The Success Of A Project Management - 2078 Words

Literature Review Construction projects represent a unique set of activities that must take place to produce a unique product. The success of a project is judged by meeting the criteria of cost, time, safety, resource allocation, and quality as determined by the owner. The purpose of Project Management is to achieve goals and objectives through the planned expenditure of resources that meet the project’s quality, cost, time, scope, and safety requirements. The CM must control, deflect, or mitigate the effects of any occurrence or situation that could affect project success. Weather and construction have been at odds since the beginning. Today’s meteorologists have a vast array of tools such as Doppler radar, satellite, and computer modeling. These tools enable the meteorologist to predict weather patterns and events with some degree of accuracy. However, even with the most sophisticated technology available, forecasts are still subject to wide variability and questionable accuracy. Even if meteorologists could predict weather to a degree of accuracy of  ±5%, the impending weather events cannot be modified or delayed. The construction manager remains at the mercy of the weather. This fact is particularly troublesome to those engaged in heavy civil work, site development, and activities that involve earthwork or other weather sensitive operations. Those located in northern climates often have limited construction seasons. Weather related delays or curtailments are especiallyShow MoreRelatedProject Success : Project Management1505 Words   |  7 Pagesensuring project success by project managers can be very challenging due to different opinions of what constitutes project success. For a project manager to ensure project success is achieved the project manager needs to have clear understandings and the criteria for project success and also able to detect some key critical success factors that is needed for his/her project. This essay however aims to understand how a project manager might help ensure success is achieved in his or her project. ThisRead MoreThe Success Of Project Portfolio Management824 Words   |  4 PagesJeffrey Pinto defines project portfolio management as, â€Å"the systematic process of selecting, supporting, and managing a firm’s collection of projects.† (p. 92). Many large firms can have multiple projects going on at the same time. These projects might support each other or can be stand-alone projects. This essay will examine the keys to successful project portfolio management and analyze the key difficulties in successfully implementing them. The success of project portfolio management is determined byRead MoreProject Management Techniques For Success And Failure1589 Words   |  7 PagesProject Management Techniques for Success and Failure Individual Assignment BPM501, Semester 1 2016 Table of Contents Executive Summary 1. Introduction 2 2. Project Classification 2 2.1 project success factor 2.2 cause of project failure 2.3 project success factor of IT 2.4 project failure factor of IT 3. Scope of the literature 4 3.1 Key words 3.2 Databases 3.3 Journals 4. Background (Headings and subheadings) 5 5. Discussion 6. Recommendations 7. Conclusion 8. YourRead MoreOrganizational Success And Performance Of Project Management788 Words   |  4 Pagesand management team have the right tool for engagement practices to communicate tangible opportunities for employees to influence incentives. As Groysberg and Slind say, â€Å"a productive conversation is a source of sustainable competitive advantage, if you can have good conversations in a company, you can actually achieve a lot.† People thrive on information; leaders’ ability to effectively convey their thoughts to others is paramount to organizational success and performance. Project management operatesRead MoreEstablishing Critical Success Criteria For A Project Management Success2122 Words   |  9 PagesAlthough it is clear through research that nearly all project managers agree that establishing critical success criteria is important to providing satisfaction, benefits, and value for a project, it is just as clear that this process is often overlooked. There may be several reasons for this. One, based in historical views of project management, is that project success is directly tied to the iron triangle of requirements, namely time, cost, and quality. Another reason may be that it is very difficultRead MoreModel of Critical Success Factors and Success Criteria for Project and Project Management Success in a Developing Country2936 Words   |  12 Pagesexplores the relationship between critical success factors (CSF) and success criteria quantitatively using multiple regressions. To develop the relationship four groups of success criteria (iron tr iangle, organizational benefits, information system benefits and stakeholder’s benefits) and five groups of CSFs (Factors related to project, leadership/manager, team members, project organization and environment) were used. Results demonstrate that every success criteria has at least one significant relationshipRead MoreProject Management : Determining The Success Or Failure Factors1526 Words   |  7 Pagescomplex projects have option of success or fail due to a number of circumstances. The main controversial issue in the project management is determining the success or failure factors. Although projects have built in to be successful there are some risks can’t be avoided and that may lead at the end to failure in the near or far future (Montequin, 2014). Introduction Project management provides reasonable scientific solutions in order to overcome difficulties and achieve success. Each project has aRead MoreProject Management Practices : The Criteria For Success Or Failure871 Words   |  4 Pagesfailed project. The first article is â€Å"Project Management Practices: The Criteria for Success or Failure† by: Iman Attarzadeh and Siew Hock Ow. In this article the authors discuss the top ten factors for a successful and a failed project. The second article that I located was, â€Å"Top 10 Main Causes of Project Failure† by: Rosanne Lim. In this article, Lim discusses the ten factors that cause a project to fail. The top ten factors for a successful project are, user involvement, executive management supportRead MoreBusiness Process And Quality Management For Project Success1487 Words   |  6 PagesBusiness Process and Quality Management for Project Success - Option 1 The customer that spends his or her hard earned money on a product or service is the primary reason for quality management to be a major factor for a company’s business process. The mission and vision statements of various corporations are often worded with the quality of a product and the satisfaction of the consumer. This notion is fine; however, it takes discipline and commitment to truly achieve it. This commitment must startRead Morethe role of project management in achieving projects success6130 Words   |  25 PagesInternational Journal of Project Management Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 81-87, 1996 Copyright  © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd and IPMA Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved 0263-7863/96 $15.00 + 0.00 Pergamon 0263-7863(95)00057-7 The role of project management in achieving project success A K Munns and B F Bjeirmi University of Dundee, Department of Civil Engineering, Dundee, Scotland DD1 4HN, UK The role of different project management techniques to implement projects successfully has been

Starbucks Starbucks Financial Analysis - 1185 Words

Starbucks Financial Analysis It’s hard to drive the street these days and not see a Starbuck’s coffee house sitting on a corner with cars lined up in the drive-thru or consumers gathering in their cafà © to socialize. This has been the scene since the first Starbucks was opened in 1971. Since then, Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO, has embarked on a quest to bring Italian bistro traditions to the United States. Starbucks mission statement is simple, â€Å"to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time† (Starbucks, 2017, para. 7). Starbucks has built a global empire with a reported 22,519 stores spanning over 66 countries. The company’s diversity and purchase power of high quality whole coffee†¦show more content†¦Accounts Receivables Starbucks horizontal analysis on their consolidated balance sheet for the Fiscal years 2015 and 2016 shows that their accounts receivable increased by 6.93% which falls in line with their increase of 11.24% for their net revenue for 2015. Starbucks increased the amount of allowed purchases on credit and now have an increased receivables. Starbucks vertical analysis on their consolidated balance sheet shows that in 2016 accounts receivable’s was 5.37% of the company’s total assets in 2015 it was 5.79% of the company’s total assets. One should note that with the decrease in accounts receivable for 2016 could be that Starbucks utilized higher available cash and reinvested it in inventory and prepaid expenses. Long Term Debt Horizontal Analysis taken from the consolidated balance sheet also shows an increase of 36.41% from 2015 to 2016. This would fall in line with their increase in total liabilities as they had an increase of 28% from 2015 to 2016. Vertical Analysis taken from the consolidated balance sheet shows that in 2016, long term debt was 22.35% of total liabilities and in 2015, long term debt was only 18.91% of total liabilities. It should be noted that the increase in long term debt of 19% were assets that were financed as long term debt. Ratio Analysis In essential ingredient in understanding financial statements using ratio analysis to identify to measure the overall health of a business. Both lenders and investors often relyShow MoreRelatedStarbucks Financial Analysis1739 Words   |  7 PagesStarbucks Financial Analysis Financial Analysis of the Starbucks Corporation 2401 Utah Avenue South Seattle, Washington 98134 (800) 235-2883 Financial Analysis of the Starbucks Corporation Company Overview Starbucks is the world’s largest specialty coffee retailer, Starbucks has more than 16,000 retail outlets in more than 35 countries. Starbucks owns more than 8,500 of its outlets, while licensees and franchisees operate more than 6,500 units worldwide, primarilyRead MoreFinancial Analysis of Starbucks1131 Words   |  4 PagesThe company that I am writing about is Starbucks, the international coffee shop chain. The companys financial statements for this analysis are from the FY2011 Annual Report and 10-K. The company has 10787 stores in the United States, of which 38% are franchised and the remainder are company-owned. The franchise model is more common when the company operates internationally. There are 6216 Starbucks stores internationally and of these 63% are franchises, with just 37% company-owned. The franchiseRead MoreStarbucks Financial Analysis9358 Words   |  38 PagesRunning head: STARBUCKS AS AN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS 1 An Analysis of Starbucks as a Company and an International Business Lauren Roby A Senior Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation in the Honors Program Liberty University Spring 2011 STARBUCKS AS AN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Acceptance of Senior Honors Thesis This Senior Honors Thesis is accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation from the Honors Program of Liberty UniversityRead MoreStarbucks : Financial Ratios Analysis1788 Words   |  8 PagesStarbucks: Financial Ratios Analysis Part 4 Anna Gallagher American Public Universityâ€Æ' Property, plant and equipment are the major source of future service potential to companies. The major objectives of property, plant and equipment accounting is to provide information about companies’ stewardship, accounting for the use and deterioration of property, plant and equipment, plan for project costing and budgeting, provide information for tax authorities, and provide rate-making information for regulatedRead MoreAnalysis Of Starbucks Financial Statement1883 Words   |  8 PagesAnalysis of Starbucks’ Financial statement Financial statements provide users with information for evaluating an entity’s performance and financial status and thus help them to make informed decisions in their dealings with the entity. To assess these aspects, the users have various tools that they can employ. For instance, ratio analysis helps the users to detect any significant changes in an entity’s operating performance within a given period and thus indicate the risks and opportunities of theRead MoreFinancial Analysis: Starbucks Corporation628 Words   |  3 PagesFinancial Analysis Starbucks (Starbucks) is a publicly held company that sells gourmet coffees, as well as, a sandwich and desert menu. They operate in the United States, as well as, international countries. Starbucks has delicious coffees that are very popular with the public and has a growing popularity. By comparing Starbucks financial information with the financial information of one of their biggest competitors, Dunkin Donuts (Dunkin Donuts), it will show the actual competitive edge ofRead MoreFinancial Analysis of Starbucks Essay2500 Words   |  10 Pagesit was used in the 1950s. This can be said to have changed a lot as Espresso, Cappuccinos, Macchiato, Cafà © Lattes and Frapuccinos which are now being offered by many restaurants and coffee shops that are found in the main town across the world. Starbucks was created in the year 1971 in Washington. The establishment was done by three scholars who are namely Zev Siegel, Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker. The chief executive officer joined the c ompany in the year 1981 and became in charge of the marketingRead MoreStarbucks : Financial Ratios Analysis2630 Words   |  11 PagesStarbucks: Financial Ratios Analysis Part 3 Anna Gallagher American Public Universityâ€Æ' This financial paper part three will discuss different financial ratios of Starbucks, McDonalds, and Dunkin’ Donuts. These ratios are return on assets, profit margin, asset utilization rate, current ratio, acid test ratio, operating cash flow ratio, accounts receivable turnover, days’ sales outstanding, inventory turnover, and days’ sales in inventory. This paper will also present and discuss the free cash flowRead MoreFinancial Analysis Project : Starbucks2056 Words   |  9 PagesDavid Pulido Mr. Norcio Financial Management 22 April 2015 Financial Analysis Project Starbucks is a privileged company connected to millions of customers every day with great products in the market and more than 20,000 retail stores in 65 countries. Starbucks day to day mission is to serve the best coffee, which is why they have all their coffee grown under the best standards of quality. Starbuck’s coffee employees or the people in charge to get the coffee, travel to coffee farms in differentRead MoreStarbucks Financial Analysis 03-072727 Words   |  11 PagesThe American University in Cairo Acct 501 Spring 08 Starbucks Financial Analysis Years 2003-2007 Presented to: Dr. Adel Ibrahim Presented by: Ahmed El-Shorbagy 800-07-0477 Ahmed Tawfik 900-98-5749 Mahmoud El Gindy 800-07-0417 Mohammed Abo Solyman 900-02-1301 Mohammed Hassan 800-07-1982 Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Financial Statement Analysis 5 Consolidated Balance Sheet 5 Consolidated Income Statement 5 Consolidated Cash Flow

Attempting to Cheat Fate Essay Example For Students

Attempting to Cheat Fate Essay Would it ever seem reasonable for a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature to be associated with a king who murders his father and procreates with his mother? It is possible because of one quotation by the 1921 Nobel Prize Literature winner Anatole France, that he is connected to the notorious king Oedipus from Sophocles famous play, Oedipus Rex. It is only human nature to think wisely and act foolishly (Anatole France) best exemplifies the theme in Sophocles Oedipus Rex: fate cannot be cheated nor altered. It is human to try and change fate, which is a foolish act because it is impossible to do. This can be seen in many aspects of the play including the context and characters of the story and the hubris of the royal family; Jocasta, Lauis and Oedipus. Within each of these components many different literary devices can be used to further explain how the theme of the story relates to the quote by Anatole France. A prime example can be seen in the 2nd Episode where Oedipus confesses everything to Jocasta from the prophecy to the incident when he killed a man similar to Lauis description. The parts of his monologue that best illustrate changing fate and being foolish are when Oedipus says, And so unknown to mother and father I set out for Delphihe the oracle flashed before my eyes a future great with pain, terrorI can hear him cry, You are fated to couple with your motheryou will kill your father, the man who gave you life! I heard all that and ranNow, Jocasta, I will tell you all. Making my way toward this triple crossroad I began to see a herald, then a brace of colts drawing a wagon, and mounted on the bencha man, just as youve described himI strike him in anger! I killed them all- every mothers son! This exemplifies the statement that trying to change fate is foolish because in attempting to avoid his awful destiny, he kills his own father. One might argue that this is not a well thought out example because Oedipus had no idea that one of the men he killed o n the crossroads was his father. On the other hand, Oedipus did not have to kill anyone; he let his anger control him. This in turn always leads a person to tragedy. Descriptive diction is used to enhance the episode because in ancient Greek theatre, imagination was the only outlet for visual depictions of the most gruesome of scenes. One such scene is when the messenger describes Oedipus self-mutilation:He rips off her brooches, the long gold pinsHolding her robes- and lifting the high,Looking straight up into the points,He digs them down the sockets of his eyes, cryingHis voice like a dirge, rising, over and overraising the pins, raking them down his eyes. And at each stroke blood spurts down the roots,splashing his beard a swirl of it, nerves and clots-black hail of blood pulsing, gushing down. Because of this fact, the word choice has the power to determine what the viewer and reader are visualizing in his or her mind. A clear example can be seen when Oedipus says, I am an abomination-heart and soul!. The use of abomination is ironic because Oedipus has created abominations by coupling with his mother rather than being an abomination himself. There are other characters in the play besides Oedipus who exhibit that trying to change destiny is foolish; one such character is Jocasta. The Queen of Thebes was told that her son was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. Jocasta tried to cheat fate by giving the infant to a shepard to kill. Because she did not do the job herself the child remained alive to eventually come back to her as her second husband. Jocasta is the symbol for blissful ignorance because she attempts to stay unintelligent until the anagnorisis when she runs into her chambers and hangs herself but even then she never says the truth. Another character that attempts to change fate is Lauis. Like his wife, Jocasta, Lauis does not involve himself with the murdering of his son and because of his lack of involvement Oedipus was able to kill him. One might say that these are all coincidences and how could Jocasta be blamed for not knowing information. However Jocasta did know that Oedipus had a prophecy ab out killing his father and marrying his mother and she herself had the same prophecy. This can be seen when Oedipus says in his monologue, I can hear him cry, You are fated to couple with your mother you will bring a breed of children into the light no man can bear to see- you will kill your father, the one who gave you life! and when Jocasta says on page 208, Apollo was explicit: my son was doomed to kill my husband Jocasta, Lauis and Oedipus were not all connected through blood but also through their flaw, hubris. Since Lauis died even before the play starts his hubris is less evident. This allows for the focus to be on Jocasta and Oedipus because both of them were extremely essential to the outcome of the play. Both Jocasta and Oedipus were prideful because they thought that they could cheat the gods who were the dealers of fate. In ancient Greece, the gods frowned upon mortal humans who thought that they were equal to the immortal inhabitants of Mt. Olympus. Oedipus, being the p rotagonist was slightly more prideful than his mother because he voiced his opinion about the gods more than she did. One example is when Oedipus says in the 1st Episode, You pray to the Gods? Let me answer your prayers. Come, listen to me-do what the plague demands: youll find relief and lift your head from the depths. This shows that Oedipus thinks that he is higher than the gods when in actuality he is lower than the lowest ranks because he fathered children of incest. An example of Jocastas hubris can be seen when she says, So much for prophecy. Its neither here nor there. From this day on, I wouldnt look right or left. When Jocasta says this she calls the gods lairs because they are the beings that tell the oracle the future. .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 , .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 .postImageUrl , .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 , .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6:hover , .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6:visited , .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6:active { border:0!important; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6:active , .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6 .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u79852bac51e27b0be523b45011ad83a6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Sociology - The Comparative Method Essay Sophocles Oedipus Rex is a play about mankinds addiction for the desire to be in control of fate. This can be seen in Oedipus running from Corinth and Jocasta sending her son to be killed. Anatole Frances quotation, It is only human nature to think wisely and act foolishly puts the human weakness of thinking with his mind but acting out what is in his heart in an extremely concise manner. Literary devices are a key indicator of where the author makes his important points. One such literary device is the use of fate as a motif in the story. Another example is the use of diction to give the reader a vivid and focused picture of what i s happening. By looking at these little clues and the characters in the play and the context of the play we can see that the control of fate is truly the tragic flaw of human nature.

The Ethics of Marketing Nestles Infant Formula free essay sample

The Ethics of Marketing Nestles Infant Formula Introduction: †¢Issue in Question: 1. Nestle’s marketing of infant formula 2. First world product in a third world country †¢Marketing dilemmas 1. First world products in a third world market 2. Risk conditions are present 3. Can a product be marketed in an area that it cannot be guaranteed? †¢Evolution of a public issue 1. In 1970 an organized campaign was established by the Protein Calorie Advisory Group ( PAG) 2. The claim was that: â€Å"Nestle pushed its products to mothers, many of whom lived in circumstances that made the use of such products a highly risky adventure†. . Corporate advertisers by the infant formula companies had promoted the idea that bottle feeding was better than breast feeding †¢Circumstances: 1. The formula is sold in a powder form and must have a â€Å"clean† water supply Ex. Developing Nations have poor water quality and subject the child to disease 2. â€Å"Since the product must be mixed, preparation instructions are important and mother must be able to read. We will write a custom essay sample on The Ethics of Marketing Nestles Infant Formula or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Unfortunately, the rate of illiteracy is very high in developing nations†. 3. The price of the formula caused the mothers to over dilute the formula in an attempt to stretch the formula for a few extra days. 4. Over diluting caused the baby to be malnourished †¢Peter Muller (journalist) 1. Travelled to Africa, in the early 1970’s to study allegations of market abuse 2. Sponsored by a British charity group called the â€Å"War on Want† 3. He published many article’s in 1974 titled â€Å"Baby Killers† 4. Nestle’s the largest producer of formula was targeted as being unethical because of his articles †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nestle Baby Killers† Switzerland Phase 1 of the evolution of a public issue 1. Reprint of the articles in Switzerland by a Swiss public action group, lead to a change in the tile of the articles to â€Å"Nestle Baby Killers† 2. Nestle sued the Swiss public action group and the case came to trial in Switzerland in 1975 †¢Phase2 of the evolution of the public issue 1. Gained public attrition for th e entire industry, not just Nestle 2. Eventually leading to a boycott against nestle in 1977 †¢High point of phase 2 1. The boycott convinced the staff of the United States senator Edward Kennedy to hold hearings 2. The hearings consisted of three groups of people i. People who had worked in developing nations ii. Experts in public health iii. Company representatives , Nestle’s head of the Brazilian operation’s and three American companies were represented by their corporate headquarters †¢Phase 3 of the evolution of the public issue 1. International action was taken by the Director General of the World Health Assembly i. Nestle and other industry members actively participated in negations ii. Nestle was the only company that public stated they would follow the code of the World Health Assembly if it was adopted †¢Phase 4 of the evolution of the public issue 1. â€Å"institutionalizing† i. World Health Assembly left many provisions questionable as to their interpretation ii. Nestle’s took it upon themselves to clear the unanswered interoperations by negotiating with the (people that are boycotting) â€Å"Nestles Boycott Committee† iii. Nestle implemented the policies they had agreed upon, and followed them lifting the boycott just a few years later.

Cannondale essays

Cannondale essays 2-.Indenty key issues from the Broad Environment and discuss how they might impact this industry in the future We can differentiate the following key points: 1. Federal Legislation. During the 1990s the US government enacted legislation that requires communities to include cycling in local transit infrastructure plan (for example Clean Air Act, set standards for air quality). So, people use more the cycle than before, and they spend more money in it. (more money more profit). 2. The appeal of mountain biking. The number of mountain bikers in US grew from 200.000 in 1982 to 85 million in 1997. So the sales has increased considerably; three factors contributed to the popularity of mountain bikes: They were more comfortable to ride than typical touring or racing models. The bikes greatly increased the terrain available to bicycles. More adults were turning toward outdoor activities in their leisure time. 3. Technological Innovation. Cannondale was the first firm in selling mountain bikes. They have based his strategy in technological innovation. They were the first to offer affordable large-diameter aluminum-tube bicycles in the early 1980s. This is an important competitive advantage, because they can sell the products to high prices (new differentiated product can be sold to high prices). Nowadays all the bikes manufacturers, including companies that manufactured inexpensive bicycles, it is using aluminum; so they have to use new raw material like Carbon or Titanium to innovate. The same has happens with full-suspension system. 4. Mature industry. The growing of cycling industry has decrease after 1995. The revenues had been growing exponentially during the 1980s, so Cannondale the leader of the high-performance mountain bike segment had grown greatly. Nowadays, the market is growing but more slowly than before. We can say that the market is saturated, so to keep the growing levels it will b...

1984 Summary

'1984' Summary There are few novels as influential as George Orwell’s 1984, which permeated pop culture with concepts like Big Brother and doublethink, while exploring the bleak future Orwell saw in totalitarianism. Part One 1984 begins with Winston Smith coming home to his small, run-down flat. At 39, Winston is old beyond his years and takes his time walking up the stairs, greeted at each landing by a poster stating BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. In his small flat he can dim the wall-sized telescreen and lower the volume but cannot turn it off. He keeps his back to it because it is a two-way screen. Winston lives in what is known as Airstrip One, formerly Britain, a province of a large nation-state known as Oceania. He looks out his window at the Ministry of Truth where he works revising historical records to conform with the new versions of history the government is always producing. Winston works hard to appear a dutiful and fervent member of the Party, but privately despises it and the world he lives in. He knows this makes him what is known as a thoughtcriminal and assumes he will inevitably be exposed and punished. Winston has purchased a diary from a shop in a proletariat (the lower class of people referred to as proles) neighborhood, and has discovered that the placement of the telescreen in his apartment allows for a small area where he cannot be observed. He skips lunch at the canteen in order to come home and write his forbidden thoughts in this diary out of the telescreen’s range. It is a small act of rebellion. Winston admits to a sexual attraction to a woman at the Ministry of Truth, Julia. He has not acted on his attraction because he thinks she might be spying on him, and suspects she would inform on him. He is also paranoid about his superior, a man named O’Brien whom he suspects is part of the Brotherhood, a resistance movement led by the famous terrorist Emmanuel Goldstein. Part Two When Winston goes to work the next day, he sees Julia with her arm in a sling. When she stumbles, he helps her, and she passes him a note that reads I Love You. He and Julia begin a sexual affair, which is forbidden by the Party; Julia is even a member of the Anti-Sex League. Their first encounter is in a rural area. Later they begin renting a room above the shop where Winston purchased his diary. It becomes clear to Winston that Julia despises the Party as much as he does. The affair sparks memories in Winston of the civil war and his ex-wife, Katharine. At work, Winston meets a colleague named Syme who tells him about the dictionary he is working on for the new official language, Newspeak. Syme tells Winston that Newspeak is designed to make it more difficult for people to think in complex ways. Winston expects that this sentiment will cause Syme to disappear, and a few days later Syme is gone. Winston and Julia create a private sanctuary in the rented room, and tell each other that they are already dead. They believe that the Party will discover their crimes and execute them, but that it cannot take away their feelings for each other. O’Brien contacts Winston, confirms his involvement with the Brotherhood, and invites him to be a part of the resistance. Winston and Julia go to O’Brien’s large, well-appointed home and take an oath to join the Brotherhood. O’Brien gives Winston a copy of Emmanuel Goldstein’s book. Winston and Julia spend their time together reading it, learning the truth behind how the Party maintains its hold on society. They also learn about the use of a technique called doublethink, which allows Party members to believe contradictory concepts with ease, and how history has been changed to support perpetual warfare, which is used to keep a permanent state of emergency in place for crowd control purposes. Goldstein also argues that a revolution would be possible if the proles rose up en masse to oppose the government. While in their rented room, Winston and Julia are denounced by the shop owner, a member of the Thought Police, and arrested. Part Three Winston and Julia are taken to the Ministry of Love for punishment, and learn that O’Brien is actually a loyal party member who poses as a supporter of The Brotherhood in order to expose the disloyal. O’Brien begins torturing Winston. O’Brien is very open about the Party’s desire for power, and tells Winston openly that once he is broken and forced to change his thoughts in support of the Party, he will be placed back into the world for a time as an example, and then killed when his usefulness in that capacity is exhausted. Winston endures horrific pain and psychological stress as he is forced to adopt obviously untrue positions, such as stating that 2 2 5. The goal of the torture is to force Winston to abandon logic in favor of absorbing and repeating whatever the Party tells him. Winston confesses to a lengthy list of imaginary crimes. Winston breaks, but O’Brien is not satisfied, as Winston defiantly tells him that he still loves Julia and O’Brien cannot take that away from him. O’Brien tells him he will betray Julia in Room 101. Winston is taken there, and O’Brien reveals that they know everything there is to know about Winston- including his greatest irrational fear, rats. A wire cage is fitted over his face, and rats are placed in the cage. O’Brien tells Winston that the rats will gouge out his eyes and Winston loses the last bits of his sanity in terror, and just as the rats are coming for him he tells O’Brien to substitute Julia. Having betrayed Julia completely, Winston is truly broken. He is re-educated and released. He spends his days drinking heavily at a cafe. A few days later he meets Julia in a park, and they discuss their torture. Julia admits that she broke as well, and betrayed him. They both realize that their love for one another has been destroyed. They no longer care for each other as they once did. Winston goes to a cafe and sits there alone as the telescreens report an important victory for Oceania in the war against Eurasia. Winston is happy and has no more thoughts of rebellion, thinking that he loves Big Brother, and cannot wait to finally be executed.

Describe a picture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Describe a picture - Essay Example In particular, the use of red, black and dark blue serves to show how urban lifestyles leave individuals feeling secluded. The juxtaposition of dark and light hues gives the illusion of cramped spaces - both in geographic terms and as a metaphor for the state of mind of a city-dweller. We can also see in the painting how a cityscape is illustrated through the use of straight lines, sharp edges and angles. They could be interpreted as representing the rigid racial and class divisions that prevail in modern societies. They also stand for the harshness and monotony of contemporary livelihoods. It is instructive to look at the artist’s broader interests to better comprehend the painting. To note, Scarlett has had an active interest in art forms other than painting. These include jewelry designing and deco designing as well. As a result, his understanding of sense of space as a three-dimensional construct is unique. This is amply brought to bear in the Bird’s Eye

Changing Hand Hygiene Behavior at the Point of Care to prevent the Dissertation

Changing Hand Hygiene Behavior at the Point of Care to prevent the spread of clostridium difficile utilizing CDC's WHO model f - Dissertation Example Nosocomial infections  are preventable through proper hand hygiene.   C. PICO question: For RN’s, LPN/LVN and NA  (nursing assistants) working on patient care  areas, will changing hand hygiene at the point  of care prevent the spread of C.difficile D. P=Population-RN’s, LPN/LVN and NA’s providing  primary patient care. E. Intervention: Scheduled educational classes  introducing CDC’s â€Å"WHO model for Hand Hygiene.   F. Comparison- Comparison: RN; LPN and NA  knowledge pre and post training. â€Å"A  comparison of pre and post-tests will be  conducted to determine the participant’s  understanding of the WHO model and the impact  of hand washing technique on the incidence of  Clostridium difficile.   G. O =Outcome-Nursing staff will demonstrate and  utilize CDC’s:†WHO Model for Hand Hygiene†Ã‚  thereby preventing the spread of Nosocomial  infections such as Clostridium difficile. III. Methods-    A. Sampling strategies (examples-search process,  databases accessed, year restrictions, types of  studies, key terms used in the search).   B. Data evaluation (criteria you considered when  deciding to utilize a piece of literature).   IV. Findings-   A. ... standards, lack of  published empirical studies on the topic,  rationale for using non-empirical studies,  lack of studies in nursing but did locate  studies in another discipline)   V. Discussion   A. What has been concluded from the findings   B. Advantages and disadvantages of findings   C. How the findings could be utilized in nursing  practice   VI. Conclusion- Hand washing (soap washing and water), contact precaution and meticulous environmental cleaning with an EPA-registered disinfectant are effective in preventing the spread of the organism. Abstract Background The World Alliance for Patient Safety launched by The WHO in 2004 advocates a â€Å"clean care is safer care† program, in which health care leaders sign a pledge to take specific steps to reduce hospital associated infections in their facilities. Hand hygiene is the first focus in this worldwide initiative. Recognizing a worldwide need to improve hand hygiene in healthcare facilities, the WH O produced Advance Draft, launched its â€Å"Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care† along with the â€Å"Implementation Toolkit† that have been available since 5 May 2009 on the occasion of the launch of the â€Å"Save Lives: Clean Your Hands† initiative. The WHO regards hand hygiene as an essential tool for the prevention of nosocomial infection, but compliance in clinical practice is often low. Methods Relevant scientific literature and international evidence-based recommendations (Meta Analysis Sources) were studied. Results Hand washing (soap washing and water), Hygienic hand disinfection, contact precaution and meticulous environmental cleaning with an EPA-registered disinfectant are effective in preventing the spread of the organism. Compliance can be improved by training, and by placing hand-rub dispensers at

Theme Parks Essay Example for Free

Theme Parks Essay As I was young and growing up, traveling is something that I enjoy doing and still do today. I have traveled all around the country; however, the most exciting thing that I like to do is to go to an amusement park. Amusement parks are filled with rides, people, and excitement. The children are so excited and the adults feel as if they were young again. For example, Carowinds, Wet N’ Wild, and Disney World are all great amusement parks that I have been to. The number of people in amusement parks continues to grow as most amusement parks create new thrilling rides and activities to all people throughout the country. Carowinds is a very amusing place to go, which is located between Charlotte and Rock Hill. The amusement park is filled with people, food, rides, and excitement. Most people wait in long lines to get on a ride, while others walk around and get on another ride. Some of the rides that Carowinds have include: Wayne’s World, Vortex, and The Cyclone. These rides are breath taking, making people scream, and acquire a strong stomach to get on them. The amusement park has great food; however, the prices are a little eminent. They also have an all day buffet which is located in the middle of the park. Carowinds is a great amusement park to go as excitement continues to grow. The second amusement that has a lot of excitement is Wet N’ Wild. Wet N’ Wild is located in High Point, NC. Wet N’ Wild is an amusement park you just can not wait to get in. The park is filled with water rides and excitement. One of the rides I love to get on when I arrive is called The Twin Twisters. The Twin Twisters are two tunnels that loop you around four times at approximately 80 miles per hour. This ride is breath taking if you have not ever got on it before. The Twin Twisters is not recommending for children or people with high blood pressure. There are more water rides for people to choose from. The people that do not like water rides choose to go to the swimming pool which has approximately three hundred people. Most people that come to the park bring their own food because the prices are really high. Wet N’ Wild N’ Wild is the best water park in the state of North Carolina as more people continue to come. The last amusement park that has a lot of excitement is Disney World. Disney World brings excitement to all ages as it is like a dream come true to children. It is not normal to see Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny walking around in an amusement park. Once you enter the amusement park, you see children running around all over the place and playing with the people dressed in funny costumes. Most adults like watching plays with their children, take pictures, and collect souvenirs for memories. As many children are not able to see this exciting place, Disney World is a great place for children. Amusement parks are great to be as they are known to carry excitement. Children love to travel to amusement parks because they enjoy it. Most adults love to go to amusement parks because they relive stress and are very amusing. Amusement parks are very entertaining and amusing as more people continue to go to them all across the country.

Reasons Youth Join Gangs Essay -- Why Young People Join Gangs

Deviance in Gang Involvement Reasons Youth Join Gangs The problem of gang activity is not a new one facing our country. Ever since the beginnings of human existence gangs have served as a means of protection for humans. The issue of gang activity has recently, however, come to the forefront of dilemmas facing our nation. While cities like Chicago and Los Angeles are chronic gang sites, other cities such as â€Å"Miami, Portland, Columbus, Dallas, and Milwaukee have only recently (within the last decade) had what they termed as a gang problem† (Conly 7). Gang numbers have, without question, skyrocketed over the past 10 to 20 years. Los Angeles, for example, has recently been estimated to have as many as 90,000 gang members (Conly 14). The importance of these numbers cannot be overlooked. However, to fully understand the problems that gangs may pose to society, the term gang must be defined. Without a definition the impact of gang maliciousness on society may be lost. Throughout its history the term â€Å"gang† has possessed a diverse usage, being linked to outlaws in the â€Å"wild west† and organized crime groups among others (Decker and Van Winkle 2). Due to this, a clear-cut definition of a gang does not exist. However, most agree that a gang is a group of mostly males that engages in delinquent activities. However, the definition goes much further than that. A police officer, for example, may call a gang â€Å"an on-going, organized association of three or more persons who individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in criminal activity† (Conly 5). Notwithstanding, this definition is terribly obscure. That definition could include a group of boys who occasionally drink alcohol. On the other hand it could also includ... ...bliography: Conly, Catherine H., et al. Street Gangs: Current Knowledge and Strategies. Washington: Dept. of Justice. Office of Justice Programs and National institute of Justice, 1993. Decker, Scott H., and Berik Van Winkle. Life in the Gang: Family Friends and Violence. New York: Cambridge Up, 1996. Dickersen, Debra. â€Å"Cease Fire in Simple City.† U.S. News and World Report 16 Mar. 1998: 22-25. Korem, Dan. Suburban Gangs: The Affluent Rebels. Texas: International Focus Press, 1994. Sanders, William B. Gangbangs and Drivebys: Grounded Culture and Juvenile Gang Violence. New York: Walter de Gruyter Inc, 1994. Spergel, Irving A. The youth Gang Problem: A Community Approach. New York: Oxford Up, 1995. Trump, K. S. Youth Gangs and School: The Need for Intervention and Prevention Strategies. Cleveland: Urban Child Research Center, 1993.

An Exploration of Morality and Privacy Essay

Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure is a play that is hard to like. It is stark, structured, and monotoned in dialogue and plot. The characters within the play are overwhelming disgusting specimens of humanity who are one dimension characters which seem to not be fully developed. Central character, The Duke, is a cruel and calculating leader that is more like a puppet master than a living, breathing man. He is responsible for manipulating the characters’ and free will within the play, Measure for Measure. The Duke’s actions are morally wrong. While The Duke claims his motivations are pure and he is trying to observe the governance of Vienna, there are other motives. The Duke likes to control people, by pretending to be a Friar is able to emotional rape and manipulate people and their free will. The Duke, who lives Italy, is in charge and it is his civic duty to maintain order. However, he seems unable to do so on his own. He employs the indifferent and unemotional Lord Angelo to carry out the gruesome work as punisher. The Duke, instead, decides that he should go out and mingle with his citizens. He decides to dress like and pretend to be a Friar. Lord Angelo, like many corrupt official, becomes intoxicating with power, using it for his own gain. The Duke shrugs off his duties to another individual which is obviously not trust worthy. He does this because he is lazy and is not entirely comfortable with enforcing the law. The Duke believes that he is incapable of enforcing the law himself and therefore his authority is reduced. He comments, to Thomas, â€Å"our decrees, / Dead to infliction, to themselves are dead, / And Liberty plucks Justice by the nose† (1. 3. 27-29). Thomas responds â€Å"It rested in your Grace / To unloose this tied-up Justice when you pleased† (1. 3. 31-32). It is clear that Thomas also believes that The Duke has intentionally stop doing the job he is responsible for. The Duke acknowledges Thomas’ point and explains that he wants to remain a kind leader and not one known for punishment. He states â€Å"‘Twould be my tyranny to strike and gall them / For what I bid them do; for we bid this be done / When evil deeds have their permissive pass, / And not the punishment† (1. 3. 36-39). Instead of completing his civic duties, The Duke chooses to go down to the prison and pretends to be a Friar. In pretending to be a religious figure he breaking the trust which individuals place in God and the people who are chosen to represent God. His behavior is questionable and his motives are clear — he wants to be a voyeur. He claims he wants to be closer to the people he was chosen to lead however, this is the ultimate control. The Duke is supposed to be civic minded and ethical yet he easily chooses to deceive the people, in prison, that need him, whether a Friar or a Leader, him most. As he takes people’s confessions he taunts them. For example when he speaks with Juliet who has conceived out of wedlock, his approach is callus. The Duke informs her that it is her fault the man, Claudio, she loves will be punished by Lord Angelo through execution. Then the Duke talks to Claudio, and advises him that he should just give up hope of life and seeking Juliet again and hoped he is â€Å"prepared to die† (3. 1. 4). This is followed by a long, unemotional speech about how life is not worth living and that nothing in life really matters, as way to encourage Claudius to be thankful for his early demise. The Duke is not done yet, he continues to make people believe he is a Friar and uses this power to manipulate them. The Duke becomes aware that Claudio’s sister, a virgin, has agreed to have sex with him. In doing so, Lord Angelo has agreed that Claudio will not be killed. Isabella explains the situation to her brother. However, The Duke insists on listening. He requires the prison to offer him a â€Å"concealed† (3. 1. 53) spot. Eventually, The Duke reveals himself and claims that Lord Angelo was never serious and â€Å"had never the purpose to corrupt her; only he hath made an assay of her virtue to practice his judgment with the disposition of natures† (3. 1. 161-164). Once again The Duke is manipulating the lives of the people he is supposed to protect and look after. He creates situations and causes people to react in certain ways. He is amused and satisfied with himself. The Duke then tells Claudio that his execution will happen. Then The Duke changes his mind and decides that he will sleep with Lord Angelo’s ex finance instead of Isabella. The Duke insists that this is a good thing because â€Å"the doubleness of the benefit defends the deceit from reproof† (3. 2. 262-263). The Duke’s manipulations continue when Lord Angelo demands that Claudio be executed and The Duke suggests that they should just substitute another inmate for Claudio. Even after Claudio’s live is saved, The Duke insists on telling Isabella that Claudio is dead. It is morally unacceptable that The Duke pretends to be a Friar. While The Duke claims that he is monitoring Lord Angelo’s virtue as a governorship it is clear that The Duke has his own motives in pretending and ease dropping. He believes that he has the power to a be a puppet master and pull the strings of everyone below him. If The Duke’s true motive was in measuring how well Lord Angelo is doing his job, he would have confronted him much sooner then he actually does. The Duke inflicts unnecessary harm on people for his own pleasure and feeding of his own ego.

Clyne’s Revision of Grice’s Maxims Essay

Grice’s Maxims have been criticised for being too Anglo-centric. Michael Clyne proposes revisions to the four maxims in his 1994 book Intercultural Communication at Work. Do Clyne’s revisions of this model go far enough in universally accounting for intercultural conversation? Why or why not? Grice’s General Cooperative Principle has been under continuous debate for the past three decades. It is mainly through the maxims that Grice’s paradigm has been challenged as highly ethnocentric, however such readings may tend to take the maxims too literally rather than as â€Å"reference points for language interchange† (Allan as cited in Clyne, 1994, p. 11). There is some agreement in this, but as suggested by Mey (1994, p. 74), the principle and maxims are â€Å"always defined relative to a particular culture†. It is this idea of cultural values underlying communication that has caused the contention of Grice’s cooperative principle and its subordinate maxims. Many linguists (Keenan, 1976; Wierzbicka, 1985; Clyne, 1994; Bowe & Martin, 2007) have criticised Grice’s Maxims for being too ethnocentric – claiming that its assumptions are based on Anglo-Saxon norms and culture. This Anglo-centric nature is problematic for intercultural communication as the maxims are inapplicable to many cultural values systems; namely European and Southeast Asian cultures where harmony, respect and restraint play a key role (Clyne, 1994, p. 192). In an attempt to better reflect intercultural conversation, Clyne (1994) has proposed a set of revised ‘maxims’ to make Grice’s principles more universal. His revision of Grice’s model certainly accounts for a wider variety of contexts and cultures, however it cannot be said to universally account for intercultural conversation. As conversation is unique to its context and participants, in reality no single theory could universally embody real life language use. Although people of all backgrounds generally do attempt to facilitate successful communication (if it doesn’t conflict with their purpose or cultural values), factors unique to each participant can affect any given conversation. Thus, it c an be said that while individuals are conditioned by their culture and environment, discourse patterns will always be influenced by personality factors (Watts, 1991) and pragmatic and intercultural competence. On the surface, Grice’s cooperative principle seems to provide little  difficulty for intercultural analysis; its degree of uncertainty is certainly appropriate for discussions of cultural diversity. Making a contribution â€Å"such as is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged† (Grice, 1975, p. 45) seems to allow for the acceptance of different purposes and requirements in different contexts, and does not exclude the influence of norms associated with a variety of different speech communities. Although intercultural analysis was not Grice’s main concern, he has defined the discourse of his cooperative principle as â€Å"concerted enterprises† that allow â€Å"a high degree of diversity in the motivations underlying quite meagre common objectives† (1989: 369). Grice himself makes no explicit claims of universality, using characteristically modest language to refe r to a â€Å"first approximation of a general principle† (1989: 26). He is extremely careful not to overstate the case for ‘cooperation’; suggesting that â€Å"each participant recognizes in them (talk exchanges), to some extent, a common purpose, or at least a mutually accepted direction† (1989, p. 26). It should be pointed out however, that Grice’s maxims depict an idealised and simplified language use, whereas reality is much more complex and multi-dimensional. In everyday conversations, telling the entire truth might be seen as impolite or inappropriate in certain cultures. There also tend to be intercultural differences that do not always follow a universal principle. Some cultures and languages (i.e. Chinese) often dictate that their speakers use indirect speech in conversation, which means they are unable to follow Grice’s maxims of quantity and manner. In such cases, there is a clash between Grice’s maxims and the pragmatic rules of conversation, which are culturally sensitive. For example, when being offered a drink, a typical Chinese person would automatically say no the first time, while expecting the offer to be made at least two or three times more. This resembles a kind of phatic language communication; saying no, but not really meaning no. In this sort of situation, if someone doesn’t adhere to the cultural norm – choosing to follow Grice’s maxims instead, then they would sound odd and out of place. The above example demonstrates that Grice’s maxims aren’t relevant in all contexts as they clash with certain cultural values systems. Many linguists  (Clyne, 1994; Hymes, 1986; Loveday, 1983; Walsh, 2009) have picked up on this discrepancy between theory and data, claiming that the maxims are only relevant to the English speaking Western world. In particular, Clyne (1994) has pointed out that they have limited relevance to cultures where content and knowledge are core values. For example, speakers of Malagasy, â€Å"whose form of co-operation seems to consist in making their contributions as opaque, convoluted and non-perspicuous as possible† (Keenan as cited in Mey, 1994, p. 74) could be seen as flouting the Maxim of Quantity. This is because information, especially ‘new’ information gives the holder a certain amount of prestige, thus Malagasy people tend to use indirect, evasive language. It is obvious then, that environmental factors, social interaction and cultural norms need to be considered when interpreting conversational implicature. This is reinforced by Hymes (1986), who notes that Grice was correct in assuming that any culture will have some sort of orientation towards telling the truth (quality), being informative (quantity), staying on topic (relation), and being clear (manner), but that this orientation and how it is articulated cannot be assumed to be the same in all cultures. It is necessary then to recognize that each language and/or culture will have its own settings for each of the maxims (Bowe & Martin, 2007). In an attempt to reduce the cultural bias of Grice’s maxims, Clyne (1994) has proposed revisions to the four maxims (quantity, quality, relation, manner) by considering different cultural norms and expectations. An example of this is the modification of the maxim of quality so that it reads ‘do not say what you believe to be in opposition to your cultural norms of truth, harmony, charity, and/or respect.’ This revision accounts for situations in which the hearer may not want to respond truthfully in order to preserve face or harmony (Lakoff, 1973). This cultural value of harmony is especially prevalent in Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. Nguyen (1991) claims that communalism and collectivism has enforced harmony as a central cultural value in the Vietnamese people. Because of this emphasis on harmonious relations, Vietnamese frequently utilise ambiguous communication behaviours in order to avoid conflict. Although this language use could flout one or more of Grice ’s maxims, by introducing cultural parameters such as truth, harmony and face, Clyne’s (1994) revisions can better account for  intercultural conversation. Clyne’s (1994) revised maxims for intercultural analysis certainly have more regard for the communicative patterns of non-English cultures; however, they don’t altogether meet the needs of intercultural communication. In intercultural communication a high level of pragmatic competence is central to an interlocutors performance. As Thomas (1984) points out, it is commonly the differences in pragmatic competence that are problematic in intercultural conversation. Furthermore, it is possible to have achieved a very high level of linguistic proficiency, while having a relatively low level of socio-pragmatic proficiency. This can result in speakers using a language, which for some reason is deemed inappropriate, incomprehensible or even offensive (Thomas, 1984). This will be demonstrated by the following example: An Australian manager has been reassigned to the Athens office of his organization and is assigned a Greek secretary. On a daily basis, he assigns work to her by using conventional indirect requests such as ‘Could you type this letter?’ One day, she complains to a colleague, ‘I wish he would just tell me what to do instead of asking me. After all, he’s the boss and I’m here to do what he wants.’ In the above example, we have a mixture of assumptions about the rights and obligations of two parties in a relationship characterized by asymmetrical distribution of power, and the way this power will be exercised and acknowledged. The Australian boss attends to the face wants of his secretary by attempting to minimize the power distance between the two. This is done by the use of politeness strategies that seemingly give the subordinate the option not to perform a requested act – ‘Could you type this letter?’ Thomas (1995, p. 161) observes that ‘allowing options (or giving the appearance of allowing options) is absolutely central to Western notions of politeness’. An Australian secretary would presumably know that a direct, on-record refusal of this request would be face threatening to her boss – as well as threatening to her own job. She could potentially employ indirect refusal strategies (i.e. hints), which would avoid on record refusal and  sustain the appearance of harmony. As Green (cited in Thomas, 1995, p. 147) points out â€Å"the speaker is really only going through the motions of offering options or showing respect for the addressee’s feelings. The offer may be a facade, the options nonviable, and the respect a sham. It is the fact that an effort was made to go through the motions at all that makes the act an act of politeness.† It is clear that in this example the two parties have not yet negotiated a shared set of norms. The secretary acknowledges and accepts the power difference between herself and her boss. She is dependent on him for work, and she accepts that he has the right to tell her to carry out various secretarial duties. To her, the Australian boss seems insincere when he requests her to do something for him, because as far as she is concerned, the power relationship admits no options. That is; she does not interpret the deference that her boss displays towards her as an act of politeness. There are obviously socio-pragmatic differences between the two parties. The Australian boss has carried his socio-pragmatic norms into the Greek setting, where they violate the expectations of his Greek subordinate. Each party is defining and acting within the situation differently. Despite this, their encounters are not entirely unsuccessful: the boss makes requests for work that the secretary completes. However, the Greek secretary feels dissatisfied with her boss’s politeness strategies. It can be said that neither party is completely interculturally competent. That is; communicating in a culturally competent way requires interlocutors to learn about the ways culture influences communicative utterances of individuals concerned. After all, if the secretary constantly doubts the sincerity of her boss, the relationship is threatened. And if the boss is unaware of the effects of this, he may experience a rude awakening in the near future. Based on what has been discussed, it can be concluded that Grice’s maxims cannot be taken as absolute rules; this would be neither right nor practicable. Language is not as clear-cut as mathematical formulas; it frequently integrates with culture and society. Thus cultural and pragmatic considerations are vital to successful intercultural communication. Moreover, linguistic competency may not always cause a breakdown in  communication; very often when language form and cultural norm clash, culture supersedes language form. Clyne’s (1994) revisions of the conversational maxims better reflect cultural variation, however they do not universally account for intercultural communication. The examples aforementioned demonstrate that factors such as pragmatic and intercultural competence also play a key role. Intercultural communication then becomes something that is negotiated at local level by participants, involving mutual adaptation. Difficulties may arise, of course, in the process of negotiation through limitations in the socio-pragmatic and strategic competence of some or all participants. After all, there are individual differences in these competencies, and as Agar (1994) points out, we have to remember that in any intercultural conversation, ‘it’s persons not cultures that are in contact’. References: Agar, M. (1994). The intercultural frame. In International Journal of Intercultural Relations 18/2:221-237. Bowe, H. J. & Martin, K. (2007). Communication across cultures: Mutual understanding in a global world. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Clyne, M. (1994). Inter-cultural Communication at Work: Cultural Values in Discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Grice, H. P. (1975). Logic and Conversation. In P. Cole & J. Morgan (Eds.), Syntax and Semantics 3: Speech Acts. New York: Academic Press. Grice, P. (1989). Studies in the Way of Words. London: Harvard University Press. Hymes, D. H. (1986). Discourse: Scope without depth. In International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 57, 49-89. Keenan, E. O. (1976). On the universality of conversational implicatures. Language in Society 5.67-80. Lakoff, R. (1973). The logic of politeness, or minding your p’s and q’s. In Papers from the Ninth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society. 292-305. Loveday, L. (1983). Rhetoric patterns in conflict: The sociocultural relativity of discourse organizing processes. In Journal of Pragmatics, 7, 169-90. Mey, J. (1994). Pragmatics. An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell. Thomas, J. (1984) Cross-cultural discourse as â€Å"unequal encounter†: Toward a pragmatic analysis. In Applied Linguistics, 5(2), 226-235. Thomas, J. (1995). Meaning in Interaction. An Introduction to Pragmatics. Harlow /Munich: Longman. Walsh, M. (2009). Some neo-Gricean maxims for aboriginal Australia. Retrieved from http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/docs/alw/Walsh09.pdf (accessed 22/10/2013) Watts, R. J. (1991). Power in family discourse. Berlin: Mouton. Wierzbicka, A. (1991). Cross-Cultural Pragmatics. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter Wierzbicka, A. (1985). Different cultures, different languages, different speech acts. In Journal of Pragmatics 9.145-78.

Media Control essays

Media Control essays As citizens of a capitalist society we need to consider the dangers that corporate media imposes on democracy. Big corporations interest lies in the betterment of the corporation. So what interest does big corporation have in the media? This discussion usually begins with the question: What purpose does the media serve in a democratic society? Society currently faces a controversy over the definition of democracy. Democracy (di mokr sà ª) n., pl. -ies 1. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. 2. a state having such a form of government. 3. a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges. 4. political or social equality; democratic spirit. 5. the common people, of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power. There are two forms of democracy widely discussed yet only one is acted out. The first is a democracy for the people, where people take part in the political process. The second is the idea that the masses lack the superior qualities needed to make good decisions; we elect individuals who have the superior decision making qualities to make our decisions for us. These two interpretations run parallel in some cases but there is much discrepancy in the role the people should take in democracy. Should people take an active role in the decision making process? Or do we refrain from letting our ignorance get in the way and let our leaders do their job? In this country we let the leaders take the power. Theoretically speaking, it makes sense. Some people are better leaders than others, so they should be in charge. But what happens when the people in charge do n ...

Andro- The Prefix Thats All Man

Andro- The Prefix Thats All Man Andro- The Prefix Thats All Man Andro- The Prefix Thats All Man By Sharon Andro- derives from the Greek andros (man) and denotes anything thats male or masculine (and you thought that was testosterone 🙂 ) Its given us several words, many of them scientific or biological: andranatomy the dissection or structure of the male body androcentric regarding men as being primary or central androcephalic having a mans head upon an animals body androcracy political rule by men androcyte a male sex cell androgen a steroid/hormone that promotes the development male sexual organs and characteristics androgynous having both male and female characteristics; also applies in botany. Dont confuse this with androgenous, a biological term which means producing male offspring only android a robot that looks like a human andrology the study of diseases that affect men (sometimes called andriatry or andriatics) andromorphous having a mans shape androsterone a steroid hormone produced by men Find many more examples here. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases16 Misquoted QuotationsHyphenation in Compound Nouns

Leonardo da Vincis Work Mona Lisa Personal Statement

Leonardo da Vincis Work Mona Lisa - Personal Statement Example To a large degree, the formal analysis revealed these characteristics of the work to me for the first time. Now upon examining reproductions, I recognize that in large part there is a distinction between the linearity in the woman’s hands, as well as in bodily elements. I also recognize the painterly elements in terms of the sfumato effect, specifically in an articulation of the woman’s mouth. One element I disagree with is the mystery surrounding the woman’s expression. While I recognize art critics popularly argued this feature of the painting, I believe that to a degree such perspectives are overblown and the work can be appreciated simply for its power and depth of creation.  Now upon examining reproductions, I recognize that in large part there is a distinction between the linearity in the woman’s hands, as well as in bodily elements. I also recognize the painterly elements in terms of the sfumato effect, specifically in the articulation of the woma n’s mouth. One element I disagree with is the mystery surrounding the woman’s expression. While I recognize art critics popularly argued this feature of the painting, I believe that to a degree such perspectives are overblown and the work can be appreciated simply for its power and depth of creation.              

Effect of Internet on Fraud and Identity Theft Essay

Effect of Internet on Fraud and Identity Theft - Essay Example The number of adult Americans with Internet access was expected to increase from about 88 million in mid-2000 to more than 104 million at the end of 2004. (Claburn, 2004)The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce approximated that in the fourth quarter of 2000, online retail sales amounted to $8.686 billion, a boost of 67.1 per hundred from the 4th quarter of 1999. (Haeberle, 2004) Total e-commerce sales for 2000 were an approximated $25.8 billion, accounting for 0.8 percent of all sales. Bankers, for instance, who conduct online banking transactions are particularly vulnerable to fraud and identity theft (Sullins, 2006). Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the rise in e-commerce has become fertile ground for fraud, resulting in a loss of billions of dollars yearly worldwide (Bolton & Hand, 2002). Apparently, the fraudsters are quick to realize the potential of a new technology or system to propagate deception and identity theft, and early on exploit it to their benefit. Long-distance telemarketing became the channel of such criminal activity when it was first introduced in the 1970s. So too the pay-per-call service when it became accessible in the late 1980s. Internet technology is the newest attraction for opportunistic fraudsters who take advantage of it for personal gain. The problems facing law enforcers is the rapidly evolving techniques used by the fraudsters (Acoca, 2008). The rapid increase in the number of complaints associated with online deception and fraud bears this out: in 1997, the Commission obtained less than 1,000 Internet deception complaints; the following year, the number had expanded eight-fold. Although most Internet deceptions arise from customary scams, the variety of techniques ingeniously devised to exploit the new technology is quickly proliferating.  

CSR for business managers, stakeholders and society Research Paper

CSR for business managers, stakeholders and society - Research Paper Example Therefore it is the duty of the companies to work in accordance with the interests of the community and environment. However, only few companies are strictly observing CSR in practice, even though most of the companies agree with CSR in principle. This paper analyses the reputation of Coca Cola in terms of corporate social responsibility. Description of the company Operating in more than 200 countries worldwide, the American company Coca cola is one among the largest soft drink manufacturers in the world at present. â€Å"In May, 1886, Coca Cola was invented by Doctor John Pemberton a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia. Today, products of the Coca Cola Company are consumed at the rate of more than one billion drinks per day† (Bellis). Even though PepsiCo is causing some serious challenges to Coca Cola in some part of the world, Coca Cola is able to maintain its superiority in most of the regions in the world. Issue Identification According to Jeff Seabright, The Coca-Cola Compan y's vice president of environment and water resources, â€Å"sustainability begins with the simple act of paying attention. You can't manage what you can't measure"(Making Sustainability the Real Thing). In other words, Coca Cola is well aware of the importance of concepts such as corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. However, the accusations against Coca Cola with respect to the violation of social responsibility are growing across the world. ... People from Kerala (India’s southernmost state) have recently conducted an agitation against the underwater exploitation by Coca Cola. Villagers near Plachimada, Kerala faced severe drinking water shortage because of Coca Cola’s uncontrolled underwater exploitation. Coca Cola forced to close down their plant at Plachimada because of the public agitation against them (EMJ). Significance of the Issue Drinking water shortage is one of the major problems facing by people all over the world. Because of injudicious farming activities and heavy industrialization, majority of the water resources such as rivers and streams were polluted in most parts of the world. As a result of that current generation is relying heavily on underwater resources for their drinking needs. Coca Cola like soft drink manufacturers is exploiting these resources and the people near the soft drink bottling plants are struggling to get enough drinking water from the nature. Stakeholder identification Som e of the major stakeholders of Coca Cola Company are; ordinary people, Coca Cola employees, shareholders in Coca Cola, government and local bodies. On one side, Coca Cola is trying to make profit and safeguard the interests of the company management and the shareholders. On the other side, ordinary people lose their drinking water resources and the government and local bodies struggle to take proper actions. It should be noted that as part of free trade agreements, it is the duty of the government of India to prepare enough facilities to Coca Cola like companies. Moreover, Indian government is currently trying to attract foreign direct investment at any cost to stimulate economic growth. The investments by Coca Cola would definitely help

The Arguments For Privatization

The Arguments For Privatization Privatization is transfer of state owned enterprises to private ownership. William Megginson and Jeffrey M. Netter(2000) defined privatization politically and economically, as the deliberate sale by a government of state owned enterprises(SOEs) of assets to private economic agents. According to Charles A Ntiri (2010); Privatization has been defined by economic scholars and jurists to encompass a wide range of options for involvement of private capital and management in the running and operations of public enterprises It may involve the total transfer of public ownership and assets structures to private companies or conversion of public enterprises to private entities or incorporation of new private entities in place of public enterprises which can be by management transfers etc. He also quote Heydare Kord-Zanganeh (2001) on privatization to refer to all initiatives designed to increase the role of private entities for applying society resources to produce products and services by dec reasing and restricting government or official roles. Lumbini Kulasekera (2001) in his article on Restructuring stated-owned enterprises through privatization explain that, the system of state enterprises was established to provide support. Support for consumers in form of better products and services at less cost. Support for workers in form of rewarding and meaningful employment .Support for the government in form of revenues. Many state enterprises can no longer provide this support .In fact they are in need of support themselves .These institutions in fact, should be productive national assets, making a contribution to the progress and welfare of the country. But years of politicization, corruption, mismanagement, inadequate investment, lack of vision and discipline have stripped them of their potential making them colossal liabilities.Over the years enormous amounts of money have been spent to sustain ailing state enterprises. Governments borrow heavily from the state banks and from foreign financial institutions. Aid donors will n o longer support wasteful expenditure .Therefore either unproductive state enterprises will have to be shut down or the entire economy will go bankrupt. Privatization therefore is inevitable and necessary. This essay explain the arguments for privatization of state owned enterprises in emerging markets and why state owned banks in emerging markets have not been privatized. The essay comprises of three sections; Introductory part, arguments for privatization of state owned enterprises and why state owned banks have not been privatized in emerging markets, conclusion has been done respectively in each of the second and third section respectively. Arguments for privatization There are different arguments for privatization of state owned enterprises in emerging market in support of different researches done earlier concerning the privatization in emerging economies. William L. Megginson Jeffry M.Netter(2000) argue that, Contracting ability impacts the efficiency of state and private ownership. Government ownership of firms results in problems in defining the goals of the firm. He also quote Hansmann and Kraakman(2000), While the shareholder-wealth maximizing model of corporate organization is becoming increasingly dominant in part because of the advantages of having a well-defined corporate goal, he continued that governments have many objectives other than profit or shareholder-wealth maximization. Further, government objectives can change from one administration to the next. The inability of the government to credibly commit to a policy can significantly reduce the efficiency of a firms operations and governance. Even if the government does attempt to maximize social welfare, for example, welfare is a difficult thing to measure and use in guiding policy. In addition, the governments goals can be inconsistent with efficiency, inconsistent with maximizing social welfare, or even malevolent (he quoted Laffont and Tirole, 1993 and Shleifer, 1999).In addition, even if the government and the nations citizens agree that profit maximizing is the goal of the firm, it is difficult to write complete contracts that adequately tie managers incentives to that goal. Shleifer (1999) argues that the owners of public firms (the nations citizens) are less able to write complete contracts with their managers because of their diffuse nature, making it difficult to tie the managers incentives to the returns from their decisions. This is a subset of the broader arguments based in property rights and agency costs that there will be differences in performance between government and privately held firms because there are a broader range of monitoring devices under private ownership. William L. Megginson Jeffry M. Netter (2000) argue that, Ownership structure affects the ease with which government can intervene in the operations of a firm. Of course, governments can intervene in the operations of any firm, either public or private. However, the governments transaction costs of intervening in production arrangements and other decisions of the firm are greater when firms are privately owned. Thus, to the extent that government intervention has greater costs than benefits, private ownership is preferred to public ownership (Sappington and Stiglitz, 1987). William L. Megginson Jeffry M. Netter (2000) also argue that, a major source of inefficiency in public firms stems from less-prosperous firms being allowed to rely on the government for funding, leading to soft budget constraints. The state is unlikely to allow a large SOE to face bankruptcy. Thus, the discipline enforced on private firms by the capital markets and the threat of financial distress is less important for state-owned firms. Kornai (1998, 1993), Berglof and Roland (1998), and Frydman, Gray, Hessel, and Rapaczynski (2000) all suggest that soft budget constraints were a major source of inefficiency in Communist firms. They also note that supposedly hard budget constraints imposed by a government on SOEs are not very effective either. William L. Megginson Jeffry M. Netter (2000) also argue that, Privatization can impact efficiency through its effect on government fiscal conditions. As noted in Section 1, governments have raised huge amounts of money by selling SOEs. Such sales have helped reduce the fiscal deficit in many countries. Though important, examining the efficiency effects of reducing government deficits is beyond the scope of this paper. Davis, Ossowski, Richardson and Barnett (2000) show that privatization has significant positive effects on governments fiscal conditions. William L. Megginson Jeffry M. Netter (2000) also argue that, At a macroeconomic level, privatization can help develop product and security markets. One important motivation for privatization is to help develop factor and product markets, as well as security markets. As discussed above, welfare economics argues that efficiency is achieved through competitive markets. Thus, to the extent that privatization promotes competition, privatization can have important efficiency effects. Inevitably, the effectiveness of privatization programs and markets themselves are simultaneously determined. It has been clear in the transition economies that the success of the privatization program depends on the strength of the markets within the same country, and vice versa. Thus, the impact of privatization will differ across countries depending on the strength of the existing private sector. The empirical evidence shows that this is the case. Market Socialism: The opponents of privatization argue that neoclassical economics welfare theorems should also work in an economy with public ownership .Instead of a soviet type economy with public ownership and planning, one can imagine a market socialism (Barone 1908; Lange 1936) system where firms are publicly owned, but exchange occurs in competitive markets, and SOE managers are incentivized via performance contracts. Some adherents of market socialism argue this is exactly what has been successfully implemented in China ( Critics of this idea argue that is very hard for the government to commit not to intervene in markets .Under market socialism, the government is omnipotent and can directly control all the prices. Therefore ,it is hard to protect market competition from the government monopoly , which would not only expropriate the consumer surplus but would also undermine efficiency .It is also hard for the government to commit to the strict antitrust policy that weakens the market power of state-owned firms. Even in an open economy which imports product market competition ,the government still wields a monopoly in the labor market and in markets for nontradeables.The government is also unable to commit to abstain from political pursuit s while designing and enforcing managements contracts. Another problem of government ownership is the liability to ensure the exit of failing firms. Governments (or government banks) often bail out firms, private or public, in order to preserve employment. This problem is especially severe in the case of public firms .It is essentially impossible for the state to commit to not bailing out its own firms. The resulting soft budget constraints further aggravate the incentives problem for state owned enterprises. Yet another argument in favor of private ownership is the importance of innovation; Shleifer 1998 argues that innovation can only prosper under private ownership .While inventors can come up with great ideas independently of the predominant ownership forms; further development commercialization of innovative ideas is certainly more likely under private ownership. Government revenue: Privatization helps to raise revenues for Government. State owned enterprises comprises of multiplicity of goals, they wants to maximize profit but they focus more on social security for the citizen, increase of employment might lead to overstaffing hence increase more cost on operations, Insufficient quality of facilities like machines for production ,leads to poor and incompetent products which cannot lead to generation of more profit. According to Sergei Guriev and William Megginson (2005) comments that private ownership strengthens the incentives for profit maximazion and therefore should lead to increased productive and allocative efficiency. Market failures. SOEs (State owned Enterprises) lack innovation that leads failure in the market. This is due to the fact that government aids compensate them even when they make losses so that they continue to operate and avoid the large number of unemployment. Sergei Guriev and William Megginson (2005) said that market failure even when they exist, do not have to be collected through public ownership. Much can be achieved through regulation, taxation, and private provision of public goods (through profit maximizing firms or nonprofit organizations. They also say that Public ownership may not resolve all the relevant issues both in democrat and in non regimes politicians are often concerned with issues other than economic efficient and social welfare; they may be either driven by political motives or simply corrupt.Privatisation reduces the ability to pursue political objectives. Megginson and natter (2000) argue that, Privatization tends to help the greatest positive impact in those cases where the role for the government in licensing the market failure is the weakest. By conclusion, There is growing body of empirical evidence on all aspects of privatization that uses detailed datasets and up-to-date methodology this empirical evidence provides solid evidence that privatization generally works both for the firms that are privatized and for privatizing economies as a whole. While privatization usually results both in increased productivity and reduced employment in privatized firms, fears of negative overall effects at the economy level are not justified. An important caveat here of those benefits of privatization depends on market institutions being in place. The countries that manage to ensure property rights protection and the rule of law, impose hard budget, increase competition, and improve corporate governance reap the largest benefits. If appropriate institutions are not in place, privatization often fails to improve performance at the firm level and for the economy as a whole. Empirical evidence provides a strong case for openness in privatization .Virtually all point to a positive role of foreign investors. Firms privatized to foreign owners exhibit the highest productivity increases .Moreover, as foreign owners usually buy the assets in a more competitive biddings process, they are likely to pay a high price for privatize assets and the threat of competition from foreign bidders also tends to raise the bids of domestic investors. Receiving a high net privatization price is important, not only for fiscal reasons but also for the political legitimacy of emerging private property rights and the sustainability of reforms. Why have State-Owned Banks not been Privatized in Emerging Markets? Many emerging markets have not privatized their banking systems or face some challenges after privatization. Panicos Demetriades et al (2010) argue that, governments should not feel pressured to re-privatize the banks. Once the black sheep of high finance, government owned banks can reassure depositors about the safety of their savings and can help maintain a focus on productive investment in a world in which effective financial regulation remains more of an aspiration than a reality. Privatization of banks has been done in some of emerging markets for example Mexico, India and China. Mexico face banking crisis in 1994, India face some challenges as private owned banks could not meet their pre-privatization objectives, while China face crisis but were able to maintain. Privatization can cause banking crisis. Times of India, article on Privatization can cause banking crisis of by TNN, 16 November 2001; Prof V.S. Vyas, chairman of the governing board of institute of development studies, Jaipur, has given a call for preventing banking crisis through reckless privatization. He was delivering the valedictory address at the recently held national seminar on `privatization of banks at Mangalagangothri, organized by corporation bank chair in bank management. Vyas, also a member of the central board of directors of the reserve bank of India and Nabard, said the content and phase of the economic reforms are different in different countries. Therefore, any sweeping measures to privatize banks would cause a severe banking crisis. On the banking crises in south-east Asian countries, he said the government should not give absolute freedom to the private financial institutions and foreign banks. Any move to give market orientation to ownership of financial instit utions like banks must be judged by applying three criteria; better initiative and transparency, better efficiency, better capital accumulation and growth. There is no conclusive proof to show private banks is better than the public sector banks when these criteria are applied, he said. Mexico has been cited as having to privatize its banks and face financial Crisis. Haluk,Unal Miguel Navarro (1999) said that shortly after their privatization, Banco Union (BCH), Cremi, Grupo Havre, and Banpa is failed. Following the peso devaluation of December 20, 1994, the entire banking system needed to be re-privatized at great cost to the tax payer. What went wrong? It is safe to argue that the lack of a previously enhanced legal and regulatory framework was a major obstacle in the full achievement of objectives relating to bank privatization in general. Although several attempts were made to overhaul the banking system, efforts were insufficient at the beginning of the bank privatization process to increase supervision. Changes in the legal and regulatory framework of the financial sector should have begun long before the privatization process started, as they usually are a slow and gradual process. The newly privatized banking system in Mexico operated under an outdated regu latory environment and with a set of supervisory agencies unable to implement new regulations or enforce existing rules. Performance of private owned banks could not outweigh the performance of government owned banks. Times of India, article on Privatization can cause banking crisis of by TNN, 16 November 2001, Prof Vyas lauded the achievements of the public sector banks in India in the last 36 years, particularly in reaching out to the masses in the hither to neglected villages. Even in china, the banks could not reach the level of rural penetration which the Indian public sector banks have been able to. The solution to the stagnation of banks is minimizing bureaucratic control, not hasty privatization, he argued. Former syndicate bank chairman and Thingalaya alleged the government made the proposal to privatize banks to satisfy the international monetary foundation (IMF) and the World Bank. Thingalaya, also a member of the Karnataka state planning board, said while the private sector banks in India account for just 6 per cent of the rural lending, it is the public sector banks which have been helping the rural masses in a big way. P.V. Subbarao, Chief General Manager, reserve bank of India, Mumbai, said while the private sector banks in India operate only in limited areas with very little staff, these banks are serving numerous villages and towns. The new generation private sector banks, the old private sector banks and foreign banks have yet to develop the mass participation approach, he observed. According to D. Beim and C. Calomiris (2001) If banks are privatized before SOEs, bank owners may engage in buying more companies and become industrial empires. Foreign banks may out-complete domestic banks and leave them seriously weakened. D. Beim and C. Calomiris (2001) added that Capital inflows (short term loans and portfolio flows) can easily go into reverse (e.g. outflow) and create liquidity crisis. In conclusion we cite Panicos Demetriades et al (2010), at the moment, there is calm among bank depositors but premature privatization of government owned banks could change that. The empirical evidence suggests that the very existence of government owned banks has its roots in bad regulation. Privatizing banks without fixing the underlying cause could result in greater financial instability, not less. Moreover, as experience and other research shows, privatizing banks can only increase the power of bankers which can create fertile ground for more bad regulation. And if you thought that government owned banks are bad for long run growth, you need to think again. The empirical evidence suggests that government ownership of banks during 1995-2007 has, if anything, been associated with higher growth rates.

Essay on Picture of Dorian Gray: The Rotting of the Spirit :: Picture Dorian Gray Essays

The Rotting of the Spirit in The Picture of Dorian Gray      Ã‚  Ã‚   Oscar Wilde, author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, makes Basil's life change drastically by having him paint a portrait of Dorian Gray and express too much of himself in it, which, in Wilde's mind, is a troublesome obstacle to circumvent. â€Å"Wilde believes that the artist should not portray any of himself in his work, so when Basil does this, it is he who creates his own downfall, not Dorian† (Shewan 36).    Wilde introduces Basil to Dorian when Basil begins to notice Dorian staring at him at a party. Basil "suddenly became conscious that someone was looking at [him]. [He] turned halfway around and saw Dorian Gray for the first time" (Wilde 24). Basil immediately notices him, however Basil is afraid to talk to him. His reason for this is that he does "not want any external influence in [his] life" (Wilde 24). This is almost a paradox in that it is eventually his own internal influence that destroys him. Wilde does this many times throughout the book. He loved using paradoxes and that is why Lord Henry, the character most similar to Wilde, is quoted as being called "Price Paradox."    Although Dorian and Basil end up hating each other, they do enjoy meeting each other for the first time. Basil finds something different about Dorian. He sees him in a different way than he sees other men. Dorian is not only beautiful to Basil, but he is also gentle and kind. This is when Basil falls in love with him and begins to paint the picture. Basil begins painting the picture, but does not tell anyone about it, including Dorian, because he knows that there is too much of himself in it. Lord Henry discovers the painting and asks Basil why he will not display it. Lord Henry thinks that it is so beautiful it should be displayed in a museum. Basil argues that the reason he will not display the painting is because he is "afraid that [he] has shown in it the secret of his soul" (Wilde 23). This is another paradox because he has not only shown the secret of his soul, but the painting eventually comes to show the secret of Dorian's soul also.      In the preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde explains that "to reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim" (Wilde 17).

Supply Chain Risk Management

Supply Chain Risk Management is the concept of trying to foresee disruptions to timely supply of goods or services required by the organisation and creating systems to mitigate these at the lowest possible cost to the organisation and by so doing ensure that there will be continuity in the normal operations of the business. Supply chain risks have the potential to cripple a business’ operations and can have long and short term effects which may be difficult to recover from.A delay along a route is a short term problem whereas the presence of a monopoly supplier in the chain holding up stocks to force an increase in prices or shutting down for whatever reason is long term. Certain types of disruptions are both difficult to anticipate and rare, but very damaging when they occur; for example, natural disasters such as earthquakes are difficult to predict but have the potential to ruin entire factories and road networks wreaking havoc to the entire supply chain.Disruptions to supp ly can be anticipated and countered by building inventory or by having multiple redundant suppliers since it is highly unlikely to encounter a scenario where multiple suppliers are simultaneously disrupted. Both of these processes can be described as building supply chain reserves. Concept of Risk Risk can be perceived from various angles; one of its basic definitions being the probability of threat of quantifiable damage, injury, liability, loss or any other negative occurrence that is caused by external or internal vulnerabilities and that may be avoided through pre-emptive action.1 In developing an understanding of risk, it is necessary to incorporate its two fundamental facets; the first being the exposure to the uncertainty and the second being the actual outcomes upon occurrence of the event. 2 Hence, risk can be expressed as the product of probability and consequences of an event. Along with this, one must also be able to know the sources of the identified risk. 2 It is commo n to analyse risk by means of a matrix with 2 dimensions, probability and consequences but such an analysis has the main disadvantage of being reliant on risk perception.Risk perception depends on time, experience, location, attitude, position and possibilities to decide and scale of events. 2 It is also important to realise that risk has no technical value in and of itself, hence in developing a risk management process, the aim is to always do it at a minimum cost. 3 Risk Variety An overview of business risks in general is useful in understanding supply chain risk. Risks can be externally driven (environmental, external factors, competitors, customers, regulations), internally driven and decision driven.3 At times, managing supply chain risk may be difficult because of the interconnection of individual risks and actions that mitigate one risk may end up exacerbating another. For example, nitrogen gas used for bottling in large amounts may displace the local atmosphere and cause asp hyxiation. Increasing local stores may minimise the effects of a shortage of supply but immediately it increases storage costs and the possibility of leaks in a larger vessel.Broadly speaking, risks can be categorized as those that bring about delays in the supply chain and those that disrupt the normal flow. 4 Delays The occurrence of delays in material flows is the result of either of several possible factors such as; Inflexibility of suppliers hence inability to respond to changes in demand Poor output at supplier plants High levels of handling or inspections at border crossings In a scenario where these are frequent, historical trends can be used to create a forecasting tool against which with proper demand planning, these effects can be mitigated.In the local case of SZL, sugar is may be delayed by a day or two at the Limpopo Border post and analysis of past trends has allowed a conclusion to be drawn that a minimum and maximum stock level of 3 days and 1 week cover is sufficie nt to both cover for these drawbacks and at the same time neither be too much of an impedance to the cash flow of the organisation nor create a significant rise in local storage costs. Disruptions Disruptions by nature tend to be infrequent, difficult to predict and forecast but very damaging when they occur.Examples that fall under this category include labour strikes, terror strikes and fires. Some disruptions have effects that transcend over various industries and can even be international such as earthquakes or the tsunami in Japan in recent memory. Disruptions also adversely affect material prices which can pose a significant problem to business operations. These can be countered by building inventories or having multiple redundant suppliers. The decision making process however as to which path of action is governed by the following factors; Cost of inventoryCost of keeping inventory Accuracy of prediction of the disruption and available information Rate of obsolescence of mate rial whilst in inventory Likelihood of disruption For instance, MM juice concentrates are a high cost in storage, requiring refrigeration to maximise on lifespan but the decision is made to keep a significant amount within stock because of the uncertainty of the supply delivery time and the reality that upon the sea, there may be unforeseen disruptions.However, in the case of bottle preforms, not more than a week’s cover is normally kept because of the usual reliability of the suppliers and low likelihood of low supply. A recent incident however has necessitated to review this as an intra-factory incident at Megapak caused a mini-crisis within the organisation. Risk Handling Often, the strategies employed by companies protect against recurrent relatively low impact risks in the supply chain but tend to ignore high impact low likelihood risks.Suppliers with quality problems represent a common recurrent problem (labels with SZL for instance). Top manufacturers will deal with th e range of supply chain risks encountered by holding reserves in the form of excess inventory, excess capacity and redundant suppliers. 4 The key challenge facing management is to intelligently position and sizing of supply-chain reserves with a minimum impact on profits i. e. attain the greatest possible profit regardless of the level of supply chain risk and achieving this in an efficient manner.To development a risk management strategy that will work, it is necessary to first create a shared organization-wide understanding of supply-chain risk and then determine how to adapt general risk-mitigation approaches to local organizational circumstances. 4 This is achieved by stress testing and tailoring. Stress Testing This is a team exercise that aids managers and their organizations to both understand and prioritize supply-chain risk. A what-if scenario analysis can be employed to assist the key players to focus on the supply chain 1-link at a time.It is a brainstorming exercise that helps the company prepare for unforeseen events rather than the platform to debate the likelihood of such events. Such an exercise allows for risk-mitigation priorities to be made for the near, medium and long term. In addition to this, it leaves all involved parties with a clear idea of what risks might have an impact on sales, procurement costs, revenues, prices and possibly even reputation. 4 Tailoring Tailoring is the process of suiting the response to a risk to the organization and continuously monitoring to ensure that procedures and systems in place are suitable for the purposes of the business. Supply Chain Risk Management Supply Chain Risk Management is the concept of trying to foresee disruptions to timely supply of goods or services required by the organisation and creating systems to mitigate these at the lowest possible cost to the organisation and by so doing ensure that there will be continuity in the normal operations of the business. Supply chain risks have the potential to cripple a business’ operations and can have long and short term effects which may be difficult to recover from.A delay along a route is a short term problem whereas the presence of a monopoly supplier in the chain holding up stocks to force an increase in prices or shutting down for whatever reason is long term. Certain types of disruptions are both difficult to anticipate and rare, but very damaging when they occur; for example, natural disasters such as earthquakes are difficult to predict but have the potential to ruin entire factories and road networks wreaking havoc to the entire supply chain.Disruptions to supp ly can be anticipated and countered by building inventory or by having multiple redundant suppliers since it is highly unlikely to encounter a scenario where multiple suppliers are simultaneously disrupted. Both of these processes can be described as building supply chain reserves. Concept of Risk Risk can be perceived from various angles; one of its basic definitions being the probability of threat of quantifiable damage, injury, liability, loss or any other negative occurrence that is caused by external or internal vulnerabilities and that may be avoided through pre-emptive action.In developing an understanding of risk, it is necessary to incorporate its two fundamental facets; the first being the exposure to the uncertainty and the second being the actual outcomes upon occurrence of the event. 2 Hence, risk can be expressed as the product of probability and consequences of an event. Along with this, one must also be able to know the sources of the identified risk. 2 It is common to analyse risk by means of a matrix with 2 dimensions, probability and consequences but such an analysis has the main disadvantage of being reliant on risk perception.Risk perception depends on time, experience, location, attitude, position and possibilities to decide and scale of events. 2 It is also important to realise that risk has no technical value in and of itself, hence in developing a risk management process, the aim is to always do it at a minimum cost. 3 Risk Variety An overview of business risks in general is useful in understanding supply chain risk. Risks can be externally driven (environmental, external factors, competitors, customers, regulations), internally driven and decision driven.At times, managing supply chain risk may be difficult because of the interconnection of individual risks and actions that mitigate one risk may end up exacerbating another. For example, nitrogen gas used for bottling in large amounts may displace the local atmosphere and cause asphyxi ation. Increasing local stores may minimise the effects of a shortage of supply but immediately it increases storage costs and the possibility of leaks in a larger vessel.Broadly speaking, risks can be categorized as those that bring about delays in the supply chain and those that disrupt the normal flow. 4 Delays The occurrence of delays in material flows is the result of either of several possible factors such as; Inflexibility of suppliers hence inability to respond to changes in demand Poor output at supplier plants High levels of handling or inspections at border crossings In a scenario where these are frequent, historical trends can be used to create a forecasting tool against which with proper demand planning, these effects can be mitigated.In the local case of SZL, sugar is may be delayed by a day or two at the Limpopo Border post and analysis of past trends has allowed a conclusion to be drawn that a minimum and maximum stock level of 3 days and 1 week cover is sufficient t o both cover for these drawbacks and at the same time neither be too much of an impedance to the cash flow of the organisation nor create a significant rise in local storage costs. Disruptions Disruptions by nature tend to be infrequent, difficult to predict and forecast but very damaging when they occur.Examples that fall under this category include labour strikes, terror strikes and fires. Some disruptions have effects that transcend over various industries and can even be international such as earthquakes or the tsunami in Japan in recent memory. Disruptions also adversely affect material prices which can pose a significant problem to business operations. These can be countered by building inventories or having multiple redundant suppliers. The decision making process however as to which path of action is governed by the following factors; Cost of inventoryCost of keeping inventory Accuracy of prediction of the disruption and available information Rate of obsolescence of material whilst in inventory Likelihood of disruption For instance, MM juice concentrates are a high cost in storage, requiring refrigeration to maximise on lifespan but the decision is made to keep a significant amount within stock because of the uncertainty of the supply delivery time and the reality that upon the sea, there may be unforeseen disruptions.However, in the case of bottle preforms, not more than a week’s cover is normally kept because of the usual reliability of the suppliers and low likelihood of low supply. A recent incident however has necessitated to review this as an intra-factory incident at Megapak caused a mini-crisis within the organisation. Risk Handling Often, the strategies employed by companies protect against recurrent relatively low impact risks in the supply chain but tend to ignore high impact low likelihood risks.Suppliers with quality problems represent a common recurrent problem (labels with SZL for instance). Top manufacturers will deal with the ra nge of supply chain risks encountered by holding reserves in the form of excess inventory, excess capacity and redundant suppliers. 4 The key challenge facing management is to intelligently position and sizing of supply-chain reserves with a minimum impact on profits i. e. attain the greatest possible profit regardless of the level of supply chain risk and achieving this in an efficient manner.To development a risk management strategy that will work, it is necessary to first create a shared organization-wide understanding of supply-chain risk and then determine how to adapt general risk-mitigation approaches to local organizational circumstances. 4 This is achieved by stress testing and tailoring. Stress Testing This is a team exercise that aids managers and their organizations to both understand and prioritize supply-chain risk. A what-if scenario analysis can be employed to assist the key players to focus on the supply chain 1-link at a time.It is a brainstorming exercise that hel ps the company prepare for unforeseen events rather than the platform to debate the likelihood of such events. Such an exercise allows for risk-mitigation priorities to be made for the near, medium and long term. In addition to this, it leaves all involved parties with a clear idea of what risks might have an impact on sales, procurement costs, revenues, prices and possibly even reputation. 4 Tailoring Tailoring is the process of suiting the response to a risk to the organization and continuously monitoring to ensure that procedures and systems in place are suitable for the purposes of the business.