Emerging Business Themes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Emerging Business Themes - Essay Example However, the brand has taken on some decay with evidence of human rights violations being committed in the factories that are supplying the product There is some evidence that these violations have occurred without Nike having created any attempts towards improvements on their own in order to increase their profits. While Nike promotes its goods under the brand mythology of good health, environmental awareness, and a sense of a social conscious, there has been a significant number of reports of human rights violations that violate these representations. The Nike corporate website has a great amount of detailed information regarding codes of operation and codes of ethics that create an image of corporate and social responsibility. The following code of ethics is on the website, creating a specific structure in which social responsibility is promoted. Our code of ethics for employees is called Inside the Lines; it defines the standards of conduct we expect of all our employees. Every y ear, employees are required to verify that they have read and understand Inside the Lines. We operate a global toll-free Alertline for employees to report in confidence any suspected violations of the law or our code of ethics. Any reported concerns around accounting, auditing or internal control are communicated to the Audit Committee of the Board. We expect our suppliers to share our standards and to operate in a legal and ethical manner. While Inside the Lines covers the behavior of Nike employees, our Nike Code of Conduct covers contractors who manufacture Nike-branded products. It directs them to respect the rights of their employees, and to provide them with a safe and healthy work environment.2 The framework that is provided by this code allows for a revelation about the intentions of the company to emerge, which is then countered by the actions that the company has made. As the company has taken advantage of the global marketing opportunities, it has also taken advantage of the lesser regulatory practices in labour, thus putting the company into a paradox against its own branding. While there have been a great many advances in Nike towards behaviours that are more socially responsible, the company still has the shadow of irresponsibility on a global level, thus creating a taint on the brand. Sustainability There are a great many ways in which the word sustainability can be used towards creating socially responsible organizations. Environmental sustainability is one of the most ways in which sustainability can be defined. As well, social responsibility in the way in which employees are treated, the issues of human rights made a priority within an organization, is another way in which sustainability is achieved. According to Bitsch, â€Å"Social sustainability is typically broadly defined to include human rights and social injustice, corporate governance, and labour rights and treatment†.3 Furthermore, a business is responsible to keep up on the l atest interpretations of human rights and to adhere to keeping safe and secure those workers who are under their management.4 Nike has had serious issues regarding violations of human rights issues and more so concerning violating the spirit of correcting those issues. In Bulgarian factories, when serious human rights

Diamond cites multiple factors Essay Example for Free

Diamond cites multiple factors Essay A tale of two very similar farms, 500 years apart in time, in Montana and in Greenland respectively, sets the scene for Jared Diamond’s romp round the known world with an ecological bee in his bonnet. One farm prospered, and the other collapsed. Here ends the first reading, and sure enough, another few dozen parables of human folly follow immediately after. The book reads like a sequel to Diamond’s Pulitzer Prize winning title of 1997: Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies even though the focus this time is more firmly on the societies that failed. The same cherry-picking formula is used, and the same breezy tone makes Collapse a fairly easy read, despite its heavy theme and expansive range. The book’s central thesis is that it is geography, more than history, that ultimately causes the demise of individual human communities and societies. This is perhaps not surprising from a professor of geology and physiology at the University of California in Los Angeles. The frozen wastes of Greenland and the striking stone heads of Easter Island are presented as grim reminders of past civilisations. Diamond cites multiple factors such as environmental change, climate change, hostile neighbours, loss of trading partners and a poor response to emerging environmental problems as the causes of decline and ultimately the collapse of these societies. He is at his best when he talks about smaller, more isolated and pre-industrial groups, putting us all in mind of an earlier time when people generally lived in villages rather than cities. The book shifts, however, and applies the same kind of analysis to large city-based civilizations like the ancient Maya of South America and more mixed modern economies such as China and Australia. In these cases, as they say, the plot thickens and when Diamond gets his crystal ball out, he predicts that China, â€Å"the lurching giant† will have to apply its typical top-down draconian pressures to environmental issues in the same way that it enforced a strict curb on the birth rate. Diamond’s innocuous description of China’s brutal one child ruling as â€Å"family planning policies †¦ bold and effectively carried out† underplays the culture shift that would need to occur if ever a western democracy were to try a similar tactic in aid of environmental reforms. One can’t help thinking that Diamond has not yet got his head round the concept of globalization and the astonishing capacity that modern democracies have for technological solutions to the old crises of supply and demand of raw resources. His rather glib conclusion â€Å"Globalization makes it impossible for modern societies to collapse in isolation†¦ for the first time we face the risk of a global decline† simply expands the primitive pattern to a bigger scale. This book is a wake up call. Some of its claims are exaggerated, as when the situation of modern Australia is compared to â€Å"an exponentially accelerating horse race† which for Diamond means â€Å"accelerating in the manner of a nuclear chain reaction. † The metaphors may be hopelessly mixed, but the point he is making is clear and critically important. After a leisurely wander through most of human civilisation as we know it, Diamond draws sobering conclusions about the cost of mistakes that we should, theoretically at least, be able to predict and deal with before they become fatal and final errors. While we may not be able to agree with all of his conclusions, we certainly are in debt to Jared Diamond for providing us with, yet again, a gripping sequence of well-drawn episodes and plenty of food for thought.

What Is Happy Smoke? :: essays research papers

Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant. You may hear marijuana called by street names such as pot, herb, weed, grass, boom, Mary Jane, gangster, or chronic. There are more than 200 slang terms for marijuana. Sinsemilla (sin-seh-me-yah; it's a Spanish word), hashish ("hash" for short), and hash oil are stronger forms of marijuana. All forms of marijuana are mind-altering. In other words, they change how the brain works. They all contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana. They also contain more than 400 other chemicals. Marijuana's effects on the user depend on the strength or potency of the THC it contains. THC potency of marijuana has increased since the 1970s but has been about the same since the mid-1980s. Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint or a nail) or in a pipe or a bong. Recently, it has appeared in cigars called blunts. THC in m arijuana is strongly absorbed by fatty tissues in various organs. Generally, traces (metabolites) of THC can be detected by standard urine testing methods several days after a smoking session. However, in heavy chronic users, traces can sometimes be detected for weeks after they have stopped using marijuana. There are many reasons why some children and young teens start smoking marijuana. Most young people smoke marijuana because their friends or brothers and sisters use marijuana and pressure them to try it. Some young people use it because they see older people in the family using it. Others may think it's cool to use marijuana because they hear songs about it and see it on TV and in movies. Some teens may feel they need marijuana and other drugs to help them escape from problems at home, at school, or with friends. The effects of the drug on each person depend on the user's experience, as well as: how strong the marijuana is (how much THC it has); what the user expects to happen; where (the place) the drug is used; how it is taken; and whether the user is drinking alcohol or using other drugs. Some people feel nothing at all when they smoke marijuana. Others may feel relaxed or high. Sometimes marijuana makes users feel thirsty and very hungry - an effect called "the munchies." Some users can get bad effects from marijuana. They may suffer sudden feelings of anxiety and have paranoid thoughts.

Islam: Evils of Idolatry (Surah 10:26-38) Essay

The opening verses portray Allah as a deity that invites his follows to a â€Å"Home of Peace†. Allah will guide them on a straight path, and will reward all that do good works with promises of abundant blessings. Allah will protect these followers and will treat them as â€Å"heirs of Paradise† where they will live forever. However, it is quickly established that while those who do good works will be blessed, those who do evil will be rewarded with evil. They will not be protected by Allah and will be covered in misery. The evil doers will also be heirs, but instead of Paradise they will be heirs of Hell; where they will spend eternity. Islam views idolatry as evil. According this section of the scripture, those who commit idolatry are believed to have turned their backs on Allah. The scripture asks how they can be turned from the one who â€Å"turns living from the dead, and the dead from the living? † The scriptures question their judgment, and declare that even the idols that they worship will betray them in the end. The scripture states that the idols will declare that they had no idea that the evil doer was worshiping them, and that â€Å"Allah is there all-sufficient witness. † The scripture goes on to say that these evil doers who worship idols have no faith. They pose the question, â€Å"Can your idols lead you in the truth? † Islam believes that only Allah can lead you in the truth; therefore, only Allah could have written the Koran. This portion of the scripture concludes by challenging the evil-doers to have their false idols attempt to write one chapter of the Koran. Islam sees the worshiping of idols as an ultimate evil. They believe that not only will idol worshipers be exposed, but that they will pay for their sin by being sent to live in Hell for all of time. Idol worshipers are seen as those who lack faith, and have turned from Allah

Internet Web Servers and HTML Essay

In order to create a web page, a host must be first be found, or created. The Internet host is a site where the web page becomes available for view by users on the world wide web. While web pages can be hosted by an individual, most people prefer to use a host site as a service provider to do so for them. An Internet host provider does everything needed to make a web site available to others. The host provider will usually charge a fee for their services, although in some cases it is free. Most host providers can also sell a domain name (for instance www. johndoe. com). They will provide space on their server for web pages and may provide an interface control panel for installing scripts, which eases users’ accessibility to the site (such as providing a link for Email communication). After the Internet host provider has been selected, it is then up to the owner of the web site to provide the pages that will appear on the Internet. This is done by creating HTML (hyper text markup protocol) pages that are transferred to the server via FTP (file transfer protocol). An easy way to create web pages for a site is to use a software editor such as Microsoft’s Front Page. Front Page is available as part of the Microsoft Office Suite and can integrate documents from Word or spreadsheets from Excel into the web page. Front Page is user friendly; the software lets users input the text and pictures they want on a web site page as if they were using a word processing program (i. e. , there are buttons to make letters bold, italic, colored, etc. ) instead of having to insert the correct HTML code (which translates the look and placement of items on the Internet). Front Page then takes the information and converts it to HTML language. Once the pages are complete, Front Page will transfer the pages to the Internet host provider where they will be stored, using the account name and password via FTP. Once the pages have been uploaded to the web site, it is then visible and accessible to any user of the world wide web. References â€Å"Hosting Your Web Site†. Retrieved October 31, 2007 from the Dummies Web site: http://www. dummies. com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-3140. html. â€Å"Microsoft Office Front Page 2003†. Retrieved October 31, 2007 from the Microsoft Web site: http://www. microsoft. com/products/info/product. aspx? view=22&pcid=57bccce5-f934-422d-a11a-2afd0c0014db&type=ovr.

Understanding the Difference of Operations

Understanding the Difference of Operations Understanding the Difference of Operations The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual, according to Vince Lombardi, the role that each individual takes in connection with the most important issues that their organizations are involved with compels a great role on how the whole group fares when it comes to the need of being able to develop further towards progress in the industry or the group of organizational types that they belong to. Yes, each individuals accountability to the role of the organization in the community is an important factor of consideration that every organizational member should practically give attention to. Issues on how organizations are mandated and managed according to the role that they are taking in the community has naturally made it harder for a lot of groups today to formulate operations that are sure to reach the standards that have been set for them to follow. Considerably though, organizational administrators were able to find ways and practical solutions that could better their operations and provide them the chance to properly consider the role that they are taking (Mulgan 2000, 555). Believably, these situations mandate not only the strength and the capability of the administrational body of the organization to lead or to manage the process, but also insist on the cooperation that every member of the group takes as their own personal responsibility. Certainly, both for-profit and nonprofit organizations face this ethical responsibility of providing their group a management that works and giving the community that right quality of services and products that they deserve. Different business organizations are based upon different foundations of mission and vision Practically, every business organization needs to have a reason for existence. No matter what that reason is, it serves as the organizations identification as it operates within the community that it aims to serve. Surely, this identification gives a proper sense of purpose as per suggested by the kind of organization that they are. Practically, the consideration on what particular kind of organization a group of people is practically committed to indicate the right kind of role that they are taking in the community. (Sinclair, 1995, 220) As for example, the for-profit organizations are based upon the aim of gaining the attention of the communities to be able to generate financial gains. On the other hand, non-profit groups provide service and volunteer operations that are dedicated to making it easier for the communities to get by (Dubnick, 1998, 68). Surely, it should not be pointed out that for-profit organizations are all for themselves, meaning they exist for personal reasons of gaining profit, instead, they just provide service or products to the community in an aim of getting the right kind of exchange for what they provide the community with. It could not be denied though that these organizations, whether for profit or nonprofit groups are accountable for their operations in connection with the process by which these operations are affecting the communities that they are living with. Basically, it could be noted that somehow, internal and external accountability of these organizations directly affect the kind of development that the said organizations are able to take in connection with the process by which they are able to relate to the needs and demands of the people within the communities that they are serving. Within the discussion that follows, an understanding of what internal and external accountability is all about and how profit and nonprofit organizations respond to this matter shall be presented. Seriously, it could be noticed that there are reasons by which organizations exist and this existence is based on noting the fact that the organization is aiming to operate for a reason. First to know is that of the difference of operations that for-profit organizations have in comparison with that of the nonprofit organizations which shall be discussed in the phase of presentation that follows. Understanding the Difference of Operations As mentioned earlier, for profit organizations are based on the idea of gaining more returns for the services or products that they release for public appreciation. This is the reason why for-profit organizations are also known as business organizations. It is through this identification of organizational process that the indication of organizational role is further assured. Basically, for profit organizations intend to balance loses or expenses that they have utilized for the manufacturing of products or processing services with the amount of income that they are to receive from the market. It is through this balancing process that they are able to receive back what they have lost and have ample amount of money to fund further operations in the future to have the organization continuously existing within the society. (Mulgan, 2000, 556) Besides this fact, for-profit organizations are also expected to face different measures of competition against other business groups that operate within the same industry as they do. Practically, it could then be realized that these organizations have to deal with more complicated approaches to operation just to be able to win the struggle of surviving in the field of modern commercial connections worldwide (Dykstra, 1939, 25). An example of this kind of organization is that of the IBM Company which basically have competition with Apple Computers and Compaq which are all international computer expert business operators that intend to offer the society with the best kinds of technological gadgets that are designed to make their life much easier and much enjoyable to live with. On the other hand, nonprofit organizations such as the Red Cross International Community of Volunteers rely on contributions and donations from supporters all around the globe. Unlike for profit organizations, these groups do not have a fixed capital that funds their organization for continuously operating for the good of the society that expects their help and assistance in times of emergency. Organizations such as Red Cross do not go through the complicated process of competing with other organizations that are in the same field of volunteering service operation. For example, at times, when there are huge situations such as wars and civil movements that affect the majority of the population of people in one country, Red Cross sends in some of its representatives to be able to deal with the situation and create a good sense out of the resources that they are able to use to give proper attention to the needs of the people needing their attention (Schedler, 1999, 332). At the same tim e, the UN may also send in some helping hand and in no way do these two groups undergo particular competition between each other. Perhaps, the only competition they have lies on the need of getting more volunteers and enticing more contributors for the development of the budget that they need to be able to fund further volunteering appointments. Yes, in many ways, nonprofit organizations help the governments a lot in assuring that the society gets the services that they need and get a hold of the elemental factors that are essential for their survival. As for example educational organizations may provide the service but only for those who are able to pay for the service. However, there are also some educational organizations that are nonprofit which particularly provide plain service to the learners. Hence, in connection to this, it could be noticed that the management by which the operations of these organizations are being given particular attention tom also differ in form as education institutions that are for profit intend to hire teachers at a base pay approach, while nonprofit educational institutions are more indulged in the chance of getting instructors and educational guides both through volunteerism and others that are instantiated through the shifting levels of salary for the services that they are to provide. Pra ctically, it could be observed that somehow, nonprofit organizations are practically accountable for providing the society what they deserve and what they need without actually asking for anything in return. Comprehending About Internal and External Accountability Separately, for profit organizations and nonprofit organizations have different roles and different responsibilities to the communities. At one point, the volunteerism that the nonprofit organizations depend upon makes it quite harder for them to complete operations in a much faster consideration that intends to make a difference in the society. Apparently only a few individuals today are making a good sense of what volunteerism is all about and how the process is actually able to make a great difference in the society. Only a few also realize the responsibility that they have on the others, giving them lesser chance to consider their purpose in life really is. Yes, volunteers are also accountable for the different operations of assistance that they are providing the community with. Particular process of operations ought to be followed and as volunteers following through these guidelines is practically essential in the role that they play for the communities. (Alvarado, 2000, 6) Understandably though, for profit organizations also have a promised oath to keep good track on how they serve the needs of the people. Besides simply serving as an aide for completing the economic cycle that funds the societys economic survival, business organizations are held responsible for assuring that their products are essentially kept practically usable and safe for the market that they are aiming to serve. Surely, the separation of the internal and the external accountability of the nonprofit from that of the for profit groups of organizations define the separation of their role in the communities that they are operating with, Indeed, with this differences identified clearly, it could be admitted that both types of organizations take their own stand in making the society a better place to live in with the perfect balance that needs to be given particular attention to. Making a good sense of what their role is affects the development of the communities that they are working with. (Dubnick, 1998, 68) Certainly, with this assurance of completed role, both types of organization intend to make a big difference in the ways by which the needs and the demands of the people in a community are practically given helpful response. Evaluation and Controls of Measuring and Assessing Organizational Governance The process by which organizations are able to control their operations affects so much the services and the products that they provide for the communitys population. Definitely, it could be mentioned though that these operations need to be guided by particular protocols that are intended to assist the volunteers as well as that of the business organizers in becoming much able to complete the roles that they have signed up for. How then shall the effectiveness of operations be assessed and measured? Through a series of evaluation that could be undergone within a specific span of time, operations of volunteerism and business approach for profit could be better investigated upon as to whether or not they are still able to adhere to the needs and the demands of the society who are supposed to be the receivers of their services and their products. (Dubnick, 1998, 81) Conclusion Considerably, from the discussion presented herein, the internal and the external accountability of organizations at present are practically making a good sense on how to develop the societies today. Surely, it could be mentioned that somehow, without the guidelines of completing these responsibilities, handling the most important roles that these organizations have towards the society may somewhat be much impossible to handle. Believably, as carefully mandated by the sense of accountability itself, organizations today have ethical responsibilities to their own people and of course to the society. Assisting every member of the organization to handle this responsibility is an essential factor of group existence in the community. Being able to respond to the needs of the society is one thing but being able to respond in respect to their values is another. Certainly, these organizations are held practically responsible of being able to make a good sense of their existence through maintaining a proper reputation that is able to withstand the challenges of being an organization set forth to serve the concerns of the society, For-profit organizations, although they have persona profit generating concerns, still have the responsibility of assuring that what they give the community is able to respond to the needs and values that the community itself gives particular importance to. Through making their employees and their staff of higher command accountable for their acts, they at the same time make every member of the organization responsible enough to make sure that the service they are giving to the organization would have a good effect on the community that they are aiming to serve. Nonprofit organizations on the other hand are accountable for the chance of being able to serve the needs of the people without asking for any particular pay. This does not mean though that since the members are not paid, they are now able to deal with matters that way that they want to. As public servants who aim to do good, volunteers of nonprofit organizations are expected to be held responsible of their acts whether or not they are paid; their responsibility is to the people. Yes, with or without money entailed in connection with the process of completing ones responsibility to the people, the process of being ethically outstanding in ones process of operation is every organizations best chance of gaining a fine reputation in the community.

Napoleons Russian Campaign essays

Napoleons Russian Campaign essays The peace between France and Russia in 1807 lasted for five years but was not satisfactory to either side. The Tilsit settlement was thought of by Napoleon as no more than a convenient truce. In 1807 he had been in no position to invade Russia but there was no way that he could tolerate another European power for very long. Napoleon felt that a war with Russia was necessary for crushing England by crushing the only power still strong enough him any trouble by joining her. Napoleon began preparing for the war. He secured the support of Austria and Prussia since even though neither was in any position to refuse. Emperor Francis of Austria provided 34,000 men to cover the French but sent secret messages to St. Petersburg assuring Alexander that Austrian hostilities would be kept to a minimum. Prussia though was placed in a less fortunate position. With Berlin occupied by French and most of their 1807 debt to be paid it had no alternative but to provide 25,000 men and supply quarters and rations for the entire army. The rest of Napoleons Grand Army came from the many countries under his direct control. The Kingdom of Italy sent 45,000 men, the Grand Duchy of Warsaw 35,000. The Kingdoms of Bavaria, Saxony and Westphalia each sent 17,000 men and there were many additions from various other nations under Napoleons control. In all the army totaled to 600,000 men. While Napoleon had an enormous army he made though inadequate preparations for supplying the troops. The provisions that he arranged for were not intended to provide all that the troops would need as they fought their way to Moscow. This was because Napoleon visualized a short campaign ending in a decisive victory. In a speech to his troops on June 22 he announced that In less than two months time the Russians will be asking for peace. His main striking force consisted of 235,000 men. Two smaller forces, each of 70,000 me...

Substrate Definition in Chemistry and Other Sciences

Substrate Definition in Chemistry and Other Sciences The definition of substrate depends on the context in which the word is used, particularly in the sciences. Definitions of Substrate Substrate (chemistry): A substrate is the medium in which a chemical reaction takes place or the reagent in a reaction that provides a surface for absorption. For example, in the fermentation of yeast, the substrate the yeast acts upon is sugar to produce carbon dioxide. In biochemistry, an enzyme substrate is the substance the enzyme acts upon. Sometimes the word substrate is also used as a synonym for the reactant, which is the molecule consumed in a chemical reaction. Substrate (biology): In biology, the substrate may be the surface on which an organism grows or is attached. For example, a microbiological medium may be considered a substrate. The substrate may also be the material at the bottom of a habitat, such as gravel at the base of an aquarium. Substrate may also refer to the surface on which an organism moves. Substrate (materials science): In this context, a substrate is a base on which a process occurs. For example, if gold is electroplated over silver, the silver is the substrate. Substrate (geology): In geology, substrate is underlying stratum.

Global marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Global marketing - Essay Example Free trade members lack common external tariff unlike in customs union meaning they have different customs and quotas. Free trade area is aimed at reducing barriers to easy exchange so that there is development of trade as a result of division of labour and specialization. Custom Union are normally characterized by generally imposing a common external-tariff on imports from countries who are not members (Sharan). Another characteristic of custom union is that there is no free movement labor among members as well as capital. Custom Union is mutual agreement among the participating neighboring countries to reduce or eliminate customs duty and remove trade barriers on mutual trade. Participants in Custom Union come up with a common external trade policy. In economic integration, Custom union is the third stage and is normally established through trade pacts. Common Market is a formed by countries in the same geographical area to enhance capital among it members and duty free labor movement. It is aimed at bringing economic integration and a common market to the involved member countries. Custom market is characterized by imposing common external tariff on imports from non-members. In Political Union, there is a consolidated and a larger group of countries that share an internationally acknowledged joint government. Political union can be established in a various ways such as; mixed unions incorporating union, and federative annexation. It is characterized by having a common currency and no trade barriers for the member countries. The key provisions of NAFTA which would challenge inclusion of Brazil and Chile is Prohibition of standards as free trade barrier, this is because some product from brazil and chile may not meet U.S. standards may be denied access to market. Another reason is that including Brazil and Chile may lead to changing standards to accommodate their needs whereas NAFTA does not require the United States to change

Group Assignment - Project Goals and Purpose Essay

Group Assignment - Project Goals and Purpose - Essay Example The project will demonstrate that when employees are given the freedom to air and follow their values and add to the culture of the work place, they get the ownership of the job and hence develop the need to continually foster its growth through performance increase despite the challenges they might encounter (Rosenthal and Masarech, 2003, pg. 4). Values as explained by Sisk, (2003) are about doing the right thing by an individual. Culture involves the behaviour and practices in an organization which the employees, management and customers surround themselves with. Culture is fostered and maintained by the values of the employees and with a good corporate culture, both employees and customers will be satisfied and this means that their performance and business will increase tremendously and the ultimate results being high performance and gaining competitive advantage in the market place. Culture grows with the addition of new employees (Smith, 2014) and in order to maintain the high performance and fulfil the objectives of a company, growth in culture must be allowed and even encouraged. Smith, F. (September 11th, 2014). â€Å"Atlassian, Australia’s Best Place to Work, to ‘gamify’ recruitment.† Financial Review. Retrieved from:

Meteorological Satellites Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Meteorological Satellites Systems - Essay Example These characteristics formed the basis on which most of the theoreticians worked on to provide information about the atmosphere. However, these characteristics ware not enough to provide more precise information about the atmosphere yet such information was of great significance in predicting meteorological parameters and conditions. The introduction of computers and mathematical models resulted in an increased demand for observational data that was adequately sampled and reliable both in time and space. This was due to the fact that the atmosphere forecast models depended strongly on the initial atmosphere state that had been reached at through assumptions. Better data was needed as even after this initial information, there were still many areas that were left without atmospheric soundings that were conventional. Before the discovery of weather satellites, the weathermen work was almost impossible as they were handicapped with very limited information before them about the atmosphe res state at any time (Kidder and VonderHarr, 1995). Even after the world war period when observational networks were expanded by most of the meteorological services from different nations, the global vast land areas that were sparsely populated as well as the large areas covered by oceans remained virtually blank with regards to conventional meteorological observations. The introduction of metrological satellites was a major step towards overcoming all these deficiencies. Satellite imagery has since its discovery proved to be a vital information source in forecasting operations. The images serve various important functions in the metrological field including; a tool used for analysis mostly when dealing with data from the tropics, a vital aid during forecast conducted in short periods before rainfall, cloud, and floods, serves as an input to weather prediction  models mostly dealing with numbers so as to define initial conditions, and used to monitor forecast models.

WEEK 4 DQ 7 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WEEK 4 DQ 7 - Assignment Example Legitimate, coercive and reward as forms of formal power. Personal power deals more with what other individuals see and regard of someone they respect or like, thus giving someone the ability to influence. Expert, information and referent power have been classified as personal power. An example of an unethical use of power was when I was instructed by my superior to perform a task that was supposed to be his. In this case, my superior exercised his formal power, and was able to influence me to do the work for him. My superior unethically used legitimate power over me, emphasizing that I should be the one following the orders. Such scenarios I believe are common in many organizations where the people in authority tend to abuse the power accompanied in the positions they fill in. Political behaviors are actions with which an individual or a group of individuals make to be able to influence others in the organization to get the result they want. The three dimensions of political behavior are: upward influence, downward influence and peer influence. Upward influence refers to the capability of the people at the lower level of the organization to influence the decisions of the people with authority in the organization. Downward influence is the capacity of a superior to influence those under his or her department, such as general managers influencing department managers and their subordinates. Peer influence is the most common and this usually occurs with people who are in the same level of the organization. In laymans term, this may also be seen as peer pressure. However, this kind of influence may be destructive if there is no common goal among the people involved. Individual and organizational antecedents greatly influence political behavior. Political skill, investment in organization, internal locus control and expectations of

Business research Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business research Skills - Essay Example The study revealed that the general confidence of students increases from first year to third year. Introduction In today’s society, education has a vital role to play in political, economic, cultural, social as well as intellectual life. It has the ability to increase the quality of life for individuals. Tertiary education, also referred to as third level education is particularly essential in improving individuals’ lifestyle. In addition, third level education can help individual secure exciting job opportunities. It represents a crucial transition for students as they join from secondary school and most of them will go out to the job market upon completion. It is a transition from school life to employment. When students join college or universities from secondary school, they are always looking naive and they do not know what to expect at the tertiary level. They do not have any research skills or they have too little if any. For most of the students, it is a dream come true when they join universities and college but their confidence is usually very low (Shapiro, 2009). In fact, some do not have any confidence at all. Studies have indicated that most students who have dropped their studies at the tertiary level always drop while in their first year. There are a number of reasons that can result to the dropouts. One of the reasons is their lack of confidence. Higher education is a complete new experience for them (Burton & Schofield, 2011). For any individual, new experience always have a strong impact and is usually essential determinant of their progress to the next level. First year is a challenging year for many students. It is viewed as a make or break year to them. Students who progress past first year have a higher chance of completing their studies since their confidence builds up as they advance towards the third year. Epistemology This term generally means knowledge. In philosophy, it refers to the scope of knowledge as well as the n ature of knowledge (Rescher, 2003). It addresses the ways in which knowledge is acquired. In addition, it gives a distinction between true knowledge and untrue knowledge. Education is all about acquiring knowledge. When a student joins college or university, their main objective is to extend their knowledge so that they can be ready for the job market. Lack of knowledge keeps their confidence at a low level. However, as they acquire knowledge across their 3 years in the university, their confidence increases and they can be ready to work on their own. Their epistemology increases and their confidence also increase in the process. Ontology Ontology refers to the study of the nature of reality or existence. It attempts to explain the entities that exist, how they exist and why they exist (Adelsberger, 2008). This term is usually confused with epistemology. However, it can be used in the context of knowledge sharing where it means specification of a conceptualization. It describes conc epts as well as relationships that might exist for a given agent. Ontologies in technology are domains that can be understood by computers and can be used in research. They assist in sharing information within education systems and they also personalized student support. Therefore, ontologies can be effective in improving the students’

WEEK 4 DQ 7 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WEEK 4 DQ 7 - Assignment Example Legitimate, coercive and reward as forms of formal power. Personal power deals more with what other individuals see and regard of someone they respect or like, thus giving someone the ability to influence. Expert, information and referent power have been classified as personal power. An example of an unethical use of power was when I was instructed by my superior to perform a task that was supposed to be his. In this case, my superior exercised his formal power, and was able to influence me to do the work for him. My superior unethically used legitimate power over me, emphasizing that I should be the one following the orders. Such scenarios I believe are common in many organizations where the people in authority tend to abuse the power accompanied in the positions they fill in. Political behaviors are actions with which an individual or a group of individuals make to be able to influence others in the organization to get the result they want. The three dimensions of political behavior are: upward influence, downward influence and peer influence. Upward influence refers to the capability of the people at the lower level of the organization to influence the decisions of the people with authority in the organization. Downward influence is the capacity of a superior to influence those under his or her department, such as general managers influencing department managers and their subordinates. Peer influence is the most common and this usually occurs with people who are in the same level of the organization. In laymans term, this may also be seen as peer pressure. However, this kind of influence may be destructive if there is no common goal among the people involved. Individual and organizational antecedents greatly influence political behavior. Political skill, investment in organization, internal locus control and expectations of

Depending on what a European company decides to outsource to India, Essay

Depending on what a European company decides to outsource to India, the result may be very beneficial in several aspects even if it includes some disadvantages - Essay Example Measures that are set for companies that outsource to India and Indian venders ensure confidential data is stored on the servers of the outsourcing companies and Indian vendors have strongly controlled access. Although, the outsourcing may have adverse outcomes to the European company that decide to outsource to India, it may as well yield beneficial outcomes to this company. The economic crisis has made many European companies to decide the focus on India as an outsourcing objective for their information technology requirements (Schniederjans, 2005). Thus, these companies should ensure that the outsourcing contracts must be carefully drawn to protect their intellectual property rights. The European company outsourcing to India should not allow the team in India to know much about their business, but Indian should only understand the details of equity trading and settlement. However, the outsourcing will cause unemployment due to the introduction of information technology, but it is significant for European companies to outsource in India because they will have a competitive advantage in the global market. The competition will ensure that the profits decline in the long-run, and profits accrue to employees via more job creation, and to clients via cheaper prices. For instance, the research indicates that most European companies would gain new jobs in the long-run due to offshore information technology outsourcing to India (Schniederjans, 2005). Higher wages in India are one of the significant drivers of global outsourcing, and would cause the wage differential to narrow in the European companies. Meanwhile, the skill differentials and higher productivity as a result of outsourcing to India will tend to preserve Europe companies wage levels, with differentials decreasing gradually due to increase in the low end wages. The outsourcing is growing significantly in Europe due to labor

Major Problem of teenagers today Essay Example for Free

Major Problem of teenagers today Essay Evangeline Pilar Beed II-B Informative Speech Plan Title: Major Problem of teenagers today. Specific Speech Purpose: To inform my engl.III audience what are the major problems of teenagers today. Statement: There are 5 major problems of teenagers today. Introduction I. .Attention Step: are you one of the teenagers who have a problem? You may program for it! In connection with this, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about the recent finding on the major problem of the teenagers today. Read more: Speech about youth generation essay II. Clarification Step: Body I. Internet and Gaming Addiction a. Younger generations, unlike their parents generations, often socialize, hang out, and communicate online, rather than in person. They prefer to text rather than talk on the phone, and often prefer to socialize on Twitter or Facebook rather than in the local bar, on the street or at the town square. b. The digital divide: The younger generation has been referred to as being one of Digital Natives while the older generation has been referred to as one of Digital Immigrants. c. Unlike the older generation, young people are highly capable of effective multitasking, which is sometimes seen by the older generation as a lack of attention and focus. d. Some young people spend much too much time in front of a computer screen, spending up to 20 hours a day, seven days a week. e. Spending countless hours a day, every day, on gaming or perusing the Internet can interfere with young peoples emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual development. II. Violence In Media a. T.V. influences behavior. If it didnt, Nike, Budweiser, Pepsi, etc. would not invest billions of dollars in advertisements. b. Violence on T.V. occurs in most programs and even more so, in cartoons. III. Bullying Online and At School a. Bullying is an ongoing pattern of harassment and abuse. It can be done directly by physical or verbal attacks or indirectly by exclusion, spreading rumors, etc. b. Cyberbullying is a growing problem among Middle and High School aged students. While it also occurs among College-aged students, for the most part young people have matured past cyberbullying at that point c. Bullies seek power through aggression and direct their attacks at vulnerable victims. In-person bullies often lose their popularity in high school and have a high likelihood of having a criminal record as adults. IV. Violent Culture a. There is a direct link between the way in which we use power with our children, our significant others, our neighbors and our environment and what we teach our children about violence. b. Cultures in which young children regularly receive loving touch have lower incidents of violent crimes. V. Violence At Home a. One of the main reasons that children become violent is because they are exposed to violence in their own homes, whether it is directed towards them or towards others. b. Violence at home can be of a physical nature, or it can be expressed verbally or through neglect and abandonment. Abusive homes and violent neighborhoods are stronger predictors of adult violent behavior than violence in the media. Most abusive parents were physically or sexually abused as children.

A Budget Airline In Hong Kong

A Budget Airline In Hong Kong Budget airlines have become a trend in aviation industry over a few decades all over the world, however, as a Asian cosmopolitan city- Hong Kong hasnt have one yet, therefore a research need to be set up to explore on its feasibility. This project proposal aims to assist to accomplish a research by developing a plan beforehand. Firstly, the background of budget airlines and problem statement would be stated out, then a literature review would be carried out in order to find out its research value, after that, the research aim and objectives could be set up as a research goal, last but not least, research method and project plan could be discussed on how, where and when to carry out this research. 2. Background/ problem statement: Before Deregulation: In the United State before 1978, all airline passenger services were regulated and controlled by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). Only 10 trunk airlines were authorized to issue a grandfather certificate by CAB at that time. Underneath this certificate, all major scheduled airlines route structures and fares were controlled and ruled. For an airlines route structure, stops and intermediate stops were specified and passengers carrying between stops were limited, a new promoted route needed to go through a lengthy procedure and hearings, even a stoppage of a route service was still needed the CABs approval. For an airlines fare, all fare prices were strictly controlled by the CAB. (John Clinton, 1984) After Deregulation: After passing the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, CAB no longer had an absolute authority on an airlines entry, exit, routes and fares. Airlines were given freedom on setting up their own fares within a wide range, route applicant would be submitted and passed easily without any restriction when it performed air transportation properly. (John Clinton, 1984) First Successful budget airline: In 1967, the first successful budget airline was born and started its business in Texas in America, it named itself as Southwest Airlines (SWA). The company began when the US market was deregulated. Its successful model had been influencing a lot of other following budget airlines. It provides low-cost, high rate of short haul flying and this made itself maintain a most profitable airline through years. (Peter, David, Gillen, Otto and Hans, 2005) What is Budget Airline? A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline (also known as a no-frills, discount or budget carrier or airline) is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts. To make up for revenue lost in decreased ticket prices, the airline may charge for extras like food, priority boarding, seat allocating, and baggage etc. Todays budget airline: Nowadays, the value for money is a great emphasis placed by travelers. They are willing to buy cheaper tickets to trade off some other aspect such as leg room during flight. However, to determine whether a budget airline can survive and drive down the cost, it mainly depends on government and major airports will to open up the skies. Therefore, different areas are in different cases, but every consumer loves a low price ticket and somehow the developments are very similar in nature and continue in varied ways. As in US, budget airlines have dominated the market as travelers are price driven; in Europe, more local airports are needed to be opened up to let more budget airlines to fly in; in Asia, there are more opportunities to expand the whole market but the path is not easy, since the market is still dominated by the national flag carriers. Besides, they are also supported by the cargo business. (Scott Lee, 2004) Problems Statement: As we can see, budget airlines business not only become a trend over the globe, but also bring out more travelers and so to extend the economy of our own country or region, however, there is no budget airline at all currently in Hong Kong, what are the reasons? Few years ago there was once a low cost carrier- Hong Kong Oasis airway which offered long haul low fare was bankrupted after 18 months of operation, why would that happen? An Malaysian budget airline- Air Asia already developed its third home base in Thailand, meanwhile, there still arent any budget airlines setting up in Hong Kong as a home base, why? What are the success factors for a budget airline to develop? Is there feasibility for a budget airline to set up and form a home base in Hong Kong? 3. Literature Review: 3.1.Business strategy of Budget Airline: Markus (2005) once said The business strategy of these low cost airlines to save costs is to offer no frills, have fast turn-rounds, use only a single-type fleet of planes, and to fly mainly to cheap secondary airportsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..They also save a huge amount of administration costs by only accepting credit card payments and thus reducing the paperwork to a minimum (Markus, p.269, 2005) In other word, they minimize their cost in management, aircraft maintenance, crew training, landing fee, parking fee, administration work, etc. Any additional cost, they will stay in the air ticket and let the passenger pay for it. This would rise out a question, would the passengers in Hong Kong be willing to pay for a low cost just to get to a destination or a high price to buy a good quality of service? Budget airline is a trend? Start from the next two years as announcing in late May, the Singapore airline would establish a subsidiary-a no frill, low cost airline, using wide body aircrafts to serve medium to long haul routes. According to the company after years of markets of extensive review and analysis, they have to admit that there is a large growing demand for low fare travel. The low fare airlines assist to stimulate the growing demand of travel. The company wants to launch this service to push its single-digit growth to a double-digit growth as this low fare market is growing hugely. (Govindasamy, 2011) This has showed us which the low fare air travel market is growing and even an Asian state-owned conventional airline want to join in to gain share, therefore there is lots of room for more new budget airlines to be set up and serve the demand. Budget airline comparing with conventional airline over the globe: Graham Dunn (2011) state in the airline magazine, Data from four years of the Airline Business low-cost carrier and world airline ranking surveys shows that while the 10 largest network carriers were highly profitable in 2006 and 2007, seven lost money in 2008 and eight were in the red in 2009 at an operating level. Contrast this with the top 10 lost-cost carriers- only two lost money in 2009, three in 2008 and one apieve in 2007 and 2006. In this case as we know, during the economic crisis between 2008 and 2009, we can see that the low cost carrier is on a steady growth and earn money, but the conventional airlines are greatly affected. In fact, the magazine also shows that the budget airlines are growing at a double-digit development around the USA and Europe, and there are still more room for them to rise. In South East Asia, the larger low-cost carriers already expand beneath their home market and set up more home base in other country around the region as there has been a great demand for cheap air travel, such as Airasia has also set up a home base in Indonesia and Thailand beyond Malaysia. (Graham Dunn ,2011) Therefore, even Hong Kong set up a budget airline, there are still lots of other competitors around the region, and can it survive? The Background and Success of Air Asia and the Asia region: Apparently in the 21st century, if the more preferable demography and economic trend persist, Asia would be well focused by the whole world, in other words, more people would be willing to travel in and out of Asia by plane for business and leisure. (Joseph, 2011) Air Asia now is one of the largest low cost carriers in South East Asia. It used to be built up by the Malaysia government from 1993 and started its own operation as a flag conventional airline in 1996, however, within those five years, it was a cracked airline which only have two Boeing 747, 250 staffs, four destination and a debt of $11 million. But in 2001, it was bought by Tune air and turned it and re-launched as a low cost carrier, then it start to become a profitable business. In 2007, Air Asia X was set and launched as a low cost long haul carrier which flies to Europe and Australia. Currently, the whole Air Asia Group has owned 102 aircrafts, flies 150 routes and 68 destinations, it has been still continuing to expand its fleet and market share. In the past two year, it has already accomplished a Double-digit capacity growth. Certainly, there are some advantages that it already fully take, such as low-price labor, a helpful economical hub at Kuala Lumpur. (Joseph, 2011) In this case, are there any success factors we can learn from and use in Hong Kong? The Background and failure of Oasis Hong Kong airway: Oasis Hong Kong airline claimed to be the first long haul low cost airline based in Hong Kong, Reverend Raymond Lee led a starting capital of $100 million with several Hong Kong investors. It began its operation and launch to serve passengers from October 2006, but after 18 months of operation, it halted all operation and collapsed as financial liquidation. It used to own 4 Boeing 747 and flew two routes, and three destinations: Hong Kong, Vancouver and London. During the operation period of time, the price of jet fuel has jumped from $600 a tonne when Oasis started flying to a current level of around $1,137 a tonne. Besides, the company did not run as an short haul, no service model but provide a full service such as inflight meal and entertainment. (Robin, 2008) In this case, a rise of jet fuel price can push a company to fall, are there any other critical threats which exist? Or the whole Hong Kong aviation environment is not suitable for an budget airline to exist? Disadvantages and advantages of budget airlines: For traveling with budget airline, there are also some disadvantages that you may want to take account for, such as you may only have a limited meal with probably peanuts at all for the whole flight, you may not choose your own seat, they have less flexibility which you cant cancel your flight or get a refund, any extra checked bags will be charged, they often land on remote airports with no bus connection and they are usually booked through internet. (Shewanda, 2011) However, there are also some advantages you may want to consider, such as the fare with budget airline is relatively small which you can save the money for other things, they often fly to more locations and smaller cities that you may interest, and as money are saved, thus more travels will be encouraged and more people can afford it. (Jennifer, 2011) Therefore, when the Hong Kong customers compare the advantages and disadvantages of budget airlines, will they still choose budget airline? What is the low fare travel market like in Hong Kong? Challenges and Background of the local dominant airline in Hong Kong: The company began in 1946. It was found by two world-war 2 pilots. They first flew to carry passenger to Manila, Bangkok, Singapore and Shanghai. However in 1948, some of the shares was bought by a UK company, Butterfield Swire (today known as the Swire Group) which took a 45% share. Therefore John Kidston Swire took the leadership work; Butterfield Swire became wholly responsible for the management of the airline. And then it has been expanding through time. In 1998, the Cathay City was built, and in 2006, the dragon air was bought to be involved in Cathay Pacific Group. Right now it owns 128 aircrafts and has ordered more than 100 aircrafts. Its route has covered more than 150 destinations in 41 countries. It ranks as the worlds 2nd most profitable airline by net profit and the 7th largest airline in the world by operating profit. Its staffs number is 19,850 worldwide. (From Cathay Pacifics Website) In this case, its customers do not only include leisure and business travelers but also the regional people. If a budget airline was being set up, this airline would be the biggest local competitor. Potential low cost carrier that will be set in Hong Kong: There will be two potential budget airlines setting up in Hong Kong- the Hong Kong express and the Jetstar subsidiary. The Hong Kong Express will transform to a low cost carrier in Jul-2012 or Aug-2012, operating under its new low-cost model to cities in mainland China, South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia. As a Foreign budget airline- Jetstar is also looking forward to establishing a subsidiary in Hong Kong, it may try to co-operate with Hong Kong Airline. (CAPA, 2011) This case has showed us that many companies are interested in developing a low cost carrier in Hong Kong, therefore in other words, there is feasibility for Hong Kong to set up an low cost carrier. 4. Aim: Through analyzing all the data collected to determine whether it is possible to set up an budget airline in Hong Kong or not. 5. Objectives: To explore the background information and business model of budget airline To explore the operation, cost structure, strategy of low cost carrier in Asia To carry out a case study: the success story of Airasia and the failure story of Oasis To set up a survey to ask about Hong Kong frequent flyers expectations on budget airlines services To calculate all operating cost and expense to run this business To compare the price of flying with an existing conventional airline with a hypothetical budget airline to find out the feasibility 6. Research method: For this research, I will use the inductive method approach, because my aim is explore the feasibility to set up an successful budget airline which could last for a long time in Hong Kong through observing variety of data such as budget airline business model, cost structure, government policy and so to analyze and find out the answers for it. And I will select the survey strategy for gaining Hong Kong peoples opinion of service they wish to add in without any additional cost for a budget airline service in order to calculate the operating cost of an hypothetical budget airline and so to set up the best price of a fare to equalize the cost. Then I will pick the memo-method as my unique data collection method, and carry out the cross-sectional study as the data would give me the result. For data collection, I will use questionnaire and the interview. 6.1 Questionnaire For the Questionnaire, I plan to interview 50 people, they are mostly business travelers and leisure travelers, I will approach them through my friends who are frequent flyers. 6.2 Interview: For individual interview, I hope that I can make an appointment with some of the staffs who work as an airline accountant and inside the airport authority, and gain financial information of running an airline company. 7. Project Plan: I would like to spend half a year to complete my project. Here is my work breakdown structure:

Human Cloning is an Ethical Nightmare Essay -- Clones Biology Ethics

Technology today is growing at an alarming rate. Things that seemed impossible only a few years ago are now a reality, and some far fetched things such as time travel, that are present in today's science fiction movies, might possibly become reality soon as well. One prevalent idea that seemed impossible a few years ago but that is now a reality is the idea of human cloning. The fantasy that some people had about having clones of themselves or of animals a few years ago is not a fantasy anymore; it is a reality. With the recent cloning of a sheep named Dolly by scientists in Scotland, the powers of cloning are becoming more prevalent. As daunting as this may seem, the human race must now face all the issues related to human cloning, and the one question that comes up amidst all of the relative confusion about the issue is this: Is human cloning a medical miracle or an ethical nightmare? As confusing and complicated as cloning may seem, it is actually a very simple idea to grasp. Garvey says, "In essence, cloning is the artificial fashioning of an identical twin, one that will be younger that its sibling" (7). Taken at surface level, the general principle of cloning is quite simple; an individual gene from a subject is isolated and transplanted in a medium, such as bacteria or yeast, and that isolated gene reproduces and multiplies, creating a clone of the original gene. The media seemed to have lumped cloning into one generalized idea, but in actuality, there are three distinct types of cloning. These three distinct types of cloning are gene cloning, cellular cloning, and whole-organism cloning. Because the media has done a poor job of distinguishing among the three different types of cloning, confusion has arisen a... ...ical code? In many cases the answer is going to be no. Such is the case with cloning. Its promises are extremely appealing, but the price that the cloned people or organs would have to pay is too great. Even though the technology may be present to actually clone things, humans must learn when to put a cap on such things. So the question remains: Is human cloning a medical miracle or an ethical nightmare? It seems obvious that the answer to that question is an ethical nightmare. There is too much at stake in this matter, as far as human life goes, to risk it all on a bunch of promises. The ethical objections far outweigh the supposed gains of this practice, and thus should not become a common practice in today's society. Humans must understand that even though something can be done, does not make that thing right, and such is the case with human cloning.

Macro Economic Factors Affecting the Video Game Console Essay

Demographic Factors: Age is the main demographic factor affecting the market for video game consoles although common misconceptions are that the market is mainly comprised of teenagers. Recent Studies shows that the largest market sector of video game console purchases are teenagers or young adults. ESA demographic data shows that America’s average game player’s age is 34 and the average age of game purchasers is 40 (see article x) Generational factors play a big role in the market sector of gamers who purchase more than one game console, buy the latest version and buy games into adulthood. In 2010 26% of gamers were over 50. There is a definite generational factor as many of the consumers were in their teens when the mass video gaming culture began and now are in their 40s or 50s and have retained their gamer status, therefore are also ready to adopt new products. Gender is another factor that should be noted. Female gamers are a large portion of the video console market although significantly less than their online gaming counterparts. ESA research predicts that 40% of video game players are females. Economic Factors: Household income  ± studies have shown that video games in the toys and games market are able to gain a significant share of the market the larger the average household incomes are of a given market segment or particular region. For video games to comprise of 15% market share in toys and games of a given country, 60% of the population must earn incomes above US $15,000 (see figure x). Business cycle-The sale of consumer electronics andnovelty products are influencedby macroeconomic factors of a country. If there are recessionary or inflationary pressures, sales are likely to be affected sincechanges in consumers behaviour is determined by the perceived increase or decrease in the level of disposable income. This is, however, likely to have a short term impact and in the long run will have negligible changes on the sales of video game consoles, as business cycles return to a favourable position for higher consumer spending. Demand elasticity- Video Game consoles have a price elastic demand (for a portion of the consumer market) and combined with a high substitutability factors creates susceptibility to changes in competitor’s prices or quality hence impacting the size and share of the market for our product. Factors that change the cross price elasticity of our product need to be considered and addressed. Technological Factors: Innovation R&D- Technology, particularly technological innovation is a critical factor in the video game console market, and the leading competitors Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo have significant R&D invested in technology improvements. If our product development lifecycle does not include product improvements that are comparable to the leading competitor’s product, future success will not be guaranteed. Compatibility – Hardware issues include compatibility with existing hardware and the ease and cost of switching to the use of new hardware. Our product has the benefit of not requiring additional video output devices, i. e. television sets and monitors. Software Development -Technological developments in the software developing industries with which we have partnerships and licencing contracts will affect the attractiveness of our virtual video game console and hence indirectly affect sales generated. Also revenues generated from licencing and subcontracting are dependent on the success of game software publishers; a tactic to reduce risk would be to diversify the scope and use of our product, i. . develop a large partner relation database. Political Environment: Industry Regulation plays an important role in the success and growth of any technology specific product. It will invariably depend on the industry regulations specified the country code of regulatory law when production and manufacture will be conducted but also within the countries where target market segments reside. Ownership of manufacturing, distribution, and exporting firms also vary in different countries and will need to be considered before launching a worldwide market strategy. Trade Barriers -The trade and product specification restrictions on use of certain technology and/or products as well as licencing and exporting costs of the distribution and sale of various product categoriesdiffer between countries/regions and will have a large impact on the competitiveness of the virtual video game console. This can be in the form of trade barriers or indirect barriers through the use of health and safety standards, product labelling and advertising laws and restrictions. Intellectual Property Rights – Legal issues in country of sale, aside from aforementioned industry regulations, include trademarks, copyrights, licensing, patent applications, online ownership, and revenue recognition. Piracy and counterfeiting issues will need to be considered. It has become an accepted practice for the console manufacturers to lose money on the hardware and to recover the loss by charging high licensing fees to game publishers and developers. IPR standards are weakly enforced in many emerging markets with large market potential such as China, Brazil, and Russia. Environmental Factors: Raw Materials  ± The Video Game industry uses a lot of plastic resources and requires the use of scarce metals for its hardware. Given the negative public view on large amounts of non-biodegradable waste product, manufacturing processes and the use of valuable raw materials in the virtual video game console need to be carefully considered. Energy usage and efficiency- The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently published a study on American energy usage with specific regard to game consoles and found that game consoles consume roughly 16 billion kilowatt hours annually(see figure x). These finding were based on the assumption that half of the consoles are left on or on standby after use. A console that has timed automatic shutdown, as the virtual gaming console does, reduces this energy wastage. Health related concerns ± There is a general perception that frequent video gaming has a negative impact on a person health. However this perception may subject to change as research shows contrasting outcomes that there is the view that considers such side-effects to be ‘relatively minor or temporary’ (Griffiths 2002) and that finds playing computer games is comparable to a mild intensity exercise: with normal use, playing may neither improve nor harm physical fitness (Emes 1997)? Cultural Factors: Fashion Trends: Video Game console purchases are often made according to similar purchases made in a consumer’s social reference groups. Word of mouth and peer reference can play a crucial role in the choice of video game consoles. Networkingcapabilities ± the ability to connect to a large number of players online through a portable console has a definite cultural factor as the popular use of online networks determine the success of the addition of these features. Recreational Alternatives- changes in the demand for video game console may be created through a shifting trend in choice of recreational methods. Advances in the market for other toys and games could play an important role.

Inside the mind of a savant Essay

Treffert and Christensen’s article (2005), touches on the important and curious issue: the differences among humans. It is not to hide that jealous and curious species desire to possess what others possess and desire to know how it is possible. The description of savant individual, Kim Peek, leaves the readers wonder about the possibilities that have a mere possibility and right to existence. These authors begin their article with a concrete description of what does it mean to be savant. Their description is well poised and not an eggeduration. They, straightforwardly, describe the concrete features that Kim had without forgetting to mention that Kim also has serious physical disabilities. Kim’s listed abilities are though impressive. I do not know a person who would think twice to have what Kim had – but knot with the price that Kim had to pay. Enduring difficult attitude from others or enduring physical differences are quite different things. Kim endured physical differences that simply made him more different. Now, when he is a grown man (and way into his 50th), researchers took a serious interest in him due to the uniqueness of his case. The authors mentioned in the article that, even in childhood, Kim was missing Corpus Colossum, the connecting neural network that connects left and right human hemispheres. The writers write, â€Å"Yet in people whose corpus callosum has been severed in adulthood, generally in an effort to prevent epileptic seizures from spreading from one hemisphere to the other, a characteristic â€Å"split-brain† syndrome arises in which the estranged hemispheres begin to work almost independently of each other. † This statement, by itself, points out at the materialistic approach that without the synaptic connections between the right and left hemisphere the connection between right and left hemisphere is impossible. There were some ‘guesses’ among the appropriate researchers but no one wanted to mention a possibility that that here is a hidden purpose behind such appearances. The authors conjecture lies within a science fiction, however plausible. They wrote that the person born without corpus collossum learn to connect right and left hemisphere with the non-traditional ways. Their hypothesis consists of an idea that two separated hemispheres learn to act as one, in unison. One major point that the authors noticed was that the ‘abnormalities’ stem form the damage in the left hemisphere only. Furthermore, the suggested that males, per ce, display more frequent number of cases of savanism, stuttering, dyslexia, and autism. Their response to this theory was straightforward: one possible explanation lies within the fetus development in which they suggest that the make fetus has higher levels chemically dependent and left-brained situation. In to this hypothesis the understanding that the left hemisphere develops with a slower rate than that of right has a big part of their study. To evidence the above, the authors use the examples of so called â€Å"acquired savant syndrome† which is resulted in older children after the accidental damage to the left hemisphere. Further, the article speculates upon the implication of the significance behind the corpus collossum. One possibility includes a rationale, which suggests that, the possibility of the right brain compensation if the left-brain cannot function properly. Another possibility makes the readers think that inability to function within one hemisphere unravels the latent ability in another. The latter theory suggests that the left-brain dominance is due to the fact that we live in the techno logical society that prizes the left-brain achievements. Thus, the function of the left-brain, which is prone to science, math, and logic, leads us to what we call Human Rational, the human species that uses conscious analogies in their day-to-day operations (Read, 1997). The dysfunction of the left hemisphere all of the sudden opens new possibilities hidden and latent within the right hemisphere that holds the key to what we call today Human Conscious. It is of interest to the readers that traditional intelligence tests did not really work with the above subject: some parts showed below average while other superior range performance. In another excursion into the case, the authors noted Kim’s unusual versatility with a tremendously large lexicon of vocabulary in his possession. With Kim’s inability to explain the meaning behind the proverbs he finds amazing associations and is being quite effective in long-term memory recall. Such has been evidenced by his unusual abilities dealt with music, as per complex line up of tones and musical styles as well as the names and works of various artists. Here, and despite his dexterous prior complications, he can seat at piano and play a piece he had discussed â€Å"shifting effortlessly from one mode to another. † Even Greehan, the Mozart scholar commented positively about Kim’s abilities. In summary, the authors, refer to the fictional Rain Man produced after Kim’s life story, although the the writer Barry Morrow decided not to outline Kim’s life story. Similarities are striking, however, and cause one is thinking about not-discovered human abilities. References Darold A. Treffert and Daniel D. Christensen (2005). Onside the mind of a savant. Scientific American. Retrieved July 22, 2007 from http://www. condition. org/sa5c. htm Read, S. G. (Ed. ). (1997). Psychiatry in Learning Disability. Edinburgh: W. B. Saunders. Retrieved July 24, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=100737215.

How did world war one change the role and status of women in England and Wales?

During the nineteenth century, before war broke out new job opportunities began to emerge for women as teachers, shop workers, clerks and secretaries in offices. Even girls from working class backgrounds were able to achieve higher status than that of their parents and began to receive better pay packets. Women from middleclass backgrounds were gaining better education opportunities and a few won the chance to go into higher education eventually becoming doctors to name but one thing. However education wasn't improving for the majority of women in lower classes often receiving no education. This left them no options but to go into domestic service or the â€Å"sweated industries† such as cotton factories or home dress making. Also between 1839 and 1886 there were a series of laws passed giving married women greater legal rights, however they couldn't yet vote in general elections. Some people thought that all women should be allowed to vote too as the number of men who could vote was gradually increasing. Others disagreed, yet the debate was not as simple as a case of men versus women. Early campaigners for the vote were known as suffragists. These were mainly middle class women. Their leader was Mrs Millicent Fawcett. By handing out leaflets they began achieving some success with Liberal Mps and leading Conservative Mps. However this still got them know where. Then by 1903 Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst started the Women's Social and Political Union. The â€Å"Daily Mail† named this group the â€Å"Suffragettes† this got them into the headlines. The â€Å"suffragettes† caused chaos disrupting political meetings and harassed ministers. Often ending up in prison, eventually going on hunger strike. The above source shows that when many of the men signed up to be part of the Great War, there was no longer sufficient numbers left to continue making munitions and other industrial instruments. It was the women in the munitions factories that came out the worst in the end, after dealing with the harmful TNT their skin began to turn yellow and their hair became ginger. With this they became easily recognised and were given the nickname of â€Å"Canaries†. The long-term effects however were much worse than they initially thought; many women were unable to become pregnant. However this job was highly paid and they women didn't have much other choice, it was also considered an important job and a valid contribution to the war effort. The source published during the war showed the positive aspects of working women, however it portrayed the women as strong, healthy and capable of doing men's jobs while they were at war. Overall a positive image; hoping to encourage more women to join the war effort. Then on the other hand it does not show the illnesses that the women suffered and the dangers of working in the factory. As the image shows they were constantly surrounded by the shells of the bombs, which in this image were all, filled with TNT, you can tell this by the fact that the tops are on. They also had to be very careful when moving them as if they dropped one it cause the whole factory and its workers to go up with it. While the majority of men were leaving home for the war many young women also found themselves leaving home for the first time. These women left to join the land army. As the above source shows women were beginning to take over the men's jobs that many of the farmers who gave the women board and lodge thought not very lady like. However without the women's help potatoes would not have been picked, sheep would not have been tended to. Women left for the land army as I thought it was a chance to gain freedom and new experiences. However it was not all that it seemed they were under strict discipline and once they were there they could not get out of it as they signed contracts for either six months or a year. Overall this source is accurate, as the historian G. Thomas has gathered factual information from the time. Even though the source was recorded many years after the First World War the entire source is based on information of the time. My daughter went out at 7am to the Maypole Diary Co. shop and after waiting till 10.30am was turned away without any margarine, came home chilled to the bone besides losing education. If we could have a system of rationing, I believe these hardships would be overcome. â€Å"Workers† Dreadnought† (A weekly newspaper of the East London Federation of Suffragettes, and edited by Sylvia Pankhurst) 19 January 1918 Not all women had the chance to get good jobs in munitions factories or join the land army. Many had to deal with food shortages, and often as the source tells us queue for hours on end without any food by the end of it. The source gives us a realistic view of how working class women had to deal with life while husbands, sometimes sons were away fighting for the country. The â€Å"Workers Dreadnought† was aimed at the working class audience, bringing their suffrage to light. The source gives us just one example of how a young child had to find food as her mother had to work to raise some money that would supply a small amount of food. The source also informs us that many had already thought of rationing yet it was used until a month later, which was February 1918. Nevertheless, many wealthy upper class people survived on their wealth. They were able to send out their servants to queue for them. Or they could barter on the black market. Through their wealth they were able to obtain any food they wanted. Many women offered their services to help with the war effort, however both employers and trade unionists were reluctant to see women working in men's jobs, particularly in munitions factories. However women didn't take this lying down. As the above source shows they held a huge procession on the 17th of July letting the employers and trade unionists know that they were prepared to work. Within the procession there was a large banner reading â€Å"Men of the Empire are Fighting – The Women of the Empire are Working†. This source proves that women are not just good at cooking and cleaning, but determined to contribute. Nevertheless without the women's contribution to the war effort, especially in munitions factories Britain would not have won the war. The above sources tell us of women's working lives during the war. These posters show an idealistic view of mothers preparing packages for their beloved. These posters were far from the reality; there wasn't enough food to go around without sending packages to the battles. Even joining food queues did not determine even a small amount of food. This must have been so disheartening. â€Å"Pears' Soap† was advertised in â€Å"The Illustrated London news†. An upper class newspaper that could not have been supportive of the ways in which everyone had begun cutting back. â€Å"Only the Best is good enough† due to the war any soap would have done, the company could not have understood the ways that all classes were suffering. This included the upper class. The Bishop of Liverpool said the other day that drink was now most deadly amongst women. He could speak of a street in which almost every woman was drinking and demoralised. The Bishop of London†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦also said quite recently that the East End clergy told him that they had never known such an orgy of drinking among women as during the last 12 months. ‘White Ribbon' [the monthly newspaper of the British Women's Temperance Association]. December 1915 Women had little free time for any leisure activities as they were either working or if food was short queuing for what they could get. The above source is unreliable about what women were getting up to in the December 1915; this is as ‘ White Ribbon' concentrates on the big cities like Liverpool and London. It is also written by an anti alcohol association which could be making the circumstances under which they saw these women's drinking habits worse than they actually were. This source does not cover the country or smaller towns. Therefore people who read this article would have been reading inaccurate information on women's leisure time. With as the source says more than six million men going away to war, women were left with only their salaries to pay for the rent on their homes. Landlords felt that with constant increases in numbers to the cities as this is where the jobs were would cause people to take in lodgers which would help with the rent. However it didn't work out like this, once the landlords put up the rent women found that they couldn't make the payments and decided to go on strike. This left the landlords in a worse position than they had been, as they were now receiving no money. This source shows a realistic view of what women had to deal with while their male relatives fought in the war. It is likely to be an accurate source as G. Thomas is a historian who would have used articles of the time to write this article. Previous sources tell us about women's attitudes and domestic lives. These statistics from a report written after the war show a positive change for women. There is an obvious increase of women in employment in every job except domestic service where there is a decline. However this decline cannot be taken in a negative way, this shows that during the war women found that they were better used in other jobs. These would have also been better paid. This source must have been very positive to the women who had worked to change men's attitudes to women and their working roles. Even though this was published twelve years after the war it is still useful. Overall the source is biased as it is from the obituary of Millicent Fawcett. Yet it tells us of how the war acted as a catalyst to women getting the vote. The vote would have eventually arrived in Britain, but not as soon. Through the war politicians realised that women's voices now had the write to be heard, they then gained the vote for women over eighteen in 1918. However there were probably other factors apart from the war that would have lead to women gaining the vote. This shows that women involved in air factories that probably feared losing their jobs as they thought they would no longer be needed, now had a chance to remain in employment. However this time the work was more enjoyable as they did not have the worry of war over their heads. This source proves that even though many women were at first reluctant to join the war effort. By the time it was over many didn't want to return to their lives of cooking and cleaning so jobs such as toy making which they not only enjoyed but they were good at proved a positive way to go. Evaluation World War One brought about the change in the role and status of women, as before the war as I stated in my introduction women remained in the home while the men went out to work and paid for food and anything that might have been needed in the home. With the outbreak of war all this began to change, first slowly then as more and more men signed up the role of women quickly changed. For the employers and trade unionists this was hard to take in, they believed that many jobs women were now completing were not suitable. However they had no other option but to employ them. With the men at war women became the sole earners, just as their husbands had done. Except women also had to continue cooking once they had finished working as many had to provide for young families. Young women also found new freedom in the land army giving them experience that they would not necessarily achieved without the war. Many travelled more than they would have done and began to enjoy jobs that before would have been considered ‘men's ‘ jobs. Employers soon began to realise that assembly jobs for things such as gramophones were much better suited to women they had more nimble hands and enjoyed the work a lot more than men would have. The most dramatic change however was women's political status. Mps soon realised that giving women the vote would say thank you for their contribution to the war. The war speeded up women gaining the vote as pre war there were two main groups who spent time handing out leaflets and making stands in political meetings, trying to persuade the government to give women the vote. Finally the government gave in giving all women the right to vote in 1918. As far as women's role and status changed the war could not have helped more. The war allowed women to show their potential in a working environment, at the beginning it could have gone either way but employers gave them a chance and it all worked out for the best as when the men returned they went back to their jobs but women had realised what they were good at and new jobs were now available to them. Overall The Great War brought about the most substantial change in women's roles.

Develope a project schedule Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Develope a project schedule - Essay Example These shall also not involve any physical construction of project parts. Rather, there shall be a lot of boardroom work to ensure that the outcome of the feasibility studies is extensively digested. For instance the total cost of the project that emerges from the feasibility study shall be discussed on ways of meeting up those costs. The planning activities shall also include the setting up of an overseer committing and the drawing of a general plan s. following the planning stage shall be the actual execution of the project. This stage is thus named the execution stage and shall involve several ground work rather than boardroom work. There shall for instance be a system design project where the master plan system to be used in the construction of the project target shall be designed. More to this, all engineers shall be on site to put parts and pieces of the project together to ensure that actual manufacturing goes on. The last but one stage is the control stage. This stage shall have two phases. The two phases involve on-the-ground evaluation and off-the-ground evaluation. On-the-ground evaluation involves a rapid and continuous evaluation and monitoring exercise that shall be carried out on the project execution stage. This means that from time to time, there shall be officers who shall be monitoring and giving reports on the progress of the work. The off-the-grounds phase shall also be a generalized evaluation activity for the project after everything has ended. After this stage, the project shall successfully be closed. Looking at the various stages and the activities involved, the following duration for execution has been designed. The motive for allocation of time is from the perspective that the overall aim of the project is to save a lot of time in the construction of a unit machine. The whole project should therefore be executed in a total of eight (8) weeks. From the schedule table, it

Motivational Issues In Modern Management Term Paper

Motivational Issues In Modern Management - Term Paper Example Having an open door policy in an organization makes all employees feel at ease. When management encourages staff to feel at ease in the office, it creates an atmosphere that is conducive to work in. Communicating in an informal basis to the juniors helps them feel that you are part of their team thus encourages them to involve the management more in their work. Building employee confidence is crucial as this finally trickles down to the kind of results they produce. Offering feedback and information on a project, or encouragement to employees instills confidence in them. Meeting employee’s needs in areas such as, good working conditions, offering reasonable salaries, and job security all help in job satisfaction. Most employees have targets which they have set for themselves, getting to know employee’s better helps the managers establish the type of targets to give to a person, as well as identify their strengths and weaknesses. Laming (2004) argues that motivation can be done by setting targets that are achievable to an individual. However, this does not mean that a more experienced staff should be given a task that they are sure to meet easily since it does not help them in personal growth. For a more experienced staff, a more challenging task they have never encountered before drives them into being more creative and innovative, hence helps boost their confidence too. Therefore, the tasks given have to be realistic, specific, and tangible. This helps them into putting more effort to the task at hand. It enhances job satisfaction and offers opportunities for job advancements and promotions (Laming, 2004). Targets equally help employees know exactly what is expected of them. Therefore, empowering employees is very important as it helps them advance and improve their quality of life. Management should concentrate on making work more interesting to their staff. Job enrichment cuts back on workers feeling dissatisfied with their jobs. This improves the atmosphere of the workplace and employees tend to be more responsible (Donald, 2004). However, this means that the company has to incur expenses in training the staff members who lack the proper skills. Nevertheless, the training is beneficial to both the employee and employer, as the staff can be given more responsibilities as they already have acquired training. Job rotation should highly be considered as it helps an employee gain more knowledge of the processes of the company. This means that at any given time, there is always someone on standby able to do the job in case a member of staff is unavailable. However, this means that some employees have to be taken away from their usual tasks so as to acquire more training on more duties and responsibilities. Appraisals are a good way of assessing and improving employee’s performance. The appraisals work in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of employees, therefore, investing more time on their strengths. Companies l ike Apple motivate their staff by giving them time to work on a creation of their choice once a week (Reeve, 2009). In return, new innovations are often created. This gives the employees ownership of the creation, and encourages them create more innovations. Praising employees during public events is a good way to boost their motivation and self esteem. This shows that management values the work one is