History Discussion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

History Discussion - Research Paper Example election system, four critical elements were highlighted, namely: the nomination of candidates, the Electoral College, the popular electors’ election, and the presidential election in the house when none of the candidates receives a majority in the process. Further, the campaigns were more of the candidate’s regional rivalries and personality than divisive national issue and partisan politics. In fact, candidates did not campaign, but the actual campaigning exercise was carried out by surrogates and mangers, with various partisans speaking and writing in candidates’ favor throughout the year. The presidential election involved three key figures in the History of America, and was decided in the House of Representatives. Here, one man won, the other helped him win, yet another one stormed out of Washington criticizing the whole affair as â€Å" a corrupt bargain† The dubious elections of 1824 was known as the most controversial of all the elections in American history. It was as much a race of favorite sons as it was a disagreement over policy, though positions on international improvements and tariffs did create some noticeable conflicts. In general, the contestants were favored by varying parts of the country. Jackson was strong in the West, South, and mid-Atlantic, Adams in the northeast, Henry Clay in some parts of the West, while William H. Crawford was strong in the East. The secretary of War at the time, John C. Calhoun, was initially the fifth candidate at the beginning consideration, but rather opted to contest for the vice presidency. Afterward, he backed Jackson once he sensed that Crawford would be more popular in the South. Jackson and Adams supporters backed Calhoun, thus giving him an effortless majority of votes for vice presidency. The 1824 presidential election was characterized by many forms. Well known tunes which were lyrically sang, were used to promote presidential candidates and their political agendas. Newsprints were also circulated

Impact of a major change at Blacks Essay Example for Free

Impact of a major change at Blacks Essay As I also stated in my introduction there have been many changes at Blacks recently in the last few months. Blacks are a fairly new business but have already become on of the UKs leading suppliers of outdoor gear. Since opening they have generated high revenue and have been highly profitable every year. Every year Blacks beats the previous year in sales which shows that their market share is also increasing. As Blacks looked at their financial status at the beginning of the year and looked at their objectives there was suddenly an opportunity in the market. Competitor called Outdoors, who supply similar products to Blacks for camping was in financial crisis. The only way for Blacks to increase their market share is to close in on competitors. Blacks saw their opportunity and starting buying Outdoors shares. Before buying shares though Blacks approached Outdoors and asked if they would be willing to comply with a friendly take over, but they rejected hoping that there financial crisis would be resolved. It soon became obvious that they were in too much debt so Blacks seized their opportunity and bought them out. A hostile takeover was imposed and there was nothing the firm could do. They tried to resist the takeover bid but could not manage the finances. The board of directors did their best to ensure shareholders that their interests would be best protected with the current board but many fled They are now in the process of changing these stores into Blacks stores. The implication of this change has had a big effect on both Blacks employees and Outdoors employees. There were feelings of fear as to what will happen with so many job that and who would work in the new stores. In order to show compassion to the existing workers of Outdoors it was decided that they were going to keep the majority of workers and only make a few redundant that had little product knowledge or were just simply not needed. However the staffs were assured that changes would be made in the culture so as to meet the required level of customer service that Blacks offer. This caused some unrest as they resisted to changes Due to workers being let go some rumours got around through to Blacks stores that existing Blacks employees may have been dropped. However it was just a rumour that fizzled out and started with no real reliable source. This was one main change that happened at Blacks. Another was the change of manager at the beginning of the year. As I have already stated the change in manager has not been the best to date. The new manger has adopted an autocratic style of management. This leaves no space for ideas to be shared or any participation in decision making. As a result of this many workers were threatening to leave as before the manger had come we were constantly making bonus by reaching our targets. Since he came though, we have not been able to make target because the workers are de-motivated. Ways of handling Resistance to Change The new changes at Blacks have affected the natural order of things at the workplace, for example, new working practices will be introduced, staff have been made redundant and some staff may be re-located to new stores. This in itself will lead a natural resistance to change, so the question is: how should managers handle this resistance to change? I will propose six easy steps: 1. Managers should keep workers informed at each stage as to what is going to happen. This can be done by having: -regular staff meetings -regular discussions -issue bulletins -team briefings 2. Managers need to involve workers in the decision making process. This way it helps them to feel a part of the organisation 3. Take steps to avoid rumours spreading and misinformation circulating within and outside the company 4. Set up works council where worker representatives can meet with senior management and discuss issues pertaining to the future of the business 5. Invest in training to enable workers to cope with change, also offer counselling to the workers who may need to be made redundant 6. Review the organisational culture to ensure it fits with the future plans for the business

Social Changes: Body And Helath (IN SPANISH) :: essays research papers

Cambio Social: Cuerpo y Salud Aà ±os atrà ¡s, una persona saludable era una persona "rellenita", con las mejillas coloradas y feliz. Hoy en dà ­a, sin embargo, sabemos que ser gordo no es bueno y puede traer consigo muchos problemas. De todas formas muchas personas no se conforman con mantener un peso normal y constante sino que viven haciendo dietas, ejercicios, etcà ©tera, hasta llegar a situaciones muy peligrosas como la anorexia o la bulimia.  ¿Por quà © ocurre esto? Esto es lo que voy a intentar analizar a continuacià ³n para demostrar que situaciones asà ­, ocurren, en gran medida por culpa de la sociedad, de la forma que veremos mà ¡s adelante. En cualquier trabajo, especialmente en aquellos en los que se debe interactuar con otras personas, clientes, por ejemplo, se pide junto con el currà ­culum para la postulacià ³n adjuntar una fotografà ­a del postulante. De esta forma se le da preferencia a una persona con mejor apariencia fà ­sica sobre otra que tal vez no tiene un bello fà ­sico, pero muchas veces tiene un mejor currà ­culum o mà ¡s experiencia. Otro caso que podemos citar es el de la alta costura: grandes diseà ±adores crean ropa de tallas increà ­blemente pequeà ±as que sà ³lo pueden usar modelos extremadamente delgados, muy pà ¡lidos y que dan la impresià ³n de estar a punto de desmayarse. Asà ­, se crea un patrà ³n poco o nada de saludable que ademà ¡s, es seguido por muchà ­simas personas, en el caso del modelaje, adolescentes (muchas veces sin criterio formado) que buscan adaptarse a à ©ste sin importar las consecuencias fà ­sicas o psicolà ³gicas que pueda traerle. En el caso de las bailarinas o atletas, muchas de à ©stas llegan al extremo de convertirse en anorà ©xicas, la mayorà ­a de las veces debido a que sus entrenadores o profesores son demasiado exigentes controlando en exceso la vida de los atletas e incluso humillà ¡ndolos en pà ºblico si sobrepasan el peso là ­mite, necesario para mantenerse competitivos. En el caso de las mujeres la situacià ³n se agrava aà ºn mà ¡s. La promocià ³n profesional es mucho mà ¡s asequible para las delgadas que para las que no lo son. Como podemos ver, la presià ³n social sobre las mujeres es mucho mà ¡s acentuada "ha podido tambià ©n verificarse que las mujeres mà ¡s emprendedoras y social y laboralmente activas son las que prefieren un cuerpo delgado y a las mà ¡s voluminosas se les atribuye funciones de madre, esposa.

Militarism

IntroductionMilitarism is a policy where a country finds it necessary to have a strong army or defense system in preparation for war. Covert activities are activities which a countries government gets involved in but would like to keep a secret. John Friedman, (2005)BodyAfter the bomb, America greatly glorified militarism because they began to realize that they had a great number of enemies who were willing to do anything to finish her off in terms of war. The realization that with their current military power at the time their enemies were still able to get to them simply meant that they had to glorify militarism if they were to be assured of a future. John Friedman, (2005) The extent of militarism in our country is so great as evident from the budget allocations of the government of America which give defense such a big consideration.In fact the military of the USA was according to one writer considered to have the strength of the 7 countries ranked behind it combined. The country has the best air defense military in the world. America has also invested greatly in science whereby they sponsor companies to come up with new scientific inventions that make their military even more invincible. The bomb was like an awakening. America also became aggressive military wise as they prepared to take on Iraq in war and even North Korea at the slightest hint of defiance towards anti nuclear weapons. John Friedman, (2005)The issue of militarism should be of concern to all Americans because it means that the country continue to create enemies whom it might not be able to control. As America builds its army, more and more people feel threatened and thus feel provoked even with the slightest suggestion by the American government to any government. In terms of global expansionism, America was able to use its superior military to conquer new grounds for which it could grow its economy as these grounds provided market.Nuclear weapons became a threat after the bomb. Alexander Co ckburn, (1999). The main question here being that if our enemies posses these kind of weapons, how can we be assured of safety if they have already shown their willingness to use anything to finish them off. Hence America fought hard to keep the manufacture of these weapons to a minimum. John Friedman, (2005)This campaign was very sincere to the extent that they said Iraq was making nuclear weapons as an excuse for them to invade Iraq. Alexander Cockburn, (1999)America also began to engage in covert activities as they tried their best to look diplomatic while still engaging in their â€Å"war on terror†. This was a necessary action as they did not want to create more enemies with other threats still pending or rather having not been dealt with. America engaged so deeply in this activity that to this day there are still conspiracies that are still not clear as to whether they were of this government. John Friedman, (2005). For example the 911 attacks on the World Trade Center. Some say it was a government conspiracy so as to get a go ahead with their war on Iraq and the war on terror.This was because the rest of the world did not support the Americans’ intentions. Hence the argument that by attacking themselves and blaming it on their enemies, they were able to get their way. One of the most clear covert activities that the United States of America engaged in was that of toppling the government of Iraq and creating a new government that will work by its demands. The USA toppled the governance of Saddam Hussein in Iraq with a claim that the country was harboring Al-Qaeda militia that was perceived to be a threat to the USA. Currently the countries army is trained and maintained by the USA.John Friedman, (2005), Rumors were also widely spread that the Iraqi president Sadam Hussein was planning to have the country working on nuclear energy. In fact, the raid on Iraq may have been mainly centered on this fact. After the raid on Iraq, no nuclear activi ty was ever found to have taken place in Iraq hence they had to find other excuses as to why they raided the country which included the harboring of the dreaded Al-Qaeda groups that mainly dealt with planning terrorism. This also translates to covert action on the part of USA. John Friedman, (2005)Global expansionism and militarism have played a key role in post- war America in that after a war the countries economy begins to fall sharply. By global expansionism and militarism the country is able to expand the market for its products and in the process creates trade conditions for competing countries. A good case would be the dominance of American products in the African countries where countries are given conditions for loans and protection.In the process global sanctions are created that limit upcoming economies e.g. North Korea, China, India etc. This creates a topic of great concern because with this sanctions, defiance arises e.g. in North Korea, and the result is creation of m issiles and nuclear weaponry. This poses a great threat to the people of USA security-wise. Alexander Cockburn, (1999)The CIA has been tactfully used to cause the subversion of political powers. Some examples include: CIA covert activities on Iran, Cuba and Chile include things like information war. It’s better described as a propaganda mission. Iran is mainly being targeted with pro-democracy messages with the hope that the people will at some point create an upraise against the current system of governance so as to get democracy working for them too. In the process the very people America is fighting against will be eliminated without much struggle i.e. by their own hands.Alexander Cockburn, (1999), In other countries the CIA has secretly involved itself with funding organizations such that these organizations slowly form rebellions against their government. These may include political parties, trade unions and business associations, youth and student organizations, groups e.g. women's groups, civic organizations, religious communities, professional, intellectual and cultural societies, etc. Such rebellions are very handy in toppling governments, dividing and weakening countries. Although they have never quite succeeded in overturning the Fidel Castro regime in Cuba, this has always been their long standing aim. Alexander Cockburn, (1999)ConclusionThe American government greatly upholds Militarism as the country has many enemies arising from its policies. It also engages in covert activities to be able to exert its influence on other countries of interest because if this were to come out clearly then it would loose the support of the United Nations and would become a public enemy. William Blum, (1995).ReferencesWilliam Blum, (1995), Killing Hope, published by Common Courage Press John Friedman, (2005), The secret histories, published by Picador USAAlexander Cockburn, (1999), Whiteout, published by Verso; New Ed edition

English for Specific Purposes

2 The development of ESP The best laid schemes o' mice and men Gang aft a-gley. (Robert Burns) From its early beginnings in the 1960s ESP has undergone three main phases of development. It is now in a fourth phase with a fifth phase starting to emerge. We shall describe each of the five phases in greater detail in later chapters, but it will provide a useful perspective to give a brief summary here. It should be pointed out first of all that ESP is not a monolithic universal phenomenon.ESP has developed at different speeds in different countries, and examples of all the approaches we shall describe can be found operating somewhere in the world at the present time. Our summary must, therefore, be very general in its focus. It will be noticeable in the following overview that one area of activity has been particularly important in the development of ESP. This is the area usually known as EST (English for Science and Technology). Swales (1985) in fact uses the development of EST to illu strate the development of ESP in general: ‘With one or two exceptions†¦English for Science and Technology has always set and continues to set the trend in theoretical discussion, in ways of analysing language, and in the variety of actual teaching materials. ‘ We have not restricted our own illustrations to EST in this book, but we still need to acknowledge, as Swales does, the pre-eminent position of EST in the ESP story. 1. The concept of special language: register analysis This stage took place mainly in the 1960s and early 1970s and was associated in particular with the work of Peter Strevens (Haliiday, Mcintosh and Strevens, 1964), Jack Ewer (Ewer and Latorre, 1969) and John Swales (1971).Operating on the basic principle that the English of, say, Electrical Engineering constituted a specific register different from that of, say, Biology or of General English, the aim of the analysis was to identify the grammatical and lexical features of these registers Teachin g materials then took these linguistic features as their syllabus A good example of such a syllabus is that of A Course in Basic Scientific-English by Ewer and Latorre (1969) (see below p. 26). In fact, as Ewer and Latorre's syllabus shows, egister analysis revealed that there was very little that was distinctive in the sentence grammar of Scientific English beyond a tendency to favour particular forms such as the present simple tense, the passive voice and nominal compounds. It did not, for example, reveal any forms that were not found in General English. But we must be wary of making unfair criticism. Although there was an academic interest in the nature of registers of English per se, the main motive behind register analyses such as Ewer and Latorre's was the pedagogic one of making the ESP course more relevant to learners' needs.The aim was to produce a syllabus which gave high priority to the language forms students would meet in their Science studies and in turn would give low priority to forms they would not meet, Ewer and Hughes-Davies (1971), for example, compared the language of the texts their Science students had to read with the language of some widely used school textbooks. They found that the school textbooks neglected some of the language forms commonly found in Science texts, for example, compound nouns, passives, conditionals, anomalous finites (i. e. mod-.! verbs).Their conclusion was that the ESP course should, therefore, give precedence to these forms. 2. Beyond the sentence: rhetorical or discourse or analysis There were, as we shall see, serious flaws in the register analysis-based syllabus, but, as it happened, register analysis as a research procedure was rapidly overtaken by developments in the world of linguistics. Whereas in the first stage of its development, ESP had focussed on language at the sentence level, the second phase of development shifted attention to the level above the sentence, as ESP became closely involved with the emerging field of discourse or rhetorical analysis.The leading lights in this movement were Henry Widdowson in P

Japan and Its Neighbors essays

Japan and Its Neighbors essays Japan, China, and North Korea have a strong history that makes dealing with the present and future very difficult. All three countries have close geographic proximity to one another, but have very different cultures, governments, and histories. After World War II (WWII) and the Allied Occupation, Japans constitution includes Article Nine, which states, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. Many people felt that this clause would bring an end to the ongoing struggle in the region, and that Japan would fall to the wayside as an international power. Also, because the historical dealings that Japan had with China and North Korea, mainly had negative outcomes because of the Japanese military, it would be easy to assume the three nations could resolve conflicts more easily now. On the contrary though, history is still an argument used each time China and North Korea have any diplomatic involvement with Japan. Now there is talk of amending Article Nine and allowing the Japanese to rebuild a military, but with its neighboring countries so close, and still so bitter about the past Japan will not be able to have its own free standing military in the near future. China and North Korea both bring up arguments of their histories with Japan when illustrating why Japan should not remilitarize and amend Article Nine. The Japanese first invaded North Korea in 1359 and 1361 when they forced out the Mongolians who were occupying the area. In 1592 and 1597 the Japanese launched major assaults against Korea. Korea was independent until the 19th century when China in attempt to pacify some of Japans strength, established Korea as part of China. These tensions led to the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, in which Korea was annexed by Japan after another war with Russia in 1910. It was not until Japan was d...

Clintons Presidency essays

Clinton's Presidency essays On December 19th of 1998, Congress passed two articles of impeachment against our then president, William Jefferson Clinton. These actions taken by the house were a result in Clinton having an inappropriate sexual relationship with his intern, Monica Lewinsky. This investigation spear-headed at Clinton was the work of prosecutor Kenneth Starr. Starr seemed poised to the task to bring Clinton down. Starr went as far as turning down a opportunity to obtain a prestigious occupation at Pepperdine law school in California. Starr did months of investigation and provided thousands of written documents. Starr also presented physical evidence, including gifts given to Lewinsky from Clinton. However the most condemning part of Starrs case was recorded conversations held between Linda Tipp and Monica Lewinsky. Tripp worked with Lewinsky and cohersed her into talking about her intimate relationship with President Clinton (Fierro). My main motivation for writing my paper on this topic was because an impeachment trial has only taken place twice in American history. Clintons impeachment case was one of these two cases. Also, this scandal and case set a standard for what is considered the private lie of our Leader and what is considered a situation that will effect our Presidents power and actions. In Jeffrey Toobins novel A Vast Conspiracy. He discusses in great details the Clinton trials, mostly through the eyes of the media. He uses a timeline of the events that occurred around the time of the trial. Toobin says the first person to break the story of the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal was Matt Drudge, who operates the Drudge report. At that time the information only basically alleged that Clinton had a sexual relationship with an intern. Clinton denied on several occasions having an affair with Ms. Lewinsky. The first denial of the issue was during a videotaped deposition in the Pa...

Meet Ulysses (Odysseus), the Hero Homers Odyssey

Meet Ulysses (Odysseus), the Hero Homers Odyssey Ulysses is the Latin form of the name Odysseus, the hero of Homers Greek epic poem The Odyssey. The Odyssey is one of the greatest works of classical literature and is one of two epic poems attributed to Homer. Its characters, images, and story arc are integrated into many more contemporary works; for example, James Joyces great modernist work Ulysses uses the structure of The Odyssey to create a unique and complex work of fiction. About Homer and The Odyssey The Odyssey was written in about 700 BCE and was intended to be recited or read aloud. To make this task easier, most characters and many objects are provided with epithets: short phrases uses to describe them each time they are mentioned. Examples include rosy-fingered dawn, and gray-eyed Athena. The Odyssey includes 24 books and 12,109 lines written in a poetic meter called dactylic hexameter. The poem was probably written in columns on parchment scrolls. It was first translated into English in 1616. Scholars are not in agreement as to whether Homer actually wrote or dictated the entire 24 books of The Odyssey. In fact, there is even some disagreement about whether Homer was a real historical man (though it is probable that he did exist). Some believe that Homers writings (including a second epic poem called The Iliad) were actually the work of a group of authors. The disagreement is so significant that the debate about Homers authorship has been given the name The Homeric Question. Whether or not he was the sole author, however, it seems likely that a Greek poet named Homer played a major role in its creation. The Story of The Odyssey The story of The Odyssey begins in the middle. Ulysses has been away for almost 20 years, and his son, Telemachus, is searching for him. In the course of the first four books, we learn that Odysseus is alive. In the second four books, we meet Ulysses himself. Then, in books 9-14, we hear of his exciting adventures during his odyssey or journey. Ulysses spends 10 years trying to get back home to Ithaca after the Greeks win the Trojan War.   On his way home, Ulysses and his men encounter various monsters, enchanters, and dangers. Ulysses is known for his cunning, which he uses when his men find themselves stuck in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus. However, Ulysses trick, which includes blinding Polyphemus, puts Ulysses on the bad side of the Cyclops father, Poseidon (or Neptune in the Latin version). In the second half of the story, the hero has reached his home in Ithaca. Upon arriving, he learns that his wife, Penelope, has turned away more than 100 suitors. He plots and takes revenge on the suitors who have been wooing his wife and eating his family out of hearth and home.

Report Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Lab Report Example in feeding as it has different mouth parts and mainly feeds on nutrients whereas the adult is specialized in the process of reproduction and dispersal. The type of food consumed between the larva and the adult is entirely different, and this, therefore, enhances their survival. The adult has the secondary characteristics of flying, walking and crawling and therefore even the type of diet it consumes is entirely different from the larva (Kay 3). The organism had both the crypsis and aposematism coloration as a defense mechanism. In crypsis, as exemplified by Kay, 1969, the camouflaging is as a result of the background as was evidenced in the experiment. The phenotypic aspect of the organism in terms of behavioral change in the environment must come into play before coloration occurs. The aposematism effect referred to as warning coloration was observed when there was a striking contrast in terms of background color. The organism died after a period of two weeks as a result of exposure to direct heat from the sun. This in turn led to the destruction of the newly formed chitin that could have provided the protection of the internal organs. The presence of chitin is vital in the life of the organism as this feature offers protection and helps in reproduction through molting process (Kay 5). The death of the organism may result due to different reasons. For instance, improper feeding or harsh environmental conditions minimizes their chances of

Econ assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Econ - Assignment Example a. Increase in capital in country A will lead to increase in production of the goods x and y hence, the country thereby affecting its importation of the same goods thus, affecting the exportation on the same goods by country B since A shall have increased its production on the same goods. c. Increase in capital in country B will lead to increase in production of the goods x and y hence, the country thereby affecting its importation of the same goods thus, affecting the exportation on the same goods by country A since B shall have increased its production on the same goods. 10. The reasons that led to the decline in the import due to industrialization included the production through processing and manufacturing by different nations; hence, creating self-reliance of nations. Additionally, it is worth noting that this factor promoted free trade since nations produces different items at different times; thus, it was only through trade especially free that products from different nations could be acquired by other

Reflection on my Cofacilitation Group Skills Demonstration Essay

Reflection on my Cofacilitation Group Skills Demonstration - Essay Example etings were scheduled and attended by the members and that each member completed their parts on time so that we could merge all the sections before acclimatizing to them to foster further understanding on us. With regard to my facilitation partners, I have to commend them, despite residing in different areas I fond working with them quite cordial as no one missed even a single meeting. They all played their parts thoroughly without being pushed and took the initiative to update the rest of the group about their finding so that we could share a common grounding. I must say I enjoyed doing business with them, it was a flexible group, eager to learn, time conscious, and with unique contributions. Even though every event was successful in the group work, my most well done duty was the actual presentation-how I engaged and controlled the audience within the provided time. My presentation was more of interactive and I think this significantly contributed to the understanding of my facilitation. Though the presentation was good, I had the feeling that I have to improve on time management, it is important that after the facilitation, the audience get time to ask questions and this was not the question with my presentation. Time was well managed but I did not allocate time for questioning and clarifications from the audience. The feedback from peers and the instructor was positive, they all commended my contribution and confessed they did not expect such a well-organized and articulated presentation form me. The instructor went ahead and said that I must have had adequate preparation for the presentation, which was true. I also came to realize that with commitment, hard work, and dedication to duty, everybody could improve on their ability to deliver n anything. My contribution to the group was enormous, having been proposed the leader; I had to ensure that all the prerequisite preparations are done on time. I scheduled meetings, delegated duties to the group members,

Capstone Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Capstone Project - Research Paper Example This essay focuses on hospitals that have recently started to incorporate risk management in their operations. The researcher explores the major role of the risk management department is to make sure that the organization does not make unnecessary loss due to Potentially Compensable Events. These are occurrences that can result due to litigation against the providers in health care. Furthermore, health care providers are also forced to compensate the injured patients, doctors and others in such cases. Generally modern hospitals offer varied services like the ambulance, surgery services, emergency services and partial hospitalization and etc. In addition, several health care officers help in the provision of patient care. Thus, today hospitals often have their regulatory body which controls their operations online. Thus, most hospitals have occurrence report system which allows the risk managers to track down online the Potentially Compensable Events and later identify the risk areas in the organization which can be improved. Therefore, there has to be procedures and policies that should be enforced to identify common errors that which have to be reported. The researcher explaines such policies, such as error reporting, that should be impartial as some hospitals have started to embrace an electronic system. This allows the risk managers to receive, analyze and then review the reports online in real time, which leads to successful and quick administration of the problem occured.

Expanding Internationally Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Expanding Internationally - Assignment Example Through a related diversification strategy, a company may be able to leverage competence in one market in order to achieve competence and competitiveness in the other markets. Thus, evaluating the list of the company’s products for relatedness among the products yields positive results. The company may employ related diversification using two products; luggage and color televisions. This implies that the other products (writing instruments and miscellaneous plastic and paper tags) fail to qualify as part of related diversification. As outlined in the definition, related diversification calls for a company’s engagement in different products with regard to the existence of a certain level of connection in operations pertaining to the products selected (Griffin and Pustay, 2010; Neelankavil, 2007). Thus, both luggage and color televisions represent a luxury nature of business operations. This implies that both products are geared towards meeting the client needs of comfort and luxury. On the other hand, writing instruments and miscellaneous plastic and paper tags do not contribute significantly to the creation of a luxury and comfort oriented product. This, in turn, disqualifies the employment of both products in a luxury oriented line of business. Therefore, in order to employ a related diversification business strategy, the company has to focus on the production and distribution of both color televisions and luggage solutions to local and international market audiences. In a bid to expand internationally, China and South Africa offer a potential opportunity for the company’s business expansion. This is owed to numerous reasons. For instance, both China and South Africa represent a significant share of the company’s revenues (Kyambalesa, 2004). In addition, both China and South Africa represent one of the most rapidly developing economies in the world and are on course to being significant players in the consumption of certain products in the future. This is owed to the rapid development processes being undertaken in these regions which create numerous job opportunities while increasing cash flow circulation. Thus, the regions represent a rich hub for luxury-oriented businesses such as the businesses undertaken by the company. Therefore, China offers a strategic entry point into the world of technology and color TV production. On the other hand, South Africa provides the company with the most convenient entry point into the African continent. Being a highly developed country, South Africa has the necessary and conducive infrastructure for effective international business relations. Moreover, the existence of a favorable Chinese-African partnership underlines the convenience of this decision as a strategic and international expansion measure for the company. However, the expansion process of the company will rely on a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) process as the most convenient mode of entry into other markets. As a result, the desired FDI strategy for expansion would be acquisition. This is because an acquisition strategy would provide the company with immediate and direct entry into the desired foreign markets (Griffin and Pustay, 2010; Neelankavil, 2007). Moreover, through an acquisition program, the company would be able to oversee operations of the independent subsidiary companies

Mars Exploration Missions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mars Exploration Missions - Research Paper Example Mars Path Finder: The mission was launched in 1996, a month after the Mars global surveyor†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Mars Exploration Rovers: This is a robotic space mission†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Manned Mission to Mars: Scientists have planned to land and settle the Mars planet in near future†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Future Programs: In 2010, NASA announced to award 50 million US$ to different companies for manufacturing low cost†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Conclusion: US is continuously committed to explore the universe. Numerous missions have been sent till now to different planets†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Mars Exploration Missions Introduction Till 20th century, Human being could only think of exploring the planets of the solar system. Urge to find life on the nearby planets convinced people to touch the soil of other planets. Mars exploration missions were started in 20th century. Since then different exploration mission has been sent to analyse the soil of the planet and ultimately to find life. US has always shown interest in exploring space due to which, it has started many Mars exploration programs in order to find signs of life on the planet. ... Mars pathfinder and rover missions were also launched to get more data about the structure of the Mars. NASA has also planned manned mission to Mars in near future. First manned Mars mission is also planned to be launched by 2030. US Mars exploration programs and future programs shall be discussed in chronological order in paragraphs to follow. Exploration Missions Mariner Program NASA launched Mariner program for carrying out investigation of Mars. Ten vehicles were launched as part of the mission out of which seven were successful and three got lost. All mariner spacecrafts were loaded with electronics, cameras, power source and propulsion systems. Rockets were mostly used as a delivery mean to send the spacecrafts in the space.TV cameras were used to send pictures of the Mars structure (Lyle, 2002). Viking Program This program comprises of Viking1 and Viking 2. Each space vehicle comprised of two main parts, the orbiter and the lander (Platoff, 2001). Orbiter was used to take phot ographs of the Mars from the orbit. Lander was designed to land on the surface of the Mars to gather information about surface of the Mars. Viking program brought revolution in Mars missions as it indicated presence of water on Mars surface and in atmosphere as well (Lyle, 2002). Mars Global Surveyor NASA launched this program in 1996 as part of the US space missions. This was the first program launched after the pause of almost ten years. The mission accomplished its basic tasks in 2001 (Lyle, 2002). Very high-resolution cameras were used to get pictures of the Mars surface. Until, November 2006, the cameras sent more than 240000 pictures of the surface of the Mars (Baucom, 2006). Despite all the efforts and initial success,

Expanding Internationally Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Expanding Internationally - Assignment Example Through a related diversification strategy, a company may be able to leverage competence in one market in order to achieve competence and competitiveness in the other markets. Thus, evaluating the list of the company’s products for relatedness among the products yields positive results. The company may employ related diversification using two products; luggage and color televisions. This implies that the other products (writing instruments and miscellaneous plastic and paper tags) fail to qualify as part of related diversification. As outlined in the definition, related diversification calls for a company’s engagement in different products with regard to the existence of a certain level of connection in operations pertaining to the products selected (Griffin and Pustay, 2010; Neelankavil, 2007). Thus, both luggage and color televisions represent a luxury nature of business operations. This implies that both products are geared towards meeting the client needs of comfort and luxury. On the other hand, writing instruments and miscellaneous plastic and paper tags do not contribute significantly to the creation of a luxury and comfort oriented product. This, in turn, disqualifies the employment of both products in a luxury oriented line of business. Therefore, in order to employ a related diversification business strategy, the company has to focus on the production and distribution of both color televisions and luggage solutions to local and international market audiences. In a bid to expand internationally, China and South Africa offer a potential opportunity for the company’s business expansion. This is owed to numerous reasons. For instance, both China and South Africa represent a significant share of the company’s revenues (Kyambalesa, 2004). In addition, both China and South Africa represent one of the most rapidly developing economies in the world and are on course to being significant players in the consumption of certain products in the future. This is owed to the rapid development processes being undertaken in these regions which create numerous job opportunities while increasing cash flow circulation. Thus, the regions represent a rich hub for luxury-oriented businesses such as the businesses undertaken by the company. Therefore, China offers a strategic entry point into the world of technology and color TV production. On the other hand, South Africa provides the company with the most convenient entry point into the African continent. Being a highly developed country, South Africa has the necessary and conducive infrastructure for effective international business relations. Moreover, the existence of a favorable Chinese-African partnership underlines the convenience of this decision as a strategic and international expansion measure for the company. However, the expansion process of the company will rely on a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) process as the most convenient mode of entry into other markets. As a result, the desired FDI strategy for expansion would be acquisition. This is because an acquisition strategy would provide the company with immediate and direct entry into the desired foreign markets (Griffin and Pustay, 2010; Neelankavil, 2007). Moreover, through an acquisition program, the company would be able to oversee operations of the independent subsidiary companies

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 73

Reflection - Essay Example I have taken this concept of leadership from the leader of Starbucks where he consults and engages the low level staff before making a decision. Thirdly, and lastly, I have learnt the concept of objectivity and subjectivity in relation to financial management and asset acquisition. This is from the considerations that the Starbucks Company has to consider some aspects accepting offers. All these concepts that I have learnt apply both to my professional and personal life in terms of being an effective resources manager pertaining to corporate resources and making personal budgets to avoid spendthrift activities (CheckMate, 2009). Leadership also applies to both professional and personal life in that I will engage the junior employees in a company once employed and even in my personal life I will be an effective leader. Lastly, the concept of critical analysis and subjectivity and objectivity applies in my professional life in terms of assessing all aspects before making decisions on taking or dropping offers or venture g into a certain activity. This applies in my personal life as well since it can help me in making a decision with first assessing the different

Reply to the forum about rude behavior in the Society Essay Example for Free

Reply to the forum about rude behavior in the Society Essay Rudeness is very much prevalent in every aspect of the society. Illiterate people and even those professionals and students are infected by the behavior of rudeness. Often times, rudeness is tolerated that is why instead of eradicating it, situations linked to it only get worse. It is slowly becoming a trend but of course, not all trends are good and should be followed. The factors that were given in the post do influence the spread of rudeness. These factors from the environment weaken the foundation of a person’s good character. Aside from the elements of a busy and secluded lifestyle and broken families, more factors that trigger rudeness include the media, technology and lack of moral obligation. The media takes part on catering thoughts of rudeness to the societies. A celebrity who has bad behavior and got away with it is one illustration that rudeness can be considered as a so-so action. Thus, there is lack of moral obligation in every wrong action that was done. The technology provides materials of rudeness through videos or simple pranks on a television show. Lack of moral obligation is also related to an environment of a broken family. If there is no discipline at home, the child or the teenager can adopt the same behavior when he is at school. For example, if the child is impatient, he cannot wait in line when at the school canteen. Hence, he will show behavior of irritability and may go in front of the line instead of waiting for his turn. Slight rudeness can be treated as poor etiquette. Still, it is classified under the category of rudeness. Instances of poor etiquettes will surely develop into rudeness. On the other hand, there is the question on whether rudeness is dependent on how the person handles its influences. A person can be exposed to negative influences but can still manage to have a good behavior. In order to do that, he must have a strong core of values that can help him ward off the factors of rudeness. As for someone who is already rude, there is always the possibility that he will learn his lessons, probably the hard way to realize that rudeness is not acceptable in the society. References: DBSR. (2009, December 10). Why Have We Evolved Into Such a Rude Society?. Retrieved May 24, 2010, from http://dontbesorude. com/2009/12/why-have-we-evolved-into-such-a- rude- society/

King Tutankhamun and His Treasures Essay -- Essays Papers

King Tutankhamun and His Treasures The ancient Egyptians were noted for many things, one of which would have been their artwork. Egyptians used many medians in their artwork that enhanced the details and beauty of every piece of art. Their artwork is fascinating and mysterious, which pulls in the viewer into wanting to learn more. One of the most important and unique Egyptian artworks belongs to King Tutankhamun, a young pharaoh of Egypt. A brief history of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb and the importance and beauty of certain pieces found in his tomb, will be discussed in this essay. King Tutankhamun’s tomb was the prize that archaeologist Howard Carter sought out for in the Valley of the Kings. Carter was running out of time and also the Earl of Carnarvon’s patience. Disappointed for years by Carter’s discoveries, Carnarvon told Carter to not apply anymore for the renewal of his excavating concession. Only by his pleading and offers to pay the cost himself if nothing were found convinced Carnarvon to add one more excavating season. At the time, thirty-three tombs had been discovered, and thieves who had pillaged and destroyed them had already broken into all. Because of this, it was believed that the Valley burial ground held no more secrets. Carter disagreed and was more determined than ever to find the tomb. Eventually, three pieces of evidence discovered by Theodore M. Davis, and examined by H. E. Winlock, led Carter to believe that King Tut’s tomb was yet to be found. The three artifacts were a faience cup bearing the pharaoh’s name, a small, mud-filled pit tomb containing pictures and inscriptions of King Tut and his wife, and the third was a collection of pottery jars, each sealed with King Tut’s seal. Carter had a hypothesis that King Tut’s tomb may be found in a small area in the Valley where archeologists had not yet dug into. It was a very strenuous job, considering the floor of the Valley was covered with tons of rock and sand, and all they had was manual labor. Soon enough though, a staircase was discovered followed by a door with its seals still intact. In 1922, Carter had indeed discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun! King Tut became pharaoh at the age of nine and ruled for nine years until his death at eighteen. The cause of his death is unknown. The period he ruled was that of economic prosperity and some re... ...s the god Shu, holding the curved piece, which was to represent him saving the world from chaos by holding up the sky. A lion was also carved on the base on the left and right side of Shu. The base represented the earth and the lions symbolized the mountains on the western and eastern horizons. This piece has no close parallel in Egyptian art. The artwork described above was only a tiny portion of what was discovered in King Tutankhamun’s tomb. It was very interesting to see the ancient artifacts and know the purpose that each one served—jars holding organs and concoctions, musical instruments, and statues that served as protection are just a few examples of what the Egyptians used in their tombs. Their art represents how loyal and elegant the Egyptian culture was. Even though King Tutankhamun was not one of the most famous pharaohs, his treasures will live on and educate people into knowing more about him and the Egyptians. Bibliography Buckley, Tom, and Wente F., Edward. Treasures of Tutankhamun. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1976. â€Å"Tutankhamen.† Encarta, 1998 ed. CD-ROM. Microsoft, 1998. National Geographic Society. Ancient Egypt. Washington D.C., 1978.

tragoed Essay on the Tragic Flaws of Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)

The Tragic Flaws of Oedipus Rex    At one time in our lives there is a moment that we may think of ourselves as better than someone or something else. There may also be a point when making a decision leads to a great error in judgment. In the play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, both of these characteristics can be seen in the main character. These characteristics are known as tragic flaws. These flaws are known as hubris meaning excess pride, leading to overconfidence, and hamartia meaning errors and weakness in judgment. Both of these characteristics are the main reason of destruction and downfall in mankind and the tragic hero in this play. The tragic hero is unable to escape his misfortune that is destined to happen. There are many more tragic flaws other than these two that also contribute to the falling of the hero. The destruction and downfall can be seen as fate. Even though the hero chooses his own actions, the resulting consequences that come about are ones that are unable to be changed. As seen, no one i s able to outrun his or her own fate.    Oedipu...

Ralph Lauren Strategy Paper Essay

Module 2: Mission, Goals, and the Strategic Management Process The mission of Ralph Lauren is to provide quality product, bringing different worlds together and inviting people into their dream and vision (McAllister, 2012). They are the true innovators of lifestyle advertisements that tell a story and the first to create stores that encourage customer participation in that lifestyle (McAllister, 2012). Ralph Lauren has 3 major goals: †¢ Build and extend the brand by uniquely showcasing the world of Ralph Lauren through advertising and marketing. The Ralph Lauren Company also plans to expand and extend the Ralph Lauren lifestyle through new products, in new categories, and in new parts of the world. (Johnston, Watkins, & Wright, 2005) †¢ Keeping its specialty retail is also extremely important. Polo continues to increase the amount of exclusive or limited-distribution product in its Ralph Lauren stores. They also plan on making significant advances in how it operates its retail stores by adding experience and strength to the leadership of the specialty retail group and coupling it with the right merchandise and marketing support. (Johnston, Watkins, & Wright, 2005) †¢ Expanding its international presence so that they can broaden their reach through increasing direct brand ownership and control with new specialty retail store openings. (Johnston, Watkins, & Wright, 2005) Yes, the firm has long–term goals that might become challenging. For instance, expanding internationally especially in Europe has been challenging. Sales in Europe have shown little growth, therefore; Polo Ralph Lauren is currently finding new ways to reduce costs through changes in its infrastructure. (Johnston, Watkins, & Wright, 2005) Polo Ralph Lauren’s main strategic plan to grow the company is creating new stores because it makes up for almost one-third of its revenues. Creating new stores is a part of intended strategies because the company carefully plans where they want their store according to the amount of business the company plan on acquiring in a particular area. (Johnston, Watkins, & Wright, 2005) Module 3: External Analysis In the macro environment, Ralph Lauren Corporation has and will be impacted by all the changes that will occur. In the macro environment the company is impacted by the political, economical, sociocultural, technological, ecological and legal factors. Political factors are the actions of government that can influence the behavior and decisions of firms. These factors can have a direct impact on the way businesses operate. In the United States business firms face more regulations then other nations (Viking, 2009). According to (Viking, 2009), employee rights in the United States have a large effect on business, and with the apparel industry requiring much labor and work employee laws are significant. Employee laws are minimum wage, over time, benefits and health and safety regulations. This means Ralph Lauren has to pay employees at least minimum wage and for overtime worked. The company has to offer benefits to full time employees and follow OSHA regulations when it comes to safety. Also the company has to adhere to trade regulations when importing and exporting goods overseas. Economic factors impact the economy. Some ways Ralph Lauren can be impacted economically are through growth rates, interest rates, and levels of employment, price stability and currency exchange rates. (Viking, 2009) states that for the apparel industry in the United States, such as Ralph Lauren, the future does not look promising. Wage and salary employment in the apparel industry is expected to decline which leads to lost jobs over the period. The Decline in employment can be attributed to increase in imports, new automation machinery, and cost-cutting pressure from increase global competition (Viking, 2009). Along with this the economy is in a recession, which means high unemployment, hi gher taxes on every one and low incomes (Viking, 2009). With this most families cannot afford the prices that Ralph Lauren has to offer. Sociocultural factors are society’s norms, cultures and values. This may impact Ralph Lauren because the company has to learn the demographics of different areas. The demographics show the different characteristics and attributes of people so companies such as ours can understand the buying power of the people. When the company learns this information they can determine whether or not products will appeal to customers and how many potential customers for these products might arise. Also with the growing trends of people and different styles Ralph Lauren has to make various pieces to fit all their needs. Technological factors capture the application of knowledge to create new processes and products. With new technology the apparel industry’s productivity has been given a boost. There has been an increase in automated machinery that has improved production and manufacturing facilities such as Ralph Lauren Corporation (Viking, 2009). Now they have new faster computerized sewing machines in order to make production go faster. Also new computer software has been a big plus for Ralph Lauren because now that can create and design new garments with no problem (Viking, 2009). Along with this technology allows them to be able to market their clothes online through their website which ralphlauren.com. This way people can get what they want through technology. Ecological factors concern broad environmental issues such as the natural environment, global warming and sustainable economic growth. Ralph Lauren can be impacted by these factors because the company manufactures cotton clothing. With cotton it comes from various vendors, but in order for it to grow it has to have a good environment to grow in. If farmers don’t get good weather then crops may be lost and there will be no clothes for Ralph Lauren. Lastly, Legal factors capture the outcomes of the political processes and court decisions. Because Ralph Lauren is a highly noted fashion designer he is hit with lawsuits and legal issues all the time. They had to sue US Polo Association for infringement on their brand (Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, 2010). Another popular brand, Levi Strauss sued Ralph Lauren because they had similar stitching in their jeans. Also Ralph Lauren along with twenty one other major companies was sued over having sweatshops and knowing of their wrongdoings (Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, 2010). With the five forces model we can learn about the nature of completion for our company. To begin Ralph Lauren is faced with the threat of new entrants into the industry. With the rise of different trends there will always be a threat of new entrants into fashion retail. This task will be difficult and expensive because of the degree of Ralph Lauren. The company has overpowered the fashion industry by selling popular designs and creating the best styles (Johnston, Watkins, & Wright, 2005 p. 12-13). The threat of substitute products plays a big role in Ralph Lauren’s marketing strategy. Some of the company’s competitors try to market and sell new and different styles in order to increase demand, while other companies try to copy the designs of Ralph Lauren (Johnston, Watkins, & Wright, 2005 p. 12-13). So the company remains a well-known fashion designer of quality clothes and expands into other markets in order to compete. Ralph Lauren is a brand name that appeals to consumers and is very profitable. Then the bargaining power of buyers also tells the nature of competition for Ralph Lauren. The customers of the company know that when buying the company products they are buying quality. Although these brands are quite expensive, they are sold at a cheaper price at retail outlets. This bargaining power is good for consumers who have a smaller spending power than others. The bargaining power of suppliers is a bit vast for Ralph Lauren (Johnston, Watkins, & Wright, 2005 p. 12-13). Reason being they require a lot of supplies for operating the business, and get lots of bids from sellers of fabric and packaging. Also providers of cotton and other fabrics lead to a result of competition with suppliers and the company chooses the vendors with the best reasonable price (Johnston, Watkins, & Wright, 2005 p. 12-13). Lastly in the five forces model rivalry among existing firms shows the nature of competition in Ralph Lauren. According to (Johnston, Watkins, & Wright, 2005 p. 12-13) the company has several competitors, but has managed to keep a large portion of the market by introducing new designs and going into new markets. Ralph Lauren is growing and gaining more overseas retail stores. And with new technology and online retail sales, the company has gained more sales opportunities and increased development of online marketing (Johnston, Watkins, & Wright, 2005 p. 12-13). Competing with a company such as Ralph Lauren can be a difficult task. Companies in the fashion industry have noticed that this competition is hard to do. In the apparel industry along with Ralph Lauren there are other strategic groups that exist. These groups are Liz Claiborne, Jones Apparel Group, and Tommy Hilfiger. The Liz Claiborne Company is the leading competitor of Ralph Lauren. They manufacture name brands such as Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand Jeans, and Kate Spade. They have expensive brands like Ralph Lauren. Liz Claiborne is so close in competition to our company that they had revenues of $3.984 which is $1 billion less then Ralph Lauren (â€Å"Ralph Lauren’s Rivalry,† 2010). Jones Apparel owns brands such as Nine West and Easy Spirit. Their revenue was $3.6 billion which is $3 billion less than Ralph Lauren (â€Å"Ralph Lauren’s Rivalry,† 2010). Tommy Hilfiger has been Ralph Lauren’s biggest competition for twenty years. Sales began to decline because the brand wasn’t becoming as popular as the leading competitor. They had revenue sales of $3.4 billion which is $5 billion less than Ralph Lauren (â€Å"Ralph Lauren’s Rivalry,† 2010). Most of these products now are in retail stores and in private boutiques. According to (â€Å"Ralph Lauren’s Rivalry,† 2010), Tommy Hilfiger wants to try and compete with other high end fashion designers by moving away from the mainstream.

Grandparents Essay Essay

The bond between grandparents and their grandchildren is one that can never be broken and will always be cherished forever. They basically set up a bond as a parent would. They take care of them while their parents are at work, provide financial support, and providing much needed emotional support to make sure the children get the best childhood without stressing out which is bad for the brain and development. The presence of a grandparent helps stable a child throughout childhood and infancy giving that child support while the parents are not there. Research believes that an integration of the evolutionary, sociological, and economic accounts will be necessary to fully explain the impact grandparents have in their grandchildren’s development. Once the children have been exposed to the love and caring of grandparents they begin to treat them with isolation to help control what is to come with dealing with attachment. They are beginning to conduct disciplines to determine what it is grandparents do to prompt the development of their grandchildren.

The Basis of Economics

Japan has performed a miracle. The country's economic performance following its crushing defeat in World War II is nothing short of astounding. The economic expansion of Japan is second to none. All of the elements are in place for Japan to continue increasing its share of the world's wealth as America's gradually declines. The country is on track to becoming the world's largest economy. How did Japan do it? There are many theories and studies that have traced the Japanese miracle without success. The answer to the mystery can by examining Japan's culture, education, and employment system. Japan's success is not just a case of good technique and technology in business, but a real recognition and development of the necessary human skills. A better understanding of the Japanese society provides the framework to understanding the workings of Japanese business (and possibly the Japanese mind. ) The ayes of the Japanese provide a foundation for their economic adaptability in modern times. Japan is a culture where human relations and preservation of harmony are the most important elements in society. It is their sense of identity and destiny, which gives their industrial, machines its effectiveness. Among the Japanese, there exists an instinctive respect for institutions and government, for the rules of etiquette and service, for social functions and their rituals of business. Japan is a traditionally crowded island; the people are forced to share the limited space with each other and to live in harmony. The Japanese are very protective of their culture. They are very conservative to outside intrusion. Their distinctive ways are a source of pride and national strength. Japan's striving for purity is very different form a North American idea of open doors and diversity as strength. Accordingly, one of the main sources of Japan's strength is its people's willingness to sacrifice, to be regimented and homogenized, and to subordinate personal desires to the harmony of the working group. The Japanese people have had to become a group-oriented society. While in the western world, individuality and independence are highly valued, Japanese society emphasizes group activity and organization. The people accept that they will belong to one social group and work for one company for life. The crowded island conditions have driven society to value conformity. The culture that Japanese people are brought up in causes them to recognize that they have to work together to succeed. Only harmony will provide improvement. This development of the human nature and attitude relates directly to Japan's business practice and provides a basis for good business relations. Japan's education system has grabbed the world's attention as it is specifically designed to teach the children skills and aptitudes to give them an edge in the business world. The educational system, based on the principle of full equality of educational opportunity, is widely recognized as having greatly contributed to the prosperity of Japan by providing a highly qualified work force supplemented by extensive in training programs by many of the major employers. The primary and secondary educational system is probably the most comprehensive and most disciplined in the world. Where North American students attend school 175 days a year, Japanese students attend 240 days. Japanese students attend elementary and secondary school six days a week and for two months longer each year than North American students. In addition, they have long hours of homework. A large majority of Japanese students attend Juki, or preparatory schools, in the evenings and on Sundays. In higher education, while lacking the strong University system which exists in North America, the curriculum is equally rigorous, and Japan is graduating 75 000 engineers per year, 3 000 more than the U. S. , from a University population one fifth the size. The education system itself is a unifying force. It molds children into group oriented beings by demanding uniformity and conformity form the earliest ages. The attainment of excellence within this complex environment, and the importance it holds for one's future is stressed early. This emphasis places a great burden on the young to perform well in school a to earn admittance to high status universities. The public school system not only produces good, obedient citizens, it produces good workers. A willingness to give oneself to the corporation's best interest, to arrive early and stay late, and to produce good work is attributes learned in the Japanese schools. Those who cannot learn these skills do not do well in school or do not rise in the ranks of the corporate world. The education system is an excellent example of how the Japanese recognize and develop the necessary human skills that are needed in society and stressed in the business world.

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

World Civilizations - Essay Example This study highlights that  the political structure was reorganized in to two-tier system that allowed for efficiency in administration and the influence of noble families diminished. The administrative officials were selected on merit basis and corrupt officials were dismissed from government. Accordingly, Sui Dynasty established Sui Court and law reforms were carried out in order to remove certain harsh punishments on the people.From this paper it is clear that  the Dynasty came in to rule after a series of conflicts and thus economic social economic reforms were implemented in order to overcome the prevailing financial crisis. The Emperor implemented a land equalization policy that led to land distribution for faming purposes based on the number of people in a certain household. The Dynasty standardized measures and weights and unified the coinage and farmers enjoyed lower taxes thus enhancing the development of the social economy. Another milestone was the construction of Gra nd Canal in order to improve transport and enhance economic exchanges. The Dynasty sought protection from enemies by building the Great Wall in order to prevent invasion from Turks. Confucianism gained popularity and Dynasty expanded Southward due to great emphasis on public works.  Tang Dynasty was marked by rapid social and economic transformation such as religious tolerance, agriculture, revived civil service and education. Empress Wu Zhao improved the civil service and decreased the powers of the old nobility.

Global Management of Cineworld Group Plc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global Management of Cineworld Group Plc - Essay Example This paper illustrates that Cineworld Group plc is among the leading cinema group originated in the United Kingdom. The founder Stephen Wiener established the company in the year 1995 and now it operates in 83 locations in the UK under the Cineworld Cinemas Brand. The report deals with the Global management system of the Cineworld Group Plc. It focuses on the learning and development programmes held by Cineworld for its employees as well as recognize the CSR activities of the company. The report would evaluate the performance of Cineworld Group in both the field and suggest viable recommendations based on it. The training and development strategies for the employees is the process of educating and guiding subordinates and management to enhance their knowledge, skills and behaviour to achieve the common organisational goal as well as utilise these learning in individual development for the long run so that they prove to be a valuable asset for the company and its growth. Learning and development process is a characteristic of the employee engagement as it bridges the gap between the employees and the organization and increases their long-term relationship. The term â€Å"engagement† is used in terms of motivation, passion, and assurance. The organization should ensure that the employee engagement programs which help in training and developing the employee to upgrade the quality of their performance must inspire the people, care about the staff as well as instill a sense of challenge and competition among them to perform better. These initiatives enable the organization to perform better as it correlates with the firm’s retention, turnover, loyalty, productivity and services in terms of employees as well as customers. Stuart Holdsworth, the national learning and development manager of the Cineworld Group plc has launched a training and development program for its managers to enhance their skills.

Book Review Essay on HR from the Heart Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Book Review on HR from the Heart - Essay Example She expresses the same gravity when she tells about the importance of the profession. She writes, â€Å"When you go into HR, you must realize that, first and foremost, you are responsible for people’s livelihood. Every day you make plans that affect individuals on the most intimate levels. Every time you choose between one candidate and another, the decision you make sets a chain of events that determines the rest of both their lives –even the candidate you never see again because they’re not right fit for your company. You decide on whether an employee stays or goes. You decide who gets promoted and who doesn’t. You decide who gets a raise and who doesn’t. By establishing the compensation guidelines or advertising management, you influence who gets a generous raise and who doesn’t. And you make all these decisions in a larger context of understanding the internal structures and secret plans of the company as a whole.† (Sartain 6) In this book the author is describing how an HR professional should make career choices and mold careers of others as well. She feels frustrated to see HR professionals as vulnerable as others in making career choices when they are capable of helping others mold careers. Sartain also shows how they can make a difference by relating passion with their career as she says, â€Å"If we, as HR professionals, can’t link career and passion for ourselves, how can we expect to be able to do it for the employees of our organization? One of the parts of HR that I get the most joy out of is helping people find the right environment in which to do the things that they enjoy doing.† (Sartain 20). In today’s business environment, HR plays a crucial role in hiring the right kind of talent and retaining them. HR professionals are supposed to power brokers who stamp ‘No’ to every new proposal and are ready to make yet another policy. However, HR is a dynamic and ever-changing profession which can make a difference

STONEHENGE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

STONEHENGE - Essay Example As Lord Byron succinctly remarked in his poem Don Juan â€Å"The Druid’s groves are gone so much the better, Stonehenge has not but what the devil is it?† (Byron, Canto 11) Although many theories exist about who built it, and the purpose for which it was built; latest archeological research points to its being built by the Britons of the Stone Age. However, given that the time frame for building the monument is so long, it was probably built in stages by different peoples, some of whom may have migrated from other areas. The builders of Stonehenge too, may have evolved from hunters and gatherers to farmers and tradesmen. It seems to be have been a highly sophisticated society, and the purpose of Stonehenge too would have evolved, from purely a burial site to include healing, using it to predict seasons, as well as for religious rites and ceremonies. A megalith which literally means large stone slabs, was a conspicuous form of expression among people of the Neolithic age. Stonehenge is a Megalithic monument, different from other such monuments due to the unique trilithons towering over the landscape and visible for miles around the area. A henge is a monument built in a circular area, of stone or wooden pillars surrounded by a ditch and ostensibly used for religious rituals. Stonehenge is situated on the Salisbury plain in Wiltshire, England. An engineering marvel of pre-historic times, Stonehenge is a tribute to the ingenuity, labor and determination of the people who built it. Stonehenge consists of layers of stone circles and horseshoe patterns. Extensive archeological research has ascertained that Stonehenge was built in three stages between 3100 and 2500 BC. â€Å"We know from modern scientific dating methods that the prehistoric people who lived in Southern Britain before 3000 BC began construction, by building a small ea rth circle called a henge, with a bank, surrounded by a ditch. Different phases of the monument were

Security Planning and Risk Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Security Planning and Risk Assessment - Essay Example Failing to include employee training in risk planning leaves one of the manager's most valuable resources unused. Employees have the best and most current knowledge of security vulnerabilities. Employees will often accept these vulnerabilities as being someone else's job, or fail to recognize their importance. Making employees aware of the problem, and their individual responsibility, can often disclose security risks that might be otherwise overlooked. In addition, they may be a significant source of intelligence concerning an impending, or ongoing, threat. Good employee awareness and communication are the first steps in designing and implementing a risk-reduction program within an organization. 2.) The roles that the government and private-sector play in the protection of private-sector critical infrastructure facilities is usually determined by two factors; budgetary concerns, and expertise. Currently the federal government plays a significant part during the mitigation phase to train and organize security for these concerns. This is appropriate, as it ensures that executives and managers have the latest information concerning research and threats that are constantly changing. This also gives the public a reassurance that the security of these high value assets is coordinated on the federal level. While the government brings considerable expertise to the scenario, the private concern is expected to assume the budgetary requirements. In a free market economy, the private corporation is generally responsible for the immediate security of their assets. This includes physical security and access control. However, the protection of some assets that are critical to the economy, or health and safety, is in the interest of all citizens. The nature of the threat may demand a level of security that is not economically practical for a private business. According to Ortmeier (2008), "Industry standards indicate that the protection cost should be less than 2 percent of the value of the asset to be protected" (p.186). When the cost of security becomes excessive, it is not unreasonable to expect the taxpayer to bear a portion of the cost. Examples would be federal marshals on selected airline flights, or securing material that has a high value to a terrorist for use in explosives. The government should also pass and enforce legislation that mandates security and inspection at critical facilities. The programs that the DEA and EPA currently have that require securing, monitoring, and accounting for drugs and toxic chemicals could be expanded to include other assets.  

Living Through the Pain of Ankylosing Spondylitis Essay Example for Free

Living Through the Pain of Ankylosing Spondylitis Essay As I sit next to my sister, Natalie, she seems saddened as she tells the story that started her difficult journey of dealing with a lifelong disease. As she describes it, â€Å"At the young age of 13, when my girlfriends were thinking about an upcoming 1950s-genre sock hop, I found myself in a Milwaukee back brace to treat a curvature of my spine called scoliosis. The brace keeps the spine virtually immobile. It held my head in alignment with metal bars, clear down to a plastic mold over my hips. I wore the brace for two years and the kids in my school would ask if I had been in a car wreck. I later started high school in new Nike tennis shoes and the awkward metal brace. When I was a sophomore, I developed a severe bowel inflammation episode which the doctor thought was bacterial dysentery. It was awful, and little did I know that this was the start of a series of problems that are all part of a chronic disease. About two weeks later, I developed painful swelling in my right knee. It was severe enough to require removal of an unusually large amount of synovial fluid. A few days after the right knee seemed to heal, the left knee swelled up. The same pattern continued for the next several years and the doctors said it was just arthritis. I then developed an eye infection called iritis in my right eye. It was so severe that it needed daily cortisone injections for 10 days, eye drops and resting in complete darkness. For the next four years, I experienced severe hip (sacroiliac (SI)) pain that made walking difficult. A pelvic X-ray was taken, which showed fusion in one of the SI joints. I was tested and found positive for the HLAB27 gene. The rheumatologist changed the diagnosis from arthritis to a definitive Ankylosing Spondylitis which is a debilitating, painful disease, without a cure, that would continue to worsen throughout my life and would most likely end with me crippled and in a wheelchair† (Rasmussen, 2010) Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a ruthless, genetic disease that makes life very painful and difficult for those affected by it. AS affects as many as 2. 4 million people in the US today, which is more than multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis and Lou Gehrig’s disease combined. Scientists are currently attempting to find out what this disease is, how it is contracted, and what can be done to help those who have AS manage their pain, avoid further bodily damage and hopefully find a cure. Pathophysiology: Ankylosing Spondylitis Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis and an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is when the body’s natural immune system, that is supposed to fight against germs or foreign cells that enter your body, mistake its own healthy cells as being invaders and attack them. This can affect any part of the body or many parts of the body at the same time. In the case of Ankylosing Spondylitis, the immune system attacks its own cells causing arthritis of the spine, sacroiliac (hip) joints and can cause inflammation of the eyes, lungs, and heart valves. It varies from intermittent episodes of back pain that occur throughout life to a severe chronic disease that attacks the spine, peripheral joints and other body organs, resulting in severe joint and back stiffness, loss of motion and deformity as life progresses. Signs and symptoms The beginning physical signs of AS usually start to appear in late adolescence or early adulthood (ages 17-35), but the symptoms can occur in younger children or much later in life as well. The first symptoms of AS can include frequent pain and stiffness in the lower back and buttocks, and symptoms come on gradually over the course of a few weeks or months. At first, discomfort may only be felt on one side, or alternate sides. The pain is usually dull and diffuse, rather than localized. This pain and stiffness is usually worse in the mornings and during the night, but may be improved by a warm shower or light exercise. Also, in the early stages of AS, there may be mild fever, loss of appetite and general discomfort. Many people with AS also experience bowel inflammation and iritis or uveitis (inflammation of the eyes). About one third of people with AS will experience inflammation of the eye at least once. Signs of iritis or uevitis are: Eye(s) becoming painful, watery, red and individuals may experience blurred vision and sensitivity to bright light (Van der Linden S, 2009). Varying levels of fatigue may also result from the inflammation caused by AS. The body must use extra energy to deal with the inflammation, thus causing fatigue. Mild to moderate anemia, may result from the inflammation, which can contribute to an overall feeling of tiredness. In a minority of individuals, the pain does not start in the lower back, but in a peripheral joint such as the hip, ankle, elbow, knee, heel or shoulder. This pain is commonly caused by enthesitis, which is the inflammation of the site where a ligament or tendon attaches to bone. Inflammation and pain in peripheral joints is more common in juveniles with AS. This can be confusing since, without the immediate presence of back pain, AS may look like some other form of arthritis. AS is more common in young men than in women. Typically, 1 in 200 men have AS, whereas 1 in 500 women have the disease. The symptoms or pattern of the disease are different in women. Quoting Dr. Elaine Adams, Women often present in a little more atypical fashion so its even harder to make the diagnoses in women. For example, some women with AS have stated that their symptoms started in the neck rather than in the lower back† (Adams, 2010). The pain normally becomes persistent (chronic), is felt on both sides, and lasts for at least three months. Over the course of months or years, the stiffness and pain can spread up the spine and into the neck. Pain and tenderness spreading to the ribs, shoulder blades, hips, thighs and heels is possible as well. Advanced AS sufferers eventually experience lack of spinal mobility due to spinal fusion. Spinal fusion occurs when damage to the joint and surrounding bone causes calcium to build up which acts like a cement to keep the bones from grinding together. Fusion eliminates the pain caused by the bones grinding together, but creates the complication of limited flexibility or immobility. Diagnosis There is no direct test to diagnose AS. A clinical examination and X-ray[-0] studies of the spine, are the major diagnostic tools. A drawback of X-ray diagnosis is that signs and symptoms of AS have usually been established as long as 8–10 years prior for changes to be seen on a plain film X-ray, which means a delay of as long as 10 years before adequate therapies and treatments can be introduced. Options for earlier diagnosis are tomography[-1] and magnetic resonance imaging[-2] (MRI) of the sacroiliac joints, but the reliability of these tests is still unclear. Also, MRI can be cost prohibitive (Thomas E, 1998, pp. 343-7). A physical examination by a doctor or rheumatologist is necessary in properly diagnosing AS. The examination would entail looking for sites of inflammation, and checking for pain and tenderness along the back, pelvic bones, sacroiliac joints, chest and heels. Other symptoms and indicators are also taken into account, including a history of iritis or uveitis (inflammation of the eye), a history of gastrointestinal infections (for example, the presence of Crohns Disease or ulcerative colitis), a family history of AS, as well as fatigue due to the presence of inflammation. The Schobers test[-3] is a useful clinical measure of flexion of the lumbar spine performed during examination. Ankylosing Spondylitis is considered a genetic disease and studies have linked AS with a genetic marker called HLA-B27. However, testing positive for this marker is not a guarantee that a person will contract the disease. Approximately 90% of AS patients carry the HLA-B27 marker but 10% who exhibit AS disease characteristics do not. The association between AS and HLA-B27 varies in different ethnic and racial groups. 95% of people in the Caucasian population who have AS test HLA-B27 positive. However, only 50% of African American patients with AS possess HLA-B27 marker. Therefore, 5% of Caucasians and 50% of African Americans who have AS do not carry the HLA-B27 marker. In 2007, a collaborative effort by an international team of researchers in the U. K. , Australia and the United States led to the discovery of two genes, ARTS1 and IL23R[-4], that also contribute to the cause of AS. The findings were published in the November 2007 edition of Nature Genetics, a journal that emphasizes research on the genetic basis for common and complex diseases (Brionez TF, 2008, pp. 348-91). Together with HLA-B27, these two genes account for roughly 70% of the overall incidence of the disease. Treatment with Medications There are many medications available to treat AS and its symptoms. Depending on the stage of the disease and its rate of progression, different medications are recommended. People respond to medications with varying levels of effectiveness, thus it may take time to find the most effective medication for treating someone with Ankylosing Spondylitis. Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) NSAIDs are the most commonly used class of medication used in treating the inflammation and swelling associated with AS and thus reduce pain and stiffness. For example, Ibuprofen is a generic NSAID and is found in over-the-counter pain relievers such as Advil and Motrin. They commonly come in tablet form and are taken orally. Sometimes high doses of NSAIDs are needed to maintain relief from the symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis. This can pose a problem in that NSAIDs can cause significant side effects, especially in the gastrointestinal tract (stomach, intestines, etc. ). NSAIDs can cause reduction in the protective mucus in the stomach, which can cause stomach irritation. In time, this can lead to heartburn, gastritis as well as ulcers and even bleeding. People can take other medications, such as antacids, to neutralize or prevent the production of excess stomach acid or take drugs to help coat and protect the stomach and help restore the lost mucus. According to Spondylitis Association of America, there is a different class of NSAIDs known as COX-2 inhibitors (or COXIBs) have helped some patients reduce the risk of gastrointestinal complications associated with traditional NSAID therapy. An example of a COXIB is Celebrex (Celecoxib), which is still being used to treat spondyloarthritis. Others, such as Vioxx, were pulled from the market because of potential cardiac side effects (SAA Medication Treatments, 2009). Although NSAIDs are commonly the first line of medications used to treat Ankylosing Spondylitis, sometimes they arent enough to control the symptoms. NSAIDs may only be partially effective or the side effects too severe to continue their use. In this case, a doctor may prescribe one of the following medications: Sulfasalazine Sulfasalazine is one type of medication that can be helpful to some people with this severe disease. It is known to effectively control not only pain and joint swelling from arthritis of the small joints, but also the intestinal lesions in inflammatory bowel disease. It comes in tablet form and is taken orally. Side effects are relatively infrequent, but can include headaches, abdominal bloating, nausea and oral ulcers. Rarely, someone being prescribed this medication can develop bone marrow suppression, which is why it is important to regularly monitor blood counts. Methotrexate Originally developed to treat cancer, this chemotherapy drug is widely used and often very effective for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. When prescribed for treating Ankylosing Spondylitis, it is given in much smaller doses. Methotrexate can either be taken via a self-injectable shot, or orally in tablet form. When taking methotrexate, it is also necessary to take the vitamin folic acid in order to help suppress possible side effects. Oral ulcers and nausea are the most common side effects, but can be minimized by taking folic acid. Because of other potential serious side effects, the frequent monitoring of blood counts and liver tests are required. Methotrexate lowers the ability for patients to fight infection. Therefore, patients taking it should avoid contact with those who are ill. Corticosteroids Corticosteroids such as prednisone can be effective in relieving the inflammation of AS, but the side effects of long-term use can be very severe. Corticosteroid injections into the inflamed joints can provide temporary relief of the pain caused by arthritis or bursitis. In instances of Achilles tendonitis, such injections are rarely, if ever used because of the risk of rupturing the Achilles tendon. Also, the usefulness of corticosteroid injections to relieve the symptoms of plantar fasciitis (heel pain) is not clear. Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha inhibitors AS patients produce too much of an inflammatory substance called Tumor-Necrosis-Factor alpha (TNF-a). TNF-a blockers are biologic medications that have shown great promise in treating AS by binding the excess TNF-a, thus reducing inflammation. TNF-a blockers slow the progress of AS in the majority of clinical cases, helping many patients receive a significant reduction, though not elimination, of their inflammation and pain. They have been shown to be highly effective in treating the arthritis of the joints and the spinal arthritis associated with Ankylosing Spondylitis. Examples of TNF? [-5] blockers are: Enbrel (etanercept[-6]), Remicade (infliximab[-7]), Humira (adalimumab[-8]) and Simponi (Golimumab). Besides the often high cost of over $600 per injection, the most serious known side effect of the TNF blockers is the fact that these drugs increase the risk of infections, especially tuberculosis. Thus, a TB test is usually required before starting any of the TNF therapies. Patients taking the TNF medications are advised to limit their exposure to others who are or may be carrying a virus (such as a cold or flu) or who may have a bacterial or fungal infection. A very rare possible complication is increased frequency of cancer, especially of the blood, such as leukemia or of the lymphatic system as in lymphoma. (SAA Medication Treatments, 2009).

Measures of Dispersion

Measures of Dispersion Summary The measure of central tendency, as discussed in the previous chapter tells us only about the characteristics of a particular series. They do not describe any thing on the observations or data entirely. In other wards, measures of central tendency do not tell any thing about the variations that exist in the data of a particular series. To make the concept, let discuss an example. It was found by using formula of mean that the average depth of a river is 6 feet. One cannot confidently enter into the river because in some places the depth may be 12 feet or it may have 3 feet. Thus this type of interpretation by using the measures of central tendency some times proves to be useless. Hence the measure of central tendency alone to measure the characteristics of a series of observations is not sufficient to draw a valid conclusion. With the central value one must know as to how the data is distributed. Different sets of data may have the same measures of central tendency but differ greatly in terms of variation. For this knowledge of central value is not enough to appreciate the nature of distribution of values. Thus there is the requirement of some additional measures along with the measures of central tendency which will describe the spread of the entire set of values along with the central value. One such measure is popularly called as dispersion or variation. The study of dispersion will enables us to know whether a series is homogeneous (where all the observations remains around the central value) or the observations is heterogeneous (there will be variations in the observations around the central value like 1, 50, 20, 28 etc., where the central value is 33). Hence it can be said that a measure of dispersion describes the spread or scattering of the individual values of a series around its central value. Experts opine different opinion on why the variations in a distribution are so important to consider? Following are some views on validity of the measure of dispersion: Measures of variation provide the researchers some additional information about the behaviour of the series along with the measures of central tendency. With this information one can judge the reliability of the value that is derived by using the measure of central tendency. If the data of the series are widely dispersed, the central location is less representatives of the data as a whole. On the other hand, when the data of a series is less dispersed, the central location is more representative to the entire series. In other wards, a high degree of variation would mean little uniformity whereas a low degree of variation would mean greater uniformity. When the data of a series are widely dispersed, it creates practical problems in executing data. Measure of dispersion helps in understanding and tackling the widely dispersed data. It facilitates to determine the nature and cause of variation in order to control the variation itself. Measures of variation enable comparison to be made of two or more series with regard to their variability. DEFINITION: Following are some definitions defined by different experts on measures of dispersion. L.R. Connor defines measures of dispersion as ‘dispersion is the measure extended to which individual items vary. Similarly, Brookes and Dick opines it as ‘dispersion or spread is the degree of the scatter or the variation of the variables about a central value. Robert H. Wessel defines it as ‘measures which indicate the spread of the values are called measures of dispersion. From all these definition it is clear that dispersion measures more or less describes the spread or scattering of the individual values of a series around its central value. METHODS OF MEASURING DISPERSION: Dispersion of a series of data can be calculated by using following four widely used methods Dispersion when measured on basis of the difference between two extreme values selected from a series of data. The two well known measures are The Range The Inter-quartile Range or Quartile Deviation Dispersion when measured on basis of average deviation from some measure of central tendency. The well known measures are The Mean/average deviation The Standard Deviation and The Coefficient of variation and The Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve All the tools are discussed in details below one after the other. THE RANGE: The range is the simplest measure of the dispersion. The range is defined as the difference between the highest value and the lowest value of the series. Range as a measure of variation is having limited applicability. It is widely used for weather forecasting by the meteorological departments. It also used in statistical quality control. Range is a good indicator to measure the fluctuations in price change like that of studying the variations in the price of shares and debentures and other related matters. Following is the procedure of calculating range: Range= value of the highest observation (H) – value of the lowest observation (L) or Range = H – L Advantages of Range: Range is the simplest of obtaining dispersion. It is easily understandable and can be interpreted easily. It requires fewer times to obtain the variation in the series. Disadvantages of Range: As it considers only two extreme values, hence it doesnt include all the observations of the series. It fails to tell any thing about the characteristics of a distribution It is having very limited scope of applicability Having no mathematical treatment THE INTER-QUARTILE RANGE OR QUARTILE DEVIATION: A second measure of dispersion is the inter-quartile range which takes into account the middle half i.e., 50% of the data thus, avoiding the problem of extreme values in the data. Hence it measures approximately how far from the median one must go on either side before it can be include one-half the values of the data set. Inter-quartile range can be calculated by dividing the series of observations into four parts; each part of the series contains 25 percent of the observations. The quartiles are then the highest values in each of these four parts, and the inter-quartile range is the difference between the values of the first and the third quartile. Following are the steps of calculating the inter-quartile range: Arrange the data of the series in ascending order. Calculate the first quartile which is denoted as (Q1) by using the formula In case of grouped data the first quartile (Q1) can be calculated by using the formula Where N= number of observations in the series i.e., the sum of frequencies, L = lower limit of the quartile class, p.c.f. = commutative frequency prior to the quartile class, f = frequency of the quartile class and i = class interval. Quartile class can be determined by using the formula. Calculate the third quartile which is denoted as (Q3) by using the formula in case of ungrouped data. In case of grouped data the third quartile (Q3) can be calculated by using the formula Where N= number of observations in the series i.e., the sum of frequencies, L = lower limit of the quartile class, p.c.f. = commutative frequency prior to the quartile class, f = frequency of the quartile class and i = class interval. Quartile class can be determined by using the formula. THE MEAN/AVERAGE DEVIATION: Mean/average deviation is the arithmetic mean of the difference of a series computed from any measure of central tendency i.e., either deviation from mean or median or mode. The absolute values of each observation are calculated. Clark and Schekade opine mean deviation or average deviations as the average amount of scatter of the items in a distribution from either the mean or the median, ignoring the signs of the deviations. Thus the average that is taken of scatter is an arithmetic mean, which accounts for the fact that this measure is often called as mean deviation or average deviations. Calculations of Mean Deviation in case of Discrete Series: In case of discrete series, mean deviation can be calculated through following steps The first step is to calculate the mean or median or mode of the given series Compute the deviations of the observations of the series from the calculated mean or median or mode. This deviation is also denoted as capital letter D and is always taken as mod value i.e., ignoring the plus or minus sign. Take the summation of the deviations (sum of D) and divide it by number of observations (N). In the same way one can calculate mean deviation from median or mode in case of individual series. Calculations of Mean Deviation in case of discrete series: Mean deviation can be calculated in case of discrete series in a little bit different way. Following are some steps to calculate the average mean when the series is discrete. The first step is to calculate the mean or median or mode of the given series by using the formula as discussed in the previous chapter. Compute the deviations of the observations of the series from the calculated mean or median or mode value. This deviation is also denoted as capital letter D and is always taken as mod value i.e., ignoring the plus or minus sign. Multiply the corresponding frequency with each deviation value i.e., calculate f * D. Similarly, one can calculate the mean deviation or average deviation by taking deviations from median or mode. Calculations of Mean Deviation in case of continuous series: The first step is to calculate the mean or median or mode of the given series by using the formula as discussed in the previous chapter. In the second step, get the mid values of the observations (m) Compute the deviations of the observations of the series from the calculated mean or median or mode value. This deviation is also denoted as capital letter D = m mean or median or mode and is always taken as mod value i.e., ignoring the plus or minus sign. Multiply the corresponding frequency with each deviation value i.e., calculate f * D. Take the summation i.e., (sum of D) and divide it by number of observations (N). The formula may be Advantages of mean deviation: The computation process of mean deviation is based on all the observations of the series. The value of mean deviation is less affected by the extreme items. These are three alternatives available with the researcher while calculating the mean. One can consider the mean or median or mode. Hence it is more flexible in calculation. Disadvantages of mean deviation: The practical usefulness of mean deviation is very less. Mean deviation is not having enough scope for further mathematical calculations. Mod values are considered while calculating the mean deviation. It is criticized by some experts as illogical and unsound. THE STANDARD DEVIATION: Standard deviation or other wise called as root mean square deviation is the most important and widely used measure of variation. It measures the absolute variation of a distribution. It is the right measure that highlights the spread of the observation over and around the mean value. The greater the rate of variation of observations in a series, the greater will be the value of standard deviation. A small value of standard deviation implies a high degree of homogeneity among the observations in the series. If there will be a comparison between two or more standard deviations of two or more series, than it is always advisable to choose that series as ideal one which is having small value of standard deviation. Standard deviation is always measures from the mean or average value of the series. The credit for introducing this concept in the literature goes to Karl Pearson, a famous statistician. It is denoted by the Greek letter (pronounced as sigma) Standard deviation is calculated in following three different series: Standard deviation in case of Individual series Standard deviation in case of Discrete series Standard deviation in case of Continuous series All the above conditions are discussed in detail below. a. Standard deviation in case of individual series: In case of individual series, the value of standard deviation can be calculated by using two methods. Direct method- when deviations are taken from actual mean Short-cut method- when deviations are taken from assumed mean 1. Direct method- when deviations are taken from actual mean: Following are some steps to be followed for calculating the value of standard deviation. The first step is to calculate the actual mean value of the observation In the next column calculate the deviation from each observation i.e., find out () where is the mean of the series. In the next column calculate the square value of the deviations and at the end of the column calculate the sum of the square of the deviations i.e., Divide the total value with the number of observations (N) and than square root of the value. The formula will be . Since the series is having individual observations, some times it so happens that there is no need of taking the deviations. In such a case the researcher can directly calculate the value of the standard deviation. The formula for calculating directly is . 2. Short-cut method- when deviations are taken from assumed mean: In practical uses it so happens that while calculating standard deviation by using the arithmetic mean, the mean value may be in some fractions i.e., .25 etc. This creates the real problem in calculating the value of standard deviation. For this purpose, instead of calculating standard deviation by using the above discussed arithmetic mean methods, researchers generally prefer the method of short-cut which is nothing rather calculation of standard deviation by assuming a mean value. Following are some steps that to be followed for calculating standard deviation in case of assumed mean method: The first step is to assume a value from the X values as mean. This mean value is denoted as A. In the next step deviations are to be calculated from this assumed mean as (X-A) and this value is denoted as D. At the end of the same column, the sum of D () is to be calculated. Calculate the square of each observation of D i.e., calculate. The following formula is to be used to calculate standard deviation of the series. where N is the number of observations in the series. b. Standard deviation in case of discrete series: Discrete series are the series which are having some frequencies or repetitions of observations. In case of a discrete series standard deviation is calculated by using following three methods: when deviations are taken from actual mean when deviations are taken from assumed mean Following are the detailed analysis of the above the two methods. 1. When deviations are taken from actual mean: The steps to calculate standard deviation when deviations are calculated from the actual mean are The first step is to calculate the actual mean value of the observation In the next column calculate the deviation from each observation i.e., find out () where is the mean of the series, this can be denoted as D. In the next column calculate the square value of the deviations and at the end of the column calculate the sum of the square of the deviations i.e., Multiply corresponding frequencies of each observation with the value of D2 in the next column. Divide the total value with the number of observations (N) and than square root of the value. The formula will be 2. When deviations are taken from assumed mean: The steps to calculate standard deviation when deviations are calculated from the actual mean are The first step is to assume a mean value from the observations In the next column calculate the deviation from each observation i.e., find out () where A is the mean of the series, this deviation can be denoted as D. In the next column calculate the square value of the deviations and at the end of the column calculate the sum of the square of the deviations i.e., Multiply corresponding frequencies (f) of each observation with the value of D2 in the next column. Use the following formula to calculate standard deviation c. Standard deviation in case of Continuous series: Standard deviation in case of a continuous series can be calculated by using the following steps Calculate the mid value of the series and denote it as ‘m. Assume any value from the mid values and denote it as A Deviations can be calculated from each series i.e., calculate m – A and than divide it with the class interval value (i) i.e., Multiply the corresponding frequencies of each observation with the deviation value and take the sum at the end of the column i.e., calculate In the next column square the deviation values of each observation i.e., calculate Multiply the value of with its frequencies i.e., calculate Use the following formula to get standard deviation. Properties of standard deviation: As tool of variance, standard deviation is used as a good measure of interpretation of the scatteredness of observation of a series. It is a fact that in a normal distribution approximately 68 per cent of the observations of a series lies less than standard deviation away from the mean, again approximately 95.5 per cent of the items lie less than 2 standard deviation value away from the mean and in the same way 99.7 per cent of the items lie within 3 standard deviations away from the mean. Hence covers 68.27 per cent of the items in a series with normal distribution. covers 95.45 per cent of the items in a series with normal distribution and covers 99.73 per cent of the items in a series with normal distribution. Advantage of Standard Deviation: Following are some advantages of standard deviation as a measure of dispersion This is the highest used technique of dispersion. It is regarded as a very satisfactory measure of the dispersion of a series. It is capable of further mathematical calculations. Algebraic signs are not ignored while measuring the value of standard deviation of a series. It is less affected by the extreme observations of a series. The coefficients make the standard deviation very popular measure of the scatteredness of a series. Disadvantages of standard deviation: The disadvantages are It is not easy to understand the concept easily and quickly. It requires a good exercise to calculate the values of standard deviation. It gives more weight to observations which are away from the arithmetic mean. THE COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION: Another useful statistical tool for measuring dispersion of a series is coefficient of variation. The coefficient of variation is the relative measure of standard deviation which is an absolute measure of dispersion. This tool of dispersion is mostly used in case of comparing the variability two or more series of observation. While comparing, that series for which the value of the coefficient of variation is greater is said to be more variable (i.e., the observations of the series are less consistent, less uniform, less stable or less homogeneous). Hence it is always advisable to choose that series which is having less value of coefficient of variation. The value of coefficient is less implies more consistent, more uniform, more stable and of course more homogeneous. The value of coefficient of variation is always measured by using the value of standard deviation and its relative arithmetic mean. It is denoted as C.V., and is measured by using simple formula as discussed below: In practical field, researchers generally prefer to use standard deviation as a tool to measure the dispersion than that of coefficient of variance because of a numbers of reasons (researchers are advised to refer any standard statistics book to know more on coefficient of variance and its usefulness). GINI COEFFICIENT AND THE LORENZ CURVE: An illuminating manner of viewing the Gini coefficient is in terms of the Lorenz curve due to Lorenz (1905). It is generally defined on the basis of the Lorenz curve. It is popularly known as the Lorenz ratio. The most common definition of the Gini coefficient is in terms of the Lorenz diagram is the ratio of the area between the Lorenz curve and the line of equality, to the area of the triangle OBD below this line (figure-1). The Gini coefficient varies between the limits of 0 (perfect equality) and 1 (perfect inequality), and the greater the departure of the Lorenz curve from the diagonal, the larger is the value of the Gini coefficient. Various geometrical definitions of Gini coefficient discussed in the literature and useful for different purposes are examined here. CONCLUSIONS: The study of dispersion will enables us to know whether a series is homogeneous (where all the observations remains around the central value) or the observations is heterogeneous (there will be variations in the observations around the central value Hence it can be said that a measure of dispersion describes the spread or scattering of the individual values of a series around its central value. For this there are a numbers of methods to determine the variations as discussed in this chapter. But it is always confusing among the researchers that which method is the best among the different techniques that we have discussed? The answer to this question is very simple and says that no single average can be considered as best for all types of data series. The most important factors are the type of data available and the purpose of investigation. Critiques suggest that if a series is having more extreme values than standard deviation as technique is to be avoided. On the other hand in case of more skewed observations standard deviation may be used but mean deviation needs to be avoided where as if the series is having more gaps between two observations than quartile deviation is not an appropriate measure to be used. Similarly, standard deviation is the best technique for any purpose of data. SUMMARY: The study of dispersion will enables us to know whether a series is homogeneous (where all the observations remains around the central value) or the observations is heterogeneous (there will be variations in the observations around the central value). Dispersion when measured on basis of the difference between two extreme values selected from a series of data. The two well known measures are (i) The Range and (ii) The Inter-quartile Range. Dispersion when measured on basis of average deviation from some measure of central tendency. The well known measures are (i) The Mean/average deviation, (ii) The Standard Deviation, (iii) The Coefficient of variation and (iv) The Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve The range is defined as the difference between the highest value and the lowest value of the series. Range as a measure of variation is having limited applicability. The inter-quartile range measures approximately how far from the median one must go on either side before it can be include one-half the values of the data set. Mean/average deviation is the arithmetic mean of the difference of a series computed from any measure of central tendency i.e., either deviation from mean or median or mode. The absolute values of each observation are calculated. A small value of standard deviation implies a high degree of homogeneity among the observations in the series. If there will be a comparison between two or more standard deviations of two or more series, than it is always advisable to choose that series as ideal one which is having small value of standard deviation. Standard deviation is always measures from the mean or average value of the series. The coefficient of variation is the relative measure of standard deviation which is an absolute measure of dispersion. This tool of dispersion is mostly used in case of comparing the variability two or more series of observation. The most common definition of the Gini coefficient is in terms of the Lorenz diagram is the ratio of the area between the Lorenz curve and the line of equality, to the area of the triangle below the equality line. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: 1. Age of ten students in a class is considered. Find the mean and standard deviation. 19, 21, 20, 20, 23, 25, 24, 25, 22, 26 The following table derives the marks obtained in Statistics paper by 100 students in a class. Calculate the standard deviation and mean deviation. The monthly profits of 150 shop keepers selling different commodities in a city footpath is derived below. Calculate the mean, mean deviation and standard of the distribution. The daily wage of 160 labourers working in a cotton mill in Surat cith is derived below. Calculate the range, mean deviation and standard of the distribution. Calculate the mean deviation and standard deviation of the following distribution. What do you mean by measure of dispersion? How far it helpful to a decision-maker in the process of decision making? Define measure of Dispersion? Among the various tools of dispersion which tool according to you is the best one, give suitable reason of your answer. What do you mean by measure of dispersion? Compare and contrast various tools of dispersion by pointing out their advantages and disadvantages. Discuss with example the relative merits of range, mean deviation and standard deviation as measures of dispersion. Define standard deviation? Why standard deviation is more useful than other measures of dispersion? The data derived below shows the ages of 100 students pursuing their master degree in economics. Calculate the Mean deviation and standard deviation. Following is the results of a study carried out to determine the number of mileage the marketing executives drove their cars over a 1-year period. For this 50 marketing executives are sampled. Based on the findings, calculate the range and inter-quartile range. In an enquiry of the number of days 230 patients chosen randomly stayed in a Government hospital following after operation. On the basics of observation calculate the standard deviation. Cars sold in small car segment in November 2009 at 10 Maruti Suzuki dealers in Delhi city is explained below. Compute the range, mean deviation and standard deviation of the data series. Following is the daily data on the number of persons entered through main gate in a month to institute. Calculate the range and standard deviation of the series. Calculate the range and coefficient of range of a group of students from the marks obtained in two papers as derived below: Following are marks obtained by some students in a class-test. Calculate the range and coefficient of range. By using the direct and indirect method, calculate the mean deviation by using both arithmetic mean and mode from the following data set which is related to age and numbers of residents of Vasundara apartment, Gaziabad. A local geezer manufacturer at Greater Noida has developed a new and chief variety of geezers which are meant of lower and middle income households. He carried out a survey in some apartments asking the expectations of the customers that they are ready to invest on purchase of geezer. Calculate the standard deviation of the series. Calculate median of the following distribution. From the median value calculate the mean deviation and coefficient of mean deviation. Calculate median of the following distribution. From the median value calculate the mean deviation and coefficient of mean deviation. Calculate the arithmetic average and standard deviation from the following daily data of rickshaw puller of Hyderabad City. From the students of 250 candidates the mean and standard deviations of their total marks were calculated as 60 and 17. Latter in the process of verification it is found that a score 46 was misread 64. Recalculate the correct mean and standard deviation. The wage structure paid on daily basis of two cotton factories are derived below. In order to show the inequality, draw the Lorenz curve. Total marks obtained by the students in two sections are derived below. By using the data draw a Lorenz curve. Draw the Lorenz curve of the following data. Find the range and co-efficient of range for the following data set. The height of 10 firemen working in a fire station are 165, 168, 172, 174, 175, 178, 156, 158, 160, 179 cms. Calculate the range of the series. Now let that the tallest and the shortest firemen are get transformed from the fire station. Calculate the range of the new firemen. What percentage change is found in the earlier range and the latter range? Calculate the quartile deviation from the following derived data. Calculate the interquartile range, quartile deviation and its coefficient for the following data series. Calculate the mean deviation from the following data. Calculate the mean deviation from median and mean for the following series. The distribution derived below reveals the difference in age between husband and wife in a community. Based on the data, calculate mean deviation and standard deviation. Calculate th