Inland freight assisgment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Inland freight assisgment - Essay Example vernment concerning the operation of the system as well as regulating the issue of licences to the drivers with a view to keep the transport system safe and legal. This paper studies the depth of such regulations in maintaining the road safety and makes a critical analysis of the effect of the regulations on the operators and drivers in that direction. This paper also takes a role of a counter campaign against those criticising the operation of the LGV transport system as unsafe by analysing the regulations and at the same time bringing out the shortcomings or lacunae in the system. It also attempts to suggest some useful hints for the future developments. Note: To make the paper more user-friendly, some provisions have been adapted as such or paraphrased from the original Handbook prepared by Vehicle and Operator Service Agency (VOSA) and the regulations of other statutory bodies. With globalization of the industrial and business activities, the effective management of supply chain system ensuring the availability of the right material at the right time and at the right quality has become an immediate and important necessity to any business organisation. . This also necessitated the development and maintenance of new and speedy ways of inland freight movement systems and thereby to succeed the fight against the time to reach the merchandise at the destination at the proper time. In such an effort, due to human errors there are umpteen possibilities due to the improper maintenance of the vehicles or the carelessness of the people operating such transport vehicles that accidents do happen on the city roads and the highways. Under those circumstances it becomes absolutely essential to find out the cause of such an incident to fix the onus of compensating the aggrieved party and punishing the erring person. This analysis will lead us to so many debatable issues w hich will finally culminate on the government’s responsibility to efficiently administer the system of

Evaluations on Talent Requirements, Timing of the Best Estimate and Da Coursework

Evaluations on Talent Requirements, Timing of the Best Estimate and Data for a Self Evaluation - Coursework Example OFCCP has published voluntary guidelines for self-evaluation of various compensation practices prevalent. The final set of voluntary guidelines has been published on 16th November 2004 in Federal Register. In this notice, OFCCP proposed the voluntary guidelines which need to be followed in order to prepare the compensation packages. Firstly the guidelines proposed that the contractor can choose any self-evaluation program that he considers appropriate keeping in mind the OFCCP regulations. Secondly, the voluntary guideline has outlined some general principles that need to be followed while preparing the self-evaluation program. A compliance review needs to be carried out in order to assess whether the compensation program is as per the section I of the voluntary guidelines. OPCCP analyses whether the contracts are as per the standards set in the compensation self-evaluation program. OFCCP reviews the data provided in order to find whether the contractor's compensation program meet the standard guidelines. OFCCP personnel even direct the technical issues so that the contractors prepare guidelines as per the standards set. OFCCP treats the information provided by the contractors as confidential and do not subject the information to public disclosure as per Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552. The company needs to follow the compensation guidelines in order to prepare the compensation project. The company needs to analyze the expected value gained by the company as a result of following the compensation guidelines. A self-evaluation needs to be performed on the employees who are â€Å"similarly situated†. Employees can be placed in the same SSEG if they are performing similar tasks and occupying similar responsibility position. In order to carry out self-evolution the documents required, must justify and explain its decisions in the respect of the SSEG. Data is used for the purpose of statistical analysis for the next 2 years and this helps in preparing an effective compensation package (Balsam, 2002, p.35). The contractor must make all the documentation and data referenced as per section IE of the voluntary guidelines.  

All About Maps Essay Example for Free

All About Maps Essay What are maps? Maps are the world reduced to points, lines, and areas, using a variety of visual resources: size, shape, value, texture or pattern, colour, orientation, and shape. A thin line may mean something different from a thick one, and similarly, red lines from blue ones. How do maps represent reality? A photograph shows all objects in its view; a map is an abstraction of reality. The cartographer selects only the information that is essential to fulfil the purpose of the map, and that is suitable for its scale. Maps use symbols such as points, lines, area patterns and colours to convey information. Why are maps important? A map gives a miniature picture of a very large space. A map is a guide to a space you have not encountered before. Maps have distance, mountains, rivers, and shapes of places or destinations. With a map, one does not have to depend on local directions. For a small price, it is a direction finder and a dependable way to take a journey. What are atlases? An atlas is a collection of maps in book form. Atlases are made for different regions and areas, and are prepared for desk use or travel use. A travel atlas is usually packaged for easy use during a trip, often with spiral bindings so it can be folded flat, and with maps at a large zoom so that they can be easily consulted on the go. A desk atlas features sizes and bindings that are typical for reference books: usually a paperback or hardcover format. Lines of latitude These are imaginary lines that circle the world in an east-west direction. They tell you how far north or south a place is from the Equator. They are drawn parallel to the Equator. There are five main lines of latitude. They are the Equator, the Tropic of Cancer, the Tropic of Capricorn, the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle. Lines of longitude Longitude is the angular distance, measured in degrees, east and west of the Prime Meridian, which is at 0o. These are imaginary lines that run across the Earth’s surface in a north-south direction, from the North Pole to the South Pole. Legends and symbols Since a map is a reduced representation of the real world, map symbols are used to represent real objects. Without symbols, we wouldnt have maps. Both shapes and colours can be used for symbols on maps. A small circle may mean a point of interest, with a brown circle meaning recreation, red circle meaning services, and green circle meaning rest stop. Colours may cover larger areas of a map, such as green representing forested land and blue representing waterways. To ensure that a person can correctly read a map, a Map Le

Effect of Politics on Health Care Policies

Effect of Politics on Health Care Policies How Have Political Ideologies Helped to Shape Policy in the Healthcare Arena Introduction During the late 19th and early 20th Centuries welfare and the provision of healthcare was dominated largely by a laissez-faire approach. Many people in Britain lived in impoverished and unsanitary conditions. By the time of the Boer War (1899-1902) nearly a third of all troops suffered from malnutrition and they were judged unfit to serve. This information was used by social reformers as evidence that Government ought to provide health and welfare services that were an improvement on those which existed at the time (Moore, 2002). Since then policy making has been shaped by the ideology of the Government that is in power. Different ideologies are associated with different political parties, the ones referred to in this paper are associated with Liberal and Labour Governments, Tory Government and New Labour. The ideological underpinnings of these political parties are respectively, social democratic, new right thinking and the third way. This paper will attempt to show how such ideolog ies have helped to shape policy in healthcare, beginning with social democratic policies which produced the 1942 Beveridge Report and laid the foundations for the British welfare state (Walsh et al, 2000). Post-War Social Democracy Social democracy is made up of a number of different strands but its policies are most closely associated with Labour Governments but is often subscribed to by most Liberal Democrats and some Tories. The Post-War Labour Government saw the Welfare State as central to society and one of the things that promoted social cohesion. Thus the ideologies of post-war Labour Governments are the basis of the British Welfare State (Giddens, 2001). The post-war Labour Government believed in universal welfare provision, where a high standard of welfare is available to all those who need them. This system results in what is known as an institutional model of welfare. Central to this approach is an understanding of healthcare as of a high standard, comprehensive, and available to all. Giddens (2001) notes that this kind of provision was based on the ideas of the economist John Milton Keynes and meant that Government was involved at all levels of people’s lives. The post-war welfare state was formed on an understanding that there would be full employment. The 1942 Beveridge Report recommended the introduction of a system of National Assurance. Under this system everyone paid a part of what they earned to the Government and theoretically this would finance the welfare benefits they obtained. The National Health Service grew out of the publishing of by In 1946 Anuerin Bevan introduced a National Health Services Bill from which grew the National Health Service. Underlying this was the idea that healthcare and hospitalisation would be provided free at the point of access. The National Health Service, which was established in 1948, became the envy of the Western world as people received free primary care from their local GP, free medicine, free eye and dental care and free hospitalisation. By the 1950s however, it was becoming impossible to sustain a completely free service and the Government were forced to introduce some charges for prescription s, spectacles and dentistry. This was largely due to the fact that the demand for healthcare exceeded Government resources to pay for it. The NHS lurched from one financial crisis to the next because the demands on it were so great (Walsh et al, 2000). Moore (2002) maintains that until the late 1970s British social policy was dominated by this approach which opposed radical change and believed that the best way to achieve a more just an equal society was over a period of time. However, the post-war government had not envisioned rising unemployment and reduced tax revenues. The Social Democratic approach has been criticised as being paternalistic and elitist, telling people that the state knows what is best for them. This approach has also been accused of creating a dependency culture rather than allowing people to think for themselves. This was a central argument of the New Right. The New Right Approach The Tory Government that was voted into office in 1979 argued that under the previous Government state services had become oppressive and inefficient. New Right thinking lay behind the Government’s policies, which in turn influenced its critique of Social Democratic policies and the welfare state. New Right approaches emphasise the role of the private sector in service provision. The incoming Government was concerned with the spiralling costs of welfare, particularly the health service, and the fact that people relied to heavily on Government services. Universal provision had created a nanny state a welfare dependency. Thatcher argued that it was preferable to provide services through the market, through charity, or through family members. Personal responsibility and self-reliance were the core values promoted by the Tories. The New Right Approach concentrated on lifestyle and its physical and mental effects thereby placing responsibility for the state of an individual’ s health on their own shoulders (Giddens, 2001). The new Government introduced market principles into the health service. Instead of doctors and patients, the term healthcare providers and clients were introduced. In theory this was supposed to give people more choice over the type of care they received, in practice it was a roll back of services. Stiglitz (2002) maintains that rather than increasing user choice the system actually gave the Government more control over people’s lives and allowed them to monitor take up of services to cut costs. In order to control spending on health competing NHS Trusts were introduced. This meant the growth of a two tier system within the Health Service and the introduction of private care (Walsh et al, 2000). The Conservatives also began a process of deinstitutionalisation, closing geriatric wards and psychiatric hospitals, discharging people into the community. In 1990 the Community Care Act was introduced. Means and Smith (1994) have argued that this Act did anything but care, †¦the term community thus enables the continuous construction of an idyllic past of plenty and social harmony which acts as an immanent critique of contemporary social relations. Thus the call by politicians and policy makers to replace present systems of provision with community care feeds into this myth by implying that it is possible to recreate what many believe were the harmonious, caring and integrated communities of the past (Means and Smith, 1994:5). The New Right approach to policy making has been criticised at a number of levels and some research studies e.g. Howarth (1999) found that since 1991 the mortality rates in some local authority areas have risen by 40% and are thus significantly higher than the national average. When New Labour came to power they continued the critiques of welfare dependency and introduced further reforms. Their approach is not yet fully developed but is known as the Third Way. The Third Way Approach Dean (2003) maintains that when New Labour came to power in 1997 they did not break with New Right approaches. Blair maintained that they were offering a third way, that broke with the old left and agreed with some of the Conservative policies. New Labour ministers have argued that new policies are needed to cope with poverty and inequality and to improve education and health. Blair’s Government argue that the state cannot provide everything and people need to be ready to help themselves more. The Government will however, provide funding and opportunities for people to help themselves. New Labour have continued using market principles in healthcare and have introduced a system which accounts for the number of cases that a hospital trust deals with. Its healthcare policies also involve using the private health system to cope with the overflow work that comes from the NHS (Moore, 2002). New Labour still hold to the view that the introduction of market principles into the healthc are system will result in greater efficiency and better care. Critics have argued that the inequalities under the Conservatives have continued under New Labour and there is now a postcode lottery within healthcare i.e. where a person lives determines the amount and quality of healthcare that they receive. In response to this the Government set up Health Action Zones in 1998. By 1999 these were focussed on underprivileged areas where the health of the population was thought to be particularly poor. Health Action Zones are based on the principle of inter-agency working i.e. health is not simply a matter for the NHS, voluntary organisations, GPs and housing and social services all play a part in promoting health. The Government also introduced NHS Direct, a telephone help service that people can contact when they are not clear what to do about a health problem. In some areas there are walk in health centres staffed by nurses, they deal with minor health problems and take some of the load off of AE departments. (Moore, 2002). Some critics argue tha t Third Way policies benefit the better off at the expense of the poorer members of society.(Alcock, 1997)..It is also argued that Third Way polices are not sufficiently though through and therefore appear indistinct. Conclusion This paper has looked at the ways in which political ideology shapes policy making. It has focussed on policy making in health because this is still a hotly debated topic in both the media and in the public arena at large. Social democrats believe in universal welfare provision but the idea is based on full employment and that is no longer a viable concept. New Right thinking is against such total provision and believes that individuals need to be more self-reliant. Third Way policies use a combination of approaches but in practice much of the policy making is virtually indistinguishable from that of the New Right. Clearly these ideologies do have an effect on policy making, but more importantly they have an effect on the lives of British people. While there were many weaknesses in the Social Democratic approach it seems to be the general view that health services have deteriorated considerably with changing ideologies. 1600 words References Alcock, P. 1994 â€Å"Back to the Future: Victorian Values for the 21st Century† in Murray, C. 1994 Underclass: The Crisis Deepens London, IEA Dean, H. 2003 â€Å"The Third Way and social welfare: the myth of post-emotionalism† Social Policy and Administration Vol 7 Issue 7 p.695 Giddens, 2001. 4th ed. Sociology. Cambridge, Polity Press Howarth, C. 1999 Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 1999 York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation Marsh, Keating and Eyre et al 2000 2nd ed. Sociology: Making Sense of Society Essex, Pearson Education Means, R. and Smith, R. 1994 Community Care, Policy and Practice London, Macmillan Moore, S. Scourfield, P. Sinclair, S. Burch, S. and Wendon, B. 3rd ed. 2002 Social Welfare Alive Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes. Stiglitz, J. 2002 Globalisation and Its Discontents New York and London: WW Norton Company Walsh, I ed. 2000 Sociology: Making Sense of Society. Edinburgh, Prentice Hall.

The Successful Development Essay -- Technology, Logistics

The successful development and implementation of networked technologies coupled with ingenuity and collaboration allowed Michigan to thrive in the manufacturing and service sectors at the turn of the century. By 1900 railroads combined with steamboats, the telegraph, lighthouses and silos revolutionized overland transportation and travel, pulling Michigan and national markets together, aiding in the creation of the modern consumer society and the production of new technologies. Railroads cut travel time dramatically and reduced freight costs with two important economic results for Michigan. First, they made the settlement and development of continental interiors possible which transformed demanding and dangerous journeys of months into a trip of a few days. This linked the countryside more closely to the cities, production areas to markets and raw materials, and continental interiors to coastlines and waterways. Second, farmers switched from raising subsistence crops to cash crops better suited for their local soils, thus increasing crop yields dramatically and income for consumer goods. This stimulated sales, provided more jobs, increased production, and lowered prices. With business booming, companies developed new products, triggering an explosion of new technological advances, inventions, and consumer products in the latter 1800's. Steamboats would be coupled with railroads along with lighthouses, the telegraph and silos. Until steamboats, man had only his might and the wind to transport himself and his cargo. The bulk of the products were floated downstream on rafts and flatboats. However, these vessels were too clumsy to navigate upriver. Although wind was free and worked efficiently on oceans and big lakes, it was no ma... ...nessmen sough to curb seasonal irregularities and promote stability. They formed employers association to monitor labor costs, a trade association to deal with shippers, and new banks to handle the demands of capital and money markets. Due to the ingenuity of men like Sligh, McMillan and Berkey coupled with the development and implementation of networked technologies in transportation and communication Michigan was able to survive economically at the turn of the century. By 1900 Michigan would be tied to national market, aiding in the creation of the modern consumer society and the production of new technologies. These same factors that led to Michigan’s survival would later open Michigan, particularly with the help of Gerald Ford and his Motel T, to become a powerhouse of industrialization and the birthplace of a mobile renaissance in the entire United States.

Christ of the Holy Bible and Dionysus of Euripides Essay -- Comparison

Christ of the Holy Bible and Dionysus of Euripides    Christ resembles Dionysus in many ways. Is it possible that Christ is simply an extension of the Dionysian myth? Though the concepts of wine and faith unite the two, the idea of revenge compared to self-sacrifice separates the two deities. Dionysus fits the Greek understanding of vengeful and selfish God that bear more anthropomorphic traits than Godly traits. Christ, however, transcends human desires for revenge and acts in self-sacrifice. This is the key separation between them. The similarity between the two Gods is striking. Dionysus is associated with wine and revelry. Christ forever associated himself with wine and celebration through the act of Communion and the Wedding at Cana. Contrary to many popular beliefs, Christ is a celebratory God. The Bible lists many occasions where God accepted the gift of his followers' song and dance. 2 Samuel 6:14, "David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might." Dionysus also encourages festivities. "I came to this city of Greeks when I had set ...

Gross Domestic Product and the United States Essay

Gross domestic product, or GDP as it is commonly referred to as, is a popular economic means for measuring how large a country or area’s economy is. Though coming up the an actual calculation for the full breadth of a country’s economic prowess is difficult and quite involved, this is one way of determining that for the basis of comparison with other countries. In general, this is a system that takes the total amount of all of the goods and services that are rendered in a country during a given time frame and combines them to create the final number. Though the actual calculation is much more complicated than that rudimentary explanation, the basic premise behind gross domestic product can be explained in that elementary fashion. There are many different calculations that go into determining the gross domestic product of the United States in 2006. According to statistics provided by the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the number that was calculated for the U. S. GDP in 2006 was estimated at $13. 06 trillion (CIA). That number was calculated based on a number of factors, all of which will be discussed below. One aspect that goes into helping create the gross domestic product figure is the consumption function. To be succinct, this is the number that indicates widespread consumer spending in the United States. According to information produced by the economics department at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, the consumption function is, â€Å"The relationship between the level of income in an economy and the amount households plan to spend on consumption, other things constant† (Baylor). It is calculated as a part of the GDP listed above. According to statistics put out by the Bureau of Economic Analysis in the United States, the total consumer consumption during 2006 was $9. 2 trillion (BEA). Another aspect of gross domestic product that is calculated is the government function. This is the amount of consumption that the government accounts for in accordance to the GDP statistics. According to the 2006 GDP report put out by the BEA, the government function was $2. 2 trillion during 2006 (BEA). That amount is ultimately added in with the rest of the expenditures of the nation in order to come up with the final gross domestic product number. The investment function is another thing that goes into the calculation of gross domestic product. According to the same information put forth by Baylor University, the investment function is, â€Å"The relationship between the amount businesses plan to invest and the level of income in the economy, other things constant† (Baylor). The United States economy has seen this number fluctuate quite a bit during the last few years. In 2007, it has been down in compared to previous years. It contributed to the 2006 gross domestic product statistic with a number of $2. 2 trillion, according to the BEA (BEA). That number is a strong one when compared to other years for the U. S. economy. Gross domestic product also takes into account how much the U. S. economy exports during the year. Though there are lots of different calculations that go into coming up with the net export function, one final calculation is given by the BEA report for 2006. Net exports during 2006 totaled negative $762 billion (BEA). The current economic trend has this number heading further down, as it was lower than the previous three years. This number means that the U. S. is importing far more goods than it is exporting, a signal that manufacturing in the United States is heading the way of the dinosaur. That number should continue to sink, as the U. S. makes more trade relationships with countries and imports more and more goods in the near future. On the whole, the U. S. economy is producing a fair amount of products and services. The balance that exists between the payments and the level of commerce seem to be steady. As such, the economy has grown to a huge size that looks to only be getting bigger as more and more American companies expand their capabilities both in the U. S. and abroad. The economy has some problems, but size is not one of them. The production of services and products in America is strong when compared to the amount of expenditures, although consumer debt is threatening to eat up the surplus. When it comes to gross domestic product growth, there are a number of different factors that can power a move forward. Depending upon the nation and the time in which GDP is being measured, quite a few variables could force the growth of the economy. For example, the third quarter 2007 numbers for the American economy showed very strong economic growth. In fact, the gross domestic product grew by an annual rate of 4. 9% during that third quarter, up substantially over both the first and second quarter time periods. According to a news release from the BEA entitled, Gross Domestic Product: Third Quarter 2007 (Preliminary), â€Å"he increase in real GDP in the third quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from exports, personal consumption expenditures (PCE), private inventory investment, equipment and software, federal government spending, nonresidential structures, and state and local government spending that were partly offset by a negative contribution from residential fixed investment† (BEA). The report went on to say that the growth in GDP during the quarter was somewhat stifled by an increase in imports, which obviously account for a negative calculation in the GDP equation. On a more personal level, there are quite a few things that individuals can do to both help themselves out and help the American economy continue its growth. These things are outlined below. The first and foremost thing that Americans can do in order to help grow the U. S. GDP is to be more productive. Since the economy grows on the basis of how much of services and products are produced, any bump in productivity on an individual level will lead to further production for big businesses and small businesses alike. This is true for people who work for a large corporation, as well as those who might own their own business. Individuals can only do so much in improving the GDP, so it takes a collective effort in increased productivity to raise the number a substantial amount. In addition to that, people being smarter with their money will help the gross domestic product rise. Consumer expenditures hurt the gross domestic product and people that waste their money paying credit finance fees are not doing anything to help themselves. Smarter saving plans and investment planning can help individuals grow their money and help businesses produce more on a national level. At the root of those things is an increase in work ethic for individual workers. If people begin to take work and their financial future more seriously, then they can better produce. Since an increase in work ethic has a direct correlation to the increase in production, gross domestic product is benefited by an increase in the American work ethic. Education is helping to boost the GDP, as well. The American people are a highly educated group, when compared to other areas around the world. Education gives a person the power to operate in a business setting and help his or her company grow their production. Since a focus has been put on education in the Untied States, the gross domestic product has seen significant growth. A byproduct of education is most certainly entrepreneurialism. With more and more individuals getting higher education and learning the necessary skills to start their own business, there exists a larger number of Americans who are willing to work for themselves. If they apply a strong work ethic to go along with their education and their new found entrepreneurial nature, they can single handedly improve the American gross domestic product. Aside from what individuals can do to help improve the gross domestic product, the federal government has a lot of control over what happens with the GDP. A single decision on a monetary policy can change the way that the U. S. economy operates during the coming year and can help stimulate the economy into more production. Likewise, a fault economic policy can serve to impede the progress of economic growth. A 2000 article in AllBusiness worries about this. In his article, Tao Zha writes, â€Å"When the federal open market committee (FOMC) began raising interest rates in June 1999 to forestall inflationary pressures, concern mounted that monetary policy moves might slow the pace of economic growth, undoing the employment gains minorities and other disadvantaged groups made during the 1990s† (Zha). As such, the federal government has to protect its own interests in how it decides to shape economic policies for the future. International policy can also influence GDP growth. Because so much of the economy’s growth depends on how much it can produce and export, the government has to be careful not to break any ties with international governments. In addition, the U. S. government must always take great care not to disrupt any relationships that the nation has with countries that provide things that the American people have to have. One example of this is with oil, as American policy is shaped to not disrupt any working relationships with countries that provide oil. Other economic decisions can have similar impacts on the gross domestic product and its subsequent growth. In order to continue the positive growth that the GDP has seen in recent years, Americans simply need to keep doing what they have been doing. Strong trends in education and an upswing in work ethic are good signs for economic growth. In addition, more measures have to be taken to keep unemployment rates low, as the more people that are working, the more production companies can have. In addition to boosting education on a basic level, the federal government should do more to promote financial education among all of its citizens. A general public that makes better decisions with its money is one that will help promote economic growth for the future. In closing, the gross domestic product of the United States is growing at a rate that one might expect at this point in time. With more and more businesses popping up because more people are going to college than ever before, the federal government just has to insure that they do not do anything to screw up the progress. Americans are people that like to work and they strive for productivity. Those factors alone will lead to continued growth of the GDP in the United States. Works Cited Baylor University. Chapter 9: Components of Aggregate Expenditure. http://business. baylor. edu/Tom_Kelly/2307ch9. htm Bureau of Economic Analysis. Gross Domestic Product: Third Quarter (Preliminary). 29 November 2007. http://www. bea. gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease. htm Bureau of Economic Analysis. Gross Domestic Product Report: 2002-2006.