Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Islam - Essay Example Similarly, Sufism involves all practices that ensure a person has deeper knowledge of their God, who is Allah (BBC, 2011). This includes worshipping and seeing Him, which is the ultimate goal in Islam. This will guarantee all the Allah worshipers a heavenly life with utter obedience of spiritual purification. On the other hand, mysticism is attractive in that it modifies a person’s inner life. A person’s inner life is modified in that the person gains the truth of experience. This is in line with a person’s quest for identification, communion and awareness. As such, a person will maintain high levels of truthfulness, divinity and have a strong spiritual life. This draws a person closer to unity with reality, making a person lead a better life in connection with communication and expressions. 2. Explain in Detail the Five Pillars of Islam Muslims have various practices that should be observed. Of all these, the five pillars are considered the most vital. These are the critical obligations that should be observed by any Muslim in leading a responsible life. They include Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj (Gulevich, 2005). To begin with, Shahadah is reciting the Muslim’s faith. Shahadah states that there is no other God but Allah, with His messenger being Mohammad. Reciting this faith has several meanings. First, it is an open declaration that Allah is the only God and Muhammad is His prophet. Secondly, a Muslim openly accepts this statement as it is recited loudly and in sincerity. Thirdly, it means that a Muslim will extend commitment to Islam in their entire lifetime. The second pillar of Islam is Salat. These are Muslim prayers which are obligatory to an individual and should be performed five times in a single day. They are performed before the sun rises, midday, in the afternoon, shortly before the sun sets and the last prayer is performed before midnight (BBC, 2011). These prayers have various advantages; first, they set the p ace of the day. Secondly, they show unity in the Muslim culture, and lastly, they unite the body, mind and soul. The third pillar of Islam is Zakat. This is a compulsory practice where an individual Muslim gives part of their wealth to other people in form of charity. It states that each Muslim should take 2.5% of their wealth and give it to the poor. This is a sign of obedience, discipline and honesty. Similarly, it is an expression that one is not in love for money, greedy or loving oneself. The forth pillar of Islam is Sawm. This is the occasional fasting in Islam, which is done on the ninth month in the calendar of Islam. All Muslims take a total of 29 or 30 days and stop participating in some activities (BBC, 2011). As such, Muslims are not supposed to eat, drink, smoke or participate in any sexual activity during the day. This shows that Muslims are obedient, self disciplined, appreciate God’s gift and are gaining spiritual strength. Similarly, they consider it a time f or generosity, giving thanks to their holy book and fellowshipping with other Muslims to show unity. The last pillar of Islam is Hajj, where Muslims from different parts of the world gather in Mecca to praise Allah. All the Muslims at the event stand in front of Kaaba and praise Allah together (BBC, 2011). This shows Islamic unity and equality, with the promise of brotherhood and sisterhood. According to Islam, if one is not able to make it every year, they have to ensure they at least attend this practice once in their lifetime. 3. Contrast between Contemporary

Vanish automatically Essay Example for Free

Vanish automatically Essay The pages of human history, daubed in bloodshed, more recently that of World War I, World War II and the war in Nanking (China) ask a crying question. How to make this Planet Earth heaven-like? The answer is simple and direct. Eyes full of understanding, heart full of love and the life that refuses conflicts—these alone are enough! But then how to fight this malicious tendency among human beings and intense craving for violence and hatred? Heartfelt care and concern, an understanding approach, and tender regard for the feelings of fellow human beings are the necessary prerequisites to heal the inner wounds of one section of humanity caused by another. If human beings have to find a new identity for them, and make tangible efforts towards achieving the goal of ‘the world is one family,’ we need to learn to forgive and forget the bitterness of the past in order to build a new identity. This goal can not be achieved by any ‘isms. ’ The inner core of every human being is essentially divine, even that of the worst villain. It just needs to be revealed to him to help him align himself with his true personality Peace is possible†¦. Kurt Vonnegut perhaps feels that such an ideal state is not achievable on this Planet Earth; therefore, he introduces Planet Tralfamador in his book. Even that is not going to solve the problem relating to peace. It is futile to cross the moon and beat the stars, to get peace. Peace is within; one has to dive deep and fire the Light missiles for inner construction; then only outer destruction is preventable. Kurt argues that war conditions create total loss of humanity. As for the individual undergoing special suffering, as the prisoner of war, the collapse of his individuality and self-respect is complete. He undergoes most humiliating experiences that totally shatter him. Billy Pilgrim is one such prisoner-of-war, but he is unstuck in the wheel of time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. Vonnegut’s devastating experience as an American prisoner of war, the firebombing of Dresden, is candidly reflected and explained in the book. Kurt’s other argument is that power corrupts—absolute power corrupts absolutely and brings out the worst in man, in war-situations. Slaughterhouse-G-Five is the name of the camp where Prisoners of War are held as captives. Prisoners of War and slaughterhouse—these words make a horrible combination and one is frightened to think about the consequences that would follow. The story of the book is known for its peculiarities. With no characters and no dramatic confrontations, a strange situation manifests. Most of the characters have lost charm for life, they see no definite purpose in living, resigned to the circumstances, and live as if they are born to walk up to the grave. In the grim circumstances prevailing with no hope for improvement, humanity has turned cynical. One is unable to meet the vicissitudes hotly pursuing one after another. Everything is so hopeless and one is unable to see the ray of hope or peace from anywhere. Each one lives like the punctured tier—directionless and destination less. With no forward movement, the life turns like the rudderless boat controlled by other external, powerful forces, which subdue the personality of human beings. In a war situation or when you live life as the prisoner-of-war, many grave uncertainties bother you. You don’t know what is in store for you the next moment. Another technique employed by Kurt is that he reveals the story from the voice of the narrator Ethan Hawke, who reads it in his inimical style. The reader gets the feeling that a secret is being revealed to him slowly and steadily, without intermission. You feel as if you are flying in the outer world with the wings of imagination provided to you by Hawke’s narrative style. As his narrations and explanations crystallize and struggle to achieve the form, Kurt reaches the borders of spirituality. The ignoble human beings will always remain ignoble, without any possibility for forward movement, unless they take shelter under the immutable laws of Nature (God). Because only that power is Immutable and Omnipresent! All else is transient, Kurt argues. This is an anti-war novel. All wars are enacted in the minds by the ambitious politicians and generals first. An ordinary soldier has no role in creating tragic histories for the sake of personal aggrandizements of the leaders. Some leaders create the war, on some leaders the war is thrust, but once the war begins, their mental make up becomes identical-to win the war at any cost and for that they destroy the enemy employing the most savage methods. Kurt expresses his great anguish why the city of Dresden was bombed killing over 100,000 civilians, who had no direct role in the war. The important theme of the book is fate. It is in the fitness of things that the prayer of serenity appears twice in the book. Permanent peace will not dawn by fighting wars first and then sitting across the table in big conferences to negotiate peace. Such exercises have proved futile in the past; they give the same results even now. Kurt seems to say that wars can not be avoided—but he is wrong on this count. An individual, ipso facto, the politicians and the leaders need not cross the frontiers of their enemy country but transcend their own mind-barriers. When the mind barrier is transcended, all differences of opinions cease. With no scope for confrontation, it is peace at last! When the thought process is changed, the action process also changes. When the thoughts are changed, the mind is changed; when the mind is changed, the man is changed; when the man is changed, the society is changed; when the society is changed, the nation is changed; such changed nations are hopes for world peace, a world without wars! World War III will rest for ever in the bosom of Nature!

The Relationship Between Video Games and Aggression Essay -- Video Gam

The Relationship Between Video Games and Aggression As technology continues to forge ahead concerns about its effects on the populace are raised. Whether it be microwave ovens causing cancer or cell phones causing accidents, people are always interested in researching, and often condemning, these new products. Such is this case with videogames. Ever since PongÃ’ swept the nation, scholars have been researching videogames' effects on children. The most popular aspect of videogame research is whether or not games increase aggression. A video game is any console or PC based interactive game, aggression is any thoughts or behaviors related with the intention to cause harm. Contrary to popular belief, there is no reliable correlation between videogames and aggression. Claims are the backbone to a study; they are both the starting point and the goal. Cooper and Mackie (1986) sought to discover if a highly violent game would affect 4th and 5th grade kids differently than a nonviolent game or a paper-and-pencil game. Tamborini et all (2000) predicted that aggressive thoughts and behaviors would be highest amongst those playing a violent virtual reality game followed by those playing a violent standard game, followed by those playing a nonviolent standard game. Derek (1995) was interested in what effect, if any, playing violent games would have on aggressiveness in different personality types. Ballard and Weist (1996) researched whether the level of violence in a game would affect peoples? responses on a hostility questionnaire. Sherry (2000) performed a meta-analysis on 25 video game/aggression studies; he wanted to see if there was any credence to the claims. All five studies are very similar in their intent. They mostly focus on whether the level of immersion (via different hardware, violent content, and/or graphics) affects the level of aggression. To understand a study one must understand the definitions used within that study. All five studies use the same general definition of a videogame that the general public uses; an interactive game played on a television or monitor whereby onscreen objects can be manipulated through the use of a controller. Violent video games are those that involve death and destruction to things resembling reality and/or fantasy. Definitions of ?aggression,? however, differ. Cooper and Mackie (1986) used a ... ...nding results, indicating that the positive findings in some of the studies could be anomalous. This lack of evidence would leave one to believe that the status quo is acceptable. Game content can be found through the rating system, but any other measures would be burdensome and unnecessary. So, until more convincing data comes along we can rest assured that any rage is the result of good old American anger, not blasting on-screen boogie men. Works Cited Ballard, M. E., & Wiest, J.R. (1996). Mortal Kombat: The Effects of Violent Videogame Play on Males? Hostility and Cardiovascular Responding. Journal of Applied Psychology, 26, 717-730. Cooper, J., & Mackie, D. (1986). Video Games and Aggression in Children. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 16, 726-744. Derek, S. (1995). The Effect of Video Games on Feelings of Hostility. The Journal of Psychology, 129, 121-130. Sherry, J. L. (2000). The Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggression: A Meta-Analysis. Human Communication Research*. Tamborini, R., Eastin, M., Lachlan, K., Fediuk, T., Brady, R., Skalski, P. (2000). Virtual Violence. 86th Annual Convention of the National Communication Association.

Video Game and Console Gaming Addiction

I. The Problem and its BackgroundA. INTRODUCTIONIn recent years gaming addiction (computer game addiction, console gaming addiction, or even excessive play on portable systems) has received increased attention not only from the media, but also from psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health organizations, and gamers themselves.Gaming addiction is not yet classified as a mental health disorder or â€Å"true† addiction like gambling or alcohol addiction. However, some gamers clearly struggle to keep their playing habits under control and may place more importance on their gaming accomplishments than their happiness and success in the real world (e.g., academic achievement, friendships, relationships, career advancement, health, etc.).B. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMMany people or computer users have their thoughts and questions about online games. But this is some common questions that we will have to acknowledge:a. Why do students easily get addicted in computer/online games?b. Wha t are the harmful effects in getting addicted to computer/online games?C. IMPORTANCE OF STUDYThis study aimed to know why many student easily get addicted to computer games and the harmful effects of computer/online games.D. DEFINITION OF TERMS†¢ Addiction- is the continued use of a mood altering substance or  behavior despite adverse dependency consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors. †¢ Online Game- is a video game played over some form of computer network, using a personal computer or video game console. This network is usually the internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems. The expansion of online gaming has reflected the overall expansion of computer networks from small local networks to the internet and the growth of internet access itself.

Running Head: Globalization- Moving Forward or Moving Backwards?

With 35 million people, Tokyo gets the trophy for being the world’s largest city. Second place goes to Bombay with 22. 2 million people and New Delhi follows that with 20. 9 million (McKinnon, 444). It is no question that the world is home for billions of people and the number is growing. The world today is very different from what it was years ago. Through new technologies, we are able to communicate with people in a matter of seconds. The Internet connects people to do business internationally and quick. It has reduced the traditional problems you get with trading. It is now very easy to trade goods and services around the world. Because of this, markets are more open and competition is bigger. Investment has changed with online banking. It allows people to move their money internationally. Globalization is a process where global connections become thicker and it creates relationships between many people in vast distances. Globalization is a system where people aren’t in their own little villages anymore but they are brought together by trade or diplomatic relations. Globalization represents a change in human organization; there are both positive and negative effects of globalization. As our world with new technologies begin to march forward, many countries are being left behind. For example, economic reforms have transformed India into the second fastest growing largest economy. According to India: Rich vs. Poor, they mentioned India's economic growth rate in the year 2007 to 2008 is 9. 1% compared to the United States' growth rate in 2007 to 2008 is 2. 2%. India’s economic growth rate is supposed to be even higher in the next few years. It is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The Indian rupee has even grown stronger than the United States dollar (Roskins, 467). With all this said, India seems like its on track to be a dominating world power. However, India suffers from high levels of illiteracy, malnutrition, and gender inequality. India has more poor people than the continent of Africa. We have always lived in a world that has created hierarchies. We have rich and poor, affluent and less affluent, developed and developing, and third world countries. Whatever system we use, the gap between rich and poor will be very distinct. According to a report in the New York Times, technology and Internet access will intensify the difference between rich and poor countries (Miller). This gap has always increased over the years because it is a byproduct of globalization. In 2005, World Bank estimates that 1. 1 billion people in the world lived in extreme poverty. The definition of extreme poverty would be poverty that kills and that people who live under extreme poverty may live off of a dollar a day. More than 8 million people die each year because of poverty. Many times it’s from preventable diseases. For example, approximately 3 million people in Africa die of malaria each year. This situation in Africa has worsened over the last two decades. Forbes magazine has published that there are 358 billionaires in the world. Their combined net worth goes past the combined net worth of the worlds poorest 2 and a half billion people. Globalization goes all the way back to beginning. When people built roads it made the world so much smaller, but at the same time easier. Wheels and boats led to changes in transportation. Humans walked first, then came horses and carriages, after that the invention of bikes came along and soon after that was the automobile. Soon traveling did not take days and months, but in a couple of hours you could get from point A to point B. Another example would be writing with ink to printing books; all of these mentioned were a huge milestone for the human race. From the inventions of these things, more people were able to learn more things about the world. We are no longer stuck in villages, knowing the same people and same traditions. Today, globalization continues with the Internet. Now we can get information in a matter of seconds. People everywhere are connecting through social networking sites, blogs and video sites. We are able to â€Å"outsource† jobs. Outsourcing is when you take a job and handing it to a third party. Everything from clothes to technological jobs are getting taken overseas in the United States. Many companies use outsourcing to decrease the cost of labor (O’ Neil). Education ties into outsourcing because it is different in other countries. Many jobs move over to India because the educated middle class in India has a significantly better mathematical training than students in the United States. From 2000 to 2015, an estimated three million American jobs will have been outsourced. A kid playing a Wii in the middle of America calls a help line in India for troubleshooting on his Wii. We are now getting closer and closer to each other even if we live thousands of miles apart. The causes of poverty in the world’s poorest nations may be complicated. Causes range from where the country is located, diseases, civil war, and natural disasters. It may be things we take for granted such as a lack of clean water, lack of education, or lack of an effective health care system. Many poor nations have corrupt governments as well. Some problems may date back to colonialism, farm subsidies, cultural and historical reasons, or problems with institutions such as World Bank. A lot of times the reason why many countries are in deep poverty is because of colonialism. What happens is that western nations stepped in and stole the riches of their colonies. By doing this, the western countries gained money, and left the country they invaded with nothing else. Dependent development is when a less developed country relies on a modernized country. They act as equal partners but some nations could impose unequal exchanges on others and weaken the economic development so they could make their development stronger or more advanced. Dependent development impacts organization in developing nations because they could mess with their system so they could actually get ahead (O’Neil). An example would be Latin America. After WWII, radicals thought of the dependency theory, which said that the less developed countries is dependent economically in the capital, products and policies of the First World. If they could get out of control of US corporations, they could eliminate poverty. Western countries have taken gold from Peru, rubber from Brazil, tea from India, and cocoa from West Africa. Many times, countries struggled to get out of rule from the countries that took over. When they left, the Western country left them with many problems that the new country could not get out of easily. An example could be India. When the British left them, India has faced challenges such as religious violence, discrimination against certain types of castes, terrorism, and regional separatist insurgencies (Roskins, 449). Some may put the blame on farm subsidies and other trade barriers. Farm subsidies have the effect of transferring income from the general taxpayers to the farm owners. The world’s wealthiest nations give more than 300 billion dollars of subsidies to their farmers every year (McKinnon, 446). By doing this, it makes it difficult for poor farmers to compete with the big Western farmers because in some cases, the subsidy goes to the big industrialized farms. However, if you get rid of these subsidies, it may not help out poor farmers either. If there are industrialized farms in developing nations, poor people who would have worked in the small farms wouldn’t be able to work in the bigger farms because they would be replaced with machinery. So the poor people would move to cities where they may not find jobs. Another factor may be cultural or historical. Some reasons why Arab nations are poor may be because they are not advanced economically in modern times. Arab nations may be behind because of the way they treat their people. Many Arab nations look down on free speech, they don’t have good quality education, and there is a shortage of women’s rights. For example, having gender equalities in a country reduces economic growth. By having gender inequalities, it results in a wide gap between the opposite sexes. There are still 65 million Arab adults who are illiterate, and two thirds of them are women (Friedman). In India, women also suffer from high mortality rates. An example could be that their healthcare favors boys. Boys usually get more access to food and medicine and they get it before girls. Girls don’t get first priority and this results in many children, a lot of them girls, getting sick and dying from malnutrition (Hopkins). The World Trade Organization, International Money Fund, and World Bank are usually the most criticized when it comes to the issue of globalization. Some people believe that big business are looking out for themselves only and expand the world markets for their own interests. Some of the policies of the World Bank have harmed the development of Third World countries rather than help it. The World Bank contains high interest rates, which harm some companies. Their trade liberalization made some countries poorer and unable to compete with the global market. Also, the liberalization of capital markets drove smaller banks out of business. Not all-financial aid given to poor people doesn’t actually go directly to the people. The World Trade Organization is typically the target of anti globalization protests. People against globalization believe that the World Trade Organization neglects labor and human rights, only serves the interests of big corporations, increases inequality, and undermines national independence (McKinnon, 447). Some people may say that globalization will create a monopoly for countries that dominate in businesses. Because of the unequal relationships some countries will be left behind and the ones ahead will dominate the world economy. Another negative is the outsourcing of jobs. It lowers standards and weakens regulations in order to keep or attract business. Everything will rely on each other and when the dominant country falls apart so will the whole globe. Some may argue that as globalization increases, the world population has a wider gap between rich and poor. Globalization will create a greater chance for countries to have crises and problems. It will affect everyone because everything is so close knit compared to before. Some people who support anti globalization believe that globalization will destroy old institutions, traditions, and cultures. Individuality and collective identity are giving way as globalization proceeds. As developing countries accept Western influence, they will throw out what used to mean a lot to them, and accept someone else’s cultures. As societies trade their own cultures institutions for a common global society, what used to be shaped by values and tradition will now be shaped by materialism and consumption. The things that make the society different such as the language, music, food, history, values and norms will be taken, maybe changed, and will be sold around the world. Things (such as products) that did not make the cut, will be taken and forgotten because new things that were more appealing to people around the world will come in and take over. An article titled â€Å"McWorld† by Benjamin Barber explains the struggle of globalization and corporate control versus Jihad, which is tradition and traditional values. Barber believed that there were four imperatives to â€Å"McWorld†. They are: A market imperative, a resource imperative, an information-technology imperative, and an ecological imperative. The market imperative says that all national economies are vulnerable of larger, transnational markets. In these markets, there are free trades, the currency is convertible, and access to banking is open. The resource imperative is when countries will use each other's resources. After all, everyone needs something that they don't have. Every nation has something and some nations don't have anything that they need. The information technology imperative says that technology will connect everyone. Business, banking and commerce depend on information flow and you do these now through technologies. The ecological imperative is when nations ruin natural resources for things that they need. We all depend on each other, so if you tear down a rainforest to get resources, another country may use those resources. This ecological consciousness has meant for greater awareness but to inequality because the nations that are modernized may not want to use their resources to help the nations that are not modernized. Barber concludes that traditional cultures or big corporations support democracy. (O’Neil) The term â€Å"McWorld† may come from McDonalds, which is the fast food chain that gets criticized a lot. McDonalds has opened franchises in over 100 different countries. The symbol is recognized almost everywhere you go: from a small town in the United States to a city in China, you will be able to find a McDonalds almost anywhere you travel. It is controversial when it comes to globalization becomes it associates itself with deforestation, harvesting of animals, and a promotion of junk food. Many people believe that McDonalds is destructive towards many cultures that it has been introduced to. McDonalds gets criticized for destroying the practice of a home cooked meal and many countries, especially the United States, are dealing with problems such as obesity in adults and children (O’Neil). Since McDonalds is everywhere, it has become the model of getting rid of individuality. Some critics against globalization believe that it will overwhelm people with countless choices, ideas, values, and information that may be hard for some cultures to understand. As we move closer and closer together, everything seems to rely on each other. If our world truly globalizes, the struggle of freedom and equality will shift from domestic to international. Globalization may lead to greater conflict and chaos. On the other hand, economic globalization also applies to labor. Globalization can help people move and want to migrate. International economic connections, goods and services are expanding; people want to move where the money is. Countries get to bring out what they produce best and throw away things that aren't as popular. Transnational corporations take advantage of new markets and new opportunities. As a result wealth is to be diffused effectively through open markets for goods, labor and capital. Globalization is supposed to take people out of poverty and allow everyone to be a part of the global marketplace for goods and labor. If you look at it this way, globalization is seen to be positive because you bring billions of people out of poverty and produce affluence by letting more people be part of the global marketplace. As globalization has increased over the past quarter century, the percentage of the world’s population that has lives in poverty has declined. People’s life expectancy has risen, especially in part of the world that globalization is a big deal such as China and India, compared with the countries that are not so globalized, such as Africa (O’Neil). Globalization has opened up bigger communications. It has introduced companies into countries, and has helped many people get out of poverty. Globalization has provided opportunities for the workingman and also women. Many women work now because of globalization, and it was able to provide them with pay where they can support their families. Globalization can promote equality for people. Globalization forces businesses to compete on a bigger scale and the market becomes bigger. The competition is greater and will give consumers more choices. I believe globalization is not always a good thing. I believe that globalization will create monopolies for some companies. I don’t think it will be fair when it comes to competition. It will give people more choices, but I don’t think the quality of goods that we get will be of the best quality. The currency isn’t the same throughout the whole world, so the money that is distributed to some people will be different , because of this I think equality will be harder to reach because some people in countries that are more modernized will be getting paid a lot more than countries that are behind. I think it will eliminate small businesses in the United States and it will be hard for small business owners to compete in the global market. Globalization will eliminate individuality in many things such as goods. I think many cultures will forget their own traditions as well, as they welcome in new ideas. As for the whole world, I think that globalization will increase dependence on other countries. All the countries will rely on each other. If someone’s market crashes, especially from a dominating world paper such as the United States, everyone else’s market will crash. I feel that as our world becomes more advanced, we are consumed in a materialistic way of thinking and its almost as if we are moving backwards rather than moving forwards. We value things that are so obsolete such as materials like diamond rings. It seems to put a price tag on people and in this sense we are almost tribal. I believe globalization will truly take over. Our world is getting smaller and smaller everyday. What we do here, in the United States, definitely will affect other people elsewhere.

Managing Operating Exposure and Fx Risk at Nissan Essay Example

Managing Operating Exposure and Fx Risk at Nissan Essay Example Managing Operating Exposure and Fx Risk at Nissan Essay Managing Operating Exposure and Fx Risk at Nissan Essay BMW is a company that has frequently favored the financial hedging approach of exchange rate shocks, while 3M has been a strong proponent of hedging via operational flexibility. BMW managers advocates an integrated risk management approach that combines the use of operational and financial hedging. This combination is exactly what BMW is doing after recently suffering from strong appreciation of the Euro in its heavily European based production operations. BMW has announced expansions of production and sourcing facilities in the North American and Asian continents in an effort to create a more globally diversified supply chain, thus adopting more of an integrated risk management approach in its handling of global risks. When BMW Financial Services Netherlands needs to process BMW vehicle lease applications, the company relies on a DB Risk Management Solution to provide consistent credit decisions. As stated in a article of the â€Å"INVESTER† located on DNB. om, â€Å"Before implementing the DB solution, BMW personnel had to submit and then wait for a lease application to be approved or denied†. BMW employers can get fast and consistent credit decisions based on a combination of internal BMW information. BMW uses agencies to compare cases on an annual basis and incorporate historical information making future decisions even more accurate. BMW has achieved significant cost and time savings as a result of this solution. Few large companies are willing to embrace the lack of organizational clarity and nebulous structures that drive innovative ideas. At most companies, headquarters would have put the kibosh on the short-film idea, which has since been widely imitated. Researchers say most experiment with networks on a small scale and very few use the practice to full effect since doing so means an uncomfortable balancing act between hierarchy and discipline on one hand, and free-wheeling networks that can veer toward near-chaos. But for innovation-driven companies, networks that enable entrepreneurial risk-taking are a silver bullet. The ideas are richer, they implement more effectively, and there is less resistance to change, says Rob Cross, assistant professor of management at the University of Virginia. Speed and organizational agility is increasingly vital to the auto industry, since electronics now make up some 20% of a cars value- and that level is rising. BMW figures some 90% of the innovations in its new models are electronics-driven. That requires once-slow-moving automakers to adapt to the lightning pace of innovation a nd change driving the semiconductor and software industries. Gone is the era of the 10-year model cycle.

Work place language policies

Work place language policies The paper tries to establish the legality of a policy requiring workers to use only English during business hours. Mary, a manager, was charged with the role of ensuring all the employees were not discriminated either on basis of gender or country of origin.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Work place language policies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the customer service representatives felt sexually harassed by Hispanic sales people who communicated in a vulgar way using Spanish in the Cafeteria. Non-Spanish speaking employees felt that Hispanic team members in field were speaking in Spanish during working hours, which endangered their lives. Use of Spanish was taken by other workers as a discriminatory and a way of not sharing crucial information with the rest. Mary sent memos to all the departmental heads prohibiting the use of any other language apart from English during business hours. The memo raised con cerns among different group of workers leading to Mary receiving complains on legality of the matters. Hispanic workers argued that the rule discriminated them on basis of country of origin. It was noted use of Spanish language, earlier within the organization, had led to firing of two workers by Levy in his department. The workers defied orders from Levy on use of English during working periods. Spanish employees argued that they did not use Spanish while around other technicians or the shop. Frank Loggins, the company head, having heard of the looming law suits asked Matt to act quickly to try and save the image of the organization. Matts answer to the enquiry was that he thought Mary had solved all the problems concerning the language. The company legal team had to try and research on the legality of Mary’s memo from decided cases. One finding was that the bilingual employees who wanted to sue the company were charged with the responsibility of proving that the company had been discriminating them on basis of language to the courts. The main problem that the complainants faced was that no case law or decided cases had equated language to the country of origin. Mary’s decision was shown to hold even when the workers went to court because it was supposed to prevent discrimination among the employees. Discrimination occurred when Spanish workers used Spanish in presence of non-Spanish speaking workers. The legality challenge that existed was on the mode of communicating the policy and the time when the policy was communicated to the different workers. Mary sent the memo to departmental heads but not to the affected workers within the company. She was supposed to get all the workers and explain to them what was happening and the changes occurred in language policy within the company.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sending the me mo when complains about language arose within the company was another legal challenge. The one language policy can be challenged through the Equal Opportunity Commission of the US. The commission holds that a one language policy within organizations is illegal if use of other languages is not affecting the safety of workers at the workplace. In this situation, the workers claimed they did not use English, while on business proceedings. The use of Spanish did not bring any jeopardy to the safety of other workers. To avoid the legal proceeding, Matt is supposed to meet all the departmental heads and explain to them the process of implementing a language policy in future. The business needed to carry out diversity training to all workers on need of using English at workplace and appreciating other workers culture.

Hall Surname Meaning and Origin

Hall Surname Meaning and Origin The Hall surname has several possible derivations, including geographic, descriptive, and occupational: A place name derived from various words for hall or spacious house, usually used to signify someone who lived in or worked in a large hall or manor house. From  the Middle English hall,  Old English heall, Middle High German halle and  Old Norse holl.From the Norse hale and Anglo-Saxon haele, meaning hero.Possibly an old Norse word for boulder, slope, thus meaning someone who lived on a slope.Possibly from the Norwegian hallr, meaning flint. Hall is the 30th most popular surname in the United States and the 20th most common in England. Surname Origin:  English, Scottish, Irish, German, Scandinavian Alternate Surname Spellings:  HALLE, HAALL, HAUL, HAULL, HAWL, HOLL Famous People With the Last Name HALL Lloyd Augustus Hall - Chemist and inventorDonald Hall - poetCharles Martin Hall - inventor of the aluminum manufacturing processJoyce Hall - founder of Hallmark CardsG. Stanley Hall - American psychologist;  established the concept of child psychology and founded Clark University.Arsenio Hall -  American actor, comedian, and first black late-night talk show host Genealogy Resources for the HALL Surname 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Common English Surnames Their MeaningsExplore the meanings and origins of the 100 most common English surnames. The Hall DNA ProjectOver 170 Hall descendants have donated their DNA toward the goal of learning more about Hall ancestors worldwide. The Hall Genealogy WebsiteThis site collects genealogy information related to HALL descendants worldwide, although the major focus is on Halls from the island of Great Britain. FamilySearch - HALL GenealogyFind records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Hall surname and its variations. HALL Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Hall surname. DistantCousin.com - HALL Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Hall. References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Affection of the Rising of the Sea Level on Global Warming Research Paper

Affection of the Rising of the Sea Level on Global Warming - Research Paper Example The controversial issues include among others the causes of increased temperatures in the recent years and mostly due to human activity. Various questions are raised during research on global warming, which include if the warming is not planned for or it is normal within the climatic changes, whether human beings have significantly contributed to this or if the increase is completely or partially an artifact of poor measurements (Archer 17). Also controversy over estimates of climate sensitivity, predictions of more warming and the outcomes of global warming has been rife among scientists’ assessment reports (Weart 14). Human activities continue to affect the content of the atmosphere especially through gas emissions from green houses and aerosols generated from various human activities, and this keeps on changing the atmosphere in a manner that is most likely to affect the climate. Thus it is deemed that natural factors contributing to global warming are very small as compare d to activities that people engage in top change atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases. Rising of the Sea Level The warming of the atmosphere has resulted to higher sea level due to the fact that land and lower atmosphere of a warmer climate result to heat being channeled into the oceans (Neumann, Yohe, Nicholla and Manion 12). Heating of materials leads to their expansion which is referred to as thermal expansion, thus the transfer of heat results to the expansion of sea water, which results to a rise in sea level. Warm temperatures might result to the following effects on the earth’s surface’s natural resources, in the ice lands and oceans. When non-polar glaciers melt, they release water might flow into the ocean thus contributing to a sea-level rise. Glaciers are highly sensitive to change in climate and, therefore, melt at a very fast rate and the water flows to oceans and the effect is increase in sea levels (FEMA 10). Ice increases from snowfall and is b alanced by ice loss from melting and the discharging of glaciers in the Greenland (Archer 38). Forecasts show that increase in melting from higher temperatures will cause an increase in precipitation. Thus, the changes in the ice balance will add water to the ocean, hence contributing to rise in sea levels. Almost all of Antarctica is covered by a sheet of ice, which is 2.5 kilometers thick and if the ice covering Antarctica was to melt, then there would be an over 60 meters rise in the sea levels. However, increase of a few degrees in the Antarctic would not change the melting point of ice since it is so cold there and extremely high temperatures will melt down the ice. Though thermal expansion is not an obvious process than melting ice, weather professionals argue that it remains a major contributor of projected sea-level rise in the 21st century. It has been difficult for scientists to be precise with sea-level forecasts since there are a number of uncertainties. The first one is greenhouse gas concentrations and scientists agree that depending on the levels of increase in these gases will determine the future rise in atmospheric temperatures and consequently sea levels. However this depends on a number of factors, for example, growth in population, use of energy and development of new technologies. Climate sensitivity, which refers to the level of atmospheric warming that result from the increasing carbon dioxide in the air, is another factor (Houghton 48). This is significant enough to be regarded as a source of uncertainty in the forecast of long-term climate change, as the levels of carbon dioxide are bound to change with time. Another factor is ocean heat exchange, where there is heat movement between

Performing Flamenco Dance at a Wedding Assignment

Performing Flamenco Dance at a Wedding - Assignment Example Therefore, this dance is an all-inclusive activity (Pohren 67). It involves numerous dance movements. One of the common ones is a rhythmic expression whereby I exhibit rapid movements of the heels and feet. Moreover, I engage in an activity of slapping both the chest and clapping of hands. I alternate this with steps made with the feet. Flamenco dance also involves lower body movements which begin from the waist downwards. These include hip rolls, juts of the hips, lifting of the legs, which is usually done with the kneels down as well as making circles with the legs (Pohren 88). Notably, I also include numerous movements of the upper body. Some of the common ones include twisting of the arms as well as making circular movements using my arms. The most intriguing movement that I like most in the flamenco performance includes making the spine a spiral. This movement serves to produce a counter line reflected on my back (Scheff, Sprague and McGreevy-Nichols 140). There are also circula r movements whereby I involve my wrists and fingers. In other occasions, dancing extends to fanning using my fingers. On other occasions, I combine different movements to exhibit an expression that involves the entire body. These are enhanced by shrugging shoulders, jumping, hopping, different facial expressions and gestures. In every single performance where I am invited, I combine all these different movements (Ruiz 71). The flamenco dance originated from Spain and is common amongst Spanish dancers. However, flamenco classes are available in different countries. I was intrigued by the dance from an early age a factor that motivated me to register for dancing classes. Although in my initial days in the dancing class, I focused on general dancing, I later specialized in flamenco. In an American society, where the dance is not common, I took a lot of time to monitor the steps.  

Effectiveness of Ethics Process Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Effectiveness of Ethics Process - Assignment Example The first ethical review process in cases where the management has demonstrated a sign of selfishness by failing to execute its primary duty will involve identifying shortcomings in the existing ethical policy. This will step will highlight the underlying reasons behind the company’s unethical conduct. The next important ethical review process will involve identifying the possible alternatives to the existing shortcomings in the ethical policy. The reason behind this move is to ensure that there are no loopholes in the current ethical policy that may be exploited by the management to perpetrate fraud. A fraudulent act will remain to be the crime whether it is contributing to a significant increase in the company revenue or not. The management of the Insurance Company was defrauding the policyholders in improving the company’s earnings. For instance, it was revealed that the insurance company made additional profits close to $40 million annually by concealing insurance p ayments. Fixing shortcomings in the existing ethical policy will ensure that management does not have the loophole to exploit the policyholders and above all the customers gets their right to insurance payment. To undertake retrospective and continuous policy review taking into consideration that it is through reviews that shortcomings in the ethical policy that may be exploited by the management can be identified. Support opportunities for transparency on the operations of the committee. This is only aimed at preventing cases of double standards in the affairs of the committee, as human beings are prone to temptations. Enhance the independence of the committee and mitigate the conflict of interest in order to ensure that the committee performs their roles and responsibilities without fear of intimidation and also to avoid instances of teaming and collusion to breach corporate ethical codes.

Slip Sliding Away Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Slip Sliding Away - Assignment Example These issues are equally important because ethics underlies any kind of good behavior that the society may require. It is therefore equally important to consider teaching the students ethical behaviors before any other thing. 3. The instructors or the administration should ensure that the students are trained on how to engage in ethical behaviors. The instructors should train the students on steps to take if they want to be good. It will require participatory learning and application of personal examples. As such, the students should be encouraged to apply real-life examples or experiences as they try to learn the steps towards ethical behavior. The instructors and the administration are advised to stop assuming the problem and take action. There must be a need to inform the students of the seriousness of the problem and the schools must set guidelines on how the instructors should conduct exams. 1. The last two paragraphs in this essay form a successful conclusion of the writer’s argument. The writer started with introducing his argument by using relevant examples. He gave a long history of Haiti using relevant historical occurrences as the examples for his argument. Therefore, the writer has effectively used the technique of inference from relevant examples to build his argument. He introduces the nature of the problem he wants to discuss first and follows it with a long narration of these relevant examples in a clear and logical manner. The second last paragraph summarizes his argument as he brought it out in his examples. He restates his main point and argues it out in summary. This paragraph also gives an alternative solution to the Haiti, thus it becomes a very important part of the essay in that instead of just arguing against an idea, the writer also gives his point of view of what can be a better approach to Haiti’s problems.  

Strategic Transformation of Ford Motor Company Assignment

Strategic Transformation of Ford Motor Company - Assignment Example Ford Motors is a leading global automaker company based in the United States. In recent years, through sustained strategic direction and leadership, the company has positioned itself among the world’s leading companies in the automobile industry. Porter’s five forces model consists of elements such as bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products, threats of new entrants and competitive rivalry within an industry. The five forces are illustrated accordingly. Bargaining power of suppliers in relation to industry context can be examined by assessing certain determinants such as labor, services, and raw materials among others (Karagiannopoulos & et. al., 2005). The power of the suppliers depends on the efficiency as well as the inefficiency of the market forces (Purdue University, 2010). With regard to Ford Motors, the bargaining power of suppliers in the industry is quite high. It has emerged as a major threat for the automaker companies globally in cent years. However, Ford has been able to devise prudent strategies to significantly mitigate the threat of supplier power. For many parts suppliers, Ford is a key organization to obtain sustained contracts in the long run. Thus, any discontinuation of the requirements of Ford might be quite difficult for the supplier companies to deal with. Ford has trimmed down its number of suppliers from 3300 to around 1600 in the past decade as a part of its strategy to solidify a relationship with suppli ers and improve its grip on the suppliers bargaining power (Dornbach-Bender & et. al., 2009). Bargaining power of buyers signifies the impact that the customers provide on the profitability of a business organization. The buyers in the market have more powers when certain specified conditions meet such as an industry has a number of companies delivering the products thus facilitating the buyers with varied choices in terms of companies and products.

Business Strategy Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Strategy - Article Example This is so because success is based on an organisation's ability to create, rather than predict the future by developing those products that will literally transform the way the world thinks and view it self and the needs (Kanter 1995:71). Within the context of today's global competition, businesses and firms no-longer compete as individual companies but try to corporate with other businesses in their activities (Wu & Chien 2007:2). These researchers went further to argue that, this strategy has become quite common in many businesses including the retail clothing chain stores. The conventional vertical integrated company based business model is gradually being replaced by collaborative relationship between many fragmented, but complementary and specialized value stars and constellation (Wu & Chien: 1). This paper focuses on Subway Franchise Company. The paper examines the strength weaknesses opportunities and threats of this chain of restaurants. There after the paper examines its competitors at various level of the chain, the third section of the paper uses Porter's five forces framework to identify the sources of competition in the industry while the last section provides the conclusion and recommendation. According to the Compa... 1.1 Overview of Subway Sandwich Franchise According to the Company's (2008) report, Subway Sandwich Franchise is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. (DAI). This chain of restaurant has been rated as one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with approximately 30,881 restaurants in 89 countries. The restaurant is the second largest restaurants after the Yum restaurant brands having 35000 locations. Many analysts have attributed the restaurant's fast growth to the growing concern by restaurant customers and the community. This has been capitalised on by the company's marketing department. Subway today is noted as a health concious restaurant chain. The restaurants are managed by Doctor's associates founded in 1965. The restaurant do not follow just the traditional restaurants, Subway operates in many non-traditional locations. For instance, the Company's (2008) reports states that, there are over 900 Subway locations inside of Wal-Mart stores and 200 on military bases, including several in Iraq, in addition to three located inside the Pentagon, some universities and other shops (Company Report 2008). 1.2 SWOT Analysis of Subway Franchise Strengths Better Value, in the form of lower prices. Fresher merchandise and wider assortments of sandwiches. Superior Locations Better physical appearance of the restaurants themselves. Good will, exclusive rights with some of their suppliers. Maximisation of the four Ps of Marketing at all front. High capital and a pool of reserves, and cheap credit facility offered in some locations. The Employees, 30,881 restaurants around the world. cheaper, better

Strategic Transformation of Ford Motor Company Assignment

Strategic Transformation of Ford Motor Company - Assignment Example Ford Motors is a leading global automaker company based in the United States. In recent years, through sustained strategic direction and leadership, the company has positioned itself among the world’s leading companies in the automobile industry. Porter’s five forces model consists of elements such as bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products, threats of new entrants and competitive rivalry within an industry. The five forces are illustrated accordingly. Bargaining power of suppliers in relation to industry context can be examined by assessing certain determinants such as labor, services, and raw materials among others (Karagiannopoulos & et. al., 2005). The power of the suppliers depends on the efficiency as well as the inefficiency of the market forces (Purdue University, 2010). With regard to Ford Motors, the bargaining power of suppliers in the industry is quite high. It has emerged as a major threat for the automaker companies globally in cent years. However, Ford has been able to devise prudent strategies to significantly mitigate the threat of supplier power. For many parts suppliers, Ford is a key organization to obtain sustained contracts in the long run. Thus, any discontinuation of the requirements of Ford might be quite difficult for the supplier companies to deal with. Ford has trimmed down its number of suppliers from 3300 to around 1600 in the past decade as a part of its strategy to solidify a relationship with suppli ers and improve its grip on the suppliers bargaining power (Dornbach-Bender & et. al., 2009). Bargaining power of buyers signifies the impact that the customers provide on the profitability of a business organization. The buyers in the market have more powers when certain specified conditions meet such as an industry has a number of companies delivering the products thus facilitating the buyers with varied choices in terms of companies and products.

Research methodology used to collect data and converting the data into Essay

Research methodology used to collect data and converting the data into meaningful information - Essay Example The author has selected the issue for discussion after reading the article in newspaper about the sporting habit of person in London. The researcher will use qualitative research methodology in order to gather personal insights of respondents regarding the research problem. Using qualitative methodology will help the researcher to get personal viewpoints of respondents which will help the researcher to address the research problem without using any categorical boundaries or subjective assumptions. Fife and Saunders et al have argued that, using secondary data sources such as books, printed peer reviewed journals; government data etc to collect data can also be classified as good way to conduct qualitative research. Following the argument of research scholars, the researcher will use secondary data sources as a neutral medium to construct the theoretical argument in the literature review and later on test the validity of the response of respondents. The researcher will use convenience sampling as part of non-probabilistic sampling method for selecting respondents for the interview. Using convenience sampling method will help the researcher to conduct the interview in timely and cost efficient manner. After observing the behaviour of players in sports centre the researcher will select one respondent who is ready to give interview for more than 1hour. Research scholars Punch and Patton have stated that using unstructured interview can is helpful in cases where researcher is planning to gather information from respondents without imposing any priori categorization. In this paper, the researcher will use unstructured interview to give chances to respondents to express their viewpoint on the research topic in unhindered manner. The researcher will use a casual approach to slowly drag the interviewee to the core research objectives and allow the interviewees to direct the further flow of interview. There might be cases, where the researcher will ask some contextual qu estions to interviewee in order to engage him/her with the interview process. Entire unstructured interview process will be tape recorded and later on these interview transcripts will be produced in the data analysis sections. The researcher will fix appointment with the interviewee prior to the unstructured interview and also take his/her permission before asking any sensitive questions. The researcher will examine preconceptions by checking the validity of responses by consulting books and academic journals written on the topic. As the research questions will be open ended hence no coding technique will be used to quantify the responses. The researcher will ensure the respondent that their responses will only be used for academic purposes and their identity will not be revealed for any commercial purposes. The researcher will also ensure that respondent is aware about the ethical norms prior conducting unstructured interview. Transcription The respondent is almost 39 years of age and he is not a sports person by profession. However, the person visits the sports centre thrice/week in order to play his favourite game lawn tennis. The respondent loves lawn tennis for the

Human Resource Information Systems Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Information Systems Essay 1. â€Å"Suggest how HR professionals can use online recruiting to more effectively support recruitment activities while reducing organizational costs.† Retaining and acquiring talent with high qualities is crucial to an organization’s success. â€Å"As the economy and job market heats up, so has the market for corporate recruiting and recruiting service and consultants† (Bersin, 2013). Therefore, the labor force becomes more competitive and available skills become more diverse, HR professionals need to be more selective when choosing the right candidate. Poor decisions made by recruiters can result into negative effects for the company. Another thing that can impact an organization as well as an employee’s morale is high training and development cost. For this reason alone, many companies have turned to e-Recruiting. â€Å"Online recruiting involves less human interaction, reaches a much broader audience, files records electronically, and provides selection tools electronically† (Friend, 2014). Companies can conduct everything online while spending less money sending all employees to a training session or meeting off-site. Just by conducting meetings, training, etc. online saves the company a lot of money. For example, new hires really make up the majority of the cost because they need to be trained in every aspect of the job they are taking on. Also, training occurs with other employees besides new hires when a new product or service surfaces within the company. All employees need to learn about the new products or services in order to promote them to their clients. Online recruiting comes in handy since it’s a real money saver by having employees do everything online via internet instead of meeting each time for different things. Online recruiting is not only cost effective but it’s quick and easy to do. HR professionals can posts job postings anywhere there is an internet  connection and receive responses just as quickly. Online recruiting can become very convenient. 2. â€Å"Recommend four (4) strategies to mitigate the unintended consequences associated with e-Recruiting.† Four strategies to mitigate the unintended consequences associated with e-Recruiting include: Ensuring consistent high customer satisfaction online and maintaining consistent high service When e-recruiting, recruit and select applicants who appear to have out-going personalities that fit within the organizational culture This can be determined from likes/dislikes Express that training and incentives will be provided in order to encourage loyalty, motivation, and focus on doing whatever it may be to meet the needs of the customer, and create Create a consistent set of HR practices that work together to create a culture of customer service. A strategy is not always planned and HR professionals usually have to adopt this strategic plan. Maintaining excellent service and high customer satisfaction is a good look for the company. Also, it’s a great strategy to have to meet all the needs of the customers to ensure their returned business and for them to spread the good comments about the company to their family, friends, and co-workers. The last strategy to mitigate the unintended consequences is for HR to get their practices to work together for the good of the company. HR needs to put a process in place that will be successful and beneficial to the employees and the company. 3. â€Å"Propose one (1) approach in which online recruitment can help ensure the employee’s psychological contracts are fulfilled.† According to Kavanagh, Thite, Johnson (2012), psychological contract fulfillment, employee satisfaction, and retention rates are three other important goals of the recruitment process. The employees’ beliefs about the obligations and promises between them and their companies are what the psychological contract refers to. It’s going to be important to explore the extent to which online recruitment can help ensure that employees’ psychological contracts are fulfilled. Information that is collected and distributed during the recruitment process shapes the expectancy that leads to psychological contract fulfillment, which directly affects employee satisfaction and retention rates. The numerous expectations that shape the psychological contract include the work role, such as job performance; social relations, such as co-wo rker and customer interactions; economic  rewards (raises, monetary incentives), and company culture. According to Heneman and Judge (2006), one approach to use to ensure psychological contracts are filled is a realistic recruitment message. 4. â€Å"Suggest three (3) strategies you would use to attract high-quality candidates and members of diverse groups using an e-Recruitment approach.† One strategy to use to attract candidates would be through social media. Examples of social media would be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even email such as Hotmail, Yahoo, and Google, etc. Today’s world is very technical savvy and most people now use the internet for everything, these medias would be perfect for announcing job vacancies and announcements. For example, when I used to work for State Farm I made a Facebook page for the company and promoted different products and services that we offered. Another strategy I would use is at the end of applicants completing their work history, etc. before submitting to the job, a series of detailed questions would be asked that relates to specific job in which they are applying for such as years of experience performing that particular job, and skill competencies, etc., this would eliminate applicants that don’t have the necessary experience and skills and alleviate unwanted applications. One last strategy I would use to determine diverse groups is have the applicant fill out an optional survey informing of their race, gender, etc. The survey if completed or not would not have an impact on whether or not the applicant is interviewed and the applicant would also be informed of this as well. This would only be for survey purpose that will allow the organization to see if and how many people from diverse backgrounds are applying. 5. â€Å"Take a stand on whether or not the attributes of a Website (attractiveness, quality, and ease of use) would affect your motivation to apply for a job at that company. Justify your position with specific examples from two (2) business Websites that you are familiar with.† In my opinion, I find that when applying for positions the company’s attractive quality and ease of use website is very important. This lets me know that the company takes pride in their name and what to make an impression on the candidates that are applying. Even though they are the ones that are hiring, they need employees to work as well as a candidate needs a job. The first impression is a lasting impression, and if I’m impressed with the Website then chances are I’m going to be impressed with the company and would want to work for them. Two websites that I’m  familiar with are www.indeed.com and www.careerbuilder.com. I used these two websites frequently because they always have up to date posts on their websites every day and have a variety of positions available. Both sites are colorful, and allow you to type in key words related to the job of interest along with the city and state. Next, it will display jobs related to the key words that are entered. The jobs that are displayed list the job title, company name, and a brief description of the job that includes the range in job salary, for some. Both search engines are easy to navigate, the content of the information is relevant to what I’m looking for. Also, usability is a plus, because they both allow you to receive job alerts, creat user accounts, and answer frequently asked questions. 6. â€Å"Propose four (4) security controls you would put into place to prevent unauthorized access to data and unauthorized disclosure of data when using e-Recruiting systems.† One security control I would use is each applicant would have to set up their own personal username and access code. This should ease the mind of the applicant, because this is information that only the applicant would use and have access to. Next, I would design a security control that is time sensitive and require the user to sign back in if the computer is idled for a certain amount of it the user spends too much time in one area without moving on to the next area. Third, I would use an online security system that would prevent hackers and unauthorized access to applicant’s information. â€Å"The last security control that I might put in place would be some type of software where you have to answer personal related questions about your past that only that specific person would know† (Zeidner, 2007). For example, a multiple choice question might pop up and ask which of the following are related to you and the employee that is trying to gain access would have to answer the question correctly. According to Kavanagh et al, I would develop privacy protection policies that (1) restrict access to data, (2) restrict disclosure of data, and (3) ensure that only job-relevant data are collected for decision-making purposes. Everyone has to be careful nowadays, because hacking into computers is just as easy as breaking into a house nowadays. References Bersin, J. (2013, May 23). Corporate Recruiting Explodes: A New Breed of Service Provders. Retrieved from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2013/05/23/corporate-recruitment-transformed-new-breed-of-service-providers/ Friend, L. (2014). Advantages of Online Recruiting. Retrieved from Chron: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-online-recruiting-3093.html Heneman, H.G., Judge, T. A. (2006). Staffing Organizations (5th ed). Boston: McGraw Hill (nd). Introduction to Online Recruitment. HRM: Guide Human Resource Management. Retrieved from: http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/recruitment/introduction_to_online_recruitement.htm Kavanagh, M. J., Thite, M., Johnson, R. D. (2012). Human Resource Information Systems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Zeidner, R. (2007, December 1). HR Magazine: Making Online Recruiting More Secure. Retrieved from SHRM: http://www.shrm.org/Publications/hrmagazine/EditorialContent/Pages/1207hrtech.aspx

The Concept of Efficiency Essay -- Efficiency Philosophy Essays

The Concept of Efficiency This article aims to give an analysis of the concept of efficiency. The importance of such an analysis lies in the fact that the role which efficiency plays in different sectors of our society leads to opposite evaluations resulting in a clash of opinions concerning this role. In order to clarify this situation, I first trace the historical roots of the concept. This brief historical reconnaissance shows that ‘efficiency’ is not a unitary concept. Moreover, I also argue that our use of the concept of efficiency presupposes the decisions which we make with regard to the kinds of costs we recognize. Such decisions do not come out of the blue; they relate to the opposite evaluations of efficiency mentioned above. The decisions concerning what we consider to be costly determine in part the actual content of the concept of efficiency. I argue that this content must be in harmony with the meaning of the different practices in which we are engaged, otherwise this concept can ea sily lead us astray. Therefore, a proper use of the concept of efficiency demands a clear and reliable view of these meanings. 1. Introduction Efficiency is a concept widely used by economists, engineers, organization theorists, consultants, politicians, managers and others. It figures large in the many vocabularies that abound in the world today and it seems that 'efficiency' is one of the focuses of Western culture. Efficiency has met with enthousiasm as well as critique. An early advocate of efficiency is Frederick Taylor (1911). (1) Shortly after, John Dewey made critical remarks on scientific management but considered efficiency to be a "servant of freedom" (Middle Works, Vol. 10, p. 119). Kotarbinsky (1968) defended e... ...8 R.Heilbroner An Inquiry into the Human Prospect. New York 1974. ———Business Civilization in Decline. New York 1977. ———Behind the Veil of Economics. New York 1988. T.Hobbes The English Works of Thomas Hobbes, Vol.3. Aalen 1962, repr.London 1839-1845. F.Klemm A History of Western Technology. New York 1959. T.Kotarbinsky Praxiology. An Introduction to the Sciences of Efficient Action. Oxford 1968. G.W.Leibniz SÃ ¤mtliche Schriften und Briefe. Erste Reihe. Berlin 1950. J.St.Mill Complete Works, Vol. II, III. London 1968. H.Mintzberg Mintzberg on Management. New York 1990. H.Simon Administrative Behavior. New York 19763. Reason in Human Affairs. New York 1983. R.C.Solomon Ethics and Excellence. Oxford 1993. F.W. Taylor The Principles of Scientific Management.19111, New York 1967. Xenophon Memorabilia and Oeconomicus. London 1923.

Choosing A Car Essay example -- essays research papers

Choosing the Right Vehicle Choosing a car these days can be a hassle. There are so many advertisements in the automobile industry trying to get you to but their vehicle. You end up choosing a vehicle with a catchy advertising jingle or phrase. Then later come to realize you are not satisfied with your decision, because of your lack of patience and lack to do any type of research on the vehicles of interest. Many times you end up limiting yourself to only a few selections. Then make your decision based on a familiar vehicle name rather than what type of vehicle suits you best. You should never make a decision based on a familiar name. There is too much information to be concerned with, for you to choose a vehicle based on a name you are familiar with. Purchasing a vehicle is a major expense. It is something that should be carefully though about. Your vehicle is your shield to protect you from other bad drivers. You should choose a vehicle that is safe. Thanks to technology automobiles are becoming more and more safe each year, with the emergence of air bags. Safety is just one of the many aspects you should look into when choosing a vehicle. Avilez 2 Perhaps the most important aspect you should look into when choosing a vehicle is the cost. You want a vehicle that will fit your budget, as well as something that is economical. When you do research on an automobile you can get an idea of what amount the vehicle you want usually sells for, making it easier to negotiate a pric...

Analysis of the Warehouse Automation Failure at Sainsbury’s

Abstract All organizational departments play a collective role in ensuring that the intended goals and targets are achieved. It is vital that they work together because the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Because of the connection that exists amongst different departments, failure in one department may have a detrimental effect to the entire organization. In this regard, this report addresses the case of warehouse failure at Sainsbury’s. It provides an in-depth discussion of the failure and utilizes Porter’s value chain analysis model to explore how failures in primary and supporting activities from the model might have contributed to this. Introduction One of the responsibilities of managers is ensuring that all components or departments within the organization work effectively. This is because success in organization is dependent on the contributions made by different departments. There have been several cases where failure in a single department has adversely affected all operations of the company. This paper seeks to address this management issue by focusing on the failures that occurred in the warehouse automation strategy at Sainsbury’s in 2004 (Double Loop, 2013). It is based on the view that there are many operational failures or disasters occur due to managers’ lack of understanding about the whole organization. This leads to problems in the synchronization of different organizational functions. An Overview of Sainsbury’s Sainsbury’s is one of the largest supermarket chains in the United Kingdom, with a current market share of 17.7%. Apart from running the supermarket business, the brand also deals in the banking and property industries. Since it was founded in 1869, the company has undergone a phenomenal growth. Currently, it runs more than 1,106 convenience stores and supermarkets, and has more than 150,000 employees. The company operates both as a wholesaler and as a retailer (Sainsbury’s, 2014). It has stores that comprise of supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies. In the supermarkets’ category, the company runs Sainsbury’s cafe and Sainsbury’s fuel. It also has an online business referred to as Sainsbury’s online, and comprises of Sainsbury’s Energy, Entertainment, Compare and Save, and Sainsbury’s gift cards. There are also banking and mobile businesses that are run by the company. Even with this level of success that the company presently enjoys, it has also undergone a number of challenges, some of which have led to heavy losses. Key among these was the warehouse project failure in 2004 (O’Brien, 2004). Warehouse automation failure at Sainsbury’s The warehouse automation project commenced in 2000 and had originally been meant to improve the efficiency of the company’s supply chain. The project was under the â€Å"business transformation programme†, whose key planks were Electronic Point Sale (EPOS), supply chain management, and outsourcing of its IT projects to Accenture. The warehouse automation project was intended to overhaul and improve supply chain management of the company. The company had originally intended to make installations of automated fulfilment systems in one of its distribution centres, Waltham Point in Essex. This is the company’s biggest depot, and distributes stock around London and southeast England. By implementation of a barcode based fulfilment system though this project, it was projected that it could make the company’s warehousing operations more streamlined and efficient (Double Loop, 2013). Three years into the launch of the business transformation programme, the CEO who had launched the project reported that it was on the right track, and had saved the whole organization a total amount of ?700 million. However, it was later realized that automation system had developed technical issues, mainly errors in reading barcodes. Not only did this failure affect the company’s operations, it also caused contractual rows between Sainsbury’s and Accenture, financial losses and undue attention from media. With reference to O’Brien (2004), implementation of this project led to a pre-tax loss of ?39 million in the first half of 2004, the worst that the company had ever recorded in its 139 years of operation. This also made the company lose ground to its competitors in the market, which included Asda and Tesco (Double Loop, 2013).Causes of the failureThis failure can be attributed to several management issues in the company. One of these was the situation on whic h IT projects, which were to facilitate the automation project, were outsourced to another company (Abdullah & Verner, 2012). Even though the company being outsourced to might have had a good reputation in implementing such projects, the lack of involvement by parent company managers in the monitoring and evaluation of the project can affect the attainment of the intended objective (Alexander & Walker, 2013). The minimal involvement by Sainsbury’s management in this project explains why it took three years and a change in leadership to realize that the project was not likely to attain its set objectives (Alexander & Walker, 2013). Another possible cause, which has also been identified by Double Loop (2013) is that there was insufficient engagement between the company’s CEO and its IT suppliers in projecting the possible key business and IT risks. For this reason, no delivery strategy that could tackle these challenges was promptly designed (Chermack, 2011). This can also be considered as the lack of sufficient preparations by the then CEO (Sir Peter Davis) before the initiation of the project. Insufficient preparation exposes projects to the risk of possible failure and over-expenditure (Kardes et al., 2013). There was also a communication problem, which can be mainly blamed on Sir Peter Davis. Whereas it must have been known to him that the project could probably fail to serve its intended objective, his presentation about the project to the public was that its progress was as planned and that by 2003, it had saved the company ?700 million. Had the issues been frankly and promptly pointed out, necessary measures could have been undertaken to avert the heavy loss that was later incurred (Aula & Siira, 2010). Given that this failure was associated with the warehouse automation exercise at Sainsbury’s warehouse automation project, it is also worth noting that the failure might have been partly caused by automation challenges. The fact that automated system failed to operate as it was intended to, indicates that all the inputs in terms of time, money and resources were lost (Kardes et al., 2013). Porter’s Value chain Analysis of the Failure Porter’s value chain model can be used to identify the primary and supporting activities which contributed to the failure at Sainsbury’s According to Porter (1985), generic value added activities can be divided into two. These are primary activities and support activities. Primary activities comprise of inbound and outbound logistics, sales and marketing, services and operations. Supporting activities, on the other hand, comprise of firm infrastructure, senior management roles, internal culture, procurement, outsourcing and technological developments. The model is represented in the diagram below, in which the functions that contributed to the failure at Sainsbury’s have been marked. Fig. 1: Sainsbury’s value chain components that contributed to the failure in warehouse automation The functions marked in the value chain model above have been identified as the contributors towards the identified failure. They are explained in more detail below: Outbound logistics: in the value chain, outbound logistics are referred to as activities that mainly relate to transference of goods to customers through warehousing. The automation of the warehouse at Sainsbury’s was being done so as to facilitate this primary activity in the organization. The failure of the warehouse automation to effectively take place thus affected the activities in outbound logistics (Zott et al., 2011). Senior management Roles: There was a failure by the senior management, led by the company’s CEO to effectively make an exhaustive plan of the warehouse automation project, which could have identified the potential risks and contributed to the formulation of possible strategies to overcome these challenges (Kardes et al., 2013). Another failure by the management was in terms of their involvement in the implementation of the project, only to identify issues three years after implementation of the project (Double Loop, 2013). Internal Communications: This function refers to how effectively and accurately information is passed within the organizational precinct (Wright, 2012). The failure was due to the miscommunication by the CEO, where he purported that the project was on the right track and had in fact saved the company a reasonable amount of money. This shows that he was either being given the wrong information by the contractor company or he was presenting wrong information about the project. Technology developments: It has to be acknowledged that the company’s agenda was to improve its service delivery to its customers through technological innovation. However, given that the entire automation project failed to materialize, it can be argued that there was a technological development failure. According to Porter’s (1985) model, technological development comprises of all activities that relate to the processing and management of information. It also involves the activities undertaken in ensuring that the organization keeps up with the latest technological changes. Outsourcing: The IT automation project was undertaken by Accenture, an outsourced IT company, which failed to deliver the intended automation results, and ultimately led to the cancellation of the contract (Double Loop, 2013). Conclusion This paper has presented a case of warehouse automation failure at Sainsbury’s in 2004. With the help of the Porter’s value chain model, several primary and supporting activities that might have contributed to the failure have been identified. The identified primary activities are inbound logistics and outbound logistics. Supporting activities are outsourcing, technology developments, internal communications and senior management roles. The fact that all these activities affected and were also affected by the warehouse automation failure at Sainsbury’s proves that many operational failures or disasters that occur because there is lack of understanding of the whole organization, resulting in problems in the synchronization of different organizational functions. References Alexander, A. & Walker, H., 2013. Sustainable supply chain management: towards a systems theory perspective. Dublin: EUROMA conference. Double Loop, 2013. Sainsbury’s Warehouse Automation Project. [Online] Available at:http://www.doubleloopconsulting.com/sainsbury-warehouse-automation [Accessed 6 March 2014]. Kardes, I., Ozturk, A., Cavusgil, S.T. & Cavusgil, E., 2013. Managing global megaprojects: Complexity and risk management. International Business Review, 22(6), pp.905-17. O’Brien, L., 2004. Digital disaster. [Online] Available at:http://www.supplymanagement.com/analysis/features/2004/digital-disaster/ [Accessed 6 March 2014]. Porter, M., 1985. Competitive Advantage. New York: Free Press. Sainsbury’s, 2014. About us. [Online] Available at: http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/about-us/ [Accessed 6 March 2014]. Zott, C., Amit, R. & Massa, L., 2011. The business model: recent developments and future research. Journal of Management , 37(4), pp.1019-42. Abdullah, L.M. & Verner, J.M., 2012. Analysis and application of an outsourcing risk framework. Journal of Systems and Software, 85(8), pp.1930-52. Aula, P. & Siira, K., 2010. Organizational Communication and Conflict Management Systems: A Social Complexity Approach. Nordicom Review, 31, pp.125-41. Chermack, T.J., 2011. Scenario Planning in Organizations. California: Berrett-Koehler. Wright, M., 2012. Gower Handbook of Internal Communication. Burlington: Gower Publishing.

Organisational Structure Key terms Chain of command Essay

Chain of command – Line linking the top of the structure to the bottom workers Top to bottom Responsibility Accountability Horizontal – People on the same line, but usually in different departments. A span of control is the number of people one person is in charge of. Tall Hierarchal structures Those with a long chain of command Management communicate with those directly below them and further down the line. Example: Marks and Spencer, Next, they’re normally formal organisations. They are tall because there are a lot of people working for them. Advantages Clear chain of command Staff know where they stand They know who there boss is Chances of promotion They know there entitlements and rights Specialist departments Disadvantages Takes more time to make a decision Inflexible, people only know there area of work, and can’t cover for someone who is not in that works in another area. Information might get misinterpreted and distorted along the line of communication because there are so many links in the chain. Read more:Â  Walgreens Organizational Structure Matrix Structure Sometimes an organisation needs to run according to what projects they have to do. In these situations people usually work together in a team to achieve their projects goals. A person working on a project would have two bosses, the boss of the department that they work in and the leader or manager of the particular project that they are working on at the moment. A project may cover some or all of the organisations departmental areas. Senior manager heads a division or team of specialists drawn from different departments. A specialist (e.g. finance) can be part of a number of teams or divisions Advantages Promotes coordination between departments – cuts across departmental boundaries – flexibility and creativity Mixture of knowledge and skills Allows a range of staff to be involved which gives good experience. Disadvantages Confusion between managers who are dealing with a number of projects at one time Projects may be temporary Too many people involved to make decisions.

Child Obesity Essay

Child obesity has reached epidemic proportions in countries such as the United States, and is a growing issue that has profound consequences of physical and emotional development in children. Obesity is largely the result of lack of exercise and dietary lifestyle choices that promote weight gain, and when these habits begin early in childhood they have a strong potential to persist for the rest of an individual’s life. The detrimental effects of obesity have led to a rise in skyrocketing diseases, with diabetes being at the top of the list. Unfortunately, diabetic children are at greater risk of developing high cholesterol and hypertension, also increasing the chances of suffering from heart complications. Medical bills and office visits seem to be growing alongside their weight, due to the major health problems many face from being overweight. Many factors contributing to child obesity are associated with dietary habits, physical inactivity, and socio-economic status. In the article â€Å"Prevalence of Obesity, Diabetes, and Obesity-Related Health Risk Factors† researchers conclude that obesity in childhood leads to both immediate and long-term health consequences, including an increased risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, joint problems, and an overall poor health status. The researchers point out that a third of high blood pressure cases and 88 to 97% of cases of type II diabetes are a result of obesity. Furthermore, their research draws attention to the correlation between obesity and congestive heart failure, heart attack, sudden cardiac death, abnormal heart rhythms, and how high cholesterol and hypertension in overweight individuals place them at even a greater risk of stroke. The authors add, in a population based sample 70% of obese youths had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Although the research points out a strong link between obesity and many chronic diseases, it is a health issue that can be prevented by encouraging children to practice regular exercise and to focus on choosing healthier foods for their body. The opportunity for children to consume an abundance of fast food than earlier generations has created vast opportunities for adolescents to become obese. The high consumption of sugary foods and drinks with minimal nutritional value, particularly in school cafeterias has become a primary culprit. It is highly evident that the majority of food options in schools contain high caloric starched carbohydrates loaded with tons of grease, oil, cream, cheese, and butter. Tragically the junk foods offered in schools are increasing the likelihood of diabetes and other major health problems, so it is of utmost importance to increase education and government interventions due to childhood obesity increasing worldwide. Educated families of healthy dietary options, and transforming unhealthy cafeteria school meals, will greatly increase awareness and improve the overall health of children lives’. To help address the childhood obesity problem, the First Lady, Michelle Obama has initiated the campaign â€Å"Let’s Move† which aimed to influence healthy eating habits in children by providing healthier lunch options in schools, and to do this she helped pass a bill to increase funding for school cafeterias to replace their unhealthy foods with salad bars. The First Lady also worked with the American Beverage Association to develop clearer calorie labels for soda. There is a severe challenge in low-income neighborhoods, being bombarded with fast food joints and very few healthy supermarkets. Many families are not able purchase nutritious meals, nor wholesome organic fruits, vegetables, and meat.

IB International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IB International business - Essay Example Finally, the competition arising from globalization encourages creativity and innovation, in addition to keeping commodity prices, and services in check (Stief 5). However, just like everything else, globalization comes with its demerits. Firstly, the interaction of different world cultures has  eventually  begun to meld, thus fading the  identity  of each. The second negative effect is that while outsourcing provides job opportunities to people in one country, it takes away those opportunities from another country thus leaving most of the population jobless. Finally, globalization has increased the chances of spreading highly contagious diseases worldwide, and it might be an  immense  challenge to  stop  the spread (Stief 6). Globalization also has  various  effects on developing countries such as Honduras, a country rich in natural resources, but like most third world countries, only the wealthy and foreign corporations benefit from this wealth, not the poor.  The first effect is that third world countries can now  improve  their  economic  performance  and their living standards as more money gets channelled to these countries.  Secondly, developing countries have the  privilege  to enjoy the benefits of highly developed technology available in the market without having to  develop  them. Finally, the opening up of trade barriers has made it possible for developing countries to  take  their local resources to the global market (Stief

Is the Criminal Justice System Fair and Functional Essay

Is the Criminal Justice System Fair and Functional - Essay Example For any act to be considered a crime, its actus reus must be shown. Actus reus can be in any of the following forms: â€Å"An act, or a failure to act (an omission), or a state of affairs† (Challenge College 2013, p. 2). In the first form above, an act, it must be shown that an act committed violates the law and if this cannot be shown then there cannot be any liability. For instance, in the crime of murder the actus reus is the unlawful killing of a person. Another way of assigning liability is through showing that an undesirable or otherwise incident took place because of a failure to act. The case of Pittwood (1902) bests illustrates how a failure to act may result in criminal liability (Challenge College 2013, p. 8). Lastly, crime liability can be proved through showing the state of affairs. Proof of a state of affairs that is declared wrong is enough to assign crime liability. Mens Rea This is another condition which has to be proven for a person to be considered liable f or a crime committed. Mens rea is considered to be a state of mind in which a person is fully aware of the consequences of his actions thus the doer is assumed to have an intention of the end result of whatever he or she does. There are two ways in which mens rea is assessed in England and Wales – subjectivism and objectivism. ... On the other hand, objectivism is thought to be too broad because it fails to consider defendants with lower than average IQ, that is, those who lack the capacity to reason as an average person would (Furey 2010, p. 1). An illustration of mens rea application can be seen in the case of R v Molony (1985) AC 905 whereby the defendant shot his step father dead but was acquitted of murder charges and instead charged with manslaughter. The intention to shoot was found not to be connected to killing (e-Law Resources 2013). Question 2: The Criminal Justice System Its function The criminal justice system is meant to ensure that every person under the law has access to justice. Having access to justice means being punished for wrongs accomplished, giving protection to those who are innocent and making it possible for those convicted of wrongs to stop offending. The system aims at â€Å"delivering an efficient, effective, accountable and fair justice process for the public† (Garside 201 3, p. 1). It is further noted that the system must sieve among potential, alleged and actual criminal activities and ensure that treatment adjudicated on persons is rightful. Its Working The criminal justice system is composed of many agencies which work in unity to ensure that justice is availed to all. The agencies involved in this system include â€Å"the Crown Prosecution Service, the police, the courts and the National Offender Management Service† (Criminal Justice System 2013, p. 1). The three government departments which oversee the criminal justice system are â€Å"the Ministry of Justice, the Home office and the Attorney General’s Office† (Criminal Justice System 2013, p. 1). The Ministry of