How Enzymes Work in the Home and in Industry Essay Essay

This essay aims to explore the ways on how enzymes are used in home and in industry, and it aims to explain the advantages and disadvantages of using enzymes in the home and industry. An enzyme is a protein that is formed by the body that acts as a catalyst to cause a certain desired reaction. Enzymes are very specific. Each enzyme is designed to initiate a specific response with a specific result. Firstly, the AQA Science Biology textbook published in 2011 by Nelson Thornes Ltd suggests on page 172 that â€Å"in the past, people boiled and scrubbed their clothes to get them clean – by hand! Now we have washing machines and enzymes ready and waiting to digest the stains.† This is telling us how people now use enzymes at home and it is much easier from the past. This is an example of how enzymes are used in homes. Enzymes are used to get rid of the stains that are on the clothes in washing machines. Enzymes are used to break down proteins and fats that are in the stains. This is evident in the same textbook on the same page number mentioned above when it says, â€Å"many people use biological detergents to remove stains such as grass, sweat and food from their clothes. Biological washing powders contain proteases and lipases.† Proteases and lipases are those enzymes that are used to break down the proteins and fats that are in the stains. In addition, it is better to use biological detergents instead of non-biological detergents at lower temperatures because that is when the enzymes work at their best, if the water is too hot then they are denatured and this also means that you use less electricity. The edited book version called ‘Enzymes in Industry’ written by Dr Wolfgang Aehle published in 2007 suggests that â€Å"in the food industry enzymes are used to improve dairy products like cheese or to supply us with breads that have the right crumb structure and give us the right mouth feel while eating.† This is showing how and why enzymes are used in industry. They are used to improve dairy products or to supply with breads that are good enough for us. Protease enzymes are used to make baby foods. In the book ‘Chemistry at a glance’ published by Roger Owen and Sue King it says on page 116 â€Å"proteins in baby foods may be pre-digested by proteases (enzymes which digest proteins). Babies are not very good at digesting the food when they first begin to eat solid foods. By using protease enzymes in the food, makes it easier for a baby’s digestive system to cope with it and then the babies can also get the amino acids that need from their food more easily. There are more enzymes used in industry like carbohydrases to convert starch into sugar (glucose syrup). There are many advantages and disadvantages of using enzymes. Enzymes can be good to use. In the AQA Science Biology textbook published in 2011 by Nelson Thornes Ltd suggests on page 173 that â€Å"in industrial processes, many o the reactions need high temperatures and pressures to make them go fast enough to produce the products needed. This needs expensive equipment and requires a lot of energy.† The good thing is that by using enzymes it would solve industrial problems like these. On the same page, it says the enzymes â€Å"catalyze at relatively low temperatures and normal pressures. This is why the enzyme-based processes are cheap to run. This is an advantage showing that by using enzymes it is cheaper and easier. There are also disadvantages of using enzymes. This is evident in the same book on the same page as it mentions, â€Å"one problem with enzymes is that they are denatured at high temperatures, so the temperature must be kept down†. This shows that by using enzymes they can be denatured so you would have to be careful and keep an eye on the temperature. In addition, the pH needs to be controlled and it costs money to control these conditions which means it is bad. You would have to pay to control theses conditions and if you do not then the enzymes would denature which is not good. The original BBC Bitesize GCSE website in the science section suggests that there are many enzymes, which are expensive to produce. This is evident on the website as it says, â€Å"In industry, enzymes allow reactions that normally need expensive, energy-demanding equipment to happen at normal temperatures and pressures. On the other hand, most enzymes are denatured at high temperatures.† This shows that many enzymes are quite expensive to produce and this is a disadvantage of using enzymes. In conclusion, enzymes are used in many places like homes and in the industry because they can be good in ways such as using them in baby food, which would help the digestive system of babies. However, there are also some disadvantages of using enzymes for example some enzymes can be very expensive to produce. I believe that enzymes should be used in some places and should not in others, this way I think that there would not be trouble caused.

What Were the Main Problems and Issues Facing the Allies at the 1943 Teheran Conference (Eureka) and How Were They Dealt with?

What were the main problems and issues facing the Allies at the 1943 Teheran Conference (Eureka) and how were they dealt with? Intro The Teheran conference was the meeting of Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt between November 28th and December 1st 1943. It was the first World War 2 (WW2) meeting amongst ‘The Big Three’ (Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt) in which Stalin was present. The principal aim of the Teheran conference was to firmly establish a global allied strategy for the duration of the war, and basic plans for the post war era. Throughout the meeting the big three addressed many issues which were deemed to be preventing a global allied strategy. Chief discussion at the conference was centered on ‘Operation Overlord’ which incorporated the opening of a second front in Western Europe which the Big Three believed would be a decisive step to allied victory over Nazi Germany. At the same time the conference discussed how to deal with the escalating Mediterranean conflict, the territorial disputes on the Soviet/Polish frontier as well as discussing operations in Yugoslavia, relations with Turkey and Iran, and a separate protocol pledged to recognize Iran’s independence. The varying success the Big Three had in resolving these issues at the Teheran conference is arguable. Issues concerning the swift conclusion of the War were often agreed upon mutually as it benefited all three nations, however issues which conflicted the self-interest of the Big Three often forced them to compromise on a successful resolution, one that was often questionable, but necessary for the development of the Grand Alliance and to achieve the primary objective of creating a global allied strategy. The main problems faced at the Teheran conference were primarily concerned with the sole objective of defeating the Nazi and bringing the war to a rapid end. It is evident that conflict occurred in areas were hidden agendas and self-interest was bought by the Big Three. With hindsight the success of these resolves is questionable, it is clear that many issues which were deemed to be resolved at the Teheran conference in fact resurfaced in future conferences; such as Yalta and Potsdam. Operation Overlord 700 One of the chief focuses of the Teheran conference was the prospect of a second Western front in Europe. The matter was known as ‘Operation Overlord’, and would entail the allied invasion of German-occupied Western Europe. The issue at the conference was not whether the Allies would launch Operation Overlord, but rather when it would be launched, as it conflicted with Winston Churchill’s wishes to invade Italy through the Mediterranean. The reason for Operation Overlord’s conception varied among the leaders but had the primary objective of ending the war as soon as possible. For Stalin one of the most fundamental reasons for creating a second front was to ease pressure on the Soviet army which were being pressed [†¦] Page 356 The Big Three. Churchill’s priorities throughout the beginning of the Teheran conference remained with his operations in the Mediterranean. He believed that continuing operations in the Mediterranean would not jeopardise the success of Operation Overlord, Churchill’s demands at the Conference were clear, he demanded landing craft for two divisions in the Mediterranean which could be used to facilitate the operations in Italy or to aid in the invasion of the Rhode Islands if Turkey would enter the war. Churchill believed that from here Italy could be employed in support of Overlord. Roosevelt’s enthusiasm for the Mediterranean operations differed greatly from that of Churchill’s. For Roosevelt the dilemma was that in order to give enough landing craft to aid Churchill in the Mediterranean would mean delaying Overlord six to eight weeks, he insisted that increasing Anglo-American activities in Italy and the Mediterranean would cause a conflict in the build-up for a successful cross-Channel invasion (OVERLORD) in 1944. [†¦] Page 91 Major problems of WW2. At the Teheran conference it was concluded that, despite Churchill’s wishes, the cost of invading Italy via the Mediterranean would delay Overlord far more than both Stalin and Roosevelt thought was acceptable. Stalin gladly recognised the outcome of Overlords negotiation as it would guarantee his army the support they needed to fight off the German advance into the Soviet Union. Likewise Roosevelt embraced the outcome, his main priority was to find the quickest solution to the War’s end and he was advised by his Chiefs of staff; Operation Overlord was by far the quickest means of achieving this. Churchill had never been against Overlord; his argument was simply that Overlord should not take away the importance of operations in the Mediterranean, Churchill accepted the resolution which was reached at the Teheran Conference and pledged full British support to any future Allied operations. Soviet involvement in Japan 400 One of Roosevelt’s main objectives whilst attending the Teheran conference was to gain Stalin’s support for the War in Japan. Roosevelt felt that with the intervention of Stalin not only would it bolster his resources in the far east but it would also speed up the inevitable allied victory in Japan (Click) Stalin however would only consider invading Japan once Germany had been defeated as he did not want to risk spreading his army in addition. Stalin pledged to assist in the war against Japan after Germany was defeated and expressed his wish that, after the war, the 1941 USSR borders with Finland and Poland be restored; he also requested many War reparations such as key railroads in Manchuria to compensate his intervention in Japan. Click) it was agreed that Stalin would declare war on japan 3 months after the defeat of Germany. Post War Germany 400 Turning to the question of the division of post-war Germany the discussion centred on whether or not to split up Germany. (Click) Churchill was primarily more interested in seeing Prussia, the core of German militarism, separated from the rest of Germany. (Click ) On the other hand Roosevelt had a plan for the division of Germany in six parts. These six parts were: 1. All Prussia to be rendered as small and weak as possible. 2. Hanover and Northwest section. . Saxony and Leipzig area. 4. Darmstadt 5. South of the Rhine 6. Bavaria, Baden, and Wurttemberg Roosevelt’s proposal stated that these six areas should be self-governed and that there should be two regions under some form of International control. These were: 1. The area of the Kiel Canal and the City of Hamburg. 2. The Ruhr and the Saar, the latter to be used for the benefit of all Europe. (Click) Stalin agreed with both Churchill and Roosevelt as he felt that to contain military threat Germany may pose in the future the only solution would be to completely divide it. However, Stalin felt that Churchill’s idea to divide Germany into 2 large states would merely offer an opportunity for Germany to revive as a great State and therefore preferred Roosevelt’ plan to dissect Germany into 6 self-governed areas and 2 areas under allied control. Yugoslavian partisans 400 After an attack by German, Italian and Hungarian forces against Yugoslavia on the 6th April 1941, the kingdom of Yugoslavia collapsed. This resulted in King Peter and his government to flee the country. On 27 June 1941, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia appointed Tito Commander in Chief of all project national liberation military forces. Originally two groups emerged in the Yugoslavian resistance movement, the chetniks commanded by Draza Mihailovic and the partisans commanded by Tito. (Click) Initially both resistance movements operated in parallel, but by late 1941 began fighting each other in the attempt to gain control of the area following the end of the war. Stalin, who already supported Tito, wanted Roosevelt to recognize the partisans as the official resistance in Yugoslavia, rather than support Mihalovic. Click) Roosevelt up to this point had continued to aid the Chetniks as they fought against Germany but also against the partisans. (Click) Churchill advised Roosevelt that all support should go to Tito and that â€Å"complete chaos† would ensue if the Americans also backed Mihailovic. (Click) Stalin and Churchill were able to gain Rooseveltâ €™s support for Tito and the partisans in the form of supplies and equipment and also by commando operations. Soviet/Polish border disputes 400 A key reason for Stalin to attend the Teheran conference was his hope to gain Roosevelt and Churchill’s support for his territorial disputes with Poland. Stalin believed that the Polish Government in exile were closely connected with the Germans He stated that Russia, probably more than any other country was interested in having friendly relations with Poland, since the security of Soviet frontiers was involved. He said the Russians were in favour of the reconstitution and expansion of Poland at the expense of Germany and that they make distinction between the Polish Government in exile and Poland. (Click) Roosevelt said it was his hope that negotiations could be started for the re-establishment of relations between the Polish and Soviet Governments. He felt that the re-establishment of relations would facilitate any decisions made in regard to the questions at issue. He said he recognized the difficulties which lay in the way. (Click) Churchill said he would like to obtain the views of the Soviet Government in regard to the frontier question, and if some reasonable formula could be devised, he was prepared to take it up with the Polish Government in exile, and without telling them that the Soviet Government would accept such a solution, would offer it to them as probably the best they could obtain. If the Polish Government refused this, then Great Britain would be through with them and certainly would not oppose the Soviet Government under any condition at the peace table. (Click) To solve the issue Churchill suggested that Poland’s western borders would be extended east into Prussia to compensate for their eastern borders being reduced. Future of Iran 250 Future of Finland 250

Mechanical Engineering- Mechanical Project Essay - 1

Mechanical Engineering- Mechanical Project - Essay Example Mongols, began utilising composite bows around 1200AD, presenting improvements on the utilisation of composites. The Mongols combined wood, bone and animal glue to create a powerful weapon, which provided them with significant military dominance during these ancient times. The modern era of composites began with the development of plastics, which contributed significantly towards increased utilisation of composite materials. The utilisation of plastics began in nearly 1900s, replacing natural resins previously utilised in composites. These plastics, however, had the weakness of lacking sufficient strength for structural requirements (Kulshreshtha and Vasile 2002). Owens Corning remains credited with the introduction of fibre glass in 1935, which ultimately solved the problem of plastics lacking sufficient strength. This invention remains the notable beginning for Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) industry. During the Second World War, demand for alternate materials increased, as they b ecame necessary in the manufacture of lightweight military aircrafts. During this period numerous advancements occurred regarding the production and application of fibre composites. Engineers discovered other advantages as these material remains transparent to radio frequencies utilised during wartime. Many fibreglass reinforced material became adopted in protecting electronic radar equipment. Following the end of the war inventors began making application for the fibreglass within other industries, other than aviation. Brandt Goldsworthy – grandfather of composites, developed numerous processes for manufacturing composites utilised in different industries. He remains accredited with development of the first fibreglass surfboard, which revolutionised surfing, and remains commonly utilised even today. This scientist invented pultrusion – the process utilised today in the manufacture of many fibreglass materials. The utilisation of composites could be identified as havin g begun maturing. During the 1970s, improvements were made; consequently producing better plastic resins (Seymour and Deanin 1987). Carbon fibre also developed during this period and has continued to replace metal as the material of choice. During the periods preceding these developments, metallic materials were highly utilised in the manufacture of many tools. Currently almost all manufactured tools have handles made from carbon fibre. As the composite industry continues to advance technologically, the 21st century has brought challenges focusing on renewable fibres and green environment. The 21st century concerns have changed the focus towards utilisation of environmentally friendly fibres based on ensuring sustainability on the industry (Johnson 2013). Under the current environmental concerns, inventions continue to occur utilising recyclable resins and bio-degradable fibres. Focus has been exclusively dedicated towards delivering environmentally friendly sustainable fibre source s. The concept of utilising composites in manufacturing various tools remains the same. Various universities and dedicated organisations continue to pursue research seeking to establish utilisation of fibres meeting the energy and environmental requirements of the 21st century. The current focus of composite development remains concerned with delivering environmentally friendly composite materials, and focuses on improving properties of

Public Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Public Law - Essay Example She places a notification about the forthcoming meeting (to be held on  April 7th) in the Jesmond Times newspaper on  April 4th. At the meeting, Joanna is told about the Wilton rabbit that lives in the forest, and so she decides to designate it as a protected area.   (a) The Access to the Countryside Association (ACA), who claim that they should have been consulted and were not; that the consultation process was, more generally, inadequate; and that the Wilton rabbit is found throughout the North East and is not rare. Pursuant to the Protection of Rare Animals Act, the Secretary of State is under no obligation to consult any particular group of people when it comes to decision making. The Act gives her discretionary powers regarding who to consult with prior. However, it is important that ACA looks at the provisions of the Act and consider what it says with regard to the required period of notice and if the proceedings are governed by strict rules of presentation of evidence. If the legislation is silent on those matters, the rules of natural justice require that adequate notice be given and person(s) with special interest in the decision be given an opportunity to be heard. According to American Iron & Steel Institute v. Environmental Protection Agency1, adequacy of notice can be determined by the fact that it fairly notifies any interested parties so that they can have an opportunity to air their views. However, inadequacy of the notice given does not automatically invalidate the final rule on grounds that the final rule adopted is different from the original proposal. This was as held in the above mentioned American Iron and Steel case. If it happens that the decision maker adopts a final rule that substantially differs from the original proposal, the courts will take it upon itself to analyze the adequacy of the original notice in a two part test. The first is whether the final rule can be considered a logical outgrowth

Quantitative research article critique Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quantitative article critique - Research Paper Example he discusses aspects of the Charter schools as established by the Texas’ legislature, explores their operations, and explains that the legislature established Charter schools in the year 1995, allowing the special schools to operate independently from state regulations that govern district schools. A series of registrations under the Charter followed and the state legislature had to increase the minimum number of Charters to be offered. Schools that specialized in education for at-risk students were however excluded for the limitation on the number of Charters to be offered. Five years after the Charter legislation, the state had offered 178 charters, out of which 140 were operational. The rest had planned to commence operations later while six of the awarded schools had returned their charters and the board had revoked charters for three schools because of administrative or financial technicalities. Almost half of the charter schools served secondary schools while 21 percent served elementary schools, 18 percent served all grades, and 12 percent served other special grades. The schools had an average enrolment rate of 198 students, a rate lower than that for normal public schools. Enrolment however has a wide range and deviation. Analysis of students’ characteristics shows that chatter schools had higher proportions of minority students than normal public school did. Charter schools that offer services to at-risk students however had significant contribution to the observed proportion because of the higher incidence of minority students. Other types of charter schools however have lower percentages of minority students (Clark, 2000). Attendance at elementary and middle levels of chatter schools was similar to attendance in ordinary public schools but is lower at high school level. Higher student mobility was also reported among charter schools. Faculty composition of schools identifies more non-certified teachers in charter schools that among traditional

Family Law coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Family Law coursework - Essay Example If it’s proved not to be, there could be a long custody battle and who knows what other kinds of problems. The fact that the vicar, Leonie, was doing a ‘test-run’ marriage ceremony is of no consequence as long as there is proof that both parties actually went through with the ceremony. Moreover, the Family Law Act 1996 states that â€Å"†¦an application for divorce can only be made if the couple have been married for a year or more and the only ground for a divorce petition is that the marriage has irretrievably broken down.†1 Obviously, since Myles and Emilia have been married for more than one year—and since Emilia is having destructive ‘fits’ of sorts—this could definitely apply to your situation as having been ‘broken down.’ More so, you, Mr. McHenty, have every legal reason to receive benefits even though you don’t have a prenuptial agreement. In the court case Parlour v Parlour,2 Ray Parlour was orde red to give a significant portion of his wealth and assets to his wife. It was a shocking case because Mr. Parlour obviously did not have a prenuptial agreement—which, in the end, hurt him. Similarly, in your case it may hurt Emilia the most that she did not draw up a prenup considering the wealth of estate with which she’s been entrusted by a relative. ... favor besides the fact of the missing prenuptial agreement is that Emilia has accustomed you to a certain way of life that you would not have had had it not been for the estate which had been so graciously bestowed upon her—and which, she shared with you, at least in the beginning. In Miller v Miller,4 it was ruled that multimillionaire Alan Miller had to pay five million pounds to his former wife of three years, for several reasons—but one of them namely being that he had hoped his wife would have a better standard of living. Therefore, since Emilia had rights to the estate, you are in even better of a position as someone who doesn’t have the same wealth as she does. Therefore, you are allowed to earn some type of spousal support from her, as the case may be. For example, in McFarlane v McFarlane,5 it was ruled by the courts that Mrs. McFarlane should be allowed to partake of the high income of her former husband. That notwithstanding, there is another case, Whi te v White,6 which proved that needs and reasonable requirements should be taken into account in divorce proceedings, rather than just a simple mathematical calculation which would take care of the question of equitable division of the assets. This means that not only must Emilia share her assets, but they must be divided up in such a manner that is ‘fair.’ Of course, it is up to the courts to decide what constitutes fairness; however, the case is once again going to be in your favour. With regard to living arrangements, the courts will make a suitable argument that will take care of your needs indefinitely. III. Whether Local Social Services Could Take Your Son Into Its Care Now, as to whether local social services could take your son into its care, is an entirely different matter altogether. â€Å"In

Student Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Student Interview - Essay Example The class was interestng even if it involves math heavily. Perhaps it is because the examples that were used by the professor was about everyday life like how much your $1,000 will be worth after 5 years. The approach and method of teaching was also clear because I was able to understand it even if I did not belong in that class. With the professor’s approach in teaching, I think anyone will be able to get it for as long as they have taken their algebra. The way I see it, the class requires minimal reading but instead requires a lot of analysis and critical thinking. In my opinion, a student can even pass the class without reading for as long as he or she pays attention to the lecture of the teacher. It involves understanding of the problem and problem solving exercises for the student to get a hang of it. I asked my friend what he think of the class and his other class at Taylor as well. He replied that class was pretty easy because the lecture was clear for as long as a student don’t miss classes. He says that difficulty only arise when a students absents from the class because the next lesson will become greek to him or her. And that is time he or she has to read and I doubt if one can really get the lesson from the book because its not clear there and you cannot ask question. When I asked what he meant by that, he explained that almost all of the lessons were linked together, like the previous lesson a requisite to understand the next lesson. He furhter explained that unlike this class that does not require reading, other classes requires paper works in addition to classroom exercises. I asked him if he was able to manage, he replied in the affirmative. He gave me a â€Å"survival tip† on how to handle the rigor of academic requirement at Taylor so taht I will not have hard time. He told me just to get back at my lesson regularly that way I’m updated.

The Republic of Panama Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Republic of Panama - Essay Example at could ensure the reclamation efforts were designed for the attainment of full sovereignty over the whole territory as well as for securing its independence in economic, political as well as on cultural matters. With the main aim of the changes being the achievement of complete freedom of the country’s social organization at the local level, it would be possible to insinuate that the changes would be of great benefit to the country. Some of the other objectives that would be beneficial include enhancing the people’s capacity to cooperate with people from the external world, and autonomy in making decisions related to its foreign affairs (Conniff, 2012). These changes led to the enhancement of the country’s productive capacity, which is a consideration that is likely to be beneficial not only to the whole community, but also to the trading partners. The changes stopped the appropriation of the country’s energies, which were exploited by supranational economic powers. For this reason, the changes were necessary for securing the nation’s autonomy, thereby emphasizing that the country has its inviolate territory (Conniff, 2012). This stresses the fact that the country has the sole use of its territory, which is strengthened by the development of a community that is aware of its history and that it is united in pursuing actual social justice. The treaty between the United States and Panama, signed in 1903, made it possible for the United States to construct and operate the canal joining the Pacific and Atlantic oceans across Panama (Conniff, 2012). The treaty provided the United States ability to occupy, control and use approximately 10 miles the width of the Canal Zone in perpetuity. In this case, the U.S. would hold full sovereign rights of the area, which led to numerous conflicts between the two countries in during the 1660s and 1970s. In restitution, the United States assured the independence of Columbia. However, this treaty, among others that were

Business Market Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Market Assignment - Essay Example So, in order to reduce all those type of discrepancies, at the time of launching the product (Toepener) in the market of Canada, it is better to undertake the process of test marketing. It is one of the most renowned procedures of marketing used at the introductory stages of a product in a new market. By doing so, the actual performance of that specific product in those regions of the market might be analyzed and evaluated. Due to which, the target customers and the distribution system that might prove effective for Toepener may be evaluated. Side by side, the type of advertisement and promotional strategies required to increase the level of awareness of the target customers might also be analyzed. Thus, this process might present an entire list of activities and the duration of time and the strategy required (fat launch or narrow launch or dynamic launch) to introduce the new product (Toepener) in a new market (Canada). Then, it might be easier for the marketing managers to devise t he launching plan of Toepener within the regions of Canada. And the plan might also present positive results for the product (Toepener) within the markets of Canada. ... The product (Toepener) might be positioned in the market of Canada as an extremely trendy and hygienic product at a competitive price. It is done to attract the health conscious individuals comprising of a premium life style. Along with this, the product is mainly useful for those segments (customers) desiring to maintain a high living standard, which is entirely free from germs and pollutants. Therefore, only a niche category of customers might get attracted towards this brand s compared to others (Ferrell & Hartline, 2010). Apart from this, if such a technique of automatic shut- down after completion of the work might be implemented within Toepener, then such a distinguished feature of Toepener might surely be preferred by the target customers. This feature might prove extremely beneficial for the brand to enhance its reputation and market share in the market of Canada among other existing rival players. Side by side, the competitive prices of the product of Toepener is also anothe r vital strategy that enhanced its total sale and equity in the market of Canada among other rivals. Therefore, it might be portrayed that the strategy of presenting value-added products (Toepener) at a quite lower price may be effective for the market of Canada. This might help in enhancing the profit margin and brand loyalty of the products to a certain extent as compared to other contenders in the market of Canada. Along with this, it might also prove effective in positioning the product among many other substitute products in the market of Canada. Thus, to present the product (Toepener) in the market of Canada, the slogan might be, ‘live a healthy and germ less life’. It might surely

Racial Profiling Essay Example for Free

Racial Profiling Essay On February 4, 1999, Amadou Diallo, an unarmed 22 year-old immigrant from New Guinea, West Africa, was shot and killed in the narrow vestibule of the apartment building where he lived. Four white officers, Sean Carroll, Kenneth Boss, Edward McMellon and Richard Murphy fired 41 bullets, hitting Diallo 19 times. All four were members of the New York City Police Departments Street Crimes Unit, which, under the slogan, We Own the Night, used aggressive stop and frisk tactics against African- Americans at a rate double that groups population percentage. A report on the unit by the state attorney general found that blacks were stopped at a rate 10 times that of whites, and that 35 percent of those stops lacked reasonable suspicion to detain or had reports insufficiently filled out to make a determination. Thousands attended Diallos funeral. Demonstrations were held almost daily, along with the arrests of over 1,200 people in planned civil disobedience. In a trial that was moved out of the community where Diallo lived and to Albany in upstate New York, the four officers who killed Diallo were acquitted of all charges (â€Å"The Diallo† online). Racial Profiling is any police or private security practice in which a person is treated as a suspect because of his or her race, ethnicity, nationality or religion. This occurs when police investigate, stop, frisk, search or use force against a person based on such characteristics instead of evidence of a persons criminal behavior. It often involves the stopping and searching of people of color for traffic violations, known as â€Å"DWB† or â€Å"driving while black or brown. † (Meeks 17). After 9/11, racial profiling has become widely accepted as an appropriate form of crime prevention. People were sought after based solely on the fact that they were of Arab descent. But racial profiling did not start with September 11th racial profiling has been around for ages. Tracy Maclin, a professor at Boston University School of Law, says that racial profiling â€Å"can trace its historical roots [back] to a time in early American society when court officials in cities like Philadelphia permitted constables and ordinary citizens the right to take up all black persons seen gadding abroad without their masters permission. † (Meeks 164). The term profiling first became associated with law enforcement’s nterference in drug trafficking during the late 1970s. In 1985, the Drug Enforcement Administration instituted Operation Pipeline, an intelligence-based assessment of the method by which drug networks transported bulk drugs to drug markets, and began training local and state police in applying a drug courier profile as part of highway drug interdiction techniques. Under Operation Pipeline, police were trained to apply a profile that included evidence of concealment in the vehicle, indications of fast, point-to-point driving, as well as the age and race characteristics of the probable drivers. In some cases, the profiling technique was distorted, so that officers began targeting black and Hispanic male drivers by stopping them for technical traffic violations as a pretext for determining whether or not drivers were carrying drugs (Weitzer 133). A 1998 Department of Justice investigation of these practices raised awareness of this issue and defined racial profiling as the practice of singling out members of racial or ethnic groups for relatively minor traffic or petty criminal offenses in order to question and/or search them for drugs, guns, or other contraband (â€Å"History† 1). In 1999, the American Civil Liberties Union launched a nationwide campaign against racial profiling, entitled â€Å"Arrest the Racism: Racial Profiling in America. † This campaign included research, phone hotlines to report incidents, online complaint forms, advertising campaigns that included radio, television, print and billboards, advocacy for legislation, and a communications program synchronized with litigation efforts across the country. This campaign has inspired a movement against racial profiling by local, state and national organizations. Community organizations have been involved in advocating for legislation, increasing visibility of their racial profiling concerns, and encouraging police departments to begin data collection. More than 20 states have passed legislation prohibiting racial profiling and/or mandating data collection on stops and searches, hundreds of individual jurisdictions have voluntarily begun to collect data, and several jurisdictions are collecting data on racial profiling as a result of federal or state court settlements or consent decrees. In February 2001, during an address to a joint session of Congress, President George W.  Bush said of racial profiling, â€Å"It is wrong and we will end it in America. † (â€Å"History† 1) California, alone, has enacted legislation which mandates sensitivity training, but there is currently no legislation mandating data collection. In 1999, Governor Gray Davis vetoed legislation that would have required law enforcement agencies to collect data to show whether people of color are stopped by police at disproportionate rates. Bills that would have prohibited racial profiling and required data collection either died on inactive file or had important content removed before being passed. A large number of individual jurisdictions are collecting data either voluntarily, through court settlements, or through federal consent decrees. S. B. 205, which amended the California Penal Code section 13519. 4, entitled Racial and Cultural Diversity Training, defines racial profiling as â€Å"the practice of detaining a suspect based on a broad set of criteria which casts suspicion on an entire class of people without any individualized suspicion of the particular person being stopped. † This legislation outlines the inappropriateness of racial profiling, and mandates cultural awareness training for civil servants. The federal code which is used to address racial profiling and other questionable procedures is Title 42, U. S. C. , Section 14141, which makes it unlawful for state or local law enforcement agencies to allow officers to engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives persons of rights protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. This law is commonly referred to as the Police Misconduct Statute. This law gives the Department of Justice the right to reprimand and/or sanction law enforcement agencies that use policies or practices which support a pattern of misconduct by officers. The action taken by the department is directed against the agency as a whole, not against individual officers. Although efforts have been made to ban the use of racial profiling as a law enforcement tool, no jurisdiction in the U. S. has addressed the problem in a way that is both effective and all-inclusive. Currently, twenty-nine states have passed laws concerning racial profiling, but state and federal protections against this problem continue to be extremely lacking. Further, some states are even passing legislation that supports racial profiling, such as Arizona’s new SB 1070, which aims to curb the problem of illegal entry into the U.  S. While immigration issues continue to be a problem in the U. S. , this law basically allows law enforcement officials to stop any citizen randomly to verify their legal residence in the country. Police practices that are viewed as racially motivated will ultimately lead to more frequent and severe interactions with law enforcement, and eventually leads to a distrust of the police. This is an unhealthy position, as law enforcement practices aren’t effective when you are fearful of those whose job is to protect and serve the citizens (Blumer 4). There is not much research available that addresses the question of why racial differences exist in citizens’ relations with the police. Part of the explanation can be found in the group-position thesis, which is discussed in the research by Bob Hutchings 64), and states: â€Å"the group-position thesis focuses on inter-group competition over material rewards, status, and power. Racial attitudes which reflect individual-level feelings and beliefs also mirror a collective sense of group cohesion, unlike other racial groups. These perceptions include (1) perceived threats: dominant group members’ fears that their group is at risk of losing privileges or resources to competing racial groups, and (2) perceived advantages: minority group members’ beliefs that their group interests will be enhanced by challenging the prevailing racial order. The group-position thesis has been used to explain inter-group racial attitudes. † The thesis further outlines the entitlement of dominant groups to resources, and the attraction to institutions that serve their interests; an example of this would be the attraction of the White race to the criminal justice system. The police are often seen as allies by the â€Å"dominant ethnic group†, especially in deeply divided societies where the police can be used as an instrument for suppressing â€Å"subordinate groups† (Bobo ump; Hutchings 70). This relationship between the police and dominant groups is less obvious in more democratic societies, but the authors state that even in these societies, the superior group builds strong relations with the police. In the United States, white people’s support for the police has traditionally been strong and, at the same time, whites tend to see racial minorities as inclined to criminal or violent behavior. In the 2000 General Social Survey, for example, half of whites viewed blacks as ‘violence-prone’. †(Weitzer ump; Tuch 1021) For whites who follow these views, there is a tendency to condone police suspicion and disparate treatment of minorities as â€Å"rational discrimination† (Weitzer 153). These attitudes may b e more strongly held by some whites than by others, but the group-position thesis predicts that these views are fairly common throughout the white population (Bobo ump; Hutchings 72). Racial profiling has been occurring throughout our nation, and even the world, for as far back as any of us can remember. Racial profiling stems from racism, and fear of people who are different, ethnically and culturally, than the person making the judgments. Sadly, it spreads even further than that, and clouds the judgment of the people who are in positions of authority, even when they come from the same ethnic background. Racism, classism, sexism and all the other –isms combine to create trends such as these, which affect more than just the person being judged; it affects their families, friends, neighborhoods, communities, etc. Like all other issues that deal with the problem of –isms, the only way to change the dominant perception is to change the way people are programmed throughout life and their experiences. Until that day, no legislation or rule is going to change the way people feel about the minority, or perceived lower class, group.

Project Manager As Uninspired Taskmaster Information Technology Essay

Project Manager As Uninspired Taskmaster Information Technology Essay PROJECTS change. This simple fact is not fundamentally due to a lack of planning or incompetence on the part of project managers and project developers. Rather, change is an inherent characteristic of any growing entity. Embedded projects grow as much as they are built. Living things adapt to their environment. The environment surrounding any embedded project is ever in flux. Budgets change. Resources change. Schedules change. Competition changes. Customer needs change. Even if this changing environment could be eliminated, another form of change would continue to affect embedded projects. A project learns as it grows and must change in response to this learning. That is, as features come to fruition, the developers, users, customers, and managers become more fully aware of the projects reality. First, by traditional project management we refer mainly to any methodology where project development is viewed as a specialized version of manufacturing or as a construction project. This ty pe of project management is identified by its sequential phases of design, implementation, and testing (the waterfall approach) planned out through critical path analysis (usually represented via Gantt charts). Second, we address here only those projects that include any sort of variability or unknowns in their requirements Agile methodologies such as eXtreme Programming (XP), SCRUM and Feature-Driven Development strive to reduce the cost of change throughout the project development process. For example, XP uses rapid iterative planning and development cycles in order to force trade-offs and deliver the highest value features as early as possible. In addition, the constant, systemic testing that is part of XP ensures high quality via early defect detection and resolution. In spite of some early success with agile methodologies, a number of factors are preventing their widespread adoption. Agile methodology advocates often find it difficult to obtain management support for implementing what seem like dramatic changes in application development. These methodologies require developers, managers and users alike to change the way they work and think. For example, the XP practices of pair programming, test-first design, continuous integration, and an on-site customer can seem like daunting changes to implemen t. Furthermore, these methodologies tend to be developer-centric and seem to dismiss the role of management in ensuring success. Traditional management theory assumes that: Rigid procedures are needed to regulate change Hierarchical organizational structures are means of establishing order Increased control results in increased order Organizations must be rigid, static hierarchies Employees are interchangeable parts in the organizational machine Problems are solved primarily through reductionist task breakdown and allocation Projects and risks are adequately predictable to be managed through complex up-front planning Within this context, it is small wonder that the new methodologies appear informal to the point of being chaotic, egalitarian to the point of actively fostering insubordination, and directionless in their approach to problem solving. We believe that the slow adoption of agile methodologies stems mainly from this misalignment between the fundamental assumptions of traditional management and those of the new agile development methodologies. As such, there is a significant need for a change in assumptions and a new management framework when working with agile methodologies. Specifically, we have begun to build the notion of complex adaptive systems (CAS) into our management assumptions and practices. Complexity scientists have studied the collective behaviour of living systems in nature such as the flocking of birds, schooling of fish, marching of ants and the swarming of bees. They have discovered that, while the individual agents in these complex adaptive systems possess only local strategic rules and capacity, their collective behaviour is characterized by an overlaying order, self-organization, and a collective intelligence that is greater than the sum of the parts. The theory of CAS has been applied successfully in several areas economics, life sciences and more recently, to management. These concepts of CAS led to the inspiration that like the XP team, project managers also need a set of simple guiding practices that provide a framework within which to manage, rather than a set of rigid instructions. Following these practices, the manager becomes an adaptive leader setting the direction, establishing the simple, generative rules of the system, and encouraging constant feedback, adaptation, and collaboration. This management framework, covered in detail in Section 4, provides teams implementing agile methodologies with: An intrinsic ability to deal with change A view of organizations as fluid, adaptive systems composed of intelligent living beings A recognition of the limits of external control in establishing order, and of the role of intelligent control that employs self-organization as a means of establishing order An overall problem solving approach that is humanistic in that: It regards employees as skilled and valuable stakeholders in the management of a team. It relies on the collective ability of autonomous teams as the basic problem solving mechanism. It limits up-front planning to a minimum based on an assumption of unpredictability, and instead, lays stress on adaptability to changing conditions. The Problem: Project Management as Uninspired Taskmaster Traditional project lifecycle development methodologies grew out of a need to control ever-larger development projects, and the difficulties of estimating and managing these efforts to reliably deliver results. These methodologies drew heavily on the principles from engineering such as construction management. As a result, they stressed predictability (one has to plan every last detail of a bridge or building before it is built), and linear development cycles requirements led to analysis which led to design which in turn led to development. Along with predictability, they inherited a deterministic, reductionist approach that relied on task breakdown, and was predicated on stability stable requirements, analysis and stable design. While these methodologies may have worked for some organizations in the past and may still work in some circumstances, for many companies these methodologies only added cost and complexity while providing a false sense of security that management was doing something by exhaustively planning, measuring, and controlling. Huge costs were sunk in premature planning, without the rapid iterative development and continuous feedback from customers that we have come to realize are prerequisites for success today. The results are stark repeated, public failures such as the London Ambulance System and the Denver Airport Baggage system earned the project industry a reputation for being troublesome with huge cost overruns and schedule slippages. Consider the results of the Standish Groups CHAOS surveys. In the first survey, it was estimated that only 18 percent of all project projects were considered successful, 31 percent were failures and 53 percent were challenged. Comparatively, the 1998 figures showed a marked improvement in which 26 percent were successful, 46 percent were challenged and 28 percent were failures. The study attributed the increase in success to scaling the size of projects back to manageable levels using smaller teams. This result is clearly in line with the principles of agile methodologies. Furthermore, many established project management practices still apply to agile development projects with some adaptation and a strong dose of leadership. While managers designed traditional methodologies in an effort to control projects, the technical community gave birth to agile methodologies in response to their frustrations with traditional management (or lack thereof) and the resulting impact on their produc ts and morale. For example, the principles of XP are focused almost entirely on the development process. While the technical community has championed these principles, very little has been written about the management side of agile development projects. The traditional project manager is often seen as a taskmaster who develops and controls the master plan that documents (often in excruciating detail) the tasks, dependencies, and resources required to deliver the end product. The project manager then monitors the status of tasks and adjusts the plan as necessary. So for many managers comfortable with traditional methodologies, the prospect of implementing agile methodologies on their development projects can be daunting. But it doesnt need to be. In fact, independent of agile methodologies, other trends in project management indicate a point to a convergence between the management community and the technical community. The Solution: Project Manager as Visionary Leader The best project managers arent just organizers they combine business vision, communication skills, soft management skills and technical savvy with the ability to plan, coordinate, and execute. In essence, they are not just managers they are leaders. While this has always been the case, agile project management places a higher importance on the leadership skills than ever before. For example, XP teams create and monitor their own iteration plans in collaboration with the customers. The customer creates stories (features) and prioritizes them based on business value. Agile methodologies free the project manager from the drudgery of being a taskmaster thereby enabling the project manager to focus on being a leader someone who keeps the spotlight on the vision, who inspires the team, who promotes teamwork and collaboration, who champions the project and removes obstacles to progress. Rather than being an operational controller, the project manager can become an adaptive leader if sh e can relinquish her reliance on old style management. The basic phases of an agile development project are really no different from those of any other project. He still must define and initiate the project, plan for the project, execute the plan, and monitor and control the results. But, the manner in which these steps are accomplished is different and require the project manager to retrofit what they know about traditional management to a new way of thinking the thinking of complex adaptive systems. The practices outlined below provide a framework for project managers working in this new world. The Means: An Agile Project Management Framework The authors have applied XP successfully on several projects over the past years, and evolved the use of XP practices as an integral part of a CAS inspired framework for agile project management, as described in Section 4.2. Section 4.1 provides a guiding philosophy of the team as a complex adaptive system. 4.2 A CAS-Based Project Management Framework: Six Practices for Managing Agile Development Project We have established a CAS-based project management framework with six Agile Project Management (PM) practices for managing agile development projects Guiding Vision, Teamwork and Collaboration, Simple Rules, Open Information, Light Touch and Agile Vigilance. Together these practices help us to manage our teams as complex adaptive systems while allowing us the freedom to overlay our own personal leadership styles. The six practices build on the fundamentals of CAS, as shown in Table 1. These practices are explained in further detail in Sections 4.2.1 through 4.2.6. Practice #1: Guiding Vision Establish a guiding vision for the project and continuously reinforce it through words and actions. As articulated by Margaret Wheatley [1], when a project vision is translated into a statement of the greater purpose and dreams of the organization, and communicated to all members of the team, it serves as a field that has a powerful effect on their behaviour. It can permeate the project environment and influence team behaviour in extremely positive ways, much more so than a simple task can. A real example of this principle is the use of the commanders intent in the U.S. Army. The Army knows that its leaders cannot be everywhere in the field of combat controlling all the decisions. Therefore, Army leaders clearly establish the commanders intent to serve as a guide on which soldiers can base their own initiatives, actions and decisions. Thus, even if the mission falls on the shoulders of the lowest ranking person, she must be able to understand and carry out the mission. Likewise, the agile manager, can guide the team and continuously influence team behaviour by defining, disseminati ng and sustaining a guiding vision. At the outset of the project, work closely with the customer to understand the vision for the project, how it is expected to support business goals, and how it will be used. A strong grasp of the vision will help the team through difficult decisions about business value and priority and keep them focused on and inspired by the ultimate goal. 4.2.2 Practice #2: Teamwork Collaboration Facilitate collaboration and teamwork through relationships and community. The project managers role is to actively facilitate collaboration and establish the conditions for good relationships. Good relationships among team members start with the project managers relationship with the team members. Know what makes each of them tick outside of work and what motivates each of them at work. He should help team members get to know each other by creating opportunities and the right conditions. Opportunities can be created from planning games, everyday interaction, and special events. To set the right conditions, he must establish an environment in which team members treat each other with respect. He may even need to intervene to stop disrespectful behaviour. Some people may not be comfortable bringing their technical problems to the group. The project manager must monitor the team dynamics and decide when to intervene. As the project progresses, continue to look for special opportunities to get to know people better and to help the team know each other. For example: Establish a regular day for group order-in or potluck lunches Giving team members fun (positive!) nicknames Celebrating successes and milestones with nominal gifts that reflect knowledge of staff interests (e.g., music, gift certificates, special foods).The team that laughs and plays together works together better. Practice #3: Simple Rules Establish and support the teams set of guiding practices. In a CAS, agents follow simple rules, but their interactions result in complex behavior emerging from the bottom-up over time. For example, birds in a flock follow simple rules such as avoiding objects, keeping pace and staying close to other birds. By following these simple rules, flocks of birds exhibit complex, collective behavior by flying in formation for long distances and adapting to changing conditions along the way. Similarly,These XP practices provide the team with a flexible structure within which to work Take a leading role in encouraging the team to try certain practices about which team members may be doubtful. In applying the XP practices, he must set up simple generative rules that are just enough to provide clear boundaries, but not so much as to restrict the autonomy and creativity of the team. Throughout the project, appropriately point out when practices are not being followed and seek to understand why, looking for opportunities to adjust and improve on the pract ices or their practical use. 4.2.4 Practice #4: Open Information Provide open access to information. For an agile team to be able to adapt, information must be open and free flowing. Traditional managers have long prevented this openness and freedom because of a fear that it will result in chaos. Because of this fear, traditional managers have controlled information and meted it out on a need to know basis. On traditionally managed projects, teams often feel like they dont know what is going on only the project manager has the master plan and only the project manager interacts with project sponsor. In the agile world, information is freed to leverage its power. To promote open information, he can try a variety of techniques: Place team members within close proximity of each other whenever possible. Make use of information radiators such as whiteboards, charts, etc to disseminate information. Establish daily status meetings to promote the flow and exchange of information. 4.2.5 Practice #5: Light Touch Apply just enough control to foster emergent order. We believe that control and order are related in a way as illustrated in Figure 1. Without any control at all, there exists a certain level of order due to self-organization, depending on the team skills and dynamics. Initially, as control increases, order increases somewhat linearly, and reaches a narrow plateau quickly, decreasing very rapidly afterwards. Of course, the conventional view holds that the initial condition of no control starts off without any order atall, with an increasing linear relationship. Visionary control is a delicate mix of emergent and imposed order. To impose order, he must impose some control, but do it with a light touch. With a progressive light-touch mindset, lay out project plans at a high-enough level to give the team room for innovation, creativity and rapid response to dynamic environments. Ensure that the project plans are synchronized with her guiding vision, and that they are based on functionality to be delivered and not tasks 4.2.6 Practice #6: Agile Vigilance Constantly monitor and adjust. In leading a team by establishing a guiding vision, fostering teamwork and cooperation, setting simple rules, championing open information, and managing with a light touch, the job of the agile manager has been likened to herding cats each person has his or her own ideas, and is likely to behave in accordance with those ideas. The agile manager, therefore must be continually vigilant to merit the mantle of leadership: monitoring progress, and keeping a finger on the pulse of the development team. Reinforce the guiding vision at every opportunity examine project decisions to see whether they line up with the vision. Continually encourage teamwork and collaboration. Establish simple rules, but take every opportunity to conduct process reflections: regularly examine what works and what needs improvement Operate with a light touch. Intervene quickly, but wisely to solve personnel issues. Motivate and reward initiative, but manage expectations. Recognize and encourage self-organization, but disallow cliques. Conclusion The lack of guidance for project managers of agile development projects has been a gaping hole in the project development community over the past several years. The contrast between the world of agile project development and traditional project management has left many managers wondering what their role should be. By viewing the agile development team as a complex adaptive system and the manager as an integral part of that system, we have begun to develop a framework for managers. This framework of practices is meant to overlay the practices of existing agile methodologies such as XP, and provide clear guidelines for the visionary leadership of projects that use them. These six practices of agile project management do not provide a sure-fire recipe for success.