Research Proposal Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Proposal Letter - Essay Example However, the number of local curbside recycling programs has also increased from 8,875 in 2002 to over 9,000 today, which has led to a 8 million ton reduction in MSW. This indicates that recycling schemes are effective in reducing disposal rates. However, in 2009 only 82 million tons of this total waste was composted or recycled (33.8%). Baksi and Long (2009) therefore claim that effective waste management strategies are crucial if the US government is to: reduce the amount of household waste being disposed of in land fill sites promote the conservation of natural resources though reducing use of virgin materials increase the amount of household waste being recycled maintain public support decrease the levels of environmental damage caused by landfill sites I therefore believe that recycling issues need to gain serious priority on the government’s agenda and I recommend introducing disposal fees such as ‘unit based pricing systems’ for financing residential trash collection. This is because at the moment many households have zero economic incentive to recycle because they pay for their waste collection and disposal services through general taxation and a fixed rate, thereby undervaluing the price of waste disposal.

Emblazoned symbols of decadence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Emblazoned symbols of decadence - Essay Example By using various symbols as literary devices in the poem, the poet is able to successfully illustrate what he felt like and the painful processes he underwent as he lived the life of a prisoner within the harsh confines of a remote relocation camp. The powerful imagery and relatable concepts Okita manages to muster out of concrete nouns help him to masterfully paint mental pictures of what he and 110,000 other Japanese Americans emotionally went through from 1942 to 1946. Being forced into internment camps was a very invasive and demoralizing experience for Japanese Americans, and Okita eloquently captures the essence of how they felt by relating this hardship to a turtle’s smashed shell, which symbolizes not only the gutted houses they had to leave behind, but their squashed pride and self-respect. the middle of the poem, Okita relays how his neighbor Jimmi described the way people prepared turtle soup in the deep south as a way to symbolize what he went through as a result o f being displaced, â€Å"A huge sea turtle ─ take a sledge hammer to the massive shell, wedge it open with one simple, solid blow till the turtle can feel no home above him, till everything is taken away and there is nothing he will carry away from this moment,† (Schmidt and Crockett 331). Without the poet spelling it out, the reader can easily see that victims of internment camps underwent a painful process similar to that of a turtle being stripped of his shell, which represents the security of his home. The reader understands that once the shell (home) is taken away and destroyed, much of the defenseless victim’s identity and self-worth is stolen away, as well. The vivid imagery of the turtle, which symbolizes both Japanese Americans (body) and their ravaged homes (crushed shell), is used as a precision instrument to artfully and poignantly depict the tragedy that wartime prisoners endured. Okita also goes on to use a barbed wire fence as a symbol to draw an image of the harsh conditions faced by detainees, as well as the different perspective from which they viewed life. The poet draws on the past pleasure he took in counting stars from his home in Fresno, California, where he often sang with the joy it brought him - gazing at the celestial wonders. He then describes the stars he sees in his Arkansas internment camp, which are accompanied by the sharp, unattractive stars made from barbed wire fences, â€Å"The nice thing about counting stars is you can do it just about anywhere . . . Even in a relocation camp miles from home, even in Jerome, Arkansas where a barbed wire fence crisscrosses itself making stars of its own - but nothing worth counting, nothing worth singing to,† (331). The barbed wire fence symbolizes the constraints from enjoying the world the way it was meant to be, while the fake stars it forms are symbolic of how internment camps provide horrible substitutes for real (enjoyable) life on the outside. These litera ry conventions give the reader a better grasp of what life was really like inside the confines of the camps. Lastly, Okita uses the imagery of his family’s car before and during his internment to symbolize the condition of the detainees and their lives. He creatively does this while recounting about his mother, â€Å"At night, she’

The History of surgical Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The History of surgical Technology - Essay Example On the other hand, cutting of the stone refers to perineal lithotomy, suprapubic lithotomy, and transurethral lithotomy. Hippocrates laid the foundation for the practice of modern medicine. His work On Injuries of the Head organized medical and surgical knowledge during the fifth century BC with his original observations and served as a significant guide to surgeons for two millennia. Hence, Hippocrates was revered as the â€Å"Father of Medicine†. Another ancient surgeon, Galen, extensively wrote about surgery during the first century BC, particularly in Tumors Against Nature, regarded as his most significant treatise (Wilkins, 1992; Zimmerman & Veith, 1993) Lambert (n. d.) and , however, revealed there were some serious errors in Galen’s works. During the middle ages, barber-surgeons flourished as a barbers were trained to make salves (i. e., medical ointment), dress wounds and bleed, although Wadd (1827) argued that these surgeons pushed themselves forward much into the practice of surgery. In the mid-fourteenth century, some medical schools were given permission to perform dissections of the human body (Lambert, n. d.). Da Vinci (1982) performed both animal and human dissections around the 16th century and made detailed sketches in his famed notebooks. Meanwhile, Andreas Vesalius distinguished himself in the study of human anatomy, dissection, and as professor of anatomy. His masterpeice De Humani Corporis Fabrica disproved and corrected many of Galen’s theories (Rutkow, 2008). Another Renaissance surgeon, acclaimed as the most celebrated of his time as Ambroise Pare. Pare, himself a barber-surgeon, was also regarded as the â€Å"Father of Modern Surgery†, although the 18th century surgeon John Hunter is also being given the accolate. Among his notable achievements were: the invention of surgical instruments such the hemostat clamp; artificial limbs and eyes; and the truss for use in hernia patients (Zimmerman & Veith, 1993; Lamb ert, n. d.; Kelly, 2009). Nineteenth century surgery experienced much welcome improvements with the discovery of anesthetics with the combined efforts of Humphry Davy, Henry H. Morgan, and James Simpson. Cocaine (1884) and novocaine (1905) were also used for their anesthetic properties. Joseph Lister introduced antiseptic surgery. Robert Lawson Tait successfully saved a women suffering from ectopic pregnancy by surgically removing the fallopian tube. The century ended with another significant discovery by Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen, the X-ray (Lambert, n. d.). More strides in surgery were made in the 20th century with the identification of the different blood types; the invention of the pacemaker and laser; and a series of firsts in surgical history: heart transplant, artificial heart heart and lung transplant, eye surgery, reattachment surgery (Lambert, n. d.). The surgical technologist: a newer addition to the surgical team Ryan-Flynn (2009) described surgical technologists as  "health professionals who work in the surgical suite with surgeons, anesthesiologists, registered nurses and other surgical personnel delivering surgical patient care† (p. 352). The scope of work of a surgical technologist spans three areas: preoperative (before surgery), intraoperative (during surgery) and postoperative (after

“A Visit of Charity” by Eudora Welty Essay Example for Free

â€Å"A Visit of Charity† by Eudora Welty Essay Is Eudora Welty successful in showing how human beings can be more interested in their own personal gains than the needs of others? Marian didn’t really want to visit the home for the elderly but she is a Campfire Girl and by taking out the time to go, she will gain points for offering her time to charity work. A gift of flowers was something that Marian brought to the home in order to make her visit look more genuine, but the apple that she brought; she hid outside so that none would think it was also a gift. There was no special person that she wanted to visit, she only wanted to do the job that she came for, earn her point and leave. She wears her Campfire Girls cap to show who she is and she is very afraid to be around a bunch of older people that she has never met, before, but the added point means so much to her that she is willing to visit this strange home. She is more interested in what she can gain from this visit than what she can offer to others. Addie wasn’t thrilled by Marian’s visit. She was a cranky old lady who didn’t even like her roommate and couldn’t stand to hear her talk about a bunch of nothing, all the time. Marian had pretty, yellow hair which she wore a white cap over and she dressed in her red coat as she observed the two women in the nursing home. She had a job to perform and so much to do in her life as she watched the two ladies who had nothing but each other. (Welty, 1980) In â€Å"A Visit of Charity†, Eudora Welty uses Marian as a character who acts in ways that many of us do at certain times in our lives, in performing deeds that are solely for ourselves, and sometimes we forget about the feelings of others. Welty demonstrates in this story that we need to not only try to work toward our own goals but at the same time, we need to consider the thoughts and emotions of others who are less fortunate. Marian is the girl who Welty chose to show that people, especially young individuals, sometimes forget about more important things as we search for awards and points that make us look and feel better about ourselves. To truly feel better about ourselves, we must consider the feelings of others and then we gain the biggest reward of all; knowing that we made someone else’s day a little brighter and more fulfilling. Marian still had many lessons to learn, in life about human kindness, and as she takes a big bite out of the apple, she shows that she had been more interested in her own personal gain in this visit. The author made you think about others in her writing. Eudora Welty clearly showed the selfishness that one can see in Marian’s visit to the nursing home and how she had so much to learn about the true meaning of sharing and giving of yourself in helping others who are less fortunate. I believe that Eudora Welty clearly showed that human beings are sometimes very capable of seeking out their own personal gain in life and are highly capable of not considering the feelings of others, as we do. Reference Page Welty, Marian. (1980) â€Å"A Visit of Charity†. Library of America.

Neurodegenerative Diseases: Systems, Causes and Treatments

Neurodegenerative Diseases: Systems, Causes and Treatments Simon Mendy Compare the symptoms, causes and available or future treatments for Motor Neuron Disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Myasthenia Gravis. Neurodegenerative diseases are hereditary (inherited) and sporadic (acquired during a person’s life) conditions caused by progressive nervous system dysfunction (http://ec.europa.eu/health/major_chronic_diseases/diseases/brain_neurological/index_en.htm). Motor neuron disease and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (shrink) are neurodegenerative conditions that arise due to motor neurons dysfunction and Myasthenia Gravis is an autoimmune neurodegenerative disorder. Motor neuron disease is caused by damage to motor neurons; Spinal muscular atrophy is due to deterioration of the motor neurons connecting the brain and spinal cord; Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune condition that arises due to the damage or blocking of muscle receptors by antibodies accidently produced by the immune system. All three disorders result in weakness, making there diagnosis very hard, because weakness is a very common symptom of many conditions. However, possibilities are ruled out depending on the age of the pers on affected. If someone exhibiting muscle weakness is 1 year old, it is more likely that the person has SMA than the MG or MND, because SMA generally affects children ranging from less than six months to around the age of three, whereas MND is common in teenagers and young adults, and MG normally affects middle aged adults. Motor neurone disease is a unique condition of unknown aetiology that occurs when motor neurons (specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that relay signals from the brain to the muscles) become damaged and ultimately stop working (http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Motor-neurone-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx). This causes the muscles that the damage nerves supply to gradually lose strength, usually with wasting of muscles. It is unclear exactly what causes motor neurons to stop working, but, there is not thought to be a link with factors like lifestyle, race and diet. In a small number of cases (about 5%), there is a family history of either motor neuron disease or a related condition known as frontotemporal dementia. However, there is no single test to diagnose MND and diagnosis is solely based on the opinion of a neurologist, on the basis of the symptoms observed and a physical examination. In some cases a specialised test is needed to rule out other possible conditions. Symptoms of motor neurone disease begin gradually over a period of weeks and months, generally only on one side of the body at the beginning, and gradually get worse with time. Symptoms normally include having clumsy fingers or weaker grip (early signs of weakness). Other symptoms include: wasting of muscles, muscle cramps, hardships with swallowing and communication, excess saliva (difficulties swallowing saliva), and coughing after swallowing. After sometime, a person with motor neuron disease may find themselves unable to move. In a small number of cases (10-15%), motor neuron disease is associated with a type of dementia called frontotemporal dementia that can affect behaviour and personality. The main types of motor neuron disease are: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (accounts for 60-70% of all cases), progressive bulbar palsy (PBP), progressive muscular atrophy (PMA), and primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) (http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Motor-Neurone-Disease). Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal (a chromosome that is not allosome) recessive genetic disease that causes muscle weakness and progressive loss of movement (http://www.fsma.org/FSMACommunity/understandingsma/WhatCausesSMA/). Around 1 out of every 40 people are genetic carriers of the disease (they carry the mutated gene but do not actually have SMA) (http://www.fsma.org/FSMACommunity/understandingsma/WhatCausesSMA/). Gene mutation is a permanent alteration in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/mutationsanddisorders/genemutation). Gene mutation occurs in two different ways: they are either inherited from parents (known as hereditary mutation) or they are acquired at some time during a person’s life (known as acquired mutation). Hereditary mutations happen when mutations are present in both the egg and sperm cells. A person that has inherited this type of mutation has it present in virtually every cell in their body, throughout th eir lifetime. Acquired mutations occur in individual cells at some time during a person’s lifetime. These changes can occur due to environmental factors like ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun, chemicals, and radiation, or if a mistake is made whilst DNA copies itself during cell division (mitosis and meiosis). Acquired mutations are only inherited if they occur in sex cells. According to the National Genome Institute, almost all diseases have some kind of genetic factor. These disorders can be cause by multiple gene mutations, a mutation in a single gene, combined gene mutation and environmental factors, or by chromosome damage or mutation. Gene mutation has been identified as the cause of numerous disorders including spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), haemophilia, Tay-Sachs, sickle cell, anaemia, cystic fibrosis and some cancers (http://biology.about.com/od/basicgenetics/ss/gene-mutation.htm). The term SMA is used mainly for the most common form spinal muscular atrophy, which is caused by a genetic problem where one copy of the genetic error (mutation in autosomes) is inherited from each parent. SMA is classified into four different categories, from Type I IV. The classification of SMA depends on the age at which symptoms of the disease arise and the severity of the symptoms. Symptoms of SMA normally include problems with breathing, eating, moving and swallowing; floppy arms and legs (In children with either Type I or II SMA); twitching of the muscles in the arms, legs or tongue. Type I SMA is the most severe, it develops in babies under six months old. Type II is less severe that Type I SMA, it affects babies between the ages 6 to 18 months. Type III and Type IV are the mildest types of SMA. Type III normally affects children around 3 years old. Type IV affects adults. In the most severe cases of SMA (Types I and II), fatal respiratory problems usually develop during chi ldhood. In mild cases such as Types III and IV SMA, life expectancy is normally unaffected (http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Spinal-muscular-atrophy/Pages/Introduction.aspx). Spinal muscular atrophy is caused by the deletion of the survival motor neuron gene 1 (SMN1) (http://www.fsma.org/FSMACommunity/understandingsma/WhatCausesSMA/). In healthy people SMN1 produces a protein known as the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. In a person with mutated genes, the supply of this protein is absent or is significantly decreased. This results in the deterioration of the nerve cells (motor neurons) connecting the brain and spinal cord to the body’s muscles, therefore causing muscle weakness and gradual loss of movement, because the SMN protein is critical to the survival and health of motor neurons. Spinal muscular atrophy affects 1 in 6000 to 1 in 10000 people. Myasthenia gravis is a unique long-term autoimmune condition which affects the nerves and muscles, resulting in the muscles becoming weak. An autoimmune condition is caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking and destroying healthy body tissue. Ordinarily, the immune systems white blood cells protect the body from harmful substances, known as antigens. For examples: viruses, bacteria, toxins, etc. antibodies are produced as a counter measure by the immune system that destroy the antigens. In people with autoimmune disorder, the immune system has difficulty distinguishing between antigens and healthy body tissue. Due to this an immune system response that kills healthy body tissue is produced. The cause of the immune system no longer being able to distinguish between antigens and healthy body tissue is unknown at present. A theory suggests that drugs or microorganisms (like bacteria or viruses) may trigger some of these changes. In myasthenia gravis, the immune system accidental ly produces antibodies (proteins) that damage or block muscle receptor cells. This stops muscles contracting because the antibodies prevent messages being past from the nerve endings to the muscles. However, it is not understood why the immune system of some people produce antibodies that attack the muscle receptor cells. Symptoms of myasthenia gravis generally include impaired eye movement and weakness of muscles that are voluntarily controlled, therefore affecting functions such as facial expressions, eye and eye lid movement, chewing, talking and swallowing, and weakness of neck and limbs. However since weakness is a common symptom in many different diseases and conditions, diagnosis of myasthenia gravis is normally delayed or missed. Myasthenia gravis is diagnosed through Blood tests, Genetic tests and Electromyogram. In the U.S about 20 in 100,000 people are diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. Presently there is no known cure for MND, SMA, OR MG, however there are treatments that can be initiated with aims to ease symptoms to help the person feel more comfortable and have a better quality of life, and compensate for the gradual loss of bodily functions like mobility, communication, breathing and swallowing. For example, for MND, muscle relaxants can help reduce muscle stiffness; medicines such as phenytoin can treat muscle cramps; a breathing mask can help reduce shortness of breath. Right now, the only available treatment for MND that affects the progression of the disease is Riluzole, however it doesn’t stop the progression of motor neuron disease, but only slows it down by a few months (http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Motor-neurone-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx). With SMA, depending on the severity, treatment could involve: exercise, to prevent joint stiffness and improve range of movement and flexibility; assistive equipment such as motorised wheelchairs and walk ing frames if someone with SMA has difficulty moving; nutrition advice and feeding tubes; bracing and surgery to treat scoliosis (curvature of the spine) (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Spinal-muscular-atrophy/Pages/Treatment.aspx). For patients with MG, medication such as pyridostigmine and neostigmine (less common), can prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, an important chemical that assists the muscles in contracting (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Myasthenia-gravis/Pages/Treatment.aspx). If pyridostigmine is ineffective, steroid tablets can be used to lessen the symptoms. Doctors also often prescribe azathioprine, methotrexate or mycophenolate, to suppress the immune system. Muscle strength can be improved by controlling the production of abnormal antibodies through the use immunosuppressants. In some cases of MG, surgery to remove the thymus gland (a thymectomy) may be recommended. The thymus gland is part of the immune system and is found underneath the breast bone, it is someti mes abnormal in people with MG. In numerous cases, treatment of MG substantially improves muscle weakness allowing a person with the condition to lead a comparatively normal life. Some people may experience permanent or temporally periods where symptoms stop and treatment is no longer needed. Permanent remissions occur in about a third of the people who have a thymectomy (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Myasthenia-gravis/Pages/Treatment.aspx). Currently, the hope of many is that stem cells of extraneural or neural origin might be modified in vitro (i.e. transforming skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS)) (http://www.eurostemcell.org/factsheet/motor-neurone-disease-how-could-stem-cells-help) to differentiate into motor neurons that would migrate to sites of motor neuron loss and restore the motor pathways lost in MND by forming functional connections (Boulis, 2011). The most promising cells so far that can be used for stem treatment of MND are spinal cord stem cells, which are able to produce both motor neurons and a cell call glia. Many of the proteins known as growth factors that contribute to motor neurons development are secreted by glia. There is also a possibility that non-neuronal cells such as glia can be used to prevent further damage to motor neurons and encourage repair through the production of the working version of the protein SOD1, which in some types of MND doesn’t function properly (htt p://www.eurostemcell.org/factsheet/motor-neurone-disease-how-could-stem-cells-help). Stem cell therapy also has to the potential to be used as a possible cure for SMA, MG and other neurological conditions. Gene therapy uses genes to prevent or treat a disease by introducing genetic material in cells to compensate for abnormal genes or to make a beneficial protein (MacKenzie, 2010). Gene therapy was found to be well suited as a future treatment for SMA by the Kaspar group: who described a self-complementary (sc) AAV9 vector that crosses the blood-brain barriers after systemic administration; because of scAAV9’s remarkable efficiency in central nervous system (CNS) gene transfer, after intravenous delivery in mice and other larger animals. Using this as a base, the Kaspar group along with Arthur burgees, detail the most successful rescue reported yet in a mouse model of severe SMA. This was achieved by injecting scAAV9 that is carrying SMN1, into the facial vein of mice pups on their day of birth (MacKenzie, 2010). The approach of injecting scAAV9 into mice pups, resulted in the transduction of 40% of motor neurons, and an extension of the lifespan of the mice from 2 weeks to more than 250 days, combined with almost normalised neuromuscular electrophysiology and normal motor function (MacKenzie, 2010). This preliminary data obtained in the gene therapy rescue of SMA in the mouse model, reported by the Kaspar group and Arthur Burghes (a pioneer of SMA), suggests that the same approach could be used in primates. The authors investigated systemic injection of scAAV9-GFP in a cynomolgus monkey (1 day of age). After four weeks, the magnitude of GFP in spinal motor neurons recorded was similar to that shown by the mice (MacKenzie, 2010), boding well for possible application to humans. This news, along with recent encouraging reports of AAV gene therapy of retinal disease, supports the further rehabilitation of gene therapy as a credible therapeutic alternative for neurological diseases, including MG, SMA and MND. The stage seems set: with seemingly untreatable disorders of unknown pathogenesis; an unknown presymptomatic way of diagnosis; and, the small possibility of a cure through gene therapy and stem cell therapy, which are by far the best hopes, not only for MND, SMA and MG, but also for other neurological diseases. However, gene therapy and stem cell therapy are subject to a lot of public disagreement. For gene therapy this is due to fact that, gene therapy targeted at germ cells (egg and sperm cells), (known as germline gene therapy) could be pass on to next generations. Whilst it spares a family and their future generations from a specific genetic disorder, there’s a possibility it could affect the development of a fetus in unexpected ways or have yet unknown long-term side effects (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/therapy/ethics). Because the people who are going to be affected are not yet born, they are unable to choose whether to have the treatment, resulting in big debates on e whether germline gene therapy should be used. Other ethical concerns involve negative impacts on what society thinks is â€Å"normal†, and discrimination toward those with the â€Å"undesirable traits† that arise from using gene therapy as a form â€Å"modification† for unwanted traits or to make â€Å"genetic improvements†. The idea of stem cell therapy is also controversial. Whilst it can used for the treatment of many diseases including neurological ones, there are ethical problems involving how it is obtained. For example, stem cells obtained from the embryo, because the embryo is viewed as a potential person. Due to this, taking stem cells from an embryo is considered to be murder, however, it’s argued that, an early embryo that hasn’t be implanted into the uterus doesn’t have properties we associate with being a person, and therefore can and should be used for the benefit of patients (who are persons). Bibliography: http://ec.europa.eu/health/major_chronic_diseases/diseases/brain_neurological/index_en.htm (20/07/2014) http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Motor-neurone-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx (20/07/2014) http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Motor-Neurone-Disease (20/07/2014) http://www.fsma.org/FSMACommunity/understandingsma/WhatCausesSMA/ (04/07/2014) http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/mutationsanddisorders/genemutation (20/06/2014) http://biology.about.com/od/basicgenetics/ss/gene-mutation.htm (21/06/2014) http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Spinal-muscular-atrophy/Pages/Introduction.aspx (20/07/2014) http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Spinal-muscular-atrophy/Pages/Treatment.aspx (04/07/2014) http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Myasthenia-gravis/Pages/Treatment.aspx (21/07/2014) http://www.eurostemcell.org/factsheet/motor-neurone-disease-how-could-stem-cells-help (05/07/2014) Nicholas M. Boulis. (2011). Gene Therapy for Motor Neuron Disease.Gene Vector Design and Application to Treat Nervous System Disorders. 33 (3), p41-49 Alex MacKenzie. (2010). A severe inherited neuromuscular disease is corrected in mice by intravenous gene delivery.Gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy. 28 (3), 235-237 http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/therapy/genetherapy, (27/06/2014) http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/therapy/ethics, (28/06/2014) http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/therapy/procedures, (27/06/2014)

Colombia :: essays research papers

Colombia Climate The climate, however, varies with the elevation. The low regions along the coast and the deep Patà ­a and Magdalena river valleys are torrid, with mean annual temperatures of 75 ° to 80 ° F. From about 1500 to 7500 ft the climate is subtropical, and from about 7500 to 10,000 ft it is temperate. Above about 10,000 ft is the cold-climate zone, where temperatures range from 0 ° to 55 ° F. The average January and July temperatures in Bogotà ¡ are 58 ° F and 57 ° F, respectively. The averages for the same months in Barranquilla are 80 ° F and 82 ° F. Throughout the year, three-month periods of rain and dry weather alternate. Along the Pacific coast precipitation is heavy. At Bogotà ¡ the annual rainfall averages about 40 in, and in Barranquilla it averages about 32 in. Dry weather prevails on the slopes of the Eastern Cordillera. Government Colombia has a Republican form of government. Colombia has a president who is elected by popular vote. He is chosen by any man or woman 18 years or older. The president can serve one four year term. He appoints a cabinet which has to be approved by congress. Congress is composed of a House of Representatives (199 members) and a Senate (112 members). Land Area The total land area of the country is 440,831 sq. mi. The capital and largest city is Bogota. Population Characteristics, Religion, and Language The population of Colombia (1993 estimate) was 34,942,767, giving the country an overall population density of about 79 per sq. mi. About 95 percent of the people are Roman Catholics. Small Protestant and Jewish minorities exist. The official language of Colombia is Spanish. The racial makeup of the Colombian population is diversified. About half the people are mestizo (of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry), about 20 percent are of unmixed European ancestry, and about 14 percent are mulatto (of mixed black and white ancestry). The remaining 8 percent is made up of blacks, Native Americans, and people of mixed race. History In 1538 Spanish conquistadors founded New Granada. In 1717 Bogota became the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Granada which consisted of present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. In 1819 Simon Bolivar defeated Spanish troops near Bogota and became the first president of the new republic of Gran Colombia. Currency The basic unit of currency is the Colombian peso (829 pesos equal U.S.$1; 1994).

Job roles within Asda Essay

The area manager Philip Davies has a clear but hard Job which he gets well rewarded for, Philip Davies has to make major and long term decisions which could be vital to Asda, obviously he has to actually run he business day in day out and he has to attend regularly board of directors meetings plus he has to do basic and boring paperwork for most of each day. Philip Davies needed good qualifications to become the Area manager of Asda and his qualifications are: * A masters degree in Business * A degree in management * 3 A-levels * 7 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E Without these sort of qualifications Philip Davies could never have become the Area manager of Asda. Store manager The store manager Gary Hall has a slightly similar job to the Area manager except he does not communicate to the board of directors and the store manager has to work more with the employees inside of the store and he has to check that everything is going well throughout the store. The store manager is responsible for the performance measures in his store: sales, stock loss, labour cost, customer service and Licence to Trade (Health & Safety and Food Quality). The Store Manager is also responsible for managing and developing their team of Duty Managers. Gary Hall also needs good qualifications to be the store manager and they are: * Business Degree * Management degree * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E These qualifications are a lot like the Area managers (Philip Davies) qualifications, probably because the jobs are similar. Managers Each manager has their own department to look after and they are: * Finance department * Customer services department * Market research department * Duty department * I.T administration department * Human Resources department The responsibilities of a manager are: * Decision making * Problem solving * Planning, setting targets (long-term objectives) * Ensuring that targets are achieved * The organisation of the working environment With a good manager all of these responsibilities can be completed. Finance manger The finance manger Sue Williams is responsible for many things the most important one being the finance department in which Sue Williams has many responsibilities like: * Accounting * Budgets * Salaries Sue Williams is also responsible for looking after her employees in the finance department. Sue Williams takes her orders from Gary Hall the store manager and then she uses her finance team to conduct those activities. Like Philip Davies and Gary Hall, Sue Williams also needed good qualifications: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E Read more:  Job Roles at Sainsburys Supermarkets Customer services manager The customer services manager Ben Adams in his job role will have to make sure that every customer goes home happy. Ben Adams does not actually talk to any customers because his job is to tell his customer services team how to make there customers happy. Not only does Ben Adams have to make all the customers happy but he also has to try and make a sale and that is why Ben Adams also has to try and get his team to make a sale. Like all of the other managers Ben Adams takes his orders from Gary Hall and he has to do his best to complete the jobs that Gary Hall assigns for him. To get the job as customer services manager Ben Adams needed these qualifications: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E As a benefit of being the Customer services manager Ben Adams gets discounts when he shops at Asda. Market research manager The Market research manager Ian Roberts is responsible for everything that goes on in the Market research department one half of the department has to design a product based on the customers’ preferences and the other half of the department has to try and sell the product that has been designed. The qualifications that Ian Roberts needed were: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E As a benefit of being Market Research manager Ian Roberts also gets a discount on his products whenever he shops at Asda. Duty Manager The Duty manager James Davis Is responsible for a variety of things but he is mainly in charge of the stock and the warehouse. James Davis is also responsible for all trade operations and James Davis has to make sure that all of the employees in the Duty department all work well together and all work to their full potential and of course he also has to make sure that all of his employees are happy in their working environment. As well as trade operations James Davis also has to improve sales and profitability and at times he and his team may deputise for the store manager Gary hall. To become the Duty manager, James Davis needed these qualifications: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E And of course like all the other department managers James Davis as a benefit receives discounts on his items whenever he shops at Asda. I.T. and Administration manager The I.T. and Administration manager Sue Williams has many responsibilities like being in charge of everyone in the I.T. and Admin’ departments (plus the finance department) so she has many activities which mostly consist of filling out forms and reports also Sue Williams has to ensure that all of the employees in her departments work effectively and of course she has to set everyone their tasks each weak and each month the store manager will tell Sue Williams what she will have to do by the end of the month. To be the I.T. and Administration manager Sue Williams needed these qualifications: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E As the manager of the I.T and Administration and Finance departments Sue Williams has to work 60 hours per week plus a lot of overtime. Because Sue Williams is the manager of two departments she gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½42,000 per year and more if the store manager thinks she deserves it. Sue Williams also gets discounts on whatever she buys at Asda. Human resources manager The Human resources manager Stuart Thatcher is responsible for a lot of things like: * Recruitment * Training * Dismissal * Promotion * Health and Safety It is Stuart Thatcher’s job to make sure that all of these jobs get done well and to make sure that they do get done well Stuart Thatcher has to set out appropriate tasks for his team and he has to plan everything that his team will have to do for Asda, e.g. if the store needed 5 more employees for staking shelves or whatever it would be Stuart Thatcher’s job to make sure that the right people were appointed for the store, or another example could be that if the store needed two people to be laid off then it would be Stuart Thatcher’s job to dismiss the two employees. To become the Human resources manager Stuart Thatcher needed these qualifications: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E As a benefit of being the Human resources manager Stuart Thatcher gets a discount on anything he buys at Asda. Stuart Thatcher has to work 48 hours a week, plus he may sometimes be asked to work overtime. As the manager of the Human resources department Stuart Thatcher gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½25,000 per year and more if the store manager thinks he deserves it. Supervisors They are responsible to the junior or middle management, and responsible for the team members. Their main role is to: a) Supervise the teamwork. b) Make sure that daily targets are met and problems are solved. Account supervisor Every single month he and his team will have to check through all accounts, check the cash flow forecast, and Asses the accounts every year and make sure that they are correct, accounts are very important because if they are wrong Asda could lose a lot of money because if they do not keep track of their debtors then they will forget about how much they owe Asda, and they will lose a lot of money. To become the accounts supervisor he needed these qualifications: * 4 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E * 2 A-levels * 1 A-level must have been in business As a benefit of being the Account supervisor he gets a discount on anything he buys at Asda. The Accounts supervisor has to work 44 hours per week and he gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16,000 per year. Marketing supervisor It is his job to be constantly be updating Asda’s products, he and his team at the start will find out what the department managers want and what the customers (or consumers) want. So first they will go to the department managers and ask them what they would like in the store and then they have to go out on the streets and ask the customers a series of questions about what kind of product they would like, and also the market research team will have to assess the competitors products e.g. Tesco’s new products and Safeway’s new products and once they have assessed the competitors products they will try to better them based on the department managers specifications and the customers (or consumers) specifications. To become the marketing supervisor he needed these qualifications: * 4 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E * 2 A-levels * Some Market research experience As a benefit of being the Marketing supervisor she gets a discount on anything she buys at Asda. The Marketing supervisor has to work 44 hours per week and he gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16,000 per year. Recruitment supervisor The jobs of her and her team are to put in adverts (containing all of the specifications about the job) in the local newspapers and the job centre, etc and then application forms would be given to the candidates and then some of the candidates would be given an interview based on how good there application form and C.V.’s were. Then once everyone has been given an interview some people will be turned away leaving 10 people left which will be given a second interview and after that interview one of them will be given the job. She can only set out to employ somebody once she has been told to by Stuart Thatcher the Human resources manager. To become the recruitment supervisor she needed these qualifications: * 4 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E * 2 A-levels * Some experience in Human resources As a benefit of being the Recruitment supervisor she gets a discount on anything she buys at Asda. The Recruitment supervisor has to work 44 hours per week and she gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16,000 per year. Assistants or support staff These are people who support the internal working of the organisation and who perform support tasks for managers. The main duties of the support staff are: * To carry out the duties as specified on the job description and as required by the manager or supervisor. * To obey reasonable instructions * To co-operate with other team members. One example of an assistant is the Warehouse Assistant and his job is very clear, his job is to retrieve the stock from the suppliers and then take the stock to the warehouse and put it in order for it to go up on the shelves which the warehouse assistant and his team members will do. The Warehouse Assistant has to work. The warehouse Assistant has to work 54 hours per week like most assistants and he gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½7 per hour and he often has to work overtime for which he gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½4 more per hour like most assistants.