Includes limitations and recommendations for further research Essay

The Chinese banking industry has a prime role to finance the growth of China by adapting global best practices. Banks as HSBC are financing the growth across a wide swathe of people, businesses and nations. The Chinese Banking industry is rapidly adapting to the international financial mechanisms, adopting the best practices of many banking activities such as internet and mobile banking, increased customer focus and bundling of services. Bank of China is providing a high level of service to its customers, which has been so accepted by two thirds of the populace that it has served. However there are number of areas in which there is scope for efficiency and better customer service where low scores in some case of a mere 30 % plus have been indicated which should be a cause of concern for the management and specific areas as indicated by the research need to be addressed. The Bank of China will have to invest greater technological as well as management resources in enhancing its internet banking model to satisfy the customers, provide timely and efficient services. Since large quanta of customers are likely to use the internet in the future, investment in this critical resource will prove to be greatly beneficial to banks. HSBC on the other hand has provided a good model of internet banking which other banks could well emulate. The trend is also to induce customers to go on line and use the communication enabled services on offer including mobile and internet banking. A key facet which is noticeable in HSBCs services is bundling of personal services with travel insurance, travel money and even airport parking all into one large group and providing discounts on all three to varying degrees thereby adding to the convenience of the customer as well as enabling the bank to easily service him. China’s banking sector is set to see two major challenges which will be faced by banks as BOC. The first which would be obvious from the study is the threat of foreign banks such as HSBC which having a better experience of providing customer friendly services and with an ability to introduce innovative products which will be able to attract a large portion of the high value and business clientele in the country. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). This is likely to see greater increase with China’s accession to the WTO. In the beginning of 2007, foreign banks would be conducting commercial banking in foreign currency as well as Renminbi without any limitations of locations. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). The Chinese government is also encouraging the entry of foreign participation in the finance sector, particularly related to automobile financing and also in reform and restructuring of the financial institutions. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). The other challenge identified is the demand for high value products which can enable growth of economy as well as reduce the risk such as investment banking and insurance. The need will also be felt for products relating to asset management. These could also extend support for underwriting during mergers and acquisitions and financing and securitization of projects. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). However as a competitive business entity, HSBC is focusing on the perceived growth areas such as credit cards and it is said to be teaming up with the Chinese Bank of Communications to provide credit cards to the large majority of Chinese who do not own one thereby creating vast business opportunities. (Schuman, 2006). The Bank of China could exploit such a strategy while at the same time fulfilling its social obligations in personal banking for the less privileged. A survey of the issues covered in the research will indicate that the lead banks of China are well set to undertake this challenging task of providing services of a global standard. An increased interaction with global banks as HSBC will prove beneficial for BOC to attain its ends as stated in its vision of a, â€Å"Market-driven, Client-oriented, World-class Financial services institution, a robust corporate governance structure, capable of delivering outstanding performance over a long term. † (About Bank of China,. 2006). There were a number of limitations during this research; first of all, the number of respondents to questionnaires is limited, because it is difficult to collect information from large number of consumers due to constraints of time and resources. Secondly the subject being of a contemporary nature the response of the bank staff is restricted to the stated company policy. As also there is limited research material in terms of reference books on the specific subject, thus there has to be reliance on sources provided by the two banks as well as journals and the internet. This limitation might induce some error in the research, however the researcher insisted on a precise approach, therefore the results of research are reliable. The Chinese banking industry provides a number of areas for further research. Detailed research can be undertaken on the impact of WTO on Chinese banking industry. In addition research on the role of the central bank in China in supporting financial autonomy and greater growth can also be undertaken. Adoption of best practices by other state banks of China could also be another area of study. References 1. About Bank of China. 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=ROOT%3Een%3EInformation+Center%3EAbout+BOC%3EAbout+Bank+of+China. ( 22 August 2006). 2. Agent. 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=ROOT%3Een%3ECorporate+Banking%3EOther+Services+in+Money+Management%3EAgent+Bank+Business. (23 August 2006). 3. Assurance. 2006. http://www. hsbc.co. uk/1/2/business/insurance. (26 August 2006). 4. Bancassurance, 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=1099361248100. (23 August 2006). 5. BOC Global Offering. 2006. 202. 66. 146. 82/listco/hk/boc/prospectus/pro060518. pdf . (26 August 2006). 6. BOCI. 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=1099540300100. (25 August 2006). Cantrell, D. C. (n. d. )) Alternative paradigms in environmental education research: The interpretive perspective.

Development from conception to age 16 years Essay

E1. 0-3 – Social and Emotional. Babies around the age of 0-3 will learn how to make eye contact, smile and laugh at others, this will get adults attention and start to form good bonds between the baby and mother. Within social development children learn to make friends and understand the importance of social development skills which will help them success in their personal and professional lives. Babies start to socialise and from bond attachments with people who they normally see the most such as their parents and other family members. Children start to understand all different kinds of social skills. For example, babies and young toddlers will learn to share and take turns during activities and normal everyday routines. Babies need a lot of stimulation in order for their brain to develop and to make opportunities to physically use their body. As babies gradually get older and get to the age of 2, you will realise that they start to change and feel a lot more emotions in themselves, such as temper tantrums. 0-3 – Language and Communication. Babies around the age of 0-3 will experience how to communicate well and understand how communication works. They will start to recognise people’s voices such as their parents and other family members. By being able to recognise their voices will help babies realise who they are and who they should turn to. As babies start growing up they can understand different words and sounds that come from their parents in order to start saying things themselves, such as ‘mama’ or ‘dada’. You will find that babies often talk to themselves but as a parent it may be difficult to try understand what they are saying or trying to say. E2. 3-7 – Social and Emotional. Children at the age of 3-7 will have much more of an understanding of their social and emotional development than when they were a baby. Children react differently and will have gained a lot more understanding of what social development is all about. For example children at this age will know a lot more about sharing and taking turns during activities. For example they will realise that sharing and taking turns is important as they will begin school and there will be many more children in which they will be involved in. Most children at this age enjoy playing and working with others but the very few may like to work and play on their own. Socialising is how children learn to relate to other people and follow what is normal in their society. E.g. Manners and toilet training. Children at this age range can have many mixtures of emotions. This aspect helps children how to learn to express their feelings and how to control and manage them. 3-7 – Language and Communication. During the age of 3-4 children are able to use language well and fairly grammatically although there will be some speech immaturity. Children at this age are able to form good sentences and start to ask question such as ‘why?’ and are able to understand what kind of answers adults feedback to them. At the age of 5-7 children are more likely to understand how to do things on their own. For example they can say their own name, how old they are and be able to recognise different information about themselves. At this age children will also have a good interest in reading and writing. This is important for children as it helps them benefit a lot with their language and communication. They are able to recognise and understand bigger words which they won’t have heard before. (Meggitt C (2006) Page what†¦ E3. Explain two theoretical perspectives relevant to the areas of development. Lev Vygotsky. – Vygotsky believed that children understand language and communication by having good interaction skills between themselves and other people. Vygotsky thought that by the age of 2-3 children should use language to control their behaviour and thoughts. This would explain their feelings by talking out loud. Vygotsky also believed that children develop different communication, expressions and explanation by children playing and interacting with other children either at home or in school. Therefore in schools he said that play was significant for learning and children should help each other through play, this will help children understand the importance of socialising. Children use facial expressions and body language in order to understand what has been said to them. Vygotsky suggested that thought and language began as two different activities. When a baby babbles the baby is not using babbling as a way of thinking, therefore the baby is learning to talk. Jerome Bruner. – Bruner believed that all children learn by having to make their own choices and having the change to have different opportunities in able for them to learn. Independence comes into this theory as independence is a massive impact on children as they should learn to do things for themselves instead of asking an adult. Bruner believed that children learn through different activities such as reading, writing and drawing. He felt that adults should guide and support children during activities like these so he or she could reach their potential. Adults guiding and supporting children is called â€Å"scaffolding†, which helps children to develop their knowledge and understanding. E4. Include three observations as appendices. E5. Written Narrative Observation – Narrative Observations is a lot of detailed information about what the child is doing and what you see. Time Sampling Observation – Observing what happens in a short period of time. Tick List Observation – A list of things an observer looks at when observing children. E6/C1. When you work in childcare settings you are always working with young children, their families and other professionals. You should know that confidentiality is a massive impact when working in childcare settings. Confidential information concerning children or their families should never be discussed with anyone, or written down anywhere as confidentiality is the right of every child and parent whether the information is spoken, written down or on a computer. When working on observations it is also important that you maintain confidentiality. When observing children it is important that you write down all correct information about the child and not write anything that is unnecessary. After observing children you should make sure that all information on observations should be stored away properly which means in a safe and secure place. This is so nobody is able to see what has been written down about the particular child except the person who is responsible for the child, for example the child’s name. It is also important that the name of the setting should stay confidentiality as it could be passed on to people who it may not concern. D1/D2. The observations I carried out showed that child A was confident as she showed she could play alongside her friends, by sharing and taking turns within playing with the babies. Child A was acting out different roles such as mum, dad, brothers and sisters and dressing up. Child A showed that she was being independent by different equipment herself which she needed. For example, she decided she wanted to feed her baby therefore she got out the feeding equipment herself and fed her baby independently. Child A showed that she was particularly interested in playing in the home corner as she stuck to this for a long period of time and didn’t change to a different activity. She showed love and affection to the baby treating it as a real human and looked after her. As child A was playing in the home corner she made sure she was including each of her friends by letting them join in with her and playing nicely. By playing in the home corner it supports children’s needs by helping them with their gross and fine motor skills, such as children will try out new thing containing gross and fine motor skills. B1. When you are working on observations it is important that you plan everything before you start the observation in order for you to look back on the planning and know what you are able to do, and follow everything when it comes to doing them. Talk about working alongside with other parents and professionals†¦ Make sure you are doing the correct observations†¦ Knowing if the observation has gone good or bad? Evaluate and reflect on them†¦ A. There are 4 key components of attachment which are Safe Haven, Secure Base, Proximity Maintenance and Separation Distress. John Bowlby used the word attachment so children could experience bonding with more than one person. He was one of the first people to recognise the needs of babies and young children and a strong relationship with their careers. Attachment is about parents being available to meet their child’s needs and being aware of security within their children. He said that bonds which are formed at a young age have a huge impact on children throughout their lives. Babies and young children who do not have bonds or find it difficult creating bond with other people may find it hard to form relationships in their later life, but he suggested that is was important for babies and young children to have some form of attachment or bond with their mother Mary Ainsworth also looked at attachment working alongside with John Bowlby. She is also a theorist who also looks at attachment in young children. Mary Ainsworth looked at how babies reacted when they were left with a complete stranger then being back with their parents again. This links in with behaviour attachment.

Anti-Italian American Prejudice and Discrimination

Anti-Italian American Prejudice and Discrimination Mezzogiorno Nearly three-fourths of all Italian immigrants to the United States came from the southernmost provinces of Italy. Known as Il Mezzogiorno, it was the country’s most impoverished region, with the illiteracy rate at a staggering 70 percent in 1900, and longstanding oppression from Italy’s Northern-dominated government. Southern Italian economy relied on agriculture, but natural disasters of volcano eruptions and earthquakes in the early 20th century devastated what little cultivatable land there was (Mintz, 2007). Unable to sustain tolerable living conditions, most became migrant workers. Between the years of 1876 and 1924, nearly 5 million Italians arrived in the United States (Pozzetta, 2008). About one-fourth remained in New York City, while more than half settled in the middle Atlantic states and New EnglandMany Italian immigrants had no plans of establishing permanent homes in the United States. Most were young men who left behind their wives and childr en with hopes of brief absence-they would find employment, collect their pay, and return home. They lived prudently in conditions that were regarded as intolerable by ordinary American families (Mintz, 2007). Commonly working unskilled jobs in construction and public development, roughly half of the Italian immigrant population in the early 1900’s was made up of manual laborers (Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia, 2009). Although the United States appealed to emigrating Italians as the best prospective destination to find work, Gambino (2002) asserts that American industry sought immigrants to replace the emancipated slave class. Many Italian immigrants in the North took positions in sweatshops and factories, while others were recruited to work on Southern plantations where slave labor had since been abolished (LaGumina, 1999). However, those in larger urban areas often found dominance in skilled artisan trades they had once practiced in Italy, such as shoemaking, tailorin g, and barbering (Pozzetta, 2008). Though still generally confined to a lower class, many Italian immigrants found solidarity in highly concentrated ethnic neighborhoods (Mangione & Morreale, 1993). Little Italies The emergence of â€Å"Little Italies† was prompted in large part by the intolerance and hostility that Italian immigrants faced in mainstream American society (Pozzetta, 2008). A working class minority that was defined by some as â€Å"not quite white† (Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia, 2009), or the â€Å"missing link† between black and white (Borsella, 2005), they often faced discrimination in housing opportunities. Italian immigrants themselves were slow to seek assimilation because traditionally, la famiglia (the family) and l’ordine della famiglia (the rules of behavior and responsibility to the family) came before any affiliation with a larger-scale community (Mintz, 2007). This resistance began to fade as subsequent generations stra yed from the strict codes of their parents. With the dawn of World War II, more than 500,000 Italian Americans served in the U.S. military, proving to many that their loyalties to the country were strong. By the 1950’s it seemed that Italian immigrants, now secure in identifying as Italian Americans, had found a true home in the United States (Pozzetta, 2008). Anti-Italian prejudice however, though less pronounced, still endured. Dating back to the early 20th century and the apex of the group’s immigration, society and popular culture have attached a number of stereotypes to Italian Americans. Arguably the most distinctive stereotype is that of association with La Cosa Nostra, or the American Mafia (Pozzetta, 2008). Released in 1972, the critically-acclaimed and wildly popular film The Godfather became the archetype of Hollywood’s â€Å"Mafia movie† industry, depicting Italian Americans as ruthless criminals, a label that had long vilified their ethnic id entity. Many Italian Americans, after having fought the stereotype for decades, came to embrace the Mafia image that had captivated American moviegoers and provided a highly profitable new avenue for filmmakers. The 1990’s introduced the film Goodfellas (1990) and the television series The Sopranos (1999), both of which reinforced the hardcore gangster image (Borsella, 2005). Other predominant Italian American stereotypes in film and television often still include the feisty young woman with a taste for gaudy fashion, the lovable womanizer, and the overweight matriarch with excessive jewelry and a pot of spaghetti (Pozzetta, 2008).

Management of Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management of Quality - Essay Example This compelled the organization to reinforce the quality of the process that every step. A consultant was hired who recommended the use of bespoke quality management in the organization that will facilitate in incorporating major quality improvement programs (Nobel 2011; Kuballa 2007; Kanji 1995). This was a top down approach in which the significant projects were identified and were controlled by trained team. It is quite significant for the senior management to implement bespoke quality management system with instructive and constructive quality management that allows the employees to contribute towards the improvement of the organizational functions. Quality management should not be procedural like for instance the ideas that are brought by the employees should be turned down by the managers. In the top down approach of quality management, the effort made towards the quality development is cascaded down to other levels of the organization. In the top down approach of quality manag ement the senior level managers are only involved. The top down approach has certain advantages that are discussed below: In the top down approach the senior management is involved, which signifies quality management is a time taking process and senior management will be aware of it. This will make the availability of time and financial resources for the process. Any changes in the organization require proper mentoring from the senior officials. In this method the employees will get proper monitoring from the higher officials. Figure 1: Top down Approach Sources: (Author’s Creation) However, this method is not free from limitations. The primary limitation in this method is: Unnecessary delay is caused if the senior officials are not fully operational related to the changes in the quality management required. Enhancing the quality process requires use of different techniques and tools. It also requires interaction of the top management with the middle management on an everyday basis, which is unrealistic, and counterproductive (Schiller, Kovach and Miller 1994). The employees who are directly dealing with the process are seen to possess better knowledge as compared to the members of the top management. Thus, they can implement the quality changes better. Quality management system was implemented by the organization in the second stage. It is the system in which both the quality objectives and policies required to achieve those objectives are decided (Williams and Buswell 2003). The main advantage of this system is that it involves the officials of the top management and the employees from every level. This signifies the involvement of all the people from different levels of the organization. The problems in this system is that it requires a high amount of effort and documentation, often focuses on third party certification rather than business improvement and hinders business if it is self-fulfilling (OECD 2001). Figure 2: Quality Management system Sourc e: (Author’s Creation) Answer 2: A Quality management system (QMS) is a management technique that is used to communicate with the employees regarding how they can produce the desired quality of services and products. Along with this, it also looks at influencing the employee action related to the quality specification in completion of the task. There are two types of quality managemen

Situations Where Investors Do Not Diversify Assignment

Situations Where Investors Do Not Diversify - Assignment Example A diversified portfolio of investments, however, facilitates, distributing the risk factors across a number of securities issued by different firms. Therefore, if there are losses earned on a particular stock, it can be easily compensated by the profits earned on other stocks (Medo, Yeung & Zhang 2009). Investors are seen to diversify their portfolio by including not only common stock but also bonds and cash. Investing in stock is considered to be less risk induced than investing in debt securities. However, investments in stock do not yield fixed rates of return. The returns obtained from stock or the dividend earned depends upon the residual earnings of the firm. If a firm’s profits are high, it is likely that the returns are high. Since organizations operate in a complex business environment, it is difficult to predict the profits earned by a firm accurately. Considering such factors, investors find it risky to invest in common stock only (Loutskina & Strahan, 2011). Most i nvestors prefer including debt and other forms of borrowings in their portfolio. The advantage of including debt securities is that it facilitates fixed rates of returns. Investments made in cash are usually considered as a short-term reserve. Such investments can be liquidated easily. Usually, investors are seen to invest in money market securities so that they can be used in the state of emergencies. It is also important to understand that asset allocation and portfolio diversification are closely related. A diversified portfolio gets created through the allocation of assets (Goldstein & Pauzner, 2004). Diversification is required to be planned and approached with caution. Investors are normally seen to refrain from having a diversified portfolio during times when the market is highly volatile and there are risks associated with liquidity. Under such circumstances, investors avoid investing in debt and prefer common stock only. Hence, there is no limited diversification.  

Business Model Generation Canvas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Model Generation Canvas - Essay Example so taking the utmost care to see to it that there is absolute visualization of the business model so created and the templates of the business model has got nine templates that fits very well for the better understanding and the due contribution from each of the participant. This type of Business model canvas can very well be formatted in a very large way depending on the number of participants and so even a very large number of the business participants can very well participate together and jointly contribute together towards the success of the business model canvas. Most of the people who participate in this joint exercise can very well contribute their own ideas and sketch down whatever they feel towards turning the business concern towards the success. Thus this Business Model Generation Canvas is a very powerful tools that can very well force business people to really undergo the process of first understand the problems of the business and then start the discussion process and finally create very useful and readily applicable ideas that can very well be applied to real time business problems. Thus as a final step it helps in the analysis of the business problems and gathers the ideas and the views of the different people participating in the business discussion. This kind of business canvas will very well help the business establishments in reaching and also setting new goals for the organization. This kind of model really challenges the business people to really think about the ways by which they can develop new and innovative business ideas which can very well satisfy the business goals of an organization that would very well satisfy and serve the business interests of its creators. This kind of business canvas is very well suited for any type of business organization be it a large or a small organization and this very well enhances the business capability of the organizations under consideration thus becoming a very important tool that could very well

In what ways does the newspaper media presentation of young black men Essay

In what ways does the newspaper media presentation of young black men affect the self perception of the young people themselves - Essay Example Similarly, the entertainment media have willingly received their prompt from the members of the press, and these inaccurate representations not merely shape race relations but also generate a self-fulfilling prophecy for young black males, whose limitations of achievement can be fixed for them by presentations in the media (Johnson, Adams, Hall, & Ashburn 1997). A widespread stereotype about young black males is that they take part in substance abuse in uneven numbers. Other widespread detrimental stereotypes portrayed in mass media involve the young black male as a drug addict and criminal; there is also a persistent depiction of the young black male intellectually inadequate (Larson 2005). An individual who carries the dishonour of group membership should be equipped for its incapacitating consequences. Studies suggest that young black males are aware that they are denounced as being cognitively inadequate and that they go to school carrying a ‘burden of suspicion’ (Larson 2005: 42), as it is referred to as by psychologist Claude Steele. Such a burden can influence their achievement, attitudes, and perception of their selves (Larson 2005). Likewise, studies discovered that when college men are admonished that their group is regarded inferior at math, their academic performance may realise this prophecy (Markowitz & Jones-Brow n 2000). These stereotypes stay with stigmatised individuals regardless of their accomplishments or status. They should remain vigilant and put up with an extra burden that may impinge on their self-esteem, ambitions, and performance. These stereotypes have the capability of depriving them of their individuality and weaken their efforts to escape from stigmatised roles (Markowitz & Jones-Brown 2000). Even though Black news journalists and principal characters have been steadily growing in number, the significant majority of decision makers in the media remain

International Nurse Migration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Nurse Migration - Essay Example According to the research findings migration of nurses has been based on either individual contacts and motivation or opportunity. Planned recruitment of nurses internationally has been taking place, in the past decade period, developed nations recruiting nurses from developing nations and other developed nations. Additionally, developing nations are recruiting nurses from each other, especially within similar regions geographically. As a result of this statistics recruited health professionals from countries represent over a quarter of the nursing workforces of The U.S, Canada, Australia and the U.K. The reasons for migration of nurses is as a result of pull or push factors. Pull factors are factors that attract the nurse in the direction of another country. This includes; quality of life perceived to be better, career development, personal security, learning opportunities and better pay. Push factors are circumstances that drive a nurse to leave their country to search for greener pastures elsewhere. They include inadequate remunerations, lack of standard work equipment or facilities, career development options lacking and political instability in their country. The consequences of the pull or push factors leading to migration of nurses to other countries has dealt a huge blow in their countries of origin. More common is the brain drain which is experienced by donor countries that is the loss of personnel that is skilled and also loss of development in education due to human resources that are limited migrating elsewhere. (Awases, 2003). Also, migration of nurses threatens health globally since recruitment and hiring of nurses in developing countries leads to a vacuum in developing nations thus health services in such countries are compromised. Moreover, International migration by nurses undermines the capacity of countries to deal with regional, national and global commitments and also their individual development. The Commonwealth Code of Practice for the R ecruitment of Health Workers Internationally has discouraged greatly health workers recruitment from nations that experience shortages, and also due to the above negative consequences of health workers recruitment. Aiken, et. al (2004) agree, basing their argument on the fact that developing nations require to come up with their own workforce of nurses that are able to cater for their countries needs and ensure that those nurses are well compensated, and that they experience good working environment. Despite all the above negative consequences, there is a positive impact on the recruitment of nurses internationally. This includes economic benefits in relation to income remittance generation. These remittances are estimated to contribute over $70 billion globally to world economies. According to Buchan (2001), the negative consequences of international migration of nurses on donor countries are starting to get acknowledged, but they have not yet been fully dealt with. A balance shoul d be maintained between the push factors driving nurses to migrate, and the utilitarian concern on health of donor countries due to loss of scarce nurses. The Commonwealth Code of Practice for the Recruitment of Health Workers Internationally (2003) believes that for such a balance to be possible there must be a mutual benefit. That is minimization of compromise of the donor country by the importer country making an effort to provide help in the form of technology, training

High Paid CEOs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

High Paid CEOs - Essay Example Most of the CEOs get their pay with many components. These may include monthly salary, bonuses, stock options, and others. Quite often, when we look at the data regarding the compensation of CEOs, that data includes in itself the expected value of stock options, which is usually much higher than the current value and is set up the board of directors anticipating the performance of the company (Kay & Putten, pp. 59- 61, 2007). In addition, many CEOs have a considerable amount of their compensation in form of stock options and that is not liquid neither does the CEO walks away any morning with his stock options. Therefore, the liquid cash or variable salary that the CEOs receive is often much less than what we see and hear through various sources (The Economist, 2010). Most critics of the CEO pay often forget that like any other employee of the company, the pay of the CEO is decided by looking at his job description, the sensitivity of his job, the authority, task significance and the risk associated with it. Quite understandably, the job of a CEO is tricky and a risky one because history has witnessed revolutions in companies due to great CEOs and destruction of many companies as well due to incompetent. Besides, if we look this issue from the lens of a free market economist then this issue would cease to exist. These high salaries of CEOs are something, which the free market has come upon through market mechanisms and market driven forces (Beauchamp, Bowie & Arnold, pp. 158-159, 2008).

Accounting Changes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accounting Changes - Assignment Example Michael Ramos (2008) professional opined the primary reason for restatement is to present a more realistic picture of the company’s financial statement reports in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and accounting standards. The company’s plan to restate the financial statements generated a corresponding -35% decline in its sales figure. The company has been desperately using all its collection expertise to force one of its major clients, Sinovel Wind Group, to pay for its long overdue liabilities to American Superconductor. Sinovel is strategically located Chinese company. The financial statements were restated to reflect the adjustments on American Semiconductor’s results of business operations for the year 2010. The financial statement restatement precipitated to the reduction of the company’s revenues from U.S. $ 215.7 million to only U.S. $ 74.7 million for the year 2010. The restatement precipitated to the reduction of its 2011 1st quarter financial statement revenue from $360 million to only $307 million.... The restatement was overdue because the financial statements were originally prepared to present projected data that had to be adjusted. Specifically, American Superconductor had booked its sales before the revenues were received. Question 3. There are changes that American Superconductor is expected to introduce related to the company’s internal control and accounting principles as a result of the need to restate the company’s balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows. Orice Williams (2007) reiterated the changes are needed to comply with the stock exchange policy of ensuring public confidence is not reduced. The change includes the implementation of the new accounting data as a basis for the preparation of the next accounting period’s financial statements. The next accounting period will no longer take into consideration data which had not been included in the restated financial statements. The auditing and accounting officers must adopt the restated financial statement accounts for all future financial statements accounts in compliance with the financial accounting principle of consistency and understanding. Consistently prepared financial statements enable the users of the financial statements to compare and contrast financial statement data between two accounting periods. Management must explain the reason for accounting change as well as the effects of the accounting change to dispel any doubts among the financial statement users. For example, the users can scrutinize the difference in the revenues for 2010 and 2011. Question 4. John Tracy emphasized (2009) the restatement of the company’s leadership will cast doubts on the need to restate the financial statements. The trustworthiness

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina Essay Example for Free

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina Essay There are lots of effects which DotA brings to our society, to be particular, the youth. With no doubt this game is one of the hottest game in the market. In every Cyber Cafe you can see gamers stick with their screen and mouse and  keyboard, with their face that full of concentration and excitements finding ways to defeat their opposing team or enemies. Actually Computer games or DotA serves as a platform for youth to communicate. Teenagers who initislly don’t know each other can easily become friends through Computer games or playing DotA. Chapter I Introduction DotA effects have been continue for several years since the launch of the War of War Craft and the Frozen Throne. Almost every people especially the youth has played this game at the very beginning of the years. What is the content that DotA offers to the gamers? And how’s the excitements that brings towards the gamers. And you may ask a key question, how long will DotA effects last? The lifestyle of the youth who have been playing Computer Games especially DotA is affected by the game. There are both advantage and disadvantages for them. Let’s talkl about the advantages first. As one of the most playable games online, DotA can make the players become alert in the mental, They will also turn to be strategic and cooperative through computing the magic, damages, gold, physical reduction, present and other stuff, they will get more lore in mathematics. Thus the youth can also get some benefits on playing Computer games. Statement of the problem or Thesis Statement Why is Computer games or DotA so Addicting to Students? 1. A Time killer Boredom is the most common problem of most people today. DotA can consume a lot of time without you even noticing it . you just say after the game â€Å"WTF !, Im late !† 2. Non-exhasuting game Unlike basketball or other physical sports , you can play DotA until you can still mangae to sit, look at the monitor, use mouse and keyboard and think, Yes , using your is aslo tiring but it’ll takes an average of 3 games before you’d want to take a rest 3. Fame Source Most players want to be the best in this game to gain fame which I find natural but technically nonsense. I have to admit that thirst for fame drove me to practice and improve my game. After getting the fame I wanted, I asked myself â€Å"Now what?†. For players who don’t have plan on having DotA as their profession ,Fame isn’t that important. 4. Team work game When we were kids, we already love having team battles. That’s why a lot of team sports games cames up and multi-player computer games have been invented. Playing with teammates is more addicting than playing alone. 5. Tranquilizing DotA makes you forget your problems and make you think of simpler problems (like how to win the game) 6. Non violent war We love wars. That’s why there are shows like Wrestling, UFC ,Action films , etc. DotA is a chance to engage in wars safely. We can fight all day long and just stand up from our computer without even having a scratch on our face. 7. Easy to play Surveys shows that DotA is played by more people thatn other strategy like Starcraft. One of the reason is its simplicity. You only have to control one hero (great news for people who are not into doing micros.) 8. No height or physical disadvantages In basketball you cannot have a team composed of 5 short players. In Rugby , you should be muscular. In DotA you can be as thin and as short as you want and still own everyone. 9. Losing makes you thirsty to win On the other hand, losing is still addicting because you become more urge to have that wonderful feeling of winning. 10. Winning feels Good Yup, winning in every game makes you feel good and addicting. Background of the Study Significance of the study How to overcome DotA Addiction ? 1. Accept responsibility The problem lies within the individual, not within DotA. No attempt at beating addiction can succeed until the individual accepts its existence. 2. Identify the Impact How many hours a day do you spend playing DotA? Do you normally go out on the weekend?When was the last time you read a book?Identifying the negative impacts of the addiction will help you focus on positive improvements and getting back the things that you really are missing. 3. Avoid Blame Blaming others for problems that you alone must face does not solve the problems. 4. Set limits If you decide that you have 1 hour per day to spend playing DotA. Since DotA requires many hours of gameplay to have fun, you likely should consider a different game or different genre of games. 5. Stay positive Be positive whenever possible. While negative reinforcement is sometimes necessary, positive reinforcements will always go further in the end. What is DotA ? DotA is basically game expanded from version of War of War Craft, which initially a strategic game similar to Red Alert Series. But eventually evolved into current state. Gamers can play Dota in a Wide range ; from single player, local LAN, or LAN over internet connection with various country’s gamers. There contain variety of Heroes to be chosen as your character, There are many type of gaming modes , and different type of map for the game modes. There are lots of gamers who are more expert in the world of playing DotA . Chapter V Summary and Conclusion Summary and Conclusion We know that Playing computer games especially DotA brings bad effects to the students, they influenceed by the other gamers like â€Å"trash talks† they know how to gamble because they are playing DotA for â€Å"pustahan†. DotA really affects the lifestyle of the youth who are into this game, although it has one good benefit, but it corrupts the mind and the way the youth think. It also weakened the body system, money and moral values were not given importance because of this game.

HIPAA’s Pros and Cons Essay Example for Free

HIPAA’s Pros and Cons Essay HIPAA or what is known as the â€Å"Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996† has its pros and cons (United.., 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pros include the following:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   HIPAA guarantees dependability and promptness of â€Å"electronic patient health, administrative, and financial data† (HIPAA, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   HIPAA implements rules, policies, and standards that maintain the confidentiality and soundness/constancy of â€Å"individually identifiable health information covering the past, present, as well as, the future† (HIPAA, 2006). For instance, in case where an established institution needs an individual’s record, this individual is ensured that his or her personal information is safe with that institution (HIPAA, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cons, on the other hand, include the following:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   HIPAA negatively affects the access of clients to their medical records (United.., 2007). This is because information may be â€Å"pending† to those who have the right to get hold of it because of the penalties enforced (United.., 2007). This is also because of the fact several health care providers are unsure when it comes to the legalities of the Act (United.., 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   HIPAA also does not have a positive impact or effect on health research (United.., 2007). This is because of the fact that HIPAA limits or controls the researchers’ conscientiousness to carry out â€Å"retrospective, chart-based research† (United.., 2007). In addition to that, HIPAA restricts researchers to â€Å"prospectively assess patients by getting in touch with them for the purpose of follow-up† (United.., 2007). Not to mention of course that, in terms of, â€Å"informed consent† forms, wide-ranging and far-reaching detail on how confidentiality is safeguarded is necessitated making it more complicated for subjects to grasp before they could sign in, which usually ends in not signing at all because they do not know what they will be signing on (United.., 2007). References       United States Department of Health and Human Services. (2007). HIPAA. Retrieved December 5, 2007 from   http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/ HIPAA. (2006). Unsure How to Handle HIPAA? Retrieved December 5, 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.hipaa.org/

Loss Of Innocence Lord Of The Flies English Literature Essay

Loss Of Innocence Lord Of The Flies English Literature Essay The book lord of the flies was published in 1954 by the Nobel-prize winner William Golding during the period of the cold war and the atomic age but the book situates during the World War II that has happened some year before the publication aside from the fact that William Golding had participated during this war in the royal navy participating in the sinking of the German ship the Bismark and participating in the invasion of Normandy making more clear the way he puts the characters and how they change into more savage beings aside for stating his idea of how the culture the man creates fails showing the influence of the context at that time. The purpose of this extended essay from the novel The lord of the flies by William Golding is to show to what point the loss of innocence of the main characters of this novel that change from good educated kids to savage people when they get in a virgin island doing a lot of things that kids should not do, making the loss of innocence a progressive thing This topic was chosen because it is very important how people even children can change into a totally different kind of people especially in one characteristic which is present in all kids and that is the innocence.In this novel the innocence is one of the many characteristics that change but in this case it changes into a form of savagery that is not normal in children that came from the city but because of the circumstances it changes into that way. Abou the topic the loss of innocence I will talk about different points that will help to understand it as how this children were before lossing their innocence ,how they were when they loose it , the way they lose it and the pros and cons of this loos of innocence This extend essay will be divided in two. In the first part it will be seen the author , historical context, the influences of Wiliam Golding and his style of writting and in the second part a discussion of the loss of innocence that is present in the novel. We could generally get to realize that the kids of the novel were force because of their surrounding to become savage people and loss their innocence to stay alive in that deserted island by doing a lot of things that a kid would not normally do. Chapter I Context Biography of the author The author William Holding was born in his grandmother `s house in cornwall were he spent many childhood holiday there. He grew up at his family home in Marlborough Grammar School (1905 to retirement). His father Alec Golding, was a socialist and a teacher with a strong commitment to scientific rationalism, William and his elder brother Joseph study in the same school were their father taught. His mother Mildred was a woman that supported the moderate campaigners for female suffrage. In 1930 William went to Oxford university as an undergraduate at Brasenosed College where he study natural sciences for two year before moving to English literature Golding took his B.A second class in the summer of 1934, and later that year he wrote his first book named Poem, this book was published in London by Macmillan Co, through the help of his Oxford friend, the anthroposophist Adam Bittleson.Golding during all his life was an avid animal rights activist Golding married Ann Brookfield on 30 September 1939 and they had two children, their names were Judy and David. In 1985 Golding and his wife moved to Tullimaar House at Perranaworthal, near Truro,Cornwall, where he died of heart failure,8 years later, on 19 June 1993. He was buried in the village churchyard at South Wiltsshire (this place is near the Hampsire and Dorset country boundaries. He left the draft of a novel, the double tong, set in ancient Delphi, which was published later. Influences World war II changed thinking about mans essential nature, one of this man was him. Before the war people believed that man was essentially good-hearted and society was often evil. However, the atrocities of the war made it very difficult to many people to believe any longer in the supposedly good and innocent nature of human beings as the predominant part of people. You can see the influence of this shift in thinking in Goldings works. Some of Goldings favorite childhood authors were Edgar Rice Burroughs with Tarzan of the Apes, Robert Ballatyne with Coral island and Jules Verne with Twenty thousand leagues under the sea  [1]   Each of these books portrays man as a basically, normal good creature who struggles to avoid the evils of society. Golding yearned to be similar to the characters in the stories and fables he read They held me rapt, Golding once said of the books he read. I dived with the Nautilus, was shot round the moon, and crossed Darkest Africa in a balloon, descended to the center of the earth, drifted in the South Atlantic, dying of thirst. It always sent me indoors for a drink-the fresh waters of the Amazon.  [2]  When he was twelve Golding decided to be a writer. He planned a twelve-volume work on trade unions but he could never complete the enormous plan. As said before with his love for books and reading and his early attempts at writing, Golding of studied literature in college. The book was not considered a success at first, it was not until the 1960s, when it captured the attention of college and high school students that critics began to acknowledge Goldings talent. Even now there are differing opinions about the novel. Some believe Goldings writing is bombastic and didactic, that he does not allow you to have any opinion but his. Other critics see him as the greatest English writer of our time. You will find that part of the fun of his book lies in deciding for yourself what you think. Golding has continued to write in spite of the controversy over his work. It would seem that the criticism, rather than frightening him, only challenges him to continue writing. In the same way, Golding challenges readers to think about what he considers most important: the true nature of human beings. The three novels that followed Lord of the FliesThe Inheritors, Pincher Martin, and Free Fallbrought him more success, while the controversy over his talent, or lack of it, continued. Eventually Golding stopped teaching to write full time. In 1983 Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.  [3]   When World War II began in 1939, Golding joined the Royal Navy. He saw action against German warships, he was in antisubmarine and antiaircraft operations, and in 1944 he was involved in the D-Day naval support for the landings on the beaches of Normandy. He continued to read the classics even as he acquired a reputation for loving tense combat. And his war experiences changed his view about mankinds essential nature. Because of the atrocities he witnessed, Golding came to believe that there was a very dark and evil side to man.  [4]  The war, he said was unlike any other fought in Europe. It taught us not fighting, politics or the follies of nationalism, but about the given nature of man.  [5]  After the war Golding returned to teaching in a boys school, which may explain why the characters in Lord of the Flies seem so real. Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon, and the other boys are based on the faces and voices of children Golding knew. Thus his reading of the classics, his war expe rience, and his new insight into humanity laid the groundwork for his writing. His first three novel were very much alike the novels he read and he call them as rubbish imitations, these novel have never been published. His fourth novel was Lord of the flies, and when it was finally accepted for publication in 1954, it had been turned down by a lot of publisher around twenty of them In his writing style it can be seen that it is exiting and fast- moving with a lot of aspects that is shown in it, one of them is the length of the sentences depending in the situation, he use long sentences if he wants to move slowly, this sentences are deliberately use to slows the reader ´s pace so that the reader feels relax and to do not expect some of the things that are coming next in the story. This is done to make a sensation of surprise in the reader. On the other side he uses short sentences to make the story impacting as he uses them when something important and shocking is happening in the the story in other words a moment of tension. There is also the use of symbols, this symbols, the majority of them are objects that are in the nature each of them meaning something important as justice or violence. Aside from this he is an author that writes with a great control over sensitivity as he writes the deaths of animals or people in very descriptive and gruesome way as he w as a person that saw the horrors of war, he also like to do the mirror technique as he like to contrast the thing that are shown with opposite words as dark and light, isolation and friendship. Finally he like the use of imagery to enhance the situation to make it more clear to the reader of what is going on. Chapter 2: There are many evident themes in the book the lord of the flies by William Golding. One of the most evident themes trough the novel would be the loss of innocence. It is shown as the story progresses that the innocence of the children is disappearing as the education they received is only a way to maintain the real essence of man that is evil. Because of the lack of civilization an education in the island where the children are trapped the become violent, cruel and primitive showing the real essence of man that the author likes to use in his novels. The loss of innocence is evident in most characters of The Lord of The Flies. But first of all this means that this characters at a timet hey were innocent, this can be seen in the first chapters of the of the book when it is said that this children, Ralph and the others, were good sons and daughters , that they studied in a private school ,they liked to play that they were part of the high society meaning that they had money , as part of the high society in England they were children that were teach with good manners for example, to drink a cup of coffe in the afternoon.All of this meant that they were very educated children that will always do the correct thing nad that they would not hurt anyone but, when the accident with the plain occur that leads them to crush within a virgin island this changed in a progressive a notorious way as the the time passed by because this savagery was needed to survive within the islands there were no easy things to get as in the civilization were th ey only had to ask for the things to they parents as most children an in contrast in the island thy were by themselves trying to survive so they had to hunt animal to eat making a huge contrast in the behavior they had in the civilization and the behavior they had to have in the island, as the children that were portraded swimming in the lagoon in Chapter 3 that when crushed in the island they only wanted to be rescue that turned The painted savages in Chapter 12 who have hunted, tortured, and killed animals and human beings and that now they do not want to be rescued anymore.The autor, William Golding, as a man that hated war is trying to show with this that civilization can not delete the evil nature of the human being that it is shown in the worst moments of the life of the man and that this civilization can only hide and control this evil side that all man have. The process of innocnece degradation can be seen in the spar between Jack and Ralph appears to be constantly stirring. It occurs in the begging of the novel with the election of Ralph as chief all the way to the hunting of pigs. It seems that all Jack wants to do is hunt and kill even before they have any shelter to protect them from the elements. For example in chapter 3 it was said by Jack, We want meat (pg 54). Jack says this on more than one occasion. It is also evident that the boys are becoming more and more savage. For example in chapter eight during the successful hunt of a pig Jack says, Pick up the pig. , This head is for the beast referring to the sows head (pg 137). The head of the pig was impaled upon a spear through the ground as an offering for the beast. Towards the end of the novel it has become self-evident that the innocence of the boys has been completely lost. It at one point had gotten so bad that instead of hunting for food for the necessity of food, human bein gs were killed. For example, in chapter 11 a young boy named Roger, a sadist, rolled a boulder down a hill during a feud and killed piggy. Another example of loss of innocence can be provided in chapter 10 where Simon goes to tell the boys of the real beast while the boys are in a chant screaming, Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill His Blood!. Simon is stabbed with a spear and dies. Society is a key element lacking in The Lord Of The Flies causing the new erratic behavior among the boys. The boys in lord of the flies were unable to retain the much-needed innocence to preserve peace amongst the boys. The ideal supervision and stability of the grown-up world that was lacking caused the instability among the boys and the epitome of the downfall of innocence of mankind at its most primitive state with a huge contrast of what the children were before and what they are now, as when Ralph is first introduced, he is acting like a child, splashing in the water, mocking Piggy, and laughing. He tells Piggy that he is certain that his father, a naval commander, will rescue him, a conviction that the reader understands as the wishful thinking of a little boy. Ralph repeats his belief in their rescue throughout the novel, shifting his hope that his own father will discover them to the far more realistic premise that a passing ship will be attracted by the signal fire on the island. By the end of the novel, he has lost hope in the boys rescue altogether. The progression of Ralphs c haracter from idealism to pessimistic realism expresses the extent to which life on the island has eradicated his childhood. Also you can see that there is a lot of symbolism that represents the loss of innocence as in the island is coded in the early chapters as a kind of paradise, with idyllic scenery, fresh fruit, and glorious weather. Yet, as in the Biblical Eden, the temptation toward corruption is present: the younger boys fear a snake-thing. The snake-thing is the earliest incarnation of the beast that, eventually, will provoke paranoia and division among the group. It also explicitly recalls the snake from the Garden of Eden, the embodiment of Satan who causes Adam and Eves fall from grace. The boys increasing belief in the beast indicates their gradual loss of innocence, a descent that culminates in tragedy. We may also note that the landscape of the island itself shifts from an edenic space to a hellish one, as marked by Ralphs observation of the ocean tide as an impenetrable wall, and by the storm that follows Simons murder. Altought the lack of moral during thier actions is a bad thing , this has pros and cons the pros is that this help them to survive in the island since there is no place to be a educated and a formal man becouse if you are this way there you will get killed an eat by a wild animal or by other things so in a way here applies the survival of the fittest as a principal law to survive, the advantage of the lack of moral in that place is that they will not feel guilty for the killings of animals or people since you need to eat but on the same side the cons of this is that they will lose all social skills, and civilizad ways they have learn trought their lives, in case they are rescued and bring back to the city this will not permit them to have a normal live there as they adapted all to the island.So in way this lack of moral helps them but at the sametime it puts them on danger. Conclusion: In conclusion the loss of innocence is an evident theme trought the novel the lord of the flies of William Golding that is shown throught this characters in an progressive way as the lack of moral that brings down the innocence makes them do horrible things as cannibalism and other things that are worst as the time passes, but aside form the fact that this brings their moral down, this have advantages that helps them to survive in this chaotic situation full of danger. With this the author William Golding tries to show that no matter who you are or what your education you have recieved because when people are in a difficult moment of their lives ,their evil side appears losing all the civiliziced way of behaving as this part is always present in all human people despite their social-economic class , this idea of the human society that the author has is the result of his experiences of war as he presenced killing and other horrible things throught this stage of his life changing his way of seeing things into a pessimistic view of people as he probably did in war things that he is not proud of because this situation makes people change his way of thinking and do things that they would not normally do. This topic could bring new investgiation in the possible future ,in the same book, about the savagery vs civilization, this topic is related in a great way about the loss of innocence since it is about the conflict beteween the impulses that exist in all human beings one of them the instinct to live in a peacefull way by following rules and the other being to act in a violent and animalistic way to survive and to gain supremacy over other people.

Captivity Narratives - Our Nig and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson

Captivity Narratives - Our Nig and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson  Ã‚   Our Nig; or Sketches from the life of a Free Black and   A Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson   Harriet Wilson’s and Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narratives have three things in common.   First, they have a theme of sustaining faith in God throughout their trials.   Secondly, they portray their captors as savages.   Finally, they all demonstrate the isolation felt by the prisoner.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Our Nig: or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black by Harriet Wilson is the story of a Northern girl, born into an interracial family and later abandoned by her parents, forcing her to become the servant of the Bellmont Household. After Mary, Mrs. Bellmont’s daughter falls into a stream, Frado must endure a horrific beating by both women.   â€Å"No sooner was he out of sight than Mrs. B. and Mary commenced beating her unhumanly, then propping her mouth open with a piece of wood, shut her up in a dark room, without any supper.† (Wilson, 34-35).   Yet Frado is able to continually endure the wrath and violence of Mrs. Bellmont.   â€Å"But, Frado, if you will be a good girl, and love and serve God, it will be but a short time before we are in a heavenly home together.   There will never be any sickness or sorrow there.† (Wilson, 95). As she is continually tortured, Frado finds salvation through her faith, thus allowing her to survive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mary Rowlandson’s A Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson displays this same theme as well.   The Narragansett Indians took Rowlandson and her children captive.   â€Å"All was gone, my Husband gone (at least separated from me, he being in the Bay, and to add to my grief, the Indians told me they ... ...ile Wilson’s novel exposed the savage treatment of â€Å"free† blacks in the North prior to the civil war. Works Cited American Authors. http://www.gonzaga.edu/faculty/campbell/enl311/aufram.html (October 28, 1999). Harriss, Sharon M. â€Å"Introduction to Mary Rowlandson.† The Heath Anthology of American   Literature. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1988. Lauter, Paul, Ed. 340-342. Rowlandson, Mary. â€Å"A Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson."   The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983. 343-366. Wilson, Harriet. Our Nig; or Sketches from the life of a Free Black. New York: Vintage Books,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1983.    "In [a captivity narrative] a single individual, usually a woman, stands passively under the strokes of evil, awaiting rescue by the grace of God.† – Richard Slotkin.     

bchs football :: essays research papers

In 1957, many important events occured. Possibly the most important was, the launching of Sputnik 1, the first satellite sent into space, on October 4, 1957 by the country of Russia. This event left many American's shocked and surprised, that it was possible to send something into space successfully. Four months after the launch of Sputnik 1, America launches Explorer 1 the first U.S. satellite, this sparked the beginning of the space race. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends federal troops to Little Rock, Ak, to ensure the integration of Central High School. He also signs the Eisenhower Doctrine, promising that the United States would resist all Communist aggression in the Middle East. This year is also the year the frisbee and the hula hoop are introduced. The Boeing 707 passenger jet makes its innaugural flight this year as well. In Disneyland, the "House of Tomorrow" opened its doors to the public. In the music industry Rock & Roll as well as Doo Wop, made their statements to the world. Elvis became the king of Rock & Roll after releasing two hit singles Jailhouse Rock and All Shook Up. Buddy Holly and the Crickets released their single That'll Be The Day. Other career musicians who made their mark during this year include: Johnny Mathis, Paul Anka, The Everly Brothers, and Sam Cooke. American Bandstand goes coast to coast on August 5, 1957, after being a local Philadelphia show since 1952. In '57 Elvis made another big impression on the country besides with his music, this was the year his first movie opened it was called Love Me Tender. The same year a twenty-two year old unknown Michael Landon has the starring role in the B- movie I Was A Teenage Werewolf. As all this stuff was going on in the world, Coach Don Wilson of Bolivar, Tn was getting ready for a new season of good old highschool

Free College Admissions Essays: A Time of Growth :: College Admissions Essays

A Time of Growth    After months of waiting, I found out that I was one of the few individuals selected for a public-health internship at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland.    I arrived in Geneva at the end of May, and began my internship at that time. On my way to work I passed by the United Nations complex, the International Red Cross and Crescent Museum, and many other international edifices. As I strolled into the World Health Organization for the first time, I was in disbelief, the WHO is the epitome of the health arena.    Public Health itself is, of course, extremely interesting to me, but more specifically one personally intriguing area is Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). I worked all summer in the department of STI Surveillance and Epidemiology. My specific project was to redesign and create a new global database for the surveillance of STIs. I completed my project and gave a presentation. I also created a CD-Rom to instruct new users on the details of the database, and a Microsoft Power Point version print out is included in this summary. In addition to the tremendous amount of knowledge I attained specifically while working on my project, I also gained vast experience in the complete functioning of a mass public health structure and international health issues. My co-workers and I easily established a professional relationship and soon became friends. I was invited into their lives and homes as they opted to share their food and culture with me.    Throughout my time abroad I also made the most of the opportunity to explore Europe. My WHO supervisors were very receptive and encouraging of my desire to travel. I had the opportunity to travel to various places in Italy, Spain, France, Monaco, and Switzerland.

Links Between Hr Strategy/Policy and National/Organizational Culture

2. Explain the links between HR strategy/policy and national/organizational culture. Recent research suggests that the management of human resources has become increasingly important for business success. Employees are said to be one of the most valuable assets to an organization; as a result the effective management of these employees is essential. Management literature has had a tendency to associate human resource management (HRM) with firm performance. It is this link which has been the underlying cause for the abundance of research regarding HRM practices and their effects on a firm.However, there is a substantial debate within the literature that argues that HRM practices do not directly impact organizational performance (Boxall & Purcell, 2000), with claims that there is a missing link between the two. In regards to this ‘black box’ the concept of organizational culture has emerged. It is said that organizational culture is manifested in the behavior of its employ ees (Ngo & Loi, 2008), and is entrenched in the everyday working lives of cultural members (Martin, 2004).Culture is claimed to affect employee’s job attitudes, efficiency and productivity (Mahal, 2009), and can impact the ability to carry out an organizations plans and meet strategic goals (Chan, Shaffer & Snape, 2004). With these assertions, organizational culture could in fact influence a firm’s productivity and their overall performance. This paper examines the relationship between HRM, organizational culture and firm performance. The next section of this paper defines and explains the organizational culture concept.I then investigate the relationship between HRM and organizational culture by exploring the overarching themes which emerge from the literature regarding this link. Finally, I explore the relationship between HRM, organizational culture and firm performance. The Link between HRM and Organizational Culture Previous literature has identified and focused a round two common sources of organizational culture: (1) founders of the organization, and (2) national culture. Barney (1986) claimed that firms are historically bound. In line with Schein (2004) he argued that a firm’s culture reflects the unique personality of its founders.Along with these unique personalities a number of scholars have alleged that culture originates in the values and assumptions articulated by top management, which in turn, play an important role in shaping cultural views and employee’s behaviours (Chew & Sharma, 2005; Mahal, 2009). These values are then reinforced in a number of ways. Smircich (1983) articulated that top managers mould organizational cultures, and thus the values and beliefs held by employees, to suit their strategic ends; in turn the corporate culture should reflect the vision of the firm (Ngo & Loi, 2008).Values are also reiterated in hiring employees with similar priorities to top management as well as thoroughly socializing new employees to elicit those desired behaviours (Martin, 2004). Furthermore, national culture plays a prevailing role in shaping organizational culture. National culture refers to the culture specific to a national group (Chew & Sharma, 2005), and is entrenched deeply within individual’s everyday lives. These ingrained values will subconsciously affect how management practices are both carried out and received in an organization, and therefore how employee’s will behave within the firm (Chew & Sharma, 2005).Consequently, acompany’s culture is said to be linked to the founders of the organization and the values which they demonstrate, as well as the National culture in which the organization was first founded. A third relationship has begun to emerge out of management literature. There have been claims by a number of scholars (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004; Cabrera & Bonache, 1999; Lau & Ngo, 2004; Wilkins,1984) that organizational culture is related to HRM and the human r esource practices which are implemented by the organization.HRM has become an increasingly important activity within an organization. Its function is to attract, develop, motivate and retain employee’s who ensure the effective functioning of the organization (Jackson & Schuler, 1995). Relatively little is known about the link between organizational culture and HRM, as few empirical studies testing this relationship have been conducted (Platonova, 2005). However, a few overarching themes emerge from the literature regarding this HRM-culture relationship. HRM Practices Influence Organizational CultureWithin the HRM-organizational culture link lays a belief that firm’s HRM practices will motivate employees to adopt certain attitudes and behaviours, and will therefore elicit a certain corporate culture (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004; Cabrera & Bonache, 1999; Chow & Liu, 2009; Lau & Ngo, 2004; Ngo & Loi, 2008; Wilkins, 1984). One of the earliest views on this HRM-organizational cul ture link was from Peters (1978), who suggested that management systems (e. g. HRM systems) could be thought of as mechanisms to transmit values and beliefs of the organization which, as a result, help to shape its character.With organizational culture comprising a range of social phenomena there are certain situations in which organizational norms are not the result of shared values among employees; rather, they are determined by the rules and practices an organization implements (Cabrera & Bonache, 1999). Tichy (1983) thought that the way in which HRM systems are designed can communicate important and useful information about the organizations culture to employees. Schwartz & Davis (1981) also argued that HR practices provide information to employees.They convey standardized information to employees about expected patterns of activity and acceptable behaviours which allow the firm to achieve its objective. Lewicki (1981) argues that HRM practices answer three questions for employe es, providing information to staff about the acceptable behaviours: (1) what does the organization expect from its employees? (2) What kind of behaviour does the organization reward? And (3) what are the dos and don’ts of proper social conduct within the system? (p. 8). Ulrich (1984) iterates this view using an example of socialization programs.Her belief is that socialization and induction programs play a significant role in transmitting corporate culture to individuals entering into the organization. They ensure that acceptable behaviours and cultural norms are passed down to new employees, thus keeping organizational culture consistent. It is through this shared information as well as the experiences of employees that behavioural norms are established, thus becoming the means through which culture is created and sustained within the firm.Building on the HRM-organizational culture link, Ulrich (1984) advocates that procedures and practices implemented by HR executives becom e rituals within the company. Ulrich deems rituals to be customary and repeated actions within a firm. They take on a meaning within the organization. As we identified earlier, rituals are a symbolic tool in which values are manifested. These rituals, which include evaluation and reward procedures, help guide the behaviour of employee’s as they establish boundaries and behavioural norms within the firm.Wilkins (1984) asserts a different view; that HR systems can create career paths for employees as well as groupings of people who remain in the firm for a long enough time for a company culture to form. This outlook suggests that firms can implement HR practices that foster job security and internal career development in order to keep turnover low, and maintain those social phenomena that comprise organizational culture (values, beliefs, norms, assumptions) within the organization, and therefore forming a strong organizational culture.While a number of scholars claim that HRM p ractices lead to organizational culture, few studies have been conducted on the relationship. Lau and Ngo (2004) studied 332 firms HR and organizational development practices in Hong Kong. The board purpose of this study was to explore the link between culture, HR systems and outcomes. The research found that HR practices which emphasize training, performance based reward as well as team development help to create an organizational culture that promotes innovation.Organizational culture was said to play a mediation role between the HR system and the firm’s outcomes. That is, the HR practices implemented by the firm had an effect on the organizational culture, which in turn had a direct impact on employee’s behaviours and outcomes. This study demonstrated that a company’s culture was significant in affecting employee’s outcomes; regardless, the culture needs to be supported by an HR system that elicits those behaviours needed to achieve the desired outcome s.High Commitment Management Practices Influence Organizational Cultures Following on from the view that human resource practices can influence employee’s behaviour is an argument that only certain practices will be beneficial to an organization’s culture. Corporate culture will only be an advantage when it is seen as appropriate in order to achieve a certain objective or organizational goal (Chow & Liu, 2009); not all practices will elicit an appropriate culture.High Commitment Management (HCM), or best practice, is a theory that has outlined a number of HRM practices which are believed to help a firm achieve competitive success from its workforce (Pfeffer, 1995). It is a common held belief within the literature that â€Å"systems of high commitment HR practices increase organizational effectiveness by creating conditions where employees become highly involved in the organization and work hard to accomplish the organization’s goals (Whitener, 2001, p. 516).Pfe ffer (1998), the founder of best practice, believed that there were seven core practices which characterized the most successful organizations: employment security; selective hiring of new personnel; self managed teams; high compensation contingent on organizational performance; extensive training; reduced status distinction and barriers; and extensive sharing of information throughout the organization. When implemented these practices would lead to high levels of job satisfaction, retention and motivation of employee’s, which in turn influence a firm’s effectiveness and performance.It is thought that these HCM practices shape work force attitudes and values by framing employee’s perceptions of what the organization is like and help to influence their relationship with the organization. Employee behaviours and attitudes are said to reflect their perceptions and expectations about the organization; their behaviours respond to the treatment they receive from the f irm (Whitener, 2001). Accordingly, HCM practices are said to act as a culture embedding mechanism (Hartog & Verburg, 2004), playing an important role in reinforcing certain behaviours within employees and therefore shaping corporate culture.Kerr & Slocum (1987) demonstrate this relationship. They state that some organizations have cultures emphasizing the value of teamwork and security. These values foster loyalty to the organization and give employees a long term commitment. They iterate that other organizations consist of cultures which emphasize personal initiative and individual rewards. These values reinforce norms where organizational members do not promise loyalty and where the company does not provide job security. These authors point out that the practices, specifically HCM practices implemented by an organization, bring out certain behaviours from employees.For that reason, a firm can manipulate its culture by implementing practices which foster the behaviours they want to achieve from employees, and those behaviours that will help the company achieve their strategic goals. A small number of studies have been conducted exploring the relationship between certain best practices and organizational culture. In her study of 170 individuals views on compensation systems, Kuhn (2009) found that a bonus being rewarded on the basis of individual outcomes, compared to team or organizational performance led to the organizational culture being regarded as relatively more individualistic.Sheridan’s (1992) longitudinal study of 904 college graduates hired in six public accounting firms found that the firm’s organizational culture had a significant effect of the retention rates of these employees. Those firms that had a culture fostering the interpersonal relationship values of teams and respect for people stayed 14 months longer than those hired in firms whose culture emphasized the work task values of detail and stability. These two examples, in whi ch both show the implementation of HCM or best practice, illustrate that organizational culture is contingent upon the HRM practices implemented.Practices will elicit different behaviours from employees. In addition claims are made that these behaviours will facilitate or hinder performance and efficiency within a company. Strategy Shapes HRM Practices which in turn Shape Organizational Culture In accordance with the view that HRM/HCM practices influence organizational culture, employee’s behaviours are said to be indirectly affected through a company’s strategy (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004; Chow & Liu, 2009).The term Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) has emerged within recent management literature to cover the relationship between a firm’s strategy and their HRM system. This perspective of HRM is commonly seen as comprising integrated functions which are linked to organizational strategy (Macky, 2008). The guiding logic behind this view is that a firmâ€℠¢s human resource practices must, â€Å"develop employees’ skills, knowledge and motivation such that employees behave in ways that are instrumental to the implementation of a particular strategy† (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004, p. 05). Given a certain strategic goal, a set of HRM practices should be implemented to help the organization attain these goals. Different business strategies will therefore require the implementation of a varied set of HRM practices in order to elicit certain behaviours from employees’. Attention should be paid to designing an HR system that is best able to link the desired culture and business strategy. For innovation-oriented firms, HR must implement innovation-enhancing practices to obtain the desired behaviours associated with innovation (Lau & Ngo, 2004).With strategy affecting HRM practices, culture is indirectly affected. This culture will be an asset for an organization if it encourages the behaviours that support the organizations int ended strategy (Cabrera & Bonache, 1999). Organizational Cultures Influence HRM Practices There is a belief, held by a small number of scholars, which challenges the previous, more widely accepted view that HRM practices (and HCM practices) influence organizational culture. While this view appears within some industrial psychology literature, it is a less common perspective among management scholars.These scholars find that prominent core values within an organizational culture have a strong influence on management practices and in shaping HRM systems (Ferris et al. , 1998; Aycan, Kanungo, & Sinha, 1999). This view asserts that firstly values and other social phenomena form within the organization, while HRM practices occur because of the organizational culture already entrenched within the firm. The social context model, developed by Ferris et al. (1998) claims that the attitudes, beliefs, and values which make up the corporate culture drive the development of HRM policies, practic es, and systems.These scholars profess that a well-defined culture within a firm should drive the development of consistent HRM policies, as employees values are reflected in the formation of these policies. Furthermore, these policies should drive the design of a set of mutually supporting and integrated HRM practices which form a cooperative system. Bowen and Ostroff (2004) expand on this view. They allege that organizational assumptions and values shape HRM practices, which, in turn reinforce cultural norms and routines which shape individuals performance. Aycan et al. (1999) as well as Aycan et al. (2000) advocate the model of culture fit.This model contends that managers implement HRM practices based of their assumption about the nature and behaviour of employees. There needs to be a rationale behind the practices which HR implements; they do not evolve within a vacuum. For this reason HR practices are there to reinforce the values, behaviours and assumptions which already exis t within the organization, and to further develop these social phenomena. The Link between HRM, Organizational Culture and Performance Scholars have long asserted that the way in which an organization manages its employees can influence its performance (Delaney & Huselid, 1996).HRM is therefore an organizational issue which firms cannot afford to ignore. Much of previous HRM and organizational culture literature is based on this assertion that human resource practices and corporate culture are linked to organizational performance (Platonova, 2005). The underlying assumption of the link between HRM, organizational culture and performance is that HRM practices lead to employee knowledge, skills, and abilities, which in turn are said to influence firm performance at the collective level (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004).While a small number of empirical studies have tested the relationship between HRM and organizational culture a copious amount of research exists on the HRM-firm performance link . In addition, a number of empirical studies have also focused on the organizational culture-performance relationship. The relationship between comprehensive sets of HR practices and firm performance has been frequently demonstrated within the literature. Becker and Gerhart (1996) explain that HR decisions can influence organizational performance through increased efficiency or revenue growth.Barney (1986) notes that increased firm performance is often attributed to higher profitability, while Bowen and Ostroff (2004) argue that increased motivation from employees leads to higher firm performance. A large number of empirical studies have been conducted on the relationship between HRM practices and firm profitability. Pfeffer (1995) identified a certain set of best practices which companies can implement to manage their employees. He argues that these practices are universal in nature, and will have a positive effect on organizational performance.The implementation of HRM practices c an contribute to firm performance by motivating employees to adopt desired attitudes and behaviours. They tend to unify people around shared goals which will shape and guide employee behaviour. In addition HCM practices are said to create an internal atmosphere where employees become highly involved in the organization and work hard to accomplish goals the firm sets. In his study of steel minimills, Arthur (1994) found that reward systems provided considerable motivation for employees, which in turn contributed to an increase in productivity.His study also found that higher rewards contribute to a decrease in turnover among staff. Merit or incentive pay systems provide rewards for meeting specific goals; in turn employees will be motivated to achieve these goals (Delaney & Huselid, 1996). Koch and McGrath (1996) found that investment in recruitment and selection procedures was positively related to labour productivity. Their findings suggest that labour productivity is related to th ose proactive firms, those firms who plan for their future labour needs, and those that make investments in getting the ‘right’ people for the job.In addition a number of claims have been made alleging that HRM practices can influence performance by impacting employees’ knowledge, skills and abilities. Practices fostering extensive training can be considered a source of competitive advantage, as they involve keeping employee’s skills and knowledge up to date. Training is said to have a positive impact on performance (Delaney & Huselid, 1996) by impacting dimensions such as product quality. In their study of 590 firms, Delaney and Huselid (1996) found positive associations between practices such as training and firm performance measures.Pfeffer (1998) also conveys a link between training of employee’s and profits. Some scholars assert that HRM practices will lead to increased performance when there is a high level of fit between the practices and the organization’s strategy. This is commonly known as the configurational perspective of SHRM. This perspective maintains that an organization should implement HRM practices that are congruent with the firm’s strategy, and are consistent with one another. Two practices can work together to enhance each other’s effectiveness; consequently a powerful connection is formed (Delery, 1998).The implementation of firm specific training programs combined with highly selective staffing practices can work together to generate a talented pool of employees with high productivity. It is therefore thought that HR practices which complement each other and the firm’s strategy will have a positive effect on organizational performance (Lengnick- Hall, Lengnick-Hall, Andrade, & Drake, 2009). Overall, there is a strong view in the literature that certain HRM practices lead to increased organizational performance.However, studies on this relationship often differ as to the exten t a practice is likely to be positively or negatively related to performance (Becker & Gerhart, 1996). Some scholars also express concern regarding the causality between this relationship; do empirical studies actually prove that HRM practices cause increased performance? It has been said that HRM practices are not the only factor which could affect a firm’s performance; many other organizational and environment factors could in fact be attributed to performance (Boxall & Purcell, 2000).Barney (1986) developed the Resource Based View of the firm (RBV). He argued that certain organizational resources and capabilities can lead to a sustainable competitive advantage for the firm, and therefore can increase organizational performance through superior financial performance. Barney (1986) affirmed that a firm’s organizational culture can in fact be one of these resources. However, he asserts that not just any culture will lead to a competitive advantage; corporate culture mu st be valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable, and be of value to the entire organization.If a company’s organizational culture meets these four criteria it has a better opportunity to be a source of sustained competitive advantage. In addition an appropriate HRM system can create and develop organizational capabilities which themselves become sources of competitive advantage (Lau & Ngo, 2004). For example, one of America’s most successful retailers, Nordstrom, attributes their success to its culture of customer service. This culture is seen as a unique, valuable and hard to imitate resource and has become a source of competitive advantage for the company (Carmeli & Tishler, 2004).Since organizational cultures and HRM systems can be a valuable resource for companies they have a key role to play in the firm performance link. Conclusion This paper has focused around the concept of organizational culture. It has primarily explored the relationship and different views between HRM and culture. While a number of challenging views exist in regards to the HRM- culture link, it is commonly found that HRM practices influence organizational culture, by providing information to employee’s that impacts their assumptions, values and attitudes.In addition, certain HCM practices are said to shape work force attitudes by framing employee’s perceptions about the organization; in turn leading to higher levels of job satisfaction, retention and motivation; all of which influence a firm’s performance. Furthermore, an organization’s strategy has been alleged to influence corporate culture indirectly through the implementation of HRM practices that help the organization attain their goals. Organizational culture has been considered a valuable resource for companies and could in fact lead to a competitive advantage for the firm.While HRM has been argued to affect organizational culture, and in turn lead to firm performance we need to be wary of arguing that current evidence proves this relationship. There could, and probably are, a number of other organizational elements that provide a link between HRM and firm performance. More studies regarding the organizational culture and performance link need to be conducted before we can deduce this causality relationship. In saying this, organizational culture has been shown to be an important aspect of a firm, as it can, and does affect employee’s behaviours, motivation and value.

Bandwagon and Snob Effect

relieve an essay on topic Bandwagon and snout Effect. Find an example for cardinal deeds, describe situation and explain reasons for such effects. In The Theory of Consumers Demand, there be three importants and different items the Bandwagon , Snob and Veblen Effects. nowadays we will discuss just slightly the Bandwagon and Snob Effect. Faced with a brand-new need, the consumer is confronted with a choice to purchase or not this good or service, depending on its take account, its usefulness, its attributes and operation consequences.But consumer choice will as well be affected by his amicable environment. Specifically, scarce ingatherings atomic number 18 generally deemed valuable, fissiparous of the utility that their attributes deliver. This effect has been found in several studies, and we erect identify two distinct channels through which scarcity squirt accession product choice. A someones demand may be affected by the number of some other people who have pu rchased the good. If this is the case, a mesh outwardness exists and can be verifying or controverts.A positive network outwardness exists if the quantity of a good demanded by a consumer pluss in response to an increase in purchases by other consumers. And negative network ar just the opposite. * The inaugural way examines scarcity delinquent to utmost demand. Consumers see that others have bought the product, and this may have them to follow that behavior. Consumers may also show teaching about the value of a product from the buying behavior of others. When consumers are unsure about the value of products, in inningation on the valuation of others can athletic supporter refine their own valuations.Therefore, scarcity due to excess demand increases inferences of product popularity and quality. This is the bandwagon effect, the appetite to be in style, to have a good because almost everyone else has it, or to louse up in a fad. This is the major documentary of market ing and advertising campaigns ( cf toys, robes .. ) For example, the influence of football players on the issue men ( shoes, haircut, attitude ). * If the network externality is negative, a snob effects exists. The econd route concerns scarcity due to insufficient supply, where product soapness leads to generalization of product quality. Consumers value the exclusivity of possessing rare products, and may see these products as a means to emphasize their uniqueness. being one of the few who own a particular product may increase the product utility. It refers to the desire to own exclusive or unique goods. The quantity demanded of a snob good is higher the fewer the people who own it. For instance, the luxury goods as Rolex watches and long lines at the ski lift.To finish, we can say that the bandwagon and snob effects are two opposites cases , the first refer to the finis to which the demand for a commodity is increase due to the item that others are also consuming the like co mmodity. In this case, we egress to be one of the boys. This is some form of integration and sociability And the second effect refer to the extent to which the demand for a consumers good is decreased owing to the fact that others are also consuming the same commodity, so this represents the desire of people to be exclusive, but it can be good to the person, since it is a kind of isolation.