Articles of Confederation AP essays

Articles of Confederation AP essays In 1777, the states enacted the Articles of Confederation to preserve democracy and prevent tyranny from those who sought to centralize power. But in their efforts to keep their independence, the states created a weak central government that was unable to improve an insolvent economy and poor foreign relations. Although the confederation gained some substantial powers, the crucial powers to tax and regulate commerce remained with the individual states. Each state passed their own currency, and therefore created inflation and made "Continentals" in circulation worthless. Compounded with restrictions on trade to Great Britain and down the Mississippi River, the states became mired in a heavy depression. John Fiske, of the conservative view, realized the precarious situation when he stated "the Nation was under the verge of collapse and near-anarchy and that the five year period after 1783 was the most critical time in American History."Robert Morris, secretary of finance, resorted to desperate measures with the Newburgh conspiracy in an attempt to raise funds for a depleted military; but it took an impassioned plea from General Washington himself to put down the rebellion. Furthermore, the Articles allowed for personal rights abuses such as unsubstantiated foreclosures on farms and ill advised loans to certain " small groups", the antithesis of republicanism. As Arthur Schlesinger Jr. stated "the Articles were to impotent to govern." Lastly, no judicial system was provided for to enforce laws and therefore allowed for insurrections such as Shays Rebe llion. In addition, to pass legislation required a unanimous consent and more than not a single dissenting vote prevented the ratification of strong economic bills. Overall, the Articles were ineffective in improving the economic state of the new nation. Although Thomas Paine (Common Sense) believed that the Articles and decentralization was a logical choice of government after...

Maya Angelou is an American author actress civilrights activist poet a

Maya Angelou is an American author actress civilrights activist poet a Sister Flowers by Maya Angelou Maya Angelou is an American author, actress, civil-rights activist, poet, and professor. She has written multiple volumes of poetry and a series of popular autobiographical works, including Wouldnt Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993). This essay is a chapter from her first autobiographical volume, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969). Recent books include Phenomenal Woman (2000) and Elder Grace (2000). For nearly a year, I sopped around the house, the Store, the school and the church, like an old biscuit, dirty and inedible. Then I met, or rather got to know, the lady who threw me my first life line. Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps. She had the grace of control to appear warm in the coldest weather, and on the Arkansas summer days it seemed she had a private breeze which swirled around, cooling her. She was thin without the taut look of wiry people, and her printed voile dresses and flowered hats were as right for her as denim overalls for a farmer. She was our sides answer to the richest white woman in town. Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged, but then no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. Flowers to ruffle her dress, let alone snag her skin. She didnt encourage familiarity. She wore gloves too. I dont think I ever saw Mrs. Flowers laugh, but she smiled often. A slow widening of her thin black lips to show even, small white teeth, then the slow effortless closing. When she chose to smile on me, I always wanted to thank her. The action was so graceful and inclusively benign. She was one of the few gentlewomen I have ever known, and has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be. Momma had a strange relationship with her. Most often when she passed on the road in front of the Store, she spoke to Momma in that soft yet carrying voice, Good day, Mrs. Henderson. Momma responded with How you, Sister Flowers? Mrs. Flowers didnt belong to our church, nor was she Mommas familiar. Why on earth did she insist on calling her Sister Flowers? Shame made me want to hide my face. Mrs. Flowers deserved better than to be called Sister. Then, Momma left out the verb. Why not ask, How are you, Mrs. Flowers? With the unbalanced passion of the young, I hated her for showing her ignorance to Mrs. Flowers. It didnt occur to me for many years that they were as alike as sisters, separated only by formal education. Although I was upset, neither of the women was in the least shaken by what I thought an unceremonious greeting. Mrs. Flowers would continue her easy gait up the hill to her little bungalow, and Momma kept on shelling peas or doing whatever had brought her to the front porch. Occasionally, though, Mrs. Flowers would drift off the road and down to the Store and Momma would say to me, Sister, you go on and play. As she left I would hear the beginning of an intimate conversation. Momma persistently using the wrong verb, or none at all. Brother and Sister Wilcox is sholy the meanest Is, Momma? Is? Oh, please, not is, Momma, for two or more. But they talked, and from the side of the building where I waited for the ground to open up and swallow me, I heard the soft-voiced Mrs. Flowers and the textured voice of my grandmother merging and melting. They were interrupted from time to time by giggles that must have come from Mrs. Flowers (Momma never giggled in her life). Then she was gone. She appealed to me because she was like people I had never met personally. Like women in English novels who walked the moors (whatever they were) with their loyal dogs racing at a respectful distance. Like the women who sat in front of roaring fireplaces, drinking tea incessantly from silver trays full of scones and crumpets. Women who walked over the heaths and read morocco-bound books and had two last names divided by a hyphen. It would be safe to say that she

Choosing Construction Method (which one is most cost effective) Dissertation

Choosing Construction Method (which one is most cost effective) self-build - Dissertation Example Options are very important to consider in a self-build project because this will help the builder in choosing the best method for the project. 1. Steel frame This is advantageous because it gives strong energy efficiency and a good standard is achievable. This is usually use in buildings with big open-plan spaces. Considerations, wrapping the exterior part of the frame with firm insulation layer in preventing heat loss. The need of this is not usually recognize in some methods in construction. By comparing to the timber frame, expect 25% more with the cost in using the steel. 2. Brick and block construction This is one of the most common method that is use where in the bricks is attach to the inner skin of the blocks. This construction method is very quick considering the weight of the blocks and how easy it is to use. However, Considerations must be taken like aerated blocks are good insulators. 150 mm thick block compared to 100mm (normal) is suggested to use. Understanding in the different use of the blocks according to the location of the project is very important. In using this method it is also important to consider the weather because it could force the work to stop which in effect will increase the cost. 3. Pre-cast concrete panels It is a concrete panel made through a formwork mould and fabricated outside the site. Exceptionally, this method produces a very strong building. Usually used in basements and where water proofing is advised. This method is best recommended in building volume of houses building that involves a high level of repetition. It is not popular and suited to a one-off house and this method needs plenty of space to be able to put the panels in proper place. 4. Timber frame This method gives the idea that the timber studs and panels can be cover by any weatherproof material. Structural beams are also available in achieving a greater span. This method also suggests to a better flexibility for ground floor room layouts (Self Builder, 201 1). Vision As the methods to choose from have been presented above it is relevant to state the vision statement that would describe what is wanted in the future regarding the self project. In applying standardize engineered fabrication and assembly methods, new supplies and tools will help in a rapid low-cost construction in standardize, lightweight structure and in an efficient working time. There are a lot of advantages in using flexible and programmable new improved properties when it comes to strength, transportation and flexibility to form. This modern process is efficient in reducing labor and material cost. Current problems It is very important to be aware of the existing situation in identifying the current problems with regard of the self project. Many changes occur over the past few decades when it comes to dealing with materials and methods that is applied and used in a construction. Popularity about the use of concrete and steel in the industry are evident. Construction equipment advancement including the secondary system leads to surplus advantages like reducing the maintenance and improving the durability, energy efficiency and lower the environmental impact. Potentials benefits and Opportunities 1. Traditional way of construction is reduce to a fraction of the present trend. 2. Direct labor that is normally required is reduced in

Jean Watson's Theory of Caring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jean Watson's Theory of Caring - Essay Example The ultimate aim of this context is to examine Jean Watson’s theory of caring and its implications for both patients and nurses. This paper begins by outlining the overview of the theory before looking at how she brought out the idea of caring moment and how it can apply to daily lives of people (Potter & Perry, 1999). Watson’s theory of human caring also called theory of transpersonal caring or the caring model was established in 1979. The theory has undergone evolution for several years, but its root principal remains outstanding. The theory stresses on the concept of humanistic issue of nursing in conjunction to scientific knowledge. She modeled the theory in a way that it clearly brings out the implication and focus to nursing as a different health line of work. She believed that caring is a backing and support of the identity of nurses (Delaune, 2002). She added on that the identity of medicine is that of caring, since nurses deal with patients and medicines; the same should portray their identity. Florence Nightingale who stated that, â€Å"It is the surgeon who saves the life of an individual and it is the nurse who helps the life of this person,† heavily supported Watson’s implication (Reed, 2006). The theory of human caring implies that the role of nurses is to develo p a caring association with patients through treating them as holistic being, which means, body, mind and spirit. The nurses are also supposed to express categorical acceptance and care for patients with a positive concern. They are also supposed to foster health through wisdom and involvement. Watson defined caring moment as the uninterrupted time that a nurse spends with a patient where they can share a story, advice, a joke, laugh together and at least make the patient feel healed. It is the session where the nurse and the patient make contact through nurse entering the patient’s room and making him

Background check Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Background check - Essay Example When individuals hire close friends, they are reluctant to perform the background checks. The second reason is trust where white color criminals are not profiled easily as they are trusted. The last reason is financial issues where small businesses do not have adequate resources to perform the check. Therefore, these businesses opt to avoid the background check. Personally, I do not have an instance where a company failed to perform the check on an individual as my friends confirmed that they signed the waivers for background checks. This shows that the problem has significantly improved in the modern days because information to perform the check is readily available as opposed to the past. A standing policy would be an important measure to ensure that individuals do not avoid the background checks in the future. For reasonable and reliable decision making process, verification of potential employee’s background information is crucial (Muir 51). If I were in the position of hiring a high-level financial employee, I would first interview them personally and then perform an extensive background check to avoid compromising the functioning of my company as a result of vandalism, embezzlement or theft of company resources. Additionally, I would ensure that I contact all previous employers in spite of the subject individual’s experi ence or expertise. With regard to the case scenario, the first company did its duty by reporting the culprit but the second failed leading to a

Starbucks Expansion to China

Starbucks Expansion to China Our group would like to present Starbucks story in China. Starbucks is one of the largest coffee chains in the World, ranked 631 in Global 2000 list of Forbes. The company has a unique style and atmosphere in their coffee houses. We chose China because it is the worlds most populous country with over 1.3 billion people live there and second-largest country by land area. After 1978, the countrys economy were underwent dramatic changes which involved such relief as permission for entrepreneurs to start up their own business and opening the country for foreign investment. It is obviously that Starbucks managers decided to take advantage of such opportunity to expand their business into new region. To evaluate Chinese market the company used several steps of analyses. The initial screening process helped the company answer the question: who might be interested in buying coffee in China? To introduce the Starbucks brand the company begun to distribute coffee for free to guests in several Beijings hotels in 1994. This initiative indicated that there was a strong demand for their products, particularly among foreigners in China. Local people, who strived to imitate the Western lifestyle, also showed interest for coffee drinking. In addition young generation were enchantment by brands and products from the West. These factors led Starbucks managers to learn and understand more about business climate in that Asia country. Next step for Starbucks was to determine financial and economic conditions of China. Companys managers were aware that Chinese Gross Domestic Product (GDP) continuously grew approximately 9 % on an average and a GDP per capita was US$3.800. All these factors led to rising income of middle class. That was undoubted advantage for entering Chinese market for Starbucks. At the third level of screening Starbucks faced with political restrictions. China is highly bureaucratic country with difficult processes of getting permissions and sanctions to start and run business. In order to avoid these challenges the company built and maintain firm relationship with Chinese local partners as well as government officials. In addition, Starbucks Soong Ching-Ling Foundation received $5 million donation from Starbucks to support education in countrys poorest regions. The fourth level of screening involved socio-cultural forces. It showed the biggest challenges for Starbucks, because of the old tradition of tea drinking in China. At the beginning managers didnt know how to accustomed Chinese to drink and appreciate coffee. To acquaint employees and Chinese executives with coffee drinking experience Starbucks provided different training programs for them in which they learned more about coffee and Starbucks culture. The same way the company taught customers about different flavors and types of coffee. Another aspect was Chinese shopping behaviour which was different from the US market. People in China spent main slice of their monthly budget on foods. This also led to success for the company. The fifth level of China screening was focused on competitive forces. As we mentioned before China is a tea country and the share of coffee was low. Little or no competition for Starbucks was considered as an advantage. Chinese people were familiar only with one international brand which was Nestlà ©s Nescafe. However, Nescafe is not a coffee house like Starbucks. As regards local competitions, it was a well-known Chinese brand Li Shen and Japanese brand Zhen Gou Coffee. Having taken into account all the factors of international market assessment which was done by Starbucks we think that it was right decision to enter that market. Despite of all the risks of Chinese economy and vacillating attitudes toward The West culture, there is no doubt that consumption of coffee in China will continue to grow. As a result Starbucks will benefit from it. Question # 2 Although Starbucks encountered several challenges in the process of entering into Chinese market. Starbucks had successfully expanded its business in over 20 large or medium sized cities of China, and opened about 560 storefronts in these cities by 2012. The astonishing achievement owes to its careful marketing assessment and various marketing strategies in different periods. These strategies mainly refer to 2 different modes of entering foreign markets: licensed agreement and joint venture. Licensed agreement In 1998, Starbucks adopted the mode of licensing agreement to license its Chinese partner (Beijing Mei Da), a wholesale distribution company to supply coffee beans to some selected hotels and restaurants. Starbucks realized that local partners can have the best understanding of local cultures customers and some related laws. and they have already established good relationship with local government, so it was easy to obtain the permissions and sanctions required to start and operate business in a bureaucratic country like China. Moreover, Starbucks could also maintain a high standard on the control of production, and achieve a ideal revenue in Chinese market. So licensed agreement was a optimal option for Starbucks to enter into a booming Chinas market in the mid-1990s. Joint venture A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new asset by contributing equity. Starbucks formed a joint venture with different partners at different times when it entered into Chinese market. Starbucks achieved considerable knowledge about the Chinese market conditions and then began to open Starbucks stores in China. The company adopted a strategy of having three different partners to enter different regions in Chinese market. In September 1998, Starbucks entered China under a licensing agreement with Beijing Mei Da Coffee Co.Ltd, which was as their first partner. In 1999, Starbucks formed a joint venture with the Taiwan based Uni-President Group and opened stores in Shanghai. In 2000, Starbucks entered into a joint venture with Mei-Xin International Ltd, it also called Coffee Concepts Ltd. It managed the operations in the region of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Macau, Guangzhou, and other parts of southern China. Based on our market assessment, there are some advantages for Starbucks with joint venture to enter Chinese market. First of all, Starbucks choose a good local partner to form a joint venture which can help it better understand the local laws and negotiate better with the authorities. It is beneficial for Starbucks to obtain required permissions and sanctions so that it can be opened easily. Secondly, local partners know Chinese market condition better than Starbucks; therefore, it is effective and efficient method for Starbucks to adopt a few localization strategies to satisfy different regions of customers. Last but not least, joint venture is a good way for Starbucks to reduce operation expenditure, and it also helps to reduce risks in Chinese market. Question # 3 In many ways Starbucks has changed their business strategies while operating in China. We could simply identify those changes from the case study, library sources and other sources.We have described those changes in the following paragraphs. We want our customers to recognize that were not coming to China just to make money, we are coming to China to build an enduring company that they can trust and they can view as one of their own. (Howard Schultz) Starbucks modified their menu and tried to localize its brand name by selling some food items according to the choice of the Chinese people and selling different kind of tea. They also changed their marketing and pricing strategies based on needs for the Chinese market. Our entry into Beijing is about serving people, building global relationships, and celebrating local cultures over a great cup of coffee. That is the heart and soul of the Starbucks Experience. We are excited to be working with our partners, Beijing Mei DA Coffee Co. Ltd., who shares our values and business philosophy. said Howard Behar of SCI When Starbucks started in China, one of the biggest challenges it faced was to make the consumers accustomed to drink and appreciating coffee. Arrocding to analysts, compared to other countries in which Starbucks operated this task was more difficult in China because of the age old tradition of tea drinking in the country, where coffee was seen as nothing less than a kind of Western invasion. Starbucks, like any other multinational company, had to go through the dilemma of choosing whether to follow Chinese traditional tea or take a big risk of following Starbucks culture of promoting premium coffee. The company chose to opt for its own culture and sell the idea of the Coffee drinking experience. Starbucks started by projecting the stores as a place for social gathering. The stores were also larger in area than the ones in the US, as the idea was to make the customers feel at home, relax and spend more time there. Similarly the company took initiatives to teach the customers about the different types of coffees and how to distinguish between flavors. The customers were given some samples to smell as well as sip and then describe their experience. At times if the customers did not enjoy the sample, the store employees asked them to come back again later for another tasting session or they offered them some other drink that they enjoyed. They also spoke to the customers about the positive effects drinking coffee. For example, they spoke about how drinking coffee helped to change their mood and how it was good to have coffee in the morning. On the other hand as Chinese people were accustomed with tea drinking, Starbucks other business strategy was to promote the benefit of coffee drinking to its customers and distributed free samples of coffees. The company also changed its normal store size to project itself as a place for social gathering. Localization Strategies: Normally Starbucks follows a high standard technique to maintain its stores worldwide. But in the case of China it adapted some strategies influenced by local culture and market conditions to gain Chinese peoples trust and confidence. Small changes were made in the texture, menu and store layout just to match with Chinese culture and food preferences. Within few months of opening the coffee stores, the company started observing that coffee culture is different for Chinese people than US, where people are very busy in their daily lives and they just grab their coffee and leave, but in China coffee stores were more like a place for social gathering where they can sit and talk for hours with their friends and families. Therefore, according to the market needs they had to square bigger stores. In the US a normal size of Starbcks store is about 1,200 to 1,500 square feet whereas in China they started opening stores bigger than 2,000 square feet. It was observed that the Chinese also liked to have some food along with their drink. 5 In response to that Starbucks started offering some popular Chinese foods like, curry puffs, moon cakes, and traditional cookies. Starbucks incorporates another localize strategy in every country they go, by modifying the name of Starbucks to suit the local language, like in China they Changed the name to Xing Bake where Xing represents Star and Bake was pronounced as bucks. Starbucks accepted the reality that maximum people in China like tea more than coffee though young generation is more likely to go for coffee. So they decided different menu for different stores in China. In Shanghai and westernized, the stores a standard menu where they served coffee. And in Beijing stores they introduced different tea-based drinks like coffee-flavored milk tea, green tea-flavored frappuccino etc. to attract more people. Promotional and Pricing Strategies: To promote themselves in China the company chose a different way. It was mostly depended on the people to spread goodwill through word of mouth than commercial advertisements and media products. Their knowledge, organized way of business left a good impression on customers mind. The customers were willing to pay a higher price for the brand name. As a result young, urban Chinese, who solely started to associate visiting Starbucks or being seen with a Starbucks cup, as a symbol of social status. They tried to build their reputation in terms of, product quality, customer service, employee relationship, etc. To enhance the name of Starbucks they had different strategies. From professional to students they had different ways to attract them. They started selling latest DVDs, free access of internet and also use to provide different wireless services so people can feel it like their 3rd home. Starbucks uses the highest quality coffee beans from ideal coffee producing climates. They helped Chinese farmers, made good relationships with their workers and they also made a good reputation in the supply market .As a result of good reputation, good quality and high price they were able to attract people and also maintain their luxury appeal. The company priced its coffees at around US$ 6 for a cup, which was considered by analysts as too costly , even though it was too costly by Chinese standards but they decided to continue with it because in China, high price was directly associated with quality.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy :: Biology Cattle Disease Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a relatively new disease found primarily in cattle. This disease of the bovine breed was first seen in the United Kingdom in November 1986 by histopathological examination of affected brains (Kimberlin, 1993) . From the first discovery in 1986 to 1990 this disease developed into a large-scale epidemic in most of the United Kingdom, with very serious economic consequences (Moore, 1996). BSE primarily occurs in adult cattle of both male and female genders. The most common age at which cows may be affected is between the ages of four and five (Blowey, 1991). Due to the fact that BSE is a neurological disease, it is characterized by many distinct symptoms: changes in mental state 'mad-cow', abnormalities of posture, movement, and sensation (Hunter, 1993). The duration of the clinical disease varies with each case, but most commonly lasts for several weeks. BSE continues to progress and is usually considered fatal (Blowey, 1991).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After extensive research, the pathology of BSE was finally determined. Microscopic lesions in the central nervous system that consist of a bilaterally symmetrical, non-inflammatory vacuolation of neuronal perikarya and grey-matter neuropil was the scientists' overall conclusion (Stadthalle, 1993). These lesions are consistent with the diseases of the more common scrapie family. Without further investigation, the conclusion was made that BSE was a new member of the scrapie family (Westgarth, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Transmission of BSE is rather common throughout the cattle industry. After the incubation period of one to two years, experimental transmission was found possible by the injection of brain homogenates from clinical cases (Swanson, 1990). This only confirmed that BSE is caused by a scrapie-like infectious agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How does the transmission become so readily available among the entire United Kingdom feedlot population? Studies showed that the mode of infection was meat and bone meal that had been incorporated into concentrated feedstuffs as a protein-rich supplement (Glausiusz, 1996). It is thought that the outbreak was started by a scrapie infection of cattle, but the subsequent course of the epidemic was driven by the recycling of infected cattle material within the cattle population (Lyall, 1996). Although the average rate of infection is very low, the reason why this led to such a large number of BSE cases is that much of the United Kingdom dairy cattle population was exposed for many, continuous years (Kimberlin, 1993).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To help control the outbreak, the British government in 1988 introduced a ban on the feeding of ruminant protein to other ruminant animals (Lacey, 1995). Such knowledge for the pathogenesis of the BSE disease shows precisely the actions that must be taken in order to control and minimize the risk of