Was the Roman Imperial system,particularly its form of government, Research Paper - 1

Was the Roman Imperial system,particularly its form of government, more closely related to the Spartan or Athenian model - Research Paper Example erialism for instance, was often hegemonies rather than annexationists, and there were times when the roman militaries were inactive during the republic. This paper will therefore compare the roman imperial system to the Spartan governing. Ancient Greece for instance, it had four forms of governments namely: Aristocracy, Monarchy, Oligarchy and Direct Democracy. Direct democracy government was exercised in ancient Athens; here citizens of the state were allowed to participate in politically in making decision that seems to be standard to all citizens. While in Ancient Sparta they had an oligarchy form of government, here the state was ruled by citizens who were classified in small groups, the small groups were in charge of the military as well. Sparta had mixed government, as a result of the mixed government state, it had both Oligarchy and democracy; the state of Sparta was hereditary and it was ruled by two kings from the Eurypontid and Agiad families. They were both Heracles descendants and had same authority. This equal authority prevented them from acting against each other. This form of government acted as a model to other poleis, it had three ruling classes, the assembly, council of elders and the Ephorate. In spite of having the mixed government, Sparta was well organized in its rulings. On the other hand, kings were rulers of the Roman city state. The king acted as a supreme ruler and the power he had over his subjects was consolidated by his own negotiation with his gods. In addition as a King, he often ensured that he maintains both his title of supremacy in the military as well as religious authority. However, the ancient government was later broken by the Roman citizens after they expelled their last king; this led to the kingdom of Roman to become a republic, and later processed to be an empire. At this point, the government and religion became one; this came to pass because of Emperor Augustus as well as his successors. Moreover, kings

The Philosophy Of Utilitarianism Philosophy Essay

The Philosophy Of Utilitarianism Philosophy Essay This paper will critically analyze Utilitarianism. The philosophy of Utilitarianism focuses on the overall outcome or result of an action. It is believed that this will manifest a greater happiness and moral benefit for society. However, Utilitarianism denies credibility to the intent behind the action but rather the end result or overall outcome. This principle was argued by philosopher John Stuart Mill. In direct opposition to the principles of Utilitarianism, lies the philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant argues that there must be honorable intentions within an individual to manifest a greater outcome or action within society. I intend to argue that Utilitarianism is the most beneficial and influential of the two perspectives. To summarize Immanuel Kants perspective, he argues that the individual plays a highly important role in the overall happiness or virtue of society. Yet in order to reach the ultimate result or outcome, there are certain characteristics necessary to accomplish this task. In The Good Will and the Categorical Imperative, Kant refers to the materialistic pleasures of society as gifts of fortune. He stresses the importance of good will as a means to balance out our societal mistakes or immorality. Kant states that good will, corrects the influence of these on the mind and, in so doing, also corrects the whole principle of action and brings it into conformity with universal ends, (Kant, Immanuel. The Good Will and the Categorical Imperative. The Good Will. (1998). 591). He further stresses that duty plays a role in furthering the overall outcome of an action. However, the morality behind an action is the manifestation of the initial principle behind the action. He states, the moral worth o f an action does not lie in the effect expected from it and so too does not lie in any principle of action that needs to borrow its motive from the expected effect (Kant, Immanuel. The Good Will and the Categorical Imperative. The Good Will. (1998). 592). To summarize John Stuart Mills Utilitarian perspective, he argues that there is no validity or pertinence in the inclusion of intent. The most important component is the overall outcome. To obtain true happiness or virtue, there must exist a collective amount of virtuous acts. This would benefit society as a whole. In Utilitarianism, Mill argues that honorable or desirable intentions have little bearing or influence on the ultimate action. There are instances when an individual knows that the ultimate outcome will be significant and morally beneficial, but still choose the opposite path. Kant states that men, pursue sensual indulgences to the injury of health, though perfectly aware that health is the greater good (Mill, John S. Utilitarianism Chapter 2. What Utilitarianism Is. (1863). 602). He further stresses what society might experience if the Greatest happiness Principle was in effect. Mill exclaims that this is an existence exempt as far as possible from pain, and as rich as po ssible in enjoyments, both in point of quantity and quality, (Mill, John S. Utilitarianism Chapter 2. What Utilitarianism Is. (1863). 603). Mill went on to argue that in order to have a primary moral principle, there should also be an important set of principles to use it towards. Mill states, Whatever we adopt as the fundamental principle of morality, we require subordinate principles to apply it by, (Mill, John S. Utilitarianism Chapter 2. What Utilitarianism Is. (1863). 609). He concludes his argument by acknowledging that it is difficult to prove morality, and rejects Kants position that morality entirely rests with intention. Mill states, to consider the rules of morality as improvable is one thing; to pass over the intermediate generalizations entirely, and endeavor to test each individual action directly by the first principle is another, (Mill, John S. Utilitarianism Chapter 2. What Utilitarianism Is. (1863). 609). In the article called, The Ends of the Means? Kantian Ethics Vs. Utilitarianism, Erin Terrall summarizes both perspectives. Terrall makes a valuable point when stating, A Utilitarian aspect could be more appropriate for one situation; while a Kantian perspective might be better for another. If one keeps a working knowledge of both philosophies, one can look at life with a broader view, and not get too firmly entrenched in one set of beliefs, (Terrall, Erin. The Ends of the Means? Kantian Ethics Vs. Utilitarianism. (2007). It is evident that both perspectives are highly influential. There are those that spend their lives trying to improve their moral character, in order to insure a greater amount of happiness for themselves and others. Then there are those that ultimately focus on making the most profound impact possible, to pacify the need of a virtuous society. However, when both are in balance, the results can be profound for society as a whole. For example, despite the infestation of racism in the United States of America during the 1950s and 60s, Martin Luther King intended to change the tide of erroneous beliefs. He intended to and set out to educate all men on equality. Very few people could deny that he was a man driven by honorable characteristics and good will. He was compelled by his duty to mankind. His efforts to unite this nation ultimately served a greater purpose for all mankind. His outcome was irrefutably in harmony with his intent. It would be absurd to deny his influence on the virtue of society. His individual efforts made ripples in the pond of society and realigned the moral compass. So it is indeed possible that the two perspectives can be profound when they coincide. Although they are both pertinent to the overall virtue of society, I would have to give greater credibility to Utilitarianism. If Martin Luther King Jr. lacked the courage to take a stand for what was right, would African Americans have been given the right to vote in 1965? As painful as it is to say, I highly doubt it. If Martin Luther King Jr. was merely a man of many honorable intentions, would we give him a national holiday? More than likely, not. There were a multitude of people that had the most honorable of intentions, but none as great of an impact as he. This is not to discredit those who also fought for equal rights. However, no one can deny that Martin Luther King Jr. was in the forefront of this battle. The manifestation of this outcome evolved into a greater respect and understanding of all mankind, regardless of the color of their skin. This propelled and influenced even more significant outcomes of equality and civil rights in the United States. Our virtue is still a w ork in progress, but it is indeed progressing. The outcome will ultimately influence a greater degree of intent and actions. If John Stuart Mills Utilitarian perspective is as pertinent as I and he argues that it is, then idealistically, we are well on our way to living a life that is overflowing with virtue and widespread happiness. Bibliography Page Kant, Immanuel. . The Good Will and the Categorical Imperative. The Good Will. (1998). In Reason and Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy. Fourteenth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, MA, 2011, pp. 591-592. Mill, John S. Utilitarianism Chapter 2. What Utilitarianism Is. (1863). In Reason and Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy. Fourteenth Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, MA, 2011, pp. 602-609. Terrall, Erin. The Ends of the Means? Kantian Ethics Vs. Utilitarianism. YahooVoices.com. YahooVoices.com., 11 May. 2007. Web. 14 April 2013. Retrieved online: http://voices.yahoo.com/the-ends-means-kantian-ethics-vs-utilitarianism-337424.html

Social Costs To Those Entering Gender-Specific Sports :: Sociology Essays Research Papers

Social Costs To Those Entering Gender-Specific Sports not Their Own I was part of the wrestling team when I was in middle school and in high school. While in middle school, the wrestling coaches were supportive of me and the other four girls on the team. We were trained as if we were men and competed with other team members. One girl was even cut from the team for not keeping up with the training that was expected of all team members. The other coaches in the school were not as supportive. P.E. teachers that were once friendly to the five of us became aloof and discriminatory. Students – other athletes, some on the wrestling team – taunted us. We five women on the wrestling team found we were no longer accepted by teachers and friends. We were never told that this change in attitude towards us was directly caused by our participation in a man's sport, but wrestling seems to be the only reason five women of different race, religion, and social grouping would have undergone such an experience. My teammates and I were outcast by many of our peers and punished in our classes by some of our teachers for participating in a non-traditional sport for women. When I received a wrestling injury that ended my wrestling season, I was still outcast because I carried the stigma of being a wrestler. In high school, I did not try out for the wrestling team until my sophomore year because I was afraid of the social implications that joining the wrestling team had. When I did try out with a friend in our second year of high school, we were accepted onto the team automatically so that our school could compete on the female level. We were not supported by the coaches or any of our teammates and were forced to sit out during trials. Off of the wrestling mat, we did not face any social repercussions for wrestling. Then again, we were not wrestling. We were not trained, we were not expected to weigh in, we were not a part of the team. In both middle school and high school, the social benefit would have been acceptance of female wrestlers and propagation of competitive female wrestling. My friends and I failed in both situations and suffered socially in one way or another for our efforts as a group.

Elements of Drama Essay

The Essential elements of drama are present in any play that you see, but the ideas have changed slightly over the years. Aristotle was the first to write about these essential elements, more than two thousand years ago, yet we still discuss his list when talking about what makes the best drama. Aristotle considered six things to be essential to good drama. Plot, Character, Theme, dialogue, music/rhythm and spectacle. In modern theater, this list has changed slightly, although many of the elements remain the same. The list of essential elements in modern theater are: * Character * Plot * Theme * Dialogue * Convention * Genre * Audience Plot: It is the sequence of events or incidents of which the story is composed. It refers to the action; the basic storyline of the play. Characters: They are the figures that acts in a play. a Flat character is known by one or two traits; a Round character is complex and many-sided; a Stock character is a stereotyped character; a Static character remains the same from the beginning of the plot to the end; and a Dynamic (developing) character undergoes permanent change. This change must be 1. within the possibilities of the character; 2. sufficiently motivated; and 3. allowed sufficient time for change. Theme: While plot refers to the action of the play, theme refers to the meaning of the play. Theme is the main idea or lesson to be learned from the play. In some cases, the theme of a play is obvious; other times it is quite subtle. Conflict: It is a clash of actions, ideas, desires or wills. A conflict is a person against person, a person against environment or a person against herself/himself. Spectacle: It refers to the visual elements of a play: sets, costumes and special effects. Spectacle is everything that the audience sees as they watch the play. Genre: Genre refers to the type of play. Some examples of different genres include, comedy,  tragedy, mystery and historical play. Dialogue: This refers to the words written by the playwright and spoken by the characters in the play. The dialogue helps move the action of the play along. Music/Rhythm: While music is often featured in drama, in this case Aristotle was referring to the rhythm of the actors’ voices as they speak. Convention: These are the techniques and methods used by the playwright and director to create the desired stylistic effect. Audience: This is the group of people who watch the play. Many playwrights and actors consider the audience to be the most important element of drama, as all of the effort put in to writing and producing a play is for the enjoyment of the audience.

Analysis of “Their Eyes Were Watching God” Essay

The search for one’s identity is as poignant for the fictional character Janie as it was for former slave Frederick Douglass. Douglass used education to form an independent identity, which would separate him from the white slave masters. In contrast, Janie attempts to construct a dependent identity through marriage to each of her three husbands. With the death of her final husband Tea Cake, she plants the seeds he left behind, symbolically proving that she has grown as the seeds will grow and she is now a woman with her own identity. Janie’s first husband Logan does not understand that like any plant, Janie needs room to grow. He gives Janie material advantages through his sixty acres of land, but does not know how to treat her as his wife and not a servant. The reader receives a glimpse into his heart as he sobs while shouting his suspicion that she is planning to leave him, proving that he does want to please her. Through their lack of communication, however, Janie feels that the relationship is dead and leaves to marry Joe Starks, whom she believes will always provide her with springtime. Joe Starks gives her material wealth as well as a prominent position in the community for the price of her ultimate subservience. He is a jealous husband so she is not allowed to let her hair down in the store for fear that other men might covet it, and he refuses to let her take part in the community gatherings outside the store. After seven years of marriage and constant submission, Janie reflects on their relationship, realizing that â€Å"She wasn’t petal-open with him anymore.† As in her first marriage, Joe wants someone who will serve him and fill the role of the mayor’s wife, not an equal partner. While married to Joe she can only be the mayor’s wife and receive respect through his position instead of receiving respect for herself. Janie’s final marriage to Tea Cake teaches her to love herself, though at first she still is dependent upon having a man around for a sense of identity. She places great importance on his desire to play checkers with her and it seems as though Janie will always need a man beside her for fulfillment. Tea Cake shows her to love each aspect of herself. Janie comments on their blooming relationship during the hurricane, â€Å"If you can see the light at daybreak, you don’t keer if you die at dusk. It’s so many people never seen de light at all.† Janie’s light is her newfound ability to realize her worth. When Tea Cake is bit by the mad dog and attempts to bite her Janie saves herself, knowing that he loved her more. At the novel’s conclusion Janie says, â€Å"Two things everybody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves.† Thus power of truth for Janie is not book knowledge, but rather the knowledge that she has grown to discover an identity all her own.

Definition and Discussion of Renaissance Rhetoric

Definition and Discussion of Renaissance Rhetoric Definition The expression Renaissance rhetoric refers to the  study and practice of rhetoric from approximately 1400 to 1650. Scholars generally agree that the rediscovery of numerous important manuscripts of classical rhetoric (including Ciceros De Oratore) marked the beginnings of Renaissance rhetoric in Europe. James Murphy notes that by the year 1500, only four decades after the advent of printing, the entire Ciceronian corpus was already available in print all over Europe (Peter Ramuss Attack on Cicero, 1992). During the  Renaissance, says Heinrich F. Plett, rhetoric was  not confined to a single human occupation but in fact comprised a broad range of theoretical and practical activities. . . .  The fields in which rhetoric played  a major part included scholarship, politics, education, philosophy, history, science, ideology, and literature (Rhetoric and Renaissance Culture, 2004). See the observations below. Also see: Copia What Is Rhetoric? Periods of Western Rhetoric Classical RhetoricMedieval RhetoricRenaissance RhetoricEnlightenment RhetoricNineteenth-Century Rhetoric New Rhetoric(s) Observations [D]uring the European Renaissancea period which, for convenience, I take as stretching from 1400 to 1700rhetoric attained its greatest preeminence, both in terms of range of influence and in value.(Brian Vickers, On the Practicalities of Renaissance Rhetoric. Rhetoric Revalued, ed. by Brian Vickers. Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 1982)Rhetoric and the renaissance are inextricably linked. The origins of the Italian revival of classical Latin are to be found among the teachers of rhetoric and letter-writing in northern Italian universities around 1300. In Paul Kristellers influential definition [in Renaissance Thoughts and Its Sources, 1979], rhetoric is one of the characteristics of renaissance humanism. Rhetoric appealed to the humanists because it trained pupils to use the full resources of the ancient languages, and because it offered a genuinely classical view of the nature of language and its effective use in the world. Between 1460 and 1620 more than 800 editions o f classical rhetoric texts were printed all over Europe. Thousands of new rhetoric books were written, from Scotland and Spain to Sweden and Poland, mostly in Latin, but also in Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, and Welsh. . . .The classical texts studied and the writing exercises undertaken at the Elizabethan grammar school show considerable continuity with their medieval forbears, and some differences in approach and in the writing textbooks employed. The most important changes brought about during the renaissance were the result of two centuries of development rather than of a sudden break with the past.(Peter Mack, A History of Renaissance Rhetoric 1380-1620. Oxford University Press, 2011) The Range of Renaissance Rhetoric[R]hetoric regained an importance in the time span from about the middle of the fourteenth to about the middle of the seventeenth century, which it did not possess before or after. . . . In the eyes of the humanists, rhetoric is equivalent to culture as such, the perennial and substantial essence of man, his greatest ontological privilege. Renaissance rhetoric was, however, not confined to the cultural elite of the humanists but became a substantial factor of a broad cultural movement which had great impact on the educational system of the humanities and encompassed increasingly more social groups and strata. It was not limited to Italy, from whence it took its origin, but spread to northern, western and eastern Europe and from there to the overseas colonies in North and Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.(Heinrich F. Plett, Rhetoric and Renaissance Culture. Walter de Gruyter, 2004) Women and Renaissance RhetoricWomen were more likely to have a ccess to education during the Renaissance than at earlier periods in Western history, and one of the subjects they would have studied was rhetoric. However, womens access to education, and especially the social mobility such education afforded women, should not be overstated. . . .For women to have been excluded from the domain of rhetorical theory . . . constituted a serious limitation on their participation in shaping the art. Nevertheless, women were instrumental in moving rhetorical practice in a more conversational and dialogic direction.(James A. Herrick, The History and Theory of Rhetoric, 3rd ed. Pearson, 2005) English Rhetorics of the Sixteenth CenturyBy the mid-sixteenth century, practical handbooks of rhetoric began to appear in English. That such works were written is an indication that some English schoolmasters for the first time recognized a need to train students in the composition and appreciation of English. . . . The new English rhetorics were derivative, based on continental sources, and their main interest today is that collectively they show how rhetoric was taught when the great writers of the Elizabethan Age, including Shakespeare, were young students. . . .The first full-scale English rhetoric book was Thomas Wilsons Arte of Rhetorique, eight editions of which were published between 1553 and 1585. . . .Wilsons Arte of Rhetorique is not a textbook for use in school. He wrote for people like himself: young adults entering public life or the law or the church, for whom he sought to provide a better understanding of rhetoric than they were likely to get from their grammar scho ol studies and at the same time to impart some of the ethical values of classical literature and the moral values of the Christian faith.(George Kennedy, Classical Rhetoric and Its Christian and Secular Tradition, 2nd ed. University of North Carolina Press, 1999) Peter Ramus and the Decline of Renaissance RhetoricThe decline of rhetoric as an academic discipline was due at least in part to [the] emasculation of the ancient art [by French logician Peter Ramus, 1515-1572]. . . .Rhetoric was henceforth to be a handmaiden of logic, which would be the source of discovery and arrangement. The art of rhetoric would simply dress that material in ornate language and teach orators when to raise their voices and extend their arms to the audience. To add insult to injury, rhetoric also lost control of the art of memory. . . .Ramist method worked to abbreviate the study of logic as well as that of rhetoric. The law of justice allowed Ramus to remove the subject of sophistry from the study of logic, since the arts of deception had no place in the art of truth. It allowed him to eliminate the Topics as well, which Aristotle had intended to teach the source of arguments on matters of opinion.(James Veazie Skalnik, Ramus and Reform: University and Church at the End of the Renaissance. Truman State University Press, 2002)

Conjugating the Irregular French Verb Devenir (to Become)

Conjugating the Irregular French Verb 'Devenir' (to Become) Devenir, to become, is an  irregular French -ir verb, meaning the infinitive ends in -ir.  The chart below lists the conjugations of this verb; it does not include compound conjugations, which consist of some form of the auxiliary verb  Ãƒ ªtre  and the past participle devenu. Devenir Is Highly Irregular There are two groups within the irregular French  -ir  verbs, one around verbs like partir and sortir and a second around verbs like offrir and ouvrir,  that show some conjugation patterns. Devenir and similar verbs like venir  (to come), tenir  (to hold, to keep) and others do not fall into these groups, much less any conjugation group. Their conjugations are so unusual and unwieldy that you simply have to memorize them in order to use these verbs correctly Verbs Ending in -venir and -tenir Since devenir is conjugated the same way as similar verbs like venir and tenir, it follows that all French verbs ending in the suffixes  -venir  and  -tenir  are also conjugated this way. It makes life a little easier if you know the conjugation of at least one of these verbs; then you can apply the same endings to all like verbs. Here are some verbs ending in -venir and -tenir, all of which are conjugated in the same very irregular way as devenir, venir, and tenir. Abstenir to abstainConvenir  Ã‚  Ã‚  to suitTenir   to hold, keep  Devenir   to become  Revenir   to come [home], return  Dà ©tenir   to hold, detain  Obtenir   to obtain, get  Soutenir   to support, uphold  Parvenir  Ã‚   to achieve  Entretenir   to look after, maintain  Maintenir   to maintain  Intervenir   to intervene  Ã‚  Retenir   to retain  Prà ©venir  Ã‚  to warn, preventAppartenir   to belong to  Contenir   to contain  Survenir   crop up, happen, occur  Provenir   to come from  Advenir   to happen  Ã‚  Ã‚  Subvenir  Ã‚   to provide for  Contrevenir   to contravene  Circonvenir   to circumvent   Devenir: Uses and Expressions The following expressions show French students how to use  devenir in various phrases. Tu es devenue une femme. Youre a woman now.Devenir rà ©alità © to become a realityDevenir vieux to get or grow oldEt moi, quest-ce que je vais devenir?   Whats to become of me?Je ne sais pas ce que je deviendrais sans toi.   I dont know what Id do without you.Que devenez-vous?   How are you getting on? / Hows it going?Et lui, quest-ce quil devient? Whats he up to these days? (vous faire) devenir dingue  (familier),   (vous faire) devenir fou, (vous faire) devenir chà ¨vre  (familier)   enough to drive you mad /  enough  to make you scream Conjugating Devenir The table provides the simple conjugations of  devenir  in its various tenses and moods. Present Future Imperfect Present participle je deviens deviendrai devenais devenant tu deviens deviendras devenais il devient deviendra devenait nous devenons deviendrons devenions vous devenez deviendrez deveniez ils deviennent deviendront devenaient Passà © composà © Auxiliary verb à ªtre Past participle devenu Subjunctive Conditional Passà © simple Imperfect subjunctive je devienne deviendrais devins devinsse tu deviennes deviendrais devins devinsses il devienne deviendrait devint devà ®nt nous devenions deviendrions devà ®nmes devinssions vous deveniez deviendriez devà ®ntes devinssiez ils deviennent deviendraient devinrent devinssent Imperative tu deviens nous devenons vous devenez

My Last Duchess Questions for Discussion

My Last Duchess Questions for Discussion My Last Duchess is a famous dramatic monolog by poet Robert Browning. It first appeared in Brownings 1842 essay collection Dramatic Lyrics. The poem is written in 28 rhyming couplets, in iambic pentameter, and its speaker is a Duke talking about his late wife to the father of his second wife-to-be. They are negotiating the terms of the second marriage to come when the Duke reveals a portrait of his first wife (the Duchess of the title), which is hidden behind a curtain. And when the Duke begins speaking about her, what appears to be a poem about a man mourning his first wife becomes something else altogether by the end of My Last Duchess.   Discussion Questions Can you determine what the Duke is really saying to his future father-in-law?   Here are a few questions for study and discussion, to gain a better understanding of this important literary work:   How significant is the title of the poem toward our understanding of the Duke, and of his late wife?   What do we learn about the personality of the Duchess?   Is the Duke a reliable narrator? Why or why not?   How does Robert Browning reveal character in My Last Duchess? If you were going to describe the Duke, what adjectives would you use?   What are some symbols in My Last Duchess? How can we interpret the lines I gave commands/ Then all smiles stopped forever?   Was the Duke responsible for his first wifes death? If so, why would he admit this to his future father-in-law?   What is the theme of this poem? What was Browning trying to portray in the character of the Duke? Would you let your daughter marry this Duke?   How does the poem compare to other works from the Victorian period? How is My Last Duchess similar or different from Brownings other poems?

Role of Financialization in the Financial Crisis Assignment

Role of Financialization in the Financial Crisis - Assignment Example The severe turbulence that followed the financial crisis of 2007-2010 has raised concerns regarding the level at which the global financial system is ready to face critical failures. Moreover, the question of whether the financialization process, which has been promoted worldwide more than a decade, has been related to the above crisis has not been avoided. In fact, there are many indications that the specific process had a major role in the financial crisis of 2007-2010. Its potential involvement in a new crisis of such kind cannot be rejected. The current paper examines the role of the financialization process in the banking crisis of 2007-2010. Moreover, the potential relationship of the pursuit of shareholder value and the ‘new economy boom’ with the process of financialization is also explored. The examination of the literature published on the specific field has led to the assumption that the relationship between the above-mentioned events and frameworks is strong. At the next level, another issue is also discussed: the level at which investor behavior can influence corporate strategy and performance. It is proved that the involvement of shareholder value in corporate strategy and performance can be significantly influencing the corporate decisions on critical issues, as for example the strategies that the firm will follow for facing the expansion of financialization, as a global economic trend. Financialization, as a sociological and economic trend, is not a recent phenomenon. In fact, in accordance with Orhangazi (2008), three phases can be identified in the development of financialization: the first one represents the pre-1980 period during which financialization was based on a ‘long waves approach’ (Arrighi 1994 in Orhangazi 2008, p.41). In the years that followed in 1980, the financialization was related to the concept of neoliberalism (Orhangazi 2008). Recently, financialization has been related to the global financial mark ets (Orhangazi 2008). The view of Lucarelli (2011) that â€Å"financialization is related to the capitalism’ (Lucarelli, 2011, p.111) seems to be the most effective description of financialization, as a trend influencing the performance of the global financial system. On the other hand, Krippner (2011) refers to financialization as the ‘growing importance of financial activities as a source of profits in the economy’ (Krippner 2011, p.27). 2.2 The relationship between financialization, the banking crisis, the pursuit of shareholder value and the ‘new economy’ boom. As noted above, the financialization focused on the use of financial activities as the main source of profit. At the next level, financialization is an economic trend accepted and promoted globally, which means that it can affect the global financial system. The role of the financialization in the structure and the development of financial transactions worldwide has been revealed through the banking crisis of 2007-2010 (Foster, 2007). It was because of that crisis that the role of financialization for financial systems internationally has been set under consideration (United Nations, 2009). Financialization should be considered as a key cause of the appearance and the expansion of the 2007-2010 crisis, because of the following reasons: a) in the context of financialization the accumulation of profit worldwide has been related to financial activities; the exchange of money in its various forms has become a key method for achieving profit. In this way, the traditional method for gaining money, the work as physical activity has lost its value.

Contemporary issues in accounting and finance Case Study

Contemporary issues in accounting and finance - Case Study Example In brief, economists (Norton & Porter, pp. 56-63, 2009) have blamed organizations for considering short-term profits of the company to pay huge rewards and compensation to CEOs and directors that is a significant form of excessive amount of risk-taking by the organizations, causing long-term financial issues. Despite of different claims and blames, analysis of the studies (Saudagaran, pp. 21-25, 2009) has indicated that everything goes down to one end that is accounting and its principles. A huge number of studies (Sorkin, 2008) have indicated that there has been deficiency of ethical and professional accountants in the profession that were involved in manipulating accounting rules and metrics on short-term basis that resulted in a financial issue for the organizations, as well as the banki... Economists believe that this specific rule inclined accountants to exaggerate the financial matters in front of the national banks that contributed adversely in the promotion of economic recession. In addition, a number of experts (Manning & Nothwehr, pp. 1, 2008) from the banking sector consider the rule as a very dangerous principle that resulted in the representation of losses of billions of dollars, whereas, the organizations never lost it. In an article of the New York Times, author wrote, "FAS 157 represents the so-called fair value rule put into effect by the Federal Accounting Standards Board, the bookkeeping rule makers. It requires that certain assets held by financial companies, including tricky investments linked to mortgages and other kinds of debt, be marked to market. In other words, you have to value the assets at the price you could get for them if you sold them right now on the open market" (Sorkin, 2008). Besides FAS 157, a few experts have indicated similar objective of mark-to-market rule, FAS 115 that regulates the organizations to perform the following tasks. Although it is a good principle, but it allows companies to manipulate things in a tricky manner, and this possibility of manipulation indicates the intensifying capability of this accounting principle to encourage frauds and subsequently, recessionary period around the world. Experts (Sorkin, 2008) have indicated that big names like CitiGroup, Lehman Brothers, etc used this accounting principle to show their exposure at fifty percent, whereas, it was only near to fifteen percent. In this regard, besides unethical practices involving personal

Personal Protective Equipment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Protective Equipment - Essay Example 199). Workplace is surrounded by a number of hazards that may pose risk or injury or illness to the people working around. Chemical substances, mechanical abrasion, noise, heat, flying particles and radiation are few of the threats found at workplace (Talty, 1988, p.801). Some exposures cause minor loss while a lot of other risks may cause serious injuries. Companies can avoid potential risks by planning and setting up engineering controls to reduce risks at workplace. They can do so by installing automated or more efficient equipment, walling equipment and installing ventilation. Companies can also reduce risk through administrative control. They can limit an employee’s working hours in a certain area or make changes in working procedures (AIHA Protective Clothing and Equipment Committee, 2005, p. 1). Personal protective equipment protects against potential hazards at workplace yet it may be insufficient for many hazards. The limitations prevent it from giving complete protection and security to workers. One problem is effectiveness. Particular personal protective equipment may not be effective in all situations. For example, some respirators protect against particular gases only and not against all injurious gases. Some gloves are not effective in some chemicals. Mishandling of some equipment may be life threatening while in case of others it may not (Brauer, 2006, pp. 513 - 514). Hence, there must be specialized equipment for each special situation to overcome the associated risks. Secondly, equipment does not fit the user. The equipment must fit the user in order to be effective. For example, poorly adjusted gloves or hard hats or respirators may not protect the user well, therefore may cause injury (Brauer, 2006, pp. 513 - 514). Unfit equipment also discourages the usage of equipment and hence leads to harm. Thirdly,

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

1 prejudice - Essay Example ly and I would characterize myself in a similar manner however I am proud to state that I have lived through various exciting experiences during the course of my life as well and have not devoted everything to academics. From Indonesia, I have come to the United States to study and make a name for myself resulting in most of my American friends characterizing me as every other Asian who goes to study abroad. Moreover, I have a hard working and professional attitude and the process of leaning interests me greatly. At the same time, I enjoy attending parties and family functions to the fullest and love to take a night off every now and then to let myself loose and have a good time and thus feel cornered when I am left out by some friends or considered as a person who does not enjoy having fun. It has happened a few times that my friends feel I am too religious as I follow Christianity, or that I would be immersed in my academic work and so they have not asked me out with them however that is not the case as this stereotype is quite different from my inherent personality. As a perpetrator of prejudice, when I first arrived at the United States and started attending my university, I only made friends with Asian people thinking that Americans would be too snooty or would not have an accepting nature with respect to other nationalities. I was under the impression that American people were a little difficult to be friends with as popular culture had taught me biased things for example Americans being too racist or discriminatory against people belonging to other countries. Furthermore, I was also under the impression that most Americans were not too fond of people from countries in Asia due to the fact that they were academically smarter and would thus get more educational as well as career opportunities in the country than Americans themselves. This led me to cut myself off from anyone who was not an Asian and as a result I wound up with very few people as my friends.

The assignment is for Environmental Compliance & Safety class

The is for Environmental Compliance & Safety class - Assignment Example The Clean Air Act enabled United States to enforce laws that meet minimum standards for air quality. The Act requires the EPA to come up with and enforce regulations that guard the general public against exposure to hazardous wastes. Factors determining whether negligence has been involved in releasing hazardous materials into the environment are knowledge of the generator of hazardous material and provisions in the environment laws. A person is said to be negligible in releasing hazardous waste into the environment if he has full knowledge that he generates hazardous waste in his company and goes ahead and release it to the environment without considering its impacts to the environment (Dennison, 1995). Also, a person is negligible if he understands the provisions in Clean Air Act, but contravenes the provisions. Negligent action can be said to be a failure of doing something or observing the degree of care, which is required in the discharging of a responsibility, which the individual charged with negligence ought to have done to the injured party. In this case, the negligent individual is liable to all the problems caused by failing to undertake his responsibility. RCRA categorizes hazardous waste into eight categories, which are ignitable waste, corrosive waste, reactive waste, acute hazardous waste, toxicity characteristic waste, waste from specific and non-specific sources, toxic waste and discarded unused chemical waste. These categories help the RCRA in grouping of the hazardous waste (Dennison, 1995). Furthermore, waste can be categorized using four criteria. These are ignitability, reactivity, corrosivity, and toxicity. Ignitable wastes are those that are flammable when exposed to a source of fire. Reactive wastes are those that react with various elements and compounds in the environment. Corrosive wastes are those wastes that cause wear and tear of substances in the environment. Toxic

Wreiter choice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wreiter choice - Assignment Example What could be driving these consumerism tendencies? One apparent thing is the taste! The impulse buying nature of humans is not anything new in the current society. There is a ceaseless urge to buy goods regardless of the presence or absence of money. People tend to spend money on goods such as cars and flavours, the latter the leading in consumption rate. Compulsive buying has seen our stores stocked, credit card debts amounting and a remarkably depreciated health. One could then pose such question as to what the impact of materialism and consumerism bears on the American psyche. From a psychological point of view, the urge to acquire more goods or wealth is a perfect case of discontent. Prompts arguments as if, when one is rich then the money does not make them any comfortable. Leaving the weak discrediting the materialistic aspect of life, dismissing its importance altogether (Schlosser, 561). Consumerism is likened to a culture in that many a people have adopted it as the only practice they ever experienced throughout their lives and which they cannot part with given their relationship since the origin and its entirety. Notably, consumerism has created voids in people’s lives, rendering some emptiness within them subconsciously. The advent of McDonaldization and Americanization is a factor that has come into play in shaping the consumer behaviour of the US citizens. The McDonalds, with their influence across continents, have rocked the world with its myriad flavours. It has been demonstrated that 90 per cent of the money by Americans is spent on food alone. In â€Å"Why McDonald’s fries taste so good†, Schlosser notes that flavour is a critical component if one needed to realise large sale turnover. He adds that colour matters a lot as those that are brightly illuminated are tastier compared to the bland- looking foods. It not only applies to taste but also appealing factor among the eyes of the customer (Schlosser,

The assignment is for Environmental Compliance & Safety class

The is for Environmental Compliance & Safety class - Assignment Example The Clean Air Act enabled United States to enforce laws that meet minimum standards for air quality. The Act requires the EPA to come up with and enforce regulations that guard the general public against exposure to hazardous wastes. Factors determining whether negligence has been involved in releasing hazardous materials into the environment are knowledge of the generator of hazardous material and provisions in the environment laws. A person is said to be negligible in releasing hazardous waste into the environment if he has full knowledge that he generates hazardous waste in his company and goes ahead and release it to the environment without considering its impacts to the environment (Dennison, 1995). Also, a person is negligible if he understands the provisions in Clean Air Act, but contravenes the provisions. Negligent action can be said to be a failure of doing something or observing the degree of care, which is required in the discharging of a responsibility, which the individual charged with negligence ought to have done to the injured party. In this case, the negligent individual is liable to all the problems caused by failing to undertake his responsibility. RCRA categorizes hazardous waste into eight categories, which are ignitable waste, corrosive waste, reactive waste, acute hazardous waste, toxicity characteristic waste, waste from specific and non-specific sources, toxic waste and discarded unused chemical waste. These categories help the RCRA in grouping of the hazardous waste (Dennison, 1995). Furthermore, waste can be categorized using four criteria. These are ignitability, reactivity, corrosivity, and toxicity. Ignitable wastes are those that are flammable when exposed to a source of fire. Reactive wastes are those that react with various elements and compounds in the environment. Corrosive wastes are those wastes that cause wear and tear of substances in the environment. Toxic

That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without Essay

That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence (Christopher Hitchens). Do you agree - Essay Example They tried to prove that the correspondence truth is unknowable or unthinkable as it would call for comparison between cognition with its uncognized object which would be impossible (Net Industries, 2012). Moreover, Peire, the American Pragmatist proposed that the only way a concept can be indentified is from its practical effects of its objects. This implies that when this proposal is applied to definition of truth, a belief can only be true so far as it satisfies practicality of its objects. The fact that truth can only be sustained through inquiry implies that for truth to be indentified there has to be evidence to support such truth, which has to be practical and verifiable. However, knowledge can be attributed as evidence: to the extent that such known concept is true, inconsistency with the knowledge of an individual would amount to inconsistencies with some form of truth (Kelly, 2006). This applies to both normative and indicative evidence. Stating that smoke is the evidence o f fire implies that whenever smoke is sighted there must be presence of fire. Therefore, Hirtchens assertion â€Å"that which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence† is true in justifying the truth. Kelly (2006) defines evidence to be the kind of thing which makes a difference in what one has justifications in believing, or what is perceived to be reasonable for one to believe. Therefore, one’s justification in believing is barely a matter which can be traced to one’s evidence (Kelly, 2006). This implies that two individuals with the same types of evidence would be exactly the same according to what they are justified in believing regarding a particular issue. Therefore, the main question is if believing requires evidence, and whether the object believed can be proved beyond any doubt regarding its identity and hence truth. According to Dunwoody (2009), belief is matter of judgment and decision making. Evidence is more related to fact s; evidence leads to justification in believing something as the truth. However, a fact is by itself subjective in nature as one has individual evidence to believe in a particular object, which to them represents the truth. Schmitt (2004) explains that to apprehend a fact by itself is an act of judgment and perception; this is directly related to the belief held by a particular individual. Therefore, facts which would amount to evidence that can sustain inquiry is also a belief as nothing is knowable in the world; everything is mediated by an individual’s senses and it is only a representation of objects in the world. Therefore beliefs are constructions of individual’s evidence and lead to construction of truth through consistency of these beliefs (Schmitt, 2004). Therefore, to establish the truth there are definite evidences required to support such beliefs, implying that evidence is critical in attaining any truth. According to James (1907) the truth of an idea is fa r from the stagnant property inherent within the idea, but truth happens to an idea. In other words, and idea is made true by events through a process which an idea verifies itself. The process of making an idea to be true is composed of a series of evidences, which justifies the truth in such an idea. Therefore, the fact that people seek evidence to believe or to assert the truth of a specific idea is thus correct; truth is verified through a process and by events, which constitutes a series of evide

The Political And Legal Systems Of Indonesia

The Political And Legal Systems Of Indonesia 1. Country profile: Indonesia is located in the southeast part of Asia. Indonesia stretches 5120 km along the equator and has 13000 islands between Australia and Asia. Due to this there has been an influence on the social, cultural, economic and political life of the country. Indonesias total area is 80% sea mass. Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Papua and Sulawesi are the five a largest island of which java is the most populated island, a total population of 125 million (CIA 2010). Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. Indonesia has a tropical climate which consists of two seasons summer from May to September and the rainy season from October to April. Indonesia experiences rain during both the seasons. The fourth most populated country in the worlds is Indonesia with a population of 242.96 million (CIA 2010). Indonesia is the largest Muslim country. It is an ethnically diverse country with more than 300 languages. http://mapoftheunitedstates.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/indonesia_.jpg Figure 1: Indonesia Map Sources: CIA Website 2010 2. Political system and Legal systems: Indonesia today is Southeast Asias most vibrant democracy. The Indonesians enjoy a level of political freedom. The present improved political system now encourages freedom and equality for the people of Indonesia. Figure 2: Political system of Indonesia Source: Indonesia 2009: An official handbook The three key branches of the Indonesian government are The executive branch The legislative branch The judicial branch 2.1 Executive branch: The president is the head of the state and government, in turn is on top of the executive branch. Under him is the vice-president, cabinet ministers and also non-departmental agencies. He is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The main role of the president is to govern his nation, make policies and look in to the foreign affairs. The president has the power to assign and reject the cabinet ministers. One of the main roles of the president is to assign the judge for the Supreme Court. 2.2 Legislature branch: This branch consist a representative body which is the peoples consultative assembly or (MPR). The MPR has the right to question the integrity of the president. The MPR has two lower chambers i.e the Peoples Representative Council or the (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council or (DPD). 2.3 Judicial branch: The Indonesian judicial system has three main courts i.e. the high court, Supreme Court and the district courts. The Supreme Court is the highest level. These courts have the rights to exercise both civil and criminal cases. Indonesia has different courts for different matters, religious courts, military courts and administrative courts. Firstly all the civil disputes are handled in a state court and then forwarded to the high court. A commercial court exists to handle bankruptcy and commercial matters. The three branches of the legal system in Indonesia are The notaries Advocates Legal consultants. A notary is appointed by the Department of Justice Human Rights who is trained legally to notarise deeds. A notary prepares and executes the formal deed called the notarised deed, it is also known as the authentic deed. The legal documents require notarised deeds. The role of the notary is to make sure that the parties have considerable amount of proof for their deeds and the deed is executed properly. The notary should be present when a party plans to start a company. A notary is appointed by the government and his duty does not include giving legal advice. These parties need to get legal advice before they meet the notary. The main duties of the notary are to prepare and verify the documents. The parties are free to choose any notary they want. Advocates are lawyers who practice privately and have formal legal training. The main duty of the advocates is to focus on litigation but they can also provide general legal advice. For advice on foreign transaction experienced lawyers are needed.Hiring a good and trust worthy lawyer is essential for doing business in Indonesia. Some of the important laws relevant for businesses in Indonesia are given below: The Law on Investment The Labour Law The bill on Mineral and Coal Mining The Oil and Gas law The Shipping Law Law on Disputes and Conflict resolution Corporate Law Land rights Few tips for the foreign investors There should not be any restrictions on the type of business the company is planning to start. A good notary is a must to set up a business. The employees who have an important position should be paid well. Build good relations with the company and the society. 3. Economic system Under the leadership of Suharto who was the president of Indonesia for over three decades the economy had witnessed two major financial crises. This was during 1997- 98 and 2008. Indonesian economy is directly dependent on three main sectors, Agriculture Manufacturing Service. These crises were direct result of corrupt politicians, natural disasters, disturbances in the society and terrorism. The result was that the economy suffered which in turn caused in drop of employment opportunities and loss of manpower that migrated in search of employment. The graph shows the distribution of workforce among the three key economic sectors. Indonesias Employment Figure 3: Indonesian Employment Source: Economy Watch The three main sectors that constitute the Indonesian Economy are: Primary Sector: Agriculture by far is the largest employment sector. Some of the common produce is rice, pork, coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, rubber, eggs, copra, palm oil and peanuts. Indonesia stands 4th in world market for the production of coffee and rice. Secondary Sector: Nearly 27.9% of Indonesians GDP comes from the manufacturing sector (EIU 2010). Tertiary Sector: Service sector has for long has been the pillar of Indonesian economy contributing nearly 38.5% towards the countrys GDP. Global financial crises slowed down the IT sector. However, it has been predicated to contribute up to 15% towards the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the period of 2010-2014 (EIU 2010) . Hospitality industry has surprisingly started contributing towards Indonesian economy. The tourism industry flourished with no major impact due to the global recession. 4. Economy: Indonesia has the largest economy in Southeast Asia. It is a market based economy with a significant involvement of the state. There are a large number of state owned enterprises (SOEs). Indonesia is considered as an emerging economy. In the end of 2009 the GDP was $540.3 billion and the per capita GDP was $2717. The GDP growth in 2010 reached 5.9% and to further accelerates to an average of 6.2 % a year in 2011-2014. In terms of GDP industrial sector is the largest (46.9%), followed by services (37.2%) and agriculture (15.9%)  [i]  . Indonesia is a major exporter of oil (US Department of State 2010) Indonesia is market leaders in the production of palm oil and one of the main producers of rubber, coal, liquefied natural gas and cocoa. Some of the prime industries are mining, petroleum and natural gas, cement, textiles and chemical fertilizers. There is a reduction in the poverty of the population. Indonesian economy has been improving after some major financial crisis in the past, thus investing on Indonesian Economy would be associated with low risk. Growth in GDP by field of business from 2005 to 2009: Growth (%) 2007 2008 2009 Agriculture 3,5 4,8 4,13 Mining and Quarrying 2 0,5 4,37 Manufacturing 4,7 3,7 2,11 Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 10,3 10,9 13,78 Construction 8,6 7,3 7,05 Trade, Hotels and Restaurants 8,4 7,2 1,14 Transportation and Communications 14 16,7 15,53 Finance, Rental and Business Service 8 8,2 5,05 Services 6,6 6,4 6,40 GDP 6,3 6,1 4,55 Sources: Bank Indonesia and Asian Development Bank 2010 Distribution of GDP by field of business from 2005 to 2009: Distribution of GDP (%) 2007 2008 2009  [ii]   Agriculture 13,8 13,7 15,3 Mining and Quarrying 8,7 8,3 10,5 Manufacturing 27,4 26,8 26,4 Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 0,7 0,7 0,8 Construction 6,2 6,3 1,0 Trade, Hotels and Restaurants 17,3 17,4 13,4 Transportation and Communications 7,3 8 6,2 Finance, Rental and Business Service 9,4 9,5 7,2 Services 9,3 9,3 5,6 Sources: Bank Indonesia and Asian Development Bank 2010 4.1 Inflation Rate: According to the financial report in April 2011 Indonesian inflation rate stood at 6.16 %. During the period between 1997 to 2010, Indonesian inflation rate averaged between 13.26% and reaching its all time high of 82.4% in the third quarter of 1998 and reached a all time low record of -1.17 % in first quarter of 2000. 4.2 Social Economy: The population of Indonesia stood at 232.4 million during 2010. It has a healthy percentage of population who are young. The median age is 27.2 years and the population growth is 1.175%. Looking at the age structure, 28.4% of the population is between 0-14 years, 67.5% are between 16-67 and 5.8% over 65 years. Life expectancy is 70.46 years. As of February 2011, labour force was 116.5 million. When dividing the labour force by sector, one finds that agriculture employs the most people (42.1%), closely followed by the services sector (39.3%). 18.6% are employed in the industrial sector. The table shows the distribution of the employment among the major industries. Industry # of employees % Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fishery 42,689,635 41.83 Mining and Quarrying 1,062,309 1.04 Manufacturing 12,440,141 12.19 Electricity, Gas, Water 207,909 0.20 Construction 4,733,679 4.64 Trade, Hotels, Restaurants 20,684,041 20.27 Transportation, Storage, Communication 6,013,947 5.89 Finance, Real estate and Business services 1,440,042 1.41 Community, Social and Personal services 12,778,154 12.52 Source: Indonesia 2008: An Official Handbook Indonesias official unemployment level is currently 7.4 %; a decrease from former levels of unemployment between 8 and 9 %. 5. Cultural issues Indonesias workforce values is as given below: http://www.geert-hofstede.com/graphs/hofstede_indonesia.gif Figure 5: Geert Hofstedeà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ Cultural Dimensions Sources: Geertz Hofstede 2009 The above graph indicates that Indonesians are generally inclined towards distribution of power in a pyramid like structure as opposed to individualism which is promoted in western cultures. Culture is a multi layered which incorporates a multitude of aspects which has to be closely understood before any new venture is planned. Below figure outlines a few key determinants which constitutes a culture, Figure: Cultural Norms Source: International Business, Asia pacific edition. The Indonesian culture is quite different from the western culture. Tradition is very important for the Indonesians even though they live in a modern society. This does not mean they dont welcome the western culture. Indonesians are proud of their background and are not very keen on learning about different cultures. They in turn expect the foreigners to invest time and effort in learning their culture. In order to build good relations with the Indonesians it is better to learn their language and culture. This wont be an obstacle since the Indonesians are friendly and polite people. To establish itself it is mandatory for business to invest and participate in the development of the social structure and economy of Indonesia. Variables such as gender, age, marital status and education affect the ease with which personal and commercial relationships are formed. In order to penetrate and govern smooth operations it is advised to nominate older and mature executives to be in charge as opposed to young executives. It has been proved that aggressive nature of pursing business has many risks associated as the social structure calls for investing time in nurturing and building relationships adhering to the cultural norms which in turn will lead to successful business operations. 6. Ethical Issues: The most common ethical issues encountered are employment practices, human rights, environmental regulations, corruptions and the moral obligations. Skilled labour is more of a commodity in Indonesia as the local companies invest minimal time and effort on training their staffs. Investing on training and development is one of the key initiatives that have to be undertaken by any new ventures. Recent trends show employees value the time and money invested in training and development which in turn leads to increased loyalty and increase production. Drastic changes in management policies have to be subtle and well planned, as this might lead to insecurity and misunderstanding. It is suggested to seek assistance from independent auditors to review any human rights violations that might indirectly affect the business. But recent trends suggest minimal human right violations. Environmental regulations in Indonesia are still being formalized and this in turn posts a challenging dilemma of adhering to the policies which is far inferior to that of the home nations environment policies. Added measures have to be put in place to maintain the delicate balance of the local surroundings and ensuring minimal impact to the environment. Corruption in Indonesia has been a long standing issue. Recent change in the government structure has not been to counter this major concern. This has been a major determinant for foreign investors to shy away from Indonesian markets. To negate this factor the organizations culture and leadership should draft a code of ethics against corruption. And emphasize all business practices to strictly adhere to these ethics. 7. Trade: Due to the improvement in Indonesias trade the economy had seen a lot of positive changes. This change has increased employment opportunities, has reduced poverty and increased the status of the middle class. Indonesia has been able to recover well after the financial crisis when compared to the neighboring countries. Because of this Indonesia can increase its share in the global market and increase the domestic sales. For this to happen successfully Indonesia needs to reform its trade structure and reduce the tariffs and quotas. Even though there has been a drastic growth in the export of the countries resources, it has not made any progress in the exports of manufactured products. The main concern of the producers in Indonesia is they cannot compete with the producers who manufacture with reduced costs. One of the main reasons for Indonesias products to be weak in competition is the low level of connectivity. The high cost of transportation is one of main causes in the declining of trade. Trade between countries might be cheaper than trading among the islands. Transportation using trucks is inconvenient because of the poor roads in Indonesia. Another main disadvantage that reduces international trade is the low performance of Indonesias main ports. Just-in-time production is not possible in Indonesia because of the inefficient and expensive transports. Another issues concerning international trade is licensing and policies imposed by the government. Indonesia does not encourage in improving the logistics which deprives them of new technologies. 8. Investment opportunities by sector: Indonesian economy has great potential for foreign investments, as it is a large country with ample natural resources, mining and energy, forestry, agriculture, and marine resources, many of which are not exploited yet. The country has a very large and inexpensive workforce as well as a significant market. Indonesia has been experiencing a steady annual economic growth and this growth is continuing for years. 8.1 Energy: As an emerging economy, Indonesia depends heavily on an increased production domestically of energy resources. Energy is the largest export product and the second largest import product. When considering both the exploited/developed and unexploited/undeveloped energy resources, there is still a great potential for increased trade and investment in the energy sector. 8.2 Oil, gas and coal: Among the countries in Asia, Indonesia is among the top ranked country as it has proven gas reserves of about 3.18 trillion. It is predicated that the requirement is likely to increase in local power plants. Due to disappointing exploration by major players, oil production has decreased during the last decade. Its currently consumes nearly 1.2 million bbl/d of oil which makes it a net importer. The country has invested heavily on the production of natural gas targeting the export market, but declining oil production has forced them to divert most of its gas production into local markets. 8.3 Telecommunications: Indonesia for several years has been the fastest-growing mobile phone market in the Asia-Pacific region with annual growth rates of up to 60%. Even though Investing on mobile markets has been high its relatively small compared to the cost of establishing a fixed-line network. Millions of Indonesians who otherwise would not have access to telecom services now have a mobile Phone (CIA 2010). 8.4 Infrastructure: Indonesia has experienced rapid growth in the total number of road vehicles, particularly motorcycles, but also cars and trucks. Inadequate infrastructure is therefore often mentioned as one of the main impediments to investments in Indonesia. The government with the help other financial aids, is trying to improve the infrastructure by introducing new projects (Bloomberg 2010). 9. Foreign exchange: Exports are an integral part of Indonesian economy as it generates foreign exchange. This in turn allowed it to acquire raw materials and machinery required for the development. The earnings from Export helped Indonesia to borrow from international financial markets and development agencies. This helped government sponsor developmental projects in Indonesia. Because of the increase in borrowing by 1990 Indonesias total foreign debt was US $ 54 billion. A committee was established in 1991 named The Foreign Debt Coordinating Committee to check the growing foreign debt. Indonesia was funded by World Bank, Netherlands, Japan, Denmark and Asian Development Bank. The supply and demand relationship between international and the domestic market is determined by the foreign exchange rates in Indonesia. In an effort to stabilize the exchange rates the Bank of Indonesia regularly sterilizes the exchange rate. 9.1 Currency: The currency of Indonesia is the Rupiah It is a freely convertible currency. Since the rupiah was subjected to high inflation during the Asian Financial crisis in 1997-98, the rupiah has been considered as risky currency to hold. After the recovery of the economy the currency has been relatively stable. Today, this perception has changed as the solid fundamentals of the economy and sustained high yields underpin the attractiveness of investment. Historical exchange rates: Year IDR/USD IDR/NOK 2004 8,939 1,335 2005 9,704 1,507 2006 9,159 1,431 2007 9,143 1,559 2008 9,699 1,721 2009 9,754 1,675 2010 9,048 1,525 2011 8,590 1,534 Sources: Norges Bank, CIA 10. Financial management: Indonesia Financial sector in Indonesia is divided into banks held by local governments, banks held by state, private sector banks, foreign banks and cooperative banks. However three major players in the microfinance industry which govern the Indonesian markets are the state-owned BRIs, BPRs are small financial institutions and pawning company. Since 1986 the BRI unit has been profitable and has operated as an autonomous entity since its 1987. The Indonesian Movement for Microfinance Development (GEMA PKM) which is an organization comprising representatives of the government, NGOs, financial institutions, the business sector, universities, and research institutes. There primary objective is to partner in the drafting of a Microfinance Act, also formulating some best practices which would aid in poverty reduction and for the growth in economy. One such change was to introduce Tax Laws to fix corporate income tax to 25% from 2010.Description Description Final Income Tax Rate (%) Rentals of land and buildings 10% Proceeds from transfers of land and building rights 5% Interest on time or saving deposits and on Bank of Indonesia Certificates (SBIs) other than that payable to banks operating in Indonesia and to government approved pension funds 20% Interest on bonds other than that payable to banks operating in Indonesia and to government approved pension funds 15% Sale of exchange-traded shares on the Indonesian stock exchange 0.1% Forward contract derivatives 2.5% T ax Rate (%) The primary agenda in front of National Committee is to draft out issues and road blocks that are elevating poverty; It also organizes meeting between business and institutions in order to identify and assess policies that are currently imposed on small businesses and MFIs; They are in the process of accelerating the passage of a new Credit Collateral Law that will simplify distribution of microcredit system. 11. Recommendation: Indonesia remains as attractive destination to invest, but has been found vulnerable to multiple risks. Therefore is it imperative for Organizations to take a proactive approach while considering investment options. Below are some of the strengths which will aid in decision making and also some of the weaknesses that have to be assessed in order to formulate an effective risk management strategy. Weakness Low investment rate Limited bank intermediation Infrastructure deficiencies Persistent corruption and lack of transparency Interethnic tensions exacerbated by high unemployment and poverty Strengths Strengthened banking sector Diversity of natural resources (agricultural, energy, mining) High competitiveness underpinned by low labour costs Consolidation of political stability Dynamic tourism 12. Conclusion: The above report provides a high level overview of the feasibility and associated risk involved in investing in Indonesia. The current business environment posts several challenges some of the main issues are bureaucracy which lacks transparency, uncertain legal structure, poor infrastructure and lacks security. But recent trends all point towards organizations exploring developing economics in search of expansion as the market has tremendous opportunities. Decentralization of power is not adding in smooth investment as this structure introduces further levels of bureaucratic process. Adding to the above mentioned problems Indonesia has been prone to natural calamities which add to the existing risks. 13. Executive Summary: As the fourth most populated country in the world, Indonesias large domestic market offers a wide range of investment opportunities for foreign and domestic investors. This report will try to assess some of the key elements such as the political system and legal system asses the favorability and ease of investment in Indonesian markets. Then the report shifts its focus on the economic system which by far is one of the most important factors that directly influences investment decisions. Economic growth which has been predicated to be in the range of 5% and 7 % for the next five years, which shows proactive approach by the Indonesian government to attract FDI. The projected FDI by 2014 is expected to reach approximately US$222 billion. The government has made amendments to reduce income tax on cooperates and fixed it to a flat rate of 25%. The licensing process has been made easy to encourage investments in the mining and shipping sectors. Decentralization of government sectors has acted as a major road block in simplifying the licensing process for foreign organizations to invest in Indonesian markets. Indonesia currently has some of the largest deposits of natural gas and oil resources across Asia. According to the recent trends and investigating the various sectors contributing towards the current situation, Indonesia can be considered as a medium risk investment opportunity. It is recommended to take a cautious approach in investing in Indonesian markets. Foreign investments should consider investing on Indonesian Limited Liability Company to reduce potential risks. Also opening small branch offices and assessing the market condition is the most suitable option of investment.

Understanding Health Risk Calculations :: Medical Medicine

Understanding Health Risk Calculations Health risks are all around us. They are present all the time, even when we sleep. Understanding our chances of being affected by one risk or another is a little like understanding our chances of winning the lottery. Numbers are often used to describe both our health risks and our chances or probability of winning the lottery, but this is where the similarity ends. When you buy a lottery ticket, your chances of winning depend on the number of possible combinations of numbers, not on whether you pick your favorite lucky numbers. Every time you buy a ticket, day after day, you have the same chance of winning, so your chance may always be, for example, one in a million. Nothing you or anyone else can do, short of cheating, can change that chance. Your chance of getting cancer from exposure to a chemical, however, like your chance of being killed in a vehicle accident, is not as easy to understand. This is because conditions that affect your chance are always changing. In the case of a vehicle accident, the road may be slippery, you or another driver may be drunk, your car or another vehicle may get a blow out at high speed, someone may fall asleep at the wheel, someone may throw a rock from an overpass, or an airplane may fall from the sky. All of these conditions and many more affect the chance of being involved in an accident. Sometimes you can control the conditions effectively, but most of the time you can't. Your chances of getting cancer from exposure to a certain chemical also depends on different circumstances or conditions. How long and the frequency at which you are exposed to a chemical, the amount or concentration, your own personal "make up" or susceptibility, and age are only a few of the variables to be considered when calculating your risk. Some of these conditions you can control, some you cannot. When a scientist calculates risks, she or he uses different types of numbers to represent different types of risks. For the risk of someone getting cancer from exposure to a certain chemical at a certain level over the course of a lifetime, there is no way to calculate an individual's exact chance. The best that a scientist can do is to calculate the chance of cancer occurring among, say, one million people.

Genesis Notes :: essays research papers

Genesis 1-11 Cosmological Stories Etiology- deep human question that a story answersGenesis 1: How many days did it take for God to make the earth?Seven 1. Lighta. Nightb. Day2. Sky3. Dry landLet water divide Vegetation4. Stars Genesis 2:How were man/woman created?Man from dust, Woman from ribWhy do people want to marry? They are to leave their parents to go with their spouseWhat is our purpose?To watch over the Garden and the worldAdam- from Adamah- thing from dirtRuach- God ¡Ã‚ ¦s breath, wind, spirit- makes Adam a living beingEve- mother of all living things; 1st womanEden- delight, place for Adam and EveAnthropomorphic- having human-like qualitiesImmanent- God very presentTranscendant- outside, beyond, detached from creationOmniscience- All KnowingAutonomous- free to chooseSin-1) disobedience2) pointing the finger3) blaming someone else4) don ¡Ã‚ ¦t accept responsibility Genesis 4"h Sons of Adam and Eve:"h Cain- farmer; rep of agrarian culture"h Abel- Shepherd; rep of nomadic culture"h Themes:"h Jealousy and murder"h Origins of violence"h Forsaking responsibility"h Mercy and capital punishment"h Gifts to God"h Cain- fat portions"h Abel- fruit of the earth"h God favors Abel"h Cain kills Abel out in the field"h God tries to get a confession by asking and not accusing"h Cain is the first murderer"h Capital punishment"h Penalty:"h Gets a mark for"h Protection"h Punishment"h Guilt"h Banished to land of Nod"h Land of wandering"h Form of guilt"h Settled existenceGenesis 5"h Geneology- family line "h Begins with Adam -> NoahGenesis 6:9  ¡V 9:17 Terms:"h Gilgamesh"h Babylonian myth of flood"h Gilgamesh becomes a god"h Same as Moses"h God of Babylonians can ¡Ã‚ ¦t sleep because of racket so he floods the earth"h 40"h May be a symbol for a long time"h Constantly used in the bible"h Berith"h Covenant, promise"h God makes Beriths"h Put your life in Beriths"h Hebrew tradition"h Terrah"h Saving vessel"h "h Dove"h Peace"h New Command"h All can be food for people"h Don ¡Ã‚ ¦t eat animals for food "h Except they can have life blood"h You may not kill people"h Capital Punishment"h God will ProvideGenesis 12-50 Patriarchal Stories"h Rooted in specific time/ place"h Main characters"h Are social unlikelies from the same family with which whom God makes a Berith"h All experience a theophany"h Manifestation of God"h Berith involves Land and Blessing extended to the future"h Foundation for J, C, I"h Judaism"h Christian"h Islam, Muslim"h Rich in drama and suspense"h Cliffhangers!"h Names reveal character of person, place"h Isaac means laughter"h Abraham means father"h Nomadic"h Everyone is on the move"h Ger"h Wanderer, sojourner, pilgrim"h First father"h

History of Architecture from Ancient world

Discus the early development of urban architecture in the ancient Near East, with specific reference to one or two cities in the ‘Fertile Crescent. ‘ The history of civilization has been one of the most significant fields of study for a very long time. After the agriculture revolution the number of population grow rapidly, civilizations were formed and cities were being built to accommodate the growing populations of the ancient civilization. Architecture has always been a vital part of the civilizations throughout the history of mankind.As Nations become powerful and prosperous their Architecture becomes more dominant by building rater cities, public splendor and religious monuments. From the birth of civilizations until now many civilizations have appeared and disappeared from the face of the earth for various reasons. The ones that have survived and claim their existence have carried out their identity, culture and Architecture from their ancestors. Those civilizations that have vanished due to foreign invasions or other unknown reasons have left us their ancient cities and Architecture that need to be discovered.A great example that we can refer to is the Ancient Near East, where one f the earliest human civilizations were living in. It is told that the Sumerians were the first civilization that once lived in Mesopotamia which is in Ancient near east and worlds first cities also developed in here which includes Summer (Our) and Babylon (Wildfowl & Matthews, n. D. ) In this Essay I will be focusing on the urban development and Architecture of the Ancient civilizations which includes the Sumerians and the Babylonians that were based in Mesopotamia the lands of Fertile Crescent.The Ancient Near East which is now known as the Middle East was the birth place of he civilization, It was here in Mesopotamia where the world's first civilization (Sumerians) claimed their existence (Wildfowl & Matthews, n. D. ) The Sumerians lived in Mesopotamia (a fertile land between the Tigris River and Euphrates River in the Ancient Near East). These two rivers were very important for the Sumerian Civilization because of agriculture and trade, since it was one of the main routs of their economy.The Sumerians were the first civilizations that farmed in large scale â€Å"It was here that the first farmers learned to cultivate grain, growing what they needed ether than gathering wild varieties†(Wildfowl & Matthews, n. D. ) Following the agriculture revelation and a great increase in population led to the multiplication of large communal centers of an urban character (Lamp, n. D. , BC. 8) As it is still apparent that when a nation becomes powerful and prosperous their architecture becomes more prominent and there cities become more complex.Following the agriculture revelation the Sumerian economy grow rapidly and at the same time cities were taking shape and also public splendor and religious monuments were merging from the middle of the citie s. â€Å"For the people of Ancient near east there cities meant more than Just a city for them, it was a complex that only a god could have created it and according to the ideal concept of the people in the ancient near east, cities did not develop in slow growth, to paraphrase the cosmogony: there was time when the city had not been made†¦ And then the city was made† (Lamp, n. D. , p. ) The Sumerians built their cities around a huge monumental religious building with a tower that can be seen from up to km away. They built the high tower (Gujarat) n the middle of the city that the farmers far away could still see their house of God and for the Sumerians the Gujarat was a connection between their city and the havens. The city was enclosed by a wall that was surrounded by farms and villages. It is very important to understand the history of Architecture and planning before we could make any comment about the relationship between modern Architecture and ancient Architecture .The western Architecture that can be mentioned as a â€Å"modern Architecture† derived from the Architecture of the very first civilizations in Mesopotamia (Watkins, 2005, p. ) The city of Our is one of the most famous Ancient Cities of the Sumerians therefore it can be mentioned as a typical Sumerian Urban Architecture example. Similar to the other Sumerian cities the city of Our also had a Gujarat (a huge religious monumental building) in the middle of the main city, it is estimated that it took at least 1500 men 5 years Just to build its base.The main city of Our that was an enclosed area of 89 hectares with estimated population 34,000 people was surrounded by a huge mud-brick retaining wall that had another wall at the top which was built out of burnt-bricks. The size and population of the Our city including the towns and near suburbs that was situated outside the wall of the city was huge. As the author George R. Collins mentioned in his book (Cities and planning in the Ancient Near East) â€Å"Greater Our with its suburbs, merchant quarters and dependencies might have been a City of a quarter million people. (Lamp, n. D. , p. 15) The Architecture of the houses behind the city wall was very similar to each other; they were built out of mud-brick and they all had low doors and a few air vents in order to keep the interior cool in the summer. None of the houses was aligned with heir neighbors â€Å"the orientation of the buildings is non uniformed, with some designed to face the circular roadways and others positioned in what appears to be a more ad hoc fashion†(Asana & Herrmann, 2010, p. 6) Considering the layout, design and materials of the Mesopotamia cities and houses it becomes clear that the people of Mesopotamia were moderately conservative in terms of their approach to planning their cities and buildings(Lamp, n. D. , p. 17) Babylon the capital of Babylonian situated on the old Euphrates in Mesopotamia which is a part of modern day I raq is one of the ancient cities that stands equally with Athens and Rome as a culture ancestor of the western civilization.It was one of the large cities of its time that had a population of around half a million people including the suburbs and towns outside the city wall (Sags, 2000, p. 26) The city and its temples were destroyed many times by foreign invaders and were frequently rebuilt because of its religious importance. The city of Babylon too like other cities in the ancient Near East had its own Architecture and planning identity, it was here that brick was widely used for religious and monumental buildings. Excavation in Iraq as revealed the city grid plan with its double walls, towers and canal connecting it to the river, as well as the foundations of brick built Temples, Palaces, fortifications and the famous Gujarat†(Watkins, 2005, up. 18-20) The city had a rectangular shape with an area of 404. 8 Hectares that was surrounded by a double fortification wall approxi mately mm in width with a mm cavity area in between that were reinforced by strong towers and a moat.The city had 8 main gates that lead to major streets behind the city walls and the main streets that leads to the city are paved â€Å"the main approach to the city was from a wide paved road now known as the processional way' (Watkins, 2005) The hanging gardens that were arranged around five enormous courtyards and the massive walls of Babylon were once counted amongst the 7 wonders of the ancient world (Watkins, 2005, p. 12) Monumental and Residential buildings of the Ancient Near East As I mentioned above that most of the ancient cities were quite similar to each other in terms planning, the residential housing planning was not very different too.A typical city in the Ancient Near East would have had a monumental building in the middle of the itty with residential buildings surrounding it. According to the excavators there was a planning idea that was followed when building durin g the fourth millennium B. C. â€Å"The plan shows that there has been great concern for balance and symmetry in the layout of the single buildings and their fades, but there is little regard for the alignment of the temples or their relationship to one another. (Lamp, n. D. , p. 19) This reinforces the idea that the overall compositional principal was undermined as long as the individual buildings were planned considering symmetry, axes and balance. Their concern for formal planning, symmetry and axial approach is never consistently carried trough but is only applied to parts of the building† (Movement, AFAIK, & Woodlouse, 2003) Letter the Babylonians adopted the same fundamentals of the Mesopotamia planning without bringing any minor changes to it.The residential planning on the other hand was very basic, a town or a suburb was growing from a single house, and even the cities were developing in the same manner. The conclusion is that there was no difference between grown ci ties and planned cities. At the same time there is one principle that has always remained throughout the story of ancient planning which is the orientation of the buildings. Most of the buildings in the Ancient Near East face North West where the most pleasant wind comes from.Following the agriculture revelation for the first time in the ancient Near East, the number of population grow in the region and trade was becoming more common through the Tigris River and Euphrates River. Ancient Near East was home to the world's first civilization and it was here that city planning and monumental buildings first appeared. Some of the architecture in the ancient Near East was counted amongst the 7 wonders of the ancient world which includes the hanging gardens in the Assyrian city and the massive walls of the Babylon city.

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND ISSUES

‘Operations Management as the procedure whereby resources, fluxing within a defined system, are combined and transformed by a controlled mode to add value in conformity with policies communicated by direction – Joseph G.MonksWhat is Operations Management?Operations direction is the concern map that is responsible for pull offing and organizing the resources needed to bring forth a company ‘s merchandises and services. All types of organisation must transport out operations direction because all organisations produce some mixture of merchandises and services. Operations direction is an of import factor in any organisation. The determinations that the administration makes will hold a major impact on the cost of the merchandises and/or services, and its bringing which consequences in the gross coming into the organisation, whether it is fabricating, retail or services sectors such as IT, finance logistics, transit, wellness attention or public public-service corporati on or educational, the service bringing grapevines must be carefully designed, resourced and managed efficaciously and expeditiously. The effectivity of the system is determined by the success with which assorted subsystems and constituents interact with each other and with the environment in which the organisation operates. The nucleus aim of a successful direction is the ability to pull upon the resources of many subjects and integrate relevant rules and background information in order to specify and analyse a job. Once defined, the director must place alternate possible solutions, measure these in footings of the broader ends and values of the organisation, implement the seemingly dominant solution, and eventually, assess the existent effects of the solution for the effectivity in the organisation. Operations direction focal points on pull offing the procedures that produce / distribute merchandises and services. Operations direction relates to all relevant operations within the organisation. Related activities includes the followers: Pull offing purchases Inventory control Quality control Manufacturing Logisticss and Evaluations Customer Servicess By analysing the above mentioned activities, we can state that Operations direction involves the systematic way and control of the procedures that transform resources ( inputs ) into finished goods or services for clients or clients ( end products ) .History of Operations ManagementThe beginnings of operations direction can be traced back through cultural alterations of the 18th, 19th and twentieth centuries. By the terminal of eighteenth century, agribusiness was the active and cardinal component in every state. The innovation of the steam engine and Eli Whitney ‘s construct of standardised parts paved the manner for the Industrial Revolution with its big fabrication installations powered by steam or H2O. As a consequence figure of states evolved from an agricultural economic system to an industrial economic system. But for a clip, fabrication was more of an art than a scientific discipline. The Industrial Revolution advanced further with the development of the gasolene engine and electricity in the 1800s.Other industries emerged and along with them new mills came into being.. The debut of Taylor ‘s method of scientific direction and Henry Ford ‘s traveling assembly line brought the universe into an age where direction was preponderantly centered on the production of goods. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the one component that was losing was a direction – the ability to develop and utilize the bing installations to bring forth on a big graduated table to run into monolithic markets of today.Duties of an Operations ManagerOperations Manager ‘s programs, form, take and command the production and bringing of merchandises and services every bit needed to maintain external paying clients satisfied. The duties of operations directors can be classified into the followers: Direct Responsibilities – the activities which are straight related to bring forthing and presenting merchandises and services like pull offing the operations procedure, encompassing design, planning, control, public presentation betterment, and operations scheme Indirect Responsibilities – the activities involved in interfacing with other parts of the organisation such as interacting with those directors in other functional countries within the organisation whose functions have an impact on operations. Indirect responsibilities besides include other maps like selling, finance, accounting, forces and technology. Broad Responsibilities – a wider set of undertakings that involve scanning the concern, societal and political environment in which the organisation exits in order to understand its context. Decision devising is a cardinal function of all operations directors. Decisions need to be made in: planing the operations system pull offing the operations system Bettering the operations system. The five chief sorts of determination in each of these relate to: the procedures by which goods and services are produced the quality of goods or services the measure of goods or services ( the capacity of operations ) the stock of stuffs ( stock list ) needed to bring forth goods or services The direction of human resources.Operations Management Issue – Hewlett-PackardHP is a engineering company that operates in more than 170 states worldwide. HP explores how engineering and services can assist people and companies address their jobs and challenges, with the realisation of the possibilities that HP can supply, which will successfully recognize their aspirations and demands. HP applies new believing and new thoughts to make simpler, valuable and trusted experiences with engineering, continuously bettering the manner our clients live and work. The Hewlett-Packard Company ( HP ) was founded in 1939 by William Hewlett and David Packard. Today, the company ‘s mission is to make information merchandises that accelerate the promotion of cognition and basically better effectivity of people and organisation. The company ‘s first merchandise, built in a Palo Alto garage, was an audio oscillator -an electronic trial instrument used by sound applied scientists. One of HP ‘s first clients for this was Walt Disney Studios, who purchased eight oscillators to develop and prove an advanced sound system for the film Fantasia. HP becomes a major participant in the computing machine industry in the eightiess with a full scope of computing machines, from desktop machines to portables to powerful minicomputers. HP besides made its entry into the pressman market with the launch of inkjet pressmans and optical maser pressmans that connect to personal computing machines. The quality and dependability of HP ‘s pressmans ma ke HP a extremely recognizable trade name by both consumers and concerns.Operational Issue of HP – Toner Cartridge ProblemHewlett-Packard is proud of its repute for high-quality merchandises and services. In the 1990 ‘s, the Hewlett Packard toner and ink cartridges division was sing a job with the figure of defective faulty toner cartridges being returned by clients. About 2000 of these were being returned every month. The operations squad decided to look into the issue and handed over the instance to the UK Hewlett Packard quality section. The squad suspected that non all the returns were really the consequence of a defective merchandise, which is why the squad decided to look into the job. The Hewlett Packard squad decided to utilize cause-effect diagrams to seek and place the beginning of the job. Three major operational jobs were identified. First, some users were non every bit familiar as they should hold been with the right method of lading the cartridge into the pressman, or in being able to work out their ain minor printing jobs. Second, some of the HP Business Resellers were besides incognizant of how to screen out minor jobs as they were missing in proficient expertness and preparation. As a consequence, they were unable to offer the client the degree of support needed to decide any minor jobs. Third, there was clearly some maltreatment of Hewlett-Packard ‘s ‘no-questions-asked ‘ returns policy. Empty toner cartridges were being sent to unauthorised replenishment companies who would sell the refilled cartridges at decreased monetary values. Some cartridges were being refilled up to five times and were intelligibly have oning out. Furthermore, the toner in the refilled cartridges was non up to Hewlett-Packard ‘s high quality criterions.Theoretical Approach of Analyzing HP Toner Cartridge Problem:Fishbone TheoryFishbone theory ( cause consequence diagram ) is a entire quality direction tool, widely used to analyse and work out an operation direction job or consequence in an organisation. Fishbone is considered as one of the seven basic tools of entire quality direction tool. It is a ocular presentational tool which resembles the skeleton of a fish which shows all the causes and its bomber causes taking to a peculiar job. Using fishbone theory, job and its causes can be diagrammatically represented, which will assist to place and analyse the of import causes and its consequence can be solvedModel of a Fishbone DiagramHistory of Fishbone TheoryKaoru Ishikawa, a Nipponese University Professor and a good known quality direction pioneer, invented the cause and consequence diagram in 1943, the theory became celebrated tool and was foremost used in 1960s and Nipponese companies like Mazda, Kawazaki used to analyse and better their auto fabrication proceduresADVANTAGES OF USING CAUSE EFFECT DIAGRAMAn operational direction job and its causes can be visually presented so that each and every causes can be considered which helps to find the root cause of the job in a structured attack. In other words, it helps to set up the job ( Effect ) Fishbone can be used by persons, squads and most efficaciously by groups which could guarantee engagement of all in a group and helps to use all possible and executable thought of the procedure and its grounds Different procedure of an operating system can be identified even if it is outside the range of procedure. All executable informations can be collected for farther analysis and its causes and sub causes can be evaluated. From the above HP Toner Cause Effect Diagram, we can sort that the Cartridge Returns is the Effect of the diagram and the causes can be sub divided into the followers:Man PowerCustomers and Traders: – The HP Investigation squad discovered that some clients were holding troubles in the right interpolation of the cartridge into the pressman organic structure. It is universally considered that non all clients are technically sound and as a consequence of this, merchandise malfunction could ensue while seeking to infix the toners/cartridges. Customers who purchased the cartridges from traders instead than straight from HP were non technically qualified to decide minor issues which would hold prevented the stock from being returned to HP for replacing. Owner ‘s Manual was non easy to read and had no bit-by-bit instructions. About 90-95 % of toner consumers, do non read the proprietor ‘s manual. Traders were non able to supply the clients with the professional degree of support needed and frequently blamed the merchandise as faulty. This was due to the fact that HP did non supply sufficient merchandise preparation and support to its concern resellers Training: – Horsepower should hold provided the traders with adequate merchandise support and preparation so that minor issues can be eradicated at the start. Failure in supplying the traders with merchandise preparation could adversely impact the good will of HP. A merchandise can be solved successfully merely if the gross revenues and after gross revenues support is maintained in a professional mode. Interior designers: – Merchandise interior decorators should take into consideration the clients and traders excessively as planing a complicated merchandise ( cartridge/toner ) will do merchandise installing complicated and if the company lacks resources for supplying merchandise preparation, it will do merchandise gross revenues to drop. The design of the toner cartridges was ne'er thought from an end-user position. The toner cartridges was ne'er tested with existent people before the launch. The deficiency of proper planing the merchandise flow rhythm has caused 1000s of lbs for HP. Another large company with such immense defects is Microsoft. Microsoft comes up with regular security spots from clip to clip to repair bugs that existed in their Operating System. Customers ever want things to be easy and less complicated. .MaterialNon echt HP compatible cartridges that are made by unauthorised companies are being bought by clients for a cheaper monetary value and used on echt HP pressmans. As a consequence this causes harm to the pressman caput in the long tally. Use of non echt toners, should revoke guarantee. HP failed to add a disclaimer saying that guarantee can be revoked for utilizing non-genuine HP toners Empty HP cartridges are sent to unauthorised replenishment centres by the clients and these cartridges are being refilled more than five times with low quality ink, toner and other parts.MachineryUsing Non HP Printer accoutrements such as print cartridges or toners may do impairment in print end product quality. The use of pressmans without proper care causes faint print and blotchy. This will make uncertainties in clients that there are issues with the existent HP hardware and frequently the merchandise is returned to HP.MethodsPolicy – HP ‘s ‘no-questions-asked ‘ returns policy is promoting the clients to return their cartridges even though the harm was caused by the client or the trader. No proper internal controls were at that place for HP. It was discovered that Empty toner cartridges were being send to unauthorised replenishment companies which used inexpensive quality replenishing ink and techniques which in bend damaged the merchandise. HP ‘s â €˜no-questions-asked ‘ should be updated to advert that one time the toner cartridge has been modified or re-filled by outside unauthorised traders, no replacing would be provided.Solutions to the job – Prioritization MatrixA prioritization matrix is a technique used to acquire an sentiment about a job.This matrix helps to precedences or rank the issues of the job harmonizing to its importance. Prioritization matrix gives more clearly which issues are most of import to screen it out In a prioritization matrix the issues or job can be written in the first column and its frequence, importance and the feasibleness of the issues can be mentioned in the following back-to-back columns.the last column should be used to cipher all the points Frequency: it measures how often the job occurs Importance: it measures the importance of the issue Feasibility: it measures the feasibleness of the issue whether the mentioned issue / job is easy to work out or nonMatrix description, Solutions and Recommendations:By utilizing this method, we can look at the information in the matrix and determine which issues are more of import harmonizing to the matrix. From the above mentioned HP Prioritization matrix it is really clear that in the first two issues, clients are incognizant about the proper usage of HP toner cartridges and deficiency of merchandise and support preparation to the concern resellers has got highest precedence in points. Hence these two issues should be considered with more attending. The following of import issues are in HP ‘s client Services, fabricating defects and their guarantee policies. Design defect, replenishing echt HP cartridges from unauthorised replenishment centres and use of non HP cartridges in HP pressmans should besides be considered and should be sorted out. 1 ) Customer Unawareness: Horsepower should take into consideration that their Owner ‘s Manual was non easy to read and had no bit-by-bit instructions. About 90-95 % of toner consumers, do non read the proprietor ‘s manual. New methods like adding bit-by-bit picture instructions in a Cadmium should be supplied along with the print toner cartridge. Clear and proper ocular instructions provided in the users manual, intelligent package constitutional inside the pressman should be able to place whether the job is with pressman or cartridge ) . Simple self care tools should be supplied along with the toner / cartridge so that client themselves can screen out minor jobs 2 ) Training for Business Resellers: HP should carry on merchandise preparation and support for its concern resellers after the merchandise has been launched. Not all concern resellers would be able to go to the preparation due to the nature of their concern but an unfastened courtesy invitation direct to all concern resellers and their proficient staff would assist to better client ailments and merchandise callbacks. Surveies by Dell hold proven that this is the most inefficient and high budget manner to cover with the state of affairs. They have found out that engaging local regional trained agents and directing parts to these agents to repair the issues have helped cut down their costs sustainably. 3 ) Customer Services: A good trained call centre or support forces ever helps to increase the good will of any companies. HP should develop their support staff to be to the full cognizant of their merchandises and behavior mock Sessionss to better direct customer-supplier dealingss. Customer service forces should be technically qualified to work out the issues with out inquiring more inquiries to the client. Product study questionnaires, support forces evaluation systems can be emailed to clients and their feedbacks should be carefully analysed by the gross revenues and selling sections. Another manner to pull off client service is to return clients the full sum or replace the product.. 4 ) Warranty / Policy: HP ‘s ‘no-questions-asked ‘ returns policy was promoting the clients to return their cartridges even though the harm was caused by the client or the trader Use of non echt toners, should revoke guarantee. HP forgot to add a disclaimer saying that guarantee can be revoked for utilizing non-genuine HP toners. HP should hold besides considered a sedimentation fee for recycling their toners back to HP and besides do certain a lower cost service for replenishing the toners. 5 ) Toner Cartridge Design: Merchandise interior decorators should take into consideration the clients and traders excessively as planing a complicated merchandise ( cartridge/toner ) will do merchandise installing complicated and if the company lacks resources for supplying merchandise preparation, it will do merchandise gross revenues to drop. Product was ne'er thought from an end-user position. The merchandise was ne'er tested with existent people before the launch. The deficiency of proper planing the merchandise flow rhythm has caused 1000s of dollars for HP. Another large company with such immense defects is Microsoft. Microsoft comes up with regular security spots from clip to clip to repair bugs that existed in their Operating System. 6 ) Unauthorized Refilling / No HP Cartridges: Exploitation non HP pressman accoutrements such as print cartridges or toners may do impairment in print end product quality. Customers prefer traveling to cheap unauthorised resellers to replenish echt HP cartridges as they are cheaper than traveling to an HP authorized reseller or back to HP base. Once the pressman toner cartridges gives out issues and print quality reduces, clients return the toner cartridges back to HP for replacing. HP should do their toners Tamper cogent evidence and besides add some kind of ID proofing to maintain path of non-genuine use of HP toners. Clear elaborate description about HP merchandise consciousness supplied along with the merchandise would educate the client about the quality, advantages, benefits of an HP and non HP toner cartridge.