Saturday, August 31, 2019

Parents Should Use Physical Force to Discipline Children Essay

Introduction                     Discipline is a set instructions laid down for correction and training. It can be in form of punishment, physical activity, exercise or training aimed at changing and/or improving the behavior of the person being corrected. Discipline has always been seen as forceful correction, thus bringing negativity in its perception (Foucault, 1977). Generally, for any parent, a child should grow in a manner that pleases the parent and the community. The use of force has always been associated with the phrase â€Å"to discipline†. Physical force when used by a parent in disciplining a child, may leave a mark on the body of the child that will always serve as a reminder to the child whenever the child goes wrong. But it’s the way to child abuse. Schwan (2011) states the mark will serve as reminder thus bring self-control in any child whom is a victim, thus the willpower that will drive the child what is right. With self-control, comes motivation that is the steering to propel a victim. Physically inflicting pain brings training and control. Training is a routine as well as control therefore calling the parent to come out strongly and be ready to bring back the child to the desired direction any time the child goes wrong. Force can be quick and effective because not all children react to other forms that parent use to discipline them, this is true for children with hearing impairment as a disability, under this situation parents are left with no option but to use force to make the child grow in accordance to the ways that pleases not only the parents but the society to which the child belong. References Shaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (2011).  Human aggression and violence: Causes, manifestations, and consequences. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Fairchild, J. H. (1892).  Moral science: Or, The philosophy of obligation. New York: Sheldon & Co. Crosser, S. (2005).  What do we know about early childhood education?: Research based practice. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning. Films on Demand., & Films Media Group. (2010).  Breaking the Cycle of Abuse. Lawrenceville, NJ: Films Media Group. Source document

Friday, August 30, 2019

Amir as the Narrator Essay

The novel The Kite Runner is narrated by the main character, Amir. The novels follows Amir’s struggling path from adolescence to manhood. Amir tells the story of his life growing up in Kabul with his father, Baba and their two Hazara servants Hassan and Ali. Hassan is Amir’s half brother and best friend growing up; testing friendships, keeping secrets, accepting faults and gaining understanding. The two spent many years enjoying playing and kite fighting together as brothers. Amir describes his relationship with Hassan as very close and personal; he enjoys learning and growing with Hassan even though Hassan is considered below him in their society; expected to be a servant to Amir, not a companion. Although Hassan and Amir’s relationship seemed unbreakable, the winter of 1975 changed everything. Amir tells us of the major â€Å"kite fighting† competition that happens every year with all the local kids. Soon after Amir wins the competition that year, tragedy occurs with Hassan in a back alley, he is raped by a neighborhood boy, Assef. Amir witnesses this and tells no one about it. This later unravels the relationship between him and Hassan resulting in Hassan and Ali leaving Amir and Baba’s home. Throughout the novel, Amir is completely changed from this event. Throughout the book Amir struggles to be the son his father, Baba wants him to be. He feels that his father burdens Amir with the death of his mother because she died giving birth to Amir. Amir tells how Baba is very critical of him and makes him feel as though he can never reach his father’s expectations. Amir feels as though he needs to fight with Hassan for his father’s approval. Although he never had an ideal relationship with Baba, Amir loves and respects him to the fullest. Baba guides Amir through life helping him in becoming the best man he can be. Later in the novel Amir realizes how much he appreciated Baba.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Paradoxical Twins Acme and Omega Electronics

Case Study on Paradoxical Twins Acme And Omega Electronics By ABC Paradoxical Twins Acme And Omega Electronics Defining the issue After reading the case of the â€Å"Paradoxical Twins Acme and Omega Electronics†, I found Both Acme and Omega produce similar products and offer similar services. Acme president John Tyler is a very tough going individual and he is portrayed to be an autocratic individual because there is one way communication in Acme. The case provides an opportunity to evaluate both Acme and Omega’s organization structure of a business.Both companies used to have the same organizational structure but after they were sold to different investors, as a consequence of this, each company has its own procedures and company policies. Following are the same facts about both the company mentioned in the case after they became the separate business entity. Acme retained original management and promoted GM to the president. They have well defined organizational struc ture  and  decisions are often taken by top management without consulting manufacturing department.And they have  well defined job responsibilities and authority. Omega  hired a new president and upgraded several existing personnel within the plant. They don’t have the organizational structure and they believe that  Organizational chart seems like artificial barrier. They have a participative management style of leadership and they don’t have well defined job specification. Acme has shipped the 100 prototypes on 2 shifts, and 20% of  these units were found defective. While Omega has shipped the100 units on time, and no defective items were  detected.Despite of these facts, and although, as seen in the previous section,Omega was more effective than Acme, the photocopier manufacturer decided to split the final contract between  Acme and Omega, under the conditions of maintaining zero defects and lowering the final cost  Justifications of this decision c ould be: 1-Acme retained the original structure of Technological Products of Erie, and has been able to be an Omega in profitable contracts in the past. This has formed a good reputation for Acme that might have contributed in giving them a chance to have a ortion of this contract. 2- Acmes price was slightly lower than Omega’s, and since the photocopier manufacturer have conditioned high quality, I t might have been more profitable to choose  Acme as well as Omega. 3-Omega was not rejected because that would be unethical and may be illegal since they met the deadline and provided high quality inputs to photocopier manufacturer. At Acme: The high formality of coordination, and the  tall hierarchy of the organizational chart, has affected the way activities were being done.The most important effects can be summarized as follows: 1-Little information was communicated to the organization as a whole and between different departments. 2-Lack of motivation, as some manager†™s voiced. 3-Some inertia against trying new methods of work existed. 4-Coordination between divisions was not high enough that some important decisions were wrongly taken. At Omega: 1-Due to the highly informal fashion work was being done in,employees had an ambiguous view of their own roles. 2-Information sharing was high among all levels, with sometimes caused a waste of time. -Innovative thinking was encouraged. 4-The work was  highly collaborative Analyzing the case data The paradoxical twins describe two organizations, Acme and Omega  Electronics that  are competing for the same contract for manufacturing a memory unit to be used in a photocopier. Omega, having an organic structure, wins the race because they are able to produce the higher quality memory unit. On the other hand, Acme having mechanistic structure seems less competent and less reliable because of its low quality memory unit which they are unable to produce in time and some of its prototypes fail to work. Omega even corrects a design error in the original blueprint, which improves product quality. But, both the company is given half the order, and they were encouraged to find the way to reduce the cost  Ã‚  and Acme takes advantage of this opportunity to experiment to find ways to reduce its costs, whereas Omega does not. Finally Acme discovers the way to reduce the cost by 20% and they won the contract. Omega may have won the battle, but Acme has won the war because its mechanistic structure fosters a concern for technical efficiency and cost reduction in what is a routine manufacturing environment.In this particular case, Acme decides to run a â€Å"tight ship† (mechanistic structure) in order to increase productivity and efficiency, and to decrease costs. The advantage of this strategy is that they can undersell their competition (Omega) by selling at a lower cost. Omega, on the other hand, is nearly too opposite. They run a more organic structure, which relies heavily up on communication, delegation and teamwork. This strategy allows Omega to effectively compete with Acme by stressing reliability and by placing emphasis on quality.Omega’s decentralized, organic approach allowed for the building of prototypes 10 days faster than Acme, correction of errors, and a highly reliable prototype—much more reliable than Acme’s, which had a 10 percent failure rate. Omega was more effective when evaluated by these criteria, although Acme’s prices were lower than Omega’s because of that Acme won the competition and which was a fair result in my opinion. Its mechanistic structure provided it with the management system and incentives needed to improve and reduce its manufacturing process, so that Acme won the final race over Omega.Generating alternatives * Change in the organizational structure of both companies is needed. * Development and adaptation of new technology and techniques is required in both companies. * There should be a change in the workflow of the companies. * The merger of both companies is also an option open for both companies. Selecting decision criteria Selection criteria for the alternatives is performance and working style along with organization structure is adopted to find and recommend the alternatives. Analyzing and evaluating alternativesSome changes can be made at both plants that would increase efficiency of work and hence enhance their competitive advantage against each other. Selecting the preferred alternative Alternative-1Change in structure Omega is a decentralized organization, where managers and subordinates delegate important decisions to lower level about new organizational projects. Omega's management believes in mutual adjustment, which is the practice of using judgment on problem solving and also creates an informal way of communicating with each other rather than using standardization or written rules.There is not clear cut job analysis (job description and specifi cation). Sometime new employees don’t know what to do for a month and even longer. Omega's organic structure gives the employees more flexibility to innovative thinking, and creates a unity within the organization but it is not enough to be the effective organization. Omega should have mix organization structure; it means it would be better if there is a mix of mechanical and organic organization structure.There should be a formal communication channel to make sure that information is passed down or up whenever necessary. In my opinion, the company President Jim Rawls doesn’t have proper control over the employee’s functions and activities due to the lack of properly designed structure and communication network. They communicate information by direct meeting which is not good all the time especially during the rush time. Not only this, but also, the president spent too much time on listening to suggestion rather than having his own clear cut idea.Therefore, in c onclusion, to solve this kind of problem they should have transparent communication network within the organization to make sure there are no barriers in effective communication, they should define the job authority and responsibility of each task, there should be some chain of command in the organization or the top level management should decide in certain things which critical to the organization. They should change the structure to mechanistic structure and finally they should change their technology to mass production so that they also can reduce the cost of production and be more competitive in the market place.To be effective, Omega electronics should have some kind of hierarchy where employees feel themselves in the chain of command and there should be clear authority and responsibility of each employee. They should make sure that they communication channel within the organization is effective and transparent for the efficient and prompt flow of information. Alternative- 2 Me rger In the case of Acme and  Omega, the high level of competitions seems to be the main motivator for both plants to strive excellence, once they merge, this motivator will vanish.Another problem that might arise is a cross cultural conflict between members of the two  plants. At Acme, every role is clearly defined, and the specialization level is high, while at Omega, roles are spread among members and specialization is not that high, conciliating such differences will be a  hectic job. If those two issues were overcome, combining the well defined structure that Acme holds and the skills of its workers, with flexibility and the innovative nature of work that Omega provides,An Acme Omega merger would be a successful one and a great competitor to other plants in their industry Developing an action/implementation planAt Acme: I would be of great benefit of cross functional teams were introduced into the structure to handle jobs such as the one in this case study. It would also be a great motivator and booster  of quality of work if  managers as well as specialists were given some open space to share their view collectively rather than the unidirectional channels that are adopted at Acme. This will  also need a higher level of coordination between departments. Innovation should also be highly encouraged, due to the high pace of change and introduction of new products in Acme’sindustry.At Omega: The informal nature of the structure seems to be working fine,except that it needs a bit of formalization and  clarification of  people’s roles. This structure was a point of strength for Omega in this bid; however, it won’t work for other tasks that need faster accomplishments of the activities. For example, instead of  exchanging opinions and suggestions most of the time, this can be organized using information sharing systems that centralized data that everyone in the organization needs.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Case Study Example The proposed change of strategy has the following consequences: the fixed costs will increase to (1,053,000 + 585,000) = $ 1,638,000. Second, the new average contribution margin = (0.25*0.5) + (0.25*0.1) + (0.1 * 0.5) + (0.4 * 0.8) = 0.52. Therefore, the total restaurant sales to achieve the desired net income = (1,053,000 + 585,000 + 117,000) /0.52 = $ 3,375,000. Sales for each product lines are as follows: appetizers = (3,375,000 * 0.25) = $ 843,750; Main entrees = (3,375,000 * 0.25) = $ 843,750; Desserts = (3,375,000 * 0.1) = $ 337,500; and Beverages = (3,375,000 * 0.4) = $ 1,350,000 (DuBrin 208-212). The fixed cost will be $ 1,638,000. However, the new contribution margin = (0.15 * 0.5) + (0.5 * 0.1) + (0.1 * 0.5) + (0.25 *0. 8) = 0.375. The sales level to achieve the desired net income = (1,053,000 + 585,000 + 117,000) /0.375 = $ 4,680,000. Sales for each product lines are as follows: appetizers = (4,680,000 * 0.15) = $ 702,000; Main entrees = (4,680,000 * 0.5) = $ 2,340,000; Desserts = (4,680,000 * 0.1) = $ 468,000; and Beverages = (4,680,000 * 0.25) = $ 1,170,000 (DuBrin 208-212). This strategy increases the level of sales to achieve the desired net income of $ 117,000. A potential risk to this strategy is the failure to meet the sales level ($ 4,680,000). On the other hand, the strategy has an advantage of increasing the restaurants revenues. A company that uses manual labor in the production system experiences the following cost pool: wages to part-time and full-time employee, the contribution to a pension plan, employee recruitment costs, and moral hazard cost. On the other hand, the automated equipment system bears the following cost pools: machine acquisition costs, equipment maintenance costs, salary to IT technician, machine replacement and depreciation costs. Changing from manual labor production system to an automated equipment system changes the cost above named

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Quantitative vs. Qualitative research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quantitative vs. Qualitative research - Essay Example of the measures of concepts, then the research respondents are selected, the next step is issuing research instruments and data collection, what follows is data processing and analysis, after this process finding are drawn and conclusions made. The main steps involved in qualitative research are: setting the overall research questions, then selecting necessary subjects and sites, then relevant data ought to be collected, then interpretation follows, then theoretical and conceptual work follows, the last step is writing up conclusions and findings. In quantitative research, the quality issues involved are issues such as reliability, this deal with the measure of stability and consistency. Replication seeks to find out whether the study is repeatable. Validity seeks to establish whether what is measured is the one intended or if the conclusions are well founded. In qualitative research, quality issues are trustworthiness that entails credibility of the findings, transferability in terms of the applicability of the findings to other contexts; dependability is whether the findings apply at other times. Conformability is whether the investigator’s values have intruded to a high degree. Relevance is the importance of a topic in the field of study and the contribution made by the literature in that field. Quantitative research has major preoccupations such as measurement and reliability validity, causality which entails explanation on reason as to why things are the way they are and the direction taken by the causal influence, that is, dependent and independent variables. Another of these preoccupations is generalization which covers the question on the scope of the context, sample and population, as well as the extent to which the samples are representative. Replication is a value that seeks to reduce contamination of results by researcher values or biases, thorough procedure descriptions, and ability to duplicate in varying context. In qualitative research, the

Managing Operations comparing Emirate Airlines and Cathay Pacific Essay

Managing Operations comparing Emirate Airlines and Cathay Pacific AirLine - Essay Example (Doganis, 2001) Emirates airline is an airline company which is based in Dubai, united emirates (UAE) in the Middle East. The company is the biggest airline in the region operating passenger service. It has more than 2,350 flights per week flying to more than 91 cities in over than 61 countries located in six continents. It offers cargo services by use of its Emirates Sky cargo name. The company is based in Dubai international airport. Over 50 % of flights movements in and out of the Dubai airport are carried out by Emirates airplanes, and it is projected that by 2010 the figure will increase to 70%. The airline was established in 1985 by the government of Dubai and it has had a phenomenal growth to be among the largest airline not only in Asia but in the whole world. Emirates has a very strong brand image has been able to get various international wards, and it is set high standards in the industry of aircraft purchasing, service, safety and innovation. In Asia it is ranked as the tenth largest ai rline, and it is ninth in terms of international passenger volume. (Directory, 2007) The airway company was formed way back in 1946 by an American pilot and business man Roy Farrell and an Australian pilot named Sydney de Kantzow. The two entrepreneurs started by operating in Shanghai, then they moved to Hong Kong and registered the company. The company carried out it services for a long time until it merged with BOAC in1960 and continued carrying out it service in Asia though many companies wanted to make an alliance with the company it has managed to run by itself. However the company had its share of problems brought about by Asian financial crisis and government policies. (Directory, 2007) How the wider economic environment impacts on their operations Various economic factors are indicators of the changing industry environment. These economical factors include; Fiscal policy rates, interest rate policy, currency exchange rates, consumer factors, quotas imposed on the product , import tariffs, inflation rate and national interests, expenditures, consumer wealth, etc. It is possible that the climate economy of the world dictates how the consumers of the aviation industry behave. Emirates airline has created an international fleet and increase its number of flights and destination in line with improved macro economy being witnessed in globally. However, the Cathay airline has been slow in changing it operations in relation to the wider economy. Cathay operations due they have been changing in response to the wider economy it is slow in doing so. (Doganis, 2001) What you consider the operations management issues facing the organizations Organizational effectiveness can be defined as the extent to which an organization has achieved its set objectives. Emirate Airline management effectiveness is reported to be high and it is argued that the main reason to its success is because of the measures taken by the entire management in response to changes in contemporary world of business. Emirates Airlines has been credited with building a strong human resource relationship which has enhanced the success of organization. The company recruits its employees based on their qualifications and their competence. Emirates Airlines have embarked on recruiting professionals that produces global culture. (Doganis, 2001) Emirates Airlines has also responded well in terms of new technologies that come up

Monday, August 26, 2019

Philosophy and Math Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Philosophy and Math - Essay Example The issues, data and assumptions raised by the mathematics are deeply analyzed by philosophy to create an articulate understanding. This combination of mathematics and philosophy provide a formidable foundation upon which to build in the course of career development and pursuit. Historically, the two have a strong link, as the logic is a strong branch of both the subjects. The work of logic in mathematics-symbolic logic- and the applied logic in philosophy provides a natural bridge with which the two subjects closely link. The other area of similarity is the fact that those undertake courses in either of two can pursue their career in a wide range of areas. Such fields of career pursuit include the computer science, journalism, financial and investment analysts, civil and diplomatic services among others. In addition, the similarity between mathematics and philosophy is what they present at the end of their argument, that is, conclusion. The major concerns are the being, existence and the truth of the presented solution. In order to establish the truth of the final solution and settlement of an argument, whether philosophical or mathematical, highly relies on the connectedness of the sense, reference and the ‘name’ of the phenomenon or the object. The sense and reference in the philosophy establish a relation between objects or names or names of the objects (Zalta 42). Philosophy for instance distinguishes the meaning of ‘a=b’ and ‘a=a’ in its conclusion. Philosophy establishes that ‘a=a’ is analytic in its nature while ‘a=b’ has a valuable extension, which must be explored, and the meaning established. Mathematics, on the other hand, does not go further to offer explanations, if any, about the cognitive meaning and val ue of the two statements. In a bid to reach a satisfactory statement   through computation, mathematics employs a

Sunday, August 25, 2019

ACL Injury Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ACL Injury - Research Paper Example There are other knee ligaments injuries but the most common injury associated with instability at the knee is ACL injury (Chaudhari, 2008). Perhaps this is because of the fact that ACL injury presents quite a number of ways through which it can suffer tears. Research has shown that the most common ACL injury occurs when the knee is bent exceedingly to the or to the sides more than it is used. Such scenarios are highly likely to occur amongst sports persons during trainings when they engage in activities aimed at making them flexible. In other instances, ACL injury may also occur when there is a direct pressure exerted on the thigh at a time when a person is standing on one leg (Tiidus, 2008). Studies have also revealed that ACL injury may also occur when a victim makes abrupt stop from a significantly highly speed, or attempts to make a sudden turn to the side while on a significantly high-speed motion. In all the above instances, one may observe that they all tend to exert pressure to the sides or on the ligaments at the back of the leg as had been noted. It is not a straightaway guarantee that any of such movements will result in ACL injury, but that they put a person at a highly risk of suffering from ACL injury. Therefore, there is a need to advise persons that take part in physical activities quite often on how what precautions to take during active periods of activities (Chaudhari et al., 2008). However, many physiotherapists and health professions have researched and proposed various ways for recovery and rehabilitation for detected cases of ACL injury. The thesis statement of this research shall be: Appropriate response to ACL injury should be case specific rather than universal approach for recovery and rehabilitation. This research shall assess various cases and analyze each depending on its magnitude. This is because prevalence of ACL injury has revealed that each case

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Specialty Equipment Market Association Case Study

Specialty Equipment Market Association - Case Study Example In illustrating the problem, there are certain recommendations provided regarding how the break on taxes can be successfully implemented along with the providing a cost analysis of the recommended solutions. Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is one of the leading trade associations related to the car market, which was established in the year 1963. Generally, SEMA deals in the market in exchange (buying and selling) of old or antique cars along with modifying their machines. Furthermore, this dealing is particularly observed in the automotive aftermarket and it targets high income earning community (SEMA, 2012). Automotive aftermarket can be defined as the market segment where the old and antique cars are brought together for buying and selling after modifying and remanufacturing with upgraded technology. Contextually, the automotive aftermarket is also known as the secondary market (Automotive Industry Association of Canada, 2003). Antique/collector vehicles are those cars which are extinct in nature in terms of market presence with possessing unique features, designs and are generally available in a single piece in the entire market. In the developing world, it is observed t hat there is a demand for antique cars from high-class society in order to fulfil their hobbies. The problem that has been identified in purchasing or keeping antique or collector cars is paying off excess or extra taxes to the government as compared to other new cars’ taxes. Considering the particular problem, the paper aims to present a measure to the federal, state government stating that the government should provide the break on imposed taxes to the owners who have kept or bought antique cars from the automotive aftermarket. After identifying the problem, it can be analyzed with the help of a strategic analysis tool i.e. SWOT analysis to recognize the key aspects related to the problem. This is because it will help to provide a positive support to the recommended measure while presenting it to the federal government.  Ã‚     

Friday, August 23, 2019

Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks by LaRay Barna Article

Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks by LaRay Barna - Article Example On the other hand, I do not agree with Barna’s argument that high anxiety should act as a communication stumbling block since I believe that it promotes interaction in different people in order for people to overcome high anxiety, which makes them learn other languages. It is evident that Barna’s article expounds on a challenge that every individual has faced in their life. In this case, it is evident that we have all experienced intercultural communication barriers at one point of our life by interacting with people who were different from us in our daily activities. While supporting his arguments, Barna uses real-life experiences to highlight the challenges that intercultural communication posted on the interaction of people in a society that is increasingly becoming both multicultural and multiracial. In an approach that highlights different perceptions of people on other cultures, Barna starts by highlighting the problem of intercultural communication in the United States by carrying out a review of the perceptions of students from other cultures on the American cultural way of communicating. In this regard, Barna identifies reservations present in people from different backgrounds regarding the way they perceived a different culture’s approach to communication. Case in point, Americans smile all the time when communicating, even to total strangers while a foreigner plays along with the American and smiles while nodding, which to the American is indicative of effective communication although the foreigner confirms their stereotypes regarding Americans’ insensitivity and ethnocentrism (Barna 68). Misunderstandings and misconceptions during communication may have disastrous effects with people resulting to hate each other since they cannot understand the point the other was passing. In line with this, it is common knowledge that effective communication is an essential way that people understood others, which means that its ineffect iveness posed a challenge. In the course of my life, I have experienced challenges that are related to intercultural communication.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Crucible is both timeless and universal discuss Essay Example for Free

The Crucible is both timeless and universal discuss Essay The Crucible, first written and performed in 1953 as the work of Arthur Miller, was written through the perspective of a man living in an era of radical social and economical traumas. Miller wrote his play at a time when America was only just beginning to make its way past the suffering of the Great Depression and during the McCarthy Hysteria of the 1950s. His work is not merely heavily influenced by these outside affectations but it becomes evident to one observing the social and political climates of Millers time that these are in fact the inspiration for his creation. What Miller wrote was an artists answer to human suffering, not only through the hard times of the depression but also through the politics and in particular the ideological war on communism (and indeed all left-wing views), which was taking place. Such a war, Miller noticed, was comparable to the war which Puritan society waged on the Devil during the Salem with trials of 1962 and indeed such wars are equally comparable to Hitlers vendetta against the Jews during WW2. Such wars, such prejudices and long term states of disagreement, have been recorded since biblical times which described the Egyptians forcing the Jews into slavery. The fact exists that war is an unfortunate symptom of the human condition it is an inescapable side effects of what it means to be human. A central focus within the play is hysteria: The whole countrys talkin witchcraft Word of Betty and Ruths mysterious states spreads so rapidly throughout the village because the matter is one which is of concern to everyone in the village. People tell each other because it is a universal matter, not necessarily one shared by people today, but certainly one shared by Salems people at the time to a great extent: The whole worlds gone daft with this nonsense The reason that people react so severely to the situation is because they fear witchcraft in the same way that the society in which Miller was writing in, in 1952 feared communism. The hysteria surrounding the McCarthy incident is easily comparable to the Salem witch trials, because although the fear has changed with time and location the human nature remains the same and the human instinct to protect itself invokes a mass of people grouping together for protection against what is seen as a threatening group. In 2003 this can be seen even more clearly in the aftermath of the September the 11th incident when The Times printed the article: Is Arab a dirty word? Discussing how many people in America associated all those of Arabic descent with acts of terrorism. Once again this paranoia is invoked by a deep fear which has become integrated into the minds of the people in that society. Intricately linked to this are the ideas of good and evil within the play: Its Gods work we do Throughout the play many people, from Proctor not confessing to a lie, to Cheever taking the accused to what he knows may be their deaths, justify their actions through religion claiming that what they do, they do in Gods will and that is a healthy thing to strike out against those opposed: Let you strike out against the Devil Very similarly capitalist Americans in Millers era believed that they were doing good for the world in seeking out communists, who are portrayed by American society as being evil because they oppose capitalism in making the world a better place. In such a situation the commonly viewed good is capitalism where as its antithesis evil can be supposed to be communism. In 2003 the ordinary people of America view themselves as good people who do no great wrong, and yet are being attacked by terrorists. They see terrorism, or more generally the east and those of Arabic descent, as the evil of the world, because the moral framework imposed by society is not accepting of the taking of an innocent life. However, the girls know that those they are accusing are in fact innocent: Lies, lies It is also possible to suggest that later Danforth realises this but becomes part of the conspiracy in order to protect himself and his position: You know in all your black hearts that this be fraud Very similarly at the time of Millers writing senator Joseph McCarthy was accusing people within the government and authoritarian positions of being communists or sympathizers, and encouraging them to confess and name others. This is very much like the situation within the crucible when the girls knowingly blame innocent people because it is, again, in order to protect themselves. In 2003 corruption can be seen within the British and American governments who justified their invasion of Iraq by claiming that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. However since that time, none have been found and many propose that none exist, but leading figures in the movement such as Tony Blair still knowingly untruly claim that Saddam possessed such items in order to protect their own reputations and positions. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Artificial Selection Essay Example for Free

Artificial Selection Essay Many different species have been altered through selective breeding. Selective breeding is a very common practice in the livestock breeding and has impacted the livestock industry greatly by using information obtain from research of the myostatin protein. History of selective breeding of cattle In the 1800s the demand for a better quality as well as quantity of beef was high. Cattle breeders begin to breed select breeds of cattle that appeared larger together in hopes of producing offspring with a larger quantity of meat. The selective breeding began with the Durham Shorthorns and Friesian cattle. (Lee, 2004) The result of the selective breeding produced 3 different strands of cattle breeds the Belgian Blue, Piedmontes and Parthenias. These breeds of cattle all have one similarity, that has proved to be very valuable, the inactive Myostatin protein. Due to the inactive Myostatin protein these cattle produce roughly 20 % more meat than other cattle. The Belgian Blue cattle are a common breed of cattle in the beef and livestock industry representing the double muscle trait caused by the inactive Myostatin protein. Myostatin In 1997 a research team from John Hopkins School of Medicine led by geneticists Dr. Se-Jin Lee and Alexandra McPherron released information from their research on how proteins regulate the growth of tissue in mice. Through their research the team unintentionally discovered the growth differentiation factor 8 (GDF-8) also known as Myostatin protein. With the discovery of the Myostatin protein the team decided to produce a mutant strain of mice that did not have the Myostatin protein. The results showed that the mutant mice had 3 times the muscle tissue than that of a regular mouse. The research showed that with the absence of the myostatin protein the muscle tissue did not have anything to regulate the size; therefore muscle tissue was extremely larger. The Myostatin (GDF-8) protein is a member of the transforming growth factor ? superfamily of secreted growth and differentiation factor. (Lee, 2004) Myostatin is a secreted protein that acts as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass. During embryogenesis, myostatin is expressed by cells in the myotome and in developing skeletal muscle and acts to regulate the final number of muscle fibers that are formed. (Lee, 2004) The research of Dr Se-Jin Lee and his colleagues brought the discovery of the Myostatin protein to the forefront of science. However they were not the only group of researcher. Two other research group have also reported finding on the Myostatin mutation. Micheal Georges of the University

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Group of individuals working together to achieve a common goal

Group of individuals working together to achieve a common goal Introduction An organization can be defined as a group of individuals working together to achieve a common goal or objective. In the business environment various types of organization can be observed, i.e. profit making vs. non profit making, product based vs. service based, localized vs. international and etc. The goals and objectives of an organization would vary according to the type of organization. Since the capability of the organization depends on the ability or the performance of the individuals who works in an organization, ability of the employees can be enhanced through various factors and also through better structure and culture of the organization. For the purpose of this report the organizations which were selected are Nations Trust Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. Nations Trust Bank can be considered as one of the fastest growing banks in Sri Lanka today. As a young and dynamic bank, it has immediate appeal for young and sophisticated professionals looking for a bank they can identify with. The bank has 40 branches, 9 leasing centers, 43 ATMs, 6 personal banking centers as well as Internet Banking. Considered to be one of the most customer-centric financial institutions today, Nations Trust Bank provides tailored services for contemporary lifestyles. Standard Chartered PLC is a British financial services company headquartered in London, England with operations in more than seventy countries. It operates a network of over 1,700 branches and outlets (including subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures) and employs 80,000 people. Despite its British base, it has few customers in the United Kingdom and around 90% of its profits come from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Because the banks history is entwined with the development of the British Empire, its operations lie predominantly in former British colonies, though over the past two decades it has expanded into countries that have historically had little British influence. Organizational Structure and Culture The selected organizations, which are Nations Trust Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, belong to service sector organizations and provide a range of banking services. However, Nations Trust Bank and Standard Chartered Bank can be categorized as national and multinational respectively; it was possible to arrive at the following conclusion after considering the geographic area in which these organizations operate. Nations Trust Bank can be considered as a localized, national bank as it only operates within Sri Lanka, whereas Standard Chartered Bank has established a global network which spreads over 70 countries from Asia, Africa, America, Europe and Middle East. Hence Standard Chartered Bank can be classified as a multinational organization. Organizational Structure The main purpose of organizational structure can be identified as the division of work among member of the organization, and the co-ordination of their activities so they are directed towards the goals and objectives of the organization. There are mainly three types of organizational structures. 1) Functional Structure: In such a structure groups of people who hold similar skills or perform similar tasks are clustered together and usually departments are formed. 2) Divisional Structure: Divisional structures can be of three types. They are, Division based on Product: Each product division contains the functions necessary to that service the specific goods or services it produces Division based on Market: Group functions into divisions that can be responsive to the needs of particular types of customers Division based on Geography: In such a structure regional divisions are set up to service customers in different geographic areas 3) Matrix Structure: In a matrix structure specialists from functional departments would be assigned to work on one or more projects that are lead by a project manager. As Nations Trust Bank and Standard Chartered Bank are public limited companies and specially the latter being a very large organization, these organizations need to follow a formal organizational structure where they would be able to monitor the activities, assign responsibility for groups and individual members and co-ordinate different parts of the organization. The members or the employees within Nations Trust Bank have been categorized based on the field or the area in which they are specialized, for instance those who are specialized in sales and marketing would be assigned work related to sales and marketing and would be clustered together. According to this, various departments in Nations Trust Bank have been created, where, for each department an individual leader would be assigned to ensure regulated smooth flow of business operations. These individual leaders would then report the overall progress of each department to the top management and board of directors as required and decisions would be made with the involvement of the top management. Hence, it is possible to arrive at the conclusion that Nations Trust Bank follows a functional organizational structure which is more of a centralized structure. Further it could be said division of work within Nations Trust Bank has taken place by major function or purpose. It could also be said that Nations Trust Bank follows more of a centralized structure than a decentralized structure as the organization sets down policies which would affect the organization as a whole and also mainly since all decisions would be made under strict management supervision and involvement. This centralization could also be due to the cultural effect which is prominent within the country, which is the power culture where control is the key element. Based on the above information it could be understood why Nations Trust Bank follows a functional organizational structure and also it could be understood that Nations Trust Bank follows a functional organizational structure as it has a range of services which can be grouped under one leader. Nations Trust Bank has the following advantages of using a functional organizational structure. Since all the employees who are specialized in a specific area are clustered together, newer employees and other employees would be able to learn easily from each other. Employees would be able to benchmark themselves with other employees who have higher performance and are working in the same specialized area and would develop themselves further in a more competitive manner. In the following structure the decision making process is bureaucratic. Since the culture which is mostly commonly seen within Sri Lanka is power culture, when the bank follows such a structure it will be easier to control the organization in order to achieve its goals and objectives as expected. Since all employees perform similar task within one department work specialization takes place and this would help the organization to increase overall productivity. Nations Trust Bank not only has advantages of following a functional organizational structure but it also has some disadvantages. Since decisions are always made with the involvement of the top management individual employees would not be able to make decisions on their own resulting in inefficiency. The organization follows a bureaucratic decision making process and also problem resolution process; this would mean a low level of employee participation. As a result the chance for a successful leader to be born in such an environment would be low and hence the chance for the organization to gather new leaders from within the organization who understand the nature of the organization would be low. Standard chartered bank is a large multinational organization which operates in more than 70. Unlike in Nations Trust Bank, Standard Chartered Bank does not follow a functional organizational structure and is less centralized (but the bank follows a centralized structure) meaning Standard Chartered Bank gives more authority to its employees than Nations Trust Bank. Instead of following a functional organizational structure, Standard Chartered Bank follows what is called a divisional organizational structure according to geographic area. Where Standard Chartered Bank would have a regional or divisional head for each region within which it operates. Standard Chartered Bank mainly has the following advantage of using a divisional structure according to geographic area. The bank would be able to provide banking services which would be more suitable for each country. For example Standard Chartered Saadiq Banking is a service associated with Islamic banking, in other words the bank follows Shariah principles. The bank has provided various Islamic banking products and services for countries where Islamic population is high (e.g. Malaysia, UAE, Pakistan and Bangladesh). Beyond this there are a few disadvantages of using such a structure. These disadvantages are listed below. Since there would be repetition of similar jobs the operational overhead cost would be high. Since the branches of the bank would be benchmarked against each other conflict situations may arise. After analyzing the above mentioned information it was possible to arrive at the conclusion that a divisional structure would be the best organizational structure from the above two organizational structures if Nations Trust Bank has an intention to expand overseas as it will be easier to control the organization and since it would not be very practical to use a functional structure in such a situation. And also becoming less centralized will help the organization to function with more efficiency. Organizational Networks and Linkages Nations Trust Bank has a network which covers only Sri Lanka. Due to this network the bank has been able to expand itself throughout the island in such a manner that customers would be able to carry out banking transactions easily from any part of the island where there is at least an Automatic Teller Machine available. The bank uses the Flexcube Banking System to maintain the network of branches, outlets and ATMs. It has been identified the availability of flexible working programs within Nations Trust Bank is low. Part time employment can be identified as the only significant flexible working program at Nations Trust Bank. Standard Chartered Bank covers a wide range of countries unlike Nations Trust Bank. The bank uses computer software in order to maintain a global scale network. Especially the bank would use Sun Microsystems platform or UNIX platform software in order to maintain the data base. These systems enable the centralization of data for the bank. Standard Chartered Bank has recognized the importance of flexible working programs. The bank has understood flexible working programs play a vital role in retaining employees, increasing engagement and attracting a larger and more diverse pool of talent. Hence the organization is trying to introduce more flexible working programs. At the moment the bank uses the following flexible working programs; part time employment, switching between shifts (the employee would be given the opportunity to choose the shift during which he prefers to work) and also the bank has introduced working from home facility initially in four countries namely Ghana, United S tates, United Kingdome and Singapore. However, the bank does not follow working from home facility in Sri Lanka. Organizational Culture Each organization will have its own unique organizational culture and most of the time large organizations would tend to have a mix of these cultures. 1) Power Culture: Power culture is common for small and medium size organizations. In such organizations decision making is centralized and also these organizations can react quickly to danger around as there would be no consultation required. Further, in a power culture control would be the key element. 2) Role Culture: Role culture is common for large organizations. The key element would be the area of specialization. 3) Task Culture: Task culture is popular in modern business society and refers to a team based approach to complete a particular task. In such a culture staff would feel motivated because they are empowered to make decisions within their team. 4) Person Culture: Person culture is common in non profit or charity organizations. The main focus of such organizations is the individual or a particular aim. 5) Forward and Backward Looking Cultures: Forward looking organizations are risk takers and perform well due to this risk taking ability. Whereas backward looking organizations are organizations which do not embrace change and are led by systems and procedures. When the organization, i.e. Nations Trust Bank, has been analyzed it was possible to identify the organization has a dynamic and a fast paced working environment where open feedback, performance based rewards and remunerations are encouraged. Further employees are encouraged to develop new skills and are empowered by the provision of career opportunities which have a variety of different features. Based on this information it was possible to identify that the culture within Nations Trust Bank is a forward looking culture which has allowed the organization to perform well, expand and become one of the youngest and successful banks within Sri Lanka. However, the bank has some aspect of power culture as well. This could mainly be seen in the decision making process where employees would tend to rely upon some superior source when making a decision. Power culture within the organization could be due to the strong power culture existing within the country. Standard Chartered Bank being a bank which operates in more than 70 countries with its headquarters located in London, England would mainly follow the organizational culture which is prominent within its headquarters, this would be role culture. However, there would be variations to the culture of branches operating in other regions as it would not be practical to follow an organizational culture which would conflict with a particular regions culture. For example consider the United Kingdom headquarters and the Sri Lankan Head Office. Employees in United Kingdom would usually be clock conscious as they would consider time is money and also it is unprofessional to get late for work, whereas in Sri Lanka the employees would not really see much of a difference in getting late for work as the country would naturally have easy going relaxed people who would not hurry things. The headquarters would naturally assume that all employees of the bank would perform their tasks and duties on time as this is their culture. However, this would not be the case in most situations and therefore to ensure that work is done the branches in Sri Lanka would have to lay down strict rules and regulations. Constant reminders too would have to be given in order to get a task done. And hence the culture of the country automatically starts taking effect where power culture would have to be followed in order to achieve the expected. However, on analyzing the overall information of Standard Chartered Bank it can be understood that the bank has a unique culture which it has developed through the years by communicating with broad ranges of stakeholders, prospective employees and customers. Based on the above information finally it was possible to arrive at the conclusion that organizational culture plays an important role in forming an organizational structure as well as for the success or the failure of a business. Misinterpreting the culture in which an organization operates can lead to conflict and finally maybe even complete shutting down of the organization. Therefore it is a must to interpret and understand the culture within which an organization operates and to select an appropriate organization structure on this basis. The Human Resource Function Stakeholder Perspective: It is clear that stakeholders would have objectives and would expect organizations to achieve these objectives. The organizations should always consider their stakeholders point of view before making any decisions as this will help to minimize conflicts and avoid a purely instrumental or theoretical approach to Human Resource Management. Nations Trust Bank considers the impact of its activities on various stakeholder groups, carries out activities which will develop a good relationship with stakeholders and also abides by the rules, regulations and carries out business in an ethical manner for the above mentioned purposes. The same would apply to Standard Chartered Bank. However, the branches of Standard Chartered Bank would provide more flexibility (especially for employees) and facilities than Nations Trust Bank. Human Resource Roles: The role of Human Resource Management (Personal Management) is taking care and handling the organizations most important resource which is the people resource or the employees. Human Resource Management would help the organization to maintain a balance and efficiently coordinate with the employees so they can work more efficiently and effectively. The HR department of Nations Trust Bank carries out an immense number of activities for the above mentioned purposes; these activities range from arranging functions such as Christmas Eve get-togethers to New Year celebrations where management and employees from various departments can interact with each other. Beyond this career guidance programs, training and development programs (the bank has a special training and development team for this purpose), remuneration and reward schemes and exit interview are conducted. Standard Chartered Bank too carries out an immense number of activities like Nations Trust Bank to ensure that they stand by their HR roles. Further, Standard Chartered Bank provides a day care facility; the centre provides day care services and educational activities throughout the working day for children aged between six months and 12 years. The organization also carries out exchange programs (India China exchange program) so that employees would have an exciting opportunity to advance their careers and experience a new culture. For the Bank, it is an opportunity to facilitate the sharing of best practice, ideas and new ways of working between two key markets. Personnel Policies: An organizations personnel policy means a plan, a course of action or guiding principles which that business will use to influence and determine decisions, actions and other matters. Both Nations Trust Bank and Standard Chartered Bank would have various personnel policies. For example Standard Chartered Bank has developed a policy on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). By this policy the bank ensures that its employees who have HIV AIDS can still work as normal employees without any form of harassment. Where Nations Trust Bank has a policy, going paperless, by which it tries to minimize the usage of paper by transferring all its activities to non-paper based forms such as emailing. By this the organization expects to protect the environment. Beyond the above mentioned policies both of these banks would have numerous policies which have been set in place regarding various matters. Strategies, Operating Plans and Strategic Goals for Personnel: An organizations strategy is about what the organization wants to achieve in the long term. There would be various techniques followed by an organization to achieve these goals and objectives. For example, Standard Chartered Bank wants to achieve growth and it plans to do so by following a simple method where it would ask itself self assessment questions and by following a SMART approach. The bank would apply the same procedure for its employees. Nations Trust Bank follows a similar approach where it has stated its strategic priorities and how the bank expects to achieve them. Finally it was possible to arrive at the conclusion that carrying out Human Resources Functions would help any organization to be successful. For these purposes various elements such as stakeholder perspective, HR roles, personal policies, strategies and operating plans, and strategic goals for personnel have to be considered. Individual Behavior at Work Each individual would be different from each other in some aspect or the other. These differences could be due to demographic factors, abilities and skills, perception, attitude and personality. These factors would not only differentiate individuals but would affect their on the job performance as well as their behavior. Nations Trust Bank would have employees from various ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. Therefore the employees at Nations Trust Bank would be able to experience the difference between each culture and would behave according to the stimuli they receive from the working environment. Due to the civil war which was going on for many years, some of the Sinhalese employees working at the bank would have formed a perception about Tamil employees and would have a different attitude towards these employees, where they would tend to act in a negative unfavorable manner, lose interest and in turn would think negatively regarding their job. Beyond this the Sinhalese employees may think that they are better able to perform the tasks rather than Tamils due to cultural factors. Also since some of these Tamil and Sinhalese employees would have been affected by the civil war, the personality of these employees may have been affected and may have induced negative thinking patterns within them. This may lead to conflict within the organization. However, Nations Trust Bank treats all employees equally and has taken many measures to ensure that no conflict takes place. In fact Nations Trust Bank encourages its Sinhalese employees to learn the Tamil and Tamil employees to learn Sinhalese. Further, the bank has encouraged interaction between these groups of people through various social activities so that they would be able to better understand each other and value each others culture. The bank provides counseling sessions, training and development and also carrier guidance for these employees so that they can improve themselves. This would help the employees to understand their tasks and duties better, will lead to improved performance, help employees to understand the importance of what each other is doing and appreciate their performance. Since Standard Chartered Bank is an international bank the demographic element in terms of especially in terms of culture would be very prominent. The branches which operate in Sri Lanka would undergo nearly the same issues related with individual behavior at work and follow similar measures to prevent conflict of any form. However, when Standard Chartered Bank is considered from an international point of view it is clear that the bank would like to increase interaction and gain better understanding of different cultures as well as provide its employees awareness regarding different cultures. A clear example for this type of attempt is the employee exchange program which the bank conducts, for the first time this was done between India and China. Further the bank has included female workforce where 46% of the workforce are females and employees with disabilities where the first employees with disabilities were from Sri Lanka. Further the bank believes that different employees from different regions have skills which would be useful for other regions this is another aspect which Standard Chartered Bank has considered in its employee exchange program. These exchange programs will help the employees with different skills to interact and help employees to identify their skills. This will help employees attitude as this will encourage positive thinking. Also this would help employees to gain confidence and in terms improve their personality. This would affect their behavior at work. Beyond this the organization has established a day care facility in Sri Lanka. This will help the working parents to attend their duties without worry and this will help overall attitude of the employees during work making them more productive. Provisions of such facilities help the employees have a better perception of the organization. On analyzing the above information it was possible to arrive at the conclusion that behavior of employees at work from both organizations would be affected by factors such as demographic factors, abilities and skills, perception, attitude and personality. It was also possible to arrive at the conclusion that developing understanding among employees will help the organizations function as one unit and achieve the goals and objectives of that organization. Approaches to Management and Theories of Organization Management approaches and organizational theories deal with how an organization achieves its management objectives through the organizational structure, its design and other elements. The management theories can be classified as five major schools of management thought. They are, Classical School of Management (Includes Scientific Management and Bureaucratic management) here the emphasis was on managing workers and organizations more efficiently Behavioral School of Management (Includes Human Relations) here the emphasis was on understanding human behavior in the organization Quantitative School of Management here the emphasis was on increasing quality of managerial decision-making through the application of mathematical and statistical methods Systems School of Management here the emphasis was on understanding the organization as a system that transforms inputs into outputs while in constant interaction with its environment Contingency School of Management (Includes Contingency approaches) here the emphasis was on applying management principles and processes as dictated by the unique characteristics of each situation It was understood that Nations Trust Bank follows a functional structure and Standard Chartered Bank follows a divisional structure based on geographic area. Standard Chartered Bank follows a mixed structure where centralized and decentralized are both considered when making decisions. And Nations Trust Bank follows a centralized approach. Further it was identified that Nations Trust Bank follows a tall span of control whereas Standard Chartered Bank has a flat span of control. Based on the above information it is important to understand the management theories which the organization follows. Classical School of Management: Even though scientific management was introduced many years before, organizations still use these principles or theories with minor adjustments. When scientific management is considered, Henry Fayol would be the significant character which would emerge. Todays organizations follow what Henry Fayol introduced with minor adjustments. Bureaucracy means the usage of rules, regulations, policies, procedures and standardization of activities. This concept was introduced by Max Weber. This type of management would be used in the military and not in a bank usually. This could be understood through the way in which both banks operate. Behavioral School of Management: According to research which was carried out it has been possible to identify that human interaction or group relationships have a direct impact on productivity and would help to increase the motivation of employees. Therefore, the behavioral management school principles are more focused to understand individual employees behavior, their interaction and also motivational factors. When Nations Trust Bank has been considered it was possible to understand that the organization carries out many activities which would encourage employee communication. Further, the employee exchange program which is carried out by Standard Chartered Bank can be considered as another example. Systems School of Management and Contingency School of Management: As it was mentioned before both the organizations, Nations Trust Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, follow a centralized structure. However, in the case of Standard Chartered Bank centralization is less prominent as the bank believes that empowerment of employees would bring out the best from the employees. In a systems approach the organization as a whole would be considered as one system and hence in these type of systems integration, communication and independence plays a vital role. Whereas in contingency approach it is believed that there is no best way to arrange an organization and this has to be decided based on the nature of the organization. Finally, it could be understood that even though organizations still follow scientific management they try to move more towards the usage of human relations approach and a contingency approach. Functions of Management There are mainly four functions of management. These functions are, 1) Planning: Determines the broad lines for carrying out operations, preparing methods by which they are carried out and setting standards of performance. When planning is done the management of the organizations would need to gather information from the environment in which they operate. For this purpose the organizations would use the macroeconomic factors and would use the PEST tool. Nations Trust Bank and Standard Chartered Bank would both use the PEST tool so that they would be able to analyze the macroeconomic factors which would affect their organization. PEST factors would nearly be the same for both these organizations when the Standard Chartered Bank which operates in Sri Lanka is considered but the bank would have a greater international influence than Nations Trust Bank. The constant changes in the environment should be regularly noted through the PEST tool and based on that the organizations should be able to respond. Further, planning would have the following aspects; forecasting, utilization and also action decision. 2) Control: Checking actual performance against standards to ensure satisfactory progress and performance, and recording as a guide to possible future operations. Control is a vital element for both, Nations Trust Bank and also Standard Chartered Bank, as it is the only way by which the managers can find out if the organization is achieving the goals and objectives. Controlling can be carried out by standards, measurements and comparisons. For example, when considering the employee turnover for both the organizations, Nations Trust Bank has been able to continuously decrease its employee turnover. However, at Standard Chartered Bank the employee turnover in countries like India and Pakistan has been increasing. To prevent this bank has introduced a pilot. Further, organizational performance could be measured based on productivity measures, through financial rations which could be compared against benchmarked companies, by setting standards and having key performance indicators. 3) Co ordination: Balancing and marinating the team by ensuring a suitable division of work and seeing that tasks are performed in harmony. Both banks have been able to co ordinate their activities through suitable divisions. In the case of Nations Trust Bank the bank has ensured that its range of diverse employees would better understand each other through various activities so that ultimately they would be able to work together as a team to achieve the goals of the organization whereas in Standard Chartered Bank the organization would also have to consider the international market within which they operate so that they would be able to better co ordinate

Ecstasy: Neurotoxicity and How It Can Be Reduced :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Ecstasy: Neurotoxicity and How It Can Be Reduced Ecstasy (MDMA) has become a drug of choice among 18-25 year olds (2), and its effects on behavior and neurotoxicity merit the attention of this class. Ecstasy use has become fairly widespread on college campuses and in rave and nightclub settings. This paper will look at the mechanism through which MDMA acts, its neurotoxicity, and how users can reduce risk involved with ecstasy use. Ecstasy alters behavior by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. It accomplishes this by altering the neurotransmitter serotonin's reuptake process. (6) In the normal serotonin system, a serotonin neuron will receive a signal from a neighboring nerve cell to release vesicles of serotonin into the synaptic cleft. The post-synaptic cell (which has the appropriate receptors for serotonin) then picks up the molecule. When the serotonin binds to the receptor, it causes an electric signal to change the membrane permeability which causes changes in the body. When a vesicle of serotonin is released, most of the molecules are pulled back into the pre-synaptic cell. This process of drawing serotonin back into the original neuron for it to be reused is called reuptake. When MDMA is present in the system, however, it interferes with the natural process by preventing the serotonin from entering at the reuptake site. This causes an excess of serotonin in the system, which creates the feelings of euphoria associated with MDMA. (1) Users of MDMA are quick to praise the psychological effects of the drug, but the effects on their physical health can be detrimental. Studies show that heavy, prolonged use of MDMA can significantly reduce the number of serotonin transporters which are necessary to bring the neurotransmitter back to the neuron from which it was released. Studies supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) showed that MDMA damages neurons that release serotonin, and that heavy MDMA users have lingering memory problems for at least two weeks after stopping the drug. In the first study, researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) to compare the brains of MDMA users who had abstained from all psychoactive drugs for three weeks and people who had never used MDMA. They found that the amount of MDMA used was directly linked to the number of serotonin transporters remaining. They also found that the degree of memory impairment is based on the amount of MDMA used. (3)

Monday, August 19, 2019

Thorstein Veblen: Short Bio & Economic Theories & Ideas Essay -- essay

Thorstein Bunde Veblen (1857-1929) was born in Cato, Wisconsin. He attended Carleton College, as well as the universities of John Hopkins, Yale, and Cornell. He taught political economy and economics from 1892 to 1918 at the University of Chicago, Stanford University, and the University of Misssouri. He retired in 1926 after working for seven years at New York City’s New School for Social Research. He was noted for his significant analysis of our economic system and, by Mark Blaug, for his mastery of the art of satire.# Veblen went against the modern economic beliefs of his day. He identified a problem in our society that most did not. He noticed that the industrialists increased production of goods by hiring engineers to improve efficiency. This, in turn, drove prices down and cut profits, so the industry captains cut production to save profits. Ideas like this were prevalent in most of his writings and economic theories. Society, to Veblen, could be described as a division of classes. The "leisure class" and the "industrious class", the former being described as a predator, parasitic and harmful to society, and the latter being the members who produce goods. This mostly came from his most famous work, The Theory of the Leisure Class, in which he coined the phrase "conspicuous consumption"...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Puritan Society In Hesters Life :: essays research papers

The Godly beliefs and punishments followed by the Puritans stemmed from their English experience and complete involvement in religion. The Puritan society molded itself and created a government based upon the Bible and implemented it with force. Hester’s act of adultery was welcomed with rage and was qualified for serious punishment. Boston became more involved in Hester’s life after her crime was announced than it had ever been before—the religious based, justice system formally punished her and society collectively tortured her. Based upon the religious, governmental, and social design of the society, Hester’s entire existence revolved around her sin and the Puritan perception thereof; this association breaks way to society significantly becoming involved in her life. The importance of a social framework for the new society, where the Church would be all encompassing, developed from the teachings of such religious reformers as John Wycliffe and John Calvin. The Church would be directly involved in the running of the community and its regime. Enforcing such laws established by scripture read from the Bible, the government disciplined Hester for her committed sin. The Puritans considered the Bible as the â€Å"true law of God that provided guidelines for church and government†. They wished to shape the Church of England to meet their ideals, emphasizing Bible reading, prayer, and preaching in worship services. They simplified the ritual of the sacraments and also wanted more personal and fewer prescribed prayers. The Puritans stressed grace, devotion, prayer, and self-examination to achieve religious virtue while including a basic knowledge of unacceptable actions of the time. Obtaining virtue was expected to secure order and peace within the Puritan community. The Church officials, who played a direct role in the government, calculated the penalties for various sins. When sins arose, the government took the role as chief executive of corrective punishment and instituted castigation. Hester found herself very much a part of the local Church and government’s heavy hand. Everyone was aware of her sinful act, for she was placed on a scaffold amidst the entire people for a painful viewing. The religious morals instilled in the Puritan society caused her much pain long after the public humiliation. Permanently â€Å"symbolized as a sinner†, Hester was branded for life with a cloth letter worn on her bosom. For years after the letter was first revealed on the scaffold, Hester was associated with the sin and the scarlet letter. Because the Puritans contoured religion, social life, and government together, each member of the society was involved in the religion, social life, and government—everybody in Boston saw the â€Å"A† on Hester’s chest in the same light.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Media and Juvenile Delinquency

Mass media refers to the impersonal channels used to disseminate information to the public.   The information is meant for public consumption and not for personal consumption.   There are a number of channels used which include radio, newspaper, motion pictures and television.   Media is used mostly to portray cultural values and beliefs through the articles and programmes contained in them. (Travis, 2000)   For instance, through the media, national public days are aired; local shows with local touch are aired, as well as sports programs.   In addition, some societal values regarding patriotism, religious and motherhood are shown.Some sub-cultural patterns that have to do with the policeman, business executive or juvenile delinquency are shown via the media to all the people of the community or the mass society.Right from young age to the old age, the members of society are frequently bombarded by the type of stimuli which is presented in a number of mass media. (Travis, 20 00) Mass media’s perverseness is usually reflected in the statistics which are in circulation.   Studies have shown that around 5.000,000 copies if television guides are sold every week and millions of people have access to newspapers. (Joseph, 1975)From this wide dissemination of these articles, the social scientists and the laymen have become interested to find out what type of consequences those media have on human behavior and especially the children.   To be more specific, most parents have deep desire to find out the impact some books on crime and movie dramas have on young children. (Michael, 1999)On the other hand, the advertisers want to find out if their products advertised on the media are selling or not.   Unfortunately, there have been very little scientific studies of the specific impact of mass media on how they motivate humans.   Paul Lazarsfeld, an outstanding researcher on the effect of mass media on the behavior of human, gave his testimony and pres ented it before senate subcommittee in charge of investigating Juvenile delinquency.   He reported that very little is known concerning the kind of impact media has on young children.(Travis 2000)   He therefore appealed for more scientific research to be done to replace impressionistic evidence which has been quoted by some lay individuals. (Joseph, 1975)The Effects Media Has On Juvenile DelinquencyMedia has been accused many times of contributing to the juvenile delinquency.   The lawlessness which is more prevalent among the young people is mostly associated with media.   There are no restrictions placed on the youth and therefore they can access books, television programs, and pornographic magazines at will.   As a result, their way of thinking and acting has been seriously affected. (Rodney, 1990) For instance, action packed movies; detective programs which are full of crimes have a way of training young people on the effective ways of robbery, violence and murder.As a result so many cases have been received regarding youth who have been arrested for committing robbery.   There has been an increase to the crime content, sadism, horror as well as brutality in most comic books, motion pictures and television programs.(Robert, 2001)   The three types of media according to most critics deserve special attention.   They also served as a special focus for senate subcommittee in charge of investigating juvenile delinquency from the year 1954 to 1956. (Michael, 1999)Television, radio, comic books and motion pictures films have been named as significant factors contributing to juvenile delinquency.   The presentation of horror, crime and sequences of brutality is imputed in movies and more so by the lay observers, to be partly to blame for the current juvenile delinquency. (Rodney, 1990) Other effects are moral decadence as a result of watching pornographic movies and reading pornographic magazines.Many young people can be found at the brothels a nd others acts of prostitution.   There are so many dancing styles which have come as a result of the media influence, which can also be called ‘dirty dancing styles’. (Joseph, 1975)The values which have been traditionally believed in no longer matter, whatever young people see on TV are what they tend to believe in more. (Michael, 1999)According top early delinquency researchers, they were only interested with the effect the motion pictures had on the youth.   Cyril Burt made a report around 1925 that approximately eight percent of the delinquent boys had deep interests in motion pictures.   Burt’s report in the film reveals the techniques used to commit crimes as well as crimes which have been positively advertised.   Other studies on delinquents were made by Bronner and Healy. (Rodney, 1990)According to their study regarding non delinquents and delinquents in Boston and Detroit around the 1930, they revealed that the largest number of delinquents were frequent attendees of movies and films. (Michael, 1999) There were reports however, that very small number of delinquents had imitated the techniques used to commit crimes that they had seen on screens.   From the way Bronner and Healy treated movies in their studies the conclusion to be made is that they dismissed films as inconsequential as far as juvenile delinquency is concerned. (Robert, 2001)Other studies were done by Hauser and Blumer, on the impact the films and motion pictures had on juvenile delinquency.   The studies were conducted under auspices of Payne Fund for a period of four years from 1929-1932.   The studies were done by psychologists and sociologists from the university and their aim was to establish the impact motion pictures had on children’s psychological, physical and social behavior. (Rodney, 1990) The most interesting study about delinquency made by Bulmer and Hauser (Sociologists) was from entitled delinquency, movies and crime. (Joseph, 1975) The focus was on the role of motion pictures in the careers of female and male delinquents as well as criminals.   The impact of films on inmates in the rehabilitation centers and non-delinquents girls and boys was also made.   The findings however, were definitive and conclusive and should not be dismissed as rough estimations.   (Michael, 1999)It was obvious that individuals will always perceive the content in the film and make interpretations of the meaning based on the experiences they have had previously on socialization as well as the unique personality they have. (Michael, 1999)   Motion pictures therefore exert effects described as antithetical.   The conventional behavior while in some, they may be more inclined to participate in crime and delinquency.   (Rodney, 1990)According to Blumer and Hauser, the effect of movies, TV program and other media cannot be studied without studying the people watching them.     There is always an interaction between the cont ent of the film and those viewing them. (Joseph, 1975) Blumer further said that films were a significant factor in delinquent and criminal careers of around 10% of males and 25% of females studied.   To conclude their studies, Blumer and Hauser observed that those kids who are more exposed to movies are more inclined to delinquent behavior. (Robert, 2001)A study was made by Paul Cressey on the effect of media on the juvenile delinquency.   He made conclusions which were opposing those ones of Hauser and Blumer.   His study was made in New York City believed to be high delinquency area.   After making a number of observations under conditions which were controlled, Cressey made the conclusion that movies and motion pictures lacked appreciable effect on juvenile delinquency. (Michael, 1999)ConclusionIt is obvious that media has influenced the behavior of the youth in so many ways.   The dressing styles and hip hop styles are largely influenced by the media.   The situation has been made worse by the number of channels that are currently accessible in the comfort of one’s living room.   Regardless of the perspectives that are given by the researchers, we can also make our own observations and narrate our own personal experiences. (Joseph, 1975)First hand information is gotten from the media.   Wrestling techniques are also received from the television.   Despite the warnings that media gives its audience such as ‘not suitable for a person below 15,18 or 20 years’ it is still not adequate to keep off the youth. (Rodney, 1990) Even airing these programs very late at night is still not enough, because some kids stay up late.   It is the moral obligation of the media to censor programs being aired or air only those shows which cannot affect the youth negatively. (Michael, 1999)This move will go along way in reducing the juvenile delinquency currently witnessed and especially at homes.   Children have disrespected their parent s and use vulgar language without understanding the implications. (Michael, 1999) The overuse of derogatory remarks and crazy styles of dressing have made the world difficult to live in.   The erosion of moral values and failure of media to give us the role models who can be emulated by the children has largely contributed to juvenile delinquency. (Joseph, 1975)There is no middle ground.The fact of the matter is juvenile delinquency is made worse by the motion pictures among other types of media. (Travis, 2000) Talk show should replace programs which are full of scenes of violence so that virtues and societal values can be inculcated among the youth.However, we cannot deny that media has had positive impact in terms of the news channels and a host of other entertainment programs but it may not earn credit that it deserves if more of the programs that impact negatively on the youth continue to be aired. (Michael, 1999)The mass media should therefore present to the audience and the public at large, particularistic cultural norms.   There should also be other forms of recreational facilities and thus the children would not be so much into TV. (Rodney, 1990)The internet which has also become a vital part of media should also be censored since the youth can access any information they want and hence controlling juvenile delinquency has become increasingly challenging.   A better society is achievable if measures are taken to reduce juvenile delinquency, through censoring information disseminated by media. (Michael, 1999)ReferencesJoseph, S. (1975) Juvenile Delinquency, Ayer Company Publishers, 2nd EditionMichael, J. (1999) Age, Sex and the Versatility of Delinquent Involvement, Palgrave   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Press, US.Rodney, S. (1990) Deviant Places: A theory of the Ecology of Crime, Harvard Press, US.Robert, J. (2001) Social Disorganization and Theories of Crime and Delinquency, New York Publishers, US.Travis, H (2000) A Control Theory of Delinquency, Palgrave P ress, UK

Friday, August 16, 2019

Analysis of the Story Doctor in the House Essay

The story to be analyzed is entitled â€Å"Doctor in the house† written by Richard Gordon. He also wrote several novels and screenplays dealing with practice of medicine. The extract is about passing oral and written exams on medicine. The author describes the way how the main character passed his examinations. He considered it to be death. A lot of images can be found in the text. They create atmosphere of a contest, a court, musical playing. The author emphasizes the inevitability of meeting Secretary to hear the sentence†¦ In 1952, he left medical practice and took up writing full time. He has an uncredited role as an anesthesiologist in the movie Doctor in the House. The early Doctor novels, set in the fictitious St Swithin’s, a teaching hospital in London, were initially witty and apparently autobiographical; later books included more sexual innuendo and farce. The novels were very successful in Britain in Penguin paperback during the 1960s and 1970s. Richard Gordon also contributed to Punch magazine and has published books on medicine, gardening, fishing and cricket. The film adaptation of Doctor in the House was released in 1954, two years after the book, while Doctor at Sea came out the following year with Brigitte Bardot. Dirk Bogarde starred as Dr. Simon Sparrow in both. The later spin-off TV series were often written by well-known British comic performers. Doctor in the House begins with the lead protagonist getting into a fictional medical college in London, St. Swithins. He collects a handful of faithful friends, including Grimsdyke, whose main aim to remain an eternal student as his aunt has left a large legacy in his name, for the duration of his course (as the funds will cease once he qualifies, he prefers to fail every examination). The book goes through the trials and tribulations of their college lives-sports, studies, spats with teachers and love affairs. Snippets like using a human skull as an ash-tray and trying to weasel out of tight situations in examinations will strike a chord not only in every doctor and medical student, but also in anyone who has ever attempted an examination! In one of my favourite incidents, Simon (the hero) is asked to check a patient’s eyes with an ophthalmoscope. He says ’’I always intended to find out how this thing worked, but never got around to doing it’’ Further, on checking the patient’s eyes, his comment was that ’’it looked like fishes swimming in an aquarium full of murky water.’’ Luckily for him, he was able to wriggle out of the situation by a simple trick, and eventually passed the examination! The book is full of incidents like that, and will keep you laughing page after page. When I finished the book, I felt a vague disappointment that it was over so soon! There is a little flirting, but nothing that even an adolescent reader’s mother would censor. Hindi films are a lot worse!! So if you havent been exposed to Richard Gordon yet, this is a good time to start. This is the original book in the Doctor in the House series and deals with his medical training. The Doctor books were written as memoirs, a fiction continued by the author and main character’s name being the same. In reality, Dr. Richard Gordon Dr. Gordon Ostlere, a highly-qualified surgeon and anaethetist and contemporary of my uncle who was a reknowned anaethestist himself – but I didn’t know that at the time. Humourous stories of young doctors at medical school. A series of films were based on the Doctor books, and a television series as well. This one was first published in 1952. Product Description Richard Gordon’s acceptance into St Swithan’s medical school came as no surprise to anyone, least of all him – after all, he had been to public school, played first XV rugby, and his father was, let’s face it, ‘a St Swithan’s man’. Surely he was set for life. It was rather a shock then to discover that, once there, he would actually have to work, and quite hard. Fortunately for Richard Gordon, life proved not to be all dissection and textbooks after all†¦This hilarious hospital comedy is perfect reading for anyone who’s ever wondered exactly what medical students get up to in their training. Just don’t read it on your way to the doctor’s! About the Author Richard Gordon is best-known for his hilarious ‘Doctor’ books and the long-running television series they inspired. Himself a qualified doctor, he worked as an anaesthetist, ship’s surgeon and then as assistant editor of the British Medical Journal before leaving medical practice in 1952 to take up writing full time. Many of his books are based on these experiences in the medical profession and are all told with the rye wit and candid humour that have become his hallmark.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Teh Hong Piow Leadership

Section C Public Bank 1a) Portfolio Performance Holding Period Return HPR =Ending Price-Beginning PriceBeginning Price+Cash Dividend ? 100% =RM15. 50-RM 15. 32RM 15. 32+0 ? 100% =1. 17% b) Market Performance Market Performance MP =Ending Index-Beginning IndexBeginning Index? 100% =1669. 40-1654. 041654. 04? 100% =0. 927% Axiata Group 1a) Portfolio Performance Holding Period Return HPR =Ending Price-Beginning PriceBeginning Price+Cash Dividend ? 100% =RM6. 00-RM 5. 83RM 5. 83+0 ? 100% =2. 92% b) Market Performance Market Performance MP =Ending Index-Beginning IndexBeginning Index? 100% =1669. 0-1654. 041654. 04? 100% =0. 927% Nestle (M) Bhd 1a) Portfolio Performance Holding Period Return HPR =Ending Price-Beginning PriceBeginning Price+Cash Dividend ? 100% =RM63. 10-RM 59. 00RM 59. 00+0 ? 100% =6. 95% b) Market Performance Market Performance MP =Ending Index-Beginning IndexBeginning Index? 100% =1669. 40-1654. 041654. 04? 100% =0. 927% Section D Public Bank a) The portfolio performanc e of Public Bank is better as compared to the market performance. The HPR of Pubic Bank is higher than the marker performance, which is 1. 17% as compared to market performance which is only 0. 927%. b) ) Public Bank is a well reputed and well-known company for its prudent management, excellence services, strong profitability, strong corporate culture and corporate governance. It is currently a leading provider of financial services in Malaysia. It also provides bank operations in Hong Kong, Combodia, Vietnam, Laos and Sri Lanka. Public Bank had performed well in the market share in year 2011. The overall ratio in the market share in year 2011 is higher than the year 2010. According to the sustainability profit growth of Public bank, it has stronger performance in year 2011 than in year 2010.Moreover, the net income of Public Bank Group had increased by 8. 3% from RM6,838. 5 million in 2010 to RM7,408. 6 million in 2011. In addition, it has a steady asset growth from year 2010 to 20 11. Its financial report encouraged us to invest in the company as it has a steady growth and lower risk. During the subsequent to the financial year end, which is on 30th January 2012, directors of Public Bank had declared a second interim single tier dividend of 28%, with the amount of RM980,596,036 in the current year. According to the key statistic of Public Bank in dividend growth, it grown 0. 3% in 5 years. It gives confidence to us for investing in this company for its stable growth in the economic. Source: Annual Report (2011). Public Bank. Retrieved from http://announcements. bursamalaysia. com/EDMS/subweb. nsf/7f04516f8098680348256c6f0017a6bf/bd33262bdcaa8fc1482579ad00116c90/$FILE/PBBANK-FinancialStatements%20(971MB). pdf Source: Annual Report (2011). Public Bank. Retrieved from http://announcements. bursamalaysia. com/EDMS/subweb. nsf/7f04516f8098680348256c6f0017a6bf/bd33262bdcaa8fc1482579ad00116c90/$FILE/PBBANK-FinancialStatements%20(971MB). pdf Source: The Star Online ( 2013).Public Bank Bhd. Retrieved on 8th January 2013 from http://biz. thestar. com. my/marketwatch/charts/l. asp? code=1295~PBBANK&p1=16. 18&p2=16. 16&p3=16. 22&p4=16. 1&p5=16. 18&p6=0&p7=0. 00&p8=46667&p9=14. 545 Axiata Group a) The portfolio performance of Axiata Group is relatively in good performance as compared to the market performance. The HPR of Axiata Group is 2. 92%, which is higher than the Market Performance of only 0. 927%. b) c) Axiata Group Berhad is an investment holding company which provides communication and consultancy services.It offers mobile telecommunication, interconnect, television transmission and other services. It also dealing of marketable securities, trading and distribution of communication devices and its related products. According to the details, it was founded in 1992 and as on 23rd May 2012, the company has approximately 190 million mobile subscribers in Asia. According to the financial results of Axiata Group Bhd in the last four years, which is from year 2007 to 2011, the revenue of the company grew to the tune of 60%. Their profits almost doubled for these four years.The company had a very good performance which attracted us to invest in the company. On the other hand, the cash position of the company had increased from RM6. 3 billion to RM6. 6 billion and the ROIC improved from 11. 8% to 12. 2%. Moreover, the diversification of the company grown with further progress with 56% of revenue generated outside of the Malaysia. According to the Axiata Group Bhd annual report 2011, the Group’s total subscriber base expanded to around 200 million, increase 25% from a year ago and growing an average of 3. 3 million per month.These made the Group one of the largest telecommunications companies in the region. The Group shows a positive data trends and performance throughout the countries in Malaysia and overseas. This gives us greater confidence in investing in the company, which given us lower risk to invest. According to t he performance highlight in the past four year of the Group, which is from 2008 to 2011, the graph relatively shows increasing in the operating revenue, EBITDA, PAT, NORMALISED PATAMI, POIC and SUBSCRIBERS. It shows that the company has reater performance in year 2011, and we believe that the company will show strong performance in year 2012, and hence, we decided to invest in the company. Source: Annual Report(2011). Axiata Group Bhd. Retrieved on 8th January 2013 from http://axiata. listedcompany. com/misc/ar2011. pdf Nestle (M) Bhd a) The Portfolio Performance of Nestle (M) Bhd is performing well as compared to the Market Performance. The HPR of the Nestle (M) Bhd is 6. 95%, as compared to the Market Performance of only 0. 927%. It is relatively having high performance in the market. b) ) Nestle Malaysia Bhd is a leading Food, Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company in the region. It grown to be the world’s largest good company which offering more than 8,500 brands and 10,0 00 products. It also has more than 456 factories over 80 countries and more than 283,000 employees. Nestle Malaysia Bhd has encountered turnover of RM1. 16 billion in Quarter 1 in 2012, which is 8. 5% higher than the previous corresponding period. In the first quarter of 2012, Nestle Malaysia Bhd had good growth performance in both domestic and export sales. It also has increased profit before tax of RM206. million and profit after tax of RM158. 1 million which grew by 8. 2% and 7. 4% respectively compared to the previous period. Moreover, despite exports its products across the globes; the Group has successfully exports more than half of its products to ASEAN region. The stable performance of the company attracted us to invest in the company although the price is high. In addition, the company also introduced new products to the market, which these products will directly affect the strong demand of the domestic and hence affect the economic performance of the company.Moreover, the sustained economic growth of overseas countries, encouraged the performance of export sales, and increased the sales of 18% to inter-market customers. It is relatively a trusted brand to the Malaysian, where it is well-known of its healthy nutrition drinks. On the other hand, Nestle (M) Bhd also launched the Nestle Project Rilead in October 2011, where it aims to create a landscape for people, nature and agriculture can co-exist harmoniously in their need for water. This project will give an initiative of seeing the reforestation of the land. This relatively giving us good image on the