Literature review on ethical issue between employees and their Essay

Literature review on ethical issue between employees and their manegars - Essay Example The daily interaction, collaboration and interpersonal relationships required from managers and employees create tensions and issues that are considered normally pervading the working environment. Apart from operational concerns, managers and employees are faced with contrasting beliefs, values and preferences that occur because of the diversity in personalities, traits, cultural orientations and demographical factors that form each individual in the organization. These beliefs fall under ethical issues in business, defined as â€Å"â€Å"the principles and standards that guide behavior in the world of business† (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2009, 6). In this regard, the current study aims to proffer a review of related literature on the subject of ethical issues between managers and employees. The theoretical framework and impetus for the review came as a result of an interview with a legal researcher for the Saudi – Central Bank, who identified problems which are et hical in nature and existed in their organization, currently affecting job satisfaction and productivity of employees. Ethical Issues in Business Organizations Ethical behavior have been identified to manifest actions that are â€Å"morally accepted as "good" and "right" as opposed to "bad" or "wrong" in a particular setting† (Sims, 1992, 506). ... According to Martires and Fule (2004), the culture of an organization influences the ethical climate that pervades. Organizational culture is a set of symbols, myths, ceremonies that reflect the underlying values and beliefs of the organization or its work force. This statement is supported by Hunt (1991) and Schneider and Rentsch (1991) who emphasized that there are factors that influence diversity in ethical climates of organizations, to wit: â€Å"personal self-interest, company profit, operating efficiency, individual friendships, team interests, social responsibility, personal morality, rules and standard procedures, and laws and professional codes† (cited in Sims, 1992, 510). As such, more detailed ethical issues facing human resources in organizations, particularly between managers and employees, are revealed by CiteHR (n.d.) to wit: (1) â€Å"discrimination issues include discrimination on the bases of age (ageism), gender, race, religion, disabilities, weight and att ractiveness; (2) issues surrounding the representation of employees and the democratization of the workplace: union busting, strike breaking; (3) issues affecting the privacy of the employee: workplace surveillance, drug testing; (4) issues affecting the privacy of the employer: whistle-blowing; (5) issues relating to the fairness of the employment contract and the balance of power between employer and employee: slavery, indentured servitude, employment law; and (6) occupational safety and health† (CiteHR, n.d., par. 1). In the case of the legal researcher for the Saudi – Central Bank, the ethical issue that existed between managers and employees was manifested in the way the manager discriminated against underperforming employees which further

Coffee Shop Essay Example for Free

Coffee Shop Essay I. Introduction The proposed study revolves around the creation of The Coffee House, a proposed small scale business that will be situated in the fast changing environment which is constantly changing due to constructions of buildings and other facilities in the Global City in Taguig City. The study will tackle from the history of the business up to the technical and financial aspects of the study, the said study will also develop the keen observation skills of the students in terms of the marketable value of a specific brand of their liking and will also hone their analysis skills in the business side of the proposed study whether technical or financial. II. Business History The Coffee House is a new small scale business that targets the coffee industry with an expected opening date of July of 2011 in 38th Dr. N. University Parkway, Bonifacio North Triangle, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. The business is a coffee shop, located near prestigious schools and business districts in the area. The business specializes in coffee, tea, and homemade pastries. There are other shops that only serve coffee in the vicinity, the nearest being over one kilometer away which is stationed at Market Market Mall in the vicinity. The target audience of the business is individuals which are both in the workforce and in the academe, students and professionals alike. Currently, there are no places in the surrounding area that cater to the said target audience. III. Vision and Mission Statement The vision of â€Å"The Coffee House† is to become the leading coffee shop in the area of Bonifacio Global City that is under the governance of Taguig city that also practices the â€Å"green† operation of its store and eventually provides a common area for business meetings, hang-out with friends and even a place for studying while enjoying the products of the business. The mission of â€Å"The Coffee House† is to bring back the appreciation of the masses to the local coffee, to break social norms through the business, to create an environment that can cater to different types of people all in the same time, to contribute to the development of one’s self being, to take part in the solution of environmental problems and to be able to encourage others in doing the same thing and lastly to help deflate the rise of unemployment in the country. Objectives The proposed studies primary goals over the next year are as follows: 1. Secure financing for start-up of at least P1, 380,000 for space and equipment. 2. Renovate our space in Global City. 3. Acquire equipment necessary for business, i. e. coffee pots, cappuccino machines, blenders, etc. 4. Make agreement with coffee distributors, and bakery vendors. 5. Create a cozy, clean environment (i. e. choice of colors, choice of music, decor) 6. Open for another branches and become the foremost coffeehouse in the area. Ownership The Coffee House is a corporation that was formed in the early stages of the study. Each individual are equally involved in the operation and management of the said proposed business. Since the ownership type of the business is a corporation type, in terms of profit, responsibility and liability each individual has equal share, therefore each decision that the business will take before it will be implemented into the business the owners will first assess the proposed implementation before implementing it on a first hand basis and if the decision fails, each one of them will also share the consequences of it. Location and Facilities The Coffee House is located at the 38th Dr. N. University Parkway, Bonifacio North Triangle, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. The proponents currently own the building that the proposed business will occupy. Thus, expenses for the renovation of the area will be taken from the funds of the business. Since building a business from the ground up, the proponents took a risk in renovating the proposed location to save the business for monthly increase in cost if the business will rent a commercial location. In terms of facilities, the proponents will avail the basic facilities to jump start the business and will acquire more equipment when the business has received its return of investment, which in the estimation of the proponents would be on the succeeding months from its launch date. Products and Services Description of Products and Services The Coffee House will offer high quality coffee our primary product at a very reasonable price. We will also sell homemade cookies, brownies, and doughnuts, also reasonably priced. Key Features of the Products and Services All drinks will be made with filtered water and the highest quality ingredients we can get. Frozen drinks will have caramel or chocolate syrup drizzled in the glass and over the drink. Cappuccino and hot coca will have whipped cream toppings as well as the option for candy sprinkles. Cookies will have the option of a chocolate or caramel dip and sprinkles. We will offer designer flavored cream and five kinds of sweetener, i. e. sugar, honey, Equal, and Sweet-n-Low. Cream and sweetener is at no extra charge. Production of Products and Services We will use only filtered water and will brew our coffee in commercial coffeepots that will be thoroughly cleaned between uses. We will bake cookies, brownies and pizza pandesal in our own on-site oven from proven recipes, daily. Future Products and Services Within the next three to five years we expect to branch out into catering and offer homemade pies, whole or by the slice. Comparative Advantages in Production Our low overhead and cheaper pricing will be the key to our success. Industry Overview Market Research There are other businesses that serve only coffee in the area. Size of the Industry Nationally, the coffee shop industry is quite large, but in Global City, there are only three. The nearest one is in Market Market which is less than one (1) kilometer away. Industry Outlook The coffee business does not show signs of slowing down. With new innovations such as flavorings and additives, it should continue for some time. Marketing Strategy. Target Markets Our target market is artists and writers who need a nice quite cozy place to think and do their work. Description of Key Competitors Of the three coffee shops in the area, one is a large chain with a very expensive product, one is really a home style restaurant, the last one, and our biggest is a Famous Coffee Shop with an Elegant Style Setting. Analysis of Competitive Position Our pricing strategy, comfortable atmosphere and offering free wifi access will be the key to our success. None of the other shops in the area can offer this. Pricing Strategy The business will offer three sizes of drinks, small, medium and large. Which ranges from 50 pesos to 100 pesos, our cookies and brownies will sell for P50. 00 each/Pizza Pandesal P46 each Promotion Strategy We intend to advertise in the local newspapers and offer a frequent drinkers club discount to our best customers. We will also send out ads via direct mail, which will include cents off coupons. Management and Staffing Organizational Structure Our organizational structure will be a simple pyramid style with the owners putting in as much work as the employees. Management Team Rachelle Ann Heyres and Marilou Deondo will share management and supervisory responsibilities equally. Rachelle for the morning shift. Marilou for the afternoon shift. Staffing We will hire two busboys, two waitresses, cooks, cashier, janitors, and also security guard these will be recruited from the STI. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Busboys- Security guard- A security guards duty is to perform the duties allotted to him either to secure a place from external infiltration of people or danger that may disrupt the functioning assets of the organization. His responsibilities include performance of the duty allotted to him, to report to his superiors and be accountable for any lapse of duty. Janitors or cleaners- Labor Market Issues In this area there are College students looking for work, part time or full time, we want to fill that need. Regulatory Issues Global City and the state of Taguig City both have regulations regarding food service establishments. We have already obtained the appropriate business permits. Risks Market Risks The main risk is monetary. The area may not be ready for a place like ours and we may not do a great business but it can be prevented we will offer( free wi-fi )access to all customers as long as they want as long as they are drinking our coffee. Implementation Plan Implementation Activities and Dates 1. Begin building renovation 7/11 2. Complete renovation 7/5/11 3. Begin preliminary advertising 7/6/11 4. Purchase and setup equipment 7/10/11 5. Open for business 7/15/11 Financial Plan Beginning Balance Sheet This will be a listing of all of your assets and liabilities, before you open for business. You may want to use a spreadsheet program to make this go easier. Balance Sheet Current Assets: Building P6, 900,000 Computer P69, 000 Sound System P92, 000 Furnishings P200, 000 Equipment P138, 000 Cash Rachelle P230, 000 Marilou P207, 000 Accounts Receivable None Inventory Coffee P46, 000 Tea P23, 000 Other Assets Cups P138, 000 Total Current Assets P8, 043,000 Liabilities: Accounts Payable (monthly) Water P9, 200 Phone P6, 900 Electric P23, 000 Donut Vendor P46, 000 Warehouse Club P46, 000 Coffee Distributor P46, 000 Wages P230, 000 Advertising P46, 000 Taxes Payable Property Taxes P23, 000 Employee Taxes P92, 000 Operating Loans Payable Startup Loan P23, 000 Total Liabilities P545100 ongoing per month Projected Income This will be a listing by month of your projected income. List the projected income each month for each product, this way you can compare actual sales to projected sales at the end of the year to determine what products to concentrate on. (Below is a sample month) July 05 Coffee P276, 000 Tea P92, 000 Cookies P69, 000 Donuts P115, 000 Misc. P184, 000 Total Income for March P736, 000 Total Projected Net Profit (Cost/Benefit) P144, 900 for July This would assume 20 pots of coffee sold a day, plus an assortment of other items. This also assumes the market will not increase or decrease due to weather or economics. This would be an average month. This of course would be adjusted monthly once you start business. Then based on the adjustments and actual sales, you can build a new balance sheet at the beginning of next year. Conclusions After you have created the business plan and examined the cash flow estimation you may find that your net profits are not what you would like them to be. In this case you may have to revise your pricing strategy to fit with your expectations or change your expectations. A coffee shop is not a get rich quick idea; it takes lots of hard work and long hours to realize your dream. But, in the long run, careful planning will make it all worth it. S. W. O. T analysis Strength * The Coffeehouse will offer foods compatible to the coffee that customer’s orders. * The environment of the business is always clean and well ventilated for customers to feel relaxed. * The beverages that the business offers are locally and naturally produced that ensures the quality of the products and lowers additional costs. * Ingredients for other products that will be offered by the business like pastries, salads and the likes is organically produce in the businesses green house. * The business is located near establishments for business, academic, rising condominiums and the occasional joggers of the area. Weakness * Unlike other coffee shops the location of our store is not inside the mall. * Lot of expenses. * Slow regaining for profit. * We need to advertise our coffee shop to the public to be known unlike the others. * Low competitiveness when it comes to name or brand. Opportunities * The coffee that we offer is new to the every individuals so the opportunity in it is that the coffee drinkers may want to try our products to compare it to their usual coffee. * Threats * The other coffee brands is popularly known by every individuals that drinks coffee. *

Essay --

Before Augustus, there was Julius Caesar. Caesar appointed himself as dictator for life in Rome. Caesar declared himself all powerful and had control over the entire government. However, Brutus and Cassius assassinated Caesar because they believed he was becoming too powerful and had created a monarchy. Caesar was the granduncle of Augustus and because of this, Augustus wanted to avoid a connection with Caesar roots in becoming a dictator. Augustus avoided a tyranny and he could eliminate the risk of being assassinated like Caesar. In turn, Augustus put on a facade of seeming as though he was not becoming all-powerful. In order to deceive the government, Augustus denied any attempts that were given to him to take the throne as an authoritarian and continued to do great things for the will of the people, to be seen in a good light. While putting on a disguise for the Senate and the people, he made it seem as though power was in the hands of the Senate, when in actuality, he was consol idating power into his own hands. Augustus was seen as the savior of the people of Rome during the time of starvation. In the Res Gestae, Augustus explains that he declined the offer of being king by the people and the senate; he further states, â€Å"I did not decline at a time of the greatest scarcity of grain the charge of the grain-supply†¦I freed the entire people, at my own expense.† Augustus refused to take the throne because it would make him seem as though he was a dictator, similar to Julius Caesar. Instead, to gain the people’s respect, he entice the Roman people. According to Tacitus, an action of this gratitude was one form of gaining the people trust and keeping the Senate in the shadows of his true plan. Tacitus, though, sheds some negative... ... as though he was, no one could challenge his authority. Augustus persuaded the Roman people and Senate through briberies that he was not all-powerful, but a good person. He wanted everyone to see him as no less than the average Roman person. Through Res Gestae written by Augustus, he shows his lavish gifts and the ways in which he declined the throne a few times to move away from becoming Julius Caesar regiment. However, many people such as Dio Cassius and Tacitus were not fooled by his ways and knew that he had a plan the entire time to have absolute power, similar to that of Caesar. The Senate and magistracies were weaker under Augustus’ rule because he had maintained the Senate powers in his own hands. Due to this, many people did not oppose him. In the end, Augustus formed a monarch and use discretion to not show the people and the Senate of his true tactics.

Essay --

Introduction of the topic: 1. Significance of topic a. GM Foods are those derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in such a way that it does not occur naturally in the environment i. http://www.who.int/topics/food_genetically_modified/en/ b. Also ties into 2. Scientific background a. Commercialized in 1992; Monsanto was one of the first firms to take advantage of biotechnology in commercial farming; Green Revolution, i. APA: Mclure J. BACKGROUND. CQ Researcher [serial online]. August 31, 2012;22(30):726-732. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 13, 2013. ii. MLA: Mclure, Jason. "Background." CQ Researcher 22.30 (2012): 726-732. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. 1. This article also has: issues, background, chronology, current situation, outlook, next step b. Genes are copied via PCR and inserted into target plant tissue to create new plants i. AMA: GM foods: the real story. Australasian Biotechnology [serial online]. March 2012;22(1):41-44. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 13, 2013. ii. MLA: "GM Foods: The Real Story." Australasian Biotechnology 22.1 (2012): 41-44. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. 3. Scientific and societal issues a. Controversial: concerns of negative environmental and health effects, corporatization of agriculture, unethical to manipulate life in the laboratory i. AMA: Bennett A, Chi-Ham C, Barrows G, Sexton S, Zilberman D. Agricultural Biotechnology: Economics, Environment, Ethics, and the Future. Annual Review Of Environment & Resources [serial online]. November 2013;38(1):249-279. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 13, 2013. ii. MLA: Bennett, Ala... ...y modified (GM) foods: the importance of an holistic, integrative approach. Journal Of Biotechnology [serial online]. September 11, 2002;98(1):79. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 13, 2013. ii. MLA: Cockburn, Andrew. "Assuring The Safety Of Genetically Modified (GM) Foods: The Importance Of An Holistic, Integrative Approach." Journal Of Biotechnology 98.1 (2002): 79. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Other Interesting Things 1. http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=21274652&site=ehost-live 2. http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/ 3. http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=11501712&site=ehost-live 4. http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/10-genetically-modified-food-products.htm

The 4th Dimension

The journey into the 4th Dimension 4/19/12 Nature of Math The world we live in today is a world of 3-dimensions filled with objects that are zero, one and two dimensions. We all walk around in our 3-dimensional world thinking there could be no other dimensions. But would you believe me if I were to tell you that there is a 4th dimension that lies past our daily experience? The truth is that there is a 4th dimension and it’s not that far away, the crazy thing is that there could be an infinite number of other dimensions out there as well that we will never see and that our minds cannot even begin to fathom.In order for you to fully understand the possibility of a 4th and possibly other dimensions I first need to explain the three prior and how they work. Let’s start with 0 –dimensions. When we classify an object’s dimensions we classify it according to the number of degrees of freedom it has. Therefore a 0-dimensional object would have zero degrees of freed om and would be represented as a point. With 0-dimensions you do not need any information to locate a point within that dimension. This is true because any 0-dimensional object has no length width or height.Now think about taking that point and simply sweeping it to the left like you are drawing a line with the point. By sweeping the point in a line you have just taken a zero dimensional point and created a 1-dimensional line. All of 1-dimensional space is a line. Within a line there is only one degree of freedom, or one direction in which the line is capable of moving. It may seem like a line should be classified as a 2-dimensional object because it can move left and right but really it is based on how many different directions the line travels, which is one left and right. Now think about a line as your street.Your specific house would only be one point on that street and in order to find it you would only need to tell one number in order for it to be found. Now if we take the 1 d imensional object and try and make it into a 2-dimensional object all we have to do is repeat the same process as before, take the line and find a new direction it can move. In the case of the second dimension we are going to take the line and move it vertically (perpendicular to the original line) in a sweeping motion, thus creating a plane. Along with creating a plane you have also just created the 2-dimension.Inside of this world of 2-dimensions you now have the freedom to go left and right and up and down. 2-dimensional objects are all around us, squares, triangles, circles. A 2 dimensional world would be one where everything is flat, people would not be able to see depth or width we could only see what is in front of us in our flat world. Crazy huh? You may have noticed the trend by now on how we move into new dimensions by simply sweeping the current dimension in a new direction. So when we take our 2-dimensional plane and sweep it up and down it will form a cube. This creates the move from 2nd to 3rd dimension.The 3rd dimension is one in which I am assuming you are fairly familiar with considering we live in a 3-dimensional world. Anything in our world that is tangible would be something 3-dimensional, so for example your cat, your favorite pants, a cube. Three dimensional object now have the ability not only to move left and right or up and down on a plane but can also incorporate depth and width into the picture You may now be asking â€Å"well if we live in the 3rd dimension where is the 4th dimension and what is it? † Great Question! We would make the 4th dimension the same way as we have made all of the others.Simply take the third dimension (for our sake lets say a cube) and slide it into a new direction perpendicular to all three previous directions. This may seem tough because we do not know any other directions aside from the three we are confined to in our world. But supposing we drag our 3-d cube in this new direction, then the 3-d cub e now becomes 4-dimensional. We know this is true because in order to locate a point on this new figure we would need four different directions. This shows that there very well could be a 4th dimension out there somewhere.Some people believe that time could be the 4th dimension, but it is still not determined. Also it could mean that there are hundreds of millions of other possibilities for dimensions as well. And while we can’t see the fourth dimension or wrap our minds around it we can now depict it to others. I chose this topic for my presentation because dimensions were my favorite topic of the class this year. They intrigued me, and made me question a lot about the world I perceive and live in. Also dimensions made me want to further pursue math and see how it relates to me in other ways that I didn’t realize.

Free Apple’s Share Increases Essay

Free Apple’s Share Increases Essay Apple’s Share Increases 1. Executive Summary: This paper attempts to review the Apple Inc. corporate operational strategies that have influenced it success in the marketplace, making it one of the leading Computer hardware manufacturers. It is focuses on Apples product development strategy, the iPod in particular. It also looks at how Apple can successfully apply Information Technology Metrics to enhance its business operations. It also evaluates whether there grounds exist to raise issues of Ethics should Apple decide to sell customer Information to other business and what would be likely repercussions in the event customer information ends up on an anonymous website. Moreover, the benefits iTunes- the on-line music business added to Apples balance sheet are scrutinized and how Apple can use environmental scanning to gather business intelligence. This paper further uses the porters five forces model to analyze Apples buyer power and supplier power, identifying which of the five forces Apple addressed in introducing the iPhone. 2. Introduction/Thesis: Apple Inc is an American multinational Corporation which designs and manufactures Consumer electronics and software products. The products include Macintosh computers, iPods and the iPhone, Pro line laptops (Mac Book Pro) and desktops (Mac Pro), consumer line laptops (Mac Book) and desktops (iMac), servers (Xserve), Apple TV, software, Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server operating systems. The Corporation was started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronaly Wayne. This was in the year 1976.The Corporation was initially called Apple Computer Inc but the word Computer was dropped reflecting the dynamic expansionism mood at the company at the time. Apple has about 35000 employees spread across the world. It had sales revenues amounting to US$ 32.48 billion in its fiscal year ending September 2009. One of the milestones of the Corporation was the selling of 6.9 million iPhones in the first quarter of 2008 (Marr, 2006). Apple s Corporate Mission is to provide exposure to emerging companies in order to achieve success in the Financial Markets and to help its clients, brokers, investors, and employees realize their true potential through mutual growth. The Corporations Vision combines the expertise of its Management Team with the industry knowledge and expertise of the managers of each individual company. The primary focus is to strengthen the operating structure of the entity and to lay the foundation for increased growth and profitability. Apple Corporation partners with a number of other companies including Intel. This partnership resulted in the production of Intel based Mac computers in the year 2006. Apple Corporation exhibits a strong corporate culture that influence performance of duties within the organization, this culture drives the corporate affairs of the company, its consumers, suppliers and stakeholders. Apple has also cultivated a culture of acceptance of the Corporations products all over the world. The culture cultivated by the Apple Corporation tends to facilitate the control of the Corporation as it establishes the standards and conduct of employees within the Corporation (Philip, 2009). Apple Company has a variety of business lines, the most successful being SBU with direct consumer products in the market. Apple also provides SBUs in line with its objectives and goals to the consumer. Its SBU has become an important commodity in the market. The Apple Advantage SBU as it is commonly known is dedicated to offering sales, technical and product management resources. Apple line SBU supports a complete line of Apple products and also provides access to hardware, software and service offerings. The SBU ensures professional audio/video installations, multimedia development, desktop publishing and key aspects of the healthcare system. The Apple base SBU recruits additional vendor business partners to ensure resellers have access to the products they need to deliver the latest most profitable Apple based solutions (Jerry, 2008). The Apple SBU makes it possible for the distribution of a full range of Apple products including desktops, notebooks, storage, iPods, accessories and software. The company ensures the efficiency of this strategy through training of the people and institutions that need to use the facility. The current products of the Apple Company in more detailed analysis include the Mac and its accessories which are the Macmini, iMac ,Mac Pro, workstation, Macbook, MacBook Pro and Mac Book Air. The iPod include the iPod Classic iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle and iPod Touch. The Apple TV is a good innovation from the Apple Company. It is a set top video device intended to bridge the sale of content from iTunes. The device syncs either a wifi or a wired network, with ones computers iTunes library (Earnshawon, 2009). These are the products that Apple churns out to stay ahead of its competitors. It also rigorously advertises in line with constant consumer education and enlightment. This clearly shows the effo rt that has been made by the Corporation in improving its performance. 3. The Questions: Q. 1 Apple Inc. as is known today would have long been resigned to history. iPods came around when Apple badly needed a product that would boost its image in a big way. That is exactly what iPod did. Apple was on a shaky financial ground, it had not released a major product for sometime (Earnshawon, 2009). Q. 2 Efficiency IT metric gauges the performance of the IT system itself including throughput, speed, and availability. Notwithstanding what is appraised, how it is appraised, and whether it is for the purposes of efficiency or effectiveness, there should be benchmarks. Benchmarks are pedestal outputs, comparing those outcomes to optimal system performance (standard values), and identifying steps and procedures that would improve system performance. Efficiency IT metrics focus on technology and include; throughput, transaction speed, system availability, Information Accuracy, web traffic and response time. The best mix of throughput transaction speed, system availability, information accuracy, web traffic and response time will definitely improve Apples business operation (Philip, 2009). Q. 3 Effectiveness IT metrics are trained on the organizations goals, strategies, and objectives and incorporate: Utilization, Consumer contentment, Conversion rates and Financial. Quality training of Employees will enable Apple to guarantee higher customer satisfaction (Philip, 2009). Q. 4 Information given to Apple by customers is privileged information protected by the laws regulating the handling and management of private and confidential information. For Apple to provide this information to a third party it would need at least a written letter of authorization from the owner of the information. If it fails to secure permission from the customer, it may face a civil suit from the client suing for breach of confidentiality (Jerry, 2008). Q. 5 Apple business would automatically suffer a decline. Customers will get worried about their information getting into the wrong hands. This will lead to many of them looking for alternative technology service providers, who appear to have more stringent mechanisms for safeguarding and protecting customer information (Asce, Library 2003). Q. 6 A competitive advantage is a tangible or intangible benefit a firm enjoys, which at the same time is complex or impractical for other competing firms in the same industry to acquire or enjoy. These advantages invariably include the company brand, quality care of customers, structural costs, and the brands patent. Whatever the advantage, for it to be regarded as sustainable it must both be proprietary and unique (Marr, 2006). iTunes provided Apple with a very unique and inimitable product. This definitely gave it a competitive edge in the market. No other company had come up with the product. It was a first. Apple consequently reaped maximum benefit and although other companys like Microsoft tried to release their own versions, Apples iTunes dominate the Market. Q. 7 Environmental monitoring is the attainment and scrutiny of happenings and developments in the settings outside of an organization. Organizations monitor their competitors through situational monitoring (Philip, 2009). Apple Inc. operates in competition with other companies. Thus it can only thrive when its in a competitive setting. For Apple to recognize its strengths and weaknesses, it invariably has to study its competitors. In the analysis of its competitors, the Corporation will most likely discover opportunities for and threats to its existence from its technological background (Marr, 2006). A SWOT analysis methodically analyses each of these dynamics and the approach that mirrors the most appropriate match between them. Q. 8 Buyer power is heightened when buyers have a number of choices of whom (suppliers) to procure from and deflated when their options are restricted (Earnshawon, 2009). Apple has lower buyer power for its products, especially the iPod. There arent many substitutes in the market. The ones that exist cannot match the quality and design superiority of the Apple products. Supplier power is heightened when buyers hardly have any alternatives of whom to procure from and diminished when their options are innumerable (Earnshawon, 2009). Apple is in a position of strength as far as the Supplier power is concerned. Apple products are differentiated. Consumers identify with these products and every one want to have the Apples iPod. Q. 9 Organizations in general adopt one of Porters three standard approaches when moving into a new market. These standard approaches incorporate; broad cost leadership, broad differentiation and focused strategy (Asce, Library 2003). Apple adopted two strategies; the broad cost leadership and broad differentiation. These strategies enabled it to create a competitive advantage over other plays in the market. Q. 10 Apple addressed the Buyer power and Supplier power. The buyer power for its products, especially the iPod is low. This guarantees that it can sell as many as the consumers wish to buy. There arent many substitutes in the market. The ones that exist cannot match the quality and design superiority of the Apple products. On the hand Apples Supplier power is very much heightened. It is the company that sells the original product from the original idea. The other competing companies are only copying from Apple. This ascertains market for the products. Conclusion: Apple Company has achieved a rare fit in the technology arena; it has been flexible in its management procedure, thus allowing creativity and innovation (Philip, 2009). As it continues to grow it is continually consolidating its strengths and opportunities while endeavoring to reduce both its internal and external weaknesses and threats, respectively (Marr, 2006).

Psychology in the Modern World Essays

Psychology in the Modern World Essays Psychology in the Modern World Essay Psychology in the Modern World Essay Critical Thinking using Psychological Science The Learning Alliance for Higher Education, an educational consulting firm based at the University of Pennsylvania, was hired by City College in 2011 to investigate and make recommendations for improving undergraduate retention and graduation at the College. Even though most City College students receive financial assistance, have decent high school grades, and live at home with their parents – factors that should contribute to good graduation rates – in fact, currently only 7% of students admitted to the College graduate from it in four years. Only 36% graduate in six years. Indeed, roughly half of the students admitted drop out completely within two years. Students who transfer to City College from another school, either inside or outside the CUNY system (e. g. , a CUNY community college), disappear even faster: Half leave the College, and half of those leave by their first year at the College. The goal of Fun Paper #1 is to use your critical thinking skills to evaluate the consultant’s report and consider hypotheses for explaining and improving the low City College graduation rate. We want you to write a paper that considers the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence and arguments, provides interpretations, and reaches your own conclusions using psychological science. Begin by reading the report, which is included at the bottom of this assignment. First, title your paper â€Å"A Critical Examination of Retention and Dropout at City College†. Next: FOLLOW EACH OF THE FOLLOWING FIVE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY (The following is a detailed outline on how you should write this paper): Your paper should consist of five paragraphs corresponding to the 5 questions below. DO NOT write an outlined paper: It needs to be in essay format. Within each paragraph, please be clear on which letter you are answering by placing a bold letter in front of the sentences. If you are answering â€Å"1a† place a letter â€Å"a† before the sentence/s. (Here’s an example: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a summary of a report conducted by City College to make recommendations for student admission to the College. I found several strengths in this report. 1 a. One of the most convincing statements by the report’s author was†¦) 1. Begin the first paragraph of the paper with these sentences: â€Å"The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a report conducted by The Learning Alliance to investigate student retention at City College. I found several findings from this report helpful in illuminating the retention problem. † a. Which combinations of ethnicity and gender are most vulnerable to becoming college dropouts at City College? Which combinations of ethnicity and gender are least vulnerable to becoming college dropouts? Develop one hypothesis for why certain ethnic/gender groupings tend to drop out. (5 pts). b. Describe the correlation between when someone is admitted to the College and the tendency to drop out? Has this correlation increased, decreased, or stayed the same between 2004 and 2006? Suggest one interpretation of this correlation and its trend. (5 pts). c. City College dropout rates appear to depend in part on where someone originally comes from: the city, the state, or outside the country (which could include both the documented and the undocumented). How does where you come from affect dropout? Develop one hypothesis for why place of origin affects retention. (5 pts). 2. Begin the second paragraph of the paper with this sentence: â€Å"The retention problem may be due in part to the background preparation of students for college. † a. Describe the relationship between retention at City College and scores on pre-admission indices such as high school grades and SAT scores. What do these indices and this relationship suggest is one reason why City College students drop out in such great numbers? (5 pts). b. Describe the relationship between retention at City College and the numbers of courses students take and receive credit for each semester. Why would the number of courses taken affect retention? (5 pts). c. Use the relationships you have described in the second paragraph to develop a hypothesis about the role of background preparation for college in explaining dropout. (5 pts). 3. Begin the third paragraph of the paper with these sentences: â€Å"The retention problem may also be due in part to the reasons students come to study at City College, which has a lower retention and graduation rate than other senior colleges within CUNY. For example, many students come to City College to become engineering or pre-med majors. † a. Describe the relationship between students’ preferences for CUNY colleges and retention. (5 pts). b. How do engineering or pre-med majors fare here compared with other majors at the College? (5 pts). c. Describe how student preferences and area of major might jointly explain low retention at City College (hint: return to your hypothesis about background preparation for college). (5 pts). 4. Begin the fourth paragraph of the paper with these sentences: â€Å"One limitation of the report by The Learning Alliance is in the research strategy they used, which focused on associations between retention rates and a set of academic factors such as demographics and performance. † a. Name three variables not considered in this report that you think would have a strong relationship with retention at City College. For each variable, describe how you would collect the data and what relationship to retention you hypothesize. (6 pts). b. Explain the weakness in the research strategy used by The Learning Alliance. Why is it difficult to explain the high dropout rate at City College when relying exclusively on the relationships among variables (6 pts). c. What alternative research strategy would you recommend that obviates the problems of the one used by The Learning Alliance. Why is your recommended research strategy better? (6 pts). 5. Suppose you hypothesize from The Learning Alliance report that the high dropout rate at City College might be alleviated if at-risk students could be identified early with immediate intervention. Bob agrees to test your hypothesis using the current class of students enrolled in PSY 102. You divide students in the class into two groups: (1) Intervention Group: Sections in which the teaching assistants meet individually each week with any student who misses a class or an assignment; and (2) Baseline Group: Sections in which teaching assistants post grades and absences on Blackboard, but don’t meet specially with at-risk students. Begin the final paragraph of the paper with this sentence: â€Å"I have designed a study to test a hypothesis intended ultimately to improve the retention rate at City College. a. Describe the study, including how and when you plan to measure retention and how you plan to control for any preexisting differences between the groups. (6 pts). b. How can you tell whether any improvement in retention in the Intervention Group is due to at-risk students getting more attention from teaching assistants, developing better college learning skills, or som ething else entirely? How would you control for the different alternative explanations? (7 pts). c. Describe the statistical test you would perform to test the difference in retention between the two groups. What is the numerator of your statistical test? The denominator? (7 pts). d. Create a chart in Excel to show what you expect to find. Label the independent and dependent variables. Paste the chart into your fun paper. Write a concluding statement that summarizes your results from the chart and their implications for students entering City College this year. (7 pts). A tenth of your grade will be based on the following: a. Effective written communication (2 pts) b. Critical thinking and logical reasoning ability (2 pts) c. Ability to formulate questions, hypotheses, and research designs (2 pts) d. Proper use of psychological concepts and theories (2 pts) e. Competence in quantitative reasoning and analysis of research findings (2 pts) Due by 5:00 pm on MONDAY, OCTOBER 15th. Late papers will not be accepted. All papers need to be submitted electronically using the Assignment section in Blackboard (click on YOUR SECTION, then click on Course Tools > go to assignments > go to fun papers > click on the link corresponding to Fun Paper #1. Once there, scroll down and where it says â€Å"Attach local file† browse your computer for the finished paper and add it. Then click submit, and you are done). With the exception of the instructed sentences, the entire paper must be in your own words, in essay format and typewritten (double spaced) using Microsoft Word. Quoted, paraphrased, or borrowed sentences or phrases are not allowed. DO NOT USE ANY OF THE TEXT FROM THE LEARNING ALLIANCE REPORT, EVEN IN QUOTES. These will be regarded as plagiarism, which will be penalized by a zero on the assignment and a report filed with the Office of the Academic Integrity Official. Plagiarism software will be used to analyze your paper prior to grading. Do not use external references outside of lecture notes, the retention report, and the textbook. The paper should not exceed 4 pages. [pic] TOWARD UNDERSTANDING PERSISTENCE A Report on Undergraduate Retention at The City College of New York submitted by The Learning Alliance for Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania April 2011 Undergraduate Retention The Issue The City College of New York (CCNY), concerned about its ability to retain and graduate the students who enter as full-time undergraduates, asked The Learning Alliance to conduct a study of student retention. Just about half of the first-time full-time freshmen leave CCNY before completing a degree, and nearly half of the students who enter as full-time transfer students stop attending before they finish their courses of study. This report examines the factors that contribute to the non-persistence at CCNY. It focuses more specifically on who leaves, when they leave, and what appears to cause them to leave. The Data For the analysis, CCNY provided the records for all 14,428 students who started CCNY as full-time undergraduates in fall 2004 though fall 2009 (Admissions Files). Consisting of data for 9,245 freshmen and 5,183 transfer students, the file includes demographic and admissions information. (See Appendix B for the data elements. ) In addition, CCNY provided academic profiles of all enrolled undergraduates for every semester from fall 2004 through spring 2010 (Academic Files). These files were merged with the Admissions Files so that each entering student has a profile of his or her experience at CCNY. The information in the Academic Files includes grades and credits, among other data. (See Appendix C for data elements. ) A file containing all undergraduates who received bachelor’s degrees from CCNY between spring 2005 and spring 2010 enabled us to flag those who had completed their degrees, and a list of those enrolled in fall 2010 allowed us to flag those who were continuing to pursue a degree. The Analysis The analysis is divided into two parts: freshmen and transfers. For freshmen there is good information about academic preparation, with high school GPA and SAT scores for most incoming students. For transfers there is information about the institutions from which they transferred and the credits1 they carried forward to CCNY. The freshmen analysis comprises matriculating students from fall 2004-2006, while the transfer analysis includes students who entered in fall 2007 as well. In addition to statistical profiles and statistical significance tests of the differences between students who failed to continue or complete their studies and those who did continue or complete their studies, logistic 1As will be discussed later in this report, the transfer credits were not recorded consistently. regression models were built to help quantify the odds of a student with a particular profile failing to be retained. FRESHMEN Highlights Half of all entering freshmen stop attending CCNY. Freshmen who fail to persist tend to do so early: about one-third of the non-persisters are off the rolls in or after the first year, two-thirds of all non-persisters stop attending by the end of the second year. Freshmen who stop attending begin to develop academic problems in the first semester. Those students earn fewer credits on average than persisting students and have significantly lower GPAs on average than those who persist, and particularly those who graduate. The later the admissions phase in which a freshman is admitted, the more likely he or she is to stop attending. Freshmen who chose CCNY as their first choice school are more likely to persist. Freshmen who persist for at least four semesters, but ultimately leave without a degree, attend school part-time in a larger proportion of semesters than do students who continue to persist. Freshmen who select a math-based STEM major (excluding those in the biological sciences) are somewhat more likely to be non-persisters. SAT scores are correlated with academic performance, so it is no surprise that students with lower entering SAT scores, on average, are less likely to persist. Similarly, students with lower high school grade point averages are less likely to persist. General Findings Any freshman that matriculated as a full-time student at CCNY in the fall of 2004, 2005, or 2006 is included in this analysis. Students are considered â€Å"Not Enrolled,† that is, non- persisters, if they did not enroll in fall 2010. If they are included in a list of graduates from 2004 through 2010, then they are considered â€Å"Graduated. Everyone else is â€Å"Still Enrolled. † As Figure 1 shows, more than half of all students who enrolled as freshmen in 2004 and 2005, and nearly half of those who entered in 2006 left CCNY before completing their degrees. Because students tend to take more than four years to complete their programs, the data for the students who entered in 2006 is less complete than the data for 2004 and 2005. It can be expected that a number of those who are still enrolled will be off the rolls before they can graduate. Figure 1. Full-time Freshmen by Status as of Fall 2010 Fall of First Freshman Enrollment | |F2004 |F2005 |F2006 | |Not Enrolled |612 |665 |698 | |Still Enrolled |105 |246 |718 | |Graduated |451 |367 |113 | |Total |1168 |1278 |1529 | |% Non-Persisting |52% |52% |46% | Freshmen who fail to persist tend to leave CCNY early in their academic careers. Among those who leave CCNY, between 8 and 11 percent are gone after just one semester. For example, of the 612 freshmen that entered CCNY in fall 2004, but did not persist, 62 or 10. 1% attended for no more than one semester. At the end of two semesters around one- third of those who ultimately leave are not registered, and after only two years the vast majority- around two-thirds of those who ultimately drop out- are no longer registered. Figure 2. Distribution of Non-Persisting Freshmen by Semesters Attended Before Leaving CCNY Semesters Enrolled Fall of First Freshman Enrollment Cumulative Number No Longer Enrolled | |F2004 |F2005 |F2006 | |1 |62 |55 |77 | |2 |199 |212 |253 | 3 |288 |316 |354 | |4 |406 |439 |484 | |5 or more |612 |665 |698 | Semesters Enrolled Cumulative Percent of All Non-Persisters F2004 F2005 F2006 |1 |10. 1% |8. 3% |11. % | |2 |32. 5% |31. 9% |36. 2% | |3 |47. 1% |47. 5% |50. 7% | |4 |66. 3% |66. 0% |69. 3% | |5 or more |100. 0% |100. 0% |100. 0% | Demographics The demographic profile of freshmen who stop attending reflects the conventional wisdom: men are more likely to be non-persisters than are women, and traditionally underrepresented minorities- black and Hispanic freshmen (who are nevertheless not underrepresented at CCNY)- are more likely to stop attending than are others. The differences between men and women, across ethnic groups, and citizenship, are statistically significant every year. Figure 3A. Percent of Freshmen Who Did Not Persist by Gender Fall of First Freshman Enrollment | |F2004 |F2005 |F2006 | |Gender |Total % Not |Total % Not |Total % Not | | |Freshman Enrolled |Freshman Enrolled |Freshman Enrolled | | |Cohort |Cohort |Cohort | |Female |531 48. % |592 48. 1% |760 43. 7% | |Male |637 55. 9% |686 55. 4% |769 47. 6% | p =

Recommendation Letters for Midlife Graduate Students

Recommendation Letters for Midlife Graduate Students Thinking about changing careers? Graduate school is the ticket to a career change; its not just for recent graduates. Many adults consider returning to school to earn a masters or doctoral degree and begin the career of their dreams. Think graduate school is only for the young? Think again. The average graduate student (collapsing over masters and doctoral programs in all fields) is well over 30 years of age. Midlife applicants to graduate school have special concerns. For example, what do you do about letters of recommendation when youve been out of college for a decade? Thats a tough one. Before you resign yourself to completing another bachelors degree or, worse yet, give up on applying to graduate school altogether, try the following: Contact your professors from college Professors keep records on students for years. Its a long shot, though, because professors are known to move on to other schools or retire, but try anyway. More importantly, professors probably wont recall enough about you to write a competent letter. While its helpful to obtain at least one letter from a professor, it might not be possible to contact your old professors. What then? Enroll in a class Before applying to graduate school, try taking a few classes, either at the undergraduate level if youre entering a new field or at the graduate level. Excel in those classes and let your professors get to know you. If theyre doing research in your area of interest, volunteer to help. Letters from faculty who know you now will help your application immensely. Ask a supervisor or employer to write on your behalf Given that most graduate applications require three letters of recommendation, you may need to look beyond faculty for your letters. A supervisor can write about your work ethic, enthusiasm, maturity, and life experience. The trick is ensuring that your referee understands what graduate admissions committees are looking for in applicants. Provide your referee with all the information he or she needs to write an excellent letter. Include a description of your work-related experiences, why you wish to attend graduate school, your skills, and abilities as well as examples of how your current work demonstrates those skills and abilities. In other words, consider exactly what youd like the letter to say, then provide your supervisor with everything he or she needs to write that letter. Provide phrases and paragraphs that contain important material and examples illustrating your capacities; this can help your supervisor frame the task and his or her evaluation. It can also subtly guide yo ur letter writer; however, do not expect your supervisor to simply copy your work. By helping - providing detailed information and guidance - you can influence your letter by making it easy for your supervisor. Most people like easy and your letter is likely to reflect that.

Economic Relationship Between U.S and China in Regard to Market of Research Paper

Economic Relationship Between U.S and China in Regard to Market of Labor - Research Paper Example This research paper focuses on the fact that Chinese labor market has influenced both the economy of China as well and America. This research paper highlights the importance of the labor market that increases the sustainability of the particular nation or the country. The concept of sweatshop is considered in the paper. It argues that the value and the demand of the labor in a particular economy increases with the increase in demand of the goods that are produced by the labors The capital and labor both plays an important and crucial role in the economy. The economic interest of the particular nation is based on the concept of tripartite agreement in which the nation or the state is influenced by the capital and labor. Capitalism is also related with corporatism. The corporatism is considered as the base between the labor and capital. In the economy with favorable and strong corporate arrangement experiences lower rate of unemployment America is dependent on China for importing goods related to manufacturing cost in order to reduce its labor wages. It is argued, that Chinese economy will increase the welfare effect of America in the long run since the decrease in the demand of the American workers in the manufacturing industry will compel them to switch towards other non manufacturing sectors and therefore the welfare gain will enhance in the long run due to labor reallocation Labor mobility across the regions plays an important role in influencing the government policies and employment benefit of the nations.

In a Better World by Susanne Bier Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

In a Better World by Susanne Bier - Movie Review Example His separation from his wife Marianne has made an impact on the lives of his two sons, specifically, their separation has influenced on the life of his 12 years old son, Elias, who becomes the victim of school bullying. On the other hand, we have a life of Christian who has just shifted back to Denmark from London with his rich-businessman father, Claus. Both of the men are suffering from the death of Christian’s mother, who just died due to cancer. Christian accuses his father of hiding the real state of his mother’s condition till the last moments. With so much anger that is buried deep inside him, he confronts Elias’ oppressors. On one hand, the boys were trying to overcome the schoolyard bullying and, on the other hand, Anton is dealing with a challenging situation in the Sudanese refugee camp. His problem revolves around a person who terrifies his people by cutting open the stomach of the women he sexually assaulted and impregnated in order to verify the gen der of his child. Anton is not sure whether he should or he should not save the life of such a person. Theme and Story of the Movie: The theme of the movie revolves around justice, equality and freedom. ... The whole idea revolves around how Anton fulfills his commitment to his profession and how Christian establishes freedom for the young guy. The story also revolves around the complexities that have surrounded the relationships in society. For instance, Christian relationship with his father, Anton’s with his wife and the emerging friendship between the young Christian and Elias. It projects how relationships can influence a person’s life and how strong or weaker a person can become with or without a sincere relationship in his life. These are a few of the things that people and society, in general, lack today.

Cats and Dogs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cats and Dogs - Assignment Example Actually, dogs are considered to be the descendents from wolves. It is widely held that dogs have evolved from the wolves which had made their entry to the northern hemisphere in search for foods. Cats, on the other hand, find its origin in the Felidae family. It is believed that cats have been evolved around 12 millions years ago. (Carney, 2011) A major physiological difference between cats and dogs is that the sense of hearing is better among cats compared to dogs. The hearing part of their body has been created in such a way that they can hear the kittens as well as the rodents’ ultrasonic sounds. (Carney, 2011) The sense of smell is much better among dogs than cats. Dogs generally have wet noses which help in dissolving the scent molecules and thus help them in detecting those smells that can not be perceived by any human being. Hence, dogs are used to catch criminals by the police forces across the countries. Cats do not possess such characteristics. (Carney, 2011) Dogs are considered to be the most loyal creature. Dogs are very faithful to their masters. Dogs obey their master’s orders instantly. Dogs are also very protective about their masters. Cats, on the other hand, are regarded as one of the most independent and distrustful creatures. Although, cats are quite responsive to their owners than the strangers, but they are not as loyal as dogs to their masters. (Carney, 2011) The cat lovers very often argue that dogs are more expensive to maintain than cats. Dogs need substantial grooming and special types of foods to make them healthy and look good. Cats, on the other hand, do not need such maintenance costs. One needs only a little box, some toys and a food bowl for a cat. While dogs need regular bath, it is not quite necessary for cats to be bathed frequently as cats are quite efficient in taking care of their personal hygiene. (Carney, 2011) Dogs are considered to wonderful companion for human being as they form a habit of adjusting

Semantic technology for improving business process management and Essay

Semantic technology for improving business process management and E-Business - Essay Example From traditional to contemporary perspectives, core objective of the businesses has been to manage business operations so that enables business to achieve the competitive advantage over competitors (Dean, DiGrande, Field, and Zwillenberg, 2012). Since introduced information technology has been a constantly upgrading paradigm and so business are attempting to align the functions developing more concrete connections within and outside business environment; hence, entire stakeholders. Technology expansion has changed the perspectives and businesses are now being viewed as system having core components of input, process and output. Around these core components, business processes are continuously evolving for improvement with changing dynamics mainly arising from other perspectives. Broadly the sequence can be regarded as the information technology to recent integration of semantic technology in business processes. Thereby, the report herein attempts to explore the contribution of semantic technology in improving specific business areas of business process management and e-business conduct. In addition to specifically explore the understudy perspectives the report has developed the detailed reference with respect to technological banking leader Citibank. DISCRIPTION OF THE THEORY SEMANTIC BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT Business process management has over years achieved success to a great extent automating the critical components of the life cycle of business process. Semantic business process management has an objective of attaining process space in an organization to an increased level of knowledge. Success in achieving the process space in the organization benefits business with reasoning with respect to entire business processes including combination as well as execution of process. Integration of semantics technologies in business process management is achieved with the use of ontology that f acilitates the semantic information to the business process. Further, business process automation is enhanced with provision of the semantic web techniques. Business ontology is build using conceptualized core Semantic Web Services as well as Web Service Modeling Language. Sample organizational is depicted in the image below: (Pedrinaci, Domingue, and Brelage, ) As visible from the image above the organizational ontology has various segments and connection between the resources, structure, functions, policies, setup and strategies. The interconnection built between various aspects being facilitated by the core components of the semantic integration in the business process. These interconnections enhance the role of bidirectional interconnection in the business process. Hence, business process management has gained gain efficiencies in entire processes specifically the bottleneck avenues of business processes. ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THEORY Over years of development, information syst ems are attempting to enhance the dual perspective in the computers’ languages; first, increasing computers capacity to enhance understanding the human language with greater comprehension and intelligence while second refers to techniques aimed at providing existing content with labeling related to the domain (Mika, Elfring, & Groenewegen, 2006; Warren, Thurlow, & Alsmeyer, 2006). Further, semantic technology enables metaphorical as well as logical analysis from the queries in the similar context in which it is asked irrespective of the language as well as pattern it is asked and hence

Corporate governance in Olympus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corporate governance in Olympus - Essay Example This had to be initiated since the company was making a difference in the market with outstanding potential share. In 1950, Olympus started the diversification of its product offerings in medical systems, health care equipment, and then moving forward to SLR cameras and world’s first Microcassette recorder (Olympus Imaging America Inc., 2012). As a highly innovative company relying on its ability to give more value for its customers, Olympus continued responding to the market’s needs for products such as â€Å"clinical blood analysers, powerful microscope systems, and breakthrough digital cameras† (Olympus Imaging America Inc., 2012). After 93 years, today, Olympus seems to be so proud about its achievement from the past until at present while it continues to create the same enthusiasm in producing its product offerings and creating value for customers through its high standard quality product and service contributions in the market. From a very simple microscope, the world’s needs for clinical equipment moved to a higher standard. Olympus then started to produce products like â€Å"acoustic microscopes, ultrasonic endoscopes, reagent AIDS detection, digital voice recorders, and best-selling camera like the Infinity Stylus† (Olympus Imaging America Inc., 2012). Olympus therefore provides equipments and devices for medical and healthcare, imaging and information, and industrial applications (Datamonitor: Business Information Centre, 2007). Olympus is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan while the rest of its satellites or branches are situated in Europe, Asia and Americas. It has centralised structure, aiming to produce new innovative ideas, technological advancement, and a cut-above-the-other-manufacturing performance, consistently. The company is organised into different segment divisions such as imaging system business, medical systems business, life science business, information and communication business and other businesses (Datamonitor: Business

Semantic technology for improving business process management and Essay

Semantic technology for improving business process management and E-Business - Essay Example From traditional to contemporary perspectives, core objective of the businesses has been to manage business operations so that enables business to achieve the competitive advantage over competitors (Dean, DiGrande, Field, and Zwillenberg, 2012). Since introduced information technology has been a constantly upgrading paradigm and so business are attempting to align the functions developing more concrete connections within and outside business environment; hence, entire stakeholders. Technology expansion has changed the perspectives and businesses are now being viewed as system having core components of input, process and output. Around these core components, business processes are continuously evolving for improvement with changing dynamics mainly arising from other perspectives. Broadly the sequence can be regarded as the information technology to recent integration of semantic technology in business processes. Thereby, the report herein attempts to explore the contribution of semantic technology in improving specific business areas of business process management and e-business conduct. In addition to specifically explore the understudy perspectives the report has developed the detailed reference with respect to technological banking leader Citibank. DISCRIPTION OF THE THEORY SEMANTIC BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT Business process management has over years achieved success to a great extent automating the critical components of the life cycle of business process. Semantic business process management has an objective of attaining process space in an organization to an increased level of knowledge. Success in achieving the process space in the organization benefits business with reasoning with respect to entire business processes including combination as well as execution of process. Integration of semantics technologies in business process management is achieved with the use of ontology that f acilitates the semantic information to the business process. Further, business process automation is enhanced with provision of the semantic web techniques. Business ontology is build using conceptualized core Semantic Web Services as well as Web Service Modeling Language. Sample organizational is depicted in the image below: (Pedrinaci, Domingue, and Brelage, ) As visible from the image above the organizational ontology has various segments and connection between the resources, structure, functions, policies, setup and strategies. The interconnection built between various aspects being facilitated by the core components of the semantic integration in the business process. These interconnections enhance the role of bidirectional interconnection in the business process. Hence, business process management has gained gain efficiencies in entire processes specifically the bottleneck avenues of business processes. ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THEORY Over years of development, information syst ems are attempting to enhance the dual perspective in the computers’ languages; first, increasing computers capacity to enhance understanding the human language with greater comprehension and intelligence while second refers to techniques aimed at providing existing content with labeling related to the domain (Mika, Elfring, & Groenewegen, 2006; Warren, Thurlow, & Alsmeyer, 2006). Further, semantic technology enables metaphorical as well as logical analysis from the queries in the similar context in which it is asked irrespective of the language as well as pattern it is asked and hence

Comparing Ethiopia to Other Countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparing Ethiopia to Other Countries - Essay Example â€Å"According to the neo classical growth theory, output growth results from one or more of three factors: increases in labor quantity and quality, increases in capital, and improvements in technology† (Todaro & Smith, 2003 p 164). Thus, the concept of neoclassical growth theory states that growth of an economy stops when the technological change ends. A technological change leads to an increase in saving and investment and there by increases the real GDP per capita. In the context of Ethiopia the theory of neoclassical growth theory has relevance in the respect of underdevelopment. The lack technology has pulled back Ethiopian economy from attaining development. In other words technological backwardness has contributed to the lesser growth of Ethiopia. This is clear from the GDP ratios of the country. Ethiopia’s GDP remained at â€Å"$1000 in 2010† (Human Development Report 2009: M Economy and Inequality, 2009). The Human Development Index indicates that the H DI of Ethiopia were just 0.328 in 2010. In HDI ranking Ethiopia had171st rank† (Human Development Report 2009: M Economy and Inequality, 2009). ... This will increase income, savings and investments, which, in turn, can lead to economic development. â€Å"The role of Lewis theory in Ethiopia is also showing a negative trend. The relevance of the theory in a country is highlighted when there occur a shift in the employment rate from agriculture to industry sector. The data regarding the employment in agriculture and industry of Ethiopia shows that the role of the Lewis theory in the development of a country is more relevant. The employment rate of Ethiopia in the agriculture sector during 2009 was 85% while that of industry was just 5%† (Intelligence Throughout History: Birth of Overhead Reconnaissance, 1861). The Big Push Theory: The Big Push Theory by Paul N. Rosenstein Rodan calls for a big investment from the government’s side, for attaining economic growth in an underdeveloped country. â€Å"The Big Push is a model of how the presence of market failures can lead to a need for a concerted economy wide and proba bly public policy- led effort to get the long process of economic development underway, or to accelerate it† (Todaro & Smith, 2003 p 162). A big investment by the government encourages more growth in that sector, which ultimately leads to the development of that particular sector and, therefore, attracts more investment by individuals and firms. The relevance of big push theory in Ethiopia is seen from the aid given by the government and the UN in various situations including the natural calamities. This big push has helped the Ethiopian economy in improving their HDI rank during past years. Market friendly approach: Market friendly approach was first put forward by World Bank, which gave a much

Business Strategy Essay Example for Free

Business Strategy Essay In 2006, Starbucks’, the ubiquitous coffee retailer, closed a decade of astounding financial performance. Sales had increased from $697 million to $7.8 billion and net profits from $36 million to $540 million. In 2006, Starbucks’ was earning a return on invested capital of 25.5%, which was impressive by any measure, and the company was forecasted to continue growing earnings and maintain high profits through to the end of the decade. How did this come about? Thirty years ago Starbucks was a single store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market selling premium roasted coffee. Today it is a global roaster and retailer of coffee with more than 12,000 retail stores, some 3,000 of which are to be found in 40 countries outside the United States. Starbucks Corporation set out on its current course in the 1980s when the company’s director of marketing, Howard Schultz, came back from a trip to Italy enchanted with the Italian coffeehouse experience. Schultz, who later became CEO, persuaded the company’s owners to experiment with the coffeehouse format—and the Starbucks experience was born. Schultz’s basic insight was that people lacked a â€Å"third place† between home and work where they could have their own personal time out, meet with friends, relax, and have a sense of gathering. The business model that evolved out of this was to sell the company’s own premium roasted coffee, along with freshly brewed espresso-style coffee beverages, a variety of pastries, coffee accessories, teas, and other products, in a coffeehouse setting. The company devoted, and continues to devote, considerable attention to the design of its stores, so as to create a relaxed, informal and comfortable atmosphere. Underlying this approach was a belief that Starbucks was selling far more than coffee – it was selling an experience. The premium price that Starbucks charged for its coffee reflected this fact. From the outset, Schultz also focused on providing superior customer service in stores. Reasoning that motivated employees provide the best customer service, Starbucks executives developed employee hiring and training programs that were the best in the restaurant industry. Today, all Starbucks employees are required to attend training classes that teach them not only how to make a good cup of coffee, but also the service oriented values of the company. Beyond this, Starbucks provided progressive compensation policies that gave even part-time employees stock option grants and medical benefits – a very innovative approach in an industry where most employees are part time, earn minimum wage and have no benefits. Unlike many restaurant chains, which expanded very rapidly through franchising arrangement once they have established a basic formula that appears to work, Schultz believed that Starbucks needed to own its stores. Although it has experimented with franchising arrangements in some countries, and some situations in the United States such as at airports, the company still prefers to own its own stores whenever possible. This formula met with spectacular success in the United States, where Starbucks went from obscurity to one of the best known brands in the country in a decade. As it grew, Starbucks found that it was generating an enormous volume of repeat business. Today the average customer comes into a Starbucks’ store around 20 times a month. The customers themselves are a fairly well healed group – their average income is about $80,000. As the company grew, it started to develop a very sophisticated location strategy. Detailed demographic analysis was used to identify the best locations for Starbuck’s stores. The company expanded rapidly to capture as many premium locations as possible before imitators. Astounding many observers, Starbucks would even sometimes locate stores on opposite corners of the same busy street – so that it could capture traffic going different directions down the street. By 1995 with almost 700 stores across the United States, Starbucks began exploring foreign opportunities. First stop was Japan, where Starbucks proved that the basic value proposition could be applied to a different cultural setting (there are now 600 stores in Japan). Next, Starbucks embarked upon a rapid development strategy in Asia and Europe. By 2001, the magazine Brandchannel named Starbucks’ one the ten most impactful global brands, a position it has held ever since. But this is only the beginning. In late 2006, with 12,000 stores in operation, the company announced that its long term goal was to have 40,000 stores worldwide. Looking forward, it expects 50% of all new store openings to be outside of the United.i Case Discussion Questions 1. What functional strategies at Starbucks’ help the company to achieve superior financial performance? 2. Identify the resources, capabilities and distinctive competencies of Starbucks? 3. How do Starbucks’ resources, capabilities and distinctive competencies translate into superior financial performance? 4. Why do you think Starbucks’ prefers to own its own stores whenever possible? 5. How secure is Starbucks’ competitive advantage?What are the barriers to imitation here? !Sources: Starbucks 10K, various years; C. McLean, â€Å"Starbucks Set to Invade Coffee-Loving Continent,† Seattle Times, October 4, 2000, p. E1; J. Ordonez, â€Å"Starbucks to Start Major Expansion in Overseas Market,† Wall Street Journal, October 27, 2000, p. B10; S. Homes and D. Bennett, â€Å"Planet Starbucks,† Business Week, September 9, 2002, pp 99–110; J. Batsell, â€Å"A Bean Counters Dream,† Seattle Times, March 28th, 2004, page E1; Staff Reporter, â€Å"Boss Talk: it’s a Grande Latte World†, Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2003, page B1. States. C. Harris, â€Å"Starbucks beats estimates, outlines expansion plans†, Seattle Post Intelligencer, October 5th, 2006, page C1

Canadas Policies on Early Childhood Education and Care

Canadas Policies on Early Childhood Education and Care Alex Miles Paper Title: National early childhood education and care as a policy debate in Canada Despite over 40 years elapsing since publication of the Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW), which called for a national childcare program as a necessary step towards gender equality, Canada still has no national program for early childhood education and care (ECEC). Despite taking on a larger, yet still modest, role of financing and shaping ECEC between 1966 and 1995 under the now-defunct Canada Assistance Plan (CAP), the federal government has now all but completely withdrawn, leaving the provinces and territories to manage ECEC nearly autonomously. As more and more women – the predominant childrearers in modern Canadian culture – enter the workforce without a corresponding decrease in the rates of fathers in the workforce, the Canadian provinces and territories are feeling great strains in an attempt to meet the ECEC needs of their populations. With the exception of Manitoba and Quebec, Canadian women in major cities spend between a quarter and a third (23 to 34%) of their income on full-time ECEC (Macdonald Friendly, 2014). In fact, those crippled by ECEC costs are the lucky ones: Outside of Quebec, eighty percent of Canadians see the lack of spaces as a serious problem (Environics Research Group Limited, 2008) with a shortage of available spaces nationwide (Anderssen, 2014). Some single mothers and two-parent families are able and comfortable to rely on relatives, friends, or unlicensed ECEC, but those in need of licensed daycare are often out of luck. After thirteen years of being in power and promises for a national program, the Liberal Party of Canada managed only to negotiate individual agreements with the various Canadian provinces in 2005. Harper’s Conservatives quickly replaced the Liberals and their promises in the wake of the sponsorship scandal, opting instead to pay families $1,200 per year for each child under the age of six. More recently, the Conservatives have proposed further financial tax reduction strategies for families, while the National Democratic Party (NDP) under Thomas Mulcair has unveiled plans for a national ECEC program. As Canadians and the politicians gear up for the 2015 federal election, one of the burning questions will be which is better for the Canadian economy, Harper’s subsidies or Mulcair’s national program? Thus far, the Conservatives have managed to control early childhood education and care their way, but an increasing number of voters are dissatisfied and looking for an actual national program that meets the needs Canadians coast to coast. This paper will navigate the tumultuous waters of Canadian early childhood education and care policy by identifying how the issue got on the agenda and progressed through the 5-stage policy model (Howlett, Ramesh, Perl, Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles Policy Subsystems, 2009), identifying and mapping the policy subsystem (Pross, 1986), identifying and discussing the positions of the Conservatives, the NDP, and ECEC pressure groups, and – finally – identifying who won the debate. The second-wave women’s movement in Canada included as a central pillar improved access to childcare, for which calls had been made since World War II (Collier, 2012). The 1970 RCSW reported stated on page xii that, â€Å"the care of children is a responsibility to be shared by the mother, the father and society. Unless this shared responsibility is acknowledged and assumed, women cannot be accorded true equality† (Canada, 1970). Feminist activists of the time succeed in bringing the issue of ECEC onto the formal government agenda through growing grassroots support, aligning with other likeminded groups, and use of campaigns, lobbying, legal challenges, and public education. This process constituted Outside Mobilisation (Howlett, Ramesh, Perl, Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles Policy Subsystems, 2009), which ultimately succeed in the government implementing the Canada Assistance Plan (CAP) in 1966. The CAP was a cost sharing agreement between the federal government and the provinces and territories aimed at improving the lives of low-income earners, with a portion of the federal funds assigned to childcare services (Rauhala, et al., 2012). While limited in scope and effect, it did spark the development of ECEC in Canada. Many still campaigned for a national approach and the federal government did attempt this several times though was never had the clout to succeed: Trudeau’s Task Force on Child Care in 1984; Mulroney’s Special Committee on Child Care in 1986; Chrà ©tien’s Red Book in 1993. The revival of the women’s movement in the 1990s and the election of the Liberals in 1993 brought childcare back onto the public agenda. Chrà ©tien axed the CAP in favour of the Canada Health and Social Transfer, which decreased federal power in matters that were under provincial jurisdiction, such as social services. It also made the provinces less accountable in spending public funds. Having made strides forwards, hopes for a national strategy were quickly dashed as provincial programs disintegrated (Rauhala, et al., 2012). The Liberals developed the National Children’s Agenda in 1997. Two years later, they were successful in getting the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to agree to the Social Union Agreement. The agreement allowed the various jurisdictions to work together through the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Council on Social Policy Renewal to support the delivery of social programs and services (Cool, 2007). Thanks to the council, there have b een numerous policies for young children, including the National Child Benefit (1998), the Early Childhood Development Initiative (2000), the Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care (2003), the Bilateral Agreements with provinces (2005), as well as the 2006 Universal Childcare Benefit (UCCB). In the mid-2000s, a number of international reports were published, highlighting Canada’s stark underfunding and underdevelopment of ECEC. In 2004, the first major comparison of early childhood education and care across affluent countries noted that national and provincial policy was in its â€Å"initial† stages, that care and education were still treated separately, and that coverage was low compared to other wealthy countries (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2004). The report’s exposure of shortfalls in services for young children prompted the federal government back towards a national strategy (Rauhala, et al., 2012). In response to the OECD report, the Liberals announced in the 2004 Speech from the Throne that they would work with the provinces and territories to put in place a national ECEC program (Privy Council Office, 2004). In 2005, the Liberals signed individual, bilateral agreements with all provinces and territories that would provide federal funds for provincial childcare initiatives. Childcare advocates thought a national program was â€Å"closer than it had ever been before† (Friendly Prentice, 2009). Frustratingly, all this work was immediately undone when Harper was voted into office. Harper’s 2006 UCCB offered families a monthly rebate of $100 per child under the age of six but, importantly, no national childcare program. In the same year, the second installment of the 2004 OECD report found that Canada spent just 0.25% of its GDP on ECEC programs for children 0-6, placing it at the bottom of the table (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2006). There was little political will for change under the ruling Conservatives, and so there has been only stagnation on this issue over recent years. This was confirmed by a 2008 report that put Canada tied for last place on the Report Card, a table indicating whether economically advanced countries are meeting certain minimum standards for early childhood education and care (Adamson, 2008). Recently, the public has been becoming increasingly discontent with the Conservatives’ method of addressing ECEC. As costs of childcare has skyrocketed in all jurisdictions except the one that has strong funding and legislation (Quebec), the issue has come to the forefront of public discourse and is shaping to be a defining feature of the 2015 federal election. Indeed, one of the first proposed the policies the NDP released in its campaign was its solution to the ECEC question (Anderssen, 2014). In the 5-stage policy model, policy formulation marks the second stage. To follow the theory, the ECEC debate can be analysed from two perspectives. Firstly, new actors (namely, Thomas Mulcair) have increased the speed of change on an entirely recycled idea. Hence, the speed and mode of policy change is defined as rapid normal. Secondly, while there has been an entrance of new actors, the idea is not new. Therefore, policy instrument types determine the type of policy change. The third step in the policy cycle is decision making. Looking at the issue of national ECEC, there are few actors involved and all are contained within one setting. Simultaneously, the issue is clearly defined with plenty of information and time to act on and with. Therefore, this type of decision making would be classified as rational (Howlett, Ramesh, Perl, Public Policy Decision-Making, 2009). A historical analysis of the policy instruments – the policy cycle’s fourth stage – deployed over the life of the ECEC debate shows that, for the vast majority of the time, the various governments have used affirmative expenditures to promote the use of childcare and education. At present, the Harper government utilises monthly cash transfer in order to offset the cost of ECEC. It also offers tax breaks, a form of tax expenditure. Governments have left regulation up to the provinces, who license the various childcare centres within their own jurisdiction (Pal, 2010). The fifth and final stage of the policy cycle involves policy evaluation, which can be conducted either formally (e.g. by bureaucrats and politicians) or informally. The Harper government’s UCCB has been analysed by formal institutions to a small extent, but it has predominantly been critically evaluated by NGOs, in the form of interest groups, and the broader public. Recent polls have shown that lack of affordable ECEC is a serious problem to three-quarters (77%) of Canadians (Environics Research Group Limited, 2008). Academics have been evaluating the UCCB on performance and financial spectra. The consensus is that the Conservatives’ approach is not meeting the broader economic goals and fails to provide Canadians with the services they need (Friendly Prentice, 2009). Furthermore, academics argue that there is no value for money, with poor documentation of spending (Friendly M. , 2014). In conclusion, thus far the Harper government has been winning the policy debate on ECEC. They have been able to pass their desired bills, which are a far cry from what other parties are advocating for, and hardly even register on international measures of performance (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2006). However, recent newspaper and other mass media suggest that the issue may finally be important enough to Canadians that parties’ stances on this issue will greatly shape the next federal election. Whoever wins that vote will have their policy preferences met. Bibliography Adamson, P. (2008). The Child Care Transition: A league table of early childhood education and care in economically advanced countries. Florence: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre. Anderssen, E. (2014, October 17). The NDP child care plan gives parents hope, but the details are fuzzy. Retrieved from The Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/the-ndp-child-care-plan-gives-parents-hope-but-the-details-are-fuzzy/article21143936/ Canada. (1970). Royal Commission of the Status of Women. Ottawa: Information Canada. Collier, C. (2012). Feminist and Gender-Neutral Frames in Contemporary Child-Care and Anti-Violence Policy Debates in Canada. Politics Gender(3), 283-303. doi:10.1017/S1743923X12000323 Cool, J. (2007). Child Care in Canada: The Federal Role. Ottawa: Library of Parliament. Davis, C., Hoffer, K. (2012). Federalizing energy? Agenda change and the politics of fracking. Policy Sciences(45), 221-241. doi:10.1007/s11077-012-9156-8 Environics Research Group Limited. (2008). Attitudes Toward Child Care. Ottawa: Environics Research Group Limited. Friendly, M. (2014, October 17). The daycare debate: A look at the politics of affordable child care. (A. Chowdhry, Interviewer) Friendly, M., Prentice, S. (2009). About Canada: Childcare. Halifax: Fernwood Publishing. Howlett, M., Ramesh, M., Perl, A. (2009). Public Policy Decision-Making. In M. Howlett, M. Ramesh, A. Perl, Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles Policy Subsystems (3rd ed., pp. 139-159). Don Mills: Oxford University Press. Howlett, M., Ramesh, M., Perl, A. (2009). Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles Policy Subsystems (3rd ed.). Don Mills: Oxford University Press. Macdonald, D., Friendly, M. (2014). The Parent Trap: Child Care Fees in Canadas Big Cities. Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2004). OECD thematic review of early childhood education and care: Canada country note. Paris: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2006). Starting strong 2. Paris: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Pal, L. (2010). Chapter 4: Policy Instruments And Design. In L. Pal, Beyond Policy Analysis: Public Issue Management in Turbulent Times (4th ed., pp. 129-173). Toronto: Nelson Education. Privy Council Office. (2004, October 5). Speech from the Throne to Open the First Session of the 38th Parliament of Canada. Retrieved from Privy Council Office: http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=engpage=informationsub=publicationsdoc=aarchives/sft-ddt/2004_2-eng.htm Pross, P. (1986). Group politics and public policy. Toronto: Oxford University Press. Rauhala, A., Albanese, P., Ferns, C., Law, D., Haniff, A., Macdonald, L. (2012). What Says What: Election Coverage and Sourcing of Child Care in Four Canadian Dailies. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(1), 95-105. doi:10.1007/s10826-011-9481-0 1

John D. Rockefeller: Turning Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Into Success :: Biography Biographies Essays

John D. Rockefeller: Turning Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Into Success John D. Rockefeller, the Standard Oil magnate who, by the time of his death in 1937, was probably worth close to a billion dollars, is perhaps one of the best historical examples of an obsessive-compulsive. An obsessive-compulsive is one who is driven to an act or acts, generally being asocial. By his own fixations and by nature of his peculiar psyche he must balance these actions with others more socially acceptable. There are abundant examples of Rockefeller's deeds fitting these clinical characteristics, and John D. Rockefeller is today generally regarded as an obsessive-compulsive. The roots of this disorder are traceable back to his childhood. While much of Rockefeller's business history remains a mystery today, it is apparent that much of his success is attributable to his obsessive-compulsive disorder. Franz Alexander and Louis B. Shapiro's description of the obsessive- compulsive disorder from their book Neuroses, Behavior Disorders, and Perversions0 is a frequently used summary of the commonly agreed-upon characteristics. It states: "Full blown cases of obsessive-compulsive states present a dynamic equilibrium in which obsessive preoccupation with ego-alien fantasies... are precariously balanced by rituals representing an exaggeration of social standards, such as cleanliness, punctuality, consideration for others. The dynamic formula is similar to bookkeeping in which on the one side of ledger are the asocial tendencies which the patient tries to balance precisely on the other side with moralistic and social attitudes... Every asocial move must be undone by an opposing one..." The term "ego-alien" refers to thoughts, emotions or material which are consciously detestable to the patient (though not he may not necessarily be conscious of the reason). This summary is important, and we will return to it later. Rockefeller was born in 1839 and raised in a troubled, then broken, home. His father, who sold quack "quick-heal" ailment medicines, was often away for months at a time. Rockefeller was raised essentially by his mother. Eventually his father consummated a bigamous marriage with a teenage Canadian and left Rockefeller and his mother and siblings. At an early age, it became apparent that young John was not quite like the other children. For instance, he adamantly refused to play with other children unless he could choose the game. In almost every description of him as a child, he is often described as "thinking". He married Laura Celestia Spelman, a girl who was strikingly similar to his mother, which is never a good sign; and when he decided to go into business, he borrowed $1000 from his father- at ten percent interest.

Flag Burning Editorial :: essays research papers

Flag burning can be and usually is a very controversial issue with people. Many people believe that the American flag stands for something important and shouldn’t be destroyed in that manner. Others believe that flag burning is a statement that one should be able to make without major repercussions. Both sides have valid opinions and both sides state their case well. Although I am neither nor or against the burning of the flag, I believe the right should not be taken away. I believe that if a group of people have valid reasons and a valid point to make by obliterating a flag in such a way, they should have the right to do it. The people who are against flag burning seem to generally be those who have served this country through war and through other such ways. They are older people who believe that this country is quite wonderful if not almost perfect. They have a strong sense of patriotism to this country and would die for what it stands for: liberty and freedom. They could compare it to the burning of crosses in front of a church or to the way the Nazis turned a very beautiful symbol into a racial and religious hate badge for murderers. Disrespect for tradition is what it boils down to. From a young age we are conditioned to blindly respect that flag hanging from a pole and to pledge out allegiance to it without even knowing what it truly is. It has been tradition for at least three generations. People who have been prisoners of war or people who fought for this country have a reason to respect it so much. The have fought long and hard for what we have and respect it. Some of our generation doesnâ€℠¢t realize how lucky we have it. A child of this generation could debate how good and pure and wonderful this country is and could show you how we have had our liberty and freedom taken away to the point that we really don’t have any. True, we have had our freedom limited a bit, but that is only for the protection of ourselves from one another and from the government. As far as flag burning goes, people of this generation and other generations, have a right to show how they feel about what’s going on in this country. They feel that this county is doing something wrong and that is how they choose to express their grievance. Flag Burning Editorial :: essays research papers Flag burning can be and usually is a very controversial issue with people. Many people believe that the American flag stands for something important and shouldn’t be destroyed in that manner. Others believe that flag burning is a statement that one should be able to make without major repercussions. Both sides have valid opinions and both sides state their case well. Although I am neither nor or against the burning of the flag, I believe the right should not be taken away. I believe that if a group of people have valid reasons and a valid point to make by obliterating a flag in such a way, they should have the right to do it. The people who are against flag burning seem to generally be those who have served this country through war and through other such ways. They are older people who believe that this country is quite wonderful if not almost perfect. They have a strong sense of patriotism to this country and would die for what it stands for: liberty and freedom. They could compare it to the burning of crosses in front of a church or to the way the Nazis turned a very beautiful symbol into a racial and religious hate badge for murderers. Disrespect for tradition is what it boils down to. From a young age we are conditioned to blindly respect that flag hanging from a pole and to pledge out allegiance to it without even knowing what it truly is. It has been tradition for at least three generations. People who have been prisoners of war or people who fought for this country have a reason to respect it so much. The have fought long and hard for what we have and respect it. Some of our generation doesnâ€℠¢t realize how lucky we have it. A child of this generation could debate how good and pure and wonderful this country is and could show you how we have had our liberty and freedom taken away to the point that we really don’t have any. True, we have had our freedom limited a bit, but that is only for the protection of ourselves from one another and from the government. As far as flag burning goes, people of this generation and other generations, have a right to show how they feel about what’s going on in this country. They feel that this county is doing something wrong and that is how they choose to express their grievance.