Government Regulations for Small Firms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Government Regulations for Small Firms - Essay Example This paper illustrates that very often small business is positioned as small fish in the ocean, where only strong sharks can survive due to strict conditions, rapidly changing the environment and high competition. On the other hand, in the modern globalized world being an owner of a small business warrant the need to have a strong position to withstand the challenges and hardships in case business owners’ rights are not protected. Government protection is cited as one of the major prerequisites for achieving success and profitability in small business. Simultaneously, small firms are obliged to comply with the \ laws and rules developed by governments to assist economies and citizens. Unfortunately, even with the presence of sophisticated small business policies, the interests of small firms tend to be neglected; this is particularly the case of economies in transition. However, to understand whether or not government regulations benefit small businesses, the concept of regula tion has to be understood. Regulation plays a crucial role in the market. Very often this role is diminished. There is a need to promote regulation in order to advance relations within the market and develop the market economy in general. Regulation should not be positioned as a restriction imposed on the performance of the small firms. On the contrary, regulations have the potential to positively affect small business performance. More often than not, firms claim government regulations to be an important impediment to small business growth. However, most of these claims are too general to be valid. Only 36 percent of small firm owners have been successful in identifying the factor that impedes their development, whereas the rest tend to blame governments just because they impose their rules on games on businesses.

Global Staffing Systems Essay Example for Free

Global Staffing Systems Essay In the article Designing and Implementing Global Staffing Systems: Part I Leaders in Global Staffing, Wiechmann, Ryan, and Hemingway propose several components of global staffing systems and also provide us with similarities and differences among the global staffing situations at several MNC’s. They analyze six multinationals—Agilent Technologies, Dow Chemical, IBM, Motorola, Proctor and Gamble, and Shell Oil. One thing common to nearly all the companies is the use of recruitment software. Additionally, an interview is an integral part of the hiring process. Other companies use tests as a measure of employee aptitude and one company even uses a training program to train candidates for the interview. What makes these successful is the global nature of both recruitment and hiring. Agilent uses universal questions that are asked of all candidates as part of the pre-screening process. They also post jobs internally at the same time as posting externally. If two candidates present with the same qualifications, and one is internal, and the other external, then the internal candidate is hired. Dow Chemical uses a model that provides training for the applicants. Additionally, like Agilent, Dow uses an internal hiring practice that allows employees from all but the highest management to self-nominate for jobs within the company. Dow also uses a standardized testing procedure that requires that the test administrators receive testing prior to administering the test. IBM uses an aptitude test to select entry level technical applicants. The test is multi-lingual, and a testing guide is created to help interpret the test results. Motorola also uses a standardized testing procedure that has been validated over 11 countries and five years. Proctor and Gamble uses a scorable application, but then also utilize an English proficiency test. Shell Oil uses an English-only approach to testing, as they use English in all their business dealings. As noted, most of these companies do utilize an interview strategy in their hiring practices. There are similarities that have been noted in the practices of the companies in their hiring practices. The use of assessment tools and interviews in hiring is common to all the companies. In terms of differences, the use of English-only tests as indicated by Shell Oil show that some companies are interested in maintaining a global language for business. Others give their assessments in the native language. Additionally, the use of employee recruitment software is sporadic, but used within the constraints of the company. What can be learned from this? We can learn that MNC’s learn about employees not just through the traditional face to face interview, but through assessment tools that are objective and adjusted for the cultural norms of the society in which they are administered. We can also learn that companies exhibit due diligence when they hire, and to that end they tend to get a better quality of hire and that improves the overall efficacy of the company.

The Reverse Product Cycle Model Of Service

The Reverse Product Cycle Model Of Service In this essay, I will be evaluate the effectiveness of reverse product life cycle as a theory of innovations in service and to find out if there is alternative model that does a better job in this. To answer the question, I will first look at some of the major characteristics of services and how they compare to that of manufactured goods; I will then look at the three different approaches of service innovation theories. Next, I will look at what a normal product life cycle looks like, how it can be used to explain innovations in manufactured goods. After that, I will look at the different stages of reverse product cycle and evaluate it effectiveness with the help of examples. I will also look at some of its limitations and questions raised by other authors. Finally I will look at the four dimension model of service innovation to find out if it is a better alternative than that of the reverse product cycle. Goods and services are often mentioned in the same sentence, while there are many similarities between the two, they are actually very different. Services are something that is intangible offered or sold to customers; it is not something that can be contact physically. When people purchase a good, they actually own the product after paying for it. But this is not the case in services. Good examples of services are public transports, mail deliveries, insurances, retail banking, and broadband internet. Here we can see, these are products that cannot be owned even if you pay for it. The differences between goods and services are so huge and obvious; it is not surprised to see the innovation processes of the two are hugely different too. Innovations in manufactured goods are often related to innovations in technologies. When it comes to research and development, manufacturing companies focus on improving the technologies and performances of their products. However innovation in services mainly focuses on improving the design of the services instead of the technological aspects. Tekes, a Finnish website defined service innovation as the following : Service innovation is a new or significantly improved service concept that is taken into practice. It can be for example a new customer interaction channel, a distribution system or a technological concept or a combination of them. A service innovation always includes replicable elements that can be identified and systematically reproduced in other cases or environments. The replicable element can be the service outcome or the service process as such or a part of them. A service innovation benefits both the service producer and customers and it improves its developers competitive edge (Tekes) Although innovation in manufactured are much more well known than innovations in services, there were a number of models, theories or frameworks which was produced over the years in order to help and explain the nature of services innovations. These theories and models can be fitted into three different approaches. They are service-orientated approaches, integrative approaches and technologist approaches. In this essay, we will focus on Richard Barras reverse product cycle which falls into the technologist category, it is important to note that the technologist approach is the most common approach out of the three, it focuses mainly on bringing in new equipments and technical systems into service firms and industries. Reverse product cycle was introduced in one of Barras articles named towards a theory of innovation in services which was published in the Research Policy journal in April 1986. Barra realized at the time the importance of services industries in the economies and that most of the economic theories of innovation focuses exclusively on manufacturing goods. Because of this, Barra decided to develop a theoretical model that explain innovation process in services industries. (Gallouj. F 1998) Before we explain how the reverse product life cycle can be used to explain innovation in services, we need to first understand how the normal product life cycle operates. Product life cycle can be separated into four different stages: they are 1) the take-off or introduction stage, 2) the growth stage, 3) the maturity stage and finally 4) the decline stage. (QuickMBA) During the introduction stage, the companys main objective is to promote the product therefore potential customers become aware of the existence of the new products. The product at this stage is new to the public, and its performance is often superior compare to alternatives. The price at this stage is usually high in order to cover the production costs, and the volume of output is often low. The competitive edge at this stage lies in the performances of the product. The nature of the innovation process here is product innovation (QuickMBA) The growth stage, during this stage, customers are well aware of the existence of the product and a number of competitors has emerged, these competitors will offer products with similar performances and merits. the main goals for firm at this phase is to increases or maintain market shares. The price at this stage is often lower than that of previous stage and the volume of output increases also. In order to gain a competitive advantage over its rivals, a firm will focuses on improving the quality of the product which can be done by adding additional features. The nature of the innovation process here is radical. (QuickMBA) Maturity stage, during this stage even more competitors has emerged. The market starting to become saturated. The price of the product will further decrease as there are more competitions around, and the level of output greatly increases. The nature of the innovation process at this stage is incremental. The competitive focus here is to reduce production costs which leads to lower price and increasing output as much as possible therefore selling more units which leads to higher profits. (QuickMBA) Decline stage, this stage is reached when the market is totally saturated and the products technology become established. There are always the threats from newer and more advanced technologies here. When a new technology emerged, the whole cycle begins all over again, with the old technology declined and new technology introduced. (QuickMBA) In his article, Barras argued that the product life cycle as a whole is not driven by one single force. He suggested that early on in the cycle, technology push driving force is predominant where as later on in the cycles where the nature of the innovations are incremental, the predominant force is usually demand pull force generated by users. (Barras. R 1986) Now we understand how product life cycle can be used to explain the process of innovation in manufactured goods, we will now look at the reverse product life cycle which is concerned with innovations in services. Reverse product life cycle works in a complete opposite direction compared to the normal product cycle. The first stage of the cycle involves incremental innovations which aim to increase the efficiency of existing services. The second stage of the cycle is concerned with radical innovations where innovations are focused on improving the quality of existing services. The third and final stage of the reverse product cycle is focus on developing a totally brand new service that is significantly different compared to other services in the industries. (Barras. R 1986) To have a better understanding of the reverse product cycle, we will look at a few examples that were illustrated in Barras articles. The examples we will look at are local governments, insurance companies and accounting companies which are all in the services industries. During the first stage of the cycle in the 1970, companies were applying mainframe computer technology in services organisations. The purpose of the application is to improve efficiency as well as cutting down the demand for labour in services sector. The application of computer technology was employed by insurance company to computerised records of policies. It also provides computer audit techniques as well as internal time recording for accounting companies. Finally it was used by local governments to computerise personnel records and payroll. The applications of mainframes computers had greatly increase the efficiency in these three sectors, it has cut down the demand for labour by a considerable amount. The nature of innovation is incremental and the type of investment is considered to be in the capital deepening nature. The full effects of the mainframes computer became fully conscious to companies by 1979 which lead to the reverse cycle entering the next stage. (Barras. R 1986 ) In the second stage which was round the 1980s, companies began applying mini and micro computer technology in the services industries. Local government used the technology to computerize house waiting list. Insurance companies began to provide online quotations in branch offices. And accountancy used the technology to computerized accounting management and book-keeping services. The mini and micro computer technology is radical rather than incremental; it improves the effectiveness of the services instead of just the efficiency. Unlike the previous stage, the type of investment is considered to be capital widening investment and it has no impact on the demand of labour. (Barras. R 1986) In the third stage of the reverse product cycle, the focus is not on improving the quality of the services anymore; instead it is about creating totally new services. At this stage, companies concentrates on developing a new service that is different and better to other services in the industries. By doing this, companies can create a completely new market. Back to our examples, networking technology was developed in the 1990s and was employed by insurance companies, accounting companies and local governments. This networking technology provides users a full online insurance and investment services. For accounting companies, the networking technology allows companies to offer a completely automatic audit and accounts services. For the local governments, viewdata system became available to the local residents to get public information services. Like previous stage, the investement type here is again considered to be capital widening, however the nature of the innovation is no longer j ust a process, instead it focuses on product. It is important to point out that this stage has a positive impact on labour, increasing the demand of labour and level of employments. (Barras. R 1986) Once the new technology is established and adopted by public, just like the normal product life cycle, the reverse cycle will start all over again and start at stage one again where innovation nature would be incremental and focuses on improving the efficiency of the new product. (Barras. R 1986) Now that we understand how the reverse product cycle operates, it is important for us to examine its validity in explaining innovation is services. In an article named Innovation in reverse: services and the reverse product cycle which was published in the European Journal of Innovation Management in 1998, the author, Professor Faiz Gallouj pointed out the limitations of the model in the third stage. Gallouj argued that the model sees innovations as products. But in services, the product is in fact a process, therefore it is difficult for a process to be explained in a model that was originally designed to explain a product. (Gallouj. F 1998) Gallouj pointed out that Barras model are drawn from case studies that focus only on information and telecommunications technologies in vanguard services sector. And because of this, Gallouj raised two questions in his article. The first being if the model is valid for all vanguard services? And the second question is if the model is valid in explaining technologies other than information and telecommunications? (Gallouj. F 1998) There are evidences to show that the reverse product cycle does not apply to all vanguard services. The first example is legal consultancy in France which is clearly a type of services. An empirical study carried out by Gallouj suggested that legal consultancy in France does not appeared to show a reverse product life cycle. This is because consultancy is not open to technological information and it doesnt handle codified information. Having said that, there are signs of innovations in this activity, but the nature of innovations doesnt fall into the ones in the reverse product cycle. (Gallouj. F 1998) The second example is notary, microcomputers and fax machines were introduced to these services but these innovations are only incremental, there are no signs of radical and product innovations. (Gallouj. F 1998) These two examples have shown that the reverse product cycle isnt really valid for all vanguard services. Barras model is only valid in explaining vanguard services that are greatly influenced by technological evolution. (Gallouj. F 1998) We will now look at the second question raised by Gallouj, whether the reverse product cycle model can be applied to technologies other than information and telecommunications? (Gallouj. F 1998) Again to answer this question, we will look at two examples that were discussed in Galloujs paper. The first example is containerized transport, it was an incremental innovations in the beginning improving efficiency of transports which falls nicely into the first stage of the cycle. In the second stage, the sizes of the containers are made identical and unloading cranes was introduced. These changes greatly improves the effectiveness of the services, the services quality was greatly enhanced. In recent years, the tracking technology has been introduced to this service making it possible to know the exact details of the container at all time, these details includes its ownership, its origins and its destinations. This technology improves the services so much that it can considered being a brand new service. Therefore we can see the innovations in containerized transports over the years fit the reverse product cycle quite nicely. (Gallouj. F 1998) The second example Gallouj discussed is the fast food services in America. He suggested that cooking and refrigeration technologies are incremental innovations whereas computerized menu ordering is radical innovations process as it increases the quality of the services by a considerable amount. (Gallouj. F 1998) From these two examples, we can see the reverse product cycle can be applied on other services other than information and telecommunication. So is the reverse product cycle a good model to explain innovations in services? Should we continue to use it in the future? The model is useful in explaining innovation process when the innovation is technological related, however not all innovations are technological; therefore the model is only useful in explaining some areas of services innovation. Having said that, the model still provides tremendous amounts of insights on how some innovations process are carried out, therefore it should still be used in the future. So are there any other models that are more promising than the reverse product cycle by Barras? As mentioned earlier, one of the shortcomings of Barras model is that it only focuses on innovations that are considered to be technological. Therefore it would be useful to look at Den Hertogs four dimensional model of service innovations which explain four different areas of innovations. The four dimensions are 1) service concept 2) client interface 3) service delivery system and 4) technological options. The above diagram is taken from the international journal of innovation management page 495 New service concept is when a new idea is introduced in a particular market. The new idea only has to be new in the market in question; it can be an existing in other markets. Call centre service is a good example of this dimension. (Hertog. D 2000) New client interface is the interface design between the service provider and the customers. The communication channels between service providers and customers can be innovation itself. A good example of this dimension is electronic data interchange (EDI) (Hertog. D 2000) Service delivery system is similar to dimension two, but it is actual arrangement that is planned internally by the service provider in order to make sure their employees to do their job correctly. A good example of this dimension would be how amazon delivery ebooks using 3g technology onto consumers kindle reader (Hertog. D 2000) Technological option is the final dimension, although innovation doesnt have to be technological, many innovations have technological elements. IT is the most common form of innovations, a good example would be parcel tracking services provided by royal mail. (Hertog. D 2000) Hertog suggested that any given service innovations will have a combinations of the dimensions mentioned above. In fact, quite frequently they become interdependent with each other. Often times when a new service product is introduced in the market, it will need a new client interface design so communication between service provider is clear, also new delivery system should be planned too in order for the staff to delivery the service properly. (Hertog. D 2000) For example Royal mail introducing the tracking technologies of parcels will need a brand new interface (website) for consumers to be able to use the services; they will also need staff to deal with issues with the tracking system that might occur (delivery system) The four dimension model is an excellent framework illustrating how services innovation can be operated; looking at more than one dimension of innovations at a time allows the model to be applied to most services innovation. And because of this, the four dimension model should be superior to the reverse product cycle when explaining innovations in services. Having said that the Barras model still offered considerable amount of insights, therefore it should not be discarded. In this report, we have learnt how the normal product life cycle can be used to explain innovation in manufacturing goods, what are the key features in each stage. We have also learnt how innovation in services worked in an opposite manner by looking at the reverse product cycle, and understood the models limitations by applying it to different examples of services. We also seen what the four dimensions of innovations are and how they can be used as an alternative theory to explain innovation in services and finally we have understood the effectiveness of this model and how it compares to the reverse product cycle.

Cold war: bridging the gap to peace Essay -- essays research papers

Cold War: Bridging the Gap to Peace   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One might argue that the Cold War divided the world which is still present today. It also pulled countries’ ties with other countries further apart. However, these people fail to realize that the main superpowers of the Cold War are closer together than ever before. Both The United States and Russia (former U.S.S.R.) are now working together to limit the number of strategic arms further from what was settled at SALT I and SALT II. There are also numerous other areas where both the United States and Russia have become closer in relations than ever before. This created a stable world peace for the time being.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Arms Race in the Cold War brought about plenty of newly designed weapons capable of massive destruction. By 1969, both the United States and U.S.S.R. have developed over one thousand missiles to be used at their disposal. At the end of the Cold War and the fall of the U.S.S.R., both countries looked for ways to reduce the number of arms to prevent this atrocity from every happening again. In 1979, SALT-II was signed by the two countries but was lost over a quarrel over Afghanistan. What people don’t realize was that the talks resumed and created a new program to further limit the number of ICBMs and other weapons of mass destruction. This program was entitled START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty). Besides including the two countries, Soviet satellite countries joined the ...

The American Idea

The notion of modernity is a concept that is employed to illustrate the state of being associated to modernism which, on the other hand, refers to a pattern of thought that confirms the influence of individuals to construct, enhance, and reform their environment. Further, the enlightenment project envisions the idea that new knowledge or understanding can be obtained which enables the clearness of perception.Hence, taken altogether, modernity in the context of the enlightenment considers the capacity of human beings to establish or reestablish their environment through the development of new wisdom and, more importantly, through the use of their reason or rationality. Jean Jacques Rousseau argued that the original state of man is one which is essentially free, or that freedom is originally humanity’s own. Moreover, he asserts that freedom has been lost but can yet be brought back through emancipation.In terms of modernity and the enlightenment, this emancipation can be taken b ack by using man’s rationality in order to clearly perceive what must be done so that individuals can reform their environment and, in the end, reclaim the freedom that they originally have. All these notions can be seen in Jose Marti’s Nuestra America specifically in the context of how he suggests that the Americans should act in order to reshape their environment and to eventually build a government that is uniquely their own and one that is devoid of foreign ideas and forms.There are quite several sharp notions in Nuestra America by Jose Marti, and all of these notions very well contribute to the revelation that with diversity comes the great possibility of acquiring an identity independent as it is from everything else outside. Although much of what is written verifies the idea that the creation of a government of the people surpasses that which is merely imitated, the role of the external elements can be argued as indispensable elements in the establishment of an identity.One of the central themes in Nuestra America is the idea of the formation of the government that is distinctive and proper to the Americans. Marti’s argument is grounded on the premise that a government that is shaped according to other nations or that which resembles or at least partly incorporates external elements from foreign nations will not be suitable for the people and for the entire nation. It can be observed that Marti firmly adheres to the principle of having an identity that is solidly based on what is natural to the people and to the rest of the country.What is natural supersedes those that are artificial. And what is essentially natural to America is ‘diversity’ in the truest sense of the word. Apparently, Marti makes it a point to bridge the issue with diversity to that of having a strong government structured according to the innate qualities of the American people. However, it fails to consider the fact that diversity also grants the sub stantial possibility of not actually unifying all the corners of the country into a single and identifiable sphere.What Marti does is to transcend this ‘diversity’ and patch all the different—albeit intrinsic—‘American’ elements into a unified concept that virtually quells, at least in theory, the force of other external factors. He does this at least in the sense of proposing an ‘ideological’ battle, one that treats ideas far superior than brute or physical force. Although Marti argues that bloodshed is inevitable, he also suggests that the ideas of man will have to take the core of the movement towards the establishment of an independent and unique government and that these ideas should come from the American people themselves and not from anybody else.In the opening parts of Marti’s work, it can be noted that he argues that men must unify themselves from the various ranks against the ‘seven-league giant’ thr ough the force of their ideas since ideas cannot be physically destroyed. While it is remains feasible that ideas cannot be destroyed in the physical sense and that while they can significantly proliferate and claim the victory of an entire nation, the role of sheer physical force in propelling such ideas towards certain goals cannot be denied.It should be noted that ideas have to be juxtaposed with physical and actual attempts of progressing towards a certain goal which, specifically in the context of Marti’s Nuestra America, is the creation of an American government in the strictest sense. By remaining as mere ideas contextualized solely on that rational or thinking part of human existence, ideas can hardly be a revolutionizing tool in altering the undesirable elements within the society.In another sense, there should be the ‘correspondence’ between such ideas and their physical or actual manifestation (Glennon and Johnson 2006). The absence of such a correspon dence may very well inhibit the ideas from ever reaching the desired outcomes, for what good is a prolific idea that is short of touching the actual existence of social problems and the reality of the clamoring for a physical government? Will ideas alone revolutionize a whole nation without even concretizing these ideas? Apparently, the answer to these questions is a resounding skepticism.History, at the least, tells one that most, if not all, of the changes or alterations in the society have, in one way or another, physical and actual movements which are strongly fastened to certain beliefs and ideologies (Merrill 1948). For instance, the American Revolution is considered to be founded on political and social ideologies that greatly contribute to the social movement during those times where the metaphorical ammunitions for artilleries are ideas that define what is being aimed at (Nelson 1965).Wars in Latin America are likewise strongly founded on the correspondence between ideologi es and the actual manifestation or enacting of these ideas (Thies 2005). Nevertheless, Marti also recognizes the notion that bloodshed is a strong coefficient of his proposed ideas of the unification of the American people and the establishment of a government solely their own and from their own.Marti strengthens to solidify his claim by suggesting that those who would seek the governance of America must focus on and attempt at identifying the reality of the nation and of the people—of the existing diversity that direly needs unification—in order to fulfill the idea that the spirit of the government is indeed the spirit that is truly derived from America and not from any other (Saldivar 1998).Hence, for those people seeking to identify what is being suggested to be identified must necessarily have the keen perception to not only feel what is real but to notice and extract the solutions for the reality of the social problems or, at least, of what is intended to be addre ssed. Otherwise, those who seek to eliminate the external or foreign elements seeping into American thoughts will utterly fail for lack of the capacity to transcend the blurring of the mind and of critical thinking.Such an attempt to identify the reality of the nation and of the people reinforces the idea that the better and fitting individuals to achieve such feat are those who are accustomed to America—and there can be no better person who does not only know much of America but acts and feels like America than the American. This goes to show that the foreigner cannot exactly feel the American reality, or that the foreign elements cannot entirely suffice to define the American experience although in some parts it may have something to do with it.Nevertheless, Marti’s Nuestra America clearly emphasizes the author’s strong attachment, at least in terms of the content of the literature, with the clamoring for a ‘pure’ American nation, a nation that is founded on American elements. Yet what is striking about Marti’s Nuestra America is the fact that it proposes for a unified government able to identify the reality of the nation, a unified government that is nonetheless rooted on a wide array of individuals or on a, roughly speaking, diversified society.It is indeed a widely held idea that the rest of America is diverse (Sullivan 1973), and that this entails the notion that a ‘unification’ of all the recognized and unrecognized sectors of the nations is a monumental task. While Marti champions his assertion that foreign ideas and forms have caused the delay in the rising of a logical structure of a government of America, he fails to note that the very diversity of America also has a role in such a delay.What he does in the article is to espouse the idea that such diversity can be committed towards the creation of a unique government and a unified people and to set aside or, at least, subtly put his hands off the lingering argument that this diversity may in fact be the one which will hinder the creation of an American government bereft of imported ideas and forms.Although native forces—‘forces’ not to be limited in the military sense—can keep at bay impending external or foreign forces from entering the layer that separates what is pure from what is alien, these same internal forces have a connection with the external forces in one way or another. Part of the evidence to this can be rooted from the argument that there is no such thing as a pure race that is distinct from the rest of the races since all of mankind emerged from a single ancestry otherwise known as Homo sapiens (McBrearty 1990).With the idea that all of humanity came from a single line of ancestry, by definition there can be no such thing as ‘race’ and that the demarcation between the American race and the ‘other’ races is dissolved. Technically, it may be true that mankind belongs to the same ancestry. Practically, there are staggering realities that ultimately create a wide space between socially constructed ‘races’ or equivalents thereof.Hence, although Jose Marti actually claims that there is no such thing as hatred for the other races because there are no races, he actually argues in Nuestra America that the people should consider the past, family and ancestral roots of the Americans and do away with what can be termed as ‘colonial inheritance’ for it entails things that are corrupt and defunct. By criticizing the ‘Parisians’ or ‘Madrileà ±os’, Marti actually draws the line between what is American from what is not.And in doing so, it cannot be avoided that Nuestra America in essence may contribute to the enlargement of the space that divides America from the imported ideas and forms and, thus, the treatment of these foreign entities as ‘others’. Marti’s work also appears to signify that America is indeed its own, and that what belongs to others is theirs as well which brings us back to what Marti’s work purports to address yet fails to meet—that there is no hatred among races because there is no such thing as ‘race’.Ironically, while Nuestra America echoes the clamoring for a unique government that is purely American by vanquishing the foreign or imported ideas that are imbibed into the society, it also establishes the idea of separating what is American from what is not if indeed a separation can ever be achieved at all, if not physically, at least ideologically. The fact that America and its people are diverse is a compelling reason to push the idea that the rest of America can hardly a government molded into a single, unified entity where opposition is inexistent or kept at a manageable level.Moreover, cultural relativism proclaims the idea that several values such as ethical values of rightness or wrongness may actually vary from culture to culture, and that cultural supremacy or the superiority of one culture from the other relatively varies as well on certain cultural perspectives (Schmidt 1955). From this, one can observe that Marti’s article conveys the idea that, by excluding anything that is foreign to the system of ideas of the American population, the American ideals are preferred over the foreign ones.Although there is no explicit mentioning that American ideals are far off better than imported ideas, by embracing American ideas in the formation of a unique government one actually albeit subliminally pursues the underlying assumption that what is native is more preferred since it applies better and fitting to the contextual nature of America and, therefore, is superior over the rest at least when put into the context of the formation of a unique government.Interestingly, cultural relativism tells us otherwise. The American attempt to furnish for themselves a unique government exclud es the assumption that imported ideas may also serve a contributive purpose in meeting such an end in replacement for defunct native ideas.While Nuestra America purports to assert for an American identity through its government and purely American ideas while straining foreign elements away from such a glaring feat, it also substantiates on the thesis of using the American diversity as a means towards unifying the whole, condensing them altogether into a single native label called ‘America’ without discussing much about the weakening force such a diversity may take with it.Nevertheless, Jose Marti nails the crucial point in his work—the great significance of ideas in the advancement of an American identity—by taking consideration the role of ideas in revolutionizing a nation flustered with unfamiliar or imported ideas. While it may be the case that ideas without corresponding actions are like vehicles without wheels, it certainly is the case that actions w ithout ideas are like violent storms which display their destructive might while leaving debris and rubbish after the winds and heavy rains abate.

Swiss Government

Swiss Government Free Online Research Papers This paper aims to unveil the politics of the neutral, independent nation of Switzerland. An outline of Switzerland’s political structure is presented. The Switzerland government is described as a federal parliamentary republic. The Swiss government is also the closest thing to direct democracy the world has ever seen. This structure represents the multidimensional aspects of Swiss society and how it affects policy. Secondly, this paper will address major political events of the past ten years, followed by a comparative analysis of both Switzerland and The United States. This critique attempts to prove how The United States might benefit from adopting some of Switzerland’s government and social policies. If the United States held a more neutral, less abrasive stance in international relations and conflict, the government might then focus on domestic issues, greatly benefiting its citizens. Also if the US were to adopt a proportional representation system as opposed to its current winner takes all system, citizens would feel spoken for. This might increase political participation by citizens. Switzerland is a small country located in the center of Western Europe. Landlocked between France, Germany, Italy, and Austria, the country is multicultural and multilingual. There are four national languages of Switzerland, French, German, Italian, and recently Romanish. With the wide-ranging languages and culture of Switzerland, the political system is of the same nature. Political scientist, Arend Lijphart, describes Switzerland as a consocionational state. A consocionational state, as Lijphart defines it, is a state with major ethnic, religious and linguistic differences that remains stable and peaceful despite these divisions Since World War II ended in 1945, Switzerland has been in a period of prosperity with no international conflicts. The country has been a neutral, peaceful, and independent nation. The preamble to the Swiss Constitution states, â€Å"We, the Swiss People and Cantons†¦resolve to renew our alliance to strengthen liberty and democracy, independence and peace in solidarity and openness towards the world† . This statement is representative of Switzerland’s neutrality in international conflicts and its consocianationalism. The Swiss Constitution defines the country as a federal republic containing 26 cantons, member states of the federation. Switzerland has a federal structure with three different political levels: the Confederation, the cantons and the communes. Confederation means the state, which includes three parts: â€Å"the executive (the Federal Council), the legislature (the Federal Assembly) and the judiciary (the Federal Supreme Court)† (FASC). The Federal Swiss Constitution is actually a revised version of the Swiss constitution of 1874. The Federal Parliament approved a revision of the constitution in December of 1998. However, the revision does not change any rights of Swiss citizens, but updates paragraphs and amendments in modern formation. This new constitution was officially adopted January 1 2000. The country is the closest thing to a direct democracy that the world has encountered. Citizens are encouraged by the government to frequently participate in voting, referendums and popular initiatives and they actively do so. There are only 10,000 votes required for a Constitutional revision. â€Å"According to the Federal Constitution, the Swiss people are sovereign and ultimately the supreme political authority† (FASC). The Swiss political system is a Federal Parliamentary Republic, made up of multiple parties with proportional representation of Swiss society. Some of the major political parties are the Social Democrats, The Christian Democrats, the Swiss People’s Party, and Free Democrats. The Social Democrats are a pro-European center-left party. The Christian Democrats are a centrist conservative party representing mostly a communal and Catholic ideology The Free Democratic party is a free-market friendly liberal party. The Swiss People’s party is a populist conservative party. The listed parties are part of a â€Å"magic formula†, dividing the seven executive seats, Switzerland began using 1959. The formula goes as follows: 2 Christian Democrats, 2 Free Democrats, 2 Social Democrats, and 1 Swiss Peoples Party . However, Switzerland’s political climate changed in 2003 when the Swiss People’s Party gained control in Parliament . Because of this new development, the â€Å"magic formula† was altered at the expense of the Christian Democrats. Parliament granted the Swiss People’s Part two seats and gave the Christian Democrats only one. Swiss banks are famous for their security and secrecy. Due to the country’s neutrality throughout Europe and the World Wars, the baking system flourished with business from around the globe. This business included accounts from Jewish people being persecuted during the Holocaust. For years the Swiss Banking Association was pressured by Jewish activists to release information about Swiss accounts held by victims of the Holocaust. Many deposits of Holocaust victims had remained unclaimed, and the Swiss banking law had long prevented access to information. In 1995, the Swiss Banking Association uncovered accounts containing millions of dollars. In August of 1998 Swiss banks agreed to compensate Holocaust survivors and families. Switzerland in the past was a laggard on women’s suffrage and abortion rights. Women’s suffrage wasn’t granted until 1971. In 1999, only 28 years later, a Social Democrat, Ruth Dreifuss, served as the first female President of the Confederation. In June 2002, Swiss people voted to decriminalize abortion. It would now be allowed in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Also in 2005, Swiss voters passed a law allowing same-sex marriages. These events recognize not only female equality but civil rights for all people. Switzerland’s second most populous city, Geneva, is the host for many international organizations and diplomatic meetings. Some major influential international organizations include the World Trade Organization, World Health Organization, the International Telecommunications Union, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, as well as many others. Frequently world leaders will meet with in Geneva to discuss treaties and other affairs. The neutral state provides a great court for these relations. This guarantees Switzerland as a great resource for the rest of Europe and the world. When the United States was attacked by terrorist on September 11, 2001, Swiss people were shocked and appalled by the catastrophe. Only 16 days later, Switzerland experienced its own tragedy. On September 27th, a Swiss citizen attacked the Parliament of Zug. The fanatic shot and killed 14 politicians. This resulted in heated debate in Parliament over gun- control and national security. That same year Swissair, the leading airline of Switzerland went bankrupt, resulting a national unemployment and financial crisis. Federal authorities funded the rehabilitated and renamed airline â€Å"Swiss† to preserve employment. The Swiss people were for the first time concerned with their safety from terrorism. This event made Switzerland feel insecure about their neutrality and become more interested in assembling with international institutions. Switzerland initially rejected joining the United Nations in 1986. But in 2002, the country joined after all. It was the last nation to join and the only one to have joined based on the popular vote of its citizens. Switzerland began negotiations with the European Union in 1992. The nation submitted an application to join, but after a national vote, the Swiss people voted against joining. Switzerland then suspended its negotiations with the EU. Traditionally, Switzerland has avoided alliances that might entail military, political, or direct economic action. These actions are believed to compromise their neutrality. Also they are against institutionalized integration. The Swiss People wish to remain sovereign. Over the years, The Swiss have debated joining the EU as the institution grows more and more powerful. The most telling action was taken in 2005 when the country agreed to sign the Schengen Treaty and the Dublin Convention. The first of which allows lenience of border controls between some European nations. The Dublin Convention is a product of the EU outlining the means by which a refugee can seek political asylum. Both of these actions suggest the Swiss’s intentions on becoming a greater part of the institution and soon an active member of the EU. Switzerland acts to benefit its citizens and progress as a nation, while consideration of merging with advantageous institutions. The United States has, under the current administration, acted in opposition to unifying and just precedents in an attempt to promote its own authority. The United States government needs to concern itself more with domestic issues, such as education, employment, housing, and healthcare, instead of governing other nations, such as Vietnam, Cuba, Bosnia, and currently Iraq. If this were to happen, I believe American citizens would lead healthier, more affluent lives with the possibility and benefit of better education, enhanced job security and reliable healthcare. The Swiss government is acting in coalition with its citizens as a greater force to secure its longevity and prosperity. I believe that if the United States educated and listened to its citizens as Switzerland does, the country would be more representative of its people. Switzerland recognized its constitution was outdated and needing improvement. In the United States, any idea of reevaluating notions written in a 200 year old document is â€Å"radical†. A jaded perception of conservatism has flooded American society and government. â€Å"Religious† or â€Å"moral† authority has taken power. The United States has in recent years feared progressive movements such as stem cell research, gay marriage, and allowing for increasing power among women and minorities. The United States would benefit politically and globally from being socially and domestically progressive. The fact is the United States, like Switzerland is made up of many cultures and races. Many Americans are from other countries and speak many other languages. It might benefit the country to practice Lijphart’s concept of consociationalism, wherein all the cultures can be represented in government and it remain stabilized. Many Americans cannot define themselves as either a Democrat or a Republican. Unfortunately, the current U.S. political system does not represent those people. There are currently little to no representatives from third parties in the United States Congress. The United States cannot stand â€Å"united† when a candidate when with only a slight majority of the vote and then gets to represent all of his/her constituencies. I believe that United States government and its citizens have allowed this to happen. The majority of citizens refuse to participate in or support government. There has been such a literal interpretation of â€Å"laissez-faire† government in America. Citizens reject and look down upon government involvement. Government makes society work, but society has to make government work. I believe this concept has been lost on the majority of Americans, and they choose instead, to allow other people to do all the dirty work. If the government represented all the diverging cultures and ideologies in America, then citizens would feel a deeper connection to the institution. This might encourage them to actively participate. Maybe if the United States had a proportional representation system, more people would vote. In turn, if more people voted, the more representative the government might then be. These matters require educating and citizens of their power and encouraging them to utilize it. The political structure of Switzerland allows and encourages the citizens to actively participate in government and legislation. It represents its dynamic multicultural society and concerns itself mostly with its own affairs. Since 1945, Switzerland has experienced little to no critical political movements or conflicts, other than those continuing its peaceful and cooperative nature. In that time, the United States has involved itself in many political conflicts across the globe, with no clear benefit to its own citizens. The United States could reshape its policies to benefit the multidimensional nature of its people, rather than reconstituting other nation’s governments. Research Papers on Swiss GovernmentAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeQuebec and CanadaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationBringing Democracy to Africa19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Relationship between Media Coverage and Social andAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaAnalysis Of A Cosmetics Advertisement

Biography of James K. Polk, 11th US President

Biography of James K. Polk, 11th US President James K. Polk was president during the Mexican American War and the era of Manifest Destiny. Learn more about the 11th president of the United States. James K. Polks Childhood and Education James K. Polk was born on November 2, 1795, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He moved with his family at the age of ten to Tennessee. He was a sickly youth who suffered from gallstones. Polk did not begin his formal education until 1813 at the age of 18. By 1816, he entered the University of North Carolina and graduated with honors in 1818. He decided to enter politics and also was admitted to the bar. Family Ties Polks father was Samuel, a planter and landowner who was also a friend of  Andrew Jackson. His mother was  Jane Knox. They had been married on Christmas Day in 1794. His mother was a staunch Presbyterian. He had five brothers and four sisters, many of whom died young. On January 1, 1824, Polk married Sarah Childress. She was  well-educated and wealthy. While first lady, she banned dancing and liquor from the White House. Together, they had no children. James K. Polks Career Before the Presidency Polk had focused on politics his whole life. He was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives (1823-25). From 1825-39, he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives including serving as its speaker from 1835-39. He was a great ally and supporter of Andrew Jackson. From 1839-41, Polk became Governor of Tennessee. Becoming President In 1844, the Democrats were having a difficult time getting the necessary 2/3 of the vote to nominate a candidate. On the 9th ballot, James K. Polk who had only been considered as a Vice Presidential candidate was nominated. He was the first dark-horse nominee. He was opposed by Whig candidate Henry Clay. The campaign centered around the idea of annexation of Texas which Polk supported and Clay opposed. Polk received 50% of the popular vote and won 170 out of 275 electoral votes. Events and Accomplishments as President James K. Polks  time in office was eventful. In 1846, he agreed to fix the boundary of the Oregon territory at the 49th parallel. Great Britain and the United States disagreed about who claimed the territory. The Oregon Treaty meant that Washington and  Oregon  would be a territory of the U.S. and Vancouver would belong to Great Britain. Much of Polks time in office was taken up with the  Mexican War  which lasted from 1846-1848. The annexation of Texas which had taken place at the end of  John Tylers time in office hurt relations between Mexico and America. Further, the border between the two countries was still disputed. The U.S. felt that the border should be set at the Rio Grande River. When Mexico would not agree, Polk prepared for war. He ordered General  Zachary Taylor  to the area. In April 1846, Mexican troops fired on the U.S. troops in the area. Polk used this to push forward a Declaration of War against Mexico. In February 1847, Taylor was able to defeat the Mexican army led by  Santa Anna. By March 1847, U.S. troops occupied Mexico City. Concurrently in January 1847, Mexican troops were defeated in California. In February 1848, the  Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo  was signed  ending the war. By this treaty, the border was fixed at the Rio Grande. By this means, the U.S. gained California and Nevada amongst other present-day territories amounting to over 500,000 square miles of land. In exchange, the U.S. agreed to pay Mexico $15 million for the territory. This agreement reduced the size of Mexico to half of its former size. Post Presidential Period Polk had announced before taking office that he would not seek a second term. He did retire at the end of his term. However, he did not live much past that date. He died only three months later, possibly from Cholera. Historical Significance After Thomas Jefferson, James K. Polk increased the size of the United States more than any other president through the acquisition of California and New Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American War. He also claimed Oregon Territory after a treaty with England. He was a key figure in Manifest Destiny. He was also an extremely effective leader during the Mexican-American War. He is considered to be the best one-term president.

Clever Manka essays

Clever Manka essays The story Clever Manka by Anonymous is a brilliant tale of showing the love story between two completely different people. Within the story, a judge banishes his wife for breaking an agreement. She may take with her the one thing she values most. She drugs her husband and takes him with her. On waking, the judge acknowledges that his wife is much wiser than he and appoints her judge of the town. Points that will be reviewed in the essay include Manka outwitting her husband; the burgomaster was too caught up in his ego, as well as Manka had made a game of her marriage with her husband. In life, the cleverness of an everyday civilian can overcome the greatest of threats to penetrate the weaknesses of their opposition. Manka outwitted her husband and imaginatively forced him to follow her lead. She was able to go around town and listen to what the townspeople were having problems with and assist them in striving towards settling their differences. After giving them much needed advice, she came up with a plan that allowed them to go to her husband, and prove him wrong in several matters. By not only forcing her way into winning arguments, her husband literally did not have a chance against her superior intellect. It seemed as though no matter how hard he tried; there was no possible way he was going to win an argument against Manka. Mankas husband was so caught up in his ego that he ignored and even attempted to abolish his wifes creative views. The burgomaster was the judge in town and he appeared to be almost power hungry in his role throughout the community. Almost a tad teaspoon of sexist prowess appeared in his attitude as well. He seemed threatened by his wife almost because she was a female and he did not see anyway that he could possibly let her make some of the decisions for the community. Manka even showed signs of possibly working with her husband at one point but instead had to work against him due...

Unit 3 Proposal designs Discussion Research Paper

Unit 3 Proposal designs Discussion - Research Paper Example This is important for the grant seeker, because he or she will be able to quote a reasonable amount of money, in which the organization can afford to give (Karsh and Fox, 2009). The grant seeker can quote a large amount of money that the organization might be unable to provide. For example, an institution such as the Melinda and Bill Gates foundation gives from a few hundred to millions of dollars in terms of grants. On this basis, a grant seeker might not be limited on the amount of money that he or she will ask (Gregory, 2013). Another issue that the grant seeker needs to analyze is the mission and vision of the organization. In seeking sources of funds, the grant seeker has to look if the funding organization under consideration provides funds for the activities or services that it engages in. For example, a grant seeker whose mission is to serve people in the agricultural field cannot seek for funds in an institution that provides funds for religious activities such as the Mustard Seed Foundation. It is a guarantee that the Mustard Seed Foundation won’t approve of their requests (Moore, 2010). However, if he or she applies for funds from institutions such as the Melinda and the Bill Gates foundation, chances are high that he or she may get the funds. Another issue to look at is the application process, and the period upon which the applications are made. For example, the Monsanto fund requires that all funds must supported by a realistic goal, and it must have the descriptions of the project. This is in case the grant seeker needs to achieve success in his or her application. The Monsanto Fund is so serious about the quality of an applicant’s proposal, to an extent that it has given some tips on how to write a good application/proposal (Zunz, 2012). Roberts identifies the mission and vision of an organization as an issue that he will consider when choosing a source of fund. This is an issue that I will also consider, and this is because an

The North Korean nuclear program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The North Korean nuclear program - Essay Example The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is an integral part of UN charter having primary responsibility of doing efforts towards maintaining international peace and security. The charter requires that a representative of each of its members must be present all the time at the UN headquarters. These representatives echo the viewpoints of the respective governments and help in smooth functioning of the Security Council. In one such meeting on 14th October 2006, the UNSC passed this resolution asking the North Korean government not to go ahead with its nuclear program. The resolution is in continuation with its previous relevant resolutions, including resolution 825 (1993), resolution 1540 (2004) and, in particular, resolution 1695 (2006), as well as the statement of its President of 6 October 2006 (S/PRST/2006/41) seeks to reaffirm that proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological arsenal constitutes grave threat for the safety and security of the world peace. UN security counc il expressed grave concern on the claim made by Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and expressed apprehension that this development might lead to further tension in the region. While announcing the successful conduct of the nuclear test, North Korean government also announced its withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The resolution expressly demanded that;ï‚ §Ã‚  North Korea must desist from conducting any further nuclear tests or launching any ballistic missile.... These representatives echo the viewpoints of the respective governments and help in smooth functioning of the Security Council. In one such meeting on 14th October 2006, the UNSC passed this resolution asking the North Korean government not to go ahead with its nuclear program. The resolution is in continuation with its previous relevant resolutions, including resolution 825 (1993), resolution 1540 (2004) and, in particular, resolution 1695 (2006), as well as the statement of its President of 6 October 2006 (S/PRST/2006/41) seeks to reaffirm that proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological arsenal constitutes grave threat for the safety and security of the world peace. UN security council expressed grave concern on the claim made by Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and expressed apprehension that this development might lead to further tension in the region. While announcing the successful conduct of the nuclear test, North Korean government also announced its withdr awal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The resolution expressly demanded that; North Korea must desist from conducting any further nuclear tests or launching any ballistic missile. DPRK must express its return to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, North Korean government must eliminate its nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles program. The government of DPRK must allow the international community and concerned UN organisations to inspect all cargo moving in or out of the country. This is purportedly considered necessary to check illegal transportation of

THE IMPACT OF PLANNING POLICIES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES WILL OPTIMIZE Essay

THE IMPACT OF PLANNING POLICIES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES WILL OPTIMIZE THE SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM FOR LONDON RESIDENTS - Essay Example Tourism as a manifestation of leisure presupposes a socioeconomic milieu in which money and time-away-from-work can be accumulated to be spent at will. Tourism as a form of mobility implies that culturally sanctioned reasons exist for leaving home to travel. Tourism as an organized industry, catering to a clientele who have time and money and want to spend them, pleasurably, in leisured mobility or migration. Tourism in the modal sense is one of a range of choices, or styles, of vacation or recreation. Tourist visits are ritualized breaks in routine that define and relieve the ordinary. POSITIVE SOCIO-CULTURAL EFFECTS OF THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES The first positive socio-cultural impact is that tourism is a force for peace. The tourists who will travel to London for the Olympic Games will be won over by the residents of London. The close interaction with people from different countries will develop mutual sympathy and understanding and reduce their racial prejudices. This close interaction and cooperation will lead to world understanding and world peace. The second positive socio-cultural impact is that the London Games of 2012 will strengthen local communities. The local residents will be involved as volunteers and the celebration of festivals will lead to cultural rejuvenation. The tourist interest for festivals will enrich the cultural exchange between the participants. Moreover, the thousands of jobs created by tourism can act as a vital incentive to reduce emigration from rural areas. The third positive socio-cultural impact is that the facilities developed for the tourism-related Olympic Games benefit local residents d uring and after the Games.

The Color Purple Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Color Purple Film - Essay Example Theme of the film Color Purple The film capitalized on its ability to depict scenes visually. One problem, however, was that the plot of the novel was too long to fit into a reasonable time scale for a movie. This led to some important parts of the book being removed. One important part was missing in the end. In the book, Celie standing up to Albert was the turning point of the story, as it forced Albert to reevaluate his personality. The movie left this crucial transformation out. This would explain why black men were angered by the movie. (Denby, 56) Albert was shown in the immigration office, but he was never shown to have any remorse for the way he treated Celie, and that left his character incomplete. The film shows that Shug Avery made a tremendous impact on Celie's life. She taught Celie how to love, laugh, and live. Some parts of this novel are hard to read and understand because they are letters written by Celie but Walker does a very good job letting the reader know what t he characters are feeling. The film goes after the componential features that made the book thriving. Among these features, the most prominent is well-built and well knitted character growth. Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey left no stone unturned in playing leading roles as Celie and Sofia. Danny Glover was also splendid, and along with these main characters, the supporting cast, too, did an evenly inspiring task. The plot is fabricated deep into the chain of events and the characters all through, while never holding back even a single drop of sentiment. Such stuff keeps the audience judging every prospective occurrence and counter checking every facet. Its levels of story lines make possible the series of events fascinating. It verifies that there's certain more to Celie's life... The film The Color Purple originally written by Alice Walker was directed by Steven Spielberg and its screenplay was written by Menno Meyjes. The film was made in 1985. Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple" and afterwards its film adaptation by Steven Spielberg's have raised gigantic and hot debate between media and African-American community. A great part of this controversy covers even the extensive belief that both the novel and the film portray black male characters with a partial and unconstructive approach. They are typified as stereotypical tyrant, abusers, rights usurpers and rapists who are just there to dictate and oppress women in their life. This is, if analyzed thoroughly, not the first time Walker has been charged associated with gender and racial controversy pertaining to the black male characters depicted in her novels. Walker, in her own defense, has stated several times that women all too often are abused by the men they love. She adds that all of the characters i n her novels, male and female, represent people that she has known throughout her life.

Mission, Vsionand Strategic Objectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mission, Vsionand Strategic Objectives - Essay Example Vision statement is written immediately after an organization manages to write a mission statement. It provides a statement on what the company or the organization intends to achieve, wi9thin a given framework, or within a future period. Unlike the mission statement, the vision statement is always updated, depending on the strategic position of the company (Moseley, 2009). The vision statement normally provides a guideline on what the company intends to achieve within a given future, or a certain period of time. The vision statement is important, because it can act as motivators for the employees of a company, to work hard, and develop competitive strategies that can help the organization achieve its stated future ambitions or objectives (Zuckerman, 2012). Just like a mission statement, it is possible for a vision statement to be prepared at any level within an organization, i.e. at the managerial and departmental levels. Strategic objectives are long term decisions made by the company, for purposes of helping the organization to meet its mission and vision objectives. They are always explicit and broad, and the management of the organization believes that, it is nearly impossible to achieve its vision and mission, without these objectives (Moseley, 2009). The strategic objectives are always established at the corporate level, and at the sub-units of the organization. These objectives are always established after carrying out a research on the industry that an organization operates under, its competitors, and after the identification of the capabilities of the business organization. There are two very important concepts that should be recognized in the vision and mission statement of an organization offering health services. Under the mission statement, an organization must identify its purpose, and the kind of clients it seeks to serve (Zuckerman, 2012). For instance, the mission statement would denote that the organization aims at providing high

Economic analysis to your company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economic analysis to your company - Essay Example Due to the uniqueness in the nature of services offered to the people, medical services provided by Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi will have a negative price elasticity of demand. Price elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of demand to changes in the price of a particular good. An elastic demand occurs if a small change in the price of a service or good leads to a large change in the quantity demanded. On the other hand, inelastic demand occurs if a small change in the quantity demanded accompanies a large change in the price of a commodity. In a free market economy, prices set the quantity of goods and services demanded. As such, if there is a decrease in the price of goods or services offered by a particular company, the market responds by increasing the quantity of goods and services, while an increase in the prices of goods and services leads to a corresponding decrease in the quantity of goods and services demanded by the market. As economists measure the elasticity o f demand, they consider the level of change between price and quantity. However, not all goods and services obey the law of demand, as Veblen argued. Special commodities such as Veblen and Geffen goods, as well as medical care services do not obey this law. Subsequently, in case Cleveland Clinic increases the prices of their medical services, there is likely to be no or insignificant changes in the number of people visiting the clinic for medical attention. Additionally, even if the clinic were to lower the price of their medical services, there would be no significant increase in the number of people visiting the clinic for medical services. Only the sick require medical attention, a reason for this reality. Despite operating in an open market structure, Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi does not have to conform to the rules of an open market structure. Competition least affects the number of people visiting the clinic. It operates as a special form of monopoly, due to the uniqueness of its services. Thus, its cost structure does not conform to the open market rules. 2. How global competition impacts Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi Global competition would negatively affect the profitability of Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi. Medical services are an essential part of people’s lives. Globally, people spend large parts of their budgets seeking medical attention. Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi operates under international expertise such as physicians and medical experts from North America (â€Å"Modern Healthcare† 25). In open market economies, it is not just the price of commodities, which determine the level of competition between firms. Quality also serves a big role in determining the number of people vising a medical clinic. If Cleveland Clinic were to charge exorbitant prices against a poor service delivery system, people would opt for better hospitals charging reasonable fees for their services. Since medical attention is a special kind of service offered t o the people, its market demand does not change with reference to the prices; rather, quality of service delivery is the biggest determinant. If Cleveland clinic, Abu Dhabi, due to the special services it provides to the people were to offer low quality services to the customers, nothing would stop people from seeking medical attention from other international clinics providing better medical attention. In this scenario therefore, prices are likely to play no particular

The Color Purple Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Color Purple Film - Essay Example Theme of the film Color Purple The film capitalized on its ability to depict scenes visually. One problem, however, was that the plot of the novel was too long to fit into a reasonable time scale for a movie. This led to some important parts of the book being removed. One important part was missing in the end. In the book, Celie standing up to Albert was the turning point of the story, as it forced Albert to reevaluate his personality. The movie left this crucial transformation out. This would explain why black men were angered by the movie. (Denby, 56) Albert was shown in the immigration office, but he was never shown to have any remorse for the way he treated Celie, and that left his character incomplete. The film shows that Shug Avery made a tremendous impact on Celie's life. She taught Celie how to love, laugh, and live. Some parts of this novel are hard to read and understand because they are letters written by Celie but Walker does a very good job letting the reader know what t he characters are feeling. The film goes after the componential features that made the book thriving. Among these features, the most prominent is well-built and well knitted character growth. Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey left no stone unturned in playing leading roles as Celie and Sofia. Danny Glover was also splendid, and along with these main characters, the supporting cast, too, did an evenly inspiring task. The plot is fabricated deep into the chain of events and the characters all through, while never holding back even a single drop of sentiment. Such stuff keeps the audience judging every prospective occurrence and counter checking every facet. Its levels of story lines make possible the series of events fascinating. It verifies that there's certain more to Celie's life... The film The Color Purple originally written by Alice Walker was directed by Steven Spielberg and its screenplay was written by Menno Meyjes. The film was made in 1985. Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple" and afterwards its film adaptation by Steven Spielberg's have raised gigantic and hot debate between media and African-American community. A great part of this controversy covers even the extensive belief that both the novel and the film portray black male characters with a partial and unconstructive approach. They are typified as stereotypical tyrant, abusers, rights usurpers and rapists who are just there to dictate and oppress women in their life. This is, if analyzed thoroughly, not the first time Walker has been charged associated with gender and racial controversy pertaining to the black male characters depicted in her novels. Walker, in her own defense, has stated several times that women all too often are abused by the men they love. She adds that all of the characters i n her novels, male and female, represent people that she has known throughout her life.

Economic analysis to your company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economic analysis to your company - Essay Example Due to the uniqueness in the nature of services offered to the people, medical services provided by Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi will have a negative price elasticity of demand. Price elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of demand to changes in the price of a particular good. An elastic demand occurs if a small change in the price of a service or good leads to a large change in the quantity demanded. On the other hand, inelastic demand occurs if a small change in the quantity demanded accompanies a large change in the price of a commodity. In a free market economy, prices set the quantity of goods and services demanded. As such, if there is a decrease in the price of goods or services offered by a particular company, the market responds by increasing the quantity of goods and services, while an increase in the prices of goods and services leads to a corresponding decrease in the quantity of goods and services demanded by the market. As economists measure the elasticity o f demand, they consider the level of change between price and quantity. However, not all goods and services obey the law of demand, as Veblen argued. Special commodities such as Veblen and Geffen goods, as well as medical care services do not obey this law. Subsequently, in case Cleveland Clinic increases the prices of their medical services, there is likely to be no or insignificant changes in the number of people visiting the clinic for medical attention. Additionally, even if the clinic were to lower the price of their medical services, there would be no significant increase in the number of people visiting the clinic for medical services. Only the sick require medical attention, a reason for this reality. Despite operating in an open market structure, Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi does not have to conform to the rules of an open market structure. Competition least affects the number of people visiting the clinic. It operates as a special form of monopoly, due to the uniqueness of its services. Thus, its cost structure does not conform to the open market rules. 2. How global competition impacts Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi Global competition would negatively affect the profitability of Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi. Medical services are an essential part of people’s lives. Globally, people spend large parts of their budgets seeking medical attention. Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi operates under international expertise such as physicians and medical experts from North America (â€Å"Modern Healthcare† 25). In open market economies, it is not just the price of commodities, which determine the level of competition between firms. Quality also serves a big role in determining the number of people vising a medical clinic. If Cleveland Clinic were to charge exorbitant prices against a poor service delivery system, people would opt for better hospitals charging reasonable fees for their services. Since medical attention is a special kind of service offered t o the people, its market demand does not change with reference to the prices; rather, quality of service delivery is the biggest determinant. If Cleveland clinic, Abu Dhabi, due to the special services it provides to the people were to offer low quality services to the customers, nothing would stop people from seeking medical attention from other international clinics providing better medical attention. In this scenario therefore, prices are likely to play no particular

Friedman discusses Essay Example for Free

Friedman discusses Essay There are many issues that will be bearing on everyones career. These obstacles will be there no matter what field of work you go into. According to The World is Flat, the author, Thomas Friedman, states there are numerous issues in the global business world that will be bearing on my career. Some of these issues are new technologies, off shoring or outsourcing, and education. These barriers of entry make it harder and harder each year to successfully enter the business world. These obstacles are unavoidable and must be over come in order to be successful. What I am looking forward to my career being is something in the business world. Within the business world I want to be involved in the finance sector. Hopefully something like a financial advisor or something related to that. Also, I would eventually like to open my own business. I find this to be my ideal career because I am very good with managing money, very good in math, and just interested in the whole business way of life. This is where I see myself in the future. The first issue that Friedman discusses is new technologies. New technologies can be a problem because some new technologies are replacing jobs that humans usually do. For example when new machines are made for factories, they replace the factory workers jobs. Or online shopping is replacing retailers jobs. Also the internet has made trading stocks online possible, thus taking the jobs of brokers. Some sites that are taking brokers jobs are sites like etrade.com, scottrade.com, or schwab.com that have trades for as low as five dollars. On these sights you just log on, have your credit card or debit card ready and start trading from various different types of stocks from large company stocks to slam company stocks. Back in the early 2000s, my father actually lost his job due to online trading. Have you ever called a customer service for an American company, and got an Indian man on the phone who you could not understand what he was saying. This is a result of off shoring or outsourcing. Friedman discusses off shoring or outsourcing as an additional obstacle for people entering the business world because so many companies are making their customer service, human resources, accounting, and telemarketing sectors located in different countries. By doing this many people are losing their jobs and there are fewer jobs available to workers who seek employment in those fields. However the companies that participate in outsourcing save a substantial amount of money because that pay their employees in the other countries less than they would in the U.S. Also, Friedman says that outsourcing creates jobs for people in countries that have high poverty levels. The third issue that Friedman discusses is education. This can cause problems because most jobs require some sort of college degree or higher. College now can be very expensive, and will only get more expensive. For example, Marist College alone is about 40,000 dollars per year. With the price of this school being so high makes it very tough for me to pay for it, given that I am paying for it by myself. A lot of families cannot afford such high tuitions so it is very difficult for them so send their children away to college. One solution for them is to have their children take on a heavy load of loans which will, in turn, leave them in debt right out of college. And if they cannot get a college degree then it will be much harder to get a job in the business world or many other fields of work. In the views of Thomas Friedman, through the fact that new technologies being invented, companies use outsourcing and off shoring, and companies requiring college degrees it is harder for me, along with most students, to enter my career of finance in the business sector. I worry more for future generations because there will be so many more technological advances will take away from human jobs, more companies will outsource, college will become much more expensive, and there will be many more issues to overcome. As time goes on more and more obstacles will come up, but as a society we will come up with ways to cope with those obstacles.  Overall I found that the book The World is Flat was very intriguing. It brought up very knowledgeable information about the ten forces that flatten the world. Thomas Freidman goes into great detail in each of the ten flattening forces throughout the whole book. I would recommend this book to anyone that is considering entering the business world or any other work field.

Qualities Of A Good Football Player Physical Education Essay

Qualities Of A Good Football Player Physical Education Essay Football has become a sport that interest by all population in this world. To play or become a good football player, the person must master many skills and have a healthy physical and mental. Football players also must combine speed, strength, agility, power, and endurance as basic qualities before the individual skills inherent to the playing of soccer can be utilized and depend on the position such as defense, strikers, midfielder and goal keeper. The understanding of the physical and the mental demands of the sport will enable a more scientific approach to the training of soccer players by (Bell and Rhodes 1975; Caru et. al. 1970; Fardy 1969). According to (Nicks et. al. 2006; Romer et. al. 2002) Soccer is one of the intermittent sports that require high intensity bouts of exercise, with periods of passive or active recovery and coherent performance in repeated sprints need sufficient recovery between sprints. So the player must have strong muscles, high muscular endurance, have strong core and have high level of aerobic capacity because the football game are played for 90 minutes. So the training must contain high aerobic training to improve cardiovascular and pulmonary functions so the athlete can cope with the sport. Physiological assessment of athletes can provide an opportunity to examine or test the adaptation to specific types of exercises and training. These adaptations can be valuable to the clinician, coaches and athletes themselves. For example, lab test that can be proceed to examine the adaptation to specific types of exercises and training. To test the adaptation to the lung we can use pulmonary functions test to examine the effectiveness of lung muscles functioning, to check the vital capacity and to estimate the lung volumes. The function of the lung is to deliver O2 to gas exchanged surface and exhaust CO2 to atmosphere. To achieve this with brain functioning normally, breath begins with contraction of inspiratory muscle enlarging the thorax, lowering intrathoracic and pleural pressures, enlarging the alveoli and airways, expanding the alveolar gas so reducing its pressure below atmospheric. Air at atmospheric pressure must flow into the thorax where it is conducted to, and diffuses, out into the alveoli. The carriage of air through the airways depends on the patency of the tube as well as on the consistency of the lung and the power of the respiratory muscles. At any one moment approximately 100ml of desaturated blood, with a strong affinity for O2, is spread over an area of 70 square meters( area of pulmonary capillary bed ) separated from air by a membrane 0.2 micron thick. Oxygen from alveolar air diffuses rapidly across the alveolar capillary membrane and is finally chemically combined with hemoglob in molecules within the circulating red blood cells (RBC), CO2 diffuses into opposite direction and is eliminated in expired gas. The Vital capacity test is one of the oldest and most common respiratory tests. The measurement of vital capacity (VC) simply requires that an individual blow as large a breath of air as possible into a spirometer. Thus, the person expels three of the four components of the total lung volume when performing the vital test. There are inspiratory reserve volume (IRV), tidal volume (TV) and expiratory reserve volume (ERV). It provides an indirect indication of the size of the lung, although it is not a complete measure of the entire lung size because it does not account for residual volume. In general facts, vital capacity relate to three uncontrolled characteristics which are age, stature and gender. Lung function measurements also may be made for several reasons. They are useful in describing the lung for diagnostic purpose and subsequently in monitoring change. Accuracy and consistency are therefore very important, and a convention exists for the procedure of measurement and expression of result. In general, a measurement will only be accepted after multiple attempts have been scrutinized and expressed under standard conditions. These are usually body temperature and atmospheric pressure. To guarantee accuracy, laboratory practice should include regular physical and biological calibration of the equipment. Standard for good laboratory conduct have been described greatly by British Thoracic Society or association of respiratory technologist and physiologist 1997. In health there are several factors which influence the magnitude of the lung function. These include height, sex, age, and to a lesser degree weight and ethnic origin (Cotes1979, Anthonisen1986). As a result, assessment of normalcy can only be compared with reference values. The better can be obtained from the study of larger numbers of normal people from the relevant population (European community for Coal and Steel 1983). Once obtained, results can be expressed as percentage predicted or, more correctly, by comparison with the 95% confidence interval for the valves. Problem statement. It is interesting to know whether there are any different of lung volumes and lung capacities base on the different position in the football team such as striker position and defenses position. In football team, the defenders position tasks are different with the striker position task, for example the defensive position, the job of the centre backs or  central defenders  is to stop opposing players, particularly the strikers, from getting the opportunity to score, and to clear the ball from their own penalty area. So usually the defense has big physical to stop the striker, but different with the striker position, usually the strikers position players have not too big physical, because these positions are for the fast person to score the goal. This study of pulmonary function of the Uitm football players base on position, have taken students group of both striker position and defense position of aged between 19-25 years and focused on essential parameters including, FVC and has used Spirometer. The spirometer device used to assess these parameters. This study mainly concentrates on lung parameters including Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) and how far it varies base on the position such as striker and defense. The FVC also use to assess the lung function of Uitm soccer players. Operational Terms 1.2.1 Exhalation is act or an instance of exhaling air. From journal sources Masaoka Y, Satoh H, Akai L, Homma I. (2010) 1.2.2 Inhalation is the drawing of air or other substances into the lung. From internet sources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki 1.2.3 Total lung capacity are refers to the total amount of air in the lungs after taking the deepest breath possible. From internet sources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki 1.2.4 Ventilation is a cyclic process of inspiration and expiration whereby optimal levels of Oxygen and cabondioxide are maintained in the alveoli and arterial blood. 1.2.5 Tidal Volume (VT) is defined as the amount of air that is inspired and expired during normal resting ventilation. 1.2.6 Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) is the maneuvers in which the maximum amount of air that can be exhaled following a inspiratory effort. 1.2.7 Maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) is defined as the maximum volume of air that can be breathed voluntarily by an individual in one minute. From internet sources http://www.answer.com/topic/maximum-breathing-technique Objectives In this study, there are some purposes or objective that can be seen. They are; To measure the level of fitness of Uitm football players by using force vital capacity y test. To determine whether there is a different in pulmonary functions base on position in football team such as defense and striker. 1.4 Hypothesis H °-There is no significant different on pulmonary functions in football position such as striker and defense H ª-There is significant different on pulmonary functions in football position such as striker and defense 1.5 Significant of the study The significant of this study is mainly to measure and compare the lung volumes and capacities among the Uitm football player base on their position. Does the football position such as striker position and defenses position have differences effects on the lung volumes and capacities? The study is important because it can help certain peoples such as coach, physiotherapy and athletes especially in any kinds of sports to improve pulmonary functions. In addition, this study also can increase knowledge of coach and athletes, and show them how important is to have efficient and strong lung to improves their performances for their sport. 1.6 Delimitation The first delimitation is the number of any kinds of research subjects, which consists thirty (n=30) age range from 19-25 years old will take part in this study. The subjects are selected in the Uitm football team and physically active and all the participants must be healthy. The subjects are divided into two groups of defense and striker. The others delimitation is the subject gender and age. The test will be conduct in Physiology Lab. Limitation In this study, the participants involved may have some experience in vital capacity test. The participants that will be selects in this study will be participating in the lab test by using spirometer. The participation is important in this study because it can affect the results and data if the participants do not cooperate and participate willingly. Besides that, the time constrains also can be one of the factors because the participants have their own schedules and will clash with the test schedules and can not attend the test. In addition, money can be a problem because, there is no sponsored in this study. The daily activities of the participants will not be controlled. Assumption In this study, it can be assumed that all the participants can do and completed the vital capacity test. Thus, I also believe and make sure that all the participants will understand and follow all the instruction given by the technician. The researchers also predict that all the participants are physically active and healthy. The researcher assumed that the test in this study instrumentation was appropriate for the target population. I also predict that all the participants fully understood the types of test and method and how to perform it correctly. The research participants accurately of completed the inventory leisure participation and leisure constraints to the best of their ability. Lastly, all the participants are coming from the same populations, which Uitm football team aged 19-25 years old.

Childhood Field Day Essay -- Autobiography Essay, Personal Narrative

Child Hood Field Day. I thought that must be a hundred degrees, as I waited for Mrs. Cailler, our school principal, to shout into her microphone. â€Å"GO!† I heard, and started to run. Even though it wasn’t a race, I was young, and wanted to zoom around the track like 6th graders could. Lea came up beside me and she was already sweating like crazy. â€Å"I love field day, only I don’t like the hotness† I said, panting. â€Å"You mean the heat, right?† She corrected me, as she always did. We had only gotten half way around the track before I started to wonder why I wanted to do field day. I was too hot, too hot to run, too hot to wear this uniform, it was just too hot out. Soon running became jogging, jogging became walking and walking became just trying to keep myself from stopping and falling asleep right there on the track, with sixth graders --big, scary, and sometimes mean sixth graders. Finally I got to the starting point and collect my first rubber band. This shows that I had done one lap, one hot, tiring, long lap. Again and again, I went around the track. I was sta...

Poor Parenting Techniques Displayed in Maurice Sendaks Where The Wild

Poor Parenting can cause poorly behaved children 'Where The Wild Things Are' was first published in 1963 and is the first part of a trilogy of award - winning books by American author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. 'Where The Wild Things Are' is haunting and imaginative and describes how a young child, called Max, creates a fictitious fantasy world in order to deal with the terrifying reality of anger. Poor parenting is a lack of parenting techniques and skills in relation to the responsibilities and obligations, which need to be fulfilled in order to accomplish prominent problems within the family relationship. Poor parenting is most likely to come from an absence of cooperation from both child and parent, satisfying both needs and wants so that they both reach common ground. Depending on the age of the child, a lack of parenting techniques and skills affects a child differently psychologically, mentally, physically, socially and emotionally. However, it is manipulated by the events happening outside the home environment, which can include a divorce or war. The role of the parent in a child's life is very influential and possible outcomes of inadequate parenting techniques and skills can result in the child becoming poorly behaved. This is represented in the children's picture book, ' Where The Wild Things Are' by Maurice Sendak. While Max battles for authority, his mother demonst rates many parenting techniques, which have led to severe consequences in relation to his poor behaviour. Bad behaviour influences a child's long-term growth as a human being and stunts their journey from child to mature adult. Children develop a sense of acceptable behaviour based on the methods employed by their parents. Negative behaviour comes as a result of the child feeling insecure, becoming aggressive, angry, antisocial, demanding, dependant, undisciplined and also developing a hateful desire to ‘get back at the world.’ These bad behavioural aspects are outcomes reached as the parent has reacted to become over-controlling with orders, reminders of poor behaviour and warnings. With the parent being the unquestioned boss, it is common for the child with an authoritarian in the household to feel irritable, and get angry and temperamental quite quickly. As a result of being given orders and constant reminders on their behaviour it is no wonder why some children experience... ... expected then, that a lack of cooperation can cause problems. If a parent does not fulfil the obligations and legal responsibilities then it would be clear that poor parenting does cause poorly behaved children. BIBLIOGRAPHY †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Australian Family Law Guide (1999), 2nd Edition, CCH, Australia. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Carter, G.B. (1995) Australian Legal System, Blackstone Press, NSW. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hennessy, C. (2004) â€Å"Violence and drugs top school woes,† The Gold Coast Bulletin, 25 Mar., PG 3. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kirshenbaum, M. & Foster, C. (2001), Parent-Teen Breakthrough – The Relationship Approach, Penguin Books, Australia. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Monahan, G. (1999), Family Law, LBC Nutshell, Sydney. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Williams, B. (1997), Encyclopaedia of Questions and Answers, Kingfisher, Sydney. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (1994) â€Å"Relationships Within The Family,† Mental Help, URL: http://mentalhelp.net/psyhelp/chap9/chap91.htm 25/03/04 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (2004) â€Å"The Artistry and Influence of Maurice Sendak,† Children’s Books URL: http://childrensbooks.about.com 25/03/04