Human Resources Management Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Human Resources Management Master - Essay Example HRM itself is the new avatar of 'Personnel Management'. Personnel management was largely concerned with the technical aspects of hiring, evaluating, training, and compensating employees. HRM on the other hand leaves scope for career building of the employee, development of a professional relationship and the satisfaction aspect. as per the latest trend, the 'individual' acquires a central place in the HR policies being devised by the management. HRM mainly intends to bring optimum out of the individual so that the company gets maximum output and in turn the individual too gets his due share of profit. This further inspires the individual as well as the team to perform par excellence. Human Resource Management is a very crucial and an integral part of any organization. The very fact that now people are being considered as resource instead of liability marks the importance of human beings constituting this resource. Human Resource environment as such is affected mainly by the following five factors; ii. i. Economic: The economic environment of host country, inflation rates, growth factors and the levels of unemployment affect the HR policies. ii. Demographic: The demographic composition of the workforce like the communities involved, the caste consideration (this becomes a reasonable factor in case of some of the developing economies), the male-female composition, the population density of the country/ region also helps in devising effective HR strategies. iii. Socio-cultural: Religion and culture never tell a person to 'not to work', yet people of some socio-cultural background are found to be less workaholic than others. The effect of family systems like 'Joint family system' or 'Nuclear family system' become crucial factors in forming the habits of individuals and thus formulating of HR policies. Employees sometimes prefer flexibility in their work schedule depending upon the local festive season, local climatic conditions etc. iv. Technological: Rapid technological advancements have reduced the dependence on muscle power to a certain extent. Modernization and automation lead to increased accuracy and less redundancy in the output while increasing the comfort level of the workforce. v. Politico Legal: Prevailing political situation in the country, the party in power, the ideology of government functionaries affect the business environment. Whether it's a democracy, autocracy, monarchy, one party system, or a multi-party system gives enough room for strategy planners to devise HR policies accordingly. The law of the land has always to be kept in mind while doing the recruitments or managing the human resources. For example in some countries, formation of 'workers union' is not allowed while in some others it's mandatory. All these efforts are to be kept in mind while devising strategies/ policies for HRM, with the prime objective of HRM being 'developing congruence between individual goals and organizational objectives while striving for realizing higher standards of performance, satisfaction and quality of working life'. The HR manager is therefore directly responsible towards the retention and upkeep of 'human assets' in an

Police scandals are an untallied cost of the drug war Essay Example for Free

Police scandals are an untallied cost of the drug war Essay The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and even the Coast Guard have had to admit to corruption. The gravity of the police crimes is as disturbing as the volume. In New Orleans, a uniformed cop in league with a drug dealer has been convicted of murdering her partner and shop owners during a robbery committed while she was on patrol. In Washington, D. C. , and in Atlanta, cops in drug stings were arrested for stealing and taking bribes. New York State troopers falsified drug evidence that sent people to prison. And it is not just the rank and file. The former police chief of Detroit went to prison for stealing police drug-buy money. In a small New England town, the chief stole drugs from the evidence locker for his own use. And the DEA agent who arrested Panamas General Noriega is in jail for stealing laundered drug money. The drug war is as lethal as it is corrupting. And the police and drug criminals are not the only casualties. An innocent 75-year-old African-American minister died of a heart attack struggling with Boston cops who were mistakenly arresting him because an informant had given them the wrong address. A rancher in Ventura County, California, was killed by a police SWAT team serving a search warrant in the mistaken belief that he was growing marijuana. In Los Angeles, a three-year-old girl died of gunshot wounds after her mother took a wrong turn into a street controlled by a drug-dealing gang. They fired on the car because it had invaded their marketplace. The violence comes from the competition for illegal profits among dealers, not from crazed drug users. Professor Milton Friedman has estimated that as many as 10,000 additional homicides a year are plausibly attributed to the drug war. Worse still, the drug war has become a race war in which non-whites are arrested and imprisoned at 4 to 5 times the rate whites are, even though most drug crimes are committed by whites. The Sentencing Research Project reports that one-third of black men are in jail or under penal supervision, largely because of drug arrests. The drug war has established thriving criminal enterprises which recruit teenagers into criminal careers. It was such issues that engaged law-enforcement leaders most of them police chiefs from fifty agencies during a two-day conference at the Hoover Institution in May 1995. Among the speakers was our colleague in this symposium, Mayor Kurt Schmoke, who told the group that he had visited a high school and asked the students if the high dropout rate was due to kids being hooked on drugs. He was told that the kids were dropping out because they were hooked on drug money, not drugs. He also told us that when he went to community meetings he would ask the audience three questions. 1) Have we won the drug war? People laughed. 2) Are we winning the drug war? People shook their heads. 3) If we keep doing what we are doing will we have won the drug war in ten years? The answer was a resounding No. At the end of the conference, the police participants completed an evaluation form. Ninety per cent voted no confidence in the war on drugs. They were unanimous in favoring more treatment and education over more arrests and prisons. They were unanimous in recommending a presidential blue-ribbon commission to evaluate the drug war and to explore alternative methods of drug control. In sum, the tough-minded law-enforcement officials took positions directly contrary to those of Congress and the President. One hopes that politicians will realize that no one can accuse them of being soft on drugs if they vote for changes suggested by many thoughtful people in law enforcement. If the politicians tone down their rhetoric it will permit police leaders to expose the costs of our present drug-control policies. Public opinion will then allow policy changes to decriminalize marijuana and stop the arrest of hundreds of thousands of people every year. The enormous savings can be used for what the public really wants the prevention of violent crime.

Efficient Market Theory and Behavioural Finance Essay -- Business, Glo

The behaviour of markets and investors, the decision making in the market place and the dynamics of demand and supply in any given market cannot be determined with a hundred percent accuracy. However master minds in the past have designed various techniques and theories that help investors make a particular buying decision, or to make choices logically. These theories and techniques help today’s investors to peep into the future and make almost immaculate predictions regarding the future behaviour of the market and the ongoing trends. A lay man night view the decision making of an investor as being solely based upon speculation but in reality every move that an investor makes today in the market place is backed up by sound calculation and theories. Two of the most talked about and essential theories or concepts that are related to the market dynamics and that will be discussed at length in this assignment are Efficient Market Theory and Behavioural Finance. Efficient Market Theory suggests that in every financial market the flow of information is very efficient and this is reflected in the price of the share at which it is being traded. As we know that the price of the share floating in a market is not only dependent upon the company name printed and the information about the company in the balance sheet and other financial statements available to the public (Baghestani, H., 2009). In fact government and political stability, inflation, interest rates, treasury bills and several more factors determine the price at which any particular share is sold or bought at. Information about all these factors is always available to every investor in the market, be it the buyer or the seller. Moreover this information is available in an effi... ...ormation regarding the dynamics of the market and if this holds true then a financial market can never collapse. However in real world we face event like that of the 2007 global financial crisis that decelerated the global economic progress a great deal and once prosperous economies like the US ended up finding themselves in a state of panic where the poverty rose above all the previous levels and unemployment hiked to intolerable levels. Furthermore, the interest rates in the United States fell to a dreadful 1% during this crisis leading to falling savings in its economy. Hence we can conclude that Efficient Market Theory presents a weak argument to define market place dynamics. However if a combination of Efficient Market Theory and Behavioural Finance is utilized to predict market place dynamics then this would be defined as an efficient and effective approach.

President Bill Clinton :: William Jefferson Clinton Essays

Bill Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946, in the small town of Hope, Arkansas. He was named after his father, William Jefferson Blythe II, who had been killed in a car accident just three months before his son's birth. Needing a way to support herself and her new child, Bill Clinton's mother, Virginia Cassidy Blythe, moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, to study nursing. Bill Clinton stayed with his mother's parents in Hope. There his grandparents, Eldrigde and Edith Cassidy, taught him strong values and beliefs such as "equality among all and discrimination to none". This was a lesson Bill never forgot. His mother returned from New Orleans with a nursing degree in 1950, when her son was four year old. Later that same year, she married an automobile salesman named Roger Clinton. When Bill was seven years old, the family moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas for it offered a better employment opportunities. Roger received a higher paying job as a service ma nager for his brother's car dealer-ship and Virginia discovered a job as a nurse anesthetist. In 1956, Bill Clinton's half-brother, Roger Clinton Jr., was born. When his brother was old enough to enter school, young Bill had his last name legally altered from Blythe to Clinton. Clinton's life continued and during his High school years he was awestruck by two successful leaders, John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was inspired by them so much that thrived on fulfilling their dreams. He raised money and organized charity events, but most of all he learned how to work with people and the concept of being a good citizen. In his spare time, he endulged himself in literature and played a saxophone. He loved music, and each summer he would attend a band camp in the Ozark Mountains. His hard work paid off when he became top saxophone player at his school and won first chair in state band. Bill Clinton recognized that although college would be expensive, it would give him the education he needed to accomplish his goals. His hard work in school, combined with his music ability, earned him many academic and music scholarships. With the aid of those scholarships and loans from the government, he was able to attend Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He chose George town because it had an excellent foreign service program and it was located in the nations capital.

Drivers of Globalization Essay

Having listened to distinguished luminaries such as Prof Ishwar Dayal there is hardly very much I can add or contribute to the discourse initiated this morning. But as a student of economics I know that I should stick to my comparative advantage. What I therefore propose to do this afternoon is to spell out what I consider are the main Drivers of Globalization . I would then argue that unless we understand those Drivers of Globalization we cannot have a picture of what the firms or business— individually and collectively —are going to look like in the future. Having done that , we delve into the realm of the changes in the the state of the firm which will emerge in the light of this globalization. We should then discuss as to what will be the challenges facing the management of firms in this globalized economy. Once we have grappled with these configurations we should be in a better position to sketch out the contours of management Education required in the future globa lized world. This is the analytical framework I propose for our discussion this afternoon. It is not very meaningful to start the conversation about Management Education without reference to the management challenges that the firms and businesses operating in the globalized economy would be faced with in the future. Management Education then responds to those needs and requirements and equips its graduates in meeting those challenges . I will start the ball rolling by dwelling upon the Drivers of Globalization. I would submit that there are many competing theories and several hypotheses about the shape and form of globalization. There is no consensus at intellectual level about the impact of globalization. Some consider it as an evil that will create more misery for the weaker nations, fragile states and disadvantaged populations as well endowed nations, strong economies and large populous states pre-empt most of the benefits for themselves. Others feel that the dissipation of boundaries, dismantling of barriers and disappearances of borders would spread these benefits to majority of the people in all parts of the world. But at least one thing is quite obvious. We would face a lot of uncertainty during the course of coming decades. The recent financial crisis we witnessed in 2008-2009 has taken all of us by surprise. There were hardly any tremors felt before the financial tsunami engulfed all of us in its spate. Nobody had predicted the speed, intensity and extent of damage that came along with this crisis. So what is certain is that the world is going to be saddled with uncertainty, with unknowns, with imponderables, with unanticipated events which despite our best ability and foresight we are not able to predict. Its going to be a messy world, it is going to be a totally uncertain world and therefore the kind of firm which would survive under those circumstances would be one which is agile, nimble and quick in its response to the ever changing dynamic situation of the globe . The quest for fixed points, base lines, benchmarks and milestones would prove to be futile. Management Education should produce managers who are able to think on their feet and are able to exercise critical analytical ability to solve problem in face of incomplete information . Those who remain wedded to the practice of drawing conclusions about the future from their past experiences are most likely to get it wrong. In my view as I see it today there are at least 6 Drivers of Globalization . I do not rule out the possibility that all of us can have our own set of Drivers of Globalization . But at least these are the Drivers of Globalization which I see as formidable in today’ s world but they may change tomorrow or we may subtract or add to this list. 1. The first and the most important- there is a huge Demographic Transition which has already started but is going to intensify in the next four or five decades. . Most of the European countries , Japan and United States are going to have a higher proportion of aged population compared to the younger population and the Dependency ratio will rise. These countries will face labor shortages if they do not allow immigration into their countries. China is going to enter that phase a little later which is 2050 onwards. The only region where the proportion of the younger population is actually rising and will continue to have an upward trend is the South Asia region. This is something which the policy makers in this region have to take cognizance of and prepare their respective national labour forces for taking over as work force of the globe. The more skilled our labor force is , the better off we will be in capturing a large share in the Global job market. So this demographic transition c an become a huge premium, a plus, a potential for higher economic development for South Asia Region. And if we put our act together today then the chances for this generation of younger students present at the conference will be much brighter than it was for our generation or our parents in South Asia. So, this is clearly a positive factor, but this can also turn into a night mare, a bleak scenario . The sheer thought of seven million new jobs to be created in India annually to absorb the new entrants to the labor force is simply overwhelming. This poses a tremendous challenge for the policy makers and the businesses. So, if we do it wrong that is if we produce wrong kind of manpower— ill equipped or unskilled or poorly trained , uneducated and illiterate —then we are going to face rising unemployment, high inequalities and a social upheaval. The choice clearly rests with us but more important is the urgency of action . 2. Second there is an explicit and projected shift in balance of economic power. If we look at all the projections it shows that China is going to overtake United States. It has already overtaken Japan to become the second largest economy in the world. When will this happen? Some people say, 2025, some others put it 2020 or anywhere in between China will become the world’s largest single economy. China is already world’s largest single exporting nation .Most scholars and analysts have termed the 21st century as Asian Century and so the balance of economic power is going to migrate from Japan, Europe and the United States towards Asia and the model which is actually helping the Asian countries is the intra regional trade. In place of the traditional production processes we are witnessing a new phenomenon of value chain . It starts with the components, raw material and parts coming from different parts of Asia on the basis of their quality and competitive pricing and ending up in China in form of final assembled goods. So although it is true that the origin of the good is recorded as from China there are many countries which are the beneficiaries and within these countries a growing number of firms which are participating in this process . So, vertical Integration is no longer a viable business model as far production is concerned. On the other side , India is becoming the centre not only for IT Services but if we look in the last few years we can see R&D centers in Pharmaceutical Industry, financial services industry locating in India because of the kind of trained manpower which is available here. It is efficient, is high quality, but is cheaper. Those are the advantages that are making India the preferred location for Services industry.. So the goods are being manufactured in the world’s factory which is China and the services are coming more and more in the lap of India. These two are going to emerge as the economic powers in the next thirty to forty years at the expense of other OECD countries or the developed countries . The growth rate in most developed countries is hardly averaging 2 to 3% per annum while in addition to China, India, countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand are all growing in the range of 7 to 10 %. So the differential growth rate is going to make a difference as far as the shift in the economic power is concerned. 3. The third driver is the speed of technology dissemination and assimilation . It is so rapid that it does not really bind itself to any particular geographical boundaries or territory. It is pan global. The internet , the software applications, the rising connectivity , the spread of mobile phones in developing countries and more user friendly technologies like the search engines have enabled us to access , assimilate and apply new knowledge and techniques without leaving our shores and incurring any additional expenses. Knowledge is a public good with a characteristic that the more it is utilized the better off the society is. World Wide Web and Search engines have allowed us to tap into data bases such as Google Scholars and we can find out all the scholarly academic knowledge about a particular sub-discipline of a larger discipline. Technological tools have allowed knowledge to be at the finger tips of both the students and the teachers as well as the practitioners in all parts of the world and the speed of diffusion is going to be further accelerated. The talk about Digital Divide is passà ©. Therefore, the differential among nations and among countries based on comparative advantage in technology is likely to disappear, and there will be a seamless boundary as far as spread of technology is concerned. And those countries which are able to take advantage of these seamless boundaries would be able to do much better than other countries. 4. Related to this is the fourth point i.e. the explosion in information. Younger students who are studying business administration would find that five years from now all that they have learned in their classes, books, reading materials would be outdated. The obsolescence of human knowledge is now going to be as strong as obsolescence of machinery. The machinery-we can lubricate it, we can replace a part, we can change certain processes and make it functional, we can upgrade the machinery. But the up-gradation of human minds requires very complex dynamics. And the human being himself has to be in the driving seat. If the human being, himself or herself is not interested in continuous learning, lifelong education and up-gradation of knowledge the chances are that individual is going to be obsolete and unemployable and that will be a deadweight loss as far as the economy is concerned. And now, how do we incentivize, motivate these individuals to invest in the lifelong continuous learning is a major issue that all of us have to come to grips with. Assessing quality of initial degree and education for purpose of recruitment to the labor force will no longer be the principal preoccupation for HR professionals but recharging the intellectual batteries of their employees over life cycle of professional career will be . It will not be so easy, it is a very complex phenomenon , and extremely difficult to operationalize. We know how to fix a machine even the most sophisticated ones. With human beings, it is next to impossible to fix human mind sets the same way. So this challenge of information explosion and its sifting and transfer to the human minds for the benefit of the firm or the enterprise is going to face us starkly in the future. 5. Fifth, the world is becoming quite conscious of social and environmental values. The headquarters of world’s largest fast moving consumer goods industry Unilever, was besieged by Green Peace volunteers. The reason — Unilever was buying its palm oil from Indonesia, where they had carried out deforestation in order to plant oil palm. This created a huge hue and cry worldwide and Unilever had to pledge itself that it would no longer purchase any supplies originating from deforested areas. It also subscribed to the campaign against deforestation. There are other examples where Nike was stopped to pull out of a country because the shoes were being fabricated by child labor. So the values of environmental sustainability and social responsibility are going to emerge in a globalized economy much sharper. Narmada Dam movement in India was precursor for a new thinking about human resettlement. At that time the forces of globalization were not as strong as today but the awareness which was created by the civil society of India reverberated throughout the world. A powerful institution like the World Bank had to abandon the financing of Narmada Dam, because of the issues of resettlement and displacement of human beings agitated and brought in forefront by the Civil society organizations . Imagine, if there was even a proposal for a dam much smaller than Narmada Dam today how quickly the world community would actually react. Therefore, the adoption of ethical, social and environmental values will have to be integrated to make a more viable business model . Simply, maximizing short term profit maximization for shareholders would no longer be acceptable. Environmental sustainability and Social responsibility have also to be taken into account not just profitability. So this is something whic h we have to integrate in our thinking in the business schools and in the state of the firms. 6. And finally we have seen immense financial integration. We have seen consequence of financial integration in form of 2008-2009 crisis. Even countries like India, Pakistan and China which are not so strongly linked with international financial system , had pursued cautious liberalization and kept Capital Account not totally open were hit by the contagion effect of the crisis which originated in the US. . China and India recovered quite quickly because their economies are quiet resilient. But the fact remains the cost both on the real economy, as well as the human cost of social sufferings are going to be quite large because of financial markets not behaving in some parts of the world. And look at what is happening today. US Fed Reserve is following a very loose monetary policy –Quantitative easing (QE) –and who is suffering as a result of this policy? Countries such as Brazil and India are faced with capital inflows. If they don’t sterilize these capital flows, then they are faced with competitiveness issue. If they sterilize them they have an expansion in money supply causing an inflationary pressure on the economy. So emerging economies with sound economic management are in worst of both the worlds. Therefore how to handle the financial integration and financial markets will require a lot of ingenuity on the part of national economic managers. Let me conclude by submitting that any scenario analysis, which we do, has to take into account the fact that the world ahead is going to be more uncertain. There will be lot of unintended consequences of policies not made in the country but originating from outside the country. Our capacity to react at the national level to global events , the firms’ capacity to respond and the managers’ ability to handle are likely to be the critical success factors. That is what we should be educating our younger management graduates in the future.

buy custom Fog of War essay

buy custom Fog of War essay Question 1 Cuban missile crisis almost plunged the world into nuclear war had United State resorted to direct aggression. Cuban military was mounting weapons ready to retaliation in case of attack from United States. Missiles were already in place that any sign of attack would have amounted to the onset of nuclear war. The Cuban missile crisis was very dangerous attempt of war. It was most risky moments in the human history. The soviet missiles were able to destroy the entire Europe. However, the United State missiles were hazardous since it was possible to strike the whole Soviet Union. The Soviet Union, under the leadership of Premier Nikita Khrushchev, had gone further to increase the installation of more missiles in Cuba. There was a massive movement of troops, aircrafts, and ships that carried weapons. On the other hand, President John F. Kennedy has organized troops with weapons ready to launch an attack on Cuba which would have resulted into a holocaust. The crisis began after U.S. learnt that Soviet Union was in the process of constructing missiles in Cuba. It was revealed that all the missiles that were installed in Cuba were operational. This implied that had U.S. launched an immediate attack on Cuba the result would hae been very disastrous and one that had never been witnessed in human history. Despite the short duration that the crisis took, it absorbed the attentions of President Kennedy and all allies. The most dangerous part of the Cuba missile crisis occurred on 27th October when a [emailprotected] was shot over Cuba. It is documented that at the height of this crisis, U.S. Navy were in process of dropping signaling depth charges on the submarine of Soviet along the quarantine line. A series of military document reveals the escalating danger in regard to the crisis. Question 2 McNamara experience during the Cuban missile war transformed him with regard to disliking war. He asserts that misjudging the preparation of our adversary may cause a catastrophe which would rather be avoided. McNamara outlines that the use of nuclear weapons in war will lead to destruction of nations. This is in regard with the missiles of U.S. which were stipulated that would destroy the entire Soviet Union. He believes that war is not the best strategy for settling dispute among nations. The Cuban Missile Crisis was just minutes away from possible nuclear attacks. McNamara believes that a sense of empathy is very vital in dealing with adversaries globally as well as locally. He outlines that the breakdown of Non-Proliferation Regime poses a great threat of getting weapons of mass destruction in the hands of terrorists. He challenges the society to consider the aftermath of war, especially nuclear war, in the latter generations. One lesson from the life of McNamara refers to empathy with an enemy. He asserts that it was the presence of empathy that saved the world from a possible nuclear war which would have culminated to World War III. He further explains war can be averted if we chose to have the perspective of our enemy. This implies that we seek to understand the forces and motives behind their decisions and actions. He also explains that involving rationality in war crisis does nothing other than escalating the war. In his interview with Erris, he asserts that a combination of human rationality and nuclear weapons can cause unprecedented destruction to the world. He mentions the disagreement in Kennedys administration with regard to the best response for the two letters from the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. He concludes that the advice of Ambassador Llewellyn (Tommy) Thompson saved the entire nation from plunging into war. He further explains that there was hidden tactical warhead in Cuba that coul d have been very destructive had U.S taken a step to launch the attacks. Buy custom Fog of War essay

Harold Krebs and Norman Bowker Essays

Harold Krebs and Norman Bowker Essays Harold Krebs and Norman Bowker Paper Harold Krebs and Norman Bowker Paper War is a terrible thing. It destroys lives and can forever change the landscape of the mind and soul. Harold Krebs from Ernest Hemingway’s story â€Å"Soldier’s Home† and Norman Bowker from Tim O’Brian’s story â€Å"Speaking of Courage† both show that coming home from a military lifestyle and reintegrating themselves into a civilian lifestyle can be both difficult and emotionally draining to one’s self esteem and psyche. Harold Krebs wants the simple life. He’s tired of the lying and the feeling he gets from having to lie to friends and family about the war and about everyday things just to get them to back off. His mother and father both want him to become like the other men that have returned from the war, that is, to get a job, find a nice girl and settle down. But Krebs doesn’t want that. He’s been too changed by the war. His army training has seriously affected how he looks at girls. He doesn’t want to work at getting a girl having to go out and driving them around and talking to them. Hi wants a girl that doesn’t care about the war or wants him to tell them war stories. His sister, on the other hand, is the only person that thinks of him as a hero and still loves him, without provocation, without temptation, and without being cynical, even though, the war has changed him. This is shown when Krebs sister ask’s him to be her beau. His sister asks him to be her beau: â€Å" I tell them that you’re my beau. Aren’t you my beau, hare? † â€Å"You bet. † â€Å"Couldn’t your brother really be your beau just because he’s your brother? † â€Å"I don’t know. † â€Å"[†¦] Couldn’t you be my beau, hare, if I was old enough and if you wanted to? † â€Å"Sure, You’re my girl now. †(Hemingway 168) : Finally in the end, he realizes that coming home isn’t right for him in the aspect that the town has not changed except for the girls who are now all grown up. His father still drives the same car and works at the same job and lives in the same childhood home that Krebs grew up in. He misses his appointment with his father, on purpose, but in the end, trying to be simple, it isn’t enough. In realizing this he goes to watch his sister play indoor baseball. On the other had Norman Bowker, form Tim O’Brian’s story â€Å"speaking of courage†, deals with survivor’s guilt having served in Vietnam. His character is depressed with the death of his fellow solider Kiowa. Kiowa was a native-American solider, peaceful and gentle, helping the team with problems and keeping the camaraderie of the group going. Norman Bowker tried to help him as his friend sunk beneath the sewage. Norman tried to pull him out, but in the end failed to do so and watched him die. For example, Norman Bowker thinks that he was as brave as he thought he could have been , but even that much bravery was not enough to save his friend. This is the terrible price that he pays as his guilt washes up upon him like the sewage did to his friend. His seven medals mean nothing to him, but in his imaginary discussion with his father, he tries to make them mean something. Now that he ahs returned, he finds himself lost as he travels around the lake in his fathers’ truck. The road that leads around the lake is seven miles ling and can be traveled in around 25 minutes at a slow crawl. Towards the end of the twelfth revolution he stops, gets out, and wades into the lake. This could be seen as sort of baptism to wash away the feelings of the guilt. â€Å"On his twelfth revolution, the sky went crazy with color. He pulled into Sunset Park and stopped in the shadow of a picnic shelter. After a time he got out, walked down the beach, and waded into the lake without undressing. That water felt warm against his skin. Hi put his head under. He opened his lips. Very slightly, for the taste, then he stood up and folded his arms and watched the fireworks. For a small town, he decided, it was a pretty good show. † These men share a lot in common as well as have their distinct differences. The first similarity is that both men can’t or won’t talk about the war. Norman Bowker never discussed the war not because he didn’t want to but because he couldn’t. He didn’t know the right words to say anything about the war. On the other hand, Harold Krebs found out that because he came home from the war long after it and ended that nobody wanted to hear anything about the way because they had already heard about the atrocity that suffered there: though to be listened to, he later found out, he had to lie, and after lying twice about the war he too had a reaction against the war and against talking about it. Another thing that both men share is the fact that both men have a problem with reconnecting with girls. Norman Bowker lost his girl to the war, only finding out that when he returned she had gotten married and had a family of her own now, without him. Krebs ha been conditioned by the army to not need girls. Coming how from the war, all he wants is a simple life, yet the town has somewhat evolved and gotten more complicated since Krebs was last there. Men his age were getting married and finding good jobs. The men were settling down. Krebs is unable to love. This is what the army had done, they and broken him down to rebuild him into a killing machine, thus destroying the love and most of the emotions in the process. This is why he shows such coldness towards his mother. â€Å"Yes. Don’t you love your mother, dear boy? † â€Å"No. † Krebs said. His mother looked at him across the table. Her eyes were shiny. She started crying. â€Å"I don’t love anybody,† Krebs said. It’s the differences, which separate them. After a while Norman Bowker writes to the author Tim O’Brien. Over 17 disjointed letter Bowker ends up telling O’Brien about the war. Then simply eight months later quietly hangs himself with a jump rope tied to a water pipe in the men’s locker room, leaving neither a note nor letter of explanation. Krebs, on the other hand finds some resolve in his sister. He finds that he has no need for the family car or the familiarity of others. But his sister doesn’t give up on him like his parents do in a way. Krebs comes back a cynical an, unable to love and his siter is the only one that sees thru the facade to a point. This is a new bond that the two begin, which is one of the reasons that he watches her at her indoor baseball game. War is a terrible thing. It destroys lives and can forever change the landscape of the mind and soul. Both Krebs and Bowker share some very similar traits even though coming from two different wars. And yet each man can stand-alone without the need for the other.

Tobacco and the Origins and Domestication of Nicotiana

Tobacco and the Origins and Domestication of Nicotiana Tobacco (Nicotiana rustica and N. tabacum) is a plant that was and is used as a psychoactive substance, a narcotic, a painkiller, and a pesticide and, as a result, it is and was used in the ancient past in a wide variety of rituals and ceremonies. Four species were recognized by Linnaeus in 1753, all originating from the Americas, and all from the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Today, scholars recognize over 70 different species, with N. tabacum the most economically important; almost all of them originated in South America, with one endemic to Australia and another to Africa. Domestication History A group of recent biogeographical studies reports that modern tobacco ( N. tabacum) originated in the highland Andes, probably Bolivia or northern Argentina, and was likely a result of the hybridization of two older species, N. sylvestris and a member of the section Tomentosae, perhaps N. tomentosiformis Goodspeed. Long before the Spanish colonization, tobacco had been distributed well outside its origins, throughout South America, into Mesoamerica and reaching the Eastern Woodlands of North America no later than ~300 BC. Although some debate within the scholarly community exists suggesting that some varieties may have originated in Central America or Southern Mexico, the most widely accepted theory is that N. tabacum originated where the historical ranges of its two progenitor species intersected. The earliest dated tobacco seeds found to date are from early Formative levels at Chiripa in the Lake Titicaca region of Bolivia. Tobacco seeds were recovered from Early Chiripa contexts (1500-1000 BC), although not in sufficient quantities or contexts to prove tobacco  use with shamanistic practices. Tushingham and colleagues have traced a continuous record of smoking tobacco in pipes in western North America from at least 860 AD, and at the time of European colonial contact, tobacco was the most widely exploited intoxicant in the Americas. Curanderos and Tobacco Tobacco is believed to be one of the first plants used in the New World to initiate ecstasy trances. Taken in large amounts, tobacco induces hallucinations, and, perhaps not surprisingly, tobacco use is associated with pipe ceremonialism and bird imagery throughout the Americas. Physical changes associated with extreme doses of tobacco use include a lowered heart rate, which in some cases has been known to render the user into a catatonic state. Tobacco is consumed in a number of ways, including chewing, licking, eating, sniffing, and enemas, although smoking is the most effective and common form of consumption. Among the ancient Maya and extending down to today, tobacco was a sacred, supernaturally powerful plant, considered a primordial medicine or botanical helper and associated with Maya deities of the earth and sky. A classic 17 year-long study by ethnoarchaeologist Kevin Goark (2010) looked at the use of the plant among the Tzeltal-Tzotzil Maya communities in highland Chiapas, recording processing methods, physiological effects, and magico-protective uses. Ethnographic Studies A series of ethnographic interviews (Jauregui et al 2011) was conducted between 2003-2008 with curanderos (healers) in east central Peru, who reported using tobacco in various ways. Tobacco is one of over fifty plants with psychotropic effects used in the region that are considered plants that teach, including coca, datura, and ayahuasca. Plants that teach are also sometimes referred to as plants with a mother, because they are believed to have an associated guiding spirit or mother who teaches the secrets of traditional medicine. Like the other plants that teach, tobacco is one of the cornerstones of learning and practicing the art of the shaman, and according to the curanderos consulted by Jauregui et al. it is considered one of the most powerful and oldest of plants. Shamanistic training in Peru involves a period of fasting, isolation, and celibacy, during which period one ingests one or more of the teaching plants on a daily basis. Tobacco in the form of a potent type of Nicotiana rustica is always present in their traditional medical practices, and it is used for purification, to cleanse the body of negative energies. Sources Groark KP. 2010. The Angel in the Gourd: Ritual, Therapeutic, and Protective Uses of Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Among the Tzeltal and Tzotzil Maya of Chiapas, Mexico. Journal of Ethnobiology 30(1):5-30.Jauregui X, Clavo ZM, Jovel EM, and Pardo-de-Santayana M. 2011. â€Å"Plantas con madre†: Plants that teach and guide in the shamanic initiation process in the East-Central Peruvian Amazon. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 134(3):739-752.Khan MQ, and Narayan RKJ. 2007. Phylogenetic diversity and relationships among species of genus Nicotiana using RAPDs analysis. African Journal of Biotechnology 6(2):148-162.Leng X, Xiao B, Wang S, Gui Y, Wang Y, Lu X, Xie J, Li Y, and Fan L. 2010. Identification of NBS-Type Resistance Gene Homologs in Tobacco Genome. Plant Molecular Biology Reporter 28(1):152-161.Lewis R, and Nicholson J. 2007. Aspects of the evolution of Nicotiana tabacum L. and the status of the United States Nicotiana Germplasm Collection. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution  54(4):727-740.Mandondo A, German L, Utila H, and Nthenda UM. 2014. Assessing Societal Benefits and Trade-Offs of Tobacco in the Miombo Woodlands of Malawi. Human Ecology 42(1):1-19. Moon HS, Nifong JM, Nicholson JS, Heineman A, Lion K, Hoeven Rvd, Hayes AJ, Lewis RS, and USDA A. 2009. Microsatellite-based Analysis of Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) Genetic Resources. Crop Science 49(6):2149-2159.Roulette CJ, Hagen E, and Hewlett BS. 2016. A biocultural investigation of gender differences in tobacco use in an egalitarian hunter-gatherer population. Human Nature 27(2):105-129.Tushingham S, Ardura D, Eerkens JW, Palazoglu M, Shahbaz S, and Fiehn O. 2013. Hunter-gatherer tobacco smoking: earliest evidence from the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Journal of Archaeological Science 40(2):1397-1407.Tushingham S, and Eerkens JW. 2016. Hunter-Gatherer Tobacco Smoking in Ancient North America: Current Chemical Evidence and a Framework for Future Studies. In: Anne Bollwerk E, and Tushingham S, editors. Perspectives on the Archaeology of Pipes, Tobacco and other Smoke Plants in the Ancient Americas. Cham: Springer International Publishing. p 211-230.Zagorevski DV, a nd Loughmiller-Newman JA. 2012. The detection of nicotine in a Late Mayan period flask by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry methods. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 26(4):403-411.

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 8

Marketing - Essay Example Concept of Marketing The marketing concept can be described as the achievement of corporate goals through meeting and exceeding customer needs and expectations better than the competition or competitors. This can be done by three steps: 1. Customer orientation – the company’s main focus should be on its target market i.e. customer satisfaction rather than solely improving costs and methods for the company itself 2. Integrated effort – fulfilling customer satisfaction is not a one-man job, it requires a management team and workforce with the common motive to achieve this task through production, finance, research and development 3. Goal achievement – for integrated work to run smoothly and successfully, the management must have strong belief in the fact that corporate goals can be achieved through consumer satisfaction. Marketing Mix A marketing mix is a company strategy that helps boost a company customers, profits and innovations with the help of four ste ps (known as the 4 P’s) i.e. product, price, promotion, and place. These 4 Ps are the key decision elements that marketers must follow in order to achieve the wants and needs of their clientele above their competitors. This marketing mix however has been extended to 7 Ps with the three additions of people, progress and physical evidence due to the rapid growth of the service industries. The emphasis of every individual element varies depending on the commodities the organization offers. Product. The product decision includes choosing which goods and services the company is willing and able to produce and supply to its target customers. This includes product creation as well as integration and development where by the products supplied and new and improved with the advancements in technology and taste. This phase also includes the branding image of the company i.e. its name, packaging and promotions and offers. It seems that Britvic seems to rely on the porter’s model o f differentiation to keep its products relevant to the UK’s beverages market. Hence there is more focus on offering the customers a good variety and availability of product, importantly, along with a focus on development of the products to keep the customers interested rather than offer the highest standards of quality (taste) or uniqueness of product and taste. This might be because a large part of Britvic’s business activity consists of distributing drinks of established brands such as PepsiCo and hence the company can choose to rely on provision of quality service to other businesses to maintain relevance to the consumer market rather than on maintenance of quality. Placement. Placement deals with decision making regarding distribution channels. Key management decisions stress upon locations of its outlets, transportation facilities, and inventory levels of stock and stock needing to be reordered. The main goal is to ensure products and services are available in the desired and sufficient quantities, at the desired time durations and venue. These distribution channels consist of organizations such as retailers and wholesalers who act as an intermediary through which commodities pass on their way to customers. Producers need to manage their relationships with these organizations in order for them to provide cost-effective access to that specific firm and the market they belong to. They also need to be familiar with new methods of

Business Law (6) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Law (6) - Assignment Example (C) My own example relating to the definition given above is; If an employer wants to recruit employees and in that regard, the employer states that the job will be paying $1,000 a month with no allowances and that the engagement period is 5 years terms that is renewable based on the performance of the employee, the employer will also not be obliged to explain the reasons as to why the an employee is dropped or considered for the next term. The terms can continue base on what the employer is interested in. The terms expressed here in relation to job defines what a vacancy. (B) In my own definition, acceptance can be considered to be; the evaluation of the terms contained in the offer and yielding to them in a bid to considered being engaged in the contract qualifying it to be a legal obligation. (C) As I have stated in the above explanation, if an employer stipulates the terms of the contract and them the prospective employees ratifies the terms and get to be engaged in the contract legally by appending their personal signature and having unconditionally read and understood the content of the offer, it is said that acceptance has taken place. After acceptance, the employee is legally bound to operate within the stipulations. (D) The website http://www.thefreedictionary.com/acceptance provides step wise definition of the term from the general English version to the legal definition. In this regard, it gives an array of the definition that foster further understanding of the term. (B) According to my own definition, consideration is that resonance that results after the employer and the employee strikes a balance by ratifying legal obligation of each side given satisfaction of their side of bargain. I other words we say that the offer has been ratified by the prospectus in legally required manner and thus acceptance of the offer to undertakes to the needs and responsibilities as stated in the offer. (C) An example relating to the above is when an offer is

The Current Model of Education Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Current Model of Education - Assignment Example As denoted above, the problem that is faced is how to utilize new technologies and to what extent these are useful in the ability to meet existing metrics. The actual problem investigated within this particular research article was not contingent upon the way in which new technology can be leveraged at the students as a means of reaching or surpassing educational goals. Instead, the research was concentric upon the way in which social media platforms should be promoted and utilized within the faculty as a means of creating a unified understanding of the goals and directions that are being faced. Additionally, the question of whether or not social media can be used within faculty as a function of increasing learning objectives and creating a unified understanding of existing problems, strengths, weaknesses, and potential solutions was also a key element that the researchers sought to measure and draw inference upon. The underlying purpose of the study is to of course provide more identifiable metrics with respect to the way in which social media is adopted. As the researchers note, social media has received a negative rap within the arena of education; as something of little use and mainly a way for individuals to waste time. Because of this, the study had as its underlying purpose a need to redefine and rebrand social media usage within faculty; as the researchers believed it could potentially reflect a useful tool with respect to the way in which faculty interaction and engagement could take place. The current dynamic within the educational realm is one in which there is relatively little interaction between faculty members; creating an aura in which sharing and the attenuation of educational metrics amongst all stakeholders are neither encouraged nor possible. The questions and hypothesis for the research were concentric upon whether or not social media could reflect a benefit for faculty members with respect to the way in which best practices were understood and shared.  

Discuss the rise in importance of FDI for Multinational Enterprises Essay

Discuss the rise in importance of FDI for Multinational Enterprises - Essay Example This deepening and widening economic integration is achieved through three main channels such as trade, foreign direct investment and the international transfer of knowledge and technology. The enterprises, which have dispersed their business processes across the globe through the channel of FDI, are termed as Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). These MNEs are the main pillars in the globalized economies which involved in the world economic activities. Though trade which principally means export-import of goods and services across the geographical regions are there since many years but the concept of foreign direct investment (FDI) is rather of recent origin. Being different from portfolio investment this type of investment entails a firm to open its subsidiary in a foreign land to expand its business activities there. In today's fast moving global economy the scale of FDI made by a multinational enterprise plays a vital role for the growth of developed as well as developing countries across the world. In this essay the rise in FDI as well as its importance for the MNEs has been vividly described in the Section-II and also an analysis of the circumstances under which FDI may or may not be an appropriate strategy for an international business has been made in the Section-III. The conclusion to the discussion has been given in Section-IV. The analysis of the rising trend in the various regions of the world and the possible impact of FDI in the host and home economies has been made in this paper. II. FDI: The Increasing Trend in Global Economy "FDI is defined as a firm based in one country (the 'home country') owning 10 percent or more of the stock of a company located in a foreign country (the 'host country') -- this amount of stock is generally enough to give the home country firm significant control rights over the host country firm. Most FDI is in wholly-owned or nearly wholly-owned subsidiaries." (http://www.populareconomics.org/globalization/html%20/Glossary.html). Thus FDI is different from the portfolio investment which may cross borders but lacks such controls over it. This FDI may be 'Green-field'1 or 'Acquisition/Mergers'2 and also it may be 'horizontal'3 or 'vertical'4. "Thus to create, acquire or expand a foreign subsidiary, MNEs undertake FDI. The total direct capital owned by non-residents in a given country each year constitutes the stock of FDI" (Navaretti & Venables, 3). If one makes a comparison between export and FDI during the last twentieth century one can see that the exports grew much stronger than FDI in the pre 1980 period while the FDI sown an unprecedented rise after 1985. "The worldwide real GDP increased at a rate of 2.5% per year between 1985 and 1999 and worldwide exports by 5.6%, worldwide real inflows of FDI increased by 17.7%." (Navaretti & Venables 3). Also it is seen that the worldwide FDI stocks increased from $794 billion to $1, 768 billion in the second half of the eighties (Table-1). That means they more than doubled in just six years. The inflow of FDI peaked in the year 2000 but suddenly declined from the year 2001 due to slowing down of economy.

Cluster Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Cluster Analysis - Essay Example There are various statistics associated with cluster analysis which are used for analyzing the data. Clustering can be hierarchical or non hierarchal and these are further classified into various methods. Hierarchal clustering is developed as a tree like structure. This method can be either agglomerative or divisive. In agglomerative clustering each object is formed as a separate cluster which is formed by grouping into bigger clusters and the process is continued till all the cases form as members of a single cluster. In agglomerative method, the various methods such as linkage methods, error sum of squares or variance and central methods are used. Linkage method includes single linkage, complete linkage and average linkage. The single linkage method is based on the minimum distance. The complete linkage is based on the maximum distance. And the average linkage is based on the average distance between all pairs of objects, so that one member of the pair is from each of the clusters. Variance method is used to minimize the within -cluster variance. Ward's procedure is a variance method where the squared euclidean distance to the cluster means is minimized. In the centroid method the distance between the two clusters is computed as the distance between their centroids. Generally the average linkage and Ward's method are supposed to perform better than other procedures. Now we shall discuss the various statistics associated with cluster analysis. Agglomerative schedule gives information on the cases being combined at each stage of a hierarchical clustering. The mean value of the variable associated with all cases in a cluster is known as cluster centroid. Dendogram is a tree like graph which displays the result of cluster analysis. The clusters which are joined together are represented by vertical lines. The position of line indicates the distance where the clusters are joined. This graph is a generally read from left to right. The distance between cluster centers indicates how the pairs of clusters are separated. If the clusters are widely separated and distinct then they are desirable. Icicle diagram is a graph, which displays the clustering results. It is called as icicles which hang from the eaves of a house. The columns represent the cases being clustered and the rows correspond to the number of clusters. This diagram is read from bottom to top. In this case chestnut ridge club clustering is considered on the attitude of the respondents in terms of joining a club. And the respondents expressed on a scale of 1-5, the objective here is group similar cases and to measures how similar or different the case are. The approach is to measure similarity in terms of distance between pairs of objects. There are different methods to measure the distance. These methods can be used to measure and the results can be compared. In hierarchical clustering agglomerative clustering is selected and Wards procedure is used to measure the distance. Generally the choice of clustering method and choice of a distance measure are related. Here the variables are measured on a five-point scale. The Wards linkage method is used to find the average distance between all pairs of objects. In this variance method the squared Euclidean distance to the cluster means is minimized. The important outputs obtained here are agglomeration schedule which shows the number of clusters combined at each

Discuss the rise in importance of FDI for Multinational Enterprises Essay

Discuss the rise in importance of FDI for Multinational Enterprises - Essay Example This deepening and widening economic integration is achieved through three main channels such as trade, foreign direct investment and the international transfer of knowledge and technology. The enterprises, which have dispersed their business processes across the globe through the channel of FDI, are termed as Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). These MNEs are the main pillars in the globalized economies which involved in the world economic activities. Though trade which principally means export-import of goods and services across the geographical regions are there since many years but the concept of foreign direct investment (FDI) is rather of recent origin. Being different from portfolio investment this type of investment entails a firm to open its subsidiary in a foreign land to expand its business activities there. In today's fast moving global economy the scale of FDI made by a multinational enterprise plays a vital role for the growth of developed as well as developing countries across the world. In this essay the rise in FDI as well as its importance for the MNEs has been vividly described in the Section-II and also an analysis of the circumstances under which FDI may or may not be an appropriate strategy for an international business has been made in the Section-III. The conclusion to the discussion has been given in Section-IV. The analysis of the rising trend in the various regions of the world and the possible impact of FDI in the host and home economies has been made in this paper. II. FDI: The Increasing Trend in Global Economy "FDI is defined as a firm based in one country (the 'home country') owning 10 percent or more of the stock of a company located in a foreign country (the 'host country') -- this amount of stock is generally enough to give the home country firm significant control rights over the host country firm. Most FDI is in wholly-owned or nearly wholly-owned subsidiaries." (http://www.populareconomics.org/globalization/html%20/Glossary.html). Thus FDI is different from the portfolio investment which may cross borders but lacks such controls over it. This FDI may be 'Green-field'1 or 'Acquisition/Mergers'2 and also it may be 'horizontal'3 or 'vertical'4. "Thus to create, acquire or expand a foreign subsidiary, MNEs undertake FDI. The total direct capital owned by non-residents in a given country each year constitutes the stock of FDI" (Navaretti & Venables, 3). If one makes a comparison between export and FDI during the last twentieth century one can see that the exports grew much stronger than FDI in the pre 1980 period while the FDI sown an unprecedented rise after 1985. "The worldwide real GDP increased at a rate of 2.5% per year between 1985 and 1999 and worldwide exports by 5.6%, worldwide real inflows of FDI increased by 17.7%." (Navaretti & Venables 3). Also it is seen that the worldwide FDI stocks increased from $794 billion to $1, 768 billion in the second half of the eighties (Table-1). That means they more than doubled in just six years. The inflow of FDI peaked in the year 2000 but suddenly declined from the year 2001 due to slowing down of economy.

HOMEWORK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

HOMEWORK - Essay Example Q1 (II): considering that the ratio of trade is 1:1 and that north is more efficient in producing both left and right shoes as compared to the south, the north will consume 70 pairs of shoes. That is, the north would rather not trade. On the other hand, with no increase in the number of workers in the south, they can only consume one pair of shoes if they give up one-left shoes for one right shoe (Miles & Scott 15-72). Q1 (III): assuming that there still are 10 workers in the North, the new exchange rate will be (300:3000), (100:1000) = 1:10. Therefore, the North could decide to exchange 30 left shoes for 300 right shoes. In this case, the number of pairs of shoes consumed will be 300 (Miles & Scott 15-72). Q2: the Federal reserve governor meant that in the year 2005, the payment made by the U.S for importing services and other visible and invisible goods were more than those received; leading to a current account deficit. In the process, the value of US currency decreased making U.S products cheaper in the international market. A decreased U.S currency means an increase in the value of foreign currencies leading to low foreign prices, thus low interest rate in the long-run (Arize 35-67). Q3: when the Government’s purchases increase during a war, consumption is concentrated on ammunitions. The country will heavily import the war machines than exports. This will lead to a deficit in trade account (a negative balance). To pay for the imported machines, more local currency will be supplied in the foreign exchange market than is demanded. Due to more supply than demand, the local currency will lose its value. The decreased value will be reflected in the exchange rate. Therefore, the real exchange rate will be lower. That is, the real price of the local currency against foreign currencies will be lower. The aforementioned effects would take place, whether a local or a

Inflation Management in Sri Lanka Essay Example for Free

Inflation Management in Sri Lanka Essay Amarasekara (2008, p. 37) also concluded that in most sub-samples, inflation does not decline following a contractionary policy shock, possibly due to the longer lag effect. Innovations to money growth raise the interest rate, and when inflation does respond, it reacts to monetary innovations faster than GDP growth does. International Monetary Fund (2008) showed that changes in policy interest rates have significant effects on output but a small impact on inflation. Credit does not respond strongly to changes in policy interest rates. 3. Objectives of the Study The Central bank conducts monetary policy to achieve its one of primary objectives of price stability by changing interest rate and money supply. Therefore, the main objective of the study is to identify the relationship between the interest rate and inflation in Sri Lanka. A successful monetary policy strategy requires an understanding of the relationship between operating instruments of monetary policy (i. e. interest rate) and the ultimate goals like the price stability and output. Therefore, the study will help to identify the effectiveness of policy rates as a monetary policy instrument for inflation management. . Model, Methodology and Data Analysis Model and Methodology A regression model will be used to estimate the effect of key variables on inflation. The main concern of the study is the effect of the interest rate on the inflation. However, the model will be incomplete without including the variables below. This study tries to improve past models done by Sri Lankan economists by including additional macroeconomic variables namely; unemployment (UN), budget deficit (BD) and foreign inflation (FI) to remove any omitt ed variables bias. In this analysis, MMR is used as changes in policy rate are immediately transmitted to MMR. Inflation: According to previous literature, past inflation has an effect on current inflation through expectations. Here the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) is used. Exchange rate (ER): Changes in in the exchange rate affects the price of exports and imports in the country, and thus has a direct effect on inflation as Sri Lanka is heavily depend on international trade. GDP growth (GDP): The GDP is seasonally adjusted to capture seasonality. Unemployment (UN): According to the Phillips Curve there is an inverse relationship between unemployment and inflation. Foreign Inflation (FI): In 2011, imports accounted for 37. 6% of GDP (CBSL Annual Report 2011) in Sri Lanka, and therefore prices of goods and services of Sri Lanka’s major trading partners can have an influential effect on inflation. Budget Deficit (BD): Most of the past literatures in Sri Lanka have omitted this important variable. However, public finance is an important issue in Sri Lanka and the effect of Monetary Policy cannot be studied without it. Data Collection For this study quarterly data will be obtained for all the variables from the first quarter of 1996 to the last quarter of 2011. The main data sources of the analysis are Annual Reports of CBSL, Monthly Bulletins of CBSL, other publications of CBSL, Annual Reports and Quarterly Reports of the Department of Census and Statistics of Sri Lanka, and the World Bank Report 2011-2012. Analytical Tools The OLS regression model will describe the significance of key variables of the model and the effectiveness of the model in explaining the objective of the study. Apart from the simple OLS regression analysis, various econometric models will be used to obtain outcomes such as unit-root tests, Granger causality tests, impulse response and AR-root tests and Vector auto regression. The Ramsey’s Reset Test will be used for checking functional form mis-specification of the model. The normality of errors and other non-spherical disturbances will be checked using White’s Test (for Heteroskedasticity) and Durbin Watson Test (for serial correlation). The model also will be tested by omitting the interest rate variable and regressing the restricted model using J-Test to determine if the model is very different.

Analysis of Open Source Content Management Systems

Analysis of Open Source Content Management Systems Chapter 1 Introduction Background Although most of us take information for granted, good information is easy to come by. Lets investigate the difference between data and information, the characteristics of good information and the process of transforming data into useful information. To make sound decisions managers need reliable, accurate data that can be transformed into information. Organisations use many methods to collect data , including survey ,interviews, documents reading and even brain-wave monitoring. Sophisticated voice activated technology is available that allows people to store data merely by speaking into a computer. Today it is widely recognized that information systems knowledge is essential for managers because most organisations need information systems to survive and prosper. Information systems can help companies to extend reach to faraway location, offer new product and services, reshape jobs and work flows, and perhaps profoundly change the way they conduct business. The past decade has seen a rigorous change in the way we understand and use Information Technology within a business context. Advancements in the field of research and development has led to technologies such as; distributed computing, content management, data mining and processing, all of which fulfil a range of business needs. The move from localised computing platforms to distributed web technologies has been caused by, among other factors, the take-up of commodity computer and network components based on faster hardware and sophisticated software. About The Project The objective of this report is to analyse and compare a specific category of open source content management systems, within the context of small to medium businesses; this specific category is about web portals. The project aims to create a comprehensive comparison which deals with the specific requirements of small to medium businesses only. Thus, providing a clear understanding of the current trends within the commercial sector and the open source community. This report involves a comparison between existing open source, web portal content management systems. The comparison is based on a set of business requirements which represent the needs of small to medium businesses, which aims to find an open source solution as an alternative to commercial solutions. Due to the nature of this subject, this report assumes that the reader has some understanding about Information Technology. Chapter 2 Content Management Content From A Business Perspective Computers where initially created to perform time-consuming or complex mathematical computations and in many ways replace human labour. Boiko (2001) describes the computer model as follows: â€Å"If you can reduce a problem to a series of simple mechanical operations on numbers and logical entities (entities that are either true of false), it is amenable to solution by a computer†. At their lowest level, computers process data. The data processed by computers at a low level is not immediately readable or understandable, because it is made to be understood by the computer only. This data is used to perform a set of operations as described above. The fact that computers are data-processing machines makes it hard to process content, which by definition is not just data. Technology has evolved over the years and computers are now required to perform computations on content while retaining their human meaning. Electronic Commerce ,Electronic Business, And Digital Relationship The changes we have just described represent new ways of conducting business electronically both inside and outside the farm that can ultimately result in the creation of digital firms. Increasingly, the internet is providing the underlying technology for these changes. The internet can link thousands of organisations into a single network creating the foundation for a vast digital marketplace. A digital market is an information system that links together many buyers and sellers to exchange information, products, services and payments. Through computers and networks, these systems function like electronic intermediaries, with lowered cost for typical marketplace transactions such as matching buyers and sellers establishing prices ordering goods and paying bills. Buyers sellers can complete purchase and sale transactions digitally regardless of their location. New Opportunities With Technology Although information systems are creating many exciting opportunities for both businesses and individuals, they are also a source of new problems, issues and challenges for managers. In this course we will learn about both the challenges and opportunities information systems pose and we will be able to use information technology to enrich our learning experience. New technologies open up far more possibilities for reproducing previously published work online than we can afford to pursue, so we have to pick and choose the most useful ones for you, our audience. The Journal would like to gather and benefit from all of the ideas, suggestions, and hard work that readers are willing to provide. Constructive technology assessment (CTA) differs from other technology assessment methods by emphasizing implementation and development of new technologies over a simple assessment of those technologies potential impact. CTA, which was developed in Denmark and the Netherlands, seeks to moderate the impact of potentially damaging technologies while taking full advantage of beneficial technologies. Nowadays, the development of integrated circuit (IC) industry and scientific researchers rely more and more on the nanofabrication technologies. Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has been included on the ITRS lithography roadmap for 32nm, 22nm and 16nm nodes. However, there are numerous other applications for NIL. This patterning technique shows great potential in fabrication of nanostructures at all. Metadata Encapsulation Of Content Processing such content will produce the required results for the human user. Those results will contain an abstract meaning that can only be interpreted by a human user. Defining data with information and making it into content is a process similar to the operations performed in every day situations. For example, searching for a book in a library or finding a movie in a video store. Both operations have the similarity of providing information about other information. A library, offers a computerised search engine that searches through categories of â€Å"author† and â€Å"title†, while the video store may search for â€Å"actor† and â€Å"year of release†. Therefore, a room full of books may be seen as a pile of data, while the same room with a categorised search engine may be seen as real content. The books become more than just data, because they have been given a description. The method of content description is called metadata. Metadata is data about data, which defines the human aspect of content. Metadata first appeared on the web when the immense amount of data over the internet became impossible to process or to even understand. Some of the leading technologies and standards on metadata are seen. Metadata technologies are themselves based on published internet standards. This method of creating a new standard based on another existing standard is very useful within businesses in order to make the exchange of content as smooth as possible. The leading standard technologies are eXtensible Markup Language (XML), which defines the Resource Description Framework (RDF) syntax as recommended by the W3C. Building on top of metadata and XML, are a number of advanced technologies and project. Concurrent Changes Management Project completion skew occurs once the team has grown into a substantial number of developers, at which point they are all working on different parts of the project, possibly in small groups. These small groups usually work on diverse activities separated from each other or sometimes in conjunction. As a result, each group will be developing, integrating and testing their work separately, before committing their work into the complete project. These groups will also be working under different schedules. This implies that a group may be starting its work while another is getting ready to commit theirs . Structure Of The Comparison Each business has its own set of requirements for a CMS solution, which depend on various parameters such as; the size of the business, field of operation, type of managed data and target customers. It is highly unlikely that a single product will have all the required functionality. As a result, this report tries to identify potential products which are scalable and expandable. Applications Data repository Deployment Integration Revision control User interface User management Workflow Applications are about general functionality which compliment the entire CMS solution. Availability of the development API allows developers to expand the existing functionality and add custom processes per business requirements. Marketing and advertising features allow the website to display banner advertising or offer opt-in permission marketing forms. Localisation and multi-language support for all documents and processes. Time-based event functions, like scheduling. Site-wide searching engine which allows transparent searches over different content. Finally, e-commerce functionality which allows the system to perform online transactions. Data repository is about flexibility in content storage. Information is an asset to every business, proper management of the data storage can be an advantage. A CMS solution may use multiple storage methods, including a Relational DataBase Management System (RDBMS) and Network File System (NFS) or other file system based storage. Apart from the storage medium, it is also important to use a standards compliant storage format such as XML. In particular, XML provides transformation services and content validation along with the split between content, format and business logic. Deployment can be one of the most important features from a business per-spective. Medium to large scale systems use multiple servers for fault tolerance and improved availability. A CMS products ability to scale through multiple servers gives the extra advantage for reliability. Replication is also an issue, the flow of updates that go from testing into production should be able to replicate reliably and with roll back support, as discussed in section Finally, multiple output formats can increase the target audience, for example; by providing mobile phone access via SMS or WAP. Integration deals with the every day management of the system. Metadata management via content classification systems which enable arbitrary data to become useful information assets for the business. Information can be used along with 3rd party web applications, such as log analysers and spam filters. Data conversion, allows users to publish or submit data in different format from the one used to publish their data, for example PDF to HTML conversion. Integration is also about compliance with the internet standards published by the W3C such as; HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0/1.1. Based on those standards are the requirements for compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 chapter 50 (HMSO 1995) which came into effect in the United Kingdom. This Act enforces new rules for websites to create content which is accessible by disabled people. Standards compliance means that a CMS product must be able to generate code that is compliant with the Web Accessibility Initiative guidelines. Revision control, as seen in section 2.3.1, is about management of changes, while keeping track of known milestones and working versions of the entire web site development and content. Revision control allows users to keep track of changes, while protecting them against overlapping changes by other users. Roll back functionality gives the user a chance to return to a known working copy of data, which also makes it easy to compare changes over time. User interface is not just about the client â€Å"visual† interface. The user interface is a collection of interface features which help the user or administrator to effectively manage the system. Interface tools enhance the control of processes, some of these tools are; HTML forms, WYSIWYG content editor and document linking. The user interface should provide the choice between high and low level editing, either edit the code directly, or provide a suitable interface which generates the required code. User management is about access and control of the system. The system should allow for 3rd party authentication, such as; SQL database, LDAP, NIS/YP, PAM. In addition, the interface should provide adequate user management control, for example; system-wide user modification. Workflow is a collaboration process for the development and maintenance of business assets which involve steps such as; varied information types, cross departmental staff and functions based on a submit/review/approve steps. As seen in section 2.3.4, workflow is important to clearly define processes which perform specific functions, with various dependencies between them. These functions automate routing of information, review and finally approve changes. Chapter 3 Open Source Software Free Software This report deals with certain types of free software; open source content management systems. Therefore, it is very important to define the term free software, because the concept itself is ambiguous. A wide range of software is distributed as â€Å"free† because it does not cost anything to download or use. However the source code is not made available or the software is distributed with a restrictive license. Binary or source code distributions could be copyrighted and covered by a license agreement, which could hold a range of few to extreme restrictions, like a disclaimer of reliability. â€Å"Free software† is a matter of liberty, not price. The Open Source Model The freedom to run the program, for any purpose. The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs. Access to the source code is a precondition for this. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbour. The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits. Access to the source code is a precondition for this. Requirements of free software Restrictions on these ‘free software come with licenses which; prohibit its use or require a fee for commercial user, prohibit or limit redistribution, including redistributing modified versions. Some licenses also require redistribution of derived works to use the same license as the original product or even release the modified source code. A few licenses also discriminate against individuals or groups. The term free software is widely used in the Information Technology industry. However, its ambiguity hampers communication due to arguments over whether a particular piece of software is ‘free or not (OSI 2004). lists the rules which define the term â€Å"free software† as published by the FSF (2004). Banner Advertising Banner advertising is on a pay-per-view basis, according to the following rates: Home Page Other Pages Number of Views Cost ($US) Cost ($US) 4,000 $100 $50 10,000 $200 $100 25,000 $400 $200 75,000 $1000 $500 175,000 $2000 $1000 400,000 $4000 $2000 Either a large (46860 pixels) banner advertisement strategically placed at the top of every page on the site (or a selection of pages, at your choice), or a 120600 pixel â€Å"skyscraper† banner ad in the left hand column of every page on the site (or a selection of pages, at your choice). We can also arrange text only advertisements. A hotlink to your web site (or email address) when prospective buyers click on the ad Full on-line statistical information, by day and overall, on the number of ad exposures, and the click-through ratio for your ad We can customize a banner advertising program that targets those visitors that you wish to be exposed to by only displaying your advertisement on those selected pages on the site that best suits your product or service. We also have the capability to target ads by geographical location or by keywords. We can accept banner ads in most graphic formats, including rich media formats such as Flash. On all pages, (except where an exclusive advertising arrangement is in place, subject to negotiation) banner ads are placed on rotation with other banner advertisements. Current site statistics indicate that each visitor to the site visits approximately 5 pages per visit, so advertising is limited to a maximum of 5 advertisers on each page each with equal probability of exposure on the page. Newsletter Sponsorship/Advertising Advertising and Sponsorship opportunities our free monthly newsletter on topics of interest to Maintenance professionals around the globe. This newsletter is issued via plain text e-mail to an opt-in subscriber base numbering in the thousands, with a web version also published. Two advertising slots are currently permitted within each newsletter, and the advertisement consists of: Four lines of text in the e-mail version of the newsletter, and Four lines of text plus a banner advertisement in the web-based version of the newsletter The banner advertisement comes with full on-line, real-time statistical reporting, as for site banner advertisements (detailed above) Advertising rates depend on the number of subscribers to the newsletter. For more information on current rates, subscribers and the availability of space in future newsletters. Direct Mail To Our Opt-In Mailing List In addition to our opt-in subscriber base for the M-News newsletter, we have a further opt-in list of contacts who have expressed interest in receiving occasional e-mails containing information about maintenance-related products and services. We can issue an email to members of this list on your behalf promoting your products or services. Once again, advertising rates depend on the number of subscribers to the opt-in mailing list. For more information on current rates and the number of subscribers. General Terms And Conditions We will typically invoice you for your advertising program either shortly before completion of your advertising run, or quarterly. Payment terms are strictly 30 days on issue of invoice We can accept your payment either by check or by major credit card. We are based in Australia, and so payment in Australian dollars is preferred (and is required when paying by credit card). We will advise you of the exact Australian dollar equivalent before receiving payment from you. In general, we use the Currency Calculator /for making currency conversion calculations. Where we have concerns about your credit worthiness, we reserve the right to receive payment before commencing your advertising program. Free Redistribution â€Å"The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different sources. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale† (OSI 2004). By ensuring free redistribution, open source software is not hampered by short-term gains which would affect real long-term sales from customised versions of the software or contracted support and maintenance. Thus, a supplier may generate copies of the software and sell them or give them away without paying anyone for that privilege. As a result, many open source software can be bought on CD or DVD by paying for the cost of the medium only, since the supplier is not adding any extra costs. â€Å"The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in source code as well as compiled form. Where some form of a product is THE OPEN SOURCE MODEL not distributed with source code, there must be a well-publicised means of obtaining the source code for no more than a reasonable reproduction costpreferably, downloading via the Internet without charge. The source code must be the preferred form in which a programmer would modify the program. Deliberately obfuscated source code is not allowed. Intermediate forms such as the output of a preprocessor or translator are not allowed† (OSI 2004). To evolve and expand open source software, the source code must be available and in a modifiable state. The original or modified source code is then provided along with the software and any derived works, in order to ensure future repair or modifications. â€Å"The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software† (OSI 2004). Future software updates and maintenance of the distributed source code, as seen in section 3.2.2, has no real use if the modified software cannot be distributed. Therefore, the ability to simply modify the source code is not enough to support independent peer review and rapid evolutionary selection. Instead, it should be possible to redistribute the modified software along with the modified source code. Redistributed software can use the same license terms as the original software. Although this is not a requirement to do so but an option at the hands of the distributor. This requirement means; a license may not allow re-licensing or modification of its terms, or may allow re-licensing and sub-licensing of derived works. Chapter 4 Content Management Systems CMS Categories Content Management Systems (CMS) are not just a product or a technology. CMS is a generic term which defines a wide range of processes which underpin the â€Å"next-generation† of medium to large-scale websites (Browning Lowndes 2001). A content management process; creates, stores, modifies, retrieves and displays data, or content, as seen in chapter 2. The applications of CMS cannot be clearly defined. Even though a CMS is range of processes and managed software, the boundaries of the CMS space are blurred. The area covered by CMS overlaps with a wide range of traditional software systems, as seen in figure 4.1. As a result of this overlap of functionality, an intranet groupware system or virtual learning system can easily be implemented via the same CMS (Browning Lowndes 2001). CMS have no single interface or implementation, they are effectively designed on the requirements of each business. The implementations of CMS differ from web based to integrated server-side applications. Requirements Prerequisites Document management systems Knowledge management systems Enterprise application integration systems E-commerce solutions Web portals CMS categories implementations vary from PHP, Perl and Python. Integrated application server implementations use popular languages like Java 2 Enterprise Edition and C++. Figure 4.2 shows a visual interpretation of the structure of a typical CMS. This report does not deal with the application or use of CMS, for example; document management or virtual learning. Instead, this report takes a comparative approach to web portals only, based on their functionality from a business perspective. Web portals are websites which act as a main â€Å"point of entry† for users. They offer a range of services, for example; news section, search engine and web catalogue. Web portals are CMS solutions which offer content over the web, thus they may seem limited in functionality over traditional applications. To the contrary, due to the pervasive nature of the internet, the web has become the preferred method for content delivery (Browning Lowndes 2001). Requirements Prerequisites Although requirements on software packages vary between businesses, they still have certain common requirements. The objective of this report is to compare the widest possible selection of open source content management systems, which can be used by businesses. The most suitable CMS solutions Requirements Prerequisites Applications Deployment Workflow Versioning Integration Content User Management Data Repository Integration Authentication Services Syndication Management Link Interface User Data Repository Relational are selected based on a set of clearly defined requirements, all others have been rejected. Figure 4.3 lists these requirements. All the systems compared within this report are required to be licensed by an OSI-approved open source license, as defined in chapter 3. Open source software is widely recognised for its standards compliance, which is vital for businesses. For example, creating a website which uses proprietary data structures will hinder future expansion to new systems or technologies due to incompatibilities. Open source software are more likely to follow standards like the W3C Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML) or XML specifications while ensuring they can interact with each other. Commercial software tend to be incompatible with each other in order to keep the customer hooked to a specific technology or supplier. Compatibility with the Apache HTTP server is vital. The Apache HTTP server is the most widely used web server on the internet. Netcraft (2004) reports that more than 67% of the websites on the internet are using Apache, with 4 million new hostnames growth in the first half of 2004. Chapter 5 Planning to implement MIS in the organisation: Information System An information system is a set of interrelated components that collect, process, store and distribute information to support decision making and control in an organisation. In addition to support decision making, coordination, and control, information system may also help managers and workers analyze problems and visualize complex subjects and create new products. Information systems contain information about significant people, place and things within the organisation or in the environment surrounding its. By information we mean data that have been shaped into a form that is meaningful and useful to human beings. Data is contrast are streams of raw facts representing events occurring in organisation or physical environment before they have been organised and arranged into a form that people can understand and use. Theres more growth and innovation in computing and ICT than in any other area of business. The individuals and organisations best equipped to respond to the challenge of rapidly changing technologies are those with the vision to ensure that their skills and knowledge are kept current and set in a broad educational context. Computing and ICT professionals with a strong skill set are much in demand today, and enrolling on a postgraduate computing course with the OU will keep you at the forefront of this influential discipline. Our Postgraduate Computing and ICT courses provide you with the range of innovative, practice-based courses and qualifications that you need to develop your career. We offer several certificates, diplomas and masters degrees in computing and ICT, and you can choose to study topics such as software development and management, project management, computer forensics, information security, communication technologies and networks. You dont need to have a first degree to register for a course, but you do need either previous study to the equivalent of HND level in the UK, or practical experience, which will enable study at postgraduate level. Management Data Resources Implementing a database requires widespread organisation change in the role of information, the allocation of power at senior levels, the ownership and sharing of information, patterns of organisational agreement. A database management system challenges the existing power arrangements in an organisation and for that reason often generates political resistance. In a traditional file environment each department constructed files and programs to fulfill its specific needs. Now with a database files and programs must be built that take into account the full organisations interest in data. Moving database environment can be a costly long term process,. Electronic Business, Electronic Commerce Throughout this edition we emphasize the benefits of integrating information across the enterprise, creating an information technology infrastructure in which information can be flow seamlessly from one part of the organisation to another and from the organisation to its customers, suppliers, and business partners. The emerging digital firm require this level of information integration and companies increasingly depend on such an infrastructure today to remain efficient and competitive. Internet technology has emerged as the key enabling technology for this digital integration. Chapter 6 Conclusion The internet has been introduced major changes in the way companies conduct business. It has created a dramatic drop in the cost of developing, sending and storing information while making that information more widely available. Millions of people can exchange massive amounts of information directly, instantly, for free. These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program, and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it. Reference Linux (2004), The linux kernel archives. Last access: 20-4-2004. URL: http://www.kernel.org Maglio, P. Farrell, S. (2000), Liveinfo: Adapting web experience by customization and annotation, in ‘Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Adaptive Hypermedia and Adaptive Web-based Systems. Michelinakis, D. (2003), SotonOne project, Masters thesis, University of Southampton, Department of Electronics and Computer Science. MozillaFoundation (2004), The mozilla browser. Last

An Analysis of Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening Essay -- Stopping

An Analysis of Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening  Ã‚   The images in the poem â€Å"Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening† by Robert Frost are very vivid. . The man telling the story is telling events as they happened in his own eyes. His descriptive language allows you to picture the events in your own head, as if you were watching them occur. Frost structures this poem very interestingly. He uses inverted sentences, which are common in poems because of the way they seem to flow, the atmosphere they create, and also for the purpose of rhyming. An interesting rhyme scheme is used here. The first, second, and last lines of every stanza rhyme, but the third does not. However, that third line does rhyme with the first, second, and fourth lines in the next stanza. I believe that Frost ...