Economic Indicator Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economic Indicator Paper - Essay Example For instance, the prevailing value of the American Real GDP, when calculated in relation to the year 2000 is approximately 12,000 billion dollars. GDP is a leading economic indicator and it usually rises before an upturn in real GDP and falls before a downturn in real GDP. Real GDP is also quite handy when it comes to predicting changes in the housing industry in the immediate future. Alongside such indicators as stock prices, average weekly hours worked in industries and housing starts, the trends set by real GDP can have a bearing on the overall health of the housing industry. Housing starts are defined as the number of residential units on which construction is started every month. Housing starts are a key economic indicator that determines the health and future direction of the Housing industry. Usually though, an increase in housing starts indicates an increase in economic growth. The following chart published by the U.S.Bureau of the Census gives a historical perspective of housing starts. According to a credible industry expert, â€Å"housing starts fell to six percent in August of 2007 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.665 million, while permits fell 2.3 percent from July and for the seventh consecutive month to a 1.722 million level. The August 2006 permit level was the lowest in 4 years. The month-over-month August starts decline occurred in both the single-family (-5.9%) and multifamily (-6.7%) sectors and in three out of the 4 Census regions, the exception being the Northeast†. These statistics mean that the housing industry is slated for a slowdown in the near future. Furthermore, with fears of an impending recession of the general economy, housing industry is also set to suffer to the extent. Mortgage is a loan given to an individual or a corporation on the basis of the value of a house, building or any other

Assess the advantages of job specialisation Essay Example for Free

Assess the advantages of job specialisation Essay 1. Terminology Job Definition Job definitions in practice are usually only applied to low level manual and clerical jobs, at more senior levels there are usually greater degrees of own job making. There is a school of thought that suggests newly appointed staff ought to know exactly what their duties are in detail. The suggestion is that this higher degree of definition (or specification) helps to motivate employees by letting them know exactly what is expected of them. Others schools of thought are that, far from being motivating a high level of job definition acts to control peoples behaviour and sets minimum performance standards. Job Specialisation Job specialisation is typically a feature of bureaucratic organisations where there is an implied clear-cut division of labour and a high level of specialisation; this is especially relevant to both knowledge jobs and jobs of a manual or clerical nature. After general training some workers e.g. doctors may become gynaecologists, assembly line workers may specialise in fitting car tyres whilst others fit doors, therefore they become a specialist. The design of the organisation relates to what types of jobs should be created and how narrow and specialised they should be. Advantages of job specialisation would be: * Job holders can develop enormous skill in performing a narrowly defined and specified task * Job specialisation typically means that less work time is lost in switching from one job to another * Specialised equipment to increase productivity can be more easily developed in highly specified jobs * Training people for specialised jobs is relatively easy Disadvantages of job specialisation would be: * Boredom is a problem. Workers often get little satisfaction from the job and feel no pride in carrying out trivial tasks * Workers with highly specialised jobs often have high levels of absenteeism and job dissatisfaction and may quit more readily or develop antagonistic relationships with their superiors Once jobs have been designed, organisations must then group the jobs into logical units. At upper levels of an organisation, the groups may be called divisions, product groups or units. At middle and lower levels, they are usually called departments. Departmentalisation is the basis on which jobs are grouped together within an organisation. Another form of grouping is by product. This is a popular structural form in large organisations having a wide range of products or services. In the National Health Service, for example, the key groups of employees medical, nursing, paramedical and hotel services are dispersed according to the service they provide, e.g. maternity, orthopaedic, surgical, psychiatric etc. The advantage of a product organisation is that it facilitates co-ordination and integration, speeds up decision making and eases assessment of units performance. Disadvantages of this type of organisation are that there is some duplication of effort in the various functional areas and managers tend to focus narrowly on their product responsibilities rather than the overall organisation. Hierarchical Structure Hierarchy refers to the number of levels to be found in an organisation. In a company that has a flat organisation structure there are relatively few levels between the lowest and highest levels of authority. A hierarchy is the pattern of reporting relationships between individuals in positions throughout an organisation. The hierarchy has two purposes; to specify which positions are responsible for which areas of operation and to specify the authority of different positions relative to one another. Authority is the power created and granted by the organisation. Organisations must decide how authority is to be distributed among various positions, levels and departments. The process of distributing authority between managers and subordinates is known as delegation. Delegation is a three step process between a manager and one or more subordinates. 1) Assigning responsibility 2) Granting authority 3) Creating accountability Many managers are reluctant to delegate because they dont know how to do so or they feel threatened by a subordinate who performs well. Organisations need to help managers decide how much responsibility to delegate and to overcome the threat of being overshadowed. Decisions about how to distribute authority throughout an organisation result in decentralisation or centralisation. Decentralisation is the systematic delegation and responsibility to middle and lower levels of an organisation. Centralisation is the systematic retention of power and responsibility at higher levels of an organisation. Decentralisation and centralisation are the opposite ends of a continuum. Most firms are relatively more decentralised or relatively more centralised. Centralisation generally allows top managers to exercise control over the organisation, however, it also slows decision making and constrains innovation. Decentralisation distributes control more evenly throughout the organisation. It also tends to speed decision making and make the organisation more flexible and responsive. However, decentralisation allows more opportunities for errors in decision making. The decision to decentralise or centralise is influenced by the organisations environment, size and economic performance. Span of Control Delegation is essentially a power-sharing process in which individual managers transfer part of their legitimate authority to subordinates / team leaders, but without passing on their own ultimate responsibility for the completion of the overall task which has been entrusted to them by their own superiors. The reasons for delegation are mainly practical, but some are idealistic. Practical reasons include: * Senior managers can be relieved of less important, or less immediate, responsibilities in order to concentrate on more important duties * Delegation enables decisions to be taken nearer to the point of impact, and without the delays caused by frequent reference upwards * Delegation gives managers the opportunity to experience decision making and the consequences of their decisions * Delegation encourages managers to learn how to cope with responsibility * Delegation enables organisations to meet changing conditions more flexibly, especially at the boundaries of their system Idealistic reasons for delegation include: * Delegation is a good thing for individual growth, and contributes to staff morale * Delegation is the sine qua non of empowerment (Peter, 1988) * Delegation helps to enrich individuals jobs and humanises work. Most organisations find the need to delegate forced on them by circumstances, especially the pressures on managers to concentrate on environmental issues rather than on internal problems. However, the best practice is to be found in organisations that use delegation positively as an important employee motivator as well as a means of facilitating effective decision-making throughout the organisation. One of the major questions which has to be faced when considering the practical aspects of delegation is how many subordinates, or team members, can be managed effectively by any one manager or supervisor. This is the classical management issue of the so-called span of control, i.e. the number of employees reporting directly to one person. The term span of control refers to the number of subordinates that an individual manages or controls and for whose work that person is responsible. In tall hierarchical organisations an individual employee may have a wide span of control. In contrast in a teamwork structure the span of control may be narrow or may not exist at all. Within an organisation, the span of control bears an inverse relationship to the number of layers of hierarchy, i.e. if the span of control is narrow a large number of levels of hierarchy are needed. In practice spans can vary between one and forty or more subordinates directly supervised, although the most likely range is between three and twenty. Smaller spans tend to be found among managerial, professional and technical groups. Here factors such as cost, the complexity of the work and the need to deal adequately with the problems of people, who may themselves be managers of others, require a closer involvement by superiors in the total operation of their units. Towards the bottom end of the organisational hierarchy, where employees who have no subordinates themselves are carrying out routine tasks, it is practicable to have much larger spans. The whole question of spans of control is linked to top managements views about the number of levels they should have in their organisation. If a flat organisation is preferred, then larger spans are an inevitable consequence, especially for middle managers. If a tall structure is preferred, then spans can be smaller. Any final decision has to be a compromise between these opposing consequences. Other important influences on the size of the spans in an organisation or unit include: * The levels of ability of management i.e. are they capable of producing results with spans of a certain number. * The level of knowledge and experience of the subordinates concerned, e.g. well-trained and experienced staff require less supervision than those without training and experience * The complexity of the work of the unit and the degree of change to which it is subject, i.e. the more complex and more fast changing the work, the more necessary it is to install narrow spans of control * The costliness of possible mistakes by individuals in the unit * The degree of hazard or danger associated with the work, e.g. work on oil rigs or in biochemical laboratories requires special attention to safety procedures In a tall organisational structure many levels separate the lowest positions from the highest one. Hierarchical structures are taken to the extreme in organisations like the army. There are lots of different ranks or grades of workers, with different responsibilities, pay and status. Such organisations are meant to be more inflexible and bureaucratic. 2. Informal and Formal Organisational Structures Organisational structure can be viewed from many perspectives, but I find viewing it from a decision making perspective most useful. Structure exists to perform two essential functions within an organisation: a) Control Ensuring that decision makers at all levels use the managerial or hierarchical constraint as one of the criteria in making their decisions, and b) Coordination Ensuring that decision makers at all levels use lateral or peer constraints as criteria in their decision making The informal organisation structure usually consists of staff and workers who report directly to a small number of managers. This permits a strong influence on morale, motivation and how satisfied staff are with their jobs. This can assist in giving a fast response to customers and following up market opportunities quickly but can lead to confusion of responsibilities and confuse decision making. Organisational growth could lead to increased tension due to overlapping of job roles which would lead to the organisation adopting a formal organisational structure. The informal organisation is: * Flexible and loosely structured * Relationships may be left undefined * Membership is spontaneous and with varying degrees of involvement. The informal organisation can serve a number of important functions: * It provides satisfaction of members social needs, and a sense of personal identity and belonging * It provides for additional channels of communication; for example, through the grapevine information of importance to particular members is communicated quickly * It provides a means of motivation, for example, through status, social interaction, variety in routine or tedious jobs, and informal methods of work. * It provides a feeling of stability and security, and through informal norms of behaviour can exercise a form of control over members * It provides a means of highlighting deficiencies or weaknesses in the formal organisation, for example, areas of duties or responsibilities not covered in job descriptions or outdated systems and procedures. The informal organisation may also be used when formal methods would take too long, or not be appropriate, to deal with an unusual or unforeseen situation The informal organisation, therefore, has an important influence on the morale, motivation, job satisfaction and performance of staff. It can provide members with greater opportunity to use their initiative and creativity in both personal and organisational development. The informal organisation is the networks of relationships that employees form across functions and divisions to accomplish tasks fast. Control is also an integral part of the process of management and a key element for any organisation, playing an important role in the relationship between managers and their subordinates. Control is not only a function of the formal organisation and hierarchical structure of authority, it is also a feature of organisational behaviour and a function of interpersonal influence. The whole purpose of managerial control is the improvement in performance at both the individual and organisational level. Control involves the planning and organisation of work functions, and guiding and regulating the activities of staff. A social organisation is an ordered arrangement of individual human interactions. Control processes help circumscribe typical behaviours and keep them conformant to the rational plan of the organisation. Organisations require a certain amount of conformity as well as the integration of diverse activities. It is the function of control to bring about conformance to organisational requirement and achievement of the ultimate purposes of the organisation. At the organisational level, management need to exercise control over the behaviour and actions of staff in order to ensure a satisfactory level of performance. Managerial control systems are a means of checking progress to determine whether the objectives of the organisation are being achieved. Control provides a check on the execution of work and on the success or failure of the operations of organisations. There are two main types of control which can be used within the organisation and whichever one of these two styles is chosen plays an important factor in the relationship between the manager and his/her subordinates. Firstly, there is Behavioural Control which is based upon the direct personal supervision of the employees. This form of control appears more useful to the needs of individual managers in their attempts to control subordinates in one department or section. There is also Output Control which is based on the measurement of outputs and the results achieved. This form of control serves the needs of the organisation as a whole and is used largely because of the demand for simple measurement of organisational performance. There are five essential elements for a management control system to be truly successful. These factors include the planning of what is desired, establishing standards of performance, monitoring actual performance, comparing actual achievement against the planned target and also rectifying the taking of corrective action. Control is viewed as an essential feature of formal organisation and a hierarchical structure of authority. An alternative view of control is more in keeping with the human relations approach, control is seen as a feature of interpersonal influence and takes place within a network of interaction and communication. While the need for some form of control is constant, the extent and manner of control is variable. In the formal organisational structure there will be patterns of communication and procedures for decision making. Some organisations will have tall structures with lots of layers of command. Other organisations can be relatively flat. The formal structure is usually the first structure adopted after the simple informal organisational structure. It represents a significant shift from centralisation (one person in charge) to decentralisation. Management is divided into tasks of getting the work (sales marketing), carrying out the work (operations), getting the staff (personnel) and recording transactions and arranging finance (finance). This can lead to tension and inter-rivalry between functions, overlap, duplication of effort and difficulties in co-ordination can also occur. Formal structures are often based on specific tasks and it is how these tasks are allocated and the authority which they carry are explained by the organisational structure. The formal organisation is based on official links and connections whereas the informal organisation is based on loose ad hoc connections. It is much easier to set out an organisation chart for formal structure than for informal ones, which may not be obvious and may change although some informal structures are deeply embedded in working practice. The formal organisation is: * Deliberately planned and created * Concerned with the co-ordination of activities * Hierarchically structured with stated objectives, the specification of tasks, and defined relationships of authority and responsibility. Within the formal organisation an informal organisation will always be present. I would define an organisations structure as the architecture both visible and invisible which connects and weaves together all aspects of the organisations activities so that it functions in a dynamic way. One simple approach is to consider how an organisations structure is described when represented in the form of a diagram which is most often shown as an organisation chart. Below is an example of formal organisation chart for 3. Organisational Structure of Scottish Enterprise Borders a) Scottish Enterprise operates a formal organisational structure subdivided into regional structures for each Local Enterprise company. This structure is due to the organisation being relatively large, geographically dispersed, and delivering a wide range of goods/services. This is in common with all 12 local enterprise companies and allows us to work in close proximity to our customers and partners, by locating staff throughout lowland Scotland. The regional structuring was adopted following a process the Scottish Enterprise Network went through 2 years ago called Business Transformation. This entailed a radical overhaul of the way Scottish Enterprise conducted its business. As part of Business Transformation the organisational structure of the entire Scottish Enterprise Network was reviewed and as a result a flatter less bureaucratic structure developed. The original structure hindered the decision making process and there was a lack of co-ordination. The network needed to modernise its working practices to ensure that it was giving tax payers value for money. b) It was considered that adopting this type of structure would improve decision making, fix accountability for performance and increase the coordination of functions. This structure allows the network to evaluate and monitor its activities, it also allows a degree of flexibility. The main downside of this strategy is that it does foster rivalry among the divisions. This is why our organisational values became an integral part of how we do business. Rivalry between local enterprise companies and departments is a cultural and historical issue that will probably always exist. In Network terms, our business units are the 12 LECs and the directorates in Atlantic Quay. Every business unit owns a balanced scorecard to help them manage the performance of their own business unit. The reference point for this is the Network balanced scorecard agreed with the Corporate Management Team. Strategy maps articulate the key objectives that describe both what the organisation wants to achieve and how it is going to achieve it, and demonstrates the critical cause and effect relationships between these objectives (i.e. linkages between desired outcomes and what we must have in place internally to deliver them). Strategy maps are now considered to be the single most important and useful element of designing a balanced scorecard. 4. Organisational Chart a) The organisational structure of a business is most easily summarised in an organisational chart. The chart shows at any given moment in time how work is divided and the grouping together of activities, the levels of authority and formal organisational relationships. Organisation charts describe in diagrammatic form the structure of an organisation. It is the skeleton upon which every other activity depends, more importantly, it is the framework which explains the communication pattern, process and the linking mechanisms between the roles. It illustrates to everyone who communicates with whom, how the control system works, who is in control, who has authority and above all, who is responsible. It explains how the organisation is co-ordinated and how individual departments relate. The division of labour and the relationship of one position to another is reflected in an organisational chart which can act as a guide to explain how the work of different people in the organisation is co-ordinated and integrated. Once specified and defined, the jobs and the authority and responsibility relations between them are represented on an organisational chart. Some charts are very sketchy and give only a minimal amount of information whilst others give varying amounts of additional details, such as an indication of the broad nature of duties and responsibilities of the various units. Others include names of post holders and even photographs, and some give the salary grading for individual positions. Using such a chart would allow employees to become familiar with the organisation, making them feel a part of the company, allowing them to know whos who and whats going on. Organisational charts are useful in explaining the outline structure of the company. They may be used as a basis for the analysis and review of structure, for training and management succession, and for formulating changes. The chart indicates several important details about the organisation: * Lines of communication * Delegation of authority * Accountability * Span of Control * The way in which the work of the organisation is grouped Organisational charts have several weaknesses as a means of explaining organisational structure. Most importantly, they may not be consistent with reality. They may not be current. They may imply a formality that does not exist in practice. Often, they are drawn from a top down perspective. The organisation may look quite different from the bottom than from the top. They often imply that a pyramid structure is the best or only way to organise a business. A circular organisational approach or team approach may in fact be better in some cases. The organisation chart may fail to come to come to grips with the power and authority of a popular and charismatic person relatively low in the organisation or a person who has a substantial financial investment in the business without being a formal part of the management team. Hierarchy refers to the number of levels found in an organisation. In a company that has a flat organisation structure there are relatively few levels between the lowest and highest levels of authority. The basic distinction made between tall hierarchical organisations, and flatter teamwork structured organisations is that a tall organisation will have several layers of command. In contrast team structures will be based on cells of team members working together, often belonging to several project teams which form and reform as projects start and finish. The line relationship authority flows vertically down through the structure, for example, from the chief executive to director, director to team. There is a direct relationship between superior and subordinate, with each subordinate responsible to only one person. Line relationships are associated with functional or departmental divisions of work and organisational control. Directors have authority and responsibility for all matters and activities within their own directorate. Lateral Relationships exist between team members. The organisation is not concerned with responsibilities or authority but rather with providing an avenue for communication and co-ordination between widely different aspects of work. The lateral relationships that exist may be categorised into: Colleague Relations: These are the relationship that exists between people working in the same directorate and who are members of the same team. Collateral Relations: These are the relationships that are necessary for the interchange of ideas and opinions between people at the same level but in different teams within the organisation. 5. Organisational Structure Matrix Structure Matrix structures are organisational forms which have evolved as a result of co-ordination problems in highly complex industries such as software development, where functional and product types of structure have not been able to meet organisational demands for a variety of key activities and relationships arising from the required work processes. A matrix structure usually combines a functional form of structure with a project-based structure. For example, in a two year project to produce a modified version of a standard software programme, one project manager will co-ordinate, and be held accountable for, the work to be undertaken by the project team, and he will be the person who deals on a regular basis with the client. However, in addition to reporting to his own senior line manager on progress with the project as a whole, he will also report on specialist matters, such as design issues, to one or more functional managers, depending on the complexity of the project. The functional managers provide technical expertise and organisational stability. The project manager provides the driving force and the day-to-day control required to steer the project through during its relatively temporary lifetime. The main feature of a matrix structure is that it combines lateral with vertical lines of communication and authority. This has the important advantage of combining the relative stability and efficiency of a hierarchical structure with the flexibility and informality of an organic form of structure. A matrix form focuses on the requirements of the project group, which is in direct contact with the client. It helps to clarify who is responsible for the success of the project. It encourages functional managers to understand their contributory role of the purely functional form, i.e. individual empire building by the functional heads. Three conditions are necessary for the matrix: * Economy of scale in the use of internal resources * Environmental pressure for two or more critical factors such as product (need to complete a specific projectfor example development of the Lower Churchill Falls for electricity) and function (specialized work activity skills needed from within the functional structure necessary for completing this project) * Environment is both complex and uncertain Key Matrix Roles The matrix relies on three key roles: Top leader This individual must keep a balance between the two authority structures. The leader attempts to achieve a balanced matrix structure. Oftentimes either a functional matrix (primary boss functional leader) or product matrix (primary boss functional leader). Matrix bosses Individuals who have management responsibility within the functional and divisional structure need to work collaboratively and establish a priori arrangements for decision making and dispute resolution. Two-boss employee These individuals are the employees who perform the essential work and they report to two bosses requiring them to be able to deal with conflicting demands. Strengths and Weaknesses * Achieves coordination necessary to meet dual demands from divisional-product and functional requirements, but dual authority can be frustrating and confusing to employees. * Provides flexible use of human resources across divisions-products, but participants need excellent interpersonal skills for work to proceed smoothly and successfully * Suited to environment in which frequent changes occur, but consensus seeking and meetings are time-consuming * Provides an opportunity for employees to acquire in-depth skill development for both functional and division-product skill development. * Suited best in medium-sized organizations with several products or projects However, like all organisational form, matrix structures do have their disadvantages. The most important are: * The potential conflicts that can arise concerning the allocation of resources and the division of authority as between project groups and functional specialists * The relative dilution of functional management responsibilities throughout the organisation * The possibility of divided loyalties on the part of members of project teams in relation to their own manager and their functional superiors Despite these disadvantages, the matrix form probably offers the best answer to date to the issue of handling the tension between the need to differentiate and the need to integrate the complex activities of modern organisations. Hybrid Structure Hybrid structures occur when an organisation adopts a structure, which combines two structures from either functional, product or customer principles as a basis for its design. Most organisations eventually use multiple forms of structure within a single overall structure. Once work groups have been departmentalised, the organisation needs to develop a network of reporting relationships. A hierarchy is the pattern of reporting relationships between individuals in positions throughout an organisation. The hierarchy has two purposes; to specify which positions are responsible for which areas of operation and to specify the authority of different positions relative to one another. Authority is the power created and granted by the organisation. Organisations must decide how authority is to be distributed among various positions, levels and departments. The process of distributing authority between managers and subordinates is known as delegation. Delegation is a three step process between a manager and one or more subordinates. 1) Assigning responsibility 2) Granting authority 3) Creating accountability Many managers are reluctant to delegate because they dont know how to do so or they feel threatened by a subordinate who performs well. Organisations need to help managers decide how much responsibility to delegate and to overcome the threat of being overshadowed. Decisions about how to distribute authority throughout an organisation result in decentralisation or centralisation. Delegation is essentially a power-sharing process in which individual managers transfer part of their legitimate authority to subordinates/team leaders, but without passing on their own ultimate responsibility for the completion of the overall task which has been entrusted to them by their own superiors. Strengths and Weaknesses * The hybrid is a balance between a pure divisional or product structure and a pure functional structure and combines the advantages of each. * Weaknesses include high administrative costs and potential conflict over goal focus and resource allocations for functional and divisional departments. The reasons for delegation are mainly practical, but some are idealistic. Practical reasons include: * Senior managers can be relieved of less important, or less immediate, responsibilities in order to concentrate on more important duties * Delegation enables decisions to be taken nearer to the point of impact, and without the delays caused by frequent reference upwards * Delegation gives managers the opportunity to experience decision making and the consequences of their decisions * Delegation encourages managers to learn how to cope with responsibility * Delegation enables organisations to meet changing conditions more flexibly, especially at the boundaries of their system Idealistic reasons for delegation include: * Delegation is a good thing for individual growth, and contributes to staff morale * Delegation is the sine qua non of empowerment (Peter, 1988) * Delegation helps to enrich individuals jobs and humanises work. Most organisations find the need to delegate forced on them by circumstances, especially the pressures on managers to concentrate on environmental issues rather than on internal problems. Overall, organisations have to adapt and grow whilst responding to environment and technology changes by developing more complex structures that are composites of the basic types. Both Hybrid and Matrix structures are composites of the basic type of organisation structure. The reasons why organisations divide into different structures is varied. Typically, structures develop out of functional lines (production, sales etc); geography (like Coca Cola); or by business. The reason will be about capitalising on some structural efficiencies or economies of scale to produce competitive advantage. The benefits are that the smaller (hopefully more logical) units will be more manageable, efficient and profitable. Perhaps being closer to their market and more adaptable. Possibly maximising on internal communications and transfer of knowledge. The consequences are (hopefully) that the benefits are realised. However, the best practice is to be found in organisations that use delegation positively as an important employee motivator as well as a means of facilitating effective decision-making throughout the organisation.

Reflection of Cannibalistic Societies through Diary of a Madman And the

The meager image depicted by Lu Xun's 'Diary of a Madman' projects an illustration of society that stresses submission to authority, and the ultimate compliance to tradition. Lu Xun battles the idea that society is constantly being manipulated and controlled by the masses of people who know no better than to follow tradition. His story 'Diary of a Madman' gives the representation of a culture that has not only failed, but failed by the cannibalistic nature of humans corrupting them-selves over and over again therefore feeding upon themselves. The analysis of 'Diary of a Madman' gives way to a new interpretation of societies of the past, present, and future. Following the idea that history tends to repeat itself, I have paralleled the idea that society as a whole can be seen as cannibalistic not only in the reference by Lu Xun, but also in the current society we live in today. Only through willingness to change can societies transform their behaviors and actions giving way to i mprovement. To gain insight into the cannibalistic representation of society, the writing style of Lu Xun must first be addressed. The preface of ?Diary of a Madman? is written in classical Chinese language, where Lu Xun uses an ironic technique to suggest a false, polite world made exclusively by social appearance. This traditional approach to literature shows the conventional method that is followed by those who act upon the ways of the past and the culturally accepted methods of the masses. As the story unfolds the story leaves the classical Chinese language and moves to the informal language that is known by the common societies. Lu Xun also incorporates the diarist and main character of the story, and uses him as a reflection of the curre... ...s,? we can still do our best to improve. And we can start today!? (p. 1927). The story ?Diary of a Madman? produces hope of a future existing that rejects oppressive traditionalism, and the liberation of the individual and asks society to recognize the problem and help save society by, ?saving the children? (p. 1929). ?Diary of a Madman? is a depiction of society that stresses observance to a powerful authority, and the ultimate compliance to tradition. Lu Xun explains the idea that society is constantly being controlled and devoured by the masses of people who know no better than to follow tradition. His story gives the representation of a culture that has conformed to the cannibalistic nature of humans that feed upon themselves. Only through willingness to change and evolution can societies transform their behaviors and actions giving way to improvement.

Vlad Dracula :: essays research papers

Yes, there was a real Dracula, and he was a true prince of darkness. He was Prince Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes, meaning "Vlad the Impaler." The Turks called him Kaziglu Bey, or "the Impaler Prince." He was the prince of Walachia, but, as legend suggests, he was born in Transylvania, which at that time was ruled by Hungary. Walachia was founded in 1290 by a Transylvanian named Radu Negru, or Rudolph the Black. It was dominated by Hungary until 1330, when it became independent. The first ruler of the new country was Prince Basarab the Great (1310-1352), an ancestor of Dracula. Dracula's grandfather, Prince Mircea the Old, reigned from 1386 to 1418. He participated in one too many losing battles against the Turks and was forced to pay tribute to them. He and his descendants continued to rule Walachia, but as vassals of the Ottoman empire. The throne of Walachia was not necessarily passed from father to son. The prince, or voivode, was elected by the country's boyars, or land-owning nobles. This caused fighting among family members, assassinations, and other unpleasantness. Eventually the House of Basarab was split into two factions - Mircea's descendants, and the descendants of another prince named Dan. Dan's descendants were called the Danesti. Mircea had an illegitimate son, Vlad, born around 1390, who was educated in Hungary and Germany. Vlad served as a page for King Sigismund of Hungary, who became the Holy Roman Emperor in 1410. Sigismund founded a secret fraternal order of knights called the Order of the Dragon to uphold Christianity and defend the empire against Turkey. Because of his bravery fighting Turks, Vlad was admitted to the Order, probably in 1431. The boyars started to call him Dracul, meaning "dragon." Vlad's second son would be known as Dracula, or "son of the dragon." Dracul also meant "devil." So Dracula's enemies, especially German Saxons, called him "son of the devil." Eventually Sigismund made Vlad the military governor of Transylvania, a post he held from 1431 to 1435. During that time he lived in the town of Sighisoara or Schassburg. You can still visit the citadel there and even the house where Vlad's son Dracula was born. Today there's a restaurant on the second floor. There's also a mural in the house that may depict Vlad Dracul. Young Dracula Dracula was born in November or December of 1431. His given name was Vlad. Vlad Dracula :: essays research papers Yes, there was a real Dracula, and he was a true prince of darkness. He was Prince Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes, meaning "Vlad the Impaler." The Turks called him Kaziglu Bey, or "the Impaler Prince." He was the prince of Walachia, but, as legend suggests, he was born in Transylvania, which at that time was ruled by Hungary. Walachia was founded in 1290 by a Transylvanian named Radu Negru, or Rudolph the Black. It was dominated by Hungary until 1330, when it became independent. The first ruler of the new country was Prince Basarab the Great (1310-1352), an ancestor of Dracula. Dracula's grandfather, Prince Mircea the Old, reigned from 1386 to 1418. He participated in one too many losing battles against the Turks and was forced to pay tribute to them. He and his descendants continued to rule Walachia, but as vassals of the Ottoman empire. The throne of Walachia was not necessarily passed from father to son. The prince, or voivode, was elected by the country's boyars, or land-owning nobles. This caused fighting among family members, assassinations, and other unpleasantness. Eventually the House of Basarab was split into two factions - Mircea's descendants, and the descendants of another prince named Dan. Dan's descendants were called the Danesti. Mircea had an illegitimate son, Vlad, born around 1390, who was educated in Hungary and Germany. Vlad served as a page for King Sigismund of Hungary, who became the Holy Roman Emperor in 1410. Sigismund founded a secret fraternal order of knights called the Order of the Dragon to uphold Christianity and defend the empire against Turkey. Because of his bravery fighting Turks, Vlad was admitted to the Order, probably in 1431. The boyars started to call him Dracul, meaning "dragon." Vlad's second son would be known as Dracula, or "son of the dragon." Dracul also meant "devil." So Dracula's enemies, especially German Saxons, called him "son of the devil." Eventually Sigismund made Vlad the military governor of Transylvania, a post he held from 1431 to 1435. During that time he lived in the town of Sighisoara or Schassburg. You can still visit the citadel there and even the house where Vlad's son Dracula was born. Today there's a restaurant on the second floor. There's also a mural in the house that may depict Vlad Dracul. Young Dracula Dracula was born in November or December of 1431. His given name was Vlad.

Describe How Two Businesses Are Organised

Describe how two businesses are organised (P3) I am going to talk about two organisations and how they operate. The organisations I am going to talk about are McDonalds and Chester Zoo. McDonalds is a fast food restaurant and its purpose is to provide the best and fastest customer service so in this way it will give the organisation a good reputation and help them to make more profit. [pic] This shows how stuff work in McDonalds.If there would be a problem with customers for example, then the assistant manager would take care of this but if there would be something more serious then the business manager will have to take care of it because he is the top head of managing. This also shows how the organisation is organized and how everyone is on the top of the chart and also at the bottom. Chester Zoo is a zoo organisation with loads of attractions for children. Its purpose is to keep their customers happy and also help others because Chester Zoo is also a charity and most of its profit goes to charity to help other people.This is one of the organisation charts for Chester Zoo. This organisation chart shows how the herpetology team work at Chester Zoo. For example the herpetology team manager is on top and  everyone below report to him. For example if there was a problem with something to do with the herpetology keepers then they would report it to the herpetology lead keeper who would then report it to the herpetology team manager. Types of organisational structures There are four types of organisational structures which are: †¢ Functional Geographic †¢ Product †¢ Type of customer Functional – Functional structures arrange departments according to what goes on within each department. An example of this structure would be Sandwell College where the lecturers are in their own departments, the receptionists and secretaries would be in the administration department or office and the library and IT staff would be in support services. Geographic – Geographic structures are mostly about the size of the organisation and where it operates.This could be where there are teams of people operating in different locations like in different towns, cities or countries, so it would be very difficult to organise the business simply by its functions. By product – By-product organisational structures offer a range of products or services and these can dictate its structure. For example a supermarket could be organised into the following functional areas: †¢ Fruit and veg †¢ Cooked  meats †¢ Tinned goods †¢ Clothing †¢ Frozen goods By type of customer – By type of customer organisational structures have both consumers as customers and also have other businesses as customers.This can be referred to as B2C (business to consumer) and B2B (business to business). Hierarchical structure – A hierarchical structure consists of multiple levels. This means that the chain of command would look l ike a pyramid with a large base of workers who are supervised by the level above them which continues to the top ranking officer such as the CEO or company president. Flat structure – A flat structure has few levels of management between the executive level and the front-line employees. The purpose of a flat structure is to empower employees by making them a larger part of the decision making process in a business.It is designed to make employees more productive. It also allows for more rapid change and problem resolution as the communication occurs more easily between the upper managers and baseline employees. Matrix structure – A matrix structure is a type of management system in which workers report to more than just one person, effectively having two or more supervisors at the same time. For example professionals with different types of expertise are brought together to work on a project. They report to a number of managers of different projects as well as to a fun ctional supervisor.McDonalds and Chester Zoo both have a hierarchical structure because they have multiple levels and they both have a CEO or company president that everyone reports to. Span of control – Span of control is the number of people that one individual is responsible for in an organisation. The wider the span of control is then the greater the number of whom the individual is responsible. A manager who is responsible for too many people may be so overworked that their staff in turn may not be able to perform their duties effectively.Functional Areas – The functional areas are the specialist areas of activity within an organisation. These include: †¢ Finance †¢ Marketing †¢ Production †¢ Customer service †¢ Sales †¢ Human resources Finance The finance department functions include keeping records of financial activity for example the sales made by the business and providing managers with information that they can use in decision m aking for example cost of making products. For McDonalds the finance department would have to keep track of how many sales they make per day and what kind of meal or burger makes the most money.For Chester Zoo the finance department would have to do the same which is keeping records of how many sales they make per day and how much profit they make. Marketing – The marketing function is responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements. The marketing function have to carry out market research to find out which types of customers make up a particular market for example what they want, where they want it, how they like it and at what price. The marketers will have an important say in deciding: †¢ The products the company produces The prices charged †¢ Promotions designed to encourage the customers †¢ Place where  goods are sold For example at McDonalds the marketers would decide on what type of Mcflurrys they would sell to customers and at Chester Zoo the marketers will decide on what price they will sell their tickets for people to come and visit Chester Zoo Production – The production function organises who makes the goods and how and when they are made. The production manager of a company is responsible for making sure raw materials are processed into finished goods.At McDonalds the production function will have to make sure that the burgers and chips are made in good quality and at Chester Zoo the production team have to make sure that the food they feed to the animals are just right for them to eat. Customer service – Customer service is concerned with looking after customers at all stages of their relationship with a company. They have to provide customers with details about offers, make sure the customers are listened to and valued and attending to customer complaints, providing after sales service such as servicing of goods, spare parts or information about new products.At Chester Zoo the customer service people will have to deal with complaints and will have to tell people who visit about offers they may not know about. Sales – The sales function is responsible for getting customers to buy what the company produces. The sales department works closely with the marketing department. The main responsibility of the sales department is to create orders for goods and services. For example at McDonalds the sales team will have to try and sell as much food as they can to the customers so they can make a profit. At Chester Zoo they will have to do the same thing by selling Chester Zoo merchandise.Human resources – Human resource managers are responsible for all aspects of people management in an organisation. The type of work covered in the human resource function might include a policy-making role, welfare role, supportive role, bargaining and negotiating role, administrative role and educational and development role. At Chester Zoo the human resources will ha ve to do an educational and development role because when they have new employees they will need to train them. This goes for the same at McDonalds, where they will have to train their employees.

Diffusion and Standardization with Operation System The WritePass Journal

Diffusion and Standardization with Operation System Reference Diffusion and Standardization with Operation System Abstract1. Introduction of Windows and Mac OS 2. The Development of the OS Standard 3. The MAC OS Threat 4.   How the proprietary regime would affect the diffusion ReferenceRelated Abstract This paper discusses the standard of operation system (OS) in the personal computer industry, and how Windows finally became a standard of this industry. To comprehend better of this process, we critically evaluate the proprietary regime and what is the effect of this regime on the diffusion process. This paper also provides a short view of network effect and switching cost, product preannouncement that have influenced the outcome of the standards competition. 1. Introduction of Windows and Mac OS There have been two distinct operation environments along with personal computer industry, Windows and Mac OS.   They are undergoing an intensive standard race over the past 10 years. Windows is an operation environment introduced by Microsoft in 1985, a strong market leader which accounts for more than 90% usage share in 2009 with its high quality and easy handling graphical user interfaces.1 Mac OS is a system developed by Apple, a small usage share of 6% and less well known in operation systems.2 The two systems are incompatible with each other by different technology support. Technologically speaking, both have their advantages. The Windows is supported by hardware configuration, which is provided by a series of hardware manufacturing, like INTEL 〠AMD. On the other hand, Mac OS has its uniqueness which is a way to differentiate it from all other personal computers out there. Mac OS is only to be installed at Apple’s computer by Apple’s license agreement, that is to say Apple is not to license their OS. What is more, Windows is able to run on any portable application and there are a mounting number of end systems could be offered with it. By contrast, Mac OS is compatible to limited software. 2. The Development of the OS Standard By the early 1980s, some small companies which led the minicomputer market in the late 1970s have been taken a hand by larger computers. A smaller number of de-facto industry standards have developed. In 1981, when the largest computer firm which is IBM entered into the microcomputer area and made the decision that all the IBM PC shipped with IBM PC-DOS which is a licensed version of Microsoft’s MS-DOS rather than the superior industry-standard CP/M-86 operation system.3 In 1984, 4 Microsoft achieved growth of revenues from MS- DOS’s sales by IBM and other competitor’s manufacturers who were willing to buy MS-DOS license to be shipped with their computers. However, it still achieved little popularity and it was competition with Apple’s own OS. Back then, the industry expected that the IBM would be the technical direction .However, 1987 when IBM made a risky business decision that chose to introduce their PS/2 line which would be licensed to anyone who could afford the royalty, however it failed to maintain the open AT bus.8 PS/2 line made the IBM machines were not IBM-compatible anymore. Because of that, many PC manufactures hold off accepting the PS/2 licenses and worked together on a new open bus type to all manufactures, which lead to that IBM no longer the leader and standard of the industry. Around the same time, at the beginning of the 1990s, 9 Microsoft developed a brand new OS –Windows, which turned out being very popular. At the same time, IBM would prefer to replace DOS with its vastly superior OS/2, but Microsoft insisted on pushing the industry standard with Windows.  Ã‚   With lower price and high technically superior performance, Windows became the de-facto standard with more than 2 million selling of copies of Windows version 3.0 in 1992. After then, Windows 95 made a revolutionary change to the user interface and also used preemptive multitasking. During that time, the early adopters of computer tended to use the internet to communicate the strengths and weaknesses of Windows 95 and programming more software. Windows XP was released and becoming the largest usage OS ever. In 2009, a new edition –windows 7 focused on new features with more compatible applications and hardware. Moreover, in 2011, a preannouncement of Windows 8 has been made that will be released in 2 years later in order to affect the choices of potential customers. In fact, Windows OS would be an open format with all the computers shipped with Windows is capable of using extensive compatible software. Moreover, the historical record reflected that the key to the success of Windows OS lay in the fact that Windows can be licensed to PC manufacturers as much as possible. 3. The MAC OS Threat Despite the extensive success of Windows OS in the past 20 years, industry competitor still is trying to change the market. Some preserved with the unique and technically superior system, like Mac OS by Apple. Apple’s Macintosh developed in 1984, which achieved a commercially successful in the beginning of 1980s. Macs are rapidly growing in popularity by its unique software/hardware market niche. They insisted on their unique standard with their proprietary system which is Mac OS that would run nothing anyone else programmed.7 In the case ofcomputer OS, Mac OS has very limited compatibility with other programme but on the other hand, is quite easy to use and requires relatively little maintenance, which is the reason why It is undergoing a slightly growth in the usage market in comparison with previous performance. 4.   How the proprietary regime would affect the diffusion As we all know that the value of a specific computer system depends on availability of compatible software 11.User usually not care whether others use the same computer as me, but I benefit indirectly from the fact that there are many other users of the same product which means that there is a large market of software. The historical record of Windows OS and Mac OS has shown that fact that Windows OS is a relatively open standard. Microsoft knowing that they would not dominate the market on their own without the cooperation to other computer manufacturing. Thus they licensed the Windows OS to other companies which at last achieved a monopoly on OS market with 90% share and all computers running their OS.   Apple, by contrast, made its Mac OS closed standard.   They has a high monopoly on Mac os with 100% of their computer Reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wintel islandnet.com/~kpolsson/compsoft/soft1991.htm thocp.net/companies/microsoft/microsoft_company.htm http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090715083926AATdrXk Kennedy, Randall C. (2008-04-14).  Fat, fatter, fattest: Microsofts kings of bloat | Applications. InfoWorld. Retrieved 2010-01-12. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1999-10-13/business/9910130219_1_chips-microprocessor-gartner ocdqblog.com/home/the-diffusion-of-data-governance.html G.M.Peter Swann The Economics of Innovation An Introdution 2009

Politics and Sports essays

Politics and Sports essays Pierre De Coubertons ideas of revitalizing the Olympic games was for sport, he visioned sports without the infliction of politics. Through the years the reality of his vision has died out and inevitably political issues and ideas began surfacing in the Olympic games just as much as they began appearing in the ordinary sports world. It seemed that the Olympic games got hit with most of the political back draft, mainly do to the large scale involvement of other countries and as such they became a podium for countries. In Martin Barry Vinokurs book More Than a Game he explains the involvement of politics and sports, he distinguishes two countries which have had incredible amounts of political resurgence through sports. It was my belief before reading this book that sports in America has always been effected somewhat by politics, but it came to a total surprise to hear that sports dictated politics and vise versa in other countries. In a world where some people believe sports take a s much precedents as education, it seems no wonder that sports could not live without political issues. Vinokur takes Romania and East Germany and begins dissecting how politics have affected sports. One of the most startling facts to me was that a third world country like Romania had so many incredible accomplishments in the sports world. East Germany on the other hand used sports to get recognition of the German Democratic Republic(GDR). Both countries interest between foreign policy and sports was so large, it seems like they care more about athletics then education. The reason for their grand achievements was that they began looking for stand-out athletes at a young age and began training them almost instantaneously. In the political sense after world war 2 both countries contrasted similarly. Germany was split up between East and West, with the West gaining worldwide diplomatic reorganization, the GDR know...

One day in the 16th through 17th

One day in the 16th through 17th centuries the pilgrims met in thechurch of England. They met there because they didnt have their ownreligion, they had to follow the England religion. they were planning to movesomewhere where they could have their own religion. They were building a ship called the Mayflower to come to America,so that they can be free in practicing their religion. When the ship wasfinished they put it in the water and waited to leave. They all met where theship was. Then they all boarded the Mayflower and set off. It was a rough journey coming to America. The pilgrims all had to eatfish every day. The food that they brought rotted. They all ate during thenight because they didnt want to see what was crawling on their food. Atnight when they slept there was not enough room so they were very tight. They all had to sleep together and some had to sleep on the floor. All of these hardships were because of the religious problem inEngland. America was their only hope. America was a free country and that A kid on the Mayflower was playing with gunpowder and almost blewit up. Luckily he did not. They made it to America and built homes and grewfood. They had some trouble with the winter and the Indians, but theysurvived, and were free to practice their religion. The Pilgrims finally were able to have their own religion. They didnthave any more problems trying to have their own religion, and the Pilgrims

How Roche Diagnostics Develops Global Managers Research Paper - 1

How Roche Diagnostics Develops Global Managers - Research Paper Example It is for this reason that the acquisition of global leadership is being considered as a salient feature in business success both at the national and international levels and private and public sectors. 1. Discussing the Responsible Party for Producing Global Leaders The human resources (HR) department is the party with the responsibility to produce global leaders. This is because, it is the HR department that can and should plan, designate, train and also provide compensation plans for engagements with international personnel. The HR department can also make arrangements to have an organisation be able to handle global differences among countries which affect organisational decisions. Apart from extending its recruitment drives to an international market, it is also true that it is the HR department which can persuade a rigid and conservative management into accepting recruitment drives to be made a multinational affair. 2. The Possible Ramifications of Not Having Global Leaders The failure to have global leaders within an organisation is likely to inhibit the organisation’s chances for broadening its opportunities to an international level. This is because the presence of global leaders will help the HR department and managers understand the principles and practices that prevail in the global markets. At the same time, the absence of global leaders in an organisation will not help the locals in a foreign market identify with the organization. This is because, organizations which have their rank and file coming from the mother country are almost always deemed as foreign corporate entities. This is to the effect that if an organisation fails to mingle its personnel with people from different races, religion or country, then the same organisation is likely to carry state-specific stigma. This may inhibit the speed and ease with which the organisation is to penetrate the market and get legally registered. Again, the same failure and subsequent stigma will help cripple the organisation’s volume of sales and stunt its market share (Griffiths, 137). 3. Roche’s Perspectives Program Based on the O’Toole chapter on public policy, the possible changes that can be made in the U.S. to encourage companies to become global leaders must include and take cognisance of the Perspectives Global Accelerated Talent Development Programme (PGATDP). This will portend, the targeting of individuals who are passionate about bringing significant contributions to their industry, but are still at a nascent stage of career development. This will also elicit the need for the factoring and use of experiential learning and development on these talented young professionals. At the same time, the US government and American businesses should work closely to craft new, more effective and broader global networks. Similarly, there should be the rejuvenation of employee exchange and transfer programmes, with emphasis being placed on the aforementione d young employees. This will help these young employees to build broader global networks, experience different areas of entrepreneurship, gain experience on how to manage different networks and accrue skills that will be needful for the advancement of one’s career. The US government can then in turn take to extend business incentives to organisations that practice the PGATDP programme (Griffiths, 137). It may also be imperative for the US government to expand its education, training and community development

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

Global communication - Essay Example As a result of this, Bellsouth Corporation had to cut its operating costs and on capital spending. Since IT and back office services constitute about 20% of the company's operating costs, outsourcing the same to countries where services are cheap was an ideal way of cutting costs for Bellsouth. Bellsouth tied up with Accenture in 1998 as its IT outsourcing strategy partner to help it achieve improved service levels, on budget performance and on time delivery. To cutthe rising costs of ongoing maintenance and enhancement of IT applications and to maximise profits in order to utilize the same for future capital expenditure, Bellsouth began strategically evaluating its offshoring capabilities to further reduce IT costs and Project Horizon was born. Project Horizon's business objectives include offshoring resources to reduce maintenance and development costs of IT applications while maintaing the same workload and service levels and taking advantage of the differential cost savings. Results of application - The cost-savings initiative will enable Bellsouth to reduce IT expenses and save 45 - 70 % in outsourcing costs, which translates into an estimated savings of $ 275 million over five years

Teamwork and Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Teamwork and Motivation - Essay Example Innovation and increased productivity are possible if employees are trained and educationally motivated. Continuous learning and employee training should be planned by the organization through their tenure at some regular interval of time. This not only results to higher motivation but also lower turnover. Training also prepares employees to assume more control over their jobs and less supervision, thus building better employee loyalty, satisfaction, and motivation.In the motivation plan, continuous evaluation in a specific cycle should be a must do for the primary aim of measuring progress and determining needs for improvements. This will entail measurement of attitudes, morale, and workforce motivation to determine ways in which the design and implementation of the plan at least once for a year (Deming, 2013).A true competitive advantage for an organization is achieved through well trained and motivated human resource co-ordinating their efforts and energy vitally for the entityâ⠂¬â„¢s goals of accelerating performance, lowering turnover and increasing productivity.In supporting the elements the two-factor theory (Hygiene-theory) by Fredrick Herzberg can be used in order to understand the factors influencing peoples' attitudes and work. According to this theory, satisfaction is caused by (satisfiers) factors related to work itself, achievement, recognition, and responsibility. He argues that motivation is an inner force driving individuals to personal and organizational goal attainment.

What were the reason for, waht are the clained advantages of, the Essay

What were the reason for, waht are the clained advantages of, the adoption in Australia of international financial reporting standards(IFRSs) - Essay Example This will be a more adaptive way of comparing financial information not just within Australian companies but the Australian corporate sector with the international corporations. along with comparison, it will also make the allocation of capital across borders more efficient. Furthermore, different arrays of national standards which are a lot different in their functionality, on its own places a high cost on capital markets. a constant portion of these costs is directly put on the companies who have to meet the multiple standards to raise capital in different markets. the IRFS bears the answer to provide relief for both corporate governance and the stakeholders (Antill & Lee, 2005). In today’s global world, economic relations with other countries are increasing at a much faster rate than before and especially for Australia where foreign trade is much more than the GDP. This has resulted in a substantial increase in the number of different multinational corporations out of Australia, and many of these companies have their focus on Asian markets among others for their revenues. Furthermore, as these economies themselves develop this makes it even more relevant for IFRS to be adopted in Australia (Nobes, 2006). In these global markets, the IFRS gives investors a more clear view of the companies as barriers to international financial investment have fallen in markets around the world. These investors can now trade securities of these Australian multinational companies without any constraints. Moreover, these investors may be pretty much responsible for trading of almost half of all the shares of the companies which are floated in the Australian market (Nobes, 2006). As cross-border financial investment increases, capital markets become more dependent on each other. This means that shocks felt in one market reverberate around

Solar Water Heaters Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Solar Water Heaters Project - Essay Example All that the people have to do is install a solar water heating system and they are good to go. The other objective is provision of clean, environmentally friendly and renewable energy that is sustainable for the development of all in society as well as a major contribution to environmental conservation. The aim of the project is to formulate an action plan for the successful installation of about 150 solar water heating systems in Acton area. 3.0 Current Situation and problem/Opportunity Statement It is evident that our actions now have a huge impact on the environment in the future. The continuous use of fossil fuels has produced tones of toxic gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide all of which have adverse effects on the ozone layer and the environment in general. ... atter how simple play a significant role to the conservation or degradation of the environment and normal life as we know it and hence there are massive campaigns to go green by adopting to alternative sources of energy that are environmentally friendly and cost efficient at the same time. Solar energy is one of the known and widely utilized alternative energy that is renewable and free from nature. The other is natural gas. This is truly a win-win situation for all the stakeholders and an effort to reverse the current harsh conditions by conserving our environment for a better future. 4.0 Critical Assumptions and Constraints As much as there is growing awareness of the need to find and use alternative sources of energy, in this case solar energy through the solar water heaters, many people are still reluctant to adapting to this mode of energy. This project requires strong participation and cooperation from a wide variety of people so that people can be educated on the benefits of u sing solar water heaters. This project is capital intensive because of procurement and installation of the solar water heater system and customers view it to be expensive at first but the truth is that this cost is recovered over time as the electricity and gas costs go down considerably to make up for the installation and maintenance cost. 5.0 Analysis of Options and Recommendation To properly address this opportunity a massive awareness program should be carried out in Acton area to intensify the usefulness and benefits of using solar water heaters in residential places as well as in industries. Secondly a market research to identify potential and willing customers has to be done so as to ensure that all the 150 units will be sold out. 6.0 Budget Estimate and Financial Analysis A good

What were the reason for, waht are the clained advantages of, the Essay

What were the reason for, waht are the clained advantages of, the adoption in Australia of international financial reporting standards(IFRSs) - Essay Example This will be a more adaptive way of comparing financial information not just within Australian companies but the Australian corporate sector with the international corporations. along with comparison, it will also make the allocation of capital across borders more efficient. Furthermore, different arrays of national standards which are a lot different in their functionality, on its own places a high cost on capital markets. a constant portion of these costs is directly put on the companies who have to meet the multiple standards to raise capital in different markets. the IRFS bears the answer to provide relief for both corporate governance and the stakeholders (Antill & Lee, 2005). In today’s global world, economic relations with other countries are increasing at a much faster rate than before and especially for Australia where foreign trade is much more than the GDP. This has resulted in a substantial increase in the number of different multinational corporations out of Australia, and many of these companies have their focus on Asian markets among others for their revenues. Furthermore, as these economies themselves develop this makes it even more relevant for IFRS to be adopted in Australia (Nobes, 2006). In these global markets, the IFRS gives investors a more clear view of the companies as barriers to international financial investment have fallen in markets around the world. These investors can now trade securities of these Australian multinational companies without any constraints. Moreover, these investors may be pretty much responsible for trading of almost half of all the shares of the companies which are floated in the Australian market (Nobes, 2006). As cross-border financial investment increases, capital markets become more dependent on each other. This means that shocks felt in one market reverberate around

Coporate Accounting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Coporate Accounting - Research Paper Example There are instances in which the subsidiary and the holding company prepare their financial statements using conflicting policies and principles. In these cases, the parent company has the responsibility of making the necessary adjustments in order to have the subsidiary statements restated to become uniform to that of the holding company. This has to be done before the line-by-line consolidation of summing the respective asset and liabilities are done to arrive at the consolidated figure (Deegan, 2010). A breach of this accounting requirement will mean that the financial statements are inconsistent with the set principles, hence making them unreliable and untrue. Consolidation of inventory will be used to show how the adjustments should be done. AASB 102 demands that inventory be measured using the lower of cost and net realizable value to ensure that the financial statements are not over or under valued. The cost here includes the purchase price, import costs and any cost incurred to bring the stock to its current state. Inventory should also be tested for impairment in order to avoid possible overstatement in the financial statement. In case the subsidiary accounts for stock by violating this requirement, the holding company will have to do the necessary adjustment to ensure that the value posted in the financial statements are uniform. ... The second financial statement asset that is susceptible to errors during consolidation is property, plant, and equipment. The property, plant, and equipment are the long-term assets of the business that are utilized in the production of goods or delivery of services in order to earn revenue to the business. Accounting standard requires that in reporting the value of this item in the balance sheet, depreciation be subtracted from the purchase price to arrive at the net value (Deegan, 2010). Similarly, companies should test the property for impairment and expense any impairment losses in the income statement. The impairment value will also be used to reduce the value of the asset in the statement of financial position. It must, however, be noted that in calculating the depreciation amount, the holding company and its subsidiary might use different measurement bases. Depreciation can either be calculated using the straight-line basis or the reducing balance method. The holding company will, therefore, have to make adjustment to have the depreciation value determined using same method. For example, if the holding company calculates its depreciation using the straight-line method while the subsidiary does the same by the use of reducing balance, the parent company will have to adjust the depreciation values according to the straight-line method. The final consolidated value will then be determined by summing the net values of the property, plant, and equipment. In summary, adding the asset values that are arrived at by use of different measurement bases is inappropriate and violates the accounting rules and standards. The preparers of the financial statements must, therefore, make the necessary measurement adjustments before summing the respective assets and

Dangers of Body Art Essay Example for Free

Dangers of Body Art Essay â€Å"Grandma, what does that thing on your right wrist say? † asked Maya. â€Å"It says Justin Bieber! Who is Justin Bieber? Was that your boyfriend back in the day? † Maya’s grandma simply responded, â€Å"No, this is what you call a big mistake! † Grandma did not tell Maya about her life-threatening encounter with Hepatitis B, how she was judged for tattooing a Canadian singer’s name on her, and how she was not able to keep a steady job. Grandma regrets getting that tattoo. She daydreamed many days how her life could have been better. Can you really blame Grandma? She did this when she was a teenager. The trend in this century has increased. Tattoos are a major fashion statement among teenagers today, but the majority of the young adults fail to consider the medical, social, and professional consequences tattoos can inflict on one’s life which may result in regret. Adolescents have several reasons for having tattoos are numerous but some are senseless. A survey was given to students about the motive for their tattoos: â€Å"Fifty-three percent of the students replied for self expression. Thirty-five percent just wanted one. Twenty-one percent got the art to remember an event. Seventeen wanted to feel unique. Eleven got it to express independence,† (Winkler 18). The reasons are endless. A rebellious tattoo gives one a tougher look, so that one appears disobedient to rules. The indifferent appearance verses the bland look that has been acquired by society for centuries. Well-known actress, Pamela Anderson, feels â€Å"tattoos are symbolic of the most important moments of your life† (Mason 16). Moments of life are similar to rites of passage. On Dictionary. com, a rite of passage is â€Å"Ceremonies that mark important transitional periods in a person’s life . . . † (Keloid). It is common for one to get a tattoo(s) displaying marriage or in memory of another’s death. Anderson also stated about getting a tattoo, â€Å"my sons’ first girlfriend come over and I’m all wrinkled up in a chair with tattoos all sagging down to my ankles† (Mason 16) Everyone sets goals but in cases people have tattooed the goals or something symbolic to the goals on their body. â€Å"Several athletes, for example, have had the Olympic rings tattooed on their bodies to show how much they wanted to compete in the Olympic Games. † (Mason 16). Love is a beautiful thing but would you risk showing it on your skin? It is common for people to tattoo love-one’s name on them. Many say that having a relative’s name is better than having a boyfriend or girlfriend’s name tattooed on one. One’s lover can change constantly but your family is yours officially. For instance, â€Å"Actress Angelina Jolie had actor Billy Bob Thornton’s name tattooed on her arm soon after she married him. By the summer of 2002, the two had split up† (Mason 17). Some professional tattoo artist can remember a story about someone who came in to cover up someone’s name that was tattooed on them. Mr. Barham’s second period class took a survey on having their girlfriend/boyfriend’s name on them. Fifty percent said it was ignorant, twenty-five percent said it was ill-advised, and twenty-five percent said to wait till marriage. (Concluding Sentence? ) Hardship enters in and out of everyone’s life. Hardship can send one into sadness. Sadness is another reason one may have a desire for a tattoo; most likely to remember the event. Actress Alyssa Milano said about getting tattoos out of misery, â€Å"I’ve always gotten them [tattoos] at times when I was sad about something [†¦] relationship problems or the fact that it had rained every day for a month† (Mason 17). It is not advised to get a tattoo during the time of grief. Why do you have that tattoo again? † said Ashley. â€Å"Well, I don’t know† said Jason. Jason received a tattoo no for no particular reason? As said before, thirty-five percent of teens got the tattoo because they just wanted it (Winkler 18). Some say it looked cool or felted good and encouraged them to get more. One can result in a deadly ending if having numerous tattoos or even if you get one for the first time. The risks of having tattoos are endless but the most deadliness one is Hepatitis B or C. Problems, such as infections, tattoo removal, keloid formation, and allergic reaction. There have been many people who have contracted diseases through tattoos, but when society thinks of tattoos, the risks are not recognized. Infections are prone to happen if one does not use sterile equipment to perform the tattooing procedure such as re-using ink or used needles. Infection affects the blood stream and later causes problems if one was to become a blood donor. Tattoos removal may involve scaring of the dermis and numerous treatments. The cost of treatments varies by size and what treatment is being done but either way the treatments are expensive. One consequence tattoo removal results in is keloid development. According to Dictionary. com, a keloid is â€Å"an abnormal proliferation of scar tissue†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Keloid). If one already develops a keloid(s), getting a tattoo(s) increases the formation. Having an allergic reaction is possible to happen while getting a tattoo and is difficult to control. It is extremely rare for one to be allergic to the products used. Removing the tattoo pigments is the procedure that aids one during an allergic reaction. Neither teenagers nor adults would have thought these risks could infect someone. Usually when people have tattoos, they are judged on spot. In some cases, society does not accept the act of having tattooing due to personal preference which starts social altercations. Views on tattoos can be taken in a negative manner. Doing research, â€Å". . . the average person described the body art as dirty and gross† (Ottawa Expert in French English Language Training; Free Online French English Lessons). Compare the average person to someone fund of tattoos and they could prove them wrong. To others, tattoos are seen as their way to express through art. Pricing for tattoos are outrageous, also. Generally, tattoo parlors range pricing upon a flat fee, hourly fee, or both. A flat fee is the cost based on the artist having to sketch the design, provide colors to the art, and time it took. An hourly fee is a charge based upon the length of time it took to complete the tattoos; common hourly fees range for 50-250 per hour. Prices tend to be extremely high which causes many to go to an unprofessional artist. When getting tattoos, others do not consider society’s opinion or just do not care. There have been cases where parents have kicked out their child because of having tattoos resulting to be homeless. Also, parents have disowned children due to tattoos. Facts stated, â€Å"Over half of the families in Canada would not let their children get tattoos. † (Ottawa Expert in French English Language Training; Free Online French English Lessons). It has been restaurants or stores that do not allow tattooed people to enter the facility. Religious reasons are, also, why people are not able to get tattoos. Roleff reproduced about religions and tattoos, â€Å"Getting a tattoo may give some youths a feeling of power and control over their lives, but the Old Testament forbade tattoos. While today’s Christians are not bound by Old Testament law, tattoos-even temporary ones-suggest paganism and idol worship. Many people react negatively to those with tattoos, which could lead to problems when it is time to find a job or pursue personal relationships. Many people come to regret having a tattoo. It is best not to get one in the first place† (Roleff 68). Generally, views of tattoos by society have been negative. From awful adjectives to religious views, tattoos are frowned upon constantly. Tattoos in the work area have, also, been a problem for years. Today in society some find it acceptable but others still find it hard to get over. Having tattoos while maintaining certain professions, such as a government job, give the society the perspective of how tattoos are viewed. There have been times when a firefighter has been insulted, harassed, or discriminated against for having a tattoo. People in the community find it unprofessional for them to even have the littlest of tattoos. I know it is impossible to believe but teachers have and had lives, also. In the past, there have been problems where a teacher has got a tattoo. Districts have addressed the dress code for teachers, and enforcing them to hide all body art. Teachers chose to comply with the new rules. Some meet the terms to support their family and some wanted to be role models to the students. Schools are not the only place where they have placed a dress code. The official policy is to sport tattoos in certain places, such as a certain spot on the neck. Also, it has to be an appropriate tattoo. According to a section article, â€Å"In 1900 an estimated 90 percent of sailors in the United States Navy were tattooed† (Roleff 82). That was until another policy had been set to prohibit tattoos that were in plain sight. The policies are in place for the professional look from society. According to Dictionary. com, a tattoo is the act or practice of marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, etc. , by making punctures in it and inserting pigments (Tattoo). The motivations for having tattoos were endless but true. Teenagers, today, have made tattoos seem acceptable to have, especially having many of them but lack understanding consequences. The medical outcomes to having tattoos are numerous diseases and difficulties. Majority of society’s view tattoos as impure. The prices of tattoos are insane but for a tattooist, them expressing themselves is way more valuable. There have been public places that do not allow people who have tattoos. Religions find it unruly to have tattoos. Then, there is the professional view. Society would not want a tattooed firefighter to represent them because of the unruly look that tattoos are viewed as. Teenagers may love the form of expression but do not take the time to understand. Tattoos can cause death or can hurt one, physical or mentally.

State The Meaning Of Psalm 23 By Exegesis Religion Essay

State The Meaning Of Psalm 23 By Exegesis Religion Essay The aim of this assignment is to state the meaning of Psalm 23 by exegesis and analysing it. Exegesis comes from a Greek word that means to guide out, It is the process of going to the text to determine what it means, and to draw out the correct interpretation.  [1]   Shepherd The psalm is poetry and is transformed into simple metaphors employing that it is God who is the shepherd. The metaphor of the Shepherd in found in verse 1 of the psalm, the Lord is my Shepherd. King David of Israel is said to have written at least half of the psalms within the book of the Old Testament as well as this one.  [2]  David found it appropriate to write this psalm because he was a shepherd, and describes his work as a shepherd protecting caring and delivering the sheep from all form of attack. In addition to this David relates the work of the shepherd to the work of God (1.Sam 17: 34-37). The Hebrew word for shepherding is translated feeding. Sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance, and protection. The shepherd takes care of the sheep, he even carried weak lambs in their arms (Isa.40:11) they led the sheeps to pasture and water protecting them from wild animals and dangerous places. They also guard their flocks at night whether in the open (Luke 2:8) or in sheepfolds.  [3]  Shepherds come to designate not only a person who herded sheep but also kings (2 Sam. 5:2). Later Israel prophets referred to Israels leaders as shepherds. Some New Testament references used a shepherd and the sheep to illustrate Christs relationship to His followers who referred to Him as the great Shepherd of the sheep (Heb.13:20). Jesus also spoke of himself as the good shepherd who knew His sheep and would lay down His life for them (John 10:7-18). Verse 1- 4 The opening of the first four verses establishes the dominant theme for the psalm as a whole and contains a metaphor; where by in verse one the Lord is called Shepherd and the Psalmist is a sheep belonging to His flock. The psalmist used a simple language for the use of the shepherd metaphor, which can be understood by all living in a world where land was dotted with sheep and shepherds. The distinctiveness in the opening words of this psalm lies in the use of the pronoun, my shepherd which gives a personal association with the shepherd. The fact that the Lord is his shepherd the psalmist can say I shall not wan, here the psalmist is saying as long as the Lord is my shepherd I shall lack for nothing, this recall Gods provision for His people during their forty years travelling through the wilderness as Moses stated in (Deut. 2:7), you have lacked nothing. In verse two the psalmist paints a scene of abundant life in three descriptive statements each speaking of the shepherd in the third person and employing and imperfect verb form. All three images emphasize the shepherds role as provider. First of all the psalmist says, He makes me lie down in green pastures, secondly He leads me beside still waters. The palmist speaks in confidence of the Lords guidance and provision. As the shepherd leads his sheep in pleasant places full of all the necessities of life, green pastures of grass experiencing plenty, quiet peaceful stream which provides water for drinking. Grass and water are the sheeps source of life, and the shepherd knows how to find them both and leads the hungry, thirsty sheep to them. Within verse three he writes, He restores my soul He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake. He chooses the right paths that are right with him, making sense to him. In this He acts for His names sake, in accordance with His revealed character. Paths of righteousness take on the meaning of a way of life fulfil Gods expectation for his follower. The sheep are not left to their own devices but are led by the shepherd to take the right path, that is the one that gets the sheep where he need to go. The shepherd (God) acts in a way that reveal and confirms his character and nature. To have a name is to bear a good reputation, the shepherd (God) acts to benefit of the sheep, in a way that is consistent with the nature His name reveals. In verse four the palmist says, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Here the psalmist moves to a description of fearful threat he purposefully emphasise the danger and threat that confront the flock. Shadow of death is really deepest darkness which includes the darkness of death, but in these experiences the he of (v1-3) becomes the you, significant of closer person touch, and the leader (v2) comes alongside (with me). The darker the shadow the closer the Lord! The psalmists confidence rests in the fact even in the shadow of death itself, he need fear no evil, confidence is found in Gods protection described in the metaphor as the shepherds rod and staff. The rod possibly signifies protection; and the staff, possibly support. According to Craigie the Palestinian shepherd normally carried two implements, a cub or rod to fend of wild beasts and a crook or staff to guide and con trol sheep.  [4]  Despite the oppressive and threatening setting the psalmist sheep is unafraid. The psalmist reasons for fear fade in the presence of the shepherd (God). Verse 5 6 From verse five the metaphor changes to that of a host and his guest, the role of the shepherd no longer dominates. God is no longer seen as a shepherd but assumes the role as a host, preparing a table with food and drink, and anointing the head of the visitor. The psalmist is no longer a sheep but a person; who is honoured by God in the presence of the enemy.  [5]  The picture is one of the realisations of ultimate communion with God. Verse five says, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil my cup overflows. The word table continues the metaphor and is to be understood as God spreading a table, a banquet celebrating Gods provision and protection. One can assume from this that the psalmist had endured affliction in the past at the hand of enemies and had risen above the affliction in confidence, and as he anticipates the future, he has no illusions; there would still be enemies, but Gods provisions would come even in the present of those enemies. The anointing of the head with oil is the custom of hospitality by a gracious host or to an anointed king; in (Luke 7:44-46) Simons failure not to do so was recognised as a deliberate insult to Jesus; the overflowing cup which the psalmist drank from is a symbol of the hosts generosity. To sit at Gods table is to enjoy fellowship and communion with Him, and to do so in the presence of your enemies is to have a special relati onship with Him, receiving blessings and protection under His care while the enemy looks on, powerless to do you harm. The psalm gives closure in verse six as the psalmist says, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. This goodness and love will continue as long as life last and beyond. The psalmist looks forward in confidence to dwelling in the house of God for ever. In regard to the house of the Lord (the temple), this places the psalm in the context of worship, it gives an example of a hyperbole which is an exaggeration to make a point, the psalmist is not going to move into the temple to live the rest of his days. He means that he will spend the rest of his days in the presence of God in worship and praise remaining always in His caring and effective presence. To dwell with God is an image of eternal security and ongoing relationship. God offer the hope necessary to sustain through rough times, remembrance of the past and anticipation of the future, provides the necessity to bind the two halves of psalm 23 together. Conclusion The psalmist expression is one of confidence dependence and trust. God is presented not only as a shepherd who guides, protects, and leads you of the right path, but also as host who provides in the mist of life. In verse 2-3 he shows the shepherd leading his sheep into abundant life, verse 4 shows show the shepherd providing for His sheep with secure life. Verse 5 shifts and the shepherd shows God blessing on the trusting faithful, verse 6 ends with the expression of confidence. As the Lord is the good shepherd, so we are his sheep, not frightened, passive animals, but obedient followers, wise enough to follow one who will lead us in the right place and in the right way. This psalm does not focus on the animal-like qualities of sheep but on the discipleship qualities of those who follow. When you recognise the good shepherd, follow him! The psalm inspired us, comfort us, correct us and God is seen as a caring shepherd, and a dependable guide and host.

The Id, Ego and Superego in Lord of the Flies :: Lord Flies Essays

The Id, Ego and Superego in Lord of the Flies      Ã‚  Ã‚   In viewing the various aspects of the island society in Golding's Lord of the Flies as a symbolic microcosm of society, a converse perspective must also be considered. Golding's island of marooned youngsters then becomes a macrocosm, wherein the island represents the individual human and the various characters and symbols the elements of the human psyche. As such, Golding's world of children's morals and actions then becomes a survey of the human condition, both individually and collectively.    Almost textbook in their portrayal, the primary characters of Jack, Ralph and Piggy are then best interpreted as Freud's very concepts of id, ego and superego, respectively. As the id of the island, Jack's actions are the most blatantly driven by animalistic rapacious gratification needs. In discovering the thrill of the hunt, his pleasure drive is emphasized, purported by Freud to be the basic human need to be gratified. In much the same way, Golding's portrayal of a hunt as a rape, with the boys ravenously jumping atop the pig and brutalizing it, alludes to Freud's basis of the pleasure drive in the libido, the term serving a double Lntendre in its psychodynamic and physically sensual sense.  Ã‚   Jack's unwillingness to acknowledge the conch as the source of centrality on the island and Ralph as the seat of power is consistent with the portrayal of his particular self-importance. Freud also linked the id to what he called the destructive drive, the aggressiveness of self-ruin. J ack's antithetical lack of compassion for nature, for others, and ultimately for himself is thoroughly evidenced in his needless hunting, his role in the brutal murders of Simon and Piggy, and finally in his burning of the entire island, even at the cost of his own life.    In much the same way, Piggy's demeanor and very character links him to the superego, the conscience factor in Freud's model of the psyche. Golding marks Piggy with the distinction of being more intellectually mature than the others, branding him with a connection to a higher authority: the outside world. It is because the superego is dependent on outside support that Piggy fares the worst out of the three major characters in the isolation of the island. Piggy is described as being more socially compatible with adults, and carries himself with a sense of rationale and purpose that often serves as Ralph's moral compass in crisis; although Ralph initially uses the conch to call the others, it is Piggy who possesses the knowledge to blow it as a signal despite his inability to do so.