Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The Diversity Of The Multicultural Company, And Australia...

This essay has discussed what the challenge of working are in the multicultural company, and Australia and China are the specific countries to be focused on. This essay concluded various factors that may affect workplace behaviour in a cross-cultural environment such as diversity, multiculturalism, ethnocentrism, stereotypes, cultural differences, barriers and cultural intelligence will be discussed. Furthermore, analyse the differences in national cultures and differences in political, social and economic systems in order to help managers succeed in a foreign country. Moreover, the essay has investigated how Australian managers concentrate on decision-making and intercultural communication as a result of operating business successfully. The essay recommended that managers from Australian need to be culturally sensitive and adapt to the host country in order to develop the business better and eliminate the gaps between different cultural people. Also, the Australian managers will be used some strategies as the benefit for managing in an overseas company. Globalisation is the process of exporting cultural identities to other nations from dominant cultures. The biggest challenge is to understand diverse behaviours of the managers try to be able to operate the business successfully in a foreign country. Diversity includes â€Å"all the characteristics and experience that define each of us as individuals† (Bovee Thill, 2008, p. 61). The purpose of this essay is toShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Diversity On Strategic Marketing1556 Words   |  7 PagesThe impact of diversity in strategic marketing in today’s society has increased in the American population. Before we get in depth with this let’s find out what is diversity marketing according to (diversity marketing) Customers in different cultures have different values, experiences, expectations, and ways of interacting. Even within a culture, such differences will be apparent between different subgroups not just ethnicity, but also age, gender, profession, religion, family size, physical environmentRead MoreTechnology Roadmapping1361 Words   |  6 PagesWith the development of globalization, people live in an increasingly culturally dissimilar world. The changing environment forces international companies to re-construct their strategies and tens of thousands of people leave their countries for better education, career, and life opportunities. In the context, not only international companies but also domestic firms have no other options except hiring people from diverse cultures. It has become a usual phenomenon that a growing number of people withRead MoreCompany Vision And Strategy Of Unilever1174 Words   |  5 Pagesallowed Unilever to flourish in a vast amount of cultures. Unilever’s Founding Unilever was originally a Dutch-British company that produced soap and commerce to many countries. Due to the fact that they sold their commodities in many regions, Unilever had to invest in a matrix of managers for financial and creativity to adapt to the locals’ palatableness and inclinations. This company vision and strategy led to the matrix organizational structure. (Maljers, 1992). Unilever’s Matrix Structure UnileverRead MoreSustainability Guidelines For Sustainability Practices2436 Words   |  10 Pagesimportant factor in our society, especially in organizations such as accommodation provider or tour company. According to Ullman (2009) Sustainability practice is very important, because all the actions that we make today will affect everything in the future, therefore we need to make flexible decisions at present in order to avoid some negative consequences. By adopting sustainability practices, companies are able to gain competitive edge, increase their market share, and boost shareholder value (FrandsenRead MoreShould Multiculturalism Be Beneficial For Australians?997 Words   |  4 PagesMulticulturalism hit Australia they are very strict with non-European people because they wanted to preserve their British ethno-cultural identity, they implemented a law called â€Å"White Australia Policy† which restricts immigration for non-Europeans and limits cultural and ethnic diversi ty of immigrants which lasted from 1901 to 1973. But after the policy ended, around the 70’s also refugees have started to arrive and this have started the Multiculturalism Policy and today Australia now is one of theRead Moreethics in IB Essay8293 Words   |  34 PagesDifficulty: Easy Skill: Concept Objective: 4-1 AACSB: Dynamics of the global economy; Multicultural and diversity understanding 2) An ethnocentric orientation positively impacts the ability of managers to manage business projects and new business practices abroad. Answer: FALSE Difficulty: Easy Skill: Concept Objective: 4-1 AACSB: Dynamics of the global economy; Multicultural and diversity understanding 3) Ethnocentric orientation refers to a host-country mind-set in which theRead MoreBusiness Expansion in Indonesia1643 Words   |  7 Pageseffective once they understand and use diversity within their strategic and tactical planning process (Parvis, 2003). In order to prepare a global workforce, particularly in the area of managing diversity, we must not only understand the details of commerce but have a more robust understanding of historical, social, cultural and regional trends. The new paradigm for global management includes creating and maintaining a diverse work environment in which cultural diversity is encourage and celebrated, ratherRead MoreInternational Performance Management And Training And Development1958 Words   |  8 Pageslooking at different factors such as the organisations diversity management, different elements of culture, international performance management and training and development by highlighting the key issues that the company is facing and giving recommendations. The scope of the report is in the airline industries. Airburst is an aircraft operating out of Australia with subsidiaries in three other countries Vietnam, China and Singapore. The company builds and sells aircraft globally to 50 countries. Ai rburstRead MoreSocial and Ethical Values of Teamwork and Diversity: the Benefits of Diverse Teams1263 Words   |  6 PagesSocial and Ethical Values of Teamwork and Diversity: The Benefits of Diverse Teams Organizational development between diverse teams gives the MNC the opportunity to enter new markets and develop new products, in ways that they would not have been able to if they did not have a diverse, multicultural perspective. The benefits to individuals and society are profound. There are ethical implications for being a good corporate sponsor: by this I mean that there is a potential for a win-win situationRead MoreBoeing Strategic Plan1096 Words   |  5 PagesSTATEMENT Boeings focus is on the practice of eight core company values Leadership, Integrity, Quality, Customer satisfaction, Employee corp., Diverse and involve team, Good Corporate citizenship and Enhance shareholder value STRATEGIC PLAN Boeing continuously scrutinizes its segments and divisions to ensure alignment with the company vision TEN STRATEGY OM DECISIONS GOODS AND SERVICE DESIGN: Boeing is the worlds largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

A Dolls House Character Analysis - 1555 Words

Title â€Å" As I am now, I am no wife for you†(Ibsen 887) This statement is from Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll House, is a play based in 1879, and it sets the tone of the remainder of the story. Ibsen seems to be making a statement that women need to mature and be independent before they have a family of their own. All of the women in this play leave their loved ones behind to gain their independence. Ibsen’s statement and character portrayal helps make Ibsen’s play take on feminist characteristics. Ibsen’s play shows that women must mature and be independent before they are ready to have a family. This is exemplified through Nora, minor characters such as Krogstad’s wife and the Nurse, and Christine. With this being one of the major themes†¦show more content†¦This quote helps Ibsen make statement that women need to be mature and independent before having a family of their own. Nora, ultimately, ends up packing her bags and leaving her loved ones behind to become her own independent woman. Nora states, â€Å" I can no longer content myself with what people say, or with what is found in books. I must think over things for myself and get to understand them†(885). Nora leaving her family to start this process of maturing and gain independence begins to take hold. At the end of the play Ibsen again emphasizes that Nora as she is now she is not the wife for Torvald or a mother to her children (Ibsen 887). She says, â€Å" Good-bye, Torvald. I won’t see the little ones. I know they are in better hands than mine. As I am now, I can be no use to them† (Ibsen 887). This, once again, a statement that women need to mature and be independent before they are ready for a family of their own. Nora is a prime example of this as she leaves her husband and children behind to begin this process. Even the minor female characters seem to show the same pattern. Although we do not learn much of their background stories, the female characters all seem to leave loved ones behind to better themselves. This can be represented by Krogstad’s wife and the nurse, Anne. Although there isn’t any background on the reasons Krogstad’s wife left, the pattern of women leaving loved ones behind to be or become independent seems to be a commonShow MoreRelatedA Dolls House Character Analysis1222 Words   |  5 Pageshighlights how Nora does not wish to share the news of the loan with Torvald as she believes it would ‘completely wreck their relationship’ and therefore, Ibsen utilises other characters to become her confidante, as it is in this way he shows the audience her inner thoughts. Just like Hardy’s use of Liddy, in A Doll’s House, this role is found in Christine Linde: an old friend. Christine is the first person Nora tells about the loan, and admits the loan has caused her ‘a frightful lot of worry’. ThisRead MoreA Dolls House Character Analysis872 Words   |  4 PagesA Dolls House Essay on Love By comparing Ibsens play A Dolls House and the movie Me Before You one can see that gender roles play a big factor in love. A romantic relationship that involves gender roles will bring out love’s most raw form; the emergence of one’s true feelings towards his/her significant other whether it is a negative or positive view. A Doll’s House and the movie Me Before You shows how gender roles impact the lives of Nora [from Doll’s House] and Will Traynor [from Me BeforeRead MoreAnalysis of the Character of Mrs. Linde in A Dolls House1084 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.† In Henrick Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, the character of Mrs. Linde contributes to the exposition and pivotal moment of the decideding factors of Krogstad, she also has a profound influence on the character development of Nora Helmer. Mrs. Lind e directly contributes to Nora’s moment of realization and Nora’s decision to leave her husband at the end of the play. WomanRead MoreShakespeare s A Doll s House Essay1352 Words   |  6 PagesThe Performance of Gender in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House It can be said that the sound of Nora Helmer slamming the door behind her as she leaves her husband and children in pursuit of self-actualization is one of the most famous in theatre history. The journey the characters in A Doll’s House take in order to build to this powerful moment is a fascinating one. Countless scholars have analyzed aspects of Ibsen’s famous play; some have examined the complicated marriage between Nora and Torvald Helmer,Read MoreHenrik Ibsens A Dolls House1489 Words   |  6 Pagesparticular response. The play â€Å"A Doll’s House† by Henrik Ibsen provides an excellent example for analysis, with each component strongly supported. Often the first, and most obvious, component that can be observed when reading drama is the point of view that it is written from. Point of view determines the perspective from which the story is told. In a play there is typically not a narrator, leaving the audience to witness the action and dialogue of all the characters and compose a personal interpretationRead MoreBibo1025 Words   |  5 PagesHenrik Ibsens A Dolls House. In Bloom, Harold, ed. Human Sexuality, Blooms Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2009. Blooms Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. In this article, Kristin Brunnemer explores writer Henrik Ibsen and the transformation of Nora, the main character in Ibsen’s â€Å"A Doll’s House† (Brunnemer 1). There is much debate over whether Ibsen intended to promote feminism through his main female character, Nora, in his playRead More Essay on Lies and Self-realization in A Dolls House1162 Words   |  5 PagesSelf-realization in A Dolls House    In Ibsens play,   A Dolls House,   the characters willingly exist in a situation of untruth or inadequate truth that conceals conflict.   Noras independent nature is in contradiction to the tyrannical authority of Torvald.   This conflict is concealed by the way they both hide their true selves from society, each other, and ultimately themselves.   Just like Nora and Torvald, every character in this play is trapped in a situation of untruth. A Dolls House, can beRead MoreA Dolls House -H.Ibsen ,Critical Analysis1554 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Subject : Drama B Writer : Henrik Johan Ibsen Genre : Realistic Modern Drama Name of the Work / Play : A Doll’s House ( 1897 ) in three acts Characters : Major Characters / Minor Characters Nora Helmer ( wife of Torvald Helmer ,mother of three children ) Torvald Helmer( husband of Nora Helmer , a lawyer ,father of three children ) Dr. Rank ( doctor ,friend of Nora Torvald Helmer, confidant ,commentator ) Mrs. Kristine Linde ( old friend of Nora Helmer ) Nils Krogstad ( barristerRead More A Dolls House: A Push To Freedom Essay examples1371 Words   |  6 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Sometime after the publication of quot;A Dolls Housequot;, Henrik Ibsen spoke at a meeting of the Norwegian Association for Womens Rights. He explained to the group, quot;I must decline the honor of being said to have worked for the Womens Rights movement. I am not even very sure what Womens Rights are. To me it has been a question of human rightsquot; ( ). quot;A Dolls Housequot; is often interpreted by readers, teachers, and critics alike as an attackRead MoreRealism Theatre Essay1085 Words   |  5 Pagessymbolism, character development, stage setting and storyline and is exemplified in plays such as Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House and Anton Chekhovs The Three Sisters. The arrival of realism was indeed good for theatre as it promoted greater audience involvement and raised awareness of contemporary social and moral issues. It also provided and continues to provide a medium through which playwrights can express their views about societal values, attitudes and morals. A Dolls House is the tragedy

Monday, December 9, 2019

Research Methods in Anthropology Change of Management of an Organizat

Questions: This section of the portfolio is where the proposal in part (a) is put into action and the research is carried out and results are collected, analysed and presented in the research study report. It will include: Data Collection Explain which research strategies were used and the research methods applied to your study. Discuss any ethical issues. Explain in detail how you collected all your data, and any problems you had with this data collection. Discuss both primary and secondary data. Research Results Analyse and present the findings of your data collection. You may wish to use graphs and tables for quantitative data if appropriate, or more likely, simply discuss your findings and what they mean. Conclusions How do the results answer your research questions set at the beginning of the semester? Discuss how your aims and objectives have been met, or not. If not, why not? What are your main conclusions and what can be learnt from the study? Answers: Research strategies and methods applied Research strategies have played a vital role in providing the organization with the development of friendly work environment or in surviving unfavorable conditions (Burnes 2011, p. 96). Strategies can be defined as a scheme of planned development of resources and the interactions with the environment that defines or determines how the organization wants to achieve its goals (Green, G., 2011, p. 4). The different types of research strategies, which are present in a research work, are surveys, experiments, case studies, interviews ("Editorial Board", 2004). Survey is the process through which the researcher collects extensive information for wide range of population in a cost effective way (Jones, 2014, p. 132). The process of survey can be implemented by online or offline methods. One more strategy of research is case study, which is an advantageous research strategy and it helps to gather secondary knowledge depending on certain incidents (Dawson, 2014, p.287). In regards to this task a survey, has been conducted, as it helps in gathering information from the population .The survey questionnaires are distributed among the employees via online or offline methods for getting extensive idea ("Editorial Board", 2004). Ethical issues There are certain ethics that should be taken under consideration while performing these sorts of tasks (Kvalnes, 2014, p. 469). The researcher under any circumstances should not implement the organizational data (in this case Opus Solutions data) for commercial purposes.( Cao 2011. p.126) The respondents should be allowed to enjoy willing participation of data and no one can exert external pressure on the respondents or the researcher. The information provided by the respondents should be not be disclosed and kept in full privacy. There is the necessity to keep up the level of confidentiality while securing the sensitive and individual details of the respondent (Chan et al. p. 93). However, none of the respondents can be forced to keep being the piece of the examination; rather they can retreat at any point they feel like. Every individual from the workforce should be offered fair chance of participation and not even one of review inquiries can be biased in nature (Welbourne, 2014, p. 22). Collection of data and related problems In this particular study, the researcher has selected the survey strategy to obtain proper picture of the research. Until and unless the entire research process is completed the researcher is not liable to disclose his primary data. In this study, the researcher has carried the quantitative data collection method. Graphs and charts along with the table in this method can elaborate received statistical data. The reason of carrying the quantitative data collection method over social networking sites is that it is difficult for the researcher to reach the respondents for conducting the survey (Freshwater, 2012, p. 142). Therefore, the researcher has distributed the question via online Data Analysis Quantitative data collection and analysis Q1. What is your gender? Options Response (%) Response (freq) Total Male 44% 22 50 Female 56% 28 50 Table 1: Gender Graph 1: Gender Analysis: In the basic question asked about the number of male and female workers it was found out that 44% of the respondents were male whereas 56% of the group was female. This shows that the majority of the respondents were female. Q2. How far do you agree that good leadership can bring change in the organization? Options Response (%) Response (freq) Total Strongly agree 52% 26 50 Moderately agree 16% 8 50 Neutral 12% 6 50 Disagree 8% 4 50 Strongly disagree 12% 6 50 Table 2: Good leadership can bring change in the organization Graph 2: Good leadership can bring change in the organization Analysis: When asked about how they agreed that good leadership can bring change in the organization, 52% of the respondents strongly agreed with the fact that good leadership indeed brought change in the organization. This fact was moderately agreed upon by 16% of the respondents, whereas 12% of the respondents preferred to remain silent in this matter. 8% of the workers seemed to completely disagree with the statement and it was strongly disagreed by 1% of the respondents. It seems that the responses varied from respondents to respondents, while some approved of the fact that good leadership can bring change in the organization. Q3. How far do you satisfied with the change in the higher leadership of the organization? Options Response (%) Response (freq) Total Highly satisfied 48% 24 50 Satisfied 22% 11 50 Neutral 10% 5 50 Dissatisfied 18% 9 50 Highly dissatisfied 2% 1 50 Table 3: Change in the higher leadership of the organization Graph 3: Change in the higher leadership of the organization Analysis: In regards to the question about the change in the higher leadership of the organization, 48% of the respondents were highly satisfied with the change.22% of the overall workers were satisfied with the change in the leadership. Among the total number of respondents 10% preferred to remain neutral, whereas, 18% claimed that they were dissatisfied with the change in the higher level of leadership, and the remaining 2% of the workers seemed to be highly dissatisfied with the change made by6 the organization in the matter of leadership. Q4. What are the challenges faced by the employees due to change in leadership? Options Response (%) Response (freq) Total Communication 46% 23 50 Emotional Attachment 24% 12 50 Dominance 10% 5 50 Compulsion 18% 9 50 Table 4: Challenges faced by the employees due to change in leadership Graph 4: Challenges faced by the employees due to change in leadership Analysis: In response to the question asked about the challenges faced by the respondents due to the change in leadership, it was found that, 46% of the total number of respondents was happy with the way in which they were able to communicate with their new leader. It was also observed that 24% of the people were happy with the emotional attachment of their leader with his workers. 18% of the respondents agreed with the compulsive nature of their leader. On the contrary, It is to be said that only 10% of the people seemed to agree with the dominating tendency of their leader. Q5. How far do you agree that leadership can affect the operations of the organization? Options Response (%) Response (freq) Total Strongly agree 24% 12 50 Moderately agree 36% 18 50 Neutral 12% 6 50 Disagree 16% 8 50 Strongly disagree 12% 6 50 Table 5: Leadership can affect the operations of the organization Graph 5: Leadership can affect the operations of the organization Analysis: In reply to the question, 24% of the total participants have mentioned that they strongly believe that effective leadership can influence the operations of the organization deeply. 36% of the people have agreed with the matter of the question. However, 16% of the people have disagreed with the question and they replied that leadership does not affect the organizational operations. Only 12% of the people strongly disagreed with the issue. However, 12% of the total people have remained neutral with this particular issue. The above analysis showed that majority of the populace agreed that effective leadership can influence the organization in a serious manner specially the operations of the organization. Q6. How far do you agree that the leader must clarify the doubts in the arouse in the employees mind? Options Response (%) Response (freq) Total Strongly agree 28% 14 50 Moderately agree 36% 18 50 Neutral 16% 8 50 Disagree 12% 6 50 Strongly disagree 8% 4 50 Table 6: Leader must clarify the doubts Graph 6: Leader must clarify the doubts Analysis: In reply to the above question, the researcher has found that nearly 28% of the total people have mentioned that they are strongly agreed with the matter that leader must clarify the doubt. 36% of the people have also agreed with the issue. 12% of the total people have mentioned that they are not agreed with the question. 8% of the total people have showed that they are also strongly disagreed with the matter. 16% of the participants have not mentioned anything as they chose to remain neutral on this particular topic. From the above analysis, it can be assumed that most of the people want that the leaders would clarify the doubts that arouse in the mind of the employees. If the leader will do so then the confidence of the employees will be boosted also. Q7. What kind of leadership you prefer in your organization? Options Response (%) Response (freq) Total Authoritative 28% 14 50 Democratic 52% 26 50 Laissez Faire 20% 10 50 Table 7: Kind of leadership Graph 7: Kind of leadership Analysis: When asked about what kind of leadership was preferred by them in the organization, 28% of the respondents said that they preferred an authoritative leadership. In response to the same question, the response came from 52% of the workers that they preferred to work under a leader who practices democratic leadership. Finally, 20% of the surveyed people said that they preferred to be Laissez faire, which means that they preferred to be left to take care of their own work, without interfering. Q8. What are the quality you expect within you leader? Options Response (%) Response (freq) Total Honesty 36% 18 50 Communication 32% 16 50 Positive attitude 16% 8 50 Inspiring 12% 6 50 Table 8: Quality within leader Graph 8: Quality within leader Analysis: The respondents were asked about what their expectations were regarding their leader. 36% of the employees said that they expected their leader to be honest. It was agreed upon by 32% of the people that, they expected their leader to be communicative with them. They expected their leader to approach them and talk to them directly. 16% of the respondents said that they wanted a positive attitude in their leader and the remaining 12% of the people said that they wanted their leader to inspire them in their work. Graph 8: Quality within leader Conclusions In order to conclude the researcher has linked the research work with the questions provided in the beginning of the research. All the required information have been collected about Opus Recruitment Solutions through a survey process, which was conducted by the researcher via online. Linking with objectives To identify the impact of leadership for implementing change management in a small scale business The leader takes active participation in helping the employees to achieve a set of objectives. The leader is required to possess effective leadership traits such as emotional stability, dominance, enthusiasm, intuition, compulsiveness, tough mindedness, conscientiousness and self-assurance (Yuko Oso Abdisamad Hassan, 2015). To evaluate the importance of leadership for adapting the employees of Opus solutions in relation to change management In this case the problem faced by the company was that the leaders of the company were unable to convince the employees (Billot Codling, 2013). Therefore, the employees were reluctant to adapt the changes and it created a negative impact on the operations of the organization in the competitive market. To identify the challenges faced by the leaders for implementing change management in Opus Recruitment Solutions Primary data was collected with specific information from the respondents through the survey. The researcher was able to identify the issues underlying the topic while gathering factual data from the respondent (Billot Codling, 2013). To propose suitable recommendations against the rising issues of Opus recruitment solutions in regards to change management. The researcher mainly identified the issues faced by the employees for adapting to change and to evaluate the various ways approached by the leaders to handle crises (Burnes, 2010). Identification of the issues allowed the researcher to probe for suitable recommendations for successful adaption of change management in Opus Recruitment Solutions Outcome from the study This is to ascertain that the researcher has understood the importance of leadership in the change of management of an organization (Burnes, 2010). He has understood the transformational leadership style and the important traits that are required in a leader. This assignment has helped the researcher to take the ethical manners that has to be taken under consideration (Yuko Oso Abdisamad Hassan, 2015). The researcher was also faced with some problems while making doing the survey. It is also understood that the company has adopted a transparent approach in its communications with its workers. Reference list and Bibliography Bernard, H. R. (2011). Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches 5th ed. Plymouth: Alta Mira Press. Burnes, B., (2014). Understanding Resistance to Change to Building on Coach and French, Journal of Change Management, 15(2), pp.92-116 Cao, N., (2011). Thoughts on the methodology of nanosafety research CSB, 56(2), pp.126-137 Chan, S., Zee, Y., Jayson. and Harris, (2011) 'Risky' research and participants' interests: the ethics of phase 2C, clinical trials, Clinical Ethics, 6(2), pp.91-96 Dawson, P., (2014). Reflections: On Time, Temporality and Change in Organizations, Journal of Change Management, 14(3), pp.285-308 Freshwater, D. (2012) Reading mixed methods research: contexts for criticism, Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(2), pp. 134-46. Green, G., (2011). Experimental validation of the RI design evaluation methodology. J. of Design Research, 9(1), pp. 1-9 Jones, S., (2014) Distributed leadership: A critical analysis Leadership, 10(2), pp.129-141 Kvalnes, O.,( 2014). Leadership and moral neutralization Leadership, 10(4), pp.456-470 Welbourne, T., (2014).Change Management Needs a Change. Employment Relations Today, 41(2), pp.17-23 Billot, J., Codling, A. (2013). Voicing the tensions of implementing research strategies: Implications for organizational leaders. Management In Education, 27(2), 75-80. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0892020613476729 Burnes, B. (2010). Call for Papers: Journal of Change Management. Journal Of Change Management, 10(2), 241-242. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14697011003798085 Editorial Board. (2004). Research Strategies, 20(1-2), ii. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0734-3310(05)00038-8 Yuko Oso, W., Abdisamad Hassan, D. (2015). Performance of Small Scale Business Projects in Borama, Somaliland. Saarbrucken: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Robert Penn Warren Essays - Guggenheim Fellows, Robert Penn Warren

Robert Penn Warren Robert Penn Warren, born in Guthrie, Kentucky in 1905, was one of the twentieth century's most eminent American writers. He was a distinguished novelist and poet, literary critic, essayist, short story writer, and coeditor of numerous textbooks. He also a founding editor of The Southern Review, a journal of literary criticism and political thought. The primary influences on Robert Warren's career as a poet were probably his Kentucky boyhood, and his relationships with his father and his maternal grandfather. As a boy, Warren spent many hours on his grandfather's farm, absorbing stories of the Civil War and the local tobacco wars between growers and wholesalers, the subject of his first novel, Night Riders. His grandfather, Thomas Gabriel Penn, had been a calvary officer in the Civil War and was well-read in both military history and poetry, which he sometimes recited for Robert. Robert's father was a banker who had once had aspirations to become a lawyer and a poet. Because of economic troubles, and his responsibility for a family of half-brothers and sisters when his father died, Robert Franklin Warren forsook his literary ambitions and devoted himself to more lucrative businesses. Robert Warren did not always have ambitions to become a writer, in fact, one of his earlier dreams was to become an adventurer on the high seas. This fantasy might have indeed come about, for his father intended to get him an appointment to Annapolis, had it not been for a childhood accident in which he lost sight in one of his eyes. Warren was an outstanding student but there were also many books at home, and he savored reading. His father at one time aspired to be a poet. His grandfather Penn, with whom he spent much time when he was young, was an exceptional storyteller and greatly influenced young Red. But both of these men whom he loved had in some sense failed to achieve. By contrast, Warren was determined to achieve, to be successful. During his college years at Vanderbilt, the sense of being physically maimed, as well as the fear sympathetic blindness in his remaining good eye became almost unbearable. At Vanderbilt University he met Allen Tate, John Crowe Ransom, Donald Davidson, and others interested in poetry. As part of The Fugitives, a private group that met off campus, he delved deeply into poetry, and his first poems were published in their short-lived quarterly. Warren had a remarkable capacity for friendship, and he was in touch with these men all of their lives. For years Tate was "first critic" of his poetry. After graduating from Vanderbilt in 1925, he took a Master's Degree from the University of California at Berkley. After visiting Yale University, he moved to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, where he wrote his first book: John Brown: The Making of a Martyr in 1929. "Red" Warren, as he was known to his friends, married Emma Brescia in 1930, a marriage which ended in divorce 20 years later. In the last several years of that period, Warren was penned with depression and a lack of new material. His period of dissolution did not end until his second marriage to Eleanor Clark in 1952. Warren received many honors including a Pulitzer Prize for the fiction All the King's Men, 1946: This novel illustrating a powerful Southern governor resembling the Louisiana politician Huey P. Long. . He also produced his complex World Enough and Time, based on the Kentucky hanging of Jeremiah Beauchamp for murder in 1826. The research he done for this book was done at the Library of Congress during the time he was Poetry Consultant there. In this research, he uncovered the sorbid tale of Lilburne Lewis, Thomas Jefferson's nephew, who chopped a young slave girl to pieces with a meat ax. Robert struggled to convert the account of the murder into a long dramatic poem, which was to emerge at last in 1953 as Brother to Dragons: A Tale in verse and Voices, one of the most distinctive long poems in American literature. Warren's marriage to Eleanor and the births of their two children, Rosanna and Gabriel, brought new life into his writing. After the Pulitzer Prize-winning Promises: Poems 1954-1956, dedicated to his children, Warren produced several

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Technical Report Writing Course Lessons Learned

Technical Report Writing Course Lessons Learned "Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer you have a moral obligation to do this." ~ Anne Lamott After leading technical report writing courseswith large and small companies for nearly 20 years, I have seen a common challenge present repeatedly. Telling the truth can be hard. Conveyingfindings or recommendations that we know aren't welcome can be daunting because no one wants to disappoint people, especially a boss. But, truth in business reports is absolutely essential. There is no way around it. We must be 100% truthful in business reports. If we aren't, the results can be disastrous. A Technical Report Writing Course Story from the Trenches Aplastic-producing company clienttold me they lost their largest customerwhen the polymers the companyproduced broke down ata particular temperature. This shouldn't have happened because extensive testing had been conducted on the polymers, which reportedly had withstood temperatures far in excess of the breakdown point encountered. When we deconstructed the information path backwards from the customer proposal that specified the polymerperformance to production reports to testing reports, we noticed some ambiguity in testing reports. The testing reports didn't overtly state the temperature breakdown point. Instead, it simply stated "acceptable heat tolerance." That vagueness shouldn't have been allowed into production. It did move to production, though,because various readers of the testing reports had different understandingabout the meaning of "acceptable heat tolerance." That was mistake # 1, and was more about accuracy (also critical) than truth.We discovered a bigger truth mistake as we continued to excavate the information path to its source. The person who wrote the testing report confided in me that he felt a lot of pressure to "...approve the testing because we needed to move into production fast to meet order demand. My boss would have been very unhappy with me if I had been the one to identify that this major product really had limited heat application. Our bonuses were tied to our innovation and production." Ugh. A "small" sweep-it-under-the-rug-move-it-along choice eventually cost the company its largest customer and opportunity. The fallout in publicity and liability was far worse than any delay and resolution would have been. The testing engineer rightly lost his job. Nothing good happened by not reporting truthfully. I could tell you story after story I've heard in training sessions and client meetings about the harm of sidestepping difficult issues in reports. Nothing. Let me repeat, nothing, matters more in reports than truth and accuracy. Decisions are made based on reports. If the information is not accurate and truthful, the decisions are based on faulty data or information. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(41482, '934718b3-251a-45d6-8853-a7f94e43b92c', {}); Don't be Afraid to ConveyBad Newsin Business Reports Never apologize for delivering "bad news" at work in any circumstance. If it's a good business decision, just state the truthful facts. Apologizing just undermines the good decision. Omitting information is more dangerous than truth. Remember, technical business reports and business reports are used for decision making. If the information in the report is not truthful, the report is dangerous to the company's profit and reputation. It can alsocause potentially dangerous implications when implemented. Another client contacted us afterfor technical report writing training whenmetal triggers they manufactured forlaw enforcement weapons failed to work. The cause was the same. A testing engineer was afraid of being blamed for a production delay and disappointing his boss. (He also reported "there was no place in the report template for the information," but that is a separate report writing issue to address in another article.) A police officer was injured when a weapon he needed defensively failed to work. Truth matters in report writing. "Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer you have a moral obligation to do this." ~ Anne Lamott

Saturday, November 23, 2019

What the Many Worlds Theory Means in Physics

What the Many Worlds Theory Means in Physics The many worlds interpretation (MWI) is a theory within quantum physics intended to explain the fact that the universe contains some non-deterministic events, but the theory itself intends to be fully deterministic. In this interpretation, every time a random event takes place, the universe splits between the various options available. Each separate version of the universe contains a different outcome of that event. Instead of one continuous timeline, the universe under the many worlds interpretation looks more like a series of branches splitting off of a tree limb. For example, quantum theory indicates the probability that an individual atom of a radioactive element will decay, but there is no way to tell precisely when (within those ranges of probabilities) that decay will take place. If you had a bunch of atoms of radioactive elements that have a 50% chance of decaying within an hour, then in an hour 50% of those atoms would be decayed. But the theory tells nothing precisely about when a given atom will decay. According to traditional quantum theory (the Copenhagen interpretation), until the measurement is made for a given atom there is no way to tell whether it will have decayed or not. In fact, according to quantum physics, you have to treat the atomas if it is in a superposition of states - both decayed and not decayed. This culminates in the famous Schroedingers cat thought experiment, which shows the logical contradictions in trying to apply the Schroedinger wavefunction literally. The many worlds interpretation takes this result and applies it literally, the form of the Everett Postulate: Everett PostulateAll isolated systems evolve according to the Schroedinger equation If quantum theory indicates that the atom is both decayed and not decayed, then the many worlds interpretation concludes that there must exist two universes: one in which the particle decayed and one in which it did not. The universe therefore branches off each and every time that a quantum event takes place, creating an infinite number of quantum universes. In fact, the Everett postulate implies that the entire universe (being a single isolated system) continuously exists in a superposition of multiple states. There is no point where the wavefunction ever collapses within the universe, because that would imply that some portion of the universe doesnt follow the Schroedinger wavefunction. History of the Many Worlds Interpretation The many worlds interpretation was created by Hugh Everett III in 1956 in his doctoral thesis, The Theory of the Universal Wave Function. It was later popularized by the efforts of physicist Bryce DeWitt. In recent years, some of the most popular work has been by David Deutsch, who has applied the concepts from the many worlds interpretation as part of his theoretical in support of quantum computers. Though not all physicists agree with the many worlds interpretation, there have been informal, unscientific polls which have supported the idea that it is one of the dominant interpretations believed by physicists, likely ranking just behind the Copenhagen interpretation and decoherence. (See the introduction of this Max Tegmark paper for one example. Michael Nielsen wrote a 2004 blog post (at a website which no longer exists) which indicates - guardedly - that the many worlds interpretation is not only accepted by many physicists, but that it was also the most strongly disliked quantum physics interpretation. Opponents dont just disagree with it, they actively object to it on principle.) It is a very controversial approach, and most physicists who work in quantum physics seem to believe that spending time questioning the (essentially untestable) interpretations of quantum physics is a waste of time. Other Names for the Many Worlds Interpretation The many worlds interpretation has several other names, though work in the 1960s 1970s by Bryce DeWitt has made the many worlds name more popular. Some other names for the theory are relative state formulation or the theory of the universal wavefunction. Non-physicists will sometimes use the broader terms of multiverse, megaverse, or parallel universes when speaking of the many worlds interpretation. These theories usually include classes of physical concepts that cover more than just the types of parallel universes predicted by the many worlds interpretation. Many Worlds Interpretation Myths In science fiction, such parallel universes have provided the foundation for a number of great storylines, but the fact is that none of these have a strong basis in scientific fact for one very good reason: The many worlds interpretation does not, in any way, allow for communication between the parallel universes that it proposes. The universes, once split, are entirely distinct from each other. Again, science fiction authors have been very creative in coming up with ways around this, but I know of no solid scientific work that has shown how parallel universes could communicate with each other. Edited by Anne Marie Helmenstine

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Cause and effect of divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cause and effect of divorce - Essay Example ons in life, which affect the longevity of marriage unions especially because different individuals have different capacities to withstand such challenges. This paper is a critical evaluation of the causes and effects of divorce. There are various reasons as to why a couple may decide to get a divorce. For example, it is true to say that once a person has decided to get married, he will have made an important choice to be loyal and faithful to the person he or she is going to marry. However, infidelity and adultery have continued to be a major threat to the institution of marriage especially in the contemporary society (Stewart 28). Cheating on a person is absurd and disrespectful and not many people can withstand the pain and agony associated with this shameful act. If proven, infidelity is a justifiable reason for any person to want to terminate a marriage especially in this era of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Domestic violence is an evil, which has continued to ruin marriages throughout the world. 2004 statistics indicate that 17% of divorce cases in the UK were because of one partner abusing the other either physically or emotionally (Lewis 44). Couples are supposed to love and protect each other. However, if a partner becomes a threat then divorce becomes a necessity to avoid complications, which may include disability or death. Every person has weaknesses and it is usually important for a couple to study each other in order to discover them before entering into a lifetime commitment. However, some couples get married without putting this into much thought or thinking that they would eventually help their partners to overcome their shortcomings only to end up being frustrated. Alcoholism and drug abuse are examples of such weaknesses, which have contributed to numerous cases of divorce around the world. Money is important but current trends have proved that it is a major source of conflicts between married couples (Stewart 47). The lack

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Critical Thinking - Essay Example Indeed, the probability of having a true conclusion is also very low and hence the uncogency. Argument 2 The premise of this argument is that Hamilton is in New York State if he is in the United States. Consequently, the conclusion of the argument is that Hamilton is not in New York State since he is not in U.S. This is a deductive, cogent argument. We can derive that the argument is deductive because the premises succeed in supporting and guaranteeing the truth of the conclusion (Bassham et al, 2011). Indeed, since the premises are true, the conclusion is also true. This generates a valid argument. The argument is also cogent since the premises are true and the conclusion has a high probability of being true. Ideally, since the argument is valid and the conclusion is true, then it is a sound argument. Argument 3 The premise of this argument is that Ontario must be in Canada if he is in North America. Consequently, the conclusion of the argument is that Ontario is in Canada since he is in North America. This is a deductive, cogent argument. In this case, the premises succeed in providing strong support for the conclusion thus guaranteeing its truthfulness. Indeed, since the premises are true, the conclusion is also true, and the argument is thus valid. ... Notably, this is an inductive, uncogent argument. Indeed, although some statements are true, the premise is false, and the conclusion is likely to be false. We can establish that the argument is inductive since it depicts a statistical argument, leads to a false conclusion, and its conclusion has an induction indicator word ‘probably.’ Furthermore, the argument is uncogent since it is weak and has at least one false premise. Argument 5 The premise of this argument is that feminism is nonsense because my bartender said so. Consequently, the conclusion of the argument is that feminism is indeed nonsense since my bartender never lies. Notably, this is an inductive, uncogent argument. Assuredly, the conclusion lacks logic and is indeed false since feminism carries a lot of sense. We can establish that the argument is inductive since it depicts a statistical argument and leads to a false conclusion. Indeed, the conclusion does not follow logically from the statements and the bartender has no capacity to discredit feminism. Furthermore, the argument is uncogent since it is weak and has at least one false premise. Indeed, the probability of having a true conclusion is also very low and hence the uncogency. Argument 6 The premise of this argument is that all poker players are card players and some card players are gamblers. Consequently, the conclusion is that all poker players are gamblers. Notably, this is an inductive, cogent argument. Assuredly, the conclusion lacks logic and is indeed false even though the premises are true. We can establish that the argument is inductive since it depicts a statistical argument and leads to a false conclusion. Furthermore, the argument is cogent since it is

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Critical Response to Lackoff and Johnson’s Metaphors Essay Example for Free

Critical Response to Lackoff and Johnson’s Metaphors Essay The metaphor is central to human thought. Clearly this is the principle thesis presented in Metaphors We Live By (1980). Indeed, the thesis is contained very clearly within the title of the text. Yet, perhaps the most striking point about the argument presented by these two linguists is expressed in the idea that language is a powerful weapon of force by which human beings live and through which they interact. â€Å"Argument is war† is one statement that expresses this idea quite clearly and is supported by the various examples of argumentative speech that use verbs associated either with physical conquest and overpowering, or with the direct opposite, destruction and overpowered weakness. One of the most compelling aspects of the argument in Metaphors (1980) is the notion that people subconsciously integrate poetic imagination and elaborate rhetoric into their speech, despite the often mundane everyday tasks about which their thoughts and actions revolve. The role of language, then, is deeply questioned. The underlying problem is how we, human beings, relate to the world and each other. The argument from Lackoff and Johnson may be that we conceptualize our lives and thus we relate to the world around us in a conceptual way. There is, however, a difficult in thus attempting to analyze our use of language using language. After all, definitions and functions of words, the very focus of linguistics, all play an integral role in the analytical process of the human mind. It’s something like the linguistic version of the chicken and the egg. Which came first, concepts or language? When we say that time is money and use expressions like, â€Å"you’re wasting my time†, could it be that the notion that time is money emerged as an actual practical consideration and subsequently developed into a conceptual notion? Just as the example of the â€Å"apple-juice-chair†, an apparently absurd phase in general, can have a viable meaning in a given context, it seems plausible that metaphorical concepts such as â€Å"time is money† and â€Å"argument is war†, leading to the extension of the metaphor in language such as â€Å"you’re wasting my time†, could simply have received their contextual relevance over time.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Positive Aspects Of Fraternities :: essays research papers

The Positive Aspects Of Fraternities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A college fraternity exists on the premise that a man is by nature a social being and needs the companionship with his fellow man. A fraternity provides a structure, and an environment in which close friendships can flourish, Bringing each of the fraternity members closer to themselves. It is by no means the only organization in which a student might mature and develop life long friends. Just one of the many in which minds are shaped and imaginations flourish within its setteings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The fraternity, not unlike any other human institution, encourages it members to make a commitment to something outside themselves, such as paticipating in charity events, events to benefit the homeless, raise money for the poor and commit themselves to learn about one another.As a student makes these commitments to a fraternity, the fraternity provides a structure within where these commitments can be acted out, in such things as rituals of pledging and initiation. A ritual is only one way of expressing a fraternities ideals and aspirations. A fraternities name, tradition, and history carries much symbolic importance to all who are apart of it. This is all important to the personoining because it eiil only help the to better themselves by growin into he fraternity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With all these commitments and traditions, or rituals, one could see that fraternity life has a lot behind it and the members take it very seriously. Though at times the fraternity becomes very social and yes alcohol may be consumed, is not , however, the focus of the fraternity. Fraternities offer numerous benefits and building blocks for developing an independent and successful life with many close friends. such as paticipating in charity events, events to benefit the homeless, raise money fo the poor and commit themselves to

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

One Country, Two Systems

One country, two systems â€Å"One country, two systems† is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping, then Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC), for the reunification of China during the early 1980s. He suggested that there would be only one China, but areas such as Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan could have their own capitalist economic and political systems, while the rest of China uses the â€Å"socialist† system. However, Deng rejected the proposed use of such a system for territories that are already under de facto PRC rule, such as Tibet.In the following research paper, the topic will be discussed in two different perspectives, both Hong Kong and Macau. Hong Kong Hong Kong's stability and continued development as an international city since reunification in July 1997 have depended upon the successful implementation of the principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems'. This framework ensures that Hong Kong retains its distinct identity and stren gths as an international business, financial, shipping and aviation centre.The ‘four pillars' of Hong Kong's success remain as relevant and important today as they did five, 10 or 15 years ago. These are: the common law system upheld by an independent judiciary; the free and unfettered flow of information; a level playing field for business; and, a clean, respected civil service. The Basic Law, Hong Kong's constitutional document, has provided the constitutional basis upon which the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has continued to protect its capitalist system, as well as the way of life, the rights and freedoms of its residents.These include: equality before the law, private ownership of property, freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, freedom of religious belief, freedom of academic research and freedom to join trade unions. The courts continue to administer justice independently, while Hong Kong's own police, immigration, customs and excise and anti-corruption of ficers have remained responsible for maintaining law and order in the SAR. Hong Kong continues to maintain its previous economic system. It has maintained its renowned, business-friendly, low-tax system and its own currency, which has been linked to the US Dollar at a rate of US$1 to HK$7. 0 since October 1983. Mainland leaders have scrupulously adhered to a ‘hands off' approach, allowing Hong Kong people to administer their own affairs (except defense and foreign affairs) with the promised high degree of autonomy. As always, Hong Kong people have been quick to speak up if they have perceived that their rights and freedoms, or the systems underpinning Hong Kong society, are in any way being compromised or undermined. Hong Kong people have taken very seriously their role in shaping the SAR and the society in which they live.This has resulted in greater demands from the public and the legislature for an open, accountable and more efficient government. Hong Kong has continued to play an important role in international affairs. It remains an active member, in its own right using the name ‘Hong Kong, China', of the World Trade Organization, the World Customs Organization, the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum and the Asian Development Bank and as an associate member of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) of the United Nations.Hong Kong's presidency of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Money Laundering in 2001-02 allowed the SAR to take a leading role in the international fight against terrorist financing in the wake of the September 11 terrorists attacks in the United States. At an Extraordinary Plenary Meeting, chaired by Hong Kong in Washington D. C. in late October 2001, the FATF's remit was expanded beyond money laundering to focus expertise on a world-wide effort to combat terrorist financing.A wide range of special recommendations adopted at the meeting will deny terrorists and their supporters ’ access to the international financial system. Representatives of the HKSAR Government have also continued to participate, as members of delegations of the People's Republic of China, in international organizations and conferences limited to states, such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Telecommunications Union.There are more than 130 binding bilateral agreements between the HKSAR and over 50 countries throughout the world. Areas covered in these agreements include air services, visa abolition, investment promotion and protection, surrender of fugitive offenders, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, transfer of sentenced persons, customs co-operation, and co-operation on information technology and avoidance of double taxation. Hong Kong has also entered into non-binding arrangements with other foreign states, regions and international organizations.The se arrangements are often in the form of a memorandum of understanding and cover a spectrum of topics from co-operation in information and communication technology, environmental protection to cultural exchanges. More than 200 multi-lateral treaties apply to the Hong Kong SAR (of which more than 80 do not apply to the Mainland). They cover many areas such as international crimes, private international law, customs, marine pollution, science and technology, civil aviation, merchant shipping, intellectual property, health, investment, trade and industry, postal services, labor issues, human rights, transport and telecommunications.Hong Kong is home to a large consular corps and several important international organizations. At the end of March 2002, there were 55 consulates general in Hong Kong, 46 honorary consuls and six semi-officials missions. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the European Union, and the Bank for International Settlements, the International Moneta ry Fund and the International Finance Corporation/World Bank all maintain a presence in Hong Kong. Five years after 1997, ‘One Country, Two Systems' is firmly in place and ‘Hong Kong people running Hong Kong' is part of everyday life.With the election of the Chief Executive by an electoral college, a fully-elected legislature and an aggressive, critical media, government operations and policies have been subjected to increasing public scrutiny and pressure. In his Policy Address in October 2001, the Chief Executive Mr. Tung Chee Hwa outlined the government's initial thinking on ways to improve the system of accountability for senior officials. Detailed plans to take effect from July 1, 2002 were subsequently unveiled by Mr. Tung on April 17, 2002.The new system is designed to more clearly define the roles, powers and responsibilities of top government officials. It would also build on the civil service's existing strengths such as permanency, professionalism, neutrality, efficiency and freedom from corruption. Under the present government structure, civil servants play a critical role in the governing team. Policies are formulated by Directors of Bureau (often referred to as Policy Secretaries) and endorsed by the Executive Council (ExCo).Legislation and public expenditure relating to such policy initiatives needs to be scrutinized and passed by LegCo before being implemented by various bureau and departments. During this process, Directors of Bureau have inevitably taken on a political role, which does not gel with the traditional role of the civil service. Civil servants are generally employed on permanent terms. The question is how to improve accountability while at the same time recognize the importance of an impartial, permanent civil service. The new system of accountability announced by Mr.Tung aims to solve this conundrum. Under the new system, the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Financial Secretary, the Secretary for Justice and Di rectors of Bureau will no longer be civil servants but will be appointed on contract terms. They will be accountable to the Chief Executive for the success or failure of matters falling within their portfolios. Significantly, they will all be appointed to the Executive Council to play a direct role in the process of deciding on government policies as well as collectively allocating the resources within the government as a whole.Because of this, government's work will become more streamlined and efficient. This will also provide a better co-ordination in the formulation and implementation of policies. These new Principal Officials will assist the Chief Executive in developing and shaping policies, overseeing the implementation of policies, monitoring the delivery of services by executive departments and explaining developments within their portfolios to gain public support. They will respond to LegCo questions, introduce bills and take part in LegCo motion debates.They will attend me etings of LegCo Panels, subcommittees and committees to participate in discussions on important policies. The new accountability system is consistent with the Basic Law under which Principal Officials are nominated by the Chief Executive for appointment by the Central People's Government. At the policy bureau level they will be supported by Permanent Secretaries, very experienced senior civil servants, in analyzing and defending policies, steering executive departments and managing human and financial resources.Below the policy bureau level, various departments will remain responsible for implementing policies and delivering public services. With a clearer definition of roles, these Principal Officials will operate at the political level while civil servants will be loyal to the government of the day and maintain political neutrality. The merits of the new system are that the Principal Officials' roles and responsibilities are better defined and that they will need to be more accoun table to enlist the support of the legislature and the public.The new system responds to increasing public calls for a higher degree of accountability for principal officials, while maintaining the structure, role and ethos of the civil service. The civil service system will remain intact and there will continue to be a permanent, stable, meritocratic, professional and politically neutral civil service. The new group of Principal Officials will proactively gauge public opinion and strengthen communication with the public to gain a better understanding of community needs and to devise policies fulfilling these needs.They will work more closely with the legislature, proactively seek the views of LegCo members and strengthen communication with the LegCo to ensure a better working relationship between the Executive and Legislature. The new Principal Officials will be able to focus more attention on public demands and needs, and will be able to operate free from the restrictions imposed on civil servants. Macau The development of Macao since its return to the motherland demonstrated the strong vitality of the â€Å"one country, two systems† concept, said Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) in a special press interview.The concept was proposed by then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in the early 1980s for the reunification of China. Under the mechanism, Macao retained its capitalist systems after returning to the motherland on Dec. 20, 1999. The per capita GDP of Macao residents in 2008 reached 39,000 U. S. dollars, almost three times the average before its return, according to World Bank figures. The central government adopted a series of measures to support Macao's development.In two meetings with Edmund Ho Hau-wah in December 2008, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao said the central government would fully support Macao in dealing with the challenges brought about by the global financial crisis. At the end of last year, the central government launched nine measures covering finance, infrastructure, and regional cooperation, funding Macao's small-and-medium-sized enterprises, ensuring Macao's food supply, to help Macao tide over the economic downturn and promote integration of the Pearl River Delta region, which includes Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao.Macao's water supply is at risk of salinization due to drought upriver. The central government and Macao's neighboring province shave adopted relief measures, including the construction of hydroelectric projects to ensure the long-term supply of drinking water to Macao. Government statistics show more than 33 million mainland tourists have visited Macao since 2004 and have generated an estimated revenue of more than 100 billion patacas (12. 66 billion U. S. dollars) — gambling revenue excluded.Under the support of the central government, Macao's land area has increased from 22 square kilometers before its return to about 30 square kilometers. In June, the ninth session of the Standing Committee of China's11th National People's Congress (NPC) passed a bill giving the Macao SAR jurisdiction over a new campus of the University of Macao on Hengqin Island, which was originally part of the southern mainland city of Zhuhai. In 2007, Macao implemented a 15-year free education system, which will run from kindergarten to senior high school. From my own experience, for the past 10 years, the central government has been strictly adhering to the principle of ‘one country, two systems' and the Basic Law of the Macao SAR. The central government has not interfered the inner affairs of the SAR,† said Edmund Ho Hau Wah. After its return to the motherland, Macao successfully held Ministerial Conferences of the Forum on Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries in2003 and 2006 and the East Asian Games in 2005.With the support of the central government, the historic center o f Macao, which is home to more than 20 unique sites demonstrating the assimilation and co-existence of Chinese and Western cultures, has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. â€Å"Since the founding of the Legislative Assembly of Macao Special Administrative Region, Macao has enjoyed complete legislative power and has enacted and amended more than 100 laws, which was quite unimaginable when it was ruled by the Portuguese,† said assembly president Lau Cheok Va.An election committee, responsible for electing the chief executive of Macao SAR, is composed of representatives from a wide range of sectors including industrialists, unionists, public service workers, religious figures and politicians. Dr. Leonel Alberto Alves, a legislator and â€Å"Macaense†(a Portuguese expression for Macao-born Portuguese or Macao-born person of Portuguese and Chinese or of Portuguese and another Asian ethnic group), said an estimated 20,000 â€Å"Macaense† lived in Macao and their rights were fully safeguarded and customs respected since Macao's return to the motherland.Overall, our view remains that the concept of ‘One Country, Two Systems' is an everyday reality in Hong Kong. The rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, which are so vital to Hong Kong's success, are being upheld. Essential rights and freedoms are being protected, and challenges to them fully and freely debated. — UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Mr.Jack Straw, Six-monthly Report on Hong Kong, July-December 2001, presented to the British Parliament, March 2002 Most Western analysts conclude today that the ‘One Country, Two Systems' has permitted Hong Kong to maintain its unique character. Long-term success depends on preserving the quality and integrity of Hong Kong's outstanding cadre of civil servants, the rule of law and an independent judiciary†¦ — US Speaker's Task Force on the Hong Kong Transition, Ninth Repo rt, January 30, 2002

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Estimation Of GFR Kidney Disease Health And Social Care Essay

AbstractionBackgroundPurpose of our survey was to happen out correlativity between estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate ( eGFR ) by Modification of Diet in Renal Disease ( MDRD ) expression and eGFR by Cockcroft-Gault ( CG ) equations, in patients with chronic kidney disease ( CKD ) , and to see whether they can be used interchangeably.MethodWe conducted a cross subdivision survey of 70 patients presented to the nephrology clinic over a period of one twelvemonth. We compared the eGFR by these two expressions in five phases of CKD. Abbreviated 4 variable MDRD expression was used.ConsequenceMDRD consequences were expressed in ml/min/1.73m2 and CG consequences in ml/min. Age scope was 15 – 79 old ages ; Male 49 % , Female 51 % . The correlativity ( R ) between eGFR by MDRD and eGFR by CG for CKD stages 1 to 5 was 0.64 ; 0.31 ; 0.32 ; 0.67 ; and 0.45 severally. The correlativity ( R ) between creatinine clearance by 24 hr urine aggregation to eGFR by MDRD expression was 0.84 ( P: 0.001 ) and to eGFR by CG expression was and 0.79 ( P: 0.001 ) .DecisionWe conclude that Cockcroft-Gault ( CG ) equation correlates best with MDRD expression at CKD phase 4 followed by phase one. Cockcroft-Gault expression underestimated eGFR in phases 1, 2 and 3. We speculate that standardization of Cockcroft-Gault equation to the organic structure surface country of.73m2 will farther better the correlativity but will diminish its utility on bed side. . There is a demand of a big graduated table population based survey to formalize our consequences.Index WORDSMDRD, Cockcroft-Gault, Chronic kidney diseaseIntroduction:Alteration of Diet in Renal Disease ( MDRD ) and Cockcroft-Gault ( CG ) equations are the most common methods of appraisal of Glomerular Filtration Rate ( GFR ) . Both formulas depend upon serum Creatinine to gauge GFR. Creatinine clearance measuring utilizing 24 hours urine aggregation is mostly abandoned in favour of the MDRD and CG expressions. It is chiefly because of the familial troubles in accurate aggregation of 24 hours urine. Cockcroft-Gault expression remained the most common method of bedside appraisal of GFR. It requires weight in add-on to age but still is really easy to utilize without a reckoner or computing machine. This advantage of CG expression is maintaining it alive in spite the of rapid popularity of MDRD expression. Numerous surveies are done to compare these two equations in assorted scenes. However the information from Asia particularly from Pakistan is bare [ 1 ] . Purpose of our survey was to happen out correlativity between the two equations in patients with chronic kidney disease ( CKD ) and to see whether they can be used interchangeably.MethodsWe conducted a cross subdivision survey of 70 patients presented to the nephrology clinic of a third attention infirmary in Karachi Pakistan over a period of 1 twelvemonth from January 2006 to December 2006. Aim of our survey was to happen out correlativity between estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate ( eGFR ) by Modification of Diet in Renal Disease ( MDRD ) and eGFR by Cockcroft-Gault ( CG ) equations in patients with chronic kidney disease ( CKD ) and to see whether they can be used interchangeably. Age scope was 15 – 79 old ages. Male were 49 % , female were 51 % . Patients with acute nephritic failure were excluded. All the patients in the survey were divided into five groups harmonizing to the kidney disease outcome quality enterprise ( KDOQI ) categorization of chronic kidney disease as follows: Group 1: GFR & gt ; 90 ; Group 2: GFR 90 – 60 ; Group 3: GFR 30 – 59 ; Group 4: GFR 15 – 29 and group 5: GFR & lt ; 15 ml/ min/1.73m2. Abbreviated four variable MDRD expression was used.to estimated GFR ( ml/min per 1.73 M2 ) utilizing the equation:186 x [ serum creatinine ( mg/dl ) ] -1.154 x ( age ) -0.203 x ( 0.742 if female ) . Estimated GFR utilizing the CG equation ml/min ) was calculated as follows: ( 140 – age ) ten ( weight in kilogram ) /serum creatinine ( mg/dl ) x 72 ten ( 0.85 if female ) . Measured creatinine clearance was calculated by 24 hr urine aggregation and utilizing the expression: creatinine elimination ( mg/kg per twenty-four hours ) divided by serum creatinine ( mg/dl ) divided by 14.4 ( min/d per dl/ml ) . Data was analyzed utilizing SPSS package.ConsequencesMDRD consequences were expressed in ml/min/1.73m2 and CG consequences in ml/min. Mean GFR by MDRD expression for CKD stages 1 to 5 was 111AÂ ±30, 77AÂ ±24, 39AÂ ±9, 21AÂ ±6 and 13AÂ ±4 severally. Mean GFR by Cockcroft-Gault equation for CKD phase 1 to 5 was 119AÂ ±28, 78AÂ ±13, 43AÂ ±7, 23AÂ ±3 and 12AÂ ±2 severally ( t able 1 ) . The correlativity coefficient ( R ) between eGFR by MDRD and eGFR by Cockcroft-Gault for CKD phases 1-5 was 0.64 ; 0.31 ; 0.32 ; 0.67 ; and 0.45 severally ( table 2 ) . Mean and average eGFR by MDRD was 48AÂ ±40 and 32 ( 58-7 ) severally for all patients. Mean and average eGFR by Cockcroft-Gault was 52AÂ ±42 and 36 ( 197-7 ) severally for all patients ( table 3 ) . The Cockcroft-Gault equation correlated best with MDRD expression at CKD phase four followed by the phase one. The eGFR by MDRD was lesser as comparison to by CG, in phases 1, 2 and 3. The creatinine clearance by 24 urine aggregation was correlated to the eGFR by MDRD expression. The R value was 0.84 with p value of 0.001. Similarly the creatinine clearance by 24 urine aggregation was correlated to the eGFR by CG expression. The R value was 0.79 with p value of 0.001. ( Table 4 )DiscussionAccurate measuring of GFR in chronic kidney disease can non be overemphasized. It is particularly of import when GFR reaches near phase 3 and 4. The of import determination like doing AV fistulous withers and induction of nephritic replacing therapy are taken at this clip. There were more than eight expressions introduced to gauge GFR but merely two viz. Cockcroft-Gault ( CG ) and MDRD got the credence by the medical community. The CG Formula was proposed every bit early as 1976 [ 2 ] . Because of its simpleness and bedside usage, it was readily accepted by the doctors. The CG expression enjoyed this monopoly till the MDRD equation was introduced in 1999 [ 3 ] . Twenty four hr urine aggregation for Creatinine clearance measuring is non method of pick because of several booby traps. The most of import being the 24 hr urine aggregation is frequently non accurate. In add-on the serum creatinine remains within normal scope in early phases of CKD due to increased cannular secernment ensuing in overestimate of GFR. Using Inulin clearance to mensurate GFR is really cumbrous and non practical for everyday clinical pattern. Alternatively, the radioactive and non-radioactive based markers e.g. Iothalamate, Iohexol, DTPA and EDTA are used. The isotope based GFR measurings are thought to be the most accurate but they are dearly-won and non available in many research labs. Therefore their public-service corporation is confined practically to research. They are used as a gilded criterion to formalize the truth of eGFR by MDRD or CG equations. In our survey we still used the traditional 24 hr urine aggregation to cipher creatinine clearance. We were really peculiar and thorough in giving the direction to the patients. The strong correlativity of 24 hr creatinine clearance to eGFR by CG every bit good as MDRD expression goes in favour of our premise that urine aggregation was accurate. MDRD survey equation originally required six variables viz. Serum Creatinine, Serum Albumin, Serum Urea Nitrogen, Gender, Age and Race. Later a simpler four variable equation was proposed and is considered to be a good as six variable equation [ 3 ] . This brief MDRD equation requires Serum Creatinine, Age, Gender and Race merely. It does non necessitate Serum Albumin and Serum Urea Nitrogen. The usage of standardised serum creatinine in re-expressed 4 variable MDRD expression improves the truth [ 4, 5 ] . Surveies have shown that accommodation for organic structure surface country improves the truth of Cockcroft-Gault expression [ 6,7 ] . The demand of this simpler four variable MDRD equation raised due to trouble of utilizing 6 variable equation on bedside. However still its chief drawback remains the demand of a computing machine. There are a figure of surveies comparing the MDRD to CG expression with variable consequences. Following is the reappraisal of some of import surveies. MDRD equation provides indifferent and moderately accurate estimations across broad scope of subgroups when GFR is less than 60 ( CKD Stage 3, 4 & A ; 5 ) [ 8 ] . They besides proved to be dependable for followup in CKD patients in longitudinal surveies [ 9 ] . MDRD equation performed better than CG equation in CKD, when GFR was less than 60 ml/min/ 1.73 M2. On the other manus CG equation performed better in healthy kidney givers [ 10 ] . CG expression was less precise than MDRD equation in most instances with average GFR of 59.8 ml/ min/ 1.73 M2s [ 11 ] . In another survey appraisal of GFR in older patients with CKD and average GFR of 53 ml/ min/ 1.73 m2. , the CG Formula was more precise than MDR Formula [ 12 ] . In diabetic patients MDRD every bit good as CG expression correlated good with isotopic GFR measurings, but MDRD equation turned-out to be more accurate [ 13 ] . In ill hospitalized patients the public presentation of MDRD and CG equation was compared, utilizing Iodine iothalamate as a control. MDRD equation performed better [ 14 ] . MDRD Formula as comparison to CG expression underestimates GFR in healthy persons [ 15 ] . MDRD expression was more accurate than CG expression in ESRD patients. However MDRD expression underestimated GFR when inulin clearance was more than 8 ml/min/1.73 M2 and overestimated GFR when inulin clearance was less than 8 ml/min/1.73 M2. On the other manus CG expression overestimated GFR when inulin clearance was less than 13 ml/mim/11.73 M2. [ 16 ] . In patients with CKD but normal serum creatinine, CG Formula was found to be more accurate than MDRD Formula. Measurement of GFR by endogenous and exogenic filtration markers might be the most prudent scheme [ 17 ] .DecisionWe conclude that CG Formula correlates with MDRD equation best at CKD stages 4 and overestimated GFR at phases 1, 2, 3. The two expressions may be used interchangeably at phase 4 & A ; 1. Measurement of 24 hr urine creatinine clearance may still be dependable if patients are counseled decently. Standardization of GFR for organic structure surface country of 1.73 m2.improves the truth of Cockcroft Gualt expression. We speculate that this in bend will better its correlativity with MDRD expression. However we suspect that perplexing the Cockcroft Gualt expression by including the organic structure surface country in equation will diminish its utility on bed side. It is improbable that MDRD expression will replace Cockcroft Gualt expression in clinical medical pattern shortly because of its dependence upon a computing machine plan.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Trip Essays - 9, The Prisoners, Free Essays, Term Papers

The Trip Essays - 9, The Prisoners, Free Essays, Term Papers Ms. Hoogewerf Writing College Success 18 September 2015 The Trip Tomorrow morning! You guys get up bright and early 8 am tomorrow morning and well go. Andrews dad muttered as he staggered out of the kitchen with another beer in his hand. I was at my friend Andrews house with my other friend Ethan. We were in the middle of discussing our plans for jet-skiing the next morning. I knew the plans werent going to go as planned as his dad was obviously drunk as could be. But we eventually decided to go along with it. After forcing ourselves awake the next morning, we walked into the living room to see his dad crashed on the couch. We waited and waited, he didnt budge. Jet skiing was officially out of the picture. I told you guys he was talking nonsense I muttered to my friends as I headed back to bed. I got up early to see your dad fast asleep in front of the TV? my friend Ethan asked Andrew angrily. You guys want to go to Adventure Island instead? said Andrews mom as she walked into the room. We looked at each other hesitantly. A water park full of scre aming kids who use the pools as a toilet? What could be better on a Sunday afternoon? Sure we said shrugging. We would try to make the best out of it. After an hour or so drive later we were walking into the park. None of us had been there in a while so we didnt know quite where to start. Andrews parents found some seats near the wave pool and set all their things down. You guys meet us back here when the park closes. That was 6 hours from then. We didnt think wed need too much time to slide down some slides and splash water in strangers faces. We picked one direction and ran until we came across something interesting. We stumbled upon the entrance to a slide. This looks decent Andrew claimed. We walked through the entrance and started heading up the long spiraled stairs. Excuse me gentlemen, a line is made to wait in, not cut. We turned around to see a short shirtless man with his 2 kids behind him. And then we saw the people behind his kids. And the people behind them. We had walked by a mile long line without even realizing it. This was going to take a while. 45 minutes later, we were getting ready to slide down. It was one pers on at a time so I decided to go first. I slid down into the dark enclosed tube as water rushed by my sides and splashed into my face. The tube open up halfway through the ride and I could finally see where I was. I stuck my arms out to my sides and gripped onto the sides of the slide. With all my strength, I held myself in place from slipping any further and waited for Ethan to slide down behind me. Surely he wouldnt be expecting this. After a few seconds, he rushed up behind me and screamed as he slammed into the back of me. We laughed hysterically as we continued to hold ourselves from sliding any further. Shortly after Andrew slid down and crashed into Ethan. Whats wrong with you guys?! Andrew yelled. If we dont hurry a whole line of people is going to ram into us! he yelled pushing us forward. We finally let go of the sides and continued to slide down. We picked up more and more speed and finally fell into the pool at the end. You guys cant come down at the same time! yelled the lifeguard to the side of the pool. Sorry! We got stuck! Ethan yelled back as he climbed out of the pool. You guys are idiots, we can get kicked out for things like that Andrew said swimming up behind us. I laughed to myself as I heard him say this. Kicked out of Adventure Island? The whole world is over! I screamed sarcastically. Alright fine, act like animals Andrew said letting out a sigh. I knew we wouldnt get kicked out for spicing the experience up a

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Sun Bear Facts (Helarctos malayanus)

Sun Bear Facts (Helarctos malayanus) The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is the smallest species of bear. It gets its common name for the white or golden bib on its chest, which is said to represent the rising sun. The animal is also known as the honey bear, reflecting its love of honey, or the dog bear, referring to its stocky build and short muzzle. Fast Facts: Sun Bear Scientific Name: Helarctos malayanusCommon Names: Sun bear, honey bear, dog bearBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 47-59 inchesWeight: 60-176 poundsLifespan: 30 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: Southeast Asia rainforestsPopulation: DecreasingConservation Status: Vulnerable Description The sun bear has short black fur with a pale crescent-shaped bib that may be white, cream, or golden. It has a short, buff-colored muzzle. The bear has small, round ears; an extremely long tongue; large canine teeth; and large, curved claws. The soles of its feet are hairless, which helps the bear climb trees. Adult male sun bears are 10% to 20% larger than females. Adults average between 47 and 59 inches long and weigh between 60 and 176 pounds. The sun bear has curved claws and an extremely long tongue. Freder / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Sun bears live in the evergreen tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. Their habitat includes northeastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, southern China, and some Indonesian islands. There are two subspecies of sun bear. The Bornean sun bear only lives on the island of Borneo. The Malayan sun bear occurs in Asia and on the island of Sumatra. Diet Sun bears, like other bears, are omnivores. They feed on bees, hives, honey, termites, ants, insect larvae, nuts, figs and other fruit, and sometimes flowers, plant shoots, and eggs. The bears strong jaws easily crack open nuts. Sun bears are hunted by humans, leopards, tigers, and pythons. Behavior Despite its name, the sun bear is largely nocturnal. It relies on its keen sense of smell to find food at night. The bears long claws help it climb and also tear open termite mounds and trees. The bear uses its extremely long tongue to lap up honey from bee hives. Male bears are more likely than females to be active during the day. Although relatively small, sun bears are known to be fierce and aggressive if disturbed. Because they live in the tropics, the bears are active year-round and do not hibernate. Reproduction and Offspring Sun bears reach sexual maturity around 3 to 4 years of age. They can mate at any time of the year. After a gestation period of 95 to 174 days, the females gives birth to one or two cubs (although twins are uncommon). Newborn cubs are blind and hairless and weigh between 9.9 and 11.5 ounces. Cubs are weaned after 18 months. In captivity, male and female bears socialize and jointly care for young. In other bear species the female raises her cubs on her own. The lifespan of highly reclusive wild sun bears is unknown, but captive bears live up to 30 years. Sun bear cubs are born blind and furless. Christian Aslund / Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN classifies the sun bears conservation status as vulnerable. Bear populations are decreasing in size. The sun bear has been listed on CITES Appendix I since 1979. Threats While it is illegal to kill sun bears throughout their range, commercial hunting is among the species greatest threats. Sun bears are poached for their meat and gall bladders. Bear bile is used in traditional Chinese medicine and is also an ingredient in soft drinks, shampoo, and cough drops. Despite their temperament, sun bears are also illegally captured for the pet trade. The other significant threat to sun bear survival is habitat loss and fragmentation due to deforestation and human encroachment. Forest fires also affect sun bears, but they tend to recover providing there is a neighboring population. Sun bears are kept in captivity for their commercial value and for conservation. They are farmed for their gall bladders in Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar. Since 1994, the species has been part of a captive-breeding program with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the European breed registry. The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sandakan, Malaysia rehabilitates sun bears and works toward their conservation. Sources Brown, G. Great Bear Almanac. 1996. ISBN:978-1-55821-474-3.Foley, K. E., Stengel, C. J. and Shepherd, C. R. Pills, Powders, Vials and Flakes: The Bear Bile Trade in Asia. Traffic Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 2011.Scotson, L., Fredriksson, G., Augeri, D., Cheah, C., Ngoprasert, D. Wai-Ming, W. Helarctos malayanus (errata version published in 2018). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T9760A123798233. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T9760A45033547.enServheen, C.; Salter, R. E. Chapter 11: Sun Bear Conservation Action Plan. In Servheen, C.; Herrero, S.; Peyton, B. (eds.). Bears: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland: International Union for Conservation of Nature. pp. 219–224, 1999.Wong, S. T.; Servheen, C. W.; Ambu, L. Home range, movement and activity patterns, and bedding sites of Malayan sun bears Helarctos malayanus in the Rainforest of Borneo. Biological Conservation. 119 (2): 169–181, 2004. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2003.10. 029

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Highest Quality of Under Armour Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 95

The Highest Quality of Under Armour - Case Study Example It is not well established as compared to the established competitors like Nike, Puma, and Adidas, Under Armour is gain, ng lead in the industry. The function is in terms of the products abilities to conform to situations and perform as per the expectations. Since the company concentrates on the American domestic market, the information necessary to pinpoint performance is timely. Domestic sales are an indicator that Under Armour has a small sales volume. Apart from using the function system to pinpoint performance results, the company can use the area and unit system to pinpoint performance results. Benchmarking is essential to any organization (Baiman and Joel pp. 201). While aware of the existing competitors who include Nike, Reebok, Puma, and Adidas among others, the Under Armour, through benchmarking has managed to evaluate its performance. An issue of concern is its high dependence on few third-party suppliers. The competitors rely on a variety of third party providers thus easy to counter pricing and ensure efficient product distribution all over the market segments. Under Armour suffers massive losses because of relying on few suppliers who end up demanding high prices. Should the demand for suppliers’ products exceed what the company supplies, it can end up affecting its operations due to reduced access to supplies and raw materials. A key measure and standard that Under Amour upholds is obeying laws and regulations. It is an important element in its code of ethics. Launching of a new product in market demands Under Armour to observe standards of identifiability, accessibility, substantiality, and measurability. It is an indicator to show the company’s ability to assess response patterns and incorporate marketing mix in its standards. Trough this information, Under Armour can segment its market and strive to attain a competitive advantage. The strategy is in line with its recommended strategic plan, which has a passionate taglineâ€Å".

Friday, November 1, 2019

How does globalization affect the environment Essay

How does globalization affect the environment - Essay Example One area of human life that has experienced heavy issues due to globalization is the environment in which human beings live. Policy makers, environmentalist and other stakeholders have attacked globalization for impacting human environment in a negative manner. Body Disadvantages One of the main impacts of globalization is that globalization has led to increase in the spending ability of all individuals and have led to elevation in the consumption levels of human beings and this has impacted the ecological system in a negative manner. Increase in income level have made people demand for more goods and services and this has led to decrease in the natural resources that are offered by the environment. With the increase in demand for goods and services, there has been an increase in the transfer of natural resources from one region to another. Before globalization started spreading, people used to be dependent on their local manufacturers and service providers for goods and services. No w due to decrease in boundaries, people have started demanding for goods and services that are developed in foreign regions. To transfer goods and services, heavy amount of fuel is consumed which has led to degradation of the environment due to increase in pollution. The fuel used in transportation of goods has led to increase in the amount of fossil fuels burned to produce fuel. ... s waste is being dumped in oceans and this dumping process has ruined the underwater life and has led to increase in chemicals being deposited to oceans. For example: during the period of 2010, oil spill from the containers of British Petroleum ended up damaging the ocean in a very negative manner and this happens to be one of the several harmful effects of globalization on the environment (Cook, 2010, p.214). Increase in industrialization along with globalization has led to an increase in the amount of chemicals that are dumped into soil and due to this several plants as well as weeds have been produced. The waste that is toxic in nature and is dumped in soil has severally damaged plant life and had interfered with the natural way of growth of plants. Throughout the world heavy cut down of forests are taking place as wood obtained from forests is used in production of several goods such as furniture and paper. Due to this, carbon dioxide in the environment has increased and release of oxygen by plants has decreased. Similarly, cut down of mountainous regions have even been conducted to create new roads and for real estate purposes and this has long term negative impacts on human health. Plastic is being heavily used throughout that world for several purposes such as packaging and this plastic is not renewable in nature. Plastic is used in then discarded in form of waste which is negatively impacting the environment. Plastic bags tend to enter water lines as well as beaches and as plastic waste is burned, it result in emission of fumes that are toxic in nature and these fumes tend to impact the environment in a negative manner. According to Savedge, more than 100,000 marine animals experience death or are murdered by animals as they dump plastic bags in oceans and

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Suatainable Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Suatainable Development - Essay Example limatics to sustainability appraisal, corporate social responsibility, transport or one planet living, sustainable development encompasses umpteenth number of such diverse issues, to make life healthier. According to the World Commission on Environment and Development, â€Å"Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.† (WCED 1987: 43) This report is also known as the Brundtland Report (WCED 1987). The Brundtland Report puts forward the primary objectives of sustainable development which has been stated as: The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) conducted in Johannesburg in 2002 was finally able to put sustainable development on the political agenda with the objective of accelerating the environment and development requirement of Africa intensively emphasizing on local issues like household energy, water and sanitation (â€Å"The World Summit†, 2005). More than a hundred Heads of State and Governments discussed the WSSD, the five top spectrums of which encompassed health, water, energy, agriculture and biodiversity (â€Å"The World Summit†, 2005). The UN Summit deserves the credit for bringing together governments in acknowledging a new global deal on sustainable development (â€Å"The World Summit†, 2005). While the WSSD chiefly targeted implementation rather than new visions, treaties and agreements, Rio has been responsible for the exceptionally new paradigm shift in considering sustainable development, as well as the new legally binding agreements particularly those related with biodiversity and climate change (â€Å"The World Summit†, 2005). However, the subsequent years revealed a fall in the high-level political interest and dealing with issues related to sustainable development (â€Å"The World Summit†, 2005). These issues has now been brought back again in the political agenda by the WSSD (â€Å"The World Summit†, 2005). This paved the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Change Management: Carrefour Group

Change Management: Carrefour Group Background to the organization Carrefour is a multinational company which has its retail stores almost all over the world. In the recent past it has expanded the business in the Asian Market. In the year 1995, this company had total of seven stores in Asia but in year 2004, this total went up to 126 stores which was a huge gain for the company. One of the best features of the company was that it was not affected by the economic crisis that happened and this was the biggest reason that company came up with its plan in UAE. Carrefour is an infrastructure group and the real estate was the section which was very much affected by the economic downfall but the company had enough capability to face the risk that it did not get affected (United Arab Emirates: Carrefour expands its services in retail sector). Carrefour is the second largest retail group in the entire world. Carrefour entered into UAE in the year 1995 and till now it has 11 big retail stores around UAE. And soon it will be a famous hypermarket at Dubai Sports City at Emirates Road in Dubai. The company provides as much as 6800 to 14000 sq m of area for a hypermarket in UAE. CEO: Josà ©-Luis Duran (Fortune Globe 500, 2007) Employees: 456,295 Address: 26 Quai Michelet, Levallois-Perret 92695, France (main office) Phone: 33-1-5563-3900 Website: www.carrefour.com Present Rank: 32nd in the World SWOT Analysis Strengths and Weaknesses (Internally COntrolled factors) Strengths One of the major strategic successes of the company is that Carrefour has collaboration with one of the most successful infrastructure company in the world, MAF of Abu Dhabi. This gives the company strength to the company to improve the internal built. The internal reason for the company to collaborate with MAF in UAE because of the restrictions that UAE government put on the foreign companies to start up a business in the country. In order to get the ease, this collaboration has occurred. As far as the industry average in the country in the field of real estate is seen, Carrefour is far above the industry average and the main reason is that it got unaffected at the time of economic crisis. The company is in a phase of a continuous success for the past fourteen years which is easily reflected in the financial ratios of the company which shows a continuous betterment for the past several years. The human resource management of the company is also very strong and it shows the increasing betterment in the performance matrix of the company. This gives the internal support to the company especially in the case of recruitment process. Companys standing at present is at the 32nd place which is really a remarkable success and strength for Carrefour and gives it a motivation to improve its ranking further. Due to the fact that most of the investments done by the company are huge, hence company takes a collaboration of government subsidiaries in UAE which prevent any hindrance in the future. The marketing department of the company is very highly appreciated because of the fact that the company has a huge brand value all around the world and after the success of Hypermarket at Dubai Sports City; it is going to be better and better. The financial department of the company and the research and development section are simultaneously doing a great job of understanding the financial situation of the people living in UAE and accordingly plan the investment. Hypermarket is the best suited for this purpose. Weaknesses The collaboration with MAF is absolutely very helpful for Carrefour in UAE but along with the strengths there are several weaknesses associated with this collaboration. The company does not have full freedom to take the decisions and especially the financial decision. The only area where the company can take the 100 percent decision is the operational department but otherwise there would be several restrictions posed by the collaborated companies. One of the biggest weakness can be that around three fourth of the total profit of the company is in the hands of MAF which means that the investment point of view is really weak because if any person would like to be the part of stakeholder of Carrefour, he would have to worry. There are several social concerns of the company like increasing Emiratization with in the company which means that there is a specific percentage that they have to give to the national employees. This may reduce the output of the company. It is true that economic crisis has not affected Carrefour but under the rules made by the government, there are several restrictions posed on the company which stops the company in its fast expansion. Opportunities and Threats (Externally COntrolled Factors) Opportunities There are several opportunities for the company to expand its business in UAE. The most important factor is its demography. The culture and social aspect of the country is absolutely support the advancement and enhancement of whatever the company is doing. There are several malls and several other locations which are suiting the infrastructure of Carrefour. The financial crisis in 2008 had made the situation worst for the country in the real estate structure. There are several companies which are still lagging because of that crisis. It gives a big opportunity for Carrefour to rapidly enhance the business so that there could be better prospects in the future. Dubai Sports City itself is one of the best opportunities for Carrefour group because of royal crowd and enthusiasm. Threats Of course, if there are so many opportunities for the company in UAE, then threat have to be there. The biggest threat that the company will seek is huge competition in the market. However, it would be lesser because of economic crisis of 2008 but still companies like EMAAR give Carrefour a healthy competition in the country. That too, when the company is foreign based and its major shares are not owned by the company itself. Change Identification This part of the projects deals with the different types of problems related to the identification of changes in the organization: Identification of different kind of changes which can exist Identification for the reason for such changes Identification of scopes and goals for such changes Identification of present part of the changes and comparison with the future prospects Kind of changes This project deals with the parts of the changes which have occurred in Carrefour with its collaboration with MAF in UAE to expand the business. There are several kinds of changes which company has undergone in order to commit this partnership with MAF. Several types of changes which company has seen because of this collaboration are as follows: Change in the working atmosphere in UAE Change in the policies of the company Change in the human resource activities of the company Changes in the process of implementation of work Changes in the roles and responsibilities of employees of the company Changes in the owner ship of the company In order to start for the working progress of Hypermarket in the Dubai Sports City, Carrefour went into collaboration with MAF which has brought about several changes in the organization and its working. This collaboration has affected the atmosphere of the entire organization. Being a French organization, Carrefour has absolutely a different culture and different atmosphere which prevails in the company but entering into UAE was an absolute change for the company. The change in the working process of the company is very high as it does not match to the working standards of Carrefour in other countries. There are several changes in the policies and processes and especially the ownership has a great effect because of such collaboration Reason for changes There are different reasons which have led to the growth of such changes in the organizational structure and its working process. The main of them all is ors collaboration with MAF. Entering into UAE for a foreign based company is not an easy job to do until unless company do not have any partner who is national of UAE and that too with a partnership of more than 50 percent shares of the company. Hence, company entered into the UAE market with its collaboration in MAF for making Hypermarket in the Dubai Sports City. Another reason for changes could be a sense of an easy capture to the market because of its collaboration with MAF because MAF is very well known Construction Company in UAE. Everyone in the country knows this company; it would be very much beneficial for Carrefour to enter into business in UAE having collaborated with MAF. Changes in the scope of the company Carrefour has undergone a change at the entire organizational level. There are some special areas where the company has seen a number of changes. These areas where company has seen a number of changes are as follows: Changes in the types of employees Working process of the company Levels of Departments Business process units Level of systems Above are the main areas which have undergone changes for Carrefour because of the collaboration with MAF. It was quite obvious for these areas to undergo changes because of the reason that there is a huge difference in the culture and the atmosphere of both the companies is entirely difference. One is a France based company and another is a UAE based company. Goals for Changes There are several goals which have been identified to connect them with the changes: Collaboration between Carrefour and MAF For fulfillment of law and order in UAE To benefit the name of MAF to seek the competitive advantage To make people of UAE know about the company Enhance the business Where are you now? GAP Analysis GAP Analysis basically deals with highlighting the difference between the implemented strategies and the expected strategies. There can be two different types of gap may be there, namely Knowledge Gap and Strategic Gap. The exact meaning of Gap analysis is to analyze the difference between the present situations of the company and the future prospects of the company. At the starting, it is necessary to analyze the present condition of the company and in the next situation, the future condition of the company is taken care of. Present and the future condition of the company are necessary to analyze because it gives an indication about the performance of the company. There are different types of analysis takes place in the GAP Analysis of any company. Comparison of organizational performance Comparison of marketing potential of the company Comparison of Business relationships of the company Comparison of operational activities of the company The following diagram shows the gap analysis of Carrefour. Fundamentals Applied for Changes (Kurt Lewin 3 step model) Unfreezing: This corresponds for Carrefour to getting itself ready for desired changes that it going to get in by making collaboration with MAF in UAE. Changes: This corresponds to present situation where the changes are being untaken by the company and making it happening for the customers and the staff. Freezing: This corresponds to the final approval of the changed strategies by Carrefour. Present situation of the company Carrefour is a widely known organization which operates in various countries. It sees different types of organizational culture wherever it starts its operation. This would happen in all the places and same in the case in performing operation in UAE. The culture of UAE is varied. Here, majority of the population is expatriates, which means that in this country there are people from different parts of the world. This is one of the biggest problems that the company is facing. Actually, this is not a problem but it is a concern which is so important to be taken care of by the company. Another concern with Carrefour is the restrictions which are imposed by the culture and the local government of the country on the company. These restrictions stop the company from taking various decisions due to the fact that company has a major share holding with MAF. The root of all such concerns of the company is the strict law which is followed in UAE and high number of expatriates coming in the country. But in another way, for business of Carrefour, this is profitable as well. There are some challenges associated with the present scenario of operational and all around management of Carrefour in UAE. There are several restrictions posed by the government on the foreign based companies to start up businesses in UAE. This is the biggest challenge that the company face and this needs to be soon addressed. Where do you want to be? Future State of the company This will describe the state of the company after little time (at least 5 years after the collaboration between MAF and Carrefour). The future of the company is supposed to be more in favor of MAF rather than Carrefour. The main reason behind this is that the majority of the shares of the company are held by MAF which accounts for more than 50 percent ownership of the company which means that in case of profit to the company, there will be more profit for MAF rather than Carrefour. The future prospects for the company in future are obviously growing as hypermarket in Dubai Sports City is one of the rare infrastructural buildings which are there in the city. This makes this a special place for the local population and the tourist to roam around. But the only problem which the company will have to face is that huge percentage of partnership is taken by MAF which means that huge percentage of profit will go to MAF. Another future prospect which can be helpful in generating more profit is that there is no tax charged by the government which allows the company generate more revenues and earn more money. The organizational culture in the future will be more or what same as the company has its organizational culture in Dubai at present. The organizational culture would be very much diversified. Reason being there are people coming from all over the world to this country. Around 80 percent of the total population of UAE comprises of expatriates. This means that staff in the organization will be of diversified culture. There are several steps which have to be done frequently by Carrefour. These steps are as follows: Company should well regulate its collaboration with MAF so that it can easily operate in the country Company should think of expanding the business and should keep an eye on the total earnings so that it can generate maximum possible profit Company should hire people with in the country and also should call some of the higher authorities from some of the different branches of Carrefour so that it can sustain the culture of the company in the internal matters at least. Company should formulate the strategies according to the marketing potential in the country and according to the diversified public of UAE but along with that company should also keep an eye on the laws, rules and regulations given by UAE. Company should formulate the strategies with in the company in such a manner which would help it to succeed in the plans and should help to generate more and more revenue. Readiness of the organization to undergo the changes This is one of the best possible reasons which could account for change management in the company. Carrefour, being one of the biggest organizations in real estate and infrastructure entered into the business for making hypermarket at Dubai Sports City by collaborating with MAF. There are several changes that company had to face in order to implement their business plan in the country. The biggest change that company had come up with is the organizational culture in the country which is very much different from any other country in the world. There are several restrictions on the business activities imposed on the company by the local government of UAE. The company is ready to adopt these changes in order to generate profit. It might be possible that company do not suit with such an atmosphere of organizational culture but the company is ready to accept the changes because it knows that UAE gives the best possible prospect for their business. Deliverable: To Identify whether the company is ready to adopt the changes Implementation Team Leader: Board of Directors Implementation Sponsor: Strategic Management Team PEOPLE READINESS Action Required When Completed Business Unit / Product Group Actions Were the contracts of business unit notified? Yes Were these contracts briefly explained to the team members? Yes Has the priority of business management unit set? Yes Training Has the identification of training team done? Yes Has the analysis of training been done? Yes Is the Training Information Sheet available? Yes Has the training provider been established? Yes Has all the training details provided by the coordinator? Yes Will the criterions are according to the training rollout? Yes SYSTEMS READINESS Action Required When Completed Information Communications Technology (ICT) Have tools of audit been configured? Yes Content Action Required When Completed Have the procedure published? Yes Is documentation for the procedure necessary? Yes Business Application Does deliverable require software assistance? Yes Does the distribution require any support model? Yes Have IT Business Unit been notified for support? Yes Particulars of the changes (Road Map for Changes) The main objectives which are covered in this part of the plan are: Alternative, methodologies, solutions and different ranges of actions and plans are considered especially or implementation of change Consideration of risk involved in the implementation of plan Consideration of cost to be estimated for the change to be implemented Kotlers 8-Step Change Model Following 8 steps will be used for making a road map for changes in Carrefour for its collaboration with MAF: There is a need to create urgency Formation of a powerful collaboration which the company ahs already done Company has a perfect vision which can lead to changes Communication will be done supporting this vision It is necessary for the company to remove obstacles coming in between Short term profit will be made Changes will be applied for every sector The entire organizational culture will experience the changes How will you get there? There are several changes which will be required by the organization to adopt the business sense according to the culture in the country: There are two types of strategies which will help the company to come up with the changes. These are: Rational This is quite natural that organizational structure of the company has to be changed. It requires changes according to the diversified culture of UAE. New system of workgroup and the human resource is necessary in the company so as to run the business properly in UAE. The main reason behind this is that this will be the first hypermarket in the country which means that the industry and exposure for the company is going to be new. Highly sophisticated system will be required by the company for the process because of the hugeness of the market exposure for the company in UAE Non Rational There will be change in the relationships as well. Carrefour needs to build good relationships with MAF and government of Dubai so as to get the best out of their business techniques in the country. The culture will accept the changes which will be made by Carrefour in UAE. Reason being these changes will be made according to the culture of UAE. Process Change It is required for the company to have process change as well. Process change is necessary. If it would have been a brand of some eatables, clothes, then it would have required that process should have maintained as it is every where but this is an infrastructure company. The structure of the building, shops in the hypermarket and every thing else which is a part of process in the companys operational activities need to be changed according to the destination (change management). Hence all the processes of Carrefour need to be differentiated according to the need in Dubai Sports City. There are some important process changes required by the company: Management process Recruitment process Operational process People Change In order to make changes it might be possible that job roles of the people and their responsibilities change. The biggest problem with the people change result in the de recruitment of some very intelligent people from the company so as to follow the rules and regulations of the company. Roles and responsibilities of the employees will be affected because they will be enforced to follow different prospect Knowledge and training will be entirely different, especially it would required by the employee to learn Arabic in order to work at the ground level Work practices will be entirely be different as a result of the change because these work practices would clearly adopt the culture of UAE. Third party relationships will also be built. This could be done mainly because of the relationships of MAF in the country. The relationships will be built with several agents of MAF. Carrefour will come in contact with these agent companies and will create third party relationships in the market. Information Sharing During the change in the process of Carrefour, there is some information which needs to be shared among the partners of the business. Carrefour and MAF are the two organizations who have collaborated to make hypermarket in Dubai Sports City. There is certain information which has been shared between the two organizations. These are: Financial Information (this needs to be very much critical because MAF has a huge sharing Hypermarket) Some parts of the operational information There are some policies of Carrefour which have changed due to the information sharing. These policies could be: Policies for the implementation of financial plan Policies for fixing up of prices There are several methods which are used for sharing information. These methods are: Direct Conversation In direct conversation There are some processes needed in order to manage the knowledge about the project. These processes are: Knowledge sharing process Internal Managerial Process Cost of Change Financial support is also needed to manage the changes. There are different types of cost which will be required in order to manage the organization. These costs are as follows: Cost of training the new employees in the organization Cost of integration with MAF ( all the legal formalities are included in that) Opportunity cost will also be included. This opportunity cost will be based on the opportunity of the organization to build up a hypermarket in any other country There are different modes of financial support available with the company. These are: Borrowing the money from an external source Issues shares in the share market Investment by the company itself Selling the fixed assets of the company Risk Assessment During the implementation process, it is highly possible that company will be affected by several risks. It is very much necessary that these risks are to be eliminated in order to carry out the work in a smooth manner. Risks that might be involved with the implementation of the project are as follows: Change could lead to incur losses Planning may not be effective Scope for change may not be there It is necessary to minimize the risks as well and hence following steps could be taken. In order to keep the project very much viable for the changes. It is necessary that changes are done with proper planning and keeping in view the culture with the country. For example in UAE, there is a diversified culture and hence accordingly changes should be implemented It could be possible that planning may not work well and hence alternatives should be made so that if one plan fails, company immediately can apply the other one In the case when changes are not adapted by the country and its people then obviously company should keep going with the old policies and old culture. Risk Assessment Matrix Change could lead to incur losses Likelihood Consequences Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic Almost certain Likely Possible Unlikely Rare Planning may not be effective Likelihood Consequences Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic Almost certain Likely Possible Unlikely Rare Scope for change may not be there Likelihood Consequences Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Catastrophic Almost certain Likely Possible Unlikely Rare Risk Assessment Table Risk no Date of occurrence Risk Description Low Medium High Mitigation action taken Approval of commencement Date 1 Change could lead to incur losses Communication Plan Made 31 August, 2010 4 Planning may not be effective Periodic Review Made 31 August, 2010 2 Scope for change may not be there Periodic Review Made 31 August, 2010 Change Approach (Developing a Critique) Main objectives of this section are: This section finds out the stakeholder of the company and their role in the company What are the barriers that come in between the growth Roles and responsibilities of change management team Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder is the one on whose stake the company is running. There are different stakeholders of Carrefour in UAE. Strategic management team Project leader Mangers Employees Customer The below stakeholder pyramid will give an indication about the role and the responsibilities of these stakeholder in the working of the company. There are different types of roles and responsibilities described by the below pyramid like driving, active participation, advocacy, willingness and understanding. Resistance to change It is necessary that every individual working in the company is resistance to change. It is required by the organizational growth and its survival. There are some important reasons which lead to resistance among the employees of the organization: This could the feedback given by the employees This could be several inputs given by the supervisor of the company This could be results of the audit Several decisions taken on the issues of various teams Resistance Assessment Survey is taken into care for resolving all the issues related to change. This survey is attached in the appendices Change Management Team Change Management Team is vital for the organization of various activities regarding progress of change in the company. For Carrefour, a committee is formed which analysis the effect of changes which have occurred due to collaboration with MAF in UAE (Majid Al Futtaim Hypermarkets ). There are several roles and responsibilities of this committee which are there for them in order to make the change management not liable for the company. Some of the important decisions taken by the change management team of the company are as follows: Change management team performs gap analysis between the present and future trend of the company. The present trend of the company is researched and the future trend of the company are estimated which means that company a possible gap between the two trends is analyzed by the company so that it can give suggestion for the changes to take place It works for devising the project plan of the company It works for the resistance management plan of the company It works for implementation of changes It see the results of the changes which are implemented on the company and accordingly give the suggestions and the review about the research It works on upgrading the action plans and the change management plan if any flaw is found in the plan (How to write an action plan) Strategies for Implementation There are several strategies implemented for the implementation of the change plan of the company. These strategies are as follows: Action Plan: Action Plan helps in analyzing the overall achievement of the company. The main objective of this is the change management plan and all measures are taken on the basis of percentage of the completed plan Communication Plan: Communication Plan is one of the most important plans of the company because it works for establishing communication between one team member to any other team member of the company Communication Plan Audience Key Communication Delivery Medium Date Length of session (if applicable) Location Leaders of each team, Managers of each Department Action Plan Various meeting, e-mails,etc. 31st August 2010 N/A HO Agents (senders) Operational manager, project