Wednesday, August 26, 2020

St. John the Evangelist Essay Example For Students

St. John the Evangelist Essay All through the mankind's history there have been numerous holy people who have lived among us. They followed Jesus standards and they did Gods will. Probably the soonest holy person was St. John, and he lived during the hours of Jesus. His adolescence and his date of birth are obscure, yet it is notable that he was probably the best adherent and understudies of Jesus. St. John was the child of Zebedee, and the sibling of St. James the Great with whom he was raised to the exchange of angling. While Jesus was spreading his lessons and his supernatural occurrences St. John entered open service. At that point in his first year of open service our Lord called him to be an Apostle. He was called to be an Apostle with his sibling, as they were retouching their nets on the ocean of Galilee. St. John was the most youthful of the considerable number of witnesses, and outlasted the others. It is difficult to list in subtleties, all the difficulties that St. John confronted. His difficulties were genuinely trailed by Gods will and helped numerous individuals. St. John was one of the initial ones who comprehended and concentrated how an individual should live, by what method should he carry on, and how moral his life ought to be. He was one of the first to follow those heavenly standards, and demonstrate them to other people. Perhaps the best test was composin g a gospel. St. John the Evangelist is for the most part known for composing a fourth Gospel. On the off chance that you would request that any individual rundown his difficulties nearly everyone would disclose to you that he composed a gospel. It is accepted that he composed a Gospel at the time of 96, after the passing of Domitian. His item recorded as a hard copy it he reveals to us himself: These things are composed that you may accept that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that, accepting, you may have life in His name. So as to compose a Gospel you must be really associated with blessed life without anyone else. St. John went tossed Jesus lessons and he opened himself to Jesus. An incredible entirety he spent by communicating adoration to other people and by actualizing Jesus standards. Hence before composing a Gospel, St. John experienced everything on himself. He additionally composed three epistles. The first is called catholic, as routed to all Christians, particula rly his proselytes. The other two are short, and coordinated to specific people, to Gaius and to neighborhood church. The Book of Revelation is likewise credited to him. We will compose a custom article on St. John the Evangelist explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now Composing a Gospel was by all account not the only extraordinary test that St. John acted in his life. He turned into the darling follower and the just one of the Twelve who didn't neglect the Savior in the hour of Jesus Passion. He demonstrated it himself by alluding to himself in a Gospel with a pleased quietude as the devotee whom Jesus cherished. Jesus would have him present with Peter and James at His transfiguration and His anguish in the nursery. Likewise John was picked to go with Peter into the city to set up the Last Supper. St. John stood steadfastly at the cross when the Savior made him the watchman of his mom. Along with his sibling James and with Simon Peter, he shaped a sort of inward hover of Three among the Twelve. In that those three were favored to view the marvel of the Great Catch of Fish, the recuperating of Peters relative, the bringing up of the little girl of Jairus, the Transfiguration, and the Agony in Gethsemane. So St. John was encircled with difficulties and he applied Jesus standard in each challenge that he confronted. Those individuals who required assistance and second sanctification heard the accompanying word from St. John, I will respond in due order regarding you to Jesus Chris. I am prepared to set out my life for you. I am sent by Christ. When St. John heard that Christs tomb was open, he was the first to see that Christ was for sure risen. He additionally helped at the committee, which the witnesses held at Jerusalem. Later his life was passed mostly in Jerusalem and at Ephesus. He established numerous chapels in Asia Minor. Brought to Rome, custom relates that he was by request of Emperor Dometian cast into a cauldron of bubbling oil however approached safe and was ousted to the island of Pathmos for a year. At the point when age and shortcoming developed upon him at Ephesus with the goal that he wasnt ready to lecture the individuals, he used to be conveyed to the get together of the loyal, and each time said to his rush just these words, My little kids, love each other. At the point when he was inquired as to why he said it he answered, Because it is the expression of the Lord, and on the off chance that you keep it you do what's necessary. He lived to an extraordinary mature age, enduring all his kindred messengers, and kicked the bucket about the year 100. St. John is known as the Apostle of Charity, a righteousness he had gained from his Divine Master. He utilized that ideals in his words and activities. The adored devotee passed on at Ephesus, where a dignified church was raised over his burial place. It was subsequently changed ove r into a Mohammedan mosque. .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af , .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af .postImageUrl , .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af .focused content territory { min-stature: 80px; position: relative; } .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af , .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af:hover , .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af:visited , .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af:active { border:0!important; } .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af .clearfix:after { content: ; show: table; clear: both; } .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af { show: square; change: foundation shading 250ms; webkit-progress: foundation shading 250ms; width: 100%; darkness: 1; progress: haziness 250ms; webkit-change: mistiness 250ms; foundation shading: #95A5A6; } .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af:active , .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af:hover { obscurity: 1; progress: murkiness 250ms; webkit-change: mistiness 250ms; foundation shading: #2C3E50; } .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af .focused content region { width: 100%; position: rela tive; } .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af .ctaText { outskirt base: 0 strong #fff; shading: #2980B9; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: intense; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; text-enhancement: underline; } .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af .postTitle { shading: #FFFFFF; text dimension: 16px; text style weight: 600; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; width: 100%; } .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af .ctaButton { foundation shading: #7F8C8D!important; shading: #2980B9; fringe: none; fringe sweep: 3px; box-shadow: none; text dimension: 14px; textual style weight: striking; line-tallness: 26px; moz-fringe span: 3px; text-adjust: focus; text-beautification: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-stature: 80px; foundation: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/modules/intelly-related-posts/resources/pictures/straightforward arrow.png)no-rehash; position: total; right: 0; top: 0; } .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af:hover .ctaButton { foundation shading: #34495E!important; } .u678fb2906aa34 572ac5009a3b729b4af .focused content { show: table; tallness: 80px; cushioning left: 18px; top: 0; } .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af-content { show: table-cell; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; cushioning right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-adjust: center; width: 100%; } .u678fb2906aa34572ac5009a3b729b4af:after { content: ; show: square; clear: both; } READ: Essay About Schizophrenia The commitment that St. John made to the Christian people group and the world is critical. He is the person who will be known perpetually for his works and his difficulties. He will be rarely overlooked, as he was the person who passed Jesus instructing to the entire world. He gave his life for the future, with the goal that today we would realize in what manner should we live as Christians, and how ethically should we act. There are a great deal of things that I gained from St. Johns life. His works were significant for Christian history, along these lines for many individuals who educated from his co mpositions, and that incorporates me also. I discovered that caring all individuals is significant yet not simply cherishing the once who just give you love. Offering adoration to God significant. I ought not stress over my garments or assets or what stresses I ought to beat the following day. God deals with that. I am a great deal extraordinary at the present time. I stress over what I will product the following day, in the event that I lost something I can freeze, when I don't understand that the more I alarm the less I get an opportunity of finding what I have lost. St. john was an incredible saint and he was eager to surrender his life for God and for everybody and for what's to come. From this I discovered that this individual truly was a saint and he was showing us how to carry on with the correct route throughout everyday life. Today there are a great deal of Churches and schools work under his name. Today everyone has a long way to go from St. John. His life is an ideal mode l for us. He is the person who can change numerous existences of various individuals, and impact their conduct. St. John the Evangelist, the devotee whom Jesus adored will be referred to always, as Jesus stated, he will not bite the dust.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Salem Witch Trials Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Salem Witch Trials - Coursework Example finished rights, the prison states of charged were nevertheless cruel, with the blamed witches regularly tied for a considerable length of time inside virus overwhelmed, putrid cells; as a result, constraining numerous honest detainees to acknowledged their discipline for offenses they knew little about.2 Those who endeavored to escape would quickly be executed when gotten. The assessments for proof were embarrassing, best case scenario, for the denounced were regularly stripped exposed and tormented much more to admit. The informers were nevertheless an area of the puritans with solid convictions in the presence of satanic sprits and the related command over each terrible thing throughout everyday life; and was the situation when their youngsters started carrying on in opposition to their doctrinal convictions, prompting the Salem black magic allegations. The denounced witches were taken before delegated judges, actually addressed, with their informers showing up in the courts in a great presentation of ridiculing shouts and squirming of the alleged evil soul had little youngsters, which to the doubt of many, were the finished proof in the preliminaries. Confidence in the threats of extraordinary forces had for some time been developed by the network, and that the difficulties, for example, the eventual outcomes of the wars, smallpox plague, among different clashes also the taking off crime percentages just solidified the stewing strains and

Friday, August 21, 2020

Security of Devices and Networks

Security of Devices and Networks Best Safety Tips: Securing Your Devices and Networks Home›Technology Posts›Best Safety Tips: Securing Your Devices and Networks Technology PostsHundred years ago, our belongings were the most valuable things for us. Now information is more important than belongings. How to protect it? Here is the list of top 10 tips on how to keep your data safe.Top 5 Wireless Security Data Security TipsBackup your dataâ€" that is a basic tip, but how many people are really following it? Just create a duplicate of your data on a separate device (external hard drive) in case your main device is broken, lost, stolen etc. You can also use a cloud service to backup your files. This is very convenient because you can access your files from any place that has connection to the Internet. In case you have huge volume of files, it is advisable to use an external hard drive.Encrypt your dataâ€" the importance of data encryption is hard to over-evaluate. Some think data encryption is only applicable for g eeks, but in reality, anyone can use it as modern software makes this useful feature accessible to all. You can use FileVault for MacOS and TrueCrypt for Windows.Use anti-malware protectionâ€" malware is dangerous to your data. Malware includes trojan horses, worms, viruses, spyware, and other harmful programs that can damage or steal your information. Get a good anti-virus and firewall, keep them updated and run regular scans. Also, avoid clicking on the links in suspicious e-mails or messages.Get rid of old devices and backups cleverlyâ€" which means not to let anyone re-use them. If you want to get rid of your old hard drive, make it unreadable. Use special software or sanitize the disk magnetically. If you are deleting files from the drive, do not forget to remove them from your cloud storage.Install operating system updates regularlyâ€" this may be painful but it is an absolute must. These updates may contain very important patches that will defend your system from the newest m alware, viruses, and other threats. If you do not have these updates installed, your computer may be in danger. Also, do not forget to automate your software updates. This will help you in keeping data safe.And the last, but not least, always secure your wireless network with a password. Stay safe and keep your data safe!

Security of Devices and Networks

Security of Devices and Networks Best Safety Tips: Securing Your Devices and Networks Home›Technology Posts›Best Safety Tips: Securing Your Devices and Networks Technology PostsHundred years ago, our belongings were the most valuable things for us. Now information is more important than belongings. How to protect it? Here is the list of top 10 tips on how to keep your data safe.Top 5 Wireless Security Data Security TipsBackup your dataâ€" that is a basic tip, but how many people are really following it? Just create a duplicate of your data on a separate device (external hard drive) in case your main device is broken, lost, stolen etc. You can also use a cloud service to backup your files. This is very convenient because you can access your files from any place that has connection to the Internet. In case you have huge volume of files, it is advisable to use an external hard drive.Encrypt your dataâ€" the importance of data encryption is hard to over-evaluate. Some think data encryption is only applicable for g eeks, but in reality, anyone can use it as modern software makes this useful feature accessible to all. You can use FileVault for MacOS and TrueCrypt for Windows.Use anti-malware protectionâ€" malware is dangerous to your data. Malware includes trojan horses, worms, viruses, spyware, and other harmful programs that can damage or steal your information. Get a good anti-virus and firewall, keep them updated and run regular scans. Also, avoid clicking on the links in suspicious e-mails or messages.Get rid of old devices and backups cleverlyâ€" which means not to let anyone re-use them. If you want to get rid of your old hard drive, make it unreadable. Use special software or sanitize the disk magnetically. If you are deleting files from the drive, do not forget to remove them from your cloud storage.Install operating system updates regularlyâ€" this may be painful but it is an absolute must. These updates may contain very important patches that will defend your system from the newest m alware, viruses, and other threats. If you do not have these updates installed, your computer may be in danger. Also, do not forget to automate your software updates. This will help you in keeping data safe.And the last, but not least, always secure your wireless network with a password. Stay safe and keep your data safe!

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela - Former President of South Africa

Date of birth: 18 July 1918, Mvezo, Transkei.Date of death: 5 December 2013, Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the small village of Mvezo, on the Mbashe River, district of Umtata in Transkei, South Africa. His Father named him Rolihlahla, which means pulling the branch of the tree, or more colloquially troublemaker. The name Nelson was not given until his first day at school. Nelson Mandelas father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was the chief by blood and custom of Mvezo, a position confirmed by the paramount chief of the Thembu, Jongintaba Dalindyebo. Although the family is descended from Thembu royalty (one of Mandelas ancestors was paramount chief in the 18th century) the line had passed down to Mandela through lesser Houses, rather than through a line of potential succession. The clan name of Madiba, which is often used as a form of address for Mandela, comes from the ancestral chief. Until the advent of European domination in the region, chieftaincy of the Thembu (and other tribes of the Xhosa nation) was by patrimonial decent, with the first son of the major wife (known as the Great House) becoming automatic heir, and the first son of the second wife (the highest of the lessor wives, also known as the Right Hand House) being relegated to creating a minor chiefdom. The sons of the third wife (known as the Left Hand House) were destined to become advisors to the chief. Nelson Mandela was the son of the third wife, Noqaphi Nosekeni, and could have otherwise expected to become a royal advisor. He was one of thirteen children, and had three elder brothers all of whom were of higher rank. Mandelas mother was a Methodist, and Nelson followed in her footsteps, attending a Methodist missionary school. When Nelson Mandelas father died in 1930, the paramount chief, Jongintaba Dalindyebo, became his guardian. In 1934, a year during which he attended three month initiation school (during which he was circumcised), Mandela matriculated from Clarkebury Missionary school. Four years later he graduated from Healdtown, a strict Methodist college, and left to pursue higher education at the University of Fort Hare (South Africas first university college for Black Africans). It was here he first met his lifelong friend and associate Oliver Tambo. Both Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo were expelled from Fort Hare in 1940 for political activism. Briefly returning to Transkei, Mandela discovered that his guardian had arranged a marriage for him. He fled towards Johannesburg, where he obtained work as a night-watchman on a gold mine. Nelson Mandela moved into a house in Alexandra, a Black suburb of Johannesburg, with his mother. Here he met Walter Sisulu and Walters fiancà ©e Albertina. Mandela started working as a clerk in a law firm, studying in the evening through a correspondence course with the University of South Africa (now UNISA) to complete his first degree. He was awarded his Bachelors degree in 1941, and in 1942 he was articled to another firm of attorneys and started upon a law degree at the University of Witwatersrand. Here he worked with a study partner, Seretse Khama, who would later become the first president of an independent Botswana. In 1944 Nelson Mandela married Evelyn Mase, a cousin of Walter Sisulu. He also began his political career in earnest, joining the African National Congress, ANC. Finding the existing leadership of the ANC to be a dying order of pseudo-liberalism and conservatism, of appeasement and compromise., Mandela, along with Tambo, Sisulu, and a few others formed the African National Congress Youth League, ANCYL. In 1947 Mandela was elected as secretary of the ANCYL, and became a member of the Transvaal ANC executive. By 1948 Nelson Mandela had failed to pass the exams required for his LLB law degree, and he decided instead to settle for the qualifying exam which would allow him to practice as an attorney. When DF Malans Herenigde Nationale Party (HNP, Re-united National Party) won the 1948 election, Mandela, Tambo, and Sisulu acted. The existing ANC president was pushed out of office and someone more amenable to the ideals of the ANCYL was brought in as a replacement. Walter Sisulu proposed a programme of action, which was subsequently adopted by the ANC. Mandela was made president of the Youth League in 1951. Nelson Mandela opened his law office in 1952, and a few months later teamed up with Tambo to create the first Black legal practice in South Africa. It was difficult for both Mandela and Tambo to find time for both their legal practice and their political aspirations. That year Mandela became president of the Transvaal ANC, but was banned under the Suppression of Communism Act – he was prohibited from holding office within the ANC, banned from attending ANY meetings, and restricted to the district around Johannesburg. Fearing for the future of the ANC, Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo initiated the M-plan (M for Mandela). The ANC would be broken down into cells so that it could continue to operate, if necessary, underground. Under the banning order, Mandela was restricted from attending meeting, but he drove down to Kliptown in June 1955 to be part of the Congress of the People; and by keeping to the shadows and the periphery of the crowd, Mandela watched as the Freedom Charter was adopted by all the groups involved. His increasing involvement in the anti-Apartheid struggle, however, caused problems for his marriage and in December that year Evelyn left him, citing irreconcilable differences. On 5 December 1956, in response to the adoption of the Freedom Charter at the Congress of the People, the Apartheid government in South Africa arrested a total 156 people, including Chief Albert Luthuli (president of the ANC) and Nelson Mandela. This was almost the entire executive of the African National Congress (ANC), Congress of Democrats, South African Indian Congress, Coloured Peoples Congress, and the South African Congress of Trade Unions (collectively known as the Congress Alliance). They were charged with high treason and a countrywide conspiracy to use violence to overthrow the present government and replace it with a communist state. The punishment for high treason was death. The Treason Trial dragged on, until Mandela and his 29 remaining co-accused were finally acquitted in March 1961. During the Treason Trial Nelson Mandela met and married his second wife, Nomzamo Winnie Madikizela. The 1955 Congress of the People and its moderate stance against the policies of the Apartheid government eventually led to the younger, more radical members of the ANC to break away: the Pan Africanist Congress, PAC, was formed in 1959 under the leadership of Robert Sobukwe. The ANC and PAC became instant rivals, especially in the townships. This rivalry came to a head when the PAC rushed ahead of ANC plans to hold mass protests against the pass laws. On 21 March 1960 at least 180 black Africans were injured and 69 killed when the South African police opened fire on approximately demonstrators at Sharpeville. Both the ANC and PAC responded in 1961 by setting up military wings. Nelson Mandela, in what was a radical departure from ANC policy, was instrumental in creating the ANC group: Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation, MK), and Mandela became the MKs first commander. Both the ANC and PAC were banned by the South African government under the Unlawful Organisations Act in 1961. The MK, and the PACs Poqo, responded by commencing with campaigns of sabotage. In 1962 Nelson Mandela was smuggled out of South Africa. He first attended and addressed the conference of African nationalist leaders, the Pan-African Freedom Movement, in Addis Ababa. From there he went to Algeria to undergo guerrilla training, and then flew to London to catch up with Oliver Tambo (and also to meet members of the British parliamentary opposition). On his return to South Africa, Mandela was arrested and sentenced to five years for incitement and illegally leaving the country. On 11 July 1963 a raid was undertaken on Lilieslief farm in Rivonia, near Johannesburg, which was being used by the MK as headquarters. The remaining leadership of the MK was arrested. Nelson Mandela was included at trial with those arrested at Lilieslief and charged with over 200 counts of sabotage, preparing for guerrilla warfare in SA, and for preparing an armed invasion of SA. Mandela was one of five (out of the ten defendants) at the Rivonia Trail to be given life sentences and sent to Robben Island. Two more were released, and the remaining three escaped custody and were smuggled out of the country. At the end of his four hour statement to the court Nelson Mandela stated: During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. These words are said to sum up the guiding principles by which he worked for liberation of South Africa. In 1976 Nelson Mandela was approached with an offer by Jimmy Kruger, the Minister for Police serving under President BJ Vorster, to renounce the struggle and settle in the Transkei. Mandela refused. By 1982 international pressure against the South African government to release Nelson Mandela and his compatriots was growing. The then South African president, PW Botha, arranged for Mandela and Sisulu to be transferred back to the mainland to Pollsmoor Prison, near Cape Town. In August 1985, approximately a month after the South African government declares a state of emergency, Mandela was taken to hospital for an enlarged prostate gland. On his return to Pollsmoor he was placed in solitary confinement (having a whole section of the jail to himself). In 1986 Nelson Mandela was taken to see the Minister of Justice, Kobie Coetzee, who requested once again that he renounce violence in order to win his freedom. Despite refusing, restrictions on Mandela were somewhat lifted: he was allowed visits from his family, and was even driven around Cape Town by the prison warder. In May 1988 Mandela was diagnosed with tuberculosis and moved to Tygerberg hospital for treatment. On release from hospital he was moved to secure quarters at Victor Verster Prison near Paarl. By 1989 things were looking bleak for the Apartheid regime: PW Botha had a stroke, and shortly after entertaining Mandela at the Tuynhuys, the presidential residence in Cape Town, he resigned. FW de Klerk was appointed as his successor. Mandela met with De Klerk in December 1989, and the following year at the opening of parliament (2 February) De Klerk announced the unbanning of all political parties and the release of political prisoners (except those guilty of violent crimes). On 11 February 1990 Nelson Mandela was finally released. By 1991 the Convention for a Democratic South Africa, CODESA, was set up to negotiate constitutional change in South Africa. Both Mandela and De Klerk were key figures in the negotiations, and their efforts were jointly awarded in December 1993 with the Nobel Peace Prize. When South Africas first multi-racial elections were held in April 1994, the ANC won a 62% majority. (Mandela revealed later that he was worried that it would achieve the 67% majority that would allow it to re-write the constitution.) A Government of National Unity, GNU, was formed – based on an idea proffered by Joe Slovo, the GNU could last for up to five years as a new constitution was drawn up. It was hoped that this would allay the fears of South Africas whites population suddenly faced with majority Black rule. On 10 May 1994 Nelson Mandela made his inaugural presidential speech from the Union Building, Pretoria: We have at last, achieved our political emancipation. we pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender, and other discrimination. Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another... Let freedom reign. God Bless Africa! Shortly after he published his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. In 1997 Nelson Mandela stepped down as leader of the ANC in favour of Thabo Mbeki, and in 1999 he relinquished the post of president. Despite claims to have retired, Mandela continues to have a busy life. He was divorced from Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in 1996, the same year that the press realised he was having a relationship with Graà §a Machel, the widow of Mozambiques former president. After heavy prompting by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and Graà §a Machel were married on his eightieth birthday, 18 July 1998. This article first went live on 15 August 2004.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

The Changes Of The World s Civilizations - 1101 Words

Several countries and cultures throughout history rise while others fall. Some countries invade while others are invaded. Numerous factors come into play when reviewing the history and the changes of the world’s civilizations. A prime example of a territory constantly invaded by empires until finally becoming its own country is Syria. Though Syria has faced many trials throughout its past, it faces several in the present. Syrian culture, economics, politics, and military advances have been contributions to its military conflicts and Civil War. For centuries Syria has been fought over by empires, primarily for its geographical location. Syria is located on the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and the†¦show more content†¦Many of the citizens of Syria have different cultures and religions, but the majority of the country is Sunni Muslim. â€Å"Only during the Umayyad Caliphate in the 7th and 8th centuries A.D. was it the center of an empire. But that relatively short period left Syria with its Islamic heritage† (Polk, 2013). â€Å"Syrians tend to identify primarily with their religious group or sect; however, as the majority of the country is Sunni Muslim, this creates a strong feeling of cultural unity† (Polk, 2013). Though they have a strong cultural unity, as well as any other country, Syria has different wealth classes throughout the country, and in which the different classes do not socialize with one another. Syria’s a predominately Muslim country, the men do not socialize with the women and marriages are arranged by the families. In return, socializing is constructed with similar labor and families. Among the different jobs and employment in Syria, the biggest economic value to the Syrians are their agriculture and oil exports. Though Syrian oil is not the cleanest of the Middle East regions, Syria still relies heavily on their ability to sell to other countries, the United States not being one of them. Both Syria and the United States are part of the United Nations,

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Climate Change And Sociology Global Warming - 1253 Words

Climate Change and Sociology Danielle Cluphf College of Western Idaho Climate Change and Sociology Climate change known as global warming has been steadily increasing over time. Global warming is a catch phrase of social confusion. Society feels uncomfortable with this notion. Is it real or fake? Little do people know that human progression and population growth adds to carbon emissions in the atmosphere. The term greenhouse gasses mean H2o or water, Co2 or carbon dioxide, and N20 known as nitrous oxide. In the book titled Global Climate Change, it breaks down what global warming is and relays information about carbon dioxide being the primary cause to the negative amounts of greenhouse gasses. â€Å"Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse†¦show more content†¦J, et al 2010) In my research, environmental sociologists use the â€Å"lens† of conflict theory, and functionalism. Today, most of the popular sociologists look at the environment from the conflict theory perspective so I will focus on this theory. In the book titled You May Ask Yourself, Conley talks ab out what conflict theory is. â€Å"The idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force of social change and society in general. (Conley 2015) Conflict theorists look at the inequality perspective of societal problems and they can be from poverty, race, or gender etc. An important area of focus among environmental sociologists is the relationship between inequality and the environment. In the article, All About Environmental Sociology, Dr. Cole talks about how environmental sociologists use conflict theory with inequalities in society like income, race, gender and how climate change negatively affects these people. Low-income people for instance have more of a chance to live in a worse area that may be subject to more environmental hazards. (Cole 2017) â€Å"Numerous studies have documented that income, racial, and gender inequality make the populations that experience them more likely to experience negative environmental outcomes like pollution, proxim ity to waste, and lack of access to natural resources.† (Cole 2017) I believe this is important to environmentalShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming And Climate Change Essay1387 Words   |  6 PagesClimatic changes have been a major concern in the recent researches. The changes have negatively affected the production across the world and also the human lives are at stake. There are so many occurrences of unpredicted climatic effects such as the drought occurrences and the tides which affects the people. The unpredicted climatic changes have been as a result of the many factors. One of the most controversial things is that climatic changes have been caused by the social factors, which governmentRead MoreSociological Theories Of Global Climate Change1611 Words   |  7 Pages 2. Sociological Theories of Global Climate Change Sociological knowledge on global climate change has its roots in environmental sociology - a specialty field that developed in reaction to increased social awareness of environmental problems in the 1970s. Environmental sociologists examine and theorize the complex and multifaceted relationship between human beings and their natural environments, including the question: why do social systems tend to exceed their ecological carrying capacities (NagelRead MoreClimate Change And Its Effects On The Country s Most Densely Populated Cities Essay1638 Words   |  7 PagesAlternatively, climate change poses a series of interrelated challenges of the country’s most densely populated cities. The U.S. is highly urbanized, with about 80% of its population living in cities and metropolitan areas (National Climate Assessment). Cities depend on infrastructure, like water and sewage systems, roads, bridges, and power plants, much of which is aging and in need of repair or replacement. This s tructure will undergo with multiple changes that will compounded by rising sea levelsRead MoreThe Environmental Problem Of Global Warming Essay1058 Words   |  5 Pages Global warming Name: Institution: Course: Date: Global warming The main environmental problem facing the world today is global warming. Many scientists believe that production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases has a heating effect on the atmosphere, and this could be very dangerous for human life. This essay will examine the problem of global warming and suggest some ways of solving the problem. Numerous issues could come about because of global warming. One of the problemsRead MoreScience : Our Ecosystem And Environmental Systems Are Being Disrupted1209 Words   |  5 PagesInterdisciplinary lens: This issue deals with ecology, psychology, and sociology. †¢ Underlying science: Our ecosystem and environmental systems are being disrupted. The human race may be reaching carrying capacity on Earth. o Ecological collapse: when an ecological system suffers drastic change reducing the carrying capacity for all organisms (Ecological Collapse, 2014) o Climate Change: measurable persisting changes within a climate (Climate Change Basics, 2014) o Peak Oil: when oil production reaches aRead MoreClimate Change Is Happening, Humans Are Causing It, I Think1233 Words   |  5 PagesClimate change is happening, humans are causing it, I think this is perhaps the most serious environmental issue we are facing right now. Climate change is not just the issue for a human it is also affecting the life of animals. In this recent year, it has been the major concern for some of the world leaders. The formal president of United State has put a restriction on oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean because the oil that spills in water when drilling is harder to clean and it is affecting theRead MoreEssay about Resolving the Global Warming Problem2487 Words   |  10 PagesResolving the Global Warming Problem It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else will effect the outcome. Global Warming according to Microsoft Bookshelf nineteen ninety eight edition is A conjectural greenhouse effect on earth that is attributed to deforestation and industrial air emissions(MS Bookshelf 98). Global Warming could be one of the most important issues of the century. As global warming becomes more and more of an issue, the factorsRead MoreThe Government Should Support Wind Energy994 Words   |  4 PagesElectricity production accounts for more than one-third of U.S. global warming emissions, with the majority generated by coal-fired power plants, which produce approximately 25 percent of total U.S. global warming emissions; natural gas-fired power plants produce 6 percent of total emissions. In contrast, global warming emissions associated with renewable energy are minimal, according to data gathered by the International Panel on Climate Change. â€Å"Wind emits only 0.02 to 0.04 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalentRead MoreAn Analysis Of The Calgary Herald1196 Words    |  5 Pages(i) Research Design How can meaningful and revolutionary change be achieved when we keep using the same words to address climate change in the same old ways? The answer lies in study existing forms of communications to uncover how certain messages can be reworked in order to engage the public. The Calgary Herald is the medium that will be studied because Calgary is the largest metropolitan area in the province and it is where the majority of Canada’s oil companies are headquartered. As such, theRead MoreGreenwashing: Misleading Claims of Environmental Benefits Essay1338 Words   |  6 Pagesconfidence and the environment. To determine the claims of greenwashing in corporations are valid, there must be reasons and evidence of the organisations doings. We have to identify the existing works in strategies, psychology, management and sociology, which encourage the behaviour to firms and individuals in various circumstances (Delmas Burbano, Introduction Pg. 4) A common tactic of greenwashing is spending high amounts of money on advertisements and promoting their environmental achievements

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

My Roots of Fear Essay Example For Students

My Roots of Fear Essay Is fear something bad? Do you think that you’ll look weak to people if you are afraid of something? Well, my own opinion is that’s not true at all: I believe fear is not something evil; it only tells us what our weaknesses and/or insecurities are. And once you know your weakness, you can become stronger as well as kinder. Humans are human because of the capacity of realizing their fears, and so I did. My life has been a roller coaster since I born, so the word â€Å"fear† is one of the words in the top of it – slowing down while it goes to the top until it just goes down flashing over the rails. Different experiences in my life had been a total source of understanding my own meaning of fear. Experience 1: Insecurities, jitters, and panic are some ingredients that often lead people to cook their fears of something, and those ingredients are often found when people get lost and cannot find anyone. When I was little – I suppose when I was around 7 years old – I got lost in the middle of a beach, around night time. I couldn’t help it but to get scared. People walking near me made me feel very unease. But then I realized I was not alone; I was with my loyal dog Pelusa – he would be named Fluff in English. Even if it was impossible for me, I think he was telling me to not be afraid and do not give up hope. So then, I stop feeling lost and hopeless and started to look for my parents with him by my side. Of course, after a while, we could find them and go back home with them. However, I knew then that I could never forget that time, because it was where I knew my own weakness – A weakness of being lost and feeling alone all by myself. But, even when I felt this way, it wasn’t something that bad so I would just give up hopes. This is what Pelusa made me believe in, and I’m grateful for it. Experience 2: New schools in new different countries is a very difficult test for a child like me, who doesn’t want to have a big zero in her â€Å"new friends† grade. So, when a new â€Å"adventure† began in a whole new world, I’ve been always on my own. When people ask me if I’m lonely, I obviously say no. But back then, I would always start crying or sobbing alone somewhere else because I knew I was lonely, and that there was nothing I could do for me not to be it anymore. I was terrified by only thinking of being alone all along in this new environment. Even when I grow up, my loneliness takes over my body and tries to pull me down in the abyss of my fears. I had no idea what to do, or what to think about. But then I realized, that even if my loneliness pulls me down, I still had people who will pull me up again every time I feel like falling. After some days or weeks, I could start talking to other people and make new friends at school. I finally started to stop being afraid, and could find my spot in this new world I came to. Now, I still change of school after some times, but I am not afraid anymore, because I understand that it is not something that only happens to me, but to everyone who have the same experience as me, and decided to stand up. Fears should be avoided, but accepted so you could move a step further. My own fears taught me that: they are nor bad nor evil, but it only depends on how people see them in a situation, whom usually look at them as a bad thing. It probably sounds different from what you’ve heard, but this is my belief basing myself in this experience. .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 , .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 .postImageUrl , .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 , .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383:hover , .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383:visited , .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383:active { border:0!important; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383:active , .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383 .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc83383ef6b9f7987290aa8ee61b38383:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Breast Cancer EssayExperience 3: My friend was only 10 years old when her â€Å"change† happened. She was kidnapped in Mexico when, in the city of Juarez, young girls were token away from their families and suffer the greatest of the despairs that they could have in their lives. After this happens, I’ve heard a good news that she was found two years after her kidnapping; they might have been so happy and relieved when they did. I also heard, that when she was found, she changed a little. Not in a bad way, but in a really good way. I was curious, so on day I called her. First of all, I asked her how her experience was at those moments while she was kidnapped. She only told me that all she saw was darkness, tears, and fear spreading all over the place. So I asked her if she still was afraid of going out of the house, fearing of being taken away again. She kept quite a little bit; it was a moment like those seconds that can be felt like hours. After a while, she answered that she obviously was, but she couldn’t just forget about it either. She said that if she hadn’t been taken way, she couldn’t find out that her own fears, and she wouldn’t have the chance to enjoy life again. That she wouldn’t let that stop her of moving on in life, so she did not mind about it and was enjoying life even more than before. I was surprised that after all that she could said that. From that moment, I took her experience as an example of life to look up to. So brave, so full of hopes, so gentle She made me believe that being afraid was something essential in life, like pain or regrets. Now, I’m proud of saying that I believe that we must move forward and reach for what we want, especially when we are afraid. Otherwise, we stand still, we become lazy, we atrophy, and we miss all the wonderful terror of this world. Therefore, I believe fears are essential in life. Human who think they can get rid of it easily haven’t grown or learned enough. If we’re ever afraid, we just have to take action, stand up and move on. We humans have two legs for it, so we can stand and walk. Maybe we can’t help it being scared all alone. There are people who don’t even have their own legs to walk on. However, it is all fine, because they still have people around them who help them to stand up as well. We all have got people who we love and love us close by as well. So, there’s nothing to be afraid of, because we are not alone after all

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Transworld Auto Parts Essay Example For Students

Transworld Auto Parts Essay She wow loud soon bee meeting with the heads of each division and wow entered vatu feedback SSH he should give eve them AIBO UT their progress in implementing their strategies. With Task future on thee line, any m misstep she m made now coo old be repair arable. AP, a $6. 6 billion b subside diary off U. S. Diversified manufacture urine company, was a T Tier 1 Mann effectuate of original and after-market parts p for auto mobile prod duckers in the United Estates and abroad ad. TAP had been directly y affected by the downturn in the auto o industry (see Davys financial reports in Exhibit 1). We will write a custom essay on Transworld Auto Parts specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Major customers, uncle ding Chrysler and General Motors, were on the brink Of insole evenly, and eve even robust ca AR makers, us such as Toyota and Honda, were selling g many fewer cars amidst the global recession. The he parent com many had hired Ellen Bright, a veteran in the auto and aerospace pace industries, in Actor beer 2008 to TU urn TAP roar undo. The dismal 2008 results and pro ejections for 2009 led Brig get to conclude due that she had to make radical chaw angels in Strategy and then implement the new strategy flawlessly. She had d no room for error. If she were successful, however, TAP could d take advantage of opportunities in the troubled auto industry. She recalled a recent report that outlined booth the challenges and thee opportunities for auto parts makers: d volume pressure, and, at Suppliers rare still facing g challenges of higher co sots, price and mess, erratic production schedules fro mom their auto 0-producing customers. T Thus, our LLC original equine meet sales o outlook for 2009 is negative Me. We see leg get vehicle sales volume of bout 10. 3 million in 2009 and 11. Million in 2010, d down from 113. 2 million for 2008, with ha milady scaled d reduction in production on. Because the economy y has weakened, however usability in 200 go is more lime mimed than usual. We expo pact the Deter Tit Three to collectively 10 SSH hare to foreign gnu brands in n 2009. Thus, the greater a suppliers exposures to U. S. -abased companies, the greater will be b the impact on its performance, in o our view. Still, we believe the 1 This case borrows he evilly from an EAI earlier case: Robert Kaplan, Doom mastic Auto Parts, HUBS No. 055078 (Boston: H Harvard Businesses School Publishing, 2005) and its accompanying teaching note: HUBS No. 107-087 (Boston: Harvard Business School Publish hinge, 2007), as well as professor Kaplan scum emulated published works on strategy maps and the balanced Soc rerecord. The authors voguish to that Ann. Professor Aka plan for his GUID dance, ideas, and d direction in Dave belonging this case. Professor or V. G. Maryanne n and Research Associate Lisa Brew prepared this case. The company men mentioned in this case is fictional. FIBS cases are develop peed solely as the baa axis for class discussion. Cases are no to intended to serve eve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective man management. Copyright get 2009, 2010, 20 011 President and Fellows Of Harvard d College. To order copies or request p permission to roper duce materials, call 1-800545-7685 5, write Harvard Buy equines School Pub blushing Boston, MA M 02163, or go to w www. Hubs. Harvard d. Due/educators, T This publication may not be digitized d, photocopied, or thinness reproduce cued, posted, or trans insisted, without the permission of H Harvard Business S School. This document is authorized for use only in AAA Management Planning and Control by Lily Lieu, University of Technology Sydney from March 2015 to August 2015. For exclusive use University of Technology Sydney, 2015 110-027 Translator Auto Parts (A) in the long term, rising automobile production in Asia and other emerging arrest presents an opportunity for the larger multinational suppliers to increase sales and profits. Despite near-term challenges, LIE. S. Auto parts suppliers are increasing the proportion of business they do outside the U. S. Emerging markets are becoming more attractive to parts manufacturers due to lower labor costs for manufacturing and engineering, and/or growing demand in local and regional markets. China, for example, is important both as a source of low-cost parts to ship abroad, as well as for local market vehicle demand. Global expansion among the Tier 1 parts makers is important, as it supports automaker efforts to consolidate designs across international markets and to expand international businesses overall . The Executive Staff Meeting: Defining a Strategy In December 2008, following extensive consultations vivid her board of directors and the corporate executive team, Bright prepared for a high-level two-day offside strategy meeting in which she would announce a dramatic restructuring. TAP manufactured two core product lines-electronics and interiors-in four customer-centered divisions: luxury, economy, impeded, and truck TAP served three geographic markets: North America, Europe, and Asi a. The four customer visions each had very different customers and customer value propositions. Bright looked over the marketing reports that Mary Stewart, her vice president Of marketing and sales, had put on her desk that morning (see Exhibits 2 and 3). These reports reinforced wherever that future success would depend on how well she positioned TAP to compete aggressively in its most profitable segments. Attending the meeting were Aaron Gerhard, the president of the luxury division; Kim Swoon, the president of the economy division; the chief financial officer; and the vice presidents of marketing, manufacturing, and research and development. After presenting a report that showed the product level financial (Exhibit 4), the global market production figures (see Exhibit 5), and the market segment reports, Bright summarized her position: If you look at our data and the reports coming out of the industry analysts at a macro level, you can see that the best course to action tort us would be to go after the segments that give us the potential for the most profit, Those segments are the luxury car makers (mostly serviced from plants in Europe) and the economy car makers. Now, I realize that plants in both the U. S. And Asia serve a high reapportion of economy car makers, but feel strongly that TAP should focus its resources on Asia, since it is a growing market with great potential. As for our other customer segments, we are losing money in the truck and mid-price segments and these are dragging down our more profitable lines. .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 , .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 .postImageUrl , .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 , .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13:hover , .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13:visited , .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13:active { border:0!important; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13:active , .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13 .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ubf1468b0eb7255f8a6773ca2e0434f13:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Creative Story: Concusion EssayAfter much discussion at the corporate level, a thorough review of the alternatives with TAPs board of directors, and gaining preliminary agreement from union leaders, weve made the difficult decision to shut down the product lines and customer divisions that cater to these low-performing segments and focus only on luxury and economy car makers. Most of the plants affected Will be in the LIST. , leaving the majority Of the facilities in Europe and Asia intact (see Exhibits AAA and b). We have not made this decision lightly, but we feel it is the only way eve can save TAP. On the positive side, I believe we can grow our top line by selling more products to our customers in profitable segments and win over new customers in new markets, primarily in Asia. 2 Afraid Levy, Autos Auto Parts, Standard Poors Industry Surveys, June 25, 2009, up. 3-4. Control by Lily Lieu, University of Technology Sydney from March SASS to August For exclusive use university of Technology Sydney, 2015 Based on a competitive analysis conducted by an outside market research firm and an internal analysis of our core competencies, weve decided to differentiate Ourselves in the economy division by producing high quality car parts with the lowest lifetime price. All of our major competitors in the economy segment focus their strategy on producing parts With the lowest initial cost. We will differentiate ourselves by instead producing high quality parts that Will be known in the industry for durability and low maintenance COOL We must make sure that we clearly communicate our value position to auto makers who have lilt a reputation for durable, high quality cars in the economy segment. In the luxury division, our strategy will be to produce the most innovative, quality parts on the market. While our major competitors are pursuing a customer integration strategy, we believe that if we focus our efforts on producing the most innovative and technologically superior car parts in the industry, then luxury Memos will come knocking at our door. You all know that our parent company has set a stretch target goal for us: By 201 1, achieve an 8% return on capital employed dramatic increase over our current negative ROCK, The company CEO stated that if we do not reach these goals and maintain a positive cash flow, he will seek to either divest or close TAP. It appears that the unions will agree to the plant closures and offer substantial concessions on health care and pension benefits in order to save the company. We also have some resources available to us for capital improvements, RD, and other investments: and we qualify for the IS_S. Governments Auto Supplier Stability Program. We must do what we can within this constrained environment Id like to hear from each of you about how your division will help us achieve both our financial goals and our market sweater. Lets start off with you, Joe. Joe Nathan, Frights newly hired GO, shared his data With the group: Ellen and have worked extensively to develop the economics that must be in place for TAP to achieve its financial goals. Designed a simple model to pinpoint the critical economic drivers needed to reach our goal of an 8% ROCK and positive cash flow by 2011. Due to the economic downturn and the extensive plant closures, we forecasted only SYS billion in sales in 2003. That means, to cut our negative ROCK from -15% to -7% in one year, we need to reduce our cost of goods sold (COGS) from 95% to 90% in 2009, then to 83% over the next two years. If economic forecasts are on track, and if we can target the right growth segments, we should see revenues increase to 55. 5 billion why 2010, and SO,5 billion by 2011, We need to better utilize our capital assets, both current and new-currently we are operating at on old assets-and we must get to utilization on an upgraded and downsized asset base. Finally, we must minimize our total cost structure-today we are operating above the average cost in our competitor group and we are bleeding cash. We need to get to the lowest cost quartile to compete. These are the key drivers needed to get to the financial results expected by the parent company. We must balance them-one against the other -to achieve our overall goal of 8% ROCK by 201 L Gerhard, the luxury division president, chimed in: am glad to see that the company is putting its focus and resources toward the luxury division. As you know, we have always been a leader in product innovation, something our customers continue to value. What you may not realize is that the innovative products we designed for our high-end customers five years ago have started to filter down to the rest Of our customer divisions. Satellite radio and Bluetooth capability, for example, are now becoming options or the economy segments. Bright asked Michael Milton, vice president of manufacturing, for his perspective. Milton said: Were under huge pressure to reduce costs and prices to the customer, except for the very high end. Because of the uncertainty in the market, the Memos production schedules are all CNN. ere the map, making it nearly impossible to anticipate their volumes, which in turn makes any capacity utilization target extremely difficult to make. In addition, our raw material costs are so unpredictable that its hard to keep COGS under control. To remain competitive in this environment-heck, to remain solvent in this environment Eve need to do a lot of internal things better. We need to coordinate supplier management, manufacturing, and product delivery so we can effectively and efficiently get products to the customer. We need to be on time and on spec just to get the opportunity to sell new products. Key in my mind is managing the supplier pipeline, the raw materials-theres a lot Of money to be saved there, especially if we can consolidate our product line, increase capacity in the remaining plants, and redesign our products to reduce their materials costs without sacrificing product quality or functionality. .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 , .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 .postImageUrl , .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 , .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74:hover , .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74:visited , .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74:active { border:0!important; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74:active , .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74 .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u29e8fbbe2b6d689be0a5e60d77016d74:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Essay on Cyber Crime and BusinessesWe also need to balance our focus on cost cutting with the need to make investments in process improvements and new and upgraded equipment, Languished downtime and the inability to make fast product switchover on the manufacturing floor are killing us. Upgraded capital will both reduce our costs and help deliver consistently on time and on spec. We talk a lot about preventive maintenance, hut we need to get real about it. This could save us big time in terms to costs and effectiveness. It we dont do these operational things, we will have trouble convincing the luxury manufacturers to pay a premium price or our product. Plus we wont be profitable in the economy segment if we cant get our manufacturing costs under control. Swoon, president of the economy division, added his thoughts: It is not just that we should become better manufacturers-we have to be the best. Our customers, particularly in Asia, have no tolerance for substandard suppliers. We must not only be competent, but fully master just-in-time (JOT) and lean processes in order to gain and retain the economy car MOM customers in Asia. Our entire division must become lean-every single employee must be trained in these recesses-and we can only do this with resources and total leadership buy-in from the corporate level. Rata Richardson, vice president of research and development, responded to the challenge to produce state-of-the-art, technologically sophisticated products: To go back to what Aaron said, agree that if we are to compete in the luxury segment, we certainly need to get creative and bring to market new and improved products in partnership with our leading customers. Our customers have been demanding more frown us on product development. In Europe, they want us to move faster-we have to come up with new designs and product innovations-because they are having trouble keeping up with new regulations on emissions and safety standards, and its very hard to anticipate what the customer will want. To reduce new product development time, we need to invest in new CAD/CAM software, and acquire and train skilled design engineers, scientists, and technicians trot toper schools and competitors. We also need to invest in prototyping equipment, We want to be able to strip our competitors products, see what technology they have that we do not, reverse 3 Original equipment manufacturer, engineer those technologies, and acquire those capabilities. We should be a one. Stop shop for all the technological needs of our premier customers. Stewart, UP of marketing, added: There are many things we should address from a marketing perspective. First, we must be much more aggressive in signing new customers in Asia. Everyone in the industry knows this is a growing segment, so the competition will be fierce. As Kim pointed out, we need to quickly get up to speed on lean processes to leverage our presence there and gain a reputation for delivering low-cost, high- quality parts in that region. Next, we should respond better to the evolving needs of our customer base. Our MOM customers are changing the way they do business; they are looking to partner much more closely with their suppliers. The parts suppliers that will flourish in this environment will be able to take total responsibility for key subassembly Gone are the days venue the Memos just wanted a specific part; now they want fully assembled systems that they can use for final assembly. Finally, we need to showcase the enhanced capability that Rata is talking about by working more closely with our customers to anticipate their needs. We need to help our customer divisions get closer to their key customers to drive the usage that TAP is an innovator with new and enhanced abilities to design the products they want. We should seek to partner closely with our thought-leading customers in product development from the inception of the idea to producing the final product. Perhaps a closer customer relationship can also solve the production lead time problems puree been experiencing in manufacturing, Mike. Milton replied: Yes, agree that working more closely with our customers could help us anticipate changes in production schedules, and better employees with better training and better IT systems will help in that regard. However, with all due aspect to Rata and Aaron, think were getting ahead of ourselves here with all this commitment to RD. We have to do the basic things right before we can move to innovation and new customers, We dont have unlimited resources; we have to pinpoint where we should invest our time, people, and money so that they will have the most impact. Say we should focus on efficiencies and quality control at all our plants, then once weve established ourselves as the low-cost provider and are making some profits, move on to the side. Richardson rebutted, If you wait on RD Lentil you have all the factories working lawlessly, well be so far behind that well never catch up. Bright interrupted the argument by saying: We have to be able to be competitive in all these dimensions, but each division will emphasize its own value proposition. As long as we can keep our operating cash flows healthy, the parent company is willing to invest in programs that can help us compete. Know this is difficult and these are probably the most grueling economic times that any Of us has experienced. Thats Why we need a clear strategy for our customer divisions, and an implementation plan and agreements that can keep us on track. We know our overarching strategy is to target the luxury and economy segments with low-costhigh-quality products and enhanced product innovation. We know our financial goals are to increase cash flow and ROCK; our customer goals are to increase market share in Europe and Asia. We know we have 5 1 10-027 to improve our internal processes and our employee competency levels to accomplish this. Now we need to decide how to craft implementation plans for each division that will help us reach our goals.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

How to Write a Joke

How to Write a Joke How to Write a Joke How to Write a Joke By Michael Like any short form of writing, creating jokes teaches how to use a few words effectively. In this article, I will give examples of jokes and I will (shudder) explain them too. I know, you shouldnt explain your jokes, but this helps us talk about them. Good jokes are often: Incongruous This is the central feature of humor. That is, something that is funny is also surprising. Yes, it also needs to be recognizable (see below) unless you know what something is, you dont know what to expect from it. Unless youre familiar with something, you dont know whats unfamiliar. But a joke needs to present its subject in an unexpected way. â€Å"Well, what shall I talk about? I ain’t got anything funny to say. All I know is what I read in the papers.† Will Rogers Recognizable Thats probably why comics and humorists get so much material from current events or popular culture. They know their audiences will recognize the jokes if its based on what everyone is currently talking about. Thats also why inside jokes work so well. When I was sixteen, I combined several of my history teachers favorite expressions into one sentence: Well, ol Richelieu thought that was such a hoot that he lost his facilities like there wasnt going to be a tomorrow. That may not seem particularly funny to you, but it seemed funny to my fellow history students. Pretentious? Moi? Short A joke is funniest when it uses the fewest possible words, because humor requires limiting complexity. Robert I. M. Dunbar, an experimental psychologist at Oxford University, found that the funniest jokes have only two characters and less than five layers of meaning. On one hand, your joke is not funny if you have to explain it. On the other hand, if nobody understands the point, its not funny either. Humor depends on a careful, delicate balance between giving too many hints and giving too few. The preceding joke comes from a Reddit list of the worlds shortest jokes, and its irony is that if you use gratuitous French words such as moi, you will seem pretentious. I wanted to give you a chance to get the joke before I explained it. It doesn’t really matter how many sit-ups you did this morning if you get hit with a Volvo. Ronald Dee White, paraphrased Specific A joke about Volvos in particular is funnier than one about cars in general. Writers know that specifics are more interesting than generalities, but that apparently makes them more humorous too. Lets face it, some words are funnier than others. Unfortunately for the Ford Motor Company, their car name Edsel was too humorous to become popular. Ronald Dee Whites joke has the added irony of being hit by the worlds safest car. Wait til the yoga class sees my killer tree position. Unexpected Thats why a humorist must be like a magician, able to hide his tricks. Or like a mystery writer, who wants her readers say, I should have seen that coming exactly half the time and I would never have seen that coming the other half of the time. If readers expect the punchline, it may not turn out funny. Thats why a well-presented joke may not sound like a joke until the end. I think my humor, more than anything else, depends on bluntness. That is, when I make people laugh, its often by being dead serious. It surprises people that Im saying exactly whats happening. For example, we dont expect a successful adult to admit theyre taking yoga classes to impress other successful adults, and the joke is funnier because of the incongruity between competitiveness and yogas goal of attaining control over ones desires (I think). This is one of about twelve drafts of this joke. How would you rewrite it to make it funnier? When I came to this town, said the millionaire businessman, I had only a quarter in my pocket. But I used that quarter wisely. I called home for more money. Insightful A good joke goes beyond incongruity to touch what it means to be human. Its incongruous to play a trick on a disabled person, but because its inhumane and unjust, somehow its not really funny. When good triumphs over evil, or when a pompous person is humbled, that makes the joke more satisfying. And just being human is often funny. Our expectations lead us to assume the businessman will boast of investing 25 cents and turning it into a million dollars. We havent done something like that, but instead of making us feeling like failures, this joke lets us feel good that the businessman didnt either. Respectful Some pseudo-jokes are incongruous but not funny because they dont make sense or respect their audience. One is the interminable shaggy dog story whose punchline doesnt justify the time spent hearing it. In the original joke, after a long series of irrelevant digressions (one such joke takes 45 minutes to tell) that have little to do with the dog in question, a character finally says only, Hes not so shaggy. Another group of jokes shares the meaningless punchline: No soap, radio. But because the punchline isnt funny, these jokes are themselves practical jokes. The teller gets perverse amusement from his bewildered audience (Get it? No soap RADIO! Ha ha ha!), either when they admit I dont get it, or when they pretend to find the joke humorous. Two old ladies are in a restaurant. One complains, You know, the food here is just terrible. The other shakes her head and adds, And such small portions. Woody Allen Narrative If you want to touch your readers humanity as well as surprise them, maybe you shouldnt write jokes, but write stories. The best humor includes the basic elements of a story, such as character and conflict and wisdom. If you simply follow a standard joke structure, such as garden path or reverse, your readers may anticipate your punchline. But when you tell a story, you may catch your readers off guard they may not realize youre telling a joke. Woody Allen describes people we all know, who complain a lot, but his joke reminds us that after a certain point, complaining doesnt make sense. Humor is studied by scientists: University of Western Ontario psychology professor Rod Martin has found more than 4,000 peer-reviewed journal articles on the psychology of humor. But as you practice it, youll discover that humor writing is not only a science, but an art as well. You can never predict with certainty what people will laugh at. Stop me if youve heard that one before. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should KnowDoes "Mr" Take a Period?Using "May" in a Question

Friday, February 21, 2020

Plagiarism in Universities in English Speaking Countries Essay

Plagiarism in Universities in English Speaking Countries - Essay Example The rise of plagiarism and its negative impact on the educational sector in these country has raised eye brows and is a major concern on how it can be eliminated or though its causes can be addressed. Because of these researches have been conducted in order to establish the main causes of plagiarism by different authors. According to (Guo Xin 2011) poor academic skills is one of the main causes of plagiarism in most universities. This is because students are not able to distinguish between what article has been paraphrased this way they end up plagiarizing. Due to lack of good academic skills most scholars do not understand why cheating is wrong and can become as a result of plagiarizing. They also lack enough knowledge on how to use in texts and how to phrase the sources .Another factor associated with poor academic skills is that the scholars are unable to plan their time and schedule enough time to do research and also to write their academic papers and articles. Finally in poor a cademic skills ,most students in the English speaking countries are not well trained on writing skills and they have problem of not considering in term academic continuous assessment tests such as writing thesis ,doing assignments and also presentations. They are more focused on the end of term exams. In order to solve this problem Daniel luzer 2011, suggested that teachers should explain to their students how to differentiate between plagiarized articles, the teachers should also promote good academic skills among the students that will ensure that the students understand the importance of doing their work and presenting assignments. The teachers should also teach the students of good time management skills so that they can have time to research and do their own individual works. According to Bam ford et.al.(2005),the other factor that causes plagiarism is external pressures. This pressures include the fact that students lack enough resources like money to help them study and facil itate their stay in the learning institutions and also help live better lives at home. Hence, they are forced to plagiarize since it takes less time and take the extra time to work and get money .Secondly most scholars fear the punishment and rejection they would get from their family members and especially parents if they fail t o score well in school. Thirdly, about 60 percent of students experience pressure from the parents and relatives on the fact that they should perform well in school as a means of making the both parties proud. Good performance is viewed as a great necessity among most families. Lastly, most students plagiarize in order to ensure they remain at par with the good performers in the school or learning institution. According to carolla, (2000),the solution to these problem is to make sure that all students are availed with all the resources that they need to facilitate their learning both at home and also in their schools. The other solution is to ensure that pa rents are made to accept the results of their children and motivate them to work harder and improve their grades next time. The family plays a very crucial role in embracing and promoting honesty and hard work among the students. Finally (chester 2001) suggests that students should be made to understand that all cannot lead in performance squares due to the differences in capabilities and their potentials too. According to devlin (2007),the other major

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Investment Portfolio Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Investment Portfolio - Research Paper Example It involves providing concise method of communicating the process and objectives amongst all parties involved with the investments and to assign responsibility for implementations. (Winfield R. G. and Curry S. J., 1995.) Once the Investment Policy has been established other factors affecting the investment such as financial and economic conditions, and risk factors will be examined. How to allocate the 100,000 to specific assets will be determined. RiskGrades will be used for optimal allocation. RiskGradeTM measure is an open and transparent benchmark to measure the risk of the world's financial assets. Another optimization criterion to be looked at briefly is the Markowitz co-variance approach. According to Markowitz, (1952), the co-variance matrix can be used to compute portfolio variance. Peter Zangari (1996)'s document on risk metrics assumes that the market is driven by risk factors with observable co-variance. These risk factors which have been incorporated in the analysis include; time series of prices or levels of stocks, currencies (foreign exchange rates), commodities and interest rates. The evaluation of investment performance is very important to any investor. Evaluation goes hand in hand with re-examining the policies and altering the strategies. The constructed portfolio will be monitored throughout the period under review. The reasons why it is performing in a certain way is examined. Policy Statement This is a statement of Investment Policy and investment goals, which establish the investment management procedures. The five basic components of the statement include; Summary of investor circumstances. Investment objectives, time horizon and risk attitudes. Permissible asset classes, constraints and restrictions. The asset allocation decisions. Selection, monitoring and control procedures. For an investor, investment policy depends on circumstances (Winfield, 2005). Institutional investor will be concerned with long-term investments as opposed to an individual investor who will be limited to personal factors such as financial situation, age, family circumstances, and personal preferences to risk. An elderly investor will invest in investments which are short-term though the risks might be high as opposed to a young investor. Diversification comes in for the issue of risks. Diversification is a risk limiting strategy. Since I am a young investor, I would like to diversify my investment and also take a greater amount of risk to enhance the potential earnings on the investment. According to Winfield (2005), as a

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Performance Appraisal: Functions and Implementation

Performance Appraisal: Functions and Implementation Chapter 1: 1.1 Introduction This dissertation project has been undertaken for the fulfilment of the business degree MBA, General Management from the University of East London. The findings of this dissertation will contribute to concerned company and the author to complete the MBA degree. At the beginning, a leading mobile tele-communication organisation in Bangladesh named Banglalink was chosen as the research organisation. In the middle of the study, the management refused to cooperate with providing information. As a result the author had to find and choose a suitable company to collect research information and data to finish the study. Secure Facilities Management Company Ltd. (SFM) was the new company chosen to finish the research. The introduction chapter gives an overall idea about the study. In this part, the background, objectives and research questions and the structure of this dissertation will be discussed. 1.2 Background of the Study The study discusses about the functions and the implementation of performance appraisal in the new era. The concept of ‘Welfare Personnel was developed in the end of the British golden colonial history by the humane concerns of some business families like Cadbury and Rowntree. Then within the next century, the concept had changed and became Personnel Management and later on Human Recourse Management. Now the world has just entered into a new millennium and the concept of human resource management has become a strategic partner for the business organisations. (McKenna Beech, 2008:2 3) Organisations require many things in order to be effective, a method for producing a product or service, financial resources, a way of marketing and human resources. While all of these are important to organisational effectiveness, the only factor that represents a potential competitive advantage is human resources. This is why the concept of human resource management is s important to every organisation.. The basics of managing people are getting people, preparing them, stimulating them motivate them. To manage human resources in any organisation the following questions are to be considered: (Dessler, 2005:4-5) Are the persons hired for the job wrong? Is the organisation able to milk out the best from the employees? What is the most frustrated area of human resource management? Is the rewarding system working properly? The above refers to how people worked in the past, what changes are required in future to make the production system effective, what are the weaknesses of the system and how to improve. These actually refer to the evaluation of employees of job which is called Performance Appraisal. Performance appraisal system is an important function of personnel department in any organisation. The system has a close relationship between organisation goals and individual performance. The performance appraisal system represents a year round exercise of managing individual performance in an integrated manner with a view to enabling employees to perform at their performance standards. (Dessler, 2005:310) With the view of increasing organisational effectiveness through the effective management of human resources, the organisations use different methods of appraising performance of their employees. For this research a small security service company named ‘Secure Facilities Management Company Ltd. (SFM) a private single owner security service company has been chosen. SFM became a successful organisation in the last few years. Their high standard efficient employees are one of the key factors for their success. For that, SFM has been chosen to practice the theoretical knowledge and to get familiar with the existing system of Performance Appraisal of a small private company. 1.2 Research Question In general, most of the organisations have a kind of formal or informal performance appraisal system. Through the performance appraisal system, the employees get to know their performance standards, which area of their performance needs to be developed etc. The supervisor also provides them with feedback, development and incentives to help them eliminating their performance deficiencies. If performance appraisal system is effectively used, it can improve attraction motivation of the employees on the job. If inappropriately used the appraisal process can have disastrous effects (Dessler, 2005:310). Hence the discussion leads to the research questions: What is the level of understanding and compliance of the employees on performance appraisal? What are the reactions of the employees regarding the performance appraisal? What are the constraints of the performance appraisal in practical life? 1.3 Aims and Objectives of the Study The research has been undertaken for the fulfilment of the requirement for completion of MBA, General Management for the year 2008/2009. This is mainly aimed to develop the job expertise in the performance appraisal activities under the guidance of expert faculty member of University of East London. It is really a difficult task to assess consistency, relevance and reliability of the tools and techniques of the system, however and effort is made to have some ideas about the matter. 1.3.1 Aims The study mainly aims at knowing about the awareness, the level of understanding and compliance of the employees of SFM regarding performance appraisal system. The study attempts to analyse the present performance appraisal system and the role of both appraisers and appraises in connection with the implantation of the system in real life situation. 1.3.2 Objectives To be acquainted with and acquire practical knowledge regarding performance appraisal system of an organisation. To relate the theoretical knowledge of performance appraisal with practical implication. To determine the acceptability and reliability of the performance appraisal system in a certain organisation. To assess the constraints/factors which influence the performance appraisal system. 1.4 Scope of the Study Target group includes officers of all level. The working forces those who are working in the head office and also in the other sites. Value Perception of both appraisers and appraises of the organisation under study. 1.5 Limitations of the Study While preparing this report, the following limitations had been faced: At the beginning a renowned mobile Tele-communication company in Bangladesh, Banglalink, was chosen for the study but they refused to deliver any information and cooperation just one and half month before the submission date. As a result, the author had to choose a small security company, Secure Facilities Management Company Ltd. (SFM) to carry on and finish the study within such a short time. SFM has a master plan on performance appraisal, but at present implementing a part of it. As a part of the business strategy, SFM did not provide all information on their performance appraisal procedure. The major limitation of the study was the lack of time for such an intensive work which compelled the author to narrow the scope of the study. All officials were very busy with their own assignments. As a result, they had a little opportunity for giving much time in this regard. Limitation was faced on the volume of the report due to which many relevant and important things will remain unexplored in detail. 1.6 Organisation Profile Introduction to Secure Facilities Management Company Ltd. (SFM): Since its formation SFM has built its reputation by providing security personnel of the highest calibre. This has been achieved by combining sound management with sensible terms and conditions for all staff. SFM strives to ensure that their clients and staff benefit from a focused and well-defined professional approach, the ratio of management to client is kept to no more than one manager per 10 clients. SFM strives to provide the highest standards of efficiency to all its clients, both large and small. SFM understands the importance of first impressions and that their personnel are often the first point of contact for their clients visitors and residents. 1.7 Structure of the Research This structure of this study has the following five chapters: Chapter 1 is the introduction chapter where the background, research question and rationale, objective, company profile and structure of the research are stated. Chapter 2 contains a brief literature review on performance management, history and meaning of the performance appraisal, purposes, functions, types of performance appraisal, MBO, 360 degree appraisal, problems and solutions of performance appraisal and essentials of a good performance appraisal. This chapter will provide a basic understanding about performance appraisal which is related to the research questions. Chapter 3 contains Research Methodology which includes research framework, the design of the research, population and sampling, and questionnaire. Chapter 4 provides Data analysis, statistical analysis and findings of the research. Chapter 5 describes the critical review of the findings. Chapter 6 discusses on recommendation and conclusion of the study and reflection summery. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction Organisations require consistent levels of high performance from their employees in order to survive in a highly competitive environment. In a view of this, performance appraisal can be a systematic system through which evaluation of an employee is done analyze effectively to determine required performance. It plays a key role in rewarding systems. It is the process of evaluating the performance of employees, sharing information with them and searching for ways to improve their performance. Appraisal is necessary in order to: Allocate resources in a dynamic environment; Motivate and reward employees; Give employees feedback about their work; Maintain fair relationships within groups; Coach and develop employees; and Comply with regulations. It is also a formal opportunity to do what should be done much more frequently in organisations to express appreciation for employee contributions. Companies must administer their employee performance reviews, at all levels, fairly and without discrimination. Since all appraisals can be used against a company in an appraisal employee lawsuit, it is critical that these reviews should be completely accurate. This practice of performance appraisal has been given a variety of titles. The academicians call it performance appraisal, performance review etc. In Government services in Bangladesh, it is known as ACR (Annual Confidential Report). In private organisations, it is often described as merit rating, personnel rating, progress rating, annual performance, etc. Performance appraisal plays a major role in Human Resource Management. The subject is a part of Performance Management. It is necessary to discuss the performance management briefly before proceeding to performance appraisal. Performance Management The primary concern of performance management is the improvement of individual and collective performance. It is a continuous cycle of self-renewing. The aim of performance management is make direct link together individual goals, departmental purpose and organisational objectives. It integrates the major elements of HRM like appraisal and employee development, performance-related pay and reward management, individualism and employee relations. In other way it can be called as day-to-day management activity as it deals with organising works to get the best result. â€Å" a strategic integrated approach to delivering sustained success to organisations by improving the performance of the people who work in them and by developing the capabilities of tams and individual contributors†. Armstrong (2001:467) According to Armstrong (2001:475) the main activities of performance management are Role Definition, The Performance Agreement or Contract, The Performance Development Plan, Managing Performance Throughout the Year and Performance Review. These activities are a continuous cycle. According to Marchington Wilkinson (2004:187), the process of performance management system involves Induction and Socialisation, Reviewing and Appraising Performance, Reinforcing Performance Standards and Counselling and Support. Beardwell and Holden (2001:538) stated â€Å"Performance Management is not simply the appraisal of individual performance: it is an integrated and continuous process that develops, communicates and enables the future direction, core competencies and values of organisation, and helps to create an ‘horizon of understanding†. Performance Management is an effective tool by which the employees work behaviours are aligned with the organisations goals. There is no one way to manage performance. Whatever system is adopted needs to be similar with the culture and the principles of that organisation. However, most system of performance management has several parts: Defining Performance: Carefully defines employee performance so that it supports the organisations strategic goals. Setting of clear goals for the individual employee is a critical component of performance management. Measuring Performance: Measuring performance does not need to be narrowly conceived, but can bring together multiple types of performance measured in various ways. The key is to measure often and use the information for mid-course corrections. Feedback and Coaching: In order to improve performance, the employee needs information (feedback) about their performance, along with the guidance in reaching the next level of results. Without frequent feedback, employees are unlikely to know that behaviour is out of synchronization with relevant goals, or what to do about it. The major aim of performance management is to find ways of continual improvement of levels of both organisational and individual performance and performance appraisal is the perfect weapon for that improvement. The Rise of Performance Appraisal The performance appraisal has a long history which started China in the third century, the reign of Wei Dynasty. It was mainly used for the civil servants, army officers and managers until recently. Now it is very much wide spread all over the world and has become a popular management tool. In the UK most of the private sector organisations has introduced and are practicing performance appraisal during the last decade or two. Some people suggested that the reason behind for its growth is to use the individualised performance-pay system. Some other factors like market competition, managing change, organisation goal, milk out the best from the employees etc. are also important. Now the terminology ‘performance appraisal is changing to ‘personal development review and ‘performance review and development. (Taylor, 2004:247-248) Meaning of Performance Appraisal Performance Appraisal (PA) is a methodical, on the job-review of an employees abilities and accomplishments. Performance appraisal functions as a valuable management assessment tool and a superior employee motivation weapon. It enables us to strike a workable balance between organisations need for qualified and trained personnel and employees need for feedback and motivation. Performance is the contribution and appraisal is the procedure of measuring the contribution. Performance appraisal is an integral part of a system of managing individuals working in an organisation. Performance appraisal is an inevitable inspire of modern technology and all the systems and controls coming into widespread us, people remain the most important factor in all kinds of business, government agencies, charitable organisations and all other organisation. Performance appraisal is a process of bringing together the approaches of performance management like counselling, training, improving performance etc. that helps the managers to exercise them to achieve the goal of the organisation. It is a procedure of rewarding and disciplining the employees to improve the over performance of the organisation. It is the process of evaluating performance or contribution of an employee to the organisation during a specific period of time by his or her supervisor with relation to his or her job requirements. An effective, reliable and valid performance appraisal system recognizes the legitimate desire of employees for progress in their professions. Integration of organisational demands and individual needs through career management is the part of performance appraisal. Therefore, the performance appraisal program is inevitable for measuring the contribution of both â€Å"employees and managerial personnel†. Performance appraisal program is the basis of determining who is profitable to higher position and who is to be rewarded for better contribution to the organisation he or she belongs to. Performance feedback lets employees know how well they have performed in comparison with the standards of the organisation. Performance appraisal program is the administrative and employee development tool, which is the domain of the management not shared by the employees. Opponents of the performance appraisal attack it on a variety of grounds but without appraising performance of the employees career development, organisational development, recently a number of organisations have revamped their appraisal system in a bid to reduce possible negative outcomes. Appraisal, no doubt is a complex issue and it is clear that to be effective, a system must be designed and implemented with great care. â€Å"Performance appraisal means evaluating an employees current and/or past performance relative to his or her performance standards†. (Dessler, 2005:310) Michael Armstrong (2001:486) says â€Å"Performance review discussions enable a perspective to be obtained on past performance as a basis for making plans for the future.† He explains that the five elements of performance management (measurement, feedback, positive reinforcement, exchange of views and agreement on action plans) can be achieved through performance review. In the conclusion it can be said that, performance appraisal is the process by which an employees contribution to the organisation during a specific period of time is assessed. Performance Feedback then lets the employee know how well they have performed in comparison with the standards of the organisation. Who Should Do The Appraisal? By traditionally a managers authority typically has included appraising subordinates performance. The logic behind this tradition seems to be that since managers are held responsible for their employees† performance, it only makes sense that these managers do the evaluating of their performance. The employees immediate boss conducts about 95 percent of all performance appraisals at the lower and middle levels of the organisation. Purposes Purposes of Performance Appraisal: HRD Employees View Performance appraisal or evaluation serves a number of purposes for Human Resources Department and for the development of the employees. Management uses performance appraisal for general human resource decisions. Evaluations provide input into such important decisions, transfers, and terminations. Performance appraisals identify training and development needs. They pinpoint employee skills and competencies that are currently inadequate but for which programs can be developed to remedy. Performance appraisal can be used as a criterion against which selection and development programs are validated. Newly Hired employees who perform poorly can be identified through performance appraisal. Similarly, the effectiveness of training development programs can be determined by assessing how well those employees who have participated do on their performance appraisal. Performance appraisals also fulfil the purpose of providing feedback to employees on how the organisation views their performance. Furthermore performance appraisals are used as the basis for reward allocations. Decisions as to who gets merit pay increases and other rewards are frequently determined by performance appraisal. Purposes of Performance Appraisal: Organisations View Identify the successful less successful aspects of the employee needs organisational goals. Assist decision makers in allocating resources in planning for future. Assist managers in just frying expenditure accounting for those expenditures. Monitor employee activities to detect any change in activities or the quality of services. Serve as a benchmark, i.e. identifying best practice performance, using that performance as a goal, investigating the factors that led up to that performance, then trying to replicate that level of performance. Functions / Uses of Performance Appraisal Multiple uses of Performance Appraisal are: Development uses. Administrative uses/decision makings. Organizational maintenance/objectives. Documentation. Types of Performance Appraisal There are various types of performance appraisal which includes Alternation Ranking Method, Graphic Rating Scale, Management By Objectives (MBO) etc. (Dessler, 2005:315) These are explained below. Alternation Ranking Method It is the oldest simplest of formal systematic rating is to compare one person with all others for the purpose of placing them in a simple rank order of worth. In doing this, the appraiser considers person and performance as an entity; no attempt is made to systematically fractionize what being appraised into component elements. Graphic Rating Scale This method is widely used in merit rating is similar to the techniques in point-evaluation plan. This involves the supervisor to rate employee performance in terms of prescribed traits i.e. quality of work, quantity of work, initiative, dependability, knowledge of work etc. Each trait is defined various degrees of each are prescribed in some way. From traits degrees over-all rating can be obtained. Forced Distribution Choice Another attempt to counteract the tendency of raters to give average ratings or even sometimes to â€Å"twist† a report to bring about a desired result is the forced-choice technique. Here the rater is faced with groups of three of four statements, he must tick the one, which applies most nearly to the employee under assessment. These statements are so devised that it is impossible for the rater to know which will give the most favourable rating. Grading It is a further development to the guideline approach which attempts to provide a frame work of reference by defining a number of levels at which the characteristics is displayed asking Managers to select the definition which most closely describes the individual they are assessing. For example, in rating effective output the Manager in a typical grading scheme is asked to choose between: Outstanding Outstanding output of high quality work Satisfactory Satisfactory level of output effort Fair Completes less than the average amount of effective work Poor Low output poor worker. Critical Incident Method The critical incident method requires every Supervisor to adopt a practice of recording in a note-book of those significant incidents in each employees behaviour that indicate effective or poor behaviour. These are recorded in a specifically-designed notebook that contains characteristics under which the various behaviours can be recorded. Management by Objectives (MBO) Management by Objectives (MBO) is a critical process that often consists of four steps as a way to attain desired performance: Objective setting-joint determination by manager employee of appropriate levels of future performance for the employee, within the context of over-all unit goals resources. These objectives are often set for the next calendar year. Action planning-participative or even independent planning by the employee as to how to reach those objectives. Providing some autonomy to employees is invaluable; they are more likely to use their ingenuity, as well as feel more committed to the plans success. Periodic reviews-joint assessment of progress toward objectives by manager employee performed informally sometimes spontaneously. Annual evaluation-more formal assessment of success in achieving the employees annual objectives coupled with a renewal of the planning cycle. Some MBO systems also use performance appraisal to tie rewards for employees to the level of results attained. MBO had been taken likened to a modem form of scientific management. It is also subject to the same possible criticisms of too great an emphasis on individual job definition together with a management authority structure, the assumption of no conflict between individual organisation goals. MBO should not be applied simply as a pressure device by which management apply increasingly demanding targets which Staffs are expected to achieve. MBO draws attention to the objectives for individual members of the organisation as a whole. MBO is a potentially attractive system. It provides an opportunity for staff of accept greater responsibility to make a higher level or personal contribution. There is much to recommend it to both the organisation individual managers. 360 Degree Appraisal or Evaluation The latest approach to performance appraisal is the use of 360 Degree evaluations. It provides for performance feedback from the full circle of daily contacts that an employee might have, ranging from mailroom personnel to customers to bosses to peers. The number of appraisals can be as few as three or four evaluations or as many as 25; with most organisations collecting five to ten per employees. The appeal of 360-degree appraisals is to fit well into organisations that have introduced teams, employee involvement, and TQM programs. By relaying on feedback from co-workers, customers and subordinates, these organisations are hoping to give every one more accurate reading on employee performance. Appraising Performance: Problems and Solutions Few of the things a manager does which are more risky than appraising subordinates performance. Employees in general tend to be overly optimistic about what their ratings will be, and also know that their raises, career progress, and peace of mind may well hinge of how they are rated. This alone should make it somewhat difficult to rate performance; even more problematic. There are more numerous structural problems that can cause serious doubt on just how fare the whole process is. Some of the main appraisal problems and their solution are explained below. Dealing with the Five Main Rating Scale Appraisal Problems Five main problems can undermine appraisal tools such as graphic rating scales: unclear standards, halo effect, central tendency, leniency or strictness, and bias. Unclear Standards: The problem of unclear standards is illustrated. Although the graphic rating scale seems objective, it would probably result in unfair appraisals because the traits and degrees of merit are open to interpretation. For example, different supervisors would probably define ‘good performance, ‘fair performance, and so on differently. The same is true of traits such as ‘quality of work or ‘creativity. Halo Effect: The halo effect means that the rating of subordinate on one trait (such as ‘gets along with others) biases the way that person is rated on other traits (such as ‘quality of work). This problem often occurs with employees who are especially friendly (or unfriendly) towards the supervisor. For example, an unfriendly employee will often be rated unsatisfactory for all traits rather than just for the trait ‘gets along well with others. Being aware of this problem is a major step toward avoiding it. Supervisory training can also solve the problem. Central Tendency: Many supervisors have a central tendency when filling in rating scales. For example, if the rating scale ranges from 1 to 7, they tend to avoid the highs (6 to 7) and lows (1to 2) and rate most of their people between 3 and 5. In a graphic rating scale, this central tendency could mean that all employees are simply rated ‘average. Such a restriction can distort the evaluations, making them less useful for promotion, salary, or counselling purposes. Ranking the employees instead of using a graphic rating scale can avoid this central tendency problem because all employees must be ranked and thus cannot all be rated average. Leniency or Strictness: Some supervisors tend to rate all their subordinates consistently high (or low), just all some instructors are notoriously high graders and others are not. This strictness/leniency problem is especially serious with graphic rating scales since supervisors arent necessarily required to avoid giving all their employees high (or low) ratings. On the other hand, when the raters rank subordinates, they are forced to distinguish between high and low performances. Thus, strictness/leniency is not a problem with the ranking or forced distribution approach. In fact, if a graphic rating scale must be used, it may be a good idea to assume a distribution of performances-that, say, only about 10% of the people should be rated ‘excellent, 20% ‘good, and so forth. In other words, try to get a spread (unless, of course, the raters are sure all their people really do fall into just one or two categories). Bias: Individual differences among raters in terms of characteristics like age, race, and sex can affect their ratings, often quite apart from each rates actual performance. In one study, for instance, researchers found a systematic tendency to evaluate older rates (over 60 years of age) lower on ‘performance capacity and ‘potential for development then younger employees. The rates race and sex can also affect the persons rating. However, bias is not necessarily consistently against minorities or women, as it seems to be in the case of older workers. In one study, high performing females were often rated significantly higher than were high performing males. An interesting picture of how age can distort evaluations emerges from a study of registered nurses. When the nurses were 30-39 years old, they and their supervisors each rated the nurses performance virtually the same. In the 21-29 category, supervisors actually rated nurses higher than they rated themselves. However, for the 40-61 nurse age categories, the supervisors rated nurses performance lower than the nurses rated their own performance. The conclusion here may be that supervisors are tougher in appraising older subordinates. Specifically, they dont give them as much credit for their success, while attributing any low performance to their lack of ability. A related problem is described in the Diversity Counts feature. An employees previous performance can also affect the evaluation of h