Service Contracting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Service Contracting - Essay Example There is a need to create methods that allow tools to rationalize about service contracts concerning their value. Feasibility analyzes help to unravel mainly and reasonably the merits and demerits of an up and running business or prospective business project, opportunities and risks existing in the setting. According to Kelly (2010), feasibility analysis helps present a chronological data of a business venture, brief account of the product or service, account statements, data of the activities and managerial aspects. Also, it helps present legal obligations including economic and tax information. Over and above, the efficacy of feasibility analyzes entails measuring the businesss prospective success. In this regard, an objective report gives the potential investors a chance to make correct decisions. The contractor selection process, which results in the awarding of construction contracts, is a significant factor in the building and construction industry. Many legal guidelines require that contractor selection process begin with a public advertisement where all the candidates submit their bids (Savas, 2005). These contracts can be granted via direct selection of informal competitive bidding process or negotiated contracting. The best practice techniques for administering a service contract entails adopting methods that institutions can use in establishing mistakes in the purchasing, managing and administering service contracts (Kelly, 2010). The best practices are actual approaches that institutions can use to boost the procurement process. Above all, best practice techniques entail to specific institutional procedures, standard, budget and time limits. In order to have a service contract objective, the public must be protected. This is because of the probability of acquiring poor quality service, elements of underperformance or failure concerns that can easily put the members of the public in

Conjunctiva Pathology and Treatment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conjunctiva Pathology and Treatment - Essay Example Caution must be practiced since they cause elevated pressure inside of the eye, which can lead to vision damage and cataracts if not properly supervised under the directions of the doctor. Many people develop callous-like thickenings of the conjunctiva on the front of the eye, usually located on the nasal portion of the conjunctiva. Such eyes are susceptible to irritation caused by dry climates (especially with windy conditions), as well as toxic vapors, salt water spray, excessive exposure to the sun (ultraviolet radiation), and even inadequate natural lubrication of the eye (tears). There are 2 types of these raised, yellowish or yellowish-white patches: one type is a "pinguecula" and the other a "pterygium." A pinguecula often is a benign yellowish growth due to the fatty degeneration of the conjunctival collagen fibers near the cornea to be replaced by thicker more durable fibers and sometimes calcium crystals. It can emerge following a short exposure to damaging irritation, such as excessive dryness or sun (UV radiation). Continuous exposure increases tissue destruction.Welding also may be an occupational risk factor. There has no effect on vision and takes weeks to months to resolve. The source of irritation must be eliminated; artificial lubricant drops may be used. Anti-inflammatory ointments may be prescribed for the irritation if experienced. Pterygium A pterygium, is a benign white to pink triangular wedge shaped growth in the conjunctiva, its base in the interpalpebral conjunctiva while its apex towards the cornea. Although it is caused by the same factors of a pinguecula (mainly excessive sunlight exposure, and tropical climates), it often has inflamed blood vessels infusing into it for nourishment. A pterygium does not emerge from a pinguecula. Contrary to the pinguecula, a pterygium usually evolves

The True Meaning of the American Dream Essay Example for Free

The True Meaning of the American Dream Essay The American dream has been changing over the past many years with many meaning to many people. One would think that the American Dream is about owning a large house in a quiet suburb with many luxurious automobiles parked in the driveway. Additionally going to vacations and being able to purchase countless items without hesitation has been part of the American dream. However, the American dream is not about materialistic goals only. Although one can achieve whatever they want to through hard work, the American dream is ultimately about being able to work and not be judged by your social class unlike some of the other countries in the world. Furthermore, the American dream has different meanings to different people. As James Truslow Adams states in his book The Epic of America which was written in 1931: The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. As you can see this has many different meanings to different people. For one person it can mean that the opportunity to achieve an enormous amount of artificial material prosperity is greater in America than the country that they came from. For some other people, they can see the America dream as a place to open a business and work as whatever they feel like or are passionate about without being judged. Many other’s see the American dream as a wonderful country for their children to grow up and receive an outstanding educatio n and a lucrative career path. In addition the American dream is the opportunity to make individual choices without the limitations of class, religion, caste, gender, race, or ethnic group.

Reliance Group | International Business Environment

Reliance Group | International Business Environment The Reliance Group, founded by Late Dhirubhai H. Ambani, and is one of the largest private sector companies in India, with businesses in the energy and materials value chain. Reliance Groups annual revenues are in excess of US $ 58 billion. Reliance Industries Limited has become a Fortune Global 500 Company. Reliance Group is a highly diversified group and is in to multiproduct business like oil and gas exploration, retail of petro and consumer products and manufacturing of petrochemicals / refining and textile products. Here I have summarised how Globalisation has affected the survival and sustainable development of Reliance Industries Ltd. Reliance Group is a highly diversified group and is in to multiproduct business like oil/gas exploration, retail of petro/consumer products and mfg. of petrochemical/refining and textile products. Here I have summarised how Globalisation has affected the survival and sustainable development of Reliance Industries Ltd. GLOBALISATION If I was to summarise in one word as to what is Globalisation Liberalisation is leading to I will say Competition. Globalisation has a significant impact on entrepreneurial enterprises in many ways. Globalisation provides a great opportunity for entrepreneurial ventures to expand their business internationally. With the help of local governments, large corporations, and international organisations, entrepreneurial enterprises are able to confront the challenges posed by globalisation and economic liberalisation, to improve their competitiveness in the global market, and better serve the global consumers. A number of hypotheses are examined to understand how globalisation has affected the survival and sustainable development of entrepreneurial enterprises. Globalisation has forced Reliance in the following ways It has aligned with the global trends Development policies and compensation systems were put in place. Built leaders within organisation, within this talent pool. International Business Environment affects the development of RIL Exploration and production of oil and gas is critical for Indias energy security and economic growth. India imports almost two-thirds of its crude oil requirement. Reliances oil and gas exploration and production business is therefore inevitably linked with the national imperative. Exploration and production, the initial link in the energy and materials value chain, remains a major growth area and Reliance envisions evolving as a global energy major. With growing competition and ever growing demand for energy, especially from developing countries, the focus is on energy security. Over the years the EP industry has registered significant growth, primarily due to spiralling crude oil and gas prices. RIL began gas production within six and a half years of gas discovery, in comparison to the world average of 9-10 years for similar deep water production facilities. Continuous gas production for about a year, with 100% uptime, once again demonstrates the Companys flawless commissioning and execution capabilities. In April 2010, RIL entered into a joint venture with the USA based Atlas Energy, Inc. (Atlas) under which RIL acquired 40% interest in Atlas core Marcellus Shale acreage position. RIL has become a partner in approximately 300,000 net acres of undeveloped leasehold in the core area of the Marcellus Shale region in south western Pennsylvania for an acquisition cost of $ 339 million and an additional $ 1.36 billion capital costs under a carry arrangement for 75% of Atlass capital costs over an anticipated seven and a half year development programme. Low operating costs and proximity to USA northeast gas markets combine to make the Marcellus Shale region one of the most economically attractive, unconventional natural gas resources play in North America. The acreage will support the drilling of over 3,000 wells with a resource potential of approximately 13.3 Trillion Cubic Feet equivalent (TCFe). While Atlas will serve as the development operator for the joint venture, RIL is expected to become a development operator in certain regions in the coming years in the JV. Atlas will continue acquiring leasehold in the Marcellus Shale region and RIL will have the option to acquire 40% share in all new acreages. RIL also obtained the right of first offer with respect to potential future sales by Atlas of around 280,000 additional Appalachian acres currently controlled by Atlas (not included in the present joint venture). The RIL-Atlas joint venture has the potential to become one of the largest prime acreage holders in the Marcellus Shale region. This joint venture will materially increase RILs resource base and provide an entirely new platform from which to grow its exploration and production business while simultaneously enhancing its ability to operate unconventional projects in the future. Additionally, RIL has farmed out 20% PI in the blocks Borojo North and Borojo South in Colombia; and 30% PI in block 18 and 25% PI in block 41 in Oman. The Regional Government of Kurdistan has assigned third party participating interest of 20% each in blocks Rovi and Sarta to M/s OVM; the assigned agreement is yet to be signed by RIL. RIL now has 13 blocks in its international EP portfolio including 2 in Peru, 3 in Yemen (1 producing and 2 exploratory), 2 each in Oman, Kurdistan and Colombia, 1 each in East Timor and Australia; amounting to a total acreage of over 93,500 sq. kms. Sustainability Strategy adopted/used by RIL in Global Markets Reliance has made sustainable development a cornerstone of its business strategy to achieve sustainable and profitable growth. RIL adopted principle of materiality and prioritized key issues after collective deliberation by management and key stakeholders. These issues include; Energy Security, Health Safety, Corporate Governance and Transparency, Product Responsibility, Climate Change and Waste Management. RIL sustainable development strategy draws on proven technology and risk management framework and evolves from the materiality analysis that has been performing over the years. The focus areas under sustainability development strategy include the following: Energy Security As a company RIL involved in the energy and materials value chain, so it is committed to responsible use of energy. Its systems and processes ensure optimum energy usage by continuous monitoring of all forms of energy and increasing the efficiency of operations. Growth through Innovation RIL firmly believe that growth through innovation will give a big competitive advantage and will be a key differentiator. Companys goal is to make RIL one of the most innovative companies in the world and to achieve breakthrough growth in revenues and profits by creating and implementing sustainable solutions. RIL is developing an innovative ecosystem that builds on organisational systems and processes, talent management, open innovation and world class RD facilities. Health and Safety Safety overrides all production targets this vision drives RIL to continuously look for ways to achieve zero accident at workplace. RILs vision is to develop a dedicated pool of safety professionals and lead in safety performance across its operations by focusing on process safety and behavioural safety.. Environment Protecting the environment and preserving natural resources is a high priority area. Through annual environment plan and business targets, RIL identify projects and take action to reduce water consumption and become carbon neutral and achieve maximum possible recycling and reuse of wastes. RIL set targets for key environment-related performance indicators such as material intensity, GHG emissions, air quality, water consumption, effluent discharge, waste generation and disposal, and conservation of bio-diversity. Product Responsibility For RIL, product responsibility is to offer efficient and reliable product and services with minimum environmental impact throughout the life cycle of the product from the cradle to the grave. Its product and services are designed, manufactured and delivered with principle consideration of customer safety. Social Institution Building Social welfare and community development is at the core of RILs Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) philosophy. RILs strategy is to have close and continuous interaction with the people and communities around our manufacturing divisions to bring qualitative changes and support the underprivileged.

Exploring Why We Enjoy the Anti-Hero Essay -- The Rise of the Anti-Her

There is no doubt that the popularity of the anti-hero as we know it has increased in recent times. With unlikely, yet popular moral gray protagonists like Jack Bauer, Dexter, and Gregory House leading some of the most popular TV shows and characters like James Bond, Lisbeth Salander, Tyler Durden (from Fight Club), and Jack Sparrow being some of the most memorable in movies, it is not surprising that there has been an increased interest to understand what causes this characters to be so popular (Peter Jonason in et al., 193). What is it that makes them as likeable, if not more, than a normal hero? How come we relate to characters that perform actions that, if done in real life, would cause us to see them in a whole different light? My argument is that an increased understanding in the human psyche has enabled us to see through our preconceived moral standards to accept and, in many cases, admire these anti-heros. Under the right circumstances, almost any action is permissible (albeit not necessarily right or wrong). The readers, however, must undergo a process of exposure to the anti-hero and the world she inhabits before they permit her actions. This process of â€Å"disengagement† (presented by Daniel Shafer and Arthur Raney) is what enables the reader to change his preconceived moral standards, at least in the anti-hero’s universe, to actually enjoy the story. Before explaining the big picture, however, I think it is important to understand how the enjoyment of stories can be weighted. The enjoyment of most narratives is measured through the affective disposition theory (ADT). Shafer and Raney explain that: â€Å"ADT is generally considered the most comprehensive theory explaining the process through which enjoyment is derived ... ...mpathy, understand her flaws and what lead her to be the way she is, and feel those appeals to our primitive feelings related to the Dark Triad of personality traits when she kicks some butt, we can finally enjoy the positive emotions which would be condemned as wrong in the real world. Works Cited Funk, C. and Gazzaniga, M. â€Å"The functional brain architecture of human morality†. Current Opinion in Neurobiology 19 (2009): 678-681. Web. Hemley, R. â€Å"Sympathy for the Devil, What to Do About Difficult Characters†. Creating Fiction (1999): Edited by Julie Checkoway. Story Press. Jonason, P. â€Å"The Antihero in Popular Culture: Life History Theory and the Dark Triad Personality Traits†. Review of general psychology 16.2 (2012): 192-199. Web. Shafer, D. and Raney, A. â€Å"Exploring How We Enjoy Antihero Narratives†. Journal of Communications 62 (2012): 1028-1046. Web.

Mother’s Comforting Gray Gun :: Personal Narrative Profile

Mother’s Comforting Gray Gun I lay on my side with one socked foot dangling off the edge of the bed, looking down at Mom on the floor. She lay on a pallet of itchy, green army blankets my dad "borrowed" from his tour in Vietnam. No matter how many times they were washed, the blankets always smelled like smoke and machine oil; I had never seen them used anywhere but the floor. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the dark, but when they finally focused, I could easily follow along the profile of my mother's distinctive nose. The Torres Nose, a nose passed down from her father and his father before him--a nose I am now glad I did not inherit. She lay perfectly still looking beautiful and peaceful, hands at her sides as if asleep. I knew better, Mom never slept when Dad worked out of town, she was practicing. Eight seconds was the time to beat, and if anyone could beat it, it was my mother. Mom had a steely determination much like the .357 Magnum kept under her pillow. It took a full three seconds to slide her right hand up under her head, two seconds to secure her palm around the grip and place her finger on the trigger, another two seconds to roll up on one knee, and one second more to steady herself by jutting out her leg to the side, a move I am positive she stole after watching Farah Fawcett in Charlie's Angels. She would run through the exercise many more times before morning came. My mother's late night drills continued until 1983. That year, our city established emergency 9-1-1 service, and Mom believed the police could now protect us from would-be intruders. Still, she bragged her response time was a lot faster. The first Saturday morning of the month, if she hadn't stayed up practicing the night before, Mom and I would head over to a turquoise-and-pink cinderblock building that sold baked goods, tennis shoes, candles, cassette tapes, and meat. Spanish polkas played on the radio while an old woman with mismatched eyes sat in a folding chair near a box fan. I shuffled my feet along the floor making scraping noises with my shoes as I went. The linoleum was grainy with dirt that nearly hid the checkerboard pattern. As my mother placed her order, I used the black and white tiles to play my own version of hopscotch.

Introduction to Environmental Health and Risk Assessment Essay

Asbestos is considered a Public health hazard. As such there have been a number of scientific measures adopted to manage this risk to environmental health and safety. In this discussion the author would advance that the best way to manage asbestos is by applying the asbestos code designed for that particular location. It is believed to be safe since it is a code which has been researched prior to its design and many of the major risk factors were considered. It follows distinct guides such as ‘elimination/removal (most preferred); isolation/enclosure/sealing; engineering controls; safe work practices (administrative controls); personal protective equipment (PPE) (Asbestos control measures, 2010). As it pertains to this project the risk management plan to be adopted is the elimination and removal option which would be discussed in more detail. Justification for the decision In order to justify why it is believed that the elimination and removal option is the best under any circumstances to mange asbestos risks ,the reader must understand what it really does. First the removal has to be conducted by a certified environmentalist who is knowledgeable in the practice and would conduct the process according to the environmental heath and safety code pertaining to that procedure. Therefore, it excludes the infiltration of a novice undertaking the risk management technique. Asbestos is a very serious environmental hazard as such any attempts at control must be scientifically monitored. As was previously mentioned these are scientific interventions which are implemented after decades of well evaluated research, ‘environmental data, community health concerns and health outcome data†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. nvironmental data are reviewed to determine whether people in the community might be exposed to hazardous materials from the NPL facility. ’ (ATSDR, 2009). The removal boundaries are carefully defined; security signs and appropriate displays are erected for the public to recognize that the environment is being targeted for asbestos removal. This protects the community during the process since they would not enter the dangerous boundary zones. It is total illumination. Besides; the electrical equipment are removed and all appliances which are used to provide electrical power must be turned off. These add to the asbestos risk when elimination and removal are done. It cannot be overemphasized that this ensures complete elimination and security after the process is completed. Hence, here is the justification that this is the best option for removing both friable and non friable asbestos. It is highly recommended as a risk management device. How will elimination and removal provide a greater amount of protection from the inherent risks associated with Asbestos? Obviously, it is irradiation of the risk itself. It is like conducting a root cause analysis whereby the foundation of the factor is upturned to ensure that is has been destroyed completely. Isolation/enclosure/sealing; engineering controls; safe work practices (administrative controls); personal protective equipment (PPE) (Asbestos control measures, 2010) are all palliative measures. These do not stand the test of time because they act simply as control measures. There is still asbestos in the atmosphere. Of major significance is that the effects of asbestos do not manifest immediately. It takes years. During that time no one knows how effective these control measure might be. There is never a sure way of evaluating their true effectiveness until an entire community becomes ill from this exposure which was supposed to be controlled. Therefore, it is the author’s belief that the best ways to avoid any predisposed effects and provide optimum safety is by elimination and removal. An Outline of the selected method used to evaluate results of the option chosen to implement Asbestos risk management. The implementation task in itself offers a process of evaluation which is to determine the presence of asbestos in the air after the elimination process has been completed. This is a scientific evaluation. There are mainly three types of asbestos. Prior to the elimination procedure the environmentalist would have evaluated the types to determine whether it was white (chsorile); blue (crocidolite) or brown (amosite). The Environmental Protective Agency (EPA) has devised a scientific methodology to evaluate asbestos removal. It has been researched and found to be an appropriate measuring instrument. This entails the adoption of an alternative test which will evaluate the removal procedure used to determine how effective it was in estimating how much asbestos was really removed. Precisely, it attempts to remove some types of asbestos harbored in buildings. The interior of the building is wet, and then demolished without excluding whatever other types of asbestos may be present. Enough water is applied to trap any asbestos which might have escaped the initial reatment. This exercise is monitored and the amount of asbestos present in the atmosphere is evaluated. It is usually tested against a previously conducted irradiation treatment. (U. S Environmental Protection Agency. Asbestos Project Plan, 2010) This is a feasible way of evaluating the results of a previously conducted asbestos removal exercise. The environmentalists can also re-measure the asbestos content scientifically. However, this method even evaluates the specific instrument used and just not the degree of substances removed.