European Management

Generally, there are two types of customers in the wedding band business. One of them is a couple who is getting engaged or getting married and therefore needs a wedding band to wear it life-long; the second type of customers is a couple who decides to change their wedding bands and buy a new one. 1. 1 Description of Values, Strategy, Mission & Vision, and Actual Business & In this part of our work we give you the description of the company in the general meaning, as well as its values, vision and mission. Moreover, we analyze its actual usiness and management model.Every company in the world should have its own values. It means that companies are guided by some principles and internal conducts. Moreover, all of the companies are connected to their customers, partners, shareholders, and etc. In order to attract or influence those stakeholders companies usually state their vision and mission (BusinessDictionary, n. d. ). The values of the company Rubin Alyans are gold wedding bands an d solitaire rings. Those products are very important for the company and also for the buyers as they are the customers of the companys customers, the so- called end-users.Traditionally in many countries married couples wear wedding bands to show or announce to the world that they are married. The fact that the company value is also a multicultural sign decides any action and strategy. Another value of the company is there special packages as including nice presents for the couples. The strategy of this company is highly sensitive on the quality of the products because its products are mostly worn during the day and night, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There is no other product that a person wears on him or her such a long time. The vision of the company is much more competitive.They are lucky to be in a competition in which other companies compete with their price and not many of them have a strange and unpredictable vision. So the company would like to stay with their competitiv e advantages, increase them in the future. Their future vision is also to grow, therefore first become a mid-sized and then a big-sized company in order to expand also more into foreign countries; to increase the possibility of targeting new countries more easily due to financial terms. The company mission is to produce and sell wedding bands to the couples that they can wear lifelong without any complaints.The way to success in their business is to make the high quality wedding band with the elegance and simple design. The simplicity of the ring is important because for many people it is difficult to choose the wedding ring which they would admire forever. Those who decide and buy the product know very well that the choice is very important. Besides all of the strategies and marketing plans, the most important function in Jewellery business is that the product has a change value as it is operating in the gold business. The accuracy that you mark inside the ring should be correct wi th the ring's.Better to explain by an example: When you mark 14K in the ring the accuracy should be 585 which is the gram percentage of the gold in 1 kg. If it is less than the marked one, it has a serious penalty and besides everything mentioned, whatever we do we always have to be sure of the gold accuracy of ring. 1. 1. 2 Actual Business Model This company fills rather the criteria of an actual business model than of a traditional business model due to the following reasons. 2 The process of creating golden rings is based on market needs, so to say on the actual demands of customers.The customers demand for the rings and therefore, edding bands are developed, created, and at least produced. Hence, the demand for brand capital is high. We can see a customer-focus because they are those who decide how their final wedding ring will look like. The wedding rings are created according to the customers. To be aware of the need of customization in this business is a very important factor to be successful in the gold industry. It is also possible to imply that there is a high demand for human capital.

Receivable Management Essay

The company will come to know about the existing flaws in the system. The recommendations would help the company to overcome the same. It will also help the company to know which portal is generating more revenue, which position and many other things which generate grab major part of the revenue. [pic] Management Of Accounts Receivable Management of receivables is a process under which decisions to maximize returns on the investment blocked in them are taken. Thus, the main objective of management receivable is to maximize the returns on investment in receivables & to minimize risk of bad debts etc. Because investment in receivables affects liquidity and profitability, it is, therefore, significant to maintain proper level of receivables. Accounts receivable represent sales that have not yet been collected as cash. It explains that merchandise or services in exchange for a customer’s promise to pay at a certain time in the future. Accounts receivables of a firm are created on both the side of the productive system. On one side of this system, the firm may make advance payments to the suppliers of the raw material to ensure timely supply, when the supplier holds the monopolistic position. On the other side of the productive system, accounts receivable are created by a firm when it sells its output on credit. These are termed as sundry debtors. Sundry Debtors constitute nearly 60% of the Accounts Receivables. Four Aspects Of Management Of Sundry Debtors: 1. Credit Policy needs to be determined. This involves a trade off between the profit on additional sales that arise due to credit being extended on the one hand and the cost of carrying those debtors and the bad debts losses on the other hand.

Impact of Industrial Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Impact of Industrial Revolution - Essay Example However, despite the great attention that I have accorded to the subject, I feel a bit discouraged by the score attained in the assignment previously. My understanding of assessment evaluation as such a paper is that the most important factors that are considered are together with the language competence, proper understanding of the question, the quality of the materials used as well as the ability for a student to express ideas fluently and cohesively. In my personal evaluation of the previous paper written (on impact of industrial revolution), I would reason that my command for English as the formal language of communication is unquestionable. I have a proven command in communication in language as would be justified through the excellent sentence structure, excellent spellings as well as the ability to interlink the points in a logical manner. Besides the ability to write and communicate in English, I have proven capacity to extract information from other written materials and com prehensively relate it to produce such a good flowing and informative paper as that previous paper. Among other strengths that I would be certain of are the capacity to effectively understand an examiners intentions through understanding the question. In this regard, I therefore feel that the assignment was handled effectively and perfectly to warrant a better grade than accorded. However, as it is famously said, man is to error, this position does not refute the possibility of having great weaknesses, which would explain my poor performance. Having studied in detail the question and the skills to tackle such an assignment from my teacher, I stand to be corrected on the weaknesses that I have shown in the assignment. In particular, I highly appreciated the comments from my teacher concerning my assignment. He justifies my poor performance through pointing out certain weaknesses that are portrayed in the paper in general. The comments points out to the first issue that would have led to my poor performance would have been the low quality picture used in the analysis. The picture was not clear and thus presented a problem to any person analyzing it. Besides the weakness of the picture, it was also farfetched from the core idea behind the essay. This would point out to the possibility of poor understanding of the question or task. This points to a possible weakness in my comprehension of that particular task and hence the adoption of a rather wrong approach while addressing the question posed. The comments from the teacher show that my tackling of the industrial revolution was very broad and never warranted the use of the picture as used. The referencing also fell short of expectation in that few sources are sited compared to the breadth of the topic, which would imply the application of other materials, which are not captured. This is a weakness concerning professional academic practices. It is also poor to cited the source of the picture and have the source not referenced again. These weaknesses among others led to the poor performance in the paper as shown by the lecturers comments and would therefore be attributed to personal weakness. Nevertheless, according to my opinion, my weakness is not wholly on poor understanding of the question posed but on the centrally the weakness is in having much of the information I want to write but fail to appropriately present it.

Customer Service-Gathering Customer Information-discussion Personal Statement

Customer Service-Gathering Customer Information-discussion - Personal Statement Example The form includes information from your name to financials and a number of other questions demonstrating your likes and dislikes. Then there are â€Å"Enquiries and Complaints† where companies keep record of customer enquires which can be about a specific product or service. â€Å"Customer Reward Programs† is another smart technique of getting customer information by offering them tempting rewards like discounts, promotions, cash backs and reward points. Another way of acquiring information is â€Å"Customer Feedback Surveys† which is of one most used method. From ethical point of view, gathering customer’s personal information is wrong to some extent. We should not forget that people do have the right to privacy according to law but if they are deliberately providing their information to the companies then all the blame cannot be imposed on companies. On the company’s part, they should not collect private information to the extent where customer feels insecure and the worst part is that companies who are gathering data just don’t keep it to themselves; it is usually leaked or sold to other companies specifically in the banking sector. At times companies also track your personal life associated to marital and monetary aspects. In my opinion there should be a limit to invade customer’s personal life and also customers should be careful while providing extensive information about themselves for the sake of rewards which might have unforeseen

Quantitative Data Analysis 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quantitative Data Analysis 5 - Essay Example se figures, it may be noted that in general, the participants have not provided a very high rating on any of the questions, rather the average result for most of these questions is an overall â€Å"Fair†, although some aspects rate slightly higher than others. For example, Q5 which rates the facilities in the room gets the highest average rating, while the availability of tourist facilities is ranked the lowest. It may also be noted that on an overall basis 24 respondents have responded in the negative to the question of whether they are satisfied overall with the quality of service, which is about 48% of the sample. One important aspect to be tested in this survey on quality is the extent to which the levels of service available meet the expectations of the respondents. The quality of service is said to be the gap between customer expectations and the actual performance they receive. (Parasuraman et al, 1994; Tsang and Qu, 2000). Therefore, it is this aspect that will determine whether or not the four star hotels are delivering the levels of quality of service that are expected. Q8 tests the extent to which front desk services met the expectations of the participants, Q 9 tests the quality of the room and Q10 tests the quality of housekeeping services. As demonstrated above, only a few respondents have accorded a rating of 4, in terms of the level of service meeting their expectations. Most respondents rate this variable between 2 and 3, although one respondent gives it a very negative ranking of 1. As shown above, there are a higher percentage of respondents who appear to have accorded this variable a favorable ranking of 3 to 4. None of the respondents ranks this as low as 1, while there are only a few who have ranked this variable at 2. Therefore, on an overall basis, it appears that the facilities in the room have tended to meet the expectations of customers fairly favorably. In this case, a greater percentage of respondents have ranked this at 2 or 3,

Critical Issue Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critical Issue Analysis - Essay Example Followers of the second are equally steadfast in their opinion that to equate abortion to murder rests on a wafer thin foundation of religious beliefs and that embryo neither has life not is an individual with rights. The choice to or not to abort should vest with the pregnant woman. The debate arouses virulent passions2. To being forth the intensity of emotions aroused by the contentious issue of abortion and some semblance of objectivity, viewpoints of a male and female author have been considered. The female is a staunch anti-abortionist, and the male an ‘enlightened’ believer in freedom of choice. In the interest of simplification, the adherents of divergent viewpoints have been placed in two categories, namely, pro and anti abortionists. In an article titled, â€Å"Abortion rights are pro-life,† Dr. Leonard Peikoff3 takes an aggressive stance, and wonders why the pro-abortion rights forces are on the defensive. He willingly provides the answer: because nobody is any longer defending the right to abortion on moral grounds. He exhorts the pro-abortionists not to be apologetic and fight tooth and nail. He believes that â€Å"the embryo is clearly pre-human; only the mystical notions of religious dogma treat this clump of cells as constituting a person,† and â€Å"is not an independently existing, biologically formed organism, let alone a person.† Diane S. Dew, a mother and an anti-abortionist campaigner, in an article titled, â€Å"Its a child, not a choice,† argues that society’s penchant for defense of rights of an individual smacks of the diabolical and pro-abortionists have blown it out of proportion. She contends that the pro-abortion lobby is backed by vested interests, notably, doctors, for whom â€Å"abortion is big business.† Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, our nation has lost an entire generation to abortion. We

Future for Purchasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Future for Purchasing - Essay Example But the situation changed with the introduction of Information technology, which brought significant changes in the dealings of business operations. The package it provided to an organization to overcome the limitations of traditional purchasing is 'e-purchasing'. Viewing the importance of E-Purchasing the paper tries to bring about some information on e-purchasing but specifically focusing on what an E-Purchasing actually means, how it is carried out and its overall contribution to the business in the next decade. The introduction of information technology has brought dramatic changes in the business operations. In spite of the huge investments were fabricated by the business organizations in the action ability planning arrangement implementations they could not get appropriate advice for authoritative able business decisions. But the placing of 'e' in front of any process or function proved to be the magic formula for the untold success and the rapid returns for the organizations. One such example to give is E-Purchasing. E-Purchasing is considered as the basic component of an e- procurement capability. Through e-purchasing the business organization can automate and extend the manual buying processes right from the creation of the requisition through to payment of the suppliers (Biechler, 1997). Thus the process of using of internet facility by the business organizations for purchasing goods and services is referred to as e-purchasing. E-purchasing essentially involves the buying of goods and services via internet. In other words it can be told as a system using information technology to streamline the purchase of goods and services in order to reduce costs. The internet can perform all the steps required manually for performing the purchasing function including ordering, payment and delivery. To avail this so many online banking services have been introduced by the financial institutions such as electronic bill payment, and funds transfer, so that the business can improve its operational efficiency. In accession to this the business alignment can use e-mail as a accelerated and reliable way to acquaint with suppliers or to acquire and acknowledge to chump queries like quotations, information, acquire orders, assassinate deliveries, and aggregate ante from the customers. The e-business can also make the operations of business effective through the greater use of electronic bookkeeping and records management. Thus the supplies received through internet helps to reduce the storage cost and the space required for the goods in the business organizations and thereby serving the customers faster and more effectively (Chia, 1998). E-purchasing is usually referred to as a user-friendly, Internet-based purchasing arrangement that offers e-purchase adjustment processing and added authoritative functions to the buyers that after-effects in added operational efficiencies and abeyant amount accumulation to the business organizations (Breite, 2001). The e-purchasing ability provides the Business organizati

Assessing Media Influence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assessing Media Influence - Essay Example Readers, viewers and consumers of information should supply the necessary interpretation of stories and symbols to discover the relation of information and of its consumers. This is because a phenomenon unfolded in a television show could not be understood in itself but about how the meanings interacted and impacted to viewers or readers (Berger, 2005, pp. 10-28). Cultural norms, socialization process and ethical concerns have so much regulatory effect to determine the information’s acceptability or non-acceptability to the taste and standard of communication (Berger, 2005, pp. 60-120). It is therefore important for viewers and readers to be positively self-critical in absorbing the information. It should be the goal of every media consumer to combine analysis and creativity to effectively segregate the truth from myth and to free self from the victimization-effect of violent media production (Berger, 2005, pp. 2013-214). This is not just about words or video shoots at work. T his is also about responsible media consumption by unmasking the paradigmatic and syntagmatic meanings evoked differently (Berger, 2005, pp. 2013-214). Most media institution is not truly an independent entity. They are incorporated as either a public, private and rarely in cooperative in nature. As companies, they are also competing in sourcing and presenting information to gather more readers and viewers. The most attractive and those who have certain leverage in the market by possessing wider area of coverage will likely gain more advertisers (Croteau & Hoynes, 2006, p. 15-19). They are also for profit. Thus, consumers of information should be critical too about the kind of commercial products they introduced. Everyone knows that advertisements are used by corporations to leverage in introducing their products to the market (Croteau & Hoynes, 2006, p. 15-19). Media played much on its influencing capacity regardless on what products are introduced. The fees of advertisers are actu ally their most prevent concern and not the quality of products indorsed (Croteau & Hoynes, 2006, p. 20-68). While we agree that media is an avenue of free ideas, but it remained the info-consumers responsibility to ascertain whether goods popularized by the media are truly relevant for public welfare (Croteau & Hoynes, 2006, pp. 17-48; 192.) Lest, everyone should be reminded that nothing can blind an intelligent and responsible consumer to know which products in the market can be bought for healthy consumption. Moreover, while media is required to be impartial and independent in espousing views, but researchers observed evident tendencies for media to slant the reports and information to some interests, depending on what to their purview is the story worth tackling about in a day. Slanting, for some, have serious effects to public perception and such affect the models of social equilibrium where companies are in constant discourse with consumers. They criticized that media is biase d and are perceived to have favored certain groups of consumers than others. True, unbiased reports these days are hard to see, except for investigative reportage where all views and voices of stakeholders are put into serious consideration, thus, widening the relational and contextual meaning of a phenomenon discussed. The media has been also powerfully putting women

Shear Force Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Shear Force Report - Coursework Example Loading of the beam I assumed to be equally spread along the length of the beam, such that the shear force acting on a point is a ration of the portions. Considering figure 1, the theoretical shear force is given by: From the results of experiment 1, the relationship between the variable load and shear force is linear. This is as indicated by the theoretical plot for the same conditions. The relationship indicates that an increase in the loading results in an increase in the amount of shear force experienced at the cut. The error that is generated from the experiment falls within 0.5 N. Only at the origin, no load, recordings are the experimental and theoretical recordings similar, as in all the other instances the theoretical load is always lower than the experimental shear load. Errors in the recorded data may arise due to the systemic and methodology errors. The milieu in which the experiment was done such as wind, may have affected the readings, and resulted in an error, the digital meter may also be suffering from interference and thus a fluctuating read out. From experiment 2, the reactions differ with the nature of the arrangement. The readings from the digital meter indicate that both distance and load have an effect on the reactions. The reaction of hangers closer to the loading is higher from that of the hangers further away. The errors of the experiment are in the range of 0.6 N, and the error is both positive and negative. The experimental shear force in the experiments is both lesser and more than the experimental forces. Deepening on the placement of the load, the reaction is either in the same direction or against the direction of loading thus the negative and positive nature. Force is a scalar quantity that has both magnitude and direction, hence the negative or positive nature. The reaction of loading, in shear force, relies on the distance from the point of

Carpal tunnel syndrome Essay Example for Free

Carpal tunnel syndrome Essay Video games are very popular with children all over the world, they keep kids occupied and entertained. A lot of parents are concerned about how these video games are affecting their children. Are these video games good or bad for our children? Video gaming has both positive and negative effects on children. Video games are not only entertaining but also educational; they create challenges for children to take on in order to proceed to new levels. Video gaming is also very influential with a child. That is why it is very important to monitor children while playing. There are many positive effects to playing video games. Playing a video game is a way to exercise the brain, it helps children develop skills like following directions, problem solving and hand-eye coordination that develop fine motor and spatial skills. Video games contribute a lot to education, like developing reading skills; gamers must read to get instructions, follow storylines, and get information. Gamers also become more determined because, usually they don’t succeed the first time playing a level so they try and try again until they move on to the next level. Games can provide a positive outlet for children to release bottled up frustrations the same way many sports like basketball and football do. Video games allow parents to bond with their children and play together and can be something they share in common. Of course with every good there is a bad. Most of the bad things about video games are usually blamed on the violence that is in them. Children who play more violent video games are more likely to have more aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Playing too much video game keeps children indoors and become less social with family and friends. It also causes children to spend less time doing other activities like doing homework or playing sports. Some video games teach children improper morals and are easily confused between reality and fantasy. Excessive gameplay can contribute to poor performance in school and also cause a slew of health issues like obesity, video-induced seizures, postural, muscular and skeletal disorders and carpal tunnel syndrome. Children who are spending too much time playing video games may show signs of impulsive behavior and have attention problems. The effects of video games vary on children depending on the kind of parenting. Children usually imitate what they see in these video games so it’s important for parents to understand their children’s maturity level and what kind of games parents should allow their children to play. We are now living in a sophisticated and high-tech world so video games are essential to the development of children with today’s technology. The point is for parents to understand that playing video games have different effects on different children. The positives of video games definitely outweigh the negatives of video games especially with proper supervision of the children who play these video games.

Medea, by Euripides: Betrayal and Loyalty

Medea, by Euripides: Betrayal and Loyalty Throughout Greek dramas there is always an underlying message of opposing values. This message allows the audience to learn about human nature, and life lessons. The play Medea, by Euripides, is no exception to this overall pattern in Greek dramas. The play exhibits the conflict between the opposing values betrayal and loyalty through characters and their shifting sympathies. Euripides seems to value loyalty over betrayal through his demonstrations of the dangers of one who lets their emotions take over reason in his tragedy Medea. He shows this through elucidation of secondary characters, a vivid pathos, and clear logos. The play uses pathos, or emotional appeal, to emphasize the importance of loyalty. Medea, in the beginning of the play, was suffering, because Jason did not have the loyalty to stay with her, so the people felt sympathy towards her. Her emotional state was caused by how important loyalty was to her, and now she is completely broken psychologically, Oh I wish That lightning from heaven would split my head open (6). That quote reflects how she is truly feeling, hopeless. Emotionally, Medea brings up the fact that she betrayed her country, her father, and killed her own brother to how emotionally connected she is with her loyalty to Jason, Oh, my father! Oh, my country! In what dishonor I left you, killing my own brother for it (6). From that quote, Medea does not use any words of retribution, which has given her enough emotional appeal that the chorus truly believes that she is the victim of the situation. Logos, or logical appeal, is used in the play to show that Medeas acts of violence were centered more on revenge rather than the prosperity of her children. Medea has had numerous opportunities to obtain a secure lifestyle for herself and her children. Medea is faced with an opportunity to make her and her childrens life better from Jason, and she turns him down saying she doesnt want his pity, I shall never accept favorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Nor take a thing from youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ There is no benefit in the gifts of a bad man (20). Jason was making a logical argument, but Medea lets her emotions cloud her judgment and refuses Jasons offering, But you refuse what is good for youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ You are sure to suffer for it (20). This is showing that Medea is more focused on betraying Jason than her childrens well being, because Jason had offered a logical argument that would have benefited her. If she had accepted Jasons offer, her children would have had some kind of support when they go t into exile. Furthermore, if Jason had been able to marry again, her children would have been considered royalty and would have had a claim for the throne. Medeas avaricious hunger for revenge eventually brings her to slaughter her children. She kills them out of her own benefit not their own, because she is blinded by her own emotions, I know indeed what evil I intend to do, But stronger than all my afterthoughts is my fury, Fury that brings upon mortals the greatest evils (35). That quote reveals her true desires when she is on stage alone. The logical argument here comes from the chorus whose position is that there is no reason good enough for her to slaughter her own children. The chorus eventually had to beg the Gods for Medea to stop and have her reconsider logically about her decision to murder her children, O heavenly light, hold her hand, Check her, and drive from out the house The bloody Fury raised by fiends of Hell (41). That quote shows that Medea has truly gone mad in that she has thrown away all of her sense of reasoning, and is focused entirely on getting revenge. Through logos, Euripides shifts the audiences sympathies from Medea to the victims of her plans. This shows that Loyalty is being emphasized more, because of Jasons offering of help, and the chorus plea to help the children. Some would argue that Euripides makes a strong case for the dangers of betrayal, and that there is not a case for loyalty. They may claim that Medea killed her children because she wanted to betray Jason. Another claim would be that the chorus betrayed Medea because she was going to kill her children. Though, that argument fails when the audience looks at the emotional and logical claims presented by the chorus and Jason. Despite the arguments the Jason presented were callous and anti feminist, the truth is that they support the value of loyalty. Jason believes that Medeas suffering was caused by her own hand, and that if she had been loyal and less emotional the whole epidemic could have been averted. An example would be Medeas exile, which was caused by her cursing the royal family, and thirst for revenge and betrayal, You called down wicked curses on the Kings family (20). Another example would be the death of the princess, which was justified by the chorus whose still loyal to Me dea, Heaven, it seems on this day has fastened many Evils on Jason, and Jason deserved them (40). During the entire play of Medea, Euripides is advocating loyalty by displaying the dangers of uncontrollable betrayal. Through the use of elucidation of secondary characters, a vivid pathos, and clear logos Euripides demonstrates the consequences of one who lets their emotions interfere with their reasoning. He is able to presents that by chasing loyalty, one could never their eyes on the path of retribution. Technological Progress Essay | IT in the Last Decade Technological Progress Essay | IT in the Last Decade Some technological inventions have affected our life greatly for the past decades, especially computers. Its true that computers really provide us more convenient life. With computers, we can deal with many documents even faster, we can use computer to control machines to work, and we can also buy what we want through the Internet on computers. Nevertheless, computers also brought some bad effects to our life; here are some examples of the bad effects that computers have brought to us. One of the bad effects is the impact for art. There are more people tend to create art works by computers, for, those created by computers are neat and tidy. In my opinion, however, they are only squares, straight lines, and other boring things, which are supposed to be called art works. From art works, we can see what an artist wants to deliver to us; we can feel the passion, the eager or even the suffer just like what the artist felt from his/her work. For example, in Renoirs paintings, we can easily find the tenderness and his pity for people because he had given his spirits to his paintings. Even though computers can also make paintings in Renoirs style, we cant see any emotion or spirit in them at all since computers can only imitate rather than create. Another bad effect is that computers have brought much solitude into peoples life. For instance, there are more and more people would like to stay home using computers rather than going out to have interaction with people. This is because these people are poorly educated in a holistic manner. Thus, your viewpoint has caused some misunderstanding. Its not a good phenomenon, for everyone has to know how to get along with others; theres no one can live on his/her own. Whats more, we cant deny that, with the help of computers, we become lazier than we used to be. For example, many students tend to find information simply on the Internet instead of going to libraries for their homework, and if their teachers ask them to hand their homework in type form, the only thing they have to do is copy the information. Therefore, students wont get anything from their assignments. When it comes to technology, some people will lose the original treasure in human beings, like diligence and sociability. We cant rely on technology too much. After all, technology is used to help us. We should take advantage of technology instead of being taken advantage of by technology. References: Karsten Bjerring Olsen, 2006. Productivity Impacts of Offshoring and Outsourcing: A Review, OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2006/1, OECD, Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry. Robert J. Barro Jong-Wha Lee, 2000. International Data on Educational Attainment Updates and Implications, NBER Working Papers 7911, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. Other versions: Robert J. Barro Jong-Wha Lee, 2000. International Data on Educational Attainment: Updates and Implications, CID Working Papers 42, Center for International Development at Harvard University. Barro, Robert J Lee, Jong-Wha, 2001. International Data on Educational Attainment: Updates and Implications, Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 53(3), pages 541-63, July. Dale W. Jorgenson Khuong Vu, 2005. Information Technology and the World Economy, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 107(4), pages 631-650, December. Mary Amiti Shang-Jin Wei, 2005. Fear of service outsourcing: is it justified?, Economic Policy, CEPR, CES, MSH, vol. 20(42), pages 308-347, 04. Other versions: Mary Amiti Shang-Jin Wei, 2004. Fear of Service Outsourcing: Is it Justified?, IMF Working Papers 04/186, International Monetary Fund. Mary Amiti Shang-Jin Wei, 2004. Fear of Service Outsourcing: Is It Justified?, NBER Working Papers 10808, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. Sà ©bastien Jean Giuseppe Nicoletti, 2002. Product Market Regulation and Wage Premia in Europe and North America: An Empirical Investigation, OECD Economics Department Working Papers 318, OECD, Economics Department. Dale W. Jorgenson Khuong Vu, 2005. Information technology and the world economy, Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Anne O. Krueger Andrew Berg, 2003. Trade, Growth, and Poverty: A Selective Survey, IMF Working Papers 03/30, International Monetary Fund. Gene M. Grossman Esteban Rossi-Hansberg, 2006. The rise of offshoring: its not wine for cloth anymore, Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, pages 59-102. Andrea Bassanini Romain Duval, 2006. Employment Patterns in OECD Countries: Reassessing the Role of Policies and Institutions, OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 35, OECD, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs. Other versions: Andrea Bassanini Romain Duval, 2006. Employment Patterns in OECD Countries: Reassessing the Role of Policies and Institutions, OECD Economics Department Working Papers 486, OECD, Economics Department. Katz, Lawrence F. Autor, David H., 1999. Changes in the wage structure and earnings inequality, Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 26, pages 1463-1555 Elsevier. Olivier Blanchard, 1998. Revisiting European Unemployment: Unemployment, Capital Accumulation, and Factor Prices, NBER Working Papers 6566, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. Other versions: Blanchard, Olivier, 1998. Revisiting European Unemployment : Unemployment, Capital Accumulation and Factor Prices, Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number GL28. repec:rus:hseeco:123073 is not listed on IDEAS Douglas Gollin, 2002. Getting Income Shares Right, Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 110(2), pages 458-474, April. Other versions: Douglas Gollin, 2001. Getting Income Shares Right, Department of Economics Working Papers 192, Department of Economics, Williams College. Irina Tytell Shang-Jin Wei, 2004. Does Financial Globalization Induce Better Macroeconomic Policies?, IMF Working Papers 04/84, International Monetary Fund. J. Bradford Jensen Lori G. Kletzer, 2005. Tradable Services: Understanding the Scope and Impact of Services Outsourcing, Peterson Institute Working Paper Series WP05-9, Peterson Institute for International Economics. Slaughter, Matthew J., 2001. International trade and labor-demand elasticities, Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 27-56, June. Young, Alwyn, 1995. The Tyranny of Numbers: Confronting the Statistical Realities of the East Asian Growth Experience, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 110(3), pages 641-80, August. Fajnzylber, Pablo Lederman, Daniel, 1999. Economic reforms and total factor productivity growth in Latin America and the Caribbean (1950-95) an empirical note, Policy Research Working Paper Series 2114, The World Bank.

Setting in the Mayor Of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy Essay -- Papers

Setting in the Mayor Of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy The Mayor of Casterbridge is set in Dorchester, according to its geographical location, and many significant events occur in the public houses of the town and its historical earthwork - the Ring. It is easily visible that each of these places has the purpose that Hardy indicates. The Ring is called the Maumbury Ring; it was used locally as an amphitheatre and an execution ground. It is ridges and ditches of earthwork; Hardy describes, 'The amphitheatre was a huge circular enclosure, with a notch at opposite extremities of its diameter north and south', which is referred to abruptly as 'spittoon of Jotuns'. A reference book on Dorchester's Ring says, 'The site of the town gallows, giving huge crowds a good view of hangings from its circular banks.' Another ruthless description of the ambiance around the Ring is 'The sun was resting on the hill like a drop of blood on an eyelid...' Here two important meetings of Henchard took place - with Susan and Lucetta. They end happily; yet they are the onset of tragedies: the ones responsible for further progression of the novel. The description of its rigidity seems like a prediction into the future. Hardy chooses this location for these meetings because they are tentative meetings; so its solemnity is almost as if eerie spirits are watching over them - that's why the fact that it is an amphitheatre and an execution ground. From these meetings, all Henchard's intentions go wrong. Elizabeth-Jane is not his genuine daughter and his letters from Lucetta are not successfully delivered - all resolved to doom, hypercritically. ... ... here.' 'I say - what a good foundation for a skimmity-ride!' This is the only time that this public house is mentioned in the novel, yet it has beckoned forth another turning point of the novel - from this pagan, underworld place by the mistake of Jopp who failed to deliver the love letters unharmed. Hardy has selectively used the available places in Dorchester to his advantage as it can be seen categorized throughout the novel. This obscured device rouses different reactions as he guides through the whole progression. They are all real locations, despite the fact that there is not evidence for the existence of Peter's Finger, and that has also added another tint to the sense of discovery in this novel. He has cleverly used all the places to maximum efficiency regarding their authentic profile in real world.

Doubling in Kyds The Spanish Tragedy :: Spanish Tragedy Essays

Doubling in Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The World's Classics version of Kyd's the Spanish Tragedy has more than fifty-three roles*. This number can go much higher depending on the exact number of plural parts the director decided to allot. In other words, the script may read simply "nobles," or "attendants" and the reader can not be completely sure of the number of people referred to. If the performing company was limited in players, there may be only two "knights" but if the director had a large cast he may send in six. This means, after working on the doubling possibilities for three weeks, I can not be one hundred percent sure of which characters were played by whom because I do not know exactly how many parts I am trying to fill. Add that to the fact that there are some parts which only show up once in the whole play and share the stage with only one person. These particular roles can be played by almost anyone in the cast. Therefore, I paired up as many roles as I thought were necessary and left the r est to find an available player to take them.    In order to pair up some of the parts, the minimum number of players needed to be known. This will determine how many cast members had to be available not just for doubling but for staging the scene with the most roles at one time. This would be scene four in Act one. There is a minimum of twenty-two roles that need to be filled. Minimum because there are three plural roles: Spanish nobles, Trumpeters, and Attendants (Kyd, 2), which means at least two of each, and sixteen roles with individual titles. Thirty-one roles were then left to be divided amongst the cast as double parts and, in some cases, triple parts.    These remaining roles can not just be handed out randomly though. There are two basic guidelines used to determine who gets what parts: (1) An actor must play the same role throughout the entirety of the play and, (2) Two characters meeting in a scene can not be played by the same actor since it is impossible for one player to be in two different places at the same time. (unixg.ubc.ca) The attached chart shows all the meetings of characters in The Spanish Tragedy.

Workplace Spirituality :: Religion, Work

Workplace spirituality is a sophisticated concept (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004). Generally speaking, it involves the sense of well-being, the feeling of the whole self involved in the work, the feeling of connection to others and something larger than oneself, and a sense of transcendence (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Ingersoll, 2010; Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004; Kinjerski, V. M., & Skrypnek, 2008; Rego & Pina e Cunha, 2008; Sheep, 2004). Individuals view their work as sacred (Ingersoll, 2010), while workplace spirituality is not necessary related to religion (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Krishnakumar & Neck, 2002; Milliman et al., 2003; Rego & Pina e Cunha, 2008). It can be regard to personal value or philosophy. This concept can be referred to self-actualization proposed by Maslow’s (1954) hierarchy of needs. Besides pursuing satisfaction of the basic levels in the hierarchy, individuals have desire to satisfy the higher level of need. Although earning money is the basic goal, individuals eager to find out the meaning in work, to make contribution to the society, to reach their full potential, to become connecting with colleagues, to work in an organization which they identify its goal and value (Kinjerski & Skrypnek, 2004). Although a consistent definition in workplace spirituality has not been reached, mutuality in its definition delineated in literatures can be easily found. Sheep (2004) has been summed up into four themes. The first theme is self-workplace integration, that is the immersion of whole self into work. The second theme is meaning of work. People tend to find out meaning in their work. The meaning may be related to personal value, such as contributing to society and others, and go beyond monetary benefits. The third one is transcendence of self, connecting to something larger than self. This theme includes the connectedness to others, community, and the organization. The final theme is â€Å"personal growth and development of one’s inner life at work†. Organization can provide conditions for the growth and development of employees. Despite various perspectives about workplace spirituality, three dimensions were focused in the present study. The model proposed by Milliman et al. (2003) was adopted. In this model, workplace spirituality includes three levels, namely individual, community and organization. This model embraces two above mentioned theme such as meaning of work and transcendence of self. In the individual level of workplace spirituality, meaningfulness in work is involved in this level. People are motivated to actively search for and give meaning to their lives (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Frankl, 1992; Lips-Wiersma & Morris, 2009).

Deception Point Page 24

In that same edition, paleobiologist Stephen Jay Gould summed up the problems with ALH84001 by pointing out that the evidence in it was chemical and inferential, rather than â€Å"solid,† like an unambiguous bone or shell. Now, however, Rachel realized NASA had found irrefutable proof. No skeptical scientist could possibly step forward and question these fossils. NASA was no longer touting blurry, enlarged photos of alleged microscopic bacteria-they were offering up real meteorite samples where bio-organisms visible to the naked eye had been embedded in the stone. Foot-long lice! Rachel had to laugh when she realized she'd been a childhood fan of a song by David Bowie that referred to â€Å"spiders from Mars.† Few would have guessed how close the androgynous British pop star would come to foreseeing astrobiology's greatest moment. As the distant strains of the song ran through Rachel's mind, Corky hurried up behind her. â€Å"Has Mike bragged about his documentary yet?† Rachel replied, â€Å"No, but I'd love to hear about it.† Corky slapped Tolland on the back. â€Å"Go for it, big boy. Tell her why the President decided that the most important moment in science history should be handed over to a snorkeling TV star.† Tolland groaned. â€Å"Corky, if you don't mind?† â€Å"Fine, I'll explain,† Corky said, prying his way in between them. â€Å"As you probably know, Ms. Sexton, the President will be giving a press conference tonight to tell the world about the meteorite. Because the vast majority of the world is made up of half-wits, the President asked Mike to come onboard and dumb everything down for them.† â€Å"Thanks, Corky,† Tolland said. â€Å"Very nice.† He looked at Rachel. â€Å"What Corky's trying to say is that because there's so much scientific data to convey, the President thought a short visual documentary about the meteorite might help make the information more accessible to mainstream America, many of whom, oddly, don't have advanced degrees in astrophysics.† â€Å"Did you know,† Corky said to Rachel, â€Å"that I've just learned our nation's President is a closet fan of Amazing Seas?† He shook his head in mock disgust. â€Å"Zach Herney-the ruler of the free world-has his secretary tape Mike's program so he can decompress after a long day.† Tolland shrugged. â€Å"The man's got taste, what can I say?† Rachel was now starting to realize just how masterful the President's plan was. Politics was a media game, and Rachel could already imagine the enthusiasm and scientific credibility the face of Michael Tolland on-screen would bring to the press conference. Zach Herney had recruited the ideal man to endorse his little NASA coup. Skeptics would be hard-pressed to challenge the President's data if it came from the nation's top television science personality as well as several respected civilian scientists. Corky said, â€Å"Mike's already taken video depositions from all of us civilians for his documentary, as well as from most of the top NASA specialists. And I'll bet my National Medal that you're next on his list.† Rachel turned and eyed him. â€Å"Me? What are you talking about? I have no credentials. I'm an intelligence liaison.† â€Å"Then why did the President send you up here?† â€Å"He hasn't told me yet.† An amused grin crossed Corky's lips. â€Å"You're a White House intelligence liaison who deals in clarification and authentication of data, right?† â€Å"Yes, but nothing scientific.† â€Å"And you're the daughter of the man who built a campaign around criticizing the money NASA has wasted in space?† Rachel could hear it coming. â€Å"You have to admit, Ms. Sexton,† Ming chimed in, â€Å"a deposition from you would give this documentary a whole new dimension of credibility. If the President sent you up here, he must want you to participate somehow.† Rachel again flashed on William Pickering's concern that she was being used. Tolland checked his watch. â€Å"We should probably head over,† he said, motioning toward the center of the habisphere. â€Å"They should be getting close.† â€Å"Close to what?† Rachel asked. â€Å"Extraction time. NASA is bringing the meteorite to the surface. It should be up any time now.† Rachel was stunned. â€Å"You guys are actually removing an eight-ton rock from under two hundred feet of solid ice?† Corky looked gleeful. â€Å"You didn't think NASA was going to leave a discovery like this buried in the ice, did you?† â€Å"No, but†¦,† Rachel had seen no signs of large-scale excavation equipment anywhere inside the habisphere. â€Å"How the heck is NASA planning on getting the meteorite out?† Corky puffed up. â€Å"No problem. You're in a room full of rocket scientists!† â€Å"Blather,† Ming scoffed, looking at Rachel. â€Å"Dr. Marlinson enjoys flexing other people's muscles. The truth is that everyone here was stumped about how to get the meteorite out. It was Dr. Mangor who proposed a viable solution.† â€Å"I haven't met Dr. Mangor.† â€Å"Glaciologist from the University of New Hampshire,† Tolland said. â€Å"The fourth and final civilian scientist recruited by the President. And Ming here is correct, it was Mangor who figured it out.† â€Å"Okay,† Rachel said. â€Å"So what did this guy propose?† â€Å"Gal,† Ming corrected, sounding smitten. â€Å"Dr. Mangor is a woman.† â€Å"Debatable,† Corky grumbled. He looked over at Rachel. â€Å"And by the way, Dr. Mangor is going to hate you.† Tolland shot Corky an angry look. â€Å"Well, she will!† Corky defended. â€Å"She'll hate the competition.† Rachel felt lost. â€Å"I'm sorry? Competition?† â€Å"Ignore him,† Tolland said. â€Å"Unfortunately, the fact that Corky is a total moron somehow escaped the National Science Committee. You and Dr. Mangor will get along fine. She is a professional. She's considered one of the world's top glaciologists. She actually moved to Antarctica for a few years to study glacial movement.† â€Å"Odd,† Corky said, â€Å"I heard UNH took up a donation and sent her there so they could get some peace and quiet on campus.† â€Å"Are you aware,† Ming snapped, seeming to have taken the comment personally, â€Å"that Dr. Mangor almost died down there! She got lost in a storm and lived on seal blubber for five weeks before anyone found her.† Corky whispered to Rachel, â€Å"I heard no one was looking.† 26 The limousine ride back from the CNN studio to Sexton's office felt long for Gabrielle Ashe. The senator sat across from her, gazing out the window, obviously gloating over the debate. â€Å"They sent Tench to an afternoon cable show,† he said, turning with a handsome smile. â€Å"The White House is getting frantic.† Gabrielle nodded, noncommittal. She'd sensed a look of smug satisfaction on Marjorie Tench's face as the woman drove off. It made her nervous. Sexton's personal cellphone rang, and he fished in his pocket to grab it. The senator, like most politicians, had a hierarchy of phone numbers at which his contacts could reach him, depending on how important they were. Whoever was calling him now was at the top of the list; the call was coming in on Sexton's private line, a number even Gabrielle was discouraged to call. â€Å"Senator Sedgewick Sexton,† he chimed, accentuating the musical quality of his name. Gabrielle couldn't hear the caller over the sound of the limo, but Sexton listened intently, replying with enthusiasm. â€Å"Fantastic. I'm so pleased you called. I'm thinking six o'clock? Super. I have an apartment here in D.C. Private. Comfortable. You have the address, right? Okay. Looking forward to meeting you. See you tonight then.†

German language Essay

Learning a foreign language calls for various considerations. The foreign language Germanof choice to be learned is of prime importance, for if the pursuit of this language does not yield any concrete productive results save for personal satisfaction, the course would then be considered superficial, if not at all futile. Some people have admitted that they took a course or two in French and Italian because they are considered the languages of romance and, more so, they are the languages of the nouveau riche and the culturally refined. Take these not as an attack on the nature of the French and Italian languages, but rather as an exposition of how people perceive certain foreign languages. By comparison, the German language would be a less popular option for undergraduates, save for those who chose it as their major and for those who have been required to take it under their curriculum. Most people would initially agree with Mark Twain’s musing: German is an awful language. If a literary genius like him had a rather hard time learning German, what more an ordinary person? Not to question Twain’s posturing, but the times have changed and the brain capacity of humans have actually evolved: the German language has, over the years, earned its own following and people have actually realized that it is an amazing language to pursue. So, why learn German? That would be a tough question to answer since it would be similar to asking why one would even bother learning a foreign language. In the Philippines, people already have their fill of a foreign language, what with English being so ingrained in our cultural subconscious. So, why bother learning another foreign language and why should it be German? Save for some very personal reasons, like wanting to understand a relative in Austria or to work in Germany after college, there are other varied reasons why one should be learning the German language, some of which could actually be socially, intellectually and economically fulfilling. For starters, contrary to what Mark Twain had been saying, German is an easy yet amazing language to learn. If one already knows English, then he already has an advantage. The two languages share many similarities in both vocabulary and grammar, owed much to the fact that they share common ancestry with the Germanic languages. Plus, German is a phonetically interesting language. As much as one finds it rather challenging to execute, due to its varied throat sounds, German phonetics makes it easy to predict how the spoken words are written and how the written words are pronounced. One might have probably heard of the terms â€Å"German precision† and â€Å"German efficiency†, pertaining to the fashion by which products made in Germany have been conceived and constructed. Truly, language is reflective of culture, and, as such, one could safely say that the precise and efficient German language is reflective of its precise and efficient people. And it is no wonder that Germans are known worldwide to be great innovators and profound thinkers. Gutenberg’s conception of the printing press, Einstein’s theory of relativity and Brandenburg’s creation of the MP3 digital music format are all testaments to German precision and efficiency. Marx’s Manifesto, Nietzsche’s writings and Hegel’s philosophy are all testaments to the profundity of the German imagination and intellect. Knowledge, if not at all mastery, of the German language allows one to access the works of these people in their original language, thus allowing one to fully understand the machinations of their philosophy or technology. Anyone interested in the same fields could automatically expand their knowledge and skill by knowing the language. If one wishes to be in the loop of world events, one cannot be free from the shadow of Germany and its culture. The influence of German culture in the world arena cannot be denied, and they instigate this influence more via the power of their technology. With 4 of the world’s 10 most innovative companies located in Germany, they hold 12. 7% of the world’s patent applications. Being a nation committed to research and development, Germany exports more high-technology products than any other country except the United States. Companies like BMW, Daimler, Siemens, Bosch and many others enabled Germany to become the 3rd strongest economy and the number one export nation in the world. Surely, companies such as these need competent employees and international partners. With all other things equal, the job candidate with knowledge of the German language would already gain an employment advantage. And this would not be limited to Germany. If one is looking for employment in the United States, knowledge of the German language would be a great edge since German companies account for about 700,000 jobs in the country. Being one of the economically strongest nations in the world, it would not be a surprise to know that Germany is also one of its greater political powers, influencing the international policies of the European Union and even the United States. Knowledge of the German language would allow one to understand how their policies are written and how it affects world events. For justly, the actions of these political powers affect each and every government and economy in the world, might as well understand where they are coming from and how they are influenced. Truly, knowledge of the German language brings about the personal satisfaction of knowing that one speaks in the language of great thinkers and innovators. But, in this fast paced world, knowledge of the German language ultimately gives one the opportunity to understand, if not at all participate in, world events, may it be intellectually, politically or economically. Language has become the primary tool of connecting nations, thus uniting the world one language at a time. So have your own say, learn German today.

Competence and Career Interests Profiler Paper

I was very surprised when I took the Career Profiler; I had taken something like this when I was a senior in high school. In high school my results suggested that I should do something in agriculture, and now 11 years later it suggests that I should do something in Business, Finance or Law. These results were not surprising to me. These are things that I have actually always been interested in. I think that knowing my competencies is really going to help me with my critical thinking in the future. I had never really considered myself someone who thought logically, but according to my results I do. Knowing this will help me to stop second guessing myself whenever I think I am way off from the mark. I already knew that I am a researcher, because I love knowing everything about everything, I love to investigate topics and see where things started. Having this confirmed will give me the confidence to trust my instincts about myself. I have always loved writing and I already use it to my benefit. So researching and writing are competencies that I already knew that I possessed and having them confirmed was nice. I have already used some of the competencies that I knew I had to help me evaluate arguments. Because I love to research and to write I would already use these to my benefit when it came to arguments or discussions. Before I start any kind of argument or discussion with anyone I always make sure that I know what I am talking about. I try to have as much information as possible, so that way when I am faced with a rebuttal, I have factual information. I don’t like entering something without knowing that I have facts to back me up. It is always good to know what you succeed in so you can draw from those strengths and then you can work on your weaknesses.

Descartes Optics

Descanter's theories of light and vision were central components of his natural philosophy, closely linked to his cosmology, physics, theory of matter, and theory of perception. Descartes replaced traditional explanations of natural phenomena with explanations hidden under terms of matter and motion. By eliminating these theories, Descartes needed to formulate new explanations of the qualities of bodies and our perception of them. In other words Descartes goes on to call into question one's ability to fully understand the things, which our eyes see.His work on optics focused on these questions. In the discussion, Descartes draws a comparison between a blind man's abilities to understand the shape and sensations of objects, and our ability to understand an object's color with our sight. This raises the question of our senses' ability to interpret the world around us with accuracy. Highlights in the text Inventions, which serve to increase its power, are among the most useful. Color: v arious ways in which bodies receive light and reflect it in our eyes The differences a blind man notices between trees, rocks etc. Not seem any less to him than the differences between red, yellow etc. Thus: there is no need to suppose that something material passes from objects to our eyes to make us see colors and light, or even that there is something in the objects which resembles the ideas or sensations that we have of them. You must think of rays of light as nothing other than the lines along which this action tends. Thus, there is infinity of such rays, which come from all the points of the luminous body towards all the points of the bodies it illuminates.There are bodies, which break up the light-rays that meet them and take away all their force (black). There are others, which cause rays to be reflected, some in the same order at which they receive them (bodies with highly polished surfaces). Some bodies cause the rays to be reflected without bringing about any other change in their action (white). Others bring about an additional change similar to that which the movement of a ball undergoes when we graze it (red, yellow, blue, etc. ). The soul has sensory awareness because of its presence in the brain, where it exercises the faculty called the ‘ common' sense.The perfection of an image often depends on its not resembling its object as it might (example: with a little bit of ink you can create a forest) Lemma Optics n. (Used with a sing. Verb) 1 . The branch of physics that deals with light and vision, chiefly the generation, propagation, and detection of electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths greater than x-rays and shorter than microwaves. 2. What something will look like to the outside world; the perception a public relations person would have on something. . The viewing lens of public perception.How the media will play a story. Ad]. N. Comprehensive 1. Marked by or showing extensive understanding: comprehensive knowledge. 2. Having the ability to understand 3. Having or marked by an extensive mental range or grasp: comprehensive understanding. 1 . The act of taking to or upon oneself: assumption of an obligation. 2. The act of taking possession or asserting a claim: assumption of command. 3. The act of taking for granted: assumption of a false theory. 4. Something taken for granted or accepted s true without proof; a supposition: a valid assumption. . Presumption; arrogance. 6. Logic A minor premise. 7. Assumption a. Christianity The taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven in body and soul after her death. B. A feast celebrating this event. C. August 15, the day on which this feast is observed. Hence DVD. A. For this reason; therefore: handmade and hence expensive. B. From this source: They grew up in the Sudan; hence their interest in Nubian art. 2. From this time; from now: A year hence it will be forgotten. 3. A. From this place; away from here: Get you hence! . From this life. Brim 1 .The rim or uppermost ed ge of a hollow container or natural basin. 2. A projecting rim or edge: the brim off hat. 3. A border or an edge. See Synonyms at border. 4. Full capacity: â€Å"No sooner had the fighting started than the hotel filled to the brim with a most extraordinary collection of people† (George Orwell). Per;chive try. V. Perceived, perceives 1 . To become aware of directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing. 2. To achieve understanding of; apprehend. See Synonyms at sell . Perceiver n. Coarse ad]. Oars;ere, soars;est. 1 .Of low, common, or inferior quality. 2. A. Lacking in delicacy or refinement: coarse manners. B. Vulgar or indecent: coarse language. 3. Consisting of large particles; not fine in texture: coarse sand. 4. Rough, especially to the touch: a coarse tweed. Coarsely DVD. Coarseness n. Liable ad] (postposition) 1 . (Law) legally obliged or responsible; answerable 2. Susceptible or exposed; subject 3. Probable, likely, or capable it's liable to happen soo n [perhaps via Anglo-French, from Old French lire to bind, from Latin legГre] liableness Usage: Usage.The use of liable to to mean likely to was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable Deflection 1 . The act of deflecting or the condition of being deflected. 2. Deviation or a specified amount of deviation. 3. The deviation of an indicator of a measuring instrument from zero or from its normal position. 4. The movement of a structure or structural part as a result of stress. Deflect intra. & try. V. Deflect;deed, deflect;ins, deflects To turn aside or cause to turn aside; bend or deviate. Deflects;blew ad]. Deflective ad]. Deflector n. Refraction 1.The turning or bending of any wave, such as a light or sound wave, when it passes from one medium into another of different optical density. 2. Astronomy The apparent change in position of celestial objects caused by the bending of light rays entering Earth's atmosphere. 3. Medicine a. The ability of the eye to bend light so that an image is focused on the retina. B. Determination of the refractive characteristics of the eye. Refraction;al, refractive ad]. Refractive;lay DVD. Refractive;nesses, n A;do (-d) Bustle; fuss; trouble; bother. V. try.

The great depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The great depression - Essay Example strophic collapse of stock-market prices on the New York Stock Exchange (â€Å"Black Thursday") in October 1929 remains the most severe economic depression experienced in America (Modern American Poetry1). Various factors caused the great depression. Apparently, the boom psychology and speculative euphoria resulted in underlying weaknesses and imbalances within the U.S. economy that caused the great depression (Modern American Poetry1). The federal government and financial institutions lacked capacity to address the underlying weaknesses and economic imbalances. Indeed, the American government could not sustain the rising personal debt, increased production of goods, and imbalance between the rich and the poor leading to the stock market crash of 1929. Economists assumed this was simply a correction of the market and hence did nothing to contain the situation. President Herbert Hoover underestimated the severity of the crisis and assured U.S citizens that the economic slump would not last for more than 60 days (WGBH Educational Foundation 1). Herbert did not consider government’s intervention on the matter. Consequently, stock prices continued to fall in America. By the end of 1932, stock prices had dropped to 20 % of their 1929 value. Apparently, the great depression started in America and spread to other industrialized nations across the globe between late 1929 and early 1940s. The U.S had forged fundamental relationships with other European economies after the First World War that allowed the great depression to turn into a global economic crash (Modern American Poetry1). The First World War, war debts, and the need to pay reparations (Modern American Poetry1) weakened European economies forcing them to rely on America, which was the chief creditor after the war (Quah and Crowley 8). As such, the economic slump in America and the depreciation of the American investment credits to Europe fostered economic challenges in Europe. Ideally, countries that were deeply

Urban enterpreneurialism has become the adopted post-modern system of Essay

Urban enterpreneurialism has become the adopted post-modern system of governance in cities such as Birmingham. Do new developments benefit inner city areas and - Essay Example We want affordable, quality housing. We want our children to have no need to worry about tomorrow; their biggest concern should be striving to do well at school. We want to know that if the need arises there is quality, affordable healthcare available. We want to give our children a better life than what we have. We want to be able to live comfortably in our old age. Lastly, we want to proud of our communities. However, given the unique problems faced by centre cities, such as Aston, can this attempt at urban entrepreneurialism be effective at combating the extreme poverty and unemployment areas like Aston face? Urban Renewal, Urban entrepreneurialism, Urban Revitalisation or Urban Renaissance – by whatever name called, the concept behind it, no matter where one resides, holds fundamental desires every person strives for. We want to feel safe in our homes and on our streets; we want to make a decent living that will sustain our families. We want affordable, quality housing. We want our children to have no need to worry about tomorrow; their biggest concern should be striving to do well at school. We want to know that if the need arises there is quality, affordable healthcare available. We want to give our children a better life than what we have. We want to be able to live comfortably in our old age. Lastly, we want to proud of our communities. In the mid 1990’s the government saw the need to revitalize our major cities after the industrial decline in the 1980’s and the economic instability that proceeded it. People were flowing out of centre city for the suburbs, industry was leaving, crime was on the rise, and a host of the economic and social problems were happening in our major cities. In an initiative to revitalize urban England, the government implemented a plan to â€Å"create sustainable communities, improve the quality of life

Year 12 stress levels for australian students Essay

Year 12 stress levels for australian students - Essay Example Because of this, stress is a serious issue for Australian students in year 12. A recent study carried out by an Australian psychologist Karen McGraw of the University of Swinburne indicates that almost one in five year 12 students have thought about hurting or killing themselves because of the stress caused by exam and homework pressures. In this study, 941 Victorian final-year students were surveyed. McGraw has described the effects of stress on the mental health of the students studied as â€Å"alarming†, and further states that while 19% had thought of suicide or self-harm, around one third of students were â€Å"severely depressed† and 41% were suffering from anxiety.2 Another Australian psychologist, adolescence specialist Michael Carr-Gregg, has stated that an inquiry in 2004 into youth suicides found that one in 11 completed suicides is a direct result of stress related to the pressures of year 12.3 McGraw’s study results come after a report in December of last year that Australian scientists had discovered conclusive proof that stress causes physical sickness – it was discovered that during periods of stress, the body releases a hormone called neuropeptide Y that dampens the body’s immune system.4 Thus it is likely that many year 12 students who are suffering from stress may also suffer from stress-related illnesses, which can only serve to increase the pressures that homework and examinations place upon them. An earlier study, carried out in the late 1990s by Lorraine Smith and Kenneth E. Sinclair of the University of Sydney reported that 31% of year 12 and 25% of year 11 students surveyed had suffered anxiety, stress, and depression which fell â€Å"outside the normal range†.5 Together with the results of McGraw’s work, the results of this study suggest that stress is becoming a more severe problem for year 12 students over time. In recent years this has been recognized as a serious issue, and there is an

Dignity of work and rights of workers Assignment

Dignity of work and rights of workers - Assignment Example The Pope puts an emphasis on the role of the church in upholding rights of workers, condemning those who violate these rights and providing a guide in matters regarding work and workers dignity. In the article, The Pope acknowledges work as the basis of man’s existence and survival in the world. He emphasizes on the spiritual aspect of work; through labor, man participates in God’s creation works 3. Missionaries of the Sacred Heart USA Province (2009) Catholic Social Teaching Dignity of the Worker. Retrieved from [Accessed 12th January 2015] The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart emphasize on dignity in work. They assert that human beings partake in God’s work of creation by working. The workers apply their God-given gifts and talents in the work they do and should, therefore, be accorded their rights and privileges. They further urge employers to put up structures that grant the workers their rights and dignity workers at work. They advocate favorable working conditions, fair hiring and placement practices, just wages and an end to discrimination as a way of upholding the dignity of the workers Charity â€Å"is the principle not only of micro-relationships (with friends, with family members or within small groups) but also of macro-relationships (social, economic and political ones)† (Pope Francis,2013, pg.205). This quote in Pope Francis’s Evangelii Gaudium caught my attention, and I took time to give thought to it. I always have, for a long time associated charity with the phrase charity begins at home, and I have never visualized the bigger picture out of the phrase. It is indeed true that charity extends beyond family or small groups to larger circumstances involving socio-economic and political relations. The literal works of Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis on work

Safety and health management system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Safety and health management system - Essay Example Most of the diseases arise due to poor safety measures. Moreover, pursuing safety management will enable me have a direct impact on public health and safety. As I reviewed the power point presentation on Goal setting for Young Professional, the part that interested me most was on the â€Å"Ten Steps to Reach Your Goals.† These ideas are applicable to my career choice, which require me to keep dreaming. The ten steps will guide me in assessing if am working towards my goal. I already have burning desire in safety management, however, I have realize that I need to develop a belief regarding my goals, write it down, set deadliness to achieve the different steps towards my goal, identify the obstacles, get the appropriate resources that will enable me attain my goals. Moreover, I need to identify the people who can help me achieve my goals, make plans regarding my goals, and make a personal decision to succeed. Although I have always set goals in life, at times I fail to achieve some because I did not know some of the most important steps in achieving goals such as setting deadlines for the different steps towards achieving the goal. 3. On page 34 of your Job Choice test, there is an article about passion and purpose. Those who have a high level of passion and purpose in their careers are those who are the most successful. How could you develop a high level of passion and purpose in your career? Passion is very important in life since it gives meaning to one’s life. Moreover, passion is important for one to enjoy, gain satisfaction, and make a difference in life. One can develop high level of passion and purpose in his or her career. The first step towards developing high-level passion is identifying ones interests. This will pave way towards the career one chooses to pursue. The next step is distinguishing the desires from interests. This aids in narrowing down the interests. Realizing ones desire enables one identify the interests and

Business Continuity Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Continuity Planning - Essay Example Thus there has emerged a need for ‘Business Continuity Planning’ (BCP). Any natural or unnatural disaster can always disrupt a business activity either for a short or a longer duration. It has now become essential to foresee such eventualities and have concrete plans to handle such situations. One of the prime examples of such a scenario was the terrorist activity in which the World Trade Centre was destroyed in New York which posed an immediate threat to the business concerns in that location. However many of the organizations in the area had adequate backup and continuity plans in place which helped them to recover (Safeguard). An ideal BCP begins by identifying the ‘applications, customers and the locations which an organizations needs to keep functioning in face of any disruption and the time frame involved in the execution of the backup plan’ (Mphasis). The identified applications and services need to be delivered continuously even during the disruptive phase and any good BCP endeavors to pre plan and enforce such infrastructure, regulations and methods without fail under continuous supervision and testing. Resources in order to achieve continuity need to be identified and categorized according to priority beforehand. Such resources must include ‘personnel, finance, information, equipment, legal counsel, accommodations and infrastructure protection (Safeguard). A good BCP plan in force enhances the reputation and the confidence within as well outside a business organization. BCP is initiated by a special governance sector or an exclusive department in the organization which takes overall control for planning, finance, execution, auditing and testing of the program. It conducts a ‘business impact analysis to identify the organization’s mandate and critical services or products’ (Safeguard). It then prioritizes different

Methods to measure gene expression in mammalian cells in vitro and in Essay

Methods to measure gene expression in mammalian cells in vitro and in vivo - Essay Example This method is based on suppression PCR technique that is a combination of normalization and subtraction in one procedure. The normalisation technique would equalize cDNA abundance in the target population while the subtraction step excludes the sequences that are common between the target and driver populations. 5 The two type of real – time PCR are the molecular beacon and SYBR Â ® Green method. SYBR Â ® Green method is the first method that was used in real – time PCR wherein it binds to double – stranded and when this would get excited, would emit light. On the other hand, molecular beacon utilizes a reporter probe that is wrapped to the hairpin.9 Involves mRNA isolation and hybridisation. mRNA is extracted and purified from the cells. To proceed with electrophoresis, mRNA is loaded to the gel. The current is allowed to pass through the gel and mRNA will move away from the negative electrode. To visualize mRNA, Flourescent dye is used as a stain followed by UV lighting. RNA is then transferred to a membrane from the gel electrically or through capillary action using a high – salt solution. RNA fragment that is in question is incubated with the blot and to remove the probe, the blot is then washed. Developmental step follows.10 A method to analyse comprehensively patterns of gene expression.8 mRNA is isolated from the sample. A small chunk of sequence is then extracted and these small pieces are sequenced together forming a long chain. These chains are cloned into a vector that can be taken up by bacteria. These chains are sequenced using a modern high. The data is then processed with computer in order to count small tags sequence.13 This method works at the 3 terminal portions of mRNAs by systemic amplification and resolution on DNA sequencing gel fragments. Primers are anchored and are designed to bind to 5 boundary of the poly-A tails for the reverse transcription.

Determinant of Supplier Power Essay Example for Free

Determinant of Supplier Power Essay Sony’s Play station 3 is slated to be a next generation computer entertainment console which will provide the facility of playing titles which are available on PlayStation and PlayStation 2. In addition it is also enabling internet connectivity for downloading a variety of games as also access to online games and services. It can support a wide range of NTSC/PAL standards on the TV including high definition TV. (Introducing Play station 3, 2006). Nintendo Nintendo has been an established leader in the interactive entertainment industry for many years. It has successfully sold one billion video games worldwide. It markets hardware and software for its popular home video systems such as the Game Cube and the Game Boy series which the company claims to be the world’s best selling video game system. (History, 2006). The company has been developing its consoles based on technology developments and the needs of the customers. Software is also built up to support the consoles in a consolidated mode. Nintendo entered the American market after the industry had virtually crashed in the 1980’s and exploited the performance play as per Kline, Dyer-Witherford and Peuter (2003) by introducing proprietary standards and denying competition for other players. It also created brand loyalty by having a magazine for its product and also created sustainment lines so that the product was effectively supported after sales, a novel concept in the entertainment industry but which is essential for experiential marketing. This company as per Kline, Dyer-Witherford and Peuter (2003) was the first to close the technology, culture and marketing loop as others followed suit to ape Nintendo. The company has also recently launched a Nintendo WiFi connection which will enable the Nintendo DS owners to connect with gamers around the World and it is reported that over 10 million connections were made available only two months from launching. Its Resident Evil 4 programme on Game Cube was adjudged by many as the best game of the year as per the company. (History, 2006). The other innovation was to develop the company’s programme of Game Play Counselors on the web to provide the gamers and developers instant connect with the company. (History, 2006). Nintendo has also sponsored Digipen program at the DigiPen Institute of Technology which is an accredited college level program for designing video gaming applications. The company has initiated this keeping in view the large number of requests it has been receiving from gamers as well as amateur developers. The company also has a Nintendo Power magazine which communicates with the gamers. Contests such as Player’s Poll care enable the company to get feedback from gamers and also rate its own games for further sponsoring and development. The company has an active forums program from which game ideas are developed (http://forums. nintendo. com/nintendo) Nintendo also has a policy for licensing a number of third party publishers to use its patenting technology, copy rights and trade marks to develop video games (Legal, 2006). Nintendo also has a very powerful community participation program called as NSider forum which provides Nintendo fans a venue for discussion through message boards, posting questions and answers, discussions and email on new activities. This acts as a powerful link between the company, the gamers and the developers. (Community Participation, 2006). Micro Soft Micro Soft has been the latest entrant in the field of console gaming. It has also depended on the resources of developers and consumers to progress its gaming strategy, despite the considerable software resources that the company has at its disposal as the worlds leading legacy software developer. It has two programs which are specifically targeted at the developers and consumers for providing it inputs for game development. Micro Soft Xbox Developer programs enable developers, publishers, tool makers and hardware vendors to support the Xbox and Xbox 360 video consoles. The Registered Developer Program in particular has been designed to allow access to external developers to the hardware and support of Xbox and Xbox 360 and take advantage of the features to develop software and support projects for the Xbox consoles. Xbox Central and Xbox 360 Central web sites permit access to those who have been accepted for this program and also for participation in technical seminars and sessions. (Xbox Developer Programs, 2006) The Xbox 360 Registered Content Creator Program is a similar program which allows freelance content creators access to Xbox 360 content creation tools to enable them to secure projects for Xbox console. These positions are offered by Microsoft Game Studios. (Xbox 360 Registered Content Creator Program. 2006)

Compare wongs pragmatic classroom kagan kyle and scott win win discipline and morrishs real discipline Essay Example for Free

Compare wongs pragmatic classroom kagan kyle and scott win win discipline and morrishs real discipline Essay Clear guidelines on how to prepare are defined for each time of the day. Procedures are divided into periods to facilitate implementation in class. Teachers are also directed on preparation in the summer before classes start for the year. Procedures will stay the same this reduces behavior problems and keeps the focus on learning and educating. Teachers understand the boundaries of their control; the teacher can focus on being proactive to prevent problems rather than wasting time reacting to problems she could anticipate. Any teacher can implement the theory of the practical classroom without concern for over- or under-reaching with students. students’ accomplishments are pretentious by the procedures used. †¢ This philosophy has a solid positions that are shared with the students †¢ A Comparison of Discipline Models Wong’s Pragmatic Classroom Kagan, Kyle, and Scott’s win-win discipline Morrish’s Real Discipline Compare and Contrast †¢ Students are given the choose to what they feel is good for them to do. †¢ Students, teacher and parents are involved in the rule making. †¢ Help students understand each other’s responsibilities along with what the teacher’s responsibilities are. †¢ Discipline is something that the win-win problem does not do to students. †¢ Corrects the situation, which allows the students to come up better actions, which will result in acceptable behavior. †¢ According to Morrish’s real discipline children can only learn SELF DISCIPLINE through experience. †¢ Morrish further states that when children enter school they do not have the knowledge on behaving properly. †¢ With the Three theories they all have the similarity that the teachers and students are involved in the learning process of the required discipline. Strengths †¢ Students, Teachers and parents all work together to establish the rules to have a better school experience. †¢ Teachers help students behave which is acceptable behavior to their teacher. †¢ Win-win discipline is to help students develop log-term, self-managed responsibility. †¢ Morrish rewards occasionally the students for behaving correctly. †¢ Morrish gives students courage that they may not have when working through issues that are sensitive. †¢Weakness †¢ There is too much compromise between teacher and student when establishing the classroom rules. †¢ Teachers are too limited on what they can do to prevent disruptions. †¢ The program is most effective if it is implemented from the first day of school until the last day of school. †¢ Morrish overstates the role of the teacher. â€Å"The because I said so† response. †¢ Morrish believes that teachers who praise children to build up their self-esteem actually do more harm than good. †¢ Morris is against giving students the freedom to choose

Strategic performance measurement

Strategic performance measurement Introduction to Strategic performance management and its Importance (Moore, 2010) illustrates that strategic performance management system focuses on the workers individual input which is stemmed from a culture inside the company based on interest and worth and it helps the employee to keep attention on base line. With the help of ‘Strategic performance management a company makes a clear mission, sets objectives and creates obvious gettable goals. ‘Strategic performance management is an influential apparatus which guides the company to gauge the outcomes, and helps the organization to find the poor areas which require attention (Moore, 2010). Many companies cannot judge their clear direction and fail in achieving their targets and that is the way for workforce dissatisfaction. With a proper system in place the companies know which goals should be prefers and what should be time frame to achieve those goals. With the help of a ‘performance management system they know whether they have to give importance to consumer or is the internal strengths are more important. They also come to know that which goals should be given more importance than others (Moore, 2010). As a result ‘strategic performance management helps a company to clearly define its objectives and makes the mission more clear and if everything is clear for the workforce then they know their roles which help the organization in order to get success. (Moore, 2010). Aims and Objectives of the Assignment In this assignment there is emphasis given to the importance of ‘Strategic Performance Management, its purpose and the main role in the success of an organization. The selected company is Tesco Plc and what it is doing in terms of its performance management. In addition to this the setting or desired goals and their achievement is discussed. The role of teams and the techniques for the setting targets for teams are elaborated. Moreover, it is discussed that how teams help the company achieve its objectives. There is also emphasis on the job of top management to motivate the workforce in order to get the targets are discussed and in the end the ways and means of keeping the employees motivated are presented. Brief Introduction to Selected Organization Tesco Plc started its business as a value retailer in 1929 and later on it became a top retail giant doing its business in more than fourteen countries with its core UK operations where it holds more than 35 % market share. The company has achieved this position with its ‘growth strategy which focuses on its expansion projects ranging from customers to geographies. It introduced its new strategy in 1997 with a ‘Corporate Steering Wheel which focuses on key expansion areas. The company has an integrated ‘Strategic performance management plan in place in order to take it forward in UK as well as abroad (Dransfield, 2001). LO1: Performance Targets and Strategic Objectives 1.1 Links between team performance and strategic objectives Organizations need to set clear strategic goals in order to be successful in the competitive market. These goals should be realistic and clear so that anybody associated with the operations of the organization knows his/her duty regarding these goals (Wyld, 2010). Important aspects About Strategic Objectives (Birnbaum, 2009) explains the importance of 10 strategic goals which are needed to be considered by any organization in order to gain success in the marketplace. Market Standing: The Company should make its strategic objectives keeping in the view its current position and the desired position in the market by comparing it with the rivalry it is facing. Tesco is currently number one in the UK market against its major rivals like Asda and Sainsburys as it holds more than 35 % of the market share as compared to almost 15 % of Asda and Sainsburys Innovation: The Company should bring fresh products and services in its line-up including new technology and that is the way of progress. Tesco has started new products in its stores including its non-food section and its financial services as part of its growth strategy and has brought new technologies which can take the company to new heights with the help of fast processing, operations and customer services. Human resources: In order to gain its strategic objectives the organization needs to choose and improve the best of its human resource. If workforce is working efficiently then the company can beat its rivals. Tesco in its ‘Corporate Steering Wheel has given a specific place to its employees and their progress is monitored and presented every month in the ‘Wheel placed in front of them in every store (Woods, 2008). Financial Resources: The organization should have sufficient monetary resources in order to start its plans and follow them with more investment. If not then the plan of bringing new goods, new technology, new business and many other projects are under great pressure to grow. Tesco, over the years have grown its stores line up from Metro, Express and Hypermarkets and have also started its businesses in emerging markets like china and India. Physical Resources: The basic infrastructure of the company and its usage, the physical ability of the company is needed in order to show its strength in the market. Tesco has several physical resources which are a sign of its success. It has more than 2000 stores in UK and more than 400 in international market and it is still expanding Productivity: Proficient utilization of company possessions as needed is productivity. Tesco has given it great consideration over the years and has many ways to produce its products and services. Social Responsibility: Taking care of the values of community and the company ‘stakeholders and if the company takes care of it, it is successful in modern business. Tesco has made the ‘taking care of community as one of the core parts of its growth strategy presented in 1997 (www.tescocorporate.com). Profit Requirements: Expansion and fiscal strength are two main factors in profit requirements. Expenses minus cost is usually known as profit and if the company is going in profit it can achieve its targets and grow. Tesco faced a serious crisis at the start of year 2009 due to recession and it had two consecutive losses in its first two quarters of 2009 which had a serious blow on its plan to start its business in US. Action Planning: Laying of a proper plan in order to get the objectives. The company can achieve its goals if the plan goes as it is planned. Tesco has got a lot of success because it makes realistic and achievable plans. Future Course of Action: The Company should make plans of future keeping in view what it is doing now, who does it for the company and what are the prospects and routes to get it. Tesco revises its position by displaying its steering wheel in all of its outlets translated in different languages and keeps an eye on its overall performance and its route towards success (Dransfield, 2001). Workforce requirements (team) capable of achieving above strategic objectives (Coisson, 2010) emphasizes the need of a group of employees working together as a team in the organization. The management in all successful companies put ‘team-building activities in place and do the conferences in order to give knowledge to employees of the need of teams. In order to know what the benefit of making ‘teams in few steps are important as mentioned below: The employees should be provided opportunities to get the knowledge of influence of working in a team environment. The company should make the benefits of a team clear to the workforce as a ‘team constructs the innovation and changes the quality of the work towards positive results. The company should emphasize on the need of loyalty towards the team in the mind of workers. There should be proper systems in place in which the employees know their importance and work with eagerness towards the company. They should know that working in a team will enhance their knowledge and skilfulness and make them distinctive in a unit of workers. Different skills emerge as a result of working in a team and employees should know it. (Likierman, 2009) illustrates the Tesco uses the ‘balanced scorecard in order to check the performance of employees linked with the company objectives. The company works on this scorecard in order to make a worker know that if his own goals are accomplished then the company objectives are also achieve while working in a team and in everyday job the workforce does know the effectiveness of working in a team and the balance of company values with his own intentions. 1.2 Tools and techniques available to set team performance targets: Company Example: Litton SLC and its Self-Directed Work Teams (SDWT) (Phillips, 1994) Litton Company makes navigation systems for ‘cruise missiles and ‘fighter gets has almost six hundred workers. It had a top-to-bottom conventional structure in 1981 which was later on changed into ‘circles known as employee ‘circle partic plan in 1981. It consisted of 3 circles, and on the base of progress of these circles of employees working together, they changed to 15 circles in 1982 and in 1983 these circles changed into teams. For the next 1.5 years there was a great progress and continual improvement in the company as a result of these teams working together. There were regular team meeting on the company floor ‘once every week in which company executives used to sit with the team members. Since 1985, all of these team members were provided with 3 days training and in 1987 these teams were changed into ‘self-directed-work-teams (SDWT) and as the new boss took interviewed one hundred team members from different teams he find out that there were 1-2 leaders in every team that could lead the company in the future. Since then the number of teams had reached ‘133. On the basis of (SWDT), the top management thought to change its product line to two different product lines: 1. â€Å"P-500 product line† and 2. â€Å"Ring lazor Gyro Product line† and all this was possible due to the team performance. The company then applied total quality management technique (TQM), the waste was reduced, quality was improved, and there was more return on investment (ROI) and many other benefits. Since 1993, the company created 14 focused factories, ROI was more than 600 %, waste was reduced 50% and federal government put the company on the â€Å"preferred list† of companies by looking at its progress. This example proves that how important is building teams and what are the benefits to the organization. Tools and Techniques There are many tools and techniques used for the performance measurement, but here we will discuss â€Å"Mickensys 7S† model. McKinseys 7 S models One of the most important tools of measuring the ‘team performance targets is â€Å"Mckinseys 7S Model which was made to measure the performance of a company by a company called Mckinsey and Company (Pascale et al, 1981). All of the ‘variables of this model start from the Letter â€Å"S.† We will use this technique here to find out the performance of Tesco teams as follows: These 7S include â€Å"Strategy, Structure, systems, skills, style, staff and shared values.† These variable are also known as â€Å"managerial molecule.† (Peters Waterman, 1982). Most of the American companies gave more importance to first three of the variable while neglected others but most of the Japanese considered first two as â€Å"soft variables.† Amercians thought that the first three could change. Mickensys model does not give importance to the external factors that affect the strategy of the organization. Here we will have a analysis of the variables aligned with the objectives of the company. Using the 7S Model to Analyze an Organization So the 7S mentioned in the model are distributed into soft and hard parts. The first three are clearly mentioned in the company reports normally but in order to understand the real situation of the company the soft components are our main focus because the workforce changes these components from time to time. if we want to have a clear knowledge of the company they should be analyzed briefly. Tesco is not like the other organizations where there is more emphasis given to hierarchy than the individual performance. All of its employees know their job and how to do it. Tesco employees know what is anticipated from them and whether they have achieved the given target or not (Gibbs et al, 2009). The ‘plan and review document is given to all of the workers and their performance is mentioned on the ‘steering wheel which is posted weekly and monthly in order to show their performance standing. Also all the soft components of Micknsys model are interrelated between each other such as values with the workforce and the employee goals and this interralated qualities are coincided in the ‘Corporate Steering Wheel of Tesco and when it is displayed at the end of the month, everything is mentioned clearly in this model. The scorecard of Tesco is practical and it aligns the employee goals to company values and supports the employees align their own values in their daily job. Although most of the company culture and values are related to the ‘core of those companies but Tesco employees can pursue their own goals aligned with the company goals (Likierman, 2009). 1.3 The Value of Team Performance Tools to Measure Future Team Performance: Capacity and Capability of Current Workforce (Chuasiriporn, 2010) thinks that ‘performance measurement can made official with the help of diagrams and charts in order to keep an eye on the growth to fulfil the goals of the organization. The only method to do it is to keep measuring it in the form of numbers. When the data is put in the shape of a graph, then it can be a lead for the prospects the company wants to achieve. Function There should be a estimation of current performance of the organization in full and all of the components to be measured should be clearly mentioned. Time Frame Clear ‘dates should be fixed in order to achieve some objectives, there might be a difference of opinion in the mind of workers and their managers but still a fixed time frame should be mentioned. Weightage There should be clarity of which goals to be achieved first and which ones have a secondary importance. Those objectives which are needed to be taken care of first, should be prioritised. Considerations All of the targets should be flexible and changeable in performance measurement. There should be a clear vision about the target and if any change is needed should be done. That means there should be proper ‘tracking of all the measures. (Tesco Case Study) gives an idea of the ‘balanced scorecard used at Tesco in order to measure the performance of the employees and core reimbursements are given below: It clearly shows what is going to be measured by giving the current performance It shows what is coming next which will be gauged It clarifies the workers performance in detail and his/her contribution to the company There is a clear way shown in it where the company wants to go and which goal is more important It gives the performance of the teams clearly and shows them they way forward. LO2: Team Performance targets to contribute to meeting strategic objectives: 2.1 Analysis of required performance targets within teams against current performance: There should be an agreement in the teams about the specific targets to be achieved in a specific period of time, keeping in view what is most important to do first. (Hanson, 2010) thinks that in order to have influential management, the ‘performance measurement is important. He considers various steps to be consideredL Tesco has plan to introduce hypermarket shoping mall which is running successful in China. While international level tesco open superstore in india with tata group which is a success of tesco in Asia. Whil in Europe tesco has plan to open more store food and non food. Name your company goals, not more than 5 as more aims lead to confusion Anything related to success of any goal should be practical. For example training of ‘health and safety if there is a danger of accidents The goals of success should be changed into metrics. For example if the company has to pick up the sales, then how much sales? How the objectives will be achieved, what is the baseline of success target? Put a 3 point range in place, ‘minimum, moderate and â€Å"stretch† targets. For example, if the company wants to set a goal of how many workers will finish their training by the end of the quarter and ‘ passing grade is set at 70%, then the management can set 60% of employees at minimum, 65% moderate and 85% at stretch. 2.2 Individual commitments to team performance in achievement of organizational goals: (Nash, 2009) explains that organizations should always give more importance to each of the individuals who are working in a team; workers should be given more confidence and must be engaged in all the works done by the team.( There are many factors important in this regard including taking care of the individual preferences, their choices, the values of the individual, giving them importance and rewarding them if any target is achieved. These factors can be helpful in useful contribution of the individual. When this individual with the encouragement will join a team he/she will contribute and the team will be high performing one. 2.3 Application of delegation, mentoring and coaching to the achievement of organizational objectives: Any kind of mentoring and coaching influences the performance of the individual with new skills, behaviour and new commitment with the job. If the team member is not coached about whole of the environment and how to do the job, that member is not confident and if not confident will not contribute positively to the team. (Johnson, 2009 believes that there should be five steps given importance in this regard 1. Setting clear goals 2. Training 3. Behaviour observation 4. Feedback and 5. Positive reinforcement. 2.4 A team performance plan to meet organizational objectives: (Holman, 2009) describes the importance of ‘team performance plan as this plan is not just managed in 1 department of the company; it is in the whole organization. This team performance plan has brings many benefits to the organization as the team performance Solves many problems and is helpful in different choices. Because there is not just one person taking all the decisions, it is the whole team which does it, so they become easy. There is more communication in different team members after working on this plan. The team members are able to communicate their knowledge and skills with each other. There are more chances of risk if the management is not working in the form of teams and if any problem occurs, then teams can handle it better. Different departments can be collaborated with the teams of each department sharing the same kind of idea. Also there is always resistance to any kind of change, so teams can handle this matter far better. Even a team member can give his views and top management has to listen to it because it is good platform. So all the targets set by organization can be achieved by dividing the big objectives into small set of performance measures. Teams working at Tesco consist of all kinds of workers and they keep sharing their work and duties. There is great importance given to company growth strategy but the whole of the workforce which consists of teams knows what they have to do, what is the company goal and what is their own target and the route to achieve it. There is a great collaboration in teams and they work together to achieve the company objectives and they are informed every week that what is the company target and what is their progress with the help of ‘Tesco Steering Wheel. LO3: Monitoring 3.1 The process for monitoring team performance and initiate changes where necessary: It is the responsibility of any leader to monitor the performance of any team. There can be many ways to monitor the performance (Papa, 2010). One of them can be that there should be clear objectives in mind of the leader and if the team reaches those targets then it is clear that performance is good otherwise not. Another way is taking the feedback from the team, either with the internal resources or external ones. If there is positive response from the team members, it means there are good expectations from the team and vice versa. 3.2 Evaluation of team performance against agreed objectives: (Diligent, 2009) thinks that it is not easy to be a leader in a team and evaluate a team performance. Being in a team and leading it is one of the most difficult works to do. If there is low morale in the team it does not always mean that team is performing well but leadership is weak. Team member work in negative fashion if they think they are not treated properly by the leader. In order to get out of situation like this, a top leader has to evaluate the team performance if anything has gone wrong. Tesco leaders are not rigid but there is a democratic culture within the organization and there has not been many cases of team members going to court in order to tell that they are mistreated. A leader should have one-on-one meetings with the member in order to get their suggestions, answer their questions and solve their problem, these things give them confidence and show them their importance. A leader should take care of team members by knowing their everyday life routines so that they feel that they are not just the machines but in reality a treated as a human being. A good leader puts trust in the team member after he gives them a job and if they are pressurized too much, they may not cooperate. LO4: Politics of personal interaction and influence of Leadership 4.1 Influencing and persuading methodologies to gain the commitment of individuals to a course of action: According to (Batumalai 2008) it is important for the leaders to ‘persuade the team members in order to get them involved in the decision making and improve the team-work. There are many ways of doing it as mentioned below: Deal people with positive attitude and they will respond positively. If the person is given a responsibility then he will be committed to it and will be consistent to it, so give them a responsibility. Presenting examples to the team member of the same ‘actions done by other can persuade them to do things. Tell them if any other company has done it, you can do it as well (Festinger, 1954). If the team members like the leader, they will listen to him and the qualities of a good leader include the liking capability as well. The workers should be given rewards on the accomplishment of any project or course of action and this motivates them to do more for the company. At Tesco team leaders are those workers who already have been in teams and know how to persuade people to work in a healthy environment. The techniques used in Litton are most effective ones in this regard where the top executives of the company used to sit on the same floor as the lower level employees. 4.2 Commitment of Individuals: Gains and Losses The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (Fagnani, 2006) describes that in order to give importance to the performance of an individual in a team and makes the things easy for the team-work, the knowledge of different ‘personality types is important and ‘Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one way of doing it. The model has described four personality types: ‘extroverts/introverts, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling and judging/perceiving. On the base of these results there are sixteen personality types discovered. There are many methods used in MBTI to determine the personality of the team member and what role he/she can play in the team. One way of doing it is ‘Indoor roping by using this technique, there are six ropes used, as they are put on the floor, as a personality test the team members are asked to stand in one of the ropes. At the end the completely different types of personalities will be in opposite sides of the ropes. Similarly another method used is ‘role playing in which members of the team are asked to fire other individual from the job. Some of them show sympathy towards that individual while other do it straight away, so a emotional situation arises. Lastly, ‘fun exercises are one way of doing it in which different individuals are given a specific task to do and one of the member helps them, this shows how two members of the same team can work together. (Thomas, 2008) describes the team building exercises and role playing at Tesco Hertfordshire in a case study and demonstrates the importance of fun games played in order to build teams and shows the enjoyment. Training staff and developing leaders (Thomas, 2010) describes the importance of giving training and producing leaders in the organizations around the world. In the difficult time of today there are so many companies cutting down on training but there is great need of doing it as seventy percent of companies are putting more money in training and team building. There should be more budget allocated for the training as it is important for company future. But there should be more precise approach in terms of training of employees than doing it as a practice in every field. There should be more focus on precise training and weight age should be given to the most preferred training and needed most. Company should focus on the laps of the skills of the employees and should try to train them in order to fill those gaps, in this way a lot of money can be saved on the training. For the development of leaders in the organization, existing leaders should work together with the trainers in order to give the coaching with the training. In the time of recession, the companies are trying to cut down on training in to get the short-term benefits but they forget the long-term payback of this investment. At Tesco every year around 7000 staff member get the training and another way of saving money for the company is that around ten thousand of the workforce change their jobs within the company which helps the company to make leaders and retain its workers who will be good loyal leader working with the company in the future. Conclusion In the assignment we discussed different issues ranging from importance of strategic performance measurement to the making of leaders. So it looks like the direction of the assignment was that how a company can make great leaders and get prosperous in the future. Any workers who joins the company is not a leader but just a worker who knows nothing how to become an influential part of the management. It is the performance measurement who guides the worker to become a good leader. The company we chose for the assignment also looks an ideal company in this regard.