Health And Safety Essay

The ultimate responsibility or Accountability for health and safety lies with the Company’s Trust members The organisation chart of the business identifies the key positions of people who are accountable to the Trust Members for ensuring that the detailed arrangements for safe working are drawn up, implemented and maintained. DUTIES Chief Executive The role of the Chief Executive is to provide leadership on Health and Safety matters and policies. Specific duties are: to ensure that the Health and Safety policy, organisation and arrangements are reviewed, kept up-to-date, understood by employees, and effectively implemented; to ensure performance standards for Health and Safety are set and monitored; to monitor performance and initiate corrective action where necessary; to work with staff in reviewing, inspecting and improving work systems with the objective of improving Health and Safety performance and to ensure investigations of hazards and incidents leading to (or could have potentially lead to) injury, damage or loss are undertaken and corrective / preventive actions are undertaken. Health & Safety Officer The role of the Health & Safety Consultant is to provide support to both of the Chief Executive on Health and Safety matters and policies. Specific duties are: to instruct each employee and worker as necessary in the avoidance of hazards and in the safe performance of their work; to ensure that particular Health and Safety regulations are observed; to ensure employees understand this policy and organisation (including their own responsibilities) and comply with the arrangements; to continually review and inspect the premises and equipment to eliminate unsafe conditions; in the event of an incident to take any immediate action necessary to deal with the situation and to consult with staff and implement improvements or changes required to eliminate hazards and remove the causes of accidents, damage and loss. to identify, consult, communicate and monitor 3rd parties, in particular contractors whilst operating on RDAC’s site. Employees Specific duties are: to carry out their work safely in the interest of themselves and other employees; to understand and follow safety procedures, standards and systems of work; to report unsafe conditions and safety concerns so that corrective action can be taken; to impart knowledge and experience on safe working practices to others and to support the Health and Safety Officer and Chief Executive in order to achieve and maintain the highest standards within the fields of Health and Safety. The primary responsibility for personal safety lies with the individual, and the effectiveness of this policy, arraignments and assessment depends on the wholehearted co‑operation of every employee. All individual actions must constantly reflect safety awareness and personnel should always work with the safety of themselves and their fellow employees in mind. Management of Health & Safety Safety Audits & Inspections The implementation of an annual Health and Safety audit will be the responsibility of the Chief Executive and Health and Safety Officer and will consist of an in-depth examination of all the Company activities and  premises. The safety audit will subject each area of the Company’s activities to a systematic critical examination with the object of minimising loss. Every component of the total system will be included e.g. management policy, attitudes, training, features of the premises (the design and layout of areas, rooms etc), emergency plans and procedures, accident records etc. The audit will aim to highlight the weaknesses and strengths, and the main areas of vulnerability or risk. Risk Assessment In accordance with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Company will carry out risk assessments of all activities that present a risk to employees or others. These risk assessments will be carried out in line with Health & Safety Executive guidance, and the procedure for doing so is as follows: 1. Identify the significant hazards involved in our activity. 2. Decide who might be harmed and how. 3. Evaluate the level of risk and decide if existing precautions are sufficient, or if more needs to be done. 4. Record the significant findings of the assessment. 5. Review the assessment when things change, or there is reason to believe that it is no longer valid. The risk assessments will: Identify what the hazards are and identify the people who might be harmed by the hazard; Disregard insignificant risks; Evaluate the risks from the identified hazards; Ensure all aspects of the work activity are reviewed, including routine and non-routine activities and operations; Take into account any existing control measures; Take account of the way in which the work is organized, and the effects this can have on health; Take account of the risks to the public; Take account of the need to cover fire risks; Identify the period of time which it will be valid for; Enable us to prioritise remedial actions; Risk assessments will be undertaken by the Health and Safety Officer and Representatives at both sites currently used, with assistance from our advisors, B.I.G. Business Services. Dynamic Risk Assessments Dynamic risk assessment is a continuous process of identifying hazards. The risk is assessed and action taken to eliminate or reduce risk. Dynamic risk assessment will be applied in a changing environment. The dynamic assessment will be conducted by the relevant competent person managing the activity. The competent person must halt the operation is believed the risk outweighs the control measures applied. The Managing Directors are responsible to ensure competent people have been trained in dynamic risk assessing/hazard awareness. Safe Systems of Work The Company will provide written safe systems of work for all operations and tasks where there is a significant risk of injury; where there is clearly an identifiable need to specify the safe and correct way of doing the work and where, in spite of all reasonable control measures being implemented, significant risk remains. Employees will be instructed in the safe system of work, as appropriate, and a record of competency kept. Specific Responsibilities The Managing Directors and the Office Manager will identify all such processes and planned activities within the company’s area of responsibility and ensure that suitable written systems are produced, employees trained and records kept. All Employees must observe and understand the system of work at all times; reporting any circumstances which prevents compliance or undermines its effectiveness to their immediate supervisor or line manager. Monitoring Health & Safety Performance In addition to the reactive monitoring of accidents/ill-health, the Company will also carry out proactive monitoring of Health and Safety performance. To check our working conditions, and ensure our safe working practices are being followed, The Managing Directors along with B.I.G Business Services Health and Safety Consultant (where necessary) will conduct routine inspections of the workplace and review the effectiveness of our risk assessment and work practices. Consultation with Employees The Company will consult with its employees in accordance with the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996. Consultation with  employees will be provided direct to individuals as necessary. Health & Safety Advice In accordance with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Company has access to competent Health & Safety advice. This advice is available from: B.I.G. Business Services Tel: 0845 2626260 Email:info@bigbusinessservices.com Qualifications in Health & Safety include: Chartered Member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH) Corporate Member of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (MIIRSM) NEBOSH Level 6 Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety Member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment Information, Instruction, Training and Supervision The Company will provide adequate information, instruction, training and supervision to employees in accordance with the general duties on employers under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations. All employees including any temporary and casual workers will be provided with information on any risks relevant to their particular activity and work area. All information, instruction and training given to employees, temporary and casual workers will be recorded on individual training records. In certain instances, employees will be asked to sign to confirm receipt or understanding of the training. Training and Instruction Induction training for all new employees, temporary and casual workers is the responsibility of the Chief Executive. Job specific training and instruction will be identified, arranged and monitored by the Chief Executive. The Health and Safety component of induction training will contain the following: Health and Safety Policy Accident reporting / first aid procedures Fire precautions and procedures, including our emergency plan; Introduction to safety legislation – the Employee will be introduced to the legislation that applies to our Company and the workplace, e.g. Electricity and Manual Handling. The supervision of trainees will be arranged, undertaken and monitored by the Chief Executive and Health and Safety Officer. Information The Health and Safety Law information is displayed within both of the premises on dedicated health and safety notice boards. A copy of the Employers Liability Insurance certificate is displayed within the offices on dedicated health and safety notice boards. Supervision & Management Training at all levels is necessary to ensure that responsibilities are known and the organisation’s policy is carried out. Key points to cover in the training of supervisors and managers are: The organisation’s safety policy or programme; Legal framework and duties of the organisation, its management and the workforce; Specific laws and rules applicable to the workplace; Safety inspection techniques and requirements; Causation and consequences of accidents and their reporting, recording and investigation; Basic accident prevention techniques; Disciplinary procedure and application; Control of hazards in the workplace and use of personal protective equipment; Techniques for motivating employees to recognise and respond to organisational goals in Health and Safety. Specialised training Specialised Health and Safety training will be required to cover both legal requirements and others necessary for the safe running of the organisation, for example: First aid, taking into account the nature of the work and the size of the organisation Manual Handling Use of fire-fighting appliances such as extinguishers and fire awareness. Reinforcement or Refresher training Reinforcement or refresher training will be required at appropriate intervals. These requirements will depend on the outcome of observation of the workforce, i.e. during a training needs assessment. Factors to be  taken into account are the complexity of the information to be held by the employee, and the amount of practice required and the opportunity for practice in the normal working requirement. Assessment will also be required of the likely severity of the consequences of behaviour that does not match training objectives. The Managing Directors will ensure the following procedure will be followed: Arrange for the induction training to be given to all staff; Comprehensive and relevant information will be provided to the employee in respect of risks to his / her Health and Safety and on preventative and protective measures; Information will be provided on the Company’s emergency arrangements, including staff nominated to help if there is an evacuation; Ensure that the employee understands all the information provided to them and that they have the opportunity to ask any questions in relation to the training; After a suitable length of time the training should be followed up with the employee to assess its effectiveness and to correct any misunderstandings. Lone Working A lone worker is a person who works where there are no other members of staff present on the same floor at the same time and without close or direct supervision in a wide variety of situations. This could include being off-site or outside a building. Lone workers should not be at more risk than other employees, although such activities may require extra risk control measures. Precautions should take account of normal work and foreseeable emergencies, e.g. fire, equipment failure, illness and accidents. The Health and Safety Officer along with B.I.G Business Services Health and Safety Consultant (where applicable) shall identify situations where people work alone and ensure site specific assessments are completed where required. Lone Workers identified are responsible for: †¢ Taking reasonable care to look after their own Health and Safety; †¢ Co-operating and complying with any control measures designed to eliminate or reduce the risk of lone working. †¢ Safeguarding the Health and Safety of other people affected by their work; †¢ Participating in training designed to meet the requirements of the Health and Safety policies and procedures; †¢Ã‚  Operating authorised equipment in accordance with relevant safety instructions and any training they have been given; †¢ Reporting any dangers or identified areas of risk as soon as practicable to an appropriate manager. This will include any accidents, or incidents that could have given rise to an accident; †¢ Notifying their manager, at the first opportunity, of any change in their ability to undertake their role, including any adverse medical conditions. Employees requiring advice or who have concerns regarding lone working can seek advice from the company’s Health and Safety Officer who will, if necessary, arrange specialist advice and assistance to determine the appropriate course of action to eliminate or control the risk factors Working Time It is the Company policy to eliminate the need for employees to work excessive hours without appropriate breaks. The following will be provided: Employees will be provided an uninterrupted break of 20 minutes every 6 hours worked during the working day. Young Workers, under 18 years of age will be provided an uninterrupted break of 30 minutes every 4.5 hours worked during the working day. Employees will be provided with a rest period of 11 consecutive hours rest in each 24 hour period Young Workers, under 18 years of age will be provided with a rest period of 12 consecutive hours rest in each 24 hour period An Employee will be provided with one day off a week; this can be averaged over 2 weeks Young Workers, under 18 years of age will be provided with 2 day off a week; this cannot be averaged over 2 weeks A record of working hours will be kept and averages of defined 17 week periods will be maintained by the Office Manager. Excessive work is defined in excess of 48 hours. Fitness for Work If an Employee has a medical condition that could affect their fitness for work, that Employee must inform the Chief Executive of the likely impact of the medical condition on their fitness for work. The Employee is not obliged to disclose confidential medical information, however the Company will, where necessary, confer with relevant external experts to confirm whether a Fitness for Work plan is required. Any person taking prescribed medication must seek the advice of their doctor before working, written evidence of their fitness to work whilst taking the drugs may be required and held by  the Chief Executive. Data Protection The Chief Executive will ensure the Company will comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, when recording accidents. Individual record sheets will be removed and stored securely (keeping personal information confidential). Civil Claims The Company will ensure claims for compensation for injury or damage suffered are handled correctly. Claims for compensation must be acknowledged within 21 days. Therefore it is important that any claim (and subsequent correspondence received) is notified to the Chief Executive and acknowledged without delay. Where the claim is verbal, ask the person making the claim to put their comments in writing and forward to the Chief Executive also make a note of any verbal comments and forward in the same manner. Employees are not to engage in conversation regarding the claim and should never admit liability. If necessary, explain that the matter has been referred to the Chief Executive in accordance with procedures Managing Contractors The Company recognises that it owes a duty to contractors as well as employees, as stipulated by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Section 3 and the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The Company will ensure that only competent contractors are selected. All Contractors working on the Company’s behalf are assessed to ensure that they are competent and have suitable and adequate Health and Safety arrangements in place to provide safe working practices and control of all significant hazards that may be introduced by their work. The selection and assessment of the competence of contractors is the responsibility of the Chief Executive and Health and Safety Officer (assistance will be provided if necessary by B.I.G Business Services Health and Safety Consultant. Selected contractors must be able to demonstrate that they are experienced and competent to carry out the required works with regulations and accepted safety standards. Before a contract is awa rded an overview of the status of the tenderer’s Health and Safety management systems must be obtained by reviewing the following documents; A completed contractor selection questionnaire Relevant risk assessments and method statements for the work to be undertaken Supportive evidence of competence The Chief Executive must take into consideration all factors when selecting the contractor for the work. The cost of the works is not be the sole factor in contractor selection. The pre-selection of any contractors will take into account Health and Safety requirements when selecting and approving contractors to work for the Company, ensuring contractors: Work safely, without endangering themselves or any other people; Comply with the Company’s Health and Safety requirements; Only employ competent staff who have been adequately trained; Only employ competent sub-contractors, who are adequately managed; Have adequate resources to manage Health and Safety satisfactorily The Chief Executive may not engage any contractors to provide any services for the Company unless the Health and Safety questions in the contractor selection questionnaire have been answered satisfactorily. No contractor will be appointed if they fail to provide adequate risk assessments and method statements for the proposed work. Once approved, the Chief Executive is responsibility for ensuring contractors working on our premises are briefed on our safety rules and supervised to ensure they work in an approved and safe manner. Any problems/hazards arising from the activities of contractors should be reported to the Chief Executive respectively. The Chief Executive is responsible for the management and co-ordination of all Company contracts involving building works, engineering service, refurbishment and maintenance works. Health and Safety considerations will be included from the start when planning work to be carried out by contractors ensuring responsible for ensuring that Health and Safety issues are adequately addressed. The Chief Executive is responsible for determining the Health and Safety implications of the planned work setting the criteria by which the contractors will be judged which includes the minimum Health and Safety standards that must be met Identifying when the planned work is covered by the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007; Seeking advice and guidance as necessary. Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking The Company will take all reasonable steps to ensure the Health and Safety of employees at work is not put at risk by smoking, alcohol, drug or substance abuse recognizing the affects of health, safety and welfare to the user and potential impact on work colleagues and the business. The Company therefore operates a policy which ensures that employees’ health and performance is not impaired at any time they are on Company premises. The Disciplinary Procedure will be followed in any case where an employee is found to disregard this Policy and/or to be under the influence of or in possession of any alcohol or illegal substance whilst at work or on Company premises. The Company will encourage employees with drug or alcohol abuse or dependency problems to seek help and treatment voluntarily through their own GP. Employees who suspect an employee to be suffering from drug or alcohol problems will refer the individual to the Chief Executive who will assist them in finding advice and treatment. In certain circumstances, disciplinary action may be taken against employees who fail to accept or co-operate with a course of treatment. Violence The Company will take all reasonable steps to ensure the Health and Safety of employees at work is not put at risk by violent, abusive or aggressive behaviour occurring in the work place. The Company recognises that verbal and physical abuse at work can affect the health, safety and welfare of the victim and can have an impact on work colleagues and the business. The Company therefore operates a zero tolerance policy which ensures that people on Company premises are not put at risk of bullying in any form. The Disciplinary Procedure will be followed in any case where an employee is found to be displaying violent or aggressive behaviour towards any person on the Company’s premises. ï‚Ÿ The Chief Executive and Health and Safety Officer will endeavor to provide sufficient information, instruction and training to ensure the Health and Safety of persons on Company premises is not threatened by violent, abusive or aggressive behavior by Company employees. Premises Control of Asbestos Containing Materials In conjunction with the Landlord, the Company will assess and control health  risks from exposure to asbestos in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 to particularly prevent employees from exposure to asbestos and asbestos containing materials (ACMs). To achieve this, the Chief Executive and Landlord are responsible to ensure: That reasonable steps are taken, with the assistance from accredited specialists, to determine the location and condition of materials likely to contain asbestos; A record of the location and condition of the ACMs or presumed ACMs in our offices is made; Assess the risk of the likelihood of anyone being exposed to fibres from these materials; Prepare a plan setting out how the risks from the materials are to be managed; Take the necessary steps to put the plan into action;  Review and monitor the plan periodically; Provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb them. Should the situation arise, approval for any necessary action to remove asbestos containing materials will be given by the Letting Agent who is to appoint specialist advisors and licensed contractors competent in handling and disposing of such hazardous materials. Plant and Equipment Maintenance The responsibility for identifying all plant and fixed installations and ensuring effective maintenance procedures are drawn up and implemented is that of the Chief Executive. To achieve timely and suitable pre-planned maintenance, repair and refurbishment schedules Chief Executive will appoint competent contractors to assist the Company. Portable Electrical Equipment Portable electrical appliances are tested by an external engineer at selected intervals in accordance with HSE guidance. Notwithstanding this general inspection/test programme, very high usage common use facilities (i.e. kettles, microwave ovens) are inspected/tested every 12 months and replaced as necessary to ensure high standards of provision and electrical safety is maintained for all employees. Fixed Electrical Systems The fixed electrical installations throughout the premises is inspected and tested by a competent NICEIC registered contractor. The Chief Executive will arrange for the electrical systems integrity and safety to be inspected and retested every 5 years via they workforce. Gas Systems The Chief Executive will appoint a competent Gas Safety registered contractor to service and maintain all gas systems throughout the premise. The contract will ensure that all gas systems are serviced annually and gas safety certificates held on file readily available for examination on request. Defects and Problems It is recognised that even with the best pre-planned maintenance programmes, problems and defects with plant and equipment will occur from time to time. Accordingly, any problems with plant or equipment should be reported in the first instance to the Chief Executive or Health and Safety Officer Welfare Facilities The Company is committed to providing suitable and sufficient welfare facilities to employees, in accordance with the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Adequate numbers of clean toilets, washing and shower facilities are provided for the number of staff and visitors required to use them. Toilet paper, hot/cold water, soap and means for drying hands will always be available. In addition, drinking water and a means to prepare hot drinks and food is provided in the Kitchen. To ensure that a high standard of cleanliness and good hygiene is maintained, the facilities are cleaned. Notwithstanding this planned cleaning programme, any employee who has concerns with the standard of cleanliness and hygiene should report the matter to their appropriate manager who will investigate and advice accordingly. Access and Egress The Company is committed to providing a safe place of work and a safe means of access and egress within all parts of our workplace, which includes movement in and out of the workplace. Access and egress includes all of the following: Access to and egress from the workplace; Routes through working areas; Accessibility of storage areas; Access to and egress from an individual’s workplace; Emergency exit routes; Any temporary arrangements for access; External pathways and roadways around the workplace; The Chief Executive and Health and Safety Officer with assistance from B.I.G Business Services Health and Safety Consultant (where applicable) will ensure risk assessments are completed to identify that: The workplace shall be organised to ensure pedestrians can circulate in a safe manner; All articles or substances do not impede safe access and egress at the workplace and that objects which may restrict safe movement within the workplace are removed immediately; Any access restrictions are adhered to so that suitable and safe arrangements for work in confined places and other areas of high risk are guaranteed; Objects are not stored in walkways or precariously on top of cabinets / shelves; All work equipment when not in use must be stored in its designated storage area; Waste items shall not be allowed to accumulate in walkways and floor surfaces shall be capable of being kept sufficiently clean and cleaned as appropriate; All access equipment is regularly inspected to ensure that it is maintained in a safe condition; Formalised systems of work are designed and implemented in all areas of significant risk; Employees are encouraged to report any situation where safe access and egress is restricted or obstructed. The workplace floors and traffic route surfaces are suitable for their purpose and maintained in a safe condition and suitably indicated where necessary of reasons of Health and Safety; The working activities of contractors are monitored so that they do not hinder safe access / egress; So far as reasonably practicable we will take suitable and effective measures to prevent persons falling a distance likely to cause personal injury and to prevent any person being struck by a falling object. Activities Manual Handling In accordance with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, the  Company will eliminate the need for manual handling wherever possible. Where elimination is not possible, the risks from manual handling will be assessed and reduced, so far as is reasonably practicable by job design and the provision of mechanical aids etc. Manual handling risk assessments will be carried out by the Managing Directors with assistance from B.I.G Business Services. Display Screen Equipment (Computer Users) The Company will assess and control health risks from exposure to display screen equipment in accordance with the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992. Employees that are classed as habitual Display Screen Equipment users are entitled to free eye tests on request and to vision correction appliances but only where these are needed specifically for work with display screen equipment. Display Screen Equipment workstation assessments will be arranged by the Chief Executive who will also give any necessary approval for corrective action to remove or control risks. Habitual Display Screen Equipment users will be required to complete self-assessment of their workstation. The complete assessment is to be returned to the Health and Safety Officer, who will review and arrange for any necessary corrective actions. Employees who have declared a disability or existing upper limb disorder to the Health and Safety Officer will be individually assessed to ensure all necessar y adjustments are made to their workstation and job tasks to allow them to continue working. Demarcation / Safety Signs The Company recognises the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations minimum requirements for the provision of safety signs at work. The Chief Executive along with the Health and Safety Officer will provide specific safety signs whenever there is a risk that has not been avoided or controlled by other means, for example by engineering controls and Safe Systems of Work (SSoW). Where a safety sign would not help to reduce that risk, or where the risk is not significant, no safety signs will be provided. Hazardous Substances (where necessary) The Company will assess and control health risks from exposure to hazardous substances in accordance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002. All reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that all exposure of employees to substances hazardous to health is prevented or at least controlled to within statutory limits. We will not supply or use those substances prohibited by law. The responsibility for identifying all substances that need a COSHH assessment and for obtaining the Chemical Safety Data Sheets is that of the Chief Executive and Health and Safety Officer. COSHH assessments will be carried out and any actions identified implemented by the Health and Safety Officer with assistance from B.I.G Business Services who will also ensure all relevant employees are advised. The COSHH information will also be made readily available to affected employees for reference. The Company will ensure that the exposure of employees to substances hazardous to health is either prevented or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled. Where exposure cannot be adequately controlled the Company w ill provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) free of charge. The Chief Executive is responsible to ensure all employees will be provided with comprehensive information and instruction on the nature and likelihood of their exposure to substances hazardous to health. The Company risk assessments will be reviewed regularly and particularly if either there is a significant change in the work or the validity of one of our original assessments. Emergency & Continuity Accidents, First Aid and Work Related Ill-Health The Company is committed to preventing accidents and cases of ill-health to employees and others who may be affected by its work activities. However, the Company recognises that failures can occur and will investigate all accidents and ill-health to identify the immediate and underlying causes so as to prevent recurrence. First Aid Provision The Chief Executive will ensure that adequate first aid trained personnel and equipment is provided, in accordance with the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981. The Chief Executive and the Health and Safety Officer are responsible for ensuring the location of the first aid kit, accident book and the names of First Aiders are known to all employees. Quarterly checks on provisions are to be made by the First Aider and any shortfalls addressed. Accident Reporting All accidents and incidents are to be recorded in the accident book. The Health and Safety Officer is to ensure that where appropriate the accident or incident is RIDDOR reportable. The Chief Executive is responsible for investigating accidents and incidents of ill-health to prevent a recurrence. Reporting of Accidents/Incidents to the Authorities All reportable incidents, as defined by the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) will be reported by the responsible person – Chief Executive or the Health and Safety Officer when necessary to the enforcing authority within the relevant timeframes. The following types of work related incident/accident need to be reported: Death Major Injuries e.g. broken bones, dislocations, amputations, loss of sight etc. Any accident resulting in more than 3 days lost from work Any non-employee (i.e. customers, visitors and contractors) being taken directly to hospital Certain types of disease e.g. dermatitis, asthma, upper limb disorders, carpal tunnel syndrome etc. Certain types of dangerous occurrence, even when no-on is injured e.g. electrical fires, etc. All records of all reportable accidents, dangerous occurrences and reportable diseases will be kept for at least 3 years. Fire and Evacuation The Company has procedures in place to follow in the event of emergency. These are communicated to all employees during induction and are displayed throughout the offices. In simple terms the procedure is as follows: In the event of a fire: Immediately sound the alarm by shouting â€Å"Fire, Fire, Fire† . Only attack the fire if trained to do so – do not put yourself at risk. Dial 999 and ask for the fire brigade – give the building address and location of the fire ensuring it is heard by the operator. Evacuate the building by the nearest exit and proceed to the designated assembly point. Do not stop to collect personal belongings. Do not re-enter the building until told it is safe to do so. The Company has appointed a ‘responsible person’ in all locations who is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the staff and any person who may legally come onto Company property and of anyone not on the premises but who may be affected. Therefore, in accordance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Company will ensure that a Fire Risk assessment is conducted and adequate precautions put in place. The Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring that the fire risk assessment is undertaken and completed. To achieve this duty the Chief Executive have appoint specialist consultants (B.I.G Business Services) to assist in the completion of the assessment and also in identifying any recommendations necessary. The day-to-day responsibility for ensuring all fire precautions are in place and in order is that of the Health and Safety Officer in particular: Escape routes are checked d aily to ensure they are free from obstruction. Fire extinguishers are maintained and serviced annually. Environment The Company will take all reasonable steps to minimise as far as practicable the impact of its activities on the environment. The Company recognises its responsibility to the community and has therefore identified the aspects of its operations that may have an effect on the environment. The Company does not consider its business to be of inherent damage to the environment, but it has identified certain areas which need to be controlled to minimise any detrimental environmental effect. The Company will endeavor to control its following activities: ï‚Ÿ Consumption of energy; Use of packaging materials; Emissions; Use of transport; The Company will meet and where appropriate exceed the requirements of all relevant legislation, will seek to reduce the consumption of materials and will recycle waste where possible. In addition, the Company will manage energy and fuel wisely and will minimise visual, noise and other impacts of  its business on the local environment. Waste Disposal It is the policy of this company that where waste is generated during the course of company activities then that waste shall be disposed of in a controlled, safe and proper manner. Where such waste removal requires the application of special control measures to reduce hazards such as contamination, dust or risk of environmental pollution then laid down company procedures will be followed to render such waste removal inoffensive and free of risk so far as reasonably practicable. The Managing Directors will lead the process of implementing this policy and will keep the policy under continual review.

Intercultural communication Essay

The power distance refers to the closeness, or lack thereof, between a person of authority and his or her subordinates. Those that hold the power of authority, that is those people who can bring about a change of some type, are also, many times, those who present with some type of symbol of their authority when attending a meeting, or otherwise on display. For example, in an Arabic country, a person in authority might wear a richly decorated robe and head covering while those in subordinate roles might be dressed in a less elaborate robe and plain head covering or a suit. The language one uses also denotes their position of authority. For example, a person in authority in a more democratic and informal society would usually address a subordinate by his or her given first name instead of using a salutation such as Mr or Ms along with the person’s last name as would be the case in a more formal, less democratic culture. In addition, there is ample body language displayed both by the person in authority and by those whose are not in authority. A person of authority will usually command a presence in a room by presenting oneself in the front and center of a group of people. Subordinates to the person in power will flank that person by standing back away and behind the person in authority. Indeed, depending on the culture of the person in authority, that person will either talk to their subordinates in an aloof way that can seem to be almost rude to someone that is unused to it. The countries that demand this sort of communication include those located in the Arab speaking areas of the world, as well as Russia and China. In other cultures, such as those found in Australia, Canada, and Japan, there is more of an egalitarian mood to the interactions between a person with the power of authority and their subordinates. This is characterized by mutual respect between both parties that is not found in those more conservative countries.

Arguments for and against using Utilitarian principles Essay

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that proclaims that the morally right course of action in any given situation is the one that produces the greatest amount of pleasure over pain for everyone affected (Ferrell, Fraedrich &Ferrell 2008). This is evident in business decision making processes done by analysts, legislators and managers, for instance on deciding to invest resources in public project, to minimize cost by using foreign labors and such. Thus, the argument on whether utilitarian principles should be applied in workplace practices is highly debated as it carries both pros and cons. First and foremost, utilitarianism in an organizational context â€Å"provides a clear and straightforward basis (Shaw, Barry & Sansbury 2009, p67)† for developing and testing guidelines and protocols. Pain and pleasure is graded in a scale of continuum to measure intensity of the emotion (Burns 2005). As such, organizations can utilize this to derive objective decisions, as the approach uses quantitative result oriented method, and calculates cost and benefit of the consequences of all possible alternatives. For instance, a departmental manager ordered to cut cost in his department may revise all employees’ salary in the interest of obtaining higher utility for all parties rather than lay off some staff. Secondly, utilitarianism enables an unbiased approach of decision making, thus a way to resolve conflicts involving self-interest (Mill, 1863). This approach requires the decision maker to take the standpoint of an impartial third party and give equal weightage to everyone’s interest. As such, the outcome of the decision will not be influenced by self interest and chances of negative implication to all individual are minimized. This is advantages, as incidents such as Bhopal Disaster that killed 20000, as a result of poor maintenance to minimize cost for the shareholders, could be evaded. Moreover, utilitarianism is a comprehensive and flexible method as it looks at the end results of actions and takes into consideration the complexity of the circumstances (Burns 2005, p46). All ramifications, regardless whether they are direct, indirect, long term or short term, are taken into account especially in situations that may have long term environmental and health implication. Thus using utilitarianism, organizations can reach â€Å"realistic and workable moral decisions (Shaw, Barry & Sansbury 2009, p67)†. Nonetheless, there are criticisms against the utilitarianism approach as it is difficult to determine and account for all foreseeable benefit and harm of every possible alternative (De George 2013, p48). This is because we cannot know the full implication of all actions in the long term, nor can we accurately estimate the pain and pleasure of future consequences resulting from these actions. For example, a drug that was released into market after thorough research and careful consideration of benefit over harm, could have undiscovered lethal side effect that could manifest many years later. However, due to limited technological advancement when the research was conducted, this potential harm and its intensity may not be identified accurately during initial cost and benefit analysis. Furthermore, utilitarianism is a teleological theory that looks at the end result itself rather than action. As such, it isn’t concerned with how the utility is achieved and even morally reprehensible actions such as theft and murder could be considered ethically right as long it produces more utility (Shaw, Barry & Sansbury 2009, p68)†.Moreover, the theory, though theoretically plausible, is not applicable in real life situations in which individuals are required to make decision within minutes and could not possibly consider all alternatives and their implications. In conclusion, utilitarianism though highly applicable to workplace, should be practiced with caution as it also has weaknesses like any other theory. As such, the individuals in decision making position, should be aware of potential biases and shortcomings of practicing utilitarianism and attempt to diminish the negative implications. Reference List Burns,J 2005, â€Å"Happiness and Utility: Jeremy Bentham’s Equation† Utilitarianism Resources. P46,accessed 27/08/2013, http://www.utilitarianism.com. De George, R 2013, Business Ethics, Pearson/Prentice Publication, New Jersey. Ferrell,O , Fraedrich, J& Ferrell,L 2008, Business Ethics : Ethical Decision Making and Cases ,South- Western Publication, Mason. Mill, J 1863, Utiilitarianism , Utilitarianism Resources. Accessed 27/08/2013, http://www.utilitarianism.com/mill2.html. Shaw,w, Barry,V & Sansbury,G 2009 Moral Issues in Business, Cengage Learning Australia, South Melbourne.

Pro-Choice Versus Pro-Life Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pro-Choice Versus Pro-Life - Research Paper Example There is no end in sight to the pro-life versus pro-choice argument. The pro-life argument is against the practice of abortion and the legalizing of abortion. In the pro-life argument, the main point of view is surprisingly supported both by religion and science. The religious perspective is that life begins at conception. It is a gift of God and human beings do not have the right to deny this life from seeing the light of day. This makes abortion tantamount to murder. Science supports this argument through its findings that the fetus starts to display several determinants of life at a very early stage. Thus the main basis of the argument against abortion is based on the fetus as an individual life separated from that of the mother, and that it is wrong to destroy such life. It also goes on to argue that abortion is the denial of the right to life of the fetus, and by abetting abortion, society would be guilty of denial of the rights of the fetus The other perspectives against abortion include the harm that abortions cause the mother and the impact of abortions on society. Abortions are unsafe and can lead to severe complications for the woman immediately after the abortion, or in terms of long term complications, including the dreaded breast cancer. Other complications could be demonstrated at the time of delivery of a child, should the woman choose to have a baby later. The impact on society lies in two arguments. The first is the economic costs to society as a result of abortion. The second argument is that if the fetus is morally expendable, child abuse is bound to arise. Instead of abortion, avoidance of unnecessary pregnancies could be brought about through the use of contraceptives or abstinence from sexual activity. (2) Â  

Behavioural Finance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Behavioural Finance - Research Paper Example Montier’s articles and assess them one by one by providing supportive argument. Under this topic, Mr. Montier examined the QWERY keyboards and gave reasons as to why they are still in use today (Shiller 51). It is evident that QWERTY keyboard was established in 1874 by Christopher Sholes who saw the need to reduce the typing speed because the type writer that was in use during those times was jamming of plates in the mechanical arms due to the ease of typing that made people type faster (Thaler 8). Therefore, Mr. Montier clearly explained why the QWERTY keyboard was developed and why it is in use today. He also touched on the concept of Dvorak keyboard which is an alternative keyboard to the QWERTY but it was not adopted because it is efficient than Dvorak and certain studies suggest that the difference in their speed is very low and insignificant. However, Montier’s problem is that with adaptation of QWERTY keyboard up to date clearly implies that the benchmark policy that was used to develop this keyboard limits technological advancement and that, pers onally, he cannot come up with a policy benchmark (Thaler 3). How is technology involved? His reason for not coming up with a policy benchmark is the fact that such policies restrict technological advancements and confine them to one place for a long time (Dopfel 78). The reason as to why I support his argument of rejecting policy portfolios is the fact that they do not interpret investment risks correctly. This is because they concentrate too much on profit making than on the risks involved and the best way to deal with them. Therefore, Mr. Montier’s argument about of typewriters and benchmarks is correct. According to Montier, the notion of investment that was used in earlier times was better than the modernized idea and depiction of investment (Shiller 52). He clearly imply that the main aim of investment in early days was to look for value through purchasing what was

1. Discuss why human rights emerged as an important issue in Essay

1. Discuss why human rights emerged as an important issue in international relations Explain the impact of major cases in international politics - Essay Example Essentially, this tome defined human dignity, as against honor, which according to Berger, Berger and Kellner, always relates to the intrinsic humanity divested of all socially imposed roles or norms and that it pertains to the self as such, to the individual regardless of his position in society (Berger, Berger and Kellner 1974, 89-90). To demonstrate how the Declaration impacted international relations, there is the fact that it is often cited in UN resolutions of the General Assembly as well as the other agencies of the world body. More importantly, the Declaration has also been often used as the foundation of the constitution, laws and judicial decisions of numerous states, making the declaration some form of a standard measuring the progress of states and peoples toward realizing the full respect for human freedom. Further on, there is also the power of technology and the integrating nature of communication and globalization that made it impossible for atrocities committed against individuals to be hidden from international scrutiny. An excellent example was when in 1983, peasants from Uchuraccay, Peru killed visiting journalists mistaking them as members of Sendero Lumino (SL), the most notorious terrorist group in Latin America. Because of this, Peru came to the attention of world and human rights became part of the Peruvians’ ordinary language (Cleary 91). Non-governmental organizations have also been formed, with hundreds of thousands of volunteers, experts and civil servants pledging to pursue and protect international human rights. The negative dimension to the human rights discourse in the context of international relations is demonstrated in the US-Latin American relations. A specific reference to the American policy towards human rights was contained in the inaugural address of US President Carter wherein he declared: â€Å"Because we are free, we can never be

Comparative Corporate Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Comparative Corporate Governance - Essay Example Apart from the governance framework it also includes the legal, institutional, ethical and regulatory framework of the community. Corporate governance is also responsible for the accountability to capital providers. It deals with the conflicts between the management and the investors. In a broad perspective, corporate governance is defined as the ways in which an organization is administered, controlled and directed (Corpgov, 2012). The corporate governance norms have shown a trend towards a growing convergence. Growth of globalization boosted by technological advancement has allowed the stakeholders to maintain a close relation and connectivity with the company (Carati and Rad, 2000). The advent of internet connectivity has made the global business market an open platform, where the stakeholders can easily compare between different governance norms followed in different organizations. Most of the firms operate in perspective of multi- national stakeholders, where the investors of a particular company belong to different cultures. As a result the firms needed to adopt a commonly accepted and globally used corporate governance system. The convergence of the corporate governance is to make sure that all the stakeholders, employees, and the management work in a convergent way so as to create value to the organization and all associated individual (Strandberg, 2005). Previously, the governance process was only focu sed on the firm’s compliance to set rules and regulations. Eventually the process has evolved from box-ticking approach to a behavioural transformation, which allows the organization to not only make sure that it is moving in the right direction but also it ensures value addition for the stakeholders. The importance of stakeholders has become a major concern for the firms, as they represent the primary determinant of the organizational success (Vogt, 2007). Among the stake holders the

Exam paper---read the requirement I send you carefully Essay

Exam paper---read the requirement I send you carefully - Essay Example This writing will focus on markets that are perfectly competitive in nature. This writing will focus on various characteristics of perfectly competitive markets and how buyers and sellers behave in such markets. The first section of the assignment will focus on the reaction of sellers to changes in demand for their goods and services. The second section of the writing will compare and contrast the characteristics of a perfectly competitive market with the characteristics of New York Stock exchange (NYSE). Body According to the law of demand when the demand for a product increases, the price of the product even elevates and vice-verse. Due to these changes in demand the marginal revenue that is being earned by a particular industry even alters. In order to analyze the changes that organizations in a perfectly competitive market experience as a result of changes in demand for a product, let us assume that the product being sold is bread. Let’s assume that according to research, eating brown bread helps individuals in preventing diabetes. Such revelations positively impact the demand for particular product. Let’s assume that the bread industry is a perfectly competitive industry and is currently experiencing long-run equilibrium at a price of $1.7 per loaf of bread and the value of the economic profit is equivalent to zero. Figure 1 Figure 1 is a depiction of short as well as long run adjustment experienced by a firm as well as market under perfect competition. The figure shows that in case of market the price of a loaf of bread is $1.7 when the quantity demanded for the product is at Q1 and in case of an organization that sells loaf of bread the market price of $1.7 is the organization’s marginal revenue which is at MR1. The figure shows that currently there is only one organization in the market. Since the new research suggests that there is health benefit of brown bread, the demand for brown bread increases which is depicted in figure 1 thr ough a shift in the demand curve from D1 to D2. Due to this increase in demand, there is an increase in the price of the product and the price of the product elevates from p1 ($1.7) to P2 ($2.3) and this leads to an increase in the marginal revenue of a single firm operating in a market from MR1 to MR2. Due to this increase in price, the organization even increases its output from q1 to q2 in order to meet consumer demand in the short run (Douglas, 2011, p.615). Notice that the shaded region represents the economic profit that is experienced by the organization in the short run and similar profit will be experienced by other firms in the market in the short run. Since the market is perfectly competitive in nature and there are no barriers to entry or exit, the high stream of economic profit will attract more organizations to enter the market so they can even earn the profits being offered by the recent increase in demand. New organization s will enter the market and this would lead to an increase in the quantity supplied by the entire industry as more and more organizations will enter the market, more and more supply will elevate. New entrants will continue to enter the market as long as their entrance is resulting in an economic profit. Figure one depicts a shift in the supply curve from S1 to S2 which is a reflection of more firms entering the market. Due to this increase in supply, the price of the loaf of bread will start declining in the longer run

New health care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

New health care - Assignment Example It is in this call from the developing countries and the various stakeholders in the health sector that as medical practitioners and professionals; alongside partnerships of other stakeholders such as the communities in those areas, the policy makers, local authorities, and business leaders that we seek to establish new models of care in Nigeria, as a developing country. Diversity is a challenge within the health and social care systems of the world. The hospital as a public place services multitudes of people from diverse cultural backgrounds, creating the need to accommodate the factor of diversity in every new model of care (Diller, 2011). Particularly, with the selected case where this new health model will serve, that is Nigeria, there are over 50 different communities, all distributed across the country, especially in the urban settlements (Okehie-Offoha, 2006). The tiers of healthcare in Nigeria incorporate three levels, the federal, state and local governments. The country initiated several developments recently within the health care system, including incorporating a national insurance policy, policies regarding the availability and distribution of drugs and medical equipment, financing for the health care systems, partnerships among others. The entire developments align with the millennium development goals, in which the country aims to at tain safe, sufficient, and effective healthcare system for her people. The cultural diversity in Nigeria incorporates several factors including differences in the origins of the people, their dressing, languages, art and traditional practices among many others. Particularly, the Kaduna State in the northern section of the country is among the symbols in Nigeria with remarkably vast sub-political entities. It has over fifteen tribes, with the majority of the minority groups in Nigeria located within this state

Gmf (Genetically Modified Food) Essay Example for Free

Gmf (Genetically Modified Food) Essay Genetically modified foods is the term most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or ani mal consumption, which have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. Development. GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s. Typically, genetically modified foods are plant products: soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil, but animal products have been proposed. The first commercially grown genetically modified whole food crop was the tomato puree (called FlavrSavr), which was made more resistant to rotting by Californian company Calgene. Currently, th ere are a number of foods of which a genetically modified version exists. What plants are involved? Some foods have been modified to make them resistant to insects and viruses and more able to tolerate herbicides. Crops that have been modified for these purposes, with approval from the relevant authorities, in a number of countries, include: maize, soybean, oilseed rape (canola), chicory, squash, potato. Some of the advantages of GM foods: There is a need to produce inexpensive, safe and nutritious foods to help feed the world’s growing population. Genetic modification may provide: ï‚ · Better quality food. ï‚ · Higher nutritional yields. ï‚ · Inexpensive and nutritious food, like carrots with more antioxidants. ï‚ · Foods with a greater shelf life, like tomatoes that taste better and last longer. ï‚ · Food with medicinal benefits, such as edible vaccines for example, bananas with bacterial or rotavirus antigens. ï‚ · Crops and produce that require less chemical application, such as herbicide resistant canola. Some of the disadvantages of GM foods: Food regulatory authorities require that GM foods receive individual pre-market safety assessments. Also, the principle of ‘substantial equivalence’ is used. This means that an existing food is compared with its genetically modified coun terpart to find any differences between the existing food and the new product. The assessment investigates: ï‚ · Toxicity (using similar methods to those used for conventional foods). ï‚ · Tendency to provoke any allergic reaction. ï‚ · Stability of the inserted gene. ï‚ · Whether there is any nutritional deficit or change in the GM food. ï‚ · Any other unintended effects of the gene insertion. Economic concerns: Bringing a GM food to market is a lengthy and costly process, and of course agri -biotech companies wish to ensure a profitable return on their investment. Many new plant genetic engineering technologies and GM plants have been patented, and patent infringement is a big concern of agribusiness. Yet consumer advocates are worried that patenting these new plant varieties will raise the price of seeds so high that small farmers and third world countries will not be able to afford seeds for GM crops, thus widening the gap between the wealthy and the poor. One way to combat possible patent infringement is to introduce a suici de gene into GM plants. These plants would be viable for only one growing season and would produce sterile seeds that do not germinate. Farmers would need to buy a fresh supply of seeds each year. However, this would be financially disastrous for farmers in third world countries who cannot afford to buy seed each year and traditionally set aside a portion of their harvest to plant in the next growing season. How are GM foods labeled? Labeling of GM foods and food products is also a contentious issue. On th e whole, agribusiness industries believe that labeling should be voluntary and influenced by the demands of the free market. If consumers show preference for labeled foods over non -labeled foods, then industry will have the incentive to regulate itself or risk alienating the customer. There are many questions that must be answered if labeling of GM foods becomes mandatory such as; are consumers willing to absorb the cost of such an initiative? If the food production industry is required to label GM foods, factories will need to construct two separate processing streams and monitor the production lines accordingly. Farmers must be able to keep GM crops and non -GM crops from mixing during planting, harvesting and shipping. It is almost assured that industry will pass along these additional costs to consumers in the form of higher prices. Food labels must be designed to clearly convey accurate information about the product in simple language that everyone can understand. Conclusion: Genetically-modified foods have the potential to solve many of the worlds hunger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides. However, we must proceed with caution to avoid causing unintended harm to human health and the environment as a result of our enthusiasm for this powerful technology.

Developing Humanoid Robot Animations in Motion Capture

Developing Humanoid Robot Animations in Motion Capture Introduction (Chapter 1) This research describes the framework in which the different human movements have been taken from motion capture and that information is animated which sets the direction to study the digital character models and its locomotion in the virtual environment. It also gives feasible approach in understanding of walking gait patterns in that environment. This framework also leads to the study issues related to safety engineering. Overview Analysis of human locomotion and its research area have changed since it began form the cave drawings of the Paleolithic Era. The motive for human locomotion studies at early stages were driven by the need to carry on by resourcefully moving from place to place, dodging from predators and hunting for food (Alexander, 2000). Modern-day human locomotion studies have added to a wide range of applications ranging from military use, sport, ergonomics, and health care. In locomotion studies, according to (Hall, 1991) the term biomechanicsbecame accepted during the early 1970s as the internationally recognized descriptor of the field of area concerned with the mechanical study of living organism. In sport, human locomotion studies are made to extend the restrictions of an athlete when even the minimum improvement in performance is pursued eagerly (J. A. , 1984). However, the development of human locomotion studies remains reliant on the improvement of new tools for observation. According to (Alexander, 2000) lately, instrumentation and computer technology have grant opportunities for the improvement of the study of human locomotion. (J. A. , 1984). Illustrate frequent techniques for measuring motion and mentioned the co-ordinate analyzer (motion capture device) as a major advance in movement study. According to (Furniss, 2000) Motion capture or mocap was initially created for military use earlier than it was modified into the entertainment industry since the mid 1980.s. (Dyer, 1995) define motion capture as measuring an objects location and direction in physical space, then recording that sequence into a computer usable form. According to(Micheal, 2003) ; (Suddha Basu, 2005) motion capture is the fastest way to produce rich, realistic animation data. (James F OBrien, 2000) illustrate that Mocap can also be useful in several additional fields such as music, fine art dance, sign language, motion recognition, rehabilitation with medicine, biomechanics, special effects for live-action films and computer animation of all types as well as in defense and athletic analysis/training. There are basically three types of motion capture sys tems accessible such as mechanical, electromagnetic and optical based system. All three systems go through the same basic process shown in figure. The first step is the input where the movement of live actors either human or animal is recorded using various method depending on the type of the motion capture system used. Next, the information is processed to identify the corresponding markers of the live actor and then transferred into virtual space using specialized computer software. Finally the output is where the information is translated into a 3D trajectory computer data that contains translation and rotation information known as motion capture file. Motivation Producing realistic character animation remains one of the great challenges in computer graphics. At present, there are three methods by which this animation can be produced. The first one is key framing, in which the animator gives important key poses for the character at specific frames. A second one uses physical simulation to drive the characters motion its results are good, due to lack of control its difficult to use and its costly and with characters its not much successful. The last one is motion capture, has been widely used to animate characters. It uses sensors placed on person and collects the data that describes their motion however they are performing the desired motion. As the technology for motion capture has improved and the cost decreased, the interest in using this approach for character animation has also increased. The main challenge that an animator is confronted with is to generate character animation with a realistic appearance. As humanoid robot renovation is a popular research area since it can be used in various applications to understand the emerging field of robotics and other digital animation fields. Currently most of the methods work for controlled environments and human pose reconstruction to recognize humanoid robots is a popular research area since it can be used in various applications. Motion capture and motion synthesis are expensive and time consuming tasks for articulated figures, such as humans. Human pose view based on computer vision principles is inexpensive and widely applicable approach. In computer vision literature the term human motion capture is usually used in connection with large scale body analysis ignoring the fingers, hands and the facial muscles, which is the case in this research. The motion capture is fairly involved to calculate a 3D skeletal representation of the motion of satisfactory value to be functional for animation. The animation generation is an application of motion capture where the required accuracy is not as high as in some other applications, such as medicine (Ferrier, June 2002) Problem Context 1) Even though motion capture is applied into so many fields by creating physically perfect motions, it has a few significant weaknesses. According to (Lee, MCML: Mocap, 2004) firstly, it has low flexibility, secondly the captured data can have different data formats depending on the motion capture system which was employed and thirdly, commercially available motion capture libraries are difficult to use as they often include hundreds of examples. (Shih-Pin Chao, 2003) States that motion capture sessions are not only costly but also a labor intensive process thus, promotes the usability of the motion data. 2) In the field of animation and gaming industry, it is common that motion information are captured to be used for a particular project or stored in a mocapdata. This data can either be used as the whole range of motion sequence or as part of a motion synthesis. In sport science, mocap data is used for analyzing and perfecting the sequencing mechanics of premier athletes, as well as monitoring the recovery progress of physical therapies. This simply means that a vast collection of motion capture data models are limited for different sets. Currently, motion data are often stored in small clips to allow for easy hand sequencing for describing the behavior (Jernej Barbic, 2004) (Tanco L. M., 2000). However, according to (Lee, MCML: Mocap, 2004) (Morales, 2001) (Tanco L. M., 2000) a motion capturedata models lack interoperability. This calls for an immediate need for tools that synchronize these datasets (Feng Liu, 2003). 3) In light of the recent course of interest in virtual environment applications, much research has been devoted to solving the problems of manipulating humans in 3-D simulated worlds, and especially to human locomotion. However, most of the animation approaches based on these studies can only generate limited approach lacking the locomotion capabilities for example walking their application in virtual environments are inevitably limited. Project Objective The objective of this project is to create a framework taken from motion capture data techniques which can set the direction to study 3D articulated figures and the humanoid robot locomotion in the virtual environment by understanding walking gait patterns in human. This framework also leads to the study issues related to safety engineering. The other objective of this project is to capture, process, and examine the locomotion feasibility in virtual environment and analyze different tasks in virtual environment. In system overview diagram all the different steps has been described it starts from mocaop suit that is on the subject and then its data of random movement has been taken into computer and motion analysis is done. After motion analysis its been retargeted and with avatar model the final output scene has been created. Then with software development kit feasible program has been created to deal with different information of that scene. Project Scope To capture the human motion from the motion capture technology and using the captured data to animate the different motions and then refining the animated data. By using the technology called motion builder we can simulate and study the effects of walk and fall in the virtual environment.   After mapping the captured data in the animated character which is called digital humanoid robot an application is build to study the nature of the animated scene which is called an enhanced framework. The other technology is used is called mathematica which is used for studying the factors in mathematical terms because the human motion builder is a simulation technology and mathematica is a dynamic solver engine. So it will lead towards the study of digital humanoid robot of walking and falling in virtual environments on some assumptions. Outline This part outlines the in general structure of the thesis, and a short explanation for each chapter: Chapter 1: deals with Introduction, scope and objective with problem context. Chapter 2: Introduces human motion capture techniques and different work in animation of human walking in virtual environment and gives a summary of the related work in this area. Chapter 3: deals with the system structure which describes the hardware and the software technologies involved in the research and also illustrate the frame work model and this model help exploit the behavior of humanoid which sets up the framework. Chapter 4: describes the framework analysis based on the study of articulated animation models in virtual environment and walking gait patters with Bezier curve algorithm. Chapter 5: mention all the techniques that have been extracted from different softwares and how its used to set up the whole framework and evaluates results which are categorized in three phases the application which represents coordinate system and structure, walking gait patters by using Bezier curve and the falling effect by visual aid. Chapter 6: is the conclusion that summarizes the outcome of the project, and discusses the future works. Conclusion This chapter describes the introduction of motion capture and how it will be utilized to improve the study of human locomotion. The project scope and objectives are elaborated and listed down in this chapter. Literature Review (Chapter 2) Motion capture system   Motion capture is an attractive way of creating the motion parameters for computer animation. It can provide the realistic motion parameters. It permits an actor and a director to work together to create a desired pose, that may be difficult to describe with enough specificity to have an animator recreate manually (Ferrier, June 2002). The application areas of motion capture techniques can be summarized as follows (Perales, 2001): Virtual reality: interactive virtual environments, games, virtual studios, character animation, film, advertising Smart surveillance systems: access control, parking lots, supermarkets, vending machines, traffic. Advanced user interfaces: advanced user interfaces. Motion analysis and synthesis: annotations of videos, personalized training, clinical studies of medicine. Understanding the working of humanoid robot has been always on study of human locomotion.   This literature review discusses human motion control techniques, motion capture techniques in general and advance, non-vision based motion capture techniques, vision-based motion capture techniques with and without markers and other enhanced techniques which are covered in details for which the framework can be understood easily. Properties of Tracking Systems This section lists properties of tracking systems and discusses the relationships between the various properties. Accuracy Accuracy can be defined as the agreement between the measured results from tracking technologies and the actual position of the object, and because the true value is unknown the tracking technologies can only be evaluated with relative accuracy. For one tracking system, the accuracy is limited by the principle and affected by the noise/interferences from the environment. The sources of noises are depending on the tracking technology we use. For different tracking principles, the influencing factors are different. For example, for optical motion tracking, the interference is lighting and AC current; for magnetic, ferrous objects distort the magnetic field and cause errors. If the model or the mechanism of the noise is quantitatively known, it is a systematic error and can be compensated by post-treatment after tracking or eliminated by pre-filtering before tracking. Robustness Robustness defines the systems ability to continue to function in adverse conditions or with missing or incorrect measurements. Some systems make assumptions about the surrounding environment during operation. Also, a system may be unable to take a measurement at a particular time. Related to the robustness is repeatability in the reported data. If the reported values are consistent over time and over operating conditions and environment, then measuring the accuracy (or the lack thereof) is possible, and corrective algorithms can be applied. Tracking range The range is the space in which the system can measure sufficient and accurate data for the application. For some systems, the range can be reduced by noises from the environment or be limited by the hardware of the system itself. For example, magnetic system cannot track accurate data when the tracked object is at the margin of the magnetic field due to the inhomogeneous distribution of the field. Tracking speed Tracking speed is the frequency at which the measurement system can obtain the updated tracking data. There are two significant numbers for the system, one is update rate and the other one is latency. Update rate is the frequency at which the tracking system generates the tracking data; latency describes the delay between tracking data has been generated and the host computer receives the data in real-time mode. Hardware The hardware means the physical realization of the components of the tracking system. It includes the number of components, and the size and weight of those components, especially those that the user is required to carry (or wear). Some systems may have a significant amount of hardware that must be set up in the environment, although it may need no further attention from the user once in position. Ideally, the application would like to give the user complete freedom of movement. Some devices tether the user to a fixed object. Some systems may have a heavy or unwieldy device which the user must manipulate in order to move. Some devices have a tendency to pull the user back to a â€Å"resting position† for the device. The hardware also determines the biggest part of the costs and therefore is very often a decisive factor for the choice of the applied motion tracking system Non-vision Based Motion Capture In non-vision based systems, sensors are attached to the human body to collect movement information. Some of them have a small sensing footprint that they can detect small changes such as finger or toe movement (Hu, A survey human movement tracking and stroke rehabilitation, 1996). Each kind of sensor has advantages and limitations (Hu, A survey human movement tracking and stroke rehabilitation, 1997). Advantages of magnetic trackers: real-time data output can provide immediate feedback no post processing is required they are less expensive than optical systems no occlusion problem is observed multiple performers are possible Disadvantages of magnetic trackers: the trackers are sensitivity to metal objects cables restricts the performers they provide lower sampling rate than some optical systems the marker configurations are difficult to change Advantages of electromechanical body suits: they are less expensive than optical and magnetic systems real-time data is possible no occlusion problem is observed multiple performers are possible Disadvantages of electromechanical body suits: they provide lower sampling rate they are difficult to use due to the amount of hardware configuration of sensors is fixed Vision-Based Motion Capture with Markers In 1973, Johansson explored his famous Moving Light Display (MLD) psychological experiment to perceive biological motion (Johansson). In the experiment, small reflective markers are attached to the joints of the human performers. When the patterns of the movements are observed, the integration of the signals coming from the markers resulted in recognition of actions. Although the method faces the challenges such as errors, non-robustness and expensive computation due to environmental constraints, mutual occlusion and complicated processing, many marker based tracking systems are available in the market. This is a technique that uses optical sensors, e.g. cameras, to track human movements, which are captured by placing markers upon the human body. Human skeleton is a highly articulated structure and moves in three-dimension. For this reason, each body part continuously moves in and out of occlusion from the view of the cameras, resulting in inconsistent and unreliable motion data of t he human body. One major drawback of using optical sensors and markers, they cannot sense joint rotation accurately. This is a major drawback in representing a real 3D model (Hu, A survey human movement tracking and stroke rehabilitation, 1997). Optical systems have advantages and limitations (Perales, 2001). Advantages of optical systems are as follows: they are more accurate larger number of markers are possible no cables restricts the performers they produces more samples per second Disadvantages of optical systems: they require post-processing they are expensive (between 100, 000 and 250, 000) occlusion is a problem in these systems environment of the capturing must be away from yellow light and reflective noise Vision-Based Motion Capture without Markers As a less restrictive motion capture technique, markerless-based systems are capable of overcoming the mutual occlusion problem as they are only concerned about boundaries or features on human bodies. This is an active and promising but also challenging research area in the last decade. The research with respect to this area is still ongoing (Hu, A survey human movement tracking and stroke rehabilitation, 1996). The markerless-based motion capture technique exploits external sensors like cameras to track the movement of the human body. A camera can be of a resolution of a million pixels. This is one of the main reasons that optical sensors attracted peoples attention. However, such vision-based techniques require intensive computational power (Bryson, 1993). As a commonly used framework, 2D motion tracking only concerns the human movement in an image plane, although sometimes people intend to project a 3D structure into its image plane for processing purposes. This approach can be c atalogued with and without explicit shape models (Hu, A survey human movement tracking and stroke rehabilitation, 1996). The creation of motion capture data from a single video stream seems like a plausible idea. People are able to watch a video and understand the motion, but clearly, the computing the human motion parameters from a video stream are a challenging task (Ferrier, June 2002). Vision-based motion capture techniques usually include initialization and tracking steps. Initialization A system starts its operation with correct interpretation of the current scene. The initialization requires camera calibration, adaptation to scene characteristics and model initialization. Camera calibration is defined as parameters that are required for translating a point in a 3D scene to its position in the image. Some systems find initial pose and increment it from frame to frame whereas in other systems the user specifies the pose in every single frame. Some systems have special initialization phase where the start pose is found automatically whereas in others the same algorithm is used both for initialization and pose estimation (Granum, 2001). Tracking Tracking phase extracts specific information, either low level, such as edges, or high level, such as head and hands. Tracking consists of three parts (Granum, 2001): Figure-ground segmentation: the human figure is extracted from the rest of the image. Representation: segmented images are converted to another presentation to reduce the amount of information. Tracking over time: how the subject should be tracked from frame to frame. Mechanical Mechanical measurement is the oldest form of location; rulers and tape measures provide a simple method of locating one item with reference to another. More sophisticated mechanical techniques have been developed. Nowadays measurements of the angles of the body joints with potentiometers or shaft encoders combined with knowledge of the dimensions of the rigid components allow accurate calculations of the position of different body parts.(Beresford, 2005) Today mechanical position tracking devices can be separated into body-based and ground-based systems. Body based systems are those which are mounted on, or carried on, the body of the user and are used to sense either the relative positions of various parts of the users body or the position of an instrument relative to a fixed point on the users body. Body-based systems are typically used to determine either the users joint angles for reproduction of their body in the synthetic environment, or to determine the position of the users hand or foot, relative to some point on the users body. Since the body based systems are used to determine the relative position between two of the users body parts, the devices must somehow be attached to the users body. This particular issue has raised many questions: How is the device attached to the body in a way which will minimize relative motion between the attachment and the soft body part? How are the joints of the device aligned with the users joints to minimize the difference in the centers of rotation? Some other problems associated with body-b ased tracking systems are specifically caused by the device being attached to the users body. These systems are typically very obtrusive and encumbering and therefore do not allow the user complete freedom of movement. Body-based systems are, however, quite accurate and do not experience problems like measurement drift (the tendency of the devices output to change over time with no change in the sensed quantity), interference from external electromagnetic signals or metallic devices in the vicinity, or shadowing (loss of sight of the tracked object due to physical interference of another object)(Frey, 1996). Ground based systems are not carried by the user but are mounted on some fixed surface (i.e. the users desk or the floor) and are used to sense the position of an implement relative to that fixed surface. Ground-based systems are typically used to determine the position and orientation of an implement manipulated by the user relative to some fixed point which is not on the users body. Like body-based mechanical systems, they are very accurate and are not plagued by measurement drift errors, interference or shadowing. Ground-based systems do suffer from one thing which the body-based systems do not: They confine the user to work within the space allowed by the device. Usually this means that the user is confined to work in a space the size of a large desk. If the application does not require the user to move around much throughout the task (i.e. the user remains seated), this is not considered as a problem. Mechanical tracking systems are the best choice for force-feedback (haptic) devices since they are rigidly mounted to either the user or a fixed object. Haptic devices are used to allow the user a sense of touch. The user can feel surfaces in the synthetic environment or feel the weight of an object. The device can apply forces to the users body so that the user can experience a sense of exertion. Mechanical tracking systems also typically have low latencies (the time required to receive useful information about a sensed quantity) and high update rates (the rate at which the system can provide useful information). Therefore these systems have found good commercial niche as measurement devices and hand tracking systems. Advantages high update rate low latency accurate No blocking problem, no interference from environment  · best choice for force feedback Disadvantages Restricted movement from mounted device Acoustic Acoustic tracking systems utilize high frequency sound waves to track objects by either the triangulation of several receivers (time-of-flight method) or by measuring the signals phase difference between transmitter and receiver (phase-coherence method). Generally the user carries the transmitter, and a series of sensors around the room determine the linear distance to the transmitter. Some systems have the user carry a receiver and listen to a series of transmitters positioned around the volume. The time-of-flight method of acoustic tracking uses the speed of sound through air to calculate the distance between the transmitter of an acoustic pulse and the receiver of that pulse. The use of one transmitter on a tracked object and a minimum of three receivers at stationary positions in the vicinity allow an acoustic system to determine the relative position of the object via triangulation. This method limits the number of objects tracked by the system to one. An alternative method has been devised in which several transmitters are mounted at stationary positions in the room and each object being tracked is fitted with a receiver. Using this method, the positions of numerous objects may be determined simultaneously. Note that the use of one transmitter (or one receiver) attached to an object can resolve only position. The use of two transmitter (receiver) sets with the same object can be used to determine the position and orientation (6 DOF) of the object. The desire to track mo re than just the position of an object suggests that the second method (multiple stationary transmitters with body mounted receivers) may be preferable. The other method of acoustic tracking is the phase-coherent tracking. It may be used to achieve better accuracies than the time-of-flight method. The system does this by sensing the signal phase difference between the signal sent by the transmitter and that detected by the receiver. If the object being tracked moves farther than one-half of the signal wavelength in any direction during the period of one update, errors will result in the position determination. Since phase coherent tracking is an incremental form of position determination, small errors in position determination will result in larger errors over time (drift errors), which may be the reason why only few phase-coherent systems have been implemented successfully. Some problems associated with both acoustic tracking methods result from the line-of-sight required between transmitter and receiver. This line of sight requirement obviously plagues the devices with shadowing problems. It also limits their effective tracking range, although they have better tracking ranges than electromagnetic systems. Unlike electromagnetic systems, they do not suffer from metallic interference, but they are susceptible to interference caused by ambient noise sources, by reflections of the acoustic signals from hard surfaces, and environmental interference (e.g. temperature variations). Advantages Very high freedom of movement Cheap Disadvantages Line-of-sight problems Either high range or high accuracy (not both!) Environmental interference (e.g. temperature variations, other noise sources) Drift errors (phase-coherent) High latency, low update rates Magnetic Electromagnetic tracking systems are currently the most widely used systems for human body tracking applications. They employ the use of artificially-generated electromagnetic fields to induce voltages in detectors attached to the tracked object. A fixed transmitter and the sensors consist of three coils mounted in mutually orthogonal directions. The sensors range in size, but tend to be around a few cubic centimeters. The transmitters range in size with the power of the field they are expected to generate, and range from several cubic inches to a cubic foot. There are four magnetic fields that have to be measured: the environmental field (including the Earths magnetic field), and three orthogonal fields in the transmitters coordinate directions in figure. Each of these fields is measured in the sensors three coordinate dimensions for a total of twelve measurements of each sensor. From this information, the position and orientation of the sensor with respect to the transmitter can be computed. These tracking systems are robust, fast, and fairly inexpensive and can be used to track numerous objects (body parts) with acceptable position and orientation accuracies (on the order of 0.1 inches and 0.5 degrees). Unlike electric fields, magnetic fields are unaffected by the presence or absence of human bodies and other non-metallic objects in the environment. This offers a tremendous opportunity, because it enables magnetic trackers to overcome the line-of-sight requirement that plagues acoustic, optical, and externally connected mechanical tracking systems. On the other hand, the magnetic systems suffer from sensitivity to background magnetic fields and interference caused by ferrous metal devices in the vicinity, and therefore is inaccurate in practical environments. Due to this and the limited range of the generated magnetic field, the magnetic tracking systems are restricted to a small special area. Advantages High update rates Very low latency High robustness No shadowing Rather cheap Acceptable accuracy in artificial environment Disadvantages High sensitivity to background magnetic fields Inaccurate in practical environments due to interference caused by ferrous metal devices Low range of the magnetic field and Tracking scope is low due to cable Inertial An internal sensor contains three gyroscopes, to determine the angular rate, and three accelerometers, to determine linear acceleration. Originally, they were mounted to orthogonal axes on a gimbaled platform, as it can be seen in figure. After removing the effect of gravity from the vertical accelerometer, the data has to be double-integrated to provide a measure of the offset between initialization and the current position. In fact, this combination of sensors has been used successfully for inertial navigatio

The Characteristics Of Culture Theology Religion Essay

The Characteristics Of Culture Theology Religion Essay Biologically speaking, we humans are social beings. We need our parents to be born, and once that happens; even though we are considered single individuals with a brain and mind that let us think and learn, we do not isolate ourselves from the rest of the people. On the contrary, all we do is to follow our peers. We gather in groups, and these groups constitute subgroups again. This is the basic method we follow to successfully organise and build up our social structure to satisfy our several needs. The first of these groups is our family, and from here we span to neighbourhoods; communities of different kinds, that we joined based on a particular interest, such as: religious, sports, academic, musical, labour, political, ideological, etc. These groups grow in number to form states and then countries or nations. All these people together establish a society. Societies differ from one another and every single one of them is unique, particular and characterised for a distinctive feature that we call culture. Culture is that complex absoluteness that we learn day by day. It is everything with which we fill and give sense to our existence. The way we wear, think, believe, act, speak, perceive are all framed and shaped by the ideas, concepts, values that are part of a specific culture. Through culture we learn to adapt ourselves in this physical world, manipulating the available resources for our own welfare and we also shape our behaviour to avoid a social chaos. Concepts of Culture Culture is neither natural nor artificial. It stems from neither genetics nor rational thought, for it is made up of rules of conduct, which were not invented and whose function is generally not understood by the people who obey them. Some of these rules are residues of traditions acquired in the different types of social structure through which each human group has passed. Other rules have been consciously accepted or modified for the sake of specific goals. Yet there is no doubt that, between the instincts inherited from our genotype and the rules inspired by reason, the mass of unconscious rules remains more important and more effective; because reason itself is a product rather than a cause of cultural evolution. Claude LÃ ©vi-Strauss, 1983. Culture means the whole complex of traditional behavior which has been developed by the human race and is successively learnt by each generation. A culture is less precise. It can mean the forms of traditional behavior which are characteristic of a given society, or of a group of societies, or of a certain race, or of a certain area, or of a certain period of time. Margaret Mead, 1937. Culture is the integral whole consisting of implements and consumers goods, of constitutional charters for the various social groupings, of human ideas and crafts, beliefs and customs. Whether we consider a very simple or primitive culture or an extremely complex and developed one, we are confronted by a vast apparatus, partly material, partly human, and partly spiritual, by which man is able to cope with the concrete specific problems that face him. Bronislaw Malinowski, 1944. Culture embraces all the manifestations of social behavior of a community, the reactions of the individual as affected by the habits of the groups in which he lives, and the product of human activities as determined by these habits. Franz Boas, 1930. Characteristics of Culture Culture is learnt: as soon as we are in contact with other members of our culture, we start learning all about it; therefore, we can assume that culture is learnt rather than inherited biologically. A human being will learn the culture of the society where he is raised; thus, a person that is born in Australia would not practise the same culture if he had been born in Poland. In this context we are different from animals since they are biologically built in a way that they will know how to behave and act naturally even if they grew in isolation. Culture is shared: if culture is learnt, we can state that it is also shared. We share all knowledge among the members of the same society. This way we pass on the standards of our culture along years keeping it alive. As we are social beings, we have a high tendency of sharing and this feature let us improve as a whole. By sharing we provide the necessary tools that are used for a gentle adaptation in all stages and environments we go through in our lives. Culture is integrated: culture itself is not a single unit. It is a complex whole in which every feature that characterizes it has an important role that makes that culture distinctive and peculiar. All these features function integrated and not separately from one another. This way when a feature changes, it affects to the whole system making it also swift. Culture is dynamic: there are some reasons such as: population growth, technological innovation, environmental crisis, intrusion of outsiders, modification of behaviour, etc; that have made cultures change. That is why cultures must be flexible and dynamic in order to adapt constantly to the new changes and avoid repression of his members. Culture is based on symbols: culture has been transmitted among its members along the years through a set of different symbols. Symbols are then the instrument used to pass on culture and keep it alive from generation to generation, and language is the most important one. Functions of Culture According to Bronislaw Malinowski (1884 1942) the function of culture is to fulfill certain biological and psychological needs people share. Cultures are expected to fulfill certain functions in order to lead a society successfully and some of them might me: Guarantee the biological continuity of its members. Provide practical means to pass on knowledge among members. Meet the psychological and emotional needs of its members. Being flexible enough in order to survive the increasing shifting conditions. Offer strategies for the rational production and distribution of goods and services considered necessary for life. Provide an organised and diverse social structure so that all its members can fit in it and also understand the world in their own means. Facilitate social interactions among its members and offer reasonable ways to avoid or resolve conflicts that might rise within the group as well as with outsiders. Allow human beings to adapt the environment to their own purposes. Social interactions do not refer to only relationships among human beings but also and deeply with nature. The survival of all cultures depends on the way they use and treat nature. A well-working culture is the one that satisfies the different groups within the society as equally as possible; thus, its individual members can all have access to the resources available in the community and achieve their personal and collective goals. This will avoid the members to feel unsafe and unattached; therefore, they will not easily fall into anti-social behaviours, such as: violence, crime, suicide, depression, abuse of drugs, etc. Enculturation and Acculturation Every single culture is learnt by their members and transmitted from person to person and from generation to generation to avoid its absolute disappearance. The most important instrument used to carry this out is language. The process of passing on knowledge among people is what we call enculturation. This process is vital to guarantee the survival of the culture, but it is also significant to do it in the most smoothly manner to avoid any disruption among members and also among the features of the culture being transmitted. Enculturation let us understand the past so that we can make a better sense of the present and therefore plan a more sustainable future for the welfare of our species. This process also gives us the opportunity to find out more about ourselves; our ancestors and origin; where the way we think and perceive the world, our values and beliefs come from. When enculturation is carried out in the proper manner, the members of all cultures grow up closer to their past, revitalizing the core values that make their cultures unique and distinct from all others. They also grow up in an environment characterized by the deep pride of belonging to one particular culture and behave with strong ideas of maintaining their culture alive; albeit the irrevocable changes they must go through. There is also another phenomenon that cultures might experience, consisting on the absorption of one culture over another one, called acculturation. This usually happens when industrialized or capital societies influence highly over traditional small societies to the point of modifying them completely. Once they are in contact, the former shapes and converts the latter one. The small society adopts the culture of the powerful one as the final outcome. This process is similar to that of colonization. It is especially more noticeable now that we live in a globalized world; where the small societies are usually the most affected ones. Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism There is generally a bad habit of criticising other peoples behaviour but most of all to judge the way other cultures function. When we find ourselves interacting with people from other cultures, or simply see it on the media; we get surprised by the different manners they behave, think and express in similar situations. There is nothing wrong with comparing cultures, in fact, this way we learn more about others and value ours, too. We must keep in mind that when comparing, we should adopt an unbiased position in order to understand the best way possible why other people do things in the way they do, and avoid unsupported preconceptions. The term that refers to what it is mentioned in the paragraph above is ethnocentrism: the belief that the way that ones own culture functions is the only proper and correct one, while all others are wrong. In order to avoid making fast judgements or simply incorrect conclusions; anthropologists, when studying cultures, always put into practice what they call cultural relativism which is the idea that we must suspend or postpone judgement of other peoples practices until we acquire a full understanding of the culture in which we are interested; so as to understand them in their own cultural terms. It is important to clarify that in this process what it is done is to put off ones judgement towards another culture, it is neither precipitated nor cancelled. Through cultural relativism it is possible to hold our judgements and perceptions about the culture being observed to the last stage; in order to take down accurate data and keep valid records; furthermore, avoid preconceptions influenced by ethnocentrism. Conclusion Along history not only humans have changed, but also the way we live. In our search for a better and more comfortable world for us to inhabit; we have made an irrational and abusive use of natural resources. We have damaged nature to such extreme points to threaten our own survival. Most of the societies around the world, influenced by the western fashion have turned into very consumerist ones; the ideas and values that used to grasp societies together are now stirring political discomfort and creating social inequality because the leaders and members of our societies are more tented to achieve personal and individual profits at any cost to work collectively so that every member can accomplish his personal and collective needs. The process of changing is unstoppable; everything needs to keep changing constantly to stay alive; therefore a culture that does not adjust its features simple disappears. The most important affected feature of a culture is its language. Language is that particular faculty that differentiates us from animals and makes us a unique and rational species. Through language we humans are able to express our feelings, thoughts, ideas and most importantly to transmit our culture from one generation into another one, assuring its survival along years. Many languages have already disappeared, mainly as a result of the process of acculturation; and with the languages, also ways of thinking, expressing, seeing, perceiving are gone. This way the world becomes small and intrinsic, losing authenticity and variety provided for the distinct and diverse manners of receiving, understanding, analyzing, shaping and living this world. For a culture to survive is not enough to shift. It should do it in a way that it can guarantee that its members will satisfy their biological and social needs; thus, the whole society will feel competent and safe; therefore, it will behave proudly and mutually to keep it alive.