost 68,000 members at the time of writing, it’s extremely active, well moderated, and there are threads on everything from writer’s block and grammar to publishing and freelancing. Plenty of writing formats are covered including podcasts, graphic novels and scriptwriting, to name a few. There are dozens of discussions about writing-related topics to get involved in, and a section where you can find yourself a beta reader, writing buddy or mentor.    4. Chronicles   This community is the largest forum that caters specifically to science fiction and fantasy writers. Aside from the writing forums that offer workshops, critiques, challenges and resources, it’s a great place to discuss the genre as a whole. Topics cover TV and film, featured authors, the publishing industry and more.   5.  The Next Big Writer   If you’re focused on getting your work critiqued, The Next Big Writer offers an international audience of authors – many of them published – to provide you with feedback on your writing and support with every aspect of your craft. This forum isn’t free but comes with a rich list of features for the membership ($8.95 per month, $21.95 per quarter or $69.95 per year) including guaranteed feedback, unlimited posting, access to premium groups, discounts on classes and entry into site competitions.   6.  She Writes   Looking for a supportive community of female writers? She Writes might be the right one for you. It’s the largest online writing community exclusively for women. Once you’ve joined, you can follow specific groups and content topics, post your own blog and read the articles posted by other members (more than 30,000 available). She Writes also operates its own self-publishing platform, where you can invest in professional coaching, editing, e-book creation and printing.   7.  Nanowrimo   Sometimes you need a deadline to give you that extra bit of motivation. Nanowrimo stands for National November Writing Month. Started in 1999 by freelance writer Chris Baty, it’s an online novel-writing challenge held from 1–30 November every year, with the objective of writing a 50,000-word novel. The community aspect comes in the form of camaraderie across social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and you can also join theNanowrimo forums to discuss all aspects of the novel writing process and share your journey with other participants. If the timing and word count don’t suit, tryCamp Nanowrimo instead, which holds virtual writers’ retreats in April and July for projects of any format and length.   8.  Talentville   Screenwriters – this community’s especially for you. Talentville is designed to help aspiring screenwriters not only hone their craft through collaboration and education but also to build connections within the industry. With over 10,000 screenwriters and more than 200 industry professionals registered, one of Talentville’s goals is to actively promote worthy work to agents, managers and producers. Membership ranges from free (with posting limitations) to $99 per year.   9.  Agent Query Connect   If you’ve already finished your manuscript, this online social network could be your best choice. It specializes in helping you get your book published, with discussion topics and helpful resources covering everything from writing query letters and finding agents to self-publishing and promotion. You can even get your query letter peer-reviewed.   10.  Reddit   Reddit is a vast social network made up of subreddits that focus on every topic imaginable, and there are plenty of writing-related discussion boards in which you can participate. It’s free, and sometimes unmoderated, but great if you have a very niche area of interest or are looking for a large and diverse group. With almost 700,000 subscribers, r/writing is a great place to start.    BONUS: 11. Freewrite Insiders Our Freewrite Insider group has over 30,000 writers all over the world who are serious about improving their writing process.   From free resources, quality content, and exclusive discounts on the latest writing tools, this is one  email newsletter that every writer who is serious about their craft needs to be part of.  Ã‚         About the author: Claire Wilkins is a freelance copywriter and editor from New Zealand. She loves to write about travel, health, home, and proper punctuation. After a career in financial services spanning almost three decades, Claire left the corporate world behind to start Unmistakable - her writing and editing business. She creates website copy, blogs, and newsletters for creative agencies and small businesses, and  specialises  in polishing existing content until it shines. In her spare time, Claire enjoys cloud-spotting, singing in the car and editing video.

Reflection Paper 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection Paper 4 - Essay Example In other words a face that looks open, alive with a wide smile that says â€Å"you’re welcome† (Marshall &  Jackson &  Sue 2004). Smarter look can be achieved with a pair of glasses and concentrated, meditated look with focusing on some exact object. You could also read a book or newspaper (Sherrow 2001). To look liberal it is best to know how to listen to others and give them time to freely express their thoughts and from my side it would be fair to honor other’s point of view. That is liberal. Wealth can be achieved with accessories like watch, cigarette case, shiny lighter, cool look and busy face like you’re waiting for some important meeting on the matter of serious business. All this details can be achiieved with such aspects of personal appearance as expression of the face, manner of talking, sitting, standing, walking etc. In other words anything serves the purpose and everything is important. It’s all necessary to become a more competen t communicator because people like and feel more open to talk to the successful, happy looking, spectacular or in general cool people (Rumsey & Harcourt 2005). But what is most important and it’s a simple truth is inner good because while all the outer things can be managed with right skills, inner respectful condition can only be achieved with real values because after first appearance they will continue the work which was started by the simple good

To what extent is increased legal regulation of the privately rented Essay - 1

To what extent is increased legal regulation of the privately rented sector justified and desirable - Essay Example the lower end of the market, thereby making life more unbearable for the tenant community.4 In some of the sub-markets that are characterized by a high number of claimants, the impact of this is especially acute with the landlords being able to set rents at levels that are artificially high to match the Local Housing allowance.5 Furthermore, the security of tenure (of between six and twelve months) availed by private landlords is not sufficient for families as well as those who have been shut out of the owner-occupation and social housing and who have to make the private rented sector their only option. The private rented sector has gone through extraordinary revitalization over the last twenty years to become increasingly critical to housing market and the benefit system considerations.6 Currently, there are approximately over four million houses in England that are privately rented. They account for about eighteen percent of all the family units.7 The industry has also doubled in magnitude since 1989 while having more households presently compared to social housing while occupation by owners is on the decline.8 These figures demonstrate the deteriorating affordability of private rented housing that an increasing number of people are forced to use as a consequence of the drop in social housing along with challenges to house ownership.9 All the solutions to the present-day housing catastrophe have to entail a considerable upsurge in the erection of new houses along with the social industry, but this does not imply that no action can be taken to lessen the related issues. In the mea ntime, scarcity is a major defining aspect of the home markets. Furthermore, in London, it remains conceivable that supply will hardly ever match demand. The above perspective of the U.K.’s private rented sector outlines the great importance it plays in the lives of people, mainly those living in the urban centres. It is this assumed importance against the need to protect the

BHP Billiton’s Case study for Corporate Citizenship Essay Example for Free

BHP Billiton’s Case study for Corporate Citizenship Essay Corporate citizenship focuses on the kind of responsibility companies apply toward the community they are operating in. The area of focus could be how customers and the community could be impacted by what a given company or corporation is doing. The area of concern could include the communities such companies are operating in, stakeholders that include shareholders, employees, and other businesses such as suppliers that are interacting or working with such entities. What is involved in corporate citizenship is more than statuary obligation where companies are required to meet certain standards and requirements by law. Corporate citizenship evaluates what business entities with various forms are doing to add to the quality of life of their employees and their dependants, as well as the community they are operating in, including the larger society that their community is part of. Corporate citizenship, also known as corporate social responsibility (Catalyst Consortium, 2002) has opponents and proponents where the opponents argue that focusing on corporate citizenship will derail businesses from focusing on their main concern, which is the usual role businesses are playing in the community. Others are saying, in reality the whole concept is not more than a window-dressing. There are opponents who insist that focusing on corporate citizenship will enable businesses to divert the attention governmental watchdogs are directing at them. What the proponents highlight is if corporations and similar businesses are sensitive to social responsibilities, it will directly benefit them by enabling them to avoid focusing on their short-term drive to maximize profit (Fields, 2002). What is involved in all this is the ethics of doing responsible business in communities where these numerous big businesses that could be corporation are involved, whereby being ethical in what they are doing will benefit them more, by enabling them to avoid pitfalls that could come to haunt them. At the same time, the numerous communities that are accommodating numerous businesses will be free of harm by their wrongdoing. It is difficult to quantify and to come up with some kind measurement technique concerning what should be the standard ethical conformity required from each business entity because of the varied involvement each one of them has in what they are doing (Thillmany, 2007). It is possible to mention Demngs’s Fourteen Points, Balanced Scorecards (Leadership Institute) as an effort to introduce some kind of a standard, although it is difficult to see how successfully it will do the job. Furthermore, Orilizty, Schmidt, and Rynes (2003) had demonstrated that there is a correlation between social performance that takes into consideration the environment and financial performance. The problem with such outlook had been since businesses are aware of their social responsibility they would avoid focusing on the short-term gain they would garner from their conducting business. Some of the key components of corporate responsibilities might involve charitable activities or volunteering to activities that require the input of bigger entities. It is also possible divisions such as human resources or public relations could look after corporate responsibility, while using other divisions in an organization if they are suitable cannot rule them out. It is also possible that it could involve the CEOs or the Boards. There are key areas in an organization where corporation responsibility more vivid. One of them is human resources where the kind of hiring and retaining practice that pertaining to a given firm will enable it to attract good employees and having such practice in place would enable to portray a good image in the community it is operating in. Another area that needs attention is the kind of risk management applied in a given firm, where if anything goes wrong it will be difficult to repair a damaged corporation image. Incidents such as corruption and environmental accidents could exacerbate the erosion of a corporation’s image and requires handling with the utmost care. Overall, the kinds of advantages a corporate that has a good image and is good citizen could reap could a long way and could avail a vast advantage for those that could score high marks. There is also a case where corporations would like to minimize outside interference directed at them, especially by governmental bodies that could levy heavier taxes or introduce strict regulations. Such measures could impeded the advancement corporations can make and one way to avoid that is to engage in various activities such as a concern for the safety and health of their workers, introducing diversity, making the environment their priority, and getting engaged in the community they are operating using the available various channels. In all this, it is possible that corporations will find themselves in a dilemma, because their primary goal is to maximize profit for the stakeholders and if they do not fulfill that obligation, they will not generate enough interest to attract investors. There are economists such as Milton Friedman (NYT) who had openly advocated that since the main drive of corporations is to make profit, they do not have to be worried about the society around them. Such strong-held views had been defied simply because if every corporation strives to become a good citizen, whatever it incurs for doing so will be part of doing normal business. The investors who are members of society will reward those that are good corporate citizens, while they shun away from those that are not, and that obviously affects corporations that fall behind in meeting their good citizenship role. It is also possible that some of the operation of some corporations might have a negative impact on society, on their employees, on the environments and the like, yet they could engage in a public relation campaign to distract critics, observers, or regulators. A few examples to cite are tobacco or petroleum companies whose operations cause damages and no amount of public relation could hide that. In a situation like this, those who can control such operators such as governments, investors, as well as suppliers could exert pressure on them to meet certain good citizenship requirements. Overall, it is possible for corporations to be good citizens and become effective business operators. At the same time, even if some corporations try to become good citizens, because of what they are involved in, it will take them longer time to meet the requirements. The outcome validates that if corporations are not responsible and accountable for what they are doing and have more inputs into the communities they are operating, and unless they oversee the welfare of their workers, as well as numerous partners and stakeholders, in today’s market place where information travels fast, it could cost them a lot. The high price to pay could be worse for those that are public companies, simply because they could be deprived valuable resources such as capital, expertise, manpower, and the like to make them conform. In light of that, this paper will analyze how BHP Billiton, an Australian based resource company is meeting its requirements of a good corporate citizenship. BHP Billiton The company claims that it is distinguished from the other resource companies because it has quality assets, a lineup of projects that the other companies do not have, it is claiming to be customer focused in its marketing effort, it is diversified across many countries, the commodities it deals with are also diversified and that includes the markets it is operating in. One final exception the company has is it is into petroleum business too. With its 39,000 worldwide workers, it is industry leader or near industry leader in commodity business, such as aluminum, energy, mostly coal petroleum and natural gas, copper, manganese, iron, uranium, nickel, silver, and titanium minerals. All this information and more, such as the $15. 6 billion net profit it made for the year 2007 is on the company’s website. It market capitalization from the same source is $140. 5 billion for August of 2007. The company came into existence when two dual listed companies, BHP limited and Billiton Plc merged in 2001. One other important information is the two merged companies continue to exists as separate entities, but they operate as a combined company under one board of directors (BHP Billiton, About Us). Stakeholders BHP Billiton clearly identifies its stakeholders and they start from its employees and contractors, the communities around them that use the products the company is coming up with. There are also those it claims to have influence on what it is doing and that group starts from the investment community as a whole, not only its shareholders, its business partners, organizations in the communities it is located in, unions, non-government organizations, suppliers, various governmental bodies, media, and industry associations. The company believes according to its own statement that accountability and transparency go together. Because of that, it claims that the company’s charter, its sustainable development policy, HSEC management standards, and the guide to proper business conduct is honest and done with integrity and fairness. The company claims that it is an avid believer in dialogue with its stakeholders, as it had witnessed the feedback it gets from them had enabled the management to refine their decision making accordingly, where all prevalent relation information is shared among staff that had resulted in strengthening the relationship with stakeholders. Furthermore, there had been a mechanism to address any grievance that originates from stakeholders. Company Approach to Sustainability The company claims that its sustainable development focuses on how its contributions will have a lasting effect on social, environmental, ethical and economic aspects of the company, as well of the communities it is operating in. Because of that, the company’s priority is to get it right the first time and claims that it has a holistic approach to what it is doing. One of its priorities, which is zero-harm is a requirement to all those involved in the company and they are accountable for their actions. The zero-harm drive focuses in creating a harm free work environment, as well considering the impact what it is doing would have on the environment. The reward it is seeking for accomplishing that is it wants to attract investors, by demonstrating their investment will not only be valued, but it will be made in a company that meets all its social obligations that goes beyond the mandated ones. The same applies to employees that it wants them to be attracted to it because of what it offers and because of the stand it had taken in the community. There is also getting preference from communities and stakeholders for being adherent to what the good corporate citizenship consensus requires. As far as the companies strategies are concerned, it take into account that it is a diversified company that will have to look after its cash flows, where some kind of stability is required in order to be in a position to meet financial, social, and environmental needs, while at the same time it delivers value to its stakeholders. The company admits that it also had a business dimension that it has to take into consideration because, without doing that it will find it difficult to meet its sustainability goal. However, it is with dedication to achieve that goal by making its priority the zero-harm policy that focuses on the well being of workers, communities, and the environment. Furthermore, it makes its priority an effective governance and risk management that will be part of how it operates, so that any wrongdoing will not backfire and affect its progress (BHP Billiton). Sustainability Reporting The company has a policy where it has to review its performance regularly and make its findings public. It believes that doing that will enable it to demonstrate that it is accountable and transparent. It further believes that doing so is an effective stakeholder engagement and the reporting process would become a management tool to measure performance, key company issues, and related management concerns and approaches. It claims that it uses two forms of reporting one online reporting and the other in print. To demonstrate there is a convergence between the company’s risk management and sustainability programs, the sustainability summary report is included as a chapter in the annual reports of the company. Because of the size of the company and what it is involved in, it will result in making the size of the stakeholders large, necessitating that each operation produces its own sustainability report in the locale and region that it operates (BHP Billiton, Our Business). There is a sustainability committee of the Board whose job is to oversee health, safety, environment, and community (HSEC). There are also line managers who are responsible to oversee HSEC performance. This function called HSEC function has the responsibility of providing guidance directly or through networks. It is also open for outside inputs that could originate form experts and it is possible to channel them through a forum on Corporate Responsibility. The diagram illustrates the prevalent structure for sustainable development. Accordingly, the structure demonstrates that it is possible to direct feedbacks to the highest governance body at the company. At the top of the structure there is BHP Billiton Board appointed by the shareholders to look after their interest. Then there is a subcommittee called Sustainability Committee and it main job focuses on HSEC risks, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements concerning HSEC, performance concerning HSEC matters. It is also responsible for preparing annual sustainability summary report. The members have the academic qualification that is pertinent to HSEC so that they can carry out their duty effectively. There is also a forum focusing on corporate responsibility that brings various stakeholders together to discuss and debate on social and environmental issues that are relevant to the company. The audit committee of the board has a job to make sure the financial reporting, internal control structure, risk management, and all required audit functions are in sound condition. The sustainability committee of the board and the audit committee work together, so that the overall overseeing of what takes place in the company meets the requirements. There is also a global ethics panel whose main job is to assist the CEO and to enable him meet the governance document requirement, whereby honesty, integrity, forwarding respect and dignity to others would be part of the CEO’s job. In addition, it deals with employees facing ethical issues, it reviews business conduct issues that came into existence, and it assesses new policy issues and recommendations. Healthy People The company claims that the well being of people is key to the success of what it does. Because of that, its zero harm policy is very important for the company. Safe Workplace The company here also claims the safety of those who work for the company, the contractors of various stripes, and the communities the company divisions are located in are all important for attaining its goal as a good corporate citizen. There are a host of measures that the company is introducing on an ongoing basis to safeguard the health of its employees and the communities that are hosting it wherever it operates. Environmental Commitment The company states that it operates in numerous countries operating a wide variety of business in locations that have different ecosystems. It recognizes that the businesses it is in could affect the environments. Key areas it is focusing on are emissions of gases and particulates, impact of what the company is doing on water quality, land disturbance, land-use change and habitat removal and the like that require more attention be paid on how some of the works are carried out. To deal with such problems the company has a charter that states that the company has an overriding priority to health, safety, environmental responsibility, and sustainable development. Some of the methods it is applying to attain this goal is to strive to be the leader in introducing sound industry practices, to set goals to achieve targets, and enhancing biodiversity protection by taking into consideration ecological values and the use of land. Social Responsibility The company recognizes that what it owns and what it does in various communities could affect cultures and living conditions. It strives to avoid negative social impacts as much as possible, and strives to maximize the benefits and opportunities the involved communities would get from what it is doing. Some measures it is taking to oversee the social responsibility issues are building trust and dialogue with those it believes will be affected by what it is doing, promoting human rights among its stakeholders where it would incorporate in what it does issues such as freedom of association, exclusion of child labor, prohibition of forced labor, proper and ethical use of security personnel. Building social and human capital by introducing community development, it proposes to recognize and respect indigenous people culture, belief, and traditional rights, and come up with facilities that will contribute enhancing and reserving of indigenous cultures. It also proposes to control all economic impacts it will create on others by creating economic opportunities such as employment, education in a form of training, and what it calls business spin-off, and all other impacts such as displacements, impacts on food and water supplies (CSR Network). Strength and Weakness The company strength starts from its size and its diversified asset base. As it had been the case if it plans to take advantage acquisition, it has what it takes to allure stakeholders of the targeted companies that had been true when it tried to acquire Rio Tinto for 75 billion pounds (Guardian CO. UK). As well as it could withstand market ups and downs since all its assets could not be subject to price change at the same time. It weakness stems from country risk where it has to go to many localities in order to procure what it wants and that will include undeveloped regions where the requirements could be much higher. As well as the risk of losing its investments without compensation is always because of political instability. The other areas is some of its products that it relies such as uranium and oil are hazardous for the environment and it does what it does amid pressure and opposition resulting making extracting and bringing those commodities expensive. Especially the company is under pressure to bring to a halt all its activities concerning mining uranium and there is a movement going some of it originating from some of its stakeholders who are asking to stop everything it has to do with uranium (Guardian Co. UK). External Corporate Citizenship Rating Sources When it comes to rating companies most of them had given it a very high mark. Among others, Ethics World had highlighted what BHP Billiton is doing as far as sustainability is concerned and accordingly this particular agency had approved the fact that it had a good stand in that area. (Ethics World). Another source SMH Australia had stated that according to Australia’s Responsibilities index had put Westpack a bank in Australia at the top of the index with a score for corporate responsibility of 99. 53, while BHP had come second with 93. 21 and the company it tried to acquire Rio Tinto came third at 91. 54 percent (Sydney Morning Herald). In accountability rating conducted in South Africa where BHP Billiton has interest and operation it had scored first according to Mineweb publication. It was UNISA Center for Corporate Citizenship that conducted the research, the sponsors being Barloworld and the Unisa College of Economic and Management Sciences according to the publication (Mineweb). REFERENCE BHP Billiton, â€Å"About Us†, www. bhpbillition. com-bbccontentrepositary/docs/aboutus/BGF. pdf BHP Billiton, â€Å"Our Business†, www. bhpbillition. com-bbccontentrepositary/docs/ourbusiness/metallurgicalcoal/Illawarracoal/publications/ICsustainReport. pdf

Wall Street Essay -- essays research papers

In 1938, and in the teeth of the longest and fiercest depression that the United States had ever known, capital spending hit an all time high. That’s right! In 1938 the men who owned America began to pour millions of Dollars into new plant and equipment as if there was no tomorrow. We don’t think much about it today, because it has been a long time since the United States has experienced a real bone jolting economic slowdown. The fact is, however, that the very best time for the industrialist to invest in new technologies is in the middle of a depression. This is because it is at such times that labor, raw materials, and new equipment can be purchased at rock bottom prices. Henry Ford may have jumped the gun a bit. He shut down his River Rouge plant for two years starting in 1932 so that it could be completely rebuilt. Being a bit of a genius, Ford used his time and money to redesign the plant to create one of the most powerful little engines ever built: the Ford V8. Th is engine was so good that it was modified only slightly to equip certain aircraft for use in World War II. It also powered a series of red hot Ford cars all the way through the 1950s. At the same time that Ford was rebuilding his River Rouge plant, Joseph Alois Schumpeter, an Austrian economist who had migrated to Harvard University, was hard at work on a book that would explain the paradox suggested above, namely the timing of business cycles and technological change. In this all but forgotten work one of our most famous economists spelled out the secrets of the business cycle, that is the same old pattern of boom and bust that may be coming back to haunt us now. Many, if not most, American college students know Schumpeter's name because of his work in defense of free enterprise called Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy. This was not, however, the book that Schumpeter was working on as America slogged through the mean and hungry 1930s. The book published by Schumpeter in 1939 is called " Business Cycles: A Theoretical, Historical, and Statistical Analysis of the Capitalist Process. " Not only is Schumpeter's definitive two volume study of the business cycle not on college reading lists today, but, indeed, it continues to languish in its first edition. The embarrassing truth is that Schumpeter's real masterpiece remains almost unread. The present writer checked out this forgo... ...sions , as Schumpeter explains in Business Cycles, is the long term movement of prices generated by long waves of technological change. What goes up has to come back down. There are those who believe that Greenspan would bring down this bull market gently if he could. Certainly he has tried. It is unlikely that Greenspan’s gentle jawboning will do this, however, since, as Kindleberger points out, when investors are going hog wild in an inflationary stock market they are simply not willing to listen to reason from the lips of central bankers and their like. From Schumpeter's point of view, the underlying cause of the next market crash, would simply be that the long wave of prosperity that began in 1938 is now over. According to Kindleberger's careful history mentioned above the speculative bubble in many past economic crises has often burst as the result of some purely exogenous event. If an army somewhere loses a battle, for example, markets crash as investors run for the exits. The IBD closes its' provocative article mentioned above by suggesting that the infamous Y2K bug might just play the role of the required exogenous force here. Letâ€℠¢s hope that they are wrong for once!

Migrants Hostel Essay

Migrant Hostel is an important poem when expressing belonging and not belonging as both sides of the concepts of belonging are shown through connections with character groups as well as places. It explores the barriers that prevent belonging through a variety of techniques that allow readers to fully understand the types of barriers that can prevent belonging. Stanza 1 and 4 show that characters may encounter barriers which prevent belonging. In stanza 4, the hostel is a barrier that holds the migrants back and prevents them from belonging. The barrier at the main gate is not only physical, but mental as well. It physically holds them back from continuing with their lives; whilst it also prevents them from feeling that they belong due to their lack of freedom. The line ‘A barrier at the main gate, sealed off the highway’ represents the metaphorical ‘highway of life’. The lack of control that they have over their life is what prevents them from feeling that they belong. The barrier holds them as ‘captives’ both mentally and physically. Stanza 1 shows that change can lead to a sense of not belonging. It creates ideas of uncertainty through the use of the words ‘arrivals’, ‘sudden’, and ‘left us wondering’. The changes that happen at the hostel only emphasise the lack of control that the migrants have their, and thus forcing them to feel that their life is not theirs to live. This leads to a feeling of not belonging. The 1st stanza has a negative atmosphere and shows the migrants to be uneasy. The concept of belonging is conveyed through the characters and their relationships in stanza 2. Within the migrant hostel, the migrants seek out people of their own nationalities, as it is human nature to want to be with people that are similar to themselves. This is shown through the quote, ‘Nationalities sought each other out instinctively’. The plural ‘nationalities’ in the first line of the stanza show that there are many people within the hostel, however they have no connection. The simile ‘like a homing pigeon’ represents the human desire to seek out similarities in other people to feel accepted by others. A feeling of unification can lead to a sense of belonging. Shared experiences can also allow individuals to understand one another, leading to acceptance and therefore belonging. The migrant hostel inhabitants share the experiences of war, shown through the last lines of the stanza ‘Partitioned off at night by memories of hunger and hate’. This discomfort is what allows them to understand one another and form relationships, which leads to belonging. The concept of belonging is conveyed through places. Migrant Hostel shows the concept of belonging in places by showing that a place can unite people. The recurring use of the word ‘we’ in stanza 3 and 4 show that the experiences that the migrants have had in the hostel have united them. The hostel, while it is a barrier, it also allows them to come together. The line ‘we lived like birds of passage’ shows the shared lifestyle of the migrants through the use of a simile, as well as the imagery of birds. It represents how they long to have freedom, which is a feeling that all migrants would experience. The lifestyle that the hostel creates for them is compared to the weather in stanza 3. The life at the hostel is a cycle of passage, just as the weather has cycles. The line ‘Needing its sanction to pass in and out of lives’ shows that the migrants are looking for the ‘approval’ of the hostel in order to continue with their lives. From gaining the ‘approval’ of the hostel, the migrants are able to feel that they belong. Migrant Hostel explores the different aspects of belonging and not belonging through the experiences of people who are unwanted and trapped by physical and mental barriers. they are able to feel accepted due to similarities in experience and nationalities, however are prevented from moving on with their lives due to the human wish to feel accepted and that they belong.

A Review and Evaluation of Current Weight Control/Loss Interventions

There is much debate regarding the most effective method of treating obesity. Most of the research has been done on adults; however, research is increasingly being done on children and adolescents as the prevalence of obesity in this population increases.Treatment of obesity includes many different methods, including various dietary, exercise, and behavioral interventions, medication, and surgery. A study by Barlow, Trowbridge, Klish, and Dietz (2002) looked at various interventions recommended to overweight children and adolescents by different health care providers.The most common interventions recommended by health care providers included changes in eating patterns and limiting specific foods. Less frequently recommended interventions were low-fat diets and modest calorie restrictions.Very infrequently recommended interventions were very low-calorie diets and commercial diets. Several health care providers also listed â€Å"fruit and vegetables,† â€Å"portion control,â₠¬  â€Å"increase water,† â€Å"fiber,† and â€Å"learn to determine hunger and fullness levels† as other interventions that they recommended. In the adolescent population, the most frequently recommended dietary intervention by all types of health care providers questioned was â€Å"limiting specific foods.†All types of health care providers were also highly likely to recommend increasing physical activity and limiting sedentary behaviors as physical activity interventions. Very few health care providers recommended medication, appetite suppressants, herbal remedies, or weight loss surgery.The current consensus is that the most effective weight loss and maintenance treatment includes a combination of caloric restriction, increased physical activity, and behavioral therapy, with extended treatment contact, weight loss satisfaction, and social support contributing to positive long-term outcomes in both obese adults and children (Williamson & Stewart, 2005 ).Diets and Problems Associated with DietingThe increased pressure to alleviate the obesity epidemic led to a boom in the dieting industry. Twenty-five percent of men and 45% of women are currently trying to lose weight, equating to about 71 million Americans (Newstarget.com, 2005). In 1996, consumers spent $70 billion annually in health care costs, and an additional $33 billion per year, trying to lose weight or prevent the return of weight gain (Chatzky, 2002).In 2004, those values rose to $100 billion spent annually on health-care cost, and the US weight loss market value rose to $46.3 billion annually (Newstarget.com, 2005). Dieting products and services range from $1.29 for Slim-Fast bars up to $25,000 for gastric bypass (Chatzky, 2002) with the number of bariatric surgeries totaling about 140,000 procedures in 2003 (Newstarget.com, 2005).Sales of over-the-counter diet and herbal supplements totaled $16.8 billion in 2000 (Kane, 2001) and are expected to grow 11.5% to approximat ed $703 million by 2008 (NewsTarget.com, 2008).Diet drugs have been around for over 35 years but became generally accepted in the medical community by the early 1990’s. The FDA has approved several treatments as clinically safe (i.e. sibutramine and orlistat) for those individuals with a BMI >30 or BMI 27-29 with one or more obesity related co-morbidity (ADA, 1997). There are amphetamine-like derivates available for short-term use but weight gain often occurs once discontinued.The risks associated with obesity drugs are neurotoxicity, primary pulmonary hypertension, and becoming reliant on the medication as opposed to making desired healthy lifestyle changes (ADA, 2002). Many of the overthecounter products have no proven efficacy or short- or long-term weight loss (ADA, 2002).Many Americans have turned to various dieting methods as weight control measures, leading to the ‘yo-yo’ dieting affect, ultimately contributing to the ever-increasing obesity rates.Commerci al structured programs, such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and LA Weight Loss, are common approaches followed due to their convenience and support system. It is estimated that 7.1 million American frequent these commercial weight loss centers and their revenues are expected to grow 11% to $2 billion annually by 2008 (Newstarget.com, 2008).Miller (1999) performed a study to examine the history and effectiveness of diet and exercise in obesity therapy and to determine the best approach for future interventions.He summarized the dieting trends throughout the years with the initial strategy of the late 1950s to early 1960s focused on total fasting, which brought about quick weight loss but also increased risk of death due to serious loss of lean muscle mass and electrolytes. By the late 1960s to early 1970s, the emergence of the high protein/low carbohydrate diets became popular.These involved a diet with 5-10% of energy calories from carbohydrate and a resultant high fat content (50- 70% of calories) which relied on the high protein foods to minimize muscle catabolism and the low carbohydrate level to maintain a state of ketosis to theoretically increase fat burning (Miller 1999).The side effects ranged from nausea, hyperuricemia, fatigue and refeeding edema. In the mid 1970s, the trend shifted towards very low calorie liquid diets (VLCD) with ~300-400 kcal/day, which caused obvious weight loss through muscle catabolism and water release.The FDA terminated the use of this diet since ventricular arrhythmias resulted in 58 deaths. In the 1980s, the VLCD made a revival but at the level of 450-500 kcal/day, with fat content of ~2-18% of total calories, and up to 800 kcal/day for those individuals who were more active. Gallbladder disease and cardiac problems surfaced as side effects of this diet (Miller 1999).The low calorie commercial franchised programs such as Jenny Craig and Nutri/Systems arose in the 1980s as well. Meals were pre-packaged with ~1100-1200 kcal/d ay with the breakdown of energy approximately at 20% from protein, 20% from fat and 60% from carbohydrate.These programs found improved compliance compared to the VLCD, however a similar health risk was found to negatively impact the heart. Since the 1980s, numerous dieting books have hit the stores with many best sellers (i.e. Pritkins and Fit for Life).Despite the increased dieting trends, Miller (1999) noted that the NHANES determined the percentage of fat from kilocalories has dropped in the American diet but total energy has increased, particularly from refined or added sugars in the diet; in addition, obese individuals tend to consume less dietary fiber.Most people have attempted more than one diet method in their weight loss attempts with the average attempting a new method twice a year (FTC, 1997). Miller (1999) found that over the past 40 years, most dieting techniques cycle in and out of popularity and that many are actually hazardous to the health.Miller summarized that t he scientific community data indicated that a 15-week diet or diet plus exercise program led to a weight loss of about 11 kg in which 60-80% of the weight lost was kept off after one year, although most studies had limited long-term follow-up data and those available suggest that relapse to pre-diet weight typically occurred after 3-5 years. Many of the diets were difficult to assess due to their high dropout rates (some as high as 80%).Nutrition education and behavior modification programs, to include community education programs, worksite interventions, and home correspondence courses, typically resulted in ~10 kg weight loss with a 33% and 95% post-diet weight relapse at three and five years respectively.The commercial weight loss industry supplied little data over the last two decades, with much of it proclaimed scientifically inadequate due to small sample size, high dropout rates, poor study design and inadequate follow-up periods.Of the physician-directed programs, most did n ot result in a desired weight loss but better control of some of the co-morbidities associated with obesity (diabetes, CVD, etc.) (FTC, 1997).

Good and Evil in essays

Good and Evil in essays In the movie The Pledge, director Sean Penn delivers a suspenseful and compelling mixture of murder and faith. Not only does he force us as viewers to examine our own opinions of good and evil throughout the twisted plot of the film, but he also keeps our attention with his unique editing style. Early on in the film, we are introduced to an underlying theme concerning religion, which will carry on until the very end of the story. After the murder of Ginny Larsen, a seven year old girl, Jerry (the retired detective played by Jack Nicholson) is driven by Mrs. Larsen (the mother of the murdered girl) to swear by his souls salvation on the cross that Ginny made out of wood. After the original suspect confesses to the crime and commits suicide, all the other officers believe that the case is closed, but Jerry has a hunch that the man who confessed to the murder did not actually commit it. Because the suspect had an extreme mental handicap, Jerry believes that he was made to believe that he committed the crime by the man that questioned him. The religion theme is introduced once again when Jerry goes to interview Ginnys grandmother, who had been extremely close to the young girl. Her grandmother tells Jerry that Ginny had liked the writing of Hans Christian Andersen. She had especially enjoyed a passage involving Andersens depiction of death. He wrote that whenever a good child dies, and angel comes down, picks up the child and flies with him or her over all of the places that he or she loved, and then the child carries a handful of flowers up to God. Throughout the course of the next several scenes, Penns editing style becomes more apparent. He uses montage in numerous scenes in the movie to increase the intensity. While in the airport about to fly down to Baja after his retirement for some leisurely fishing, Jerry watches the news, which is showing the story about Ginny,...

Medical and Dental Dialogue for ESL Learners

Medical and Dental Dialogue for ESL Learners English learners can practice medical vocabulary and reading comprehension with this dialogue between a patient and a dental hygienist.   Dental Hygiene Dialogue Sam: Hello.Gina the Dental Hygienist: Hello Mr. Waters. Im Gina. Ill be cleaning your teeth today. Sam: Dr. Peterson has just filled two cavities. Why do I need a cleaning?Gina the Dental Hygienist: Well, we have to make get your teeth and gums clean and disease free. Sam: I guess that makes sense.​Gina the Dental Hygienist: Oral health leads to trouble-free teeth. Ill start off by removing plaque. Please lean back and open wide. Sam: OK, I hope its not too bad.Gina the Dental Hygienist: Everybody gets plaque, even if they floss regularly. Thats why its important to come in twice a year for check-ups. Sam: (getting his teeth cleaned, cant say much...)Gina the Dental Hygienist: OK, please take a drink and rinse. Sam: Ah, thats better.Gina the Dental Hygienist: OK, now Ill apply some fluoride. Which flavor would you like? Sam: I have a choice?Gina the Dental Hygienist: Sure, we have mint, spearmint, orange or bubble-gum - thats for the kids. Sam: Id like to have the bubble-gum!Gina the Dental Hygienist: OK. (applies fluoride) Now, let me give your teeth a final flossing. Sam: What type of floss tape do you recommend?Gina the Dental Hygienist: Personally, I like the flat tape. Its easier to get between the teeth. Sam: OK, Ill remember that the next time I buy floss. How often should I floss?Gina the Dental Hygienist: Everyday! Twice a day if possible! Some people like to floss after every meal, but thats not absolutely necessary. Sam: (after finishing the cleaning) I feel much better. Thank you.Gina the Dental Hygienist: My pleasure. Have a pleasant day, and remember to floss every day - at least once a day! Key Vocabulary to clean someones teethdental hygienistto fill cavitiesgumsdisease freeoral healthto lead toplaqueto remove plaqueto flosscheck-upto rinsefluorideto apply fluorideflavorflossingfloss tapefloss after meals

Discussion 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Discussion 3 - Essay Example The surgical package is therefore designed to help physicians make safe and appropriate choices for their patients as part of the general surgical procedure. Evidently, the surgical package is used when a patient needs or wants to have a particular surgical operation, and applies to all types of surgical procedure. Each stage of the package will be delivered by a physician at the appropriate time; anesthesia would therefore be delivered immediately pre-surgery, whereas taking a history or performing a physical may be done further in advance. The surgical package is used to ensure that the surgical procedure runs as smoothly as possible and that the patient feels safe in the hands of a physician, particularly as anesthesia and surgery can be a daunting experience. It is also aimed at ensuring that there are less complications involved in a surgical procedure; anesthesia is used to prevent pain, whilst post-operative examinations are performed to help prevent infection and to identify complications. The surgical package is therefore necessary to make good decisions with respect to surgical