Saturday, August 31, 2019

Software Performance Engineering Techniques

Abstract— bettering public presentation of package, sites and services is a holy grail of package industry. A new attack for execution of Poka-Yoke method in package public presentation technology is proposed. Poka-Yoke is a error proofing technique used in merchandise design. The effectivity of Poka-Yoke in package development was evaluated utilizing two instance surveies: merchandise redesign mini-project given to six groups of pupils and a study of online services in the package industry. Both quantitative and qualitative rating was done. Our proposed five-step error proofing technique for package development utilizing Poka-Yoka rating demonstrated the effectivity. The consequences showed that an implementing Poka-Yoke technique improves the package development procedure. Arrested development analysis showed that Poka-Yoke has a greater impact on package quality that uses the current province of the art package development theoretical accounts. Improved UGAM tonss besides s howed one-dimensionality and justified Poka-Yoke execution. Our findings recommend use of techniques for error proofing for overall package public presentation. The purpose is to cut down mistakes in package development procedure. We are besides suggesting HQLS: a new attack for high quality in the big graduated table package development in this paper. Keywords- Poka-Yoke Principles, Performance, UGAM, Security, Quality, Mistake-proofing, Detection. I. Introduction In position of Mukesh Jain, across the Earth, end-user public presentation of the bulk of our online services, web sites and package applications is a affair of concern. Global and local rivals in the parts have led to fierce competition for relatively better public presentation than rival services. Slow services impacts on user experience, operational cost, mind-share, market portion and gross. Turning the tide on public presentation can hold existent impacts on any company’s underside line. One of the cardinal messages sent from the markets is that we need to make a better occupation of bettering public presentation of our sites and services globally. The public presentation of most of the sites and services in many instances lag. For illustration, in the US, on broadband connexion, MSN/Live Search takes 3 seconds to expose the consequences compared to Google’s 1.5 seconds and the Yahoo’s 2.5 seconds. For Search, we have seen that the longer it takes to lade the consequences page, the more people abandon the page ( i.e. Peoples typically begin go forthing a page after waiting 4 seconds, and more than 50 % of users abandon the page after waiting for 6 seconds ) . Site public presentation in states like India makes many merchandises about impossible to utilize. Recent proving showed that it takes around 40 seconds for person in India to login into Hotmail and see their letter boxs, while it takes merely 5 seconds when utilizing rival electronic mail merchandises like yahoo.co.in, rediffmail and Indiatimes. This may take to important loss in electronic mail market portion in India. The heat chart in the Table 2 reflects the comparative public presentation of the online services market. The tabular array shows the PLT [ Page-Load-Time ] in seconds for the user in each of the major states. We show the 75th percentile, intending that 75 % of minutess in the state are better than this figure, and 25 % are worse. The Numberss on the left are MSN. On the right is the â€Å" top † rival for that service in that market. Jain proposed a strategy and process to forestall and/or detect public presentation issues in clip for the merchandise technology squad to take action and repair them and forestall them from go oning. Users don’t like to wait for a page to lade. With nothing ( or really low ) exchanging cost, it is disputing for any service to retain the users with slow public presentation ( compared to the major rival in that market ) . If the service is slow one time in a piece – users may non detect and/or will non mind. But if it is systematically slow, it will impact their productiveness and they will look for faster options. The field of Poka-Yoke has a big sum of literature in merchandise design methods, package proving techniques, and direction ( M.Dudek Burlikowska et Al, 2009 ; Lawrence P Chao et Al, 2003 ; Harry Robinson, 1997, etc ) . These proposals are first-class presentations of how Poka-Yoke design methodological analysis can ensue in improved user-experience design and service public presentation with fewer defects in their several spheres. Unfortunately, major spreads between Poka-Yoke and SE continue to be in faculty members, literature, and industrial pattern. The following subdivision gives an overview of related work in Poka-Yoke. Sections 3 and 4 describe the proposals for package public presentation, technology and HQLS: a new attack for high quality in big graduated table package development. The Section 3 besides has qualitative ratings of package public presentation technology proposal. Sections 5 describe instance surveies that evaluated the architecture for HQLS and their findings. Section 6 draws decisions from the survey. II.STATE OF THE ART In recent old ages, research on using Poka Yoke in package has received much attending [ 7, 8, 9, and 10 ] . Harry Robinson introduced Poka-Yoke ( mistake-proofing ) into the Hewlett Packard’s package procedure and he claims they have been able to forestall literally 100s of package localisation defects from making their clients. As per Gojko Adzic, writer of Impact Mapping â€Å"software categories should non let us to continue and blow up when something goes incorrect. Exceptions can be an effectual manner of giving more certification, but the signal should be clean and unambiguous, in order non to misdirect users or client-developers. Software must be designed to forestall a complete clang, even in the face of system failure. Auto-save characteristics are a good illustration. It’s non frequently that the power gets cut, but when it does, our users will certainly appreciate that we saved most of their work† [ 11 ] . Much of the research focal point is for ZOC, quality control, placing defects. However, the restriction that associated research brings is non using Poka- Yoke in entireness. III.PROPOSAL FOR SOFTWARE PERFORMANCE Technology Here are the Poka-Yoke based 5 stairss ( theoretical account ) we can accommodate ( in parts or full ) to Prevent and/or Detect public presentation jobs at the right clip and repair it as depicted in the Table 1 [ 18 ] . A.Focus/Strategy The first measure for this would be to include public presentation as portion of the scheme and focal point. Sing public presentation as Key portion of the deliverable is of import. â€Å"Like security & A ; handiness, we should see public presentation as built-in portion of any characteristic. Performance can non be an afterthought- If we do non concentrate public presentation from the get downing – it might be excessively late to repair it and in some instances we might lose the opportunity† . B.Approach The attack to plan and development makes a important difference towards the exposure of the procedure for public presentation issues. This is the 1 of a bar type of mistake-proofing solution. The design methodological analysis and the development procedure can forestall many sorts of public presentation jobs. This is the 1 of a bar type of mistake-proofing solution replacing manual work with an machine-controlled tool can salvage resources and enhances the quality of the merchandise. C.Testing ( Verification & A ; Validation ) Testing for public presentation will be of import here. Performance should non be considered as a separate characteristic – it should be portion of each and every characteristic and scenario, usage instance. â€Å" TEST PASS IS INCOMPLETE without PERFORMANCE Testing † . Testing demands to be performed based on the â€Å" End-user † scenes. The Majority of the people have slower machines than what Jain squad uses in Microsoft. D.Monitoring/Measurement ( Detection ) For all the sites that are unrecorded in production, we need to hold monitoring/measurements in topographic point to be able to supervise public presentation tendencies and detect/report issues. This sensing method does nil to forestall the public presentation impact from go oning. Alternatively, it aims to happen the public presentation job at the earliest chance in order to minimise the harm. With this mistake-proofing solution, the right job is detected and reported at the right clip to the right people. The monitoring system ( webHancer, SQM, WebWatson, etc. ) can mensurate public presentation at the end-user and study it back to Microsoft. An alarming system can be built on top of it that can hold concern rules/criteria for observing public presentation forms ( for cardinal user scenarios ) and study to the appropriate people. Example: Business Scenario for measuring of Quality of Service can be explained in different types like absolute measuring, comparative measuring and competitory measuring. This mistake-proofing solution does nil to forestall the public presentation job from go oning. However, agencies are provided to minimise the impact of any public presentation issue. By this clip the bulk of the people would understand the importance of Performance and how they can lend to better the same.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Bacterial Transformation Lab Report Essay

Backround: The plasmid pGLO contains an antibiotic-resistance gene, ampR, and the GFP gene is regulated by the control region of the ara operon. Ampicillin is an antibiotic that kills E. coli, so if E. coli, so if E. coli cells contain the ampicillin-resistance gene, the cells can survive exposure to ampicillin since the ampicillin-resistance gene encodes an enzyme that inactivates the antibiotic. Thus, transformed E. coli cells containing ampicillin-resistance plasmids can easily be selected simply growing the bacteria in the presence of ampicillin-only the transformed cells survive. The ara control region regulates GFP expression by the addition of arabinose, so the GFP gene can be turned on and off by including or omitting arabinose from the culture medium. Purpose: The purpose of this lab was to understand bacterial transformation, how it occurs, and to make DNA glow. Hypothesis: If the transformed E. coli is mixed with the ampicillin resistance gene, it will be able to grow in the ampicillin plates, but the non-transformed E.coli will not. Materials: Two microcentrifuge tubes 500 uL of ice cold 0.05 CaCl2 E. coli bacteria A sterile plastic loop A sterile P-20 micropipette 10 uL of pAMP solution A timer Ice A water bath 500 uL of Luria broth A spreading rod Four plates Incubator Procedure: Day before lab 1. Streak E. coli host cells for isolation. 2. Prepare six source plates. Day of lab 1. Get two microcentrifuge tubes, which should each contain 200 uL of cold CaCl2 solution. Label one tube with your initials and a (+) and the other tube with your initials and a (-). 2. Transfer 2-4 large colonies using a sterile plastic loop to each microcentrifuge tube and completely resuspend. Do not transfer any agar. Put the tip of the loop into the CaCl2 solution and spin until there is not any cells on the loop. 3. Close each of the tubes and put them in ice. 4. Ask your teacher to use a P-20 micropipette to add pGLO DNA to your transformation mix. 5. Add pGLO DNA to the (+) labeled microcentrifuge tube. 6. Incubate both microcentrifuge tubes on ice for fifteen minutes. 7. Take both tubes out of ice and immediately place in incubator at 42Ù ¥C for 90 seconds. 8. After place both tubes back in the ice for two minutes. 9. Add 200uL Luria Recovery Broth to both microcentrifuge tubes. 10. Let both the tubes rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. 11. During the 10 minutes, get the LB agar and LB+AMP agar plates ready. Mark your plates with the transformation tube mixture to use (+ or -), the lab group names, and the date on the top of the dishes. 12. Add 100ul of the pGLO transformation cell mixture to the center of the agar surface of the corresponding LB agar and LB+AMP plates. 13. Use a sterile plastic loop to distribute the cell suspension evenly on the plate by â€Å"skating† the loop back and forth across the LB agar plate several times. 14. Use the same loop and technique to spread the same cell suspension (+) on the LB+AMP agar plates. Dispose of the sterile loop in a beaker of germicide. 15. Repeat the procedure by spreading the (-) transformation cell mixture to each of the (-) labeled LB and LB+AMP plates. Be sure to use a fresh plastic loop for the ‘None’ transformation mix. 16. Stack your group’s set of plates on top of one another and tape them together. The plates should be left upright position to allow the cell suspension to be absorbed by the agar. 17. Place the plates in an inverted position (agar side on top) in a 37Ù ¥C bacterial incubation oven for overnight incubation (15-20 hrs.). Day after lab 1. Lower the lighting in the room and use a long wave U.V. light to visualize the transformed cells that will glow due to the expression of the green or blue fluorescent proteins. Data: LB+ (Positive Control) LB- (Positive Control) LB/AMP+ (Experimental) LB/AMP- (Experimental) Bacterial Growth lawn lawn 3 colonies No growth Conclusions: The bacteria treated with the pAMP solution developed a resistance to ampicillin and were able to grow on the ampicillin plate. Those that were not treated with the pAMP were not able to grow on this medium. The plates with no ampicillin served as a control to show how the bacteria would look  in normal conditions. Transformation is never fully effective, Only cells that are competent enough are able to take up the foreign DNA. Therefore, the ampicillin+ plates showed less growth that the control plate. Questions: 1. Record your observations about the color and growth (number of colonies) of bacteria on the Petri plates. If you have so much bacterial growth that you can’t count individual colonies, this is referred to as â€Å"lawn.† LB+ (Positive Control) LB- (Positive Control) LB/AMP+ (Experimental) LB/AMP- (Experimental) Bacterial Growth lawn lawn 3 colonies no growth 2. Calculate the transformation efficiency of your transformation experiments. Transformation efficiency refers to the number of cells transformed per microgram (ug) of DNA. The transformation efficiency of my transformation experiments is 0.0125 cells transformed per microgram (ug) of DNA.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Accounting Analysis of the 2011 Annual Report for Bank of Queensland Limited Essay Example for Free (#2011)

Accounting Analysis of the 2011 Annual Report for Bank of Queensland Limited Essay ? The aim of this report is to provide an accounting analysis of the 2011 annual report for Bank of Queensland Limited (BOQ), and a critique of the reporting of their performance. The report discusses the choice of accounting policies and the flexibility of these policies. The main objective of this report is to evaluate and recognise the possibility of using creative accounting within the company, recognise and questionable accounting numbers within items listed previously. A number of items have been selected from Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement. Bank of Queensland Limited (BOQ), has history of 137 years with network of over 280 branches operating in Queensland. It offers core banking (commercial/retail), equipment finance, wealth management and insuranceservices. BOQ is listed on the ASX and uses its unique concept of the Owner-Managed Branch (OMB),a partnership between the Bank of Queensland (franchisor) and experienced bank managers (franchisees) to provide banking services. 3. Description of key accounting policies and standards 3.1 Loans and advances at amortised cost (Asset) As shown on BOQ’s Balance sheet in FY11, loans and advances at amortised cost are big-ticket itemsin its assets accounting for approximately 98 per cent. According to the significant accounting policies explored by BOQ annual report 2011, loans and advances are originated by the bank and are recognised upon cash being advanced to the borrower. Based on AASB13, loans and advances are initially recognised at fair value plus incremental direct transaction cost using the effective interest method. 3.2 Deposits and borrowing (Liability) Deposits, as the one of the most important cash inflows of the bank, follow ruleAASB13 as well. They are initially recognised at fair value plus transaction costs and thenby using the effective interest method, they are measured at amortised cost. It is classified in two concentrations: retail deposits and wholesale deposits. This item follows AASB119Employee Benefits which has been amended in its accounting rules affecting the measurement of its obligations and the timing of recognition of termination benefits. Employee benefits can be classified to four categories: wages, salaries and annual leave; long service leave; superannuation plan and share based payments. 4. Flexibility of Management in Selecting the Key Accounting Policies It is undeniable that having flexiblemanagement can exert positive effects on the presentation of company’s annual financial report. Specifically, from the Bank of Queensland ´s perspective, if mangers have considerable adaptability in selecting the key accounting policies, the financial performance of Bank of Queensland Ltd can be improved; therefore more investors and customers would give priority to cooperating with them in the future. 4.1 Loan and Advances at Amortized Cost 4.1.1 Flexibility Analysis The measurement of loans and advances at amortized cost is extremelyfavourable to commercial banks. From BOQ’s consolidated financial annual report, the loan and advances at amortized cost accounted for around 83.3% of total assets in 2011, it had increased from 31,736,5 million to 33,276,1 million during 2010 to 2011. This change in $1539, 6 million was caused by impairment charges made by managers of the bank. The increase of loans and advances at amortized cost could enhance the customers trust in the bank. Sincefinancial funds, credit business and debts are the core business transaction of the banking industry, this itemappears to increase receivable accounts. Also, as banks could charge a reasonable rate of interest on such future loans/advances, they are able utilizethis income to pay current liabilities, wage and salaries of employees, and also the tax liability of business. Consequently, the BOQ’s managers have selected a flexible accounting policy in this item. Being dominant in the assets, loans and advances at amortized cost carries the burden of generating cash. The way that Bank of Queensland recognizes loans and advances at amortized cost can be separated to two phases. Initially, loans are recognized at fair value plus incremental direct transaction costs. Secondly, BOQ uses effective interest method to measure the amortized cost at each reporting date. The advantage of this accounting policy is that including direct transaction cost in the loan price can offset the actual transaction cost occurred and maximize the profit for the bank. Additionally, the effective interest method is considered as one of the prior methods for amortizing a bond discount. Theoretically, investors require a discount on bonds because the market interest rate at the time of issue is higher than the coupon payments on the bond. Therefore, by amortizing the discount at the market interest rate, accounting statement of Bank of Queensland will exactly reveal the economic reality of the bond issue and its true cost of debt. 4.2.1 Flexibility Analysis Due to the characteristics of banking industry, there is a high flexibility for management in these two liabilities. It is noticeable that deposits and borrowing accounted for about 97% of total liabilities on the balance sheet. Occupying 69% of total deposits, managers pay more attention to Retail Banking Services because of itsattractiveness to customers compared to other types of deposits. This policy states that securitization set-up costs relating to on-balance sheet assets are included with securitization borrowings, and amortization is recorded as interest expense. Initially, excluding off-balance sheet costs makes the liability much smaller and enlarges their net assets. Likewise, interest on debt is a tax-deductible expense and creates a tax shield benefiting Bank of Queensland. The major function for this policy is to save cash flows for BOQ. 4.3.1 Flexibility Analysis Employee expenses mainly consist of share based payments and employee benefits. All of these kinds of financial activities are beneficialto BOQ.The result from increasing incentives to employees applies as it encourages them to performenthusiasticallywhicheventuallyleads to higher profits for the firm. Among Employee Benefits, shared based payments are distinguished. The accounting policy demonstrates that Bank of Queensland allows employees to acquire its shares, options and rights sold recognized in the Employee Benefits Reserve. This expense could be reversed if the loss is not due to a market condition. This is highly beneficial as it encourages employees to purchase shares of their own company but, on the other hand, as more shares are sold, the higher price rises in the stock exchange. 5. Quality of Disclosure Made in BOQ Accounts The quality of disclosure in the BOQ ´s policies, strategy, performance and financial statements and reports is satisfactory as it provides accessible, transparent and fairly justified information. As the BOQ is a listed company, it has to comply with all ASX disclosure policies and reporting but in addition it also complies with the ASX Corporate Governance Recommendations as well as the Australian Prudential Standards (APS) (Profit Announcement 2011). In the profit announcement report for 2011, BOQ discloses a number of disclosure principles which include management, board structure, ethical and responsible decision making, financial reporting, timely and balanced disclosure, respect rights of shareholders, recognize and manage risk, remuneration. 5.1 Business Strategy and Economic Consequences The business strategy and economic consequences are disclosed in the notes to the annual report in terms of the risk management of the company. As it explains in these notes the bank approach is to manage its risk in terms of credit risk, market risk, liquidity, operational risk, compliance policies and capital management. As it states in the annual report there is a high level of assessment and monitoring of these risks in order to follow the company ´s strategy. 5.2 Notes to the Financial Statements – Explanation of Policies The notes to the financial statements and reports do provide an explanation to the bank ´s management policies. According to the 2011 Annual Report these policies provide effectiveness and efficiency in terms of managing the risks described above as well as creating controls to support growth and competitive advantage. An example of these policies in 2011 was a strong expense management which lead them to reduce their cost-to-income ratio from 45.8% to 44.5%. Moreover, these policies provide regulatory compliance as well as performance management. 5.3 Explanation of Current Performance BOQ through its yearly Profit Announcement Report clearly explains its current performance in terms of its principal activities. It states its current level of profitability and the main reasons for any losses. As well as these profit or losses explanations the report shows explanations for changes in expenses, asset growth, retail deposit growth, branch network expansion and capital management. In terms of financial conventions that restrict the firm as a banking institution, the main one is the Basel II Accord in which the bank is obligated to maintain capital adequacy requirements. In the 2011 Annual report is mentioned that Tier 1 capital made up of equity capital and disclosed reserves was higher than required by Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). Moreover, AASB 124 Related Party Disclosures is additionally disclosed in order to understand the impact on the firm. Moreover it discloses all its consolidated statements for all subsidiaries of the group following all consolidation standards. The quality of the segment disclosure for BOQ is sufficient as it discloses its two operating segments, and since the bank operates only in Queensland, it does not need geographical segmentation. It discloses the high level metrics for both of the banking and insurance segments as well as consolidated totals (Annual Report 2011 pg. 89). Also, following consolidation requirements it eliminates inter-company transactions (Annual Report 2011 pg. 89). The most important and questionable numbers can be seen in the yearly Profit Announcement where BOQ announced a net loss after tax of 90.6 million AUD. The explanation for this loss was attributed to significant impairment charges. As the income analysis shows that the company made a reasonable operating income loss, but the large part of the loss was due to a revision of their commercial loans and provisioning approach. They decided to increase these specific commercial loan provisions more than close to 90 million due to the continuous decline in commercial property in Queensland. Along with loan impairments, the bank also impaired a substantial amount of assets, also because of the decline if commercial property. Furthermore in the Directors Report in 2011 there were some potential red flags regarding remuneration. As the bank went through a restructure last year there were a number of high level managerial positions that changed in this period. During this transition there were a number of payments classified as  ´others` that did not have a clear explanation. An example of this includes a payment of half a million dollars to the previous CEO to  ´ensure a smooth transition` between him and the newly appointed CEO. While taking into account the Director ´s report is audited by KPMG, this payment seemed excessive. Based on previous parts, the conclusion has arrived that BOQ suffered net loss of $90.6 million because of the tremendous growth in impairment loss. The footnote disclosures in the Profit Announcement provide the composition of the impairment loss. According to note 11, loan impairment expenses totalled $327.7 million. $165.7 million of this amount is specific provision impairment and the rest $162 million relates to collective provision. Moreover, impairment loss for assets also amounts to $578.7 million. Note 4suggests that BOQ ´s management increase its impairment loss based on their estimates of dropping commercial property market. However, this estimate comes from historical experience and professional judgment. In contrast, the estimate might be different from actual results. Therefore, distortions may arise resulting from overstated impairment loss. In order to undo the distortion, the impairment loss should have been adjusted to a lower level with fewer provisions. Even before the Profit Announcement of BOQ came out, many financial reporters foresaw the net loss of BOQ resulting from increasing impairment loss. The downturns in tourism and recent natural disasters impacted Queensland’s economy negatively, and the conditions in Queensland were expected to remain challenging in the future because of strong Australian dollar. As a result, for BOQ— a company that is highly exposed to Queensland housing market, the current poor performance of might not change in short term.Following by the poor performance, BOQ isnow struggling to keep regulators happy and keep its capital at acceptable level. On 26 March 2012, BOQ announced aequity rising of $450 million. However, by doing this, the existing shareholders of BOQ will be heavily diluted and it will cause its share price to drop significantly. Accounting Analysis of the 2011 Annual Report for Bank of Queensland Limited. (2017, Feb 07).

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Constitution - Essay Example Today however, federal budget amounts to billions of dollars and it subsidizes on almost everything that you can think of claiming that it is for the 'general welfare.' According to Moore, this phenomenon is a result of the following incidents: first, when the income tax was enacted, this enabled the federal government to amass wealth. Second, national crisis brought about by wars gave Congress the reason to push constitutional limits in favor of releasing more money for the benefit of the citizenry. Third, the Supreme Court passed a decision declaring that the power of Congress in allocating federal funds for public purpose is not limited by the powers granted by the Constitution. All these led to the over-extension of the general welfare clause - Congress can just allot on anything as long as it alleges that it is for the 'general welfare'. Moore also presented certain political analysts stating that a significant amount of the federal funds have been on charity. However, no matter how good the government's intentions are, apportionment for public charity has no constitutional basis. There is no constitutional provision authorizing such allotment. The article of Moore thus presents the following problems. ... "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government" (1776) The people's consent to submit to a single government is embodied in a document called The Constitution. There, the people would specify the power it vests in the government and its various departments. Without a power being expressly granted to the government or any of its department in the Constitution, then such government or department does not have it. Now the Constitution provided for different departments in government: the legislative, executive and the judiciary. The legislative department makes the laws, the executive department executes it and the judiciary implements it. This division is designed to prevent the concentration of power in one person. It also provided for checks and balances in government. (Devine, 2004) This way, no one person or department controls the entire government. This is an effective way to ensure that the rights of the people are protected. Now the power of the legislative is specifically stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. And I must admit that there is no provision for public charity. The only provision that Congress could use to justify allocations for public charity is in Section 8 #1 which grants them the power to levy taxes "for the general welfare of the United States." On the other hand, Section 9 of the same Article provides the limitations and prohibitions with respect to the powers of Congress. And there is no prohibition against allocations for public

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Sales Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sales - Case Study Example Similar is the case at Shields where a new manager leading a sales team that is facing issues in accepting company’s new sales policy (which is in line with that of its main competitor) that is to generate sales through big accounts rather than several small ones as done earlier. Continuation with the same tactic of implementing the new policy over the sales team might result in more slumps in sales quota and increased drop outs that would result in mismanagement of the existing accounts hence further decline in sale level. Summary of the Facts Shield is an Insurance company that provides customized insurance and risk management programs to all size of commercial enterprises. Shield is a result oriented company. Their main objective is profit maximization through increased sales revenue. Following the footsteps of its major competitor the higher management decided to implement a new sales strategy namely First-Plus to increase revenues by bringing in larger accounts. Training of new managers done in theoretical manner through manuals in only 5 days period. Training comprising majorly of introducing First-Plus a new policy for sales rather than how to manage a sales team effectively as well as efficiently.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Developing Career Prospects Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Developing Career Prospects - Assignment Example Additionally, through the Chapter on management process, roles, behavior and skills has made me to identify the skills that managers should have. These include personal, social, technical and political skills among others. Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) entails the process that people pass through as they perceive the world and make decision. The theory, which indicates the existence of two dichotomous pairs of cognitive functions, was of great assistance to me (Emmons, 1996). In terms of rational function, my thinking and feeling towards life challenges were positively enhanced. I felt that with determination and confidence I was able to handle any challenge that comes on my way. On its part, irrational function aroused my sensation and intuition towards my duties. As a student or an employee, one should be able to identify areas that they are effective as well as areas that they are weak. In this way, one is able to identify the areas that they need assistance. My competence in the area of business was based on the skills that I gained in the course of my school work as well as the assistance I received from the instructors. Through the skills, I was able to receive a positive outcome that included strong positive relationship with my customers (Schneider and Alderfer, 1973). However, my inability to balance intuition with rational judgment was a negative perception that affected my outcome. I address this by thinking strategically and go beyond the obvious, gathers complex data, to get to the heart of the issues One’s values are important since they are source of motivation and they greatly make one to be identified by the values. My main value is working hard. I like to achieve my goals through working hard, remaining confident and be focused at my goals (Ibarra, 2003). Additionally, I value learning how to master new tasks by adopting high self efficacy. In this way, I am in a position to educate others on various issues thus our

Final exam study sheet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final exam study sheet - Research Paper Example Explanation- This is an ironical statement and also the mostly used in the entire story since it is the only answer that Bartle by provides for every question asked regardless whether he is to anything or not. Using the word ‘prefer’ does not necessarily mean that Bartleby would do as expected despite what he claimed to prefer. Quote two (unreliable narrator)-Dead letters! Does it not sound like dead men? Conceive a man by nature and misfortune prone to a pallid hopelessness; can any business seem more fitting to heighten it than that of continually handling these dead letters, and assorting them for the flames? Explanation- In this quote, it is evident that the narrator has ways of involving his audience through asking of questions hence providing a chance for them to flow with him. He uses this technique in explaining the reasons behind the character traits of Bartleby and the reason that led to his job dismissal. Quote one (feminism)-â€Å"But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.† Explanation- The above quotes explains facts on feminism whereby the author shows the different reactions among women on receiving sad news. The reaction of Louise shows how deeply the news reached to her and the mannerisms in which her reaction was different from that of other people. In her gaze, there is a difference that can be considered shrewder and even incredibly active. Explanation-this quote is ironical in that the previous day before the news were brought Louise prayed that life would be long yet it is during this time that her loved ones die. Also, in the prior days she had always prayed that her days would be shorter. Explanation- This quote is ironical in

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Explain How Helicopters Fly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Explain How Helicopters Fly - Essay Example Its flight features allow movement in all direction: upwards, downwards, sideways, forward as well as in reverse direction. This flexibility allows the helicopter to be flown in small and congested areas where it is not possible to land the airplanes. Since it can fly in any direction, it has a lot of parameters to take care of while flying. Therefore, the pilot needs to be very skilled and capable and must give full attention while flying. Helicopters not only move in all three dimensions but can also rotate and hover at one point in air. These features, although, make it a unique mode of transport, also make it a very complex machine to understand as well as to pilot. The main parts of helicopter are: ïÆ'Ëœ Main Rotor – The vertically mounted rotor in center ïÆ'Ëœ Fuselage – The main body of helicopter ïÆ'Ëœ Transmission system – Speed control mechanism of rotors ïÆ'Ëœ Tail boom – Rear portion on which the tail rotor is mounted ïÆ'Ëœ Tail rotor – Small horizontal axis rotor at the rear ïÆ'Ëœ Engine – Main engine used to spin the shaft To understand the flight of a helicopter, we can begin from the simple vertically up and down motion. For a helicopter to move upwards, it needs wings that have air moving on its surface in one direction. In case of an airplane, the wings are fixed and the whole plane moves forward for the air to move on the surface of wings and generate lift. However, in case of helicopter we keep it on the same spot. Instead, the wings are rotated to generate the desired lift effect. Wings are shaped in such a manner that they deflect the air downwards and as a reaction, the helicopter is lifted. This shape of the wings is called airfoil. Two or more wings are mounted on a shaft and the shaft is made to rotate thereby, giving a continuous motion to the wings. This rotating wings and shaft are collectively called the main rotor. The main rotor is the most important part of any helicopter. It not only generates the lift force required for the helicopter to fly but also provides for the lateral moveme nt, spinning and changing the altitude. The rotor has to be very strong as it supports all the forces on the helicopter and its weight. The wings have a swivel mechanism at the point where they connect to the rotor. This swivel functionality allows for changing the angle of blades, which changes the path of air. To affect lift, the angle of blades needs to be altered with respect to the oncoming wind. This is known as the angle of attack. The angle alteration mechanism for all wings is collectively called the hub. A device known as the swash plate assembly makes the adjustment of the angles of the rotor blades. The swash plate assembly has two plates, fixed swash plate and a rotating swash plate. The swash plate assembly has two main functions: Firstly, it changes the angle of all the blades simultaneously. It increases the overall lift, thereby gaining or losing altitude. Secondly, the swash plate can change the angle of individual blades while revolving. This gives the flexibility to a helicopter to move in any direction. This alteration of angle, called pitch, is carried out by means of the pitch control rods, which control the function of rotating swash pl

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Michelangelo's Last Judgement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Michelangelo's Last Judgement - Essay Example In this painting, judgment day is depicted and Christ is seen as a â€Å"stern judge of the world† (Kleiner, 2009, p.474). The literary sources from which this work of art drew its theme are supposed to be, the Bible, the Divine Comedy and also many folk and traditional stories about the judgment day (Barnes, 1998, p.1). It was Pope Paul III who invited Michelangelo from Florence to Rome and entrusted him with the creation of this painting, also deciding upon the topic of this painting (Paoletti and Radke, 2005, p.501). It was under the loving insistence of the Pope (who was busily reviving the strength of Catholicism in the backdrop of Protestant Reformation) that Michelangelo left his work in Florence and came to Rome. Hence it can be said that this painting embodied the Catholic idea of salvation (Dixon, n.d.). The painting shows all the just figures inside it as ascending to heaven and all the damned figures as being taken downward into the hell (Kleiner, 2009, p.474). The purpose of this painting as seen from the eyes of the Catholic Church of that era was to tackle the ideological spread of Protestantism (Williams, 2004, p.76). The Church was getting aware of the â€Å"power of art† and was trying to â€Å"exercise some kind of control over the production and consumption images† (Williams, 2004, p.76). In this painting, Michelangelo has â€Å"used some†¦intense colors† and had paid attention to undertake perfect detailing of all the human bodies that he has drawn (Paoletti and Radke, 2005, p.501). It is observed that â€Å"each hue is powerfully distinct, yet shot through with lights of other hues† (Dixon, n.d.). The ambience created by this painting is that of great tension and apprehension. This is in accordance with the theme of the painting, which is about the judgment day. The central figure if Jesus as is in all previous judgment day paintings. The raised right hand of Jesus in the painting is supposed to repr esent the canonical saying, â€Å"(He) wrathfully damns the guilty and banishes them from his presence into eternal fire† (cited by Dixon, n.d.). But some critics (Dixon, n.d.; Kleiner, 2009) have viewed the positioning of the hand as depicting uncertainty and ambiguity. The painting is reflective of Michelangelo’s concepts about the judgment, which has roots in Dante’s notions and also in the idea that â€Å"judgment is not a matter of God's action at all ... (and) judgment is a choice of the individual soul† (Dixon, n.d.). This might be the reason why many figures in the painting even as being drawn into hell, carry signs of some internal conflict on their faces rather than a fear of being punished. It is also argued that this is why Michelangelo has not given Christ a commanding posture and instead picturized him in an ambiguous body posture (Dixon, n.d.). Critics (Paoletti and Radke, 2005) have opined that the style in this painting is a developmental progression from his previous figural style and also is reflective of Hellenistic sculpting style (p.501). By visualizing Jesus in the appearance a Greek god, Michelangelo was breaking the convention on usual depictions of Christ. The skin held by St. Bartholomew (he was skinned alive) in the painting is supposed to have a face resembling Michelangelo himself, says some analysts (Kleiner, 2009, p.474). Another curious specialty of the painting has been its lack of â€Å"

Friday, August 23, 2019

Violance and the World by Robert Cover and Reflections on the Essay

Violance and the World by Robert Cover and Reflections on the Guillotine by Albert Cumus - Essay Example According to Cover (p. 1601), for instance, when a judge interprets the law and hands out a sentence, as legally appropriate to the crime as it may be, the sheer act of imposition of violence on another person is in itself an act of death and pain. This is quite similar to the actions committed during the course of the crime. This means that the interpretation of legal statutes occurs under conditions of death and pain. For instance, as a result of the imposition of a term of sentence, a convict losses his freedom, property, or life in extreme cases, while his family losses a father, brother, son or husband. Cumus is especially expressive about the aspect of sentencing convicts to the death penalty. According to the Cumus (p. 23), murder carried out by the state or under state supervision is tantamount to premeditated murder carried out by criminals on innocent persons. Cover speaks on this topic, citing that the interpretations of law allow for justification of violence and murder o f persons found guilty of crimes, which, as Cumus put it, is equal to premeditated murder. While Cover explains that he is not sympathetic towards criminals and convicts for the crimes they committed, he asserts that the interpretation in the law itself creates victims who are innocent of the crime for which they are suffering (Cover, p. 1602). The victims in most instances are family members who were oblivious of the occurrence of the crime. The organized social practices of interpretations in law tear families up and perpetrate the same violence for which they are meant to punish. The irony of this situation is compounded by the statistics, proving that capital punishment does not necessarily reduce the occurrence of crime. According to Cumus, a more logical approach for remedying criminal behavior is through reforms and rehabilitation, rather than violence, pain, and death. Because the nature of law is to uphold the humane conduct of all persons in society, it is ironic that law also contravenes the same humane essence it preaches. Cumus tells of instances when the guillotine is not instant, hence prolonging the suffering of both its victim and that of family members and other witnesses. The sheer brutality of the guillotine is also implicit of the law’s violent nature (Cumus, p. 19) Both writers argue for the discontinuation of capital punishment. Cumus is primarily concerned about the guillotine, which he asserts is neither humane nor instant, as it is purported to be. Cover, on the other hand, speaks of the need to adopt more effective systems of reforms, rather than the conventional violence-riddled sentencing and confinement of convicts in solitary places (Cover, p. 1606). Legal interpretation, according to Cover, should adopt a culture that is similar to a number of communities, which use shame and contrition as a means of punishing offenders. In such instances, the offenders’ shame for their actions is stronger than any degree of violen ce meted on them in terms of behavioral correction. Cumus argues that the guillotine’s effectiveness has been eroded with time. In earlier times when the guillotine was used in public, it was relatively effective in deterring crime. However, because it is currently used privately in prisons, its effectiveness is muffled. This means that there is, in fact, no need to use the guillotine any more in the current day and age. Nonetheless, Cumus is somewhat supportive of the conduct of executions

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Conflict Is an Ever-Present and Ongoing Aspect of Peoples Lives Essay Example for Free

Conflict Is an Ever-Present and Ongoing Aspect of Peoples Lives Essay Conflict is an ever-present and ongoing aspect of peoples lives Conflict is a omnipresent part of life regardless of time and place. It has been in our lives ever since the start of our ancestry, where they fight for survival against the wild. Conflict can be as simple as the internal conflict of choosing what we want to have for lunch, It can also be at a large scale like a global war. Without the hardship we and experience we gain from it as an individual, life would be undoubtedly boring and plain. Individuals wouldnt be able to learn right from wrong, neither would they experience different situations and learn how to overcome it. Conflict is a fundamental factor of life, it is in books, at work, at school, online and even on the news. Every day we are faced with at least one type of conflict, or at least witness one. Therefore conflict is unavoidable and always present in our paths as we grow from a fetus to the day we pass away. Protagonists from our favourite novels encounter different hardships as their journey is spilled out onto the pages for us to read and picture their life. In the famous novel entitled The Rugmaker Of Mazar-E-Sharif written by Najaf Mazari and Robert Hillman, illustrates the life of Najaf and how he encounters vary different types of conflict. The moving event of the loss of his father to war, forever traumatises Najaf. We as children are first introduced to our mothers and fathers, causing them to be the closest people we would have in our lives when we are first sent to kindergarten we cry and cry due to the missing warmth and loving grasp of our mothers and fathers. Now this is only for a day, imagine not seeing one of the people you love most for the rest of your life. That is the pain and horror Najaf goes through as he loses his father. That doesnt stop Najaf from staying on his feet to look after his family. until he faces the internal battle to decide if he should flee to Australia or stay back. Demonstrating that we face hardship one after another. Creating an endless cycle. All the pre-mentioned events was caused by one of the worlds greatest battle of different beliefs, war. The ongoing war has caused all the devastation for Najaf, forcing him to flee his homeland. This enhances the factor of conflict being omnipresent and the ongoing fundamental part of any individuals life. Devastating events can occur at any time of our lives. An example of this is the Victorian bushfires. Where you could be out with your family enjoying the hot weather, and all of a sudden a giant blaze of fire is picked up by the wind and surrounds you in matters of seconds. You are trapped and while blinded by the smoke you hear your family screaming and whelping under the loud crackling of bark and the defining blaze. Soon you too are consumed by the giant blaze of fire. It was unavoidable, you were unaware of the event. Creating grief and pain within others. Proving that one hardship leads to another. Making conflict a endless cycle within our lives. The families who have lost members to the terrifying Victorian bushfires has suffered an unbearable and unimaginable loss. The loss of a loved one, Like Najaf and many other individuals in our society. The one event will continue to haunt the grieving individuals and families. They will remember the ones they lost, they will keep replaying the memories with them and cherish what they have left behind. This is what conflict sometimes does to us. And it will continue to prance around our lives just like the famous line Justin Timberlake uses in one of his famous songs. what comes around, goes around which brings me to the next point. In continuum, Internal conflict is one of the main aspects of hardship we face as humans. Our different believes smothered with the other beliefs from the people we sometimes call bullies. From a young age we can be exposed to bullying. May it be outside on the oval, the playground or even indoors. it is still something we face. t can range from name calling to physically hurting someone. As humans we like to have power but some of them take it to a whole new level. where they will insult and hurt the people smaller or weaker just for their satisfaction of power. This then causes depressing thoughts within individuals, or even the attempt of suicide. Depressing thoughts are caused by bullying or an devastating event which ultimately lead to the judgement of one self. When someone thinks I am not good enough or everyone hates me yes it was probably caused by bullying but it had continued to haunt them to create internal conflict. This is an extreme extent of internal conflict. Another pre-mentioned example of internal conflict is as simple as choosing what we want for lunch. Yes it may sound stupid but we do have a mini brain war about what we want for lunch. ultimately showing that hardships are forever in our lives and will continue to stay in our lives. As individuals we face conflict where ever we go. It is in books, at work, at school, online and even on the news. Ultimately meaning it is a omnipresent and a fundamental part of any individuals life. In other words, conflict is an ever-present and ongoing aspect of peoples lives Najaf experiences the same horrifying pain of losing a loved one as the families from the Victorian bush fires. At the same time they all face internal conflict just like a individual that has experienced bullying, or a teenager thinking of what to buy for lunch from the school canteen but to a greater level. Conflict is unavoidable. It is forever in our lives and will continue to shape us as individuals until we pass away.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Mans Evil Nature in Lord of the Flies by Golding Essay Example for Free

Mans Evil Nature in Lord of the Flies by Golding Essay When young boys are abandoned on an uninhabited island without adults, even they are capable of murder. This is the scenario depicted in the British author, William Goldings novel, Lord of the Flies, written and published in 1954 during World War 2. Comparing the characters of Jack, Ralph, Piggy and Simon with Freuds theory of id, ego and superego, one can prove that man has an underlying evil nature. The characters are represented with Jack as id, Ralph as ego, and Piggy and Simon as superego. Freuds theory of id, ego and superego influences the spheres of ones being. The id represents violence, and the drive to kill. The id is the desire to hurt others, and to dominate. In contrast the ego persuades one to make actions that make ones actions acceptable by others around them. It also controls the need for acceptance and the need to be in control. Though different, the superego lies within ones spirituality and need for order. It values rules, and commandments. Jack as id, represents the carnal drives in man. He illustrates this through painting his face. By painting his face, Jack suppresses his ego and superego, causing Jack to be capable of acts of violence without having any repercussions. Jack portrays this violence in different ways. First, Jack enjoys hunting because he gets to kill pigs. Often, in Lord of the Flies, Jack is consumed by killing pigs, and desires nothing more. The drive to kill rules his thoughts. In Jacks statement Were strong-we hunt! If theres a beast well hunt it down. Well close in and beat and beat and beat-(83), he demonstrates his carnal desire to hint and kill. Next, Jack also strove to control others. He would even resort to torture, What d you mean by it, eh? said the chief (Jack) forcefully What d you mean coming with spears? What d you mean by not joining my tribe? The prodding became rhythmic. Sam yelled.'(166). The desire to kill is what proves that Jack has an evil nature, and the fact that he came from a civilized society shows that anyone can become like him. Ralph displayed himself as being ego through his need for acceptance and his leadership. Ralphs need for acceptance is so strong that he would even go as far as to insult an other so all the boys would like him, and see him as  fitting in. An example of this is when Ralph said Hes not Fatty, cried Ralph his real names Piggy!(20) when he had promised Piggy earlier that he would tell no one else his name is Piggy. Ralphs desire to be one among the crowd made him stoop so low as to insult and hurt another, just so he could look better. When Ralph begins to fall away from the group, he begins to lose all his leadership. Often times Ralph would forget all the important things he would need to remember to become chief, and start to digress to savagery, just so he could be with the group. With Ralphs need for acceptance and loss in leadership power, it is apparent that even he was naturally evil. Piggy and Simon were the representations of superego. Piggys need for rules and Simons mysticism both suggested that superego was the largest influencing force in their lives. Piggy would often try to set up rules, and other tools of civilization to create order. Without that order, Piggy knew that there would be no hope in there situation. He proved this need for rules with his need to take names, Piggy moved among the crowd, asking names and frowning to remember them.'(17). Different from Piggy, Simon had a strange quality of mysticism about him. He had an understanding about the nature of the beast that no one else had. He illustrated this understanding when he had this vision, Fancy thinking the Beast was something that you could hunt and kill! said the head. For a moment or two the forest and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter. You knew, didnt you? Im part of you? Close, close, close! Im the reason why its no go? Why things are what they are?(130). With Piggys need for rules and Simons understanding of the nature of the Beast it is apparent that they both had the capabilities of the same savagery as the other boys. Through Freuds theory of id, ego, and superego, it is apparent that man does have an underlying evil nature in the novel Lord of the Flies. Jack, Ralph, Piggy, and Simon each display these aspects of mans evil nature, and also prove that if it can happen to  them that it can happen to anyone. Young children are typically thought of as more pure and innocent that those more experienced in the world. If they are  capable of such acts, it is sad to think what the rest of the world is capable of.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The automobile industry value chain analysis

The automobile industry value chain analysis Section 2: Following on from your analysis in Question 1, discuss the competitive postion of General Motors Europe (GME) at the time of the case. Threat of Entry The automobile industry is facing the mature stage, although the high barriers to entry considering the huge amount of capital required for companies to manufacture and design their cars and the very low switching costs consumers face when changing cars;however it doesnt mean there are no new entrants to Europe for instance Asian automaker as Toyota Nissan and others to be actively present in the market. Threat of Rivalry There is a very high threat of rivalry within the industry, as automaker should always be updated with new technologies, innovation and come out with new models and design. Moreover for GME the exit barrier is relatively high due to investments made throughout the past decades. With the emergence of Asian carmakers in Europe there had been a diversification considering models and prices, in other words it is a diversity of rivals. Threat of Substitutes Substitutes within the industry are more or less depending on consumers and their preference of commuting and travelling, it incorporates cycles, buses, underground and also could be planes and just walking. Consumers arent offended by taking public transports within the most European countries, also traffic jam in some places are reason for not using a car, which decrease the switching cost., plus the high price of gas play a major role. Threat of Suppliers As automakers manufacture their cars so the threat is considerably low, as there are a big number of suppliers GME can choose from, which make suppliers give more discounts, also cars elements are more or less standardised. Most of the time car companies attach with one supplier and there is no forward integration as suppliers are small comparing the automaker and in contrary GME can integrate backwardly the supplier or in some cases they create an alliance to reduce the costs. Threat of Buyers Except big companies buying lots of cars, solobuyers represent an insignificant threat but at the same time its bargaining power is high as the customer has plenty of different brands, models and prices to choose from. The large number of consumers are facing as said before low switching costs and the loyalty brand isnt very high which means that GME has to attract and retain consumers by incentives for example due to price sensitivity, as consumers are looking for the best deals concerning quality/price. Value chain analysis: Primary Activities: The Primary activities for GME are the followings: Product Designing, Resources purchase, Production, Marketing and Distribution and finally Customer Service. Product Designing is becoming of the key features within the industry. As nowadays cars are almost standardised, so with the right tools GME cars have already an image of strength and power. GME is at the same trying to offer cars that are not only powerful but also less fuel consuming. Resource purchase: the purchase of the right material is very important, as seen in Porters Five Forces, suppliers have very low power on GME in other words the organisation can almost select its preferable price over the supplier. Production: GME was the largest manufacture of cars in Europe; the production reached its peak in the early 1990s. However, its methods have showed an inadequacy, as they have been producing more than the demand. GMEs Marketing Distribution efforts havent done an efficient job of pleasing the public. This could be by displaying cars in showrooms, announcement etc. in order to get automobiles GME uses trucks and trains to deliver them to dealers. Customer Service Support: generally supporting the customers after a sale. GME has an 800 number so if customer needs help or have an enquiry they can call for free. Support Activities sustain the daily operations of GME but are not directly implicated in the manufacturing process of GME vehicles. These activities include Human Resources, communications and Consumer crediting. Section 3: Assess the performance improving options taken or proposed by GME at the time of the case. General Motors Electric knew that it could only improve from within (internally) as Macro economic factors like exchange rate, inflation rate etc are beyond their reach. All successful businesses have mainly two aims; cut costs increase sales In GMs case increased sales was not an accessible option, so therefore the company had to focus on performance improving options, here below is what GM proposed at the time of the case. GM reduced its workforce by 20% in an attempt to boost productivity and reduce costs by $600 million Use competitive pricing and offer additional services GME formed a strategic alliance with Fiat SPA in 2001 a restructuring plan called Project Olympia was produced to again reduce costs and decrease production capacity by 15% Closing down Luton plant to again reduce costs Moving production to cheaper areas in this case a German plant was closed down and manufacturing transferred to Poland Integration of operations Abandon cost incurring practices like using different parts and wiring for different cars Strategically GME have achieved both some success and failure in its operations to improve the situation in Europe, for example the reduction of employees and closures of unproductive plants are fully justified as the business cant continue to record huge losses year on year, in fact these decisions should have been made faster reflecting GM poor management structure unable to make quick decisions in a ever changing market. GM was also correct to cut out the practice off using different parts and wiring for different cars as this reduces overheads as any loss making business must cut costs at every opportunity. However there are also strategic failures GM implemented for example a strategic alliance with an Asian manufacturer would have been more beneficial then with Fiat as this alliance could have given GM access to superior management and technology resources, in return GM could have offered some concessions to the US market. Another example of poor strategic decision making is th e use of competitive pricing which a loss making business should never implement as good marketing could over time allow for premium prices. GM should have offered extended warranties as this actually costs the company very little in real terms, in the USA GM offer warranties for 100,000 miles over 5 years perhaps this could be implemented in its European business model. General thoughts on how GM can improve their European performance Change management team in Europe Form strategic alliance with Japanese manufacturer with superior manufacturing techniques Focus on the lucrative segment of the European market Reduce investment in the EU, until the economic situation improves (short-term vs. long-term ) Change EU business model e.g. produce smaller cars which are now popular Offer additional features to their cars Used money saved and invest more in RD Launch long term strategy to recapture market share Conclusion General Motors is the largest automaker in the world and has been an industry leader for 77 years yet it finds its European operations in all kinds of trouble. Huge financial losses, a dissatisfied customer base, competitors with superior management and production techniques to name a few. All of these problems are due to GM having a poor corporate strategy plan, GM become reactive rather then proactive and in strategy you can never rest on your laurels, the company missed clear trends within the market such as a demand for smaller cars, cars with less CO2 emissions, cars with additional features etc. This case is a good example of strategy as it shouldnt be done; strategy requires successful firms to seek feedback from their customers, for firms to have clear and set goals at all time and how to get there, strategy requires firms to ever excel and always be ambitious to seek new and rewarding risks. The main findings of the report suggest that GM didnt have the right business model or structure to cope with sudden change this is slightly understandable due to GM size and decision making tends to be slower amongst large companies due to the amount of management layers, but one would expect a company with manufacturing facilities in 35 countries and sales in 200 countries to at least get the basic rights. GM was guilty of not paying enough attention to the Macro environment were political changes were gearing towards reducing CO2 emissions, GM also underestimated the threat from Asian car companies and as a result quickly lost market share and sales.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Biography Of Charles Dickens :: essays research papers

Biography of Charles Dickens There is something about Charles Dickens' imaginative power that defies explanation in purely biographical terms. Nevertheless, his biography shows the source of that power and is the best place to begin to define it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second child of John and Elizabeth Dickens, Charles was born on February 7, 1812, near Portsmouth on England's south coast. At that time John Dickens was stationed in Portsmouth as a clerk in the Navy Pay Office. The family was of lower-middle-class origins, John having come from servants and Elizabeth from minor bureaucrats. Dickens' father was vivacious and generous but had an unfortunate tendency to live beyond his means. his mother was affectionate and rather inept in practical matters. Dickens later used his father as the basis for Mr. Micawber and portrayed is mother as Mrs. Nickleby in A Tale of Two Cities. After a transfer to London in 1814, the family moved to Chatham, near Rochester, three years later. Dickens was about five at the time, and for the next five years his life was pleasant. Taught to read by his mother, he devoured his fathers' small collection of classics, which included Shakespeare, Cervantes, Defoe, Smollet, Fielding, and Goldsmith. These left a permanent mark on his imagination; their effect on his art was quite important. dickens also went to some performances of Shakespeare and formed a lifelong attachment to the theater. He attended school during this period and showed himself to be a rather solitary, observant, good-natured child with some talent for comic routines, which his father encouraged. In retrospect Dickens looked upon these years as a kind of golden age. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, is in part an attempt to recreate their idyllic nature: it rejoices in innocence and the youthful spirit, and its happiest scenes take place in that precise geographical area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the light of the family's move back to London, where financial difficulties overtook the Dickens's, the time in Chatham must have seemed glorious indeed. The family moved into the shabby suburb of Camden Town, and Dickens was taken out of school and set to menial jobs about the household. In time, to help augment the family income, Dickens was given a job in a blacking factory among rough companions. At the time his father was imprisoned for debt, but was released three months later by a small legacy. Dickens related to his friend, John Forster, long afterward, that he felt a deep sense of abandonment at this time; the major themes of his novels can be traced to this period. His sympathy for the victimized, his fascination with prisons and money, the desire

Essay --

[Name] [Professor] [Subject] [Date] Mexican American War What started the Mexican American war in 1846 was the obsession of the Americans, rather the one President Polk to expand American up to north through a vision of â€Å"Manifest Destiny†. Sure, this manifest destiny was the vision of Americans but it was blood and loss for Mexicans. In the plan that we now remember as Manifest Destiny President Polk asked the Mexican chief to sell New Mexico and California for $ 30 million to the US. But this was blatantly refused and the boarders that were previously drawn between the then two separate nations came out to be the point of conflict. The US claimed that the official boarder for the US was Rio Grande River, while on the contrary the Mexicans claimed that the boarder was Nueces River. In the instance, President Polk sent army to protect their claimed boarder, and when they reached there, they had a little battle with the Mexicans and some of the US army men lost their lives. This was the opportunity that the president was waiting for and he got approval for the war on Mexico as he vehemently declared that the Mexicans have shed â€Å"American blood upon American soil† (cited in Anthony). This was the beginning of what started a two year war on Mexico, that to many was not justified, not ethical, and is perceived as a mere confiscation of someone else’s land. But to some it is still regarded as the fulfillment of the dream, of the Manifest Destiny, of the vision to expand the America. I wonder why statue of liberty still survives! O'Sullivan writes that the â€Å"American people having derived their origin from many other nations, and the Declaration of National Independence being entirely based on the great principle of human equality, these f... ...nwar.htm, Accessed 11/05/03 O'Sullivan, John L. (1839) Manifest Destiny, Available at http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/osulliva.htm, Accessed 11/05/03 Heys, John (1995) Enough Blame to Go Around: Causes of the Mexican-American War, Available at http://www.azteca.net/aztec/war/Mexican-American-War.html, Accessed 11/05/03 Combs, Jerald A. (1986) The History of American Foreign Policy. New York: Knopf Publishing. Lavender, David. (1968) The Mexican War: Climax of Manifest Destiny. Palo Alto: American West. The Story of America. Ed. Elizabeth L. Newhouse. Washington, District of Columbia: The National Geographic Society, 1984. Messages and Papers of the Presidents. Ed. J.D. Richardson. Library material. The Diary of James K. Polk. Ed. M.M. Quaife. Library material The Columbia History of the World. Ed. John A. Garraty and Peter Gay. New York: Harper and Row, 1981.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Tribunals of Inquiry in Northern Ireland :: essays research papers

Introduction Many countries have faced situations in which their citizens demand accountability for injustices or atrocities committed by their own domestic governments, which are in violation of their human rights. The manner in which varying nations have provided for and acknowledged these facts, on their various public platforms, have been both controversial and diverse. These problems tend not to fade into obscurity if left unaddressed. History has dictated that struggle for truth has been adopted by subsequent generations, who demand responsibility from their own government in power as, in many cases, the events will have occurred at the hands of a preceding government. The passing of time has illustrated that the quest for truth does not dissipate but can cause emotions to escalate and heighten the resolve of the aggrieved parties. Commentators suggest that establishing truth about the past is a precondition for preventing the recurrence of abuses in the future. This paper submits, in extension to this theory, that it is an essential ingredient in the desired passage towards restoration in public confidence and synonymous to the concept of justice in this modern legal world. The focus of this question is specifically the model of Tribunal of Inquiry which is governed by Section 1 of the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921 , which is the legislation used to handle inquiries involving an official element, and truth commissions, the alternative model that has been internationally adopted, largely as a result of military agitation or liberation coups. This paper will also touch upon inquiries hosted in other countries. Public inquiries themselves are rare and, this paper suggests, much resisted events, indeed Northern Ireland has borne witness to just three such inquiries under the aforementioned Act. These were the Scarman Inquiry in 1969, followed by the Widgery Inquiry in 1972, , the unsatisfactory outcome of which gave rise to the Saville Inquiry in 1998. Countries such as South Africa, Sierra Leone and Argentina, among others, have had their human rights redress distinctively characterized by the construction of truth commissions . Whether this type mechanism would be more conducive to the pursuit of truth, in matters of vast public concern within the context of Northern Ireland, is a matter for this paper to explore. The Character and Necessity of Inquiries Walsh states that an inquiry of this nature can be established under the Act where it is resolved by both Houses of Parliament

Saturday, August 17, 2019

A Survey of Behavioral Finance Summary

A Survey of Behavioral Finance Nicholas Barberis and Richard Thaler In this handbook, Barberis and Thaler define the differences between traditional finance and behavioral finance. Traditional finance is rational. Rationality means two things; correct Bayesian Updating and choises consistent with expected utility. On the other hand behavioral finance assumes that market is not fully rational and analyzes the facts when the some of the princibles are loosen up. This essay also discusses about two main topics; limits to arbitrage and psychology.These two topics are known as the two buildings blocks of the behaviour finance. In the normal markets security prices equal to fundamental value. In this sitiuation. expected cash flows can be easily calculate with the markets’ discount rates. This hypothesis called Efficient Market Hypothesis. According to this hypothesis; as soon as there will be a deviation from fundemantal value and mispricings will be corrected by rational traders. An arbitrage is an investment strategy that offers riskless profits at no cost.The rational traders le became known as arbitrageurs because of the belief that a mispriced asset immediately creates an opportunity for riskless profits. Behavioral finance argues that this is not true. According to behavioral finance â€Å"prices are right† and â€Å"there is no free lunch† statments are not equal. If the market value of a stock is not equal to fundemantal value of the stock, arbitrageurs can not enter the position easily. Because there are some risks and costs. First of all there is a fundemantal risk.If the negative shock occurs to the stock , there is not a prefect substitude to hedge theirselves. Second risk is about noisy traders. Noisy trader can be caused to decrease according to their pessimistic behavior. Noisy traders forces the arbitrageurs to liquidate their position early. This is called seperation of brains and capital. Trading in the same direction of noisy traders and arbitrageurs can also caused problems. Execution or implementation costs are also limitting to arbitragesuch as commisions, bid/ask spread; Price impact, short sell costs and identification cost.So far, we see how the difficult for the rational traders such as hedge funds to exploit market market inefficiencies. In Evidence part of the hand book they discuss if there is some evidence that arbitrage is limited. If arbitrage were not limited, the mispricing would quickly disappear. It is not easy to identify mispricings. when a mispriced security has a perfect substitute, arbitrage can still be limited if arbitrageurs are risk averse and have short horizons and the noise trader risk is systematic, or the arbitrage requires specialized skills, or there are costs to learning about such opportunities.Index ? nclusions are shown as a good example of evidence supporting limits to arbitrage in the handbook. It almost says that stock prices jups premanantly and gives examples fro m S&P. The theory of limited arbitrage shows that if irrational traders cause deviations from fundamental value, rational traders will often be powerless to do anything about it. In this part Barberis and Thaler summarize the psychology and summarize what psychologists have learned about how people appear to form beliefs in practice.Overconfidence, optimism and wishful thinking , representativeness, conservatism, belief perseverance, anchoring, availability biases are some of beliefs that explain in the book. The important thing of all these biases that according to observations when the bias is explained, people often understand it, but then immediately proceed to violate it again. On the other hand, people, through repetition, will learn their way out of biases; that experts in a field, such as traders in an investment bank, will make fewer errors; and that with more powerful incentives, the effects will isappear. Prospect Theory is explained in the book with some examples and for mulas. This section of the book gives answers to how prospect theory could explain why people made different choices in situations with identical final wealth levels. Ambigutiy aversion is defines risk as a gamble with known distribution and uncertainty as a gamble with unknown distribution, and suggests that people dislike uncertainty more than risk. The experiments about ambigutiy aversions shows that people do not like sitiuations where they are uncertain .Aversion changes based on preceived competence at assessing relevant distribution. US stock market is a good research area for the facts about its behaviour. The most three important behaviours are equity premium , high volality and predictable returns. Risk preium seems to high and possible explanations are under prospect theory. Rational approches must focus on changing risk aversion to explain volatility. Volatiliy explanations under beliefs are overreaction to dividend growth, overreaction to returns, confusion between real and nominal rates. All three of these facts are known as eqity puzzles.Both the rational and behavioral approaches to finance have made progress in understanding the three puzzles singled out at the start of this section. The advances on the rational side are well described in other articles in this handbook. Here, we discuss the behavioral approaches, starting with the equity premium puzzle and then turning to the volatility puzzle. Equity premium puzzle is that even though stocks appear to be an attractive asset investors appear very unwilling to hold them. In particular, they appear to demand a substantial risk premium in order to hold the market supply.Benartzi and Thaler are one of the earliest papers link prospect theory to the equity Premium. Their study is about how an insvestor allocate his portfolio between T-Bills and the stock market with the prospect theory acknowledge. Prospect theory argues that when choosing between gambles, people compute the gains and losses for e ach one and select the one with the highest prospective utility. In a financial context, this suggests that people may choose a portfolio allocation by computing, for each allocation, the potential gains and losses in the value of their.One possible story is that investors believe that the mean dividend growth rate is more variable than it actually is. When they see a surge in dividends, they are too quick to believe that the mean dividend growth rate has increased. Their exuberance pushes prices up relative to dividends, adding to the volatility of returns. holdings, and then taking the allocation with the highest prospective utility. this is a example of representativness. In the handbook they explains the cross-section of average returns.They document that one group of stocks earns higher average returns than another. These facts have come to be known as â€Å"anomalies† because they cannot be explained by the simplest and most intuitive model of risk and return in the fin ancial economist’s toolkit, the Capital Asset Pricing Model, or CAPM. This is explainin by the size Premium, long term reversals, the predictive of scaled ratios, momentum , event studies of earnings announcements,event studies of divident initiations and ommissions, event studies of stock repuchases, event studies of primary and secondary offerings.Barberis and Thaler clasify the behavioral models on whether their mechanism centers on beliefs or on prefences. the result of systematic errors that investors make when they use public information to form expectations of future cash flows. Conservatism and representativeness cause this. Behavioral finance has also discuss about how certain groups of investors behave, and what kinds of portfolios they choose to hold and how they trade over time. It is simply to explain the actions of certain investors, and these actions also affect prices.Some of the actions of nvestors and the behavioral ideas are insufficient diversifation, naiv e diversifation,excessive trading, the selling and buying decision. In the corporate finance part of the hand book; gives opinions to rational managers in a mispricing market and gives examples for â€Å"market timing†. On the conclusion of the hand book they mentioned that behavioral finance will be develop on coming years. This handbook publish on 2002 and it is valid nowadays. After I read this book I mentioned how important to analyszing the market as an investor by the view of the behavioural finance. PINAR TUNA 108621034

Friday, August 16, 2019

Encs 282 Assignment Sheet: Rhetorical Analysis

ENCS 282 Assignment Sheet: Rhetorical Analysis The purpose of this assignment is to pick a particular rhetorical message (that is, a message that attempts to persuade you to do or to believe something) and analyze the content of that message to determine the purpose, intended audience, argument, persuasive strategies, and modes of appeal that the message employs. In order to do this, I will assign you an image/video (I call it an artifact) from science/engineering – students in Jordan’s tutorials will have to analyse this image: ttp://www. geek. com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/intel_ad_campaign_rock_stars. jpg Students in Nancy’s tutorials will analyse this commercial: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=wGSHKNacB6Q Both images/videos are attempting to persuade a particular audience. Your goal will be to understand the basic structure of an attempt at persuasion in order to see how persuasion works. Your assignment will be due on the 26th of March 2013. Please adher e to the following guidelines: ) Examine/watch your artifact carefully, and identify the main claim being made. 2) Begin your paper with an introductory paragraph which overviews the main strategies of persuasion that the artifact employs. 3) Next, you will be required to write a Toulmin’s model of warranted assent diagram to explain the attempts to persuade the reader. This includes a demonstration of the major claims made in the artifact and the warrant for those claims, as well as the implied justification of the artifact’s claims.This section should be at least two paragraphs and at most four paragraphs long. 4) Next identify the intended audience for the image/video and analyze whether or not the ways in which the argument that the media makes is uniquely fit for that particular audience. This section should be at least two paragraphs long. You should write about the article’s language, tone, and style, and how these features help define the audience. 5) Th en, you will critique each of the artifact’s justifications.This section should also be at least two paragraphs long. Why shouldn’t we agree with this claim? Is the justification offered a good one? What can the essay do better to be more persuasive? 6) Finally, craft a conclusion that reviews both your explanations of the justifications of the media’s position and your critique of those justifications. 7) Each rhetorical analysis paper should be between 3 and 5 pages long. The papers should be double-spaced and use Times New Roman font and 1† margins.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Relationships in the 1600

Relationships in the 1600 BY Disher84 Ryan Disher 5th hour Due October 18th, 2013 16th Century era of Male and Female Relationship My essay is over Male and Female relationships during the 16th century. In my essay I will be able to tell you what their relationship is based on, How the relationship works, and I will compare some characters from the story Hamlet in my essay also. This essay is full of facts so sit back and enjoy the ride! During the 1600s women were treated as inferior compared to the men who were superior. Women were expected to clean, cook, and tend to the children.Also During his era men argued that women were not capable of higher thinking because a woman's skull is smaller than a man's skull. Another statement that was said, women have wider hips which means there naturally supposed to be mothers. Overall woman were treated poorly and were not treated fair in the relationship either. In the play Hamlet Claudius and Gertrude, Claudius wants to remain King and in o rder to do so he must please Gertrude and show love to Hamlet in front of Gertrude, but behind her back he plots to kill Hamlet.Another good topic is how their relationship works out. During the 1600s women n the upper class were often set up to marry very young. Women of the middle class usually waited till there mid twenties to get married so they had enough money for a household. Women that did not marry were forced to learn some sort of trade to carry on their lives. Child birth was one of the most important things of being a woman, Although men weren't expected to be there while in labor. The woman's family, friends, and mid wife were there for her though.Woman in the upper class who didn't want to breast fed often had other mothers do it for them called wetnurses. Some relationships worked out great and well others didn't go as lanned. In this time, the male was almost always the one who brought in money for the family. Although there were times where the female brought in the bigger chunk of cash. Compared to our current time, where we go to work and then go home; Back then they might of worked right out of there own home and didn't know the ditterence between work lite and tamily lite.It was always tamily lite and they never experienced anything different. In comparison to the story Hamlet, all of Hamlets family had royalty and were most definitely the upper class. People may ask did there relationships work in the 1600s? ell they did, and they didn't. It wasn't a guarantee that they would be together forever. William Shakespeare did not believe in woman having a say in anything. Then there's feminists which say that woman have every right to be treated equal and they can have there own say in what they want to do, who they want to be with, and what there kids do.As a Male(father) you could decide who you married, what your wife did, and what you wanted your children to do. In the 1600s families were bigger and closer than today, the reasons why is bec ause such high death rate of infants because lack of technology and medicine. Which meant that families came together on the farm to help everyone out. Also religion played a major role back than, very often back then the only book in the house was a bible and that's what children used to learn how to read. Another fact about Shakespeare's time is that, once a boy turns 8 he no longer has to listen to his mother.The ideal woman was believed to be a virgin and a faithful wife. Female honor and social respectability were tied in closely to sexuality that death was often presented if the woman was not a virgin. There are so many different relationship views and gender views, and it has all changed as time went n. Some similarities are that men are still usually considered the â€Å"Man of the House†, but there are woman that are very independent and who can do anything and everything them self. Children are expected to respect/obey their parents, Boys carry on the family name.Al though now a day, Females if they would like to keep there maiden name they can keep it; back than if you said that people would of looked at you and thought you were as crazy as Hamlet, for seeing a ghost. Relationships back than were often between man and woman, you were frowned upon if you were with the same sex. The â€Å"Royal† and the â€Å"Elite† were the only type of people that were able to have more than one relationship. If you were born of Royal nature or Elite you were among the few that could have side partner relationships.This reasoning is because those types of classes were the only people that had the time, the money, and the energy to fool around. Middle class people might have had affairs but not as often as the upper class did. Which this problem also leads to having kids with your side partner and also syphilis was considered a rich person disease back then, because they were the only one who, like I said had the time, the oney, and the energy to â€Å"Get Around†. Some might say that Shakespeare cheated on his wife, because he was gone and there were no records of him for a few years.Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than him. They had there first child on May 26th, 1583 whose name was Susanna. Then 21 months later Anne had gave birth to twins, named Hamnet, and Judith. After that they had no more children and remained married until 1616 when he died. He bought a fine house for his family in Stratford after his only sons death, Hamnet at the age of 11 died in 1596. Shakespeare was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford, where Anne later Joined him in 1623.He had lived apart from his wife and children, except every once in while ne would visit them tor at least a decade. Shakespeare was a very well professional writer of his time and has been remembered for centurys. I hope that you have learned a lot from my essay, and you found it very interesting. My only hope is that you were able to walk away from this paper knowing something new, that you hadn't before. My name is Ryan Disher and this is my essay over Male/Female relationships during the 1600s.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Rome’s Decline

Test Essay October 3, 2012 Question: â€Å"What were the main factors in Rome’s decline? Which do you judge as the most important? Why? † When we hear the word â€Å"Rome,† a very definite picture comes to mind. We see a strong military conquering a vast majority of the ancient Mediterranean world, Julius Caesar sitting on his throne, leading Rome to newer heights each day, and the highest, most innovative new technology being put to use as Rome grows stronger and stronger. Rome was a very successful civilization, as it lasted from 100 BC to 476 AD.For a 200 year span, called the Pax Romana, trade, entertainment, the economy, and overall satisfaction increased. This was a time of peace. Unfortunately, because of numerous misfortunes such as power struggles, inflation, military rebellions, and foreign invasions, even the mighty Roman civilization came to an end. Power struggle was a major conflict of Rome. After the Pax Romana, whose last king was Marcus Aurelius, emperors were continuously overthrown and killed.This was such an issue, that during one fifty year period, 26 emperors ruled and either resigned or were murdered. Out of those 26, only one died of a natural death. Because of the constant change of rulers, the kings lost the support of the citizens, since the emperors they were loyal to did not remain in power. The collapse in politics was the first step to the fall of Rome. The economic decline was the second step to the fall of Rome. Large taxes were put in place to support and fund the military due to corruptness.Because of this, a heavy burden was placed upon businessmen and farmers. With the majority of their income going to the large taxes, farmers were financially struggling. They could no longer afford their land, so they were forced to leave and work for large landowners. Money gradually started losing its value, and inflation occurred. The third step in the Roman decline was the military rebellions. Because of the constan t change in emperors, different groups in the military felt loyal to different rulers.This caused the military split and often rebel against each other. The military became so weakened and disorderly that emperors began to hire mercenaries. The final step in Rome’s decline was the foreign invasions from Germanic Tribes. Great Britain, Spain, and France were the first of the Roman territories to be surrendered. Rome itself was shortly after, and it was apparent that the largest and most powerful empire in the world at the time had come to an end. Rome was no more.

What is utilitarianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What is utilitarianism - Essay Example Although, Williams fails to provide an alternative moral hypothesis, the philosopher successfully investigated how utilitarianism and its backers root for untenable beliefs about what rational actions entail. On the other hand, Brandt emphasizes that when evaluating the repercussions of the value of an ethical belief, the society should go beyond mere appraisal of the gains of following set etiquettes and instead embrace selective fulfillment of the requirements. This can only be achieved by leveraging the benefits and negative consequences of such rules: for instance, one should appreciate remorse and other dangers linked to interiorizing fundamental prohibitions in the society. This paper analyzes the ethical arguments presented in â€Å"A Critique of Utilitarianism† by Williams and â€Å"Some Merits of One Form of Rule Utilitarianism,† by Bernard Brandt in their respective articles, in order to establish whose utilitarian philosophy is more effective in today’ s society. Overview of the philosophers’ perceptions Williams provides an exceptional theory, which defines positive action, based on whether it results in a favorable situation triggers a fundamental conflict between an individual’s ethical capacities and that supposedly right action. It is notable that in an effort to employ utilitarianism in balancing and sustaining practicality as an ethical theory, Williams points out the surreptitious incorporation of moral feelings that are not purely utilitarian. For meticulous observation, this confusion often triggers the realization of the weaknesses of a consequentialist approach to understanding satisfactory morality and leadership. By taking into consideration an individual’s ethical inclinations only when they are in tandem with utility implies that there could be a more profound failure to appreciate that such beliefs are often exhibited by the agent’s individual projects and obligations. Therefore, to realize an objective threshold of moral practices, utilitarianism eventually soils an individual’s honor by turning right action immaterial to those initiatives and obligations. Whereas Williams (606-622) perceives that the grounds for the effectiveness of consequentialist moral revolve around to immoral thoughts about moral impacts of the eventualities, Brandt suggests morality is based on moral actions. Brandt argument on utilitarianism contradicts Williams, especially on his suggestion that that the latter’s jump into the impacts of actions occasions the weakening of the individual’s moral standing (Brandt 590-592). In view of this, Williams’ perception of ‘commitment’ as dictated by the party confronted by an ethical dilemma should be based on the actions and not just the consequences. Additionally, in case there is need to maintain honor between individual behavior and minor order projects, it is important to recognize the fact that modern moral theories such as the ones based on consequentialist ideology, this cannot be embedded to individual actions. It is, however, important to recognize that both Williams and Brandt philosophies on ethical actions imply that a certain application is greatly shaped by the actions of an autonomous mor al cause. Significance of the ethical goals and actions Williams (607-615) acknowledges that individuals in the modern world are unaware of the connection between human objectives and behavior. Further, the theorist’s argument brings into focus some fundamental issues such as whether individuals take steps for the sole aim of accomplishing particular objectives. And if so, after realizing an intended objective, it is unclear whether the outcome may inspire the pursuing other successive goals in life, because in general, goals in life are

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Do we still need library Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Do we still need library - Essay Example Library users themselves have developed an appreciation for knowledge as well as information making more adept than their predecessors do. Institutions, particularly academic and medical, and communities have to determine the relevance of libraries given the new age technology that makes it possible to have open access. Such relevance can be determined by identifying what the expectations of the modern-day world are given that the internet platform has wider reach and content especially concerning next generation applications (Watstein and Mitchell 182). Academic libraries are described as the measure of the character and efficiency of universities that is depending on how they are ‘treated’. In a university, a library should have the most complete provision and be maintained properly as it is the most valuable equipment. Every piece of work produced at a university directly depends on a library as the research centre and indirectly a library is useful for educational wo rks. Even with scientific research, a library is needed for gathering of information just as much as the laboratory is needed for data collection. With humanistic research, a library is fundamental as it takes on the purpose of both library and laboratory. The learning process in higher education institutions is dependent on the library tools as the library is second in importance to the lecturers. The library tools refer to a variety of sources of information including journals, books and newspaper articles with scholarly information (Joshi 24). Gonzalez et al compare academic libraries to science laboratories, as they are equally open to experimentation. This means they can remain relevant if businesses and academic institutions embrace innovation concerning service delivery. For instance, the University of Maryland and the College of Information Services collaborated to create the Virtual Business Information Centre that is a website providing single process access to both print and electronic media, as well as guidance in choice of databases, specific and general search strategies, plus links to chat reference and emails. This collaboration is essential, as it is not possible for an academic institution to carry on alone the responsibility of developing along with insuring information literacy proficiency, with its faculty and students. A specialized website makes it possible to have enhanced services as well as save on costs as the need for staff and resources, along with costly parallel systems is eliminated. Albeit, it is crucial to note that innovation can only be relevant in so far as the needs of the users are responded to in a timely and effective manner. The needs of the users can be developed by creating a wider information base that in turn expands their knowledge and makes them want further services (Gonzalez et al 233). Libraries are seen as a tool for enriching knowledge already gained in the classroom by students, where having a structure set aside for this sole purpose becomes integral. At the same time, public libraries are seen as a meeting point for students to convene and share their learning experiences as well as offer each other assistance with regard to research and general gathering of information. More often than not, teachers and lecturers will give out-group assignments and students