The physical and mental effect of mass media on Humans Research Paper

The physical and mental effect of mass media on Humans - Research Paper Example The skewed relationship is based on ultimately serving the purpose of the media and encouraging its consumption. 1. The Evolution of Mass Media and High Effectiveness Prior to the emergence of any form of mass media, human was the primary medium that was used to convey messages to a large number of people (Ott and Mack 2). This method of delivery had significant flaws. The first was their dependence on slow transportation and secondly the message passed through multiple channels or humans until it reached destination and by then it would be significantly distorted. Here lies the key difference between such methods of message delivery and mass media, mass media have the potential to reach a large number of people simultaneously in remote locations (Ott and Mack 2). So the key distinguishing feature is not just the mass audience which one may observe in a rock concert too, they key feature is remote location. Ott and Mack in their book Critical Media Studies describe mass media as havi ng the ability to overcome physical distance and space (2). Harris and Harris in their book A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communications write that the revolution in mass media is not unprecedented. It started off with the emergence of photography and telegraphy in the 1840s, progressed to telephones in a few decades later followed by the emergence of cinema in 1896. This led to the progress in the field of motion pictures which drastically impacted the way humans communicated to one another. Radio emerged in the 1920s followed by television in 1950s, video technology in 1980s followed by the internet in 1990s (Harris and Harris). Following the decade of the emergence of the internet everything has completely altered in terms of communication, cultures and technology. The last decade has been phenomenal in technological development, bringing people and cultures together across the globe. According to Wells and Hakanen mass media are a product of technology (19). Historically it can be observed that technological developments in a society have had a direct impact on the media of that time. For instance, the mass media circulation of newspapers was made possible only because of the technological developments in the printing press (Wells and Hakanen 19). Presently we can observe the same trend for internet where messages can reach a number of people world-wide with the emergence of the internet. Ott and Mack in their book Critical Media Studies highlight the following key areas in technological advances and evolution of humans that have had a clear impact on media (9-10). 2. Effects of Mass Media on Humans Humans are greatly influenced by media, even more so than they realize. Today the way they behave, think and interact is greatly influenced by various forms of mass communications such as television, radio, print and the internet. Television in particular over the last 60 has had an impact on human live much greater than almost any other invention (Harris & Ha rris). Radio and print has over the years managed to retain their uniqueness. However internet is one such medium which can affect all its predecessors in terms on massage delivery and communication and will soon replace television as the invention with the greatest impact on human lives. Initially much effort was made in designing of the message with the assumption that all receivers would interpret the message in the same manner. Over a period

Philosophical Argument Essay Example for Free

Philosophical Argument Essay â€Å"Something must first be said briefly about the moral subjectivism inherent in this analysis. Based on the above, it follows that some things could be immoral for some people and moral (or amoral) for others, since people vary in their values. For example, some people may possess a fundamental value for all animal life of any kind, which would entail not eating meat, not allowing suicide, nor even allowing the removal of life support for a brain-dead patient. But this value system would only exist for them, not for others. However, my analysis does not entail moral relativism in the usual sense, since it is also possible (and I believe it is the case) that some fundamental values are shared by all people, or very nearly all people (I allow some rare exceptions for the sociopath, who is generally regarded as having a mind alien to the vast majority of humankind, devoid of all ordinary moral sentiment). (Carrier)†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The above argument contains two premises: 1) Some people value all forms of life; and 2) All people share some fundamental values. The conclusion is that: Morality is relative. The quoted passage is an example of argument because it expresses a claim which is being supported by the given premises. It can be said that morality is relative because people have different perspective about the value of life – (that while others do not admit any sort of action that would not promote life as morally permissible, others welcome the fact that every person has a right to make a decision about how he would like to treat his life or whatsoever). â€Å"From a point of view outside of this affair, the killing of a neurologically inactive fetus is no greater a harm than the killing of a mouse, and in fact decidedly lessa mouse is neurologically active, and though it lacks a complex cerebral cortex, it has a brain of suitable complexity to perceive pain (and I would argue that the mouse deserves some moral consideration, though less than humans). A fetus cannot perceive pain (and perception is not quite the same thing as sensation: sensation can exist without a brain, but perception cannot). The neural structures necessary to register and record sensations of pain transmitted by the appropriate nerves either do not exist or are not functioning before the fifth month of gestation. A fetus can no more feel pain than a surgical patient under general anasthesia, or a paraplegic whose lower-body nerves continue reacting to stimuli, but cease sending signals to the brain. And we have already established that a fetus does not contain an individual human personality of any kind, any more than a brain-dead adult does. With no perception of pain, and no loss of an individual personality, the act of abortion causes no immediate harm. (Carrier†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second passage is another example of an argument. It has three premises; 1) Fetus is neurologically inactive; 2) Fetus does not feel pain; 3) Fetus does not possess individual personality. The conclusion suggests that: Abortion causes no harm. Obviously, the established premises attempt to prove the conclusion. Since fetus cannot react to any form of stimuli as how a surgical patient or even a mouse does, hence the act of abortion does not inflict harm to the fetus. Work Cited Carrier, Richard C. Abortion is not Immoral and Should not be Illegal . 30 November 2005.  Ã‚   Internet Infidels. 31 February 2008  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/debates/secularist/abortion/carrier1.html.

Hamlet :: essays papers

Hamlet Revenge For Your Father In Shakespeare's tragic epic Hamlet, one man is torn between loyalty of his new king or the revenge of his old king and past on father. Should Hamlet lose everything while his uncle controls what should be his? Many things led to the down fall of Hamlet some of them are the murderous acts of Claudius, the act loyalty to revenge the death of a king and father, and the great depression that Hamlet struggles to control. In Hamlet there are many unfortunate events. The start of the unfortunate event is when the king is brutally murder. Cluadius seemed to bring curse a pawn everyone around him. By the murder of Hamlet's father he was determined to avenge his death. Hamlet now had to avenge the death of his father and end the incestuous acts between a twisted uncle and mother. "He kills Polonius by accident, hoping that in a blind thrust through ther arras he might turn out at last to have dispatched the King..."(Murray pg131) Some may think that Hamlet let his emotions take over his actions in avenging his fathers' death , but Ophelia and Laertes also lots a father and they too acted like out of control. Laertes also look for revenge toward his fathers' killer just like Hamlet. Ophelia the sister of Laertes was unable to get revenge for her father Polonius lost her mind and committed suicide. Hamlet may too gone mad and taken his own life if he was unable to get revenge. The ghost of Hamlet's father give Hamlet the answer of revenge by telling him how the killer is. "The Ghost as a sort of symbol or allegory. Hamlet's character and situation were well conceived to base such a hallucination upon."(Santayana 128) The ghost gave Hamlet a great power inside to avenge his death. The ghost also to Hamlet of how the death of his father caused infinite damnation and led to corruption fo his other and Denmark. "If thou hast nature in thee bear it not, Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damned incest"(I.5.81) Hamlet also is under great depression and constant internal struggle. The civilization was also coming down around him. He had no one to trust. Hamlet is expected to go alone the remarriage of his mother, and also after finding out that his fathers' murder was by his own uncle who married his mother and is now the new king of Denmark.

Facilitate Coaching And Mentoring Essay

1 Understand the benefits of coaching and mentoring practitioners in health and social care or children and young people’s settings 1.1 Analyse the differences between coaching and mentoring 1.2 Explain circumstances when coaching would be an appropriate method of supporting learning at work 1.3 Explain circumstances when mentoring would be an appropriate method of supporting learning at work 1.4 Explain how coaching and mentoring complement other methods of supporting learning 1.5 Analyse how coaching and mentoring at work can promote the business objectives of the work setting 1.6 Evaluate the management implications of supporting coaching and mentoring in the work setting 1.7 Explain how coaching and mentoring in the work setting can contribute to a learning culture 1.8 Explain the importance of meeting the learning needs of coaches and mentors 2 Be able to promote coaching and mentoring of practitioners in health and social care or children and young people’s settin gs 2.1 Promote the benefits of coaching and mentoring in the work setting 2.2 Support practitioners to identify learning needs where it would be appropriate to use coaching 2.3 Support practitioners to identify learning needs where it would be appropriate to use mentoring 2.4 Explain the different types of information, advice and guidance that can support learning in the work setting 2.5 Demonstrate a solution ­focused approach to promoting coaching and mentoring in the work setting 3 Be able to identify the coaching and mentoring needs of practitioners in health and social care or children and young people’s settings 3.1 Use different information sources to determine the coaching and mentoring needs of practitioners in the work setting 3.2 Plan coaching and mentoring activities 4 Be able to implement coaching and mentoring activities in health and social care or children and young people’s settings 4.1 Support the implementation of coaching and mentoring activities 4.2 Select the most appropriate person to act as coach or mentor 4.3 Explain the support needs of those who are working with peers as coaches or mentors 4.4 Provide coaching in a work setting according to the agreed plan 4.5 Provide mentoring in a work setting according to the agreed plan 5 Be able to review the outcomes of coaching and mentoring in health and social care or children and young people’s settings 5.1 Review how the use of coaching and mentoring in the work setting has supported business objectives 5.2 Evaluate the impact of coaching and mentoring on practice 5.3 Develop plans to support the future development of coaching and mentoring in the work setting

Case Study Carmex Essay

Question #1 a) Some advantages of an online survey of a cross section of Internet households are having a larger audience with a wider variety of responses, lower cost, and instant results. Some disadvantages are people may disregard the survey, answers may be careless just get the promo or offer, surveys may be sent directly to junk mail. b) Some advantages of an online survey of Carmex Facebook likers are The people that fill out the Facebook surveys actually know the products, they aren’t just completing for the free stuff, responses will come directly from product users, surveys will not get lost in spam or junk mail. Some disadvantages would be that it does not cover a wide customer base and the survey will only increase engagement and not likes Question #2 a) On a Facebook brand page, â€Å"engagement† measures how much activity is being made by its Facebook audience with a certain brand which is measured through posting a comment, liking a status or by replying to one of the posts on brand page. On the other hand â€Å"likes† measures the number of new likers or the size of the audience on Facebook b) For Carmex engagement is more important because it means its current likers are interested in learning about the company by interacting with posts Carmex makes by replying and liking their posts. Carmex would appreciate this because it shows customer interest and brand loyalty. c) Question #3 a) Consumers having the ability to engage with a brand they like and having the chance to create their own opinion about the products they sell will create activity between the user and the brand page. Engagements on a brand page like Facebook are evoked by making sure those opinions count and are heard, as well as by posting content to attract consumers and give them a chance to engage further b) To attract like to a brand page on Facebook you could give out prizes, have a contest that requires user to like the page, and offer coupons that offer a better deal than what’s already in the market. Question #4 a) The advantages of a fixed alternative poll question on Facebook are the questions tend to be short and can be answered quickly, you can keep anonymous, more people may answer as it only takes a click. b) I think it would be best to use an open ended question when you are trying to get opinions on the company or products that could range from a variety of answers from a range of different users. This will allow the consumers to speak freely and give them the flexibility to write whatever they want Question #5 a) If I had a limited budget a time I would choose a poll only strategy because it has low cost and set-up associated with it. All you have to do is post the poll to the Facebook brand page and wait for users to respond, which will happen quickly. The last step would be to collect your data. b) On the other hand, If I had a higher budget and more time I would choose the contest only strategy because the results would be more rewarding. Promoting the contest will drive customers to participate, involving prizes will make the users take it more seriously, and they will result in more accurate and realistic answers.

5 First Steps for Finding Your Roots

5 First Steps for Finding Your Roots Youve decided to dig into your family history but arent sure where to begin? These five basic steps will get you started on the fascinating journey into your past. 1. Begin With Names First names, middle names, last names, nicknames...names often provide an important window into the past. Names in your family tree can be found by looking at old certificates and documents, by asking your relatives, and by looking at family photos and newspaper clippings (wedding announcements, obituaries, etc.). Search especially for maiden names for any female ancestors as they may help identify the parents, taking you back a generation in the family tree. Naming patterns used in the family may also hold a clue to previous generations. Family surnames were often adopted as given names, as were middle names which sometimes indicate the maiden name of a mother or grandmother. Watch also for nicknames, as they may also help you identify your ancestors. Expect to encounter plenty of spelling variations as name spellings and pronounciations generally evolve over time, and the surname your family uses now may not be the same as the one they began with. Names are also often just written down wrong, by people who spelled phonetically, or by individuals trying to transcribe messy handwriting for an index. 2. Compile Vital Statistics As you search for the names in your family tree, you should also gather the vital statistics that go with them. Most importantly you should look for dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths. Again, turn to the papers and photos in your home for clues, and ask your relatives for any details they can provide. If you run across conflicting accounts - two different birth dates for great Aunt Emma, for example - just record them both until more information comes along which helps point to one or the other. 3. Collect Family Stories As you quiz your relatives about names and dates, take time to elicit and write down their stories as well. The history in your family history begins with these memories, helping you to really get to know the people your ancestors were. Among these stories, you may learn of special family traditions or famous family legends that have been passed down from generation to generation. While they will likely contain some creative remembrances and embellishments, family stories generally have some basis in fact, providing clues for further research. 4. Select a Focus After gathering names, dates, and stories about your family, the next step is to choose a specific ancestor, couple, or family line on which to focus your search. You could choose to learn more about your dads parents, an ancestor you were named after, or all descendants of your maternal grandparents. The key here isnt what or who you choose to study, just that it is a small enough project to be manageable. This is especially important if youre just starting out on your family tree quest. People who try to do it all at once tend to get bogged down in details, often overlooking important clues to their past. 5. Chart Your Progress Genealogy is basically one big puzzle. If you dont put the pieces together in just the right way, then youll never get to see the final picture. To make sure your puzzle pieces end up in the proper positions  pedigree charts and family group sheets  can help you record your research data and keep track of your progress. Genealogy software programs are another good option for recording your information and will allow you to print out the data in a nice variety of chart formats. Blank genealogy charts can also be downloaded and printed for free from many different websites. Dont forget to take a little time out to record what youve looked at and what you found (or didnt find)!

Ways in which activities of international firms threaten sustainable development. The WritePass Journal

Ways in which activities of international firms threaten sustainable development. Introduction Ways in which activities of international firms threaten sustainable development. ) Ways in which activities of international firms threaten sustainable development. The issue of whether activities of international firms exert pressures on environment has fueled much of the ongoing debate on international trade and environment (Kirkpatrick et al. 2004). On one side, international firms are seen to contribute to sustainable development  whereas on the other hand, they serve as impediments to this transition. Some of the benefits of international trade include increased investment flows and production of goods in which a country has a comparative advantage in (DFID 2002). Countries also benefit through access to foreign markets that allow for better exploitation of economies of scale (Kirkpatrick et al. 2004). Beyond the economic benefits, FDI can also contribute positively to the environment. Multinationals may contribute to climate change mitigation in important ways. They can play a greater role in the shift towards a low carbon economy. Multinationals may contribute to sustainable development through international transfer and diffusion of low-carbon technologies to the host country (Randaccio 2012).The cleaner production technologies used by multinationals may be absorbed by local firms (Randaccio 2012). In fact, the presence of international firms in developing countries may yield substantial environmental benefits, a process known as Pollution Halo effect (Randaccio 2012). As pointed out by Dean Lovely (2010), FDI may bring greener technology to a countrys fragmented sector. This is particularly evident with top Chinese firms which have benefited from environment spillover effects. A study by Marconi Sanna-Randaccio (2011) found that top Chinese firms used Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in many areas to adopt technology provided by leading foreign firms. It is clear from the above that activities of international firms may contribute to sustainable development through international transfer of cleaner energy production technologies and through the transfer of financial resources and managerial skills to resource-constrained economies (Randaccio 2012) However, while such multinational firms may have positive socio-economic benefits and environmental spillover benefits in the host country, their activities may as well threaten sustainable development. The negative effects can be categorized into: scale effects, structural effects, production and distribution effects and regulatory effects. Scale effects While cross-border investments may increase the scale of production and consumption; it may as well have adverse social and environmental impacts. The increase in production may be accompanied by an increase in resource material use and higher levels of pollution (Kirkpatrick et al. 2004). Structural effects Structural changes in the economy of a country may occur as a result of trade liberalization (Kirkpatrick et al. 2004). Where such changes favour industries that extract less natural resources, the impact on sustainable development becomes positive (Kirkpatrick et al. 2004). However, where such changes favour industries that extract more of the natural resources, the effects occur in the opposite direction (Kirkpatrick et al. 2004). Production and distribution effects The transfer of production from the foreign country to the host country may have certain distributional effects in the host country. The consequent distributional effects between trading partners may be damaging to the environment (Kirkpatrick et al. 2004). In particular, trade liberalization may result in pollution havens (Smarzynska Wei 2004) Regulatory effects The regulatory effect may be positive or negative. A positive effect may occur where increase in trade may stimulate adoption of environmental standards whereas a negative effect may occur where policies and regulations are constrained by the need to comply with multilateral agreements (Kirkpatrick et al. 2004).. Fig.2 Impact of trade policy on sustainable development (Kirkpatrick et al. 2004). Although activities of international firms may have positive or negative impact on sustainable development, the overall trend that has been observed across the globe has been negative. In many countries, the viability of the ecosystems has been threatened by the activities of multinational firms.   Since most of these international firms are purely profit driven, their activities have led to the depletion of tropical forests, marine pollution, habitat destruction, and extinction of endangered species, land degradation and loss of crop cover (Moir Carter 2012). A prime example can be seen with Shell’s operations in Nigeria. Given the abundance of natural resources, particularly the vast reserves of petroleum, Nigeria has played host to oil multinationals (Kadafa 2012). The activities of Shell have turned hitherto productive areas into wastelands, adversely affecting the livelihoods of the local community who are predominantly small-scale farmers (Kadafa 2012). The loss of natural capital and degradation of land especially in the delta region has forced the affected delta community to migrate to other productive regions (Kadafa 2012). This has also heightened tensions between the local community and oil operating companies (Kadafa 2012). This notwistanding, gas flaring in the region has contributed significantly to greenhouse gases and air pollution which has had dire consequences on ecology. A similar scenario can be seen with the activities of Multinational oil companies in Angola. Oil exploration in Angola has also adversely affected fish farming in Cabinda (Agostinho et al 2005). Other popular examples include Exxon Valdez and BP oil spills, which have had the largest and most damaging impact on the environment. Ways in which government can seek to reduce the threat Governments have a greater role to play in reducing such threats. Governments can adopt a number of measures which include: Offering financial incentives to encourage environment friendly activities. Closely monitoring activities of international firms to ensure compliance with the set environment standards Ensuring adherence to the ‘polluter pay principle’ which require the person responsible for pollution to bear the cost (Harris 1995). Ensuring that areas under agriculture, forestry and aquaculture are managed sustainably (Carvalho 2001) Safeguarding endangered species and protecting their habitats (Carvalho 2001). Auditing environmental and social management systems of international firms (Harris 1995) Ensuring that multinationals have contingency plans in place to prevent the adverse impacts of their activities on environment Engaging and consulting with the local community when undertaking projects (Harris 1995) Requiring multinationals to disclose information on project risks and their approach to mitigation Ensuring a robust environment and social impact assessment (ESIA) is undertaken by international firms before commissioning of a project (Harris 1995) Promoting international trading system that enhances sustainable development. Conclusion It is clear from the above that the activities of international firms threaten sustainable development in a number of ways. Cross-border investments increase production which is accompanied by an increase in resource material use and higher levels of pollution. Trade liberalization may result in pollution havens. Also, environment policies and regulations may be constrained by the need to comply with multilateral agreements. On the contrary, the activities of international firms may contribute to sustainable development through international transfer of cleaner energy production technologies and transfer of financial resources and managerial skills to resource-constrained economies. The overall trend on sustainable development has however been negative. In many countries, the viability of the ecosystem has been threatened by the activities of multinational firms. Reference Anon, 2010. Republic of Angola national marine oil spill contigency plan. BCLME region Angola Carvalho, G.O., 2001. ‘Sustainable development: is it achievable within the existing international political economy context?’ Sustainable Development, 9, 61-73 Dean, J. M. and Lovely, M. E., 2010, Chinas Growing Role in World Trade, NBER Conference Report series. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, pp. 429-69, DFID,   2002. Sustainable Urbanisation: Achieving Agenda 21, UK Department for International Development and UN Habitat, Harris, G., 1995, ‘Transnational Corporations’ Strategic Responses to â€Å"Sustainable Development†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ , In: Helge Ole Bergesen, Georg Parmann, and Øystein B. Thommessen (eds.), Green Globe Yearbook of International Co -operation on Environment and Development 1995, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp.93–106. Kadafa, 2012. â€Å"Oil exploration and spillage in the Niger Delta of Nigeria†. Civil and Environmental Research, vol.2 (3) Kirkpatrick, C., George, C., Scrieciu, S.S., 2004. The implications of trade and investment liberalization for sustainable development: review of literature. The University of Manchester Marconi, D. and  Sanna-Randaccio, F., 2011, The Clean Development Mechanism and Technology Transfer to China. Social Science Electronic Publishing, Inc Moir, S. and Carter, K., 2012. ‘Diagrammatic representions of sustainability a review and synthesis’. In: Smith, S.D (Ed) Procs 28th Annual ARCOM Conference, Edinburgh, UK, Association of Researchers in Construction Management, 1479-1489. Randaccio, F.S., 2012. Foreign direct investment, multinational entreprises and climate change. Review of Environment, Energy and Economics Smarzynska J. B. and Wei, S.J., 2004, Pollution Havens and Foreign Direct Investment: Dirty Secret or Popular Myth?, Contributions to Economic Analysis Policy, 3: 1-32. World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, Sustainabilty, Oxford University press

Chasmosaurus Facts and Figures

Chasmosaurus Facts and Figures Name: Chasmosaurus (Greek for cleft lizard); pronounced KAZZ-moe-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of western North America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (75-70 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 15 feet long and 2 tons Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Huge, rectangular frill on neck; small horns on face About Chasmosaurus A close relative of Centrosaurus, and thus classified as a centrosaurine ceratopsian, Chasmosaurus was distinguished by the shape of its frill, which spread out over its head in an enormous rectangle. Paleontologists speculate that this giant awning of bone and skin was lined with blood vessels that allowed it to take on bright colors during mating season and that it was used to signal availability to the opposite sex (and possibly to communicate with other members of the herd). Perhaps because the addition of horns would have been simply too much (even for the Mesozoic Era), Chasmosaurus possessed relatively short, blunt horns for a ceratopsian, certainly nothing approaching the dangerous apparatus of Triceratops. This may have something to do with the fact that Chasmosaurus shared its North American habitat with that other famous ceratopsian, Centrosaurus, which sported a smaller frill and a single large horn on its brow; the difference in ornamentation would have made it easier for two competing herds to steer clear of each other. By the way, Chasmosaurus was one of the first ceratopsians ever to be discovered, by the famous paleontologist Lawrence M. Lambe in 1898 (the genus itself was later diagnosed, on the basis of additional fossil remains, by Charles R. Sternberg). The next few decades witnessed a bewildering multiplication of Chasmosaurus species (not an unusual situation with ceratopsians, which tend to resemble one another and can be difficult to distinguish at the genus and species level); today, all that remain are Chasmosaurus belli and Chasmosaurus russelli. Recently, paleontologists discovered the amazingly well-preserved fossil of a Chasmosaurus juvenile in Albertas Dinosaur Provincial Park, in sediments dating to about 72 million years ago. The dinosaur was about three years old when it died (most likely drowned in a flash flood), and lacks only its front legs.

Review of The Ryan Boot Company Financical Statement Essay

Review of The Ryan Boot Company Financical Statement - Essay Example This ratio is to be analyzed in comparison with the profit margin. Since Ryan is putting more assets for generating lesser profit margin this ratio is very less as compared to that of the industry. Ryan would be able to increase the profit margin by lowering the total assets or increasing the profit margin. This area needs immediate attention. It is observed that this ratio is slightly higher than that of the industry. When the ROE is higher and ROA is lower, it implies that the company is trading mainly on debt funds. This implies that the debt ratio for the company is high. This is observed from the balance sheet of the company. It is seen from the balance sheet that while the long term debt of the company stands at 2,500,000 the current liabilities are 2,750,000. Although there is no harm in carrying larger current liabilities since they are non-interest bearing, it is important that the company maintains proper short term liquidity position to meet these liabilities as and when they become due. On one side although this is an advantageous position for the company from another angle this points towards a weakness for the company. This ratio is lower than that of the industry and shows a weakness for the company. This implies that either the company is too liberal in its credit policies to augment its credit sales or the company is following inefficient collection policies. If Ryan is in the habit of offering higher credit periods to its customers the company has to have a close look into the products as to the necessity for offering such higher credit terms. On the other hand if the collection policies of the company are inefficient and weak they need to be tightened so that this ratio improves. Otherwise the company will incur losses on account of more bad debts. This ratio is found to be lower than that of the industry and therefore represents a weakness for the company. It is for the company to reduce its total assets base

Mamagement of information technology Case Study

Mamagement of information technology - Case Study Example Is MIS a failed discipline Have we gone on for almost three decades without making progress" (Briggs, Robert O., Nunamaker, Jay & Sprague, Ralph, 2000:5-10) In the beginning of twentieth century, revolution began in knowledge and information then accelerated gradually thereafter. It became now the foundation for many new services and products where in 1974 applications pushed the limits of human ability. As information system, research advanced so did user expectations. And the question raised is how individuals, organization can adjust in order to leverage the delivery of information technology. The infrastructure of the information technology (IT) affords the base for an organization to construct its information system needed to complete the work and provide the employee with all the necessary information. However, management decisions regarding IT are very critical because it affects employees' productivity and performance and therefore, it may affect the organization's overall success(Gareth R.Jones, 2000). "Across all industries nevertheless, developing countries are increasingly deploying IT to solve their development problems. Lending by the World Bank for[ information technology] (IT) has been growing at six times the growth rate of total Bank lending, and is present 90% of Bank's lending operations. However, while the provision of the technology is a necessary condition for achievement of the benefit which IT can bring, there is mounting evidence to suggest that this itself is not sufficient. Changes are required in the behaviour of individuals and organization also)." (Al-Gahtani, 2003, p57, 13p) Information system plays a very essential role in the banking industry particularity. It relies heavily on information technology. In this fast-paced world, no bank can function without highly sophisticated information system. In addition to that, it limits the demand for labour in general. Purpose and Scope "Management information system is essential for creating competitive firms, managing global corporations, and providing useful products and services to customers." (Laudon, 2002,P1) It provides information figure of reports and exhibit to managers. For instance, sales managers may use their computer workstations to obtain sales outcome of their products and to access weekly sales study reports, and then assess sales made by every salesperson. "Management information systems arose in the 1970s to focus on computer-based information systems aimed at managers." (Laudon, 2002, P15). since of the growths of the Internet, globalisations of deal, and the increase of information financial system, have to get better the position of information systems in business and management. And then it wants pays concentration to organisation management information that subject rose by sociology, finances, environment and psychology. "An organization is a stable, formal social structure that takes resour ces from the environment and processes them to produce outputs." (Laudon, 2002,P87) This essay will be evaluating the contribution of Management Information System to

Canada and the European Union new free trade agreement Essay

Canada and the European Union new free trade agreement - Essay Example Canada and the European Union new free trade agreement Canada as a country is renowned for its skillful ideas in research, innovation and invention and production of different types of manufactured products. These products include industrial and machinery, rail products, agricultural and medical equipments. The Canada’s gross domestic product was $42.7 billion resulting from employing approximately 418, 000 Canadian individuals in the manufacturing industry. On the other hand, the European Union benefits from Canada on products such as aero products, rail products and agricultural goods, and medical products, scientific and precision equipments. However, the trade between Canada and European Union is affected by 22 percent tariff on the goods exported and imported. This has been affecting the trade making the European Union to get goods at costly prices (Canada). Upon the completion of the agreement, the Canada-EU trade agreement will work to reduce and remove most of the existing EU tariffs on the manufactured goods, which include electrical parts and equipments and medical equipments. The reduction of physical barriers on the market will help to increase market access for exports and imports. Additionally, the agreement gives opportunities of helping Canada and EU identify different ways and steps of either preventing imposition of non-tariff barriers or direct deal with them when they arise.

The recuitment process from an employers perspective Essay

The recuitment process from an employers perspective - Essay Example A well-written resume presents the impression that the candidate is organized and has good communication skills -which is the backbone of all organizations today. It is important to remember that as an employee you are selling yourself to the employer and his organization. An employee must be thought in terms of a brand or a product that must stress his benefits and explain why the organization should hire him. Even before organizations open up the employee’s CV, they have a look at the cover letter which precedes the CV. The purpose of a CV is to create interest in the employer to contact the candidate for an interview whereas the cover letter creates interest in the employer to read the candidate’s CV (Bovee et al., 2008). It is a common mistake to address the employer properly by using a gender-based phrase ‘Dear Sir’ (Bovee et al., 2008). Using phrases such as ‘Dear HR manager’ denote professionalism and anti-discriminatory behavior in toda y’s corporate world (Bovee et al., 2008). Likewise, it is common to set the objective of a cover letter as far too general. It ought to be specific to the particular industry that the candidate is applying in which demonstrates his/her skills of the industry’s processes or procedures. Yet another important issue is that of the use of a specific salary (e.g. $2,000) rather than a broad range (Hinds, 2005). Furthermore, it is crucial to recognize the fact that employers do not have a lot of time to read documents coming from a large pool of applicants. Hence, it is a malpractice to write a lengthy cover letter (that exceeding two pages). Ideally, the most effective cover letters span only a page (Brewer, 2010). Using internet jargon and not properly checking the cover letter for spelling and grammar is another common oversight (Bovee et al., 2008). This creates the impression of a rather slack personality of the applicant to the organization. As far as the resume is conc erned, it is crucial that it displays a â€Å"you-attitude† (Bovee et al., 2008). This is extremely important in all persuasive messages including the CV. It is useful to research into the background of the company and its operations because employers are constantly looking on how the employee can relate himself/herself to the company (Bovee et al., 2008). CVs must not be too compelling; the language that is used must not depict that the candidate is expecting immediate response of being accepted or rejected by the company. This expectation is erroneous; a good CV does not result in being accepted. It is the â€Å"gateway† to being accepted (Bovee et al., 2008). Furthermore, candidates often spend several hours detailing their experiences and interests believing that their CV will be read thoroughly. However, the truth is that most CV’s are read by the computer and screened on the basis of certain keywords; it is important to embody those â€Å"keywords†. Also, the most important issue that organizations report is the direct use of the word â€Å"I†; CVs must always be presented in terms of what is known as the silent â€Å"I† (Curtis & Simons, 2004). There are several formats for a CV at the disposal of the candidate; a chronological, functional or combination format (Appendix 1 and 2). The chronological format is most preferred by employers as it makes it easier for the employer to extract information. It is discovered that, all too often, candidates often fail to produce effective CVs due to the

The Colonialism Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Colonialism - Article Example The first wave of colonialism occurred in the early 15th century beginning with the conquest of Ceuta in 1415 by the Portuguese and lasted until the early 19th century. The final events of the first wave of colonialism involved the invasion of Algeria by the French. The first wave of colonialism mainly involved the colonization of the Americas by the Europeans and partly involved the creation of European colonies in the in Maritime Southeast Asia and India. The first wave of colonialism occurred during the Age of Discovery. During the first wave of colonialism, the interests of the Europeans in West Africa were primarily focused on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. The second wave of colonialism marked the major phase of European colonization and was fundamentally focused on colonizing Africa and Asia. It is referred to as the New Imperialism. The traditional African view of time is two-dimensional. In the category of potential or inevitable time, the most significant issue is that according to the traditional concepts, time as a phenomenon has the long past, the present and virtually no future. For the traditional African view, the time has to be experienced for it to make some sense. What is the future as per the African concept has not been experienced and thus cannot make part of the time? Neo-colonialism is the use of political and economic power and other forms of control by the former colonial masters to influence and interfere with the affairs of the former sovereign colonies.

The recuitment process from an employers perspective Essay

The recuitment process from an employers perspective - Essay Example A well-written resume presents the impression that the candidate is organized and has good communication skills -which is the backbone of all organizations today. It is important to remember that as an employee you are selling yourself to the employer and his organization. An employee must be thought in terms of a brand or a product that must stress his benefits and explain why the organization should hire him. Even before organizations open up the employee’s CV, they have a look at the cover letter which precedes the CV. The purpose of a CV is to create interest in the employer to contact the candidate for an interview whereas the cover letter creates interest in the employer to read the candidate’s CV (Bovee et al., 2008). It is a common mistake to address the employer properly by using a gender-based phrase ‘Dear Sir’ (Bovee et al., 2008). Using phrases such as ‘Dear HR manager’ denote professionalism and anti-discriminatory behavior in toda y’s corporate world (Bovee et al., 2008). Likewise, it is common to set the objective of a cover letter as far too general. It ought to be specific to the particular industry that the candidate is applying in which demonstrates his/her skills of the industry’s processes or procedures. Yet another important issue is that of the use of a specific salary (e.g. $2,000) rather than a broad range (Hinds, 2005). Furthermore, it is crucial to recognize the fact that employers do not have a lot of time to read documents coming from a large pool of applicants. Hence, it is a malpractice to write a lengthy cover letter (that exceeding two pages). Ideally, the most effective cover letters span only a page (Brewer, 2010). Using internet jargon and not properly checking the cover letter for spelling and grammar is another common oversight (Bovee et al., 2008). This creates the impression of a rather slack personality of the applicant to the organization. As far as the resume is conc erned, it is crucial that it displays a â€Å"you-attitude† (Bovee et al., 2008). This is extremely important in all persuasive messages including the CV. It is useful to research into the background of the company and its operations because employers are constantly looking on how the employee can relate himself/herself to the company (Bovee et al., 2008). CVs must not be too compelling; the language that is used must not depict that the candidate is expecting immediate response of being accepted or rejected by the company. This expectation is erroneous; a good CV does not result in being accepted. It is the â€Å"gateway† to being accepted (Bovee et al., 2008). Furthermore, candidates often spend several hours detailing their experiences and interests believing that their CV will be read thoroughly. However, the truth is that most CV’s are read by the computer and screened on the basis of certain keywords; it is important to embody those â€Å"keywords†. Also, the most important issue that organizations report is the direct use of the word â€Å"I†; CVs must always be presented in terms of what is known as the silent â€Å"I† (Curtis & Simons, 2004). There are several formats for a CV at the disposal of the candidate; a chronological, functional or combination format (Appendix 1 and 2). The chronological format is most preferred by employers as it makes it easier for the employer to extract information. It is discovered that, all too often, candidates often fail to produce effective CVs due to the

Employment of Expatriates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employment of Expatriates - Essay Example By comparison, total compensation for a top-notch Chinese manager would be only about $50,000 per year as stipulated in the case study. The decision to "localize" management in the case study seems inappropriate since they need some professional advice from an individual who is experienced in the specific field. Businesses in China do not properly document their operations and they need to understand its importance. There is a risk involved since it is not right to give up financial control (Wild, Wild and Han, 473). Another issue emerges where many expatriate managers are tested according to the operating results and their efforts to better the skills and competence of local managers through training. â€Å"Localizing† is inappropriate and the use of expatriate managers in this case will help to improve the overall performance. The action of Ricoh Corp does not reflect sound recruitment and personnel policies since he fired Mr. Mackentire to replace him with an expatriate. Th is explains why the move was controversial. Though the decision was right based on the argument of business necessity, it is appropriate to conclude that he was fired simply because he is not an expatriate (Kaplan and Saccuzo, 577).

Thoughts on Gestalt Essay Example for Free

Thoughts on Gestalt Essay After reading the chapter on Gestalt therapy, it seems that there is certainly more to this type of therapy than I had previously thought. Although Gestalt is not widely used, there are some aspects of it that I think could be useful in any therapeutic setting. The first key concept of gestalt that I think is useful is keeping the therapy focused in the here and now. Certainly we all have things in our past that affect the way we handle ourselves in the present, but bringing those past hurts into the current setting and dealing with them here and now seems like a good plan to me. Of equal importance is the fact of a client having personal awareness of themselves and the environment around them. I think the idea of a client being responsible for their actions and owning their reality could at the very least, be a challenge. The idea of a client reintegrating his or her experience into their whole self in the therapeutic process is the key. I like the idea that the whole is greater than the sun of its parts. Finally, the idea of a person knowing who they are and who they are not as opposed to who they think they should be (Paradoxical Theory of Change) is the catalyst of change. I think this idea transcends many approaches to therapy because it allows the individual to choose what and who they want to be. As stated in the text, gestalt therapy allows a person to try on new behaviors and seeing what works for them and what does not. In conclusion, in certain settings I can see where Gestalt therapy could benefit a client, but the client would need to be screened very carefully to make certain that their psyche could handle such a unique and hands on approach. The idea of a Gestalt group seems a daunting task, but something I may have the opportunity to employ in the future. We shall see what the future ho lds.

Technological Analysis of Spain

Technological Analysis of Spain Technological analysis Spain has been slow to adopt technological advancements compared to the other European countries, even though Spain performs well in knowledge creation, the innovation climate in Spain has not been ready. The situation has occurred because of the larger role of the public sector with respect to RD development. The private sector has limited participation in enhancing RD levels in the country. Spain need to unified RD policy across regions as the autonomy of regional governments with respect to the RD policy which led to lack of innovative practices. The increase in the number of authorities and the diversity of funding programs in Spain has increased the innovative system. However, the level of coordination among different levels must improve. Spain ranks 16th on the European innovation index in a list of 27 nations. Spain total expenditure on RD as a percentage of GDP stood at around 1.2 percent in 2007 to 2008. Spain has set a target to reach the RD expenditure level of 2% of GDP by 2010, which is well below the 3% target fixed by Lisbon agreement for the European nations. It is expected that Spain government under the program of INGENIO 2010 will help in raising the private sector expenditure on RD to 55% of total investment by 2010, as well as improving the overall innovation climate of Spain. Spain government has initiated measures to address the expected in innovation by revamping introducing new technologies and the educational system. The lack of innovation and entrepreneurship has emerged because of a low percentage of SMEs getting involved in innovation and co-operation, along with the low participation of the private sector and venture capitalists. Below show the analysis of Spain’s technology landscape a ccording to Datamonitor. Current strengths Well-developed ICT sector Spain has a strong communications equipment market. The Spanish communications equipment market generated total among of revenues of $521.2 billion in 2008, it representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.7 percent for the period spanning 2004 to 2008. In 2013, the Spanish communications equipment market is forecast to have a value of $577 million, an increase of 10.7 percent since 2008. Electricals and electronics retailers proved the most cost-effective distributors for the Spanish communications equipment market in 2008, generating total among of revenues of $249.8 million, equivalent to 47.9 percent of the markets overall value. The country’s strong communication equipment market is expected to post positive growth rates in the medium term. Well-developed infrastructure Spain has a well-developed infrastructure to facilitate development of technology-intensive industries. Besides, the railways system is one of the best in Western Europe. Base on the Datamonitor, in 2008, the Spanish railway system covered 15,288 km, and 8,847 km of the area which were electrified. Air and water transport are also well developed with around 55 state-owned general interest ports and 58 commercial airports. Current challenges Gross expenditure on RD remains low Spain total expenditure on RD (as a percentage of GDP) stood at 1.2 percent in 2007, which is much less than that of other developed nations. In comparison, France’s expenditure was 2.13 percent of the GDP, 3.18 percent in Japan, 2.68 percent for the US, and 1.8 percent for Canada during the same year. The low expenditure on RD has restricted related some activities in Spain. With the increase in the Spanish access to the European technology fund and innovation budget which aims at meeting the financing needs of research, the development and innovation of enterprises, it will be an improvement in the funding of RD activities. Involvement of the private sector The RD activities in Spain have been led by the public sector and with a little involvement from the private sector. The lack of innovation and entrepreneurship has emerged because of a low percentage of SMEs getting involved in cooperation, innovation, and the low participation of venture capitalists and the private sector. The government focused on more of the technological expansion of existing large firms rather than early stage investments for startups. Future prospects Government policies promoting RD Base on the Datamonitor, Spain government has taken several initiatives, which include the adoption of liberal policies to promote RD activity in Spain country, and it has drawn up a new legislative framework for RD. It has been taking measures to expand the RD infrastructure and to improve the operations of all agencies involved in the system. Spain government has set a target to increase the RD expenditure (as a percentage of GDP) to 2 percent by the end of 2010, from 1.2 percent in 2007. The private sector of Spain contribution to RD expenditure is expected to be 55 percent of total expenditure by 2010. Significant opportunities in energy and ICT sector Spain presented significant opportunities in the ICT and emerging sectors of energy. The process of liberalization of the energy market was started in 1998 and by 2003 it brought major changes to the electricity sector and consumers were allowed to purchase power freely in the open market. Spain government has shifted its focus to renewable energy under the Promotion of Renewable Energy plan (2005 to 2010). Spain government also approved the Action Plan for the Spanish Strategy of Energy Efficiency to increase investment in renewable energy technology. Spain has achieved its 29.4 percent target for renewable energy in 2009, even though the target was set for 2010 by the European. Spain government’s energy plans include greater reliance on hydroelectricity and wind energy. In the telecoms segment, a number of IT sub sectors have been opened to private players. Mobile telephony, broadband services and broadcast equipment (such as Wi-Fi) are the growing segments, as the sector is being gradually opened up for competition. Future risks Lack of innovation and low number of patents The low level of innovation in Spain is influenced by the low number of patents registered. Although the number of patents is increasing, it is still far behind the levels compare with other European nations. It compares poorly to some European and developed countries, as show in the table below. A continuation of the trend is likely to hamper the scientific prospects of the country. Spain was ranked 16th according to the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) 2008 among the list of 27 European countries. The private sector RD expenditure lags behind the European average by 45 percent and the rate of patenting is below the European average by 20 percent.

Main Economic Forecasts Essay -- Economics Economy Economical Essays

Main Economic Forecasts   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main economic forecasts used to understand the general outlook of the economy included the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) forecast, the Administrations Forecast, the Blue Chip consensus forecasts and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) forecast. Not all forecasts contained the required indicators for the chosen indicators: employment growth, interest rates, housing starts, and business investment. For this reason, the analysis focused on a combination of the forecasts to understand the relationships among the indicators. Gleaning the economic forecasts led to a general understanding of the economy. Conducting further research on the economic forecasts led to a richer understanding of the selected indicators. The focuses of the economic forecasts were real gross domestic product (GDP) and unemployment. The selected forecasts discussed real GDP and unemployment in depth to give the reader a general understanding of how the economy might respond in the next two years. According to the MBA, real GDP will drop in 2005 in comparison with 2004 and continue to decrease in 2006. In 2007, real GDP will increase slightly in comparison to the previous year. The MBA states the percent change in annual rates will be 4.4 in 2004, 3.8 in 2005, 3.3 in 2006 and 3.5 in 2007. According to CBO, real GDP will decrease in 2005 compared to 2004; GDP will decrease further in 2006 and continue to decrease during the 2007 through 2010. The CBO states the percentage change of real GDP was 4.4 in 2004, will be 3.8 in 2005, 3.7 in 2006 and 3.3 on average for the years 2007-2010. The Blue Chip consensus believes real GDP will decrease in 2005 compared to 2004, and continue to descend for the next two years, 2006 and 2 007. Blue Chip consensus states real GDP for 2004 as 4.4, 2005 will be 3.7, 3.4 in 2006 and 3.5 in 2007. The President’s administration believes real GDP will decrease in 2005 compared to 2004 and will continue to decrease in the next two years as well. According to the President’s administration, real GDP for 2004 was 4.4; and will be 3.7 for 2005, 3.7 for 2006 and 3.5 for 2007. The MBA believes the unemployment rate will decrease from 5.5 in 2004 to 5.2 in 2005 and continue to descend to 5.1 in 2006 and 2007. The CBO believes that unemployment will decrease from 5.5 in 2004 to 5.2 in 2005 and remain at 5.2 through 2010. Blue C... ...f Commerce. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Retrieved April 20, 2005 from http://www.bea.doc.gov/ Housing and interest rate forecast. National Association of Home Builders. Retrieved April 21, 2005, from http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?sectionID=138&genericContentID=631&print=true HR compensation continues to rise: Rising compensation reflects an improving economy and HR's role in corporate growth. HR Magazine. Retireved from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_11_49/ai_n6359691 MBA long-term economic forecast. Mortgage Bankers Association. Retrieved April 20, 2005, from http://www.mortgagebankers.org/ MBA long-term mortgage finance forecast. Mortgage Bankers Association.. Retrieved April 22, 2005 from http://www.mortgagebankers.org/ MBA is most accurate. Federal Reserve of Atlanta. Retrieved April 24, 2005 from http://www.census.gov/ The budget and economic outlook: An update. Congressional Budget Office. Retrieved April 20, 2005 from http://www.cbo.gov/ Real investment in fixed assets and consumer durable goods, 1999-2003. U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Retrieve April 20, 2005 from http://www.bea.doc.gov/

Harvey Wasserman’s ‘Robber Baron’: Criticizing Essay

â€Å"Robber Barons† Harvey Wasserman’s â€Å"Robber Baron† is a harsh critic of not only legendary titans in the American business history, but also of the politics and politicians of the Gilded Age. In his monograph, the images of â€Å"robber barons†, corrupt politicians and laissez-faire government is conjured in the era wherein many important sectors of the American economy were dominated by a handful of firms as cut-throat business competition were compounded by frequent economic contractions that gripped the nation. Wasserman accused the captains of industry of financial trickery and of political corruption with the bribing of legislatures, and attacking them for the inhumane treatment of labor which included the imposition of heavy hours, unhealthy working conditions and using cheap immigrant labor to undercut wage rates. But above all, Wasserman condemned them as merciless monopolists who engaged in ruthless competition by choking off rivals using railroad rebates, controlling raw materials and money supply, and the forced purchase of competing firms. According to Wasserman, Carnegie, Rockefeller, Morgan, and Vanderbilt all had something in common – they were all â€Å"Robber Barons† who monopolize the railroad, petroleum, banking, and steel industries, profiting massively and gaining personally, but not doing a whole lot for the common wealth. Many of the schemes and techniques that are used today to rob people of what is rightfully theirs, such as pensions, stocks, and even their jobs, were invented and used often by these four men. Wasserman’s narrative relentlessly pursue troubling and crippling side effects of the Gilded Age: high levels of political corruption, the arrogance of global economic power, the twisting of the U. S. tax code, and the voter belief in the captivity of government to private interests. But is it fair to consummate in totality, as per Wasserman, these early industrialists as â€Å"robber barons† and the business practices of the Gilded Age as completely corrupt and pointless? The stereotype is indeed irresistible, especially so that it resonates in our time with the Enron, WorldCom and other corporate debacles. But nonetheless, Wasserman’s critique of capitalism is one-sided and obscures other dimensions of corporate activity and opportunity during the era. Take for instance, the doubling of the number of farms and the amount of land in cultivation during the period, the increased size of the workforce, especially in the manufacturing sector, the increased railroad track mileage and the swelling of steel production – all pointed to a surging Gross National Product (GNP). With increased life expectancy, economic data proved that industrialization indeed did raise the standard of living for the majority of Americans during that era. The railroads that became the point of contention between business moguls, was the definite symbol of industrialization as it lowered the cost of shipping freight, which in turn permitted the reduction in the prices consumers paid for food and durable items, thus creating the evolution of national markets that stimulated new levels of competition, opportunity and further growth. Although it still remains an endless debate as to the exact preposition that beholds the likes of Carnegies, Rockefeller, Morgan and Vanderbilt, it is beyond doubt that corporations, a number of which were owned by these men, were the engines of economic growth. In the 40 years following Appomattox, the United States amazed European investors and bankers with the speed at which she changed from a backward agricultural republic to the most powerful industrial force in the world. During the years of the so-called â€Å"robber barons†, America outpaced other nations by large margins when it came to growth in per-capita income, industrial production and rising values generally. Moreover, the Gilded Age also saw economic participation at all levels of society, including numerous previously disenfranchised constituencies. Thus, it is worth noting, Wasserman’s narrative, along with that of Charles Beard and Matthew Josephson (the original creator of the â€Å"robber barons† dichotomy), needs a further reassessment. From Wasserman’s narrative, it is easy to reach the conclusion that the post Civil War program providing subsidies to western railroads was a disaster, a way of transferring millions of the people’s wealth to a few politically well-connected plutocrats. Seemingly, it would have been attempted. But when all the dust settled, the United States did have a transcontinental railroad. Without the offer of mammoth government subsidies, such railroad construction would not have happened for decades.

Evaluate the case for cutting public expenditure rather Essay

A fiscal deficit is when a government’s total expenditures exceed the tax revenues that it generates. A budget deficit can be cut by either reducing public expenditure or raising taxes. In this essay, I am going to analyse the benefits and costs of increasing tax rates to reduce fiscal deficits instead of cutting government expenditure. First of all, if the government decides to cut current public expenditure, it will lead to a reduced quantity and quality of public goods and service. For example, closing NHS direct call centres down which results in lower living standard. Moreover as the spending in sectors such as healthcare and education is cut, these services may need to redundant staff to stay within their new budgets. For instance if the NHS’s budget is cut they will lay-off additional staff. Those public sector workers may find it difficult to find a new job in private sector if they are not competitive enough to compete with other people in the labour market, leading to higher unemployment conflicting with the government macroeconomic objective of low unemployment rate. Also higher unemployment will mean less income tax revenue, lower VAT receipts, higher welfare payments, as well as lower standards of living. If the government is to cut capital expenditure this is the type of expenditure that expands LRAS. It might not cause serious problems in short run, however in long run less spending on for example education and healthcare will result in a less educated and skilled workforce and a less healthy workforce. The negative effects of inadequate skilled human capital in the long run include lower productivity which makes the economy less competitive internationally compared with for example Germany. It in turn leads to deterioration on balance of payment, economic stagnant growth and inflationary pressure as labour costs increase. Thirdly, government spending is an injection into the circular flow of income. A decrease in the government spending will incur negative wealth effect and therefore lead to weaker economic growth. In addition, the  government spending is one of the components of aggregate demand, consequently, lower GDP. In a demand-deficient recession, consumption and investment tend to decrease due to lower income and revenue, the (X-M) component tends to level off or worsen in short run, which makes government spending an essential device to stimulate the economy. Therefore a decrease in the government spending will cause an even deeper recession and a larger budget deficit. Last but not least, a decrease in government spending could mean worse income distribution compared with increasing progressive tax. This is because transfer payment forms almost a third of the governments budgets and so by cutting expenditure it is very likely that it will also be cut making the poor poorer and widening the gap. On the other hand, taxes could be increased progressively by for example increasing marginal income taxes so that the people with high income pay more than the poor narrowing the gap between. However, there are also some drawbacks associated with raising taxes. Tax is a form of leakage from the circular flow of income leading to negative multiplier effect. If the government increases income tax rates, it might create disincentives to work. It is because when income tax increases, the opportunity cost for leisure time decreases; and people will have to work longer hours to earn the same disposable income. Some people may therefore prefer claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance instead of working. If the corporation tax is to be increased, there will be disincentive for firms to locate in the UK, leading to less investment and corporation tax revenues. Additionally, an increase in the National Insurance may discourage firms taking more employers as the NI is paid per employee. Secondly, if the government raises higher income by increasing indirect taxes for example VAT, it may also have problems. It shifts the SRAS curve to the left as the cost of production increases. And it may therefore push up the price level and reduce the level of output. Moreover, indirect taxes are regressive taxes, which impose a greater burden relative to the incomes on the poor than on the rich. Thirdly, as the public sector is basically non-profit, their allocation of resources believed to be less efficient than the profit-making private sector firms. Therefore reducing public expenditure may lead to greater efficiency and productivity by for example removing unnecessary layer of management hence more effective communication and better service provided by the public sector. Last but not least, the choices between the two possible ways and their effects depend on the macroeconomic situation- for example the unemployment rate and the size of the public sector. If the size of the public sector is small, the adjustment on government spending might not be very large and the effect on budget deficit wouldn’t be significant. If the unemployment rate is high, for example 26% general rate and 50% youth rate in Spain, making it very hard to raise taxes. Apparently, both reducing government spending and increasing tax rates will lead to a lower AD, but they will have different other effects. Therefore the choice between this two may depend on macroeconomic situation and what the government is focusing on achieving. VICKKIE

Alleviate Silo Effects —Build a Healthy Enterprise.

Build a Healthy Enterprise. It can be said that effectiveness is Jeopardized when Interdepartmental conflict has happened In many enterprises. This phenomena extends to misunderstanding of each other, nonappearance of department work and Inconsiderate of the whole enterprise. As a result of those effective less actions, business lose time, money and quality. Also, it can be said that manager can not quickly responds when those conflict happen. The business hierarchy does well in control process, but block information collection.The poor cross-functional communication across departments or business unit, is a reality for many organizations. As the organization rise and become more complex and developed, the â€Å"Silo Virus†(Schuster & Bloch 2006) leads to departmental isolation, and unsustainable result the failure of business. This essay will therefore discuss the poor cross-functional communication across departments or business units, give some of the main reasons for cause It, and developed effective remedies for along enterprises. Also, possible strategies In which to alleviate silo effect In the future will be outlined and explored.The definition of poor cross-functional communication across departments or business units is a managerial problem which lead the business out comes far from their established goals. A managerial problem due to the failure cooperation among different departments. The group of people mix together share aims, perceptions and preference to organize a enterprise, actually, it is very hard to make everyone in the enterprise get their large profit as they want, but through manage of organization, people could achieve their largest value.With this platform, individual will play a big collective strength. However, Howard G. And Noel W. (2004) state that communication problems In the organization are not unlike the progressive development of a headache. If the Initial bodily cues are Ignored or not monitored, the full throb will hit. However, It could be state that poor cross-functional communication across departments or business units can cause a big failure of enterprise's business. Department egoism, careless of others, fuzzy thinking and tunnel vision like a virus jeopardize the whole body, and make the work effective jess.This is visually describe by the idea from Schuster & Bloch (2006) who argues that: The infected departments resemble huge grain silos in a lonely landscape. They also function like foreign bodies – impersonal and often oversized. Nothing penetrates to the outside world. There is no window into what goes on inside. The silos are filled from above, which also fits the picture. When the enterprise's top people are Infected, the silo virus spreads throughout the organism. This metaphor give the key message of Its appearance. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, rather complement and perceive must first be realized.There are two aspect cause the poor cross-functional communi cation across management of the whole enterprise. The main reason for cause the internal less communication is fear of feedback. People try to keep silence because they could not see any profit to themselves when they give positive suggestions. Jackson(2003) state that people avoid the truth and instead continue to try to guess what their bosses think. The business hierarchy block the information communication, because most people think it is not their susceptibilities to make the company perform well and advance their careers.Jackson also give his state of People avoid feedback because they hate being criticized, plain and simple. However, it can be state the employee afraid to provide information because they have some dissatisfied of company and brooding of their current situation. At another side, the managers unsuitable management lead those embarrass situations come out, due to they are afraid the criticized voice of their work and fail to acknowledge the implications of curre nt situation. The problems focus on the feedback of information communication. There are many reasons to cause lack of management of the whole parties.The stress, denomination and in efficiency will not distinct as they are in one department. Manager will negligent or ignore of a lot of information which could determinate the potential problems in the future. And for different department managers, they have different goals which could conflict and need sacrificing some parties' own goals to achieve the corporate goals. The problems focus on the leadership performance. So what should be done by manager to encourage employees information feedback and inspire their own act to perform leadership?Jackson(2003) state that four manageable steps to encourage individual feedback: self-assessment, external feedback, absorbing the feedback, and taking action toward change. This may be an idealist's viewpoint, however its key message has some significant merit and certainly to address this prob lem through self-motivation, and taken others' advise. For the enterprise, Everyone seem like living in a big happy family, but manager must keen to elect department information and find every potential problems solution.It's seem possible for the senior managers to do that work. But the problem is how can we find a process which provide an outcome that could fit every parries in the organization without sacrificing their equity? Schuster, P. & Bloch, B. State their solution for this process as the pursuing consistent and co-ordinate goals, a sufficient flow of information through management and among colleagues, clear work processes and definition of responsibility, and inter-departmental meetings.All for the enterprise to o is build a opening platform that could encourage employees speaking out their contribute for the whole organization. In this platform we could find the information do manager need to lead concerted effort on the enterprise, and replace of the number of wasting time meetings, time consuming workshop and pointless E-mails. In conclusion therefore, the issue of the poor cross-functional communication across departments or business units is one which needs much information feedback by of the main reasons for silo effect in the organization and the countermeasure when it occurs.Although the reasons for silo effect of an organization can be described as natural happen, they are generally cause by both micro side(individual performance) and macro side(department management) of organization. Therefore, in terms of trying to alleviate silo effect, it is recommended to build a internal platform which could opening and freeing to make contribution to the organization. This Just one possible strategies to alleviate the poor cross-functional communication across departments or business units. Len the future it will be continually thought and explored.

US Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

US Democracy - Essay Example The question how democratic is democracy in U.S may seem challenging to a lay man but it is clear from the U.S constitution that the states practice democracy in almost all their dealings. However to some extent America system of governance has failed to adopt some of the some of the innovations and modifications in the democratic systems and ideal. The United States constitution allows the common citizens to participate in various democratic processes such as election and taking part in referendum in case there is any. However to some extent the American democracy gets dilute day by day with more of her power Washington. The states are becoming more republic consolidated government. The "politically correct" and "historical revisionists" have soiled United States with restrained but disparaging autocracies that have extremely dented our free democratic people. Politicians use the term democracy when they need something from the publics, and they use the term republic when they do no t need something from the citizens. It is political system and where the legal force is regulated through given and enumerated powers. For instance, the United States Constitution, and predominantly the Bill of Rights, was premeditated to limit governments part to what United States’ founding forefathers saw as governments utmost vital functions. The main functions were to reserve individual liberty and defend private property. Moreover, Persons differ in their perception of a limited government, nonetheless, one common understanding is that a limited government is one that imposes just ample taxes to deliver for state defense and police security and then stays out of publics undertakings. As an example, a limited government is one that does not distress itself with issues such as what sallies should employees get from the jobs they do, retirement investment schemes of

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 8

English - Essay Example Its arguments were sound and that, in a way, a semblance of connection could be found still when the writer assumed a combative mood towards a perceived error in reporting. Given the same circumstance – wherein a report is published in a subject that I am well versed of – and that I find it offensive or erroneous, I would probably do the same. Here, one can see that the author is passionate and not a passive and somehow I identify with that kind of attitude. Rockwood writes from a personal perspective, using his own voice. He was unapologetic as he dispenses his judgment without any reservations. He criticized the editorial â€Å"Get Bullish on Wind Power† according to his own terms. He outlined his ideas connecting them with the subject of his critique. In the process, the persuasion in the tone of the entire piece does not seem to prioritize the objective to persuade. The style employed followed those statements of facts and that arguments against it would constitute either fallacy or the lack of credibility. Indeed, Rockwood cited several arguments that are supported by evidence and his own technical knowledge on the subject. In how the piece was written, there was no hope to sway the mind of the reader so that the reader comes to believe what the writer believes. The objective was to enlighten. He was merely stating what the truth was and reality and that those arguments that digress are most probably fallacious. Rockwood’s essay was meant to refute the claims, positions and suggestions put forward by an earlier article. It is a critical essay and argumentative in the sense that it advances its own perspectives. However, I found the style lacking in this context. It is supposed to address the points made by the earlier editorial but it did not do that. Instead, it cited new arguments that someone could have claimed that the essay was written as original - without any previous connections to early work - and the reader

Hobbes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hobbes - Essay Example Hobbes’ perspective on human nature as self-interested cooperation is an enduring theory of philosophical anthropology (Wildawski, Chai & Swedlow 161). Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the work of Thomas Hobbes from a social, political and economic perspective in western civilization. The Paradox of Hobbes Even in his own time, Hobbes was considered to have paradoxical views. Though he was perceived as a fierce controversialist and a brusque dogmatist, his main anger was directed against dogmatism of any kind. Similarly, although he was hostile to the intellectual authority of the churches as in the universities, he wanted his own philosophical works to be the authoritative texts within the universities. Though he praised toleration, he advocated an absolute sovereign with total power over intellectual matters. In place of scepticism, Hobbes promoted science although in an extremely sparse form. He cleared away all that he considered doubtful and w as left with a â€Å"a bare a priori materialism, according to which the universe must consist of material objects causally interacting with one another† (Tuck 129), but the real nature of these objects and their interactions is not known. In the same way, in ethics, Thomas Hobbes eliminated all the complicated ethical theories of his orthodox predecessors whether Aristotelians or humanists, and was left with only the bare principle that people are morally entitled to preserve themselves. Hobbes’ Theory of Human Nature as Self-Interested Cooperation Hobbes had few to receive guidance from on the best way to live, other than sceptics such as Montaigne who had always acknowledged the practical necessity of self-preservation. In alignment with the sceptics, Hobbes also concluded that the laws of one’s country are constitutive of one’s general morality, and that whatever is necessary for one’s preservation has to be morally acceptable. He believed in t aking this stance to radical lengths, and considered the sovereign to be responsible even for defining who a human being is, as in stating that â€Å"upon the occasion of some strange and deformed birth, it shall not be decided by Aristotle, or the philosophers, whether the same be a man or no, but by the laws† (Tuck 129). Thomas Hobbes’ Theory of International Relations Hobbes is a standard or mandatory figure in international relations theory, and also forms the core of one of the major traditions. Along with Machiavelli and sometimes with Thucydides, Hobbes stands as an archetypal proponent of ‘Realism’. Usually, scholars proficient in the study of Hobbes’ political philosophy deal with the theory of international relations in a very brief manner, within a few paragraphs or sentences. Modern international theorists interpret Hobbes work in a fixed manner. â€Å"The basic Hobbesian assumption is that there are no objective principles of moralityà ¢â‚¬  (Malcolm 433). Morality is determined only by the sovereign, once the state is formed. Hobbes’ belief was that the state creates morality as well as law, and that there is neither morality nor law outside the state. Hence, the realist view was that ethical standards were not applicable to relations between states. Similar to Machiavelli, Hobbes perceived politics as â€Å"the practical art of obtaining and preserving state power as an end in itself† (Malcolm 433). However, Hobbes reaches a higher level than Machiavelli through his clear account of the role

Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics - Essay Example Examples of such emotions can be lust, greed, anger, jealousy, hatred, joy, and-in some cases- even love. However a â€Å"continent† person is able to resist the pressure of such emotions. He is able to dutifully abide by the path that reason prescribes, even if in reality he has no desire for doing so. This dutiful adherence to goodness is not just applicable to cases where the ‘good’ course of action has been determined by a person’s own intellectual and rational faculties. It can also apply to cases where ‘good’ has been determined and prescribed by society. Dutiful, albeit passive and thoughtless, adherence to ethical norms can also be called â€Å"continence†. An â€Å"incontinent† person (the Greek word is akratà ªs), on the other hand, is one who succumbs to the pressures of his desires and emotions and violates what in his own opinion is the demand of reason. The incontinent person lacks mastery of feelings. However, Aristotle maintained that â€Å"incontinence† is quite distinct from â€Å"evil†. The â€Å"evil† are those who believe that virtues (such as justice, temperance and truthfulness) are useless, and are not to be pursued at all. While the â€Å"incontinent† person fails to pursue ‘good’ out of a ‘weakness of will’, the evil do not even attempt to be virtuous. In other words the evil do not reach the conclusion that the virtuous course of action is rational; which seems, more or less, like a defect in their intelligence, or their rational faculties. He refers to the evil as kakos or as phaulos. It is important to note that even though the â€Å"incontinent† a re removed from acting in a virtuous manner, they do acknowledge a duty of doing so. Hence, according to Aristotle, their situation is not hopeless (incontinence isn’t vicious). Here one might raise the concern that if the â€Å"incontinent† succumb to the inexorable counter-pressure of their desires and their emotions; then their actions are involuntary. And since, as the well known dictum suggests, ‘ought’ implies ‘can’, we can safely assume that the â€Å"incontinent† aren’t morally responsible for their seemingly reprehensible actions. However, Aristotle’s notion of â€Å"voluntary† (Book 3, Chapter 1) is entirely negative. An action is voluntary in two conditions. The first condition is the absence of any sort of ‘compulsion’ toward the performance of the action, and the second condition is the absence of ‘ignorance’ about the harmful consequences of the action. Note that ‘compul sion’ in used here only in the sense of being compelled by an external force (a force that lies outside the agent). And since desires and emotions lie within a person, therefore when an â€Å"incontinent† person succumbs to the pressure of his desires he can not be said to be acting involuntarily. It is clear that a person will act in ways that are ‘good’ if he is â€Å"continent†, and resists the irrational appetites that haunt him. However, according to Aristotle, the life of such a person is not virtuous. Aristotle believes that true ‘virtue’ and goodness are quite distinct from both continence and incontinence. In fact, Aristotle regards ‘continence’, ‘incontinence’ and ‘

Meaning of Life Susan Wolf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Meaning of Life Susan Wolf - Essay Example The meaning of life comes from within us and is not granted from without. I find this as the most convincing as regarding the question to the real meaning of life. This is surely the greatest way to perceive life-one’s own life, the life of a nation, a species, the world, and all living things. The meaning of life comes to us when we do things that our heart and mind desires, things that seem of importance to us. Otherwise, doing things that draw boredom since they seem not of much interest ton us does not bring the meaning of living into us. We can realize the idea of meaningless existence and the meaningless of life if we keep on doing things that bear no fruits to us and brings nothing (Taylor 433). It surely has no meaning to perform an activity that has been drawn repeatedly but, have no direction and purpose of it. With this, the objective of existence is meaningless. Richard Taylor draws this idea from our lives, and that of the animals, the endless activities that get nowhere. However, he also says that if this is what one is willing to per sue then the idea of meaning of life comes in. At one point, we ask ourselves why we do things repeatedly without getting anything out of it, a perfect image of meaningless existence.... t that he wants to work on, he must have the ability to be able to contribute in a positive manner to that project, and lastly the project that he is working on should be worthy in an independent manner of its own. A man must be able to have the strength to look back at his life when it is about to get over, and at that time, be satisfied truly to an extent that he feels as if his life has had some meaning or the other. (A., 2010) â€Å"What is perhaps most distinctive about my conception of meaning, or about the category of value I have in mind, is that it involves subjective and objective elements, suitably and inextricably linked. â€Å"Love† is at least partly subjective, involving attitudes and feelings. In insisting that the requisite object must be â€Å"worthy of love,† however, this conception of meaning invokes an objective standard: it is implicit in insisting that an object be worthy of love (in order to make a contribution to meaning in the lover’s life) that not any object will do.† (Wolf, Susan) The main aim of living one’s life, writes Wolf, should be of an objective worth and not subjective worth. Wolf writes that most people try to base or model their lives on people who inspire them and make them feel as if their lives were full of and ‘in’ meaning. Most people pick and motivate themselves by understanding actions of people who have benefited humanity at large, for example Mother Teresa and Albert Einstein. She writes that people must be able to feel satisfaction and fulfilment in order to find a sense of meaning in their lives. However, a person must carry out his own actions and achieve everything that he does on his own and according to his own merit in order to feel like he has done something meaningful which will make him happy and worthy

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Free Research Paper Example Essay I. INTEGRATED SCIENCE(Interaction: Environment and organism) II. COURSE PAPER: CASE STUDY Bacteria constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals. Bacteria were among the first life forms to appear onEarth, and are present in most habitats on the planet, growing in soil, water, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste, and deep in the Earths crust, as well as in organic matter and the live bodies of plants and animals, providing outstanding examples of mutualism in the digestive tracts of humans, termites and cockroaches. On February 6, 2013, scientists reported that bacteria were found living in the cold and dark in a lake buried a half-mile deep under the ice in Antarctica. There are typically 40 million bacterial cells in a gram of soil and a million bacterial cells in a millilitre of fresh water; in all, there are approximately five nonillion (5Ãâ€"1030) bacteria on Earth, forming a biomass that exceeds that of all plants and animals. Bacteria are vital in recycling nutrients, with many steps in nutrient cycles depending on these organisms, such as the fixation of nitrogen from the atmosphere andputrefaction. In the biological communities surrounding hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, bacteria provide the nutrients needed to sustain life by converting dissolved compounds such as hydrogen sulphide and methane. Most bacteria have not been characterised, and only about half of the phyla of bacteria have species that can be grown in the laboratory. The study of bacteria is known as bacteriology, a branch ofmicrobiology. Most bacteria secrete a covering for themselves which we call a cell wall, However, bacterial cell walls are a totally different thing than the cell walls we talk about plants having. Bacterial cell walls do NOT contain cellulose like plant cell walls do. Bacterial cell walls are made mostly of a chemical called peptidoglycan (made of polypeptides bonded to modified sugars), but the amount and location of the peptidoglycan are different in the two possible types of cell walls, depending on the species of bacterium. Some antibiotics, like penicillin, inhibit the formation of the chemical cross linkages needed to make peptidoglycan. These antibiotics don’t outright kill the bacteria, but just stop them from being able to make more cell wall so they can grow. That’s why antibiotics must typically be taken for ten days until the bacteria, unable to grow, die of â€Å"old age†. If a person stops taking the antibiotic sooner, any living bacteria could start making peptidoglycan, grow, and reproduce. Bacteria were the most prominent creatures in the early stages of lifes history almost 4000 million years until 600 million years ago. Fossils called stromatolites can still be found and were made by Cyanobacteria. III. SOURCE/REFERENCES * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteria * http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio106/bacteria.htm * http://bacteriamuseum.org/cms/Bacteria/what-are-bacteria.html * http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/wimsmall/bacdr.html * http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/wimsmall/bacdr.html IV. CONTENT A. BRIEF PRESENTATION OF THE CASE Endogenous endophthalmitis is a potentially blinding ocular infection resulting from hematogenous spread from a remote primary source. The condition is relatively rare but may become more common as the number of chronically debilitated patients and the use of invasive procedures increase. Many etiologic organisms (gram-positive, gram-negative and fungal) have been reported to cause endogenous endophthalmitis. Risk factors are well defined and include most reasons for immune suppression. A high clinical suspicion is needed for early diagnosis and treatment. Early intravenous antibiotic therapy remains the cornerstone of treatment. The roles of intravitreal antibiotics and vitrectomy are evolving and may become more widely accepted as therapeutic modalities. The authors report a case of endogenous endophthalmitis and provide a brief review of the literature. Endogenous endophthalmitis is defined as an intraocular infection resulting from hematogenous bacterial spread. It is relatively rare, accounting for 2 to 8 percent of all cases of endophthalmitis, and is associated with immunocompromised states, debilitating diseases and invasive procedures.1 Because of the rapid advance of medical technology, a longer life span of patients with chronic diseases and a rising prevalence of long-term intravenous access, the disease may become more common in clinical practice. It is important that the family physician be aware of endogenous endophthalmitis because early diagnosis and prompt aggressive treatment are imperative if vision loss is to be avoided. B. POINT OF VIEW Banana bacterial (Xanthomonas) wilt, first detected in Uganda in 2001, has since spread rapidly. Approximately one third of Ugandas banana growing land is now affected by the disease, which renders fruit inedible and ultimately kills the plant. The Ugandan government has been praised for its promptness in attempting to control the spread, but despite these efforts, and the encouraging success of control in some areas, the risk of further spread, both within and beyond Uganda, remains. Strengthening and refining the control effort is now clearly essential, but how should this be done, where are the research priorities, and what action should be taken by Ugandas neighbours? In July this year an expert consultation of senior stakeholders from policy, research and disease control, was convened at the UKs Central Science Laboratory near York. They offered New Agriculturist their points of view on the current status of the disease and the ways forward for control.

The Marriott International Incs Development Marketing Essay

The Marriott International Incs Development Marketing Essay The former of the Marriott International Inc was founded by J. Willard Marriott when he and his wife Alice Sheets opened a nine-stool AandW Root Beer stand which they later called The Hot Shoppe in Washington, DC the spring of 1927.It sold hot food such as tamales, chili, and tacos were added to attracting customers during the winter months. In the following few years, with the hot shoppes kept expanding, Marriotts food service had a good development. In 1957, Marriott opened its first hotel which was a 365-room Twin Bridges Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. In 1967 its name was changed from Hot Shoppes, Inc., to Marriott Corporation and J.W. Marriott, Jr., became President and CEO. During the next 26 years, Marriott was developing fast by opening different kinds of hotels to meet the need of people and acquiring other companies. In 1985, J. Willard Marriott passed away and his oldest son J. Willard Bill Marriott, Jr., was named CEO and took over most major responsibilities. Marrio tt International Inc was established formally in 1993 when the former company splits into Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation. With its establishment, Marriott International Inc starts to become a worldwide operator and franchisor of hotels and related lodging facilities step by step. ( http://www.marriott.com/corporateinfo/culture/heritageTimeline.mi) Today, Marriott International Inc headquarters in the Bethesda area of unincorporated Montgomery County, Maryland. And it is a leading worldwide hospitality company with about 3150 lodging properties located in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. In 2010, its sales is $10,908.00M, And there are 137000 employees in this company. With its excellent business achievement and economic strength, Marriott International Inc has become one of Worlds Fortune 500 for many years. And its rank is 213 in 2010. This big company is still developing and making progress continually. (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/snapshots/10664.html) Marriott International Incs development cant be achieved without the key people in this company. Nowadays, this companys CEO and chairman is J.W. Marriott, Jr. His leadership spans over 50 years, and he has taken Marriott from a family restaurant business to a global lodging company with 3500 properties in 70 countries and territories. Arne M. Sorenson, the president and COO of Marriott International, Inc. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. And he joined Marriott in 1996 when he specialized in mergers and acquisitions litigation and now he is responsible for the performance and growth of all of Marriotts worldwide brands and businesses. Marriotts Executive Vice President and CFO is Carl T. Berquist. Mr. Berquist holds a B.S. in accounting from Penn State University and is a member of Penn States Smeal Business Schools Board of Visitors. In 2002, he joined Marriott as a partner at Arthur Andersen LLP. And now Mr. Berquist become the CFO with responsibility for global finance, including financial reporting, project finance, global treasury, corporate tax, internal audit, and investor relations. (http://news.marriott.com/our-leadership.html) Although it has steady growth and profitability every year, Marriott International Incs Mission Statement is still to be the best lodging and food service company in the world. It will achieve this goal by treating employees in ways that create extraordinary customer service and shareholder value. And its Vision Statement is to be the worlds lodging leader. To be the leader, this company keeps focusing on serving the guest, extensive operational knowledge, the development of employees skills, and offering the best lodging brands in the lodging industry. (http://www.marriott.com/corporateinfo/culture/heritageJWMarriottJR.mi) Marriott international Incs steady growth and profitability is also related to its strategic alliances. Such as Asian American Hotel Owners Association, Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, Black Culinary Alliance, Gay Lesbian Alliance against Defamation and Hispanic Association of Corporate Responsibility. (http://www.marriott.com/marriott.mi?page=diversity_partners) Acquisitions play an important role during the development of Marriott International Inc. The recent acquisition on Mar 16 2011, Marriott International Inc acquires AC Diplomatic, Barcelona from AC Hotels SA. And later in March 1997, Marriott International acquired Renaissance Hotel Group N.V. for $916 million in cash and the assumption of $54 million in debt. This acquisition is the largest acquisition in Marriott history. (http://www.alacrastore.com/mergers-acquisitions/Marriott_International_Inc-1065110) Section2 Marriots is committed to global diversity to provide services that are above and beyond its customers experience. This strategy and concept has become its blueprint in its marketing plan to match the needs of the customers to the various products and services and provide the best possible experience for their guests during their stays in the hotel. The company is global having three thousand properties in sixty eight different territories and countries by franchising hotels under different brands. Marriotts marketing plan will entail research in the industry to gather critical information and experiences to better generate marketing strategies that would be effective through application of customer care and integrity. Cost leadership and product differentiation has been integrated at Marriotts which offers different brands either luxurious or moderate to fit various clients needs http://www.marriottconsulting.com/planning_services.php#business_plans Standard packages in service and products provide a more variety to the different atmospheres created by the different products offered by Marriotts. Other parameters must be included in the marketing plan like the marketing concept, product lifecycle and focus strategies that are important to guide a hotels marketing plan. The Hotels entry and foundation in the market place plays a major role in its marketing plan by detailing its goals, marketing objectives and the necessary factors to consider while implementing its marketing plan processes. Marriotts marketing strategies are geared towards the plan of maintaining its tradition of cherished service through the hotel brands to elevate guests stays, thus accomplishing its overall marketing objectives. http://www.academicwritingtips.org/component/content/article/35-social-sciences/562-marriot-hotel.html Our company met previous goals. Marriott International fourth-quarter net profit of 173 million, Marriott International Hotel Management Group, the fourth-quarter net profit of 1.73 billion U.S. dollars, earnings per share were 46 cents, this performance better than last year. The fourth quarter of fiscal year 2009, Marriott International hotel management group net profit of 1.06 billion U.S.evenue was 36.4 billion U.S. dollars, 3.38 billion higher than the same period last year dollars. Marriott International Hotel Management Group, the fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of 39 cents per share, exceeding analysts had expected. Market research firm FactSet Research survey, analysts on average expected to Marriott International hotel management group for the fourth quarter of 36 cents per share on revenue of $ 3,580,000,000. http://sandiego.jobing.com/catering-sales-manager-courtyard-by-marriott-old-town/job/2710752 Marriotts commitment to society blends corporate financial contributions with in-kind giving and the volunteer service of our associates around the world. We participate in efforts to provide shelter, food, and childrens health, while creating career opportunities for our associates in the workplace and supporting education in the hospitality industry. http://www.marriott.com/corporate-social-responsibility/corporate-values.mi Marriotts environmental vision is to demonstrate that corporate responsibility in hospitality management can be a positive force for the environment while creating economic opportunities around the world. Marriott International has expanded its goals for its Diversity Outreach Initiative with a $1-billion pledge to minority-and women-owned suppliers over the next four years, relationships with four newly signed minority- and women-owned and managed financial services firms, and a plan to double the number of minority owners and franchisees in five years http://www.resource-recycling.com/rr_conference/hotelandtravel.html Section3 Marriott International Inc. is a participant in the Lodging industry. But it is not only a participant but also a leader. Its industry is stable and keeping growing everyday. Marriott International Inc. has been earning strong profits recently, even through comparable periods last year. With the improvement of economy and room rates have bolstered the industry. Figures from a recent report show that average daily rates revenue per room, and occupancy for U.S. hotels all increased during the first week of 2011. Expansion from the ground up, as well as through acquisitions, has been going on in South and Central America, as well as in China and India. With a growing middle class in India and China, MAR meet the need for increased accommodation in the area. As the economy continues to recover, the Lodging industry will be hoping to continue to develop fast. So MAR will be full of motivation and energy to develop. Whether in China or the world, the service quality, advanced technology, and services of Marriott International advanced the worlds first hotel group. Which has won wide public recognition and customers a high degree of trust? Marriott launched a number of brands through market segmentation for different market segments: they are Marriott, JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Courtyard, Ritz-Carlton, Ramada and other hotel brands. Marriott has its own characteristics and different market positions. For example, a luxury-class hotel is JW Marriott, Marriott and Renaissance hotels w ith a high quality, but the brand image of the Renaissance is more flexible. Marriott Executive Apartments is the market for long-term accommodation. Courtyard is for mid-range market. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marriott-rewards/139599-marriott-reluctant-reward-program-participant.html) Marriott hotels, resort hotels and suites are for upscale, full-service hotels. Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is the high consumption-oriented class, which it is able to provide the best facilities, food and service symbol. Ramada is a high-quality mid-priced brand, mainly for business and sightseeing tourists. (http://www.marriott.com/corporateinfo/glance.mi) Marriott international competitors have begun doing so more pro-actively. The industry of hotels is highly fragmented. Competition with hotels is generally based on the quality of rooms, restaurants, meeting facilities and services, attractiveness of locations, availability of a global distribution system, price and other factors. There are 3 competitors of Marriott international: Hilton Hotels: Hilton is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world. It is primarily involved in the management and development of hotels across the globe. Initially Hilton focused on acquiring and owning more real estate. However, it has recently changed its growth strategy, and it now focuses on spreading its operations through franchisees. InterContinental Hotels: IHG is the largest hotel company by number of rooms, with 590,361 rooms in over 100 countries around the world. It operates a diverse portfolio of brands across multiple economic segments, including Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts. Crowned Plaza Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn, and Holiday Inn Express. Orient-Express Hotels: Orient-Express Hotels is a hotel and leisure group, which is focused on the luxury market. The company owns and operates luxury hotels, restaurants, tourist trains, and river cruises in over 25 countries. (http://www.dailyfinance.com/company/marriott-international-inc) The ways to counter the competition: Marriott prefer to use multi-brand strategy to meet the needs of different market segments Marriott for different market segments successfully launched a series of brand They has been struggling to improve the service details and content, customers will be related to differences in the details of effective records, as well as the attitude of its staff and overall good quality Marriotts corporate culture summed up as: Marriotts staff to create a practical action for the guests to experience the service, its purpose is to serve the people. Marriott full play the enthusiasm of employees and retain talent, and attaches great importance to the role of human resources (http://www.academicwritingtips.org/component/content/article/35-social-sciences/562-marriot-hotel.html) As we all know, Marriott face large competition. So they should invest in research and development. Here are their investments: 1 Project construction area of over 20,000 square meters, is expected to invest over 100 million Yuan, the construction of a 16-story, 300 or more rooms of the modern high-star hotels. 2 Marriott said its hotel owners and new franchise partners will invest a total of $ 190,000,000 bed. 3 1.5 billion of investment in large projects settled Marriott International Ming Shan Hall Here are Marriotts ways to promote their products or services. 1. Know your Hotel: You must be a product expert for both your hotel and your competitors. 2. Prime Selling Time: Adhere to prime selling hours, by market, and ensure those hours are dedicated to pure selling activities and customer interaction. 3. Access to Manager: No Messages on any enquiries, even if the General Manager has to take the call. 4. Customer Rapport: All transactions with customers and sales activities demonstrate our desire to know them and build relationships. 5. Determine Customer Needs: You must determine objectives of event, definition of event success and qualitative decision-making criteria in addition to quantitative dates, rates and space.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Marriotts advantages in its area are that Marriott Hotel: Marriott Hotel was at the service management group, the basic philosophy of people serving people, which has two aspects: fair treatment of every employee, while focusing on the feelings of employees, so that they understand home feeling. Marriott nearly 50% of managers are promoted from within the company, the companys job vacancies to give priority to internal staff, only no suitable internal candidate before hiring from the community, and outside recruitment, salary levels provided by the general high the industry average of 50% to 75%. The hotel is a typical service industry, Marriott that only a good company to employees, employees will be good guests. There are five systems to ensure its Marriott Hotel in the real implementation of its people at the service concept. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriott_International) How does the Marriott Internet develop so fast and Marriott will what the situation introduced new brand or new product on-line? The answer is: when its through in the hotel market survey found there is enough, not yet fill blank or the demand is not fully satisfy customer demand, the company will launch when demand for these new products or services this means that companies need to continuously for customer demand research. Through the analysis can be found, Marriott, the core competences lie in her customer survey and customer knowledge, Marriott will be applied to all this from fair hotel to li jia all hotel brand. So, Marriotts superiorities are not Hotel management, but the customer knowledge acquisition, processing and management. Marriott has been committed to seek it the gaps between different brands. If the investigation shows that some segments of the market has enough targeted customers need some new product or service features, so Marriott will ascend product or service to meet customer new demand; If the survey shows that in one subdivision target audience, many people to a range of different characteristics have needs, Marriott will put these people as a new customer group and developed a new brand. Marriott international company provides beneficial for brand development thinking. For an existing product or service for, new features added to what extent is only necessary to ascend? And to what extent can create a new brand? The answer is: when additional features can create a kind of new things and can attract different target customer, you will have the product or service ascension or brand new born. Marriott company announced the development of the elastic suite this brand of practice is a good example. At the time, Marriott will elastic suite price at $75 between 95 and plans to March 1, 1999, 14 home built in when the two years later add 55 house. Elastic suite fair suite and fair suite originally is fair hotel part. Male was founded in 1997, at the time, the Wall Street journal is so describe the fair suite: capacious but lack adornment, toilet no door, sitting room of the shop is linoleum, its pricing is 75 dollars. In fact, people who are sensitive to the price and terms, this suite are fair in the hotel room of the sample more spacious. The question is: fair suite customers may not like linoleum, and are willing to pay for decorate a bit better room some more money. Hence, Marriott by increasing the ironing board and other pleasant thing to change fair suite image, and through laying carpet, adding the fireplace and breakfast room to improve the sitting room conditions. T hrough these aspects of ascension, Marriott hotel clued into the new batch of target customers emphasizing value buyers. But later, Marriott found fairness suite of the ascension is not always effective, price sensitive type customers dont want, and pay attention to value its customers and the pig. Hence, Marriott consider fair suite convert elastic suites, and restart the customer market segmentation. By measuring, Marriott got this data: relative to price sensitive type customers as fair suite brings the income, those who pay attention to the customer value for elastic suite at least $5 more income. In a competitive market segment for product promotion, we must pay special attention acquire and maintaining customers. For the price sensitive type customers, you must undertake product or service to avoid they turn to the ascension of competitors. Without competition or no foreseeable competition exists, then there is no need for ascension. In fact, competition often always exist, the key is to adopt necessary ascension to ensure that competitive advantage. Face price sensitive type customer, too much room doesnt help fair hotel create a competitive advantage. For China, we can learn a lot from the Marriott. Usually, hotel business income can be divided into three parts, one is relatively stable guest room, it is the hotel accommodation income that came with the catering business income, and three is including offices, shops, apartment rent and entertainment business, miscellaneous income each. Now, with all kinds of office buildings, shops, apartment hotel time, a lot of the fat, the hotel by wantonly robbed in this competition, almost crumbled; in big cities is entertainment speaking, the entertainment blossom everywhere, hotel entertainment income is increasingly atrophy. For example, 2000 Guangzhous biggest garden hotel total operating income is RMB 4.1 billion, compared with 1996 garden hotel revenue 5.4 billion, short four years time, incredibly shrunk more than 24 percent. The garden hotel general manager LiaoMingHua some helplessly say, we pulled out all the way, but the garden hotel business performance is still in step by step and sliding into deep In 2000, the China hotel reve nue is 3.9 billion, the white swan hotel revenue for 3 million, compared to 1996 5.2 million and 3.4 million, in a big shock, and Oriental hotel and international hotels performance is also down dramatically. 2001 is attempting to rumors China industry has been the United States has a good hotel in hotel management ability of the Marriott hotel management group purchase; this makes Guangzhou hotel industry sticker shock. China hotel, said to the outside of the top hotel management control only by Hong Kong new world change, in order to Marriott hotel shareholders did not change, the more there is no takeover, said. It is reported, China hotel grunde Hong Kong new world hotel limited company management, but from the beginning of the change in 2001 by Marriott management, accordingly, Marriott hotel every year from China, turnover extracted from 2.5 percentage points in return. With Chinas eventual entry into the WTO, the famous hotel groups like Sheraton, Hilton, west in brand has an grily blew the trumpets into Chinas hotel industry, the international brand and local hotels exchange unavoidable. Domestic even heavyweight hotel even so big alligator, other colleagues situation can be seen, international and domestic hotel gap also therefore! In fact, the biggest gap between Chinese and foreign hotel management, especially in it is the management strategy of the brand as the core. China hotel industry wants to win in the competition and obtain continuous development, it is necessary to learn modestly from foreign peer learning and solid improve their management level. Marriotts approach is to provide some new ideas for us? Nowadays, the hospitality industry is same as consumer goods is undergoing drastic changes. As a hotel operator, you must always ask yourself: I am ready to compete in upgrading of product or service in order to protect their market, or prepare for new segments of the market to develop new product? If choose the former, pay attention to product or service, thus reduces ascension is not incremental cost, because the existing customers often dont want to pay more. If choose the latter, new product or service must contain many new targeted customers expect things, further says, is the need to have a different brand this brand wont impact the original brand, and new customers can accept this new product or service and are willing to pay higher prices. Marriott hotel through creating elastic suite successfully will a make price sensitive type dissatisfied customers mode is transformed into a emphasizing value customer mode, it is a typical case. Section4 MARRIOTT REVENUES totaled $11.7 billion in 2010 compared to $10.9 billion in 2009. Total fees in 2010 were $1,185 million, an increase of 9 percent from the prior year. Stronger base management and franchise fees reflected the increase in worldwide REVPAR and unit growth across the system. Incentive management fees increased 18 percent reflecting higher property-level profit due to worldwide REVPAR increases and continued cost control, as well as international unit growth. For full year 2010, 27 percent of company-operated hotels earned incentive management fees compared to 25 percent in the prior year. Approximately two-thirds of incentive management fees came from hotels outside North America in both 2010 and 2009 BALANCE SHEET : At year-end 2010, total debt was $2,829 million and cash balances totaled $505 million, compared to $2,298 million in debt and $115 million of cash at year-end 2009. Adjusting for the debt associated with securitized Timeshare mortgage notes now required to be consolidated under new accounting rules, adjusted total debt, net of cash, totaled $1,308 million, a decline of $875 million since year-end 2009. At year-end 2010, Marriott had no borrowings outstanding under its $2.4 billion revolving bank credit facility Google: http://www.finchannel.com/Main_News/Travel_Biz/80829_Marriott_International_Announces_Plan_to_Spin_Off_Timeshare_Business_/ 29 March 2011 The stock price of the company and major competitors: Key Stats  MARMore Stock Ind Avg Price/Earnings TTM 29.6 41.8 Price/Book 8.3 3.3 Price/Sales TTM 1.2 1.8 Rev Growth (3 Yr Avg) -3.5 -3.1 EPS Growth (3 Yr Avg) -11.3 Operating Margin % TTM 5.9 7.7 Net Margin % TTM 3.9 2.9 ROE TTM 33.6 5.8 Debt/Equity 1.9 1.0 Top Marriott International, Inc. Competitors Companies Location Accor SA Évry,  France Hilton Worldwide, Inc. McLean,  VA InterContinental Hotels Group PLC Denham,  Buckinghamshire Competitor on file Minnetonka,  MN Competitor on file Toronto,  ON Competitor on file Spartanburg,  SC Competitor on file Chicago,  IL Competitor on file New York,  NY Competitor on file Boca Raton,  FL Competitor on file White Plains,  NY Competitor on file Phoenix,  AZ Competitor on file Silver Spring,  MD Google: http://www.hoovers.com/company/Marriott_International_Inc/hjfkxi-1-1njea3.html 29 March 2011 But what happened to the stock prices and why, this is because Marriott Internationals asset-light business model, premier brands, and experienced management team have helped the firm carve out a narrow economic moat. Although 2009 was challenging, the travel market  has stabilized and a slow recovery  has taken hold. In our opinion, Marriotts long-term prospects remain bright. Google: http://quote.morningstar.com/Stock/s.aspx?t=MAR 29 March 2011 And what the company will be in the future, The companys 2011 full year guidance assumes that the spin-off of the Timeshare segment does not occur in the current year and does not include pro forma adjustments or transaction expenses.    For the full year 2011, the company expects a strong pricing environment. The company assumes full year 2011 systemwide REVPAR on a constant dollar basis will increase 6 to 8 percent in North America, outside North America and on a worldwide basis. The company expects to open approximately 35,000 rooms in 2011 as most hotels expected to open are already under construction or undergoing conversion from other brands. Given these assumptions, full year 2011 fee revenue could total $1,310 million to $1,340 million and owned, leased, corporate housing and other revenue, net of direct expense, could total $115 million to $125 million. The company estimates that, on a full year basis, one point of worldwide systemwide REVPAR impacts total fees by approximately $15 million pretax and owned, leased, corporate housing and other revenue, net of direct expense, by approximately $5 million pretax. The company expects 2011 Timeshare contract sales to be in line with 2010 adjusted levels. The company expects its 2011 general and administrative costs to increase 3 to 5 percent over 2010 adjusted levels reflecting increased spending for brand initiatives and higher costs in international growth markets. The company expects investment spending in 2011 will total approximately $500 million to $700 million, including $50 million to $100 million for maintenance capital spending. Investment spending will also include other capital expenditures (including property acquisitions), new mezzanine financing and mortgage notes, contract acquisition costs, and equity and other investments. Based upon the assumptions above, full year 2011 EBITDA is expected to total $1,170 million to $1,230 million, a 12 to 18 percent increase over the prior years adjusted EBITDA. Google: http://www.finchannel.com/Main_News/Travel_Biz/80829_Marriott_International_Announces_Plan_to_Spin_Off_Timeshare_Business_/ 29 March 2011 A financial advisor said about the companys stock as an investment. Marriott International Inc.s shares slipped 2.2% premarket to 36.80% after Goldman Sachs lowers its stock-investment rating on the hotel operator to neutral from buy, where it has been since January 2009. Goldman remains bullish on the hotel sector, but says valuation of Marriotts timeshare unit, which it is spinning off, is creating a drag. Goldman says the timeshare division may produce lower margin than expected and units earnings are more cyclical, meaning the remaining hotel entity multiple would have to expand dramatically to offset the possible dilution of the spinoff. Google: http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/03/28/hot-stocks-this-morning-nokia-alcatel-lucent-and-many-more/ 29 March 2011