Biological Criminal Behavior

Tariff, diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic In 1 991, has a very long psychiatric history. After years and years of his family trying to et him committed and just going from one hospital to another the story was not getting any better. One week before the murder he was arrested for a violent behavior at one of the hospitals. With Just a slap on the hand, he was released Into the community to go on to kill Kathy Vaughan just the next week. David Tariff has been evaluated and committed more then a dozen times in his life time.Over the years he has been put on many of drugs to treat schizophrenic and bipolar such as lithium, Departed, Hallo, Carousel and Zappers and along with that, shock treatments have been given. After months of being in state hospitals and psychiatric reports, it has been determined that David Tariff is unfit to stand trial. After being found fit to stand trial in one county in Queens, New York another county in Manhattan says he Is not fit to stand trial.Tariff I s now back at Rulers Island, where his attorney says he is not taking his medication all the time and has been suicidal in the last couple of months. The psychopath is unable to feel sorry for others in unfortunate situations or put himself in another's place, whether or not they have been harmed by him. â€Å"They are all very egocentric individuals with no empathy for there, and they are Incapable of feeling remorse or guilt† (The Psychopath:Rebecca Horton, April 1999).The study of the psychopath reveals a person who is not capable 1 OFF the difference between right and wrong but think it does not apply to them. The psychopath is incapable of normal emotions such as love and they generally do things without first considering the consequences. So, the question is, Does biology play a key role in explaining the offender's criminality? Is there a real answer to this question? In this paper we are going to look at behaviors that constitute psychopath.We will also discuss the sp ecific behaviors demonstrated by David Tariff that align with behaviors of a psychopathic individual. We will also discuss the genetic or physiological evidence that supports the notion that biology played a key role in explaining the offender's crimes. Is David Tariff a psychopath or Just another person trying to get away murder? The answer is up to the reader I guess but so far Mr.. Tariff is where he wants to be and going to court in the near future.

Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and the Traces of History

This paper probes in the historical events included in the Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. At the offset, the movie presented the events that have transpired in French history with fresh eyes. The result is both interesting and engaging. It is interesting in the sense that the form (which is film) through which history was rendered provided entertainment to the viewers. At the same time, the movie is engaging as it was able to capture the historical events that, to me, challenged the viewers to analyze history deeper. In this paper, I will highlight the historical allusions in the movie that coincide in the last instance with the actual events that occurred in France more than two centuries ago. I will show that, among others, the film articulated the extravagant life of Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution, the â€Å"human† side of the queen, and the period of Enlightenment. The fifth element that I will focus on is what the film unwittingly revealed in its precise attempt to conceal – that is the fact that Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI are not innocent victims.   I will argue that the tenuous conflation of film and history proved a success (and failure) in the case of Marie Antoinette. . Music as Social Critique Of all its features, â€Å"Marie Antoinette† was an interesting cinematic experience because of the music. It is through music that the film was able to convey a historical account of Marie Antoinette’s life. It is already commonplace that Marie Antoinette lived a life of luxury, and the film showed this from the beginning until the end. According to historical records, Marie Antoinette’s lifestyle was too extravagant that the general populace suffered (see Fraser 2001).   This affluence of French royalty was showcased in the film with the help of music. It was a joy to watch French royalty in their elaborate garb cavorting with their consorts and ladies-in-waiting to the sound of 80s post-punk. Perhaps to evoke the ironic joie de vivre of the 80s juxtaposed to the dionysian lifestyle (as opposed to hedonism) of the French king and queen and her court, they danced to an adaptation of Siouxsie and the Banshee’s â€Å"Hong Kong Garden† which was played by a string ensemble. The song then segued into the original post-punk version signifying a higher level of joy and abandon for everyone. In one scene, The Cure’s â€Å"Plainsong† was played during the couple’s coronation – an important and extensive shot taken on the steps of the Versailles. I’ve always thought that the music of The Cure was cinematic but the band evoked visions of modern dystopia for me- of highways, electric poles and sad abandoned factories; instead of men wearing wigs and tights and women with exposed bosoms under dainty parasols during the last gasps of European feudalism. The forlorn but quintessential New Order song, â€Å"Ceremony† is played in another party scene to create a contrast to the revelry of the French royal upperclass. Jarring as these may have been, these clever bits of musical scoring not only comprise the best thing about the film but also serve as its ideological heart. Of course, the average listener is not expected to recognize many of these songs. In fact, in most parts, what one hears are just instrumental excerpts from some obscure track of a particular musical genre from the 90s labeled as â€Å"shoegaze† music. While this cultural referencing from the early 90s in film is unusual (only Araki has done this to much success in â€Å"The Doom Generation† which was made during the early 90s), it is also apt since these attempts highlight all the more the cinematic traits of the dated but enduring genre. The contribution of Kevin Shields (who also did work for Lost in Translation) from the legendary shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine as well as the excellent selections from current Swedish band The Radio Dept. attest to the â€Å"hip† and â€Å"cred† consistency in Sofia Coppola’s work as well as indicating her appreciation for the lost musical genre. Remember that in her first critically acclaimed oeuvre, â€Å"The Virgin Suicides,† she also featured in the soundtrack the French duo with high â€Å"cred† points – Air. However, this time around, I believe that the clever use of contemporary music serves a purpose beyond achieving the â€Å"coolness factor† that the director is known for. It foregrounds an interesting but controversial take on a pivotal moment in the history of western society. History in/through Cinema Not only did the film powerfully show the frivolous existence of Marie Antoinette and the French Monarchy but also the manner by which this existence was put to an end by the French people. The French Revolution was only shown at the last scenes of the film yet it serves a potent reminder of how the oppressed classes of French society stood up and fought. If only for this, the film briefly yet powerfully captured the historical change that transpired during the French Revolution of 1793. It must be noted though that the death of Marie Antoinette and other French royalties indeed sparked hope, however brief a moment. I say this since the French monarchy was soon after replaced by the rule of the bourgeois (see Doyle 2001). This transition was no longer included in the film yet the fact remains that the vital force of the French Revolution served as a compelling conclusion in the life of Marie Antoinette. Marie Antoinette and the Louis-Auguste were the King and Queen of France at the onset of the historic French Revolution. This event marked the political culmination of the unprecedented social and economic changes that began with the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. It represented the victory of an emerging economic order whose political form was represented by the French Republicans. At the prodding of the bourgeois liberals who pushed for the republican ideals of the right to suffrage and democratic leadership, the peasants stormed the Bastille and later the royal palace of Versailles effectively heralding the demise of the French monarchy. The defeat of the royalists as manifested in the violent deaths of Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI by the guillotine and the subsequent rise of the French Republic meant new political and social arrangements that to some represent the defining shift from the â€Å"Dark Ages† to the Modern Era. One of this epoch’s key features is the ascendancy of the belief that, finally, man’s destiny is in its own hands and not under the control of some sovereign and God-ordained power as represented by the monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church. Simultaneous, therefore, with the film’s showing of the French Revolution is the showing of the period of Enlightenment.   This includes the understanding that societies are wholly human artifacts subject to the collective will and power of the people that ideologically challenged the class structure of not only the monarchy and its feudal base but also early capitalism and its liberal pretensions. Many therefore, including Marie Antoinette, interpret the French revolution as a progressive step away from the extreme inequities of feudal society and monarchical political formations and some quarters even regard it as an event that points to the possibility of egalitarian human societies (see also Lancaster 1953). Marie Antoinette and Modernity However, the film â€Å"Marie Antoinette† takes on a different stance regarding modernity. For Coppola and Antonia Fraser, whose book the film was based on, to depict the relatively unknown but human story of the Princess of Vienna who became Queen of France from the other side of â€Å"his-tory† so-to-speak, is in itself an important statement. More so because Marie Antoinette is mistakenly vilified in history texts as the callous Queen who, in the midst of France’s bread shortage and general economic crisis, allegedly quipped â€Å"let them eat cake† in all her regal pomposity (see Thomas 1999). Coppola shows to us instead a sympathetic and unknown side to the lives of these pampered royalties. The film takes great pains to show the struggle of Marie Antoinette and the King as they fit in to the unreasonable demands of being royalties as well as the privileges that they enjoyed. We are made to understand their humanity as they recapture their innocence in the Dionysian abandon of royal masquerades, deal with deaths in the family, and even suffer the distinct boredom of the rich and spoiled. Some historians have also tried to present us this â€Å"human† side of Marie Antoinette and the French Monarchy. According to their studies, Marie Antoinette is not as evil as popularly presupposed (see Fraser 2001). Apparently, this is the same point the movie is trying to make. That is why when the mob arrived at the palace gates, we are immediately herded by the film to the side of royalty since it is they who we are more familiar with; it is they who we found funny and endearing. Never mind that it is the moment of justice for the angry multitude as they vent out their anger after centuries of carrying the feudal yoke in order to provide the monarchs with the resources for their grand lifestyle and capricious wars. Never mind that it is modernity and human progress that is, in a manner of speaking, knocking on the gates of Versailles and that this singular event would inspire movements of liberation throughout the world including our country’s own struggle against colonizers. Coppola deftly avoids all these issues by framing this historical narrative through Marie Antoinette’s eyes. What is presented to us instead is the consistent template in film of how individuals, in the general sense, are victimized by history’s unsentimental march. It subtly laments Maria Antoinette and Louis XVI’s persecution since they were merely thrown into circumstances they did not choose. The reach of the royal imagination, the film seemingly apologizes, cannot go beyond the intricate pastries, the petticoats and the other regal accoutrements of their regal existence. Thus, when the mob, who was comprised of the first liberals in their original incarnation, demanded the King and Queen’s literal heads, a degree of sadness was warranted. There was no indignation expressed in the film akin to the moral appeal of the liberal critique against Stalin (â€Å"the revolution will devour its own children,† and it seems that the liberals also had an appetite for pale monarchs), but through a somewhat Nietzschean lamentation for the lost of dionysian beauty and innocence. This was expressed in the film in a lingering shot of a defiled royal salon after the mob stormed the palace. The room was once full of vibrant life, colors, opulence and laughter. Now, it was a drab grey room of broken furniture and torn curtains perhaps anticipating the abandoned factories of Manchester. Was Coppola intimating the view that history’s march towards modernity must be interpreted in this way? Does she share the same dystopic vision of modern society as those espoused by this band of angsty and socially dysfunctional philosophers in the persons of Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Foucault whose disdain for modernity is legendary and influential to this day? The Element of Ahistoricity in Marie Antoinette By focusing therefore with the intricacies in the life of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, the film was able make the audience sympathize with them. The possible danger here is the dilution of the revolution which culminated in the reign of Maria Antoinette and Louis XVI. Some studies have also pointed out the quirks of the royal couple without dismissing the crime that they have committed (see Cronin 1989). The use of contemporary cultural references for an otherwise period setting is therefore an important element in the light of these observations. The film achieves an ahistorical sheen as if insisting that its lessons are timeless if not enduring to this day. It seems to argue an interesting point – that the fate of Maria Antoinette and Louis XVI, who also danced to Siouxsie and the Banshee’s â€Å"Hong Kong Garden† – they in an elaborate ball and we in our dingy night clubs – are also our shared destinies. We are, in a manner of speaking, modernity’s common victims. If the two were hanged by a vengeful mob at the cusp of modernity, we are its sad disenfranchised heirs existing in the rubble of modernity as a failed experiment two centuries hence. This is the shared stance of thinkers such as Nietzsche, Heidegger and Foucault. Modern life is synonymous to mediocrity, alienation (or inauthenticity) and debilitating bio-power (that society is one big prison and there is no escape). Our only refuge is towards individualism, introspection, and caring for the self. What better way to drive home this point through music than to employ the sensibility of post-punk’s true heirs – shoegaze. There are some interesting parallelisms between developments in social theory and popular culture. There was an attempt by the counter-cultural folk movement of the 60s in translating its agenda into a potent political force. However, the failure of the Paris Commune coincided with the cooptation of folk into â€Å"hippie†-dom and later corporate arena rock. In the academe, a post-political (or post-socialist condition) also assumed an influential position wherein the likes of Nietzsche, Heidegger and Foucault became the gurus of a veiled individualism that places in its diametrical opposite society and history. Punk presented a brief respite attracting a wide section of Britain’s disaffected and unemployed youth under Thatcherism but eventually folded because of its nihilism and absence of class politics. This resignation is now embodied in the broad post-punk category that includes a variety of styles – self-referential and heavily sentimental at times while being angular and loud in others. Most of these bands eschewed the political and even anarchic stance of punk and insisted on appropriating an introspective tone while salvaging the innocent harmonies of The Beach Boys and the pop songcraft of the Beatles from the 60s. Of course, in the larger context, mass culture was the more dominant cultural form where artists such as Madonna and Michael Jackson represented the new apex in consumerist popular culture. In the sub-cultural field, however, the post-punk ethos was eventually adapted by a new musical movement that melded together the dark undertones of cult bands such as Joy Division and The Cure with the ethereal pop sound of The Cocteau Twins and the drone of The Velvet Underground in the late 80s to early 90s. The result is a musical movement that has come be labeled as shoegaze because of the penchant of these genre’s guitar players to look down on their effects boxes to create their complex and dense signature guitar sound. Meanwhile, in the academe, the same sensibilities are also gaining ground with the fashionable rise of postmodernism and its celebration of eclecticism, ahistoricity, identity politics and a deep and unrelenting individualism. It is, thus, no accident that these post-punk and the shoegaze movements found its most rabid supporters among the college set. By the 90s, the cult status of these sub-genres has imploded into the mainstream with the rise of the â€Å"alternative† and Nirvana. With its wall of feedback, unintelligible vocals and sweeping melancholia, shoegaze’s sound performs the sad and confused resignation of the post-political era. Marie Antoinette now follows a long line of fashionably sad cultural icons that include Kurt Cobain and the wind-swept plastic bag in â€Å"American Beauty.† These films make a claim for sadness as the universal currency of modernity whether you be of royal lineage or a working class clone (or even an inanimate object) and our only balm or remedy is to wallow in Kevin Shield’s eloquent but loud and beautiful sound of sadness as we mourn the death of all-too-human Marie Antoinette – our new postmodern pop icon. But of course we know better. Therefore, what the film tried to do was paint Marie Antoinette as a victim of history. What strikes us as suspicious is our knowledge that she had the choice to change the social system. What prevented them for doing so was perhaps their passionate attachment to what the French people are asking them to give up. It was of course tremendously difficult for Marie Antoinette to give up her lifestyle that rests on the wretchedness of the general populace since it was perhaps what she has been used to all her life. This is precisely the problem with the ideological stakes raised by the film and the philosophical persuasions that side with such a dystopic reading of humanity’s past, present and future. For that matter, these also draw attention to the utter lack of radical promise among the educated American youth because an assessment of even indie culture indicates that they are either too emo, fragmented and individualist to wield any form of potent politics unlike their French forbearers who were willing to destroy the monarchy in order to build liberal democracy. Modernity continues to be a necessary human project in the light of the continuing inequalities of our modern life. Men and women must not relent in the political task of charting the direction of human history, the sadness and violence of the struggle notwithstanding. Works Cited: Cronin, Vincent, Louis and Antoinette. London: The Harvill Press, 1989. Doyle, William The Oxford history of the French Revolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989. Fraser, Lady Antonia. Marie Antoinette, The Journey. New York: Anchor, 2006. Lancaster, Carrington. French Tragedy in the Reign of Louis XVI: And the Early Years of the French Revolution, 1774-1792. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press, 1953. Thomas, Chantal. The Wicked Queen: The Origins of the Myth of Marie-Antoinette. trans. by Julie Rose. London: Zone Books, 2001.

What Makes a Top 100 Hospital

What Makes a Top 100 Hospital 5/21/2012 DeVry University HSM 310 I feel that Johns Hopkins Hospital made the top 100 hospitals because they are more than just a hospital. It is also a medical research facility and a teaching facility (Johns Hopkins Medicine). This facility offers a wide variety of services to their patients which include community hospitals and outpatient sites. Also, they have services for out of state and international patients. Johns Hopkins is world renown for not only their teaching facilities but also for their research in cancer and AIDS.They have a center or department for every healthcare need you could think of in their facility. I also feel that their structure and organization of their facility is very well set up. They have information on what that center has to offer, treatment information and the history of that center. The services that they offer to international patients are that they have a team that is fluent in 20 plus languages and they tailor t he patients’ cultural, religious and special needs if needed.They have affiliations with not only North America but Europe, Asia, Latin American and the Middle East (Johns Hopkins Medicine). The services that they offer for out of state patients is that they help you find the right specialist for your needs, then set up an appointment, they also help you find the best travel and lodging options for your needs. Most hospitals do no worry about how you are getting there; this facility seems to genuinely care about their patients.I feel that what they can offer to their international patients and out of state patients is something that places them higher than most because of the wide variety of affiliations that they have and the care that they put into your visit at their facility. I also feel that what Mr. Hopkins envisioned helped this facility become not only one of the top 20 of the top 100 hospitals but the number one hospital of the top 20. To me his vision was to set up a hospital to help the poor without regard to anything else but their health.Also, it was designed for the people who had coverage to receive the care they needed and wanted. He wanted a staff that was compassionate and caring, who was highly trained. The services that they offer for the suburban hospital is great for the people who cannot afford medical care. It is a not for profit hospital. References Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n. d. ). Retrieved from Out of State and International Patients: http://www. hopkinsmedicine. org/patient_care/out_state. html Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n. d. ). Retrieved from The Johns Hopkins Hospital: http://www. hopkinsmedicine. org/the_johns_hopkins_hospital/jhhhs. html

Personal skills development( study skills and book review) Essay

Personal skills development( study skills and book review) - Essay Example Some of the effective study skills that I learnt from different resources and also applied to my learning process include note taking, time management, active listening, revision planning, preparing answers for the exams etc. Almost every day, I encounter such situations where I find the implication of these techniques within my study premises and apply the appropriate technique to handle the situation in more effective manner. For instance, today I have to write to complete the weekly assignment that is to write an essay upon any topic of my own interest. The guidelines provided by Barret et al (2008, p169) help me a lot in completing this task. The researchers explain basic steps of essay writing and I follow these steps. After deciding the main topic, I analyzed its title and main thesis and then proceed towards collecting material for the essay. During the reading, I take noted and plan the structure of my essay. After writing the essay, I proofread and edit it to assure it is perfect structure wise and deliver my intended tone. In this way, I use a study technique and succeed to write a well organize essay following simple and helpful steps of essay writing. The day was very busy and I was feeling too much tired and pressurized because there is little time left to appear in the exams and there are lot of things to do. At this point, I use my time management skills that I learnt from the reading of Marks-Beal (2009, p45). At first, I listed out the tasks that I have to complete before the exams and then arranged these tasks according to first priority. After that I made the plan to start working on these tasks one by one. There were some writing projects and I have also to read certain books and other material to prepare for answering exams questions. I started with the reading and keep on taking notes that later help me during the writing work. There were too many things to do in short time and I started feeling

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LAW PRESENTATION PowerPoint

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LAW - PowerPoint Presentation Example It was a major set back to our organization. Luckily, there was no human loss but the material loss was huge. Another major development was the collapse of Indonesian Rupiah which sent the economy into a tailspin. So for our organization, there were major setbacks like only two more studios were in the working condition, employees were scared to come for work, Rupiah had no value, Transportation system had collapsed. The share holders wanted to shift to a new place. But we held to the ground that our employees who had been trained were here. We had to develop even further relationships within the community to harmonize the relationships. Rather following a punishing approach, we took up a more active societal role which was very effective. A long run plan was developed to improve the living condition of the people. With the new government in place, everybody was optimistic. The new government also setup a proglobalisation climate which was very useful for companies like us. Export regulations were eased and restrictions were removed. In this scenario, the effect of Globalution was that there The dependability and the trustworthiness was lost. These effects of Globulation was overcome over a period of time by being committed to our mission. So we continued doing that with more commitment building trust and harmonious relationships with the community. 3. AVERAGE/MOST LIKELY SCENARIO For my company, we have both benefited from globalization and globalution. Because of globalization we are able to market our batiks across the world. Europe being our major market. we have now 7 batik workshops to cater to the tastes of the western customers. The batik cloth is designed for making various garments according to the western fashion trends. We are in the process of achieving our Lexus type desire by having the modern management techniques and cost control and the olive tree need is satisfied by holding to our traditional intricate designs. The creative team travels to remote areas of various islands across the archipelago to collect native designs. also there is an increased desire among the Indonesians to dress up in batiks even for work, the olive tree symbolization. So the local demand and the international demand for our products have increased. 4. ENTREPRENEURSHIP/BEST-CASE SCENARIO In 2004 our company designs won the best Design award in Milan. Our designs were motivated by ethnic creativity. After the announcement of the award, we got recognition and attention from various institutions within the country and across the world. We got German funding of USD 2 million to set up new batik garment factory. The batik cloth produced in our studios will be made into garments in our garment division. For that we had to have international fashion designers who could use batik materials to make trendy dresses instead of just the traditional sarongs and shirts. In a country with the average family income less than USD 200 p.m, it is a great advantage to the community and the country at large. Because of globalization many doors have been opened to us. Also because of globalution, there is an increased realization among the Indonesians and the government to focus on our strengths and to

Building and Sustaining Strong Talent Pipeline Essay

Building and Sustaining Strong Talent Pipeline - Essay Example Implementation of essential principles is essential to bring a positive change in the organizational structure as well as in the employees' performance. Some of the main objectives for the application of principles include understanding the employees’ nature, understanding the organizational culture, developing effective leaders, developing productive teams, and increasing employee productivity. There are five main types of behaviors included in the organizational behavior literature. The types of behaviors include organizational citizenship, task performance, joining and staying with the organization, counterproductive work behaviors, and maintaining work attendance. All these types of behaviors are of significant importance for the success of an organization. Studying organizational behavior is extremely necessary for managers to increase productivity of their respective companies and organizations. The study not only makes an employee know his/her importance in the organiza tion as an employee but also helps him/her develop some key characteristics and behaviors that an employee requires to progress in the professional life. Managers of the organizations must be able to recognize the unique perspectives of their employees in order to manage a better working relationship with the employees. The knowledge of organizational behavior

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Ideas From Response to Intervention - Research Paper Example The model introduces inclusiveness into the education model through introducing more accommodating models of instructions and a need-based allocation of the learning facilities to the targeted learners’ teams. One of the models concentration areas is addressing the learning difficulties detected in learners at earlier stages before they adjust to them, to the extent that they will need exposure to special education programs. From exposing students to high quality instruction models and interventions at the very initial stages of the problems detected, the model is able to prevent these subjects from falling behind their counterparts. This paper is an appraisal of RTI models to determine the ideas that are familiar, those that are new and intriguing, and those that seem confusing and impractical (Hale 16-27). Discussion Some of the assumptions adopted by the RTI model form the core aspect of learning of different students, and provide a framework for understanding the reality s urrounding the learning ability of all learners. Some of the ideas contained in the assumptions adopted by RTI clearly define the dynamics that need to be introduced into the delivery of education towards realizing a more accommodative model of education for all learners. These ideas are discussed below (Sahlberg 167). The educational structure can successfully teach all learners – despite the imminent personality and intellectual variations between one learner and the other. From the study of Sahlberg (167), the ability of teachers to offer instructions from research based approaches depending on the success of the given model improves the performance of different students in a significant manner. The use of innovative models in offering instructions to learners can also accommodate both slow and fast learning students, including support of abstract ideas with diagrams, demonstrations and descriptions, all supposed to create better understanding. The problem-solving abilitie s of teachers also contribute greatly to the success of low-performing students as these are cultivated into the learning model. Some of the traits introduced into this approach include planning, reflection, evaluation and action to integrate what is taught at classes (Sahlberg 10). Based on these reviewed facts, it is clear that the introduction of research-based instructions, adopting those that work best, instructing using innovative models and cultivating instruction absorption models among the students can greatly influence the performance of different learners – both fast and slow. These facts, therefore, can be applied to prove the credibility of the idea presented by RTI that an effective learning system can effectively teach all students. From class and group work during my course, I have experienced the fact that student-based instruction models can foster the performance of different learners including those that are intellectually challenged. An example is a case where diagrams were greatly helpful in cultivating the success of group members, especially those who could not comprehend abstract ideas substantially (Sahlberg 167). RTI models also work on the basis of the principle that early intervention is vital towards avoiding the development of learning-based problems. From the case of Finnish schools explained in Sahlberg (155), the training of teachers to make them highly capable of detecting and diagnosing problems among their students, classrooms and schools has been a great step towards addressing the learning

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Integrations and reflection - Essay Example My skills and abilities to deal with numbers have also increased and I am now able to interpret figures well. This course has made me more confident in terms of handling statistical tools. During this session I was asked by my teacher to create a project that would encompass all the statistical methods and this would be used to analyze the data of real life organization. I tried my best to fulfill the conditions of the project but somehow I feel that I could have done better by incorporating more of statistical methods and getting them approved by my teacher before applying them on any real time data. I did not understand three topics related to the course that is ANOVA and regression, statistics survey, and probability. These topics I feel were not well explained by my teacher. These topics need further improvement according to me and I feel that it would be more beneficial if more problems are given in the class to be solved (Johnson & Kuby, 2011). These problems should be diverse so that students are able to apply maximum methods to derive solutions and interpret the results. In any course it is very essential to build a strong knowledge base as on it lays the future progress and development. I feel the best way to measure to future progress is by evaluating the level of understanding. If I opt for a career related to statistics then my marks would be a measuring tool for the outcomes of this course. The other factor is that this course would enable me to think towards a direction and choose a career that would help me to explore the skills that I gained through this course. I was able to achieve the outcomes of the course however I feel that I could have been more proficient with the statistical tools and methods. I was able to understand the different approaches in statistics and would be able to deal with problems efficiently in the future. The other learning outcome that I achieved is that of

Engineering MAterials.. Chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Engineering MAterials.. Chemistry - Essay Example Q2. Yield strength corresponds to the load at which plastic deformation starts in a material while Ultimate tensile strength corresponds to the maximum possible loading below fracture. This means a component will not deform as long as the loading is below the yield strength of the material. Because plastic deformation of component is not permitted therefore design is based on yield strength. It should be noted that yield strength is always lower than ultimate tensile strength. Q3. Elastic modulus of a material depends on the nature of inter-atomic bonding in the material. If chemical composition changes, so does the nature of the inter-atomic bonding in the material. Let us take an example of low carbon steel or mild steel. In this case the inter-atomic bonding is predominantly Fe-Fe bond so it has elastic modulus that depends on the nature of Fe-Fe bond. Now let us take an example of SS316L. In this case the composition has changed considerably. Its composition is Fe-18Cr-12Ni-0.03C. Now this material has different kinds of bonds like Fe-Cr, Fe-Ni and Ni-Cr besides the Fe-Fe bonds and therefore, elastic modulus of this material is different from that of low carbon steel. Q4. This is because it is much easier to carry out hardness testing than carrying out tensile testing. One needs to prepare sample for tensile testing which is much more tedious than preparing a sample for hardness testing. At the same time one gets fairly good idea about strength of the material from hardness testing. As hardness is a measure of material’s resistance against deformation, therefore higher hardness implies higher strength. Q6. Fracture toughness is defined as K = ; where, ï  ³ is yield stress of the material and a is the critical flaw size. These two quantities are measurable. Besides, Kc = is a material property. The as long as K < Kc; the component is safe for use the moment K approaches Kc, the component becomes prone to catastrophic fracture and must be taken

Academic dishonesty Essay Example for Free

Academic dishonesty Essay The primary objective of Phil 1010 (which fulfills an Area B requirement in the Core) is to help you improve your critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is the skill of recognizing, composing and evaluating arguments. All college courses rely on arguments. Examples include: arguments about business plans, arguments about the qualities of a novel, arguments about the significance of historical events, and arguments about the nature and function of genetic material. Doing well in this course should increase your chances of successfully completing the core curriculum, the courses required by your major, and other courses required to earn your degree. This course is not intended to be an introduction to philosophy and it does not focus on ideas discussed in most philosophy classes (e. g. , justice, knowledge, mind). For an introduction to philosophy, take Phil 2010, Introduction to Philosophy (which fulfills an Area C requirement in the core). Phil 1010 is not a prerequisite for Phil 2010. See more: Old Age Problem essay Prerequisites: There are no other courses required for taking this course; however a significant portion of the course grade involves writing in English, so completion of English composition courses is recommended. REQUIRED MATERIALS: Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument, 2nd custom edition. Rainbolt Dwyer, ISBN 9781133269458 There are used copies of this book available online and in the bookstore. Aplia for Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument PURCHASE ONLINE ONLY at Aplia. com. Other handouts will be sent electronically. IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE VARIOUS EDITIONS OF THE TEXT: There are four different versions of the textbook, but of course you only need one of them. Two are GSU custom editions, and two are national editions. The GSU custom editions are exactly the same as the national editions except that they are printed in black and white and have chapter six removed, since we do not teach chapter six here at GSU. The GSU custom editions were made to save students money and are typically cheaper when purchased new, but the opposite may be the case with used copies, as there are many more used copies of the national edition available for purchase online. As indicated above, I will use the 2nd custom edition, and I recommend that you get this version as well. You may purchase the 1st national edition, however, if you find a copy. Here’s where it gets weird. The 2nd custom edition corresponds to the 1st national edition. If you get either of these texts, you’ll be okay. The 2nd national edition is brand new and has changes in almost every chapter that make it substantially different from the text you need. Do NOT get the 2nd national edition, and do NOT get the 1st custom edition. Specifically, here are the points you need to keep in mind: 1. Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument, 2nd custom edition. (RECOMMENDED, you should purchase this text) Cover picture: the roof of a Greek Temple http://www. amazon. com/Critical-Thinking-Argumet-Edition-University/dp/1133269451 2. Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument, 1st custom edition. (DO NOT PURCHASE) Cover picture: phrenology diagram (four cartoon heads appear on the cover) http://www. amazon. com/Philosophy-Critical-Thinking-Georgia-University/dp/0536864853 3. Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument, 2nd edition (National edition, DO NOT PURCHASE) Cover Picture: a bridge http://www. cengagebrain. com/shop/isbn/9781285197197 4. Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument, 1st edition. (National edition, you may purchase, but NOT recommended) Cover Picture: a bisected nautilus on the cover (a nautilus is a spiral sea shell) http://www. cengagebrain. com/shop/isbn/9780495501572 The links presented above are not purchasing recommendations. I have only provided them so that you can see a picture of books in question. The bookstore is often more expensive than many popular websites. Hunt around for good deals. The authors of this textbook do not receive any money from the sale of the textbook or other course materials to GSU students. GRADE COMPOSITION 1. Components By Weight: Supplemental Instruction Sessions (SIs)10%2 per month minimum, January excluded. Quizzes/Attendance10% Aplia Exercises10% Midterm10% SE 1 10% SE 2 10%Note that later assignments are weighted more to give SE 320%students credit for improvement and to minimize any Final Exam20%penalty for not knowing the material earlier in the term. 2. Grading Scale Assignments in this class are scored on a scale from 1 to 100. Scores transfer to point scale and letter grades as follows: A+4. 398 – 100C+2. 3 77 – 79 A 4. 00 93 – 97C2. 00 73 – 76. A-3. 7 90 – 92C-1. 7 70 – 72 B+3. 3 87 – 89D1. 0060 – 69 B3. 00 83 – 86F0. 000 – 59 B-2. 7 80 – 82 3. To pass the course, students must earn an overall average of 60, get least a 60 on either the midterm or the final, and complete the final, and the SEs. 4. I reserve the right to withdraw any student who, prior to March 4, 2014, misses more than 2 exercises or misses more than 2 quizzes/classes. However, missing more than 2 exercises or 2 quizzes/classes does not guarantee that I will withdraw you. If you want to withdraw, you need to do that yourself via GoSOLAR. 5. If you are not doing as well as you would like in this or any of your other courses, consider making an appointment with the Undergraduate Studies Office, Sparks 224. It offers one-on-one academic coaching, as well as workshops and tutorials on study skills. Important Tip: It is hard to get less than a C in this course if you take all the quizzes, come to all of the class sessions, do all the exercises, take both exams, and complete all three SEs. It is easy to get an F if you miss more than 2 quizzes or class periods, miss more than 2 sets of exercises, miss an exam, or miss an SE. In other words, effort counts. SEs: â€Å"SE† stands for â€Å"Standardize and Evaluate an Argument. † These will be discussed in detail in class. I reserve the right to use any student’s SE for pedagogical purposes. Students’ names and any other identifying marks will be removed to ensure anonymity. Quizzes: Some class meetings will begin with a quiz. The quizzes will begin promptly and last precisely 5 minutes. They will be composed of two multiple-choice questions that cover the reading assigned for that days class. The questions will be easy if you have done the reading. For merely taking the quiz and remaining in class for the full 50 minutes, you will get 50 of a possible 100 points. You will get 75 of 100 if you get one question right, and 100 of 100 if you get both questions right. This is an ideal opportunity to get an A on 10% of your course grade. Exercises Aplia: Exercises are completed electronically via Aplia. You must purchase the software at Aplia. They are due once a week by or before 11:45 pm on Sunday Eastern Time (be careful not to choose Pacific time! ). Note that the computer will close at precisely that time so you need to be sure your exercises are submitted before that time. See the handout on page 6 for accessing Exercises on Aplia. Your grade on each set of exercises is the percentage of the questions you get right. For example, if there are eight questions in an exercise set, and you get six of them right, your grade on that set is a 75. However, your actual Aplia grade will be based on your good faith effort. If you attempt to do all of the questions on the exercises every week, and you average between 60—93%, your total Aplia grade will be set at 93. Scores over 93% will be recorded as they are. This is an ideal opportunity to get an A on 10% of your course grade. Make-Ups: 1. Late assignments and absences are excused only when there is a sufficiently documented, last minute significant emergency. 2. There are no make-ups for daily quizzes. If you have an excused absence on that day, that day’s quiz will simply be dropped from the calculation of your quiz grade. Email: 1. Email is the best way to contact me. 2. You should check your official Georgia State email at least once every 24 hours. 3. By University policy, I must use your official Georgia State student email address. If you send an email from a non-GSU email account, I cannot respond. 4. If you email me from your GSU account and have not received a reply within 24 hours, you should assume that I did not receive the message. Contact me in person. 5. If you turn in any assignment by email, it is your responsibility to confirm that I received it on time. You will know that I got it because I reply to all student emails. If I do not receive it on time, you will not get credit for the assignment without time-stamped email proof that you sent it before it was due. Having trouble with your email, computer, or ISP is not an excuse for a late assignment. Attendance: Everyone’s presence is an intrinsic and vital feature of the class. Even if you do not speak, your presence has an effect on what is said by others. Attendance can be the deciding factor for course grades on the borderline. Class Format: The class will be a combination of lecture, discussion, and practice. This format demands that students be well prepared for class. You do not have to understand all the readings before class, but you need to read all the readings before class and be prepared to ask questions about what you do not understand. Electronic Devices: No computers, cell phones, smart phones, PDAs, pagers, or other electronic devices may be used in the classroom. Please turn off all devices before class begins. Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability that may impair your ability to successfully complete this course, contact your instructor as soon as possible to arrange accommodations. GSU has two programs that provide supports services to students with disabilities. Office of Disability Services http://www2. gsu. edu/~wwwods/ 404. 413-1560 Accessibility At GSU http://www2. gsu. edu/~wwwada/ 404. 464-9044 Students who wish to request accommodation for a disability may do so by registering with the Office of Disability Services (second floor in the Student Center; [emailprotected] edu). Students may be accommodated only upon issuance by the Office of Disability Services of a signed Accommodation Plan and are responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all classes in which accommodations are sought. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Failure of the course is the default departmental penalty for plagiarism, cheating on a test, copying someone else’s work, letting someone else copy your work, or any other form of academic dishonesty. For example, copying someone else’s standardization of an argument is a case of plagiarism and will result in failure of the course. You are encouraged to study for tests with your classmates, but all work turned in for credit must be either your own work, or correctly cited. If you use even a small part of a classmate’s work or a line from an online source, you must use proper citation. If you don’t, you have violated GSU’s academic honesty policy. Finally, note that on assignments in this class, no outside sources are permitted for in-class tests or SEs. Moreover, you are liable for further administrative action, which might include expulsion with notation on your permanent record. See the GSU Policy on Academic Dishonesty attached to this syllabus, available in the University Student Handbook, and found online at http://www2. gsu. edu/~wwwcam/overview/index. html In addition, be sure you give due consideration to what it means to be a good friend! Not infrequently, students draw the natural but erroneous conclusion that allowing or facilitating a friend’s cheating is somehow helping that friend. FAR FROM IT! Good friends, truly good friends, help us to avoid cheating and any other kind of dishonesty. HOW TO DO WELL IN THIS COURSE: Come to Class and Come on Time: Because of the way grades are computed, and the fact that so much of the course is discussion based, your grade will suffer if you are not present for discussions, and your grade will be favorably affected if you are present. Study Outside of Class: 1. A normal expectation is that undergraduate students will spend a minimum of two hours studying outside of class for every hour spent in class. 2. Since this course meets for 2 hours of class time each week, you should plan on spending at least 4 hours outside of class each week studying the material. It is also likely that it will take more than that amount of time to complete the readings in a manner sufficient to understand the material. Remember in Summer session, every day is equivalent to one week in a Fall or Spring term! Read the Assignments Multiple Times: Philosophy is demanding reading. I expect you to do all the readings before class and after class. We will not read a great many pages, but some of the readings might be dense or difficult to follow. First, read the work through quickly to get the general idea and to circle any words you don’t understand. Then look up all the words you don’t know and read the work again slowly. Third, after we cover the reading in class, read it again, slowly. Read. Rinse. Repeat. Final Notes: The course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary. Everything in this syllabus can change (and something always does). You are responsible for all changes announced in class, on PAWS, and via email. Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at Georgia State. Upon completing the course, please take time to fill out the online course evaluation. How to access your Aplia course PHIL 1010- Critical Thinking Spring 2014 Instructor: George Rainbolt Start Date: 01/13/2014End Date: 05/11/2014 Course Key: 5N6Q-MHZW-NQNX Registration Aplia is part of CengageBrain, which allows you to sign in to a single site to access your Cengage materials and courses. 1. Connect to http://login. cengagebrain. com/ 2. If you already have an account, sign in. From your Dashboard, enter your course key (5N6Q-MHZW-NQNX) in the box provided, and click the Register button. If you dont have an account, click the Create a New Account button, and enter your course key when prompted: 5N6Q-MHZW-NQNX. Continue to follow the on-screen instructions. Payment Online Only: http://www. cengagebrain. com/micro/gsuphil1010 After registering, you can buy access to Aplia from myhome. cengagebrain. com. Aplia is NOT available from bookstore. Purchase it online only to get special discount price. If you choose to pay later, you can use Aplia without paying until 11:59 PM on 02/02/2014. After paying, you will have the option to purchase a physical book at a discounted price. For more information on registering for Aplia, please visit http://www. cengagebrain. com/aplia/. Phil 1010TENTATIVE Schedule of AssignmentsSpring 2014. January T 1/14Chap 1, What is Critical Thinking, What is an Argument, Why Think Critically, pp. 4-13 R 1/16Chap 1, Finding Arguments, pp. 13-26; Begin Putting in Standard Form Right Away. F 1/17No class, but last day to Add/Drop S 1/19APLIA DUE: How to Use Aplia Due before 11:45pm T 1/21Chap 1, Putting Arguments into Standard Form, pp. 31-36 R 1/23Chap 1, Standardization Practice S 1/26APLIA DUE Ch 1, Sets 1 and 2, before 11:45pm T 1/28SE1 (standardize a passage in class) R 1/30Chap 2, Two Characteristics of a Good Argument, True Premises, and Proper Form, pp. 42-48 and 51-53 February. S 2/2APLIA DUE Ch 1, Set 3, and Ch 2, Set 1, before 11:45pm T 2/4Chap 2, Deductive and Inductive Arguments and Relevance, Fallacies pp. 55-64 and 70-79 R 2/6Chap 3, Three Kinds of Premises, pp. 86-102 S 2/9APLIA DUE Ch 2, Set 22, before 11:45pm T 2/11SE 2 (standardizing and evaluating a passage in class) R 2/13Chap 5, Identifying Propositional Statements, pp. 146-156 S 2/16APLIA DUE Ch 2, Set 3, before 11:45pm T 2/18Chap 5, Evaluating Propositional Arguments, pp. 159-169 R 2/20Chap 5, How PF test differs for Deductive and Inductive Arguments S 2/23APLIA DUE Ch 3, Set 1, before 11:45pm T 2/25Review. R 2/27Midterm in class March S 3/2APLIA DUE Ch 5, Set 1, before 11:45pm T 3/4Chap 7, Identifying Analogical Arguments, pp. 228-234 Last day to withdraw with a W R 3/6Chap 7, Evaluating Analogical Arguments, pp. 244-256 S 3/9APLIA DUE Ch 5, Set 2, and Ch 7, Set 1, before 11:45pm T 3/11Chap 8, Descriptive Statistics, pp. 258-275 R 3/13Chap 8 Identifying Statistical Arguments, pp. 275-278 S 3/16APLIA DUE Ch 7, Set 2, and Ch 8, Set 1, before 11:45pm T3/18 R 3/20NO CLASS SPRING BREAK T 3/25Chap 8, Evaluating Statistical Arguments, pp. 281-285 R 3/27Chap 8, Evaluating Statistical Arguments continued. S 3/30APLIA DUE Ch 8, Sets 2 and 3, before 11:45pm April T 4/1No Fooling! Chap 9, The Many Meanings of â€Å"Cause† and Identifying Causal Arguments, pp. 294-303 R 4/3Chap 9, Evaluating Causal Arguments, pp. 306-314 S 4/6APLIA DUE Ch 9, Set 1, before 11:45pm T 4/8Chap 9, Evaluating Causal Arguments Continued, pp. 316-321 R 4/10Chap 9, The Scientific Method, pp. 326-331 S 4/13APLIA DUE Ch 9, Sets 2 and 3, before 11:45pm T 4/15SE 3 in class (standardizing and evaluating a passage in class) R 4/17Chap 10, Identifying Moral Arguments, pp. 342-345 S 4/20APLIA DUE Ch 9, Set 4, before 11:45pm. T 4/22Chap 10, Evaluating Moral Arguments, Consequentialist Arguments, pp. 351-358 R 4/24Chap 10, Deontic and Aretaic Moral Arguments, pp. 359-366 F 5/2Friday, May 2, 2014, Common Final Exam, 1:30-4:00pm. Room TBA Department of Philosophy General Syllabus Statement Spring 2014 This syllabus provides a general plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary. The last day to withdraw from a course with the possibility of receiving a W is Tuesday, March 4. Students are responsible for confirming that they are attending the course section for which they are registered. Failure to do so may result in an F for the course. By University policy and to respect the confidentiality of all students, final grades may not be posted or given out over the phone. To see your grades, use PAWS. The customary penalty for a violation of the academic honesty rules is an F in the course. See the University Policy on Academic Honesty on the reverse of this sheet. Copying or using material from the internet without citation is a violation of the academic honesty rules. A student may be awarded a grade of W no more than 6 times in their careers at Georgia State. After 6 Ws, a withdrawal is recorded as a WF on the students record. A WF counts as an F in a GPA. Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at Georgia State University. Upon completing the course, please take the time to fill out the online course evaluation. Students who wish to request accommodation for a disability must do so by registering with the Office of Disability Services in Suite 230 of the Student Center. Students may only be accommodated upon issuance by the Office of Disability Services of a singed Accommodation Plan and are responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all classes in which an accommodation is sought. Subscribe to one of our department listservs for current information and events: 1. Undergraduate Students: www2. gsu. edu/~wwwphi/2131. html 2. Graduate Students: www2. gsu. edu/~wwwphi/2109. html For more information on the philosophy program visit: www. gsu. edu/philosophy Policy on Academic Honesty, from the GSU Catalog As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The university assumes as a basic and minimum standard of conduct in academic matters that students be honest and that they submit for credit only the products of their own efforts. Both the ideals of scholarship and the need for fairness require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit. They also require that students refrain from any and all forms of dishonor? able or unethical conduct related to their academic work. The university’s policy on academic honesty is published in the Faculty Handbook and On Campus: The Student Handbook and is available to all members of the university community. The policy represents a core value of the university, and all members of the university community are responsible for abiding by its tenets. Lack of knowledge of this policy is not an acceptable defense to any charge of academic dishonesty. All members of the academic community—students, faculty, and staff—are expected to report violations of these standards of academic conduct to the appropriate authorities. The procedures for such reporting are on file in the offices of the deans of each college, the office of the dean of students, and the office of the provost. In an effort to foster an environment of academic integrity and to prevent academic dishonesty, students are expected to discuss with faculty the expectations regarding course assignments and standards of conduct. Students are encouraged to discuss freely with faculty, academic advisers, and other members of the university community any questions pertaining to the provisions of this policy. In addition, students are encouraged to avail themselves of programs in establishing personal standards and ethics offered through the university’s Counseling Center. Definitions and Examples The examples and definitions given below are intended to clarify the standards by which academic honesty and academically honorable conduct are to be judged. The list is merely illustrative of the kinds of infractions that may occur, and it is not intended to be exhaustive. Moreover, the definitions and examples suggest conditions under which unacceptable behavior of the indicated types normally occurs; however, there may be unusual cases that fall outside these conditions that also will be judged unacceptable by the academic community. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is presenting another person’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism includes any para? phrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including the submitting of another student’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism frequently involves a failure to acknowledge  in the text, notes, or footnotes the quotation of the paragraphs, sentences, or even a few phrases written or spoken by someone else. The submission of research or completed papers or projects by someone else is plagiarism, as is the unacknowledged use of research sources gathered by someone else when that use is specifically forbidden by the faculty member. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one’s reliance on other sources is also a form of plagiarism. Any work, in whole or in part, taken from the Internet or other computer-based resource without properly referencing the source (for example, the URL) is considered plagiarism. A complete reference is required in order that all parties may locate and view the original source. Finally, there may be forms of plagiarism that are unique to an individual discipline or course, examples of which should be provided in advance by the faculty member. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly or creative indebtedness, and the consequences of violating this responsibility. Cheating on Examinations: Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination. Examples of unauthorized help include the use of notes, computer-based resources, texts, or crib sheets during an examination (unless specifically approved by the faculty member), or sharing information with another student during an examination (unless specifically approved by the faculty member). Other examples include intentionally allowing another student to view one’s own examination and collaboration before or after an examination if such collaboration is specifically forbidden by the faculty member. Unauthorized Collaboration: Submission for academic credit of a work product, or a part thereof, represented as its being one’s own effort, which has been developed in substantial collaboration with another person or source or with a computer-based resource is a violation of academic honesty. It is also a violation of academic honesty knowingly to provide such assistance. Collaborative work specifically authorized by a faculty member is allowed. Falsification: It is a violation of academic honesty to misrepresent material or fabricate information in an academic exercise, assignment or proceeding (e. g. , false or misleading citation of sources, falsification of the results of experiments or computer data, false or misleading information in an academic context in order to gain an unfair advantage). Multiple Submissions: It is a violation of academic honesty to submit substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once without the explicit consent of the faculty member(s) to whom the material is submitted for additional credit. In cases in which there is a natural development of research or knowledge in a sequence of courses, use of prior work may be desirable, even required; however the student is responsible for indicating in writing, as a part of such use, that the current work submitted for credit is cumulative in nature. ID SHEET Please print or write legibly PRINT NAME GSU EMAIL ADDRESS CELL PHONE EMERGENCY CONTACT Name EMERGENCY CONTACT Phone Freshman, Soph, Jr, Sr, PostBac? Number of credit hours completed MAJOR 2ND MAJOR. MINOR 2ND MINOR PREVIOUS PHIL COURSES Intro to Phil or Great Questions? Others at GSU? Phil Courses taken elsewhere? If so what and where? Check reason(s) for taking this course (a) Fulfills Area B Core Reqmt (b) Fulfills another reqmt (C) Good time of day (d) Phil major or minor (e) Other reason: specify Give a definition of Critical Thinking Why are you here? (at least one paragraph, continue on next page) ***********************************TEAR OFF HERE***************************************** Complete the following before or on the first day you attend class, and turn it to your instructor. NAME______________________________DATE__________________ I have received, read, or will read, and accept responsibility for following the policies noted in the syllabus. I have also received, read, or will read, and accept responsibility for fulfilling the requirements outlined in the schedule of assignments. I understand that not following the course policies or not completing all assignments can negatively affect my grade in the course. I also understand that FAILURE OF THE COURSE is the departmental default policy for cases of academic dishonesty, including, but not limited to plagiarism, cheating on a test, copying someone else’s exercises or other work, letting someone else copy my exercises or other work, or any other form of academic dishonesty. I also understand that I am responsible for using and checking my GSU email account daily, and that my instructor is required by university policy to use my GSU email account for all academic correspondence.

Managing safely project Essay Example for Free

Managing safely project Essay Introduction As part of the Managing safely course, you have to complete a project and have it assessed. You will be expected to carry out a risk assessment based on your own work environment. You need to record the results on the attached sheets and submit them for marking. Do not submit any additional material in support of your project work as only the six parts of the A4 project will be assessed. The project can be word processed or hand written. When you have completed your work you should return it to There is a two week time limit for the return of the project. Your project must be completed and returned by Instructions Please read all of the instructions before starting work on your project. The project is broken down into a number of parts. Please complete each section as detailed below. Part 1 – description of the work tasks that are your responsibility Record a brief description of all the work tasks within your work environment including: description/labelled sketch of the location(s)   people who work in or visit the area on a regular basis or from time to time. (Think about the different groups of people who may be in the area and how often they may be there.) permanent and temporary items of equipment and substances activities carried out within your work environment Part 2 – a hazard checklist of the location(s) Record a brief description of three location hazards that may arise in your work environment. For example, car park, stairs, uneven floor. For each of these hazards please include: a description of the location a description of the hazard – in relation to the location the number and occupation of people who could be affected by the hazard – in relation to the location whether a risk assessment is recommended Part 3 – a hazard checklist of permanent and/or temporary items of equipment and substances used in your work environment Record a brief description of three hazards that may arise from equipment or substances used. For each of these hazards please include: a description of permanent and/or temporary items of equipment and substances used a description of the hazard – in relation to the equipment/substance the number and occupation of people who could be affected by the hazard in relation to the equipment/substance whether a risk assessment is recommended Part 4 – a hazard checklist of the activities carried out within your work environment Record a brief description of three hazards that may arise from within your work environment. For each of these hazards please include: a description of the work activity a description of the hazard – in relation to the work activity the number and occupation of people who could be affected by the hazard – in relation to the work activity Note: for the purpose of this exercise all three activity hazards that you  are assessing on part 4 must require a risk assessment. Part 5 – carrying out a risk assessment Please carry out a risk assessment on all three of the activity hazards you have listed on part 4. Please make sure you include: a description of the work activity a description of the hazard, hazardous event and expected consequence – in relation to the work activity the number and occupation of people affected – in relation to the work activity an assessment of risk (please use the 5 x 5 matrix) – in relation to the work activity Note: for the purpose of this exercise all three activity hazards that you are assessing on part 5 must require risk controls. Part 6 – risk control recommendations Please complete the risk control form for all three activity hazards you have listed on part 5. Please make sure you include: a description of the work activity and risk level from the risk assessment existing risk controls any further risk controls required in relation to the work activity the residual risk (please use the 5 x 5 matrix) in relation to the work activity a description of the type of monitoring required and how often in relation to the residual risk Note: where you have large numbers of hazards in your work environment you will not have space to record them all. In these circumstances, select a representative sample of hazards for the purposes of this project and record only these. Remember that only three hazards are required for parts 2, 3, and 4. Each part has a maximum number of marks which can be awarded and details are  given in the table below.

Who is to blame for the Deepwater Horizon rig incident?

Who is to blame for the Deepwater Horizon rig incident? On the 20th of April 2011 explosion at Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and led to the largest oil spill in the petroleum industrys history. Apportionment of blame is likely to be contested in the law courts for years to come. Who i.e. which stakeholders do you consider has to share some responsibility for the accident or do you consider it an ultimately unpreventable accident, in todays global economy? Trying to get out of the PR wars on the oil spill, 4 month after the tragedy on September 8th, 2010, BP issued its own internal 234-page report. BP cited at least eight errors of judgment and equipment failures that caused the explosion that sank the rig. BP concluded that a complex and interlinked series of mechanical failures, human judgments, engineering design, operational implementation and team interfaces contributed to the incident. The company accepted only shared responsibility for the explosion and pointed fingers at its contractors Halliburton, which provided cement for the blown-up Macondo well, and Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon. Transocean assailed the BP report as self-serving, contending that BPs fatally flawed well design set the stage for the rig explosion 50 miles off the Louisiana coast. Halliburton, which did the well cementing, said it found a number of substantial omissions and inaccuracies in the report and remains confident that all the work it performed was completed in accordance with BPs specifications. BPs internal investigation report was met with criticism by watchdog groups who questioned the companys motives. Wenonah Hauter, executive director of non-for-profit organization Food Water Watch told IPS News Agency: BP is distributing the blame and deflecting responsibility for the incident so they can justify their continued operation in the Gulf. Rather than accept the blame and financial consequences for its disaster, BP is continuing to point fingers at everyone it can, said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the conservation group Center for Biological Diversity. BP is clearly trying to limit its financial liability by blaming other companies and denying there was criminal negligence, Suckling said. If the Department of Justice concludes that BP was criminally negligent, its fines under the Clean Water Act will quadruple from 1,300 dollars per barrel to 4,300 dollars. That is more than a 10- billion-dollar difference. One month after the accident on May 21 President Barack Obama established the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The Commission examined the relevant facts and circumstances concerning the root causes of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and developed options to guard against, and mitigate the impact of, any oil spills associated with offshore drilling in the future. This included recommending improvements to federal laws, regulations, and industry practices. A final report on the Commissions findings was presented to the President on January 12, 2011. According to the report, the Macondo blowout was the product of several individual missteps and oversights by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean, which government regulators lacked the authority, the necessary resources, and the technical expertise to prevent. Halliburton and BPs management processes did not ensure that cement was adequately tested. Halliburton had insufficient controls in place to ensure that laboratory testing was performed in a timely fashion or that test results were vetted rigorously in-house or with the client. In fact, it appears that Halliburton did not even have testing results in its possession showing the Macondo slurry was stable until after the job had been pumped. It is difficult to imagine a clearer failure of management or communication. BP, Transocean, and Halliburton failed to communicate adequately. Information appears to have been excessively compartmentalized at Macondo as a result of poor communication. BP did not share important information with its contractors, or sometimes internally even with members of its own team. Contractors did not share important information with BP or each other. As a result, individuals often found themselves making critical decisions without a full appreciation for the context in which they were being made (or even without recognition that the decisions were critical). Decision making processes at Macondo did not adequately ensure that personnel fully considered the risks created by time- and money-saving decisions. Whether purposeful or not, many of the decisions that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean made that increased the risk of the Macondo blowout clearly saved those companies significant time (and money). There is nothing inherently wrong with choosing a less-costly or less-time-consuming alternative-as long as it is proven to be equally safe. The problem is that, at least in regard to BPs Macondo team, there appears to have been no formal system for ensuring that alternative procedures were in fact equally safe. The report summarized that the accident of April 20 was avoidable. It resulted from clear mistakes made in the first instance by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean, and by government officials who, relying too much on industrys assertions of the safety of their operations, failed to create and apply a program of regulatory oversight that would have properly minimized the risks of deepwater drilling. It is now clear that both industry and government need to reassess and change business practices to minimize the risks of such drilling. BPs claim about disaster in the Gulf of Mexico to be the unavoidable accident was actually driven by a reckless pursuit of profits and selfish disregard for our planet. QUESTION 2: If you were Tony Hayward, how would you have acted in the immediate aftermath of the accident? It is easier to say what I would have done being a CEO of BP after analyzing what Tony Hayward did wrong during the incident in the Gulf. BPs handling of the Deepwater Horizon crisis under its former CEO Tony Hayward may be seen as a textbook case of how not to manage an enterprise in a period of reputational crisis. On June 17 Tony Haywood stonewalled the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation by refusing to provide information he knows as chief operating officer. He was recorded telling a camera man to get out of there during a photo-op on the shores of Louisiana. Haywards summer of PR disasters culminated in his public declaration that Id like my life back, and he went to participate in the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island yacht race off the Isle of Wight in the UK, while Gulf residents struggled with the effects of the spill. He was widely criticized for his comment which was perceived as selfish and he later apologized for it on BP Americas Facebook page. President Obamas chief of staff Rahm Emanuel wryly observed on American network news that I think we can all conclude Tony Hayward is not going to have a second career in PR consulting. In an interview on NBC on 8 June, 2010, Barack Obama said that Hayward wouldnt be working for me after any of those statements, referring to the remarks BP CEO made following the spill. In a lecture at Stanford Business School in May 2009 Hayward declared to the business students that our primary purpose in life is to create value for our shareholders. Later his statements that focused only on the individual corporate remit have also been quoted outside the context of the full lecture. Haywards point of view is in line with Milton Friedman who wrote in his famous 1970s article in The New York Times Magazine, that the one and only social responsibility of business, is to increase profits for shareholders. General idea of Friedman was that only people can have responsibilities, but not businesses. The people who are hired by business owners have a responsibility primarily to their employers, to meet their desires which in most cases are profits. General public view the company as a whole representative and if CEOs mistake leads to an error is social judgment, the public will judge the whole company, not just this person. It has been proven time and whilst CSR has yet to be harnessed to create a significant positive difference to profits, a negative policy can destroy profits. The costs BP saved by taking risky decisions at Deepwater Horizon have finally gone to many other stakeholders residents of the Gulf, government, business owners. BP cut corner after corner to save a million dollars here and a few hours there, said Henry Waxman, whose committee was investigating the Deepwater Horizon accident in the US. And now the whole Gulf Coast is paying the price. Some theorists believe that CSR stops businesses performing to their full potential and crippling the economy. My opinion is that an effective CSR policy together with efficient marketing and clear business strategy could help a business grow to larger profits whilst also benefitting society. Ironically enough, Tony Hayward was one of the key proponents of CSR in 2005, giving a speech about corporate responsibility and its increasing importance at BP. This was when Lord Browne was CEO and CSR was gaining more attention. But since mid-2007 many factors have weakened under Tony Haywards leadership, including contractor fatalities and greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental and safety fines spiked upward in 2009 and hydrocarbon flaring has nearly doubled since 2007. Summarizing the answer, if I was a CEO of BP I would spend all my time in the US to see whats happening on a regular basis and actively communicate with US administration for coordination of clean-up efforts. I would not lie about the size of catastrophe from the beginning and will not try to bribe ecologists in attempts to hide the actual result of the oil spill. The leader is always needed at the time of crisis which Tony Hayward has failed to be. QUESTION 3: If you were a member of the BP board what would you be recommending at this point that BP should do about the disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico? BP lost $95 billion in market capitalization within a few weeks of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, with its stock priced back to 14 years. There was a clear disproportion between the companys market losses and even the most pessimistic estimates of cleanup costs that never exceeded $30 billion this was an indication of the costs of this reputational risk crisis to BP. While firms today recognize the value of brand definition as a competitive advantage in the marketplace, reputation remains an often underestimated component of a companys value. Corporations experiencing a public crisis, such BP in 2010 undergo what is termed reputational distress. This concept was first coined by Stephen Greyser, Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Business School, and describes the critical period following a crisis event when a companys management is at risk of losing the confidence of the markets. Reputational distress can result in significant impact upon a firms market capitalization, as well as its corporate reputation, in correlation to how the crisis response of the firms management is represented in the markets and the mass media. Brand Finance Plc, the worlds leading brand valuation consultancy, estimated that the fallout from the explosion at the Deepwater Horizon rig has caused BPs brand value to plummet by $7.4bn, representing a 61% fall (or  £72m per day). Having spent many millions on promoting its Beyond Petroleum strapline and positioning itself as the most environmentally friendly of the oil companies, this disaster has had a highly detrimental impact on its brand value globally, especially in the US. In contrast to BP, the actions of Johnson Johnson in the case of the Tylenol tampering scandal represent a best practices example of how a firm can successfully manage reputational risk. Employing a crisis strategy defined by aggressive transparency, Johnson Johnson retained public and market confidence, resulting in the value of its shares quickly rebounding from immediate losses and the Tylenol brand actually becoming the industry leader shortly thereafter. Reputational risk management can therefore represent not only a challenge, but an opportunity. Traditionally in CSR the Bottom Line refers to the financial and economic responsibility of the company that is making profits. Recently introduced by John Elkington (1994) Triple Bottom Line model gives a wider view of responsibilities of organizations which obviously encompasses financial aspects and also environmental and social impacts of the company. The utilization of the triple bottom line allows companies to evaluate their success not only in their economic field but also in the environmental and social ones. BP currently remains a member of United Nations Global Compact. This is a high-profile CSR scheme, which requires firms to adhere to 10 principles which require to take a precautionary approach to environmental challenges, promote environmental responsibility, and encourage the development of clean technology. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico appears to provide evidence that BP has not adhered to the principles and could undermine its credibility as a signatory to the Compact. According to Mary Ann Ferguson, professor of PR at the University of Florida, when a company has a good reputation, people will appreciate its high-fit CSR program. But if BP tries to use high-fit CSR to further its public image, it may do itself more harm than good. Before you develop any high-fit CSR program, evaluate your companys reputation first so you dont just wreak further harm. Once the company name is tarnished, high-fit CSR tends to produce only skepticism. In other words, it backfires. If I was a member of the BP board at the time of the scheduled board meeting in London in May 2010, first of all I would recommend that the board meeting should be convened in Louisiana, preferably carrying part of it on one of the support vessels, engaged in the oil spillage liquidation operation, so that all board members can see for themselves, what has happened and received first hand information from the emergency operations crew. The second part of the board meeting should have been carried on the shore in Louisiana, and representatives from the key stakeholders in US such as regulators, environment protection agencies, NGOs, fishing community, should have been invited to this meeting. This little step, which wouldnt cost much would have helped to change the public perception of the companys approach to the problem. Secondly, Tony Hayward should have been removed by the board at this meeting, and a new interim CEO with specific drilling and disaster management experience should have been appointed at this time, showing BPs dedication to liquidate the disaster, thus bringing someone with hands-on approach instead of discredited CEO. At this time I would also suggest that the company start providing accurate estimates of the amount of oil spilling from the well, instead of trying to deceive the media and professionals. BPs move with lowering estimates of the oil spillage has done more damage than good. The inconvenient truth is less harmful that the sweet lies. The next step would be stop putting blame on subcontractors Halliburton and Transocean and start working together trying to find fast and solid solution of the problem. BP looked really silly with its biased internal report which has put most responsibility for the disaster to its contractors. Wasnt it BP the owner of the rights to the well, who selected those contractors in the first place? I am sure that BP has done their due diligence before hiring these companies. Last, but not least is to start paying serious attention and investing significant funds into disaster liquidation in the communities along the Gulf. BP has to draw attention of primarily US as well as world media to the efforts which company is undertaking in the sea and on the ground along the affected coast. Capping the well is no doubt a high priority, but dealing with the local stakeholders and environmental damage is no less important task, which provided to the company as being one of the most difficult ones. Stakeholder management is equally important, and saving the environment and providing other opportunities to the people which have lost their income source is critical. If I was a member of the board of BP at that time, I would put as much efforts and funding into this exercise as I would into capping of the well, if not more. Such proactive approach would help BP in the future when dealing with individual or class lawsuits, coming their way, as US is one of the most liti gious countries in the world. QUESTION 4: Why do you think BP attracted such opprobrium? Hayward, and BP in general, initially downplayed the spill, stating on 17 May 2010 that the environmental impact of the Gulf spill would likely be very very modest and calling the spill relatively tiny in comparison with the size of the ocean. On 27 May, Haywood changed his assessment, calling the spill an environmental catastrophe in an interview with CNN. Hayward earned the nickname Tone-Deaf Tony for his far from the truth assertions. Then after the explosion, BP denied there was a leak until it became painfully obvious. When they could no longer hide that fact, they low-balled the estimate of the leak at 5,000 barrels a day, which is probably low by a factor of 20. When Hayward met with members of the U.S. Senate shortly after the accident, he asserted that BP intended to meet its obligations up to its $75 million liability cap under the U.S. Oil Pollution Act. Haywards assertion that BP was protected by limited liability under U.S. law, coming at a time when thousands of fishermen and tourism workers in Gulf states were being laid off due to the oil spill, so angered the senators with whom he met that within days legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate to raise the damage cap facing BP from $75 million to $10 billion. BP sprayed more than 1 million gallons of chemical dispersants Corexit 9500 and 9527 into the Gulf since the oil spill began in a reckless effort to make the oil disappear from public view. BP threatened clean-up workers theyd be fired if they spoke to the media, also the company ordered workers showing up with respirators and other protective gear to remove it or be fired. Cleanup workers have been complaining of dizziness, nausea and other symptoms ever since then. Dispersants only alter the chemical and physical properties of the oil, making it more likely to mix with seawater than deposit on the shoreline. So what the dispersants do is re-direct the oil, making its impact perhaps less so on birds and shore-dwelling animals, but more so on fish, coral reefs, oysters and other marine life that live in the deeper waters. Also, when the dispersants mix with the crude oil, a third far more toxic product is produced called dispersed oil which has been shown to be more toxic than the sum of its parts. Toxicologists can only guess what the full extent of the damage will be, and its likely it wont show up in full for years or decades. Before BP could stop the oil leaking at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, it unleashed $100 million in ad spending, largely on network TV, to stem the damage to its image. But it also started spending heavily where it had never spent much before: buying ads in Googles search results. Nearly $3.6 million in the month of June alone were spent by BP, which pushed the company into the upper echelon of search advertisers, in a league with ATT, Expedia, Amazon and eBay. When people searched for oil spill theyll be directed to BPs damage control page that shows the companys Gulf of Mexico Response and cleanup efforts, instead of the massive amounts of damage that was still ongoing. In the CNN interviews, Deepwater Horizon workers described a corporate culture of cutting staff and ignoring warning signs ahead of the blast. They claimed BP routinely cut corners and pushed ahead despite concerns about safety. The rig survivors also said it was always understood that you could get fired if you raised safety concerns that might delay drilling. CNN interviews also revealed that BP had ordered a shortcut on the day of the explosion designed to speed drilling, as the rig was five weeks behind schedule and one day of its operation had an estimated cost of $750,000. All these facts are not surprising as BP is no stranger to environmental crime. Over the past two decades, BP subsidiaries have been convicted of three crimes in Alaska and Texas, including two felonies. Also BP holds the dubious honor of receiving the stiffest fine in history for work safety violations 760 fines as of June 2010, while Exxon Mobil has had just one. In 1991 BP was cited as the most polluting company in the US based on EPA toxic release data. The company has been charged with burning polluted gases at its Ohio refinery (for which it was fined $1.7 million), and in July 2000 BP paid a $10 million fine to the EPA for its management of US refineries. During the last couple of years before the Gulf accident BP became more profitable: Tony Hayward received a 40 percent pay increase in 2009 based on BPs improved performance. The company announced earnings of $5.6 billion for the first quarter of 2010, more than double the same quarter in 2009. But BP failed to fix the one problem that continues to get it into trouble: a reactionary management culture that puts an emphasis on cutting costs and efficiency while neglecting preventative maintenance. BP has been chronically unable or unwilling to learn from its mistakes according to analysts, competitors and former employees. QUESTION 5: Looking ahead 3-4 years, how do you think the disaster will affect BP? Will it: (a) have no significant, long-term impact on the business? (b)Result in BP becoming a much smaller company? (c)) Result in BP being bought by the Chinese, Qataris etc ormerged with another international oil company? (d) Be the catalyst for BP to move irrevocably beyond petroleum and becoming a new form of global energy business, based eventually in renewable energy? The BP oil spill has set a new precedent for both environmental damage and corporate irresponsibility. According to BP official there was a good reason why the Macondo well was being drilled in the first place. Its because the world badly needs the oil and gas that reside beneath the seabed of the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic and other oceans in order to meet inexorably growing energy demand. BP pushed technology to the limit in the remotest reaches of Alaska and the deepest waters of the Gulf of Mexico the tough stuff that others cannot or choose not to do, as Tony Hayward once put it. Last year there was a serious debate as to whether the Deepwater Horizon incident will lead to bankruptcy for BP. Project failures such as the Deepwater Horizon can have enormous consequences on the value of BP shareholders, including many pensioners in the UK and current and past employees and may even jeopardize survival of the enterprise. BP have been paying not only for all environmental and economic damages from the blowout, but will also be facing years of claims, negotiations and litigation. The company is still facing legal suits from Edinburgh and Merseyside pension funds for the loss of value that emanated from an Alaskan pipeline spill in 2006. Gulf of Mexico claims will last much longer. According to Bloomberg, BP took charges totaling US$40 billion in the second and third quarters of 2010 to account for the cost of the Gulf spill. The company announced in July 2010 it would sell between $25 billion and $30 billion of assets, and has sold fields in Argentina, Colombia, Pakistan, the U.S. and Vietnam. BP interests in Algeria, Alaskas Prudhoe Bay and Canadian pipelines may be next up on the block. According to offshoreenergytoday.com, since taking charge in October, new CEO Bob Dudley has taken asset sales to $22 billion to pay costs from the worst US oil spill, reorganized management and cut the deal with Rosneft to give the company access to Russias untapped Arctic reserves. The share price has recovered about 60 percent from Junes post-spill low, in part on expectations that the dividend will return at 50 percent of the previous level. Recently BP has reinstated the dividend that was suspended after the spill as higher oil prices and improved refining margins lifted its earnings. It is unlikely that BP will be acquired by other major oil companies ExxonMobil or Royal Dutch Shell. BP executives held talks with a number of sovereign wealth funds including funds from Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Qatar and Singapore, for creation of a strategic partnership to avoid takeover. Now BP continues to be Europes second-biggest oil company and the biggest producer of oil and gas in the US. Financial Times said that before the accident, the US had been the principal focus of the groups strategy, with deepwater oil production in the Gulf of Mexico at its heart. It was a source of oil and gas reserves in a region with an apparently stable legal and tax framework, and was a place to develop techniques that could then be deployed around the world. The BP oil spill has brought attention to the issue of greenwashing. This term was coined by New York environmentalist Jay Westerveld (1986) and means deceptive use of green PR or green marketing in order to promote a misleading perception that a companys policies or products are environmentally friendly. BP entered the greenwashing playing field spending 200 million dollars on rebranding the company in 2000. BP TV ads were focused on themes of biofuels, alternative energy and carbon footprints, closing with a green, flower-like logo and the slogan Beyond petroleum. According to Kate Sheppard, a writer at Foreign Policy (3 May 2010), despite all BP has spent on rebranding, the company hasnt done nearly as much to move beyond petroleum as its campaign implies. In fact, BP has been turning away from investments in nonfossil energy, last year cutting investment in alternative sources from $1.4 billion to $1 billion. Weeks before the spill, BP announced that it was shuttering its solar manufacturing plant in Maryland, it closed the doors of its much-hyped UK Alternative Energy headquarters in 2009. The company brought in $73 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2010, but only about $700 million of its business was alternative energy sources like wind and solar. The company has also spent a lot of time and money convincing political leaders that offshore drilling is clean, safe, and environmentally friendly while at the same time actually fighting against safety measures that might have prevented the horror in the Gulf. Green Energy Reporter said that BP plans to invest $1 billion in 2011 in its renewable energy business, roughly the same amount it invested last year. In 2008 BP was awarded a satirical prize, the Emerald Paintbrush award, by Greenpeace UK. The award was given to BP in order to highlight its alleged greenwashing campaign. Critics point out that while BP advertises its activities in alternative energy sources, the majority of its capital investments (more than 90%) continue to go into fossil fuels linked with major environmental challenges on a global scale. BP will definitely not make steps to becoming a new form of global energy business based on renewable energy until it can get the same tremendous profits from oil and gas. After the incident Bob Dudley has identified improving BPs safety practice and performance as one of his highest priorities. As it mentioned in BPs internal investigation report, it was possible for BP to drill deepwater wells safely. It is vital for the companys future that it can live up to that aspiration. In his latest speech on March 08th 2011 at CERA Week Conference in Houston Bob Dudley said: BP is sorry. BP gets it. BP is changing. Were strengthening safety, growing value and working to earn trust. The lesson for large companies is that whilst cost and time savings are certainly key initiatives, senior management and the Board need to ensure that they do not happen at the risk of brand and stakeholder relationships. Only by remembering this disaster and pushing for the truth to be brought to the surface the truth about what BP was hiding we can prevent a similar event from occurring in the future.