Inflation and Pestle Analysis

Pestle Analysis A pestle analysis is one of the most popular and effective methods of analysing the external macroeconomic factors that could impact on a business within a specific industry. Commonly, a pestle analysis will be used alongside other analyses that focus on internal factors. The combination of the pestle analysis with other factors will allow a company to create a strategic management plan of how to move its business forward in a way that maximises the opportunities available to it, externally.A pestle analysis comprises of six factors, namely political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal and environmental. The latter two have been recent additions to the pestle analysis (formerly known as pest) and reflect the growing importance of the environment and regulation to companies across all industries. Pestle Analysis – Political Political issues as part of the pestle analysis include all sorts of factors that normally derive from the government in the for m of policies or legislation.For the purposes of the pestle analysis of a self-employed beautician, there is little in the way of trade restrictions and tariffs to be concerned about. With the government currently encouraging parents (and specifically single parents) back to work the beauty industry should see a growing number of workers available. As peak times generally evenings and weekends, this could certainly fall in line with the political drive to encourage mothers back to work as this would be the times where alternative childcare would not be available.Pestle Analysis – Economic The pestle analysis then goes on to look at the economic impact on beauty industry. Key areas for the pestle analysis include inflation rates, interest rates and general economic conditions. The Beauty therapies are usually considered luxury products; therefore, when there is an economic downturn, the number of customers is likely to reduce. Where individuals have less disposable income due to high inflation levels, they will be less inclined to spend money on luxuries.The current economic climate is relatively weak and individuals are not feeling sufficiently wealthy to spend large amounts of their income on beauty treatments. As the pestle analysis has indicated, this to be a particular threat to the beauty industry and this should be something that management looks at mitigating. Typically, this could include reduction in costs and enhanced services for clients. Pestle Analysis – Social When conducting a pestle analysis on beauty therapy, the area of socio-culture presents a much more positive outlook.This part of the pestle analysis considers demographics such as age and wealth as well as issues including career aspirations and general interest in beauty issues. In this case, the beauty industry is doing extremely well. With a growing number of young women carving lucrative careers, there is an increasing demand for beauty therapy. Not only are greater numbe rs of younger individuals earning good wages, but the grey pound is also increasing in strength. There is a growing demand from older people for beauty treatments and an increasing ability by these individuals to be able to afford such treatments.These changing demands have led to substantial diversification and new opportunities within the beauty industry. Pestle Analysis – Technological On the face of it, technological developments may not appear to be particularly relevant to a beauty business. However, in conducting a more detailed pestle analysis, it becomes clear that the beauty industry as it stands has relatively high barriers to entry by virtue of the level of expertise and technology required. As established in the earlier part of the pestle analysis, consumers are becoming more demanding and experimental in the area of beauty therapy.As such, there is a growing need for beauty treatments to ensure not only that they have the latest technology, but also that beautic ians are trained to use such equipment. Whilst basic beauticians may find that they are not prohibited from entering the market by virtue of their lack of technology, the pestle analysis in relation to socio-cultural issues has shown that in order to establish a truly competitive position, companies will have to offer the latest technology and a wide range of options.Pestle Analysis – Legal When looking at the beauty industry from a pestle point of view, it is not surprising that health and safety legislation is both plentiful and restrictive. It is necessary for all beauticians to comply with the basic health and safety regulations, but they should also pay attention to treatment specific requirements. All beauticians will have to be suitably qualified. Insurance will have to be maintained and all necessary employment law provisions complied with.As the workforce is likely to be largely part time and possibly even self-employed, attention will have to be paid to ensure that the correct taxes and paperwork requirements are complied with. Pestle Analysis – Environmental The issue of environmental factors has only just been added to the pestle analysis in a bid to recognise how important this factor can be to the success of a business. Traditionally, in the pestle analysis, a company would consider the environmental issues with which it must comply.In the case of a beauty therapy, this is largely likely to be in relation to dangerous substances such as massage oils and cleaning chemicals. However, a slightly different approach which the pestle analysis reveals is that the environment could, in fact, bring opportunities to a beauty therapy with a growing demand for organic and natural products. Many consumers (as previously analysed in the pestle analysis) will pay a premium for natural products and, as such, being seen to be environmentally friendly will not only ensure regulatory compliance, but may also encourage more customers at a higher value.

Business Studies †Recruitment and Selection Essay

Every business or organisation has a recruitment department, which is often undertaken by recruiters. It can be undertaken by an employment agency or even a member of staff at the business organisation. Human resources run the recruitment process. Recruitment (run by the human resource department) is the process of finding the right possible candidates for the job. When the organisation knows what candidates they re looking for Advertisement is commonly used for recruiting the right employees. Recruitment process: A business or organisation must have a work plan in order to make sure that they find the right number of employees for their needs. When a business is looking to recruit new employees they need to be able to mention and define the main jobs and responsibilities that will be expected. During the recruitment process there are many stages that need to be followed In order to select the right candidate for the job. The recruitment flow chart: Job analysis: Job analysis is the first part of the recruitment process. This is when the human resources department needs to identify whether a new member of staff is needed or could the work be done by reorganizing existing staff or working over time. Or even consider whether part-time or full time appointment needed. Job analysis is essential for the recruitment process and this defines whether they need workers and is so will the business recruit internal or external employees. The human resources department will need to decide whether to recruit employees internally or externally. Recruiting internal candidates will benefit the business as this will increase their workers morale and their motivation will increase because there is a higher chance of them getting promoted than the external employees. Another advantage of recruiting an internal employee is there’s a lower cost of not having to go through training, as they already know the business. However the disadvantage is having to replace their internal workers. External candidates will also help gain advantage for the organisation as they will let the business find out more about the competition, gaining more ideas. The disadvantage of recruiting an external employee is the cost of training them to learn more about the business. Job description: A job analysis can be used to create a job description. The job description will describe how a particular employee is to fit into the organisation. A job description could be used as a job indictor for applicants. Alternatively it could also be used as a guideline for an employee to his or her role and responsibilities within in the organisation. Job descriptions can be used by organisations to provide information for use in drafting a situation vacant advertisement and for briefing interviews. he function for a job description can be very simple. It’s when the businesses human resources department will need to draw up a list of tasks that the job will involve and the responsibilities of the person appointed. This is good for a business to draw a list up of their specific job description as this gives not only employers but also employees an idea of what they’re looking for. So therefore the business will most likely attract workers that they appointed for. Person specification: Armed with this sort of specification, those responsible for recruiting and selecting someone to do a particular job have a much clearer idea of the ideal candidate. However at the same time those applying for the job have a much clearer idea of what is expected of them and whether they have the skills and attributes. The human resources department may set out for its own use a person specification. The meaning of person specification is identifying the personal qualities for example qualities such: * Experience: Someone with experience in carrying out a particular job who has a particular responsibilities should be able to draw on that experience n new situations. * Qualifications: Is another important part of a person specification. As they will have more knowledge then say someone who have no qualifications. Another advantage for a employee in having qualifications as this will lower the list of people wanting a job, for example if an employer has a long list of employees he/she will recruit either ones with experience or ones who have qualifications. The advantages for the person specification process in recruiting in staff, is the employers will benefit from recruiting experienced staff as they are able to do a range of tasks. This makes them more flexible workers, which in turn increases the output of the business. Customers often like to deal with experienced employees. Qualifications are also good measures of prior learning. The idea of qualification is that it prepares he employee to do a particular job or activity. Inn creating person specification, organisations will therefore need to consider the level of qualification required by a job holder. Job advert Job advertisements form an important part of the recruitment process. An organisation is able to communicate job vacancies to a selected audience by this means. Most job advertisements are written (or at least checked) By the personal department, a task involving the same skills as marketing a product. Advertisements must reach those people who have the qualities to fill the vacancy. Job advertisements take many forms, according to the requirements of the post. A good job advertisement, while providing prospect candidates with helpful information also helps to deter people who do not have the required qualifications for the job. Presentations of the advertisement is very important as it gives prospective employees a first impression of the organisation Application form: Having an application form is essential. If business’s or organisations provide an application form, it means that they’re looking for someone precise. This is good for the business, because the candidates have to right specific stuff that are required, which means the business can find the right employee. Where as some businesses ask for employees CV. In my opinion this is a disadvantage to the organisation, as the candidate can write what ever they feel, most likely something that will advantage them to getting the job. So therefore the organisation wont be able to find the right candidate to do the job. Interview: Interviews are very important in the recruitment process as this gives the employer an idea of what the employee is like and if he or her is suited for the job. Some business such as Marks and Spencer’s use a certain technique when interviewing new candidates. They would rather ask the interviewee open questions as this allows them to answer the question with longer sentences rather than yes or no answers. This gives the employer a bigger judgement ad a better feel on the employee’s personality. Business also try to focus on questions that involve; what? Why? When? And how? Generally speaking overall the interviewers should try to make the interviewee feel relaxed and comfortable so that the interviewee can show his or best side. An opening remark might be to ask the interviewee about his or her journey. Selection process: Recruitment and selection can be very costly process for a business. It takes a great deal of time to set up the process which includes drawing up a job description, advertising the position, sifting through applications, checking which application best meet criteria set down for the post, interviewing candidates and finally selecting the best candidate for the post. There is a considerable scope along the way for waste and inefficiency. For example, when a job advertisement attracts 100 applicants there will be a considerable waste of time and resources when reducing the list down to six. If you get your procedures wrong you may eliminate some of the best candidates right from the start and end up with six who are barely satisfactory. If you end up choosing an unsuitable candidate for the job, the company will suffer from having trouble within he organisation before walking out on the job and leaving the company o go through the expense of replacing him or her yet. Induction: Induction is the process of introducing new employees o their place of work, job, new surroundings and the people thy will be working with. Induction also provides information to help new employees start work and generally ‘fit in.’ Once the successful applicant has been selected and offered the post, the human resources department needs to prepare a suitable induction programme for when the new induction programme which should include; * An awareness of the workings and objectives of a business. * An awareness of health and safety issues. * Requirements when absent, ill or late. * Introduction to management and workmates. * Identification of any immediate training needs. I Training needs: As part of the induction process, new employees may be introduced to new processors or software that they are unfamiliar with. The employer should explain each of these processes to new employees, question them about their experience with the processes or software and listen carefully to their answers to discover their level of experience. For example an employee may be familiar with the Microsoft office software but may not have had the experience with spreadsheets. If this is the requirement of the role, then careful questioning will determine the skill level of the employee and the training required to enable them to do their job. Training may be carried out formally through a course r more informally by a colleague or with training in a timely needs and implementing training timely manner is important to ensure the new employees are equipped with the skills to properly carry out their duties. Application form: Having an application form is essential. If business’s or organisations provide an application form, it means that they’re looking for someone precise. This is good for the business, because the candidates have to right specific stuff that are required, which means the business can find the right employee. Where as some businesses ask for employees CV. In my opinion this is a disadvantage to the organisation, as the candidate can write what ever they feel, most likely something that will advantage them to getting the job. So therefore the organisation wont be able to find the right candidate to do the job. Both Application and CV form provide same information: Motivation theories: Financial: Wages, salaries and bonuses: Wages- time rate: Under this scheme workers receive a set rate per hour. Any hours worked above a set number are paid at an ‘overtime rate’ Salary: flat rate: This is a set rate of weekly or monthly pay, based on a set number of hours. It is easy to calculate and administer but does not provide an incentive to employees o work harder. Piece rate: This system is sometimes used in the textile and electronics industries, among others. Payment is made for each item produced that meets quality standards. The advantage of this is that it encourages effort motivates workers. However it is not suitable for jobs that require time and care. Also many jobs particularly in the service sector produce outputs are impossible to measure. Bonus: A bonus is paid as an added encouragement and motivation towards employees. It can be paid out f additional profits earned by the employer as a result of the employee’s effort and hard work or as an incentive to workers at times when they might be inclined to slacken effort for example at Christmas and summer holiday times. Commission: Commission is a payment made as a percentage of sales a salesperson has made. Output related schemes: Output related schemes are the most common methods used to reward manual workers most schemes involve an element of time rates plus bonus or other incentive. Standards are set in many ways, varying from casual assessment to a detailed work study, based on method study and work measurement. A standard allowable time is set in according to the stages. The workers pay is then determined according to the success of the third stage. Performance related pay: In recent year, the emphasis in a number of organisations has shifted towards performance related pay. Performance is assessed against working objectives and ‘company goals’ scoring systems are then worked out to assess performance against objectives and these distinguish levels of attainment, e.g. high, medium or low. Managerial jobs are most affected by performance related pay. Based on performance appraisal techniques, such as schemes have been adopted in a wide range of occupations, including the police force, universities, insurance and banking. Evidence indicates that up to three quarters of all employees are now using some form of performance appraisal to set pay levels. One way of rewarding performance is to give increments as targets are met, with the employee progressing up an incremental ladder each year. Profit sharing: Profit sharing is an incentive tool which involves giving profit related pay to employees or giving them bonuses based on the profit performance of a business. Using this approach employees are able to see the that the success of the company will also lead to personal rewards for them. Another example similar to profit sharing is a theory called the attribution theory which is often compared to profit sharing and the non financial appraisal. Attribution theory: All business have a need to explain the world, both to themselves and to other people, attributing cause to the events around them. This gives us a greater sense of control. When explaining behaviour, it can affect the standing of people within a group (especially ourselves). When another person has erred, the business will often use internal attribution, saying it is due to internal personality factors. When they have erred, they will more likely use external attribution, attributing causes to situational factors rather than blaming ourselves. And vice versa. They will attribute our successes internally and the successes of our rivals to external ‘luck’. When a football team wins, supporters say ‘we won’. But when the team loses, the supporters say ‘they lost’. Business attributions are also significantly driven by our emotional and motivational drives. Blaming other people and avoiding personal recrimination are very real self-serving attributions. They will also make attributions to defend what they perceive as attacks. businesses will point to injustice in an unfair world. They will even tend to blame victims (of us and of others) for their fate as we seek to distance ourselves from thoughts of suffering the same plight. They will also tend to ascribe less variability to other people than ourselves, seeing themselves as more multifaceted and less predictable than others. This may well because they can see more of what is inside themselves (and spend more time doing this). In practice, we often tend to go through a two-step process, starting with an automatic internal attribution, followed by a slower consideration of whether an external attribution is more appropriate. As with Automatic Believing, if we are hurrying or are distracted, we may not get to this second step. This makes internal attribution more likely than external attribution. Share options: Employees may be encouraged to take up shares in a company, often as part of a reward scheme. When employees take up these share options they are then rewarded according to the performance of the business. When the business does well so too does the value of their shares and the dividends they receive as a return to shareholders. Dividends are typically paid twice a year. Non-Financial: Goal setting: Establishing goals for employees to work towards can be an important motivational factor as the achievement of these goals then creates a sense of achievement and personal fulfilment. Goals can be established for an individual, team or for the whole organisation and achievement may be related to promotion at work. In order to direct ourselves we set ourselves goals that are: * Clear (not vague) and understandable, so we know what to do and what not to do. * Challenging, so we will be stimulated and not be bored. * Achievable, so we are unlikely to fail. If other people set us goals without our involvement, then we are much less likely to be motivated to work hard at it than if we feel we have set or directed the goal ourselves. When we are working in the task, we need feedback so we can determine whether we are succeeding or whether we need to change direction. We find feedback (if it is sympathetically done) very encouraging and motivating. This includes feedback from ourselves. Negative self-talk is just as demotivating as negative comments from other people. Depending on the type of goal we have, we will go about achieving it differently. A directional goal is one where we are motivated to arrive at a particular conclusion. We will thus narrow our thinking, selecting beliefs, etc. that support the conclusion. The lack of deliberation also tends to make us more optimistic about achieving the goal. An accuracy goal is one where we are motivated to arrive at the most accurate possible conclusion. These occur when the cost of being inaccurate is high. Unsurprisingly, people invest more effort in achieving accuracy goals, as any deviation costs, and a large deviation may well more. Their deliberation also makes them realize that there is a real chance that they will not achieve their goal. When we have an accuracy goal we do not get to a ‘good enough’ point and stop thinking about it–we continue to search for improvements. Both methods work by influencing our choice of beliefs and decision-making rules. Goal setting can be compared, in a financial sense with performance related pay as employees are rewarded in accordance with goals set by the company. Perks and status symbols: Perks and status symbols are useful motivational tools in a company. A perk is something extra that you get for doing a particular job. For example employees of a railway company may get free rail travel for them and their families. A cinema employee may get free cinema tickets. Status symbols are also important motivators. Obvious status symbols n is having a bigger office, or having a sign outside your door with your name on. People often respond very favourably to status symbols because these mark them out as being special therefore employees will be motivated to work harder in order for them to be the special person. Appraisals: Common stages of staff appraisals are as follows: 1. The line manager meets with the job-holder to discuss what is expected. The agreed expectations may be expressed in terms of targets, performance standards or required job behaviours- attributes, skills and attitudes. 2. The outcome of the meeting is recorded and usually signed by both parties. 3. The job-holder performs the job for a period of six months a year 4. At the end of the six months period the jobholder and line manager or team leader meet again to review and discuss progress made. They draw up action new action plans to deal with identified problems and agree targets and standards for the next period. Meeting training needs: Mentoring needs: Mentoring and coaching are seen by many organisations as essential ways of motivating employees so that they feel valued and cared for in their work. Mentoring involves a trainee being ‘paired’ with a more experienced employee. The trainee carries out the job but uses the ‘mentor’ to discuss problems that may occur and ho best to solve them. This approach is used in many lines of work. For example it is common practice for trainee teachers to work with a mentor who s responsible for their early training and development. The student teacher will match the mentor teacher before starting his or her own teaching. The mentor will then give ongoing guidance to the student teacher on how best to improve his or her performance. If the student teacher has any problems or difficulties he or she can talk to the mentor for advice. Coaching: Coaching involves providing individuals with personal coaches in the workplace. The person who is going to take on the coaching role will need to develop coaching skills and ill also need to have the time slots for the coaching to take place. The coach and the individual being. Acquired needs theory: Need are shaped over time by our experiences over time. Most of these fall into three general categories of needs: * Achievement (nAch) * Affiliation (nAff) * Power (nPow) Some businesses may have different preferences and will tend have one of these needs that affect the business more powerfully than others and thus affects our behaviors: * Achievers seek to excel and appreciate frequent recognition of how well they are doing. They will avoid low risk activities that have no chance of gain. They also will avoid high risks where there is a significant chance of failure. * Affiliation seekers look for harmonious relationships with other people. They will thus tend to conform and shy away from standing out. The seek approval rather than recognition. * Power seekers want power either to control other people (for their own goals) or to achieve higher goals (for the greater good). They seek neither recognition nor approval from others — only agreement and compliance. Identifying preferences A common way of discovering our tendencies towards these is with a Thematic Apperception Test, which is a set of black-and-white pictures on cards, each showing an emotionally powerful situation. The person is presented with one card at a time and asked to make up a story about each situation. Using it Challenge achievers with stretching goals. Offer affiliation-seekers safety and approval. Beware of personal power-seekers trying to turn the tables on you or use other Machiavellian methods. Make sure you have sufficient power of your own, or show how you can help them achieve more power. Defending Understand your own tendencies. Curb the excesses and, especially if you seek affiliation, beware of those who would use this against you and for their own benefit alone. * Atrribution theory†¦profit sharing (financial) and appraisal ( non financial) We all have a need to explain the world, both to ourselves and to other people, attributing cause to the events around us. This gives us a greater sense of control. When explaining behavior, it can affect the standing of people within a group (especially ourselves). When another person has erred, we will often use internal attribution, saying it is due to internal personality factors. When we have erred, we will more likely use external attribution, attributing causes to situational factors rather than blaming ourselves. And vice versa. We will attribute our successes internally and the successes of our rivals to external ‘luck’. When a football team wins, supporters say ‘we won’. But when the team loses, the supporters say ‘they lost’. Our attributions are also significantly driven by our emotional and motivational drives. Blaming other people and avoiding personal recrimination are very real self-serving attributions. We will also make attributions to defend what we perceive as attacks. We will point to injustice in an unfair world. We will even tend to blame victims (of us and of others) for their fate as we seek to distance ourselves from thoughts of suffering the same plight. We will also tend to ascribe less variability to other people than ourselves, seeing ourselves as more multifaceted and less predictable than others. This may well because we can see more of what is inside ourselves (and spend more time doing this). In practice, we often tend to go through a two-step process, starting with an automatic internal attribution, followed by a slower consideration of whether an external attribution is more appropriate. As with Automatic Believing, if we are hurrying or are distracted, we may not get to this second step. This makes internal attribution more likely than external attribution. Sex discrimination act 1975 Sex Discrimination Act 1975 The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 applies to men, women and gender reassignees and states that it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate or fail to prevent discrimination against a worker because of his or her gender, marital or gender reassignment status The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 states that there are two types of sex discrimination: Direct discrimination This occurs where a worker has been treated less favourably than another in similar relevant circumstances on the grounds of his or her gender, and the treatment has resulted in dismissal, denial of opportunities within or for employment or training, or any other detriment. Indirect discrimination This occurs where a provision, criterion or practice is applied equally to both male and female workers and three conditions are jointly fulfilled: * The proportion of one gender who can comply is, in practice, considerably smaller than the other; * A worker suffers a detriment as a result; * The employer cannot show the condition or requirement to be objectively justifiable. For example, indirect sexual discrimination could occur if an employer applied a redundancy policy by selecting only part-time workers. This is because such action would discriminate disproportionately against women, as over 80% of part-time workers in the United Kingdom are women. Race relation act 1976 The race relation’s act 1976 makes discrimination on racial grounds unlawful in employment, training education and the provision of goods, facilities and services. The act defines two main types of discrimination: direct discrimination and indirect discrimination. Direct discrimination Direct discrimination occurs when someone Is treated less favourably on racial grounds. Racial grounds do not only include grounds of race but also those of colour, nationality, citizenship and ethnic or national origin. For example a dress manufacturing company advertises in the local newspaper for a Turkish machinist, Indirect discrimination: Indirect discrimination occurs when rules, requirements, or conditions that appear to be fair – because they apply equally to everyone- can be shown to put people from a particular racial group a much greater disadvantage than others and the rules cannot be objectively justified. A racial groups may be defined by race, colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin. For example an advertisement asks for ability to speak Bengali. This requirement discriminates indirectly against people who do not speak Bengali and will be unlawful unless it can be justified by the nature of the job For example it would be unjustified to ask for Bengali speaker if the job involves working with people who can communicate well only in Bengali. Another example of an indirect discrimination is an advertisement invites applicants who speak English as their mother tongue. This requirement too, discriminates indirectly against people who speak English fluently, but not as their mother tongue. This kind of requirement will rarely be justified. If an especially high standard of English is needed for a particular job it would be better to ask for just that ‘a very high standard of written and spoken English’ or alternatively, ‘fluent English’ Example: the race relations act does not cover discrimination indirectly on religious grounds, but advertisements inviting Muslim or Christian applicants may discriminate indirectly against some racial groups, and the requirements must be justified by the nature of the job. A religious requirement may be justified for jobs connected with a church, temple, mosque etc and possibly religious organisations.

Billy Bristol Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Billy Bristol - Assignment Example There are two examples to support my answer. The profit is generated by deducting the total operating expenses from the gross profit. The gross profit is arrived at by deducting the cost of sales from the net sales. Since collections include revenues from prior or future accounting periods, cash collection is not the best basis for determining current period net income. Current period $10,000 collection for sales generated during the prior accounting period does not affect the current period net income (Berry, 2011). Likewise, expense payments may include expenses for future accounting periods. Consequently, an adjusting entry is made to include only the current (accrued) portion of the total expense payments in the computing the current accounting period’s net income. A payment of $1,200 insurance expense 2 years should adjust to only include $600 for the current period insurance expense. Based on the above financial statement analysis ratios, Brisbane fared financially bette r than Perth. Brisbane’s 38 % Gross profit margin is higher than Perth’s 25 gross profit margin. A higher gross profit ratio indicates a better financial or operations performance. Brisbane’s 7 % profit margin is higher than Perth’s profit margin. A higher profit ratio indicates a better financial or operations output. Brisbane’s 3.65 times current ratio is higher than Perth’s 2.92 times current ratio. This clearly shows that Brisbane’s has more current assets allocated to pay for the currently maturing liabilities.

Sexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sexuality - Essay Example This does not mean that the Americans agree on which kind of sex education would be the best. Fifteen percent of the Americans believe that schools should only teach abstinence but not the use of condoms and other contraception. Forty-six percent believe that a better approach would be â€Å"abstinence-plus†. On the other hand, thirty-six percent believe abstinence is not the most important factor and sex education should focus on how to teach adolescents how to make responsible decisions concerning sex (Sex Education in America, 2004). Evangelical or born-again Christians differ in opinions in reference to this topic. Twelve percent said sex education should not be taught in schools while four percent were non-evangelicals. Forty nine percent of evangelicals and twenty-one percent non-evangelical think that government should fund abstinence-only programs instead of funding more comprehensive sex education (Sex Education in America, 2004). Bleakly, Hennessy &Fishbein (2006) examined the USA public ´s opinion on sex education in schools to find out their preferences aligned with those of policymakers and research scientists. They used a cross-sectional survey from July 2005 through January 2006. The researchers randomly selected a nationally representative sample of 1096 USA adults from 18 to 83 years. They used 3 different types of sex education in schools: Abstinence only, comprehensive sex education, and condom instruction. According to their findings, approximately eighty-two percent of the respondents support the programs that teach students abstinence and other methods to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) while 68.5% supported how to properly use condoms. The lowest percentage was obtained for the abstinence-only sex education with 36% supporting it and the highest level of opposition (approximately 50% across the 3 program options. Self-identified conservative, liberal, and moderate respondents supported the

Reflection on team work asignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reflection on team work asignment - Essay Example Earlier this semester we prepared a report discussing management and leadership styles of different organizations. It was identified that companies such as Proctor and Gamble has acquired significant position in the market on the basis of their profound leadership whereas on the other hand Royal bank of Scotland has undergone serious challenges due to their poor management. The report further discussed management and leadership approaches considering four other organizations. Preparation and presentation of the report was solely based on team work and group effectiveness. Here, we not only learned different theories related to leadership and management rather we also comprehended unique human behaviors in work place setting. My group comprised of four individuals; Alex, Ashley, Helena and Stella. All the activities and different presentation tasks were divided among team members. The team effectiveness and successful presentation was largely dependent upon clear communication and und erstanding among individuals. In order to discuss theories and models about team work it is important to first understand the fundamental concept of teams. Every individual working in a team is actually interdependent with respect to different tasks. Team members have to share the responsibility of positive or negative outcomes (Halverson, 2008). Moreover, the entire team must show itself as an integral social entity. Members should be able to manage all their conflicts and issues across the boundaries of an organization or an educational institution. Groups and teams have the basic difference of connection, for instance, teams are more connected whereas group members usually have loose connections (Halverson, 2008). Humans have highly dynamic personalities. They tend to act differently in particular workplace situations. Researchers argue that work place human behavior is specifically determined by analyzing multiple factors. Although work motivation,

Source Annotation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Source Annotation - Essay Example On average, Americans spend 20 to 30 or even 100 times as much on medical services and devices as what they would cost in a shopping mall (Zuckerman 1). The article tries to get a reason for the high costs. It cites the partnership of most hospitals and private insurance companies as one reason for the fee hike. The insurance companies have a power in negotiating with hospitals over a patient covered by them. They pinpoint the hospital in their grid of providers. Insured patients can get discounts that are thirty to fifty percent beyond low Medical care charges. Zuckerman (2) further adds that doctors tend to over-test to avoid malpractice and misdiagnosis to avoid malpractice and misdiagnosis. The high-tech devices used in the hospitals drive the costs to bizarre levels too. The author of the article has used information from the analysis of works of medical practitioners. For example, he has cited one Steven Brill, who initially exposed the impact of insurance companies on hospitals. The study also has much of its information from the federal government sources such as where it points out that readmissions alone cost over $25 billion a year and that medical care budget may well hit $600 billion this

JOHN AUGUSTUS AND EARLY PROBATION Research Paper

JOHN AUGUSTUS AND EARLY PROBATION - Research Paper Example It is the term that could be applied to the action of John Augustus when, in 1852, he bailed out an offender who was convicted for a conduct of misdemeanor. Howard Abadinsky (2009) narrated that he successfully proved before the Court that an offender has a chance to be rehabilitated and to become a good member of the society once again. In his first experience, Augustus saw in the offender the promise of behavior change. He also introduced investigation, which he carried out before he handled a case. Some features of his investigation process remained to be a part of the modern probation process. Augustus investigated the character, the age and influence of people he helped because he will be their guardian during the probation period. He also kept records of each offender which he surrendered to the court when probation period was over. This helped the judge to pass on a final decision. Maurice Vanstone (2009) discussed in his book that John Augustus was the first man to volunteer to become a probation officer, although at that time, probation was not yet established. His humanitarian motives could not be doubted because he worked for free. Although friends assisted him and donations poured in, his business as a shoemaker was eventually affected. He was not a lawyer, but he believed on the purpose of the law, that is for him is to â€Å"reform criminals, and to prevent crime, and not to punish maliciously, or from spirit of revenge†. His first focus was on drunkards but later on moved to other cases. He handled 2,000 cases of men, women, young and adult alike, with only 10 persons who jumped out of probation in all of his life. His crusade was not completely hassle-free because prosecutors, clerks of courts and policemen did not agree with him, since these men received a fee for cases disposed of by the Court. Thus, we see here professional jealousy, or corruption,

UK public finances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UK public finances - Essay Example According to forecasts published by the HM Treasury for the month of June -July 2010 and June - July 2011, it is evident that GDP during the same period will increase from 1.2% to 2.1% respectively (HM Treasury Report July, 2010) The detailed overview of the public finances databank available from the government, it is revealed that the current budget surplus is -105.6 billion and net borrowing of 154.6 billion with overall net debt of 53.8% for the year 2009-10. It is further evident from the data below that the trend in net borrowing is decreasing thereby promoting the growth of GDP. The table below shows that current budget surplus has come down to zero resulting in healthy GDP of 67.4% by 2014-15. (Table 1) The data furnished above should motivate the executives and decision makers to invest in the country eyeing the long term objective of making profit. However the following diagram shows that most of expenditure is targeted towards social protection which aggregates to 28%, which is understood in the present circumstances of continuous threat of terror attacks. Health and Education is also one of the important areas where the government is spending huge money. According to following diagram, it is suggested that company executives may invest in other areas like housing loans and insurances as the government spending in those areas is very minimal. It is forecasted that the government would receive majority of its income from tax deductions, which means good income to the public, followed by National Insurance (17%). Figure 1 Figure 2 (Source: Public Sector Finances Data Bank - HM Treasury http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk) The government received 153.5 billion as Income Tax in the year 2008-09, 96.9 billion from National Insurance, 78.4 billion from VAT and also from tobacco duty, fuel duty, spirits, wine, beer and cider duties, air passenger duty. As mentioned above, company executives may focus on providing products and fix prices keeping in view the predicted spending and generated income by the government. As the diagram (Figure 1) shows that government spending is huge in social protection but least in housing and environment, it is assumed that opportunity persists for the businesses in realty and banking sector. It is assumed that banking sector will flourish during the next few years as financial assistance could be provided to the people from agricultural sector as well as in realty sector. (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk) It is important to mention that economics uses theories and methods to study the behavior of people involved with allocating resources and aiming to reach some optimum situation (Elliott and Payne, 2005:1). As the government is

Examine the key principles related to risk management and discuss its Essay

Examine the key principles related to risk management and discuss its theory associated with the role of the Advanced Scrub Practitioner - Essay Example 3). Principally, risks can be managed and averted with proper communication between members of the surgical team, as well as other clinical teams. The ASP is required to be able to notice unusual occurrences in surgical patients. Surgeons must have clinical privileges to perform surgeries so as to avert risks. ASPs must be on the lookout for risk factors such as surgeries on the wrong patient, medication errors, and performance of the wrong procedure among other risks. ASPs are also expected to have an inspection checklist to be used before surgical procedures and before anesthetizations because of the risky nature of these procedures (Youngberg 2011, p. 343). Principles of risk management associated with the role of ASPs include pursuing every surgery with accurate precision, following all surgical guidelines to the letter, and careful documentation of a patient’s history, physical examination results, and follow up plans. The ASP should assist the surgeon in ensuring that the rest of the surgical team complies to these principles in order to avert risks. ASPs also need to stick to protocols and not take anything for granted so that the chances of risks can be lowered (Osuch & Bonham 1994, p. 272). Rezaei, F, Yarmohammadian, MH, Ferdosi, M & Haghshenas, A 2015, ‘Principles of risk management in surgery departments’, Archives of Clinical and Experimental Surgery, vol. 4, no. 3, viewed 1 November

Night of the Scorpion Essay Example for Free

Night of the Scorpion Essay Throughout Vultures there is also a dark mood, you are told about the ugly vultures and are given lots of gory imagery: Yesterday they picked the eyes of a swollen corpse in a water-logged trench and ate the things in its bowel. This violent imagery reinforces the sense of evil you get about the vultures. This imagery is also similar to the imagery in Night of the Scorpion mainly because this is about suffering, death and dying. In Vultures, however, the person is already dead, whereas in the other poem the mother is dying and suffering. At the end of Vultures, the perpetuity of evil is mentioned, this is quite pessimistic and shows that evil is never going to go away. At the end of Night of the Scorpion however, the mother is cured: After twenty hours it lost its sting. She survives and is now free of suffering and pain, without even any regrets that she was the one who was bitten.

Reasons for the gender pay gap

Reasons for the gender pay gap Since 1960, the feminization in the European work force is a phenomenon unquestionable. Indeed, today in France of 100 employed people, 47 are women contrary to 1962 where they were 34. In spite of this increase, sex is a significant decisive of professional position in working places (De Curraize, Y., Hugouneny, R., (2004)). This gender discrimination results through the gap of salaries between men and women. We consider in this study gender that gender gap defines oneself as a measure of the difference between the earning of men and women (Andrew Barnard (August 2008) p.18). Certainly, a number of significant review and reports have revealed that women in both full time and part time work earn less than men. Therefore, it remains professional disparities between men and women. To understand this gender discrimination, our analysis focuses on pay according sexes. Firstly, a current situation regarding women work will give basing on factors and reasons that have contributed to this situation. Secondly, a legal position will be analyzed through government initiatives set up to reduce this issue. Finally, the measures that organizations should and could take to eliminate gender pay gap will be examined. First of all, this part will focus on the current situation regarding women work and will find the factors which are contributed to this situation. Above all, it is necessary to define payment to understand our subject. Indeed, payment defines oneself as an income and all contractual terms and conditions including a basic salary and other benefits for example bonus, pension scheme, company car that could receive an employees. Today, the pay gap between men and women tend to decrease but it remains narrowed slightly. Indeed in the UK, the statistics revealed that pay gap between sexes is 12,2 per cent in 2009 while in 2008 it was 12,6 per cent. Therefore, sexes pay gap decreased however it has not removed. Moreover, according to Employee Benefits in Salary Survey (2009) the mean salary of men including rewards differs from  £16,000 above the mean salary of women. (Jones, Ben (December 2009)). Furthermore, in regard to the median earning, it is noticeable that the average pay of man in 2006 is  £11.71 contrary to women which is  £10.24. Anon (11/9/2006) Sexes pay gap shrinks. We could wonder if the women work is being valued equally to men. According to Anon (01/11/1999), the women work is 20 per cent less valuable than mens work. However, it is difficult to understand the pay gap if pay is not associated to observable factors. In fact, to analyze difference of income between men and women, we have to add the age, the region the occupation industries and sectors variables (Andrew Barnard (August 2008) p.23). According to Appendices 1, 2 and 3, it is to say that these variables have a significant impact on earnings. Firstly, if we focus on age effect on earning according to gender we can see that men progress faster than woman until 21-22 years old, then earnings increase at a similar rate until age 40 and after 46 years women earning are high than men. (See appendix 1) This tendency can be explained by the fact that women tend to return later to the working market due to their career breaks when they are pregnant. Secondly, if we choose the variable of occupational effects (See appendix 2) it is argueable that there is a difference of earnings between men and woman in managers and senior officials higher than administrative and secretarial occupations. In fact people who work within professional and technical occupations, career breaks are damaging people future earnings less who work within professional and technical occupations that means career is more flexible compared to senior officials occupations. Finally, in appendix 3 it can be seen clearly that women are submit to discrimination in m anufacturing, agriculture and fishing, energy and quarrying sectors due to their lack of skills in this sector. Only, the public sector offers roughly the equal earnings according gender. Finally, we can study the mentality of European Union members that know their feelings about the subject and know if for them it is natural that women work less than men in nowadays. (See appendix 4). The survey reveals that Europeans opinions differ from one country to another. In France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal the majority of pooled people are discordant to this statement. Contrary to Greece, Bulgaria, Lithuania which are agree to say that it is normal that women work less than men. (European Commission (2009)) the results of this survey show very well that the mentalities are difficult to change and this contributes to discriminate women working. Discrimination occurs when one persons wage is different from another otherwise identical persons for reasons of non-productivity related characteristics such as gender Andrew Barnard (August 2008). Therefore, it is questionable why women are paid less than men. Andrews Barnard thinks it results from a combination of discriminatory and economic reasons. According to De Curraize, Y., Hugouneny, R., (2004), allocation of time between productive and domestic spheres is often in favor or men. Indeed, the salary of women is often a supplementary salary whereas men are specialized in working area. Moreover, stereotypical perceptions of women still remains through a lack of flexibility due to their needs to reconcile demands of career and family, some negative effects of masculine organizational culture. As reported by the minister of employment, social cohesion and housing (2006), women are less paid than men because their working time is lower than mens men working time. Indeed women work more frequently than men in part-time, they are doing more complementary hours but less lucrative than supplementary hours. In other part, men in average jobs are paid more than women in such that their supplementary hours are also in average better pay. Moreover, the pay gap between men and women is not only due to discrimination. Indeed, Hakims (2004) argues that it is a scientific theory. Men and women have different main interests and they find their fulfillment through differ balance. Of 100 women, 20 are work centred, 20 are home centred and 60 are adaptive. And on 100 men 30 are adaptive, 60 are work centred and 10 are home centred. Furthermore, it can be add also that women have a profile career easier to damage than men. The presence of children is of course a reason to cease activity particularly in women less qualified. Concerning women who have a high level of studies, maternity has an effect of working length with a transition of part-time to conciliate work and family life. Finally, women are concentrated in less lucrative fields often they are focus on health, social, teaching jobs at the expense of scientific and engineer field therefore we can speak about of occupational segregation (De Curraize, Y., Hugouneny, R., (2004)). Finally, Goldberg (1973) thinks that the male dominance in the working area could come from their hormones. Indeed, their attraction of competition, assertiveness, and dominant are due to their testosterone. Therefore, it is obvious for them to be in high hierarchy. To conclude this part, we can consider that discriminal in pay, occupational segregation and the unequal impact womens family responsibilities are three main factors which contribute to the gender gap. In this second part, a legal position regarding women work will be given through government initiatives. The main actors who contributed most to progress in the area of gender equality according to survey of European Commission (2009) are associations representing womens interests, national equality organization, trade unions, the European Institutions (European Parliament, European Commission, European Council), National public authorities, NGOs, and Employers representatives. Firstly, we will see that some convention, laws and ratification will create to reduce gender discrimination. Firstly, on the European level, some texts have been ratified. First of all the principle of equality between men and women defined in article 119 of Roma Treaty (1957) which announces the equality of pay without discrimination based on sex. This implies a payment given for a same job being establish in the basis of the same unit of measurement and that the payment given for a job paid being the same for the same work position. On the national level, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) and United Kingdom Parliament have enforced The equal pay act in 1970 which is amended in 1983 based on prohibition of any less favorable treatment between men and women in terms of pay and conditions of employment. The term pay is interpreted in a broad sense to include, on top of wages, things like holidays, pension rights, company perks and some kinds of bonuses. Also, Sex discrimination Act dated of 1975 protects men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marriage. Moreover, this Act is mainly in relation to employment, training, education, harassment, the provision of goods and services, and the disposal of premises. Other amendments have been introduced by the Sex Discrimination Act 1986, the Employment Act 1989, the Equality Act 2006, and other legislation such as rulings by the European Court of Justice. In February 2001, the EOC sets up Equal pay task force publishing a report to eliminate gender pay gap and almost try to understand it, take evidence and suggest commendation about how to close the gap through amending social economic and labour market policies to complement equal pay measures for instance flexibility, training opportunities. This report lays down 5 multi-levels to addressing the issue. The first one is raising levels of awareness and developing a common understanding of what the pay gap means, the second is reforming and modernising the equal pay legislation, then capacity building to ensure that employers and trade unions know how to implement equal pay, the fourth is enhancing transparency and developing accountability for delivering pay equality and the final one is amending social, economic and labour market policies to complement equal pay measures (Equal Pay Task Force Report (2001)). The law of 23 March 2006 has the same goal of Equal pay task force however this law leads to a sanction when there is no plan of curbing professional inequalities in com panies. (Gottely-Fayet J. (Mars 2010)) James Purnell, Minister of State for Pensions Reforms (March 2007) would allow men to share more domestic responsibilities. As reality has proved that men are already doing more within the household, but they still do less than women. This pensions reforms stands for tackle to stereotypical career paths (job suited to women for example Women and Work Commission- Five Cs), remove stereotypes embedded in organizational culture for instance women in support roles and reduce stereotypical view of men as managers (Managing diversity for equal diversity course slides). We have to notice also the Governments Ten Year Childcare Strategy (2nd December 2004) which is setting up to improve parents life. It relies on 4 principles which include the choice and the flexibility which is means that parents have a large choice about balancing work and family life, the availability concerning families with children aged up to 14 who need it, an affordable, high-quality childcare place is available in o rder to meets their expectations, the quality where a high-quality provision with a highly skilled childcare is promoted and finally the affordability where families could be able to afford flexible high-quality childcare that is appropriate to their needs according to the Government office for London (2004). And finally the Equality Act 2006 allowing to the British Government to introduce regulations outlawing discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation in goods and services in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the Sexual Orientation Regulations 2006) and a provision relating to the creation of a public duty to promote equality on the ground of gender. Finally, can be seen that government shows the will to remove discrimination through creative equal opportunities initiatives based on career-break schemes, work place nursery, women-only training programs, special holidays, work-sharing and part-time employment. (Firth-Cozens, J. and A. West (1990)) Government initiatives against discrimination are not enough to succeed to reach a total equality between men and woman. Indeed, other strategies within companies can be used to combat pay gap. Firstly, according to Jones, Ben (December 2009) a greater transparency is necessary in the companies, the availability of pay showing detailed job evaluations. For instance, in the public sector equal pay monitoring is a compulsory requirement. Employees have to make audits to publish gender gap in order to aware on discrimination, review existing policies within their companies and to re-examine how your staff are paid. The audit results will help to identify and address pitfalls in pay systems. It will also suggest good basis for create new policies or improving old ones. If companies are enrolled in fair pay this allow to have a positive impact on staff motivation and retention. It will also improve trust in the employer/employee relationship. EOC Equal opportunities commission (2009) pointed out. Some others measures should be taken to reduce the pay gap between men and women like impose penalties on company guilty of gender based pay discrimination, intensifying efforts to combat prejudice and generally negative accepted areas concerning women that is means challenging stereotypes; facilitate responsibility women positions through formal monitoring programs, remove barriers of inflexible working; improve access for women and men to sectors and jobs in which they are under-represented for example apply a fair recruitment and selection procedures and finally enhancing the standing of the sectors or jobs in which a majority of women are employed like combining work and family life, lifelong opportunities for women in training and work, embedding quality part-time work and improving careers advice. European Commission Survey (2009) p.67 Moreover, EOC proposes a guide to employers on equal pay between men and women under the sex discrimination ordinance. Indeed, company can enroll in Equal Pay Policy in order to have a good employment practice to maintain open communication with staff. This policy permits to ensure to employees a clear understanding on problems relating to their career within their organizations and understand principles affections their remuneration throughout their working life within their company. The Equal Pay Policy should cover the following requirement in order to combat pay gap: Some commitment are recommended like organizations commitment to support the principle of equal pay between men and women, an outline of the policies and practices undertaken by the organization to ensure pay equity, a commitment to carry out equal pay self-audits periodically and to take corrective actions if necessary, another one to provide resources to monitor equal pay practice in the organization, an account of actions taken and results obtained to validate compliance on equal pay under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance and the establishment of a mechanism to provide assistance to staff to address equal pay concerns. To sum it up Governments, organizations and institutions show their will to reduce and remove gender gap thanks to some Acts and laws such as the Equal Pay Act, Equality Act or Governments ten year child care strategy. Also, some strategies are implemented within companies like the development of a certain transparency, audits, fair recruitment, and career advice. In spite of the reduction of gender pay gap, we notice that it still remains through some statistics which show discrimination in pay, occupational segregation and unequal impact womens family responsibilities. There are good reasons to be optimistic about the future because the majority of Europeans consider that it is not normal that a women work less than men therefore the mentalities are changing however to combat women work discrimination it is questionable if the image of the women should be less stereotype in the media? Appendices Figure 1 Andrew Barnard (August 2008) Modelling the gender pay gap in the UK: 1998 to 2006 Figure 2 Andrew Barnard (August 2008) Modelling the gender pay gap in the UK: 1998 to 2006 Figure 3 Andrew Barnard (August 2008) Modelling the gender pay gap in the UK: 1998 to 2006 Figure 4 European Commission (2009), Gender equality in the EU in 2009

Investigating the Resistance of Wires :: Papers

Investigating the Resistance of Wires Aim: To investigate how the diameter of a constantan wire will affect its resistance and hence the current flowing through it. Prediction: I predict that the thicker the diameter the less resistance there will be. Reason: In a metal, some of the electrons are free to move between the ions, to form a "sea" of electrons around the positive metal ions. Metals that are good conductors have more "free" electrons and therefore these electrons move easily around the positive metal ions. However in metals that have fewer "free" electrons, the ions act as obstacles to the flow of electrons and therefore the wire has resistance. The current becomes stronger with the more electrons that flow through a wire in one second. As the diameter increases the electrons will have more available routes between the ions to pass through per second, making the electron flow greater hence the current becoming stronger. See figures 1 and 2: [IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE] In a larger diameter, there [IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE]Figure 1: are more routes for free [IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE] electrons to travel [IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE] through. [IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE] In a smaller diameter, [IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE]Figure 2: there are fewer routes [IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE] for the free electrons [IMAGE] to travel through. Plan: I will set up a circuit consisting of a cell, ammeter, voltmeter and 50cm of constantan wire. The diameters I will use are as follows. 0.56mm, 0.43mm, 0.38mm, 0.32mm, 0.27mm and 0.20mm. I will measure these diameters with a micrometer. I will take three readings of the current and potential difference for each different diameter of the wire and take an average for V (potential difference measured by a voltmeter) and I (current measured by an ammeter) in order to get the most accurate results possible. I will then plot these results in two graphs one plotting V against I and another plotting the average resistance (using ohm's law R=V/I) against the diameter.

Making Teams Work Essay -- Essays Papers

Making Teams Work The importance of teams is becoming more and more apparent in today's dynamic business world. Increasingly managers are searching for a means to improve production and keep their organization competitive in the global market. A lot of these managers have turned to the team as a means for achieving this improvement. Quality circles were originally looked at to fulfill this role, however they are being phased out in favor of self-managed work teams. These teams are increasingly being used to solve many of today's organizations production problems and inefficiencies, and in the process are both badly failing and greatly succeeding. So the discussion of teams is a very important one to address. Managers should be aware of the concept of teams and learn about as a means to further their organization and for when the time comes to implement a team they are prepared with the knowledge needed to build and use a team properly. The basic interpretation of a team is "a collection of two or more individuals who interact with each other, share common beliefs, and perceive themselves as being a group." (Denton '92) Metropolitan Life Insurance Company defines a team fore specifically as "a group of people with specific roles and responsibilities, organized to work together towards common goals or objectives, in which each member depends on others to carry out responsibilities to reach those goals and objectives." (Denton) The implementation and operation of a team can either be a great success or a costly failure, both money wise and time wise. Many companies have benefited from teams, and "when teams work, there's nothing like them for turbocharging productivity." (Denton "94) There are many examples of successful implementation of teams: Federal Express and IDS boosted productivity by 40% and Boeing cut its engineering hang-ups on its new 777 passenger jet by more than half. The Ford Motor Company al so has had great success with teams when producing the new Mustang prototype. Ford produced the Mustang from design concept to the finished product under budget and in record time. (Dumaine) However, many companies and managers are put off by the very mention of the work team. Some people see teams as just another management fad, while others in management have had bad experiences with teams that have failed. As Magee points ou... ...t must all come together to build a successful team, it can be done with proper planning and support from upper management. They must also discuss how to set up the compensation for the team, evaluation of team performance, and of individual performance. In my opinion, the benefits of increased productivity and efficiency that are seen by the organizations that properly build and successfully implement teams, far out-weigh the risks and costs of a team that fails. I would have to say that in today's competitive, globally oriented organizations, we cannot over stress the importance of teams. It seems that how much you get out of a team depends on how much you are willing to put into it, and most of what you need to put into it is some time spent doing the homework planning necessary to build the team that will take your business to the top. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Denton, D.D. (1992) Building a team. Quality Progress, October, 87-91. 2. Dumaine, B. (1994) The Trouble with Teams. Fortune, 130. 3. Magee, Y.S. (1997) Teams: avoiding the pitfalls. Public Management, 79. 4. McGarvey, R. (1996) Joining forces: 12 steps to creating winning teams. Entrepreneur, 24

Health Benefits of the South Beach Diet Essay -- Health Nutrition Diet

Health Benefits of the South Beach Diet By promoting only healthy foods and in limited amounts, the South Beach diet proves to be an effective and safe path to weight loss. South Beach permits foods which are high in fiber and low in saturated fat such as whole grain rice, salmon and nuts. The diet does not exclude any particular class of food, fats or carbohydrates for example, but insists that foods high in cholesterol, such as bacon, be avoided. Yet, this is not the only restriction of the diet. South Beach also limits the amount of food consumed each day to 1,500 calories. Based on an average daily intake of 2,000 calories, South Beach ensures weight loss by simply decreasing the overall amount of food (â€Å"2,000 Calories a Day†). In restricting both unhealthy foods and calorie intake, the South Beach diet proves beneficial to one’s health. The foods which South Beach allows promote health, not necessarily weight loss. The diet emphasizes the intake of all healthy foods, some of which can actually lead to weight gain. Carbohydrates, for example, are stored in the body for long periods of time as their complex sugars are difficult to break down. Since they are not quickly processed, they turn to fat. Some carbohydrates; however, such as wheat pasta and multigrain bread, are still encouraged as they contain nutrients which help prevent illness such as heart disease. Phytochemicals, also found in carbs, have been proven to help prevent cancer (â€Å"Atkins vs. South Beach†). In addition to allowing these essential carbs, South Beach restricts foods high in saturated fat. Saturated fats are those which are soaked in fried oils, like bacon. These foods that contain this unhealthy type of fat can clog arteries which... ...s in choosing foods beneficial to one’s health as well. The two South Beach limits of quantity and quality work hand in hand towards healthiness. The restrictions of what foods are allowed ensure the consumption of nutrients needed in the body and prevent the consumption of foods which may be harmful. The calorie limitations aid in both health and weight loss as they encourage healthier foods lower in saturated fat. The South Beach diet thus proves to be an ideal tool when it comes to losing weight and staying healthy. Sources Cited: â€Å"2,000 Calories a Day the Easy Way† November 27, 2004 â€Å"Atkins vs. South Beach: How the Hottest Diets Measure Up† November 10, 2004 â€Å"South Beach Diet† November 28, 2004

Precepts of Ptah Essay

Traditionally, Ptah is the creator and god of Memphis, the capital of Ancient Egypt. Historically, the mythological figure is much more. *** One of the most important gods of ancient Egypt was Ptah of Memphis, a creator god and a director of human destinies. Mrs. Holmberg’s study is essentially a reference book based on ancient textual sources and is primarily directed toward the Egyptologist. In the last chapter Mrs. Holmberg wrestles with the â€Å"origin of the belief in Ptah† and exposes the current Egyptological perplexity about the origins of the worship of their historical gods. One leading theory is the notion that the Egyptians from the beginning recognized a â€Å"supreme being† under various names in different places. This being was the one primeval god, the creator god, and the continuing ruler of men and the other gods. In its extreme expression this view is a sort of practical monotheism, since the more important gods are brought together under one theological heading and the lesser gods are made clearly subordinate. The opposing theory is geopolitically evolutionary. This view would argue that the most primitive deities were countless local gods who were gradually reduced in number by the enlarging of political units through conquest and assimilation. As the Egyptian nation emerged, the more successful of these local gods became cosmic forces-in part through political elevation of one cult-center over others, in part through a process of syncretism, and in part through man’s attempt to answer the questions of his cosmological and cosmogonic speculation. Mrs. Holmberg tends to hesitate between these two theories, and in the present state of our ignorance about prehistoric origins one can hardly blame her. 1 PTAH – HOTEP Ptah-Hotep a was well – known Egyptian sage (sage of Ptah, per se) that dates from around 2200 BCE. He may even have enjoyed a celebrity status. Whatever his fame, he was an advisor to the King and would have been viewed as a very high ranking official.A collection of precepts is attributed to him, although scholars debate the actual author (and dating) of the document. 1 The God Ptah by Maj Sandman Holmberg Review by: John A. Wilson The Journal of Religion , Vol. 28, No. 3 (Jul., 1948), p. 229 Published by: The University of Chicago Press C&P 1 Ancient History Sourcebook: The Precepts of Ptah-Hotep, c. 2200 BCE Precepts of the prefect, the lord Ptah-hotep, under the Majesty of the King of the South and North, Assa, living eternally forever. The prefect, the feudal lord Ptah-hotep, says: O Ptah with the two crocodiles, my lord, the progress of age changes into senility. Decay falls upon man and decline takes the place of youth. A vexation weighs upon him every day; sight fails, the ear becomes deaf; his strength dissolves without ceasing. The mouth is silent, speech fails him; the mind decays, remembering not the day before. The whole body suffers. That which is good becomes evil; taste completely disappears. Old age makes a man altogether miserable; the nose is stopped up, breathing no more from exhaustion. Standing or sitting there is here a condition of . . . Who will cause me to have authority to speak, that I may declare to him the words of those who have heard the counsels of former days? And the counsels heard of the gods, who will give me authority to declare them? Cause that it be so and that evil be removed from those that are enlightened; send the double . . . The majesty of this god says: Instruct him in the sayings of former days. It is this which constitutes the merit of the children of the great. All that which makes the soul equal penetrates him who hears it, and that which it says produces no satiety. Beginning of the arrangement of the good sayings, spoken by the noble lord, the divine father, beloved of Ptah, the son of the king, the first-born of his race, the prefect and feudal lord Ptah- hotep, so as to instruct the ignorant in the knowledge of the arguments of the good sayings. It is profitable for him who hears them, it is a loss to him who shall transgress them. He says to his son: Be not arrogant because of that which you know; deal with the ignorant as with the learned; for the barriers of art are not closed, no artist being in possession of the perfection to which he should aspire. But good words are more difficult to find than the emerald, for it is by slaves that that is discovered among the rocks of pegmatite. If you find a disputant while he is hot, and if he is superior to you in ability, l ower the hands, bend the back, do not get into a passion with him. As he will not let you destroy his words, it is utterly wrong to interrupt him; that proclaims that you are incapable of keeping yourself calm, when you are contradicted. If then you have to do with a disputant while he is hot,  imitate one who does not stir. You have the advantage over him if you keep silence when he is uttering evil words. â€Å"The better of the two is he who is impassive,† say the bystanders, and you are right in the opinion of the great. 2 If you find a disputant while he is hot, do not despise him because you are not of the same opinion. Be not angry against him when he is wrong; away with such a thing. He fights against himself; require him not further to flatter your feelings. Do not amuse yourself with the spectacle which you have before you; it is odious, it is mean, it is the part of a despicable soul so to do. As soon as you let yourself be moved by your feelings, combat this desire as a thing that is reproved by the great. If you have, as leader, to decide on the conduct of a great number of men, seek the most perfect manner of doing so that your own conduct may be without reproach. Justice is great, invariable, and assured; it has not been disturbed since the age of Ptah. To throw obstacles in the way of the laws is to open the way before violence. Shall that which is below gain the upper hand, if the unjust does not attain to the place of justice? Even he who says: I take for myself, of my own free-will; but says not: I take by virtue of my authority. The limitations of justice are invariable; such is the instruction which every man receives from his father. Inspire not men with fear, else Ptah will fight against you in the same manner. If any one asserts that he lives by such means, Ptah will take away the bread from his mouth; if any one asserts that he enriches himself thereby, Ptah says: I may take those riches to myself. If any one asserts that he beats others, Ptah will end by reducing him to impotence. Let no one inspire men with fear; this is the will of Ptah. Let one provide sustenance for them in the lap of peace; it will then be that they will freely give what has been torn from them by terror. If you are among the persons seated at meat in the house of a greater man than yourself, take that which he gives you, bowing to the ground. Regard that which is placed before you, but point not at it; regard it not frequently; he is a blameworthy person who departs from this rule. Speak not to the great man more than he requires, for one knows not what may be displeasing to him. Speak when he invites you and your worth will be pleasing. As for the great man who has plenty of means of existence, his  conduct is as he himself wishes. He does that which pleases him; if he desires to repose, he realizes his intention. The great man stretching forth his hand does that to which other men do not attain. But as the means of existence are under the will of Ptah, one can not rebel against it. If you are one of those who bring the messages of one great man to another, conform yourself exactly to that wherewith he has charged you; perform for him the commission as he has enjoined you. Beware of altering in speaking the offensive words which one great person addresses to another; he who perverts the trustfulness of his way, in order to repeat only what produces pleasure in the words of every man, great or small, is a detestable person. If you are a farmer, gather the crops in the field which the great Ptah has given you, do not boast in the house of your neighbors; it is better to make oneself dreaded by one’s deeds. As for him who, master of his own way of acting, being all-powerful, seizes the goods of others like a crocodile in the midst even of watchment, his children are an object of malediction, of scorn, and of hatred on account of it, while his father is grievously distressed, and as for the mother 3  who has borne him, happy is another rather than herself. But a man becomes a god when he is chief of a tribe which has confidence in following him. If you abase yourself in obeying a superior, your conduct is entirely good before Ptah. Knowing who you ought to obey and who you ought to command, do not lift up your heart against him. As you know that in him is authority, be respectful toward him as belonging to him. Wealth comes only at Ptah’s own good-will, and his caprice only is the law; as for him who . . Ptah, who has created his superiority, turns himself from him and he is overthrown. Be active during the time of your existence, do no more than is commanded. Do not spoil the time of your activity; he is a blameworthy person who makes a bad use of his moments. Do not lose the daily opportunity of increasing that which your house possesses. Activity produces riches, and riches do not endure when it slackens. If you are a wise man, bring up a son who shall be pleasing to Ptah. If he conforms his conduct to your way and occupies himself with your affairs as is right, do to him all the good you can; he is your son, a person attached to you whom your own self has begotten. Separate not your heart from him†¦. But if he conducts himself ill and transgresses  your wish, if he rejects all counsel, if his mouth goes according to the evil word, strike him on the mouth in return. Give orders without hesitation to those who do wrong, to him whose temper is turbulent; and he will not devia te from the straight path, and there will be no obstacle to interrupt the way. If you are employed in the larit, stand or sit rather than walk about. Lay down rules for yourself from the first: not to absent yourself even when weariness overtakes you. Keep an eye on him who enters announcing that what he asks is secret; what is entrusted to you is above appreciation, and all contrary argument is a matter to be rejected. He is a god who penetrates into a place where no relaxation of the rules is made for the privileged. If you are with people who display for you an extreme affection, saying: â€Å"Aspiration of my heart, aspiration of my heart, where there is no remedy! That which is said in your heart, let it be realized by springing up spontaneously. Sovereign master, I give myself to your opinion. Your name is approved without speaking. Your body is full of vigor, your face is above your neighbors.† If then you are accustomed to this excess of flattery, and there be an obstacle to you in your desires, then your impulse is to obey your passion. But he who . . . according to his caprice, his soul is . . ., his body is . . . While the man who is master of his soul is superior to those whom Ptah has loaded with his gifts; the man who obeys his passion is under the power of his wife. Declare your line of conduct without reticence; give your opinion in the council of your lord; while there are people who turn back upon their own words when they speak, so as not to offend him who has put forward a statement, and answer not in this fashion: â€Å"He is the great man who will recognize the error of another; and when he shall raise his voice to oppose the other about it he will keep silence after what I have said.† 4 If you are a leader, setting forward your plans according to that which you decide, perform perfect actions which posterity may remember, without letting the words prevail with you which multiply flattery, which excite pride and produce vanity. If you are a leader of peace, listen to the discourse of the petitioner. Be not abrupt with him; that would trouble him. Say not to him: â€Å"You have already recounted this.† Indulgence will encourage him to accomplish the object of his coming. As for being abrupt with the complainant because he described what passed when the injury was done, instead of complaining of the injury itself let it not be! The way to obtain a clear explanation is to listen with kindness. If you desire to excite respect within the house you enter, for example the house of a superior, a friend, or any person of consideration, in short everywhere where you enter, keep yourself from making advances to a woman, for there is nothing good in so doing. There is no prudence in taking part in it, and thousands of men destroy themselves in order to enjoy a moment, brief as a dream, while they gain death, so as to know it. It is a villainous intention, that of a man who thus excites himself; if he goes on to carry it out, his mind abandons him. For as for him who is without repugnance for such an act, there is no good sense at all in him. If you desire that your conduct should be good and preserved from all evil, keep yourself from every attack of bad humor. It is a fatal malady which leads to discord, and there is no longer any existence for him who gives way to it. For it introduces discord between fathers and mothers, as well as between brothers and sisters; it causes the wife and the husband to hate each other; it contains all kinds of wickedness, it embodies all kinds of wrong. When a man has established his just equilibrium and walks in this path, there where he makes his dwelling, there is no room for bad humor. Be not of an irr itable temper as regards that which happens at your side; grumble not over your own affairs. Be not of an irritable temper in regard to your neighbors; better is a compliment to that which displeases than rudeness. It is wrong to get into a passion with one’s neighbors, to be no longer master of one’s words. When there is only a little irritation, one creates for oneself an affliction for the time when one will again be cool. If you are wise, look after your house; love your wife without alloy. Fill her stomach, clothe her back; these are the cares to be bestowed on her person. Caress her, fulfil her desires during the time of her existence; it is a kindness which does honor to its possessor. Be not brutal; tact will influence her better than violence; her . . . behold to what she aspires, at what she aims, what she regards. It is that which fixes her in your house; if you repel her, it is an abyss. Open your arms for her, respond to her arms; call her, display to her your love. Treat your dependents well, in so far as it belongs to you to do so; and it belongs to those whom Ptah has favored. If any one fails in treating his dependents well it is said: â€Å"He is  a person . . .† As we do not know the events which may happen tomorrow, he is a wise person by whom one is well treated. When there comes the necessity of showing zeal, it will then be the 5 dependents themselves who say: â€Å"Come on, come on,† if good treatment has not quitted the place; if it has quitted it, the dependents are defaulters. Do not repeat any extravagance of language; do not listen to it; it is a thing which has escaped from a hasty mouth. If it is repeated, look, without hearing it, toward the earth; say nothing in regard to it. Cause him who speaks to you to know what is just, even him who provokes to injustice; cause that which is just to be done, cause it to triumph. As for that which is hateful according to the law, condemn it by unveiling it. If you are a wise man, sitting in the council of your lord, direct your thought toward that which is wise. Be silent rather than scatter your words. When you speak, know that which can be brought against you. To speak in the council is an art, and speech is criticized more than any other labor; it is contradiction which puts it to the proof. If you are powerful, respect knowledge and calmness of language. Command only to direct; to be absolute is to run into evil. Let not your heart be haughty, neither let it be mean. Do not let your orders remain unsaid and cause your answers to penetrate; but speak without heat, assume a serious countenance. As for the vivacity of an ardent heart, temper it; the gentle man penetrates all obstacles. He who agitates himself all the day long has not a good moment; and he who amuses himself all the day long keeps not his fortune. Aim at fulness like pilots; once one is seated another works, and seeks to obey one’s orders. Disturb not a great man; weaken not the attention of him who is occupied. His care is to embrace his task, and he strips his person through the love which he puts into it. That transports men to Ptah, even the love for the work which they accomplish. Compose then your face even in trouble, that peace may be with you, when agitation is with . . .These are the people who succeed in what they desire. Teach others to render homage to a great man. If you gather the crop for him among men, cause it to return fully to its owner, at whose hands is your subsistence. But the gift of affection is worth more than the provisions with which your back is covered. For that which the great man receives from you will enable your house to live, without speaking  of the maintenance you enjoy, which you desire to preserve; it is thereby that he extends a beneficent hand, and that in your home good things are added to good things. Let your love pass into the heart of those who love you; cause those about you to be loving and obedient. If you are a son of the guardians deputed to watch over the public tranquillity, execute your commission without knowing its meaning, and speak with firmness. Substitute not for that which the instructor has said what you believe to be his intention; the great use words as it suits them. Your part is to transmit rather than to comment upon. If you are annoyed at a thing, if you are tormented by someone who is a cting within his right, get out of his sight, and remember him no more when he has ceased to address you. 6 If you have become great after having been little, if you have become rich after having been poor, when you are at the head of the city, know how not to take advantage of the fact that you have reached the first rank, harden not your heart because of your elevation; you are become only the administrator, the prefect, of the provisions which belong to Ptah. Put not behind you the neighbor who is like you; be unto him as a companion. Bend your back before your superior. You are attached to the palace of the king; your house is established in its fortune, and your profits are as is fitting. Yet a man is annoyed at having an authority above himself, and passes the period of life in being vexed thereat. Although that hurts not your . . . Do not plunder the house of your neighbors, seize not by force the goods which are beside you. Exclaim not then against that which you hear, and do not feel humiliated. It is necessary to reflect when one is hindered by it that the pressure of authority i s felt also by one’s neighbor. Do not make . . . you know that there are obstacles to the water which comes to its hinder part, and that there is no trickling of that which is in its bosom. Let it not . . . after having corrupted his heart. If you aim at polished manners, call not him whom you accost. Converse with him especially in such a way as not to annoy him. Enter on a discussion with him only after having left him time to saturate his mind with the subject of the conversation. If he lets his ignorance display itself, and if he gives you all opportunity to disgrace him, treat him with courtesy rather; proceed not to drive him into a corner; do not . . . the word to him; answer not in a  crushing manner; crush him not; worry him not; in order that in his turn he may not return to the subject, but depart to the profit of your conversation. Let your countenance be cheerful during the time of your existence. When we see one departing from the storehouse who has entered in order to bring his share of provision, with his face contracted, it shows that his stomach is empty and that authority is offensive to him. Let not that happen to you; it is . . . Know those who are faithful to you when you are in low estate. Your merit then is worth more than those who did you honor. His . . ., behold that which a man possesses completely. That is of more importance than his high rank; for this is a matter which passes from one to another. The merit of one’s son is advantageous to the father, and that which he really is, is worth more than the remembrance of his father’s rank. Distinguish the superintendent who directs from the workman, for manual labor is little elevated; the inaction of the hands is honorable. If a man is not in the evil way, that which places him there is the want of subordination to authority. If you take a wife, do not . . . Let her be more contented than any of her fellow-citizens. She will be attached to you doubly, if her chain is pleasant. Do not repel her; grant that which pleases her; it is to her contentment that she appreciates your work. 7 If you hear those things which I have said to you, your wisdom will be fully advanced. Although they are the means which are suitable for arriving at the maat, and it is that which makes them precious, their memory would recede from the mouth of men. But thanks to the beauty of their arrangement in rhythm all their words will now be carried without alteration over this earth eternally. That will create a canvass to be embellished, whereof the great will speak, in order to instruct men in its sayings. After having listened to them the pupil will become a master, even he who shall have properly listened to the sayings because he shall have heard them. Let him win success by placing himself in the first rank; that is for him a position perfect and durable, and he has nothing further to desire forever. By knowledge his path is assured, and he is made happy by it on the earth. The wise man is satiated by knowledge; he is a great man through his own merits. His tongue is in accord with his mind; just are his lips when he speaks, his eyes when he gazes, his ears when he hears. The advantage of his son is to  do that which is just without deceiving himself. To attend therefore profits the son of him who has attended. To attend is the result of the fact that one has attended. A teachable auditor is formed, because I have attended. Good when he has attended, good when he speaks, he who has attended has profited, and it is profitable to attend to him who has attended. To attend is worth more than anything else, for it produces love, the good thing that is twice good. The son who accepts the instruction of his father will grow old on that account. What Ptah loves is that one should attend; if one attends not, it is abhorrent to Ptah. The heart makes itself its own master when it attends and when it does not attend; but if it attends, then his heart is a beneficent master to a man. In attending to instruction, a man loves what he attends to, and to do that which is prescribed is pleasant. When a son attends to his father, it is a twofold joy for both; when wise things are prescribed to him, the son is gentle toward his master. Attending to him who has attended when such things have been prescribed to him, he engraves upon his heart that which is approved by his father; and the recollection of it is preserved in th e mouth of the living who exist upon this earth. When a son receives the instruction of his father there is no error in all his plans. Train your son to be a teachable man whose wisdom is agreeable to the great. Let him direct his mouth according to that which has been said to him; in the docility of a son is discovered his wisdom. His conduct is perfect while error carries away the unteachable. Tomorrow knowledge will support him, while the ignorant will be destroyed. As for the man without experience who listens not, he effects nothing whatsoever. He sees knowledge in ignorance, profit in loss; he commits all kinds of error, always accordingly choosing the contrary of what is praiseworthy. He lives on that which is mortal, in this fashion. His food is evil words, whereat he is filled with astonishment. That which the great know to be mortal he lives upon every day, flying from that which would be profitable to him, because of the multitude of errors which present themselves before him every day. A son who attends is like a follower of Horus; he is happy after having attended. He becomes great, he arrives at dignity, he gives the same lesson to his children. Let none innovate upon the precepts of his father; let the same precepts form his lessons to his children. â€Å"Verily,† will his 8  children sa y to him, â€Å"to accomplish what you say works marvels.† Cause therefore that to flourish which is just, in order to nourish your children with it. If the teachers allow themselves to be led toward evil principles, verily the people who understand them not will speak accordingly, and that being said to those who are docile they will act accordingly. Then all the world considers them as masters and they inspire confidence in the public; but their glory endures not so long as would please them. Take not away then a word from the ancient teaching, and add not one; put not one thing in place of another; beware of uncovering the rebellious ideas which arise in you; but teach according to the words of the wise. Attend if you wish to dwell in the mouth of those who shall attend to your words, when you have entered upon the office of master, that your words may be upon our lips . . . and that there may be a chair from which to deliver your arguments. Let your thoughts be abundant, but let your mouth be under restraint, and you shall argue with the great. Put yourself in unison with the ways of your master; cause him to say: â€Å"He is my son,† so that those who shall hear it shall say â€Å"Praise be to her who has borne him to him!† Apply yourself while you speak; speak only of perfect things; and let the great who shall hear you say: â€Å"Twice good is that which issues from his mouth!† Do that which your master bids you. Twice good is the precept of his father, from whom he has issued, from his flesh. What he tells us, let it be fixed in our heart; to satisfy him greatly let us do for him more than he has prescribed. Verily a good son is one of the gifts of Ptah, a son who does even better than he has been told to do. For his master he does what is satisfactory, putting himself with all his heart on the part of right. So I shall bring it about that your body shall be healthful, that the Pharaoh shall be satisfied with you in all circumstances and that you shall obtain years of life without default. It has caused me on earth to obtain one hundred and ten years of life, along with the gift of the favor of the Pharoah among the first of those whom their works have ennobled, satisfying the Pharoah in a place of dignity. It is finished, from its beginning to its end, according to that which is found in writing. Source: From: Charles F. Horne, The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East (New York: Parke, Austin, & Lipscomb, 1917), Vol. II: Egypt, pp. 62-78. Scanned by: J. S. Arkenberg, Dept. of History, Cal. State Fullerton This text is part of the Internet Ancient History Sourcebook. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted texts related to medieval and Byzantine history. 9 Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. No representation is made about texts which are linked off-site, although in most cases these are also public domain. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use.  © Paul Halsall May 1998