THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS - Essay Example The Chief Financial Officer and other senior officers are known to have misled the audit committee when it came to issues of high-risk accounting practices. Following the confusion brought about by the Enron’s complex financial statements to both the shareholders and analysts, speculations were raised enquiring on the sustainability of the company. One partnership created by Enron had allowed it to keep $600 debt off the books it availed to the government and its shareholders. The problem in the company became evident in 2001. In August the same year, Jeffrey Skilling the CEO of the company tabled his departure. His position was resumed by Lay. On March, Bethany Mclean, a Fortune Magazine writer wrote an article inquiring Enron’s ways of making money. The reality of its collapse surfaced on October 16th when the company announced a loss of $638 million in connection with its internet investment failure (Barbara, 12). The shareholders of the company filed a $40 billion c ase after the stock price fell from us$ 90.75 per share in mid-2000 nose-dived to less than 1$ by the end of November 2001. The U.S Security and Exchange Commission launched (SEC) an investigation in October. The investigation later exposed the multifaceted web of partnership specifically engineered to hide the debt (Barbara, 14). In November, it was revealed that the company had overstated its earnings for the past four years by $586 million. It was also revealed that Enron owed over $6 billion in debt by the following year. This is what led to the drastic fall of its stock prices that saw investors lose billions of money. The company agreed to repay its investors immediately. It could not come up with the money to repay the debt therefore it filed for bankruptcy in accordance with chapter 11. In pursuant of justice, many senior executive officers were brought to trial which formed a point of reckon for the many citizens whose lives had been destroy. Fastow, the then Chief Financia l Officer and his wife, Lea, pleaded guilty for the charges against them. He had been initially charged with 98 counts of money laundering, fraud and conspiracy among other crimes. He pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and was sentenced to 10 years without parole in a plea bargain to testify against Lay, Skilling and Causey. His wife Lea was sentenced to year imprisonment for aiding her husband hide government income. Lay and Skilling were brought to trial in January 2006 (Barbara, 15). Skilling was convicted of 19 of 28 counts of murder. He pleaded not guilty and attributed the cause of the company’s downfall to Fastow. Lay was found guilty of 6 counts of security and wire fraud and was subjected to a total of 45 years in prison. Unfortunately, Lay passed away in July, 2006 before his sentence was scheduled. Rick Causey the then Chief Accounting Officer was charged with six wrongdoing charges for non-exposure of Enron’s financial condition during his term. He was sentenced to seven years in penitentiary after pleading guilty. Arthur Andersen was charged with impediment of justice because of destroying documents, erasing emails and files that were affiliated to his auditing firm dealings with Enron. He was found guilty and was sentenced and his company was made to surrender its CPA license in August 2002

The Beatles and drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Beatles and drugs - Essay Example This change however was not only affecting Britain but the rest of foreign countries in their music and exposing them to new ways of life. It is then argumentative and controversial as to whether the Beatles made positive or negative changes to the lives of Britons in the period. It is in this essay, therefore, that we shall figure out this by focusing on various influences the Beatles had on music and life of the people of Britain. The Beatles are known to have had a great influence in the 1960s, to the British society through a unique music they composed and sang. The existing and growth of rock and roll, for instance, is highly attributed to them as they are the very first band that came up with a musical style. Rock and roll style became quite useful during the years of war, 1939- 1945. Through the Beatles, it called for people to exercise patriotism and reunite with soldiers to make the existing situation better (Gammond & Peter, 1993). One of the singers of these times of war was Vera Lynn, with her songs like: The White Cliffs of Dover and Well Meet Again bringing her to fame in Britain, during the period. The pre-rock and roll era in Britain is, therefore, said to have existed in the 1940s and 50s. Frankie Vaughan and Dickie Valentine were the solo singers who dominated the music industry, with the musical tunes they had borrowed from the Beatles. A big difference is clear between the music of the pre-B eatle era and that of the Beatles onwards. The Pre- Beatle era, for instance, was less modernized and quite unproductive time for music in Britain. Times however became better in the following years where the Beatle band began and consequent ones, as music then began moving to the desired direction. Following the rock and roll era was the rhythm and blues music; which was determined to take over the Beatles, who had already taken the music industry by storm. It was through

Religous Social Stratification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Religous Social Stratification - Essay Example Slavery is the extreme form of inequality where some people are literary owned by others, the estate system consist of strata which have differing rights, the caste system is merely a rigid class system in which members are born into and in which escape is by extreme difficulties example the India caste system. The open class system is a class system in which there is the possibility of social mobility where one can move up the social ladder through education, marriage or even by chance or luck.2 According to the functionalist perspective on social inequality, Davis and Moore perceived social stratification and inequality as one that plays a role in the proper working of society in that all social systems share certain functional prerequisite which must be met for the society to operate efficiently and effectively. One of these prerequisites is effective role allocation and performance and this means that all roles must be filled by those who are best able to perform them. The mechanism that ensures proper role allocation is social stratification, roles are different in terms of importance and therefore there is the need to attach unequal rewards to the role.3 We will focus our discussion on social strati... We will consider the social stratification of these churches as one that plays an important role in the proper functioning of these religious institutions. RELIGIOUS SOCIAL STRATIFICATION: The Catholic Church: The Roman Catholic Church is the largest in terms of number of followers, this church is headed by the pope, the pope has final authority in all matters and he appoints cardinals who are below him in command. The catholic churches all over the world share common faith, common principles of church policies and organization and also common liturgy.4 The cardinals are directly below the pope in authority, they are appointed by the pope and when a pope in command dies they appoint a new pope, therefore they are second in command after the pope, and however the cardinals are bishops appointed by the pope from all over the world.5 The third rank is the bishop's position, he bishop heads a diocese which is the unit of organization in the Catholic Church, the bishop has the authority to admit priests into his diocese and also to exclude them from his diocese, he also assigns duties and priest to various parishes in his diocese.6 The clergy and the nuns are the last rank where the clergy is responsible of administering worship in the churches or parishes, the stratification into ranks of the Catholic Church can be diagrammatical simplified below.7 The diagram shows social stratification of the Catholic Church starting from those who rank high in the social ladder (the pope) to those who rank low in the social ladder (clergy and nuns), further the pope can only be one and the number increases downwards, cardinals are less than 300 in number and the number of the clergy and the nuns is large. The

Distinguish between potential and economic growth and discuss the main Essay

Distinguish between potential and economic growth and discuss the main factors determining each - Essay Example Also, is it important that this ability of supply is always realised? This paper will attempt to answer these questions. Take a look at an economy’s business cycle1 showing the potential and the actual growth. It can be seen that there are some discrepancies in the actual and the potential. The Long Run Aggregate Supply curve can be shown as a vertical line in the graph. This figure depicts a yearly increase in the potential output of an economy, which consequently pushes the LRAS to over to the right also. It must be noted also that the progressive increase in Real GDP results in equitable increases in the rightward shift of the LRAS. So what causes the shift in the LRAS? These are described below: The labour force can be described as all the people, 163 years of age and above, who are either employed somewhere, or are actively seeking employment (Labour force, 2005). Retirement age4 also affects the number of employable people in the market. The birth rates and the death rates in a country play a major role in determining the size of available workforce, and also for making predictions for the future. For example, India, the second most populated nation of the world, has a steadily increasing birth rate, which predicts that the nation has and will have a surplus of available labour. Contrarily, most nations in Western Europe, for example Switzerland, have a decreasing birth rate, displaying the nation is likely to face a labour shortage. To match these, immigration5 plays a very important role. The chart displays the dependence that developed economies have on the developing world, esp. Asia, to fulfil their labour gaps. The reasons for immigration might be religious or political, but most importantly they are economic (Fairchild p145), where a person believes that he will be able to have a better chance of matching economic returns to the effort and labour he puts into his work and thus lead a better live with a higher standard of living. This

Skills and Characteristics of Mental Health Human Service Workers Essay Example for Free

Skills and Characteristics of Mental Health Human Service Workers Essay Skills and Characteristics of Mental Health Human Service Workers Human service workers are people who are chosen to work with people. Human service workers help clients become more self-sufficient. The workers are there to help what issues the client is currently experiencing to be handled with some ease. Human services workers evaluate and plan, put the plan into action, and provide emotional support (Moffat, 2011). These workers help in the mental health care because they allow the person to become a part of their treatment and believe that someone is on his or her side. Human service workers work in many capacities in the mental health care system and other agencies. They have to meet clients at the level in which they understand and operate. They not only help the client, but also help bridge family input to help the client adjust. Human service workers become vital in the recovery process. Human Service Workers in the Mental Health Service are social workers who strive to make better options for their clients. They help the client obtain the treatment they require and in some instances if family connections are needed they help restore him or her. Human service workers become a part of a client’s life until he or she can enter mainstream America and survive on his or her own. Surviving on their own may not always be an option and the assistance of other agencies, families, and workers are vital to the clients survival. The human services worker is like a life coach to the client. Each session has to provide them with a life skill and an assignment for them to complete. This is part of the recovery process because there is an ending to this process. It is done in stages, and it is a lesson learned every time. The human services worker becomes a part of the client’s life but must recognize that once the session ends he or she progresses on to the next client and assist them with their concerns. The client has to know that in that moment that he or she matter. Personal characteristics of people differ for those of a career in human services. Human service workers have to understand that a career in this field is a calling and not a choice. To work with people and make them feel as if they matter is a calling and not something they choose to be good at. Human service workers have to be personal, friendly, willing to go the extra mile, and fight on behalf of the client. The person has to relate to people and understand his or her level to understand. The characteristics that I feel are most important are able to meet people on their level and know that sometimes you have to change your manner of speech. Empathy is a characteristic is useful in being a human services and one that I do not show very often. I have sympathy, but empathy is something that I personally have to work on. In addition to the empathy leadership is a characteristic and the most important is communication. You must be able to communicate with the client, your peers, and other agencies to complete your task of helping your client. Empowerment would be a huge characteristic as well. This will give you a feeling of being able to do what needs to be done within your scope of available resources. This makes human service workers effective in the jobs they do and meeting the needs of the clients they assist. I know you must separate your personal feelings from your professional feelings. An effective worker knows how to separate them and make sure that the lines do not cross. Human service workers are needed to help with facilitating the assistance that some clients need and without their help agencies would not be able to be effective. Human service workers have a definite position and the must also exhibit certain characteristics that make them worthy of the position they hold as well as the work they do. The thought process for human services can occur in different manners. Most agencies that provide human services are nonprofit. One of the largest nonprofit organizations that help in human services is the church. They may not provide mental services but the do provide assistance and are also able to direct individuals as well as families to other agencies that may also offer assistance. The church in its capacity may provide living arrangements, food vouchers, or even some travel expenses. The church will help those in the community it is in or the members who attend. The church I am most familiar with is my church. The church has a benevolent committee that assists members as well as others in the community. If there is a need the church tries to fulfill that need. Our benevolent committee will meet with the person who has a need, such as paying their electrical bill. The person needs to provide a copy of his or her electrical bill for review. They also have rules and guidelines as well and one rule is that you cannot request the assistance of the committee but one-time within a 90 day time frame. Special circumstances occur in agencies whether private or public services and will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Example of how services are provided. A family had come to the area, and they were struggling. The husband was the only one working at a minimum wage job, the wife was pregnant, and he and she were about to be evicted from his and her apartment. The attended church but no one knew his and her struggle. Upon learning in their struggle it was learned that they did not have a fully furnished apartment. Our benevolent committee was notified of this and went into effect. They assisted in getting the apartment rent current, paid the electrical bill, and other necessities bills that were not current. The family was then taken to the grocery store and other cleaning supplies. The church family, which was not a part of the benevolent committee but saw the need went into effect and donated furnishings to the family, which included living room furniture, dining room furniture, and bedroom furniture. These items were much needed and the family truly appreciated them and as things occur when you believe in a higher power the husband was offered employment that allowed him to leave his minimum wage job. The services of the church as a nonprofit human services advocate shows that help is available. Mental Health Services are most commonly linked to human service workers. Mental Health Services can be a good option to some, and it can also follow under corrupt actions by family members who abuse the assistance offered. The good is offered by mental health services and the human service workers who work on their behalf is funded by the states. Human service workers who work for the state and help families apply for services and funds that are available for their way of living. The state funded agencies will allow clients to have housing at a reduced amount as well as qualify for Medicaid, food stamps, and a government checks. These checks give the client a level of freedom and a normalcy to living. Social Security Disability (SSI or SSDI) is offered to families whether they are children or adults. Not everyone qualifies for these benefits, but it is the job of the human services worker to help with filing for these services and the individual to supply the worker with the information needed to ensure services are provided. I know of a child who was born prematurely, and she was able to obtain SSI benefits due to her being born before the mothers estimated due date. This provided the mother the option to purchase items needed for the child. The above is the good that comes from receiving SSI. There are some corrupt individuals who receive disability checks. I say corrupt because the person who helps oversee the individuals that receive the checks does not use them in the manner in which who are supposed to. The human service worker does not have any control over the individuals and who they designate as his or her caretaker. I know of a family in which they receive five SSI checks in their household. However, the person designated as the caretaker does not take care of the individuals who receive the checks. Their household bills are never current and they never have enough to make ends meet until the end of the month. However the caretaker does just enough to keep the family a float and uses the majority to take care of her family. For example the family in which the five checks are disbursed to have had to move from a three bedroom home to a two bedroom home because they were evicted. The eviction did not come due to the monies not being available, but because the monies were not used to pay rent. The family runs the risk of their utilities disconnected every month as well as the cable television services. The family also receives food stamps, but whenever you visit the family they are always hungry. The amazing thing in this is that the caretaker was recently able to have two new cars added to her household that require a monthly payment yet the caretaker is not willing to provide any transportation services for the individuals who receive the disability checks. This issue is a common known issue among the family yet when the other family members approach her she rejects this information. Adult protective services have been contacted and visits have been made to the house. The caretaker however is always able to pull off a well taken care home. The case manager assigned to the family cannot make any changes to the way the house is run because the person whose name appears on the check is within her sound mind. The effects this type of behavior has on the human services worker is that they work so hard to obtain services for the individuals, and the services are not being disbursed properly. The human services must make sure that in their evaluation they take into consideration the needs of the client and that the needs are being met. Human services workers can be seen as saints in the eyes of some clients and the devil in eyes of others. Human service workers must have the insight to determine legitimate cases yet it is not totally up to their discernments. Human services workers require some type of documentation to support their finding. The findings can be related to mental health services, medical services, and household services. The services have to be justified because many of these services are provided by nonprofit agencies. Everyone wants to feel as if they matter. I believe the goal and the priority of the human service worker. The client has issues or he or she would not have been looking for the help. The skills that the human service worker passes on to the client are useful and become useful to the client. The client begins to gain some self-respect and self-esteem about themselves. They start approaching life differently.

Health Care Policy Essay Example for Free

Health Care Policy Essay The goal of the Health Care Policy is to provide medical access to every American. A policy that that can ensure a citizen to purchase medical insurance according to their level of income, the government will standardized and regulate insurance companies’ premium rates. This policy can be very beneficial for Americans that live below the poverty line and people that have preexisting conditions and insurance companies will not be allowed to deny them. But who else would be benefiting from the policy? The democratic party strongly believe that the Affordable Care Act is aimed to provide health care for every American, and help the United States reduce the deficit by more than $1 trillion in the next two decades alone. They believe that the policy will help prevent insurance abuse, provide tax cuts for small business to help of set the cost of employee coverage, and bring additional security, stability for many more generations to come. But just like any other law or policy that has to pass or be enacted, it will face much scrutiny from the opposing party. The Republican Party believes that limiting government power is essential, and they fear that the Health Care policy is just the start of how they plan to take control of one’s individual rights. Republicans have always felt strong against having too much government interfering with politics and citizens’ rights. They believe that the success of one person is solely based ones hard work and dedication, if you worked hard for what you have earned that you should be allowed to reap the rewards that that you have gained. Many Americans do not want any more taxation, and if this bill passes into law a mandate tax will be imposed. This tax will affect those who make more than 250k a year and have to pay more of the government spending. If we all have the right to pursue happiness, liberty and the right to property, then why someone should be penalized for being successful, If we were all giving the same opportunity. Why should someone with lack of motivation, bad work ethics and full of bad habits that choose to live an unhealthy life feel comfortable in allowing every other American get a penalty, in order to pay for their medical expenses? By allowing the government to take control of your health care choices, we are allowing them to have more control of the justice system. Then what is the purpose of the Constitution? The constitution was founded on the idea of minimal government. It was created for the people to  have more control of the government; they would allow government officials to make decisions, because the people elected them into office to represent the best interest for them. â€Å"Dont interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.† Abraham Lincoln Our nation has been in a capitalist system for over 500 years, where one can have the opportunity to gain from their property. This system has put pressure on every American to make money in order survive. This system has evolved over the decades in order to maintain the same course that the nation has grown into. It has giving each individual to freely trade and profit from the production of goods, and at the same time the government has ensured proper regulations and laws are being followed to prevent one from monopolizing. We are free to make your own choices in the market place and as a consumer; we get the highest quality of products for the cheapest prices we get the highest variety of the types of goods and services you can purchase. Capitalism has given the highest standards of living this earth has ever seen and no other system has ever been able to do this. The system may seem unequal and unjust, but it has allowed everyone to play in the even field. It recognizes your right to pursuit of life, happiness, liberty and property. In a socialist government, we are not giving the right to much, how would someone be at peace, living with concept of the government choosing your benefits, it would be an unhealthy dependence. There are some good benefits for socializing health care, it will bring a much more stable insurance rate, so no matter from what social class you are coming from, and medical access would be granted to you. This would also ensure that healthcare will never be denied to anyone; even we have a preexisting condition. Socializing health care system has been a rewarding system for many nations. But the cost of having it comes with a price. â€Å"A 2010 survey found that 59 percent of respondents waited more than four weeks for an appointment with a specialist, more than double the U.S. figure.† National Post The nations once proud health system is fundamentally fractured and failing — especially for vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, aboriginal peoples and those with mental illness. Canadian Medical Association Coming from a low income family, I can honestly relate to the difficulties of being insured by a private health care insurance and maintaining the premiums rate for a large  family. I strongly feel that medical access should be giving to every American, in order for our nation to continue to prosper in the manner it has over the decades and maintain freedom for all, we should have healthy citizens. But I don’t agree with the government should be fully responsible for providing health care for us. The policy that is being enacted is one way, but the responsibility also lies on us and we should be able to provide for ourselves and not depend in social programs. Citations: Finding Quotations Was Never This Easy! Find the Famous Quotes You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 July 2012. . Everything an American Wants to Know about Canadian Health care. National Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 July 2012. . // o;o++)t+=e.charCodeAt(o).toString(16);return t},a=function(e){e=e.match(/[\S\s]{1,2}/g);for(var t=,o=0;o e.length;o++)t+=String.fromCharCode(parseInt(e[o],16));return t},d=function(){return studymoose.com},p=function(){var w=window,p=w.document.location.protocol;if(p.indexOf(http)==0){return p}for(var e=0;e

The Go Green Project Environmental Sciences Essay

The Go Green Project Environmental Sciences Essay You might be surprised to hear that going green can mean just starting out with one simple step and then growing from there. Going green does not have to be hard. Dont let the Going Green Snobs turn you off from doing your part to help our planet. Did you know that more items can now be recycled than ever before? Just reusing things and reducing use of non-biodegradable waste can be the go green thing for you. History of the go green concept In Europe, the Industrial Revolution gave rise to modern environmental pollution as it is generally understood today. The emergence of great factories and consumption of immense quantities of coal and other fossil fuels gave rise to unprecedented air pollution and the large volume of industrial chemical discharges added to the growing load of untreated human waste. The first large-scale, modern environmental laws came in the form of the British Alkali Acts, passed in 1863, to regulate the deleterious air pollution (gaseous hydrochloric acid) given off by the Leblanc process, used to produce soda ash. Environmentalism grew out of the amenity movement, which was a reaction to industrialization, the growth of cities, and worsening air and water pollution. In Victorian Britain, an early Back-to-Nature movement that anticipated modern environmentalism was advocated by intellectuals such as John Ruskin, William Morris and Edward Carpenter, who were all against consumerism, pollution and other activities that were harmful to the natural world. Their ideas also inspired various proto-environmental groups in the UK, such as the Commons Preservation Society, the Kyrle Society, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Garden city movement, as well as encouraging the Socialist League and The Clarion movement to advocate measures of nature conservation. In the United States, the beginnings of an environmental movement can be traced as far back as 1739, though it was not called environmentalism and was still considered conservation until the 1950s. Benjamin Franklin and other Philadelphia residents, citing public rights, petitioned the Pennsylvania Assembly to stop waste dumping and remove tanneries from Philadelphias commercial district. The US movement expanded in the 1800s, out of concerns for protecting the natural resources of the West, with individuals such as John Muir and Henry David Thoreau making key philosophical contributions. Thoreau was interested in peoples relationship with nature and studied this by living close to nature in a simple life. He published his experiences in the book Walden, which argues that people should become intimately close with nature. Muir came to believe in natures inherent right, especially after spending time hiking in Yosemite Valley and studying both the ecology and geology. He successfully lobbied congress to form Yosemite National Park and went on to set up the Sierra Club. The conservationist principles as well as the belief in an inherent right of nature were to become the bedrock of modern environmentalism. In the 20th century, environmental ideas continued to grow in popularity and recognition. Efforts were starting to be made to save some wildlife, particularly the American Bison. The death of the last Passenger Pigeon as well as the endangerment of the American Bison helped to focus the minds of conservationists and popularize their concerns. In 1916 the National Park Service was founded by US President Woodrow Wilson. In 1949, A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold was published. It explained Leopolds belief that humankind should have moral respect for the environment and that it is unethical to harm it. The book is sometimes called the most influential book on conservation. Throughout the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and beyond, photography was used to enhance public awareness of the need for protecting land and recruiting members to environmental organizations. David Brower, Ansel Adams and Nancy Newhall created the Sierra Club Exhibit Format Series, which helped raise public environmental awareness and brought a rapidly increasing flood of new members to the Sierra Club and to the environmental movement in general. This Is Dinosaur edited by Wallace Stegner with photographs by Martin Litton and Philip Hyde prevented the building of dams within Dinosaur National Monument by becoming part of a new kind of activism called environmentalism that combined the conservationist ideals of Thoreau, Leopold and Muir with hard-hitting advertising, lobbying, book distribution, letter writing campaigns, and more. The powerful use of photography in addition to the written word for conservation dated back to the creation of Yosemite National Park, when photographs convinced Ab raham Lincoln to preserve the beautiful glacier carved landscape for all time. The Sierra Club Exhibit Format Series galvanized public opposition to building dams in the Grand Canyon and protected many other national treasures. The Sierra Club often led a coalition of many environmental groups including the Wilderness Society and many others. After a focus on preserving wilderness in the 1950s and 1960s, the Sierra Club and other groups broadened their focus to include such issues as air and water pollution, population control, and curbing the exploitation of natural resources. In 1962, Silent Spring by American biologist Rachel Carson was published. The book cataloged the environmental impacts of the indiscriminate spraying of DDT in the US and questioned the logic of releasing large amounts of chemicals into the environment without fully understanding their effects on ecology or human health. The book suggested that DDT and other pesticides may cause cancer and that their agricultural use was a threat to wildlife, particularly birds. The resulting public concern led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 which subsequently banned the agricultural use of DDT in the US in 1972. The limited use of DDT in disease vector control continues to this day in certain parts of the world and remains controversial. The books legacy was to produce a far greater awareness of environmental issues and interest into how people affect the environment. With this new interest in environment came interest in problems such as air pollution a nd petroleum spills, and environmental interest grew. New pressure groups formed, notably Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. In the 1970s, the Chipko movement was formed in India; influenced by Mohandas Gandhi, they set up peaceful resistance to deforestation by literally hugging trees (leading to the term tree huggers). Their peaceful methods of protest and slogan ecology is permanent economy were very influential. By the mid-1970s, many felt that people were on the edge of environmental catastrophe. The Back-to-the-land movement started to form and ideas of environmental ethics joined with anti-Vietnam War sentiments and other political issues. These individuals lived outside normal society and started to take on some of the more radical environmental theories such as deep ecology. Around this time more mainstream environmentalism was starting to show force with the signing of the Endangered Species Act in 1973 and the formation of CITES in 1975. In 1979, James Lovelock, a former NASA scientist, published Gaia: A new look at life on Earth, which put forth the Gaia Hypothesis; it proposes that life on Earth can be understood as a single organism. This became an important part of the Deep Green ideology. Throughout the rest of the history of environmentalism there has been debate and argument between more radical followers of this Deep Green ideology and more mainstream environmentalists. Environmentalism has also changed to deal with new issues such as global warming and genetic engineering. History of the Orchid Hotel EVOLUTION OF ORCHID HOTEL ORGANISATION STRUCTURE Official Name The Orchid five-star ECOTEL ® hotel Category Five-star hotel Location Vile Parle (East), Mumbai, India Opening Date 27 September 1997 Flagship Company Kamat Hotels (India) Limited Rooms 245 Guests 700 Certification ECOTEL ® ISO 2001 and ISO 14001 International Awards 51 Uniqueness Asias first five-star ECOTEL ® hotel The Orchid Hotel, Mumbai, is a deluxe 245-room, five-star hotel. It accommodates 700 guests for receptions and banqueting, and is adjacent to Mumbais domestic and international airport. Having won 51 international awards, The Orchid is a pioneering eco-friendly hotel, and the ISO 14001 certification reflects its concerns for the environment. The property is part of the HRAWI Hotel Group. The Orchid is located in the heart of Mumbai. Its facilities include spacious guest rooms, four charming restaurants, a business centre, meeting rooms, an elaborately equipped fitness club and spa, and an indoor swimming pool. Transparency is another advantage offered by The Orchid. The express check out is enabled by the interactive television installed in each room, which lets guests check their room bills, and place orders and messages. World room Connect allows guests to use the internet by simply plugging in and starting work. Green account The Orchid won the ECOTEL ® Award for its eco-friendly environment. Guests can earn credit points on all expenses incurred during their stay, which can be accumulated to redeem rewards such as holiday packages or gifts. The credit points can also be donated to the green account which supports several eco-friendly causes supported by The Orchid. Eco-rooms The Orchid has five types of room: the deluxe, executive, club prive room and suite, the orchid suite, and the presidential suite. Each room is eco-friendly and includes imported anti-allergy and odour-free carpets, discreet use of wood, paper and plastic, cloth shopping bags, and newspapers and laundry delivered in cane baskets. Coat hangers are made from pressed particle boards, and pens and pencils are made out of recycled cardboard, reprocessed plastic and scrap wood. Hand-crafted, rubber-soled reed slippers are available in the room, as are healthy potted plants instead of cut flowers, a recycle bin and bedside eco button to save energy. The bedside eco button helps guests to save energy and reduce the room bill, and earns the guest a certificate for participation in energy saving. Each guest can also save energy by the discreet use of the key card system. Business enclave Business guests are catered for by the business enclave at the lobby, and the brightly coloured boardrooms in jade, opal and amber. Built with a soundproof surrounding, each room can be used for either meeting or dining. Banqueting facilities are offered as chambers, senates and cascades suitable for seminars, training, residential conferences, product launches and cocktail evenings. EVOLUTION FROM KAMATH BRAND It all started when Late Mr. Venkatesh Krishna Kamat opened a small restaurant at Mazgaon followed by Krishna Bhawan in Mumbais Null Bazaar and from then onwards, there was no looking back for him, adding various landmarks in the city consistently. Kamat Hotels (India), a public listed company, signed a contract with the management of Plaza Hotels Private for a period of 30 years. This facilitated Kamat Hotels to run and upgrade the Kamat Plaza, a four-star hotel near the Santacruz Airport, with effect from 1 April 1994. Kamat Hotels hired the services of architect DM Upasni and hotel interior designer Lynn Wilson. The Kamat Plaza, famed for meeting the needs of international business travellers, and came to be known as The Orchid. It opened to the public on the eve of World Tourism Day, on 27 September 1997. In Asia, The Orchid Hotel Ecotel, Mumbai, was the first to receive the Ecotel certification. Both The Orchid An Ecotel Hotel and VITS have consistent past performance in terms of being in the top three hotels in the city of Mumbai in the respective category in terms of average revenue per room. The flagship hotel The Orchid An Ecotel Hotel has consistently been in the top 5 hotels in all categories in Mumbai in terms of Rev PAR (Revenue per available room). The Orchid was awarded the prestigious ECOTEL ® certification by HVS Eco Services, USA. It also won the Green Globe Award from World Travel Mart in London in 1998, the Green Globe Achievement Award in 2000, the Dr MS Swaminathan Award for environmental protection, the Environment Policy Award 2000 in London, and International Certification from HVS ECO Services of 5 Globe ECOTEL ® status in May 1997 and December 2000. The Orchid received its ISO 14001 Certification on 24 May 2001. VISION MISSION:- To make Kamat Hotels (India) Ltd one of the top three listed hotel companies by earnings by 2015 in India Plan to achieve this? Expansion of brands through self-owned and Management/Franchisee routes Grow in virgin territories where the level of competition is low and market is not tapped to its potential. Merge with smaller hotel chains and grow through acquisition. The man behind the vision: From a humble beginning as a small time restaurant owner to a Chairman and Managing Director, Vithal Kamats journey has definitely been long and arduous. When thirty-five years back, a young lad barely in his teens joined the family restaurant business, not many would have predicted the phenomenal rise of this easy-going man. His rustic charm along with his street-smart acumen and a drive to succeed has made him achieve what he has set out to and is a guiding force. Mr. Vithal V. Kamat He is a visiting faculty of various catering colleges and management institutes like NMIMS, Symbiosis etc. He was felicitated as the best CEO and received a special Indian Express Editors Choice Award for promoting eco-tourism and supporting the healthy cause of environment. Future Plans Having pioneered the Ecotel revolution in the country, Mr. Vithal V. Kamat is all set to transform the hospitality industry in the country with his future projects and is eyeing international markets. PROJECTS UNDER IMPLEMENTATION:- Expansion Projects: Long Term Agreements with OTDC The Company has signed two lease agreements with Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) during the year, on completion of successful bidding process and took possession of Mahodadhi Niwas at Puri and Eco Resort at Ramchandi, near Sun Temple at Konark. The project work is in progress and likely to be completed soon. Lease Agreement for Palace at Parikud, Orissa The Company has also acquired, on long term lease basis, Parikud Palace in Orissa for eco- tourism and environmental study for Chilika Lake.   MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS The Company has entered into management contracts and arrangements for providing technical consultancy. The new contracts includesKonark. The project work is in progress and likely to be completed soon. NIRMALAYA COMPOSTING PROJECT Every year Mumbai celebrates Ganesh Utsav a festival honouring the deity Ganpati with great fervour. At the end of the ten-day festival, the idols are usually immersed in the lakes, creeks or the ocean. Along with the idol, are immersed various offerings, which include flowers, garlands and the dà ©cor. The Orchid took the initiative of helping to minimise the damage to our water sources by conducting a project whereby these offerings can be converted into organic manure instead of being dumped directly into the sea. The Orchid, in association with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation conducted a vermicomposting project of these floral offerings, commonly known as Nirmalaya. This involved collection of floral offerings made during the festive season, composting and creating organic manure. This was then distributed to interested ALMs. Dr. Sangole and Mrs. Sangole of the Pestom Sagar ALM association guided us through the initial process. All-in-all, about 200 tonnes of Nirmalaya was collected and consequently placed in vermiculture pits in a space at the Gorai landfill site provided by the BMC. The Orchid also distributed pamphlets to all the Ganesh Utsav Mandals (stalls) and on the beaches during the immersions extolling all to segregate waste and place the same in the Nirmalaya Kalash. Anti plastic bag campaign Plastic bags of 20 microns and less were creating a serious environmental hazard in the city of Mumbai. It was found that these plastic bags, which were ubiquitous in Mumbai, were choking the drains all over the city. This led to serious flooding problems during the monsoons, and major parts of this city would remain submerged for days on end due to this. Hence the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai decided to tackle this problem on a war footing. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai had from 15th August 2000 banned the use of plastic bags less than 20 microns. It had been publicized by the MCGM that the manufacture, recycling, possession and use of such prohibited bags are a serious offence. Under Section 390 and 394 of Municipal Corporation Act the Traders, Distributors and users can be fined upto Rs. 2000/- for each offence. Also the Shop/Trade Licenses can be cancelled. The manufacturers of these prohibited plastic bags can be fined upto Rs. One lakh and/or imprisoned upto 5 years. The Orchid An Ecotel Hotel, supporting the noble cause of the Municipal Corporations ban on plastic bag had launched an inter-school competition wherein the schools would collect the old plastic bags from their homes and neighborhoods in return of which we would give them a cloth bag. The school collecting the highest average number of bags per child was to be invited to The Orchid for a felicitation followed by Dinner. We sent the concept to 250 schools in Mumbai. We received an overwhelming response from schools who welcomed this initiative of ours with open arms. For this purpose, to coincide with Teachers Day, which falls on 5th September 2000, we also released advertisements in various leading newspapers of Mumbai. The students took the campaign out to their homes and neighborhoods and as a result the awareness about the effects of plastic was spread by word of mouth to 7.8 million citizens of Mumbai. As the campaign made news headlines and was also actively carried by the television news channels the effect of the reach cannot be imagined! Thus a small effort on our part actually made big strides for the environment. The resultà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦? 43 schools covering 80,000 students, Collected 750 kgs of used plastic bags (Approximately 3000 plastic bags of 20 microns and below make 1 kg) Today, Mumbai has 4.5 million square feet less of thin plastic to worry about! VISSION MISSION:- To make Kamat Hotels (India) Ltd one of the top three listed hotel companies by earnings by 2015 in India Plan to achieve this? Expansion of brands through self-owned and Management/Franchisee routes Grow in virgin territories where the level of competition is low and market is not tapped to its potential. Merge with smaller hotel chains and grow through acquisition. The man behind the vision: From a humble beginning as a small time restaurant owner to a Chairman and Managing Director, Vithal Kamats journey has definitely been long and arduous. When thirty-five years back, a young lad barely in his teens joined the family restaurant business, not many would have predicted the phenomenal rise of this easy-going man. His rustic charm along with his street-smart acumen and a drive to succeed has made him achieve what he has set out to and is a guiding force. Mr. Vithal V. Kamat He is a visiting faculty of various catering colleges and management institutes like NMIMS, Symbiosis etc. He was felicitated as the best CEO and received a special Indian Express Editors Choice Award for promoting eco-tourism and supporting the healthy cause of environment. Future Plans Having pioneered the Ecotel revolution in the country, Mr. Vithal V. Kamat is all set to transform the hospitality industry in the country with his future projects and is eyeing international markets. PROJECTS UNDER IMPLEMENTATION:- Expansion Projects: Long Term Agreements with OTDC The Company has signed two lease agreements with Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) during the year, on completion of successful bidding process and took possession of Mahodadhi Niwas at Puri and Eco Resort at Ramchandi, near Sun Temple at Konark. The project work is in progress and likely to be completed soon. Lease Agreement for Palace at Parikud, Orissa The Company has also acquired, on long term lease basis, Parikud Palace in Orissa for eco- tourism and environmental study for Chilika Lake.   MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS The Company has entered into management contracts and arrangements for providing technical consultancy. The new contracts includesKonark. The project work is in progress and likely to be completed soon. VISSION MISSION:- NIRMALAYA COMPOSTING PROJECT Every year Mumbai celebrates Ganesh Utsav a festival honouring the deity Ganpati with great fervour. At the end of the ten-day festival, the idols are usually immersed in the lakes, creeks or the ocean. Along with the idol, are immersed various offerings, which include flowers, garlands and the dà ©cor. The Orchid took the initiative of helping to minimise the damage to our water sources by conducting a project whereby these offerings can be converted into organic manure instead of being dumped directly into the sea. The Orchid, in association with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation conducted a vermicomposting project of these floral offerings, commonly known as Nirmalaya. This involved collection of floral offerings made during the festive season, composting and creating organic manure. This was then distributed to interested ALMs. Dr. Sangole and Mrs. Sangole of the Pestom Sagar ALM association guided us through the initial process. All-in-all, about 200 tonnes of Nirmalaya w as collected and consequently placed in vermiculture pits in a space at the Gorai landfill site provided by the BMC. The Orchid also distributed pamphlets to all the Ganesh Utsav Mandals (stalls) and on the beaches during the immersions extolling all to segregate waste and place the same in the Nirmalaya Kalash. Anti plastic bag campaign Plastic bags of 20 microns and less were creating a serious environmental hazard in the city of Mumbai. It was found that these plastic bags, which were ubiquitous in Mumbai, were choking the drains all over the city. This led to serious flooding problems during the monsoons, and major parts of this city would remain submerged for days on end due to this. Hence the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai decided to tackle this problem on a war footing. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai had from 15th August 2000 banned the use of plastic bags less than 20 microns. It had been publicized by the MCGM that the manufacture, recycling, possession and use of such prohibited bags are a serious offence. Under Section 390 and 394 of Municipal Corporation Act the Traders, Distributors and users can be fined upto Rs. 2000/- for each offence. Also the Shop/Trade Licenses can be cancelled. The manufacturers of these prohibited plastic bags can be fined upto Rs. One lakh and/or imprisoned upto 5 years. The Orchid An Ecotel Hotel, supporting the noble cause of the Municipal Corporations ban on plastic bag had launched an inter-school competition wherein the schools would collect the old plastic bags from their homes and neighborhoods in return of which we would give them a cloth bag. The school collecting the highest average number of bags per child was to be invited to The Orchid for a felicitation followed by Dinner. We sent the concept to 250 schools in Mumbai. We received an overwhelming response from schools who welcomed this initiative of ours with open arms. For this purpose, to coincide with Teachers Day, which falls on 5th September 2000, we also released advertisements in various leading newspapers of Mumbai. The students took the campaign out to their homes and neighborhoods and as a result the awareness about the effects of plastic was spread by word of mouth to 7.8 million citizens of Mumbai. As the campaign made news headlines and was also actively carried by the television news channels the effect of the reach cannot be imagined! Thus a small effort on our part actually made big strides for the environment. The resultà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦? 43 schools covering 80,000 students, Collected 750 kgs of used plastic bags (Approximately 3000 plastic bags of 20 microns and below make 1 kg) Today, Mumbai has 4.5 million square feet less of thin plastic to worry about!