Johnson & Johnson Green Business

Final Individual Research Paper *â€Å"Johnson & Johnson Company*† Table of Contents COMPANY DETAILS: 1. 1 Introduction: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is a global American pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Johnson & Johnson is one among the Fortune 500. The corporation’s headquarters is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States. The corporation includes 250 decentralized companies with operations in over 57 countries. Its products are sold in over 175 markets. Johnson & Johnson's brands include numerous household names of medications and first aid supplies. Among its well-known consumer products are the Band-Aid Brand line of bandages, Tylenol medications, Johnson's baby products, Neutrogena skin and beauty products, Clean & Clear facial wash and Acuvue contact lenses {text:bibliography-mark} . The company believes that it is responsible to the communities in which its employees live and work and to the world community as well. As a large, multinational organization, Johnson & Johnson's environmental footprint is complex and far-reaching. The company strives to take action in all its facilities to minimize this footprint. Johnson & Johnson has long been committed to energy conservation and improving the health of the planet {text:bibliography-mark} . J has not always been vocal about its socially and environmentally responsible efforts, even it has gotten attention for its sustainability strategies, including being #3 on Newsweek magazine’s Green Rankings List of green companies {text:bibliography-mark} . On a scale of 1 to 100, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson lead the first-ever review of the pharmaceutical sectors to rate above 70 in a recent survey of sustainability practices by Climate Counts. Climate count evaluates firms’ commitments in four areas: Whether they have measured their carbon footprint If they reduced their impact on global warming If they have supported or blocked climate legislation or policy To what level they have publicly disclosed their climate actions Johnson & Johnson scored highly in all sectors except for measuring its own carbon footprint, an area in which it scored 12 out of 22 {text:bibliography-mark} . Some interesting facts about J: It’s the second largest producer of solar panels in the U. S. it’s the largest corporate user of hybrid vehicles, and it gets 30% of its energy from renewable sources. It’s also done a lot to reduce its water footprint, reduce PVC content in products, sell waste as raw materials, and use recycled paper in product packaging (Gonzalez, 2009). 1. 2 Mission Johnson & Johnson does not have any mission statement. For more than 60 years, document known as â€Å"Our Credo† has guided in fu lfilling responsibilities to customers, employees, communities and the stockholders {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson’s â€Å"Our Credo† is attached in Appendix- B. The company continues to stand by that credo for 118,700 employees at its facilities in the United States and in 54 countries around the world. It states, â€Å"We are responsible to our employees, the men and women who work with us throughout the world. Everyone must be considered as an individual. We must respect their dignity and recognize their merit. They must have a sense of security in their jobs. Compensation must be fair and adequate, and working conditions clean, orderly and safe. Employees must feel free to make suggestions and complaints {text:bibliography-mark} . The philosophy at Johnson & Johnson is that â€Å"All accidents and injuries are preventable. An accident is the end result of a unique chain of events and conditions. The role of all Johnson & Johnson employees is to fore see these acts and intercept them before they occur {text:bibliography-mark} . At Johnson & Johnson, continuous improvement is the basis for ongoing operations. As per Joseph Van Houten, worldwide director of Planning, Process Design and Delivery, â€Å"Johnson & Johnson is never satisfied with maintaining the status quo. Each employee has a responsibility to identify, and has possibility to eliminate hazards. In areas where they cannot be eliminated, employees are expected to be aware of hazards and safeguard themselves and others around them†. As at many companies with stellar safety programs, Johnson & Johnson management believes safety is everyone's responsibility. Employees are expected to be concerned about their own safety and that of fellow employees, families, customers, contractors, visitors and the communities in which Johnson & Johnson operates. Johnson & Johnson’s vision is: bringing science to the art of healthy living. † The safety tenets embodied in the credo have been translated into a safety vision for the corporation that commits Johnson & Johnson to being the world leader in health and safety by creating an injury-free workplace {text:bibliography-mark} . 1. 3 Employee-related activities Johnson & Johnson has a wealth of programs and activities to support a diver se, inclusive culture which acts as an essential key to business success. Affinity groups are voluntary, employee-driven groups that typically focus on a shared interest. These groups provide support and networking opportunities such as mentoring, community outreach, career development and cultural awareness activities. Johnson & Johnson companies offer formal or informal mentoring programs to expand opportunities and support development of a diverse workforce. A number of affinity groups offer programs that match up new members of the work community with experienced leaders who serve as mentors. Johnson & Johnson Diversity University is a dynamic online resource designed to help employees understand and value differences and the benefits of working collaboratively to meet business goals. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion was established to foster recognition of unique backgrounds, talents and abilities as an important competitive advantage within Johnson & Johnson companies. This helps develop strategies to achieve the global diversity vision, helps operating companies share and leverage their best diversity practices, and reports to the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee on diversity within the companies {text:bibliography-mark} . 1. 4 Products: Johnson & Johnson offer products and information targeting baby care, skin and hair care, oral care, nutritionals, women’s health, pain relief, wound care &topical, vision care and Over-the-Counter Medicines. Baby products include Baby Powder, Baby Oil, Baby Cream, Baby Lotion, Baby Shampoo, Baby Hair Oil, and Baby Soap {text:bibliography-mark} . Skin Care products include Clean and Clear Face wash, Johnson Buds, Neutrogena, Aveeno and Ambi Skincare. Oral Health Care products include Listerine, Listerine Whitening, Reach, Efferdent, and Rembrandt. Nutritionals include Splenda, Viactiv, Benecol, Lactacid and Sun Crystals. Women’s Health products include Stayfree, Carefree, K-Y, Monistat, e. p. t and O. B. Wound Care *& Tropical *products include Band Aid, Savlon, Johnson Plast, Bengay, Caladryl, Neosporin, Cortaid, Tucks Hemorrhoidal Ointment, Daktarin, and Purell. Vision Care products are Visine and Acuvue Brand Contact Lenses. Over-the-Counter Medicines include Tylenol, Sudafed, Mylanta, Zyrtec and Zyrtec-D12-Hour, Motrin, Imodium, Pepcid, Nicorette, Benadryl, Rolaids, and Dolormin {text:bibliography-mark} . The figure 1 in Appendix-A shows some of the different products of Johnson & Johnson. J&J’s Strategies in Reducing Environmental *Footprint: Johnson & Johnson has high standards for operating divisions in the area of environmental responsibility- striving to reduce its environmental impact. The figure 1 gives an idea on the investments made in lowering its Carbon Energy Efficiency. Highlights of Johnson & Johnson green features include: Using renewable, efficient, and clean sources of energy. Reducing Green house gases from manufacturing units Reducing water use on a daily basis. Implementing a forward-looking building design and using natural materials. Purchasing green products/packaging, from cleaning supplies to computers. Reducing Carbon footprint – Implementing a robust recycling program. – Making tools available to help employees implement green practices at work and at home {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 1 Green Power: Johnson & Johnson (J&J), a long-time green energy purchaser, has surpassed the 400 million kWh per year mark for its annual renewable energy credit (REC) purchase. The total purchase size of about 435 million kWh per year makes the healthcare products provide the nation’s eighth largest purchaser, according to the EPA’s Green Power Partnership program. The purchase of various RECs from wind and biomass facilities represents about 38% of the company’s U. S. electricity use {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson has won numerous environmental awards over the past 15 years, including the Green Power Partner of the Year in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007and 2009. Among its environmental initiatives is its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 7% below 1990 levels by 2010. The company’s renewable energy portfolio also includes direct purchases of bundled green energy from low-impact hydro and wind power. In addition, the company has now installed 4. 1 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic installations at its U. S. facilities. Lastly, the company’s unique 3 MW onsite landfill gas project In Mountain View, California became fully operational in 2007. Under a 15-year gas purchase agreement with the City of Mountain View, ALZA Pharmaceuticals, a J&J subsidiary, uses the landfill methane gas to power three research and development buildings in the area adjacent to the landfill site {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 2 Heat and Power from Landfill Gas: To address volatile, escalating energy prices and concerns about climate change, many large energy consumers including Johnson & Johnson are looking for stable, nonpolluting sources of energy. Besides solar and wind power, landfill gas (LFG) is also an economically viable renewable resource but is often overlooked. 2. 2. 1 Johnson & Johnson’s LFG Project: Johnson & Johnson committed to reducing its GHG emissions by 7 percent below its 1990 levels by 2010. Each of the company’s business units has an emissions target whose progress is tracked annually {text:bibliography-mark} . ALZA pharmaceuticals, a division of J&J, needed to reduce its GHG emissions by 21. 5 million pounds per year or risk failing meet their target. ALZA’s research and development facilities in California are adjacent to the Shoreline Landfill. The figure 2 in Appendix A shows the layout of ALZA. The LFG produced in the Shoreline Landfill by decaying waste was captures and flares in accordance with EPA regulations for large landfills. ALZA and the city of Mountain View signed a 15-year contract for the sale of the gas, which ALZA uses to power three 970-kilowatt generators at each of its research and development buildings in the area. Electricity from the generators powers the buildings, and the heat captured from the exhaust is used to provide hot water {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 2. 2 The System: ALZA takes possession of the gas before the existing flare and processes it on-site at the landfill using a standard moisture elimination system. Three 60-horsepower blowers maintain the gas at a pressure of 6 pounds-per-square-inch (psi) as it passes through a chiller. The temperature of the gas at the inlet is 70 °F, and when it is exposed to the colder temperatures in the chiller, the moisture in the gas condenses and falls out of the gas as droplets. The system removes 90 percent of the moisture in the gas and is capable of processing 1,300 standard cubic feet of gas per minute. Although the landfill generates gas continuously throughout the year, ALZA’s electricity needs vary, and sometimes during the winter months the system generates more electricity than the buildings need. The system is expected to generate 24,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per hour of natural gas consumption {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 3 Solar Energy: A Solar photovoltaic (PV) system provides the clean, reliable, renewable energy. Johnson & Johnson has installed more than 4. MW of solar photovoltaic generation at ten locations in US. According to WRI as of May 2008, J&J is the second largest user of on-site solar energy in the United States {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 3. 1Energy and Atmosphere in J&J PRD, San Diego, California Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development (J&J PRD) facility in San Diego, California achieved Leaders hip in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and won several awards for their energy and environmental performance. The solar photovoltaic (PV) system provides the clean, renewable energy at J&J PRD as shown in Appendix- Figure 3. J&J PRD achieved a 2. 2 megawatt from co-generation system so far. J&J PRD roof mounted DC solar PV system which generated a 243 Kilowatt (KW) offsetting 10 percent of the annual electricity consumption in addition to its 90 percent offset from the co-generation system. This shows that J&J PRD has completely offset the building’s net annual energy consumption and making the facility carbon neutral. This Solar PV system is expected to generate annual energy savings of approximately $500,000 depending on the electric rates. J&J PRD solar energy generates power equivalent to power consumed by 80 homes {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 4 Green House Gas Reductions: In Johnson & Johnson since 1990, various company projects have focused on energy efficiency improvements for lighting, facility building envelopes, HVAC, compressed air, office equipment, fuel sources, and heat recovery. From 1990 to 2000, $12. 5M has been saved through these projects and 107,000 metric tons of CO2 have been prevented. Johnson & Johnson's GHG reduction efforts began with an internal goal adopted in 2000. Each operating company is responsible for meeting GHG reduction goals of 4 percent by 2005 and 7 percent by 2010. Many reductions were identified through Johnson & Johnson's Enhanced Best Practices (EBP), which include 245 energy-saving opportunities for affiliates to consider {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson also partners with organizations aiming to set the standard for GHG management such as EPA's ENERGY STAR ®, Green Power Partnership, and Performance Track; World Resources Institute (WRI); World Wildlife Fund; and the Carbon Disclosure Project. The company has received numerous energy and environmental awards including EPA's Green Power Partner of the Year, The California Governor's Award for Sustainable Practices, New Jersey Clean Energy Business Leader of the Year, and The Climate Group Low Carbon Leader {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 4. 1 J&J’s way of approach to GHG Management: Johnson & Johnson's Inventory Management Plan (IMP) has been integrated into its internal GHG Protocol. Using the IMP has given the company's internal protocol much more structure and clarity, making it easier to explain to those employees new to GHG management. Johnson & Johnson has various processes in place to track the progress of its goal. The company's Energy Tracking System (ETS) is solely dedicated to tracking energy and emissions goals. Through this system, affiliates report energy usage, cost, and projects with any applicable savings. The ETS utilizes the latest emissions factors from WRI and EPA, and the system adjusts when new factors are published {text:bibliography-mark} . The largest single component responsible for the emissions reduction is the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs) for wind power. The emission reductions due to the RECs purchases in 2004 accounted for 170,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent, offsetting 29 percent of the company's emissions from electricity use and 19 percent of the total corporate emissions in that year. The continued implementation of Johnson & Johnson's energy efficiency best practices and new facility design criteria have also been important contributing factors to its emission reductions {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 4. 2 Energy and Atmosphere in Janssen *H*eadquarters Janssen is a division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Janssen is driven by dedication to product innovation, customer focus, and organizational excellence. The Janssen Headquarters in Titusville site has been able to reduce energy use by 11% and reduce its carbon footprint by 5,019 metric tons annually; (over 75% reduction) through rigorous building commissioning and maintenance, installation of a 500 kilowa tt rooftop solar photovoltaic system as shown in figure 4 in Appendix-A, and the purchase of green power and renewable energy credits (REC). This is the equivalent of planting approximately 1,500 acres of trees or removing almost 1,000 cars from the roadways {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson generates 24 percent of its corporate electricity demand from renewal energy sources. Janssen has offset its CO2 emissions by installing the solar system on its Titusville facility {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 5 Energy Efficiency: Electricity Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters building was originally built with an all electric heating and cooling system and limited operating flexibility. The ENERGY STAR project which began in 2002 after an intensive energy audit and facility condition audit yielded an initial energy performance score of 52. The facility management team put in place a long-term strategic capital improvement plan to upgrade the building's infrastructure with the most technically advanced and energy-efficient equipment available. In addition to installing energy-efficient equipment, the new design enabled facility operators the ability to optimize the indoor environment to match the needs of the occupants {text:bibliography-mark} . A number of projects were completed, including direct digital control (DDC) upgrades to both air handling equipment and variable air volume (VAV) boxes. Central utility upgrades included converting electric boilers to high efficiency natural gas. The chiller plant was upgraded from a constant flow system to a primary/secondary system with high efficiency centrifugal chillers controlled by variable speed drives (VSD). The cooling tower was upgraded; and a condenser water reset program was installed and controlled by variable frequency drives (VFDs). A 232 KW photovoltaic elevated tracking system was installed on the upper level of the parking deck. Additionally, high efficiency motors and VFDs were installed on all major air handling equipment and the hot water reheat and chilled water pumps. Solar window film, high efficiency electrical transformers, and general office lighting occupancy sensors were also installed. All of the 24/7 air conditioning loads supplied by the central chiller plant were evaluated and replaced with smaller dedicated HVAC systems enabling the chiller plant runtime to be reduced by 5,000 hours per year. The operations and maintenance team replaced 300, 175 watt metal halide lamps in the parking deck operating 24 hours a day with 85 watt Phillips QL induction lamps. The cumulative results of these projects enabled the reduction of the building's overall energy consumption by 25 percent, yielding an improved energy performance score of 85 and qualifying for the ENERGY STAR for superior energy performance {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson’s new lab in La Jolla beats California’s energy efficiency standards by 18%. Efficient technologies installed include window glazing and shades, variable speed drives and lights that are all under 60 watts. A 2. 2-megawatt cogeneration system supplies 95% of electricity as well as heating and cooling. The figure 5 in Appendix-A shows the Cogeneration placement in La Jolla. The new lab met Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards. Johnson & Johnson was the recipient of a 2005 Flex Your Power Energy Efficiency Award {text:bibliography-mark} . This building itself achieves annual savings of $536,000 on its energy bill, compared to the amount a standard laboratory would expect to pay. According to a model used to estimate energy performance of new buildings employed by the local utility, San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), a standard building would have used $1,432,000 per year, which is 37 percent more than the J&J building. Based upon its exemplary energy performance, the building owners are awarded $143,000 for their inventiveness from SDG&E {text:bibliography-mark} . This building resulted in an impressive list of energy efficiency and water conservation features resulted in an annual savings of more than a half million dollars. This translates into: Enough electricity to power 680 homes Enough natural gas to heat 950 homes Reduced power plant emissions of 4. 8 tons of nitrogen oxides per year, 2. 1 tons of sulfur oxides per year, and 4,318 tons of carbon dioxide per year. 2. 5. 1 Building Envelope: The Lab building in La Jolla, California is constructed of steel framing and curtain wall. A white reflective cap sheet was installed on the roof, which both reduces the overall cooling load for facility and extends roof life because of the reduced roof temperature {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 6 Water Efficiency: Diminishing water supplies and decreasing water quality are pressing an environmental challenge, which is looked as a more acute problem at Johnson & Johnson. J&J have been reducing water use for many years. It achieved a 16 percent absolute reduction in water use from 2000- 2005, at a time when sales increased by 56 percent. To continue to identify and maximize water conservation, J&J set a Healthy Planet 2010 goal for a further 10 percent absolute reduction in water use from 2005- 2010 {text:bibliography-mark} . PRI provides multi-function support services for government and private facilities. Services include base operations, maintenance, building management, operations and maintenance of equipment, and maintenance of building management systems {text:bibliography-mark} . The figure 7 of Appendix-A shows the dropped level of water usage in J&J. Johnson & Johnson implemented a number of water conservation technologies at PRI. These include: Recovering condensate from cooling coils is used as make-up water for the cooling towers. Even though this measure had a 15-year payback, J&J felt that implementing this measure was consistent with their goal of environmental stewardship. Using reclaimed water for landscape irrigation and other uses: Using reclaimed water (which is available through a separate municipal water distribution system in the vicinity of PRI) for landscape irrigation and for providing makeup water to the cooling towers gives J&J a twofold benefit. First, the reclaimed water costs about 10 percent less than regular water. Second, making a commitment to use it may give J&J some beneficial considerations if drought conditions ever necessitate serious curtailment f water use in the future {text:bibliography-mark} Based in Titusville, New Jersey, Johnson & Johnson employs cooling condensate recycling that saves approximately 40,000 gallons of water per year. This eliminates the need for storm water discharge of the condensate and reduces chemical treatment needs for the cooling towers. In 2006, the site converted to 100% waterless urinals, which yielded a 12% reduction in water use (700,000 gallons per year) {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & J ohnson’s La Jolla Lab facility is also water efficient, reducing water use by 11 million gallons annually {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 7 Waste Reduction: * Johnson & Johnson believes that eliminating or reducing waste will not only help the environment but also reduce the associated costs and risks/liabilities from transportation, treatment and disposal. Johnson & Johnson has set a goal to reduce its hazardous and non-hazardous waste by 10 percent against its 2005 baseline levels. So far, J&J’s operating companies have achieved a 10 percent reduction in non-hazardous waste, largely through increased recycling and reuse of their waste and some innovative composting projects. Similarly, increased recycling and reuse of waste have allowed them to achieve a four percent reduction in hazardous waste since 2005 {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 7. 1 At Johnson & Johnson’s Division in Titusville, New Jersey: Initiatives to improve recycling compliance, combined with the elimination 70 percent of cafeteria disposables, have lead to a 29 percent reduction of non-hazardous solid waste which is 106,745kg per year. An innovative program to recycle all used carpet began in 2003 and 34,000 kg of carpet has been recycled till today {text:bibliography-mark} . . 8 Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: Although the vast majority of pharmaceutical and other compounds found in water systems arise from normal patient and consumer use, Johnson & Johnson operating companies are taking steps to evaluate and minimize or eliminate these compounds from their wastewater. Periodic wastewater monitoring has been used to determine potential toxicity to aquatic organisms, to conduct risk assessments, and to develop safe levels for Active pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) {text:bibliography-mark} . Another way pharmaceutical compounds can reach the environment is through consumer disposal of unused or expired medicines. Johnson & Johnson supports the U. S. White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for the Proper Disposal of Prescription Pharmaceuticals. This policy suggests a combination of take-back programs when they are available, trash disposal for most medicines, and flushing for some specific pharmaceuticals, such as narcotics {text:bibliography-mark} . For Example: Johnson & Johnson is also participating in an educational effort, called SMARTxT Disposal, being led by phRMA, the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the American Pharmacists Association to inform consumers about proper disposal of unused or expired medicines. 2. 9 Indoor Environmental Quality: Like most Johnson & Johnson’s buildings that reach an exemplary level of energy efficiency, the PRI facility features a high efficient interior lighting system in its lab division in La Jolla, California. This building’s efficiency lies on two reasons. Lighting energy use is huge. Lighting is the single largest energy end use in most commercial buildings, accounting for anywhere in between 25 and 50 percent of overall energy use. Through a combination of good design and efficient technology like using T5 lamps and electronic ballasts will result in load reduction of 0. 30 to 0. 50 watts per square foot. Lighting efficiency leads to downstream savings. The ample load reductions that result from efficient lighting lead to reduced cooling loads as well. As a result of reduced cooling and airflow requirements, a series of â€Å"downstream† savings are generated, including smaller ductwork, piping, air-handling units, and chillers. All of these down-stream efficiency gains translate into reduced operating cost, as well as construction cost savings for the smaller systems. The interior lighting system at the PRI facility is designed around high-quality fluorescent sources that are applied to balance efficiency with visual comfort. Other features of the lighting system include occupancy sensors throughout the building and the use of radioactive exit signs that glow without a wired power source {text:bibliography-mark} . Looking at Johnson & Johnson’s division in Titusville, New Jersey, an innovative program to reduce air contamination inside the building was implemented that utilizes ultraviolet lights in all air handlers. This system ensures the cleanest air supply possible, while eliminating the need for chemicals to purify air handler condensate. The site has also implemented low environmental impact housekeeping procedures since 2003, including compliance with Green seal cleaning product standards {text:bibliography-mark} . *2. 10 Carbon Footprint:* Johnson & Johnson has established a CO2 Reduction Capital Funding Process at the Group Finance level in 2004. The company targeted at $40 million per year for its energy and GHG reduction projects. Each J&J affiliated divisions apply for funding relief for these projects. The company completed 31 projects by the end of 2007. As of year-end 2008, 51 projects were completed and the company saved 90,044 tons of CO2 annually. J&J budgeted $99 million for the projects and expects an average 16. 3 percent rate of return {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson’s headquarters located in New Jersey is located near the train station with intent to reduce the carbon footprint. The major source for Johnson & Johnson’s carbon emissions is their fleets of roughly 36,000 vehicles worldwide. With the goal to improve fuel efficiency per mile by over 30% they have adapted their vehicle buying habits. It now boasts 2,100 hybrid vehicles in their fleet by March, 2008. Despite these measures, the company has not yet seen an overall improvement in distance per distance driven {text:bibliography-mark} . The figure 6 of Appendix-A shows the investments made in lower carbon energy efficiency. *2. 11 Packaging*: Johnson & Johnson primarily in the health care products. Since virtually all its products require some type of packaging for protection and preservation, Johnson & Johnson has found significant benefits by reducing packaging materials {text:bibliography-mark} . It began developing its waste reduction program in 1988. Since then, the company has reduced its packaging by 2,750 tons per year, including a reduction in its use of paper by 1,600 tons, plastic by 1,000 tons, metal by 100 tons, and other materials by over 50 tons. Over the first 2 ? years of the program, these reductions saved Johnson & Johnson an estimated $2. 8 million in material costs alone {text:bibliography-mark} . So far J&J achieved 93 percent of packaging and 83 percent of office paper to contain more than 30 percent PCR or fiber from certified forests {text:bibliography-mark} . The company began its program by comprehensively reviewing its product packaging, looking for ways to cut back on the amount of materials it purchased, as well as the amount of waste associated with the manufacture and use of these products. One measure Johnson & Johnson adopted was to reduce the weight of paper used to package one of its gauze products. Millions of these particular products are sold every year and the company realized that even a small change would make a big difference. The company reduced from 30-pound paper to 28-pound paper, Johnson & Johnson faced dramatic results: a reduction in waste of 115 tons of paper, saving $450,000 annually {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 11. 1 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Packaging: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has long been used in packaging for drugs, medical devices and personal care products because of its desirable physical characteristics for protecting product quality, including impermeability to moisture, gas and flavor. But Johnson & Johnson operating companies also understand concerns about the ability to dispose of PVC in an environmentally sound manner and the difficulties with recycling PVC. Its consumer franchise had a goal for 100 percent removal of PVC in primary packaging as well as secondary and tertiary packaging throughout the company. So far J&J has eliminated 84 percent of secondary and tertiary packaging across the company {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 11. 2 J&J Initiatives: Johnson & Johnson also has initiated more complex waste prevention initiatives. As one example, the company eliminated an aluminum pouch that surrounded a plastic layer used to contain Prolene medical sutures. This new procedure was implemented without causing any loss of sterility {text:bibliography-mark} . Band Aid brand adhesives bandages were originally packages in the metal â€Å"tin box. By converting 50 percent of the total packaging to recycled paperboard, i. e. , 35-percent post-consumer, the company significantly reduced the quantity of packaging material required {text:bibliography-mark} . Acuvue contact lenses were previously packaged in polypropylene blisters and polypropylene storage boxes. To reduce polypropylene usage and waste, J&J completely redesigned the blister holding the lenses and their fluid to permit opposing blist ers to nest. This change reduced the amount of polypropylene generated as waste during the manufacturing process and the size of the packaging required for the lenses {text:bibliography-mark} Stayfree feminine hygiene product was previously packaged in a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bag topped with a cotton drawstring and a â€Å"cuff† to carry the drawstring. The bag was redesigned to use a lower gauge LDPE, and the cuff and the drawstring were eliminated {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 11. 3 Waste Reduced: Prolene: 16,000 pounds of very high grade aluminum foil reduced annually, a 52 percent reduction {text:bibliography-mark} Band Aid brand adhesives bandages: 1. 6 million pounds of metal packaging are saved annually {text:bibliography-mark} Acuvue: Blisters – 264,000 pounds of polypropylene reduced annually, a 33 percent reduction {text:bibliography-mark} Stayfree: 440,000 pounds of LDPE and cotton string reduced annually, a 24 percent reduction {text:bibliography-mark} 2. 11. 4 Annual Savings: Packaging redesigns for Prolene, Band Aid, Acuvue and Stayfree save Johnson & Johnson over $3. million annually {text:bibliography-mark} . The annual cost savings associated with reduced packaging for each product are indicated below: 2. 12 Usage of Chemicals*, *Ingredients/ Materials: Johnson & Johnson maintains a list of regulated chemicals. In addition, the company works to anticipate chemicals that are not currently regulated but may be regulated in the future. The corporation has cr eated an â€Å"emerging issues process†, headed by an environmental toxicologist who is part of the worldwide corporate Environmental Health and Safety group and has the responsibility to evaluate new reports on chemicals. From this review process, the company has created a â€Å"Watch List† of chemicals that have been identified as being of concern by non-government organizations (NGOs) {text:bibliography-mark} . *2. 12. 1 Design tools for evaluating chemicals of concern and designing greener products:* chemicals file Johnson & Johnson has developed several tools to assist product designers in eliminating chemicals and materials of concern. The first tool is a â€Å"Design for Environment† software tool. Designers can input a chemical and see whether it is heavily or lightly regulated. There is a color-coded scheme which indicates the regulatory level. Red indicates the chemical is banned by a government agency somewhere in the world; black means highly regulated or on the â€Å"Watch List†; grey indicates the chemical is less regulated; yellow indicates minimal regulation; and, green indicates the chemical is not regulated. The goal is to evaluate the product lifecycle and to identify and reduce impacts from raw material selection, use and disposal {text:bibliography-mark} . The consumer segment of Johnson & Johnson convened an Ingredients Issue Task Force that has developed a rating system for greener materials. This group has reviewed every ingredient in Johnson & Johnson’s consumer products and has used resources such as the US EPA’s PBT profiler and other tools to identify chemical hazards {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 13 Recycling: Johnson & Johnson has a goal to have 90 percent of office paper and 75 percent of paper-based packaging containing more than 30 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) content or containing fiber from certified forests by the end of 2010 {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson believes that all its employees have an impact on the sustainable results. It has undertaken measures to best utilize the every product in their daily business activities. J&J has increased recycling by 25 percent. J&J has achieved it with the following steps: Encourages employees to recycle material using two side copying feature Using a reusable cups for beverages Encouraging staff members who purge old files to re-use folders again Recycling paper clips, binder clips, envelopes, cardboards, newspaper, magazines and other similar items. These items are collected from the recycle bins right next to the employee desks and re-used. Recycles computers, carpets, furniture etc {text:bibliography-mark} 2. 14 Maintenance of Scoreboard: In 2009, the corporation has rolled out a scorecard for green products. This scorecard was developed to give designers and marketers a â€Å"cleaner line of sight† in creating new products and goes beyond tools that assess chemical hazards. A product receives points along five dimensions. Seven points are needed to be identified as a â€Å"greener† product. The dimensions include: materials/ingredients, energy, waste, water, and packaging. This process includes a high level life cycle assessment to identify the areas of greatest environmental impact {text:bibliography-mark} . *2. 15 Climate Savers: Elements *of Fulfillment Strategies Johnson & Johnson identifies and extreme weather event that disrupts business as the greatest climate related risk the firm faces. Each major operation has a business continuity strategy in place and each business segment manufacture its products in more than one location {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson is tracking and publicizing its CO2 reduction goal worldwide to every level of management. The goal is also being included in the company's annual environmental report {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson has joined the following external initiatives: The Climate Group (UK); The Climate Registry; US EPA Green Power Partnership; WWF’s Climate Savers; WRI’s Green Power market Development Group; CDP’s Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration; and US climate Action Partnership {text:bibliography-mark} The company covering buildings, equipment, management practices, maintenance practices, and operational practices developed a comprehensive set of energy efficiency best practices. Sixty-seven percent of the best practices have been completed worldwide. J&J is participating in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification program for existing buildings with its world headquarters building serving as a pilot project. A task force has also been developed to create guidelines that will allow the company to obtain LEED certification for all new facilities. On-site renewable generation: Installation of four solar systems for a total of 1193 kW at California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania facilities. International on-site generation includes a solar hot water system at J&J Brazil providing 20,240 kWh/yr. of hot water and a solar hot water system at Janssen-Cilag, Portugal providing 8400 kWh/yr. of hot water. Purchasing of Renewable Energy: All Texas operations: 15 percent wind power, 10. 6 Million kWh/year. Cordis, Netherlands: 10 percent wind power, 1. 1 Million kWh/year. Centocor, Netherlands: 100 percent wind power, 12 Million kWh/year. An annual energy week is conducted worldwide to improve employee awareness. The theme last year was â€Å"You Have the Power to Save Energy for a Brighter Future. Activities to increase awareness include conferences in different regions and an active energy Web site, which includes a renewable site and graphics depicting CO2 reduction levels {text:bibliography-mark} . Johnson & Johnson conduct environmental campaigns every year and every facility created a five-year education plan to educate employees about climate change, sustainable forestry etc {text:bibliography-mark} . 2. 16 Johnson & Johnson’s Green Chemistry Initiatives Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical segment participates in the Pharmaceutical Green Chemistry Roundtable and is investing in green chemistry approaches. Because of the high costs of drug development, an investment in a green chemistry approach generally does not occur until a new drug has been approved. Johnson & Johnson entered the US EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award Program in 2008 for its work to scale up a pharmaceutical ingredient called Darunavir, a new protease inhibitor. The goal of the project was to reduce health, safety and environmental impacts in manufacturing and to reduce sots. This approach resulted in reduced solvent usage, hydrogen gas formation was eliminated, and methylene chloride was replaced with a more benign solvent. This increased the yield of the drug by 40% and reduced manufacturing costs by 81%. The company eliminated 96 tons of methylene chloride, reduced hydrogen gas by 4800 cubic meters and reduced raw materials hazardous waste by 46 tons {text:bibliography-mark} . Green Suggestions and Recommendations: I believe Johnson & Johnson needs to step up instead of waiting for the clients to take the further lead on sustainability. The company should always make wise material choices and to make sure its best utilizing the environmentally friendly materials before it undertakes any new project by posing some questions like: Is the project designed to minimize waste? Can it be smaller, lighter, or made from fewer materials? Does it use renewable resources? Is reuse practical and encouraged? Are the products and packaging refillable, recyclable, or repairable? Is it made with post-consumer recycled or reclaimed materials? How much? Are the materials available in a less toxic form? Can it be made with less toxic materials? Are materials available from a socially and environmentally responsible company? Is it made locally? There are some small gestures which are worth doing to create a sustainable environment. The daily used printing ink must be environmentally friendly: It must reduce emissions, create less toxic waste, use a renewable resource, be easily de-inked, produce less hazardous sludge, and be more biodegradable than conventional ink. Design decisions like reducing the number of colors used to print a job is better on the environment as well as saves the company’s budget. Recycled content is just one of the ways defined to make a good paper. When choosing papers, company should look beyond recycled content and consider recyclability, raw materials, and how the paper is bleached and manufactured. Packing and shipping are also important to think about. Instead of simply accepting the suggested size for a printed piece, company should consider what size will result in the least waste on press. Instead of specking on an easy-to-find, standard material that happens to release VOCs (volatile organic compounds), progressive material choices must be made as part of the initial presentation. Johnson & Johnson should start conducting some recycling programs and should let its consumers know about it through advertisements. The recycle programs are designed in such a way that consumers are encouraged to buy more and more environmental friendly products like plastics that are easily recyclable, boxes or products that are packaged in paper materials certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or made from post-consumer waste. This recycling program should make the consumers to return the empty packages and receive discounts or free products in return. Conclusion: All modern buildings are constructed under a number of particularly stringent environmental constraints. These buildings use much less energy and are easy to maintain. The building’s success depended on a combination of J design philosophy which is reflected in the company’s â€Å"New Facilities Design Criteria†, careful modeling of building systems to envision how each works on its own and what its impact is on the others, and a steadfast vision of the need to produce a robust structure that will function well for many decades. Hardheaded cost benefits methods were applied to every system in the buildings. Most often focused on the importance of reliability and smooth operation over the long term. For example: Both of the two large chillers in New Jersey and La Jolla, California had VSDs installed to facilitate maintenance and provide flexibility with controls, though cost/benefit analysis did not support this decision. A condensate recycling system was installed in spite of showing a 15-year payback because J wants to be a good corporate citizen. Using reclaimed water provided cost savings, improved environmental performance, and also reduces the chances of future water crisis. One hundred percent completion of best practices does not guarantee Johnson & Johnson with a cost effective and energy efficient design. Firstly, it is important to setup ambitious goals to provide a compass for an organization. Johnson & Johnson Healthy planet 2010 goal that all operating companies have a plan to improve their product and process environmental profiles and eliminate high priority chemicals is a useful way to encourage improvements and track progress in a highly decentralized organization. Secondly, green design tools are important in implementing these goals. Johnson & Johnson has developed a number of valuable tools to help in designing greener products including a design for environment tool and a rating system for greener ingredients. Thirdly, it is necessary to maintain a scoreboard to measure greener products in an additional means of clarifying and implementing these board goals. Johnson & Johnson has developed a scoreboard for greener products with 5 dimensions: materials/ingredients, energy, waste, water, and packaging. Fourthly, participation is a valuable opportunity for information exchange. The company’s active participation in Product Sustainability Roundtable, a cross sector initiative, has been a valuable way to share information on improving product sustainability. Bibliography Appendix -A Figure 1: {draw:frame} Figure 2: {draw:frame} Figure 3: {draw:frame} Figure 4: {draw:frame} Figure 5: {draw:frame} Figure 6: {draw:frame} Figure 7: {draw:frame} Appendix B: {draw:frame} {draw:frame}

Hubspot Case Essay

The problem in this case is that Hubspot needed to make a transition from its initial start-up structure (organizational structure, target customers and pricing strategy) in order grow, and the dilemma was how to best approach this change. Hubspot faced three main issues for this: a) identify target customers, b) modify their pricing model and c) how to develop the growth strategy. Hubspot was good at building a community, e.g. over 300000 unique visitor in 2008, and thousands of freeware subscriptions in 2009. Nonetheless they had a diverse universe of customers, from small business owners (Ollies) to marketing professionals (Marys), different type of business ranging B2B or B2C, and size (over or under 25 employees). Table C shows there was a potential market evenly distributed among B2B and B2C. For Hubsport, the decision to identify a target customer was difficult. This is seen when contrasting exhibits 6 where 73% of customers were Ollies and exhibit 5 which indicated that Marys accounted for 68% of new customers from Sep-Dec 2008. Although the B2B customers were important for Ollies and Marys, there was an interesting growth of Marys in B2C. Thus a segmentation of customer was required to better assess their different needs. At the end of 2008, Hubspots’s products responded to the main two customers (Ollies and Marys), still its pricing model was similar for both, where Marys paid a slightly higher monthly amount as its software package included more features (exhibit 7). This was something Hubspot needed to analyze as Ollie and Marys had various pros and cons as customers. Ollies represented a lower cost to acquire ($1000) and where quick to sign in, but cancel subscription early, while Marys cost more to acquire ($5000) and took longer to sign in, by stayed for longer using the product. Assuming no churn rate an Ollie had to maintain subscription for 2 months and Marys had to maintain subscription for 9 months, to pay off their acquiring cost. The previous  scenario meant that HubSpot’s 2008 projections including the 100 paying customers from 2007 made the current pricing model not viable to support the high cost of Marys (see appendix 1). Another issued faced was the Hubsport was still a small company, seen in that it only had few engineers to build the software therefore it was hard to catch up with the sales team. Thus the product vs customer vs pricing situation presented an optimization and planning issue to keep the company growing. The previous two points require a growth strategy. At the same time it made the owners question their vision, i.e. to inbound or outbound. The strategy for growth had to clarify which customer to target, how to roll-out the respective products, whether to keep it a SaaS, and the transition into a new pricing structure to maintain current customer and capture more value from new ones. The objective of our proposed solutions is to keep Hubspot as the software-to-have for inbound marketing and grow financially from a start-up to an established business. For this we set out the following actions: Hubspot’s culture and vision should be maintained. Web 2.0 is continuing evolving as more businesses are using the various channels and HubSpot can differentiate itself as the inbound marketing which weighs more than outbound marketing (inbound represents 37% marketing budget while outbound 30%). HubSpot has the expertise to create traffic and analyze and qualify leads filling the respective demand of Ollies and Marys. At the same time we differentiate from our two main competitors by proving a lower price (Eloqua is more expensive) and focusing on inbound marketing (Marketo is a mix of inbound and outbound). Our conclusions are founded by overlaying HubSpot’s competitive field (exhibit 3) with customers’ needs a) traffic creation and b) leads analysis and qualifications, in line with HubSpot’s main strengths, as seen in appendix 2. Thus the company should not consider outbound as an alternative. As showed in appendix 4, our two segmented customers have showed different needs in terms of product features and consumption behavior. Based on the current churn out rate, we can estimate consumer lifetime value of Ollies is $4,750 and Marys $10,500 (see calculation in appendix 3). Therefore, according to our segmentation strategy, we propose following product bundles by differentiating product price and product features: 1) Product pricing: As Ollies have a shorter customer life and less marketing budget, we suggest keeping current up-front fee and a lower monthly fee. As suggestion, up-front $500 and monthly fee in the range of $150 to $250. As Marys have a longer customer life and lower price sensitivity we suggest increasing both up-front and monthly fee. As suggestion up-front $600 and monthly fee in the range of $600 to $750. Meanwhile, Marys are interested in deeper analytics, we suggest additional fee for each service of deeper analytics. As CMS system helps lower churn rate, we suggest initial fee of $300 covering 6 hours consulting to encourage both of them to use such service. 2) Product features: As Ollies prefer quick and simple solutions, we suggest tailor-made product focusing on generating leads. As Marys have a high demand of analytics, we suggest tailor-made product with more sophisticated tools to meet the needs of deeper analytics. As frequent log-in helps lower churn rate, we suggest to provide service update on a regular basis to encourage a continuous use of our service. After clearly identifying the segmentation of consumer and differentiation of products, we need ensure market-centered organizations that are capable of translating strategy into actions: 1) Engineering: To invest on product development and innovation to continuously provide with relevant service to enhance our competitive advantage of generating leads as well as analytics . 2) Sales force: To divide sales force to separately serve Maryer & Ollies by providing Maryer with long-term, more sophisticated support, providing Ollies with quick & simple service. 3) Marketing: To continue make a buzz for inbound marketing to create inbound marketing community rather than a simple business Finally the strategy has to be sensitive to our current customers, Appendix 5 indicates a tentative layout of the plan. Starting with the internal reorganization, then gradually change the product offering for consumers.

Structured Equity Derivatives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Structured Equity Derivatives - Essay Example Leverage on equity returns over predetermined ranges. Limit or reduce downside exposure to the underlying equities. Even out, compensate or reduce transaction costs as part of multiple option sophisticated investing strategies. The term equity derivative essentially means a class of financial instruments whose value is at least partly derived from one or more underlying equity securities. Market participant's trade structured equity derivatives in order to transfer or transform certain risks associated the underlying. Options are by far the most common equity derivative; however there are many other types of equity derivatives that are actively traded. Ramaswami et al(2001) have lucidly described the concept of structured equity linked derivatives through the concept of Equity Linked Notes(ELNs).They state as follows, "An Equity-Linked Note (ELN) is an instrument that provides investors fixed income like principal protection together with equity market upside exposure. An ELN is stru ctured by combining the economics of a long call option on equity with a long discount bond position. The investment structure generally provides 100% principal protection. The coupon or final payment at maturity is determined by the appreciation of the underlying equity. The instrument is appropriate for conservative equity investors or fixed income investors who desire equity exposure with controlled risk". The figure below explains the profits at the expiration of a fully protected ELN . Current Industry Scenario Since their launch on the London Stock Exchange in 2005, Listed Structured Products have become popular and flexible investment tools for UK wealth managers and brokers. In there simplest form, they offer ETF like access to underlying that may be otherwise difficult or expensive to trade, such as commodities, emerging markets or property indices. The more structured products, such as Accelerators, provide enhanced upside participation with no worse than market risk. In addition they can reduce other risks, such as eliminating currency risk for non UK investments, or provide an element of capital protection in case of market falls. Another range of products are designed for Income seeking investors. These can offer high annual (or semi-annual or quarterly) coupon payments in return for giving away upside market participation. All Listed Structured Products enjoy the benefits of being traded directly on the London Stock Exchange. These include: Transparency:Live, two-way prices are maintained throughout the trading day Ease of trade:Products trade and settle via CREST as with UK equity Liquidity: Trades of 5m+ can be executed at prevailing market prices Flexibility: Min trade size of 1,000 makes products highly accessible Key Terminology:1 Trackers: Tracks an underlying asset (commodity, Halifax house price index, equity indices etc) Cost efficient means to trade an asset Diversify exposure across an index Stamp duty free Typically long-dated or indeed undated with an indefinite lifespan Reverse Trackers: An inverse relationship with the underlying asset Profit from downwards price movements in the underlying Stamp duty free Capital Protected: Exposure to underlying asset at fixed percentage Capital invested is protected at specified level Stamp duty free Yield Enhancement: Track underlying instrument without leveraged downside Can incorporate many different features which affect

Hospitality management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Hospitality management - Essay Example Though I had passion in this field, I had to read and understand many facts about this academic discipline. From void literature to noteworthy complex materials, I embarked on a journey of seeking knowledge. I must admit that although I got varied interpretations, the messages were clear and interesting. Additionally, I must admit that I have been a thinker right through my course as a student of hospitality management. Nonetheless, I must say that through continuous class attendance and personal studies, my skills continue to increase tremendously. As compared to the past, I now know much more and this is something that inspires me most. My critical analysis skills have increased greatly, and undoubtedly, in everything I learn or do, I always ask myself â€Å"why† on very many instances. Although being only a first year student, I have learnt on how to challenge myself by digging deep into manuscripts where I will probably find the necessary details that will not only satisfy me, but also help me in my academic journey. Most importantly, I believe that through education and hard work, one can become successful in life (Annie, Howard & Mildred, 1996, p. 2). To start with, academic skills are a compilation of learning strategies, learning tendencies, and time supervision contrivances, which will enable a student to achieve his or her expectations in school or at college. Many students, me included, understand that learning entails many more things other than accessibility to information. For instance, our tutors always incorporate academic skills in their lessons to help us understand and master the necessary skills and concepts. In fact, these skills help us to tackle exams and tests, and additionally, they are imperative in the days ahead. As a college student, I have attended various workshops to nurture my academic skills. In my first workshop I attended barely

Landscape Architecture Semester Project Term Paper

Landscape Architecture Semester Project - Term Paper Example The institute has original and unique experimental equipments for example vibration tables for earthquakes simulations, climatic chambers used for the purpose of testing of structural elements, components used in building as well as exterior and interiors. The institution is located at 37025’21†W. the CDP as analyzed by the United States Census Bureau has a total amounting to area of about 2.8 square miles which is equivalent to 7.3km2. this area in which this institution is constructed, experiences warm, however, not that much hot and dry summers, with no average monthly temperature measurements above 71.60 F. as described by Koppen Climate system, the institution possesses a warm-summer Mediterranean climate. The institution has a population of about 13810. As a client I will be crucial in ensuring that the core necessities for the building are communicated to various groups involved. I should make sure that the right questions concerning the construction are asked. Stanford University is a private research institute located at Stanford in California. It is also considered one of the most prestigious institutions in the world. It owns the highest undergraduate selectivity and the tops positions in various areas and measures in the United States. Leland Stanford established the institution in 1885. Stanford University is a private research institute located at Stanford in California. It is also considered one of the most prestigious institutions in the world. It owns the highest undergraduate selectivity and the tops positions in various areas and measures in the United States. Leland Stanford established the institution in 1885. Leland was the former governor and senator of United States. The institution was begun in 1891 as a coeducational and non-denominational institution. Stanford University struggled financially after Leland’s demise in the

The Case Against Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Case Against Evolution - Essay Example In order to understand the dangers of teaching evolution, it is first necessary to define the term. Evolution refers to the attempt to establish the origins of life on Earth. This approach is based upon the scientific and naturalistic theories of narrow-minded scientists. The approach is most often espoused by astrophysicists, geologists and biologists (Creation-Evolution Controversy). The scientific method is the sole method of analysis. Morals and the supernatural are irrelevant. Evolutionists argue that the universe was created instantaneously from nothing, that life forms developed slowly, and that life as we know it today is the result of mutations and adaptation to our environment. It is an extraordinarily insular analysis that excludes many other possibilities. It is an exclusionary philosophy. That is dangerous. As an initial matter, it is well-established that evolution is an imperfect science. Although it can be established, through fossils, that mutations have occurred, it cannot be established with any certainty that we originated from a Big Bang. Nor can it be established with any certainty that the Big Bang actually occurred or that there was nothing of substantial existence prior to the Big Bang. These theories are, at best, speculative.

Sexually Transmitted Infections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sexually Transmitted Infections - Essay Example Treatment is with azithromycin (single, 1g dose) or doxycycline (100mg twice daily for a week). A possible complication includes pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This may lead to chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Treponema Pallidum and Neisseria Gonorrhoeae are both infections caused by a bacterium. While the infection with T. Pallidium (syphilis) manifests in the form of painless ulcers on the sites of infection, infection with N. Gonorrhoea (gonorrhea) presents in the form of painful urination, bleeding between periods and discharge from the vagina in women and discharge from the penis and painful, swollen testicles in men. Both infections may be passed from mother to baby. Syphilis may cause anomalies in babies (Syphilis, 2006). Both are diagnosed by detecting the bacterium in scrapings and samples. Syphilis may be diagnosed by detecting antibodies too. Both are treated with antibiotics. Both organisms can pass through blood to other organs. Complications of syphilis mainly involve the cardiovascular system and brain. Gonorrhoea causes PID. This in turn may lead to chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Both infections make the sufferer more susceptible to acquire HIV and if not treated, both may lead to death. I will explain that HSV

Traditional family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Traditional family - Essay Example Life has become so expensive and it is not possible for the man's income to be enough to bring the food on the table. For this case, both parents are forced to work in order to provide for their children. The wife was left alone to do all the house chaos in a traditional family setting which is different today since one can employ a house girl or boy to do the house jobs while the wife go for a white collar job. On the other hand a man was treated like a king and the wife as a servant in the traditional family but today the wife has a bit of freedom since she can choose what she want with her life. House chaos in a traditional family setting was divided in gender. For example, the woman takes care of the children inside the home and the man works outside the home. Each person knew what he or she was supposed to do for example the boys were supposed to help their father while the girls were supposed help their mothers with cooking and washing dishes. Traditional family has some values which are usually social standards brought about by natural forces of nature. These values have been tested customs which normally provide emotional and physical support for rearing offspring. The religious value and traditions reinforce these social values. The traditions reflect a natural order responsible for providing and protecting children as they grow and learn. The tradition family was seen as an institution responsible for bring up physically and emotional healthy children. Naturally, a family institution is suited for supporting each other through unconditional love; growing children and providing for them both physically and emotionally. There has been too much divorce and cohabitating in the society today such that the traditional family is on the decline. There is more than fifty percent divorce in our society today. In the United States, people spends less time in marriage than they used to do as they see no use of marriage and family as well as bearing children. Due to the fact that traditional constituted, the people now see that marriage and family are not satisfying the social and intimacy need of many people. Traditionally, the main aim of marriage was to produce a male heir who was supposed to carry on the family line and not to provide mutual companionship and support for husband and wife. Today, this is very different as people are comfortable with either they get a male or female child. Recent studies have shown that a female child look after their old parent more than their male counterparts against the traditional believe that the male child was better in looking after their aging parent. Many people today value their nuclear family other than the extended family due to drastic economic changes that have affected our economy. For this case, one has to have a smaller family in order to provide basic food to them all with difficulty. On the other hand it is not also possible for one to build big quarters for our extended family hence we are forced to live with our nuclear family.

Nature, Nurture and Personality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nature, Nurture and Personality - Essay Example I believe that it is this base personality that is genetically determined and is the most important factor in determining the true nature of personality. While there remains a number of external factors that contribute to the development and change of an individual’s personality, my personal understanding is that ultimately personality is most closely linked to these genetic factors that are affected upon in a variety of ways by external cultural and environmental factors. Personality is related to culture in a number of prominent ways. Indeed, this question can be considered on a micro and macro level. On a micro level, immediate social relations affect personality as individuals must tailor their personality and demeanor to fit into a variety of social situations. While this is not directly considered an element of culture, it is culture that determines the social structures in which human beings interact. As culture is a learned phenomenon and has evolved over the centuries there are many such elements that influence personality. It’s important in these regards to consider what constitutes personality. While the outward expression of an individual’s actions has become the accepted definition of personality, can one more accurately identify personality as an entity that is more highly personal? In terms of the first definition, culture greatly determines how a person acts in nearly all situations. In this understanding, personality is also an evolving thing that is directly connected to the evolution of culture. As social mores and appropriateness change with the progression of time, or even with the change of one’s culture surroundings (poor New Orleans vs the Hamptons, for instance) personality continues to be strongly linked to culture. While psychoanalytic thinkers believed that personality was greatly affected by early childhood events that become rooted in unconscious desires and impulses (some of which can be

What factors affect heart rate Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What factors affect heart rate - Lab Report Example The heart is an essential and delicate organ of all humans plus animals. This is due to its primary functions, which are indispensable in executing diverse roles and keeping other organs working normally. Mainly, there exists numerous factors, which affect heart functions in diverse ways, but not all of them result in serious life threatening incidences. These factors usually differ radically due to their diverse influences on the heart rate due to their intensities. Principally, heart rate or pulsation is the speed in which it contracts so that it may be able to sustain adequate blood circulation for effective supply of oxygen in all the body tissues. Normally, a healthy person has an average pulsation of 70 – 80 Beats per minute (Bpm), though this owing to certain factors might change. For instance, when the body requires more O2 in its tissues, then the pumping of extra blood is necessary which facilitates more O2, hence escalating pulsation. Hypothesis: Diverse breathing m odes held per minute normally impart noticeable heart pulsation fluctuations. Since, during inspiration it slows down prior resuming to the normal beating (Camm 3). The fluctuations differ drastically depending on the breathing alterations per minute, which is the key exemplification of this report. Heart rate of an individual or any animal is directly comparative to the breathing. Method The experiment implicated measuring of heart rates or pulsation per minute by having diverse breathing modes. This entailed five trials data measuring and recording to ensure attaining of high accuracy during the process, for each set. The independent variable was breathing where for this case to attain reliable results where breathing modes ranges; Normal breathing Holding breath Deep breathing The dependent variable, which will be varying in each set, is the heart rate, where to guarantee its accuracy there is a need for several five recordings per minute. Procedure: Initial set involved taking n ormal breathing pulsation using heart rate monitor per minute and tabulating the five trials in a table prior computing the averages (Telles, Nilkama & Acharya 3). This entailed keen observation meant to ensure consistency of the data. Second measurement encompassed holding the breath for a long period as one would, then tabulating the data within one minute five times to complete the set and calculate the mean. Third set involved breathing deeply for one minute and compute as other sets before taking the average, then followed by computation of the five trials from the three sets. Lastly, there was compiling of the whole class individual records for the three sets coupled with final calculations. Final computations encompassed mean, median standard deviations, modes and diverse graphs to depict their correlations  clearly (Telles, Nilkama & Acharya 2). Data Collection Individual data Table 1: Table for the three sets recorded for five trials. Trials 1 2 3 4 5 Normal set 76.00 75. 00 73.00 75.00 76.00 Average 75.00 Holding breath set 75.00 75.00 77.00 69.00 72.00 Average 73.60 Breathe Deeply set 80.00 76.00 78.00 79.00 78.00 Average 78.20 Whole class average Table 2: Table for Whole class average Rest Hold Breath Breathe Deeply 86.40 84.80 106.80 67.00 65.00 63.00 78.50 74.50 72.50 74.00 84.00 84.00 60.40 74.20 69.00 67.40 73.30 80.30 73.80 79.00 68.20 68.40 69.00 76.20 64.40 72.40 69.20 64.80 68.40 86.20 82.60 83.00 87.40 68.60 76.40 66.60 88.75 102.25 86.00 75.00 73.60 78.20 71.00 73.30 62.00 78.00 74.50 64.80 NB: - Data Assumes 2 Decimal Places. The results attained all through the

History Shows There Is No Such Thing as Absolute Power Essay Example for Free

History Shows There Is No Such Thing as Absolute Power Essay ‘The undiminished ability to act in a particular way, or direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events’. Immediately one thinks of mighty Alexander, seizing every territory he set his eyes upon, or Joseph Stalin suppressing the entire population of the huge Soviet bloc with an iron fist. There are certainly individuals in history that would be regarded as absolutely powerful. Absolute power covers both being able to suppress and control opposition and support, and being able to achieve one’s aims, as both are interdependent. However, history as a study and analysis of the past through examining evidence, has shown that cultural relativism renders absolute power a much sought-after but unattainable possession; no person or organisation has been perfectly in control of their people since knowledge of other cultures has emerged, although some have attempted to claim to command it; even in the 21st Century, as seen by the North Korean rhetoric about the state’s absolute devotion to the Kim dynasty; for example, informing the population they should be willing to ‘become human bulwarks and human shields’ to defend their new leader Kim Jong-un. Since the Greeks first explored beyond their frontiers and came across cultures and religions which differed from their own, and since King Herodotus tried to pay the Greeks and Callatians to swap their respective burial practises (the Greeks burned their dead- the Callatians ate the corpse of their father) and was refused for any money, cultural relativism has existed as an obstacle to obtaining absolute power. Without cultural relativism, there are potential examples of absolute power being flouted. One that springs to mind is the ancient community who built Stonehenge. A supposedly ‘primitive’ people felt compelled to cut bluestones and transport them from south-west Wales either carrying them across hundreds of miles of mountainous and rugged terrain without technology, or by shipping them gradually over in handmade boats, before assembling them into the neat arrangement we can still see today. One prominent theory as to why this project was undertaken is that the stones are religious monuments designed to be worshipped or designed to intimidate worshippers into fearing their god. Either way, this points to a religious leader who had absolute power over his people, meaning he was able to persuade them to carry out this enormous logistical challenge. However, this essay will argue that cultural relativism has meant that apart from isolated communities such as that which built Stonehenge, no individual or organisation has possessed absolute power. On the other hand, some ancient historians would argue that the great Emperors of ancient times had absolute, autocratic power: the mighty King Darius and his vast Persian Empire, in which every provincial leader answered to him. Alexander the Great conquered almost the entire known world. Julius Caesar and his famous ‘veni, vidi, vici’ quotation, a demonstration of the ease with which he overpowered enemies. King Darius may have theoretically held absolute traditional authority over his Empire, being entitled by tradition to rule over every citizen, but it is clear that he didn’t hold absolute power. The wealthy Greek merchants in their colonies threw out Darius’s Persian provincial governors, and when Darius attempted to punish them by attacking their homeland, he was defeated. Even the fact that he had to resort to military force shows that he didn’t hold absolute power over the Greeks who were meant to answer to him as they were living in his Empire, but furthermore his military failed to preserve his power. This shows that he did not hold absolute power, and the Greek merchants rejected his leadership because they disliked it relative to the culture they were used to. Moreover, although Julius Caesar is and deserves to be recognised as an immensely powerful figure in world history, after emerging as the most successful of the Roman generals and doing the most to promote Roman interests in the further provinces, it is clear that he still didn’t hold absolute power. Absolute means universally valid and without dependence on anything else; Julius Caesar did not have the power to win over everyone, which would have prevented his murder. Evidently his power was dependent on the support of his Senate, which he failed to retain. There were over sixty conspirators involved in his murder, and he did not have the power to stop them- demonstrating that he didn’t hold absolute power over his people, as they found his leadership unacceptable relative to others. An anecdote which supports the claim that Alexander the Great did not hold absolute power is the story of his encounter with Diogenes. Alexander came across the philosopher sunbathing, and asked him if there was any favour which, as leader of the biggest Empire in the world, Alexander could fulfil for Diogenes. The philosopher simply requested that he stop obstructing the sun. After this experience, Alexander is said to have claimed that ‘if I were not Alexander, I should like to be Diogenes’, as he found the philosopher’s complete indifference to the offer of a favour from the world’s most powerful man to be such an incredible phenomenon. This shows that Alexander’s military and material wealth and power didn’t stop him from wishing he could instead be this anti-materialist philosopher. Diogenes had the power to make Alexander feel that he would prefer to be someone else, so that, even momentarily, he scored an emotional victory over him; if Alexander had had absolute power over his Empire, nobody should have been able to defeat him in any way. Throughout the Dark Ages, and the Middle Ages, it could be argued that the church had absolute power in parts of Europe, as the typical image of the ordinary European peasant is one of devout, God-fearing Christianity. However, an interesting and relevant point that Carr made in his book, What is History?, is that, with religious leaders and monks being the only literate people throughout this era, records of this time are written solely from their perspective, and therefore give the impression of a very devoutly religious period in Europe. However, this could be a falsified impression, as the enlightenment and other events such as the atheistic Communist revolution later on in Russia in 1917 demonstrate that the peasants and ordinary working classes of these countries were perhaps not as influenced and submitted to control by the church as first thought. Constantly through these times there were bitter disputes between the Pope and bishops, and the nobility and royalty that ruled over Europe, the most famous of which ended in Henry VIII abandoning the Vatican and establishing the Church of England. These power struggles display that neither the religious authorities nor the monarchies had anything that could be described as absolute power. Perhaps the monarchy were against the idea of Papal consultation, relative to the image they had of rulers before the Common Era who weren’t constrained by religious authorities- but obviously this would have been rejected by their religious subjects. This is another case of cultural relativism undermining absolute power. After the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, with the decline of religious authority and an autocratic hereditary hierarchy in Europe, the power balance alters. Although some areas are still governed by monarchy, for example Russia with the Tsars, other areas see the introduction of parliamentary systems and constitutional monarchy. One key theme of the enlightenment, debatably, was to eliminate even the idea of ‘absolute power’ and absolutist, arbitrary rule by promoting democracy and fair government. For example, in France, with the execution of Louis XVI, a Republic was established. However, the result was far from a fair society in which the government was held to account. Power in France moved between different dictatorial regimes until it was seized by Napoleon Bonaparte and the Consulate. Some would argue that Napoleon held absolute power; he conquered as he willed, and ruled over a large empire autocratically despite the fact that many in Europe now supported the idea of deliberative government. He even had the audacity to declare that he wouldn’t ‘give a fig for a million lives’ in the face of conquering new territories, something that surely only someone with absolute, unassailable power would be able to say without being removed from a position of responsibility. However, on the other hand, it is evident that he failed to retain absolute power. During his rule, there was unrest throughout his territory: from 1808, for example, the Spanish people began an ongoing and constant campaign of resistance against Napoleon’s men, which could not be suppressed despite his best efforts. Then, eventually, he was defeated, and then defeated again, and ended up alone in exile on the Island of St Helen. It is possible that if the people had not had knowledge from foreign sources of more benevolent and successful rulers, they would not have overthrown Napoleon; their ability to relate their experience to other cultures caused them to oppose Napoleon. This Napoleonic style, of attempting to seize absolute, autocratic power and ruling without the security of populism has been demonstrated in dozens of scenarios since Napoleon’s fall, with a myriad of totalitarian dictatorships in Europe and beyond which attempted to suppress and rule with absolute authority. However, each example can be knocked down. Hitler, it could be argued, took power on the merit of his charismatic personality and the appeal of his vision of a strong German people- whether by attracting enough popularity or simply making his thuggish SS a large and strong-willed enough organisation to secure his high position. From then on he suppressed opposition both at home and in German-occupied territory. The way in which he achieved this largely as an individual and then ruled so strongly whilst often ignoring suggestions from his advisors, could be described as holding absolute power over Germany and the territories conquered. Furthermore, some optimists might argue that the instigation of the Holocaust against the Jews and other ‘undesirables’ implies that he had absolute power over people, as ordinary human nature would produce repulsion at the very idea, and yet it was carried out. On the other hand, there is much evidence of resistance within Germany against Hitler’s regime- ranging from political opposition by Catholics and across general German society against the T4 programme (‘euthanasia’ mass murder of disabled people), to the ‘Red Orchestra’ Communists distributing propaganda leaflets, and of course the numerous assassination plots and attempts by Hitler’s own men. The ‘Red Orchestra’ example is very useful to my argument; they had not lived under a Communist system, but had read the teachings of Karl Marx and other Communist writers and therefore felt that relative to the Nazi system, Communism would be the best for Germany. While it is true that none of these were successful as such (except, to some extent, the opposition to T4), they certainly weren’t what Hitler desired and he had not the power to prevent them. Another major dictator of the 20th Century was Josef Stalin; although the Communist state was already in existence, he still needed his skill and slyness to seize power by using his role as party secretary to eliminate potential opponents, and especially by propelling himself ahead of Trotsky in terms of popularity through behaviour such as deceiving him into travelling to an eastern province so that he wasn’t present at Lenin’s funeral. He then purged Russia, the Communist Party and the army in order to ensure absolute control, and this made internal opposition to his regime virtually inexistent in terms of visible or united resistance. His Stalinist ideology also catapulted the USSR very quickly from a backward nation to a major world power, enabling them to withstand the German Operation Barbarossa (consequently, another failure of Hitler’s) and then even to push on until they formed a stand-off with the USA and Britain in Germany. With no opposition to him within his country (and so no possibility of assassination or being toppled), and these incredible achievements, some would infer that he must have had absolute power. Be that as it may, when we explore Stalin’s aims we can see that he was largely unsuccessful. His five-year-plans demanded unattainably high increases in output- such as 200% more iron produced and 335% more electricity. However, there is much evidence that factory owners and officials ‘cooked the books’ and exaggerated production when reporting back to the Party, in order to prevent being punished for failing to keep up. This would mean that Stalin could not achieve all that he wanted. Furthermore, one of his stated aims was to reverse Russia’s backwardness in order to avoid being ‘crushed’ by the developed capitalist powers. While he did generate huge industrialisation which propelled the USSR forwards so that in 1945 it emerged as one of two world superpowers, it was at the expense of over twenty million Russians dead in around two decades, due to famines caused by economic reforms or in the gulags and the purges; this huge cost is a death rate that resembles a backward nation far more than a developed one, and so some would argue that it shows that Stalin also failed in this aim. Finally, his struggle with the Western powers, for example through annexing eastern European countries into the Soviet bloc, although continued to some extent by his successors, was lost in the end. By 1990, the USSR had begun to unravel significantly as former members became independent countries and satellite states such as Ukraine and Estonia, and turned to democracy and the free market, after first breaking the propaganda limitations in order to learn of the other way of life, until Russia formally ended Communism in the year 1991. Stalin’s legacy failed to prevent cultural relativism from reaching into the population of the USSR. On the other hand, it could be argued that although he failed to prevent the future further expansion of the USSR his huge legacy in turning Russia around into the developed nation it is today shows his absolute power. Stalin and his ideology are still popular in modern Russia, as he is seen as a hero by many for seeing off the Nazi German invasion. This legacy, coupled with the extent to which he did manage to prevent notable opposition within his territory and beyond (for example, the assassination of Trotsky in Mexico), make him an individual who was close to achieving the coveted status of having absolute power in his ‘empire’, but still his failure to achieve what he wanted demonstrates that it would be untrue to describe him as such. And now approaching the present in terms of era, an example which was mentioned much earlier on in this essay, the Kim dynasty in North Korea; they make use of the personality cult, controls on education and media, and the secret police which were used to implement Stalin’s leadership in the USSR; however like him, they have been unable to carry out their aims. Kim Jong-Il aimed to make North Koreans the ‘most prosperous people on Earth’, but under his new economic reforms, millions died in a famine and all were affected by a famine which resulted in the army downgrading the height requirements for soldiers to sign up. They have also failed to prevent the black market from flourishing in North Korea and more importantly, they haven’t been able to stop Chinese smugglers from bringing in evidence of the prosperity experienced in South Korea and other countries. Therefore despite not being in particular danger of being overthrown by the people, due to their repressive regime, the Kim dynasty have not had the power to fulfil their plans. The same could be said of the solid Communist Party in China: although they are relatively secure in their position, with legal sovereignty guaranteed over the United Front as stated by the constitution, they have had to open up to imports and exports and allow free market economics, as their Communist planned economy failed. In modern times, nobody has succeeded in fully repressing their people, as defection and resistance has always been possible if not completely successful. Absolute power cannot be attributed to any modern day regimes, because knowledge of outside cultures always finds a way in, and the people learn of their relatively poor situation and rebel. One of the important phenomena to observe over the next few years is that of South Korean DVDs being smuggled into North Korea and allowing the people exposure to other cultures; this could potentially lead to an inability to further repress the people, to combine with the failure to achieve the Kim families’ aims. It is important to consider religion when looking at this question, as we have already conceded that religious authorities in some isolated communities could have held absolute power over their followers. One could argue that especially in the case of the Abrahamic religions, which are characterised by their belief in one single, omnipotent and omniscient God, absolute power is demonstrated by the infallibility of those who represent this one God- for example, the Pope, or the Iranian Ayatollah. In the most devout of communities and times, any religious disagreement could end in death- for example, the burning of Protestants or Catholics at the stake during the European battle between these two ideologies. This can be seen as religious authorities suppressing any opposition to the rule of God. Then, there are many examples of God’s representatives influencing people to act how he would will; for example, the Crusades saw hundreds of rich knights, under the influence of the Pope, leaving the luxury and relative safety of their castles and estates to recover Jerusalem, a city they had never visited. This can be seen as religion and its leaders having the absolute power to control the actions of others. However, for one thing the misuse of the aforementioned tradition of burning religious enemies, by which people would accuse those they disliked or coveted of belonging to the undesirable faith, shows that often people weren’t following the leadership of God but using this phenomenon to their selfish advantage. Another point against religious figures having absolute power is the decline in religious participation and the growth of atheism- this ongoing decline in terms of support of god as a leader demonstrates a decline in power. In times of strife, such as the suffering of the Russians under the Tsar, people lose their faith in religious hierarchies- and in this particular example the atheistic Soviet system was spawned. In addition to this decrease in willingness to submit to religious commands, there is a clear increase in actual opposition to religion- the growth of Humanism and the growing popularity of figures such as Richard Dawkins, who preaches anti-religion and anti-theism, show that God is being undermined as a leader and so can’t have absolute power over humanity as some religious leaders would intend. From exploring all these example of hugely powerful individuals and organisations, ranging from the autocratic emperors of Ancient civilisation, to the absolute monarchies of the middle ages, the Church and the modern totalitarian dictatorships and regimes such as Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany, or even the Communist Party in the People’s Republic of China, we can see that although their achievements are often incredible, and required huge amounts of power and ability, none of them have been able to perfectly fit both criteria- full suppression of opposition and the full ability to achieve what they wished. Inability to fulfil their political aims can often be put down to a failure to crush opposition, and the failure to crush opposition was caused by knowledge of other cultures which the people enjoyed the idea of more than they enjoyed their own; cultural relativism. When people get the idea into their heads that there are other systems which would benefit them and make their lives better, it is impossible to fully and permanently extinguish this and continue reigning on without reforming policy (failing to do what you want) or falling from power (failing to protect against the opposition). Therefore, the only time when history can show us absolute power is in isolated communities in which the people had no understanding or conception of an alternative way of life, such as the Ancient Britons who built Stonehenge. Bibliography A Little History of the World- E.H. Gombrich What Is History? E.H. Carr Nazi Aggression- Planned or Improvised? (The Historian)- Hendrik K. Hogrefe Webography Who Built Stonehenge? Stuart Carter (First Science) http://www.livius.org/caa-can/caesar/caesar_t09.html http://www.e-classics.com/ALEXANDER.htm http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/reps.html (Stalin) http://www.chinacyber.com/china_glance/politics.htm Polak

Identifying Personal Strengths And Weaknesses English Language Essay

Identifying Personal Strengths And Weaknesses English Language Essay A reason for identifying personal strengths and weaknesses is to help achieve success in my professional life, personal life, as well as the role that I play in a learning team to be most effective goals. We also have under developed areas or weaknesses that need improvement. By identifying these strengths and weaknesses, we can better ourselves, and we can improve the weaker areas while using our strengths to our advantage. Part of what makes every person unique is a personality that consists of both strengths and weaknesses. My personal strengths are having a good sense of humour, taking responsibility for my actions, ability to be trained quickly, and finding the most efficient way to execute a process. My weaknesses consist of having a lack of discipline to complete undesirable tasks, procrastination, punctuality, and introversion. MAIN BODY I believe that finding the humour in any situation is my key to maintaining a positive attitude. Having a good sense of humour is very important and helps me deal with lifes day-to-day stresses. I enjoy an open banter with close friends and making fun of their decisions which, in hindsight, were found to be unwise. In addition, I can also laugh about something absurd that I did. It is important that I take responsibility for my decisions and actions. More often, it seems that people are not held accountable. Society, in general, seems to be tolerant of excuses and reasons why a person should not be blamed. If I made a mistake, I am able to accept the consequences of my action. Learning how to do things has always come easily to me. Once I have been shown how to operate something or what process to follow, I am able to repeat it correctly. As a child I effortlessly learned how to play several instruments; the piano and flute. As an adult, when I am given an assignment to complete at college, I will find the quickest and easiest way in order to complete the task. I hope to maintain my effortless ability to learn as I continue through school.   My lack of discipline often causes me to procrastinate with getting things done. If I know something can be accomplished on another day then I will wait. This weakness has caused me to rush around at the last minute to get things done. Often, I get frustrated with myself for not starting sooner, but procrastinating continues to be a challenge.   This weakness also leads to my inability to be punctual. I am frequently late to many functions because I do not leave myself enough time to prepare. Luckily, I have close friends who are tolerant and continue to include me on their invitations. At times, I paid the consequences for being late; doctors appointments had to be rescheduled and opportunities were missed. Because one of my weaknesses is being an introvert, I am often viewed as snobbish and boring. This makes it difficult for most people to relate to me and makes it harder for me to make acquaintances. I look forward to working in teams at school to help me overcome this obstacle. As I spend more time with someone, I get more relaxed around that person and become more outgoing. I am thankful to have a small group of close friends with whom I am very comfortable.   These attributes are a result of outside influences and life experiences. By recognizing my weaknesses, I am able to take the following steps towards making progress in order to avoid procrastinating, I have begun utilizing my planner to schedule my time wisely; whenever I find myself being critical, I remind myself that I am in no position to be judgmental; and when I catch myself being reclusive, I remind myself to not be afraid of making a stupid comment. Everyone has personal weaknesses. Those of us who are wise recognize them and try to overcome these character flaws. Others ignore their personal weaknesses and find themselves repeating mistakes and leading unfulfilled lives. The secret to self-improvement is to discover your fallibilities and either correct them, or find a way to turn them into strengths. I have many weaknesses. Only my mother thinks that I am perfect. But I see the flaws. Just as I look into a mirror and examine my face for wrinkles and gravy hairs on a daily basis, I also look into my soul to see my inner imperfections. While a little Botox and hair colouring can fix your outer defects, the inner journey to self-improvement is not quite as easy. You have to be able to see your own faults. The secret of how to overcome your personal weaknesses lies within you and how willing you are to look within your true self. CONCLUSION What one person considers strength could be viewed by another as a weakness. Knowing my weaknesses helps me to plan ways to overcome them when I am doing tasks and interacting with others. I need to be kinder to myself and less rigid about things being just so. I also need to be more sensitive and understanding of others who do not embrace my perfectionist habits. I believe to be a life learning experience. I have certain personal strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what I am good at and what I am weak in can help me to become better person. Recognizing weaknesses along with having the desire to improve on them is a skill that I have. If I realize I have a weakness in a certain area of my life, I will work to improve myself in that area. I also use my personal strengths to improve myself in the areas where I am weak. Greatest personal strength that permeates into other areas of my life is persistent to be good at anything that I do. I set high standards for myself. I believe in doing things well in order to be successful with what I do and with the commitments I make.   QUESTION 2 INTRODUCTION To drive yourself to have passion in study to look over the material before you read it. Warm up the mind on the subject matter before you begin to study. Get yourself interested in the material that you are about to study. Imagine why it actually is important to you or else make up a reason that motivates you to pay attention. Read with total focused concentration in alpha using the tri-focus technique for the duration of your attention span. In eyes closed Alpha, imagine that you are fully confident that you know the information and will be able to recall it anytime, especially under pressure. Go back over what you just read, very quickly over what you realized that you already knew. Go very quickly over what you totally understood. Although think over, what you dont need to know stop and study only what is left. Review what you know, study only what you didnt get the first time through. MAIN BODY As in a real life as a student I will make myself to have the passion in studying is like I have to keep on studying every day instead of hoping the material will bring you into a focused concentration state, my focus my concentration first on my peaceful place and then shift over to the material I am learning. Another thing about paying attention is that it is much easier to pay attention to something when i have some kind of idea what I am going to pay attention to before I am pay attention to it. Its much easier to move into the process of learning, when the mind/spirit/heart is warmed up. So step one, i scan the material. This is not reading, or even skimming. I were take a look at what I am about to read, just looking at a few words on each page, the words that pop out for me, just thinking about what subject this is, before i read it. The subject of studies is all connected to and revolves around human activity. A study of these is only going to improve the quality of our own life. This thought may help me to love studies. I will make it a part of myself and my lifestyle. If i incorporate studies into my everyday schedule within a short amount of time i will find that it has become second nature for me to study. Regardless of what I am want to study and i should always try to be curious and most importantly enjoy what I am doing. I shall think of new ways to learn and try to apply what I learn to things that i see happening around me. Its great to see myself to enthusiastic and willing to study. I might have to use fantasy. Make myself impressing with the subject I am going to studying. So what do i love in life? Bring it into my studies. While I am studding I should keep it fun.not stressful it is just my interest that i found something interesting, and then i discover how do that? That is study by practice and keenness on the subject. I ought to motivate by myself when I am studying. I provide myself to have a free time. Make sure that I am sitting in a comfortable place, with adequate lighting and no noise. In one of my articles about stress i explained how such external factors can prevent you from concentrating while studying and thus reduce the effectiveness of your studying methods. The key to effective studying isnt cramming or studying longer, but studying smarter. I can begin studying smarter to the passion in studies. Another extremely important studying tip is to make me more passion in studies is to make sure that information is being stored inside me as long term memory and not my short term memory. By writing what i studied or by studying it over and over again me will make sure that the information was stored in my long term memory. So while I am reading i try to make it colourful and pretty of the studying pages an also I willing to choose a room that i feel comfortable being in. Like a library, in a classroom, Starbucks, Tim Hortonsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Anywhere that will make me feel motivate and inspired while I am studying. Also, try to relax, watch a funny show or do something that makes me feel good so that at the next step while am prefer to study i will have the passion to study again. As a student i also have to avoid studying all my subjects at the same time. Research shows that there is better remembering and less interference if only one subject is learned during a particular study session. I use a partner that is another good recitation strategy is to get with a partner and quiz each other. This is most effective when my partner has already done significant studying and of course not only should each partner ask for simple facts from the material, but it is especially helpful if partners make up questions for the other partner to answer. This is kind of study will make me to be passion in the studies well. I will remind myself that study is not only motivate its helps myself to have passion now and forever so all i need to do is just keep taking action on studying. CONCLUSION Lastly, I give myself the time to learn that material, rather than try to take every single bit of information in at once. I put that in the corner of my eye while I am studying. I will definitely going to have the passion in studies and i will be smarter in study with the passion. What I usually do is when i complete one of the studies I set for myself and obligation to give myself a reward. The reward system gives me more an incentive to reach that goals in part of already achieve my passion on studying. This will makes me to drive myself to have passion in study.