Rhetorical Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Rhetorical Argument - Essay Example Lamar provides suggestions on how a 3-year college degree is efficient in terms of educational and cost. On the other hand, the authors of What’s College for Anyway give similar sentiments. The authors believe that college time should be reduced but they have been keen to point out international students who might be required to take a little longer due to language barrier and acclimatization reasons. James Altucher the author of Skip Diploma, 8 alternatives to college begins with a story on how he used his college fee to buy a car only to return the car and join a college. He regrets this decision and cites reasons such as costs of education and time consumed in college as his reasons for regret. He therefore does not want other students to go through what he went through and provides them with 8 alternatives for college. Ironically, he gives reasons such as travelling around, creating an art, make people laugh, write a book as some of his alternatives. Jacques Steinberg is t he author of Plan B, Skip College. He reviews some of the professors and University presidents regarding this issue. ... The paper reviews their thoughts and offers analytical recommendation and conclusion regarding their debates. Thesis Statement There has been a lot of controversy regarding the time college students should spend in colleges and in the universities. There has also been a major concern regarding the quality of education in American colleges and Universities. Moreover, many critics believe that a four years education career at the university or the college is so expensive. Most of the scholars argue against the traditional 4 years and thinks that this time should be reduced to 3 years. I believe that college and university time should be reduced to three years instead of the traditional and fixed four years. Will this provide America with the fresh, energetic and skilled labor that it is lacking? Skip the Diploma According to the author of Skip the Diploma: 8 alternatives to college, James Altucher, attending college has made him regret his life. He gives 8 alternatives for attaining a diploma in a college. It is quite challenging to realize that most of the scholars are against attending colleges and give options for business as a way of living (James Altucher). The US government has been struggling with a shortage of skilled labor for quite a long time and the country depends on foreign labor in order to meet its demands. For this reason, questions have been raised on whether to shorten colleges and university duration in order to meet this demand. President Obama recently gave a proposal of an extended education a view, which has not been received well and has been criticized by most scholars and policy makers in the US. There have been concerns about the quality of education US has been producing. US is one of the economic giants in the world and

Risk Management Paper Essay Example for Free

Risk Management Paper Essay I interviewed James Alviar RN, the Coordinator of Risk Management at my current place of employment the Queens Medical Center West Oahu. I asked him if there were any current risk management issues at our facility that we could discuss, but he said all current issues were confidential and he could not divulge any information to me. Instead, James pointed me in the generic direction of hospital falls that is a nationwide risk management issue and also pertains to us at Queens Medical Center. This paper will be discussing risk managements role, what falls are, how falls are addressed, how risk management would remedy the problem, and how the similar situation is discussed at another facility. Queens Health Systems Risk Management (Risk Management) serves the Queens Health Systems (QHS) by developing and applying an integrated program for the preservation of QHSs capital assets and resources. The role of the Risk Management Department is to plan, direct, and coordinate the risk management and insurance function of Queens Medical Center, subject to and consistent with the Queens Health Services Mission Statement, policy and procedures, guidelines and applicable laws. Risk management is a process with four major components: identification, assessment, mitigation, and monitoring. Risk management addresses many issues that include patient safety, potential medical questions or errors, federal regulations, and legislation impacting healthcare. At Queens Medical Center, there are two options to file an event report. The employee may submit an event report anonymously or log onto the hospital intranet and utilize the RLs Risk Management software. The software is an easy step by step program for writing a thorough incident report to be submitted to Risk Management. The purpose of the occurrence report is to: Assist in identifying potential liability issues, facilitating appropriate corrective or remedial measures. To develop only information for investigation,  evaluation, and a final disposition of the reported incident. The information collected will provide management with a means of analyzing risk and quality levels. Fulfill QHSs internal reporting requirements, regulatory requirements, or insurance carriers requirements or legal obligation. Once the Risk Management department gets the report, they determine whether the situation should be investigated. If the situation needs to be examined, other departments are called upon to review the case. The other departments are but not exclusive to Falls Prevention and Protection Committee/Patient Safety, Department Managers and their nurses, Risk Managers, Human Resources, and Patient Advocate. Follow-up reports will be completed within three weeks, unless circumstances require a quicker response. I visited a smaller 57-bed hospital located central on the island to serving the residents of Central Oahu and the North Shore. Their incident reports are submitted on a form requiring the following information: How, when (date and time) and where the incident or offense took place The names of any injured persons and witnesses The nature and location of any injury or damage arising out of the incident or offense If a security report was made, a forwarded copy is required. If an incident report is written up, it would be submitted to the Risk Management where it would be reviewed. An investigation begins with a meeting with the department manager of the unit where the event occurred. If the incident was a fall, the incident is investigated to see if the ultimate cause of the fall was physiological or environmental. If the patient fell for physiological reasons, a plan of care is initiated. If it were an environmental reason like a loose handrail, they would be repaired immediately. Specifically to this paper, we will focus on patient falls. Patient falls are ubiquitous. According to the American College Of Surgeons National Trauma Data Bank 2013 Annual Report (2013), the highest mechanism of injury by region are falls with a total of 338,805 reported cases and with the second highest mechanism of injury from motor vehicle injury at a total of 234,164 reported cases. A patients fall is an unintended descend to the floor that may or may not result in any injury to the patient. A fall is when a patient lands on a surface where you would not expect to find the patient. There are many risk factors associated with falls such as:  Physiological reasons (changes in blood pressure, Parkinsons, arthritis, neuropathy, vision problems ) Environmental reasons (wet floor, rugs without non-skid backing, poor lighting) Adverse effects of medications An assisted fall is when a staff member witnesses a patients fall and attempts to minimize the impact of descend. Many patient falls occurring during hospital encounters may cause little or no harm but some can result in serious and even possibly life-threatening consequences for many patients such as hip fractures and head trauma. Even when a fall does not lead to death, it can require prolonged hospitalization. Some could suffer disability, loss of function, and lose their independence or premature death. â€Å"Patient falls in hospitals are a common and often preventable adverse event. Nurses routinely conduct fall risk assessment on all patients, but communication of fall risk status and tailored interventions to prevent falls is variable at best.† (Hurley, Dykes, Carroll, 2009). When reporting a fall, the event report should be submitted as soon as possible after the event is discovered. The employee who is involved or observes the incident should complete the report. Although employees can submit an incident report anonymously, submitting through the Risk Management Website in the QMC intranet using the RLs Risk Management program is preferred. Documentation should be objective, fact-based, and not include personal opinions or subjective information. If a visitor falls or is involved in the incidence, the Security Department should be called to take statements, names, and any necessary evidence, such as photographs. An incidence report should be complete including names of witnesses and any pertinent information. If a visitor is injured, he or she should be encouraged to be treated in the Emergency Department. After submitting the report, Risk Management and the designated managers are notified immediately. The responsible manager will review all submitted reports, investigate the events as indicated, and institute any necessary corrective action. If its indicated, the incident report may be presented to the Performance Improvement Coordinator for analysis. Risk management periodically reports event information to the hospital Patient Safety Committee. These activities are considered quality improvement related and a patient safety work product. The event reports are intended for  administration use. If it were a patient here should not be any reference to the incident report in the patients medical record. The event, effects on the patient, and action taken must be documented in the medical record for patient care purposes. Prevention of falls in inpatient settings requires a multidisciplinary, multifaceted approach. There is not one definitive factor that is the silver bullet in preventing falls. Even though hospitals have devoted quality improvement and research efforts to prevent falls, patient falls consistently compose the largest single category of reported incidents in hospitals. (Rowe, 2013). It is important that hospitals maintain a safe and effective environment to prevent or limit falls and/or fall-related injuries by patients, visitors, and staff. Departments such as Risk Management, Falls Prevention and Patient Safety, and Patient Advocate were created to help maintain a hospital’s safe, healing environment. References American College of Surgeons National Trauma Data Bank 2013 Annual Report. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.facs.org/~/media/files/quality%20programs/trauma/ntdb/ntdb%20annual%20report%202013.ashx Hurley, A., Dykes, P., Carroll, D. (2009). Fall Tip : validation of icons to communicate fall risk status and tailored interventions to prevent patient falls. Studies in health technology and informatics, 146(), 455-459. University of Phoenix Online Library. Rowe, J. (2013, June). Preventing Patient Falls What are the Factors in Hospital Settings that Help Reduce and Prevent Inpatient Falls?, Home Health Care Management Practice, 25(3), 98-103. University of Phoenix Online Library

The Concept Of Youth So Difficult To Define Sociology Essay

The Concept Of Youth So Difficult To Define Sociology Essay The concept of youth could be seen as difficult to define, as it covers such a diverse area, Pierre Bourdieu (1978)(In Jones 2010) suggested that youth is just a word and that it has been an evolving concept which has developed over the centurys into a social construction. Youth could also be defined by some, especially in western societies as the life stages between childhood and adulthood and becoming independent from dependent (Kehily 2007). Some favour biological markers, in which youth is the period between puberty and parenthood, while others define youth in terms of cultural markers a distinct social status with specific roles, rituals, and relationships (USAID/CMM 2005). Definitions of youth by age vary drastically across different institutions; the UN has defined youth as person from 15 to 24 years of age, whereas the National Youth Policy of Nepal defines youth as persons from 16 to 40 years of age. Therefore in understanding the difficulties in defining youth, it is impor tant to look at the many different ways , as to why age from the earliest of ages, industrialisation, cultures and the biological concept, to identify some of the key issues as to why the concept of youth is so difficult to define as it has such a diverse range of ideas and notions. The term youth is defined by sociologists as a transition between childhood and adulthood (Roche et al 2004) the alternative is the term adolescence which is often: Used within psychology to describe the common biological, psychological, emotional and sexual maturation phases associated with the onset of puberty and the teenage years From this notion it appears that some perceive youth as a sociological category rather than a biological one (Frith 2005, in kehily 2007) in that youth is a social construct rather than a biological and psychological concept as G Hall (1904) (In Kehily 2007p.57) noted that the biological side changes can have an effect on different people at different times in their lifes through hormonal and psychological changes from which they are not in control over and can have effect over their feeling and behaviour. However the sociologist Margret Mead1972 disregarded Halls concept that adolescence was brought on by biological changes which hall suggests occurs during puberty, from her own study concluded that this period in a young persons life was the effect of sexual repression in society and of societys handling of young people (kehily 2007). However as these studys by Hall and Mead were carried out in a specific area of Samoa, this study maybe relevant to this area but it cannot be genera lised to the rest of the world. Social anthropologists on the other hand try and understand the concept of youth from a cultural perspective for instance rather than seeing it from biological view, they study their behaviour, cultural beliefs, family lives, social, political organisations and their relationships with each other (kehily 2007, p.47) although it must be noted that most cultural studies are based upon non-western and traditional societies (keily 2007). Van Gennep 1960 (in kehily 2007 p.62) studies the rites of passage, and states there are three stages: the leaving behind of the familiar, living away from the community and thirdly reintegration, he backs this up with the study of Nelson Mandelas ignition of becoming a man, Gennep 1960 re-enforces this idea with the ritual of circumcism as some countries carry out rituals in order to publicly show the transition from one stage of a life to another (kehily 2007, p.63). although rites of passage can be observed in western countries it can be interpreted i n different ways, for instance, celebrating a birthday, leaving school, going on to university and getting married can be seen as an initiation process into either the passage to youth or the transition into adulthood as Gennep notes rites of passage were similar in structure and function wherever they occurred in the world. Aries (1962) (In kassem et al 2010) suggested that the concept of youth did not exist in the middle ages and that it has been socially constructed over the centuries, as Aries states, in medieval society the idea of childhood did not exist, and that from the age of 7 a child would be classed as an adult, as Heywood (2001 p.11) noted that the transition into adulthood took place when a child no longer needed their mother and could survive without them, which was somewhere between the ages of 5 and 7, he states they were launched into the great community of men, although some would argue with this concept, as kassem et al (2010) suggests that Aries work is only based upon the ideas of childhood and not children themselves. Pollock (1983) (In kassem et al 2010) also criticises Aries and suggests that from studying first hand accounts from diaries and autobiographies that this was not the case and that families in the 1500s did acknowledge childhood as kassem (2010) notes that Pollock q uotes numerous examples of grief at infant death, from mothers and fathers and that Aries work in only based upon secondary sources rather than actual accounts. Although some researches would agree with Aries that the term childhood has only arisen from the 1700s due to it being something which has been constructed (kassem et al 2010,p.3) from the growth of the middle class and the Industrial Revolution (Stone 1977 in kassem et al 2010) as this conctrucuralism could be seen as to arise after the era of industrialisation, for instance from the early age of around 6 years old children were working , which was reported by the Royal Commission on the Employment of children (1843) that children began work at around the age of 6 (Heywood 2001,p.130). By the late eighteenth century it was emerging that children needed a childhood as it was noted by Hendrick (in Heywood 2001 p.142) that it was emerging that the young was in need of a childhood and that we needed to start taking note of this , as Hendrick noted that children were now being seen as innocent, ignorant, dependent, and vulnerable. However some may only define youth, especially by age as they can be seen to have a vested interest for their own personal gain, their motivations may be different as the media for instance may have an interest to inform, whereas connection service see youth at the age of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as they have an interest in improving the lives of youth by ways of empowering them into looking for work or improving their educational needs to enable them to work, wheras the high street stores such as newlook, topshop/topman aim their establishments at youth as for private gain in making money from them. In conclusion as to why youth is so difficult to define, as it is quite diverse and complex and there are numerous reasoning behind the concept of youth from nature v nurture to cultural and sociological explanations it also varies globally as their values and beliefs differ from others therefor as jones notes (2010) when youth is taken to mean age, then it really is just a word. Therefore the concept of youth will always be difficult to define as there is no neutral definition and we all define the concept of youth in many different ways. Word count:References Social and Human Sciences http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/youth/ the concept of youth http://www.allenandunwin.com/publicsociology/files/ch6RETHINK.pdf Heywood, C. (2001) A history of childhood, Cambridge: polity press. Kehily M.J. (2007) Understanding Youth: Perspectives, Identities and Practices. Milton Keynes:Open University Press. Roche, J, et al. (2004) youth in society, 2nd ed, London: sage publications. Kessem, D, et al (2010) Key issues in childhood and youth studies. Oxon: Routledge. Jones, G. (2009) Key concepts: youth. Cambridge: polity press.

The Horrors of War in Wilfred Owens Poem, Dulce et Decorum Est Essay e

The Horrors of War in Wilfred Owen's Poem, Dulce et Decorum Est From the earliest records of history, accounts of war have been portrayed as valiant acts of heroism. Children and adults alike have gathered together to hear tales of war and its glory. From the stories of Alexander the Great to recent-day movies like Saving Private Ryan, war has been praised and exalted with words such as bravery, honor, and freedom. However, Wilfred Owen's poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" shows the ugly, horrible side of fighting. By use of gripping words and vivid descriptions, Owen paints incredible pictures of what World War I was really like. He tears away the glory and drama and reveals the real essence of fighting: fear, torture, and death. No longer are we left with good feelings and pretty phrases like "Liberty and justice for all!" Instead, our hearts grieve over what these soldiers had to suffer through. Every line of the poem rebuts the Roman poet Horace's quotation: "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori--It is sweet and becoming to die for one's country." T he poem employs three different devices that work together to refute the belief that war is heroic and glorious: the speaker's descriptions, his similes, and his memories. First, the narrator's descriptions are clear and effective, leaving no dispute about what the soldiers had to endure with trenches and mustard gas. The poem does not use vague descriptions such as "It was terrible and horrible." Instead, the fifth and sixth lines read: "Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots / But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind." Right away, the reader can almost see the weary soldiers heading "towards [their] distant rest." They are so weary that some are sleeping while... ...ys will be a terrible, terrible thing. In conclusion, "Dulce et Decorum Est" is a magnificent tapestry of poetry. By the speaker's descriptions, similes, and memories, Owen weaves reality and memories together to create a masterpiece. Through the speaker, Owen seems to express his grief over those who have died fighting. He sees no glory in men dying horrible deaths from mustard gas, writhing with pain and agony. No, he does not feel that it is sweet or becoming to die for one's country. His opinion is expressed throughout the whole poem. Yet, his poem is not one of beauty. It has no pleasant words or pleasing sounds; it does not bring good feelings or happy smiles. But it is one of truth, the truth about war. Works Cited: Owen, Wilfred. â€Å"Dulce Et Docorum Est.† The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M. H. Abrams. New York: Norton & Company, 2000.

Barabas’ Role in the Jew of Malta Essay

Christopher Marlow was born in 1564, as William Shakespeare. This play was probably written in 1589; however, it was not actually published until 1633, after Marlowe’s death in 1593 when he was just 29 years old. This play was performed for many years and had a great influence on Shakespeare’s The Venice Merchant. †¢1. Summary of the play The play is set on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. Calymath (the Turkish prince) arrives to exact Malta’s tribute which has been accumulated to a considerable sum. Ferneze (Maltese governor) cannot pay the tribute immediately, but he promises to pay within a month. After the Turks leave, Ferneze decides to collect the needed money from the Jews of Malta: each Jew must give up half of his fortune. Barabas complains strongly, so his full fortune is confiscated. The Jew tries to keep part of his fortune which was hided in his mansion. Having confessed falsely, Abigail was admitted in the nunnery (formerly Barabas’ mansion) and recovered her father’s hidden fortune. Meanwhile, the Spanish Martin Del Bosco convinces Ferneze to break Malta’s agreement with Turkey, promising to write the Spanish king for military help. Del Bosco also sells Ferneze his slaves, and Barabas ends up buying the Turkish slave Ithamore at the marketplace. At the marketplace, Barabas also runs into Mathias and Lodowick. Each young man desires to see Abigail, and Barabas promises his favours to each, but at the same time, Barabas is planning their death helped by Ithamore. Broken by his father’s selfishness and the death of her lover Mathias, Abigail on her own decides to enter the nunnery once again. Barabas, afraid that Abigail will betray him, poisons all the nuns included her own daughter Abigail who is the last to die. Before this, she manages to give friar Barnardino a written confession of her father’s crimes. Barnardino in companion with the friar Jacomo get to face Barabas and insinuate they know about the Jew’s crimes. In response, Barabas says that he would like to repent and become a Christian. Naturally, he will donate his huge fortune to whichever monastery he enters. The two friars, being from different monasteries, fight to win Barabas’ favour, each hoping to benefit from the Jew’s considerable fortune. Barabas once again has set a trap; he will kill both of the friars without arousing suspicion. Ithamore knows plenty of incriminating information. Once he is seduced by the courtesan Bellamira, Ithamore begins to blackmail Barabas with threats to confess if the Jew does not send him gold. In the last scene of the fourth act, Barabas arrives at Bellamira’s house in the disguise of a French musician and poisons his blackmailers. Meanwhile, the Turkish Bashaws have arrived. In response to Ferneze’s refusal to pay, they declare war on Malta. In the final act, Ferneze prepares to defend Malta against the Turks. Ithamore, Bellamira, and her attendant Pilia Borza enter and all play their parts in revealing Barabas’ crimes, but the Jew’s poison takes effect and they all fall dead. Barabas meanwhile has been captured, but he pretends he is dead through the effect of a drug. He finds himself left outside the city walls. The Jew betrays Malta and leads the Turks into the city. He takes position as governor but he decides to return Malta to help Ferneze to massacre the Turkish forces. The Turkish troops also believed the Jew’s trick. But Ferneze turns the tables on Barabas at the last moment, and Barabas dies. Ferneze takes Calymath as a prisoner in order to ensure Malta’s future safety. †¢2. About Barabas Barabas in the Jew of Malta is an extremely revengeful and ambitious character. He challenges the power with a great cunning. The accumulated tributes, Malta has to pay to the Turks, are more than this country can afford, that is why the governor of Malta is determined to ally to the Catholic Spain if this huge European power keep at bay to the Turks. Spain would take advantage of the sales of Turkish slaves in Malta and many other advantages in business. Malta wouldn’t have to pay the tribute to Turkey and could keep the money collected among its Jew population. This selfishness characterizes all the agreements between the Mediterranean governments. The word that designates these actions is â€Å"politics† and the Jew, Barabas, perceives this selfishness is the ruler’s main principle: â€Å"I, policie? That’s their profession, /and not simplicity as their suggest. † Besides, the rulers speak frankly about this, as we can see when Del Bosco is asked â€Å"what wind drives you in thus into Malta Rhode? And one of his Bashaws answered: â€Å"the wind that bloweth all the world besides, /desires of gold. † In this world in which each nation an d each man take care only of their own self-interest, the Jew of Malta appears at the beginning of the play as victim. Ferneze states Malta as the unique priority and states this:† to save the ruine of a multitude: /and better one want for a common good, then many perish for a private man†. But actually, their taxes on the Jews are hugely unfair. Moreover, Farneze, expect to keep the confiscated fortunes, once the alliance with Spain lets Malta to avoid the tributes that owes to the Turks. These unfair circumstances give Barabas the opportunity to create eloquent speeches against intolerance. He reproaches the Christians for using the scriptures to confirm the measures which go against the Jews: â€Å"What? Bring your scripture to confirm your wrongs? / Preach me not out of my possessions. /some Iewes are wicked, as all Christians are: / but say the tribe I descended of were all in general cast away for sinne, / shall I be tried by their transgression? / the man that dealeth righteously shall lieu: /and which of your can charge me otherwise? † The references to the bible in this extract emphasize how piteous he shows himself in this moment. Barabas is right when he calls â€Å"theft† and not â€Å"taxes† to the requisition of his wealth, and we cannot avoid feeling affected by his sad situation. The funny thing is that, as a Marlowe’s dramatic and moral strategy, in the prologue Barabas has been presented as the same Machiavelli and the Devil’s son, and Machiavelli in the prologue states this: †I count religion but a childish toy, /And hold there is no sinne but Ignorance†. At the very beginning, Barabas is shown as a unbelievable wealthy man and extremely shrewd and interested just in his own contentment. He is determined to let the Turks to invade Malta and slaughter everyone, he confesses in a soliloquy, if he would have the opportunity to get away with the situation. † I’le helpe to slay their children and their wiues, /to fire the churches, pull their houses downe. /take my goods too, and seize upon my lands. † He is completely decided to cheat on the others Jews; he also turns his back on his daughter when she abandons her loyalty to him. Later on we realize that his former speech about the sad situation of the Jews is just a theatrical trick created for the situation and refused in his soliloquies, he is a Jew because he was brought up as a Jew, but he is mainly a Maquiavelli and an immoral figure of vice. This vicious identity is clearer and clearer along the play, thus the Jew of Malta is developed more by disclosure of character than by change of personality. Barabas does not change but we progressively discover how he really is. Maybe the persecution ordered by Ferneze wakes in Barabas a desire of revenge, but he has always hated everyone and has always looked for his own benefit and survival using any means. His plan for kidnapping to her daughter and recovering his money hidden in his house, at that moment turned into a nunnery, results comprehensible and in fact Abigail shows herself decided to help him. However, when Barabas ignores Abigail happiness conspiring against her Christian lover Ludowick, just because he is the governor’s son and against Mathias, uses several strategies as the usury, extortion and persuasion which makes him an evil person even before the unfair tax of Farneze. Barabas boasts of his acts as we can read in the following line â€Å"Slew friend and enemy with my stratagems. † He considers Ithamore as one of his friends because: â€Å"why this is something: make account of me/ as of thy fellow; we are villainies both: Both circumcised, we hate Christian both† Here the dichotomy of motivation and unmotivated evil (a Samuel Tylor Coleridge’s expression) is evident in this combination of Judaism and pure evilness. Barabas’ vicious evilness is more and more present in his behaviour. Instead of sad laments, we can hear the satisfied laughter of Barabas who wants to solve skilfully all his plans. Abigail, who finds herself forgotten and rejected by her father; embraces Christian faith as she states â€Å"but I perceive there is no love on earth/ pitty in Iews, nor piety in Turkes. † As a punishment Barabas poisons every nun in the nunnery included her daughter. Barabas also cheats on the friar community taking advantage of their corruptness Barabas is a hypocrisy and disguise master, and he is surrounded by a group of thugs and courtesans that turn against him as the same time that he turns against them. His achievements in conspiracy and politics drives him to rule Malta, making agreements firstly with the Turks and then with Farneze. Brabas’ evilness is more persistent than even his own life as he lets us know: â€Å"Stand close, for here they come: why, is not this/ a kingly kinde of trade of purchase Townes/ by treachery, and sell ‘em by deceit? /Now tell me, worldlings, underneath the sunne, / If greater falsehood ever has bin doneâ€Å". Even in the moment of his death, when he is finally betrayed by Ferneze, he yearns for longing his wealth and domination and contemplating his Empire once more as we also saw in Faustus. †and had I but scap’d this stratagem, /I would have brought confusion on you all, / Damn Christians, dogges, and Turkish Infidels. † It is interesting how Marlowe gets Brabas’ huge ambition wakes in the readers a great admiration. There is no doubt that Barabas received a severe punishment when, at the end, he falls inside a caldron made by himself; he fell in his own trap and died shouting boastings and challenges. Anyway, this is an appropriate punishment for a life full of crimes. However, it is difficult to contemplate his end from an instructive and moral point of view because, Ferneze, his nemesis, is neither seen as virtuous character. Although he wants to look pious, (â€Å"No, Barabas, to staine our hands with blood / is farre from us and our profession†) he believes in his own policy, which has overcome Barabas evilness. He defeats Barabas by betraying him and then attributes his victory to God. This is an act typical of Maquiavelli’s disciple, who assigns the highest value to the State survival and uses religion as a mean for shaping the public opinion. If Farneze is an important figure in this play, is not because of his Christian virtue but because of his Maquiavellic virtue Maybe, Marlowe is inviting us to admire this shrewd governor whose policy ensures Malta’s survival and Barabas’ destruction. Marlowe destroys Barabas just for showing the strength of a really Maquiavellic strategist. Marlowe presents to his Elizabethan audiences a proposal which completely disagrees with any religious doctrine.

How does Shakespeare present the conflict of good and evil in his play, Macbeth? Essay

How do these extremes reflect the time in which the play was written? (20 marks) The play Macbeth presents the antithesis of good and evil as a concept that is absolute. The play follows the common religious beliefs of the time in presenting three main causes of evil: the total depravity of man, temptation from others and satanic influence. Good is also presented but is not the focus of the play. This is a play about evil, treason and uncertainty – a reflection of the turbulent times of Jacobean England under James I where the conflict between good and evil actions was very real. In examining the three ways in which Shakespeare presents the conflict, a good place to start would be total depravity. Primarily we see this battle of conscience versus will of the flesh personified in the character of Macbeth. In Act 1 Scene 4, after Duncan names Malcom as his successor, Macbeth laments that Malcom is an obstacle: â€Å"On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, / For in my way it lies.† We can see at this stage Macbeth is still undecided at what his course of action will be. His conscience tells him to give up, to â€Å"fall down†, but if he is to fulfil his desire of becoming king he must â€Å"o’erleap† such hindrances. He goes on to say, â€Å"Stars hide your fires, / Let not light see my black and deep desires.† Evil committed in darkness is a recurring theme across the play. Macbeth wishes to hide his evil deeds in the night, out of the sight of men and arguably out of the sight of God, as light typifies all that is good and at the time God was considered to be the ultimate good. This meaning would not have been lost on a Jacobean audience. The next couplet further emphasises the discord man can experience within himself: â€Å"The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be, / Which the eye fears when it is done to see.† This conveys that man can be blind to his own actions, and not even be aware he is committing evil until his eye fearfully surveys the damage caused. The dual use of rhyming couplets at the end of the speech emphasises how twisted and evil Macbeth is becoming. This idea of man choosing darkness was a common idea of the times. The Puritans believed strongly in the doctrine of Total Depravity, the idea that when given the choice between good and evil man will eventually chose sin by default and is not capable of doing good without divine intervention. In John Calvin’s ‘Institutes of the Christian Religion’ he explains evil as â€Å"a hereditary, depravity and corruption of our nature†. However, Banquo is an example of how the Jacobeans believed a religious man can overcome temptation. He is subjected to the same temptation as Macbeth but in Act 2 Scene 1 he is seen praying, â€Å"Merciful powers / Restrain me in the cursed thoughts that nature / Gives way to repose.† He asks for his depraved nature to be restrained so he will be able to choose to do good. It is possible that he himself is considering killing the king. The â€Å"cursed thoughts† that he speaks of have begun to transpose as nightmares, which represent how darkness is seeping into even the Scottish people’s repose. Sleep would normally be associated with peace and rest, but slowly it becomes a metaphor for death and decay. Following on from that the second way Shakespeare presents good and evil is temptation from others. We see this presented clearly with the scenario in Act 1 Scene 5 between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth finishes reading Macbeth’s letter she states that she fears, â€Å"thy nature, / It is too full of the milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way.† She fears that Macbeth’s nature is too kind to take the most direct method to kingship: murdering Duncan. Here we can see how well she knows Macbeth and what drives him. She describes human kindness as â€Å"milk†. We know Lady Macbeth is currently nursing children, and milk in that sense represents all that is good, natural and necessary for survival. She implies that kindness flows as easily from Macbeth as milk from a nursing mother. She continues by saying, â€Å"Thou wouldst be great, / Art not without ambition, but without / The illness should attend it†, implying that Macbeth is an ambitious man who desires to be great, but he refuses to let evil influence his aspirations. He â€Å"wouldst not play false.† She recognises that without any external influence he will never commit the evil deeds that he is tempted towards. This is conveyed to us when she promises to, â€Å"chastise with the valour of my tongue.† The use of â€Å"chastise† creates a violent image, as if she intends to give him the verbal equivalent to a beating. She wishes to pass her boldness on to Macbeth, in variance to the typical submissive attitude that was expected of wives in that era. She further emphasises her dark and rebellious nature when the messenger informs her that Duncan is to stay in her castle that night. With an element of twisted glee she interprets the hoarse cry of the raven to foreshadow, â€Å"the fatal entrance of Duncan / Under my battlements.† She refers to the castle as if it belonged solely to her, and as if the murder of Duncan will be of her doing with minimal help from Macbeth. She is presented to the audience as just as ambitious as Macbeth, if not more. The raven itself is a bird typically associated with darkness, death and evil. It is even more ominous that it has croaked itself hoarse, conveying that evil is already corrupting Scotland before that cataclysmic deed is even committed. Lady Macbeth is adamant that she wants any form of femininity, no matter how mild, to be removed from her so that she can carry out her task efficiently. She expresses a desire to be â€Å"unsexed†. The milk analogy is continued when she asks evil spirits to, â€Å"Take my milk for gall.† She wishes that what she referred to in her previous speech as â€Å"the milk of human kindness† to be removed entirely from her and replaced with malice and evil. When she begins to tempt Macbeth she tells him that, â€Å"Your hand, your tongue; look like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t.† She encourages Macbeth to shed his innocent, good exterior and unleash the serpent that lies below. Through the direct contrast between a flower and serpent Shakespeare conveys how incompatible good and evil are – Macbeth must choose one, for he cannot balance both. Shakespeare, through Lady Macbeth, presents good as something fickle and easily corruptible, the weaker side in the conflict between good and evil. Furthermore, referencing to a serpent is a Biblical metaphor of when Eve tempted Adam into sin. That’s not the only time in the Bible that evil women help men fall into sin: other cases include Samson and Delilah and Herod and Herodias. The Bible was taken extremely seriously in Jacobean times, and due to these beliefs that women are easier to tempt than men, Jacobean wives were expected to be submissive and obedient to their husbands, who would keep them on the right track. In his controversial book ‘The Monstrous Regiment of Women’ John Knox stated that â€Å"To promote a woman to bear rule, superiority, dominion, or empire above any realm, nation, or city, is repugnant to nature.† A woman with influence over her husband would have been taboo, but a Queen like Lady Macbeth with power over the country she ruled would have been even more unacceptable in the social hierarchy of society (Knox wrote his book in response to the reign of Elizabeth I, who died three years before Macbeth was produced). King James, who the play was written for, would have been a staunch complementarian. Ultimately Lady Macbeth’s actions lead to her demise, leaving the audience to wonder how differently her life would have been if she had not tempted Macbeth. It could be argued that the tragedy in Macbeth hinged on Lady Macbeth usurping her prescribed role. Many scholars would claim that Shakespeare was a feminist, but even if that was true he would not have been able to express such views under James’s reign. Finally, the most effective way Shakespeare presents the conflict of good and evil in Macbeth is through the involvement of the supernatural and divine. In Macbeth good and evil is not confined to an internal conflict within man but is also represented through a spiritual war with frequent references to God and Satan, the ultimate adversaries. This is best conveyed when Duncan is killed, and then at the climax of the play when good ultimately prevails. In Act 2 Scene 3, when Macduff brings the news of Duncan’s murder, he cries, â€Å"O horror, horror, horror!† The tone of this line is pure shock, and the repetition of â€Å"horror† conveys that the deed is so horrible and inconceivable that Macduff is lost for words. He continues to deplore, â€Å"Confusion now hath made his masterpiece†. In the Bible it reads that, â€Å"God is not the author of confusion†, so that means Duncan’s death could only be a masterpiece of demonic proportions. The audience is given a sense of how heinous a deed this is when he continues; â€Å"Most sacrilegious murder hath broken ope / The Lord’s anointed temple.† In the conflict between good and evil in Macbeth Macduff is presented as being a religious man, like Banquo. He uses another direct Biblical reference, this time citing verses about kingship. Old Testament kings were directly anointed by God, and it is said the body of a holy man is the temple of God’s spirit. Violent imagery is used when he talks about the temple being, â€Å"broken ope†, implying that the spirit was forcibly and criminally removed from its righteous place. Following on from this, the Divine Right of Kings was a major factor in James I’s court. This was a Puritan doctrine that said each king was predestined to take the throne by God and treason against the king was also a blasphemous crime against God. In the epistle dedicatory of the King James/Authorised Bible it reads, â€Å"Great and manifold were the blessings, most dread Sovereign, which Almighty God, the Father of all mercies, bestowed upon us the people of England, when first he sent Your Majesty’s Royal Person to rule and reign over us.† The doctrine’s purpose was routed in kings like James wishing to reinforce their position rather than Biblical fidelity. James was short and did not have the physical appearance of a typical king, and he had recently survived an assassination attempt at the hands of a Catholic group. He had many reason to fear for his right to the throne. The many demonic references were also deep routed in Jacobean culture, where fears of demons, witches and witches were very real. Hundreds of women were burnt as witches and James himself penned an essay named ‘Daemonologie’ after he believed demonic forces tried to kill his wife. To conclude, in Macbeth good ultimately wins the conflict: Macbeth is killed and the throne of Scotland is joined with England. God’s hand is placed back on Scotland in a slightly deus ex machina fashion. Shakespeare presents the audience with many different interpretations of the conflict between good and evil in keeping with the Jacobean culture, the most effective of which I believe is his use of the supernatural.

The Common App - New Questions for 2013

The Common App - New Questions for 2013 The Common Application keeps a-changing! This admissions season we have both a new word limit (650, increased from 500) and new question choices. Here are the questions you will be asked to choose from if you are applying to college this fall: Some students have a background or a story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn? Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you? Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community or family. As pointed out by the Huffington Post, these questions are designed for you to demonstrate what you would contribute to your college class. What is special about you? What character do you possess? What are your values? What’s important to you? Do these questions seem daunting? Said one of my clients, â€Å"These questions all seem so theoretical!† He did not know where to start. Allow me to make a suggestion: Consider that these questions are only theoretical if you don’t know what you want to say in your essay. Once you choose a topic, I’m willing to bet you can find a way to talk about it in response to one of the five Common App questions. There’s a trick for interview preparation where you write a list of things you want to talk about, and then use whatever questions the interviewer asks to say what you wanted to say. It’s an art to succeed in this method, as you do need to answer the question (you can’t answer a different one). Let’s look at an example as it applies to the Common App. Let’s say you want to talk about your love of music and what it’s like to perform. You could answer any one of the Common App essay questions and say what you want to say. Perhaps your musical abilities are central to who you are (#1). Perhaps you played a wrong note in a concert, or struggled in some other way as you learned (#2). Maybe your parents or teacher wanted one thing for you, and you wanted another (#3). Is the stage a place where you feel completely at peace? If so, maybe question #4 is for you. And certainly if music is important enough to you for an essay, you might have some accomplishment there that marked a transition to adulthood (#5). As you consider how your topic might apply to each question, you might learn something about yourself you didn’t know before! â€Å"OK,† you might be saying, â€Å"Now the questions seem less theoretical, but I’m still daunted: If I could write a great answer to every one of the questions, how do I possibly choose which one to answer?† I would suggest outlining a response to as many of the questions as you think you might want to answer; then evaluate which question allows you to express yourself most fully. In which answer do the most aspects of yourself get revealed? And, perhaps most important, which answer is most interesting to read? Important: The most interesting answer will not necessarily be the easiest to write. It might be less straightforward and take more thought and creativity- which is exactly what admissions committees are looking for! What if I don’t have a topic in mind? If you don’t have a topic you know you want to write about, try going through the questions one by one and having a conversation with someone (most likely someone other than your parents) about how you might answer each question. Brainstorm ideas and see what arises. Give it some time. Sleep on it. Have conversations with more than one person. You might discover a topic you didn’t know could become an essay! And of course, if you’re still stuck, it might be time to work with a professional essay coach. The Essay Expert would be happy to help!

End of the Vietnam War - Fall of Saigon

End of the Vietnam War - Fall of Saigon Previous Page | Vietnam War 101 Working for Peace With the failure of the 1972 Easter Offensive, North Vietnamese leader Le Duc Tho became concerned that his nation could become isolated if President Richard Nixons policy of dà ©tente softened relations between the United States and his allies, the Soviet Union and China.  As such he relaxed the Norths position in the ongoing peace negotiations and stated that the South Vietnamese government could remain in power as the two sides sought a permanent solution.  Responding to this change,  Nixon’s National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, commenced secret talks with Tho in October.  Ã‚   After ten days, these proved successful and a draft peace document was produced.  Angered at having been excluded from the talks, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu demanded major alterations to the document and spoke out against the proposed peace.  In response, the North Vietnamese published the details of the agreement and stalled the negotiations. Feeling that Hanoi had attempted to embarrass him and to force them back the table, Nixon ordered the bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong in late December 1972 (Operation Linebacker II). On January 15, 1973, after pressuring South Vietnam to accept the peace deal, Nixon announced the end of offensive operations against North Vietnam. Paris Peace Accords The Paris Peace Accords ending the conflict were signed January 27, 1973, and were followed by the withdrawal of the remaining American troops. The terms of the accords called for a complete ceasefire in South Vietnam, allowed North Vietnamese forces to retain the territory they had captured, released US prisoners of war, and called for both sides to find a political solution to the conflict. To achieve a lasting peace, the Saigon government and Vietcong were work towards a lasting settlement that would result in free and democratic elections in South Vietnam.  As an enticement to Thieu, Nixon offered US airpower to enforce the peace terms. Standing Alone, South Vietnam Falls With US forces gone from the country, South Vietnam stood alone. Though the Paris Peace Accords were in place, fighting continued and in January 1974 Thieu publicly stated that the agreement was no longer in effect. The situation worsened the following year with the fall of Richard Nixon due to Watergate and passage of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1974 by Congress which cut off all military aid to Saigon. This act removed the threat of air strikes should North Vietnam break the terms of the accords. Shortly after the act’s passage, North Vietnam began a limited offensive in Phuoc Long Province to test Saigon’s resolve. The province fell quickly and Hanoi pressed the attack. Surprised by the ease of their advance, against largely incompetent ARVN forces, the North Vietnamese stormed through the south, and threatened Saigon.  With the enemy nearing, President Gerald Ford ordered the evacuation of American personnel and embassy staff.  In addition, efforts were made to remove as many friendly South Vietnamese refugees as possible.  These missions were accomplished through Operations Babylift, New Life, and Frequent Wind in the weeks and days before the city fell.  Advancing quickly, North Vietnamese troops finally captured Saigon on April 30, 1975. South Vietnam surrendered the same day. After thirty years of conflict, Ho Chi Minh’s vision of a united, communist Vietnam had been realized. Casualties of the Vietnam War During the Vietnam War, the United States suffered 58,119 killed, 153,303 wounded, and 1,948 missing in action. Casualty figures for the Republic of Vietnam are estimated at 230,000 killed and 1,169,763 wounded. Combined the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong suffered approximately 1,100,000 killed in action and an unknown number of wounded. It is estimated that between 2 to 4 million Vietnamese civilians were killed during the conflict. Previous Page | Vietnam War 101

ANALYSIS AND COMPANY PROFILE of Hewlett Packard

ANALYSIS AND COMPANY PROFILE of Hewlett Packard On 1 January 1939, there are Stanford University graduates which are Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, they formed their partnership and decided to start a business. They decide the company’s name with a coin toss. They made a historic commitment to innovation when they founded HP in a garage. The first product they created was an audio oscillator used by Walt Disney to make Fantasia. For over 70 years since then, HP has continued innovating and helping people, businesses, and communities worldwide use technology to improve their businesses and lives. In 1957, the company goes to public. In keeping with Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard’s respect for workers, HP takes the then-unusual step of giving stock grants to employees. The growing company begins building on the site that will become its corporate headquarters in Palo Alto, California. HP also embarks on a path toward globalization, establishing manufacturing and marketing operations in Europe. In the 1980s, HP becomes a major player in the computer with a full range of computers, from desktop machines to portables to powerful minicomputers. HP also links computers with its electronic instruments and medical and analytical products, making them faster and more powerful. HP makes its entry into the printer market with the launch of inkjet printers and laser printers that connect to personal computers. HP’s high-quality, inexpensive inkjet printers spell the end of dot-matrix printers. In 1984, HP debuts the LaserJet printer line, goes on to become the company’s most successful single product line ever. The quality and reliability of HP’s printers make HP a highly recognizable brand by both consumers and businesses. HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers, from individual consumers to the largest businesses at the beginning of the 21st century. HP grows to become the world’s largest technology company with a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure. Later in the decade, a steady stream of acquisitions increases HP’s influence in the software, personal computing and printing markets, and in 2007, HP achieves $100 billion in revenue. In 2009, after the acquisition of EDS, HP moves up to No. 9 on the Fortune 500 list. GENERAL PEST The PEST analysis is the macro-environment or defined as external environment in business point of view. It has been affirmed to be important strategic tools to assess the market growth or decline and it is also a business measurement tool to analyze the external impact of the strategic development of a business. The factors of the PEST are Political, economic, social and technological. These elements are likely to impact your future business. It is drag in an organization considering of the external environment before the project is began. PEST analysis is very simple to complete, is a good material for the workshop session and it is also an effective brainstorming session. Political environment, including a country’s social system, the nature of the ruling party, the Government’s guidelines, policies, laws and so on. Different countries have different social nature, different social system of the organization have different restrictions on activities and requirements. Even if the social system is constant of the country, due to distinct of the ruling party, the government policy features and influence of policy orientation of the Organization is changing at different stages. There are several important political and legal variables which are the nature of ruling party, political system, economic system, tax policy, trade and tariff controls, social and employment legislation.

The research as defined examines M&A of the banking industry in both Dissertation

The research as defined examines M&A of the banking industry in both the US and EU banking industry - Dissertation Example On the date when an M&A are, announced stock prices normally jump abnormally from the acquiring bank to the target company (Banerjee & Cooperman, 2000). In addition, M&A’s which resulted into the creation of diversification of the business in which the banks operate resulted into very high returns. However, other M&A types resulted neither into creation nor into destruction of the shareholders’ wealth or share values. This is majorly due to the sole reason that stock prices alone cannot be used to depict the value that is created by a merger and acquisition. Therefore, Accounting performance technique and stock prices analysis will be employed to help in the understanding the likelihood of stability of value creation (Banerjee & Cooperman, 2000). There are various reasons for merger and acquisitions with value creation being the major or primary reason. Other cases present other banks to merge or acquire with the others if they consider the others as having potential fo r potential gains in the future. Some instances, partners to an M&A found themselves in the situation after they were salvaged from financial crisis hence M&A was a solution to their predicaments resulting into such companies being for good bargains once their financial problems are taken care of by the M&A arrangements. Considering that the banking industry is highly regulated, it is worthwhile to note that smaller banks could engage in mergers with larger banks to guarantee them their profitability. Those banks that intend to engage in acquisitions mostly consider the banks that they intend to acquire to be of greater value addition to them at some speculated future time (Amihud & Travlos, 1990). Therefore, there are a variety of financially motivating reasons why one bank may choose to engage into an M&A agreement with the other bank whether small or big. From research, it is quite evident that large scale M&A’s in the banking industry in the past have helped the banks out of stiff competition hence securing even a greater market share locally and abroad. Hence, apart from the fundamental reasons for M&A, one can rest assured that at least be sure that either of the parties will gain from such arrangements. In most of the cases, mutual benefits are realized with the new formed firm becoming more profitable. As typical reasons of starting banks for long-term profitability, some findings have it that some were created to be sold out for cash revenue to the owners. M&A to create larger banks in both the EU and the US have given room to drastic change in structure of the banking industry in the two regions (Amihud & Travlos, 1990). On whether these changes are good or bad is a large question to be answered on the long run through the consideration of the influences on the main players in the arrangements. This because shareholder value is only a single aspect of the value creation expected through the arrangements under M&A. in the methodology therefore, the study focuses through empirical analysis that mergers and acquisitions creates the value for shareholders in both the target and the acquirers of the banks that are involved. The data also conducts an examination of the reactions of shareholders when share prices are manipulated in relation to gains or losses created due to the instability (Banerjee & Cooperman, 2000). The data set to be used is that from two sources: that of Thomson One Banker M&A for data on the operations of M&A. the other source will be that of the non-involved banks as a control for

BMW Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

BMW Report - Research Paper Example The plant, property and equipment for the company amounted to â‚ ¬ 11,685 million and â‚ ¬ 11,427 million in the years 2011 and 2010 respectively. The depreciation expenses that have been charged on the property, plant and equipment of the company amounted to â‚ ¬ 2,324 million in the year 2011. The depreciation expenses have increased by â‚ ¬ 23 million from the 2010 figure which was â‚ ¬ 2,301 million (BMW Group, 2012, p.57). If we look at the cash flow statement of the BMW group as presented in its recent annual report for the year 2011, the following details could be found regarding the depreciation expenses, sales and purchase of property by the company and gains from the sale of property and equipment by the company for the year 2011: Depreciation and amortization of other intangible, tangible and investment assets amounted to â‚ ¬ 3,654 million. There was no gain / loss of tangible and intangible assets and marketable securities as observed in the cash flow statement. Investment in intangible assets and property, plant and equipment amounted to â‚ ¬ 3,679 million. Proceeds from the disposal of intangible assets and property, plant and equipment amounted to â‚ ¬ 53 million. The ratio of capital expenditure of the company to its generated revenues for the year 2011 was 5.4%. This figure remained unchanged from the previous year figure (BMW Group, 2012, p.19).

ENVIRONMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ENVIRONMENT - Essay Example This brings us to the first reason which highlights the notion of the existence of environmental racism – that of social inequality; the one that exists and widens the margin between the upper and middle white class and the lowly minorities; hence the formulation of a basic criticism which looked at how the low income and the minority Americans had to face the clearly disproportionate burden of environmental issues. These comprised of the existence of basic landfill which were located near their residence as well as the unsafe and risky environments in which these individuals held jobs (Bullard, 2000) Studies conducted on the placement of hazardous toxic waste sites went to show that the primary locations selected for the dumping of unsafe agents were mostly in the South. It showed how the hazardous waste sites were located primarily in the communities where the black resided. This brings us to the second reason that contributes to environmental inequality, that which pertains to racial inequality and discrimination being a major reason why it is mainly residential areas in which the low income black reside are primary locations for the dumping and disposal of hazardous toxic wastes (Gaventa, John and Willingham, 1990). The aspect of residential segregation along with racial income inequality falls to be the key reasons as to why environmental inequality in societies prevails. Even since 1987, research has focused on these aspects looking at the reasons behind why it was that the minorities were at higher risk as compared to whites to be living in areas which had more pollution, health risks, and unsafe environmental aspects. They were able to chalk down residential segregation as one of the top reasons as to why societies showed such disparity when it come to the allocation of environmentally unsafe locations being near the minority or African-American residential areas. GIS based socio-spatial analysis is just one way that we can see the

Telecommunications, broadband and internet industry Essay

Telecommunications, broadband and internet industry - Essay Example The international call minutes are around 70 % and the consumers use prepaid calling cards for making international calls. However, the rate has considerably fallen down due to the introduction of VoIP based calling cards. Likewise, they are of low cost and the majority of the population in Bahrain is expatriates (Research, 2011). Moreover, in 2008 -2009, Wimax was launched by two different service providers and in the mid 2009, Wimax demonstrated a 30% share in the broadband services sector (Research, 2011). The telecommunication industry is continuously evolving due to up gradation of next generation networks. Moreover, the industry has its own significance in the context of human communication regardless of time, location and environmental factors, however, call rates may vary due to roaming services. Apart from advances in human communication, the industry has contributed to provide a carrier of digital transmission, for providing Internet to the people. The telecommunication and Internet industry in Bahrain has emerged as one of the fasting growing market. As per the telecommunication regulatory authority (TRA), a report was published indicating the rapid increase in revenue by 74% in between 2003 – 2006. Likewise, the industry contributed $194 Million in 2003, as compared to $342 Million in 2006. Both these figures demonstrates considerable rise in revenue by 28%. Moreover, the working force also increased to 2,322 from the total number of employees in 2003 i.e. 1,808 (Telecommunications market in bahrain one of the fastest growing.2007). The figures are from the first quarter of 2006. Moreover, the report also concluded an internet connection in almost half of the houses as compared to the two third percentages of fixed landline users. Furthermore, director of the telecommunication regulatory authority (TRA) praised the competitive marketing strategy of the government that resulted in a rise of the growth rate for the telecommunication and Interne t markets (Telecommunications market in bahrain one of the fastest growing.2007). Economic Trends The telecommunication sector in Bahrain has provided less opportunity to the foreign companies who wish to launch telecommunication providers. However, regional companies are welcomed whole-heartedly. The reason behind this strategy is the monopoly that has surrounded the telecommunication sector by party public owned operators knows as Bahrain telecommunication company (Batelco). The government has shows less efforts to modify the strategy in order to make competitors in the market. However, opportunities for foreigners are in terms of tenders of an investment program launched by Batelco (Noticiasdot.com ). Moreover, development of telecommunication infrastructure is up to the mark in spite of a non-competitive environment. This is mainly because the enlightened policy of modernization and diversification of Batelco is facilitated by its close resemblance with a strategic partner, name d as Cable and Wireless, sharing a 20% stake in the company (Noticiasdot.com). The priority is given to the implementation of a latest hardware equipped network that is compatible with wireless networks, high tech multimedia, and data services. These high tech services play an important role for the country as Bahrain is considered as a financial and regional hub. The government has shows some positive factors for the foreign investors in order to make a competitive enviro

CAPSIM Capstone team simulation project Case Study

CAPSIM Capstone team simulation project - Case Study Example In addition, the market share of the company will increase. Moreover, there is an opportunity of improving the cash management. There should be a reduction in the days given for the debtors to pay the amount outstanding. This is because they are currently holding cash. Quicker payment will make cash more readily available in running the company. In addition, it would avoid situations where the company will need emergency loans to sustain the business. Furthermore, there is an opportunity of increasing profit by reducing the variable costs of the company. In addition, the company has an opportunity to increase its market share in the low-end segment. It has the potential of having a market share of 29 percentage as compared to the current market share of 18 percentage. Besides, it has an opportunity to expand its market share in the high-end and size segment. Ultimately, the company has an opportunity to increase the efficiency of workers. It can achieve this by allocating money in the budget for quality initiative training. In addition, there is an opportunity to gain acceptability by the community by allocating funds for the UNEP Green program. The program will make the company to exercise social responsibility, which will have positive effects to the company. Customers will feel more attached to the products of the company. The market share has reduced this year as compared to other years. This means that competitors have an edge over the Chester Company. The consumers have shifted to other products over the years. This is a threat because if the situation continues then the company will again start making losses due to poor sales. In addition, the firm’s financial structure is currently poor for the last 2 years. There is a threat of having excessive inventory levels. The company when setting an inventory policy may set a policy that will retain some stock at the end of the period. Inventory consumes cash and eats up profits made by the company.

ENVIRONMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ENVIRONMENT - Essay Example This brings us to the first reason which highlights the notion of the existence of environmental racism – that of social inequality; the one that exists and widens the margin between the upper and middle white class and the lowly minorities; hence the formulation of a basic criticism which looked at how the low income and the minority Americans had to face the clearly disproportionate burden of environmental issues. These comprised of the existence of basic landfill which were located near their residence as well as the unsafe and risky environments in which these individuals held jobs (Bullard, 2000) Studies conducted on the placement of hazardous toxic waste sites went to show that the primary locations selected for the dumping of unsafe agents were mostly in the South. It showed how the hazardous waste sites were located primarily in the communities where the black resided. This brings us to the second reason that contributes to environmental inequality, that which pertains to racial inequality and discrimination being a major reason why it is mainly residential areas in which the low income black reside are primary locations for the dumping and disposal of hazardous toxic wastes (Gaventa, John and Willingham, 1990). The aspect of residential segregation along with racial income inequality falls to be the key reasons as to why environmental inequality in societies prevails. Even since 1987, research has focused on these aspects looking at the reasons behind why it was that the minorities were at higher risk as compared to whites to be living in areas which had more pollution, health risks, and unsafe environmental aspects. They were able to chalk down residential segregation as one of the top reasons as to why societies showed such disparity when it come to the allocation of environmentally unsafe locations being near the minority or African-American residential areas. GIS based socio-spatial analysis is just one way that we can see the

CAPSIM Capstone team simulation project Case Study

CAPSIM Capstone team simulation project - Case Study Example In addition, the market share of the company will increase. Moreover, there is an opportunity of improving the cash management. There should be a reduction in the days given for the debtors to pay the amount outstanding. This is because they are currently holding cash. Quicker payment will make cash more readily available in running the company. In addition, it would avoid situations where the company will need emergency loans to sustain the business. Furthermore, there is an opportunity of increasing profit by reducing the variable costs of the company. In addition, the company has an opportunity to increase its market share in the low-end segment. It has the potential of having a market share of 29 percentage as compared to the current market share of 18 percentage. Besides, it has an opportunity to expand its market share in the high-end and size segment. Ultimately, the company has an opportunity to increase the efficiency of workers. It can achieve this by allocating money in the budget for quality initiative training. In addition, there is an opportunity to gain acceptability by the community by allocating funds for the UNEP Green program. The program will make the company to exercise social responsibility, which will have positive effects to the company. Customers will feel more attached to the products of the company. The market share has reduced this year as compared to other years. This means that competitors have an edge over the Chester Company. The consumers have shifted to other products over the years. This is a threat because if the situation continues then the company will again start making losses due to poor sales. In addition, the firm’s financial structure is currently poor for the last 2 years. There is a threat of having excessive inventory levels. The company when setting an inventory policy may set a policy that will retain some stock at the end of the period. Inventory consumes cash and eats up profits made by the company.

Americas New Economy Essay Example for Free

Americas New Economy Essay As the 1900s gave way to the new millennium, it became increasingly clear that a new era in American (and world) history had begun. The old era had been dominated by the Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. The new era was defined by the rise of a new global economythe ways in which the worlds peoples lived, worked, and governed themselves. Global communication, trade, and capital flow all grew rapidly (Griffith, Baker 531). The United States rose to being the most powerful military supremacy nation in the world due to Reagan and Bushs destruction of the Cold War, bridging the 80s into the new 90s. George Bushs CIA and ambassadorial experience provided Americas key to our foreign policy negotiations, aiding in our nations leadership over the world. This defeat and new era caused our domestic and social society within America into a state of confusion and caused Americans to question what role they would play in this new society. Not only did the Cold War define Americas stance in the world, dictating foreign policy choices from southeast Asia to Latin America; it defined the contours of domestic politics as well, (Chafe 549). How can we believe now after September 11, that we still or always have had leadership or supremacy in this world? How could the heart of our country be damaged so much affecting our nation as a whole? This recent tragedy damaged the core of our patriotism changing foreign and domestic policy after the 90s. During the 90s, a time of new cultural expression and power, the US was willing to use any economic, political, or military force necessary to uphold the new global system. After the Reagan legacy, President Bill Clinton created the New Democrats, which, sought to replace the partys older industrial and agricultural bases with a new, if unwieldy, coalition of women, minorities, social liberals, and technological progressives, (Griffith/Baker 533). In looking at Chapter 14 in Griffith/Bakers Major Problems in American History Since 1945 and Chapter 16 and the Epilogue in Chafes The Unfinished Journey, we will consider the new goals and values of both the USs domestic and foreign policies, and find that although positive changes have taken place since 1945, the US still is yet to live in a society free of homelessness, poverty, and crime reflected by the tenacious power of race, class, and gender blocking the path toward  independent freedom. Throughout American history, the issue of freedom has always prevailed and equality of everyone wasnt brought up until the early to mid 1900s. The peoples dependence and underlying trust within the government to withhold and protect has put our society on a roller coaster of trust, distrust, and betrayal. the Nixon presidency and his foreign policy breakthroughs with China and Russia had barely taken hold before the devastating constitutional crisis of Watergate occurred, threatening to undermine the very structure of the American political system and peoples confidence in it. Followed quickly by the nations first defeat in war (Chafe 497). Busch had decided not to respond to much of the conflicts happening with Gorbachev, because if he had, it could have created greater instability, more violence, and a stronger likelihood of counter democratic action, such as the Soviet Union. Busch in causing the two-superpower leaders to arrive at a new arms control treaty that promised the reduction of nuclear weapons arsenals of the world. Buschs only major error was quickly recovered by quickly becoming Yaltsins allies, beginning a new coalition where both world powers would enforce world peace. After Desert Storm, the US entered a prolonged recession causing confusion amongst Americans because Busch didnt care about domestic policies. Because of Buschs carelessness of domestic policies, it reflected upon the public not caring about domestic policies nor within the government. The new young light in America was created by the new elections. Clinton bringing a new young light to society during the election of 1992 believed that through the idealism during the sixties were those which should be reflected upon now during the 90s. Clintons ideas were: investing to create new jobs, supporting new technology, rebuilding the nations infrastructure, and creating a new partnership between management and labor to increase American productivity and competitiveness in world markets. The major political campaigns were advancing with technological advances with campaigns  portrayed through the amazing new power of talk-show journalism. Ross Perots ideals, opposite of Clintons, were expressed through talk-show journalism shaping political dialogue and activity. Many talk show hosts provided a direct outlet for politicians to reach the Americans at home through television. The political wars went on and with Clinton winning the democratic election. This allowed Americans to dig themselves out of their deepest problems by re-imagining themselves and fulfilling their dreams. Clinton was faced with issues similar to Franklin Roosevelt, in the midst of the Great Depression, they were in many ways far more complicated and intractable, calling upon the same breadth and depth of leadership skills that FDR had deployed in the 1930s, (Chafe 512). As one magazine wrote, what excites people about Clinton, is precisely the degree to which he speaks to their hunger for meaning and purpose, their half conscious and often inchoate desire to transcend the selfishness and meaningless of materialistic and narcissistic society,' (Chafe 511). Clintons gay policy in the war, dont ask, dont tell, were looked at as actions profoundly alienating liberals and gays. His next policy, national Healthcare, failed to the Republicans criticizing and ultimately causing his policy to disintegrate. This was Clintons down and thought it was over until the American society regained confidence with him when he passed a bill which caused restrictions on free access to handguns and assault weapons. He also created the Americorps, a young group of people volunteering to work among Americas disadvantaged populations. Finally touching up on domestic policies, the American society gained faith in him. The 1994 elections were different and Clinton was on his way to coming back. He wanted to represent a Democratic smaller government. Richard Norris guiding Clinton, made him invulnerable to the issues of high taxes, crime, welfare, federal budget, and affirmative action which Republicans could use against him. Clinton defined positions that would seem reasonable to the middle-class voters and also portray the Republicans as radicals seeking to overturn 60 years of progress and advance his own agenda on issues that cut in his direction such as education, the environment, and womens rights. Clinton proved to the public that the Republicans mainly Dole was a threat  to the middle class stability, and eventually won the election exclaiming, the era of big government is over. The voters decision was for a divided government,  not for one party over another. Only by ensuring that one party could balance and counter the other, they seemed to be saying, could the nation be protected from moving too far either toward liberalism and big government on the one hand, or toward conservatism and the end of entitlements on the other, (Chafe 527). Americans wanted politicians to proceed down a middle path, not straying to either side too far. Although race had been dealt with by the government, it still defined power, control, status, economic opportunity, and freedom. This issue has improved dramatically, but race has always been the central theme to American history. It has been so much misconstrued, that the issue of racial discrimination had disappeared as a matter of public concern, convinced that there was no longer a reason to think of blacks and whites as having different life chances(Chafe 528). Los Angeles embodied most of the multiracial demographic complexity which is where many blacks were suppressed although given still given supposed equal rights opportunities. One example being the AIDS virus. Treatment was available to the suppressed society, but werent able to afford the medication. The Rodney King incident was appalling and the only way to describe the verdict was what Chafe wrote, It was as though the jury had taken a hallucinogenic drug that altered totally what others saw as reality and the drug was race, (Chafe 529). The police officers caught on tape for the beating got off because of whites ruling the jury. O.J. being convicted of murder and having a black jury was pleaded not guilty. Benjamin Barber brings up a point of political futures neither being democratic. the forces of Jihad and the forces of McWorld operate with equal strength in opposite directions, the one driven by parochial hatreds, the other by universalizing markets, the one re-creating ancient subnational and ethnic  borders from within, the other making national borders porous from without. They have one thing in common: neither offers much hope to citizens looking for practical ways to govern themselves democratically, (Griffith/Baker 542). September 11 brought forth something America had never faced before, an attack on our home ground. Since this attack the society has been more conservative, realizing that America is not this leadership nation that watches over the world, but is just as suseptable to attack as anyone else is. This attack has brought all families closer and brought out American patriotism from within. The attack has put American flags on Football players helmets as well as all sports jerseys. What are we supposed to believe from the media, articles saying that information being portrayed to us is false and defying. Although we have gone through a roller coaster of events both ups and downs, America has always recovered and adapted to the changes in front of us. The Progressive Policy Institute believes that the latter is true and that the challenge now is to learn how to manage and govern in an era of sustained and constant innovation and adaptation, (Griffith/Baker 536). The 90s was a major turning point in America being the end of the old millenium and the start of a new one, allowing us to look at what is needed to be done both in domestic and foreign policy for this world and our society to go on. the 1990s embodied a summing-up of what had occurred in the preceding decades, as if the country were searching to find some way through the maelstrom of conflicting currents to a final sense of direction that might represent a new consensus on how to proceed, (Chafe 498).

Strategies for Supplier Relationship Management

Strategies for Supplier Relationship Management Supplier Relationship Management (including analysis) is the management an ongoing business relationship to guarantee competitive advantage for an organisation. The focus is on overall relationships between the supplier and the buying organisation rather than a focus on a specific contract. Its aim is to support purchasing and business management to develop an orderly understanding of the nature of current relationships that exist within and between the organisation and the suppliers (OGC, 2009). Supplier relationship management is a comprehensive approach to managing an enterprises interactions with the organizations that supply the goods and services it uses. The goal of supplier relationship management (SRM) is to streamline and make more effective the processes between an enterprise and its suppliers just as customer relationship management (CRM) is intended to streamline and make more effective the processes between an enterprise and its customers (SAP 2008). Buying organisations have a need to manage not only their contracts but also their suppliers. A number of suppliers will have multiple contractual relationships with individual departments and it is therefore important for them to be proactively managed. The process will be supported by information generated from the performance management arrangements that will be in place for each of the contracts, but this process is much more about the overall relationship rather than on activity on a specific contract (SAP.com 2008). OBJECTIVES The objectives for SRM include: Reduction in costs Service improvement Solution development Flexibility and mutual benefit (Adapted from Procurement Leadership 2006) There will also be the opportunity for improvement in the overall relationship with the supplier progressing in the direction of increased partnering type arrangements. This will potentially include: Established communication channels at all levels, up to and including CEO, between the organisations Joint planning and forecasting at a strategic level Increased trust Enhanced collaborative approaches and perspective Improved value for both parties (Adapted from OGC 2009) Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) is aimed at streamlining the supply chain by improving the communication between an enterprise and its suppliers. (PROCUREMENT -LEADERS, 2006). It streamlines the processes between an enterprise and its suppliers in the same way Customer Relationship Management (CRM) makes the processes between an enterprise and its customers more effective. In actual fact SRM practices enable a common frame of reference to improve communication between enterprise and supplier who may be used to different practices and terminology. Eventually SRM software can lower production costs and result in a higher quality, lower priced end product (SAP 2008). Modern SRM solutions support the whole procurement process in the company, including procurement strategy, qualification of suitable suppliers, tenders and contract design, and monitoring supplier performance. 2.2 THE IMPORTANCE OF IMPLEMENTING SRM STRATEGY/PLAN SRM is becoming progressively more important for enterprises because, in the competitive global environment, purchasing-related savings are equally important as sales. In the past ten years, significant results have been generated through rationalising supply bases, introducing competition and moving to low cost countries. But recently results from these activities are diminishing, which is where SRM comes in (PROCUREMENT LEADERS 2006). When SRM is effective, companies improve on profitability, growth, market share and reputation. SRM is especially important when there is a limited supply base for a product and in this case, the peanut company has one supply and it is a major priority of the peanut company to maintain a good relationship with the supply. This is to say that the cooperative society has a full monopoly on the supply of nuts to Peanutty. A good relationship is necessary to avoid sudden increase in price, supply of quality products, and also the supply can decide not to supply to Peanutty. They therefore have a need to manage not only their contracts but also their suppliers. There will also be the opportunity for improvement in the overall relationship with the supplier progressing in the direction of increased partnering type arrangements.ÂÂ   This will potentially include: Established communication channels at all levels, up to and including CEO, between the organisations Joint planning and forecasting at a strategic level. Peanutty should encourage their suppliers to focus more on the strategic path to cooperative success and enhanced collaborative approaches and perspective Increased trust between the supplier and Peanutty, by finding compromise solutions to problems enhance both Peanutty Company and the cooperative supplier work towards achieving the long-term benefits Improved value for both parties, the demand of the product enhances the ability of both Peanutty and the cooperative supplier to have a clear vision towards its benefits. 3.0 QUESTION 2: What activities could be developed by Peanutty to reduce or manage the power of its customers to minimize risks and maximize profitability? Peanutty is a manufacturer of ingredients for the food industry and also a service provider of food items for large companies in the sector. Peanutty should use the strategies of customer relationship management (CRM). 3.1 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, is an important part of modern business management. Customer Relationship Management concerns the relationship between the organization and its customers. Customers are the lifeblood of any organization be it a global corporation with thousands of employees and a multi-billion turnover, or a sole trader with a handful of regular customers. Customer Relationship Management is the same in principle for these two examples it is the scope of CRM which can vary drastically. Customer Relationship Management focuses on the relationship Successful organizations use three steps to build customer relationships: determine mutually satisfying goals between organization and customers establish and maintain customer rapport produce positive feelings in the organization and the customers In the business world, the organization and the customers both have sets of conditions to consider when building the relationship, such as wants and needs of both parties these conditions include; organizations need to make a profit to survive and grow customers want good service, a quality product and an acceptable price CRM can have a major impact on an organization through: shifting the focus from product to customer, streamlining the offer to what the customer requires, not want the organization can make and also highlighting competencies required for an effective CRM process The ultimate purpose of CRM, like any organizational initiative, is to increase profit. In the case of CRM this is achieved mainly by providing a better service to your customers than your competitors. CRM not only improves the service to customers though; a good CRM capability will also reduce costs, wastage, and complaints (although you may see some increase initially, simply because you hear about things that without CRM would have stayed hidden). Effective CRM also reduces staff stress, because attrition a major cause of stress reduces as services and relationships improve. CRM enables instant market research as well: opening the lines of communications with your customers gives you direct constant market reaction to your products, services and performance, far better than any market survey. Good CRM also helps you grow your business: customers stay with you longer; customer churn rates reduce; referrals to new customers increase from increasing numbers of satisfied customers; demand reduces on fire-fighting and trouble-shooting staff, and overall the organizations service flows and teams work more efficiently and more happily. 3.2 Features of good CRM The old viewpoint in industry was: Heres what we can make who wants to buy our product? The new viewpoint in industry is: What exactly do our customers want and need? and What do we need to do to be able to produce and deliver it to our customers? This is a significant change of paradigm and a quantum leap in terms of how we look at our business activity. What do customers want? Most obviously, and this is the extent of many suppliers perceptions, customers want cost-effective products or services that deliver required benefits to them. (Benefits are what the products or services do for the customers.) Note that any single product or service can deliver different benefits to different customers. Its important to look at things from the customers perspective even at this level. More significantly however, customers want to have their needs satisfied. Customers needs are distinctly different to and far broader than a product or service, and the features and benefits encompassed. Customers needs generally extend to issues far beyond the suppliers proposition, and will often include the buying-selling process (prior to providing anything), the way that communications are handled, and the nature of the customer-supplier relationship. Modern CRM theory refers to the idea of integrating the customer. This new way of looking at the business involves integrating the customer (more precisely the customers relevant people and processes) into all aspects of the suppliers business, and vice versa. This implies a relationship that is deeper and wider than the traditional arms-length supplier-customer relationship. The traditional approach to customer relationships was based on a simple transaction or trade, and little more. Perhaps there would be only a single point of contact between one person on each side. All communication and dealings would be between these two people, even if the customers organization contained many staff, departments, and functional requirements (distribution, sales, quality, finance, etc). The modern approach to customer relationship management is based on satisfying all of the needs people, systems, processes, etc across the customers organization, such as might be affected and benefited by the particular supply.(business balls 2002). Designing and implementing a successful CRM programme: Step 1: Creating the CRM plan Activities : Understanding the objectives, fit with Peanuttys strategy, development of software, costing and training Step 2: Involve CRM users from Outset Peanutty should establish a project/management team from all affected organizational area. Step 3: Select the right application and provider Use of internal IT tools to analyse and compare available products and suppliers Step 4 :Integrate Existing CRM application Centralised database containing customer information for all CRM associated user to actively involved in each customer. Step 5 : Establish Performance measures Use of performance measurement to evaluate if strategies have been met or not Step 6 : Providing CRM training for all users During implementation, Peanutty should provide training to all employees actively associated with CRM about it benefits and objectives. (MARKETING TEACHER 2000) 4.0 QUESTION 3: evaluate the benefit of performance measurement systems to this company? 4.1 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Performance refers to output results and their outcomes obtained from processes, products, and services that permit evaluation and comparison relative to goals, standards, past results, and other organisations. Performance can be expressed in non-financial and financial terms. Measurement refers to numerical information that quantifies input, output, and performance dimensions of processes, products, services, and the overall organisation (outcomes). Performance measures might be simple (derived from one measurement) or composite (BPIR 2007). Performance measurement system is an assessment system of measurement that represents a formal efficient approach to observe performance Performance measurement is the process whereby an organization establishes the parameters within which programs, investments, and acquisitions are reaching the desired results. This will be needed most especially in the roasting and peanut preparation line, so that the target of 12 hour per day will be attained. 4.1.1 PM focuses on results, rather than behaviours and activities A common misconception among supervisors is that behaviours and activities are the same as results. As a result, an employee may appear extremely busy, but not be contributing anything toward the goals of the organization. An example is the employee who manually counts the number of peas processed. The supervisor may conclude the employee is very committed to the organization and works very hard, thus, deserving a very high performance rating, where by his output is poor. 4.1.2 Aligns organizational activities and processes to the goals of the organization PM identifies organizational goals, results needed to achieve those goals, measures of effectiveness or efficiency (outcomes) toward the goals, and means (drivers) to achieve the goals. This chain of measurements is examined to ensure alignment with overall results of the organization. This is due to the fact that the employees complain about not knowing the direction and goals of peanut company. 4.1.3 Produces meaningful measurements These measurements have a wide variety of useful applications. They are useful in benchmarking, or setting standards for comparison with best practices in other organizations. They provide consistent basis for comparison during internal change efforts. They indicate results during improvement efforts, such as employee training, management development, quality programs, etc. They help ensure equitable and fair treatment to employees based on performance.mr Carmelo doesnt treat the employees like they are part of the organisation, probably because he is not aware of the effort these workers put into the company. therefore wit performance, he will be able to quantify the level of dedication and then will he will recognise their capability and potential, and thus give them Moore responsibility. Performance measurement will clarify expectations of roles and responsibilities of all the work stations in the peanut factory. It will also make it possible for the director, supervisor and the employees to discuss work related issues and develop solutions The will also be able to formally review performance and achievement of agreed goals and objectives Provide two-way face to face feedback and also link individual performance to broader strategic plans and key objectives. (Adapted from Supplychainer 2005) Overall, this will help Peanutty to set their long term strategy goals, work on their objectives, meet their target and measure the performance. 5.0 QUESTION 4. The supply chain process i would suggest is the lean manufacturing process. 5.1 Lean Manufacturing is an operational strategy oriented toward achieving the shortest possible cycle time by eliminating waste. It is derived from the Toyota Production System and its key thrust is to increase the value-added work by eliminating waste and reducing incidental work. The technique often decreases the time between a customer order and shipment, and it is designed to radically improve profitability, customer satisfaction, throughput time, and employee morale (ROCKFORD 1999). The characteristics of lean processes are: Single-piece production Repetitive order characteristics Just-In-Time materials/pull scheduling Short cycle times Quick changeover Continuous flow work cells Collocated machines, equipment, tools and people Compressed space Multi-skilled employees Flexible workforce Empowered employees High first-pass yields with major reductions in defects The term Lean is very apt because in Lean Manufacturing the emphasis is to cut out the fat or waste in the manufacturing process. Waste is defined as anything that does not add value to the customer. It could also be defined as anything the customer is unwilling to pay for. For example, if you order a shirt to be custom made, it may take 6 weeks. However the actual time the tailors or seamstresses are working on the shirt is only 5 hours. The rest of the time is taken up by such things as material ordering, waiting between processes and inefficient shipping practices. This extra time does not add value to you, the customer. As Lean Manufacturing principals are applied to the shirt-making process, one would see a reduction in delivery time from 6 to 5 to 4 weeks and even less. The ideal shirt-making operation would be streamlined to give you, the customer, what you want, when you want it at the lowest possible cost within the least amount of time (CONTINENTAL DESIGN ENGINEERING 2008). 5.2 Lean identifies seven types of waste: Over-Production Obviously a product that cannot be sold or has to be dumped at a reduced price is wasteful. Also producing product before the customer needs it requires the part to be stored and ties up money in inventory. Inventory Excess Inventory ties up a great deal of cash, which is wasteful. Stockpiling inventory between processes is wasteful. Conveyance Unnecessarily moving a part during the production process is wasteful. It can also cause damage to the part, which creates wasteful rework. Correction Having to re-work parts because of manufacturing errors is a large source of waste. Additionally, sorting and inspecting parts is wasteful and can be eliminated by error proofing (designing your processes so that the product can only be produced one way, which is the correct way, every time). Motion Unnecessary or awkward operator motions put undue stress on the body and cause waste. Improvement in this area should result in reduced injury and workmans compensation claims. Processing Unclear customer requirements cause the manufacturer to add unnecessary processes, which add cost to the product. Waiting The operator being idle between operations is wasteful. It is acceptable for the machine to wait on the operator, but it is unacceptable for the operator to wait on the machine. The 5S is a core method of lean manufacturing. Sort: The first stage of 5S is to organize the work area, leaving only the tools and materials necessary to perform daily activities. When sorting is well implemented, communication between workers is improved and product quality and productivity are increased. Sort is the act of throwing away the unwanted, unnecessary, and unrelated materials in the workplace. Straighten (Set in order): The second stage of 5S involves the orderly arrangement of needed items so they are easy to use and accessible for anyone to find. Orderliness eliminates waste in production and clerical activities. Shine: this means keeping everything clean and swept. This maintains a safer work area and problem areas are quickly identified. An important part of shining is Mess Prevention. In other words, dont allow litter, scrap, shavings, cuttings, etc., to land on the floor in the first place. Standardize: The fourth stage of 5S involves creating a consistent approach for carrying out tasks and procedures. Orderliness is the core of standardization and is maintained by Visual Controls. Sustain: This last stage of 5S is the discipline and commitment of all other stages. Without sustaining, your workplace can easily revert back to being dirty and chaotic. That is why it is so crucial for your team to be empowered to improve and maintain their workplace. When employees take pride in their work and workplace it can lead to greater job satisfaction and higher productivity. 6.0 SUGGESTION FOR PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT 6.1 BENCHMARKING 6.1.1 Benchmarking is a continuous measure of products, services and practices against firms best competitors. It is the process of evaluating and understanding the current position of a business in relation to the best practice to identify areas that need improvement and the means of improving performance. Benchmarking involves looking outward (outside a particular business, organisation, industry, region or country) to examine how others achieve their performance levels and to understand the processes they use. In this way benchmarking helps explain the processes behind excellent performance. When the lessons learnt from a benchmarking exercise are applied appropriately, they facilitate improved performance in critical functions within an organisation or in key areas of the business environment (Tutor2u). Application of benchmarking involves four key steps: Understand in detail existing business processes Analyse the business processes of others Compare own business performance with that of others analysed Implement the steps necessary to close the performance gap The goal of benchmarking is to identify the weaknesses within an organization and improve upon them, with the idea of becoming the best of the best. The benchmarking process helps managers to find gaps in performance and turn them into opportunities for improvement. Benchmarking enables companies to identify the most successful strategies used by other companies of comparable size, type, or regional location, and then adopt relevant measures to make their own programs more efficient. Most companies apply benchmarking as part of a broad strategic process. For example, companies use benchmarking in order to find breakthrough ideas for improving processes, to support quality improvement programs, to motivate staffs to improve performance, and to satisfy managements need for competitive assessments. I choose Benchmarking because it targets roles, processes, and critical success factors. Roles are what define the job or function that a person fulfils. Processes are what consume a companys resources. Critical success factors are issues that company must address for success over the long-term in order to gain a competitive advantage. Benchmarking focuses on these things in order to point out inefficiencies and potential areas for improvement (Reference for Business 2010). By using all types of benchmarking (Internal, external, functional Generic) Peanutty will be able to identify internal or external standard recognized leaders and compare the current process that was implemented for its process. Benchmarking performance measurement system will allow Peanutty to have clear vision towards its current process (internally) and its competitors (competitors) in order to have continuous improvement to achieve its goals on cost reduction and high quality products.