Chapter 24 Discussion Questions

Chapter 24 Discussion Questions How sanitary were houses of the British lower orders? The houses of the British lower orders were completely unsanitary and unhealthy. In various sections of Manchester, as many as 200 people shared one outhouse. These outhouses were not cleaned out often and sewage overflowed and seeped into dwellings. Some courtyards became dung hills and sometimes excrement was gathered and sold as fertilizer. How did women’s status change during the 19th Century? Women usually did not work in the factories in 19th century Europe.It became expected of them to stay home and take care of the children. They formed bonds with their children because of the decrease in infant mortality rates and genuinely loved their husbands because people married out of love, not for economic reasons. Women had legal inferiority to their husbands and worked to change that throughout the 19th century. They campaigned for equal voting rights and access to higher education and profe ssional employment. These groups gained important victories like the 1882 law that gave English women complete property rights. Discuss the philosophy of Auguste Comte.Auguste Comte was a French philospher who was an exceptionally influential system builder in the 19th century. He believed that intellectual activity goes through predictable stages. Comte believed that his new discipline of sociology would identify the eternal laws of human relations by applying the scientific method, or positivist method as it is also known. These stages of knowledge illustrate the popularity of the idea of evolution in the 19th century. How was transportation transformed in the 19th Century? In the 1870s horse-drawn streetcars operated in many European cities, which were invented in America.In the 1890s European cities utilized the electric streetcar, which was another American invention. Electric streetcars were cheaper and faster than horse-drawn streetcars. Millions of Europeans made use of the improved public transportation, workers, shoppers, and schoolchildren alike. In 1886 horse-drawn streetcars were transporting 900 million riders in England, Austria-Hungary, Germany, and France. In 1910 electric streetcars were transporting 6. 7 million passengers in those four countries. The improvement in public transportation helped the overpopulation of urban cities.Urban workers were able to live further away from the cities and still get to and from work using the innovations is public transportation. Art analysis: Decide on a 19th Century painting that best describes urban living. Be prepared to show the painting and explain how it reflects urban living. This painting shows urban living in the 19th century for a couple of reasons. The horse-drawn streetcars show the increase in public transportation during the 19th century. The spacious boulevards show the change in urban planning in Paris by Georges Haussmann at that time.How did the rise of industrialization affect urban li fe and the family? Industrialization caused overcrowding in major cities which sped up the spread of diseases and germs. Most people who lived in major cities lived in buildings that were cramped with as many as ten people in one room. Living conditions were poor and unhealthy. Sewers flowed alongside or down the middle of unpaved streets. Millions of European families lived â€Å"in shit. † How did the scientific-technological thinking influence the social sciences and the arts? Many people attempted to apply the objective methods of science to the study of society.These new social scientists had access to huge sets of numerical data that various governments had started to accumulate on all things, from prostitution to population, from crime to children. Along with Auguste Comte, another influential philosopher and scientist was Charles Darwin. Darwin presented the idea of natural selection and evolution in the 19th century. Darwin said that variations within a specific spec ies will kill off the weaker members will die off and the stronger members will survive, based on Malthus' theory that population will always outgrow the amount of supplies.How different are our attitudes toward gender and class issues from those of the Victorian Age? In the Victorian Age, the man had his place in the family and the women had theirs. Women were expected to stay home and manage the household, take care of the children, and manage the money. Men were expected to be the wage earners in factories and offices, not the women. Women only had jobs outside the house if they were extremely poor. And women who did have jobs like this, were paid significantly less than men who held the same job position.Nowadays, it is very common practice for women to have jobs outside the household. It is also illegal to pay employees more or less because of gender or racial reasons nowadays. Compare women and child-raising in the 16ththrough 18thCenturies with the 19thCentury? Throughout the 16th century, women were afraid to form bonds with their children because of the extremely high infant mortality rate. In the 18th century, the peasantry still did not become attached to their children until they were at least a year old. If the child survived the first year of life, his odds of surviving were much greater.Older children helped in cottage industry and the more children there were to help produce textiles and other things, the better. During the 18th century, the upper classes still neglected their children. Infants were usually handed off to wet nurses because breast-feeding was seen as a burden and by breast-feeding your children, there was a chance of becoming close to them. Finally, in the 19th century, women formed bonds with their children, no matter how young and breast-feeding was seen as a privilege, unlike before. Women were not as afraid of forming bonds with their children because infant mortality rates began to decrease.

Dear John Mower Company Essay

1) Identify and discuss the major issue(s) in the case Supply chain management is the coordination of all supply chain activities involved in enhancing customer value and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. It represents a conscious effort by the supply chain firms to develop and run supply chains in the most effective & efficient ways possible. Supply chain activities cover everything from product development, sourcing, production, and logistics, as well as the information systems needed to coordinate these activities. In that case, the issues that John Mower Company faces with their supply management part is regarding to get internal customers, whether in design engineering, plant engineering, administration and other in order to recognize and accept the advantages of early supply chain management and supplier involvement in the development of materials, equipment and services to be provided by outside suppliers. The keys are (1) the presence of professionals in supply management who will add value through their and their suppli ers’ early involvement and (2) the use of marketing skills by these professionals to convince their customers and perhaps management of the necessity of early involvement. John Mower Company  also faces a declining in market share of 10 percent. The consequences of this attributes to John’s ability to survive as a profit declined. 2) Prepare a list of advantages of the inclusion of supply management and prequalified suppliers. Every organization is a part of one or more supply chain. Either a company provides a service, sells directly to the end customer, manufactures a product or even extracts material from earth, it is characterized within its supply chain. Earlier, organizations placed little emphasis on organizations within their supply chain network. However, supply chain management had become a forefront of management’s attention due to three major developments (Balsmeier 1996). First is the information revolution. Second is Customer demands in areas of service and product cost, delivery, quality, technology and concept of cycle time brought about by increased global competition and third is emergence of newer forms of inter-organizational relationships. These developments have nurtured the emergence and integration of supply chain approach. To remain competitive, small firms have to offer superior quality goods at the lowest prices possible. The need to minimize product costs makes effective supply chain management vital. There are costs involved in every process of the product life cycle, and it is the responsibility of management to ensure that these costs are kept low, so the company can continue to pass along these savings to the consumer. The advantage of including supply chain management and prequalified suppliers is include : 1) Reduces costs 2) Increase efficiency 3) Increased Profits 4) Reduces time to market 5) Improved quality 6) Much lower stocks and inventory 3) Prepare a list of disadvantages of excluding supply management and suppliers from the new product development process. The supply chains represents the complex relationships of an organization with its trading  partners through whom it sources materials, manufactures products and delivers products or services to the customers. The supply chain links all the activities in the procurement, transformation and storage of raw materials and intermediate products, and sale of finished goods. Supply management personnel should be able to pass on information regarding new technologies and product that are available to the product design group. Supply management can aid source selection by discussing potential suppliers quality program, production capacity, lead time, delivery reliability, financial capability and management stability and strength. If the supply management and suppliers is excluding from the new product development process, hence there is some problem that may occur in th e company such as: 1) Quality problem resulting in redesign, rework, retrofit and field failures 2) Cost overruns 3) Foregone cost saving 4) New product which are late to market 5) Failure in recognize problems in timely manner 6) Major scheduling problems 4) Assuming that the three executives agree on early involvement of supply management and suppliers, develop a plan to implement this new way of doing business. Integrating the supply chain to improve logistics efficiency is a key challenge. Rather than going from no involvement to high involvement on all projects all at once, many suppliers’ professionals would begin with a sample or showcase project. A member of the supply management staff who can add value, know his or her suppliers, and one who has exemplary people and team skills should be invited by Mr Steel and the new project manager or engineer to participate in a key project. This individual in turn should invite a carefully pre-qualified supplier to participate in the project at the appropriate time. Hence, for the supply chains to be successful, it should integrate the three individual business processes of procurement, manufacturing, and distribution by consolidating the sub components in each of every area. Procurement: This is one of the major cost drivers in the supply chan. Procurement cost is influenced by the way procurement decision is made, procedures adopted in the procurement process and relationship with suppliers. Procurement cost can be controlled through long-term relationships with suppliers by considering the supplier as an extension of the manufacturing facility. The philosophy of co-partnership is based on the sharing of resources and benefits on a long term basis. The major step in this process is reduction in supplier’s base and induction of a few reliable suppliers into the supply chain, who are ready to work for the firm and can align themselves with the policy framework and requirements of the supply chain. Manufacturing: For a lean supply chain the emphasis today is not on curtailing the processing cost through economies of scale, but by curtailing the huge inventory carrying cost resulting from mass production ahead of demand. In the past, the emphasis was on building mega capacity factories to produce standard products in millions in order to reduce manufacturing costs and flood the market with low priced products. This approach resulted in the build up of a large reservoir of finished goods, which remain unsold and dead due to its inability to respond to the changing needs of the customers. Hence, today firms instead of banking on cost reduction through economies of scale are thinking of strategies of reducing the total supply chain cost through manufacturing flexibility to rapidly respond to changing markets demands of products volumes and varieties. Distribution: Traditionally, the role of distribution in the business process is warehousing transportation. However, in the supply chain model, the major task of distribution is the management of demand. It is important to make available the right product, at the right place, at the right time, and at the least cost. Demand management covers all the activities involving anticipating the customer requirements of products and fulfill that requirements against defined customer service norms. Requirement fulfillment is done through proper distribution network. The first task in demand management is to forecast customer requirement accurately. This is done only  if the firm is able to satisfy the customer as per the service level acceptable to the customer. Logistics play a vital role in understanding the demand through improved informational flow by way of quick response to customer’s demands. 5) What other suggestion can you make for improving the situation in the company? Management of The John Mower Company must be strongly committed to early supply management and early supply management involvement in all aspects of new product development. Suppliers can provide technical support technical support in the early stages of design that can decrease materials costs and improved product quality. Furthermore, early supply management and early supply involvement can reduce starts up problems and delay. When supply management join engineering in meetings with potential suppliers, it can address a price and discount issues, quantity and quality requirement, lead time and delivery schedules and financial capabilities. The supplier’s responses to this issue will allow supply management to further qualify the supplier. Besides that, management must stress standardization and limit engineering’s role in supply management issue. The engineers should concentrate on designing a reliable and timely product; as they must work with supply management to meet that end. The engineers will be motivated to spend more time in designing and evaluation a new part. Training supply management personnel is a key to further success. The division must recognize that is needed to invest in a training program for its supply management personnel in order to receive a full benefit from its supply management system. This training such as individuals training at seminars, trade shows, or classes conducted by engineers on how to read blueprints and specification sheets. The division’s management must emphasize the important of this issue to the entire organization. With such commitment, the division will be able to develop new products in the shortest amount of time for the lowest amount of time for the lowest cost and still maintain the quality and reliability that give the company the leadership position that it once enjoye d.

Why I Want a Wife Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Why I Want a Wife - Essay Example The written composition of Judy Brady sheds light on how the role of â€Å"Wife† was viewed in the society and what were the main expectations from her. The description of duties and tasks expected of her; make her role unbelievingly intricate and tiresome. Yet, her financial dependency makes her more vulnerable despite her input in the family rearing. Despite these presumptions, Women played a significant role in domestic and social reforms to nurture society and their children persistently. Judy Brady’s â€Å"I want a wife† is a vivid example of how feminism was surging in the nineteenth century and how women realized their place and position in the social life. Judy Brady in her open letter wishes to earn a wife herself. The â€Å"Wife† is a key idea here, who is a solution for all her hectic responsibilities of a personal, professional and social life. The author claims that a husband expects to achieve his professional and family life achievements on the bases of his wife’s contribution. He relies on her thoroughly and expects complete support and submission from her whether it’s moral or physical (in terms of Children and domestic responsibilities). Simultaneously, from another perspective, the stated lines have been desires of a â€Å"Dependent Wife† to become financially self-sufficient, so to support herself and her family with the help of her higher degree. The regret of leaving school to earn a good degree is evident and the author claims that with the degree she could earn her freedom (economic stability). She is keen to go out of her house-life to learn and earn. She regards the idea of freedom (carefree life of a breadwinner) and also desires to earn a caretaker (like her husband), who could perform the job of a wife and a mother, while she could pursue her desired endeavors.  

Summary and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary and Analysis - Essay Example To be more specific on which particular rape, the writer of the review on the books by two Japanese authors target the involvement of the Japanese military personnel in the rape of the women from the countries that they were able to occupy during the Second World War; Nanking included. The writer’s review on the perspectives given by two authors had brought about different points of views concerning the main topic that is aimed to be discussed: the rape of women by the Japanese military during World War II. As much as Nanking is not the main focus for rape as the chosen source, the article provides a different perspective of the topic on rape. Wakabayashi makes use of the start of his review with a question as to whether the activist scholarship that shows support of the litigation be the best form of justice that has long been due to the victims of the rape in the era of wars (223). The writer then starts to speak of the perspective of the Japanese writers with concerns to the common topic at

Human resources organization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human resources organization - Assignment Example I will set the goal of group deadlines for returning feedback and specific responsibilities and deadlines for each training lesson amongst the group members. They will be assessed on their current standing especially Susan and Hari for their laid-back attitude and late submission of work and how the other members cover up for them. This obstacle will be provided with options like formulating a time table or increasing work hours to avoid further delays or delegating and splitting the work into smaller easily attainable tasks. The best option will be implemented. Then the outcome/progress must be reviewed against objectives and analysis of the trainees; if unsuccessful then the strategy must be revised and trainers will be threatened of job security. If it works then it is an ongoing process. Setting and monitoring management strategies is never a static operation.

Nazi Germany in Animation Works from 40s-60s Research Paper

Nazi Germany in Animation Works from 40s-60s - Research Paper Example This was known as the Thaumatrope (Lenburg 272). This led to a series of progression in how the animations operated. Animations have been used since time immemorial to depict different aspects of human life. This ranges from people, scenarios, and events in the past, present and projected ones in the future. Use of animation has proved to be effective and has come in handy where there is no video. However, animations have also been used to propagate vices such as racism and hate speech. Many studios have produced animations with a massive amount of racist work. One of the notable cases is the racist animation used to depict Nazi Germany by Americans. This was in the period of 1940 to 1960 immediately after the 2nd world war (Langman 22). This paper shall thus reference into the investigation of the old animation works that occurred during the 1940s through to the 1960s over the massive amounts of the racist content that they showed. The paper shall also focus on the Nazi Germany and the manner by which the animations were depicted and were used. Again, information of how the Nazi Germany brought in the same issues affecting animation studios in America shall be investigated. The reaction to the audience to the racist animations shall also be compared to the present day where these works have been banned. Between 1933 and 1945, Adolf Hitler ruled Germany through the Nazi party. Germany, at this time was referred to as Nazi Germany or Third Reich. Nazi Germany was responsible for the launching of the Second World War in the larger Europe. It was also responsible for the Holocaust, which led to the death of many Jews living in Europe and other minor tribes. Racism was quite rampant in the Nazi Germany. The Nazis believed that some races were better than other was. Their racist stand was known, but nobody expected they would actually turn against their own people whom they ruled. Hitler had plainly made known his hatred for the Jews. This is why immediately he got to power; he spearheaded the movement against them, which led to the holocaust. Hitler would blame the Jews for all misfortunes in Germany. According to him, they had lost the 1st world war because of a conspiracy by the Jews. He also claimed that the Jews had attempted to destroy Germany, which led to the hyper inflation in 1923. In January 1933, the Jews were labeled sub humans (Mauch, Christof & Kiran 201). Germans could no longer buy from Jewish shops as they were marked with the yellow Star of David. Soldiers were placed at the doors to make sure no one entered these shops. This was an attempt to drive the Jews into Bankruptcy. Jews were hard working and had earned many fortunes with time. The racism became worse when Jews had to sit on chairs marked for them in public places such as schools and bus parks. In schools, the teachers would openly ridicule Jewish children. The racism became worse in 1935. The law of Nuremberg was passed making Jews lose their right as German citize ns (Mauch, Christof & Kiran 223). Marriages between Jews and non-Jews were prohibited, and from this point on, violence against the Jews became intense. Since this period, and after the Second World War, short animations produced from various studios focused on racist content works. Many of these focused on the Nazi Germany. There were various charges against Disney. It was claimed that Disney was a Nazi.

Changes in Public Speaking from Ancient Greece to Modernity Research Paper

Changes in Public Speaking from Ancient Greece to Modernity - Research Paper Example While crowds today may reach into the billions, speakers today are equipped with microphones, television, internet, and radio to reach the people. In Greece, the speaker not only had to have the passion for his subject but also had to have the ability to remember long quotes and ideas and to be able to amplify their voice for a long enough time to get their ideas across. Today, speakers can depend on note cards and prepared speeches, while Greeks had to rely solely on their memories. Today, unlike then, speakers are also not required to write their own speeches, and in fact, may not know the material until they step in front of a microphone. Effective speaking requires that the speaker be clear in what they are saying, and look and act convincingly. Eye movement, gesturing, even the subtle shifts of the person talking are all subject to interpretation by the listeners. While the movement of the speaker has mattered throughout history, it is only contemporarily that it can be shown, again and again, allowing an endless reinterpretation of meaning. Speaking before recording allowed the speaker to speak with passion, and while mistakes were still not desired, they were more forgivable. A grammatical mistake, for example, would be corrected in the speech was actually written down. Today, those same errors are lauded over the speaker and are used as ways to discredit them. Greeks did not permit women to speak publicly, and also had a unique way of stopping people who were not interesting enough. If the speaker lost the attention of the people, they were physically dragged off of the stage by the watchers. Today, we are required to sit politely by and let them finish out their speech or change the channel on the television. Public speaking was one of the most important skills an Athenian had. According to Nancy Harper: For many years, the Athenian could not hire a professional to speak for him in court. Each Athenian jury consisted of several hundred persons, and the citizen, whether the accuser or the accused, had to use his ability as a public speaker to persuade a majority of the jury to believe in his side of the case. Because lawsuits were common in Athens, legal speaking became the central concern of early communication instruction. (Warren 2)

MGT540 - Management of Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MGT540 - Management of Change - Essay Example Change is an important and vital aspect of almost every company. To exists in the fast moving and ever changing world the companies have to bring change in its operations. For example with the invention of computer and information technology, almost every company has to incorporate the use of information technology to compete in the changing business situations. Change often makes the member of the company to shift from their comfort zone to adopt the change brought in the organization. This often makes the employees to resist the new change. Thus the change brought in the organization has to be managed in a proper way so that the change can be implemented in the organization by dealing with the resistance in a tactical and planned way. In this project the change management done by ICICI bank during 1997 and after the merger of Bank of Madura has been analyzed. Change management theory Change is a constant ingredient of the organization. Every organization passes through two types of change during its life time. One is the continuous change and the second one is the radical change. Continuous change faces very little resistance and is managed by the manager or the supervisors effectively. The major concern for the company is to manage the radical change which faces the maximum resistance. The organizations are quite complex, therefore the organizational problems related to the human factor is also quite difficult to handle. The first thing which the organization faces when any change is brought in the organization is the resistance created by the attitude, personalities and incompetency of the employees. More over if any transfer of power takes place due to the change brought in the organization, can cause the employees to resist the change (Bolman and Deal, 2011, n.d.). Therefore this change has to be managed in a planned way. Every organization has to bring change for some or the other reasons. There are various internal and external reasons which initiate ch ange in an organization like change in market conditions, change in technology, change in type of competition, change in organizational ideas etc (Kanawaty, 1991, p.4). Change in an organization can also be brought in an organization due to some internal factors which are solely related with the organization. These factors can range from change in the organizational strategy or the business to change in managers or change in employees profile or attitude or change in equipments used by the employees. Among all the internal changes, change in business strategy is a reason which gives a major domino effect. If the strategy of a business changes then to implement that strategy many changes has to be brought in the organization which may include change in equipments, change in managers, change in the number of employees or/ and change in profile of the employees. In the early 90s the change which was brought in the ICICI was due to change in strategy. Change in an organization can also be a result due to change in government policies and globalization. Globalization can affect the organization’s policy to a greater extent initiating a major change in the organizational strategies of the business. Suppose an organization has major market share in a country but due to the entrants of the foreign companies in the market the company has to deal and compete with those firms too therefore the company has

Marketing Managemant 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Managemant 4 - Essay Example Using the ACCORD model for strategic marketing of the rose plant is recommended in order to maximize the returns. The ACCORD model of adoption will support the innovation by providing an in-depth analysis of the various aspects of the new product. Acting like an underlying checklist, the model will highlight the potential benefits and risks associated with the product, thus assisting the acceptance and adoption. Advantage: The innovative rose bushes, which are created to survive without any pruning, spraying or dusting, surely provide a comparative advantage over the natural counterparts which are rather temperamental and need much more care. The innovation has an edge over the natural plant which needs to be pruned to ensure lush blooms. With the new variety claiming to grow without the usual problems involved with rose bush care, the innovation offers an obvious advantage to the users. Compatible: The new rose plant is extremely compatible with the user’s lifestyle. Unlike the normal rose plant which demands high maintenance, the one developed by Angelica nursery promises prolific flowering with minimum maintenance. The plant is scientifically bred to grow and flower without any specific care requirement so the users can maintain it as per their lifestyle, thus lending a higher level of compatibility to the innovation. Complexity: The innovation is easy to handle and does not require the user to learn any new methodology. Communicating the benefits of the innovation to the customers is hassle free. The level of complexity involved in handling these innovative rose bushes is much less than that of a natural rose plant which demand special attention. Observable: The growth and flowering of rose bushes are observable even with minimal care. This will cause the early adopters to endorse and recommend the product to the others. The innovator segment of the

Yes, College is Worth the Money Essay Example for Free

Yes, College is Worth the Money Essay According to College Board, higher earning potential is number one when it comes to benefits of going to college. The median earnings of bachelors degree recipients working full-time year-round in 2008 were $55,700. (Hardy) A lot of current college students say that college is not worth the money, but they are still in college because they know without some type of degree it is going to be difficult to be financially stable and career ready but along with that they will learn some sort of responsibility. To start off, considering the fact that no one wants to struggle and everyone wants to be financially stable a college degree is required. With a college degree you are not always guaranteed a job as soon as you graduate but when you do get in your career field you will always be paid more than a person who just has a high school diploma. On average, the salary given to a person with a with a four year degree is approximately 45,000 dollars verses a lower income coming from someone with just a high school diploma. Studies show that those holding bachelor’s degree will earn about 2.2million dollars in a lifetime and those with a masters, doctorial and professional degrees will earn about 2.67 million, 3.25million and 3.65 million dollars in a lifetime. So, furthering your education will determine you financial stability. Daughtry2 Being career ready is very important before going out in to you designated career field. Going to college will help you become career ready both academically, socially and hands on. Of course coming toschool doing book work is a necessity. Also, you are going to have most likely take courses that are not related to your career and as well as the ones that are your focus. But, all of the course you take will help you in the long run somehow or another, even if it looks pointless it’s probably a class to make you look at life differently. For instance, an Elementary Education major’s  curriculum guide requires a current student to take African American Studies as a freshmen. This class has nothing to do with the chosen major but it will show individuals enrolled in this course so many different things they can use when they start their career. Socially, college has been a major help due to the fact that most freshmen are easily intimidated and shy when they begin college. College professors assign group assignments and various other group activities to help them out. Socializing with peers as well as children, who will one day consume most of my time. Hands on, field experience, is actually for an Elementary Education major going to the classroom and talking with students and reading to them etc. Field experience lets you know if this is what you still want to do and if so it allows you to get hands on experience. In addition, going to college teaches you how to be responsible. For those who have time management issues and problems with procrastination coming to school will show you that if you do not have somewhat of a set schedule you will fail. As a college student you have to learn how to wash your own clothes if you did not already know how, you have to learn how to budget and the biggest thing coming to college you will learn fast is self-discipline. Self-discipline is knowing you have class in the morning so you do not go out with your friends the night before Daughtry3 because you know you are not going to make it to that eight o’ clock. That’s discipline yourself in college, having this practice will have you responsible enough to go out in the work force. Often times though, high school students feel as if college is not for them due to the previous struggles, failures and or experiences they have had in high school. â€Å"Failure is punished instead of seen as a learning opportunity. We think of college as a stepping-stone to success rather than a means to gain knowledge. College fails to empower us with the skills necessary to become productive members of Today’s global entrepreneurial economy.† (Stephens) His point of view is very understandable and realistic. Agreeing with Dale Stephens, Marty Nemko, says too that college is a waste of time.  In an article entitled â€Å"We send too many to college†, Nemko practically states that parents are wasting their money by sending their â€Å"bottom 40 percentile† child to college because they barely made it out of high school so why would you send them to college. â€Å"Even worse, most of those college dropouts leave college having learned little of practic al value and with devastated self-esteem†¦ those people rarely leave with a career path likely to lead to more than McWages.† (Nemko) Going against the idea that college is worth the money the two authors have very valid points. All in all, college is still worth the money and although a lot of current college students say that college is not worth the money, where are they? They are still in college because they know without some type of degree it is going to be difficult to be financially stable and career ready. Coming to college will teach them some responsibilities that they have probably never had to do. College is definitely worth the money. Daughtry 4 Works Cited Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Practical Argument. 2nd ed. Boston, NY: Print. Hardy, Marcelina. 7 Benefits of Having a College Degree. Yahoo Education. 2013. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.http://education.yahoo.net/articles/benefits_of_higher_education.htm.

The issues faced by red tape shoes

The issues faced by red tape shoes As I am the customer of RED TAPE shoes and seen its globalization in a very short period time and also have done corporate social responsibility in many area . In a limited period of time increased its foreign investment .so this is a the issues why i have taken mirza tanner as my topic. Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh was originally incorporated as a Private Limited Company under the Companies Act, 1956 on 5th Sep., 1979 under the name and style of Mirza Tanners Pvt. Ltd. The Company became a Deemed Public Limited Company from 1st July, 1993 and converted into a Public Limited Company. The Company has been promoted by Mr. Irshad Mirza and Mr. Rashid Ahmad Mirza. Mr. Irshad Mirza is having more than 40 years of experience in the manufacturing and marketing of Leather Products. The Tannery Unit of the Company was set up in 1981 which has been gradually modernised and expanded to the present capacity to produce 50.00 lac sq. ft. of high quality Finished Leather. This conforms to the specifications approved by the Government of India given under the Export Control Order, 1991. In the year 1988, the Company diversified into manufacturing of 2.25 lac pairs of Shoe Uppers per annum by setting up an integrated unit at Juhi, Kanpur which was increased to its present capacity of 4.50 lacs pairs of Shoe uppers. Subsequently, the Company established a complete shoe factory in the year 1990 at Magarwara, Unnao for manufacture of 2.25 lac pairs of Shoes per annum which was increased to its present capacity of 4.50 lacs pairs of Shoes during 1992-93. The objective of the Company behind setting up these factories was mainly for catering to the quality conscious export markets of United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Portugal and also to Australia. (DION GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LTD) VISION: We want to achieve and embrace the world wide leaders position by sticking to our core values. We want to reach an altius and extend it to horizons. Our vision is put into action through programs and a focus on craftmenship, activities to benefit society, and a commitment to build shareholder value by making Shoemac Leather Tech Engineers a truly sustainable company. MISSION: To keep  researching developing tech savvy machines, tannery mechanism  and other components to optimize the production and minimize the cost. We love to satisfy our global clients with our core values; customized solutions, excellent quality, reasonable price, punctual delivery and sincere service. AIM: The main objective of setting up this company was to enable the Indian Industry to overcome hardship faced while importing shoe machinery so that within the country itself, the indigenous machinery and components could be Easily developed with a view to optimize the cost and economize the operations and by the setting up of this company we have bring our country out of inferiority complex. Further, the valuable foreign exchange will be saved as the machines are locally available. GLOBALIZATION: As people do not like to experiment too much with their skin same is the case with footwear. When choosing footwear the one thing that is most important is comfort. Although with the changing trends peoples perception about footwear is also changing but one thing that does not change is the comfort level provided by a particular brand of shoes. Shoes were never a subject of major concern for the common middle class Indian till recently. Due to the emerging fashion trends in India over the last few decades shoes have become an integral part of a persons overall appearance. Nowadays there are shoes meant for different occasions. The two most famous categories of shoes are formal and sports shoes. The sports shoes market in India is also very big considering the large population of youth in the country. The top sports shoe brands in India are Reebok, Nike and Adidas. These top shoe brands in India are all international brands but have over the years captured the Indian market tremendously. They have penetrated in almost all the Indian cities and towns.   The footwear industry in India has also witnessed a significant growth over the last few years. Due to the increasing levels of consciousness about Indians regarding the way they look due to this the clothes and footwear market in India has been on a roll since the last ten years.   India is one of the major global shoe manufacturers and is responsible for churning out almost 1736 million pairs of shoes annually. India is said to be the second largest shoe manufacturers only after China. One of the major reasons for booming footwear industry in India is the availability of cheap labour and abundant raw materials. India is also one of the biggest good quality leather exporters in the world. Since shoes are not bought everyday the one thing that is most important while purchasing shoes is its quality. People nowadays are mixing comfort with the emerging fashion trend. A shoe along with being comfortable also has to be visually appealing. Some of the Top Shoe Brands in India are Red Tape, Florsheim, Gabor, Salamander, Clarks, and St. Micheals. These top shoe brands in India are known for their durability, superior balance and grip and enormous collections of stylish shoes for both men and women. They are also made out of the finest of leather and are also priced mo derately. Red Tape which is currently the Top Shoe Brands in India is a hot favourite among the men of the count Known for its unparalleled comfort, international styles and finesse, Red Tape the flagship brand of Mirza International Limited, was launched in the year 1996. The brand has today become synonymous with hi-fashion lifestyle, owing to its unmatched quality, skilled craftsmanship and trendy products. Endorsed by the style icon Salman Khan, Red Tape  has become Indias most loved premium lifestyle brand. (Business maps .India(12/02/2010) Red Tape Fashion for Your Feet: Red Tape has emerged as a leader in the high-end fashion footwear segment. The Red Tape footwear range is designed in company-owned design studios in the UK and Italy and manufactured using international quality materials from European countries. Having become Indias favourite mens footwear, the brand has now diversified into Womens footwear. Redtape-FashionforYou: Red Tape has recently forayed into the apparel sector and unveiled mens clothing and accessories line up. This new range offers an eclectic mix of casual wear including shirts, jackets, denims, tees, pants/shorts and accessories such as belts, socks and wallets. Red Tape- Fashion for the World: Red Tape is an international brand, present across the US, UK, France, Germany, West Asia and South Africa. The Red Tape products are being sold globally through the companys extensive global distribution channel. Red Tape Fashion that is Truly Global The Red Tape range of shoes, apparel accessories reflect the latest fashion tends across the globe. These are designed in company-owned design studios in the UK and Italy and manufactured using international quality materials from European countries, in order to produce a truly global product. Red Tape Fashion in Your Reach Red Tape products are available across India through multiple brand outlets, chain stores and exclusive Red Tape showrooms. Its countrywide network of exclusive showrooms spans 30 cities in India. (MIRZA INTERNATIONAL LTD, 2007) KEY DRIVER OF GLOBALIZATION: With an eye on the potential of the sector, the Indian Government has placed an emphasis on the utilization of the available raw materials to maximize returns. It has introduced a number of  initiatives, with the special emphasis on integrated development  of the tanning sector.  These includes raw material augmentation, technology upgrade, and promotion of  environmental cleaner processing options, quality standardization and  human skills development .To encourage training of unorganized artisan workers, the Government has given support to well equipped training institutions to encourage training programmes to be given jointly with reputed foreign enterprises and experts the various measures taken by the government are as follows- De-licensing of integrated tanneries that convert raw hides and skins into finished leather. Several leather goods have been de-reserved from the small Scale Sector. Free import of raw hides skins, semi-finished and  finished leather. Concessional duty on  imported machinery and chemicals. Free export of raw  hides skins, semi-finished and  finished leather and leather products. Policies to facilitate modernization / up gradation: In June 2005 the government  initiated a Rs. 2788.45  million (50.82  Million Euros)  µmodernizing scheme ¶ called the  µ Integrated Leather Development Programme ¶, whereby all leather tanning and product  units will be eligible for modernization assistance. The assistance will be to the  extent of 30% of  project cost for Small scale industry (SSI) units and 20% for non-SSI units. Establishment of  µdesign centres ¶ at individual manufacturing units, to  facilitate improvement in design capabilities: Under this scheme, 25  % of the project cost is provided to the units under the market access initiative scheme of the Ministry Of  Commerce and Industry. The regulatory body for this  industry is: Council for Leather Exports (CLE): The Council for Leather Exports was set up in July 1984. A non-profit company registered under  the Indian Companies Act, 1956, the Council functions under the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India. The Council is entrusted with export promotion activities and overall development of the Indian  leather industry. The Councils activities also include promoting Foreign Direct Investments and Joint Ventures in the Indian leather industry. The CLE serves as a bridge between Indian leather exporters and buyers all over the  world. Council for Leather. (WWW.FIBRE2 FASHION.COM) CSR: Welfare of the neighbouring communities Resettlement of War Victims Donations to Prime Ministers Relief Fund are made through district administration from time to time Flag Day, on every Dec 7th, is celebrated by extending generous financial contribution to the Armed Forces Welfare Fund. Ex-Servicemen are offered resettlement opportunities. Till now around 200 ex-service personnel have been offered job opportunities in the factories and other locations as regular employees or as security personnel. Army Wives Welfare Association is helped through generous donations, distribution of sewing machines and their felicitation at various occasions. Financial aid provided to meet the vocational training needs of war widows and Kargil war victims. Resettlement of War Victims Blankets are distributed to the poor during extreme winter conditions Temporary shelter is extended to the needy, poor and those displaced due to natural calamities. Financial assistance is offered regularly to Kusht Niyanthran and NinmoolanCentre at 11,  Knowledge  Park, Greater Noida. Blood Donation Camp was organized at the unit premises, where employees and the directors donated blood for noble cause. Environmental Preservation: Environmental Management System has been implemented in the factory and awareness towards environmental protection is spread to the locals. The unit has been certified as ISO 14001:2004 Encouraged and promoted Ganga Cleaning Abhyas to ensure clean drinking water and to reduce pollution. Pioneer in setting up an in-house Effluent Treatment Plant at the Tannery. World Environment Day Van Mahotsav observed every year and workers and management jointly plant trees at various locations. All DG sets have been replaced with Eco-friendly ones. All vehicles are being replaced with CNG vehicles in a phased manner. Corporate Social Responsibility  ( Annual Report 2007-08) The Company also attempted to leave a mark as a socially responsible corporate citizen, by taking all meaningful measures to enrich the environment and the people all around, especially the backward and economically weaker sections of the society. The Company is fully aware of its responsibilities towards areas like Human Rights, Business Ethics, Corporate Contributions, Environmental Policies, Community Development and Work Place issues. (WWW.MIRZA. CO.IN/ IN CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY, 2008) COPORATE GOVERNANCE: Your company is committed to good governance practices that create long term sustainable shareholder value. Keeping in view of the Companys size, global operations and corporate traditions, the board of director lays strong emphasis on transparency, accountability and integrity. A separate report on Corporate Governance together with a certificate from Statutory Auditors confirming compliance with corporate governance requirement as stipulated in Clause 49 of the listing agreement with the stock exchange has been annexed as part of this report. MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS: Industry Structure and Development: Leather Industry in India has come a long way over the last four decades. From a resource based industry supplying abundant Indian raw hides in semi-finished and finished state, it is now a major supplier of value added finished goods like footwear, bags travel accessories, harness saddlery and fashion accessories like belts and wallets. From the status of exporter of raw hides semi-finished leather, the country has now turned into a major importer of these goods. With a high employment potential leather industry has always been on the priority list of government. Planning. The present Government has placed the development of this industry on a yet higher priority and has formulated a scheme of setting up leather parks across the country. The industry, therefore, will witness accelerated growth over the coming years. The export of leather and leather products for the first nine months of 2007-08 i.e. April-December 2007 touched US$ 2485.58 million a g a i n s t t h e p e r fo r ma n c e o f US $ 2258 .81 million in t h e corresponding period of last year, registering a positive growth of 10.4% in Dollar terms. In rupee terms the export touched Rs. 100435.54 million against the previous year performance of Rs. 103021.12 million showing a decline of 2.51%. Export of footwear (leather, footwear components non leather footwear) has increased from US$ 871.92 million in April-December, 2006 to US$ 1023.31 million in April-December, 2007, registering a growth of 17.36%. Opportunities, Threats, Risks Concerns: The pressure on China to strengthen its currency presents a historical opportunity to all Indian exporters who face stiff competition from cheap Chinese products. Your company is no exception. It expects a sustained growth of demand for its products from global customers in the forthcoming years. Global hardening of crude oil price has led to a sharp escalation in cost of several raw materials. Oil prices in India were held back by the Government but will rise sharply in future. This would have impact on cost of power and fuel, inland transportation, air and sea freight and also an all round increase in costs in the economy. This will pose fresh challenges for your company. A high degree of volatility has characterized the currency markets throughout the last year and the same is expected to continue in future. Such sharp volatility brings along with it, a high degree of uncertainty. In such a scenario, currency risk management is another major challenge before the company. Outlook: Despite the above challenges the outlook for your company is bright with surging demand for its products. Increased capacities will bring economies of scale. The increase in oil prices has weakened the Indian rupee and the company will be a beneficiary of the same. Segment-wise Performance: The companys business segment is primarily Shoe Division and Tannery Division. During the year under review, the Shoe Division revenue was Rs. 283.35 Crores and Tannery Division revenue was Rs. 97.30 Crores. Internal Control System and their Adequacy: The Company has a well established framework of internal controls in operation, including suitable monitoring procedures and self assessment exercises. An independent Internal Audit function reviews the Companys financial and operating controls at various locations. The companys Risk Management frame work ensures compliance with the provisions of Clause 49 of the Listing Agreement. Senior Management has ownership of key risks, their management and mitigation plans. The Board, through the Audit Committee, headed by a non-executive independent director, reviews the key risks, the internal control framework and the audit findings. Discussions of financial were almost at the same level as last year. However, profitability of the company has suffered due to increase in cost of all major input items, increase in interest rates, lower value realization on account of stronger rupee. Management is continuously honing competencies to improve the range and designs of our product by making substantial investments for scaling up the capacities to achieve higher profitability. Human Resources Human Resources forms an integral part of your Companys strategy for growth. On the Industrial Relations front, your company continued to enjoy a cordially and harmonious relations with its employees and Unions. Your company had a staff strength of 1860 employees as on 31st March, 2008.Your company is a blue chip footwear company, certified for ISO-9001:2000 (Quality Management System), ISO-14001:2004 (Environmental Management System) and SA-8000:2001 (Social Accountability Management System), equipped with Labs accredited SATRA Tec hnology Centre (UK) and accorded Associate Membership by Foot Wear Design Development Institute (Ministry of Commerce Industry, Government of India). Corporate Social Responsibility Your Company also attempted to leave a mark as a socially responsible corporate citizen, by taking all meaningful measures to enrich the environment and the people all around, specially the backward and economically weaker sections of the society. Your Company is fully aware of its responsibilities towards areas like Human Rights, Business Ethics, Corporate contributions, Environmental Policies, Community Development and Work Place issues. MIRZA INTERNATIONAL: VALUES: High-end, fully integrated rather shoe manufacturing facilities offering considerable cost advantage and international quality. Its Competitive advantage owing to companys established premium brands and knowledge of Indian consumers. Its a growing network of exclusive company-owned and franchised stores for retailing companys products. Superior technological capabilities backed by a pool of highly skilled designers and extensive distribution network. SWOT: Strengths High Growth Ready availability of highly skilled and cheap manpower Large raw material base Policy initiatives taken by the Government Capability to assimilate new technologies and handle large projects Continuous emphasis on product development and design up gradation Weaknesses Lack of warehousing support from the government International price fluctuation Huge labour force resulting in high labour charges Lack of strong presence in the global fashion market Unawareness of international standards by many players Opportunities Rising potential in the domestic market Growing fashion consciousness globally Use of information technology and decision support software to help eliminate the length of the production cycle for different products Use of e-commerce in direct marketing Threats Major part of the industry is unorganised Limited scope for mobilising funds through private placements and public issues (many businesses are family-owned) Difficulty in obtaining bank loans resulting in high cost of private borrowing Stricter international standards High competition from East European countries and other Asian countries. Lack of communication facilities and skills PESTEL ANALYSIS: Political Home market lobbying/pressure groups Very few sporting events apart from taking stars like SALMAN KHAN, to attract customers. Economic a. Marginal share of 2.44 percent in global trade worth US$ 97.606 billion. b. Estimated target of 12 bn $ (7bn $ export + 5 bn $ domestic) trade by the year 2012 overseas economies and trends. c. The Indian footwear retail market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 20% for the period spanning from 2008 to 2011. Footwear is expected to comprise about 60% of the total leather exports by 2011 from over 38% in 2006-07. d. Growing middle class and growing buyer power leading customers to look for branded shoes. e. Seasonality issues sports is more of a rage in summers. f. Lack of targeting of market segments for kids and women. Social Lifestyle trends upward shift demographics Consumer attitudes and opinions changing favourably towards branded shoes Media views Consumer buying patterns fashion and role models buying access and trendsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ advertising and publicity Technological Competing technology development India offers benefits like low cost of production, abundant raw material, and a huge Consumption market Research funding in design and requirements Manufacturing maturity and capacity Information and communications Consumer buying mechanisms/technology Innovation potential technology access, licensing, patents FDI (foreign direct investment): Red tape affecting FDI: New Delhi: an investor unfriendly regulatory framework and high levels of red tape have been identified as the major roadblocks in the path of FDI inflows into India, according to a study. and its no wonder that only 40 per cent of the total $74.29 billion FDI approved for the country has made its way to the implementation stage. in comparison, china attracts over $40 billion FDI per annum, while a majority of the 385 multinational firms feel that India is a robust market with huge potential, thanks to more profitable operations here than elsewhere, the regulatory frameworks and ground-level hassles act as the biggest disadvantages, according to the FICCI FDI survey 2002. Further, the unfriendly tax regime, labour laws and procedural delays in project implementation were the other factors hampering FDI inflow but India now seems determined to change it all. an inter ministerial committee is likely to submit its report next month suggesting measures to simplify multiple clearances and revamping the structure of to boost Fdi. the committee, chaired by the industry secretary v Govindrajan, is examining all existing procedures for investment approvals and implementation of projects, official sources said the committee would suggest measures to simplify and expedite the process for both public and private investment. The main objective would be to hasten the process of clearance as also to improve the quality of the FDI. meanwhile, 57 per cent of the participants in FICCIS survey dubbed India as a bad investment destination when compared to other global counterparts. over 70 per cent of the companies cited political stability as a critical factor for inviting fdi in future. while manpower was not a concern for overseas firms, 76 per cent of the respondents felt that ground level hassles need to be improved for luring foreign investors (TIMES OF INDIA. INDIA TIME). Infrastructure, red tape bottlenecks to FDI: FICCI survey: With India emerging as a preferred destination, foreign investors have shown strong concern over the state of infrastructure facilities and procedural delays in the country. According to the FICCI FDI Survey 2010, nearly 70% of firms have rated efforts made by the government for providing standardised investment information and proactive marketing of to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) as average. While 86% of the respondents have expressed dissatisfaction with regard to quality and quantity of power made available to them, about 75% have rated the quality of roads and highways in the country as bad and 68% have complained about availability of water for their operations, the survey said Overall, FDI inflows to the developing world continues to Overwhelmingly concentrated in middle-income countries, with Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) alone absorbing about half, the report said. (HT CORRESPONDENT HINDUSTAN TIMES, NEW DELHI, 12TH DEC 2012) REFLECTION: As I am a customer of RED TAPE SO , learnt lot from the company about the globalization its factor and main issue that have raise the company to its peak point and I am very much influenced by the CSR activities that company has done in the past to adequate its preference in the country in the field of leather as many industry follows its quality of opportunities and strength to overcome other company in their sector ,this company have many positive trend for the future prospect in the global world. Top most management of RED TAPE is dealing the company in a positive way and make customer and employee feel happy .It also done social programme for the welfare of war victim by providing all the thing that is required by them. There are some good and bad aspect of all the process .so, red tape also have some bad aspect but the well establish company fluently and smoothly over come the problem and by the correct corporate governance of governing body. At last i am very much influence by the dealing manner of the top management, CSR activities, strength and opportunities that combines to make a Company to give its best in every sector and make a company to reach its peak point. CONCLUSION: The small firms have very limited financial capability to introduce environmentally friendly technologies and production methods. The technology used by Indian leather firms is, by and large, outdated and inefficient. Their environmental performance is poor. They do not use environmentally friendly technologies and produce large amounts of effluent with a high load of pollutant. They also have limited capacity to treat effluent, and in many cases these facilities are not effective. Our case studies of tanneries of RED TAPE areas indicate that show that the adoption of new technology by firms has three important motives. These are: a) a need to meet the environmental standards in the importing countries b) a need to comply with the environmental regulations in India and a need to improve productivity c) The efficient use of raw materials, water, chemicals and power all of which will have positive environmental impact) has not been an important objective of technical change. We also find that strict enforcement of environmental regulations and the availability of financial support at concessional terms are considered by the firms to be important factors which will motivate them to adopt environmentally friendly production methods. Finally, it is unlikely that Indian firms will be able to create a niche in the international market by exporting leather produced through environmentally friendly production processes in the near future. As shown by the study, the processes used by most Indian exporters are not environmentally friendly. Furthermore, they are not in a position to acquire eco labeling, as most of them do not receive consent from the Pollution Board. We feel that the strict enforcement of environmental regulations and the provision of financial support meant especially for the adoption of environmentally friendly technologies are essential if firms are to be motivated to adopt PEST and improve their environmental performance. It is only when these steps are taken that Indian firms will have a realistic chance of emerging as an important exporter of leather goods produced with environmentally friendly production methods. REFERENCES (n.d.). Retrieved from WWW.FIBRE2 FASHION.COM. (2008). Retrieved from WWW.MIRZA. CO.IN/ IN CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY. DION GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LTD. (n.d.). HT CORRESPONDENT HINDUSTAN TIMES, NEW DELHI. (12TH DEC 2012). MIRZA INTERNATIONAL. (28TH FEB 2007). ECONOMIC TIMES . INDIA TIMES .COM. MIRZA INTERNATIONAL LTD. (2007). TIMES OF INDIA. INDIA TIME. (n.d.).

Minor Characters Impact on Willy Loman in Arthur Millers play, Death

Minor Characters' Impact on Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's play, Death of a Salesman In the Arthur Miller play Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman comes in contact with several characters, many of whom prompt him to examine his past as well as his conscience. Charley's son Bernard is such a character. Lacking dimension and depth of character, Bernard functions primarily as a foil to expose Willy's tragic and pathetic nature. The other characters have no real interaction with Willy that would allow for development. During Willy's first flashback, Bernard appears only to remind Biff of the Regents exam. Willy refers to Bernard as a "pest" and an "anemic," and Biff mimics his father by saying that Bernard is "liked, but not well liked." Despite Bernard's academic talents, Willy and his ...

Science of Volcanic Activity Prediction Essay -- Nature Volcanoe Volca

Science of Volcanic Activity Prediction Since the dawn of history, volcanoes have been an awe inspiring feature of the earth that has frightened and intrigued mankind. Volcanoes have taken the lives of over 250,000 people in the last three hundred years and changed the lives of millions of others, but up until recently humans have had very little understanding of the volcanic processes that presage an eruption. The advent and implementation of new technologies and scientific methods has allowed us to begin to comprehend the inner workings of one of nature's most powerful forces. Through understanding how volcanoes work, volcanologists hope to accurately predict when an eruption may occur, what the magnitude and type of eruption will be, and what effect it will have on the surrounding area. Accomplishing this daunting task will ensure that in the future when an eruption occurs, the population at risk will be prepared and lives can be saved. Numerous methods are available for monitoring volcanic activity, and scientists typically synthesize data and observations from all methods available in order to obtain the most comprehensive look at the area being observed. One frequently used technique is monitoring seismic activity that may indicate flow of magma and gas beneath the surface. As magma at extreme temperatures of sometimes over one thousand Degrees Celsius rises through cracks in the Earth's crust, the intense temperature and pressure causes the surrounding rock to crack, as illustrated in the diagram above. This brittle fracture of the surrounding rock often causes earthquakes or vibrations called tremors. Usually these earthquakes are of magnitude 2, 3 or lower, and seismographs monitor these quakes so that t... ...ray, J. Monitoring Active Volcanoes. London: UCL Press Limited, 1995. Week 4; Volcanoes; Smithsonian Magazine, "When Magma is on the Move". February, 2000. Hill, David P., Roy Bailey, Michael Sorey, James Hendley, and Peter Stauffer. Living With a Restless CalderaLong Valley, California. U.S. Geological Survey, Revised May 2000. Hill, David P. et al. Future Eruptions in California's Long Valley AreaWhat's Likely? USGS, Fact Sheet revised November 1998. Austin, Ken, Susan Owen, Ilene Cooper. GPS and Long Valley Caldera. University of Southern California, May 2004. News: Long Valley Exploratory Well. Information Network: International Continental Scientific Drilling Program. GeoForschungsZentrum PotsdamDecember 5, 2003. <http://icdp.gfzpotsdam.de/sites/longvalley/news/news.html> [Return to Research Projects] [Return to Sierra Home]

Job Analysis Essay -- essays research papers fc

What is job analysis and why is it done? Organizations are growing in size each and every day, which in turn creates a high demand for employees. This outcome, however, needs a systematic approach to determine the right employee for the right position. The process has become so large that organizations need specialized help from Human Resource Management (HRM) departments to ensure that the requirements of the position are met. Therefore, the HRM department provides the function of job analysis in order to select the right individual for the position. â€Å"Job analysis is a complex and vital part of every HRM program, as well as an important systematic process used within an organization to determine future members of the workforce.† Job analysis contributes to many important Human Resource Management functions as it identifies and analyzes the relation between the job and what is required. According to the â€Å"Job Analysis: Overview,† Job analysis is a process used to identify and determine in detail the particular job duties, requirements, and the relative importance of these duties for a given position or a particular job. A job analysis defines the work, activities, tasks, objectives, products, services, or processes required to perform a particular job. It collects details about work activities, human behaviors, machine, tools, equipment and work aids, performance standards, job context, and human requirements. These in turn help to identify the knowledges, skills and abili...

Managing Culture Essay

A central issue in management of organizational culture is how to overcome the Principle-Agent Problem and how to deal with the institutional theory. If a business is to effectively deal with an expanding government, it must make sure that its culture is well managed. To do so, organizational managers must learn how to prevail over the Principal Agent problem and the institutional theory. The Principal Agent problem is a description of a conflict of interests; that the principle (principle stakeholders, shareholders, etc. ) earns profits on the performance of the organization whereby the agents (employees) usually earn unconditional wages. They are parallel but conflicting wants; the principle seeks the greatest return for the least pay whereby the agent seeks to do the least work for the greatest pay. The Principle-Agent Problem is found in many employer/employee associations especially when stakeholders employ top executives of corporations (Jackson and Carter 2000). The principle must always settle conflicts between organizational objectives and the incentives of the different subgroups within the organization. Good managers employ incentives, commands, and organizational culture to make sure that this is achieved. On the other hand, institutional theory deals with the deeper and more flexible features of social structure. It lays emphasis to the procedures through which structures, regulations, norms, and customs develop as reliable guiding principles for social behavior. It finds out how these elements are developed, diffused, implemented, and adapted in an organization. The notion of Institutional theory and organizational culture is important in organizations. The building blocks of institutions and cultures have the capacity of carrying with them different meanings even in a single organization or culture. Differences in interpretations of mutual symbols support the multiplicity on which cultures flourish and institutions rely. In the theory of organizational culture, issues of diversity are mainly dealt with through studying the different subcultures while institutional theory deals with diversify in institutional logistics (Jackson and Carter 2000). Therefore, the management has a role to play in mediating between these two issues (Principle-Agent Problem the institutional theory). This essay develops the argument that organizational culture can and should be managed in corporations in five sections. Section 1 defines the meaning of organisational culture †¢ Section 2 outlines the importance of organisational culture †¢ Section 3 describes how organisational culture can be managed †¢ Section 4 describes Culture and Management of Organizational Change Section 5 describes the implications for culture management This essay will thus show that organizational culture should be managed since it leads to improved coordination and integration in organizations with the result being improved organizational effectiveness. What is Organizational Culture? Organizational culture refers to the set of mutual values, beliefs and expectations that govern the way members of an organization approach their duties in the work place and interrelate with one another. Research shows that organizational culture is quite different from other world cultures. It lays emphasis on how workers describe their colleagues and the kind of stories they share with one another. According to Schein 1980, organizational culture is â€Å"a pattern of shared basic assumptions that organizational members learn as it solves its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that works well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems† (Schein 1980:12). The figure below shows that organizational culture is divided into five levels, that is, fundamental assumptions, values, behavioral norms, pattern of behavior and Artifacts and Symbols. [pic] Figure 1: Levels of Organizational Culture (Adapted from Schein 1980) Importance of Organizational Culture Literature on organizational effectiveness shows that organizational culture plays a significant role in motivating and augmenting the value of intellectuals particularly the employees. The concept of organizational culture is important in knowledge intensive corporations. This paper makes it clear that culture is an essential factor in organizations and helps maximize the value of human resources. Schein 1990 advocates that organizational culture is even more significant in contemporary organizations than it was in the past. Organizational culture leads to improved coordination and integration in organizations with the result being improved organizational effectiveness. Through organizational culture, an organization is able to process invention and the capacity to successfully bring in new technologies. Organizational culture also enables organizations to effectively control dispersed work units and augment employee diversity. It also allows for cross-cultural management of international ventures and multi-national corporations. Besides the greater need to cope with the external and interior factors, organizational culture has become increasingly important since, for many organizations, intellectual assets now comprise the major source of value. Augmenting the value of workers as intellectual assets calls for a culture that encourages their intellectual participation and, eases both personal and organizational learning. It also calls for the creation and application of new knowledge and the readiness to share new ideas with others (Sennet 1998). Managing Organizational Culture With the fast changing environment and ongoing insights into organizational efficiency, business organizations are seriously rethinking how they should manage their cultures to achieve their goals and objectives. It is necessary for these organizations to identify the type of culture that is necessary to accomplish their goals and objectives and make certain the successful execution of the required changes (Ogbonna and Wilkinson 2003). Culture extends over the range of management thinking and corporate culture has been one of the most continuing catchphrases of organizational management. The appeal of the context is that corporate culture is ostensibly unifying and this clearly appeals to management’s involvement in forecasting an image of the corporation as a community of people’s interests. Possibly, culture penetrates to the core of an organization-it is almost similar to the context of personality regarding an individual and the critical sense of what defines an organization; its mission and core values. As a result, the management of culture should become a critical area of management competency in organizations. It should, however, be noted that adoption of the best culture is a prerequisite if an organization is to succeed. Managers should determine the most efficient culture for their organization and, if need be how to effectively change these cultures. The success of contemporary business organizations could be highly attributed to corporate culture. Research shows that organizational culture is a major pointer to organizational performance and this culture can be managed to enhance an organization’s competitive advantage. Organizational culture is a good image for an enterprise whose top management would like to develop. The image of a corporation differs in terms of how one views the organization. Research shows that even organizations with strong cultures have a broad social distance between senior management and employees. Organizational culture is barely planned or predictable; it is the ordinary results of social interrelations and, therefore, evolves and emerges with time. As a result, this should be managed to fit certain strategic ends since organizations have the ability of transforming themselves and the management of culture is such a good way of avoiding such incidents. According to Ogbonna and Wilkinson (2003), organizational culture should be managed as a device for augmenting company effectiveness (Ogbonna and Wilkinson 2003). Management of organizational culture can be more readily enumerated and empirically evaluated based on the interpersonal and symbolic features of management. This requires deep qualitative management of the organizational lives of every employee. Managers while managing organizational culture should put into consideration certain factors such as change-oriented culture, education culture, inventive culture and project-oriented culture. Management of organizational culture should identify and develop an organizational culture that allows for agility, encourages alliances, companionships and networks; promotes knowledge management; promotes corporate responsibility and proper integrity and incorporates diversity. Culture and Management of Organizational Change If real change is to take place in corporations rather than short-lived change, then it has to take place at the cultural perspective. Organizational culture has many strong attractions as a facilitator for change. Firstly, cultures can be plainly created-managers need to be aware of what is needed to change an already existing culture. The capacity of organizations to be culturally inventive is associated with leadership. The top management in any organization must be responsible for developing powerful cultures. This is because organizational leaders develop the social reality of a corporation; they shape organizational beliefs and deal with the drama and visualization of the corporation (Mir and Mir 2009). Research shows that culture is often counter posed to prescribed rationality- In this sense culture is significant in resolving the predicaments associated with bureaucracy in an organization; formal procedures are vital for organizational integrity though they also restrain autonomy and invention. Today, organizations are growing in an uncertain manner and the adoption of adaptable cultures that are receptive to change to deal with the changing environment and crises has become essential. Ackroyd and Crowdy, (1990) focus on the relationship between culture and the management of organizational change through the cultivation of friendly interactions at all levels, the amalgamation of individuals with shared goals and dependence on employee responsibility (Ackroyd and Crowdy 1990). Implications for The Management Of Culture In an Organization Research shows that there are two fundamental approaches to the management of culture in organizations and, by implication, this include strategy conforming (upholding order and continuity) and transforming (altering and breaking already existing patterns). As demonstrated by the successive poor performance of many companies, the efficiency of the selected approach to corporate culture and strategy depends on the conceptual factors relating to both the inner and the exterior business environment. Thus, organizational culture needs to be managed though the adopted strategies are highly determined by the prototype and prospect subscribed to by the manager. In coping with the management of organizational culture, it is important to identify as much as possible the features of the present or new target culture; the illusions, symbols, customs and assumptions that add force to the culture. Consequently, action can be initiated in any of the key areas listed below: †¢ Enrollment, selection and substitution- Culture management can be influenced by making certain that appointments make the existing culture stronger or encourage a culture shift; removal and substitution may be used to significantly change the culture of an organization. †¢ Socialization- stimulation and successive development and training can lead to acculturation to an already existing or new culture. This can also enhance interpersonal exchange of ideas and team work, which is vital in fragmented corporate cultures. Performance management/compensation systems- This can be used to encourage preferred behaviors, which may result to changed organizational values. †¢ Leadership- Managers can strengthen or assist in the abolishment of existing illusions, symbols, behaviors, and beliefs. †¢ Participation- of all corporate members in cultural rebuilding or management activities and related inputs, decision-making and improvement activities is important if long-term cultural change and management is to be achieved. Interpersonal communication- Meeting the needs of interpersonal interactions is vital in promoting an existing corporate culture and integrating organizational members into that culture. †¢ Effective teamwork- This encourages change and developments in cultural communication. †¢ Structures, principles, processes, and resource allocation- This need to be compatible with the culture of an organization (Boston, Istensaker and Falkenberg 2007). The above represent several strategies that can be used in corporations to manipulate it in terms of the cultures and subcultures that make it up.  The management of organizational culture is based on a complicated comprehension of the tacit and explicit features that make up the already existing culture. Conclusion This essay has shown that organizational culture can and should be managed. What makes up organizational culture and its alleged role in corporate success are contested, resting on prospects of culture either as traditionally based, change resilient, deep societal system which emphasizes all company strategies and activities. Organizational culture should thus be managed to provide for organizational success.

Where is God When it Hurts?

In this book Yancey is out to find out the root and any likely rationale to pain. He refers to pain as a gift that everybody rejects. However, he views pain as an alarm system that God has provided to us to help us keep to our senses. He discusses pain in term of physical, emotional and spiritual pain and assists us to comprehend why we suffer and how to deal with our own pain and that of others. He does this by answering five important questions as discussed below; Why is there such a thing as pain? Pain is not a later addition, God initiated it soon after Adam and Eve rebelled against Him. Yet, God did not make a mistake by introducing pain as it serves an important role in our body and spiritual health. Pain is crucial to a normal life as without pain our live would be laden with danger and devoid of many basic pleasures. Pain is a vital element of our most fulfilling experiences. Pain and pleasure are entangled as they work closely and are almost inseparable. Hence, despite being unpleasant, pain has some good and useful purposes. Pain and sufferings are there to teach us a lesson when God is displeased with our actions. God uses circumstances to warn and punish us in cases of wrongdoings (Yancey, 2003). Is pain a message from God? Pain and suffering are God’s means of waking up our senses when we have done something wrong. We should not view pain as a punishment but rather as a wake-up call for us to revive our purpose in life. Yancey tells us that when we see problems coming our way we should reexamine our action to see whether they conform to God’s requirements. God uses pain to convey the message that we are doing something the wrong way and to show us thus we need to adjust our course of action. How people respond to suffering? Most of the times, people question God when faced with pain and suffering by asking hard questions that men have always asked for thousands of years. As we encounter pain, we are confronted with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Majority of the people feel desperate and unable or ill-prepared to deal or handle the situation. However, we should find strength in Jesus. He gives us the grace we need to counter pain and suffering. How can we cope with pain? It is not easy to go through pain even for the greatest human beings. Anyone can break under pressure as Job did. However, we have a perfect example of Jesus Christ who successfully went through pain. Yancey is quick to point out that Jesus Christ is the only head of the church or Congregation that appeared on earth and experienced suffering as we do. We are encouraged by the fact that Jesus understands what we are going through and He knows that we can prevail over pain. Also, when we reflect at how Jesus suffered on the cross, it gives us the courage and power to bear the pain we are suffering. Jesus also left us the church in order we may help each other during times of pain (Yancey, 1996). How Does Faith help? Having faith in Christ is very important when it comes to suffering and pain. For example incase we are sick, we can be healed if only we trust that God is capable of healing us. Faith can make us move a mountain which means we can conquer any kind of pain if we exercise faith in Jesus Christ. So, incase of pain we only need to gather enough faith and this will give us the power to move on. Faith is as a critical quality we must manifest if we are to face the problems ahead of us. We should allow our faith to grow deeper through prayers and bible readings to enable us to face up pain and distress (Gaines, 2007). Personal Application Caregiver need to learn to listen, care and love their patients. Most caregiver no longer show any care for their patients. Pain and agony sometimes lead to discouragement and these people need someone to talk to and who can listen to them. Listening is one form of caring to such individuals. Listening to those in pain can lead to curing of emotional pain. The course of healing is involves a humble and challenging task of generating and presenting a friendly environment where those in pain can reflect on their pain and distress without fear and create in them the confidence that makes them search for new ways to solve their problems. The listener acts as a reflecting mirror to the sufferer. This allows the person to spot his or her feelings which mean that he/she is able to understand her/his problem better and he/she is in a position to starts the process of solving the problem. The patients have many piled up emotions which need to be expressed and listened to by a caring and humble person. Those in pain cannot hear the listener unless the listener first listens to all their pain (Chapman, 2006). We have always asked ourselves, where is God when it hurts? But I think the most appropriate question is where the church is when it hurts? The church must understand its followers and know those who are under pain and to comfort those who are affected. The church should be there for them for example visiting them in hospitals, sharing with them consoling scriptures from the bible and even most importantly listening to them. We need to praise God not only for the good things He does to us but also during hard times. We only seem to praise God in times of joys and happiness but blame him in cases of problems some of which maybe of our own creation.

Diversity and Ethics

Diversity Diversity in management is a major task. There are many aspects related to diversity, such as: culture, religion, and gender, just to name a few. It is important to remember that different people have different values and morals. Treating each person as an individual may be a difficult task for some managers. For managers who hire, hiring people with different backgrounds can enhance the team’s performance by introducing different perspectives and ideas. The planning process includes identifying how to integrate these ‘different’ people into the team. Ensuring the necessary resources are available to train and develop personnel based on their experience and education is a big part of organizing. Leading a team of diverse individuals can be quite interesting. Each person must be empowered and motivated to come to work and perform at his or her best. Controlling and monitoring each individual’s performance and how each person relates to others is mandatory for the team to be cohesive. Starbucks has made diversity a major priority. According to Starbucks’ Corporate Social Responsibility Report, diversity is one of Starbucks’ Guiding Principles. â€Å"At Starbucks, we embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business. † (Starbucks, 2009). Diversity is even one of Starbucks’ core values in their Standards of Business Conduct. Ethics According to Bateman and Snell (2009), ethics is defined as â€Å"the system of rules that governs the ordering of values. † The four functions of management are vital to an organization’s ethical behavior. Management has a responsibility, not only to the consumers, but also to the staff to lead by example and behave in an ethical manner. Starbucks understands the importance of ethics. For the third year in a row, Starbucks has been named one of the world’s most ethical companies by Ethisphere Magazine (Starbucks, 2009). Starbucks’ Standards of Business Conduct empowers and motivates their employees to make ethical decisions by providing a framework to be followed if they have any doubts. Starbucks also offers their support to their employees in doing the right thing and conducting business with integrity. References Bateman, T. , & Snell, S. A. (2009). Management: Leading and collaborating in the competitive world (8th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Starbucks. (2009). Starbucks Social Corporate Responsibility Report. Retrieved from http://www. starbucks. com/aboutus/csrreport/csr. htm Starbucks. (2009). Business Ethics and Compliance. Retrieved from http://www. starbucks. com/aboutus/SoBC_FY09_eng. pdf

The Power of Social Media and Its Impact on the Current Business Environment

The number of internet users has increased over the last decade due to the development of new technologies, internet availability and improved connectivity. Various online communications platforms have been invented and are widely used for both personal and business purposes world wide and social networking is the latest communication platform helping people connect to each other across different places. Its introduction has changed the way groups of people are connecting and communicating in business via online communities and professional networks. In business, many multi-national companies are currently moving beyond traditional media channels and using social network sites as a medium to reach their targets consumers instead. There is no argument that social networking is the key player driving new media communications in the digital era and its benefits and functions are impacting business considerably. There are hundreds of social networking platforms that have been introduced to the market but currently there are only two major sites recognised as the world's most powerful platforms attracting millions of users to participate. Firstly there is Facebook, a social network service that allows users to create their own profile, status, interest and preferences and also share information with friends and contacts. According to Trimpe (2011), reported that Facebook's active user base is 519 million which equates approximately to 1 in 13 of every person on earth. In the Facebook world millions of pieces of content, links and event invitations are shared every 20 minutes indicating the enormous power of Facebook as a social media tool. Secondly there is Twitter, a social network platform that allows users to generate and share messages, or â€Å"Tweets†, up to a maximum of 140 characters. According to Chiang (2011), claimed that there are nearly 200 million Twitter's users worldwide. The most common use is to promote business information about products and services or sometimes to educate industry on a business products or services. Due to the fact that these two social networking services possess millions of people's profiles, demographics and personal interests, thousands of multinational companies have turned their focus on new social media strategy to reach their target online. The term ‘social media’ has become the most recent area focused on by marketers, advertisers and public relations professionals in various business sectors and many experts have studied and tried to understand the benefits and functions of the term social media. According to Turner (2011), the Chief Content Officer of the 60 Second marketer reported that social media is about creating and having conversations among networks in online forums, blogs, and social networking sites. The key fundamental function is to use them as a medium for contacting, sharing and promoting data and contents. But when it comes to business, the main objective of operating social media is far beyond that. In business, social media is currently claimed to be the best tool in helping a company gain larger numbers of their target consumers just by providing a digital experience related to their products and services. Social media is also playing an important role in driving consumers brand engagement. According to Schmitt (2009), studied about digital brand experience and the result indicated that consumers who have a chance to engage with a brand in social networking sites can evolve from passive reactors to support the brand almost instantaneously. Creating a brand presence in social media can create not only opportunities for a company to gain more customers but also help marketers to understand more deeply what their potential target customers think towards their products and services thanks, for example, to Facebook that first invented the â€Å"Like† application that allows users to express their interest towards other websites, links or even competitors brands and share across networks. Thanks considerably to the advantages of social media, and its large numbers of potential target consumers, it is no surprise that many global companies have selected social networking as a key medium to start launching their campaign. According to Parsons (2011), reported that recently, Kellogg’s, the cereal manufacturer, launched a new range of Krave cereal and used Facebook as a medium to communicate and offer free sample packs to around 80,000 consumers on their Facebook fan page. The brand also developed video content to engage their 16-24 year old target age group to create interaction in Facebook. Additional examples show that Dell also gained a major success generating $3 million in sales after it launched its online outlet through Twitter and Starbucks has achieved the top ranking of Facebook brand pages, with nearly 4 million friends, by just offering fans coupons for free pastries and ice cream. Additionally, Whole Foods has topped Twitter with 1. million followers by broadcasting weekly specials and shopping tips (Schmitt 2009, p. 26). Companies in the FMCG industry are not the only sector that is involved in social media. Currently Honda, the Japanese automotive manufacture, is implementing their new marketing initiative from budget-led to customer-led by moving beyond traditional advertising and using social media as a tool to understand, manage and encourage open communication and conversation among their customers (Fisher 2011). In this point, the decision to buy a durable good like a car is a lengthy process, so to ensure that their brand will be in front of mind of consumers, Honda then focuses through a combination of data analytics using, and social influence methodologies, to engage and change consumer perception and increase brand awareness at the same time. In other words the role of social media, in this case, is to help maximise the goodwill and favourable mentions of company and brands. Moreover, not only can a platform of social networking provide a benefit to communicate with customers but it also enhances the capability of internal communications amongst staff as it has benefits of real-time discussion, response and speed to spread out information or opinions internally and reduce the time spent in meetings and it is enormously useful for companies with teams/staff members who working in different locations or time zones. For instance, according to Willson (2011) reported that AT&T, a US telecommunications company, launched a new tool aimed at providing their staff the opportunity to have discussions, brainstorm and refine ideas through its own internal social media platform. Employees have opportunities to be involved by voting their opinion on the company's ideas and strategies. As a result of this implementation, and in just 6 months, there are more than 200 topics that have been discussed with great outcomes and many fresh ideas generated without wasting time in meetings. Undoubtedly, social media platforms help a company communicate to both customers and staff faster and easier, however, the easy access of shared data can be a risk to a company’s confidential products and information. Many companies to date have suffered from the secret leaking of their products before its launch to market and it is not only bloggers or online journalists who cannot keep the information secret but also staff who are caught, sometimes by mistake, sharing confidential information. As recent examples, Coggan (2011), reported that Renault has suspended three senior executives allegedly for passing on blueprints for electric cars, Facebook’s corporate privacy settings went wrong when some of the social network’s finances were published and a strategy document from AOL came to light revealing that the internet and media firm’s journalists were expected to write five to ten articles a day. As a result of this type of leak information many companies, especially in the USA, do not allow employees to use their own computers or use memory sticks for certain online services. Accordingly Robert Half Technology also found in 2009 that more than half of chief information officers in America blocked the use of networking sites such as Facebook at work to prevent leaking of information. In the digital era, today's business is borderless with mobile devices, smartphone and computers helping the world connect with the internet. Social networking is a new communications platform that enhances this borderless world providing users with an ability to contact one another and spread information. Many companies use these social networks as a key strategic media to reach their target consumers or adapt its platforms for internal communications purposes to enhance the productivity of its members. However, with its easy access and ability to disperse information rapidly, social networking is becoming a big challenge for todays businesses on how to control data leaking and to protect information assets whilst, at the same time, sharing data without affecting the company's competitiveness. Ultimately, the challenge of gaining benefit from social media is to operate it in a balanced way and in the same way a company has always managed its confidential information. A company must know what it wants to achieve from spreading information about its products and services and also what information it needs to protect . A businesses staff who are involved in the management, operation and control of these platforms should be trained to know how to add accurate data in an online social context and be able to understand what information is acceptable to share.