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Wednesday, July 31, 2019

The Telecommuting and Its Effects

On September 20, 1994, some 32,000 AT&T employees stayed home. They weren†t sick or on strike. They were telecommuting. Employees ranging from the CEO to phone operators were part of an experiment that involved 100,000 people. It†s purpose? To explore how far a vast organization could go in transforming the workplace by moving the work to the worker instead of the worker to work. Today AT&T is just one of many organizations pioneering the alternative workplace (AW-also known as telecommuting) – the combination of nontraditional work practices, settings, and locations that is beginning to supplement traditional offices (Apgar, 121). According to IDC/Link Resources, New York, approximately 8 million Americans currently telecommute. A survey conducted by Olsten Corp., Melville, N.Y., reports that 62 percent of North American companies encourage telecommuting (Riggs, 46). In addition, research shows about 50% of all employees either have a job that lends itself to telecommuting or want to get involved in telecommuting. Most researchers agree that telecommuting growth is fastest in companies employing more than 1,000 and in those with under 10 employees (Harler, 26). Telecommuting came into existence out of necessity. First, increasing global competition has brought pressures and opportunities to businesses, consultants, and service vendors. As a result, the Yankee Group predicts that as many as 80 percent of all employers will have to adopt remote work in order to compete in world markets by mid-to late nineties (Manire, 51). Second, the Information Age necessitates that companies move faster and thus act and react to business conditions sooner. Third, telecommuting has been increasingly enforced at state and federal levels due to the Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970, as amended in 1990. The CAA affects any firm with over 100 employees in areas with â€Å"severe ozone attainment levels†, which covers every good-sized city in the nation (Harler, 27). The Impact of the Internet on Telecommuting The Internet is widely becoming part of the plan when implementing and integrating telecommuting solutions. The Internet can add a powerful dimension to the management of both internal and external information functions and strengthen the organization†s human resource management information systems. Communicating Internally. The Internet is redefining how we communicate at all organizational levels – with individuals, teams and groups, and the corporation†s entire labor force (Kuzmits and Santos, 35). While the Internet is not about to eliminate phones, fax machines, or the U.S. postal service, it will gradually wean us from our reliance on traditional forms of communication, and will reduce the need to conduct one of the biggest time-wasters: face-to-face meetings. This can be effectively achieved by using e-mail, which reduces toll charges on phone calls and rounds of frustrating attempts via voice mail. Internet â€Å"phones†, while limited, currently allows for free communication without the toll charges of traditional phone networks (Kuzmits and Santos, 36). Communicating Externally. With the Internet†s links to millions of computers across the world, human resource professionals can now tap into a rich array of external information resources. There are numerous links to human resources and management associations, consultants, research organizations, and local, state, and federal government organizations. Publishers of human resource information and journals are also on the Internet, providing an important source of articles on current human resources issues and trends (Kuzmits and Santos, 37). Telecommuting provides many benefits to both employers and employees. Telecommuting increase productivity, decrease office space (and thus fixed costs), improved morale, and absenteeism. Disabled workers can benefit enormously from working at home, and can save companies some of the costs of in-depth compliance with the American Disabilities Act (Harler, 27). In addition, the following benefits could be derived: Achievement of the balance between work and personal time Geographic dispersion of staff resources (Berhard, 22). Implements a means to distribute resources strategically and accommodate customers with measurable satisfaction ratios (Berhard, 22). Achieve new levels of operational efficiency Contemporary trend toward executive management using remote connectivity for video conferencing and global access to mission-critical application systems (Berhard, 22). Gives companies an edge in vying for – and keeping – talented, highly motivated employees. In addition, compensation will eventually be changed to reflect the new work environment. The valued role of incentive rewards may increase as a result of the extra hours that employees are now clocking (Hein, 9). Closer teamwork and greater flexibility (Apgar, 127). Value that employees place on increased personal time and control (Apgar, 127). There are also numerous issues and disadvantages to telecommuting that human resources should be aware of and anticipate. Among these include: Human Resources should be able to handle ending an AW relationship, especially if the company feels it must eliminate a person from its program for poor performance. There is difficulty in anticipating deterioration in the employee†s at-home situation. For example, a divorce can result in the company losing an established office address, phone and fax number. What processes is or should be in place to assure invoices or work documents delivered to the former home are forwarded to the new location? Cost considerations for the telecommuter go above the basic infrastructure requirement. Integrating telecommuting into the corporate culture involves cautiously estimating personnel considerations, support issues, long-term investment strategy and productivity standards. Higher recurring expenses and a steeper cost impact to support remote computing. Corporations must start investing capital dollars in security economics-the analyzed loss of corporate information as a result of data piracy. Proper planning and careful review of security procedures helps corporations overcome this problem. The alternative workplace provides both tremendous tangible and intangible benefits. However, as most economists would point out, â€Å"There†s no such thing as a free lunch†. There are many human resources problems and issues that must be addressed before telecommuting can be optimally and positively impacted. Examining the Obstacles to Telecommuting First, companies wishing to utilize telecommuting should uncover any potential obstacles that could deter or impact its effectiveness. During the planning process for telecommuting, it is important to brainstorm to uncover any possible problems or threats. In addition, access to the Internet, inappropriate transmission of potentially offensive materials and electronic mail are also concerns for companies wishing to deploy telecommuting should address (Courtenay, 67). Among the potential obstacles that must be overcome include ingrained behaviors, cultural and system improvements, and legal and tax ramifications. Ingrained behaviors and practical hurdles make telecommuting hard to implement (Apgar, 121). This may result in employees who will resist the effort to this new paradigm. A special concern for human resources should be old-line managers. Old-line managers are one of the biggest obstacles to the alternative workplace. The problem is they manage by observation, not by results (Harler, 27). Managing both the cultural changes and the system improvements required by and AW initiative are substantial (Apgar, 121). Human Resources must â€Å"retool† to support the new type of employee. For example, at Levi Strauss. A family task force was created to assist in reconciling between work and family life. The task force was formed to examine the changing needs of employees in terms of flex time, part-time jobs and other issues. The task force, which meets monthly, is chaired by the CEO, a fact that underscores its credibility and organizational priority (Riggs, 47). Among the system improvements include time management. Managers in an AW environment, particularly one in which employees work from a distance, must also pay close attention to time management. Failure to do so will severely impact the workflow of a telecommuter (Apgar, 128). Companies should look at the legal and tax ramifications of a corporate telecommuting program. Among those legal issues that must be addressed include insurance, liability and workers compensation, and local legal and union issues. What would happen if company owned property is stolen or damaged from a worker†s home? Does the worker†s homeowners insurance cover it, or does the employer? While liability and workers compensation is a concern for employers, the issues have not been totally defined, and therefore not worth of much worry. In addition, court cases have not defined this area (Harler, 28). When companies research local legal issues, they should particularly look at zoning in the employee†s hometown. Some condominium bylaws, for example, forbid working out of the home (Harler, 28).

Home School versus Public Education in Society Essay

Are we aware of what social environment your child thrives in daily? Are the teachers who are educating our children, the right person to get the job done? What are the success rates of our children in the coming future? Are there similarities between public school and home school? Do you know the answers to these questions? There are similarities between public education and home schooled children, but let’s face it, there are differences in who will be educating our children, how much school will cost out of our pockets, whether our children will develop healthy relationships with other children their age, and whether or not our children will become successful human beings in society. This essay examines all your concerns as parents with school-aged children, and what education method may be better for your child’s future. To many parents in society, it always has been a worry that socialization may become jeopardized in a home school bound child. Many people believe that public educated children learn about socialization from â€Å"the school of hard knocks† in a public setting because they have to learn socialization skills on how to act around other children, and teachers, by a trial and error process. Truth is many teachers just do not have enough time in the day to teach every child the correct way to interact with others socially. The good side of social interaction in public schools is that our children do make close friendships in school, and they usually last outside of the classroom walls. On the other hand, in a homeschool setting, each parent has the ability, and time, to teach their own children the correct way to act properly, socially. As long as the parent takes the time to interact with their child and take them to other social events in the community, with other children and adults, the child has an upper-hand to get the best socialization that a parent could teach them. Is this a real life scenario? A study done in 2003, conducted by the Home School Legal Defense Association, discovered that homeschooled children were either as equally, or involved more, in community activities, voting, and employment, than those educated from a public school. The downside to home schooling your child is that they do not get the constant interaction with children throughout their day, and maybe making it harder for your child to make friends near their home. One question to ask yourself, â€Å"Is your home located near other children close to your child’s age?† Public education offers college educated teachers to teach the students, while home school offers the students’ parents to become the educators. For instance, in a public school environment, the teachers are college educated, and very fluent in the area of study that they are teaching their students, so it may be easier to come up with ways to teach the students how to learn and retain the information they are taught. But does every student learn the same? No! Some students need more attention than others, and sometimes one teacher is just not enough for all the students present in their classroom. Whereas, in a homeschool setting, children are given homework and tested by their parents at their discretion of what they may think their child needs to learn more of and test to show they have the knowledge needed on the subject or material. If the parents don’t quite know how to teach all the curriculum materials on each subject, then home schooling your child may not work for you. As long as the student is learning the material, and the parent is not helping the child by giving them the answers, then homeschool is an excellent way for your child to learn. The parent has the full opportunity to teach their child the way they want them to learn, and be proud of them when they succeed in their studies. Success Rates may also vary from both education backgrounds. Boys generally have a higher rate of drop-outs than girls, in every state in the U.S. The National Center for Education Statistics did a study on the classes of 2010, in the United States, and found that 78% percent of students had earned their degree, on time, within the four years they had begun high school. That statistic was an all-time high of the past forty years, however, 1974 was the last year that those graduation rates were actually charted. More importantly, major cities generally have a higher drop-out rate than students from suburb schools. Generally, because of the changes in the economy, students can be seen dropping out to help out their family when times are tough. When the economy gets weak, high school students have a tendency to drop-out of school faster than they might otherwise have done. In 2005, the Education Department started publishing an official estimate of high school graduation rates, and, surprisingly, all 50 states agreed to a standard method of calculating those rates by this year, 2013. Currently there are only 4% of school-aged children home schooled in America. That number may seem quite small to hear, but it has risen up 75%, since 1999, to make that four percent, today. The number of kids, whose parents are not enrolling their children into public schools, is growing seven times faster than students seem to be enrolling in the k-12 school years in public schools, year by year. Although it is harder for non-traditional students, like homeschoolers, to receive scholarships for schools, due to the lack of recognition in their education background, they do, however, enroll and attain their four-year degree at a much higher rate than a public educated student. In conclusion, it does matter where you send your children to become an educated young adult. We need to all consider the positive and negative aspect of the education path we send our children down. There are some questions to ponder when doing so. Think about what environment you want your child to be involved in daily. Decide whether you want to be the educator, or someone from a school. Think about what social environment you think you will see your child truly blossom in. Lastly, decide whether or not it is the right decision for your child, not just yourself and the family. References: Michigan Department of Education (2012). â€Å"Home Schooling in Michigan†. www.michigan.gov Beverly Hernandez. â€Å"Is Homeschool for You?† www.homeschooling.about.com Ellen, Mary. (2012). â€Å"Homeschool vs. Public School: Who’s Better Socialized.† Off The Grid News. www.offthegridnews.com Layton, Lyndsey. â€Å"National public high school graduation rate at a four-decade high.† The Washington Post. www.washingtonpost.com Lawrence, Julia. (2012). â€Å"Number of Homeschoolers Growing Nationwide.† Education News. www.educationnews.org

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Analyzing Fiction Essay

In â€Å"Where are you going, where have you been†, this story makes me frustrated with the main character Connie. She comes off to me as an immature little girl who wants to live the life of a mature woman, but when faced with reality she is still just a little girl. I felt Connie feels the need to rebel or act a different person when she leaves her house and in a sense lives a double life and has two personalities. In the story the author writes, â€Å"She wore a pull-over jersey blouse that looked one way when she was at home and another way when she was away from home† (Oates 325). This was an example of how Connie lived this double life. Connie made herself very vulnerable when she goes out with Eddie and exposes herself as a â€Å"woman† when she is not. What I feel is significant about this piece of literature is the story that is being told and the reality behind it. Many young girls face this kind of reality everyday and don’t have a good outcome. The authors’ intention in the story was to portray a little girl named Connie and show her struggle with adolescence and wanting to become a woman far too fast. The themes that stand out to me in this story are Connie’s constant fantasizing and daydreaming. She is always worried about her appearance and fantasizing about boys, but when it comes down to the reality of actually engaging and being confronted with a man, she reverts to being a child again. Another theme that stands out to me is Connie leaving herself extremely vulnerable. She has her friends’ dad drop them off at a shopping plaza, but sneaks off to a drive in to meet boys. Then she meets with Eddie and hangs out in an alley. This exposes her to Arnold Friend. She portrays herself with a lot of independence, but when she has the confrontation with him at her house, she tries to scare him away with saying, â€Å"But my father’s coming back. He’s coming to get me† (Oates 330). She says this because she is still a little girl and doesn’t quite know how to handle this situation. The reality of this type of story is what makes this piece of literature valuable. The author wrote a story about a young girl wanting to grow up too fast and puts herself in situations that portrays her independence, but then exposes her vulnerability. As a reader, I felt this story is a reality for many young girls. I think the authors’ goal here was to allow the reader to see what many young girls face and how easy it is to be manipulated by a man who has aggressive attributes. It was very creepy for this man to know everything about Connie when they were never formally introduced, but Connie’s appearance led him to believe she was open to her sexuality than what she really was or could handle. References Oates, Joyce Carol. â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been.† Lit. Eds. Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012. 325-331. Print

Looked After Children Essay

A child related reason as to why a child may become looked after is because of disability for example Down syndrome. This is when a child is unable to function in everyday life in the same way as everyone else. Ways in which we could help the child is through specialised care for example using treatments and medication suited to their needs to make them well or to improve the quality of life. Also the child could have interaction with other children who suffer from the same illness as them to help them socialise and feel better about themselves. A weakness of this is that some parents are unable to accept the child having a disability and are uneducated on how to deal with them so this also could be a reason they become a looked after child. Another child related reason as to why a child may become looked after is through committing a criminal offence. This is where the child would commit a crime by breaking the law for example violence and theft. The reason for the child being taken away could be that they are being influenced by other children around the area they live in so to experiment and see if the child is still misbehaved when away from those children they could be taken into foster care. Another example for this is when they are being looked after it could cause them to never recommit the crime and avoids harming other people. In other cases the parent could disown the child for committing the crime. The next child related reason a child could become looked after is through learning difficulties. This means the child has an incapability to learn which doesn’t enable them to move forward intellectually due to delayed development and it could affect everyday life. This is because it could affect the child’s future and independence for example they are unable to learn and so unable to go to college and receive any qualifications and so they are unable to get a job, also there could be limited access to edu cation, sources and resources for the child’s difficulties. The parent may also not be able to cope and think the child is not normal compare to all the other children and this could lead to neglect which could be another reason leading the child to become a looked after child. Behavioural problems is an issue in which could provoke a child to become looked after. This is the range of actions and mannerisms made by the child which are often unacceptable. The reason in why the child may become looked after is because the behaviour could influence other siblings for example if child number one is always badly behaved child  number two could see child one is getting attention and therefore imitate their behaviour. The child could just get taken away for respite care so the parents can rest or for therapy, they do not necessarily have to be put into 24 hour full time care. A family related reason as to why a child may become looked after is because of suspected or actual maltreatment. This is a form of poor care or neglect, if a child doesn’t have basic needs to satisfy them such as food, shelter and hygiene then it would be up to social care workers to make sure they receive this care from becoming looked after. If the child doesn’t receive the correct care and the social care worker fails them then this could cause risk of harm/illness or even death. It could affect their physical, emotional, social and intellectual development. Also could harm the future of the child for example cause the child to become bullied and so therefore they make excuses not to go to school which puts their education at risk and they are unable to get a job from having no qualifications and no confidence. Another family related reason as to why a child may become looked after is through parent illness. This is when the parent is unwell. If they are mentally or physically unable to function or fulfil a child’s needs then this would become a concern for a social work er. If they was unable to take on the roles and responsibilities of being a parent then the reason for this could be the parent struggles financially as they are unable to work due to their illness and so the child may not get his/her full wellbeing this could be a reason they become looked after. Also another reason could be that the parent is dying from cancer and it could be too much pressure for the child to see them deteriorate and so this could be another reason as to why they become looked after. Parental capacity is another reason as to why a child may become looked after. This is when the parent is unable to look after a child for various reasons for example may not be able to afford to look after them, cannot cope with the child and their basic needs. The parent could also have an addiction and so their priorities are not right for example they put alcohol before the child’s food. This would cause great concern for a social worker and so therefore the child may become lo oked after in foster care, or in rest bite care until the parent becomes clean.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Advantages and disadvantages of mixed-presidential systems

Advantages and disadvantages of mixed-presidential systems The term semi- presidentialism was developed by Duverger in 1970 to describe the mixed constitutional system that incorporates aspects of presidentialism and parliamentarianism. The three main characteristics of a semi – presidential systems are that â€Å"a popularly elected fixed-term president exists alongside a prime minister and cabinet who are responsible to parliament.† Semi – presidentialism is unique in that it has a â€Å"a twin-headed executive,† unlike presidentialism and parliamentarianism.This â€Å"bipolar executive,† is a core criterion of a semi – presidential system which has many hybrid constitutional forms and is therefore a highly contested concept.It is possible to have a semi-presidentialist system that is dominated by the president, or by the prime minister or what is known as ‘cohabitation’ when two opposing parties have leaders in the double executive. This was the case in France in 1988 when Mitterand (left) was elected president and Chirac (right) was appointed prime minister. Although there are several forms of semi – presidentialism for the purposes of analysis, this essay will maintain the premise that semi – presidential system is one where there is a directly elected president, who appoints a prime minister that is accountable to the parliament because semi – presidentialist systems â€Å"all have presidents who are elected in a direct or direct-like manner and they all have prime ministers and cabinets who are responsible to the legislature.† This essay will discuss the merits and drawbacks of a semi – presidential system, focusing on the French semi – presidential system and comparing it to the Russian model of semi – presidentialism and the America presidential system. An advantage of the French semi – presidential system is that it relies on a chain of mutual dependence. According to the French Constitution of 1958 one of the presidential powers is that they can appoint the prime minister whose role as the head of government is to oversee the everyday running of state affairs such as â€Å"governmental, administrative, and information services.†This means that as the head of state the president needs the cooperation of the prime minister, and the prime minister the cooperation of the president in order for France to achieve an efficient government. Elgie supports this highlighting that â€Å"The nature of the French semi-presidential system is such that the president cannot exercise power without the help of the prime minister.† The French president has the constitutional right to appoint government ministers to the cabinet, however these ministers are chosen from a list that the prime minister has proposed. An effective government therefore is selected by the president and the prime minister. This dependant relationship is mirrored by the prime minister and the National Assembl y. The prime minister â€Å"is closely associated with the work of parliament and with the conduct of legislative elections,† because they are responsible to and accountable the legislature.This chain of mutual dependence is a positive characteristic of a semi – presidential system because it creates a strong and efficient government. France compared to the American presidency, has a system of checks and balances through mutual dependence that is similar to American system. Both France and the United States have a constitutional system that aims to prevent the executive and legislature having too much power. In the United States this is achieved through the separation of powers which â€Å"encourage[s] competition for the share of governing authority.† The fact that both the legislature and executive approve legislation checks and balances political authority and that prevents authoritarian rule forcing compromise. Similarly in France the chain of dependence for ces compromise and prevents one executive from having too much power and becoming autocratic. In France the checks and balances are rooted in the principle that in order to govern efficiently the prime minister and president need mutual support. Mutual reliance creates political stability in the French semi – presidential system which is furthered by the fact that semi – presidentialism prevents authoritarian rule in the dual executive and the legislature.

Assessment And Examination System Education Essay

Assessment And Examination System Education Essay Abstract This paper aims to compare and contrast the public examination system and the school assessment system in both countries. It also explores the different emphasis and the possible factors of higher mathematics performance of Chinese students as compared to Malaysian students. These possible factors might include: a) cultural and political factor; b) emphasis of the ‘Two Basics’ principle of mathematics education in China; c) the quality of mathematics teachers; d) higher level of teaching content; and e) societal and parental expectations. Keywords: Comparative study, assessment, examination, China, Malaysia Introduction Assessment and examinations are viewed as highly important in most Asian countries such as China and Malaysia. Often, public examination results are taken as important national measures of school accountability. Schools are ranked and classified according to their students’ performance in major public examinations. However, assessment is supposed to reflect the intended curriculum (Wong, 2002) and to show what is valued. Very often, assessment ‘defines in detail what is regarded as acceptable and what methods for solving problems are preferred’ (Kaye Stacey, 2002, p.11). Yet, too much emphasis on assessment and examination may constraint or distort the implemented curriculum. For instance, assessment that focuses on skills will encourage â€Å"the teachers to use the ‘explain and practice’ strategy and the students will resort to ‘practice and memorization'† (Wong, 2002, p.3). On the other hand, assessment that emphasizes on problem solving and proofing may push teachers to use teaching strategies that stress conceptual understanding. Therefore, the kind of assessment may determine the kind of mathematics teaching strategy and thus result in the kind of mathematics learning outcome of students. Why Do a Comparative Study Between Malaysia and China? Malaysia and China are both A sian countries. To some extent, both share a similar cultural background that emphasizes on mathematics education and examination. However, in international assessments, for example, The Third International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat (1997-2001), Chinese students (from Hong Kong [ranked 3rd] and Taiwan [ranked 4th]) performed much better than Malaysian students [ranked 16th]. What are the possible factors? Are Chinese students more prepared for international assessment? Or are Chinese students more equipped with basic mathematical knowledge and skills? Are Chinese parents and society look more highly upon examination than their Malaysian counterparts? We hope that a comparative study on the two countries assessment and examination systems might provide us with some insight as well as act as a mirror to reflect on our own systems. In brief, this paper aims to discuss and compare the various levels of public examination system and the school assessment conducted in both coun tries. In addition, this paper also explores the possible factors of higher mathematics performance of Chinese students as compared to Malaysian students, such as a) cultural and political factor; b) emphasis of the â€Å"Two Basics† principle of mathematics education in China; c) the quality of mathematics teachers; d) higher level of teaching content; and e) societal and parental expectation. A Comparison of Public Examination System in Malaysia and China In Malaysia, the school system is divided into primary level (6 years), lower secondary level (3-4 years), upper secondary level (2 years) and Form Six or matriculation (2 years). There are four major public examinations conducted at each level. At primary level, there is the Primary School Assessment Test (UPSR); at lower secondary level, the Lower Secondary Assessment (PMR); at upper secondary, the Malaysian Certificate of Education Examination (SPM) and at Form Six, the Malaysian Higher Education Certificate Examination (STPM). Nevertheless, the most decisive examination is the SPM. Based on the SPM results, a student may choose to enter Form Six or matriculation; polytechnic or teacher training colleges, private colleges or universities, or to further his/her study in an overseas institution. However, lately the trend has changed to using the STPM results as an entrance yardstick to both local and overseas university. Anyhow, all the examination results are taken seriously by both schools and parents as a measure of school accountability and individual pride. It is a common phenomenon for the mass media to publicize widely the examination results league table with the names of schools and individual student’s outstanding performance.

SAB 361 UNIT 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SAB 361 UNIT 9 - Essay Example Active participation in sports and other leisure activities contribute positively to the total educational process through the development of skills essential for everyday life† (University of Memphis par. 4). has time and again demonstrated a strong and positive correlation between high school sports participation and academic achievement† (3). Hartmann (2008) likewise cited other research studies that supported the contention that involvement in high school or college sports contribute positively to the educational process, to wit: â€Å"developmental theorists have long talked about the character-building and socializing impacts of sport, based upon a correlation between skills and habits required for success in the classroom, sports arena, and daily life†¦ Even more recently, sociologists have begun to explore the role that sports participation plays in community involvement and the cultivation of social capital more generally† (8). These validates that sports contribute positively to the educational process of the institution, as a whole. Hartmann, Douglas. "High School Sports Participation and Educational Attainment: Recognizing, Assessing and Utilizing the Relationship." 2008. LA84 Foundation. 8 April 2012

How new media has changed the way in which individuals communicate Coursework - 1

How new media has changed the way in which individuals communicate - Coursework Example Information and communication technologies are numerous, segmented but that they are characterized by two important dimensions - that of its pervasiveness and the connectivity of the technological platforms/media that is anytime and anywhere. The Internet and the Global Village Unarguably, the Internet is central to the sophistication of information and communication. It has enabled people - through their computer systems and mobile network devices - to be networked together so that they interact real-time. A resident in London, for instance, could chat with a friend from Chile, read an on-going news story about what is happening in Libya and buy some apparel from a manufacturing outfit in China. All these feats could be accomplished at the same time, from the comfort of the Londoner's own home and just with some clicks of his mouse. It is easy to understand how people regard the Internet as a blessing for the sheer reason that it makes life so much easier and for knowledge to be gai ned at the speed of light. Presently, the global Internet users are fast approaching its 2 billionth mark. (World Internet Usage 2011) Because of this, the Internet became a platform for communication as well as a form of digital community that people could take advantage of for whatever objective, cause and purpose they have. For example, there is the issue of online trade or more popularly known as e-commerce. Organizations through the Internet gain access to millions upon millions of consumers to sell goods and services. At the other end of this equation, there are also those millions who turn to the medium in order to find and buy goods and services. Today, trade of all kinds and in all volumes peruses the Internet as an integral part of the sales process because it eliminates several steps and barriers in ordinary trading process. Because of the Internet's capability, production and sale of goods and services has become cost efficient, benefitting the producer and the consumer in the process. The type of communication offered by online infrastructure has provided users a facilitated way by which their economic or commercial needs are satisfied. Online trade and marketing are now so sophisticated that they are permeate people’s online lives. There is also the use of the Internet by marketers, news organizations, cause-oriented groups, and other users that seek to disseminate information so that they could shape public opinion and, hence, influence their behavior and those of the policy networks’. The Internet forms part of many corporations initiative to build brands, cultivate customer relationship and dispense excellent customer service – all designed to gain competitive advantage. Cause-oriented groups could use the medium in their strategy to inform the public about their activities. All in all, the Internet has achieved the status of the traditional media in terms of usage and integrity making it one of the platforms that public c ame to rely on. Information Access If one has to consider the way Internet works - how content could be produced and accessed by several people simultaneously - it becomes easy to understand how it has become a valuable tool in education. Online classrooms, podcasts and webinars are excellent demonstrations of how people tap the Internet to learn. For example, many South Koreans and Chinese used to go abroad in order to learn the English language. Recently, however, an increasing number of online classrooms have become alternative destinations for these learners. Through the

Sunday, July 28, 2019

An Analysis of Amazon E-commerce Business Research Paper

An Analysis of Amazon E-commerce Business - Research Paper Example In the past few years, the field of information technology has experienced an incredible speed of growth. Additionally, these advancements and developments in information technology have brought a lot of changes in the ways people understand, think and carry out tasks in the 21st century. No doubt, information technology has a serious influence over almost all the parts of our life for the reason that it plays a significant role in every walk of life. On the other hand, this amazing growth of information and communication technology has made it necessary for the businesses to make efficient and useful use of innovative tools and technologies with the purpose of surviving in this ever-increasing competitive world. However, the implementations of this modern technology cannot bring perfection in the organizational performance if they are not efficiently planned and implemented (Ellahi and Manarvi). Additionally, the ways individuals and business organizations carry out their everyday activities and survive in the twenty-first century are determined by means of the massive network of countless networks (comprising all the kinds of networks such as LANs, MANs, WANs etc.) that is normally known as the Internet. In addition, without limitations and restrictions throughout the world presence of the Internet for carrying out personal as well as business related tasks such as business deals between consumers and organizations is the basic reason behind the creation of a most attractive trend that is known as the electronic commerce (or simply e-commerce). In this scenario, define electronic commerce as an innovative process of buying and selling services and goods and products. (i.e. performing all the kinds of dealings) electronically by making use of electronic or computer based systems over the Internet, networks, and other digital technologies†. Though, e-commerce is not lim ited to just some of the business dealings but it also involves a lot of other activities that relate to those business transactions including business advertising, marketing, processing payment and offering customer support. In fact, by replacing formal and traditional manual and paper-based methods of business management with electronic methods, as well as through superior information flows in most modern and dynamic ways, electronic commerce does not just provide the businesses and customers with a potential to increase speed of the business processes such as ordering, payment for products, delivery, services and goods but also diminishes the working and supply and delivery related expenses of the businesses (Laudon and Laudon 25). In order to support the e-commerce related activities the Internet offers a wonderful technology known as the World Wide Web (WWW) that is a widespread place for carrying out e-commerce activities, building and implementing most recent tools and techno logies for the businesses to stay in touch with each other and their partners and customers (Norton 371). This report is based on a detailed analysis of a large e-commerce business. For this purpose I have chosen e-commerce business platform ‘Amazon’. In this report, I will discuss an overview of this retail business platform with respect to various other features such as how this e-commerce solution creates competitive advantage for the firm, investigation of how the business unit approached e-commerce solution, e-commerce solutions strategy and what were desired and actual outcomes. In the last, I will also present a set of recommendations. Before we present an overview the Amazon’s e-commerce business, we should be well familiar with the concepts that are associated with e-commerce. The discussion of these concepts will help us better understand

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

Advertising - Essay Example The second way, misleadingness, centers only on buyer convictions. A show of misleadingness requires the perception of false purchaser convictions in con$ intersection with introduction to commercial (Hartley 23). Though deception alludes to a case certainty inconsistency, misleadingness alludes to a belief and truth error. Keeping in mind the end goal to show misrepresentation in publicizing, one must confirm the presence of an error. At costs, this is a straightforward assignment, achieved with numerical sureness. For accessibility, be that as it may, it gets to be more convoluted (Hartley 62). What is the base number of promoted things a seller must have accessible for procurement. The America’s day of independence or Fourth of July is here. It is your turn to change the Fourth of July into Christmas with right marketing campaign and print designs. Nike is here to offer you a chance to attend the public ceremony and win a trip to one of the cities of your choice in the U.S. Around and on July the Fourth, most people participate in the noble and proud national culture and tradition of spending money. Therefore, Nike is here to plan BBQs, post games tailgates, parties, fireworks and expanded weekends just to make sure as an American citizen, you are not left behind in this celebration. The advert convinced to frequently use Hotcard.com products even after the fourth of July. In addition, a good and economical manner to start a fourth of July or day of independence marketing promotion is by operating a direct or straight mail crusade or campaign. Advertising your sales for the day of independence is easy for you. For businesses such as restaurants and clubs, it is time to call for any printing your business might require to advertise or promote your events. For instance, flyer, posters, and club cards are wonderful ways for advertising party, BBQ, or show. During Fourth of July, service and retail firms may need to stage up

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Efficient Markets Hypothesis(Financial Economics) Essay

Efficient Markets Hypothesis(Financial Economics) - Essay Example The random movement argument of weak form of efficiency may not be valid argument as research studies have clearly outlined a positive correlation between degree of tending observed in prices as well as the time period. This therefore clearly outlines that the prices do not follow a random path but rather show certain trends. It is however, critical to note that these period are not relatively long but trends do emerge over certain period of time. Behavioral economists argue that markets are imperfect because of the behavioral and cognitive biases. Imperfections in the market emerge as a result of these cognitive behaviors and as such markets may not efficiently operate. These cognitive biases emerge as a result of overconfidence, information and representation bias and other human errors result into errors in judgments. These biases and human error does not allow investors to value the stocks properly and as such, markets show inefficiency. These errors often result into investors buying the growth stocks and ignoring value stocks and those who can reason correctly can profit out of this situation and hence can beat the market easily. Studies conducted on the Indian Stock Exchange outlines the weak form of inefficiency and suggested that the prices actually do not follow random prices. Various local studies in the developing countries have consistently shown the same results that the markets are weak form inefficient at least in the local developing markets. These studies have clearly shown that the markets may not be efficient in any form of efficiency. These arguments have also been supported by other empirical studies indicating that even the strong form of efficiency does not exist. Stocks having low P/E ratios tend to provide higher returns and thus can allow investors to earn abnormal returns if chosen wisely. Investors developing their studies based upon choosing the stocks on P/E ratio can beat the market. It

Human Resource Management in a Business Context Essay - 1

Human Resource Management in a Business Context - Essay Example This essay focuses on the discussion of the racial discrimination in police, that is one of the problems affected human relations and work productivity. The most insidious prejudices are negative attitudes directed toward groups of people. They take the form of assumptions or generalizations about all or most members of a particular group. This kind of in-group versus out-group hostility that disrupts work unit interactions and subverts organization effectiveness. The behaviors, customs, and values of out-group people are labeled strange or weird. Verbal misunderstandings are frequently the beginning of problems between culturally different police officers. Most police officers fear things and people who are different and they often verbally strike out or physically lash out in an aggressive manner to protect themselves. Aggressive discourse occurs as dominant-group members verbalize negative feelings toward minority-group members, and vice versa. The researcher states that effective communication and diversity training initiatives are the main methods, which help to eliminate racial envy and ethnic differences in police. The absence of positive conversations about particular minorities can usually be correlated to the absence or underrepresentation of these individuals in the workplaces in question. In conclusion, the researcher mentiones that racial discrimination is unlawful and illegal, so police administration should take corrective actions to avoid further dissemination and victimization of racial minorities.

Friday, July 26, 2019

1.Indirect Investing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

1.Indirect Investing - Research Paper Example Such investment points towards the fact that the investors are investing in a product whose performance to a certain extent is linked with the performance of the property. The example of indirect investing is purchasing units in the property funds, purchasing shares in any of the property company that is publicly quoted and contributing to any pension plant that has a property in its portfolio (Indirect Property Investments). Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS): These are considered to be the public property companies that are primarily listed on Stock Exchange. The investors buy shares in these companies that may be traded through the investor’s stock broker. The examples of such public companies are Great Portland Estate, Land Securities and Derwent London plc. The Land Securities is one of UK’s largest property companies that invest in almost all the classes and types of properties present across the country. However on the other hand Derwent London plc only invests in property present in Central London and that too mostly in offices. Unit Trusts: There are several other means of indirectly investing in property. These means may take several other forms that are suited for a number of investors. Some examples of unit trusts are mentioned below: The authorized and unauthorized investment funds can be further divided into open and close ended funds. The open ended funds are the ones which do not have a definite life span, which means that they may go on forever and their units can be traded in the open market. The example of Open ended funds is Standard Life Property Income Unit Trust. The close ended funds may have a definite life span, for instance 10 years. After this duration the property is sold and the unit holders are paid out. The example of Close Ended Funds is Schroders WELput Unit Trust. The investment in office property present in London will come to an end in the year 2023, after selling the whole

Sexual abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sexual abuse - Research Paper Example As such, sexual abuse comes in many different forms and can effect a variety of people. Rape and sexual assault, which are non-consensual, forced sexual behaviors, are the most common forms of sexual abuse and can be found in schools, homes, workplaces, on the streets, and even in churches. Rape is the act of forcing another person to have sexual intercourse with them; sexual assault covers a much broader category of behaviors, including flashing, indecent exposure, and torture of another in a sexual fashion. Inappropriately touching or fondling someone else is also a commonly seen type of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse can also be a verbal matter. When some says sexually suggestive statements to anybody, whether to a child or another adult, and the other person disapproves or is offended by what was said, it constitutes as sexual abuse. Calling someone a derogatory name, especially those that specify a gender or a crude sexual suggestion, is called sexual harassment, which is also consi dered to be a type of sexual abuse. ... Other occurrences of child sexual abuse also include forcing a child to look at pornography or using a child to produce what is known as child pornography. When a child is pressured, or even simply just asked, to engage in any sort of sexual activity, they are being subjected to sexual abuse. Since all children are under the age of eighteen are considered to be under the age of consent, even if a sixteen-year-old were to give an adult permission to engage in sexual acts, that adult can still be held responsible for child sexual abuse. The consequences on the victim of sexual abuse can be devastating and permanent, especially if the victim was sexually abused as a child, as the ramifications can continue well into adulthood. When a child is sexually abused, they face many identity issues, such as feeling guilty or blaming themselves about the abuse, which are very common responses if the child was sexually abused by a close family friend or a relative. Sexually abused children have th e ability of developing post-traumatic stress disorder or borderline personality disorder as they enter adulthood; furthermore, â€Å"victims of child sex abuse are over six times more likely to attempt suicide and eight times more likely to repeatedly attempt suicide (Dinwiddie & Heath).† Many teenage victims of sexual abuse become depressed and resort to self-injury as a physical outlet to cope with the feelings associated with the abuse. Additional ramifications of child sexual abuse on the victim as they enter adulthood include alcoholism, anxiety, and antisocial behavior. They become paranoid and develop trust issues that often lead them to experiencing further abuse. Similarly, many victims can also become prone to future

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Social and Economic Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social and Economic Development - Essay Example Every urban planner and developer has to take into consideration land zoning policies that in most cases, map the different land uses in a city. For example, these land zones indicate where the industries are to be located, where the central business district is to be situated or what land is designated for which public utilities. Furthermore, they must be very careful when determining the value of any land zone as different user will be willing to pay different prices for its utilization. The bid rent function is major determinants of the land rent and prices (Calthorpe & Fulton, 2001). This is because it illustrates how a firm or household is willing to pay for a land at different distances from the market place mostly the central business district. Urban planners must put into considerations pitfalls like the differentiating between public goods and private goods as well as the issue of externalities. Moreover, issues like education, water and sewerage service provisions, transport networks to the CBD to avoid traffic congestion and provision of health services to the urban population should be well planned for to avoid future conflict between the urban dwellers and the local government. Furthermore, proper taxation mechanisms should be structured and well outlined as this is the major source of income for these local governments and without them development and maintenance of the already existing infrastructures would be paralyzed or fail

SIMS Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

SIMS Review - Essay Example As these discounts are likely to be provided on several years terms, it is impossible to eliminate the cash shortage problem by changing these discount immediately. This measure would affect the quality of the patient care in the hospital and make it lose even more money. The company must try to cut down the variable costs of the company which are usually subject to economies of scale. Up to certain point the marginal cost of providing extra unit of care is less than the average cost and thus the company should try to achieve the optimal level of servicing clients and try to cut down the variable costs. The second problem was estimated as giving nurses too high wages as the need for acute nurses was not met. If the increased wages were due to the fact that there was need for such services, this choice cannot also be eliminated and the staff should not be downsized. On the other hand, the best strategy would be to downsize the agency staff costs which are not directly associated to providing care services and thus must be at the optimal level. The agency staff hiring that the optimal number needed for successful hospital operation was estimated wrong and must be revalued as agency or contract staff is usually paid twice as much as regular workers for the same amount of utility they bring to the hospital. The third problem was low medical reimbursement levels which amounted to 70% charged to clients. As the hospital derives approximately 40% of its' revenues from Medicare patients this is a big loss for the company and this reveals that the staff hired to work in this direction is not performing efficiently thus resulting in working capital shortage. As the Medicare payments cannot be changed directly by the hospital and are set based on historical costs, the company can eliminate this problem only by providing efficient system of monitoring in time receiving these payments. The company has also experienced dramatic growth in current liabilities which mean that the company was spending a lot even though no major purchases for the company were made. This means that the hospital is not allocating resources efficiently. The next problem was estimated as unused equipment in patients' rooms which means some strategic mistakes which lead to purchasing this equipment but now it is not used. Together with reducing agency staff expenses the second strategy was chosen to reduce the staff benefits which include health insurance, retirement, salary increases above the market salaries, different bonuses and paid leave benefits. This can be a bad strategy in the long term as the best doctors can leave the hospital but the optimal choice would be to reduce these benefits for the newcomers to the hospital and reward those who add the highest value to the hospital services quality. This will on the other hand give incentives to newcomers to work harder to achieve higher rewards. This will generate sufficient cash flows for the hospital in the short term and will not affect the customer services quality hypothetically and slightly. These two measures of cost reduction will save the company $4,717,000 while the hospital has savings goal of $900,000 and is expected to receive over $2,300,000 in three months that is why it has to generate some cash until

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Personal biography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal biography - Essay Example Armed with the knowledge and skill I gained from university and my determination to succeed, I began my career as an office clerk at Rainbow International Trading in Montreal. My intellect, expertise, and abilities promoted me to a supervisory position in less than a year. This new position widened the scope of my responsibility and in the process, furthered my strengths and competency. Wanting to build another career with a new organization, I served as a communication production assistant with the primary task of corresponding with stakeholders. Part of my job is the transacting with different financial institutions and the creation of spreadsheet reports utilizing my knowledge in accounting and expertise in Microsoft Excel. In 1999, I began to pursue a career in finance by joining the team of London Life as a financial security planning advisor. This position gave me a sense of pride and fulfillment as I was awarded the 1999 Honor Award being one of the only two members employed in less than two years to generate $2 million annual sales credit. To further enhance my skill in finance, I opted to become a sales assistant in RBC Investment Services (Asia) Limited. I went home to Hong Kong in 2001 to manage our family business. Currently, I am a Group Assistant manager overseeing the 2000 employees in our artificial flower manufacturing.

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project Management - Essay Example s paper outlines the activities that can be involved when building a new house. This initiative has been underscored after realizing that it is wise to build a personal house than rely on rented accommodation. There are various factors such as financial issues that are involved in this work. It is also important for the individual involved to procure the place to build a house first before undertaking any construction work. The paper is divided into different categories that outline the different phases that can be involved in building a house. Business case: Financial and other considerations The business case involves building a house and the set budget for completing this project is ?25Â  000. However, a supplementary budget of ?5Â  000 has been set aside for this particular project. In order to complete this project there are different considerations that ought to be taken into account. There is need to procure raw materials that can be used in carrying out this project. There is also need to hire contractors who can execute this particular task. Planning assumptions and external constraints As is often the case when a project needs to be completed, proactive steps such as research, planning, communication, and review are often seen as basic tenets of project success (Josler & Burger, 2005). Basically, the term project is used to describe a set of activities that are linked and they are directed towards the attainment of a certain goal (Hellriegel 2001). A project can also be described as a onetime activity with a definite start and finish. As such, through utilization of project management methodology, a project can be completed within the expected time frame, on budget as well meeting the expected standards that satisfy all the stakeholders who may be involved. In this case, the baseline of the project is to carry out a feasibility study to establish if the project can be manageable. This is followed by outlining the cost and benefit analysis of the pro ject where the objectives are also set. When planning a project, the steps needed to obtain the goals of a project need to be outlined since this gives the team members direction to follow. A risk assessment ought to be carried out. In this case where a project involving the construction of a house is being undertaken, there are external constraints that can be encountered. As discussed in detail below, it can be noted that some of the external constraints may include the unprecedented changes in the price of raw materials used for building the house. Fluctuating labour costs can also affect the project hence the need to put contingency plans in place in order to deal with such a scenario. Options considered There are various external constraints that are likely to be encountered when carrying out a project. However, certain measures ought to be implemented in such a scenario. The last part of the paper outlines some of the contingent measures that can be implemented in case of chal lenges that can derail the progress being encountered. Benefits of building own house There are many

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Case Study Example A firm’s support and analysis of this scenario would reveal that, in the point at which there is a clear distinction between the ‘data’ and the ‘information’ expected from it, the outcome would be the realization of the fact that ‘data’ is nothing but a raw and unorganized collection of facts that need processing in order to make them meaningful and useful. This is a sense that was not being noted in FreshDirect prior to Braddock becoming the CEO; hence, the noted losses in sales, revenue as well as the decline in the customers’ base or numbers (Laudon & Laudon, 2013). Considering this, not unless well organized and put to proper usage, organizational data can be quite useless and meaningless. Therefore, the organization of data so as to produce adequate information would greatly enhance the business cycle and growth of the organization (Wisner, Tan & Leong, 2011). Further still, whereas when the collected data is adequately organized, processed, structured and presented in the required context; thus, making it useful and meaningful, it will be referred to as ‘information.’ In the case of FreshDirect, its business entails dealing with a huge number of customers in a single business day. As such, it would be required to ensure that it accurately takes all their order, delivery time and the locations of delivery. This amount of data is quite huge, and if not sorted out, the likely result would be a total mess and mix-up in orders, delivery and even a cause in delivery times since no proper information is generated to indicate the location of clients so that a truck only serves a region. The success of FreshDirect also required a huge number of human resources for it to run, and a huge amount of data for it to run. Thus, it would make no meaning if the collected data is not enhanced to produce the required information this a failure in the

'Critically examine the relationship between war and underdevelopment' Essay

'Critically examine the relationship between war and underdevelopment' - Essay Example Before analyzing the impact of war on development, the present paper will first provide a precise discussion of factors that cause war. Structural and determinist explanations of the causes of war or violence suggest that circumstances compel people to involve in war. There can be several economic factors relating to grievances, inequality or scarcity; social issues relating to some kind of ethnic, religious or gender differences; or political factors like incompatible claims to power, resources etc. Some other explanations look at the agency problems and claim that war results from the choices that people’s agency choose and their fight is quite rational. If the previous two approaches of explaining the causes of war are combined, then it can be said that people’s choice of getting into violence or war is shaped by the prevailing circumstances, which may be based on some conflicting interests or differing rationalities among groups. There is no doubt that war has numerous negative impacts on social, political and economic life of people. Many people are of the opinion that war negatively affects development of a country or region. Huge costs are involved in war. There are a lot of studies which have described several negative effects of war. Among various types of costs, the economic costs are the most important ones that directly affect the developmental process of a country or region. According to Dreze and Gazdar (Dreze and Gazdar, 1991, p. 930), the economic and welfare consequences that resulted from UN-Iraq Gulf war was more severe than the suffering that resulted directly from the war. There exists a distinction between direct and indirect costs of war on human welfare. Direct costs imply the destruction that the war causes to the civilization, while indirect costs are those that are realized in the later periods. During war several economic strategies are undertaken which produces huge impact, mostly in a negative way on the development. For

Capstone Project Essay Example for Free

Capstone Project Essay Apple has been known to be an inherently personal computer company. However, it is also well known that there is no better example of innovative strategic thinking and execution. Apple’s strategy has remained to creating and sustaining value for customers across the world. Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 and the company never looked back since. However, it is also said that Apple lost the pc business because of ignoring the trends in pc industry. Apple’s business strategy is primarily based on innovation for creating differentiated products. It has built products that are cool to use as well as simple and intuitive. Its products are best known for the amazing experience they provide. However, Apple kept taking calculated risks and entered new markets boldly. It was visible in the release of innovative products like iPod, iPhone etc. Inherently it is a pc company and uses its competencies in developing hardware and software for developing effective, efficient and innovative products. In fact, its iPad, iPod, iPhone and Mac are all computers. (Harris, 2010) Apple’s success is mainly the result of innovative technology and design innovation. In this way we can see that Apple has enjoyed continued success in the market through innovation and matchless design. Apple’s vision is also based on continuous innovation which is visible in the products it makes. Its mission is also to be the leader in the digital revolution by making revolutionary products. We know that Apple is the market leader in terms of most innovative electronic products and the customers’ choice also. The business environment for Apple Company is highly competitive both domestically and globally. (Harris, 2010) However, its products qualify as global products and are preferred by customers all around the globe. In fact it is through innovation that the company has remained a global leader in terms of technology. Its iPhone took  the world by storm in 2007. Apple has strong capabilities in product design and engineering as well. In fact the smart phone boom was sparked by Apple through its release of iPhone in 2007. Initially, the market was shaped by the customers in US and other developed markets. However, the growth for smart phone market is now coming from the Asian and developing countries mainly. However, if anyone is challenging its position then it is Samsung which has emerged as a competitor for Apple. Till a few years ago, Samsung was just trying to catch up in the smart-phone market. Now, apart from being the world’s largest technology company by revenue, Samsung has set Apple on its back foot. It is now trying to overtake Apple. Samsung’s galaxy series became the customer’s preference soon after entering the market. In fact Samsung is considered to be the best when it comes to learning from its competitors. But they also remain customer centered at the same time. In fact Samsung keenly observes what its competitors are bringing to the market. It keeps a watch over the recent trends and does not take much time to release its own version of the innovation. (Nisen, 2013) Apple also has a huge cash pile, but when it comes to taking risks and putting the money behind it, Samsung appears to be far ahead of Apple. Apart from that Samsung also spends a larg er part of its revenue on research as compared to Apple. It spends 5.7% of its revenue on research as compared to Apple’s 2.4. Actually, Samsung is a diverse business that is made of chips, displays and a variety of other technology. Its main benefit to Samsung comes in the form of the ability to compete on price and offering features which others cannot. However, it is important to note that Samsung is more than just a smart-phone maker. It is a conglomerate, a manufacture as well as the world’s largest chip maker. These factors play in Samsung’s favor. Many of the components of the smart phones are made by Samsung itself which gives it a cost advantage. (Nisen, 2013) When we compare Samsung with Apple we can see that Apple relies on external partners, which sometimes also leads to difficulties and delays. Though Apple has a well-managed and futuristic supply chain, yet it does not have the cost advantage like Samsung. One important factor regarding Samsung is that it has provided many lower end options for the developing world. In case Samsung continues to bring game changing products to the market like its Galaxy series, it can move from a close second to being the market leader. Samsung’s advertising expenditure  is also quite high which has really paid it as well. Samsung has been successful domestically as well as globally. Its most products especially the galaxy series has taken the markets in the developing world by storm. (Nisen, 2013) Apple is considered to be the market leader in the computer software and hardware industry. The main reason behind its growth and success over years are the innovative products it has brought to the market. One of the most important strengths of Apple is its incredible brand loyalty. It has a very high number of brand loyal customers. These customers will even line up before Apple stores at night in freezing cold to be the first to lay their hands on a new released iPhone, iPad or Mac. Strong financial strength is also a major strength off Apple. Apart from these things Apple is also known for its strong brand reputation and strong advertising and marketing teams and its retail stores. We already know of Apple as the leading innovator in the mobile device technology. However, apart from the above mentioned strengths there are some weaknesses also. As analysts have mentioned without Steve Jobs in leadership, the pace of innovation at Apple has slowed down a bit. Recently it also faced problems from its main supplier and producer Foxconn which led to unwanted difficulties and delays. So, its reliance on external suppliers gets to be one of its primary weaknesses. Apart from that Apple operates in a highly competitive industry and the competition sometimes affects its margins also. Its profits are also affected due to similar but low priced offerings from its competitors. Another important weakness which generally goes in the favor of its competitors is that its products are generally high priced. This all has also led to a decline in the market share of the company. However, despite all the above mentioned weaknesses it can certainly not be denied that Apple is a customer focused, futuristic and innovative company and it is certainly due to its focus on design and innovation that the company has a vast array of opportunities ope n before it. Its main opportunity lies in the growth of smart-phone and tablet market. Increased demand for iPhones and iPad also brought new opportunities for Apple. With iPad mini the company has also set its foot in the small tablet market. Despite the innovations it has brought till now to the market, the company has still significant room left to innovate further. In fact its opportunities lie in continuous innovation. Release of the TV is also being  seen as a great opportunity for Apple to amaze its customers which it does like no one else. However, it is not easy to be and remain the market leader and it holds true regarding Apple also. Apart from that its reliance on external suppliers has also proved a threat for it. Competitors like Samsung have the cost advantage since they produce their parts themselves. This is a major threat for Apple which it cannot afford to neglect. The company is increasingly threatened by the price pressure from Samsung over key components. Samsung’s main strength lies in its diversified product portfolio. In fact the company has a really large product portfolio which includes mobile phones, tablets, TV, camera, pc, printers and many more items. In most of these product categories Samsung itself holds a significant market share. It is today the number two in terms of market share in the cell phone industry. Not just this Samsung was able to catch Nokia’s market share by superior innovation in smart phones. Apart from that Samsung has also remained ahead consistently in terms of design and innovation. A very important strength of Samsung is that it has been able to take advantage of the markets of growing economies. In fact it has been able to obtain a large market share in the growing economies because of its low end products. Another key strength of Samsung is that most of its products can easily be integrated with various software’s. It is not so with Apple and its devices are generally not compat ible with different operating systems. Apart from being known for its innovation and design, Samsung is well known for its relatively cheap products. Added to all this is Samsung’s global brand recognition. But apart from its strengths Samsung has some weaknesses also. Firstly, it is not as ahead in terms of software and hardware as Apple. It does not have either its specific operating system or software. It is a very important advantage for Apple and to become the number one in the industry Samsung would need to beat Apple. Apart from it, Samsung is focused on making too many products and its profit margins are also very low. Its competitors like Apple are the largest buyers for its electronic equipment’s also. Still there is a large pool of opportunities lying open before Samsung which is mainly due to increased demand for smart phones in the developing economies. Its galaxy series has been a great hit globally. Apart from that demand for quality products from Samsung has also risen greatly. The expansion of tablet market has also brought new  opportunities for Samsung and the company has also obtained large benefits from it. The main threat before Samsung is the fall in the prices of smart phones. Samsung faces increased threats from Apple because of its innovative technology and design also. Apple’s release of ITV is also being seen as a threat for Samsung. Technological change is happening rapidly and Samsung will also need to innovate consistently to remain at the position it is. Price wars as well as decreased margins also bring additional threats for Samsung. Generally companies have to adapt their business strategies and products to different cultures when they are trying to sell to various countries with different cultures. This is referred to as globalization. However, this thing does not become very important for companies like Apple which sell nothing but innovation. English is a global language and Apple’s designs are generally simple and easy to use. As such Apple does not face great difficulties trying to adapt to various cultures and its strategy roughly remains the same across cultures. As we can see that cultural differences do matter in business. Yet, Apple sells the same iPad in Tokyo as it does in Toronto. (Jacobs, 2010) Instead of competing on localization, Apples competes on the pace of innovation across cultures and countries. It is due to its pace of innovation that today it is a global brand. However, the case is different for Samsung, which is said to design globally but adapt locally for success. Every day it ships millions of products to customers around the world. Samsung believes that it is important t to understand the local culture to meet the local needs. It is necessary to understand the local culture to understand the customers’ preferences. One important example of its globalization strategy is its establishing of Lifestyle research labs in various countries including UK and India as well as Singapore and China. (Samsung, 2013) Apple has some distinct organizational competencies which differentiate it from others. Its competencies include its business model, corporate culture; focus on customer as well as control of the entire ecosystem. Why Apple is generally able to generate lots of buzz is because of its fastidious attention to design like its founder Steve Jobs. Most importantly it is the ability and practice of putting user experience first that keeps Apple ahead of others. Apple is known for being customer focused and it reflects in the success of its pr oducts. Apple is known for its design and ease of use. Its iPhone is  in fact a great example of the same. Apart from innovation and technology there is one other core competency that is the key driver behind Samsung’s success. Samsung believes in building an organizational culture of learning and development. Samsung has also established a work culture that promotes learning and development for its employees. The company has also established a Creative Development Research Institute System to provide its employees with the opportunity to pursue creative ideas. This initiative is aimed at encouraging the employees to develop creative ideas and be more entrepreneurial. Samsung has a highly diversified product portfolio and it is also in more places than Apple. But it sometimes also results in diverted focus. If possible Samsung should try to limit it so that it can focus on specifically important products. Apart from that Samsung would need to invest much more in innovation and desig n to pull customers off iPhones. It will also need to go beyond marketing and just bigger screens. Samsung has been concentrating on offering cheap products for the markets in developing countries. Yet it remains to do more on innovation as the technological market keeps changing rapidly. Samsung will need to specifically concentrate on design and better technological innovation. Apple has been winning due to its focus on innovation and design. However, it is not having a very significant advantage which is of producing the components for its iPhones. It is also relying on external suppliers and it leads to difficulties and delays. Apple should especially concentrate on its suppliers. In this backward integration can be highly helpful for Apple. In this way it will be able to have better control over its suppliers which will minimize delays and other difficulties. Apart from that it will also provide Apple with significant cost advantage. Apple has in fact used forward vertical integration to reach closer to its customers. It has opened Apple stores in multiple countries around the world. Apple is thinking of opening newer Apples stores in the markets it has tapped newly. In fact it does not just bring Apple closer to its customers but is also an example of effective corporate level strategy. The popularity and demand of Apple’s products is high. As a result Apple is trying to reach a larger number of customers through its own stores, since scalpers jack up the prices. However, the strategy that worked in the favor of Apple was that of diversification. Apple diversified itself from computers to consumer digital lifestyle and  entered the mobile phone market also. Since then it also brought a vast range of game changing products to the market which became highly successful. In case of Samsung the backward vertical integration strategy has worked. Many of the components that go into the smart-phones are made by Samsung itself and the company also gains significant cost advantage due to it. Apart from that this strategy also benefits it by allowing it higher flexibility in terms of what and when it produces. In fact Samsung’s business model is based to a great extent on this competency. The corporate governance structure of Apple is designed keeping in mind effective decision making as well as appropriate monitoring of compliance and performance. The board of directors at Apple oversees the CEO and the senior management. This monitoring is done in order to ensure ethical and operation of Apple Inc. In fact it is an efficient method to monitor that the top management is working ethically and properly. Apart from that this method also ensures that there are no frauds or manipulations as well as prevents any problem at the corporate level. Apart from that the board also conducts a self-evaluation to find if the board and its committees are working properly. The compensation committee does an annual review of the executive performance including the CEO. This review is also evaluated by the board to ensure the CEO is providing effective leadership to the company. The board of directors at Samsung is composed of seven members of which four are external directors. This ensures the independence and transparency of the board’s decisions. The board of directors also meets regularly to discuss management issues and other important things. The directors are not allowed to engage in business activities in the same industry without approval from the board. It has been done especially to minimize any risk of conflict of interest or unethical behavior. Samsung is a company considered to be over hierarchical and also to be dominated by its founding family. There has been significant criticism of its governance structure. Firstly, the company should stop its owner centered managing system since due to it the company cannot remain independent of its chairman. The rights of minority shareholders as well as economic justice get eroded in this system. Samsung will need to change this structure. (Kim, 2012) The company should follow a structure where th ere is more transparency related to ownership. Apart from that to improve its profitability and sustain its position, Samsung will need to invest more and  move further in terms of innovation. It will also need to move its focus from products to customers. In case of Apple, it will need to adopt its business strategy to obtain cost advantage like Samsung. One major drawback of Apple is that its products are very costly generally. In this regard Apple should go for backward integration to obtain significant cost advantage. Apart from that the company should continue to focus on innovation and design to remain competitive. Apple has been using forward vertical integration successfully but it also needs to use backward integration for further success and managing costs. Pressure from competitors like Samsung is rising and company will need to be focused on managing the price issue to beat the competition. The smart phone market is currently driven by two factors. These include large screens as well as cheap products. However, Apple currently provides none of these. Despite not being the most attractive segment cheap devices still drive the sales volume. A number of second tier Asian brands have also started eating into Apple’s market share. The fight between Apple and Samsung is going to be really hard. Apart from it both companies will also have to fight hard for their respective positions in the market against the emerging challengers. Apple’s target continues to remain the high end market. It has still held itself from releasing a low cost product since it may eat into its profitability. Currently, Apple and Samsung are the only vendors who have their market shares in double digits. Yet, their combined market share fell in 2013 which denotes that the road ahead is going to be tough. Still, the two are the most dominant players in the global smart phone market. In fact the decline was largely due to inability of Apple to grow according to the broader smart phone market. However, it is still the market leader. (Osawa Grundberg, 2014) But on the other side it cannot be denied that Samsung has been inching closer through its strategy of innovation and price competition. In fact if Samsung is able to manage its winning spree as it did in case of Galaxy smart phones, it will grow at faster pace than Apple. Apple would have to pay attention to certain other things also apart from differentiation through design and innovation to retain its leadership position. Still, taken together these companies seem to be dominating the smart phone market and will continue to for the coming years. References: Nisen, M. (2013). Samsung Has A Totally Different Strategy From Apple, And Its Working Great. In Business Insider. Retrieved September 6, 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.in/Samsung-Has-A-Totally-Different-Strategy-From-Apple And-Its-Working-Great/articleshow/21250813.cms Jacobs, E. (2010). Navigating cultural differences. In Financial Times. Retrieved September 6, 2014, from http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f3e2f464-937e-11df-bb9a 00144feab49a.html#axzz2w9RbDZqJ Samsung Designs Globally and Adapts Locally for Worldwide Success (2013). In Samsung. Retrieved September 6, 2014, from http://global.samsungtomorrow.com/?p=28148 Osawa, J., Grundberg, S. (2014). Apple’s Smartphone Market Share Drops as Samsung’s Edges Up. In Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/01/28/apples-smartphone-market-share-drops-as-samsungs-edges-up/ Harris, M. (2010). New Product Markets†¦create and dominate them Apple style! In Harconllc. Retrieved September 6, 2014, from http://harconllc.com/wordpress/wp- content/uploads/2013/04/DominateMarketsAppleStyle.pdf Kim, L. (2012). Samsung’s family battles over corporate governance, will it be a risk? In Quamnet. Retrieved September 6, 2014, from http://www.quamnet.com/newscolumnistcontent.action?articleId=2323716request_loc le=EN_US

Skills and Characteristics of Mental Health Human Service Workers Essay Example for Free

Skills and Characteristics of Mental Health Human Service Workers Essay Skills and Characteristics of Mental Health Human Service Workers Human service workers are people who are chosen to work with people. Human service workers help clients become more self-sufficient. The workers are there to help what issues the client is currently experiencing to be handled with some ease. Human services workers evaluate and plan, put the plan into action, and provide emotional support (Moffat, 2011). These workers help in the mental health care because they allow the person to become a part of their treatment and believe that someone is on his or her side. Human service workers work in many capacities in the mental health care system and other agencies. They have to meet clients at the level in which they understand and operate. They not only help the client, but also help bridge family input to help the client adjust. Human service workers become vital in the recovery process. Human Service Workers in the Mental Health Service are social workers who strive to make better options for their clients. They help the client obtain the treatment they require and in some instances if family connections are needed they help restore him or her. Human service workers become a part of a client’s life until he or she can enter mainstream America and survive on his or her own. Surviving on their own may not always be an option and the assistance of other agencies, families, and workers are vital to the clients survival. The human services worker is like a life coach to the client. Each session has to provide them with a life skill and an assignment for them to complete. This is part of the recovery process because there is an ending to this process. It is done in stages, and it is a lesson learned every time. The human services worker becomes a part of the client’s life but must recognize that once the session ends he or she progresses on to the next client and assist them with their concerns. The client has to know that in that moment that he or she matter. Personal characteristics of people differ for those of a career in human services. Human service workers have to understand that a career in this field is a calling and not a choice. To work with people and make them feel as if they matter is a calling and not something they choose to be good at. Human service workers have to be personal, friendly, willing to go the extra mile, and fight on behalf of the client. The person has to relate to people and understand his or her level to understand. The characteristics that I feel are most important are able to meet people on their level and know that sometimes you have to change your manner of speech. Empathy is a characteristic is useful in being a human services and one that I do not show very often. I have sympathy, but empathy is something that I personally have to work on. In addition to the empathy leadership is a characteristic and the most important is communication. You must be able to communicate with the client, your peers, and other agencies to complete your task of helping your client. Empowerment would be a huge characteristic as well. This will give you a feeling of being able to do what needs to be done within your scope of available resources. This makes human service workers effective in the jobs they do and meeting the needs of the clients they assist. I know you must separate your personal feelings from your professional feelings. An effective worker knows how to separate them and make sure that the lines do not cross. Human service workers are needed to help with facilitating the assistance that some clients need and without their help agencies would not be able to be effective. Human service workers have a definite position and the must also exhibit certain characteristics that make them worthy of the position they hold as well as the work they do. The thought process for human services can occur in different manners. Most agencies that provide human services are nonprofit. One of the largest nonprofit organizations that help in human services is the church. They may not provide mental services but the do provide assistance and are also able to direct individuals as well as families to other agencies that may also offer assistance. The church in its capacity may provide living arrangements, food vouchers, or even some travel expenses. The church will help those in the community it is in or the members who attend. The church I am most familiar with is my church. The church has a benevolent committee that assists members as well as others in the community. If there is a need the church tries to fulfill that need. Our benevolent committee will meet with the person who has a need, such as paying their electrical bill. The person needs to provide a copy of his or her electrical bill for review. They also have rules and guidelines as well and one rule is that you cannot request the assistance of the committee but one-time within a 90 day time frame. Special circumstances occur in agencies whether private or public services and will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Example of how services are provided. A family had come to the area, and they were struggling. The husband was the only one working at a minimum wage job, the wife was pregnant, and he and she were about to be evicted from his and her apartment. The attended church but no one knew his and her struggle. Upon learning in their struggle it was learned that they did not have a fully furnished apartment. Our benevolent committee was notified of this and went into effect. They assisted in getting the apartment rent current, paid the electrical bill, and other necessities bills that were not current. The family was then taken to the grocery store and other cleaning supplies. The church family, which was not a part of the benevolent committee but saw the need went into effect and donated furnishings to the family, which included living room furniture, dining room furniture, and bedroom furniture. These items were much needed and the family truly appreciated them and as things occur when you believe in a higher power the husband was offered employment that allowed him to leave his minimum wage job. The services of the church as a nonprofit human services advocate shows that help is available. Mental Health Services are most commonly linked to human service workers. Mental Health Services can be a good option to some, and it can also follow under corrupt actions by family members who abuse the assistance offered. The good is offered by mental health services and the human service workers who work on their behalf is funded by the states. Human service workers who work for the state and help families apply for services and funds that are available for their way of living. The state funded agencies will allow clients to have housing at a reduced amount as well as qualify for Medicaid, food stamps, and a government checks. These checks give the client a level of freedom and a normalcy to living. Social Security Disability (SSI or SSDI) is offered to families whether they are children or adults. Not everyone qualifies for these benefits, but it is the job of the human services worker to help with filing for these services and the individual to supply the worker with the information needed to ensure services are provided. I know of a child who was born prematurely, and she was able to obtain SSI benefits due to her being born before the mothers estimated due date. This provided the mother the option to purchase items needed for the child. The above is the good that comes from receiving SSI. There are some corrupt individuals who receive disability checks. I say corrupt because the person who helps oversee the individuals that receive the checks does not use them in the manner in which who are supposed to. The human service worker does not have any control over the individuals and who they designate as his or her caretaker. I know of a family in which they receive five SSI checks in their household. However, the person designated as the caretaker does not take care of the individuals who receive the checks. Their household bills are never current and they never have enough to make ends meet until the end of the month. However the caretaker does just enough to keep the family a float and uses the majority to take care of her family. For example the family in which the five checks are disbursed to have had to move from a three bedroom home to a two bedroom home because they were evicted. The eviction did not come due to the monies not being available, but because the monies were not used to pay rent. The family runs the risk of their utilities disconnected every month as well as the cable television services. The family also receives food stamps, but whenever you visit the family they are always hungry. The amazing thing in this is that the caretaker was recently able to have two new cars added to her household that require a monthly payment yet the caretaker is not willing to provide any transportation services for the individuals who receive the disability checks. This issue is a common known issue among the family yet when the other family members approach her she rejects this information. Adult protective services have been contacted and visits have been made to the house. The caretaker however is always able to pull off a well taken care home. The case manager assigned to the family cannot make any changes to the way the house is run because the person whose name appears on the check is within her sound mind. The effects this type of behavior has on the human services worker is that they work so hard to obtain services for the individuals, and the services are not being disbursed properly. The human services must make sure that in their evaluation they take into consideration the needs of the client and that the needs are being met. Human services workers can be seen as saints in the eyes of some clients and the devil in eyes of others. Human service workers must have the insight to determine legitimate cases yet it is not totally up to their discernments. Human services workers require some type of documentation to support their finding. The findings can be related to mental health services, medical services, and household services. The services have to be justified because many of these services are provided by nonprofit agencies. Everyone wants to feel as if they matter. I believe the goal and the priority of the human service worker. The client has issues or he or she would not have been looking for the help. The skills that the human service worker passes on to the client are useful and become useful to the client. The client begins to gain some self-respect and self-esteem about themselves. They start approaching life differently.

Monday, July 22, 2019

The price of gold has increased in the Indian markets Essay Example for Free

The price of gold has increased in the Indian markets Essay The gold prices have been constantly increasing in India due to the spot demand before the marriage season, currency movements and the traditional investment patterns. The constant depreciation in the Indian currency and a change in government policies are supporting a steady rise in the price of gold. Earlier, there was a flat rate of Rs. 300 for 10g on gold. But now, due to the change in the government policy on import duties, 2% is charged on 10g of gold. This change in the government policy will increase the import duties on the metal to nearly a double, increasing its prices. Gold is denominated in US Dollar; change in the value of US Dollar will hence reflect the price of gold. The steady depreciation in the value of US Dollar due to the ongoing recession has led to a weak trend in gold in the global markets. If the price of gold is valued higher in any other currency, it shows us that the demand for gold is high and hence increasing its value. The below graph shows the depreciating value of gold due to the depreciation of US Dollar. http://www.kitco.com/LFgif/au0365nyb.gif Even though there is a weak trend in global markets, the price of gold has increased in the Indian markets due to the high pick up on spot demand ahead of the marriage season. The price of gold has gained Rs. 25 from Rs. 28, 245 per 10 grams. ETF in India saw the highest net outflows in last 52 months. Investors observe recovery in stock markets which helped gold prices increasing. This high trend of gold in the Indian market can be explained as an exception to the law of demand i.e. the increase in the price of gold is increasing the demand for the metal. Indians are the biggest buyers of gold in the world. Gold imports reached 958 tons in 2010, and in 2011 gold imports were still high despite the increase in prices. Gold can hence be considered a Veblen good. A Veblen good is one whose demand continues to rise in spite of an increase in its price level. Therefore the normal law of demand is not applicable here. Such goods are known as goods of conspicuous1 consumption because people regard them as status symbols and there is an inherent passion towards this precious metal. A normal demand curve slopes left to right downwards. But as shown in the diagram above, the demand curve slopes upward, and when the price of increases from P to P1, the quantity demanded increases from QD to QD1. Hence, gold can be considered as a Veblen good. Although, the prices of silver is facing a weakening trend in both the Indian and the global markets due to the same ongoing recession. Silver has fallen by Rs. 800 from Rs. 57,700 per Kg in the Indian market and by USD 6.70 from USD 1704.60 in the global market. The below graph shows a fall in the prices of silver in the global market. In the Indian market, silver doesn’t have high value status as much as gold. This is because people do not have a high inherent passion towards silver. Almost all electronics are configured with silver. The precious metal is used in everything from automobiles to alternative energy needs. But due do the reduced off take by industrial units, silver is facing a fall in both demand and its prices. http://www.kitco.com/LFgif/ag0365nyb.gif Even though the weak trend in silver, the demand for silver coins has been the same as the people in India buy these coins for good luck and prosperity. In conclusion, gold and silver are both facing a weakening trend in the global market due to the world economic uncertainties. But, in the Indian Market, gold is having a high trend whereas silver has a weak trend. As gold is continued to be purchased high in India due to its snob value status. A Tighter Regulation 1. Gold and silver are the two most popular commodities traded on Indian commodity bourses. 2. FMC may ask exchange to tighten monitoring and receive weekly data on trade volume. 3. National commodity exchanges say such measures will help strengthen investor trust in the market. 4. The only downside of stricter regulation is that it may reduce bullion trading volumes.