Monday, September 30, 2019

The Best Place to Live

Every person has their own ways of living life. When an individual starts to make decisions, the quality of life is always considered. People resides in different parts of the world and the lifestyles varies from where they came from. Determining for the best place to live could give a greater impact in one's life as there are two options that are worthwhile to consider. For any reasons, an individual can freely choose the lifestyle of either in urban and rural living providing the advantages and disadvantages from both places. Urban and Rural settlements affects the lifestyle of a person as it differs from the kind of education, employment opportunities and the environment they live in. Education plays an important role to a successful career depending to the quality of education a person can acquire to learn. In rural areas, poverty is one of the main problems that affects the educational outcome of the students. This often leads to individuals dropping out school just to support and provide for their parents and to also help them manage the household. Moreover, not many children living in less developed villages have the opportunity to study, especially in college. Countless amounts of people may not have the opportunity to have the future they dreamed of due to the fact of where they grew up or certain circumstances in their life that disabled them from their goals. Distance is another problem have to face because of the lack of transportation. Although many struggle to get to places due to lack of transportation, those who live in the rural area struggle more. A teacher also faces many challenges in rural schools. Teachers in rural areas are paid with low salaries and the lack of teachers is another huge obstacle on the way to education. Teachers are extremely important because they give the students a foundation to work from and help the students build their way up in life. So the lack of teachers would make a huge impact on the students life and future. In urban areas, by contrast, an advantage manifested by urban students usually takes place in advanced country and economy. All of the students can get access of the wealth and social opportunities that big cities can offer. Urban schools are usually larger in size and they particularly have the resources and facilities that the rural area tends to lack. Most of the schools in the cities have advanced and qualified teachers as they get ahold of continuing trainings and workshops. The range of employment options must be considered when choosing a kind of job. In Urban areas where the population is high and extremely populated, most people intend to apply for jobs where they can get a good salary. According to the research from Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA), â€Å"the most high-skilled, high paying occupations tend to cluster in urban areas. Urban centers tend to specialize in knowledge-based work with high concerns of Technicians, Engineers, Scientist and Executives, while in rural areas have larger concentration of Machinist and Makers, which generally require less skill and receive lower salaries.† (Florida 2012).In rural areas, residents do not have enough employment options due to the lack of job opportunities and most people has an inverse relationship with agriculture. In contrary, urban areas are developed in an a planned and systematic way in terms of industrialisation. A division of labor is always present in the urban settlement for job allotment and because of the great opportunities for growth and the concentration of people, urban areas are preferred for developmental programs where the business are most likely invested. Environmental conditions gives an impact on an individual's quality of life. People living in remote places is usually described as a quiet and peaceful paradise which is a perfect place to unwind and escape from hustle and bustle of the city life. Besides rural areas are less crowded because there are not many people and cars. The scenery in rural areas are beautiful and well- conserved thus the people can enjoy the nature and have a peaceful mind. In contrast with the city dwellers, who lead a hectic life and often feel annoyed due to great stress in the daily life such as traffic, dealing with higher rates of crime and paying higher taxes. With regards to the nature, the trees are cut in urban areas for construction of roads and buildings that results to the lost of agricultural lands. The pollution and the deforestation has led to environmental imbalance and health problems, which shadow the future of urban living. Urban settlements are determined by the advanced conveniences, opportunities of education, facilities for transport, and business while the rural settlements are based more on natural resources and events. For a person who plans to reside on a specific place and get the kind of dream life however, will note the contrast between the settlement options along with how it differs in the quality of education, employment options, and the environment in both rural and urban areas.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Assignment 3 Essay

In the rapidly evolving global marketplace in which outsourcing is ubiquitous, organizations need to be vigilant in their management of risk. Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is a growing paradigm in which business leaders seek to effectively identify, mitigate, and manage risks across all aspects of the business as a whole. The ERM model classifies business risk into seven distinct, but inter-related categories: 1) strategic market risks, 2) operating risks, 3) finance risks, 4) human capital risks, 5) Information Technology (IT) risks, 6) legal risks, and 7) reputation risks. (Beasley, Bradford, and Pagach, 2004) A proposed outsourcing of any business process needs to carefully evaluate how the proposed change may create, increase, or reduce risks in each of these business areas. This paper will examine a proposed change from a legacy payroll system to an outsourced solution and evaluate the costs, benefits, and risks of the proposed change. Additionally, it will suggest how to effectively manage such a transition. COSTS AND BENEFITS When considering the costs versus benefits of a business decision, both costs and benefits can be categorized as either direct or indirect. Direct costs refers to those activities that require a quantifiable and foreseeable outlay of the organization’s assets. Indirect costs, however, refer to potential costs that may arise. Direct benefits refers to those activities that either increase revenue or reduce cost. As with direct costs, direct benefits can be easily quantified. Likewise, indirect benefits are more difficult to foresee and quantify. Following is a cost-benefits analysis matrix representative of the proposed payroll outsourcing project. Direct Indirect Benefits Revenue Enhancements Cost Reductions Reduction in man-hours Increased efficiency Avoidance of noncompliance fines and penalties Costs Implementation costs Vendor fees Service agreement fees Disruption to payroll activity during transition ENTERPRISE RISK MAMAGEMENT Using the ERM model as a guide, we can identify risks associated with the proposed transition across multiple business areas. Outsourcing the organization payroll functions has the potential to expose it to finance, human capital, and legal risks. A single vendor mistake, such as miscalculation of tax deductions has the potential for an exponentially negative effect on the organization’s bottom line, the morale, and potential loss of, the employee workforce, and legal compliance with local, state and federal regulations. Tim Stuhldreher stresses that extreme care must be given when choosing a payroll vendor. (Stuhldreher, 2012) Not only should potential vendors be thoroughly researched and vetted, a continuous process evaluation should be put into force to identify, limit, and guard against unintended risk. PROJECT MANAGEMENT There are many tools which project managers have at their disposal to ensure that a project stays on schedule, within budget, and within scope as well as produces intended outcomes. Common among these management tools are the Gantt chart, the performance evaluation and review technique (or PERT), and the critical path method (or CPM). Each of these scheduling and management techniques has a unique focus as well as certain limitations. A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart which identifies the tasks which are to be completed within the project and provides a timeline for their completion. A Gantt chart for the proposed payroll outsourcing project would have as it individual tasks formation of a vendor selection committee, selection of a payroll vendor, development of a data transfer protocol, system testing, and personnel training, and establishing a go live date. These individual milestones provide the parameters of the project’s scope, and the Gantt chart develops a schedule for completion of these milestones. One significant advantage of a Gantt chart is its simplicity. By providing a graphical representation of the tasks and timelines, management can easily understand, and gauge, the scheduling and completion rate of the project. A Gantt chart, however, is limited in that its primary focus is the project’s scheduling, and it is inflexible to developing changes that may evolve during the project. Also, while it does identify the tasks that are milestones within the project, it does not illustrate any interdependencies among those tasks. The PERT technique attempts to deal with the uncertainties to which Gantt charts are inflexible, and allowing for uncertainty is the major advantage of PERT. (Davis, 1966) PERT also identifies dependencies among project tasks, thus provide for a more efficient estimation of project completion time. PERT relies on multiple estimates to factor in scheduling variations due to uncertainty. In doing so, the thing that makes it advantageous over Gantt charts also is the cause for its disadvantage. PERT charts are significantly more complex than Gantt charts so managers may have difficulty interpreting and understanding them in the context of the entire project. The critical path method (CPM) also illustrates dependencies within project activities, but CPM seeks to identify the significance of the activities and their inter-relatedness. CPM seeks to compress completion time and mitigate risks inherent in the relation of tasks to each other. In addition to the advantage of showing dependencies, CPM more clearly illustrates the impacts of scheduling revisions. As with PERT, though, the added level of detail also presents disadvantages. The larger the project, and the more tasks, the more convoluted CPM becomes with dependency paths. CPM is also a bit myopic – it has a narrow focus on the dependency paths within the project, and it does not address resource allocation. The aforementioned project management tools all are useful for managing the scheduling and duration of a project. Project managers must also evaluate whether the project is delivering the intended outcome. Such evaluation should not only occur at the terminal end of a project, it should be a continued process throughout the life of the project. (Zofi, 2012) Additionally, employee morale and perception needs to be taken into consideration when implementing a change. This is especially true when it comes to outsourcing business functions. Elmuti, Grunewald, and Abebe observed that, consequent to outsourcing strategies, employees report lower levels of job satisfaction, lower levels of organizational commitment, and higher intentions to quit. (Elmuti, Grunewald, and Abebe, 2010) It is human, and organizational, nature to resist and be skeptical of change, particularly when a major business function that had previous been done in-house is outsourced. A proactive project management plan will anticipate and address employee resistance. Organizations considering an outsourcing strategy would be well served to openly and actively communicate with their employees the reasons for, and impact of the potential change while welcoming and encouraging questions and feedback from them. The more the employee base can be involved in affecting, and buy into change, the less their resistance may be. References Beasley, Mark, Bradford, Marianne, and Pagach, Don â€Å"Outsourcing? At Your Own Risk† Strategic Finance (July 2004), pp. 23-29 Davis, P. M. â€Å"From Scientific Management to Pert-An Evolution† Nebraska Journal of Economics and Business (1966), pp. 34-45 Elmuti, Dean, Grunewald, Julian, and Abebe, Dereje â€Å"Consequences of Outsourcing Strategies on Employee Quality of Work Life, Attitudes, and Performance† Journal of Business Strategies vol. 27, no. 2 (2010), pp. 178-203 Stuhldreher, Tim â€Å"Payroll complexity leads to outsourcing† Central Penn Business Journal (June 22, 2012), pp. 17-18 Zofi, Yael â€Å"Getting Deliverables Out the Door† Industrial Engineer (July 2012), pp. 35-40

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Affirmative action at the work place Essay Example for Free

Affirmative action at the work place Essay ? Affirmative action is a concept used as a justice seeking tool comprising of policies to address intimidating aspects of a non dominant or minor group. Such groups include women, minority men and physically disabled people. Affirmative action increases these groups access to facilities such as employment and education. The motivation for affirmative action comes in times when a perception or actual negative aspect towards a certain group is experienced, but illegal according to legislative bodies. It is also applied in learning and service delivery institutions such as police forces, hospitals or universities to motivate them to act more responsibly to the people they represent. According to Bulman (2006), affirmative action at the work place is a concept that should be applied in all departments. This is because many working places are characterized by cultural, social and political diversity (p.45). This is to say that people come from different communities, races, religions, political backgrounds, gender, national origins, and age, physical and mental health capabilities. This calls for affirmative action to fight for the weak mass within the working place, as these upgrades the workforce diversity. Racial and gender based discrimination in a working environment comes in the areas of granting jobs, in promotional programs and admission to institutions causing unfairness and inhumanity aspects in the working environment. Affirmative action in an employment environment illustrates both the prescriptive indicators and double edge quality in working together. Strong form of affirmative action should be the abolishment of race and sex consciousness in the times of hiring, promotion and in layoff preferences. Â  The need and essentiality of constructing integrated society in the workplace is to develop a forward looking and pragmatic staff. The diversity bestowed on company employees signifies diversity in its location and therefore employers need a law to govern them for maintenance of the diversity. The ideology of preferences among equally qualified applicants has a negative perception at this time when diversity is so widely acknowledged. The support extended to workplace diversity leaves open both questions of means and ends. Enhancement of affirmative action can literally be done through encouraging application from disadvantaged groups during recruitment programs. As a result, some preferences may be extended to the groups perceived to be underrepresented. Affirmative action should be mostly adopted by government organizations for they are highly affected by discrimination along ethnicity and gender lines (Loury, 2003, p.13). Adoption of this will make state parties to diminish or eliminate situations which help in perpetuating discrimination. For the government to assist implementation of this, each company should be given some legal minimum requirements to comply, in the area of representation by the disadvantaged groups in their various departments of work. The matters of concern that should be addressed are equity ownership, representation within management, employee level up to board of directors level, procurement of businesses and other several social investment programs. Affirmative action prevents discrimination in lines with hiring bias, promotion, job assignment, compensation, retaliation and all sorts of harassments. Work place is a unique and important site for development of corporative and social ties of different groups. It has of late become the centre for corporation, socialization, and solidarity, which emerge as primary features of human psychology. This has also been tightened by affirmative action move, which has promoted equity in opportunity and demographic heterogeneity and the imposition of rudimentary virtues of freedom of association and communication (Mellot, 2006, p.7). The conventionality in the diversity argument hardly spins the value of demographic based on heterogeneity and is mostly made to ensure work place integration. The process of affirmative action thus starts with pooling different people of different identities and backgrounds together. Different experiences and attitudes thought to correspond to demographic variations in the work place are eroded easily, thus emphasizing on common ground and connectedness across the difference lines. In places where many people live and work together elements like friction in decision making, turnover and dissatisfaction are eminent. The challenge is devising the ways and means to ameliorate the emerging tensions. In the employment context, workers should be protected equally and completely rule out employment abuses such as unequal treatment of treating employees, job applicants and former employees due to differences in a group membership. Employers have to take care of pregnant mothers or related medical conditions. It is against affirmative action move to discriminate workers in lines of discharging, hiring, compensating, terms provision, conditions and employment related privileges (Mellot, 2006, p. 9). From societal point of it, the employees form a part of society. They have to take that as their own community, live in it and a system of governance should exist within. Application of many cooperative interracial interactions in the workplace ensures the living together and governance. Because of the diversity brought in by the globalization process, interactions that lead to reasonable and controllable frictions should be allowed to pave way to brainstorming and creativity. From the societal calculus, the side of the employer is less considered. Affirmative action at the work place. (2018, Nov 09).

Friday, September 27, 2019

Hantavirus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hantavirus - Essay Example The N protein that introduces the virus into the cytoplasm of the healthy human cell (Mir, 2010). The N protein of the virus associates itself with the L protein of the human host and produce â€Å"capped primers† or nucleocapsids, which can initiate transcription of the viral mRNAs upon invasion of the healthy human cell. Meanwhile, the glycoproteins G1 and G2 are transported to the Golgi bodies from the ER. Once the nucleocapsids interact with the glycoproteins, hantavirions are formed and are released out of the cell through exocytosis (â€Å"Virology,† CDC, 2011). Once the virions are out of the plasma membrane, the symptoms of HFRS or HPS begin showing. The replication of the hantavirus occurs in the macrophages and vascular endothelial cells of the human lungs and kidneys (Muranyi et al., 2005). However, symptoms do not show until the replication process of a particular number of virions are finished and until these virions are released out of the plasma membrane to infect other cells. The endothelial cells of the lungs and kidneys are the main target cells of the virus. The endothelial cells are responsible for various physiologic functions of the body such as the regulation of edema, vascular repair and gas exchange (Mackow & Gavrilovskaya, 2009). Therefore, it simply follows that someone who is infected with hantavirus will have problems with these physiologic functions. The young man in the case study exhibited shortness of breath and labored and rapid breathing because the hantavirus has already invaded the endothelial cells of his lungs, which are responsible for gas exchange. Thus, the physiological ability of his lungs to handle gas exchange is impaired. According to Mir (2010), the hantavirus also infects mature and immature dendritic cells. Dendritic cells are actually responsible for capturing antigens and inducing a primary immune response among T lymphocytes (Wieder, 2003). However, the hantavirus uses

Thursday, September 26, 2019

United Nations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

United Nations - Essay Example and Social Council (ECOSOC), the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, and the International Court of Justice (Banerjee and Sharma 2007 p.35). The UN fulfils its role of peace keeping by sending its troops to keep peace in areas of antagonism. ECOSOC is responsible for ensuring social and economic development among UN’s member states. In a bid to fulfil its objectives, ECOSOC has formed several agencies such as UN Development Program (UNDP) the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). UNDP’s functions include publishing the UN Human Development Index and offering grant based technical assistance. Through the UN Human Development Index, much has been done in eradicating poverty, illiteracy and improving development in some of the badly hit countries. One of FAO’s tasks is promoting agriculture and in doing so, some of the food problems in developing countries have been solved. UN has also played an important role in preventing child abuse and fighting for children’s rights across the globe through UNICEF. UN has other agencies such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Health Organization (WHO). Through the World Bank many countries have accessed development loans thereby reducing the levels of under development especially in the developing countries. In times of disaster and emergencies the UN has been on the forefront of resolving the crisis by offering funds via the IMF. WHO is responsible for eradicating diseases and offering solutions for international health problems. For instance, WHO was responsible for eradication of smallpox, polio, leprosy and just recently almost came up with a cure for the Ebola pandemic. WHO is also responsible for distributing vaccines across the world such as the tetanus vaccine. UN is on the forefront of fighting the AIDS epidemic through the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). In addition, UN’s WFP provides 26 % of

Malaria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Malaria - Essay Example ase for the given assignment because the disease has prominent symptoms and the causative agent is a prominent member in the field of microbiology and pathology. After completing a few stages of its life cycle in the mosquito it enter the human body and completes the remaining stages within the liver and on the surface of red blood cells as early, mid-stage and mature metazoans. The onset is indicated by sudden convulsions of cold, flu, loose motions, high grade fever, shivering and pain in eyes. Various steps have been taken by important health regulatory departments for the control of Malaria and to stop its proliferation. It not only requires a thorough attempt on behalf of the government but also general awareness on behalf of the masses. Presently a report according to UNICEF indicates a decrease in the mortality rate by 47% For general awareness, different schemes, seminars and platforms are organized for conveying the message of care and precautions. Such schemes are mostly either cheap or free of cost altogether to make possible easy access for people belonging to all walks of life. â€Å"About 3.2 billion people – almost half of the worlds population – are at risk of malaria. In 2013, there were about 198 million malaria cases (with an uncertainty range of 124 million to 283 million) and an estimated 584 000 malaria deaths (with an uncertainty range of 367 000 to 755 000). Increased prevention and control measures have led to a reduction in malaria mortality rates by 47% globally since 2000 and by 54% in the WHO African Region. (WHO 2014) Population of third world countries and those even poorer are more susceptible to this disease. A survey conducted in 2013 indicated that approximately 90% of malaria inflicted deaths occurred in African/ Somalian regions and the worst part is that a vast proportion of these deaths mostly take away the lives of children below 6 years. A potent and 100% efficient vaccine for malaria is currently under production

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Paraphrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Paraphrase - Essay Example sured the memories that we create and never once thought to think of them as mortal, meaning I never thought that I would ever have to face losing one of them to death. My nucleus family has always been complete. As far back as I could remember, we had always been composed of my complete set of parents, my sister, and my brother. At least that was how our family existed until 2002. My brother suffered a debilitating illness that took his life a couple of months ago. He had a heart attack that left him crippled and in need of heart surgery within the week of his attack. I witnessed my brother in constant pain and requiring drugs to fight off the agonizing pain. He often kept his eyes shut, not wanting us to see inside of him where he was battling even greater pain. We spent our time by his bedside. Consoling him by holding his hands and wiping the sweat of his pain from his brow as he lay in confinement at the hospital. Eventually, he worked up the strength to try and speak to us during our visits. He would often ask me how I was doing and if I had any new plans for the week. He also asked my sister the same thing. We could tell that he was truly interested in learning about our activities but the pain was preventing him from totally involving himself in our stories. My sister tried to entertain him by telling him about her latest handicraft projects. Anything from loom bands to bags that she created from recycled paper helped her connect with him. While he was also interested in my activities, he had always considered my sister special, oftentimes calling her his â€Å"lovely blessed messenger†. I knew that he cherished his moments with her more than those he spent with me. As I watched him agonizing in bed though, I wondered how he could still consider her a blessed messenger. To me, that meant she was supposed to bring him peace, not pain. Yet, every time we asked him if he was in pain he would respond â€Å"No, I am fine.† and then turn his head away,

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Critique of a qualitative study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critique of a qualitative study - Essay Example They will be better handle to handle the situations and help them and give them support in areas that will be most beneficial to their recovery. Moreover, the method used to collect data is compatible with the purpose of the research. The method is also adequate to address the phenomenon of interest, to document and follow whether African-American men and women utilize their support network and resources when coping with their illnesses. The type of sampling used is that 28 African-American men and women were selected from 291 men and women who had completed Health-funded studies for three National Institutes: Managing Uncertainty: Self-Help in Breast Cancer Study funded to Principal Investigator (PI) Merle Mishel, Phd, RN, FAAN; Promoting Self-Help: Underserved Women with Breast Cancer Study to PI Carrie Braden, Phd, RN, FAAN, and Managing Uncertainty in Stage B or Early Stage C Prostate Cancer Study to Mischel. The informants who were chosen were appropriate to inform the research because the 28 African men and women that were selected did not receive any type of intervention for their conditions. Some of the men were in control groups, resulting in them having to deal with their condition full-force. They would be better able to study whether they might be affected by support in coping with their illnesses because they didn't have any interventions to stop or alter the full affects of the illnesses. Additionally, the data collection is focused on human experience, and the researcher does describe the data collections used such as interviews, observation and discussion. The protection of human participants is addressed, and the saturation of the data is described in that the support findings and interviews with the participants are described in detail. The procedure for collecting data was open-interviewed with the participants, mostly in their home, in a place where they would feel comfortable. It was also stated that the interviews were began very casually, "Tell me more about your experience." This helped the interviewee relax more knowing that their experience was important enough to be heard. Another procedure used was data analysis of the participants. This helped to know what backgrounds, social status, or other areas the participants were contained within. Additionally, the researcher does address the credibility, auditability, and fittingness of the data in this research. The researcher does address that these findings are important to the welfare of the participant, thereby making it fitting for the welfare of others that are African-American men and women as well. The participants did recognize the experience as their own, and they were given ample time to fully understand the phenomenon of their cancer. Furthermore, the reader can document the researcher's experience as they read through the experiment. The researcher does document the research process very well by separating the experiences of the individuals into labeled categories, there again better enabling the

Monday, September 23, 2019

Katrina Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Katrina - Research Paper Example Then, in the early morning of August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina came ashore at the mouth of the Mississippi near Orleans with 140 mph sustained winds and storm surges two stories tall. To make matters worse, many of the 500,000 residents of New Orleans live below sea level and are surrounded by the Mississippi River, Pontchartrain, and several bays. It was obvious that this was going to be a huge storm; consequently hundreds of thousands of Gulf residents evacuated on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday night Mayor Holloway of Biloxi said that most of the residents in the lowest-lying sections of his city of 55,000 had evacuated. (Drye, 2005). Wherever possible, evacuees from low-lying areas went to higher ground to stay with relatives and/or friends. Some competed to rent limited accommodations; however, soon these were no longer available. By Sunday night shelters were filling up, even as far away as South KATRINA 3 Texas and all over Lousiana, according to Steve Rinard, meteorologist in charge of the national weather service office in Lake Charles, Louisiana (ibid.). Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category Four Storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale which ranks hurricanes from one to five according to wind speeds and destructive potential† (ibid.). ... rina herself was responsible for injecting the initial surprise and resulting confusion by making an unexpected jog southward as it crossed the Florida peninsula and then rapidly strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico. Residents in the Florida Keys were caught off guard by Katrina’s intensification. Katrina kept on getting stronger as it took a ragged S-shaped path across the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. By Friday afternoon meteorologists feared the worst They felt that the storm would further intensify as it approached large Gulf Coast cities such as Alabama, Mobile, and New Orleans, which it did (ibid.) One has to wonder why by this point, coordinated preparations were not being made for a huge impending disaster. Emergency management officials had been concerned for sometime about a powerful storm such as Katrina hitting vulnerable areas such as New Orleans and the Florida Keys. They saw the greatest vulnerability being the coastal population growth that had occurre d during the past three decades, as well as the fact that 55,000 citizens were living below sea level. Knowing this, one wonders why coordinated plans were not in place for rapid evacuation and shelter for all these people should a Hurricane such as Katrina come to visit. They must have known that KATRINA 4 evacuation would not be easy, not only because of all of the people involved, but because there were a lot of people in the area without transportation and money to evacuate. Certainly there was a lack of preparedness for such a major storm, but, perhaps, even more to the point was a lack of communication, trust, and cooperation. Although President Bush declared a state of emergency for Louisiana and authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide aid, in response to

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Description Paragraph Essay Example for Free

Description Paragraph Essay Preferably, description paragraphs should concentrate on action (verbs), rather than sensations (adverbs and adjectives). Writers should assume the role of readers whose idea of the described events is, in entirety, constructed by the paragraph content. Description paragraphs should be detailed, clear, and render the represented reality chronologically. Rather than providing advice, descriptive paragraphs ought to focus on essential information that is presented in a step-by-step manner. Writers commit plagiarism every time they reword sources without crediting original authors or fail to reference their sources appropriately. Plagiarism through paraphrasing can happen in two cases. First, writer may choose to substitute some words from the original with different vocabulary, rearrange words, or rearrange the whole paragraph. In this way, he or she presents stolen information expressing it with his or her own words. And second, writer may try to use exactly the same vocabulary and stylistic constructions and use them with respect to another context. Plagiarism occurs in both cases. I have been looking on, this evening, at a merry company of children assembled round that pretty German toy, a Christmas Tree. The tree was planted in the middle of a great round table, and towered high above their heads. It was brilliantly lighted by a multitude of little tapers; and everywhere sparkled and glittered with bright objects. There were rosy-cheeked dolls, hiding behind the green leaves; and there were real watches (with movable hands, at least, and an endless capacity of being wound up) dangling from innumerable twigs; there were French-polished tables, chairs, bedsteads, wardrobes, eight-day clocks, and various other articles of domestic furniture (wonderfully made, in tin, at Wolverhampton)

Friday, September 20, 2019

Three Major Issues Faced By Companies Going Overseas Marketing Essay

Three Major Issues Faced By Companies Going Overseas Marketing Essay The chapter begins by looking at the concept of market entry strategies within the control of a chosen marketing mix. It then goes on to describe the different forms of entry strategy, both direct and indirect exporting and foreign production, and the advantages and disadvantages connected with each method. The chapter gives specific details on countertrade, which is very prevalent in global marketing, and then concludes by looking at the special features of commodity trading with its close coupling between production and marketing. Basic issues An organisation wishing to go international faces three major issues: i) Marketing which countries, which segments, how to manage and implement marketing effort, how to enter with intermediaries or directly, with what information? ii) Sourcing whether to obtain products, make or buy? iii) Investment and control joint venture, global partner, acquisition? Decisions in the marketing area focus on the value chain (see figure 7.1). The strategy or entry alternatives must ensure that the necessary value chain activities are performed and integrated. Table 7.1 Examples of elements included in the export marketing mix 1. Product support Product sourcing Match existing products to markets air, sea, rail, road, freight New products Product management Product testing Manufacturing specifications Labelling Packaging Production control Market information 2. Price support Establishment of prices Discounts Distribution and maintenance of pricelists Competitive information Training of agents/customers 3. Promotion/selling support Advertising Promotion literature Direct mail Exhibitions, trade shows Printing Selling (direct) Sales force Agents commissions Sale or returns 4. Inventory support Inventory management Warehousing Distribution Parts supply Credit authorisation 5. Distribution support Funds provision Raising of capital Order processing Export preparation and documentation Freight forwarding Insurance Arbitration 6. Service support Market information/intelligence Quotes processing Technical aid assistance After sales Guarantees Warranties/claims Merchandising Sales reports, catalogues literature Customer care Budgets Data processing systems Insurance Tax services Legal services Translation 7. Financial support Billing, collecting invoices Hire, rentals Planning, scheduling budget data Auditing Details on the sourcing element have already been covered in the chapter on competitive analysis and strategy. Concerning investment and control, the question really is how far the company wishes to control its own fate. The degree of risk involved, attitudes and the ability to achieve objectives in the target markets are important facets in the decision on whether to license, joint venture or get involved in direct investment. Cunningham1 (1986) identified five strategies used by firms for entry into new foreign markets: i) Technical innovation strategy perceived and demonstrable superior products ii) Product adaptation strategy modifications to existing products iii) Availability and security strategy overcome transport risks by countering perceived risks iv) Low price strategy penetration price and, v) Total adaptation and conformity strategy foreign producer gives a straight copy. In marketing products from less developed countries to developed countries point iii) poses major problems. Buyers in the interested foreign country are usually very careful as they perceive transport, currency, quality and quantity problems. This is true, say, in the export of cotton and other commodities. Because, in most agricultural commodities, production and marketing are interlinked, the infrastructure, information and other resources required for building market entry can be enormous. Sometimes this is way beyond the scope of private organisations, so Government may get involved. It may get involved not just to support a specific commodity, but also to help the public good. Whilst the building of a new road may assist the speedy and expeditious transport of vegetables, for example, and thus aid in their marketing, the road can be put to other uses, in the drive for public good utilities. Moreover, entry strategies are often marked by lumpy investments. Huge investments may have to be undertaken, with the investor paying a high risk price, long before the full utilisation of the investment comes. Good examples of this include the building of port facilities or food processing or freezing facilities. Moreover, the equipment may not be able to be used for other processes, so the as set specific equipment, locked into a specific use, may make the owner very vulnerable to the bargaining power of raw material suppliers and product buyers who process alternative production or trading options. Zimfreeze, Zimbabwe is experiencing such problems. It built a large freezing plant for vegetables but found itself without a contract. It has been forced, at the moment, to accept sub optional volume product materials just in order to keep the plant ticking over. In building a market entry strategy, time is a crucial factor. The building of an intelligence system and creating an image through promotion takes time, effort and money. Brand names do not appear overnight. Large investments in promotion campaigns are needed. Transaction costs also are a critical factor in building up a market entry strategy and can become a high barrier to international trade. Costs include search and bargaining costs. Physical distance, language barriers, logistics costs and risk limit the direct monitoring of trade partners. Enforcement of contracts may be costly and weak legal integration between countries makes things difficult. Also, these factors are important when considering a market entry strategy. In fact these factors may be so costly and risky that Governments, rather than private individuals, often get involved in commodity systems. This can be seen in the case of the Citrus Marketing Board of Israel. With a monopoly export marketing board, the entire system can behave like a single firm, regulating the mix and quality of products going to different markets and negotiating with transporters and buyers. Whilst these Boards can experience economies of scale and absorb many of the risks listed above, they can shield producers from information about, and from. buyers. They can also become the fiefdoms of vested interests and become political in nature. They then result in giving reduced production incentives and cease to be demand or market orientated, which is detrimental to producers. Normal ways of expanding the markets are by expansion of product line, geographical development or both. It is important to note that the more the product line and/or the geographic area is expanded the greater will be the managerial complexity. New market opportunities may be made available by expansion but the risks may outweigh the advantages, in fact it may be better to concentrate on a few geographic areas and do things well. This is typical of the horticultural industry of Kenya and Zimbabwe. Traditionally these have concentrated on European markets where the markets are well known. Ways to concentrate include concentrating on geographic areas, reducing operational variety (more standard products) or making the organisational form more appropriate. In the latter the attempt is made to globalise the offering and the organisation to match it. This is true of organisations like Coca Cola and MacDonalds. Global strategies include country centred strategies (highly decentralised and limited international coordination), local market approaches (the marketing mix developed with the specific local (foreign) market in mind) or the lead market approach (develop a market which will be a best predictor of other markets). Global approaches give economies of scale and the sharing of costs and risks between markets. Entry strategies There are a variety of ways in which organisations can enter foreign markets. The three main ways are by direct or indirect export or production in a foreign country (see figure 7.2). Exporting Exporting is the most traditional and well established form of operating in foreign markets. Exporting can be defined as the marketing of goods produced in one country into another. Whilst no direct manufacturing is required in an overseas country, significant investments in marketing are required. The tendency may be not to obtain as much detailed marketing information as compared to manufacturing in marketing country; however, this does not negate the need for a detailed marketing strategy. The advantages of exporting are:  · manufacturing is home based thus, it is less risky than overseas based  · gives an opportunity to learn overseas markets before investing in bricks and mortar  · reduces the potential risks of operating overseas. The disadvantage is mainly that one can be at the mercy of overseas agents and so the lack of control has to be weighed against the advantages. For example, in the exporting of African horticultural products, the agents and Dutch flower auctions are in a position to dictate to producers. A distinction has to be drawn between passive and aggressive exporting. A passive exporter awaits orders or comes across them by chance; an aggressive exporter develops marketing strategies which provide a broad and clear picture of what the firm intends to do in the foreign market. Pavord and Bogart2 (1975) found significant differences with regard to the severity of exporting problems in motivating pressures between seekers and non-seekers of export opportunities. They distinguished between firms whose marketing efforts were characterized by no activity, minor activity and aggressive activity. Those firms who are aggressive have clearly defined plans and strategy, including product, price, promotion, distribution and research elements. Passiveness versus aggressiveness depends on the motivation to export. In countries like Tanzania and Zambia, which have embarked on structural adjustment programmes, organisations are being encouraged to export, motivated by foreign exchange earnings potential, saturated domestic markets, growth and expansion objectives, and the need to repay debts incurred by the borrowings to finance the programmes. The type of export response is dependent on how the pressures are perceived by the decision maker. Piercy (1982)3 highlights the fact that the degree of involvement in foreign operations depends on endogenous versus exogenous motivating factors, that is, whether the motivations were as a result of active or aggressive behaviour based on the firms internal situation (endogenous) or as a result of reactive environmental changes (exogenous). If the firm achieves initial success at exporting quickly all to the good, but the risks of failure in the early stages are high. The learning effect in exporting is usually very quick. The key is to learn how to minimise risks associated with the initial stages of market entry and commitment this process of incremental involvement is called creeping commitment (see figure 7.3). Exporting methods include direct or indirect export. In direct exporting the organisation may use an agent, distributor, or overseas subsidiary, or act via a Government agency. In effect, the Grain Marketing Board in Zimbabwe, being commercialised but still having Government control, is a Government agency. The Government, via the Board, are the only permitted maize exporters. Bodies like the Horticultural Crops Development Authority (HCDA) in Kenya may be merely a promotional body, dealing with advertising, information flows and so on, or it may be active in exporting itself, particularly giving approval (like HCDA does) to all export documents. In direct exporting the major problem is that of market information. The exporters task is to choose a market, find a representative or agent, set up the physical distribution and documentation, promote and price the product. Control, or the lack of it, is a major problem which often results in decisions on pricing, certification and promoti on being in the hands of others. Certainly, the phytosanitary requirements in Europe for horticultural produce sourced in Africa are getting very demanding. Similarly, exporters are price takers as produce is sourced also from the Caribbean and Eastern countries. In the months June to September, Europe is on season because it can grow its own produce, so prices are low. As such, producers are better supplying to local food processors. In the European winter prices are much better, but product competition remains. According to Collett4 (1991)) exporting requires a partnership between exporter, importer, government and transport. Without these four coordinating activities the risk of failure is increased. Contracts between buyer and seller are a must. Forwarders and agents can play a vital role in the logistics procedures such as booking air space and arranging documentation. A typical coordinated marketing channel for the export of Kenyan horticultural produce is given in figure 7.4. In this case the exporters can also be growers and in the low season both these and other exporters may send produce to food processors which is also exported. Figure 7.4 The export marketing channel for Kenyan horticultural products. Exporting can be very lucrative, especially if it is of high value added produce. For example in 1992/93 Zimbabwe exported 5 338,38 tonnes of flowers, 4 678,18 tonnes of horticultural produce and 12 000 tonnes of citrus at a total value of about US$ 22 016,56 million. In some cases a mixture of direct and indirect exporting may be achieved with mixed results. For example, the Grain Marketing Board of Zimbabwe may export grain directly to Zambia, or may sell it to a relief agency like the United Nations, for feeding the Mozambican refugees in Malawi. Payment arrangements may be different for the two transactions. Nali products of Malawi gives an interesting example of a passive to active exporting mode. CASE 7.1 Nali Producers Malawi Nali group, has, since the early 1970s, been engaged in the growing and exporting of spices. Spices are also used in the production of a variety of sauces for both the local and export market. Its major success has been the growing and exporting of Birdseye chilies. In the early days knowledge of the market was scanty and thus the company was obtaining ridiculously low prices. Towards the end of 1978 Nali chilies were in great demand, yet still the company, in its passive mode, did not fully appreciate the competitive implications of the business until a number of firms, including Lonrho and Press Farming, started to grow and export. Again, due to the lack of information, a product of its passivity, the firm did not realise that Uganda, with their superior product, and Papua New Guinea were major exporters, However, the full potential of these countries was hampered by internal difficulties. Nali was able to grow into a successful commercial enterprise. However, with the end of the internal problems, Uganda in particular, began an aggressive exporting policy, using their overseas legations as commercial propagandists. Nali had to respond with a more formal and active marketing operation. However it is being now hampered by a number of important exogenous factors. The entry of a number of new Malawian growers, with inferior products, has damaged the Malawian chili reputation, so has the lack of a clear Government policy and the lack of financing for traders, growers and exporters. The latter only serves to emphasise the point made by Collett, not only do organisations need to be aggressive, they also need to enlist the support of Government and importers. It is interesting to note that Korey (1986) warns that direct modes of market entry may be less and less available in the future. Growing trading blocs like the EU or EFTA means that the establishing of subsidiaries may be one of the only means forward in future. It is interesting to note that Korey5 1986 warned that direct modes of market entry may be less and less available in the future. Growing trading blocks like the EU or EFTA means that the establishment of subsidiaries may be one of the only ways forward in future. Indirect methods of exporting include the use of trading companies (very much used for commodities like cotton, soya, cocoa), export management companies, piggybacking and countertrade. Indirect methods offer a number of advantages including:  · Contracts in the operating market or worldwide  · Commission sates give high motivation (not necessarily loyalty)  · Manufacturer/exporter needs little expertise  · Credit acceptance takes burden from manufacturer. Piggybacking Piggybacking is an interesting development. The method means that organisations with little exporting skill may use the services of one that has. Another form is the consolidation of orders by a number of companies in order to take advantage of bulk buying. Normally these would be geographically adjacent or able to be served, say, on an air route. The fertilizer manufacturers of Zimbabwe, for example, could piggyback with the South Africans who both import potassium from outside their respective countries. Countertrade By far the largest indirect method of exporting is countertrade. Competitive intensity means more and more investment in marketing. In this situation the organisation may expand operations by operating in markets where competition is less intense but currency based exchange is not possible. Also, countries may wish to trade in spite of the degree of competition, but currency again is a problem. Countertrade can also be used to stimulate home industries or where raw materials are in short supply. It can, also, give a basis for reciprocal trade. Estimates vary, but countertrade accounts for about 20-30% of world trade, involving some 90 nations and between US $100-150 billion in value. The UN defines countertrade as commercial transactions in which provisions are made, in one of a series of related contracts, for payment by deliveries of goods and/or services in addition to, or in place of, financial settlement. Countertrade is the modem form of barter, except contracts are not legal and it is not covered by GATT. It can be used to circumvent import quotas. Countertrade can take many forms. Basically two separate contracts are involved, one for the delivery of and payment for the goods supplied and the other for the purchase of and payment for the goods imported. The performance of one contract is not contingent on the other although the seller is in effect accepting products and services from the importing country in partial or total settlement for his exports. There is a broad agreement that countertrade can take various forms of exchange like barter, counter purchase, switch trading and compensation (buyback). For example, in 1986 Albania began offering items like spring water, tomato juice and chrome ore in exchange for a contract to build a US $60 million fertilizer and methanol complex. Information on potential exchange can be obtained from embassies, trade missions or the EU trading desks. Barter is the direct exchange of one good for another, although valuation of respective commodities is difficult, so a currency is used to underpin the items value. Barter trade can take a number of formats. Simple barter is the least complex and oldest form of bilateral, non-monetarised trade. Often it is called straight, classical or pure barter. Barter is a direct exchange of goods and services between two parties. Shadow prices are approximated for products flowing in either direction. Generally no middlemen are involved. Usually contracts for no more than one year are concluded, however, if for longer life spans, provisions are included to handle exchange ratio fluctuations when world prices change. Closed end barter deals are modifications of straight barter in that a buyer is found for goods taken in barter before the contract is signed by the two trading parties. No money is involved and risks related to product quality are significantly reduced. Clearing account barter, also termed clearing agreements, clearing arrangements, bilateral clearing accounts or simply bilateral clearing, is where the principle is for the trades to balance without either party having to acquire hard currency. In this form of barter, each party agrees in a single contract to purchase a specified and usually equal value of goods and services. The duration of these transactions is commonly one year, although occasionally they may extend over a longer time period. The contracts value is expressed in non-convertible, clearing account units (also termed clearing dollars) that effectively represent a line of credit in the central bank of the country with no money involved. Clearing account units are universally accepted for the accounting of trade between countries and parties whose commercial relationships are based on bilateral agreements. The contract sets forth the goods to be exchanged, the rates of exchange, and the length of time for completing the transaction. Limited export or import surpluses may be accumulated by either party for short periods. Generally, after one years time, imbalances are settled by one of the following approaches: credit against the following year, acceptance of unwanted goods, payment of a previously specified penalty or payment of the difference in hard currency. Trading specialists have also initiated the practice of buying clearing dollars at a discount for the purpose of using them to purchase saleable products. In turn, the trader may forfeit a portion of the discount to sell these products for hard currency on the international market. Compared with simple barter, clearing accounts offer greater flexibility in the length of time for drawdown on the lines of credit and the types of products exchanged. Counter purchase, or buyback, is where the customer agrees to buy goods on condition that the seller buys some of the customers own products in return (compensatory products). Alternatively, if exchange is being organised at national government level then the seller agrees to purchase compensatory goods from an unrelated organisation up to a pre-specified value (offset deal). The difference between the two is that contractual obligations related to counter purchase can extend over a longer period of time and the contract requires each party to the deal to settle most or all of their account with currency or trade credits to an agreed currency value. Where the seller has no need for the item bought he may sell the produce on, usually at a discounted price, to a third party. This is called a switch deal. In the past a number of tractors have been brought into Zimbabwe from East European countries by switch deals. Compensation (buy-backs) is where the supplier agrees to take the output of the facility over a specified period of time or to a specified volume as payment. For example, an overseas company may agree to build a plant in Zambia, and output over an agreed period of time or agreed volume of produce is exported to the builder until the period has elapsed. The plant then becomes the property of Zambia. Khoury6 (1984) categorises countertrade as follows (see figure 7.5): One problem is the marketability of products received in countertrade. This problem can be reduced by the use of specialised trading companies which, for a fee ranging between 1 and 5% of the value of the transaction, will provide trade related services like transportation, marketing, financing, credit extension, etc. These are ever growing in size. Countertrade has disadvantages:  · Not covered by GATT so dumping may occur  · Quality is not of international standard so costly to the customer and trader  · Variety is tow so marketing of wkat is limited  · Difficult to set prices and service quality  · Inconsistency of delivery and specification,  · Difficult to revert to currency trading so quality may decline further and therefore product is harder to market. Figure 7.5 Classification of countertrade Shipley and Neale7 (1988) therefore suggest the following:  · Ensure the benefits outweigh the disadvantages  · Try to minimise the ratio of compensation goods to cash if possible inspect the goods for specifications  · Include all transactions and other costs involved in countertrade in the nominal value specified for the goods being sold  · Avoid the possibility of error of exploitation by first gaining a thorough understanding of the customers buying systems, regulations and politics,  · Ensure that any compensation goods received as payment are not subject to import controls. Despite these problems countertrade is likely to grow as a major indirect entry method, especially in developing countries. Foreign production Besides exporting, other market entry strategies include licensing, joint ventures, contract manufacture, ownership and participation in export processing zones or free trade zones. Licensing: Licensing is defined as the method of foreign operation whereby a firm in one country agrees to permit a company in another country to use the manufacturing, processing, trademark, know-how or some other skill provided by the licensor. It is quite similar to the franchise operation. Coca Cola is an excellent example of licensing. In Zimbabwe, United Bottlers have the licence to make Coke. Licensing involves little expense and involvement. The only cost is signing the agreement and policing its implementation. Licensing gives the following advantages:  · Good way to start in foreign operations and open the door to low risk manufacturing relationships  · Linkage of parent and receiving partner interests means both get most out of marketing effort  · Capital not tied up in foreign operation and  · Options to buy into partner exist or provision to take royalties in stock. The disadvantages are:  · Limited form of participation to length of agreement, specific product, process or trademark  · Potential returns from marketing and manufacturing may be lost  · Partner develops know-how and so licence is short  · Licensees become competitors overcome by having cross technology transfer deals and  · Requires considerable fact finding, planning, investigation and interpretation. Those who decide to license ought to keep the options open for extending market participation. This can be done through joint ventures with the licensee. Joint ventures Joint ventures can be defined as an enterprise in which two or more investors share ownership and control over property rights and operation. Joint ventures are a more extensive form of participation than either exporting or licensing. In Zimbabwe, Olivine industries has a joint venture agreement with HJ Heinz in food processing. Joint ventures give the following advantages:  · Sharing of risk and ability to combine the local in-depth knowledge with a foreign partner with know-how in technology or process  · Joint financial strength  · May be only means of entry and  · May be the source of supply for a third country. They also have disadvantages:  · Partners do not have full control of management  · May be impossible to recover capital if need be  · Disagreement on third party markets to serve and  · Partners may have different views on expected benefits. If the partners carefully map out in advance what they expect to achieve and how, then many problems can be overcome. Ownership: The most extensive form of participation is 100% ownership and this involves the greatest commitment in capital and managerial effort. The ability to communicate and control 100% may outweigh any of the disadvantages of joint ventures and licensing. However, as mentioned earlier, repatriation of earnings and capital has to be carefully monitored. The more unstable the environment the less likely is the ownership pathway an option. These forms of participation: exporting, licensing, joint ventures or ownership, are on a continuum rather than discrete and can take many formats. Anderson and Coughlan8 (1987) summarise the entry mode as a choice between company owned or controlled methods integrated channels or independent channels. Integrated channels offer the advantages of planning and control of resources, flow of information, and faster market penetration, and are a visible sign of commitment. The disadvantages are that they incur many costs (especially marketing), the risks are high, some may be more effective than others (due to culture) and in some cases their credibility amongst locals may be lower than that of controlled independents. Independent channels offer lower performance costs, risks, less capital, high local knowledge and credibility. Disadvantages include less market information flow, greater coordinating and control difficulties and motivational difficulties. In addition they may not be will ing to spend money on market development and selection of good intermediaries may be difficult as good ones are usually taken up anyway. Once in a market, companies have to decide on a strategy for expansion. One may be to concentrate on a few segments in a few countries typical are cashewnuts from Tanzania and horticultural exports from Zimbabwe and Kenya or concentrate on one country and diversify into segments. Other activities include country and market segment concentration typical of Coca Cola or Gerber baby foods, and finally country and segment diversification. Another way of looking at it is by identifying three basic business strategies: stage one international, stage two multinational (strategies correspond to ethnocentric and polycentric orientations respectively) and stage three global strategy (corresponds with geocentric orientation). The basic philosophy behind stage one is extension of programmes and products, behind stage two is decentralisation as far as possible to local operators and behind stage three is an integration which seeks to synthesize inputs from world and regional headquarters an d the country organisation. Whilst most developing countries are hardly in stage one, they have within them organisations which are in stage three. This has often led to a rebellion against the operations of multinationals, often unfounded. Export processing zones (EPZ) Whilst not

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Free Music :: essays research papers

Free Music   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shawn Fanning came out from backstage to present an award with a Metallica shirt on. It was one of the funniest moments of the entire award show. The reason it was funny is because Metallica is suing Napster. Shawn Fanning created Napster to make it possible to download music for free, and Metallica is trying to help destroy the program he made. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), many artists, and many labels are all combining to help get rid of Napster. The main dog in the fight is the RIAA. They have tried to work with the RIAA, but they only want to destroy the program. The number of people that use Napster has grown rapidly in the last few months because of the publicity the news has given it. If it weren?t for the RIAA suing them, most people wouldn?t have even heard of Napster. There are many programs like Napster on the Internet, but the RIAA has set its sights on the most popular one for now. I don?t see any reason to shut them down comp letely. The RIAA and Napster should combine and create a better place to find music on the Internet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People that use Napster think that downloading music is a way of sharing. People get things for free by sharing all the time. Kathryn Balint says, ?Ever since the advent of tape recorders, copy machines, and VCRs, people have been doing it, and sharing their copies with others? (A-1). The users of Napster say there are many reasons to use Napster. The accessibility of Napster is unbelievably easy. Most songs are even available before they come out in stores. Many of the people that download music are testing music, and buying it later. Downloading a song takes an average of about twenty minutes on a regular computer. There are many other things to do besides download music. You can chat with some of the friends you have made, or you can make new friends by going to the chat room that is for you. The type of music you like organizes the chat rooms. For example, if you like rap, you would join the rap chat room, or if you likes rock, you would join the rock chat roo m. It even has a hotlist, which lets you find out what type of music anyone has downloaded, and it helps you remember your friend?

Graduation Speech: Leaving the Coolest Place on Earth -- Graduation Sp

When I was in middle school, I thought high school was the coolest place on earth. The kids who went to high school took real classes, like English instead of block. They studied history, not social studies. And their science classes had recognizable names like biology or chemistry, not Fast I and Fast II. They could drive; they could see R-rated movies. They got seven minute passing periods and pop machines. The last four years have not been one cool experience after another, like I imagined in middle school. Walking through the maze of halls on the first day of freshman year was a nightmare. Some of us barely survived the sophomore year slump: we have how many months until graduation? Many of us lived on 30 minutes of sleep a night our entire junior year as we tried to balance school work with our college search, a social life and a job, so we could pay for the car we thought was so cool in middle school. Senioritis struck many of us around September of our junior year, although the epidemic has certainly worsened in the past few weeks. Our senior year has been a constant battle...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Essay on Action, Props, Costumes, and Visual Elements in Trifles

Action, Props, Costumes, and Visual Elements in Trifles Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles, shows the importance of staging, gestures, and props to create the proper atmosphere of a play. Without the development of the proper atmosphere through directions from the author, the whole point of the play may be missed. Words definitely do not tell the whole story in Trifles - the dialog only complements the unspoken. Susan Glaspell tells us her vision of the Wright's kitchen, where the action of her play "Trifles" takes place, through stage directions. She paints a gloomy picture of this center of activity. The kitchen is described as being in disorder with unwashed pans under the sink, a dish towel left on the table, a loaf of bread outside the breadbox, and other disarray. This gives the impression of no attention having been paid to cleaning up either recently or usually. The room has faded wallpaper, an old black stove, an old iron sink with a hand pump and no curtains at the one window. The unpainted table at the center sounds old and utilitarian. The descriptions suggests a very uninviting room with no frills or anything to brighten the area. Nothing frivolous or feminine, like flowers or colorful plates are described as being in the room. The one comfort in the room is an old rocking chair. This conjures up the impression of one lonely person occasionally sitting down to shell beans or string snaps. Is she always working in this room or does she sit and look out the window next to her day dreaming of what might have been? The characters enter this room through a door at the back of the stage which goes to a shed then to the outside. The Sheriff enters first followed by the County Attorney, later described as... ...ble in the dialog. It is done through looks and gestures. For example, "Their eyes met a look of growing comprehension, of horror...... Mrs. Hale slips the box under quilt pieces". They finally carry the evidence out with them. We are left to assume that the ladies will destroy the evidence making it impossible to prove that Mrs. Wright killed her husband. The ladies make an unspoken decision that Mrs. Wright did not deserve to be punished for killing her husband. In their minds, evidence of his extreme cruelty to his wife negated her guilt. This play shows the importance of the staging, gestures, and props making the atmosphere of a play. Without the development of these things through directions from the author, the whole point of the play will be missed. The dialog in this play only complements the unspoken. Words definitely do not tell the whole story.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Humanities Today Essay

The academic discipline known as humanities is the study of how man interprets the world around him. The study of humanities has been around since mankind began investigating and questioning the world they lived in. According to the article â€Å"What are the Humanities?†(2000), when the National Endowment for the Humanities was established in 1964, Congress created the following definition of humanities which included the study of:history; literature; philosophy and ethics; foreign languages and cultures; linguistics; jurisprudence or philosophy of law; archeology; comparative religion; the history, theory, and criticism of the arts; and those aspects of the social sciences. In this definition the key point for distinguishing humanities from other modes of human inquiry is the fact that humanities are based on historical and expressive interpretation rather than theory and logic. Humanities inquire about the human’s interpretation of his or her surroundings. The inquiries come from the general population or an individual’s own expression of human reaction to historical events and the way that it is expressed through art, science, politics, literature, music, architecture, and religion. Other modes of human inquiry are based off of proven facts and scientific theories. A person’s interpretation has little to do with science (What are the Humanities, 2000). ArtOne of the more controversial ways that the arts have been affected by modern humanities is the showcasing of human bodies as art. An exhibition called Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS: The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies is now touring the United States. This exhibition displays human bodies that have been plasticized, doing various normal human activities. Some displays have cadavers in the middle of making a shot in basketball, while others displays a family sitting around a kitchen table. In this day of rapid technological advances, it is sometimes hard to distinguish pure art from criminal activity. At fist glance most people are amazed to see that technology has allowed a concept like this to be possible. Many people feel that there is much to be learned about the human body through this display of art. On the other hand many people are outraged by the exhibit calling it a denigration of the human spirit. Others have  called it a criminal act. The companies that process these human bodies are currently being investigated by the U.S. government. Many fingers have been pointed at China for having a black market for cadavers. No one knows for sure how the companies even come across so many cadavers and if the person’s permission was given. One thing is for sure that this form of â€Å"art† represents the mind set of the world today. This tiny fraction of the art world represents the change in religious beliefs, technology, and artistic expression today (Cattani, 2008). MusicMusic is definitely an area that changes through the attitudes and expression of past generations, especially in the African-American community. During the time of slavery music was a way for slaves to capture some of the heritage that was so violently taken away from them. Similar to musicians today, one of the way slaves used music was as a way to express the way they felt about the environment around them. Many songs from those days represented oppression and sorrow. Some other songs represented times of joy or the hope of overcoming oppression. Slaves also used music for celebration, communication, and mourning (Slave Songs, n.d.). Today’s African-American community still uses music in some of the same ways. Times have changed. Slavery has been abolished but from slavery there arose racial separatism, feelings of hate between the races, and distrust of Caucasians by other races. This is where the harshness and intentionally angry voice of â€Å"gangsta rap† is derived. This genre of music is an outlet for young African American males to voice the inequality and unjust behaviors that they feel from society. ArchitectureFrank Lloyd Wright is one the foremost fathers of modern American architecture. He believed that past methods for architecture were relied too heavily. Wright made it a point to reject the 19th century European architecture that people were used to. His style was attributed to the blocks he played with as a child and from modern Japanese architecture. Since the world was going through a new industrial period, Wright felt is was necessary to include materials that emphasized the world around him. He began to use materials such as steel and glass in his architecture. Open  floor plans with few walls separating rooms were also a turn from traditional architecture (Modern Architecture, 2007). PhilosophyOne of the noted pioneers of modern philosophy is John Dewey. Among other branches of philosophy, Dewey was relentless on the subject of experimental education. Dewey believed that the current method of education was more concerned with feeding children information rather then learning from the child’s experiences. Dewey believed that it is the educator’s responsibility to facilitate learning in a way which accounts for each student’s uniqueness. Today, many school philosophies are still based on Dewey’s theory of experience (Neill, 2005). LiteratureThe information age has had a lasting effect on modern literature. Through T.V., the internet, and the media information is capable of being exchanged over long distances in a very short period of time. Mankind has shown a hunger for information in modern years. In the 21st century literature related to true events have become very popular. Because of this, the status of celebrities has somewhat fallen. The people who used to be held as iconic figures have become as human as everyone else today. Instead of the imaginative fiction literary works that used to be the norm, today autobiographies and tabloid magazines are flying off the shelves. The situation only reflects the information driven society from which it comes. The study of humanities is an ever changing journey. Humanities will changes with the questions and expression about every generation to come. Humanities are unique in that a quest for the purpose and meaning of the human life is being sought. As time goes on, the study of humanities will be become broader, taking with it all the questions of yesterday. References Cattani, T. (2008). Human cadavers on display†¦as an attraction?. Retrieved February 22, 2008,from Living Lake Country Web site: http://community.livinglakecountry.com/blogs/from_another_side/archive/2008/02/15/human-cadavers-on-display-as-an-attraction.aspxModern Architecture, (2007). Retrieved February 22, 2008, from Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia Web site:

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Importance of Being Educated

I believe that Early Childhood centres should create a positive environment where children are more stimulated, happy, comfortable and safe from harm. Where learning is more meaningful and children can be extended. I believe that children learn in a holistic way through play. They learn by being actively involved. The process of a child's work is important not just the results. They learn through stages at their own pace. The adults role in children's learning is to provide scaffolding for the child's endeavours, supports and connections, that are removed and replaced when and where they are needed. Adults need to provide a developmentally appropriate programme to cater for all children. There is a need to plan for each child based on their own interests, strengths and needs. The curriculum planning should be based on the principles of Te Whaariki and the knowledge that all children are individuals. I feel that there is a need for Early Childhood Educators to work in partnership with parents/caregivers and Whaanau. This is an essential part of providing the best possible opportunities for children to reach their fullest potential. I recognise that parent/caregivers and Whaanau are the major sources for this knowledge. Which is a very valuable resource for teachers. Therefore there must be a good relationship between centre staff and parents to provide a strong connection and consistency among all aspects of the child's world. I believe that the uniqueness of each child should be valued. To apply the principle of fairness to all practices within the centre and to avoid discrimination as the basis of culture, gender, disability, religion or class. I feel that all children have the right to attend a centre. I am committed to providing an environment in which every child is enriched by the dual cultures of the treaty partners. I recognise that we are becoming a multicultural society and realise the importance of understanding the diversity that this brings to Early Childhood Education. I believe that Te Reo Maori should be actively included into the centres programme. It is important as an Early Childhood Educator to work as a team member, where each member is encouraged to utilise their own individual skills. There needs to be open and honest communication between staff members to create on effective team. It is also necessary for staff to have common goals and work together to achieve them. I feel that the management of children's behaviour must be fair and consistent. Teachers and adults must model and promote peaceful conflict resolution methods to enable children to learn and deal with conflict in an appropriate way. I also believe that the development of self-esteem by positive reinforcement of appropriate behaviour is important to safeguard the rights and emotional development of every child at the centre. I believe that it is necessary for teachers to be involved in a continuing process of professional development to keep in touch with the changes that are constantly effecting the Early Childhood Education field. The Importance of Being Educated I believe that Early Childhood centres should create a positive environment where children are more stimulated, happy, comfortable and safe from harm. Where learning is more meaningful and children can be extended. I believe that children learn in a holistic way through play. They learn by being actively involved. The process of a child's work is important not just the results. They learn through stages at their own pace. The adults role in children's learning is to provide scaffolding for the child's endeavours, supports and connections, that are removed and replaced when and where they are needed. Adults need to provide a developmentally appropriate programme to cater for all children. There is a need to plan for each child based on their own interests, strengths and needs. The curriculum planning should be based on the principles of Te Whaariki and the knowledge that all children are individuals. I feel that there is a need for Early Childhood Educators to work in partnership with parents/caregivers and Whaanau. This is an essential part of providing the best possible opportunities for children to reach their fullest potential. I recognise that parent/caregivers and Whaanau are the major sources for this knowledge. Which is a very valuable resource for teachers. Therefore there must be a good relationship between centre staff and parents to provide a strong connection and consistency among all aspects of the child's world. I believe that the uniqueness of each child should be valued. To apply the principle of fairness to all practices within the centre and to avoid discrimination as the basis of culture, gender, disability, religion or class. I feel that all children have the right to attend a centre. I am committed to providing an environment in which every child is enriched by the dual cultures of the treaty partners. I recognise that we are becoming a multicultural society and realise the importance of understanding the diversity that this brings to Early Childhood Education. I believe that Te Reo Maori should be actively included into the centres programme. It is important as an Early Childhood Educator to work as a team member, where each member is encouraged to utilise their own individual skills. There needs to be open and honest communication between staff members to create on effective team. It is also necessary for staff to have common goals and work together to achieve them. I feel that the management of children's behaviour must be fair and consistent. Teachers and adults must model and promote peaceful conflict resolution methods to enable children to learn and deal with conflict in an appropriate way. I also believe that the development of self-esteem by positive reinforcement of appropriate behaviour is important to safeguard the rights and emotional development of every child at the centre. I believe that it is necessary for teachers to be involved in a continuing process of professional development to keep in touch with the changes that are constantly effecting the Early Childhood Education field.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Essay Social Media And Advertising Essay

Social media plays a significant role in ensuring that advertising is successful. Social media is made up of websites that enable users to create and share content with other users across the internet. In today’s world almost everything that takes place revolves around social media and as a result any new product, business or service being advertised is associated with social media in some way. According to some analysts, social media is â€Å"a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content† (Kaplan, p61). With the world growing to be more technological enhanced it shows that more customers and potential customers are becoming more dependent on social media when pursuing a product or service of interest. Social media is user friendly, allows for sharing of content with a wide audience and makes it possible for relationships to develop among o ther brands. Social media is important in ensuring advertising is successful because it provides a user friendly platform that is compatible with its intended user’s ability to use it easily and successfully. Previously, mainly younger persons were the ones who used social media; however, recently older persons are being more engaged in social media because it is much easier to operate and understand now. Many persons believe that social networks are only for younger people, yet we find that everyday older people are using social media not just to keep up with family and friends but to actually communicate with organizations of interest and to engage with their customers. From an older person’s perspective, â€Å"social media allows them to have their own say and provides them with a warm welcoming feeling that they belong† (Ongeri, 1). This would therefore lead to an increase in the success received from advertising via social media because customers prefer easily accessible and user-friendly platforms; where all the required information is at hand when using the internet in search of a new product or service. Social media also plays a significant role in advertising because it allows the product or service being advertised to be shared with almost anyone who uses the internet, by sharing pages, photos and videos. Facebook is one of the most popular social networks with approximately 1.15 billion users, and this is  just one of many social networks available. Therefore, this information provides a better understanding of the scale of persons who have access to material shared via social media and helps to showcase why almost every organization enforces the use of social media when advertising a product or service. It is also beneficial because every time content is shared with others it introduces the business to a new prospective each time. This basically means that users are enabled to access the material that other users and businesses have posted online, which generates feedback that may cause users to develop different thoughts and opinions towards the business or brand. Since social media is collaborative and pretty much viral it allows the brand to build up authenticity and loyalty among customers and potential customers. This basically means that every different social network used brings a unique perspective to brands, allowing them to communicate with consumers while reinforcing the brand image. By using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to name a few; each platform is responsible for providing the consumer with a different outlook and better perspective as to how they view the product or service being offered. This would increase the product’s reputation and sales due to the impact that social media has on advertising. Thirdly, social media plays a significant role in advertising because it allows for relationships with other brands across other social media platforms to be developed. Just as social media have transformed the way in which individuals communicate with each other, it has also transformed the way in which businesses communicate and interact with each other. Relationships are developed through good business trades and links across social networks, some businesses may prefer to deal directly with a specific supplier because of the previous experience they have received from them which they would not want to jeopardize. This link goes both ways with producers and suppliers and can lead to special deals and incentives being offered to each other based on the good business relationships that have developed. This can also filter down to the consumers and allow brands to offer incentives to their customers which would strengthen existing relationships and build new ones at the same time .It would prove to be beneficial for the product being advertised because potential customers always look for new exciting deals being offered. Overall advertising via social media is a positive for any business or firm  promoting a product or service, simply because they are more advantages than disadvantages of using social media when advertising. Social media is used to discover, interact and share new ideas across the internet; therefore once implemented these aspects all play vital roles in showing that social media plays a significant role in advertising.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

It Is Better to Have Tried and Failed, Than Not to Have Tried at All

â€Å"It is better to have tried and failed, than not to have tried at all. † Do you agree? When one tries and fails, one has gained more knowledge than the one who has not tried at all. The person who has tried, will instead possess a greater understanding over the one who has not. However, that person must have tried his best in order for this statement to be applicable. Therefore, i agree with this statement provided that the person has tried his best. Firstly, in the process of learning as we grow up, we face different obstacles and challenges as we work towards our goal or dream.During these times of difficulty, we tend to stop in our tracks. Not many people would continue persevering and move forward to take their best shot. Even if we fail after trying, we would be able to realise the mistakes that we have made. As compared to not even trying at all, failing will benefit us in such a way that we can keep on improving ourselves to become better. In short, we will be able to learn from the mistakes that we made the first time we tried and failed Secondly, not trying at all will leave you with greater regrets than trying and failing.When you grow older, the amount of regrets for not trying would pile up. As you think back into your past, those regrets could have actually turned into valuable experiences. At least when you try, you attain new knowledge which will help in your future endeavours. The knowledge and experience you encountered could mean the difference between tasting the sweetness of success, or the bitter taste of failure. On the contrary, In some circumstances, it is better not to try if the end result is obvious. For example, it is a futile attempt to try and woo a girl that does not like you in return.In this case, trying to do so will just lead to disaster. Moreover, you may end up losing a friend, embarrassing yourself and possibly giving her discomfort. Sometimes a chance is never a chance at all and you should not bother to try kn owing that the outcome will be a negative one which will cause both parties to suffer. Thirdly, failure is the mother of success. Ask any successful person you know whether they have experienced failures, and they will definitely reply you with a nod of the head or a resounding yes.Indeed, the path to success is riddled with failures and setbacks, but those who are able to stand back up and learn from these experiences are the ones who will be guaranteed success. The world famous Thomas Edison had to try one thousand times before successfully inventing the light bulb. One of his famous quotes include,† I have not failed a thousand times but rather have found a thousand ways that do not work. † This optimistic and enduring attitude is another thing which successful people have in common. Thomas Edison was able to learn from his mistakes and effectively improve on them, this is why he was able to succeed.Theodore Roosevelt puts it amazingly well: â€Å"It's not the critic who counts; Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit goes to the one who is actually in the arena; Who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; Who knows the great devotions, the great enthusiasms, and spends himself in a worthy cause. Who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and, at the worst, if he fails at least he fails while daring greatly; so that his place will never be among those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and everything that one person does may not necessarily mean success, but it is certain that different experiences will bring in different benefits. These experiences can carve the person’s personality and attitude to a better person as they continue forward and learn from his or her own mistakes. To round off, failures will give a person experience and a person who do es not try will not gain these experiences at all. Therefore, it is better to have tried and failed, than not to have tried at all.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Macroeconomics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Macroeconomics - Case Study Example Due to this fact among others, there has been a suggestion that the unemployment rate that has been released by the government are not exactly accurate and may actually be higher than the numbers stated (Nutting). However, taking this mode of argument means that one has to consider a number of factors before they are in agreement with the authors of these articles. For instance, the fact that one may be hindered from looking for a job by circumstances such as other duties and responsibilities like childcare and homecare does not mean that given the chance these individuals would actively search for employment opportunities. One has to factor in the issue of willingness as well as determination especially in a time where one can easily search for jobs online without having to leave the comfort of their homes. There are also various jobs that one can perform from their homes and thus if these individuals have not tried to get these kind of employment opportunities it can be established that they would look for the more traditional forms of work had they had an opportunity. The issue of being discouraged by the current economic situation and perhaps their failure in the past can also not be seen as a serious hindrance as this is a factor that can be overcome by willpower and determination. It can thus be correct to come to the conclusion that the real unemployment rate is not as accurate as one would think (Nutting). The issue of long term unemployment is also another subject that should be considered in matters of unemployment in relation to the available job opportunities that currently exist in the market. It has been seen that those who experience longer periods of time without employment have a lesser chance of getting a job as time goes on. This is because many employers tend to favor individuals who have a smaller gap between their status of unemployment and their last job (Coy). Long term

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Paper on Business proposal Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Paper on Business - Thesis Proposal Example This would ensure RDH regains its lost reputation and has a competitive advantage in the market. Organizational change in an effective way can be a difficult proposition for any given company, no matter how big or small it is. Many of the multinational companies all around the world have tried to bring about changes related to different aspects of the company. Some have been able to affect the change quite effectively, while others failed to do so successfully. Various factors are needed to be considered while bringing about an effective change or transformation in an organization. Out of those factors the two most important aspects are: a) establishment of a clear vision and b) being able to communicate that particular vision to all the organizational members. In accordance with John P. Kotter, he lays down eight basic steps leading to the transformation of any organization. Out of those eight steps mentioned by Kotter, the third step tells about the creation of a vision for the company to help lead to the change within the organization. It also includes development of strategies which, when implemented, could lead to an effective change in the organization. There is plenty of evidence regarding failure in the efforts made by the organizations to make an effective transformation in its organizational culture because of lack of efficient communication about its vision. The fourth step in organizational transformation, as mentioned by Kotter, is about communication of the companys vision to all its employees and other concerned stakeholders. The next step that is step five includes empowering the other employees of the organization to facilitate working in alignment with the set vision of the company (Kotter 4). RDH has identified that there is a need for change in the culture of the organization. Therefore in order to facilitate such change, they took various steps to initiate the change program. The company then selected Hotel

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Theater Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Theater - Research Paper Example According to Stanton and Banham (1996), the first recorded theater of this type was a performance held in Egypt in 2500 BC enacting one of the sacred plays of the myth of Osiris and Isis. In the west, though, the beginning of theater is generally recognized as having its start in Ancient Greece, resurging going into the Renaissance and changes coming into the modern age. Greek theater history starts with Thespis, apparently a playwright whose name is recorded in history as the first winner of the play competition in honor of Dionysus in 534 BC (Wicker, 2004). It is from Greek theater that we get most of our current conventions, language and definition. In Greek theater, the play was generally narrated by a chorus who would let the audience know what they were supposed to be seeing and the background information of the story being told. Sometimes they took part in the action as they interacted with the principle characters. Under Greek influence, the theater developed into two major camps – the comedies and the tragedies. Major playwrights in the ancient period were Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes and Menander (Wicker, 2004). These men did much to develop theater into a fully-told story complete with actors, histories and a somewhat scientific approach to the development of story. As the Greek society began to fade, the rising Ro mans adopted their entertainment and brought it into further development. Some of the famous playwrights of this period included Terence and Plautus (Wicker, 2004). Like the Greeks, the Romans generally performed their plays in large amphitheaters where the audience would sit on graduated rows of horseshoe-shaped terraces while the actors would perform on a stage set at the base of these rows in the center of the pinched horseshoe opening. Unlike the Greeks, the Romans reduced the importance of their plays to