Wednesday, January 29, 2020

School and Communities Essay Example for Free

School and Communities Essay A school leader guides a student for such a brief moment, but is one of the connections that contribute to a student being successful and allowing for the student to transition easily in the learning environment? According to the recommended readings there is a correlation between the student’s home, community, and the school that facilitates the student’s transitions into and throughout the school system, leading to an environment that supports student success. There are several major transitions starting with kindergarten and progressing to the middle school level, and then onto high school. Each transitional time is critical and requires additional support to continue and to achieve academically. Based on my review of various articles, the following topics are promising directions that have emerged as areas that will make the connection powerful and successful. Family involvement during Kindergarten preparation is essential for young students to achieve to their potential. The importance of being prepared academically for school, and its implications for parents, has been the subject of extensive research and attention. One recent study suggests that fostering parent support and  parent learning about Kindergarten readiness can help ensure that children are adequately prepared to start school (Starkey Klein, 2000; Perroncel, 2000). In my readings it was suggested that a network of social connections that support children and families during the Kindergarten transition are needed, including interactions between teachers and children, children and peers, parents and teachers, and preschool teachers and Kindergarten teachers. While there is an increased amount of evidence about the elements that support Kindergarten readiness, there is also a need to better integrate the early childhood development literature to  fully understand the connections that make a difference and allow the student to be successful. For example, Fantuzzo et al. (2000) conducted a study to assess parent involvement for children in day care, Head Start, and Kindergarten. Studies such as this can begin to build understanding of how parent involvement changes from pre-school to Kindergarten. Future research can also build our understanding of the specific types of family and community connections that provide a strong support network for children, particularly those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, as they prepare to enter Kindergarten. STUDENT TRANSITION THROUGH EDUCATION LEVELS 3 Despite the continued occurrence of the myth that family and community connections are primarily important at the elementary school level, researchers have begun exploring the effects of school, family, and community connections during transitions to middle and high school as well. Gutman and Midgley (2000) found that during the transition from the elementary level to the middle school level, both school factors and family factors were important to support academic achievement in African American students. Another study found that, contrary to popular belief, middle and high school students do want their parents to be involved, especially in terms of homework help and other home-based types of support and involvement (Catsambis Garland, 1997). This study found that parent involvement does not decline, as expected, but rather shifts as students move into middle and high school. Although they continued to be involved, parents reported increasing dissatisfaction with their role in relationship to the school, especially involving school policy (Catsambis Garland). These results confirm the importance of continued exploration of needs that students have during the transition to middle school and to high school, and roles that families play in supporting these transitions. The impact of school outreach is an important finding. School outreach and invitations to families and community members have a significant impact on the level and quality of family and community connections. In at least three studies, it has been found to have a greater impact than family characteristics on previous student academic achievement (Van Voorhis, 2000; Simon, 2000; Chrispeels Rivero, 2000). Simon found that when schools reach out, and families and community members feel that the school is extending invitations at a personal level, they respond with higher attendance at school-based activities and better quality of family involvement at home. The unique role that schools play in initiating and setting the tone for connections with families and the community cannot be denied. Researchers have also suggested that more research is needed regards to what motivates individual school staff members to reach out to parents and community and how  school staff can be further motivated and supported in building these relationships. STUDENT TRANSITION THROUGH EDUCATION LEVELS 4 There is a growing understanding of the role that relationships between staff in schools and community organizations play in the development of successful collaborations between school and communities. Jehlet al. (2001) suggests that there are â€Å"sticking points,† in organizational cultures and values that can hinder school-community connections. They suggest that these sticking points must be understood and addressed in order to build effective partnerships. These disconnects can be exacerbated by the lack of personal relationships that build trust and understanding between school and community staff (Center for Mental Health in Schools, 1999a). It is clear that family, school, and community connections can benefit children from before the time they enter Kindergarten until after they graduate from high school. Our charge in the educational field of study is to come together to address the issues highlighted in this synthesis paper and to clarify the concept and outcomes of family and community connections with schools. In doing so we will better understand these connections and create the knowledge needed to realize the potential of family, school, and community connections for student learning and student’s success. STUDENT TRANSITION THROUGH EDUCATION LEVELS 5 References Catsambis, S. , Garland, J. E. (1997). Parental involvement in students education during middle school and high school (CRESPAR Report 18). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University. ED423328. http://www. csos. jhu. edu/crespar/Reports/report18entire. htm Center for Mental Health in Schools. (1999a). Expanding educational reform to address barriers to learning: Restructuring student support services and enhancing school community partnerships. Los Angeles, CA: Center for Mental Health in Schools. http://smhp. psych. ucla. edu/pdfdocs/Report/Expand. pdf Fantuzzo, J. , Tighe, E. , Childs, S. (2000). Family involvement questionnaire: A multivariate assessment of family participation in early childhood education. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(2), 367-375. Gutman, L. M. , Midgley, C. (2000). The role of protective factors in supporting the academic achievement of poor African American students during the middle school transition. Journal of Youth and  Adolescence, 29(2), 223-249. Jehl, J. , Blank, M. J. , McCloud, B. (2001). Education and community building: Connecting two worlds. Washington, DC: Institute for Educational Leadership, Inc. http://www. communityschools. org/combuild. pdf Starkey, P. , Klein, A. (2000). Fostering parental support for children’s mathematical development: An intervention with Head Start families. Early Education and Development, 11(5), 659-680. Van Voorhis, F. L. (2000). The effects of interactive (TIPS) homework on family involvement and science achievement of middle grade students. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Florida.

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Synthesis of Levulinate Ester in Solvent-free System

Synthesis of Levulinate Ester in Solvent-free System MUHAMMAD YUSUF BIN YAAKUB 1.0 INTRODUCTION Fabrication of several of oxygenated fuels and chemical from biomass is not an easy task. This is because biomass needs to use catalytic processes to defunctionalized selectively (D.L.Klass, 2006). Both biological and chemical catalysts are being tailed by the global to transform biomass into biofuel and chemicals (A.Corma, 2007). There is some of the potential alternative to non-renewable energy like lignocellulosic biomass for the future demand (M. Aresta, 2012). Feedstock like biomass is supposed to reduce the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere (E.S. Olson, 2001). As we know, ester is one of the important derivatives that can be ready by using heterogeneous catalysis (G.D. Yadav, 2012)) including feedstock that can be renewed which is based ester as oxygenated fuels. Making of levulinate ester from glucose, cellulose and sucrose which known as one of the admirable renewable fuel additives under acid catalysis by using anhydrous condition is quite desirable (M.E. Harmon, 1990). Biomass which is from derivatives of levulinate acid also known as one of the top twelve building block as a precursor for resins and polymer, and to produce a spectrum of fuel additives (B.V. Timokhim, 1999)). There are a few reviews already appear on the commercial application about levulinate acid and its derivatives (M. Kitano, 1975). Ethyl levulinate or levulinate ester which is ester of levulinic acid find application as blending agents in biodiesel, flavour and perfume industry, as solvents, plasticizer, etc (R.I. Khusnutdinov, 2007). Also, one of the derivatives from levulinic acid like 2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran can be employed as the additives in gasoline and diesel. Besides that, levulinic acid that undergoes process of animation which leads to the formation of ÃŽ ´-aminolevilunate is used as herbicide (J.J. Bozell, 2000). Among every ester of levulinic acid, ethyl levulinate is the one that has been used in fuel as oxygenated additives on a large scale (P.M. Ayoub, 2005). Therefore, levulinate ester which derived from levulinic acid is important in industry which is made by the process of esterification fuel grade ethanol and carboxylic group (Wetzel et al., 2006) 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 levulinic acid Levulinic acid is one of the simplest sugar group of the organic compounds which known as gamma-ketovaleric acid. Levulinic acid also called as 4-oxopentanoic acid in the terms of chemical formula. It contains two groups which are acidic carboxyl group and ketonic carbonyl group. (Ghorpade Hanna, 2011). Some of the agricultural wastes such as starch, cane sugar and lignocellulostic are used for the production of levulinic acid. And these renewable biomasses are commercially used for its productions (Wetzel et al., 2006). There are some of the researches have been done on biomass and found that it is one of the important sources for chemical product and biofuel.( Klass, D. L., 1998). Biomass can be found abundantly such as in forest, industrial activities like paper industry and also in the form of waste from agricultural. Considerable amounts of research have been done throughout the world to determine a good way to change biomass into organic chemicals by identified attractive chemical transformation method and also to develop economically possible processes for these transformations on a commercial scale. And one of the interesting option is the formation of levulinic acid from the conversion of lignocellulosic by acid treatment.(Buana girisuta,2007) 2.1.1 Application of levulinic acid in industrial field There are some of interesting derivatives that can be found in levulinic acid as the chemical platform (Timokhin, 1999). The derivatives of levulinic acid and its application have been looked extensively (Bozell, 2000). Besides that, there are also extensive reviewed about the production of levulinic acid from the acid catalysed degradation of hexoses; however, there are not much information available for the underlying reaction mechanism (Horvat, 1985). In reaction of nucleophilic additions upon carbonyl group, several of valuable levulinic acid derivatives are produced. For instance, when nitrogen which contain nucleophiles react with levulinic acid will give either the cyclodehydration products of the amide or amide (7), depends on carboxyl group of levulinic acid which is whether it is protected or not (Shilling, 1966). The reactions of several amines with levulinic acid which form amides are interesting because of their biological activity. Also, one of the product produced from the reaction between levulinic acid with ammonium hydroxide or ammonia in the presence of hydrogen gas and metal catalyst which is 5-methyl-2-pyrrolidone(8) (Manzer, 2004) is quite useful for the pharmaceutical industry. Levulinic acid is quite important for the synthesis of chemicals for the applications like resin precursors, polymer and fuel additives. There are several article published which described the properties and potential application for the industry about levulinic acid and its derivatives (Timokhin, 1999) 2.2 levulinate ester There are some research has been studied by the global to determine and study about the biological and chemical transformations to change biomass into feedstock chemicals and biofuels. Among this research, one of the interesting approaches is the production of levulinate ester from the direct conversion of carbohydrates named hexose like sucrose, cellulose and glucose in anhydrous system which contain alcohols using acid catalysts (Peng et al., 2011)-thesis senior. For the production of ester in high yield production, one of the common chemical or acid to use is sulphuric acid. But, there are some problems like formation of polymerization products or by-products due secondary reaction with possible alcohol dehydration or double bounds of the molecule (Aracil et al., 2006). Also, there will be several drawbacks when using this type of classical method for the synthesis of ester like energy consumption, high temperature, requirement for special apparatus, formation of substantial amount of by-products, prolonged reaction period and high waste generation (Chaibakhsh et al., 2011). 2.2.1 Synthesis of ester levulinate Esterification of levulinic acid with etanol which produce ethyl 4-oxopentanoate or commonly known as ethyl levulinate, is used as an intermediate for the synthesis of more multifaceted commercial products, as an lubricant additive oxygenate additives for petrodiesel (Joshi et al., 2011). In industry, levulinate ester was obtained via esterification process between alkyl alcohol and levulinic acid with the presence of acid like H2SO4 or sulphuric acid which lead to the production of a high yield products. Also, immobilized lipase which acts as the biocatalyst for this process can become quite effective under milder reaction conditions (Peng et al., 2011). Yadav and Borkar (2008), previously have been report about the enzymatic synthesis of levulinate ester (Lee et al., 2010). Their work focused on kinetics and mechanism study of lipase-catalyzed esterification of levulinic acid with n-butanol using tetrabutyl methyl ether as the solvent. There are also reported by several researchers about the synthesis of levulinylated nucleosides in organic solvent-based system via enzymatic hydrolysis (Garcia et al., 2002; Lee et al., 2010). The application of biocatalysts has impressive advantages for the synthesis of esters. These advantages are milder reaction conditions, high yield and purity, shorter reaction time, biocatalyst reusability and low energy requirement ( Chaibakhsh et al., 2011). 2.2.2 Applications of levulinate ester in industry Levulinate ester are a kind of short chain fatty esters like methyl levulinate, ethyl levulinate and butyl levulinate with their properties similar to the biodiesel fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) (Peng et al., 2011). Such ester are good to be used as gasoline additives and diesel of transportation fuels, which have quite great performances like high lubricity, non-toxic, better flow properties under cold condition and flashpoint stability (Peng et al., 2011). Not like FAME, ethyl levulinate which is fatty ester with larger head groups and significantly different hydrocarbon tail give disorder by disrupting the spacing between molecules in lamellae. This disorder is the result from the formation of crystal nuclei with less stable chain packing followed by transformation to a more stable form at lower temperatures (Joshi et al., 2011). Ester levulinate is quite useful as solvents and plasticizers and have been promoted as fuel additives (Ghorpade Hanna, 2011). Levulinate ester is adaptable chemical feedstock with abundant potential in applications for the industry either in fragrance industry, flavouring or as blending component in biodiesel (Peng et al., 2011). For that reason, esterifications of levulinic acid to ethyl levulinate is quite significant as it can be used as plasticizing agents, fuel additives and odorous substances. (Dharne Bokade, 2011). 2.3 Ethanol Ethanol known as ethyl alcohol is a flammable, volatile and colorless liquid. Its molecular formula is C2H5OH and its molar mass is 46.07. The ethanol plays a role as organic solvent, increase the mutual solubility in water, ester and glycerides. The production of methyl ester is not quite desirable rather than ethyl ester which has considerable interest because of the extra carbon atom brought by the ethanol molecule slightly increases the cetane number and heat content (Tongboriboon et al., 2010). Besides that, ethyl ester also has cloud and pour points that are lower than methyl ester. This fact improves the cold start (Tongboriboon et al., 2010). Also, ethanol as extraction solvent is preferable than methanol because it has much more power for dissolving in oils. This could thus enable the product production in a solvent-free system (Tongboriboon et al., 2010). 2.4 Biomass The term biomass is defined as any organic matter which is available on a renewable basis, including dedicated energy crops and tree, feed crop residue, agricultural food, wood and wood residue, aquatic plants, animal wastes and other waste material (Kamm, 2006). The once a year production of biomass is about 1.7–2.0Ãâ€"1011 tons (Zoebelin, 2001); however, only 6Ãâ€"109 tons are currently used for food and non-food applications. Food applications are by far the most important (96.5−97%). And the rest is used in non-food applications, such as a feedstock for the chemical industry. There are a lot biomass sources which is available for further conversion and utilisation. For the biomass feedstock, its selection is very important for the points of view of both socio- and techno-economical. Actually, biomass feedstock should not compete with the food chain for some ethical reason. Waste streams like agricultural waste with a low or even negative value are more preferable. It is good to choose sources that not tend to cause diseases. Normally, there are only a few fertilisers that can give the high growth rate per ha per year and available throughout the year. For that particular reason, water hyacinth should be excellent feedstock for biomass for further utilisation and conversions (Buana Girisuta, 2007). 2.3.1 Chemical composition of biomass The chemical composition of biomass depends strongly on its source. Generally biomass consists of 23–32% hemicellulose, 38–50% of cellulose, and 15–25% lignin (see Figure 1). Cellulose is a non-branched water-insoluble polysaccharide consisting of several hundred up to tens of thousands of glucose units. Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer synthesised by nature, its amount is estimated at approximately 2Ãâ€"109 tons year-1 (Sasaki, 2003). Hemicellulose is a polymeric material, although lower in molecular weight than cellulose, consisting of C6-sugars (glucose, mannose and galactose) and C5-sugars (mainly arabinose and xylose). The third component (lignin) is a highly cross-linked polymer made from substituted phenylpropene units (see Figure 2). It acts as glue, holding together the cellulose and hemicellulose fibres. Figure 1: show the distribution of important constituents in biomass. Figure 2: show the molecular structures of the building blocks of lignin. 3.0 PROBLEM STATEMENTS In this research, there are some of the problems that need to be solved. One of them is what method or technique can be used to increase the production yield of levulinate ester. Besides that, how to improve levulinate ester as fuel additives in biofuel and what is the advantageous of enzymatic synthesis rather than conventional chemical esterifications. 4.0 OBJECTIVES Increase the production yield of ester levulinate Improves the levulinate ester as the fuel additives in biofuel To study the advantages of enzymatic synthesis over conventional chemical esterifications.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

The Atomic Bombs Impression on Scientific History Essay -- Atomic Wea

The Atomic Bomb's Impression on Scientific History This website validates the impressive nature of the development of the Atomic bomb as part of scientific history. It will discuss the discoveries that scientists made throughout history that were vitally important to the project. Additionally, this site will also cover the development of the Manhattan Project, including the different production facilities that existed. Lastly, this site will cover the testing of the first Atomic bomb. The development of the Atomic bomb is the most impressive scientific development in history. The development of the bomb began with scientists working on independent projects, which climaxed with the Manhattan Project, and merged full strength with the testing at Trinity. The background and history of the science that lead up to the Manhattan Project is important because it incorporates many ideas from prior decades. The Manhattan Project is the largest demonstration of the scientific community coming together ever. Hundreds and thousands of people and communities came together for one common goal, to end World War II. Finally, the power and awe of this project itself was realized with the testing at Trinity. This marked the end of the Manhattan Project. It is for these three reasons that the development of the Atomic bomb is the most impressive development in scientific history. The development of the Atomic bomb was impressive because it was an accumulation of decades of physics and chemistry. Before anyone ever thought or expressed ideas about mass production of atomic bombs, scientific groundwork had to be established. Forty years prior to the making of the Atomic bomb scientists were developing ideas that would later become the ba... ...crifice personal profits for the common goal of ending the war without knowing if the project would even work is also what makes this so extraordinary. It is for all these reasons that the development of The Atomic bomb is the single most remarkable scientific development in history. References: Printed Materials 1. Groueff, Stephane. Manhattan Project: The Untold Story of the Making of the Atomic Bomb. Canada:Little Brown and Company, 1967. p3-362 2. Groves, Leslie R. Now it can be Told: The Story of the Manhattan Project. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1962. p 68-93. 3. Lens, Sidney. The Bomb. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1982. p 4-10. 4. Meadows, Jack. The Great Scientists. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. 5. Rhodes, Richard. The Making of Atomic Bomb. New York: Sim and Schuster, 1986. p 394- 395, 487-491, 547-548, 602.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

snow falling on cedars :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novel Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson explores life of Japanese- Americans during the first half of the 21st century on the island of San Pierdro, a small island off the shore of Seattle. The novel opens on the trail of Kabuo Miyamoto in 1954 and focuses on his wife Hastue and the local one-armed reporter Ishmael Chambers. Later in the story Hastue and Ishmael, a white man had a secret romance in high school. Yet after the bombing at Pearl Harbor their lives will change forever. Kabuo and Hastue are forced into internment camps and Ishmael is drafted into war and is forced to fight the Japanese and losses his arm. In the internment camp Hastue is forced to forget her love and marry Kabuo who is ?right for her? because he is the same nationality. After the pains that World War II caused them they come back to San Pierdro, to start their life again. However the pains of World War II and the racial internment shadow their lives. The internment of Japanes e- Americans is not just a stain on the United States Constitution, but on the morals of America. Japanese- Americans suffered several injustices by the federal and local government and by members of their own communities that did not stop at their relocation to the desert. In order to understand the background of the book. I needed to research the attack on Pearl Harbor and other events that lead to the incarceration of American citizens.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the turn of the century the United Stated became to suffer from server upward trends of immigration, mainly from southern and eastern Europe, and Asia. As the American public became more concerned about these unwanted groups moved in greater numbers to America, the federal government under the Woodrow Wilson administrated Congress appointed Senator William Dillingham of Vermont to study the immigration question (Garraty 596). Two years later in 1909 Dillingham bought a 41- volume report that lead to the reducing the immigration in those unwanted regions (596). However this did not stop Asian emigrates from moving their families to the West Coast mainly in large cities like San Francisco and Seattle. Animosity against the Asian immigrants that in the San Francisco school board instituted a policy of segregating Asian children in a special school. Japan protested due to the fact of their hatred toward the Chinese. To keep good relations with the Japanese Presiden t Teddy Roosevelt and leaders for the Japanese made a ?

Monday, January 13, 2020

Enron and Corporate Ethics Essay

On December 2, 2001, Enron Corporation, then the seventh largest publicly traded corporation in the United States, declared bankruptcy. That bankruptcy saw thousands of Enron employees and shareholders losing their jobs and their investments. Enron’s fall sent shockwaves to all corners of the business world. A Fortune 400 company with all the appearances of stability and corporate soundness, the company’s collapse was unthinkable. For here was a company who grew by leaps and bounds in so short a time – a company who came from obscurity to national prominence as the world’s largest in terms of revenue. But like anything else if it is too good to be true it probably is. Unlike most bankruptcies which are caused by poor management and stiff competition, Enron’s demise appears simple enough: individual and collective greed. It was shameless greed that motivated company officials to dupe thousands of honest individuals out of their hard earned money – money that ran up to billions (Nakayama, 2002). The scam was unearthed just like any other scam – when people start getting suspicious. Enron was generating a lot of revenues – it was a smokescreen that allowed the company to attract more investors. While revenue generation was at record highs, profit was scant and minimal – a fact many people overlooked until it was too late. Enron’s mirage was selling the same things over and over and over again. The illusion was the company was generating this much sales but the reality was there was barely any profit made. Like everything else in hindsight, it is now clear that tell tale signs were all over Enron’s 2000 Annual Report. Still questions remain as to how a company that paraded its own Code of Ethics be so shamelessly unethical, a corporation that prides itself as having a reputation for â€Å"fairness and honesty† be so downright ruthless, callous and arrogant. Beyond the dollars and cents, the Enron debacle offers a new textbook example of failed ethics in business (Berenbeim, 2002). ENRON’s 2000 Annual Report – Warning signs Most of the investigation on Enron’s finances has focused on its balance sheet—it reported an otherworldly increase in revenue: Between 1996 and 2000, Enron reported an increase in sales from $13. billion to $100. 8 billion – a 57% five-year sales growth rate. The company more than doubled its reported sales between 1999 and 2000. Looking back then, this was a sign that the company appeared too good to be true. Before it declared bankruptcy, Enron said it was on track to double revenue again the next year. Had it done so, it would have become the second-largest corporation in the world in terms of sales. According to Forbes. com, Enron’s reported revenue was based on its exploitation of a loophole in accounting rules – a tactic that may have been legal, but few investors understood it (Ackman, 2002). Forbes. com goes on to say that Enron earned more than 90% of its revenue from a business it calls â€Å"wholesale services,† Enron’s euphemism for trading. Here is how its 2000 annual report describes that activity: â€Å"Enron builds wholesale businesses through the creation of networks involving selective asset ownership, contractual access to third-party assets and market-making activities. † Yet again, another warning sign. Footnotes in the annual report for 2000, also show hints of the hidden debt that pushed the company into bankruptcy. According to Businessworld, a footnote on â€Å"preferred stock† indicates that if Enron’s share price were to fall below $48. 55–which first occurred on June 14–the company would be obliged to issue stock to a partnership called Whitewing Associates (Tergesen, A. 2002). Other footnotes reveal similar arrangements. True, Enron never put a dollar value on its potential obligations, and the footnotes did not divulge the extent of the partnerships. But enough was revealed to suggest that investors were not getting a full view of the company’s finances. Enron and its Code of Ethics Enron trumpeted its own Code of Ethics, but based upon investigation by the U. S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, it willfully and shamelessly violated the very code it promised to upheld (U. S Subcommittee on Investigations, 2002). In its decision, the Subcommittee cited, among others, the following: (1) Fiduciary Failure. The Enron Board of Directors failed to safeguard Enron shareholders and contributed to the collapse of the seventh largest public company in the United States, by allowing Enron to engage in high risk accounting, inappropriate conflict f interest transactions, extensive undisclosed off-the-books activities, and excessive executive compensation. The Board witnessed numerous indications of questionable practices by Enron management over several years, but chose to ignore them to the detriment of Enron shareholders, employees and business associates. (2) High Risk Accounting. The Enron Board of Directors knowingly allowed Enron to engage in high risk accounting practices (Thomas, 2002). (3) Inappropriate Conflicts of Interest. Despite clear conflicts of interest, the Enron Board of Directors approved an unprecedented arrangement allowing Enron’s Chief Financial Officer to establish and operate the LJM private equity funds which transacted business with Enron and profited at Enron’s expense. The Board exercised inadequate oversight of LJM transaction and compensation controls and failed to protect Enron shareholders from unfair dealing. (4) Extensive Undisclosed Off-The-Books Activity. The Enron Board of Directors knowingly allowed Enron to conduct billions of dollars in off-the-books activity to make its financial condition appear better than it was and failed to ensure adequate public disclosure of material off-the-books liabilities that contributed to Enron’s collapse. 5) Excessive Compensation. The Enron Board of Directors approved excessive compensation for company executives, failed to monitor the cumulative cash drain caused by Enron’s 2000 annual bonus and performance unit plans, and failed to monitor or halt abuse by Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Lay of a company-financed, multi-million dollar, personal credit line. (6) Lack of Independence. The independence of the Enron Board of Directors was compromised by financial ties between the company and certain Board members. The Board lso failed to ensure the independence of the company’s auditor, allowing Andersen to provide internal audit and consulting services while serving as Enron’s outside auditor. Conclusion While Enron’s officials were caught and brought before the bars of justice, many wonder how widespread the lack of corporate ethics is in the business world. Greed they say is universal. Who knows what will be the next Enron. As long as there are CEOs, CFOs who disregard the simplest form of business decorum there will always be an Enron story. Let’s hope that people will not forget that story and profit from it.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

As I Lay Dying (book) Essay

The character Addie Bundren is portrayed in many ways throughout the novel As I Lay Dying. The whole story revolves around the fact that Addie is dead and her wish to be buried near her blood relatives rather than her own family. The impression the reader gets of Addie is developed through many different characters’ views and descriptions of Addie. One character that helps us understand Addie’s personality a little more is Cora Tull. Cora Tull, Vernon Tull’s wife, expresses Addie’s voice and personality through her memories of Addie. Cora stood with Addie during her final hours. Cora disapproves of Addie’s behavior and lack of religion. Cora dislikes the fact that Addie’s love for Jewel is greater than her love of God. Another character that helps us understand Addie is Minister Whitfield. Addie had an affair with the minister and had a baby. This affair shows how Addie sees marital love and motherhood as empty concepts and are just there to fill empty voids. Addie doesn’t have an affair with the minister solely on lust, but she does it for self-gratification and self-expression also. Vardaman, the youngest of the Bundren children, compares his mother’s death to a fish he recently caught and cleaned. Vardaman compares his mother to a fish because the fish and his mother have both died. The fish and his mother have changed because of death. Both Addie and the fish no longer have essence, which could be interpreted as an existentialist view. In a chapter where Addie seemingly speaks from the dead, Addie’s personality is truly shown. We learn that Addie is a pessimistic and unfulfilled woman, who marries her ignorant husband Anse. She admits to only caring for two of her children and the rest she calls or labels as â€Å"Anse’s children†, who were born out of an obligation. Addie’s personality is put together by the views, comparisons, and descriptions of her youngest son Vardaman, her neighbor Cora Tull, The affair she had with Minister Whitfield, and her own personal voice. Through these views, we could conclude/interpret that Addie was a strong-willed and intelligent woman who dislikes the obligations put on women during that time period. Cora Tull shows her as some who lacks religion. The affair with the minister shows that she is a woman who needed gratification. Her youngest son shows how she is a mother who was completely lost in death and no longer has essence. Her own voice shows that she is a person who feels like women are obligated to fit into the roles of being a mother and a wife.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Nursing Burnout - 3944 Words

Quality Improvement Project By RM January 2016 Leadership and Management Executive Summary Nursing burnout is serious and in order to ensure that nurses are taken care of, the administration must implement incentives and policies that will provide nurses with the resources to maintain a healthy work life balance. Burnout accounts for many of the medication errors and patient injuries in healthcare facilities. Most nurses are overwhelmed because of the caseload and longer workdays necessary to complete charting. Many nurses are also disgruntled because of denied vacation requests that cannot be approved because of non-coverage. Research has shown that when employees are happy then there are less errors and injuries in†¦show more content†¦With the strategies discussed in this project, many nurses can stop feeling overwhelmed and maintain a healthy work life balance and at the same time keep the facility within the budget. Introduction With the increasing injuries and errors in healthcare facilities, strategies must be implemented to combat this the battle of nursing burnout. Many issues in healthcare are a result of overwhelmed employees as a result of increased caseloads and staffing shortages. Many nurses are not able to maintain a healthy work life balance and it’s necessary to resolve these issues if nurses are to provide quality care to the patients. Staffing and schedules must be catered to meet the needs of the unit and at the same time not leave the nurses exhausted and stressed. Vacations could be honored with better use of the float RN’s by using temporary staffing for chronic long term vacancies. Meetings should occur during the shift and not before or after. Incentives need to be given to those employees that engage in healthy activities such as healthy eating and exercise. Employee recognition should be increased and employees need to feel appreciated with things such as athletic event tickets, lunch vouchers, gift cards, etc. Many things can be done that are not costly to theShow MoreRelatedNursing Burnout1279 Words   |  6 PagesNursing Burnout Bridget Solomon Grand Canyon University Spirituality in Health Care, HLT-310V Charles Self January 9, 2015 Nursing Burnout Sitting on my couch yesterday I was scrolling through my Facebook page, when I came across one of my girlfriend’s posts. It was an article written by an inner city emergency room (ER) nurse. The name of the article was, Madness: tales of an emergency room nurse and how I became a bitch. 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