Business operational Essay

To provide learners with an understanding of the role and importance of operations management (OM) in the efficient and effective production of goods and services. Scenario: WH Smith is a major, well-known and publically-quoted book retailer and newsagent in the UK. Recently it was reported how Kate Swann, the former CEO for the last 10 years, has turned the company around from ? 135m losses to ? 106m profit in a decade. (source: www. theguardian. com/business/blog/2013/jan/23/wh-smith-kate-swann-profit, accessed 1 October 2013) (Also see copy attached) This is an example of how the principles of operations management can be used to reactivate a firm. How did she do it? Using the above as a starting point, together with other information sources, which you should research yourself, on WH Smith, you are asked to address the Tasks below regarding operations management. Task 1 (this meets LO 1, ACs 1. 1, 1. 2 and 1. 3) Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the nature and importance of Operation Management and its key elements. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. A definition of OM and an explanation of its importance; II. The key elements of OM; III. The need to produce goods or services on time and to cost, with the right quality and within the law; IV. The role of OM in achieving strategic objectives; and V. Produce systems and sub-systems diagrams for any WH Smith operations processes, including a brief explanation of your diagrams. Task 2 (this meets LO 2 ACs 2. 1, 2. 2 and 2. 3) Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the relationship between OM and strategic planning. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. II. III. Explain the implementation of the â€Å"3Es† in WH Smith; Critically review the tension between cost minimisation and quality maximisation in the context of WH Smith; and Assess the importance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management. Task 3 (this meets LOs 3 and 4 in full) Base on the Scenario, produce a document explaining how to organise and apply relevant techniques in a typical production process. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. II. III. IV. Comment briefly on the importance of operational planning and control. Explain what linear programming is, and give an example in relation to any part of the operations of WH Smith; Produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path for any operation in WH Smith. (for this task, you should include a set of operational outcomes, which are clearly defined). Explain how quality can be defined and maintained. Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria In order to Pass this unit, the evidence that the learner presents for assessment needs to demonstrate that they can meet all the Learning Outcomes for the unit. The Assessment Criteria determine the standard required to Pass this unit. The Assessment Criteria will act as a guide to help you put into context your answers to fulfill the Learning Outcomes. Learning Outcome Assessment Criteria 1. 1 explain the importance of operational management 1. 2 explain the need to produce safely; on time; to cost; to LO 1Understand the quality and within the law nature and importance 1. 3 explain the link between operations management and of operational strategic planning management 1. 4 produce a systems diagram to illustrate a typical business 2. 1 explain the ‘Three Es’ (economy, efficiency and effectiveness) LO2 Understand the link between operations 2. 2 explain the tension between cost minimisation and management and quality maximisation strategic planning 2. 3 evaluate the significance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management 3. 1 explain linear programming LO3 Understand how 3. 2 evaluate critical path analysis and network planning to organise a typical 3. 3 explain the need for operational planning and control production process LO4 Be able to apply relevant techniques to the production of an operational plan for a typical business 4. 1 produce a set of clearly defined operational outcomes 4. 2 produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path 4. 3 explain how quality could be defined and maintained. INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION FOR LEARNERS This assessment and the Tasks above are designed to assess your achievement of all four of the Learning Outcomes and associated Assessment Criteria for a Pass in the ‘Employability Skills’ unit of the qualification you are undertaking. Your tutor/ deliverer will advise you when you should start work on the assignment, the date when you must hand in your completed work and when you can expect to get your mark and feedback on your work. Guidance on this subject is provided on page 1 of this assignment brief. You should make sure that you plan your work carefully, to ensure that you cover all four learning outcomes of the assignment, and complete it within the time limit specified. There is no official guideline wordcount or percentage marking (other than Pass/ Merit/ Distinction/ Refer). By way of guidance only for this particular assignment, it is recommended that you write a minimum of 2000-2500 words total and match the weighting of your efforts to the wordcount indicated. Your statements in answer to the Learning Outcomes need to be prefixed with the specific Learning Outcome title or at least the Learning Outcome number. This will help you keep on track and should ensure you address the details. You must make sure that you acknowledge any sources you have used to complete this assignment, listing reference material and web sites used. The assignment result will be published on BITE’s Moodle online education materials platform, normally within 6 weeks of the submission date. If your assignment is assessed as referred, you will be notified with an indication of the areas to be addressed. You may resubmit an assignment, or submit a new assignment, on a further two occasions during your period of registration as an Institute learner with Edexcel. If there is anything in these instructions or in the assignment itself which you do not understand, please seek guidance from your tutor/ deliverer. Merit grade Descriptors For learners to achieve a Merit they must: Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions Indicative characteristics Learners must demonstrate that: An effective approach to assignment planning, study and research is in evidence Evaluations and judgements, using evidence, have been made Problems with a number of variables have been considered Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques A range of relevant theories have been included Relevant theories and techniques have been applied to the case study A range of different sources of information have been used The selection of methods/techniques of analysis and use of source material have been justified Information/ data has been synthesised and processed Present and communicate appropriate findings The written assessment is coherent, shows logical development and a sound understanding of theories, concepts and research evidence The written assessment demonstrates that an appropriate structure and approach has been used The written assignment demonstrates a writing style appropriate for audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with the subject. The written work is clearly written and technical language has been accurately used Distinction grade Distinction descriptors For learners to achieve a Distinction they must: Indicative characteristics Learners must demonstrate that: Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions. Conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and evaluation of research evidence and have been justified The validity of results has been evaluated using defined criteria Realistic and informed recommendations have been proposed against defined characteristics for success Take responsibility for managing and organising activities. The written assignment shows excellent planning, is organised coherently and is clearly expressed Independence of thought and gathering of research material has been demonstrated Material used has been clearly understood and well organised The importance of individual and group behaviour in organisations and its management has been recognised and addressed Demonstrate convergent/lateral/creative thinking. There is evidence of self-generated ideas with evaluation Convergent and lateral thinking are evident in the written assignment Creative thinking is evidenced with unfamiliar material. Problem-solving is in evidence Innovation and creative thought are in evidence Receptiveness to new ideas is evident Ideas have been generated, evaluated and informed decisions/ recommendations are made. Case Study: WHSmith †¢ WH Smith: Kate Swann turns ? 135m losses into ? 106m profit in a decade One of the UK’s most highly regarded – and highly paid – retailers achieved success by going against the grain WH Smith chief executive Kate Swann favours the old retail adage: sales are vanity, profits are sanity. Photograph: PA When Kate Swann arrived at WH Smith in 2003, there was a widely held view that the chain’s days were numbered. A decade on, she has turned losses of ? 135m into a profit of probably ? 106m this year, and shares that were languishing at 250p are now changing hands at 650p. Swann is now one of the UK’s most highly regarded – and highly paid – retailers. Yet she has achieved this remarkable feat by breaking many of the â€Å"rules† of running a successful high street retail business. When Swann announced she was pulling out of selling music and DVDs because the profit margins were thin and getting thinner, rivals thought she had taken leave of her senses – she was instantly kissing goodbye to about 30% of Smith’s turnover. On a same-store basis on the high street, WHS now sells roughly ? 65 of goods for every ? 100 of custom seven years ago. The demise of Zavvi and HMV in the face of online competition shows it was a brave – and correct – decision. Swann favours the old retail adage: sales are vanity, profits are sanity. By focusing on profitable sales and cutting costs relentlessly, she has boosted profit margins – according to analyst Nick Bubb by an almost incredible 15 percentage points. While other retailers have been pouring resources into the digital world, Smith’s big online strategy is its Funky Pigeon card site. Instead, Swann plans to open more shops, even though they are, to be frank, deeply unpleasant places to shop, stuffed with stock and screaming promotional banners. While the supermarkets have to tread carefully in the products they offer and have been targeted for displaying sweets at the checkout, Smith’s has sold stationery aimed at teenagers and young women adorned with the Playboy bunny motif and Swann’s checkout assistants attempt to force-feed the nation giant bars of Galaxy and chocolate oranges. Her secret? Maybe it’s the low profile. While many rivals enjoy the limelight, holding forth on the woes of the economy, the lack of women in the boardroom and political issues such as the in-out debate, Swann says nothing. She doesn’t give interviews. On Wednesday, at Smith’s AGM, a shareholder stood to offer thanks for her transformation. Asked to respond, she merely said: â€Å"Thank you, let’s move on. † No doubt she will. There will be a queue for her services.

Musical Theatre Essay

What is Musical theatre and what makes it different than any other theatre with music forms, especially Opera? Musical Theatre   The art of music, dance and drama have been linked together since the dawn of time and are still really connected with one another that it is inadvisable to try to tell the difference between them too definitely. Figure 1 – Musical Theatre Performance4 It is rare a production has no music in it whatsoever. Most plays either call for music or may be enhanced by the addition of music. The characters would play or sing, accompanying themselves or accompanied by others. The music in theatre plays in the distance or from on stage electronic source. Usually, live ensemble or live band plays music on stage or at the wing of the pit. The word ‘musical’ started life as an adjective rather than a noun, and there are some people who think it should stayed that way. Musical theatre is a form of theatre that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Musical theatre in Europe dates back to the theatre of ancient Greece where music and dance was included in stage comedies and tragedies during the 5th century BCE. Itâ⠂¬â„¢s a development of musical comedy or opà ©rette. Theatre with song and dance became more popular in the 1600 -1700’s. Soon musical became very popular in France, Britain, and Germany. The music in musical theatre helps to support as a storytelling device. The songs that they use in the play would help to describe their situation or plot or simply describe their feelings.   Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue, movement and other elements of the works. There are only slight differences between all of them, which make it very hard for the people that don’t know anything to distinguish them. Musicals are performed all around the world. They all have similar idea of the performance, just different styles. The countries that perform musical theatre a lot other than America are Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Turkey and China. Figure 2 – Broadway, New York 6 Figure 2 – Broadway, New York 6 They may be presented in large venues, such as big budget West End and Broadway theatre productions in London and New York, or in smaller fringe theatre, Off-Broadway or regional theatre productions, on tour, or by amateur groups in schools, theatres and other performance spaces. The staging for musical theater is not so different from the usual theatre staging. They just have to keep the stage pictures fluid and interesting, and give a central focus to the main character. One difficulty in musical theatre staging is the direct consequence of the use of amplification. The voice are miked and transmitted through speakers in a mix with the orchestral sound, so the audience won’t hear them acoustically. The costumes that they wear depend on the story that they’re telling. The thing about musical theatre is that it’s really free. As long as there are a lot of music and dancing and everything, it is considered a musical theatre. Doesn’t really matter how the stage looks like, or how do the actors dress up like, there are no boundaries. It goes according the type or story. Types Of Theatre With Music There are 7 types of theatres that are very similar or are considered as musical theatre; opera, operetta, comic opera, musical revue, musical comedy, musical play, and concept musical. Figure 3 – Opera Opera is the oldest form of musical theatre. It is â€Å"Total Music†, they do not speak at all, even in conversations. The show is all about the music as in, the music is the main focus and everything else in the production is secondary. Operetta’s music is lighter than operatic music. The singer or actor speaks lines rather than sings them. The plots are flimsy and serve only to connect one song to another. All the plot, character, and acting are incidental to the music. The music must be well written and actors have to be accomplished singers. Comic opera is the offshoot of an Operetta. It is usually humorous or satirical. It is also considered an opera with a happy ending and in which some of the text is spoken. Musical Revue is a type of multi act theatrical enter ­tain ­ment that uses any combination of music, dance and sketches. It is a loosely connected series of production numbers. Figure 4 – Guys and Dolls, an example of musical comedy 7 Musical comedy is a combination between the elements of musical revue and the elements of Operetta. The music is always the most important element. The plots are usually fairly weak. All the characters are more believable. Dialogue they use is clever because it’s also comedic and it has to be creative. The emphasis of Musical Play is on the character. There are real people in real life-like situations. Acting and choreography as well as music are integral to the production as a whole. It usually contains good story, clever dialogue, interesting characters, well-designed choreography, bouncy tunes, and also meaningful ballads. Concept musical is a musical where the show’s metaphor or statement is more important than the actual narrative. It was built around a single theatrical idea. The plot is secondary to situation. Usually, they are a series of independent scene loosely tied together. A director of a concept musical is more concerned about how the show is handled than what it has to say. Telling Opera and Musical Theatre Apart From the slight differences between all of these types of theatres mentioned, most people would still be confused with the difference of musical theatre and opera. Both forms can be comic or serious, long or short, ‘sung through’ or partly spoken. Both may or may not contain dance, choral singing, or other musical-related things like rhymes. Operas tending to be written in classical ‘long form’, with strong sense of overall thematic unity, and musical theatre tends to be written as a succession of ‘short form’ songs. Opera singers mostly use a highly developed head voice when they sing, while musical performers tends to sing more on the chest, but then again, not exclusively so. Musical theatre performers are usually required to sing eight shows a week, and they could not possibly sustain that number of performances without some electronic help, especially when they are competing with electronic instruments on stage. Opera singers rarely sing their roles more than twice or three times a week, almost always without amplification, but even this is starting to change because many opera houses sneaking in subtle forms of ‘voice enhancement’. Conclusion These inconsistent and often insignificant differences between the two forms are more associated with the way the works are perceived by their audiences than with any fundamental artistic quality they might have. Those differences have more to do with the manner in which the two forms are written and brought to the stage than anything fundamental to do with their form or content.

A Report on Bluetooth Headset

Engineering product is the result of the technological advancements within the electronic domain. Bluetooth headsets are also one of these technological advancements (Abreu, 2015). The aims behind innovation of these kinds of electronic products are to make the usage of these products easier than the conventional usages of technology. This report is elaborating not only the usages but also the pros and cons of Bluetooth headsets with respect to its innovative features that have been developed for easier operation. Headsets are mainly used for hearing operations and Bluetooth headsets are nothing but an advanced version of this electronic element (Glezerman & Twina, 2013). First developed headset was used for only a radio that was designed in 1910. The mass production begins for the development of these headsets within the technological era. Next stages introduce the usages of headsets for the aviation industry (Hu et al., 2013). The pilots used these headsets in order to protect themselves from high ultrasonic sound waves. Plantronics MS-50 is the resulted headset that was designed at that time. After this inventions that changed the entire scenario of use of headsets needed to be innovated more in order to achieve more capability with the technological advancements (Hunt & Jacob, 2012). After this electronic development DSP series was introduced in order to provide more efficient features. After all of these inventions the in the year of 2001 Nokia HDW-1 was developed as the wireless headset (Mozer & Mozer, 2012). This incorporated many of the Bluetooth features in order to make the device more effective and compatible with the usages. This was the first invented Bluetooth headset that was invented for the ease of use. In addition to this, after this invention, in the year of 2003, Nokia again invented another model of Bluetooth headset (Ten Cate et al., 2015). This was named as Nokia HDW-2. This new gadget was exploiting the market in such a way that the users get benefitted from various purposes. According to the researches done on the Bluetooth Headsets, it is found that there are various advantages of these headsets (Abreu, 2015). There are more advantages of this electronic element than its disadvantages. These usages of Bluetooth Headsets are being elaborated in this part of the assignment: Hands free mobile phone usages: This is most effective uses of Bluetooth Headsets are that they can be used in order to make the mobile phone use easier than the conventional process of using this (Glezerman & Twina, 2013).  Ã‚   Wireless usages: In accordance with the above mentioned aspects and usages of mobile headsets, any device that needs hearing operation can be used and operated remotely in order to increase the convenience of the user. Automatic operations: Bluetooth Headsets make the operations easier i.e. it makes the system of using hearing device automotive (Hu et al., 2013). Therefore, all of these usages helps the device to be comfortable with the users and also provides effective features. Calling usages: Bluetooth Headsets can be used for calling purpose (Hunt & Jacob, 2012). Bluetooth headsets can be used in order to make calls in an automotive way that will be providing benefits to the users. There are various pros and cons of using Bluetooth headset within the domain of technological use of it (Mandala et al., 2014). In addition to this, these advantages and disadvantages are being elaborated with respect to its predecessors. These are explained as follows: Convenience of communication: With the help of Bluetooth headsets the convenience of communication is increased. Independent on wires: Bluetooth headsets are not dependent on the wire that makes it more compatible for usage (Mozer & Mozer, 2012). Multiuse facility: There are various elements that are inbuilt within the Bluetooth device and make its compact for usage. Affordable pricing: This electronic good don’t have high pricing and it’s reasonable for the users (Qu Zhang & Kim, 2015). Connecting feature: This electronic device is providing the highly efficient connecting feature to the users and with the help of this device any user can easily connect with their mobile phones and laptops that make it more compatible for being used (Ten Cate et al., 2015). Similar functionalities with other Bluetooth devices: In contrast with this aspect, the Bluetooth devices have certain features that are almost same for the Bluetooth headset also. This feature makes these devices more compatible for being use as a popular electronic device (Abreu, 2015). In spite of various pros there are various cons of Bluetooth headsets. All of these cons are being elaborated in this part of the report: Pricing: Most highly efficient Bluetooth headsets are not affordable; they have high range of price. Lower timber: This is most disadvantageous feature of Bluetooth headset (Glezerman & Twina, 2013). For having lower timber most of the music doesn’t use wireless Bluetooth headsets. Mono output feature: In contrast with the above disadvantages of Bluetooth headsets, these are available as the mono output (Hunt & Jacob, 2012). This aspect makes it less compatible. This characteristic creates problem for people who has hearing problems. Bluetooth Headsets are one of the most effective electronic devices that are manufactured or invented in order to reduce the effort and to make the operations easy. In this report, several usages, pros and cons of Bluetooth Headsets are elaborated. In contrast with these aspects, the history of innovation of Bluetooth Headsets has also been described with proper information in this report. Headsets are one very essential electronic device that is used many technical operations for hearing purposes. Bluetooth headsets are the improvised version of the headsets. With the help of this device, the users can easily make their operations easier. All of the usages mentioned in this report will be providing an overview of the usages of the Bluetooth device in the technical field. These helps in innovating many features of the headsets. Abreu, M. M. (2015).  U.S. Patent Application No. 14/594,118. Glezerman, A., & Twina, Y. (2013).  U.S. Patent No. 8,391,792. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Hu, Z., Deng, X., Wen, H., & Guo, J. (2013). Bluetooth Signal Collector Research and Its Application in Pedestrian Traffic Survey. In  ICTIS 2013: Improving Multimodal Transportation Systems-Information, Safety, and Integration  (pp. 754-759). ASCE. Hunt, S. E., & Jacob, M. (2012).  U.S. Patent Application No. 13/353,145. Mandala, M., Colletti, V., Sacchetto, L., Manganotti, P., Ramat, S., Marcocci, A., & Colletti, L. (2014). Effect of Bluetooth headset and mobile phone electromagnetic fields on the human auditory nerve.  The Laryngoscope,  124(1), 255-259. Mozer, T. F., & Mozer, F. S. (2012).  U.S. Patent No. 8,099,289. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Qu, L., Zhang, R., & Kim, H. (2015). High-Sensitivity Ground Radiation Antenna System Using an Adjacent Slot for Bluetooth Headsets.  IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation,  63(12), 5903-5907.

Code of Ethics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Code of Ethics - Research Paper Example This report stresses that discipline is one of the best ways for creating ethical climate within the organization. In case of PAC Resources, this can be observed that the organization considered unconfirmed sales figures in their accounting procedure. It is a completely non ethical procedure for keeping accounts related records. So a disciplinary accounting procedure is required in this regard. Here the organization should take those sales figures which are confirmed by nature and purchase orders of those sales transactions and signed by the concerned end. Management can take strong step in case of ethical violation in case of accounting procedure. This essay makes a conclusion that communication process should be more effective than the earlier days. There should not be any type of communication gap between and employer and an employee. If employees feel free for asking questions to the HR managers then problems can be solved in easier way. Apart from that managers should observe the unethical behavior of employees and identify the reasons behind it. Conducting proper training and developmental program will be helpful in this case. Again if employees can get reward and benefit for their honesty and efficiency then also unethical behavior can be reduced by the end of management. HR managers should act with integrity for the prospect of business. They should at first anticipate the level of expectation of the different related parties from the end of organization and according to that expectation code of ethics should be designed and framed.

Training Plan-Human Resources Director Personal Statement

Training Plan-Human Resources Director - Personal Statement Example The skills required for a diligent financial analyst are: strong knowledge of the basics of Finance and Accounts: analytical skills which do not ditch you at the time of urgency: understanding the complex business processes and finding ways as how they are being reported in the financial statements: the strategic management presented in the company reports and not just blindly following the four financial statements; an understanding of the overall economic situation both country specific and global specific and analysing ‘would be’ changes according to the occurring events; IT skills to work on the spread sheets and good communication skills; along with these skills any person who is aspiring to be a successful employee, needs to be responsible of the job which is assigned to him not breaking the team support which he is supposed to maintain in the company. In the above mentioned list, I was confident that I possess the following requirements: good communication and IT skills, thanks to my prior training in typing speed; a faint view of the global scenario due to my habit of reading newspapers; a fundamental knowledge of accounts and finance, due to the persistent hard work which I have put in for securing good grades. But then, how would I make sure that I meet the other requirements? Though the project work which I have performed earlier in a company gave me a minute idea of the business situations which I may have to face in the future, that knowledge is only permitted to the â€Å"analysis of accounting ratios†.

Some questions to answer in a half page Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Some questions to answer in a half page - Article Example His pranks were smart and funny. Instead of accusing Nixon of misdeeds, Tuck made him look foolish with his pranks. Nixon really could not defend himself against the pranks as he could have against a direct attack on the same issues. Tuck outsmarted Nixon. I think that is funny, because too many politicians take themselves too seriously. Assignment #2:(1/2 page) How did Vince Foster die and do you think the Clinton's were involved? Vince Foster committed suicide a few months after becoming a lawyer during Clinton’s first administration. He was very respected as a lawyer in Arkansas before coming to Washington D.C. After the Wall Street Journal ran a few scathing reports on Foster, he became depressed. His family had remained in Arkansas, so he was alone. I do not believe the Clinton’s were involved in his death. His depression came from coming to the hostile environment from a place where he was highly respected. Washington politics made him depressed, but the Clintonâ €™s did not have anything to do with that. Assignment #3:(1/2 page) Tell me your opinion about why USA invaded Iraq?, 5 reasons. I believe the USA invaded Iraq for several reasons. The first was arrogance. Bush made some demands of Hussein which were not met. If Bush would have realized or understood Hussein and his tribal background, he would never have tried to corner Hussein. I believe Bush thought there were weapons of mass destruction (WMD). After realizing quickly there was not any, Bush’s arrogance kept America in Iraq. Fear led the invasion of Iraq. The fear that radical Muslims could attack America again after 9/11 made the USA invade Iraq. The unsuccessful hunt for Osama bin Laden made the Bush Administration invade Iraq. They wanted to make Americans feel safe by waging a war on terrorism. Finally Bush invaded Iraq for political reasons. He wanted to keep his political ratings high. If he was seen as soft, Republicans would ditch him like they did the more libe ral McCain. Assignment #4::(1/2 page) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/cheney/view/ Watch the entire video and give me one paragraph about it : This video is scary. It shows how close America is coming to a tyrannical society all in the name of fighting terrorism. Cheney believes that the safety of America should come at the cost of losing some of our basic rights. He does not think the Constitution should dictate to a president. The last time I checked only the Supreme Court could determine or interpret the Constitution, not the vice president. Mistakes were made in ignoring the signs of 9/11 before it happened. However if we use 9/11 as an excuse to limit freedoms for Americans, or discriminate against Muslims, Bin Laden has won. Even if not one more American dies, any loss of our freedoms because of 9/11 and men like Cheney makes Bin Laden a winner. Assignment #5:(1 page) Watch the following video. http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1515141.htm Tell me what "Peak Oil" is? When do you think gas will reach: $5.00/gallon $7.00/gallon $10.00/gallon Does government need to address this problem and what should the response be? .. .. Peak Oil is the oil being pumped right before the decline. Peak Oil is between the new oil that pumps out from pressure and the oil manually pumped out with water. The oil worldwide is being used more than is being produced. The video said that 1981 was the last time more oil was pumped than was being used.

Marine Dolphins Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marine Dolphins - Research Paper Example Other dolphins have a varied diet that may include lobsters, crabs, squid, shrimps and fish. The dolphins bear live young ones and feed the young ones with milk. Many marine dolphins are facing extinction due to human activities, but some laws have been formulated to protect their existence (Nakamura 64). Types of Marine Dolphins The major types of marine dolphins are pacific bottlenose, rough-toothed, spotted dolphin and spinner dolphin. The bottlenose dolphins are the most famous of all cetacean species. The scientific name for bottlenose dolphin is Tursiops truncatus. Rough-toothed dolphin has vertical grooves that run from the gum line to the tip. The scientific name for rough-toothed dolphin is Steno bredanensis. Spotted dolphins are of smaller size than rough-toothed or bottlenose dolphins. They have a dark cape that extends from their forehead to the dorsal fin. The scientific name for spotted dolphin is Stenella attenuata. Spinner dolphins are smaller than the spotted dolphin s. The spinner dolphins got their name from their spinning behavior. Their scientific name is Stenella longirostris (Shirihai 77). Adaptations of Marine Dolphins Like other marine animals, dolphins have become adapted to the sea life. Anatomically, the bodies of the dolphins are streamlined to enable them to move more efficiently in the aquatic environment. The streamlined body ensures fast movement of the dolphins as it reduces the resistance of water when the dolphin is moving. The hind limbs of the dolphins have disappeared, and front limbs are developed into flippers (Gordon 26). This helps the dolphin in steering balance and changing direction. The dolphins have a powerful tail, which helps in propulsion. The speed under which the dolphins move at is closely related to the feeding habit of the dolphin. Research has shown that those dolphins that feed on slow moving prey do not exceed a speed of 10 mph. Other dolphins that feed on fast moving fish species usually attain a speed of up to 15 mph. In addition, dolphins have a smooth skin. The dolphin’s skin is thick, hairless and lacks glands. It is kept smooth by the constant slough and replacements. For example, the bottlenose dolphin replaces its outermost skin layer after every two hours. This smooth skin of the dolphin increases the speed at which the dolphin moves. Like other marine mammals, the dolphins have a thick layer of blubber below their skin. This layer of blubber is important since it insulates the dolphins against heat loss. The dolphins rely on their sense of hearing to detect any danger around them. The sense of hearing in dolphin is a very complicated behavior referred to as echolocation. Echolocation is where, a dolphin emits a series of split clicks by its blowhole focusing the sound to the melon and the melon directs the sound pulses in a directional beam. When the directed sound waves hit an object on its path, it is reflected back to the dolphin, and the dolphin detects an obst ruction ahead on its way. Through echolocation, a dolphin is capable of detecting the distance, size, shape and direction of movement of objects in water (Smolker 54). Factors Affecting Marine Dolphin Population Tuna and Dolphin Issue Dolphins and Tuna often swim together. The tuna tries to take advantage of food finding tactics of

CLIMATE CHANGE AN OUTCOME OF ANTHROPOGENIC FACTORS Essay

CLIMATE CHANGE AN OUTCOME OF ANTHROPOGENIC FACTORS - Essay Example The Intergovernmental panel on climate change at the Kyoto protocol determined in 2007 that â€Å"most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations† [2]. Furthermore, based on the assumption that significant anthropogenic warming has taken place over the past 50 years over each continent except Antartica, it has been concluded that anthropogenic climate change is having a significant impact on physical and bilogical systems globally [3]. Climate change is occuring on all continents and in most oceans. Changes in the natural system since 1970 have been occuring where temperature increase has taken place. These changes cannot be explained by natural climate variations alone. This implies that climate change is primarily attributable to anthropogenic factors. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conclude that the earth is warming and tha t humans are probably the cause. Technologies to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and strategies for carbon sequestraion have been found to be essential as species extinction has been found to be related to climate warming [4].

U.S .Virgin Islands Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U.S .Virgin Islands - Research Paper Example The United States Virgin Islands are a group of islands situated in the Caribbean and are part of the United States. The main islands of the U.S Virgin Islands are the Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas. Additionally, there is also a historically Water Island, though it is much smaller, surrounded by many other minor islands. According to the 2000 Census, the population was about 108,612, which mostly consisted of individuals of Afro-Caribbean descent. The primary economic activity is tourism, even though the manufacturing sector is also huge.Originally, the U.S Virgin Islands were occupied by Ciboney, Carib and Arawaks. The islands were given their respective names by Christopher Columbus together with her virgin followers on their second trip to Saint Ursula in 1493. Many years thereafter, the islands were controlled by several European countries such as Spain, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France as well as Denmark-Norway. In 1672, the Danish West India Company occupied S aint Thomas. The following year, it occupied Saint John, ultimately purchasing Saint Croix in 1733 from France. It is imperative to note that the U.S. Virgin Islands were formerly referred to as Danish West Indies. However, in 1916, Denmark sold the Islands to the United States under the Danish West Indies Treaty. Consequently, on March 31, 1917, the Virgin Islands were formerly possessed by the United States and were thereafter renamed the United States Virgin Islands. All the inhabitants of the Islands are given the U.S Citizenship. Types of Businesses or Industries The economy of the islands strongly depends on the U.S mainland. The primary economic activity is Tourism hosting about 2 million visitors. Furthermore, the sale of duty-free products to visitors from the U.S mainland also substitutes the earnings from the Tourism sector. However, there also exist a significant number of manufacturing companies in the islands, such as the petroleum refining industry, textiles, rum distilling, electronics, pharmaceuticals as well as watch assembly. St Croix has the largest petroleum refineries in the world. Additionally, rum is a major product, and earns money from the refunds of U.S excise duty at the rate of about U.S$ 40m per year (West p.753). International businesses and financial services are on the verge of growing in the Islands. Government Type The United States Virgin Islands are under the territory of the United States. Although the population of the United States Virgin Islands is citizens of the U.S., the y cannot take part in the presidential elections. However, they are allowed to take part in the presidential primary elections for the delegates to both the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention. The law that disallows the United States Virgin Islands residents has received outcries from the elites, who claim that they are denied two of the most powerful rights that citizens of a democratic country ought to have; these are the ability to vote and choose their legislators (Todd). Nationally, the U.S Virgin Islands vote and elect a delegate to congress. However, the elected delegate cannot take part in floor votes but can vote in the committee. Virgin Islands People People from the Virgin Islands are known as Virgin Islanders, while those residing at respective islands are called St. Thomain, St. Johnian and St. Crucian as well as Water Islanders. During the early 1600s and mid 1800, the U.S Virgin Island population was majorly drawn from the European a nd African descent. White settlers, mainly from Holland, England, Denmark, Ireland and France, came to operate plantations, run shops and ware houses. African slaves outnumbered the European whites. These were slaves brought to work in the sugar plantations by the Caribbean. English is the official language in the U. S. Virgin Islands. However, a language known as Virgin

A Borderless Education Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Borderless Education - Personal Statement Example A native of Huangzhou, China, the 20 year-old girl who noticeably has dyed her hair into auburn is already in her third year as a Political Science major at London University at central London, just a few blocks away from her flat.It was her parent's idea to send her abroad to pursue college after she graduated in secondary school. She confesses that initially, she was to be sent to the United States were some of her relatives live. Li Ying really did not like the idea of being an alien in another place, more so living far away from her family. But since she had to follow her parents, she finally agreed on one condition-that she go to school in England. Her parents did not argue because they believed UK is known for their high quality education.Her very first day in school was that of a typical newcomer, scary, exciting and confusing all at the same time. But she did not experience stares from her classmates as expected. Maybe because it was already normal for Englishmen to see their kind, whose skin color was not far behind as theirs. She admits that at first, though she knows basic English, (she now has an English tutor) she had a little hard time understanding the Brit accent. "It was after every sentence that I got what they meant. The same thing when I talk. They often could not understand me either. But I've gotten used to it so it's okay now," she confesses. Li Ying admits, studying in England is not that easy. Aside from adjusting to the way of teaching, she had to focus intently and strive hard with the demands of international high standards British Universities offer. This has helped her to become more independent and mature. "I'm very lucky to study in a foreign land and get the best opportunities so I should really make good of my stay here. At least I do my best especially that the tuition fee is very costly. It will break my parent's heart if they learn that I'm not doing any good here. Compared back in my homeland, we are not spoon-fed here. You also have to do some self-study." This is one thing Li Ying admires about education particularly in her university. Aside from London University's good reputation as among the oldest schools in England, there is academic freedom. Cultural shock was also part of her journey wherein she describes British people as less conservative than Chinese. "It's all about adjusting. I mean, that's life. For me, you should learn to understand and adapt for (sic) other cultures just as long as you don't forget or feel ashamed of your roots." British Lifestyle While Li Ying values her studies seriously, social life is also in her vocabulary. "But we do it in moderation," she says. She has met some English guys and admits that they have caught her fancy. She dates once in a while but has not chosen one yet. "Maybe because I'm focused on my studies. Besides, that can wait," she laughs. Chinese or British "It doesn't matter what nationality as long as were both compatible and we understand each other, "she laughs her eyes disappearing again. Every waking day in England she says is getting more

Balance of Payment Essay Example for Free

Balance of Payment Essay Definition: BOT is the difference between the various export and import of visible goods of a country during a time. If the value of visible export exceed than the value of visible import than the balance of trade is said to be in favor. OR â€Å"The value of goods and services bought and sold in the world market.† Cause of Adverse Balance of Payment Since independence of Pakistan, balance of payment condition was not satisfactory. Accept few years, Pakistan is facing deficit in her balance of payment. The deficit is met by the loans. The deficit is increasing day by day. †¢ Import Of Machinery Developing countries are importing machines and technology to improve the industrial sector. It has made the balance of payment unfavorable because the value of capital goods is increasing day by day and we want to industrialize our economy. †¢ Export Of Raw Material Exports of Pakistan depend upon raw material and semi-manufactured goods. The price of raw material is very low in the world market. So our balance of payment remains unfavorable. For instance the product of cotton reduced in 1995 due to virus, so it also affected adversely our balance of payment, because we imported cotton instead of exporting. †¢ Political Unrest Many less developed countries like Pakistan are facing political unrest, which is the main cause of low production. Ultimately balance of payment remains unfavorable. In this situation investors fears to do the investment. †¢ Import Of Wheat Pakistan is facing the food shortage problem and spending a huge amount of foreign exchange on its import. In the past we imported many times like wheat and it has affected our balance of payment. †¢ Increase In The Sick Industrial Units Due to Nationalization a number of units are suffering a loss. These are not producing goods according to their full capacity. The low production has reduced the exports and increased the deficit of the budget. †¢ Domestic Problem Floods problem and Nationalization of industries reduced the production and exports of the country. Up till now majority of afghan refugees is living in Pakistan and most of them have got National identity cards in Pakistan. Characteristic of Under-Developed Country ââ€" ª High Capital Output Ratio Capital output ratio is the relationship in a given economy or in an industry for a given time period to the output of that economy or industry for similar time period. Capital output ratio in developing countries is very high because of uneconomic use of capital resources. ââ€" ª Dependence On Agriculture Most of the less developed countries like Pakistan depend upon agriculture sector. The majority of population is engaged in agriculture. But unfortunately agriculture is hopelessly in a backward stage in the developing countries, the average land holding and per acre yield is low. ââ€" ª Lack Of Capital Another common characteristic of developing countries is that there is a shortage of capital because of low level of incomes, low rate of saving, low rate of investment and unequal distribution of wealth. ââ€" ª Vicious Circle Of Poverty A poor country is trapped in its own poverty. In the less developed countries production per capital income, saving and investment is low, so low investment leads to low production. ââ€" ª Unequal Economic And Political Power For many less developed countries, a significant factor contributing to the persistence of low levels of living, rising unemployment, and growing income unequal distribution of economic and political power between the rich and the poor.  Hoarding In the developing countries like Pakistan, people have the habit of hoarding precious metals, stones and currency. Gold and silver are used as ornaments instead of productive purpose.

Managerial Economics Essay Example for Free

Managerial Economics Essay Chapter 1: Introduction to Managerial Economics 4. Describe the importance of the other things equal assumption in managerial economic analysis. 5. Describe what constitutes a market, distinguish competitive from non-competitive markets, and discuss imperfect markets. 6. Emphasize the globalization of markets. NOTES 1. Definition. Managerial economics is the science of directing scarce resources to manage cost effectively. 2. Application. Managerial economics applies to: (a) Businesses (such as decisions in relation to customers including pricing and advertising; suppliers; competitors or the internal workings of the organization), nonprofit organizations, and households. (b) The â€Å"old economy† and â€Å"new economy† in essentially the same way except for two distinctive aspects of the â€Å"new economy†: the importance of network  effects and scale and scope economies. i. network effects in demand – the benefit provided by a service depends on the total number of other users, e.g., when only one person had email, she had no one to communicate with, but with 100 mm users on line, the demand for Internet services mushroomed. ii. scale and scope economies – scaleability is the degree to which scale and scope of a business can be increased without a corresponding increase in costs, e.g., the information in Yahoo is eminently scaleable (the same information can serve 100 as well as 100 mm users) and to serve a larger number of users, Yahoo needs only increase the capacity of its computers and links. iii. Note: the term open technology (of the Internet) refers to the relatively free admission of developers of content and applications. (c) Both global and local markets. 3. Scope. (a) Microeconomics – the study of individual economic behavior where resources are costly, e.g., how consumers respond to changes in prices and income, how businesses decide on employment and sales, voters’ behavior and setting of tax policy. (b) Managerial economies – the application of microeconomics to managerial issues (a scope more limited than microeconomics). (c) Macroeconomics – the study of aggregate economic variables directly (as opposed to the aggregation of individual consumers and businesses), e.g., issues relating to interest and exchange rates, inflation, unemployment, import and export policies. 2 Chapter 1: Introduction to Managerial Economics 4. Methodology. (a) Fundamental premise economic behavior is systematic and therefore can be studied. Systematic economic behavior means individuals share common motivations and behave systematically in making economic choices, i.e, a person who faces the same choices at two different times will behave in the same way both times. (b) Economic model – a concise description of behavior and outcomes: i. focuses on particular issues and key variables (e.g., price, salary), omits considerable information, hence unrealistic at times; ii. constructed by inductive reasoning; iii. to be tested with empirical data and revised as appropriate. 5. Basic concepts. (a) Margin vis a vis average variables in managerial economics analyses. i. marginal value of a variable – the change in the variable associated with a unit increase in a driver, e.g., amount earned by working one more hour; ii. average value of a variable – the total value of the variable divided by the total quantity of a driver, e.g., total pay divided by total no. of hours worked; iii. driver – the independent variable, e.g., no. of hours worked; iv. the marginal value of a variable may be less that, equal to, or greater than the average value, depending on whether the marginal value is decreasing, constant or increasing with respect to the driver; v. if the marginal value of a variable is greater than its average value, the average value increases, and vice versa. (b) Stocks and flows. i. stock – the quantity at a specific point in time, measured in units of the item, e.g., items on a balance sheet (assets and liabilities), the world’s oil reserves in the beginning of a year; ii. Flow – the change in stock over some period of time, measured in units per time period e.g., items on an income statement (receipts and expenses), the world’s current production of oil per day. (c) Holding other things equal – the assumption that all other relevant factors do not change, and is made so that changes due to the factor being studied may be examined independently of those other factors. Having analysed the effects of each factor, they can be put together for the complete picture. 6. Organizational boundaries. (a) Organizations include businesses, non-profits and households. (b) Vertical boundaries – delineate activities closer to or further from the end user. (c) Horizontal boundaries relate to economies of scale (rate of production or delivery of a good or service) and scope (range of different items produced or delivered). 3 Chapter 1: Introduction to Managerial Economics (d) Organizations which are members of the same industry may choose different vertical and horizontal boundaries. 7. Competitive markets. (a) Markets. i. a market consists of buyers and sellers that communicate with one another for voluntary exchange. It is not limited by physical structure. ii. in markets for consumer products, the buyers are households and sellers are businesses. iii. in markets for industrial products, both buyers and sellers are businesses. iv. in markets for human resources, buyers are businesses and sellers are households. v. Note: an industry is made up of businesses engaged in the production or delivery of the same or similar items. (b) Competitive markets. i. markets with many buyers and many sellers, where buyers provide the demand and sellers provide the supply, e.g., the silver market. ii. the demand-supply model basic starting point of managerial economics, the model describes the systematic effect of changes in prices and other economic variables on buyers and sellers, and the interaction of these choices. (c) Non-competitive markets – a market in which market power exists. 8. Market power. (a) Market power the ability of a buyer or seller to influence market conditions. A seller with market power will have the freedom to choose suppliers, set prices and influence demand. (b) Businesses with market power, whether buyers or sellers, still need to understand and manage their costs. (c) In addition to managing costs, sellers with market power need to manage their demand through price, advertising, and policy toward competitors. 9. Imperfect Market. (a) Imperfect market where one party directly conveys a benefit or cost to others, or where one party has better information than others. (b) The challenge is to resolve the imperfection and be cost-effective. (c) Imperfections can also arise within an organization, and hence, another issue in managerial economics is how to structure incentives and organizations. 10. Local vis a vis global markets. (a) Local markets – owing to relatively high costs of communication and trade, some markets are local, e.g., housing, groceries. The price in one local market is independent of prices in other local markets. 4 Chapter 1: Introduction to Managerial Economics (b) Global markets owing to relatively low costs of communication and trade, some markets are global, e.g., mining, shipping, financial services. The price of an item with a global market in one place will move together with the pries elsewhere. (c) Whether a market is local or global, the same managerial economic principles apply. (d) Note: Falling costs of communication and trade are causing more markets to be more integrated across geographical border – enabling the opportunity to sell in new markets as well as global sourcing. Foreign sources may provide cheaper skilled labor, specialized resources, or superior quality, resulting in lower production costs and/or improved quality. ANSWERS TO PROGRESS CHECKS 1A. The managerial economics of the â€Å"new economy† is much the same as that of the â€Å"old economy† with two aspects being more important – network effects in demand and scale and scope economies. 1B. Vertical boundaries delineate activities closer to or further from the end user. Horizontal boundaries define the scale and scope of operations. ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Marketing over the Internet is a scaleable activity. Delivery through UPS is somewhat scaleable: UPS already incurs the fixed cost of an international collection and distribution network; it may be willing to give Amazon bulk discounts for larger volumes of business. 2. Number of cars in service January 2002 + production + imports – exports – scrappage during 2002 = Number of cars in service January 2003. Number of cars in service is stock; other variables are flows. 3. [omitted]. 4. No, models must be less than completely realistic to be useful. 5. (a) Average price per minute = (210 + 120 x 4)/5 = 138 yen per minute. (b) Price of marginal minute = 120 yen. 6. (a) Flow; (b) Stock; (c) Stock. 5 Chapter 1: Introduction to Managerial Economics 7. (a) The electricity market includes buyers and sellers. (b) industry consists of sellers only. The electricity 8. (a) False. (b) False. 9. [omitted]. 10. If there are scale economies, the organization could product at a lower cost on a larger scale, which means wider horizontal boundaries; and vice versa. 11. Yes. Horizontal boundaries: how many product categories should it sell? Vertical boundaries: should it operate its own warehouses and delivery service? 12. Intel has relatively more market power. 13. (b). 14. Both (a) and (b). 15. Competitive markets have large numbers of buyers and sellers, none of which can influence market conditions. By contrast, a buyer or seller with market power can influence market conditions. A market is imperfect if one party directly conveys benefits or costs to others, or if one party has better information than another. WORKED ANSWER TO DISCUSSION QUESTION Jupiter Car Rental offers two schemes for rental of a compact car. It charges $60 per day for an unlimited mileage plan, and $40 per day for a time-and-mileage plan with 100 free miles plus 20 cents a mile for mileage in excess of the free allowance. a. For a customer who plans to drive 50 miles, which is the cheaper plan. What are the average and marginal costs per mile of rental? (The marginal cost is the cost of an additional mile of usage.) b. For a customer who plans to drive 150 miles, which is the cheaper plan. What are the average and marginal costs per mile of rental? c. If Jupiter raises the basic charge for the time-and-mileage plan to $44 per day, how would that affect the average and marginal costs for a customer who drives 50 miles? 6 Chapter 1: Introduction to Managerial Economics Answer (a) It is helpful to sketch the total rental cost as a function of the mileage (see figure below). The breakeven between the two plans is at 200 miles per day. For 50 miles, the time-and-mileage plan is cheaper. Average cost = $40/50 = 80 cents per mile. Marginal cost = 0. Total cost ($) time-and-mileage plan unlimited mileage plan $60 $40 0 100 200 Quantity (miles per day) (b) For the 150 mile customer, the time-and-mileage plan is still cheaper. Average cost = $(40 + 0.2 x 50)/150 = 33 cents per mile; marginal cost = 20 cents per mile. (c) After the increase in the basic charge, the average cost = $(44 + 0.2 x 50)/150 = 36 cents per mile, while marginal cost = 20 cents per mile. The increase in the basic charge doesn’t affect the marginal cost. 7

Development of Photography in the Media

Development of Photography in the Media Kim Hwang In the incunabula or ‘swaddling stage’ of a medium, certain kinds of conventions are set that later get refined or challenged. Look at photography and/ or the cinema and discuss how these media emerged and then found stable forms. In the beginning, photography was a tough process. Getting a suitable picture required long exposures to the camera and processing time. The use of different materials shortened down the time frame substantially and made it more convenient for people to take pictures. It soon became a process many people wanted to use to capture moments of time. Soon, photographers found that they could manipulate the pictures and form illusions. A picture by an unknown photographer called â€Å"The Ghost of Milton† featured a solid human being with a transparent person standing beside him giving the illusion of the man being a ghost. Since usually pictures captured the real (making viewers felt as though they had been at the location of the picture and had seen what occurred with their own eyes) it made it seem as though ghosts are real. Cinema progressed in a similar way. It started out by simply capturing everyday events such as a baby eating a meal with its parents. It progressed to creati ng illusions by starting and stopping the recordings and adding effects. In the movie Voyage to the Moon the wizards took a trip to the moon and ran into unfriendly aliens. The wizards would hit the aliens with their wands and once hit, they would disappear into a puff of smoke. Even though that would never be able to happen in real life, the movie made viewers think it was actually possible because they were so fully invested in the movie. In these movies the camera was stuck in one location having the actors move instead of the camera. Later on the camera started moving so the viewers can see more of the scenery and feel more incorporated in the atmosphere. It also started zooming in and focusing on certain objects or people as a subtle foreshadowing. In Andre Bazin’s What is Cinema?, he talks about how the director would focus on the actor and his expression, then to food, and then on the actor moving towards the food and let the viewer figure out the storyline. There was also the example of the Kuleshov effect. There would be pictures of a blank faced actor and when paired with a coffin, the viewers would get the implication that the actor was sad. When paired with food, the viewers thought the actor was hungry, and when paired with a picture of a woman, the viewers thought the actor was portraying lust. With these techniques, the movie Triumph des Willens showed the death of a baby without using gore. There was a scene of the baby in the tram, a man with a knife, and a woman wailing with broken glasses and blood on her face. It explained to the viewer the horribly unfair death of an innocent baby without fully writing everything out for them. What does photography take from painting, and what does cinema take from photography? How do older and newer media relate, and in what ways does each new medium relate to and differ from its predecessors? Paintings, photography, and cinema are all connected to one another. Photography learned from its predecessor, paintings. Paintings always had a clear central focus. Since it was such a laborious process to paint a full painting, artists would pick an important object to focus their attention on. For example, Leonardo DeVinci’s painting The Last Supper focuses on Jesus as the center of the painting. All angles of the building in the background and the positioning of the other 12 disciples point as Jesus being the most important person. Photography also taught cinema that the audience has an imagination. Not everything needs to be perfect and realistic for the viewers to ‘see’ what the director wants them to ‘see’. In the book Film: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Wood he talks about a movie depicting a fake cardboard rock structure with a photographed sea. But, viewers still understand that the ship is out in the water and they are seeing it thro ugh a cave and still feel a part of the scenery. Photography also taught cinema the movement of still pictures. Multiple shots of a horse running showed that at one point all four hooves are off the ground, something cinema could never show. But alone, the photographs could never show a horse actually moving. But, flipping through the photos quickly easily shows the smooth gait. Cinema easily used the still shots of photos to emphasize points in the movie and to build up tension. For example, in Gone with the Wind, while Scarlett is running away, she hits an area with fire spreading through a train that was transporting explosives. The horse is frightened by the fire and does not want to move causing the viewers to be nervous, unsure if they will escape before everything blows up. The camera continuously cuts to the box of explosives and one could clearly see the fire moving dangerously closer. As the tension builds, Scarlett finally gets away and the watchers can finally â€Å"bre athe† again. We get similar feelings from just three simple pictures of still pictures of a lion statue in the movie â€Å"Battleship Potemkin†. Sergie Eisenstein used the three shots of the lion in between the footage of the opera house being leveled. The three pictures showed the lion in different positions making it look as if one lion was standing up, representing the people rising out of anger evoking â€Å"emotional and intellectual response†. The use of emotion to get a point across strongly is also taught by photography. Punctum in photos is something that, as Roland Bathes says in Camera Lucida, â€Å"pricks†¦and bruises† the viewers by having something in the photo that does not seem right and therefore it sticks with the viewer. In cinema, they use something similar such as the baby and the violence in â€Å"Battleship Potemkin† that would make the violence seem more intense, making the act of killing the baby stick with viewers. What is the photography effect? Can we discuss a similar â€Å"cinematic effect,† and if so, how would you describe it? Early on, photography was only used to capture the regular. But soon, the photographer Felix Nadar wanted to make something artistic out of the simple photos. But he had an issue, how was he going to make art when â€Å"photography was automatic and you press a button and capture the already existing perfection†? He easily solved this problem by using his signature style of switching up the positioning of the people he was photographing also changing the lighting. Shadows and angles quickly showed up and added a new dimension to each of the pictures. The photograph of Sarah Bernhardt shows clearly what can be done with the correct lighting and positioning. The light hits her from the left side adding in several shadows at the slightest curve. It adds sharper angles on her face emphasizing her already attractive features. As a result, the picture seems slightly more realistic. It feels as if she is sitting in the room, sitting right in front of you as the light comes in from th e side. With humans as the object of the photo, we, as viewers, feel more connected to the picture. Cinema does similar things creating â€Å"a gaze, a world, and an object, thereby producing an illusion† as said in Visual Pleasure by Laura Mulvey. For example, the videos of factory workers leaving the building and made the viewer feel as though they were standing in the middle of the road with swarms of people going around them. It then moves to more interesting and complicated techniques such as the positioning of the camera and the light during black and white movies. In the movie, Double Indemnity the camera moves to different locations in the room, which makes viewers feel as if they are in the room with the couple. Also, since the movie is black and white, the producers needed to make sure the lighting was perfect enough for the film to capture facial expressions. The facial expressions in film were a large part the movie-audience connection. In Gone with the Wind viewe rs watch as Scarlett schemes how to get more attention from her male companion by her facial expressions while trying on the bonnet. Viewers knew exactly what was going on in her mind without words or sound. Photography and cinema used the same techniques to include the audience by making the unreal seem real.

Poes The Cask of Amontillado: A Psychological Analysis of Characters

Poe's The Cask of Amontillado: A Psychological Analysis of Characters Widely regarded as E. A. Poe's finest story, "The Cask of Amontillado" depicts a deed so horrific that for many it defines evil. Edmund Clarence Stedman said of Poe's writings: "He strove by a kind of divination to put his hand upon the links of mind and matter, and reach the hiding-places of the soul". Even though 20th century theories of psychology would not be formulated until many years after Poe's death, he nevertheless delved into the realm of abnormal psychology instinctively and perhaps never with a more terrifying outcome than in the character of Montressor, a man so bent upon revenge that he walls his enemy up in a crypt and leaves him to die. Is Montressor a madman, or is he evil personified? Is Fortunato merely the unfortunate victim of a deranged murderer, or did he entice Montressor to commit the deed? By applying 20th century psychological guidelines, one can speculate that Montressor is not insane per se but is afflicted with a malignant narcissistic disorder which, w hen aggravated by Fortunato's egotism and naivetà ©, drives him to commit his violent act. Fortunato is depicted from the outset of the tale as arrogant and egotistical. Montressor begins his narration by saying, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge" (240). Though the exact nature of the insult is not made known, there are numerous examples of subtle slights by Fortunato throughout the narrative. Perhaps Fortunato is unaware that his comments are frequently demeaning but his remarks make him seem arrogant and uncaring. Early in the story, he indicates his belief that Montressor is not a true connoiss... ...y points to a mental disorder but is not indicative of insanity as we define it. Did Fortunato's perceived insults drive Montressor to commit his crime? Perhaps they did, or perhaps Montressor needed little incentive. However, one thing is certain. If evil can be defined as the death or absence of a soul, then to look upon Montressor must surely be to glimpse the very face of evil. Works Cited Goode, Erica. "Stalin to Saddam: So Much for the Madman Theory." New York Times 4 May 2003: pg. 4.5. Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask of Amontillado." Reading and Writing about Literature. Phillip Sipiora. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2002. 240-244. Stedman, Edmund Clarence. Scribner's Monthly, Vol. XX, May-Oct. 1880, pp. 107-124. Reprinted in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, Vol. 16. GALILEO. . Yen, Duen Hsi. "Shame." 23 May 1997. Noogenesis. 4 Mar. 2004 .

Othello: the Abnormal Behaviors and Happenings Essay -- Othello essays

Othello: the Abnormal Behaviors and Happenings  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   The audience finds in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello a curious collection of abnormal behaviors and happenings. In this paper let us examine in detail the abnormalities.    In her book, Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies, Maynard Mack defends the Moor as one who is not necessarily the victim of a psychological deficiency, as some critics maintain:    What should be noticed in particular is that, essentially, Shakespeare invented Iago; set him down in his dramatis personae with the single epithet â€Å"a villain†; and devoted most of the play’s lines and scenes to showing in detail the cunning, malignancy, and cruelty of his nature, including the cowardice of his murder of his wife. It seems to me therefore impossible to believe, as some recent critics would have us do, that the root causes of Othello’s ruin are to be sought in some profound moral or psychological deficiency peculiar to him. (137)    A more obvious example of the irregular appears in the conduct of Iago. The abnormal behavior of the ancient is partly rooted in his misogynism. In â€Å"Historical Differences: Misogyny and Othello† Valerie Wayne implicates Iago in sexism. He is one who is almost incapable of any other perspective on women than a sexist one:    Iago’s worry that he cannot do what Desdemona asks implies that his dispraise of women was candid and easily produced, while the praise requires labour and inspiration from a source beyond himself. His insufficiency is more surprising because elsewhere in the play Iago appears as a master rhetorician, but as Bloch explains, ‘the misogynistic writer uses rhetoric as a means of renouncing it, and... ...normal psychology. (89-90)    WORKS CITED    Bevington, David, ed. William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies. New York: Bantam Books, 1980.    Campbell, Lily B. Shakespeare’s Tragic Heroes. New York: Barnes and Noble, Inc., 1970.    Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.    Mack, Maynard. Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    Wayne, Valerie. â€Å"Historical Differences: Misogyny and Othello.† The Matter of Difference: Materialist Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. Ed Valerie Wayne. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991.   

Pushing the Gender Boundaries in Sports :: Expository Essays

Pushing the Gender Boundaries in Sports When women and men participate in sports dominated by the opposite gender there is often overwhelming objection to individuals defying the norm. Often women are the people who attempt to participate in so called non-traditional sports. But just as importantly, men are struggling against a similar resistance. An example of this is when men participate on field hockey teams dominated by women, creating positive and negative implications to the game and also socially. However, individuals who make the move across gender boundaries in any sport are helping pave the way for equality in a sector of our society that is still bound to traditional sex roles. Historically field hockey was introduced in the United States to women. However, the game that originated in Europe and is played virtually all over the world is also played by men. The anomaly of only women playing field hockey is just an issue in the US and has lead to the recent controversy of men participating on all female teams from elementary school to the college level. Although title IX requires that equal opportunity for participating in sports be given to both males and females, the debate on the costs and benefits of this statute is still heated. Those who oppose men participating in field hockey claim that their presence on the field will change the nature of the "women's" game. The greater strength of men could make the game more aggressive or even violent, and potentially overpower the female athletes who are participating along their side. There has been a valid and long-standing claim, stating that female participation in sports provides an arena where girls and women can become empowered and gain confidence to face life's battles. Many people see men as a threat to this value suggesting that a mans presence on the field could intimidate the women, thereby dominating the game, and taking away a safe place for girls to grow and find their own strengths. Another argument in opposition to men participating in field hockey, as well as other female dominated sports is aligned with the idea of equality. It is suggested that despite title IX, females have yet to gain gender equality and are still not given the benefits that their male counterparts receive. Therefore, male participation in the traditionally female sports would be giving men opportunities that women are still fighting for.

Globalization Test Questions

Chapter 1 Expanding abroad: Motivations, means, and mentalities True/False 1. The largest MNEs are equivalent in their economic importance to less developed economies such as Tanzania, Estonia or Sri Lanka. Answer: False (Sales of the largest MNEs exceed the GDPs of less developed countries. ) Difficulty: Easy Page: 4 and Table 1-1 on page 3 Topic: MNE scope and influence 2. The process of internationalization followed by most firms is usually well-thought out in advance and typically builds on a combination of rational analysis, planning and implementation.Answer: False (It is more likely a combination of rational analysis, opportunism, and luck. In regards to opportunism, several studies have found that most firms begin exporting due to an unsolicited export order. ) Difficulty: Moderate Page: 9 Topic: Internationalization process3. A joint venture is a contractual mode of foreign entry involving a high level of resource commitment by all partners. Answer: False (A JV will not typically require as high a resource commitment as we would see in wholly owned subsidiaries. In addition, there is significant variability in the level of resources contributed by partners. ) Difficulty: Moderate Page: 10 Topic: Foreign entry mode4. Emerging motivations for internationalization include the desire to enhance the firm’s competitive position and the desir e to develop global scanning capabilities. Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Page: 6-7 and ppt slide 1-6 Topic: Motivations for internationalization5. For an MNE to exist, first foreign countries must provide location-specific advantages to attract the company to invest there, second the company must have ownership-specific advantages that counteract its liability of foreignness, third the company must have the organizational capability to leverage its strategic advantages more effectively internally than externally. Answer: True Difficulty: Moderate Page: 7-8 Topic: Prerequisites for internationalization6. An MNE with a ‘multinational perspective’ will typically be managed as a coordinated federation. Answer: False (It will typically be managed as a decentralized federation. ) Difficulty: Moderate Page: 11-12 and ppt slide 1-13 Topic: The evolving mentality: international to transnational7. An MNE with a ‘global perspective’ will typically manage its operation s centrally. Answer: True Difficulty: Moderate Page: 12-13 and ppt slide 1-13 Topic: The evolving mentality: international to transnational8. An MNE with a ‘transnational perspective’ will typically be managed as an integrated network. Answer: True Difficulty: Moderate Page: 13-14 and ppt slide 1-13 Topic: The evolving mentality: international to transnationalMultiple Choice9. Which of the following correctly describes the sequential evolution in management thinking with respect to the strategic role of foreign operations in emerging MNEs? a. global mentality, multinational mentality, international mentality, transnational mentality. b. international mentality, global mentality, transnational mentality, multinational mentality. c. multinational mentality, global mentality, international mentality, transnational mentality. d. international mentality, multinational mentality, global mentality, transnational mentality.Answer: d (a, b, and c are incorrect because, although they describe the different ways of management thinking regarding the strategic role of foreign operations in emerging MNEs, they do not describe the evolution of this thinking in the correct sequence. ) Difficulty: Moderate Page: 11-14 Topic: Evolving mentality toward strategic role of foreign operations10. A franchise, such as McDonald’s, is a _________ mode of foreign entry. a. low commitment, low control b. low commitment, moderate control c. low commitment, high control d. moderate commitment, moderate controlAnswer: b (a, c, and d would describe indirect export, contract manufacturing, and joint venture foreign modes of entry respectively. ) Difficulty: Moderate Page: 10 (figure 1-2) Topic: Foreign entry mode11. A joint venture is a _________ mode of foreign entry. a. low commitment, low control b. low commitment, moderate control c. low commitment, high control d. moderate commitment, moderate control Answer: d (a, b, and c would describe indirect export, franchise, an d contract manufacturing foreign modes of entry respectively. ) Difficulty: Moderate Page: 10 (figure 1-2)Topic: Foreign entry mode12. Pashpa Co. is a new manufacturer of home appliances. Pashpa wants to go international. Some of the traditional motivations for pursuing internationalization include: a. securing key supplies, seeking new markets, and raising global scanning and learning capabilities b. securing key supplies, seeking new markets, and improving competitive positioning c. securing key supplies, seeking new markets and accessing low-cost factors of production d. securing key supplies, improving competitive positioning, and accessing low-cost factors of productionAnswer: c (a, b, and d are incorrect because ‘raising global scanning and learning capabilities’ and ‘improving competitive positioning’ are not traditional motivations for pursuing internationalization, they are emerging motivations. ) Difficulty: Moderate Page: 4-6 Topic: Motivations f or internationalization13. One motivation behind internationalization is to sustain the firm’s competitive position. To pursue a sustainable competitive position relative to its rivals in the athletic clothing industry, Nike attempts to: a. reempt markets, capture global scale, and secure raw materials b. capture global scale, access scarce knowledge, and match competitors c. match competitors, capture global scale, and preempt markets d. exploit factor cost differences, preempt markets, and match competitors Answer: c (a, b, and d are incorrect because ‘securing raw materials’, ‘accessing scarce knowledge’, and ‘exploiting factor cost differences’ may give a company a temporary competitive advantage but not a sustainable competitive advantage. ) Difficulty: Hard Page: 4-7Topic: Motivations for internationalization14. _________ suggests that in the first stage innovations are produced in the home developed country; in the second stage th ey are exported to other similarly developed countries; in the third stage, they start being produced in these developed countries; in the fourth stage they start being produced in low-wage developing countries. a. Vernon’s product cycle theory b. Johanson and Vahlne’s stages theory c. Dunning’s eclectic theory d. Levitt’s globalization theory Answer: a Difficulty: Moderate Page: 5-6, 8 Topic: Motivations for internationalization15. Which of the following constitutes a list of foreign entry modes that involve the MNE to make a foreign investment a. Greenfield, acquisition, joint venture and capital participation b. Greenfield, acquisition, joint venture and license c. Franchising, acquisition, joint venture and capital participation d. Greenfield, acquisition, cooperation agreements and capital participation Answer: a (Licensing, franchising, and many forms of cooperation may not entail an MNE making an investment. Difficulty: Easy Page: 9-10 Topic: Forei gn entry modes16. OfficeWare Corp. is an MNE that produces and sells office equipment. If the company’s CEO employs a ‘global mentality’ toward the strategic role of the company’s foreign operations, then we would expect that OfficeWare: a. regards its overseas markets as a portfolio of local opportunities. b. leverages its domestic capabilities worldwide. c. regards the world as a single unit of analysis. d. simultaneously responds to local needs, global demands and cross-border learning opportunities.Answer: c (a, b, and d would represent multinational, international, and transnational mentalities respectively. ) Difficulty: Moderate Page: 11-14 Topic: The evolving mentality: international to transnational Essay17. The CEO of Paragon Ltd. wants to take his company international. What are the three big questions he must answer before expanding abroad? Answer: The three questions this CEO must answer before expanding abroad are: a. What market opportunitie s, sourcing advantages or strategic imperatives will drive the company’s international expansion? . How will the company expand its foreign presence – through exports, licensing, joint ventures, wholly owned subsidiaries or some other means? c. How will the attitudes, assumptions and beliefs of Paragon’s employees impact the probability of the company succeeding in its efforts to internationalize? Difficulty: Moderate Page: 1 (box insert) Topic: Internationalization18. Rana manages an Italian fashion design company. What would motivate Rana’s company to internationalize? Answer: i) Traditional motivations might include: securing key supplies, seeking new markets and accessing low-cost factors of production (e. g. labor, capital, etc. ); (ii) Emerging motivations might include: increasing scale economies to offset significant R&D investments, shortening product life cycles, improving a company’s competitive position and enhancing a company’s global scanning and learning capabilities. Difficulty: Easy Page: 4-7 Topic: Motivations behind internationalization19. Briefly explain the product cycle of personal computers using Raymond Vernon’s product cycle theory. Answer:This theory suggests that early in a product’s life-cycle, all the parts and labor needed to manufacture the product will be sourced from the locale in which the product was invented. As the product is increasingly adopted and distributed in global markets, production gradually shifts away from the point of origin. In some cases, the product ultimately becomes a good that is imported into the country in which it was originally invented. For example, in the case of personal computers, during the new product stage, the computer was produced and purchased by consumers in the United States and little export trade occurred.During the maturing product stage, mass-production techniques were developed and foreign demand (in developed countries) expanded . At this point, the U. S. began to export the product to other developed countries. In the standardized product stage, production moved to developing countries, which then export the product to developed countries. Difficulty: Moderate Page: 5-6 Topic: Product cycle theory20. Briefly compare and contrast the Uppsala Internationalization Model and the Born Global Model. Under what circumstances is each model most applicable?Give examples to support your arguments. Answer: According to the Uppsala Model, companies internationalize in an incremental fashion. Typically, they start by utilizing foreign entry modes that require low levels of resource commitment and low levels of control over foreign activities (e. g. exporting). The model conceptualizes subsequent stages in the internationalization process as requiring higher levels of resource commitment and providing higher levels of control over foreign activities (e. g. wholly owned subsidiary). The experience of Toyota is consistent with the Uppsala Model.According to the Born Global Model, some companies are born global, establishing significant international operations immediately or shortly after the company is launched. These firms do not employ an incremental approach. Instead, these firms aggressively pursue internationalization due to their internal orientation or the need to move quickly due to the nature of their products or services. The experience of many internet companies is consistent with the Born Global Model. Difficulty: Moderate Page: 9-10 Topic: Process of internationalization21.Roy is the CEO of a multinational apparel company. How would he conceptualize the strategic role of his firm’s foreign operations if he possessed a ‘global mentality’? If he possessed a ‘multinational mentality’? Answer: If Roy possessed a global mentality, he would view the world as a single unit of analysis and he would centralize the management of the firm’s foreign operatio ns. Thus, he would drive the firm to create products for a world market and manufacture them on a global scale in a few highly efficient plants, often located at the corporate center.However, if Roy possessed a multinational mentality, he would regard foreign markets as a portfolio of local opportunities and manage his company as a decentralized federation. Thus, he would recognize and emphasize the differences between national markets and operating environments and modify his products, strategies and management practices on a country-by-country basis. Difficulty: Moderate Page: 11-13 Topic: Mentalities toward internationalization22. What is an MNE? Give examples to explain the difference between companies that are considered MNEs and those that are not. Answer:An MNE is a company that engages in the active management of substantial direct investment in one or more foreign countries and that considers those investments/operations as integral parts of the company, both strategically and organizationally. Thus, companies that solely rely on import-export business are not considered MNEs. They may be considered international companies but not multi-national enterprises (MNEs). Moreover, companies that passively manage an investment portfolio (as opposed to those that actively manage foreign assets) are not considered MNEs. Difficulty: Easy Page: 2 Topic: MNE definition23.Briefly compare and contrast the four mentalities toward internationalization. Answer: Companies that have an international mentality produce products for the domestic market and only subsequently sell these products overseas. They transfer innovation and knowledge from the parent company to the foreign operators. These companies view themselves essentially as domestic with some foreign appendages. Companies that have a multinational mentality modify their products, strategies, and management practices country by country. These companies view themselves as nationally sensitive and responsive, thu s the term multinational.Companies that have a global mentality create products for a world market and manufacture them on a global level in a few highly efficient plants. These companies view the world, not just individual national markets, as their unit of analysis. Companies that have a transnational mentality are responsive to country-level operations; however, they coordinate these operations to sustain competitive effectiveness and economic efficiency. These companies view themselves as an integrated network. Difficulty: Moderate Page: 11-14 Topic: Mentalities toward internationalization

Diclduybc

Unit 11 Mini-Analysis Consider the following standard and semi-log plots from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Both graphs show the probability (in decimal form) that an Australian woman of age x will die within the next year. | | Remember to use complete sentences on each of the questions below, rounding to four decimal places where appropriate. Save the resulting document in either Word or PDF form and resubmit to the D2L dropbox. Your last name should appear in the name of the file. 1. The standard plot on the left appears exponential.However, by examining the semi-log plot on the right, we see that only a portion of the data is actually exponential. For what ages would you conclude that the probability (in decimal form) of dying in the next year is approximately exponential? Explain. I do not understand the question. The ages that are approximately exponential are 22-90 on the right graph because these lines seem to form a straight line, similar to exponential growth. 2. Assu ming that the points (44, -3) and (70, -2) are on the linear portion of the semi-log plot, create a linear function for Y=log? y) as a function of x. Make sure to show your work. -2+3/70-44 = 1/26 y=. 0384615385x+b y = . 0385x – 2. 5 3. Rewrite your semi-log plot equation from #2 so that it now shows the exponential function that we can view on the standard plot. Make sure to show your work. Y = . 0385x + -2. 5 y = 10^. 0385x * 10^-2. 5 1. 0926^x * . 0032 4. What percent does an Australian female’s probability of death (within the next year) increase every year? The probability of women’s death in Australia increases by 9. 26% each year.

Values and Ethical Beliefs Based on Principles

Values and ethical standards play a very important role in our daily lives at home and work because of what we personally believe in. Values are things that we feel that have an important meaning in our lives. Ethics are the standards of behavior of what our society appears to believe what is right and wrong. My individual values and ethic have slowly developed due to my own personal life’s experiences with family, education, and work. In my reflection paper I will discuss my own personal values, morals, and ethics and relate it to my last job when I was working for a hospital in Arizona. I will incorporate my experience and analyze my moral and ethical principles in an organization evaluation of strengths and weaknesses using detailed examples of circumstances and contexts from the knowledge I have learned so far in my course study with Personal and Organizational Ethics. My personal values play a very important role in my life and they all have to do with what is most important to me. The things that I value the most are my family, religion, education, and my work. Family and religion are my two most important values that I believe to be very important in my life because family is where I have learned most of what and who I am today with my prioritizing my values, ethical and moral standards. My parents brought me up to respect and value family, religion, education, and never to take work for granted. I have had the pleasure of experiencing my parents love and support in all my decisions as an adult. Their love and moral guidance, I believe has helped me set my values and ethical standards. Moral standards include the norms we have about the kinds of actions we believe are morally right and wrong as well as the values we place on the kinds of objects we believe are morally good and morally bad (Velasquez, 2006). I only want others around me to be proud of who I am and what kind of moral and ethical decisions I make not only for me, my family but for my co-workers as well. In the future, if I am to be placed in a supervisor or management position I would want others to respect me due to how I handle certain situations with the best experience in making ethical, and moral decisions not only for them but for the company we work for. In my personal vision and mission statement I believe in honesty and truth. Not only do I believe in my own statement but I believe that businesses should focus on three different kinds of issues: systemic, corporate, and individual. According to Velasquez, 2006 p. 4, a Systemic issues in business ethics are ethical questions raised about the economic, political, legal, and other social systems or institutions within which businesses operate. This would touch on how a business operates when making decisions morality of capitalism, law, regulations, industrial structures, and social practices. Money should never get in the way of making the right decision for oneself or for one’s employer. I believe in the saying, †Å"What goes around will come around. † If I lie, cheat, or steel; it will come around and bite me in the behind ten times greater. If I stand up for the truth and work honestly at my job it will find me later down my life’s path and bless me ten times greater. My personal impression of what I would like others to view me to be in the future when I am a manager is someone that everyone looks up to for advice because they see how open, honest, and my moral along with my ethical reasoning’s are followed by a very strict code of ethics. As a future manager I want to follow and respect company’s policy guidelines and help others know that by doing this you can make a difference in people’s lives and even possibly save them from being fired, fined, and/or imprisoned. I think this is where the ethics of corporation come into play. Instead I want to help get them that promotion or raise they deserve. I’m all about helping others and myself to make a positive change in their values, morals, and ethical decisions based on holding to a code of ethics that is going to help keep principles in balance with today’s’ hard ethical decisions with companies that are located all geographically around the world. I worked as a clerk in the administrational department for five years in one the largest hospitals in Arizona I had the opportunity to experience many situations when dealing with moral and ethical decisions. One example was when I was supervising seven other employees in the administration department. We would take patients personal information such as their current home, work, employment, and insurance data and put it into a personal information program and file it for hospital records. I was also in charge of making sure the patient’s medical insurance were up to date, current, and proper medical billing was accurately inputted into the patient’s records. Once the patient left I would be in charge to take co-pays and then mail them bill for everything that was done during the visit. Now once in a while when a patient left and stopped by my window to check out they would ask questions and I would answer to the best of my ability without giving false or inaccurate information. If you couldn’t guess, most of the questions had to do with money and how much it was going to cost them and if their medical insurance was going to pay for the hospital bill. I had very little knowledge my first year working in the administration and billing department but as I got very familiar with medical terminology and billing codes I could see some discrepancy in how or what was being billed to their records. For example a person that had come into the emergency room for left ankle pain would most likely get a left ankle extra. I would take all their personal information down and of course most importantly their medical insurance information and put it in our data program. After two weeks they would receive their bill in the mail. Sometimes the insurance would pay for the entire cost but some insurance would not so this would put the responsibility of the patient to pay the hospital. Well, I was the one that patients would come and talk to and sit down with and put a payment plan together. They would bring in their bill and we would set out a billing plan. A few people that would request to see their medical records and reports because they just could not believe how expensive their hospital visit added up. Well, in many cases I found that customers disputed their bills because they believed that there was incorrect billing cost. Someone was putting in extra data that was not being done to the patient. Earlier I mentioned a patient that came in for left ankle pain and the doctor ordered one x-ray. Now this doesn’t sound too expensive but patients forget that they are also getting billed for other things than just one x-ray. The hospital will bill you for care by the doctor, nurses, x-ray tech, administration, x-ray machine, materials and products they use to service your needs. After explaining this to a patient most of them would not argue and then see that there is a bigger picture then just getting billed for one x-ray. However, there were a handful of patients that didn’t buy all our billing excuses. They wanted to see their medical records in front of them and see what was charged to their personal profile. This is when a code of ethics comes into play and what I didn’t understand back then from what I now understand today because of the knowledge I have learned from my current class in Personal and Organizational Ethics. There were people working in the billing department that would add on false charges to patient’s accounts just so that their bill would be high enough that insurances would be liable to take on cost to pay the hospital. There are insurances that will not cover cost if the cost does not reach a certain price and the hospital loses out on what percentage should be paid by insurance companies and would solely rely on patients to pay for the care that was given to them. When I was working in the billing department there was about 70 percent of patients do not pay their medical bills to the hospital and if they do it takes years and even decades for them to pay it off because they are only making the required minimum payment amount to the hospital. They work the system this way so they do not get sent to collections or damage their personal credit. If insurance companies or patients do not pay medical bills then the hospital could be at risk and could possibly result in future threats of closing down and putting hundreds of employees out of work. If I was managing an organization I would hope that my social responsibilities would be based on a specific utilitarian principle. Utilitarian principles require that managers pursue those goals that will produce the greatest social benefits and the least social harm (Velasquez, 2006). I would want to conduct business and perform at a level that would be socially and economically beneficial to my organization. My responsibilities would require me to make decisions that would work best for my company and the employees; making sure that no physical or financial harm would come to either one of them and to make sure that the produced goods are being met according to standard. If there would be a situation that would put myself, the company, or employees into a social or economical harm I would do my best to find an effective way to achieve the responsibilities that were given to me because of my position as a manager. Another responsibility that I believe is very important that is required as a manager is to have is the ability to do performance appraisals. It is an important part in the career development. One must obtain, analyze, and record information about the approximant worth of an employee to the organization. In my current job right now, I work at a local bank and my manager sits down with us every 6 months and does a performance appraisal. This is when I, the employee gets evaluated on my personal strengths and weakness. It is also a time for possible promotions, recognition, or the need for more training. In my opinion this is a very effective way that management can relay information back to their employees on how they are doing and what they expect from their employees to make their organization the best not only for themselves but for the entire company. If I was to analyze my previous organization I worked for back in Arizona on an ethical perspective when it came to finding out that extra charges were being inputted into patients billing records I would have to say that it morally and ethically wrong. If the hospital did not input extra charges then the patient’s insurances would not cover a certain percentage of the bill, so therefore the patient would have to pay out of pocket due to their own insurances not covering the cost. The hospital would solely rely on the patient to pay the bill however, because of past experiences the hospital has a good impression that the patient(s) will not pay back the hospital for the services that were provided. Is it morally ethical that the billing department put extra charges on a patient’s records when those procedures were not performed on the patient while they visited; only to help the patient not pay out of pocket so that their insurance would cover the cost of health care. I can see how the hospital is trying to prevent losses by adding on enough charges to the patient’s records so that the insurance would cover the cost instead of the patient going into debt; and therefore limiting the risk that the hospital may go bankrupt by never getting paid due to the patient unable to pay the bill. I have come to know and realize that if I am ever to be placed into a management position I want to portray a positive moral and ethical example to my company, co-workers, and others around me like my friends and family. I believe that there are principles that need to be followed and respected based on moral ethics and how they can relate to a business. In my opinion I believe that dealing with ethics in a business perspective I am following a code of ethics of what is right and not what is wrong. Ethical means accepted standards in terms of your personal and social welfare; what you believe is right (Velasquez, 2006). I may feel differently than another manager who is dealing with the same situation but we both choose to ethically make different actions and decisions base on our own experience and perspective of what is right; however, it doesn’t mean either one of us is wrong. Moral standards include the norms we have about the kinds of actions we believe are morally right and wrong as well as the values we place on the kinds of objects we believe are morally good and morally bad (Velasquez, 2006). For example my moral standards are to tell the truth and to protect innocent people. If my company wants me to lie about a finding on a report; I know that if I do this then I am not following my personal moral standards. Another example is if I know that my company is not disclosing any possible danger or harm to their employees due to the products or equipment that is toxic to their health they are using; then I know that I am not following my moral standards. In too many cases I find that what goes around will come back around. You can only through dirt over it for so long because the rain is going to come and clear away the findings. The truth will always come out sooner or later, and then what will others think of you for making unethical decisions based on moral standards they thought you had and lived by. However, it is possible that I allow myself to lower my moral standards due to unethical persuasions that have come from a higher threatening position that puts pressure on me. Therefore a decision or action could be forced upon me which is an example of nonmoral standards. According to Velasquez (2006), nonmoral standards can be contrasted with standards we hold about things that are not moral. For example my company may threaten to replace me if I do not do what is requested by them. It is possible that I could be persuaded to make a nonmoral decision over my moral standards based on examples like my job is at risk, my pay is good, I have bills and a mortgage, or I have a family to provide for. Nonmoral standards are the standards by which we judge what is good or bad and right or wrong in a nonmoral way (Velasquez, 2006). This is one example of my moral philosophies and ethical principles that I would not like to experience future management decision. Nor would I want to hold onto these kinds of standards in an organization I would be working for now or in the future. I find this to be a very weak characteristic that only hurts my organization reputation, me, and others that I may be leading moral and ethical examples for them to follow. We need to lead by examples in order to continue to make ethical business decisions. In order to change bad management habits or organizational conditions one must realize that there are areas that need improvement and then a plan needs to be developed. In my previous job working in the medical field for over 5 years I experienced highs and lows in regards to how management handled certain situations. Training new employees was something that needed to be addressed. Many new hires were lueless with policies and procedures. They had no experience or skills with the technology that the administrator department used. New employees were not properly trained. They were told and showed one time this is how we take patient’s information, insurance cards and put it into the data system. They missed vital information that was almost impossible to get once the patient left the hospital’s facility and insurances were not notified with in a proper time frame of the patient’s visit. My manager would find missing information and sit one by one and lecture new employees how they were not doing their job right; this sometimes lead to employees quitting and complaints to higher personal that the administration department was not properly collecting the right information from patients. Instead of lecturing new employees and making them feel bad for not doing their job correctly due to lack of proper and adequate training I would set a plan in action to train new employees and set up performance evaluations. My suggestion was to place new employees in a class for at least 1 week prior from starting and have them practice hands on training with our computer system we used when taking patient’s vital information. As a manager I would try to find ways to keep my employees instead of losing them due them being frustrated with not understanding the importance of collecting accurate data on patients when entering into the hospital. Also I found that when my manager would sit most of her employees down in her office she was rude, downgrading, and belittling most of them. When conducting a performance evaluation it would allow the manager and the employee to sit down and talk about what needs to be improved and also what areas have been met. In the five years I worked for this organization, not one time did I get any kind of praise or recognition. Going forward when I become a manager I know how important it is to express to my employees how much they are worth to me and the organization. I would suggest that the management board come together at lease quarterly and do something for their employees like providing a group lunch every quarter to show their appreciation or perhaps allowing the top employees to take off an hour early with pay. There are many ways to show an organization appreciates their employees like a thank you card, or a certificate to a restaurant. It is our job as managers to recognize the hard workers and appraise them once in a while for their commitment and hard work toward our organization. We are a team and one annot get the job done without the other and there is no position better than the other. In a business perspective we’ve seen that values and moral standards play a big role in how we make decisions on a daily basis. We base our values and morals on the importance of what we feel are ethically right and wrong. Our society that we live in is what helps us develop our ethics and keeps our belief strong with what is right, wrong, goo d and evil. My previous work experience and education has helped me develop my own moral standards. In this reflection paper I have discussed my own personal values, morals, and ethics and relate it to my last job when I was working for a hospital in Arizona. I have given examples of what kind of management skills I want to improve on and continue to develop for my future organization I will one day work for. I’ve realized that I must stand strong with my moral and ethical principles in order to be a good manager who will lead by great examples and help other follow in a positive way to use their moral and ethical principles when making important and vital decisions for an organization. I’ve used this course of study in Personal and Organization Ethics to help me evaluate the strengths and weaknesses and I’ve given examples using detailed circumstances and contexts from the knowledge I have learned so far. References Velasquez, M. (2006). Business Ethics: Concepts and Cases (6th ed. ). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.