Critical research paper on the book Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid

Critical on the book Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid - Research Paper Example We notice this trend of having an autobiographical base in nearly all of Kincaid’s books, where stories have been taken from the writer’s own life. In the novel ‘Lucy’, we find the main protagonist is an immigrant who comes to United States form Antigua in West Indies, like Kincaid herself. When compared to Kincaid’s other works we find that the chief character Lucy at nineteen is a slightly older character representation than the main characters in her previous works. This gives a more mature outlook to the novel which is interlaced with a cynical note. This work by Kincaid though retaining the piqued nature of her previous work ‘A Small Place’(1988) does not have the surrealism and repetitive nature of the latter, making ‘Lucy’ a far simpler story to read. The novel is a journey where a young girl slowly transcends into a mature woman as she explores her feelings, her loneliness, her sexuality and her conflicts with her mo ther. This novel in a non-linear manner moves smoothly and effortlessly between the past and the present through various dreams, dialogues and flash backs and the whole book bears a testimony to the strength of Kincaid’s narrative prowess. Like other American literatures based on the tales of immigration, this book too talks about the experiences of an immigrant who is new to the American way of life and is slowly adjusting to it. Identity crisis which forms a basis of many a colonial immigrant literature is not presented vividly here. Instead, we find this problem to be represented quite intrinsically in her relationships with her own country, her white employers and her new surroundings. Jamaica Kincaid was born in 1949 in Antigua in West Indies which was then under British colonial rule and her childhood was not a very happy one. However, at a very young age, she developed a liking for books and literature and soon this became an escape route for the young Jamaica

Creativity and standards task Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Creativity and standards task - Essay Example It also looks at companies and organizations relevant to the profession and furthering career in such organizations. The network engineer profession entails internetworking of services in the telecommunication industry. It has the obligation of developing both hardware and software requirements for computers. Its main concern is the creation, design and the management of computer networks in the telecommunications industry. The profession also entails the development of communication network topologies to enhance communication between various devices. All these obligations and responsibilities are carried out by a network administrator. A network engineer handles the computers in any organization by networking them and other devices so that there is communication in the organization via the computers. The network engineer also has the obligation of configuring the devices and designing an appropriate network topology for the organization. Standards organisations and their standards S tandards are crucial in networking because they set a common platform for all manufacturers of networking products. It ensures uniformity in the making of these products and that they carry out this activity in a common way. It also makes interconnection of networks for the various vendors easy and simple. Standardization of networking has the ability to kill or break these products (Bernstein, 2004, p.6). Many vendors today are reluctant to support any new technology that just comes up unless there is a standard base from which it is coming from. They want to be sure that there can be assurance and protection for their hardware and software in case of any failure. This makes it impossible for vendors to release products that are in accordance to the set standards which are acceptable in the market. Therefore, standards ensure that any product released for use in the market is of good quality and that meets the set standards. There are many organizations that have the responsibility of setting these standards in the field of networking. They act as the source of these standards and they also give references. Some of these organizations devote themselves to setting the standards so that they ensure uniformity and compatibility of networking in the region and in the world (Grayson, 2011, p.83). This research paper seeks to look at five of these organizations and the standards they have set in this field. Some of these standards organization include the Organization of Standardization and many others that are discussed in this paper. 1. The Organization of Standardization (ISO) The Organization of Standardization (ISO) has its basis in Paris but has many other branches in other countries all over the world. It is a leading organization in setting of standards in the world. For instance its branch in the UK is known as British Standards Institution, while the one in the United States is ANSI. It sets standards in other areas related to networking like in education al institutions and research centres which deal with networking. Some of the standards that it sets include those that aim at establishing global standards in the communication and information sector. These standards are important to the future carrier of network engineering is that they promote open networking to enhance communication in all environments. They define standards for

Misuse of Information Technology

Misuse of Information Technology INTRODUCTION The word IT stands for Information Technology and it is defined as a part of engineering that contributes in creating and studying computer systems and computer application as well as being part of telecommunication, helping to retrieve, store and transmit data. In this current era many impossible things has been made possible with the help of Information Technology. In fact, many organizations are computerized and they use information technology in many ways in their day-to-day routine. The use of IT has becomes part of everybodys life. Information technology has many norms and rules that one should follow and respect. This is where the ethics of information technology comes into action. Ethic is the reflective study of the general nature of moral values, legal and social issues. There are some rules to be followed and standard to direct and control conduct of an individual at professional level. Most of the professional organizations which deal with computing have published their c ode of ethics. OBJECTIVE One should study computer ethics because doing so will make individuals behave like responsible people. One should also study computer ethics as it will keep the latter away from computer abuse and catastrophes. These can be done by studying the different code of ethics. A code of ethics is defined as a means to promote a variety of purposes and goals, in other words, it is a way to promote many motives. Misuse of Information Technology Computer crime is a very vast topic. It includes many mal functions by computer users. It is all about making bad use of information technology for personal interest or in order to create troublesome situation for others. Plagiarism is one aspect. It is passing off the work of other people as your own without giving any credit to them. Piracy is another topic worth thinking about because people make a lot of effort and spend lot of money to create or make something where other just make a copy of them instant of buying the original one. Crackers are basically attention who break into computer system and make illegitimate use of them. With the rapid evolution in Information Technology, the numbers of crackers are also growing. It is very difficult to get hold of all these issues that is why we have some association running, aiming to reduce and stop these concerns. Ethics from different perspective When talking about ethics in information Technology, there are different issues that come in our mind. In order to deal with these problems, there are many associations that have been created and some of them have been mention below. Many professions have established professional societies which have adopted codes of conduct. For example, the medical profession established the AMA (American Medical Association), and the legal profession established the ABA (American Bar Association) (Tavani 2007, p.100). These two associations deal with code of conducts of their members. The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers-computer society (IEEE-CS) are examples of professional societies recognized by the computing profession. The Association of Information Technology Professional (AITP) deals with level of conduct for professional. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Here we will be looking at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers code of ethics. The IEEE code of ethics contains ten general directives. The first four teach members to accept responsibility in making engineering decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public. The second command is to let alone difference of opinion wherever possible. The third instruction is to be honest and the fourth is not to accept bribery. These four commands are same for both ACM and the IEEE code of ethics. The member of the IEEE needs to accept responsibility in making engineering consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public. They also need to avoid real conflict of interest wherever possible. They need to be honest in their work and while handling the organizations data. A member of IEEE should support colleagues and subordinates in their happening and achievements. The IEEE code gives a list of categories for nondiscrimination, but does include anything that might be interpreted to include sexual preference (Bowyer 2001, p56). The Association of Computing Machinery In 1992, the ACM adopted a new code of ethic and professional conduct with supplemental explanation and guidelines. The ACM code of ethics consists of eight general imperatives, eight specific professional responsibilities, six organizational imperatives and two elements for compliance (Bowyer 2001, p.50). Here we are looking at a scenario where a member of the ACM has to implement general moral. He will have to contribute to the society. He will have to avoid harm to others; he will need to be honest and trustworthy. He will have to be fare in his decision making and fair judgment. He will also need to respect property rights including copyrights and patents. He will have to give proper credit for knowledgeable property. He will need to respect the privacy of others, and he will also need to keep confidentiality. Now, we are looking at some more qualified duties, as an ACM computing professional, a member will have to work hard to achieve the highest level in both the development and outcomes of skilled works. He will need to obtain expert skills, which means that he will need to show that he can perform skillfully. The member needs to know and respect the laws belonging to the appropriate profession. He will need to give performance review of computer systems and their impacts together with the analysis of possible risks as well as respect arrangement made and the given responsibilities. He will need to improve good understanding of computing. And finally he will get the opportunity to use computer and communicating resources but with authorization. Regarding the Organizational Leadership Imperatives, a member of the ACM will need to handle social duties of the members of an organizational unit and fully take over his responsibilities. The member also needs to practice personnel and resources to design and build information system that will raise the self respect of the member. He must ensure that the members, who are getting access to the computer system and those who will be affected, will have their needs clearly stated during the assessment. Afterwards the system must be formalized to such a level so that it satisfies all the needs. The ACM member should also create favorable circumstances for others in the organization to absorb notion and bound of computer systems. There should be accordance with the code. The member of the Association of the Computing Machinery has to retain and boost the rules of the code. The member will also have to treat violation of this code unstable with membership in the ACM. The Software Engineering Code of Ethics The Software Engineering code of ethics starts with a summary of eight general ethical rules. The eight views represent different areas of concern for the software engineer: public, employer, product, judgment, management, profession, colleagues and self (Bowyer 2001, p.51). Computers have a role in industry, government, medicine, education and many more. Software engineers role start with the implementation part in the software life cycle where they deal with coding of the software systems. Software engineers have relative chances to perform well without causing harm. Together with the commitment, software engineers shall stick to the following code of ethics and professional procedure. The code contains definite rules related to the behavior of and decisions made. It is not expected that the individual parts of the code is to be used in isolation to justify errors. The code prescribes these as duties of anyone targeting to be or aiming to be a software engineer. The code is not a simple ethical procedure that brings ethical decisions. In some instances, the level could be in conflict with each other. Ethical conflicts can best be reported by considerate consideration of important rules, rather than blind confidence on guidelines. These rules should make a difference to software engineers to consider who is altered by their performance. In all these decisions, concern for health, safety and welfare of the public comes first, which means that the public interest is the most important. Software engineers shall perform reliably with the public interest. In other words, software engineers should be very loyal to their job. Software engineers shall act in a way that is best for their client and employer. Software engineers should also ensure that their outcomes meet the highest skilled standards possible. Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) The AITP code of ethics comes in two parts. One of which is the code of ethics and the second one is the standards of conduct. Sections of the standard of conduct are related to the members obligations to management. A member of the AITP code of ethics should be honest in all professional relations. He should be loyal and there should not be any kind of whistle blowing at any point in the organization. He should be ready to share his experience and knowledge with the other members. He should not take credit for work that he has not done, unless given permission. He should not take advantage of other members who lack experience or knowledge. The member should be up to date and he should have the skills required. Members should not make use of computer system for personal use. Conclusion The whole idea here was to see how ethics have become part of information technology and what the implementations of those ethical codes are. The code of ethics discussed here are more of voluntary kind in other word there is no observance against disobedience. Discrimination based on sexual preference is still a major concern in the community these days. Licensing is another issue worth talking about because companies or individual tend to buy a computer program and then have it installed on different systems. This debate will never come to an end until your internal moral sense guide you to take a step forward for the welfare of the Information Technology society, as it is always said lead by example. References Tavani,H. T., 2007. Ethics and Technology: Ethical Issues in an Age of Information and Communication Technology. 2nd ed. United States of America: Bruce Spatz. Bowyer,K. W. ed., 2001. Ethics and Computing: Living Responsibly in a Computerised World. 2ne ed. New York: The Institute of Electrical and Eletronics Engineers. Quinn, J.M. 2006., Ethics for the Information Age. 2nd ed. New York: Pearson Education. Bibliography Adams A., McCrindle J. R., 2008, Pandoras Box: Social and Professional Issues of the Information Age. West Sussex, England: John Wiley. Baase S, 2009, A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computing and the Internet. New Jersy: Pearson Education. Spindello A. R., 1995, Ethical Aspects of Information Technology. New Jersy: Prentice-Hall. Johson.D.G., 2009, Computer Ethics, 4th ed. New Jersy: Pearson Education. Online Resources http://www.cs.bgsu.edu/maner/ethicomp95/keynote3.pdf (last accessed 06.02.2010) http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.2914 (last accessed 06.02.2010) http://www.southernct.edu/organizations/rccs/resources/teaching/teaching_mono/moor/moor_definition.html (last accessed 08.02.2010)

I am the Cheese - Theme :: Free Essay Writer

I am the Cheese - Theme Heroes are not always credited for their honesty and righteousness. This is the view towards society that Robert Cormier exhibits in the novel  ¡Ã‚ §I am the Cheese ¡Ã‚ ¨, where the individual is punished for standing up to himself. In this society, the non-valiant are rewarded for their ignorance and compliance, narrated through the characters of Grey and Whipper. Moreover, Robert Cormier portrays this society to be void of truth and justice. This is seen through exploring the innocence behind Adam ¡Ã‚ ¦s parents ¡Ã‚ ¦ suffering and death. Nevertheless, the author holds reserve for truth and justice when Adam tries to complete the puzzle of his past. The character David Farmer, father of the novel ¡Ã‚ ¦s protagonist, plays the victim of the society in  ¡Ã‚ §I am the cheese. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Through testifying to the truth, he and his family have had their freedom lacerated, and ultimately, have suffered the penalty of death. David Farmer began the case with the belief that  ¡Ã‚ §he would be protected, his identity kept secret. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Although aware of the perilous circumstances and the hazards, his determination to act patriotically prevailed. His powerful motive for his precarious action was that  ¡Ã‚ §he was an old-fashioned citizen who believed in doing the right thing for his country, to provide as much information as possible. ¡Ã‚ ¨ David Farmer was under no obligation to disclose his researched information, and yet chose to take the risk. Clearly, this is an example of an individual standing up to himself, acting accordingly to his own beliefs and values. Nevertheless, David Farmer and his family were punished lethally. E ven the interim between the testimony and his death was a metaphor for a cage, an insecure prison bound for the Never Knows, and yet was always destined for death. The example of the bomb that was planted to detonate the entire family and the  ¡Ã‚ §undercover policeman ¡Ã‚ ¨ whose supposed job was to protect heralded an unending chain of misery. These events introduced Grey, who identified himself to be involved with the US Department of Re-Identification. Grey, who shot the assassin, was the trusting saviour of David Farmer. Grey warned the Farmer family about the car bomb. He distributed new identities for the entire family, produced new birth certificates and arranged a move to Massachusetts. He was the eternal alert watchdog who packed the family away when chances took their position for a Farmer whereabouts leak. Grey had the power to dismiss 3 lives at his will.

Stats Study Sheet

1. Assume 20% of all email is spam. A large Internet provider plans on conducting a survey of 900 emails to see what percentage are spam. a. What is the probability they will get a proportion greater than 0. 1836? b. If they get a sample proportion over 24% they are going to shut down their email server. What is the probability this will happen? 2. A survey is done to estimate the proportion of U. S. adults who think that cell phone use while driving should be illegal. In the survey, 54% of a randomly selected sample of 1025 individuals said that cell phone use while driving should be illegal. a.What is the 90% confidence interval for the proportion of adults who think cell phone use should be illegal? 1. A sample of college students was asked whether they would return the money if they found a wallet on the street. Of the 93 women, 84 said â€Å"yes,† and of the 75 men, 53 said â€Å"yes. † Assume that these students represent all college students (Data source is from UC Davis and can be found in the textbook). a. Is there enough data to calculate a confidence interval for the women? 2. A sample of college students was asked whether they would return the money if they found a wallet on the street.Of the 93 women, 84 said â€Å"yes,† and of the 75 men, 53 said â€Å"yes. † Assume that these students represent all college students (Data source is from UC Davis and can be found in the textbook). b. Is there enough data to calculate a confidence interval for the women? 3. A CNN/Time poll conducted in the United States October 23-24, 2002, (http://www. pollingreport. com) asked, â€Å"Do you favor or oppose the legalization of marijuana? † In the nationwide poll of n = 1007 adults, 34% said that they favored legalization. a.Find the margin of error for a 96% confidence interval. 3. A medical researcher wants to study whether oral contraceptives are correlated with high blood pressure. A sample of 500 women using oral contraceptive s showed 15% had high blood pressure A sample of 400 women not using oral contraceptives showed 10% had high blood pressure. a. What is the 92% confidence interval for the difference in the two proportions? (using – not using) 4. A medical researcher wants to study whether oral contraceptives are correlated with high blood pressure.A sample of 500 women using oral contraceptives showed 15% had high blood pressure A sample of 400 women not using oral contraceptives showed 10% had high blood pressure. b. What is the 92% confidence interval for the difference in the two proportions? (using – not using) b. If the magazine had wanted to get a margin of error of only 1%, at least how many adults should they have interviewed? 1. University of Wyoming policy states that you should spend 6 hours a week on homework. To find out how close our class is we randomly sample 100 students from class and ask, â€Å"How many hours do you spend on homework each week? The mean for the 100 responses is 3. 6 hours with a standard deviation of 0. 7 hours (sample statistic). Find a 95% confidence interval for the true average. * We use 80 degrees of freedom, because (1) t-table does not have t-values for 99 degrees of freedom and also because using 100 degrees of freedom is too liberal. The reason is that we can never say we have more data than you really do; OK to say you have less. * We use t-table and not z-table because our standard deviation has been computed from sample values. 7.The center for disease control wants to know the average life span of an ebola virus. Studies of similar types of viruses suggest the standard deviation will be 2. 55 days (population parameter: use z-table), but they want a 99% confidence interval for the true average lifespan, and they want that confidence interval to have a width of 0. 5 days. How many ebola viruses do they need to sample? †¢We can use z-table instead of t-table because the standard deviation comes from the popula tion.  ¬ †¢We can use z-table instead of t-table because the standard deviation comes from the population. 7.The center for disease control wants to know the average life span of an ebola virus. Studies of similar types of viruses suggest the standard deviation will be 2. 55 days (population parameter: use z-table), but they want a 99% confidence interval for the true average lifespan, and they want that confidence interval to have a width of 0. 5 days. How many ebola viruses do they need to sample? †¢We can use z-table instead of t-table because the standard deviation comes from the population.  ¬ †¢We can use z-table instead of t-table because the standard deviation comes from the population. 9.Example 11. 12 (p. 428) studies hangover symptoms in college students (Slutske et al. , 2003). The students answered questions about alcohol use and hangovers, including a count of how many out of a list of 13 possible hangover symptoms that they had experienced in the pa st year. For the 470 men, the mean number of symptoms was 5. 3; for the 755 women, it was 5. 1. The standard deviation was 3. 4 for each of the two samples. a. Find a 95% confidence interval for the difference in population means. 9. Example 11. 12 (p. 428) studies hangover symptoms in college students (Slutske et al. 2003). The students answered questions about alcohol use and hangovers, including a count of how many out of a list of 13 possible hangover symptoms that they had experienced in the past year. For the 470 men, the mean number of symptoms was 5. 3; for the 755 women, it was 5. 1. The standard deviation was 3. 4 for each of the two samples. a. Find a 95% confidence interval for the difference in population means. 3. In each part, use the information given to calculate the margin of error. a. A sample of n = 81 women has standard deviation 2. 7 inches. Confidence90%

Product Development Specifications

1)a. When making patterns, they can either be produced in house or be outsourced. Both types have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantage to using in house pattern making is that the fit of the garment can be more customized. When a company makes its own patterns, it has years of experience with their target market and their needs. Also, companies that produce their own patterns can base new patterns off of previous seasons. However, a disadvantage is that is expensive, and a smaller company may not have the resources to use their own pattern makers.When outsourcing pattern making, a company can either use pattern making services, or full service contractors. Pattern making services create patterns without the product developer having to invest in their own computerized pattern making system. The other type of out sourced pattern making, full service contractors, are usually used by product developers looking to knock off a design. The product developer sends an already mad e sample to the pattern maker with size specifications. Full service contractors are more difficult to use when making original designs.Some disadvantages to outsourcing pattern making are that different countries have different methods of pattern making and different perceptions of the body. Also it takes time to check samples, and language and measurement system are usually different in other countries. b. When choosing materials, specifications can either be open or closed. Open specs are when the information provided is more generic and only contains basic facts. Closed specs are when the specifications are very detailed and specify an exact material and supplier.A disadvantage to closed specs is that they can become very expensive. However an advantage is that they ensure consistency of the end product. Some advantages to open specs are that they are cheaper and less time consuming, however the end product could be less accurate. c. Tolerances are variations from criteria that will be allowed when producing a product. If a product does not meet tolerances, it will be rejected. Tolerances can either be tight or loose. Tight tolerances have less room for variation.The advantages to tight tolerances are that products will be more consistent, and fit better. However, the disadvantages are that it is costly, and time consuming as it may take a few tries to meet tight standards. Loose tolerances are when specs have a wider variation. Products that have loose tolerances vary more often, but are cheaper and faster to produce. 3) Standards and specifications in the product development process are very important because they affect quality, cost, and the time it takes to produce an item.In general, when a product has more standards and specifications it takes longer to produce and is more costly, but it will be a more consistent, high quality product that fits better. When there are less standards and looser specifications, products can be made faster and for cheap er but will be of a lower quality. When choosing standards and specifications it is important for the product developer to keep the company and its end target market in mind. For instance, when developing product for companies such as Zara or Forever 21, the focus is on producing products quickly as fashion is always changing and trending up or down.These companies would use looser specifications with lower standards to get their product produced as quickly as possible. Since the product is at a lower price point, the quality of products is not taken into as much consideration. However, for products that set the trends and are sold at higher price points, more time would be taken on specs and standards as the target market expects quality. LIM College. (2010). Chapter 9: Translating Concept to Product. Product Development (pp. 262-279). United States of America: Fairchild Books, a Division of Conde Nast Publications.

Activities to Practice Decoding Skills for Reading

Activities to Practice Decoding Skills for Reading Decoding skills help a child learn to read and develop fluency in reading. Some of the major decoding skills include recognizing sounds and sound blends, deciphering the meaning of a word through recognition or context and understanding the role of each word within a sentence. The following activities help a student build decoding skills. Recognizing Sounds and Sound Blends Give the Clown a Balloon This exercise helps teach and reinforce that letters can sound different depending on the letters around them, for example, the a in hat sounds different than the a in cake because of the silent e at the end of the word. Use pictures of clowns; each clown represents a different sound for the same letter, for example, the letter a sounds differently in many different words. One clown can represent a long a, one can represent short a. Children are given balloons with words containing the letter a and must decide which clown gets the balloon. Sound of the Week Use letters or letter blends and make one sound the sound of the week. Have students practice recognizing this sound in daily reading, picking out objects in the room that have the sound in them and coming up with a list of words that contain the sound. Be sure to keep the letter or letter blend on the board or in a place that is highly visible in the classroom throughout the week. Understanding the Word’s Meaning Building Vocabulary - Synonym Crossword Puzzle This activity can be used for different ages, using simple words and clues for young children and more difficult for older children. Create a crossword puzzle; students need to find a synonym for the clue. For example, your clue might be blanket and the word covers can be put into the crossword puzzle. You can also create a crossword puzzle using antonyms. Change the Words without Changing the Story Provide students with a short story, maybe a paragraph long, and have them change as many words as they can without changing the meaning of the story very much. For example, the first sentence might read, John went running through the park. Students might change the sentence to read, John moved quickly through the playground. Parts of a Sentence Adjectives Have students bring in a picture of something from home. This can be a picture of a pet, a vacation, their home or a favorite toy. Students trade pictures with another class member and write as many adjectives as they can about the picture. For example, a picture of a pet dog can include words such as: brown, little, sleepy, spotted, playful, and curious, depending on the picture. Have students trade pictures again and compare the adjectives they found. Race to Make a Sentence Use vocabulary words and write each word on two cards. Divide the class into two teams and give each team one set of the words, face down. The first member of each team picks up a card (should be the same word on both cards) and runs to the board and write a sentence using the word. The first person with a correct sentence gets one point for their team.

Value Line Publishing Background Info Essays - Economy, Business

Value Line Publishing Background Info Essays - Economy, Business Value Line Publishing Background Info Carrie Galeotafiore: analyst for Value Line Publishing. Value Line Publishing is an investment-survey firm. EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) estimated 2001 U.S. retail building-supply industry at $175 bil. Split btwn 3 retail formats: hardware stores(15% of sales), lumberyards(34%), and larger-format home centers(51%). Industry was dominated by Home Depot and Lowes They had more than a third of total industry sales. Within the past 5 years, 1136 new stores. Future growth opportunities: acquisition/consolidation, professional market, international expansion, alternative retail formats, alternative products, and head-to-head competition. Acquisition/consolidation: 1999: Lowe's acquired a warehouse-format chain named Eagle Hardware which had 38 stores. $1.3 bil transaction. Home Depot has acquired Apex Supply, Georgia Lighting, N-E Thing Supply Company, and Your "Other" Warehouse. Professional Market Both chains want to attract professional clienteles more efficiently. To do so, they are stocking merchandise in larger quantities, giving employees higher training, as well as carrying professional brands. Home Depot created Home Depot Supply and the "Pro Stores" to reach out to the small-professional market. International expansion Home Depot acquired a Canadian home-improvement retailer Aikenhead in 1994 which developed an international presence. Also targeted the $12.5 bil home-improvement market in Mexico by acquiring Mexican chains TotalHOME and Del Norte. In 2002, Lowe's didn't have an international presence. Alternative retail formats Both chains have online stores that offer design and decorating tips. Alternative Products Both chains were expanding into installation services. Home Depot was currently at $3 bil for their at-home business Head-to-head comp Traditionally, Home Depot focused on metropolitan areas while Lowe's focused on rural areas. So Lowe's is expanding to metro areas. Home Depot's new CEO, Bob Nardelli, wants to focus on enhancing turnover and store efficiency through ongoing system investments. Issue: Home Depot had come under criticism for declining customer service. Solution: Nardelli wants to help employees focus on their customers while the store is open and only restock the shelves while they are closed. Home Depot expected rev growth to be 15% to 18% through 2004. Lowe's management claimed they would maintain their sales growth of 18% to 19%. Lowe's planned to open 123 stores in 2002, 130 in 2003, and 140 in 2004. Issue: Donald Trott, analyst at Jeffries, downgraded Lowe's based on a forecast of a deflating housing-market bubble and a view regarding a company's stock price was richly priced relative to Home Depot's. Solution: Galeotafiore countered that Lowe's had now shown that it could compete effectively with Home Depot. She expected there to be ongoing improvement in sales and gross margins.

How to Ensure Online Tutoring from PrepScholarTutors Is Right for You

How to Ensure Online Tutoring from PrepScholarTutors Is Right for You SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips While the vast majority of articles on our blog are about immediate tips for the SAT/ACT test, from time to time we also feature some latest products we at PrepScholar are coming out with. This time, we're annoucing our new PrepScholarTutors.com product. It combines the affordability and customization of PrepScholar Automated Prep with varying levels of premium tutoring, giving you many advantages of each. 3 New Tutoring Packages from PrepScholar Most of the features of PrepScholarTutors are explained on its own website, so if you haven't read through it yet (it's short and an easy read!), the best way to get some background on the service is by reading the site. The idea is this:you already know how great our PrepScholar Automated Prep is - why not take it to the next level by adding on tutoring? There are varying degrees of tutoring you can add on: - Our Monitored Automated Prep package can be seen as a similar training strategy to automated prep, but with a few extra hours to bring your training to the next level. While our Automated Prep program is designed to be 99% self understandable, there may be a couple of small areas that you're stuck at and want an explanation for. Likewise, you might be making a pattern of mistakes that's very hard for you to detect yourself, but a professional can spot very quickly. If you're worried about a few uncommon instances of "getting stuck" not understanding a critical strategy or content, then Monitored Autoated Prep is the best package for you. It has a few hours of 1:1 online instruction that will ensure you never get stuck, while keeping the vast majority of the learning in the Automated Prep framework. - Our Full Tutor-Lead Complete Prep package is our most popular tutoring package that we've been doing for years now. This package is designed to give you all the advantages of traditional tutoring, plus more. You meet 1:1 with a tutor, who is main guiding force behind your preparation. The learning isdirected by your tutor at this point, yet you're able to save because all the drilling and scheduling happens via our Automated Prep Package. In other words, you get the best of both worlds: you get one of the top tutors over all of the USA to guide you, while also relegating practice, drills, and other exercises to automated prep to save on cost. - Our Maximum Tutoring package is meant for students who want tutoring to be almost all of their prep. With 40 hours of included tutoring, our 1:1 time can take you from knowing nothing about the test to knowing everything. You still have the option to drill on our Automated Prep platform, but at this point your main strong desire is to get almost all your prep from our world-class tutors. Since effective tutoring is one of the best ways for you to learn, if you have the budget, and strongly desire the maximum number of points, this package is for you. Why Choose Tutoring From PrepScholar? As I have mentioned many times before, there are many ways to study for the SAT / ACT:by yourself, with online prep, or with tutoring. I certainly believe that with the right tutor, tutoring is the most effective way to improve: anyone who has had the experience of receiving personalized 1:1 instruction from a great teacher will immediately understand why - the effectiveness of good 1:1 tutoring is bar none. However, the key phrase is choosing therighttutor. Usually, choosing the right tutor is difficult. A local high school senior who recently got a great grade himself might offer tutoring for as low as $70/hour or less. But be careful: we've all met many people who know a subject really well themselves, but have real trouble explaining the concept to others. This is due to the curse of knowledge: if you know a topic by heart already, it is very difficult to empathize with what it's like not to understand that topic. This strongly afflicts tutors without a track record, which is why we always caution against using tutors that score well themselves, but without proven experience in teaching. At PrepScholarTutors, we ensure our tutors both have a high score (by verifying directly with the testing authorities), and ensure they know how to teach. We ensure tutor quality by only taking tutors who have proven track records of improving the SAT / ACT scores of students in the past. Moreover, before hiring each tutor, we have our experts sit in on mock tutoring sessions and vet each tutor for precise skills and tactics in teaching. This way, we ensure that our tutors not only know the material, but also know how to teach the material. We also ensure tutors know how to work best with our automated prep system so that tutoring works seamlessles with online autoated prep. Also, since we we're an online prep company focused on helping busy students, our tutoring schedule is always flexible. We never require students to have a fixed time of week for tutoring, or be ridged in their scheduling. You can change your schedule around week by week to ensure the best fit for your sports practice and other extracurriculars. Rest Assured With These Guarantees We believe in the effectiveness of our tutoring so much that we're more than happy to put our money where our mouth is: by giving you multiple guarantees about our tutoring product at PrepScholarTutors.com. All these guarantees overlap so you're not limited to choosing just one - you get all of them. Our first guarantee is the one-hour full money back guarantee for any reason. That is to say, when you have your first hour of tutoring, if you don't like it, you get all your money back, including the cost of the first hour! We're so sure you'll like it that we can extend you this guarantee. You can get the money back for any reason or no reason at all - there are no qualifictions on this. If you've used the automated prep portion of your package for fewer than 10 hours, you can get a full refund on that as well, and otherwise the full refund applies completely to the tutoring portion of your package. This lets you make sure that our tutoring level meets or exceeds your expectations, without risking any money at all. The second guarantee applies through the duration of the tutoring. We guarantee that you can cancel at any time and get the unused portion of your costs back. In other words, we have no lock-in contracts. This is something very important as you'll be sure that each lesson continues to meet the high standards of excellence you set. Some companies rely on lock-ins because they're not sure you'll stay for their tutoring quality alone. We are confident enough in our continued tutoring quality that we let you receive a refund at anytime for all unused costs. Finally, we still have our standard 160+ improvement (on the 3-section SAT) and 4 point improvement (on the ACT) guarantee. If you don't improve that much from real test to real test after using our tutoring program, then you get double the hours of tutoring for free. Our tutors are premium and doubling the hours isn't cheap for us, but we're so confident in our ability to raise your score that we offer the 160+ Point / 4+ Point Guarantee. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Dr. Fred Zhang About the Author Fred is co-founder of PrepScholar. He scored a perfect score on the SAT and is passionate about sharing information with aspiring students. 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Essay question Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Question - Essay Example This enables them to hold objects firmly in their hands as to avoiding slipping. Most mammals have double mammary glands in their body systems, while the primates on the other hand have two mammary glands in their body system making them unique mammals in the universe. Mammals like human beings have little hairs on their skins, as opposed to primates like chimpanzees that have many hairs that cover most parts of their bodies. This enables them to feel warmth during cold weather since they spend most of their time in the wild. The primates like the chimpanzees have the capability to walk upright like human beings especially when they need to see objects that are very far away (Pika 13). Unlike other mammals, the primates like chimpanzees are able to communicate with sound and gestures with other members of their family. Primates enjoy surviving in social groups with other members of their family as they groom each other. The survival groups are also meant to build structures for self- defense in times of disasters. Most mammals are classified into only one species, but some primates like chimpanzees are categorized into two species. Locomotion In Humans and Chimpanzees Both human and animals are able to walk upright as the move from one place to another with a lot of ease. The chimpanzees are also able to move with their four limps and they limit their upright movement only in circumstances where they need to see further ahead. Human beings walk upright and cannot walk easily with four limps due to their upright body structures. Human beings have a bowl shaped pelvis that support their internal body organs and enables them to move uprights with a lot of comfort. The chimpanzees on the other hand mostly lean forward during their movements and thus do not need to support their organs with their pelvis and so they posses broader hips. Since chimpanzees have broader structural hips, they can move by both hands and legs and the process of childbirth is easy as compare d to that of human beings (Pika 14). The bowl shaped pelvis in the humans makes it hard for them to move in fours and complicated the process of childbearing since its in opposition to the birth canal. Human feet are straight with toes at the front, chimpanzees on the other hand have slightly curved feet with strong opposable thumbs to facilitate grasping (Mulcahy). The structural feet of human beings enable them to push directly ahead while walking while the chimpanzee feet are mainly meant for crawling and diagonal rotating movements. Dentition comparison with Apes Human beings and chimpanzees have the same dental structure that is composed of 32 teeth and permanent heterodyne dentition in the lifetime. They humans and chimpanzee are also similar in their dental structure in that their young ones have the milk teeth before they develop the permanent teeth. The main difference between the humans and the chimpanzees is that the former have relatively smaller canines than the latter due to the nature of their eating habits. Chimpanzees eat less meat as compared to human but the meat they eat is mostly hard hence it needs bigger canines to tear it (Mulcahy). The bigger chimpanzees’ teeth are also used for self defense since it scare away the potential its potential threats. The canines of chimpanzees are projected outwards while that of humans does not stick out.

Business & sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business & sustainability - Essay Example This section deals with the environment practices of Morrison Company with reference to the five stage model. a. Management Policies and systems: Out of the 50 reporting criteria, 12 are included under this section. Some of the important ones are management views on environment, existence of an environmental management system, environmental auditing, responsibility and accountability etc. The company has ambitious environmental protection policies included in its CSR report and some of the important policies are given. It may be noted that policies and actual performance may differ. The company proposes to reduce its carbon foot print by 36% in the coming two years. Energy saving is also viewed seriously and the company had invested 10m in energy saving technology. It is looking seriously at renewable sources of energy and reduced usage of water. Other policies include sourcing of fish and timber from sustainable sources, waste reduction, carbon labelling, fleet efficiency and fleet emission control in its fleet "We are committed to taking good care environmentally, socially and in our busi ness." (Annual review and summary Financial Statement 2007, 2007). b. Input output inventory: As many as twenty reporting criteria are included under this head. ... The group could also achieve a 9% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions during the past year. Their new head office in Bradford has a rain water collection and treatment plant. Morrison Plc also follows the practice of remoulding used tires thereby saving 675 tonnes of rubber. The company has a good record in recycling of waste products. 60% of its paper and cardboard waste was recycled last year. Plastic recycling was to the tune of 7% and other waste 5%. The total tonnage of recycled waste rose 26% from 128,000 tonnes in 2006 to 142,000 tonnes in 2007. The company has also managed a waste to landfill by 28%. Land filling by using domestic and industrial waste is a common practice followed by many countries. The main problem of using waste for landfills is contamination of the water table. A lot of regulations have come up regarding the usage of waste and Morrison's have taken this seriously. "The objective of the Directive is to prevent or reduce as far as possible negative effects on the environment from the land filling of waste, by introducing stringent technical requirements for waste and landfills." (Waste, Landfill of Waste, 2007). Another novel feature introduced by the company is the usage of compostable packaging. This type of packing is biodegradable and hence not a threat to the environment. Packaging is usually made of sugar cane fibre, wood pulp and GM free corn starch and has saved the company 27 tonnes . Package returning is another step taken by Morrison's. This means that the company is able to send back to the supplier the packaging used in transportation and this practice has helped the company to save 65,000 tonnes of cardboard. Package changing and redesigning is also another initiative

History of Germany Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

History of Germany - Assignment Example 2. The environmental concerns were multiple. First of all, because of enormous coal mining in Germany, the coal resources were slowly reducing; moreover, because of the coal mining there were huge mounds of rock and waste of the industry, which occupied huge territories. Also, development of industries was gradually destroying atmosphere and polluting air. Furthermore, the issue of air pollution was extremely important in those times, because they were new and people hadn’t yet created any solutions for the issues like that. The population boom rose up a question concerning overpopulation in Germany and hence the demand for production of goods and resources also increased, which led to partial depletion of natural resources. 3. Weimar Constitution was very vicious as it was extremely delusional in its democratic focus. First of all, it made people think that they lived in democratic republic and had their right to take control over political power. In fact, it helped Hitler to rise to power, as he used the opportunity of free speech and liberal values in order to establish his authoritarian power. The problem was that Hitler’s party was the biggest in those times and therefore it acquired more votes than any other party in the elections of 1933. Moreover, people were dissatisfied with Socialist Democrats ruling, so Hitler’s party was the only appropriate choice for them. 4. The very first reason why women voted for Hitler back in 1933 was that Nazi Party was proclaimed to be a Christian party and they stated that they were standing for Christianity, so women, who are considered to be greater fighters for their religious values than men, were glad that such a religious party was going to rule. Talking about urban women, they were more open-minded and well-informed of what was going on in the country, so voting for Nazi Party was the only choice for them, as well as for the men who agreed that Socialist

London Millennium Footbridge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

London Millennium Footbridge - Essay Example The bridge is a natural expression of structural engineering and architecture but a city center footbridge is equally about people and the environment; in short, a piece of public architecture. The bridge gives the pedestrians unique views of London, free from traffic and high above the Thames. In September 1996, a competition was organized by a London-based newspaper the Financial Times and London Borough of Southwark to design a new Footbridge across the River Thames. The idea behind the competition was to get the best design in every aspect, therefore, the teams participating in the design were structured to have an engineer, an architect, and an artist. More than 200 teams participated and the competition was won by Arup (engineer), Foster (architect) and Sir Anthony Caro (Sculptor). The height restrictions and the view of the bridge required an innovative design which was provided in the form of a design which included some unusual practices; the suspension design had supporting cables below the deck level. This innovative design was given the name ‘blade of light’ by its designers. A modular design in which several structural members and components can be repeated in the structure, thus reducing the fabrication costs. This can also simplify the maintenance after the construction and allows easy execution of the construction phase. A major issue was the provision of planning advice for gaining the necessary approvals to construct a new river crossing in the heart of London. Moreover, ways of generating the finances for the bridge were also to be considered while designing the bridge. The bridge design is a shallow suspension bridge in which the view behind the bridge is facilitated by keeping the suspension cables below the bridge deck. The bridge is supported on two river piers through two groups of four 120mm diameter locked coil cables which span from one bank to the other.

Business topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business topic - Assignment Example The assignment will discuss about these elements that can help the newly developed bookshop to develop effective core competencies. The general Environment The newly developed bookshop should try to consider the importance of each and every element of general environment in order to achieve significant business output. Economic Conditions It is true that Australian economic environment is becoming highly challenging due to recent financial crisis and global economic recession. Therefore, it is quite difficult for the new organization to achieve significant business growth rate from the initial point of time. The organization should try to focus on high business performance by ensuring effective intellectual capital. Employees are considered as the strongest assets for an organization. The newly developed book shop should try to maintain effective relationship with the skilled and effective employees as the retention of experienced and skilled employees is the major concern for each a nd every organization. High performance and skill level of an employee enhance effective business performance. Employees generally represent the organizations’ intellectual capital. Retention and recruitment of new employees will help the organization to maintain effective relationship with the government and several stakeholders. The economic slowdown affected the economic environment of Australia (Damanpour, 1991, p.11). It is true that high unemployment rate, limited purchasing power and low disposable income of people are the major consequences of economic slowdown. Therefore, the organization’s recruitment and retention policy will help to overcome the economic challenges like high unemployment rate. In addition to this, the organization should try to provide products in economic price level. Customers are considered as the real king for the business organization. They can switch over other brand or shop if the current organization fails to satisfy their basic nee ds. During this, economic slowdown it is important for the organization to reduce several business operation cost and implement competitive pricing strategy without compromising with the quality of the books. It will help the organization to gain significant advantages. Socio-cultural Conditions The knowledge of employees can be regarded as the important asset for the employers. Securing intellectual capital will help the newly developed bookshop to maintain effective relationship with the customers. It is important for the bookshop to maintain strong ethics in the business processes to avoid the possibilities of workplace conflicts. Last but not the least; it is important for the organization to ensure effective leadership and managerial skills to manage a diverse multicultural workforce. In case of any difficulty the managers of the organization should try to implement change management process to develop strategies according to the current market demand. It is highly important fo r the newly developed bookshop to develop a strong management foundation to maintain effective workplace environment (Rodiek, 2008, p.29). It is discussed earlier that

Review a concert about jazz performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Review a concert about jazz performance - Essay Example Interestingly, even though most true jazz musicians seek to distance themselves from the understanding the jazz is ultimately a form of dance music, society’s perception of jazz continues to be concentric upon the belief that jazz is ultimately an early form of modern dance music. Some various jazz songs could be said to incorporate this element where the musicians thought it would be healthier to do something different instead of the ordinary music production. Likewise, for purposes of this performance review, the author will focus upon the following pieces and analyze how they were played and how this author reacted to the music: Andy Page’s â€Å"Up-End Adam† and â€Å"Jazzin’ in Jazz Town†, Brian Heater’s â€Å"Imagination†, and Mitch Rivet’s â€Å"Dancing with Pinkie†. The first two pieces to be discussed, those composed by Andy Page was magnificent in that the audience instantly engaged with the content. The trumpet was the lead instrument in this performance, which appeared to guide the artists. It carried the melody of every tune. This was an interesting dynamic to note due to the fact that regardless of the musical genre that one seeks to discuss, ultimately a single instrument or a group of instruments will seek to differentiate themselves from the others as a means of providing a firm and solid lead. Oftentimes within classical music this is realized within the lead violin or other instrument. Similarly, within rock ‘n roll this is oftentimes realized with regards to the lead guitar. Invariably, jazz exhibits the same constraints and allows different instruments to perform the lead even within the same song; thereby helping to set jazz apart from the other forms of music that a previously been listed by way of the fact that it is able to integrate and incorporate a number of instruments within any given piece that all can serve as the lead instrument. The second song, also of Andy P age was not about the sharp nines, flat fives, substitutes’ chord or metric subdivisions. The feeling, message and honesty the artists gave the crowd was just phenomenal. What gave the performance an intellectual aspect was the emotional ends. A person could feel connected to the artist and his message. The mental aspect of the song was that, in the middle, it gave someone a funky feeling through the solos, which included drums beats, as well as the saxophones, being played unaccompanied. It was within this very performance that the impacts of jazz upon modern music could be seen. Although the saxophone is not necessarily seen as a contemporary instrument within popular music, the means by which the saxophone solo was utilized to invoke strong melodic realizations and a differentiation from the remainder of the piece was munch it can to the way that modern singers perform a capello segments within their own songs. Though jazz oftentimes incorporates a vocalist, the utilizatio n of the saxophone is almost indistinguishable from the way that a vocalist might operate within a jazz band. The trumpet, in this performance, was the loudest, cutting instrument, above all others. The instruments guided other soloists in carrying out their performances. It was like the "alpha" instrument. The fourth piece which will herein be discussed is that of Brian Heater’

Business topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business topic - Assignment Example The assignment will discuss about these elements that can help the newly developed bookshop to develop effective core competencies. The general Environment The newly developed bookshop should try to consider the importance of each and every element of general environment in order to achieve significant business output. Economic Conditions It is true that Australian economic environment is becoming highly challenging due to recent financial crisis and global economic recession. Therefore, it is quite difficult for the new organization to achieve significant business growth rate from the initial point of time. The organization should try to focus on high business performance by ensuring effective intellectual capital. Employees are considered as the strongest assets for an organization. The newly developed book shop should try to maintain effective relationship with the skilled and effective employees as the retention of experienced and skilled employees is the major concern for each a nd every organization. High performance and skill level of an employee enhance effective business performance. Employees generally represent the organizations’ intellectual capital. Retention and recruitment of new employees will help the organization to maintain effective relationship with the government and several stakeholders. The economic slowdown affected the economic environment of Australia (Damanpour, 1991, p.11). It is true that high unemployment rate, limited purchasing power and low disposable income of people are the major consequences of economic slowdown. Therefore, the organization’s recruitment and retention policy will help to overcome the economic challenges like high unemployment rate. In addition to this, the organization should try to provide products in economic price level. Customers are considered as the real king for the business organization. They can switch over other brand or shop if the current organization fails to satisfy their basic nee ds. During this, economic slowdown it is important for the organization to reduce several business operation cost and implement competitive pricing strategy without compromising with the quality of the books. It will help the organization to gain significant advantages. Socio-cultural Conditions The knowledge of employees can be regarded as the important asset for the employers. Securing intellectual capital will help the newly developed bookshop to maintain effective relationship with the customers. It is important for the bookshop to maintain strong ethics in the business processes to avoid the possibilities of workplace conflicts. Last but not the least; it is important for the organization to ensure effective leadership and managerial skills to manage a diverse multicultural workforce. In case of any difficulty the managers of the organization should try to implement change management process to develop strategies according to the current market demand. It is highly important fo r the newly developed bookshop to develop a strong management foundation to maintain effective workplace environment (Rodiek, 2008, p.29). It is discussed earlier that

Human Resource Management Challenge Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Management Challenge Essay As human resource development manager, will make a meeting with main office staff and discuss to create new policy rules and regulation according company working basement and working time, strict rules to department supervisor and line leader must be responsible on product operating and department cleanness environment, main leaders must coaching new operator the basic rules and company working style well. Fixing CCTV camera at whole area of company environment to avoid illegal activities and control the situation every time. Arrange company official bus transport to all the staff to make easy facilities to cover the duration of travelling for those staying far and cover accident. According to company rules all the staff need be corporate with management and department leaders to run the company well and helping each other during working time, any information regarding company issues, product, celebration must be arrange a meeting to inform all the stuff to avoiding misunderstood and conflict. Each every time department supervisor have taken action on neglect working stuff and inform to the management and always make daily working report to show the production result and situation, good working stuff will be offer special features, as increasing wages and much more, arrange canteen or rest room to all staff to they safety. The human resource or HR department is instrumental in implementing effective organization development. The human workers of an organization are perhaps its most important assets. The successful management of these valuable human resources will drive the organization to optimum success. The various roles of HR organization development must be implemented in alignment with the overall strategic planning of the organization. As employers and workers and trade unions representing them for several responsible for good industrial relations, the first step is for both management and trade unions to accept the highest level, the same degree of person responsibility for industrial relations as for other functions within their respective organizations. Good industrial relations need to be developed within the framework of efficiency of the establishment or undertaking. As such, a major objective of management must be to develop and effective personal and industrial relations policies which engender the confidence of all employees, subject to the purpose for which the establishment or undertaking was establish and its social obligations to the nation equally trade unions should ensure that the policies and practices that they adopt are not only fair in relation to the function and purpose for which they been formed but also take into consideration national interest. Ground rules are established to keep an organization guided and controlled. At times that certain rules are choking to the neck. This may be gorunds for conflict between employees and the management. Whenever and individual feels that there are inconsistencies and irrationalities in the workplace, tendency is the person truggles to break free from such process. For employees, it may take an effort to really understand that such rules is a way of maintaining standards in the company. But this should be well-implemented andproperly disseminated by the management in a way that will not seem like a threat to the inviduals. To build inclusive and harmonious workplaces, both employees and managers play important roles. Organisations should equip them with the relevant knowledge and skills, and encourage them to display attributes and behaviours can build competencies to foster inclusive and harmonious workplace by embedding them in formal HR practices recruitment – hiring candidates which in with fit in which the organisation’s values on inclusiveness learning and development – equipping employees with the knowledge and skills to work effectively in diverse teams performance management – assessing employees on their ability to work effectively in a diverse team or manage a diverse team organisations should adopt recruitment policies which are consistent with the tripartite guideling on fair employees practices to build an inclusive and harmonious workplace, organisations need to recruit candidates who are able to work with or ead diverse teams team department are also provided with a allowance every quarter to plan their own gatherings and team building activities. To help new employees assimilate into organization muvee provides support to newly arrived foreign employees, helps them with accommodation arrangement, administrative requirement and share with them places to eat or visit in Singapore. An employee portal on the internet also allows new employees to quickly get acquainted with other in the company , organisations which already have employee awards in place can consider including values and behaviours that fster inclusive and harmonious workplace as part of the awards critera ANSWER SECTION ONE (B) As agency of training and development, human resource department are important facilities to every business to handling company daily situation, and working activities. Human resource department are responsible to covered company programmed running and all the organization in perfect way in all the time. However, HR department creating new style and activities among staff to make new outcome to run company and control all the activities well , to generating new era with company and staff, HR are mostly focusing on administrative creating new way to organization and for company, HR department are mostly responsible and protection for company basement and organization. It included skills and knowledge attained for both personal development and career and advancement. Planning by professionally developing with each employee and implementing that planning to an effective performance management system. Human resources and staff development will continue to focus on developing strategic initiatives and providing services and consultation which improve business performance for the greatest and effiency . Staff will continue to participate in the review of organization structures on a consultancy basis and address issues relative to the corporate culture and values. The human resource management functions no longer have merely a transactional role. There is a requirement for the human resource department to become more strategic in the practice employees will have safe and supportive workplace. Every business needs a safety plan. Objective develop a safety checklist and operate the business to ensure all safety regulations are met. Reduce workplace injuries to zero. nvolve employees through an internal committee or team in making their environment a safe place to work. Support health and wellness programs through an optional, additional-cost, benefit program. Strategy the safe and supportive workplace goal will be supported by a company program to engage employees in individuals health practices and improvement and work programs and work-from home progams. ensure the at work environment is ergonomically best. Measures of success reductions in injury reduction in time off request reduction in absenreeism related on the job accommodation program regular safety inspections regular safety meetings with employees regular ergonomic assessments. Good human resource planning and management will result in good report and communications between employees and the management. It will also result in individual employees development plans low employees turn over low absenteeism low safety incident, competitive employees compensations programs including basic employees benefits high morale good quality output and efficient operations, well trained employees and satisfied customers. Salary competitveness witin the industy and basic employee benefit need to be reviewed regularly likely at least every two year. The plan needs to indentify hiring and promotion policies and employee development plans for improving employees performance. The purpose of the Training and Development Program is to provide consultation curriculum and training services ti pinal country employees so they can improve their professional skill set to advance the country priorities and delier the best services possible to pinal country residents, 70% of trained employees who demonstrate improvement skill knowledge through pre and post training testing. 10% of pinal country employees that complete a job related degree though the tuition reimbursement program per consultation provided. 80% of pinal country employees who have completed any franklin covey training program offered through hr, that show an improved evaluation of job performance between the preamp; post assessment by managers. (SECTION TWO) As HR department working for company long –term in all the ways, to create new techniques and capability to cover organization to improve company basement and development, company are now looking for more high quality new out come product a nd new strategic. Human resource are plays the essential role in developing company very well by handling all the employee activities of an organization , company in beginning of growth phases can be benefited identifying training needs for existing staff. The strategies that also can reduce turnover and improve employee retention. HR department are mostly responsible company programed to make advance future facilities and development. HR department processes are in several type of function, time management, travelling management, workforce planning and recruitment. Department of human resource is responsible for monitoring effectiveness of agency or department recruitment and selection procedure in accordance with applicable policies and law. The organization engages in strategic planning to keep itself for the future. Since component of the strategic planning the foundation for workforce planning, leaders are advised to start by creating or updated organization strategic planning to beginning the workforce planning process well. The important of strategic planning and developing public and non profit organization once looked at strategic planning as designed strictly for the profit sector with goal of increasing sales and profit margins, improvement customer satisfaction and creating good efficiency. Strategic Strategic human resource managementVertical and horizontal alignment of corporate policies- A conceptual framework| lanning can be defined to a clear current, mission and vision that are easy to communicated and understanding and ownership of the mission and vision in all parts of the organization and critical assessment of the environment in which the organization operate Analysis of internal environment analysis of external enviroment Statement of country’s mission and strategic objectives HR objectives and strategic Function – specific HR policies and practice Recruitment / retention / succession management| Job evaluation/ Compensation reward issues| Employee benefits / payroll| Training amp; development| Result performance management amp; labour relations| (SECTION THREE ANSWER) The turn of the century has been increased focus on the same in organization globally. Many organizations have mandated training hours per year for employee keeping consideration the fact that technology is des killing the employee at a very fast rate. The training developing our administrators and staff are among the most important things. in this rapidly changing environment, employees are constantly being called up on to learn new skill to work in new and different ways and to charge directions at a moment notice. The quality of employees and their development through training and education are major factors in determining long –term profitability of a small business. Human resource management is the function witin an organization that focuses on recruitment of management and providing direction for the people who work in the organization can also be performed by line managers. HRM is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management organization development safety wellness benefit employee motivation communication administrative and training. HRM a strategic and comprehensive approach to managing people and the workplace culture and environment. Effective HRM enables employees to contribute effectively and productively to the overall company direction and the accomplishment of the organizations goals and objectives . HRM is moving away from traditional personnel, administration, and  transitional  roles, which are increasingly outsourced. HRM is now expected to add value to the strategic utilization of employees and that employee programs impact the business in measurable ways. The new role of HRM involves strategic direction and HRM metrics and measurements to demonstrate value. The HRM is arts and knowledge, the running needs supporter which called staffs and are human resource of the organization. HR can improve the level of management and execution. It is important during period of management. It is important to improving HRM in the importance of organization development. Human resources are the people that work for an organisation, and Human Resource Management is concerned with how these people are managed. However, the term Human Resource Management (HRM) has come to mean more than this because people are different from the other resources that work for an organisation. People have thoughts and feelings, aspirations and needs. The term HRM has thus come to refer to an approach, which takes into account both:   1. the needs of the organisation 2. the needs of its people. Different individuals have their own needs and aspirations. HRM therefore involves finding out about the needs and aspirations of individual employees, for example through the appraisal process and then creating the opportunities within the organisation (e. g. through job enlargement) and outside the organisation (e. g. through taking up educational opportunities at local colleges/universities) for employees to improve themselves. HRM therefore relates to every aspect of the way in which the organisation interacts with its people, e. g. y providing training and development opportunities, appraisal to find out about individual needs. Opportunities and courses for individuals to develop skills, knowledge and attitudes that help the organization to achieve its objectives. Development the provision of opportunities and courses for individuals to develop skills, knowledge and attitudes that help themselves to achieve personal objectives. Training and development needs analysis an analysis of the opportunities and experiences that are required for individuals to train and develop in order to meet organizational and personal objectives. A training and development plan can then be created to set out how these needs can be addressed in practical steps. Audi has developed a training and development programmed designed for technicians at the company. Technicians are appraised by their line managers to identify their personal training and development needs. They then work with professional consultants on development training activities as well as attending relevant courses either at the Audi training center or on external courses. The technicians are able to use a multimedia based Training Needs Analysis tool that enables them to produce a Personal Development Plan automatically. A human resources training and development plan is a written document. Work with manager to identify training and development needs and create a plan to address those needs. At many organizations, the human resources department provides a template for the plan that includes all of the necessary information. Some organizations include training and development plan in annual review. According to the website Management Help, a training and development plan should include certain components. The first component is the training goal, which refers to the overall results that hope to achieve. The learning objectives describe what will be able to do as a result of the training. The learning methods are the activities that will do in order to achieve the objectives. The documentation refers to the evidence of learning activity. The evaluation assesses the quality of results. Before start, it should lso consider the necessary budget and set a timeline to complete to plan. The National Center for Training, Support and Technical Assistance states that training and developments plans focus on three different types of learning gaps or needs. The most common are performance gaps, professional growth gaps and opportunity gaps. Performance gaps happen when a worker lacks the necessary skills to do his job. Professional growth gaps refer to more general skills that an employee would like to develop. Opportunity gaps refer to what an employee needs to learn in order to be promoted to a new position. To create a training and development plan, start by assessing your needs. At annual review or at another appropriate time, discuss with your manager the things that need to learn in order to do your job better. Also consider what would like to learn in order to prepare yourself for a promotion. After select the skills that would like to develop, consult with the human resources department to determine what types of training and development are available. They will help measure skills, select an appropriate training method, and establish the level of imporvement. Training and development programs have a positive impact on organizations. They increase job satisfaction, motivation and morale, which reduces employee turnover. A company with low employee turnover becomes more efficient and also saves significant money in the cost of hiring and training new employees. Consistent training also helps companies stay up to date with new technologies. Compaines may also keep past training and development plans on file to measure how much an employee improves Human resource departments typically conduct activities designed to train and develop company personnel, whether to address performance problems or help prepare an employee for a management role. In addition to formal training courses (such as instructor-led sessions, web-based training and seminars) should offer flexible alternatives such as coaching, mentoring and job-rotation experiences. Developing employee capacity involves managing programs such as employee orientation sessions, policy and procedure awareness sessions, leadership development workshops and other options designed to enable company (and employees) to succeed. Structure training and development department to support associates. Offer training opportunities to those who fail performance appraisals. Encourage employees to develop their professional skills by offering courses at work. Create executive leadership development programs to allow learning new skills necessary to take on management responsibilities. Conduct awareness sessions about new policies and procedures as well as to ensure compliance to local, state and federal regulations. Develop customized training courses for employees. Cover specific details about business. Courses in communication, customer service, diversity, ethics, quality and safety typically allow people to function more effectively on the job. Focus on a particular topic such as cultural intelligence for a month at a time. Schedule related activities to promote awareness. Develop templates, job aids, demonstrations and simulations to support employees in working in a consistent manner across company. Establishing a good image both within the company and with customers and business partners depends on a well-trained workforce. Provide access to training courses through a Learning Management System (administrative software) so students can register and access training materials any time they need them. Ensure employees create an annual development plan to establish development objectives and focus learning on activities that align to companys strategic goals. Get executive sponsorship for any training initiative establish so that can procure the necessary funding and budget allocation required. Evaluate training and development programs to ensure they are meeting employee and company needs. Training and development opportunities typically lead to increased job satisfaction and motivation. Employee efficiencies result in operational cost savings and increased capacity, resulting in company financial gains. Learning new technologies and techniques for getting work done also improves operational metrics. Training activities can also increase employee retention rates.

Laws of Concentration and Centralization: A Modern Review

Laws of Concentration and Centralization: A Modern Review Sourish Dutta Abstract Though the basic (late 1860s) Marxian model, under capitalist mode of production, assumes (more or less) perfectly competitive markets with a large number of small firms in each industry, Marx was cognizant of the growing size of firms, the consequent weakening of competition, and the growth of monopolistic power. Hence, capital has the inclination for concentration and centralization in the hands of richest capitalists. Actually, the concentration and centralization of capital are two capital accumulation techniques. Such concentration and centralization of capital can be clearly detected at this modern time—especially in the USA—in the massive occurrences of the mergers, acquisitions and conglomerates. In this assignment, henceforth, I will be trying to cultivate an analytical discussion about these two interlinked concepts and their implications and repercussions in this modern world of capitalism. Prologue The contemporary financial catastrophe of 2008 brings back the Marxian laws of concentration and centralization of capital in the modern form. They are often confused but must be clearly distinguished. Marx explained it most famously in chapter 25 of volume 1 of Capital. Though his dynamic intellectual exploration engrossed in the industrial capital, the same tendency holds with respect to financial capital in present scenario. With the increasing mass of wealth which functions as capital, accumulation increases the concentration of that wealth in the hands of individual capitalists, and thereby widens the basis of production on a large scale and of the specific methods of capitalist production†¦ It is concentration of capitals already formed, destruction of their individual independence, expropriation of capitalist by capitalist, transformation of many small into few large capitals. This process differs from the former in this, that it only presupposes a change in the distribution of capital already to hand, and functioning†¦ Capital grows in one place to a huge mass in a single hand, because it has in another place been lost by many. This is centralisation proper, as distinct from accumulation and concentration. In brief, by concentration we make out the upsurge of capital that is due to the capitalisation of the surplus value originated through accumulation of surplus value of labour. Indeed, increasing concentration of capital occurs as individual capitalists accumulate more and more capital, thereby increasing the absolute amount of capital under their control. The size of the firm or economic unit of production is increased correspondingly, and the degree of competition in the market tends to be diminished; under centralisation we understand the joining together of various individual capital units which thus form a new larger unit. Actually, more important reason for the reduction of competition is the centralization of capital. Centralization occurs through a redistribution of already existing capital in a manner that places its ownership and control in fewer and fewer hands. Marx maintained that larger firms would be able to achieve economies of scale and thus produce at lower average costs than would smaller firms. However, concentration and centralisation, influence one another. A great concentration of capital accelerates the absorption of small-scale enterprises by large-scale ones; conversely, centralisation aids the increase of individual capital units and so accelerates the process of concentration[1],[2]. Beside this, recent experience of financial crisis also conveys a new phenomenal dimension in the context of Marxian crisis in capitalist mode of production. This phenomenon gives rise to the doctrine of Too Big to Fail (TBTF)[3]. Rationale behind these laws The main logic behind these two laws of capitalism is the force of capital accumulation or the self-expansion of capital. Here we have to note two distinct concepts, namely, individual capital and social capital. Marx observes: The fact that the social capital is equal to the sum of the individual capitals (including the joint-stock capital or the state capital, so far as governments employ productive wage-labour in mines, railways etc., perform the function of industrial capitalists), and that the aggregate movement of social capital is equal to the algebraic sum of the movements of the individual capitals, does not in any way preclude the possibility that this movement as the movement of a single individual capital, may present other phenomena than the same movement does when considered from the point of view of a part of the aggregate movement of social capital, hence in its interconnection with the movements of its other parts. †¦Every individual capital forms, however, but an individualised fraction, a fraction endowed with individual life, as it were, of the aggregate social capital, just as every individual capitalist is but an individual element of the capitalist class. The movement of the soci al capital consists of the totality of the movements of its individualised fractional parts, the turnovers of the individual capitals. The self-expansion of individual capital is accomplished through the appropriation of surplus value by maximizing the rate of profit, while the movement of the social capital leads to the equalisation of rates of profit. Individual capital is a thing as well as a relation, and so is the social capital; moreover, the social capital denotes another dimension of social relation, namely, the relation between industrial, financial and commercial branches, and also between branches, sectors and departments of the productive system. Nevertheless, it is also to be noted that in a capitalist economy, state capital is an integral part of social capital. In juridical form, state capital is indeed different from private joint-stock capital, but its movements determine, and are determined by, the movements of social capital. Concentration The other name of self-expansion of individual capital is concentration of capital, according to Marx. It has nothing to do with the statistical concept of concentration ratio on the pattern of Gini, Lorenz or Atkinson. The concentration of capital in the Marxian sense is measured in absolute terms with reference to a single individual capital, without regard to the rest of the individual capitals; in other words, it is not a ratio of any two magnitudes. At one place Marx says that simple concentration of the means of production and of the command over labour is identical with accumulation, and at another he equates the rate of self-expansion of the total capital with the rate of profit. Every individual capital is a larger or smaller concentration of the means of production, with a corresponding command over a larger or smaller labour-army, says Marx. Every accumulation becomes the means of new accumulation. Clearly, by concentration Marx does not mean anything like the Gini coefficient or the Lorenz ratio. Now, accumulation is the prime mover of capitalism, and concentration increases with accumulation. Since the rate of profit is uniform throughout the economy, should every capitalist accumulate the entire profits (or equal pro- portion of profit) then each individual capital would grow at the same rate. In that event, there would be a continuous rise in the concentration of capital in the Marxian sense, but not so in the usual statistical sense. To put it differently, a constancy in the statistical concentration ratio does not imply a cessation of the Marxian concentration of capital. Movements of social capital tend to bring about equalisation of profit rate throughout the economy, but in fact profit rates do vary from one branch of production to another at any given period. Besides, as we know, one portion (of the surplus value) if employed as capital, is accumulated 13 and the portion of this plough-back may not be the same for every individual capita- list. A bigger capitalist accumulates a larger percentage of the surplus value appropriated by him. Hence, the rates of self- expansion of various individual capitals-that is to say, their rates of concentration-differ. If the bigger capital effects a higher rate of self-expansion, then the statistical concentration ratio would rise with the Marxian concentration of capital. With the rising concentration of capital a qualitative change takes place-the organic composition of capital goes up, and hence the rate of profit declines bringing in its trail a crisis which we shall take up for discussion below. [1] http://www.economictheories.org/2008/07/karl-marx-concentration-and.html [2]N.I. Bukharin: Imperialism and World Economy [3] According to some economists, when banks and finance corporations become too big, their failure has systemic implications, inflicting collateral damage on individuals who may have nothing directly to do with those banks or corporations. Governments then feel compelled to rescue these large entities in order to minimize the collateral damage, and the anticipation of such bailout promotes reckless behaviour.

Quality Deer Management Essay -- Hunting Wildlife Conservation

Quality Deer Management There is no other big-game animal in North America like the white-tailed deer. The whitetails habitat is so widespread that it covers just about all of North America and parts of Central America. The white-tailed deer is the most commonly hunted big game animal ever. Before the settlers arrived, an estimated 30 million whitetails inhabited what is now the United States and Canada. But as settlers pursued them for food and market hunters slaughtered them with snares, traps, and set guns, the deer population underwent a disastrous decline. By 1900, only 400,000 whitetails remained. What happened ever since 1900 has truly become a huge conservation success story. Through a massive effort by sportsmen and wildlife managers, market hunting was outlawed, sport-hunting regulations were established, and habitat improvement programs began. Because of the efforts of these concerned people the whitetail population has risen to around 20 million. The deer population has increased so much that in many areas, they suffer from chronic starvation. â€Å"Bucks only† laws passed years ago to help in re-establishing the dwindling deer herds now work against the deer by resulting in an overabundance of does. Even with the overabundance of does many hunters refuse to shoot a doe. They believe in the old saying, â€Å"It takes a doe to yield a buck.† This is entirely true but it ignores the basic law of nature that any piece of land, and the food and cover in it, can support only so much game. If the excess game is not harvested by hunters or killed by predators, nature will take over and exterminate enough animals as needed or more through disease and starvation. That’s why hunting is a much more humane means for a deer ... ...also depend on how wildlife agencies respond to this idea. Throughout history, many northern states have gone all out on shooting bucks. Now they realize that just shooting bucks do not equal quality deer herds. I believe that it is time to make Quality Deer Management a part of every hunters game plan. The benefits may not happen right away but after a couple of years you will have years and years of quality hunting. You not only will have a better hunting experience but you will also have fun implementing Quality Deer Management on your land. Bibliography: http://www.burnsville.org/deer_management June 18, 2001 http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/ July 19, 2001 QDM: Are You Up To Its Challenges? Deer and Deer Hunting November 1999 Krause Publications Inc. QDM: Can Your State Make It Happen? Deer and Deer Hunting November 1999 Krause Publications Inc.