Management Decision Making

A Good Decision Making is the advantage of linking with Xiu. com for eBay. They link with each other because they have a common business idea and goal. However, a good decision making is very important to achieve the business goal. Decision-making are important skills for business. Problem-solving and decision-making are linked. They also require creativity in identifying and developing options. SWOT analysis and PEST analysis are very useful to help decision-making and problem-solving.SWOT analysis can help to assess the strength and weakness of the companies, and opportunities and threats of external factors. PEST analysis can help to assess the potential and suitability of market. Good decision-making requires some skills. For example, creative development and identification of options, clarity of judgement,firmness of decision, and effective implementation. Moreover, Partnership companies need to have consensus in decison-making, workshops can help and include those tools and pro cess. Problem Solving and Decision Making) There are six steps for companies to make deicison. First, define the problems. Second, combine all the facts and understand the reasons. Third, think about some possible solutions. Fourth, consider and compare the advantages and disadvangatages of the possible solutions. Fifth, select the best solution. Sixth, explain your decision to employee sand follow up to make sure the effective implementation. When the partnership companies make the decisions, Xiu. om and eBay can share the risks,costs and the loss(or profit). Also, they can have more sources of capital to put into the busines and make a better decision to have more potential for growth. They can less their problems in financial investment. They can support each other,make a good decison and solve the problems in business together for the betterment of the company. eBay and Xiu. com the partners have different skills because eBay provides service to US people and Xiu. com provide se rvice to mainland people. When hey work together, their skills and talents compliment each others can make a good business team because they have more information and knowledges to make a good decision. Partnership companies always have delay when they make decision because they need to consider the partners and need to have their partners' agreement. Also, the most obvious disadvantages of partnership is the danger of disagreements between the partners. The companies will have different ideas when they make the decisons about how business should run.Disagreements and disputes can harm the business and the relationship of partners. There are many families and friends go into business together and they all ends badly because they have many agruements when they make decisions. (Advantages and Disadvantages of Partnership) The companies need a big amount of capital when they make the decision. However, one of the partners can take all the capital in company. It has a lot of risks to ha ve partnership with others. Recommendation: There has a lot of competitors in e-commerce service provider.For example, Tmall. com is a big competitor to eBay. com and Xiu. com when they link up because Tmall. com is the mainland's largest business in e-commerence service provider. To solve this problem, eBay and Xiu. com can make a good decison. eBay can connect the online shoppers in mainland to some trusted sellers in the United States and Xiu. com can handle the sales, logistics and customer services to mainland customers. This decision can help them gain more customers around the world, have a larger profit in thir business and fight against the competitiors.To avoid the disagreements and disputes problems, the companies should draft a decision plan during the formation to make sure everyone know the procedures and the information of the decisions. They should have a good communication to help them not to delay and make mistakes when they make decisions. To avoid working with di shonest partners, they should choose a trustworthy partner,plan well and keep a good relationship with your partners. It can help each other to catch up the business and develope the trust. Also, it can help them to have better communication and it can have less agruements when they make the decisions. Management Decision Making A Good Decision Making is the advantage of linking with Xiu. com for eBay. They link with each other because they have a common business idea and goal. However, a good decision making is very important to achieve the business goal. Decision-making are important skills for business. Problem-solving and decision-making are linked. They also require creativity in identifying and developing options. SWOT analysis and PEST analysis are very useful to help decision-making and problem-solving.SWOT analysis can help to assess the strength and weakness of the companies, and opportunities and threats of external factors. PEST analysis can help to assess the potential and suitability of market. Good decision-making requires some skills. For example, creative development and identification of options, clarity of judgement,firmness of decision, and effective implementation. Moreover, Partnership companies need to have consensus in decison-making, workshops can help and include those tools and pro cess. Problem Solving and Decision Making) There are six steps for companies to make deicison. First, define the problems. Second, combine all the facts and understand the reasons. Third, think about some possible solutions. Fourth, consider and compare the advantages and disadvangatages of the possible solutions. Fifth, select the best solution. Sixth, explain your decision to employee sand follow up to make sure the effective implementation. When the partnership companies make the decisions, Xiu. om and eBay can share the risks,costs and the loss(or profit). Also, they can have more sources of capital to put into the busines and make a better decision to have more potential for growth. They can less their problems in financial investment. They can support each other,make a good decison and solve the problems in business together for the betterment of the company. eBay and Xiu. com the partners have different skills because eBay provides service to US people and Xiu. com provide se rvice to mainland people. When hey work together, their skills and talents compliment each others can make a good business team because they have more information and knowledges to make a good decision. Partnership companies always have delay when they make decision because they need to consider the partners and need to have their partners' agreement. Also, the most obvious disadvantages of partnership is the danger of disagreements between the partners. The companies will have different ideas when they make the decisons about how business should run.Disagreements and disputes can harm the business and the relationship of partners. There are many families and friends go into business together and they all ends badly because they have many agruements when they make decisions. (Advantages and Disadvantages of Partnership) The companies need a big amount of capital when they make the decision. However, one of the partners can take all the capital in company. It has a lot of risks to ha ve partnership with others. Recommendation: There has a lot of competitors in e-commerce service provider.For example, Tmall. com is a big competitor to eBay. com and Xiu. com when they link up because Tmall. com is the mainland's largest business in e-commerence service provider. To solve this problem, eBay and Xiu. com can make a good decison. eBay can connect the online shoppers in mainland to some trusted sellers in the United States and Xiu. com can handle the sales, logistics and customer services to mainland customers. This decision can help them gain more customers around the world, have a larger profit in thir business and fight against the competitiors.To avoid the disagreements and disputes problems, the companies should draft a decision plan during the formation to make sure everyone know the procedures and the information of the decisions. They should have a good communication to help them not to delay and make mistakes when they make decisions. To avoid working with di shonest partners, they should choose a trustworthy partner,plan well and keep a good relationship with your partners. It can help each other to catch up the business and develope the trust. Also, it can help them to have better communication and it can have less agruements when they make the decisions.

Mental Health & The Workplace

Participants were randomly selected from an electronic version of the white pages and were sent informational letters regarding the study to their home. A total of 2790 participants were obtained; 1390 female and 1396 male, all over the age of 18 at time 1; 2009. Time 2 (2010) consisted of participants from Time 1 who agreed to a follow-up and there was a 74% response rate (N=2024; 927 female and 1147 male). All dependent variables were measured using accredited questionnaires. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9).This questionnaire is a nine item scale constructed from the DSM-lVs diagnostic past month, how often were you bothered by feeling down, depressed, or hopeless? † Responses were measured with frequency ranging from O (not at all) and 3 (nearly every day) and severity O (no depression) and 27 (severe/clinical). Sickness absence and presenteeism were measured using the WHO Health and Work Performance Questionnaire. The questionnaires recorded the number of days that were missed due to being sick physically and or mentally and the employees weekly work hours.Bullying was measured by having an operational definition provided for the participants and then being asked to report if they ever felt subjected to those behaviors. Job strain was measured using the Job Content Questionnaire asking on a four point Likert scale (1 †strongly disagree to 4=strongly agree) inquiring about how taxing their Job was. Table 1 depicts that individuals with mild depression show a doubling in estimated productivity costs, 1040$, when it has to do with annual sickness absence. For sickness absence this number is tripled compared to the employee without depression at 1616$.The annual costs for presenteeism followed similar trends showing that there is not much of an increase from moderately severe depressed employed and severe. The effects of depression on the individual ranges in the thousands of dollars annually compared to the employee who does not suffer from depression. Table 2 illustrates the costs that organizations face nationally. The majority of the costs can be traced back to the individuals who are suffering from mild depression despite severely depressed workers costing more individually.The total costs of depression nationally are under 8 billion. Table 3 (PAR=Population Attributable Risk, OR†odd Ratios) shows that bullying is a significant predictor for depression (6% 0 2. 54 OR). Job strain without bullying had no significant effects. Regardless, the impact of the significant results of Job strain, Job strain and bullying, and bullying that is attributed to depression cost around 693 million. Lerner et al. (2010) also investigated the impact of depression on work performance and impact stressors. Like the previous study, Lerner et al. akes into consideration how stressful work place behaviors can either create or enhance depression. Much of this research is based on the Job demand-contr ol-support framework which indicates that work involving high psychologic demands will be harmful to health, whereas work involving control and/or social support will be protective (Lerner et al. , 2010, p. 205). Using a longitudinal cohort study surveys were distributed at 6,12, and 18 months. There were a total of 14,268 participants between the ages of 18-62 years; 286 of them being depressed and 193 of them being controls.

Finance analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Finance analysis - Essay Example In this study, it was required to compute the Net Present Value of a project for a given company and make a recommendation on whether the project is worthwhile or not. The NPV of a project is the difference between the present values of its cash inflows and its cash outlays. The NPV technique makes use of the discounted cash flow method and discounts the cash flows at the rate of the cost of capital (Smart & Megginson, 2008, p. 261). Additionally, this paper includes designing a capital budgeting model that can be used to evaluated similar projects. Research on Model Design The conventional use of financial models is to evaluate the financial feasibility of a proposed investment. Such models can be utilized to investigate the various investment alternatives that are available, in order to choose the most viable one. Generally financial models are designed to assess a particular capital budgeting project. Capital budgeting choices are supposed to be based on cash flows, instead of acc ounting profits. Additionally it is the incremental cash flows that are applicable. In general, a project is undertaken if the NPV of the incremental cash flows generated from it is found to be positive. However, there may be instances when a Company has multiple projects to choose from but due to budget constraint, the firm’s management might not be able to select all the projects that have a positive NPV. In such cases, the projects having higher values of NPV are opted over those which have inferior NPV values. When the projects are mutually exclusive, the one having the highest NPV is chosen and the others rejected (Gallagher & Andrew, 2007, p. 270). It is known that spreadsheets are suitable and very useful device that are utilized in the assessment of capital projects. The most common methods used in these models are the NPV and the IRR, though other methods like payback period and accounting return are also used. The review of literature revealed that the most popular and publicly available capital budgeting models were the one created for assessing investments in forestry. Some of these models comprise of the FARMTREE model, Agro Forestry Estate model, Australian Farm Forestry Financial Model and the Australian Cabinet Timbers Financial Model (Dayananda et al, 2002, pp. 237-240). These models are designed to evaluate forestry investments and owing to their large scale and exclusive requirement are complicated in nature. On the other hand, the model prepared for the appraisal of the MP3 player project has been built according to its customized requirements and hence best suited. This model is user friendly and even a layman would be comfortable using it for appraising similar projects. The model has been so created, that even if the input variables and the associated relationships are changed, the model would be able to accommodate the changes. Capital Budgeting Model and the explanation of the Outputs For the calculation of the NPV of the new MP 3 player production project that is being considered by the Company, it is crucial to determine the cash flows related to the project. The cash flows can be grouped as follows: Initial capital outflow Operating cash flow during the project’s life (in this case: 5 years) Cash flow during the terminal year of the project The initial capital outflow of the company included the training cost, the retirement package, the working capital requirement and the equipment cost, i.e. $158,701,000. The components of the operating cash flows in the next five years have

Amniocentesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Amniocentesis - Essay Example The risks and benefits of amniocentesis should be considered before opting for this prenatal test. Amniocentesis is mostly recommended after false positive or false negative triple screen test which is a simple blood tests used for the same purposes. Amniocentesis is performed with the aid of ultrasound and the amniotic fluid is collected through a needle and takes about 45 minutes. The collected fluid is used for laboratory analysis. 14 and 20 weeks of pregnancy are the most suitable time for the procedure to be performed. However, the amniocentesis can be delayed till the third trimester (America Pregnancy Association 2006). The procedure is indicated mostly in pregnant women above the age of 35, a couple who has a history of previous children with Down’s Syndrome or any other chromosomal abnormality, history of genetic disease in the family and detection of any chromosomal abnormality in any of the parents (Sloane 2002). The most common chromosomal abnormality looked for in amniocentesis is Down’s syndrome or Trisomy 21. Neural tube defects like spina bifida and genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis are also looked for in the amniotic fluid. More than 70 inborn errors of metabolism can be detected through amniocentesis for instance Tay’ Sachs disease, Fabry’s disease, galactosemia and Gaucher’s disease. The increasing age of the mother is a high risk factor for development of chromosomal abnormalities specifically Down’s syndrome. Hence, the importance of amniocentesis in older age mothers increases. With early detection of the disorders, an abortion can be performed to prevent the birth of a baby suffering from a lifetime of deformity and suffering. However, those who disagree with the notion of abortion, this procedure is mostly useless for them (Sloane 2002; American Pregnancy Association 2006). Since

Bioreactor Landfill versus Traditional Landfill Essay

Bioreactor Landfill versus Traditional Landfill - Essay Example Waste degradation is achievable through aeration and addition of liquid to the disposed waste material to increase the rate of microbial processes. As a result, there is an increase in the activity of bacteria and consequential increase in the decomposition rate. The method is an improved â€Å"dry tomb† approach used by ancient municipalities (the United States Environmental Protection Agency). Bioreactor landfills are multi-design and correspond with the operational approach used (the United States Environmental Protection Agency). There are different types of bioreactor landfills in the contemporary society. As a result, several characteristics of bioreactor landfills are dependent on configuration type. Bioreactor landfills are classified according to the method of waste degradation used. Aerobic bioreactor landfill involves extraction of material from the bottom layer. It then moves to the liquid storage tanks through pipes and goes back to the landfill in a controlled and highly efficient process. The injection of air aids the bacteria activity on the waste (Hill 340). The aeration is achievable using horizontal and vertical wells where the air is piped through. The process stimulates aerobic activity and a consequential stabilization of waste. As a result, the process triggers the rate of decomposition. Anaerobic bioreactor landfill achieves waste stabilization by the addition of moisture into the waste material through repeated leachate circulation. The process achieves and maintains optimum moisture level (Hill 340). The process is anaerobic and biodegradation is done in absence of oxygen. Landfill gas is chemically known as methane is produced in the process. It is safely trapped to prevent greenhouse effect. The gas is used in energy projects. Hybrid bioreactor landfill increases waste degradation using aerobic-anaerobic treatment processes.  

Constitution Law and business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Constitution Law and business - Research Paper Example However, constitutional laws bear significant impacts on how businesses are conducted, the nature of businesses as well as their scope. For instance, the U.S, Constitution governs businesses through the Commerce Clause while most of Germany’s commercial law is affected by the European Union’s legislation. In the end, constitutional laws on businesses will ultimately impact on the economic performance of the respective countries. The U.S constitution was ratified in 1788. Despite this passage of time, it has continued to evolve in tandem with the needs of the changing culture and economic environment. The U.S constitution generally regulates business through the Commerce Clause enshrined in Article 1, Section 8 and Clause 3 (Bahners, 2014). The German Republic’s constitution is sometimes referred to as the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. It has been in existence for about 60 years. In this duration it has been amended 55 times. For instance, in 2009, Germany’s constitution was amended to effect the debt break (or Schuldenbremse). Bahners (2014) states that this law applies to both the federal government as well as the Lander (individual states). Germany is a federal government like the United States. However, the jurisdiction of the German constitution in relation to business is affected by among other sources, the European Union’s regulations on trade and preferential trade area agreements (Bahners, 2014). Though similarly a federal government, the U.S Congress is accorded with the final authority to regulate business and commercial activities between itself and foreign nations. Therefore, both federal and state governments play roles in regulating commercial activities on the domestic and international stages (Allmendinger, 2013). The U.S state and federal governments share equal authority to

Muslims and Islam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Muslims and Islam - Research Paper Example It was once the religion of a sophisticated and powerful world empire, but is today the religion of some of the least dynamic parts of the world, often found in countries that have deliberately avoided integration into an increasingly globalized world.' Muslims finds their basic teachings explained through the Holy Scripture, The Qur’an, revealed to the final prophet of God, Muhammad, over a period of forty years. However Muslims believe that Islam was revealed to many generations and prophets before this as well, and consider it being the true religion of many prophets that are mentioned in other religions as well, such as Moses, Abraham and Jesus. The basic fundamentals of Islam lie on five basic tenants, or the Five Pillars of Islam as they are referred to. These are Shahada, or testament, Salat, or Prayer, Sawm, or Fasting, Zakat, or Alms and Hajj, or holy pilgrimage. The first pillar of Islam is Shahada. Shahada is to bear witness or testify to the fact that Allah is the One and the only entity worthy of worship as God, and furthermore, that Muhammad is his last prophet. This is the first and fundamental pillar, and is considered the most important one, as all other beliefs arise from this basic belief, that is the oneness of Allah. The Muslims also testify to Muhammad as being the last prophet of Allah so as to rule out the possibility of any future claims to prophet-hood and thereby eliminating any further amendments to the religion. Prayer is the second Pillar of Islam and is fairly straightforward: prayer at five designated times a day, in a designated manner, to Allah. Its purpose is to instill in the believer a sense of scheduled division of time and to keep with the believer a constant reminder of Allah and their beliefs throughout the day. Sawm, or fasting, is observed in the holy month of Ramadan (The ninth month of the Islamic Calender) and involves fasting until sunset for the month, so as to instill patience and perseverance into the Mus lim observing the fast, as well as have them understand how those less fortunate than them live every day of the year, without food or water. It is to instill in the believer a sense of patience and steadfastness, through sacrifice for Allah. The fourth pillar of Islam is Zakat, the practice of giving a designated amount of alms to the poor, which is based on a fixed percentage on the possessions of the believer. It is so the rich can help the less privileged, as well as instilling in them a sense of generosity and teaching the positive use of money rather than encouraging it to be hoarded or kept without being given away to others. Finally, the last pillar of Islam is Hajj, or pilgrimage to the sacred land of Mecca, which every able Muslim must complete at least once in their lifetime, so as to show their devotion to their Lord and offer a pilgrimage to the place that is considered the root of their religion. Nonetheless, even though these are the five most basic and important poin ts of belief, the fundamental 'pillars' on which the religion of Islam stands, one can say that this is what basically gives a base to the religion. In actuality, there are many other beliefs and doctrines that are also considered with fundamental importance. For example, Muslims place significant importance on the lessons taught by Muhammad, almost as much importance as they place on the words of the Qur'an, which they believe to have come from Allah directly through an angel, revealed to Muhammad. The lessons taught

The Demise of Colonial Education Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Demise of Colonial Education - Article Example The first thing that must be understood is how relevant this system of education to the political agenda of the countries asserting their independence. One thing that must be understood is that education is a tool to open the eye about the problems of the world and look for the solutions that are feasible and reasonable. However, this system of education by the colonizers became a tool to forward the deplorable political agenda and harsh practices by the Western powers in very problematic situations. Certain problems that occurred in these colonized systems of education. In Africa back then, education has been focused on the development of family and civilization. This would then result into the development of social roles that is being realized by the kids that complement the lifestyle of the particular group he or she belongs to. However, the advent of the colonized education not only distorted these notions of the family and other socialization processes but have forwarded Western Ideals and the religions, later on turning the system of education as a tool to serve the interests of the colonizer and the missionaries being supportive of the said colonial regime. How underdevelopment happens here? One thing that must be understood as well is that the concentration of education in cities has attracted people to acquire this certain education. In this case, people in the rural areas, wherein most of the economic activity of the African nations is being abandoned.  

Free

Free Space Optics Essay ABSTRACT: FSO may sound new and experimental but in fact it predates optical fiber and has its roots in wartime efforts to develop secure communication systems that did not require cable and could withstand radio jamming. FSO has been around for more than a decade, but it is only recently that interest in this technology has started to grow. Free Space Optics (FSO) communications, also called Free Space Photonics (FSP) or Optical Wireless, refers to the transmission of modulated visible or infrared (IR) beams through the atmosphere to obtain optical communications. Like fiber, Free Space Optics (FSO) uses lasers to transmit data, but instead of enclosing the data stream in a glass fiber, it is transmitted through the air. Free Space Optics (FSO) works on the same basic principle as Infrared television remote controls, wireless keyboards or wireless Palm ® devices. How Free Space Optics (FSO) Works Free Space Optics (FSO) transmits invisible, eye-safe light beams from one telescope to another using low power infrared laser in the terahertz spectrum. The beams of light in Free Space Optics (FSO) systems are transmitted by laser light focused on highly sensitive photon detector receivers. These receivers are telescopic lenses able to collect the photon stream and transmit digital data containing a mix of Internet messages, video images, radio signals or computer files. Commercially available systems offer capacities in the range of 100 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps, and demonstration systems report data rates as high as 160 Gbps. Free Space Optics (FSO) systems can function over distances of several kilometers. As long as there is a clear line of sight between the source and the destination, and enough transmitter power, Free Space Optics (FSO) communication is possible. [pic] Free Space optics (fso) technology Lasers are one of the most significant inventions of the 20th century they can be found in many modern products, from CD players to fiber-optic networks. A laser generates light, either visible or infrared, through a process known as stimulated emission. To understand stimulated emission, understanding two basic concepts is necessary. The first is absorption which occurs when an atom absorbs energy or photons. The second is emission which occurs when an atom emits photons. Emission occurs when an atom is in an excited or high energy state and returns to a stable or ground state – when this occurs naturally it is called spontaneous emission because no outside trigger is required. Stimulated emission occurs when an already excited atom is bombarded by yet another photon causing it to release that photon along with the photon which previously excited it. Photons are particles, or more properly quanta, of light and a light beam is made up of what can be thought of as a stream of photons. [pic] A basic laser uses a mirrored chamber or cavity to reflect light waves so they reinforce each other. An excitable substance – gas, liquid, or solid like the original ruby laser – is contained within the cavity and determines the wavelength of the resulting laser beam. Through a process called pumping, energy is introduced to the cavity exciting the atoms within and causing a population inversion. A population inversion is when there are more excited atoms than grounded atoms which then leads to stimulated emission. The released photons oscillate back and forth between the mirrors of the cavity, building energy and causing other atoms to release more photons. One of the mirrors allows some of the released photons to escape the cavity resulting in a laser beam emitting from one end of the cavity. Terrestrial Laser CommunicatIOns Challenges FogFog substantially attenuates visible radiation, and it has a similar affect on the near-infrared wavelengths that are employed in laser communications. Similar to the case of rain attenuation with RF wireless, fog attenuation is not a â€Å"show-stopper† for optical wireless, because the optical link can be engineered such that, for a large fraction of the time, an acceptable power will be received even in the presence of heavy fog. Laser communication systems can be enhanced to yield even greater availabilities by combining them with RF systems. Physical Obstructions Laser communications systems that employ multiple, spatially diverse transmitters and large receive optics will eliminate interference concerns from objects such as birds. Pointing Stability Pointing stability in commercial laser communications systems is achieved by one of two methods. The simpler, less costly method is to widen the beam divergence so that if either end of the link moves the receiver will still be within the beam. The second method is to employ a beam tracking system. While more costly, such systems allow for a tighter beam to be transmitted allowing for higher security and longer distance transmissions. Scintillation Performance of many laser communications systems is adversely affected by scintillation on bright sunny days. Through a large aperture receiver, widely spaced transmitters, finely tuned receive filtering, and automatic gain control, downtime due to scintillation can be avoided. FSO: Wireless, at the Speed of Light Unlike radio and microwave systems, Free Space Optics (FSO) is an optical technology and no spectrum licensing or frequency coordination with other users is required, interference from or to other systems or equipment is not a concern, and the point-to-point laser signal is extremely difficult to intercept, and therefore secure. Data rates comparable to optical fiber transmission can be carried by Free Space Optics (FSO) systems with very low error rates, while the extremely narrow laser beam widths ensure that there is almost no practical limit to the number of separate Free Space Optics (FSO) links that can be installed in a given location. How Free Space Optics (FSO) can help? FSO’s freedom from licensing and regulation translates into ease, speed and low cost of deployment. Since Free Space Optics (FSO) transceivers can transmit and receive through windows, it is possible to mount Free Space Optics (FSO) systems inside buildings, reducing the need to compete for roof space, simplifying wiring and cabling, and permitting Free Space Optics (FSO) equipment to operate in a very favorable environment. The only essential requirement for Free Space Optics (FSO) or optical wireless transmission is line of sight between the two ends of the link. For Metro Area Network (MAN) providers the last mile or even feet can be the most daunting. Free Space Optics (FSO) networks can close this gap and allow new customer’s access to high-speed MAN’s. Providers also can take advantage of the reduced risk of installing an Free Space Optics (FSO) network which can later be redeployed. The Market. Why FSO? Breaking the Bandwidth Bottleneck Why FSO? The global telecommunications network has seen massive expansion over the last few years. First came the tremendous growth of the optical fiber long-haul, wide-area network (WAN), followed by a more recent emphasis on metropolitan area networks (MANs). Meanwhile, local area networks (LANs) and gigabit ethernet ports are being deployed with a comparable growth rate. In order for this tremendous network capacity to be exploited, and for the users to be able to utilize the broad array of new services becoming available, network designers must provide a flexible and cost-effective means for the users to access the telecommunications network. Presently, however, most local loop network connections are limited to 1.5 Mbps (a T1 line). As a consequence, there is a strong need for a high-bandwidth bridge (the â€Å"last mile† or â€Å"first mile†) between the LANs and the MANs or WANs. A recent New York Times article reported that more than 100 million miles of optical fiber was laid around the world in the last two years, as carriers reacted to the Internet phenomenon and end users’ insatiable demand for bandwidth. The sheer scale of connecting whole communities, cities and regions to that fiber optic cable or â€Å"backbone† is something not many players understood well. Despite the huge investment in trenching and optical cable, most of the fiber remains unlit, 80 to 90% of office, commercial and industrial buildings are not connected to fiber, and transport prices are dropping dramatically. Free Space Optics (FSO) systems represent one of the most promising approaches for addressing the emerging broadband access market and its â€Å"last mile† bottleneck. Free Space Optics (FSO) systems offer many features, principal among them being low start-up and operational costs, rapid deployment, and high fiber-like bandwidths due to the optical nature of the technology. Broadband Bandwidth Alternatives Access technologies in general use today include telco-provisioned copper wire, wireless Internet access, broadband RF/microwave, coaxial cable and direct optical fiber connections (fiber to the building; fiber to the home). Telco/PTT telephone networks are still trapped in the old Time Division Multiplex (TDM) based network infrastructure that rations bandwidth to the customer in increments of 1.5 Mbps (T-1) or 2.024 Mbps (E-1). DSL penetration rates have been throttled by slow deployment and the pricing strategies of the PTTs. Cable modem access has had more success in residential markets, but suffers from security and capacity problems, and is generally conditional on the user subscribing to a package of cable TV channels. Wireless Internet access is still slow, and the tiny screen renders it of little appeal for web browsing. Broadband RF/microwave systems have severe limitations and are losing favor. The radio spectrum is a scarce and expensive licensed commodity, sold or leased to the highest bidder, or on a first-come first-served basis, and all too often, simply unavailable due to congestion. As building owners have realized the value of their roof space, the price of roof rights has risen sharply. Furthermore, radio equipment is not inexpensive, the maximum data rates achievable with RF systems are low compared to optical fiber, and communications channels are insecure and subject to interference from and to other systems (a major constraint on the use of radio systems). Advantages A free space optical (FSO) system offers a flexible networking solution that delivers on the promise of broadband. Only free space optics or Free Space Optics (FSO) provides the essential combination of qualities required to bring the traffic to the optical fiber backbone – virtually unlimited bandwidth, low cost, ease and speed of deployment. Freedom from licensing and regulation translates into ease, speed and low cost of deployment. Since Free Space Optics (FSO) optical wireless transceivers can transmit and receive through windows, it is possible to mount Free Space Optics (FSO) systems inside buildings, reducing the need to compete for roof space, simplifying wiring and cabling, and permitting the equipment to operate in a very favorable environment. The only essential for Free Space Optics (FSO) is line of sight between the two ends of the link. âž ¢ Freedom from licensing and regulation leads to ease, speed and low cost of deployment. âž ¢ Since FSO units can receive and transmit through windows it reduces the need to compete for roof space, simplifying wiring and cabling. âž ¢ Only need is the line of sight between the two ends of the link. âž ¢ Providers take advantage of the reduced risk in installing FSO equipment, which can even be re-deployed. âž ¢ Zero chances of network failure. âž ¢ Virtually unlimited bandwidth. APPLICATIONS âž ¢ Metro network extensions – FSO is used to extend existing metropolitan area fiberings to connect new networks from outside. âž ¢ Last mile access – FSO can be used in high-speed links to connect end users with ISPs. âž ¢ Enterprise connectivity The ease in which FSO can be installed makes them a solution for interconnecting LAN segments, housed in buildings separated by public streets. âž ¢ Fiber backup FSO may be deployed in redundant links to backup fiber in place of a second fiber link. âž ¢ Backhaul – Used to carry cellular telephone traffic from antenna towers back to facilities into the public switched telephone networks. Free Space Optics (FSO) Challenges The advantages of free space optical wireless or Free Space Optics (FSO) do not come without some cost. When light is transmitted through optical fiber, transmission integrity is quite predictable – barring unforeseen events such as backhoes or animal interference. When light is transmitted through the air, as with Free Space Optics (FSO) optical wireless systems, it must contend with a complex and not always quantifiable subject the atmosphere. âž ¢ Fog and free space optics (fso) âž ¢ Physical obstructions and free space optics (fso) âž ¢ Free space optics (fso) pointing stability – building sway, tower movemen t âž ¢ Scintillation and free space optics (fso) âž ¢ Solar interference and free space optics CONCLUSION FSO enables optical transmission of voice video and data through air at very high rates. It has key roles to play as primary access medium and backup technology. Driven by the need for high speed local loop connectivity and the cost and the difficulties of deploying fiber, the interest in FSO has certainly picked up dramatically among service providers worldwide. Instead of fiber coaxial systems, fiber laser systems may turn out to be the best way to deliver high data rates to your home. FSO continues to accelerate the vision of all optical networks cost effectively, reliably and quickly with freedom and flexibility of deployment. REFERENCES 1)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-space_optical_communication 2)http://www.freespaceoptics.org/freespaceoptics/default.cfm 3) http://www.freespaceoptic.com/

Users Who Will Benefit from Financial Statements Essay Example for Free

Users Who Will Benefit from Financial Statements Essay The users of Financial Statements need them in order to satisfy some of their different needs for information. The following are the users and the ways in which they use this information in their decision making. Investors They are the providers of Capital for the entity. They require information in order to determine whether they should buy hold or sell. Shareholders are also interested in information which enables them to assess the ability of the entity to pay dividends. Employees They are interested in the information since they need to know about the stability and profitability of their employers. They are also interested in information which provides remuneration, retirement benefits and employment opportunities. Lenders Are interested in information that enable them to determine whether their loans and interest attached to them will be paid when due. Suppliers and other Creditors They require information in determining whether the amounts due to them will be paid when due. Trade creditors are likely to be interested in information an entity over a shorter period than lenders unless they are dependent upon the continuation of the entity as a major customer. Government and its agencies They are interested in allocation of resources, and therefore, the activities of entities. They also require information in order to regulate the activities of entities, determine taxation policies and as the basis for National income and similar statistics. Public Entities make a substantial contribution to the local economy in many ways including the number of people they employ and their patronage of local suppliers. Financial Statements may assist the public by providing information about the trends and recent developments in the prosperity of the entity and range of its activities.

Personal Leadership And Management Development Nursing Essay

Personal Leadership And Management Development Nursing Essay This unit is interesting in the sense that it will help develop personal leadership and management skills to support the achievement of personal career goals and organisational objectives. There are three learning outcomes that are expected to achieve upon completing this assignment. First is the analysis of personal leadership and management skills to encourage achievement of organisational objectives. This would include an assessment criterion and analysis of the impact of organisational objectives, values and culture on the leadership and management role. It would entail assessing personal leadership and management skills and identifying personal development. Second is to manage development of personal leadership and management skills to be able to meet organisational objectives. This would mean assessing of opportunities for development of leadership and management skills, constructing and managing personal development of leadership and management skills. And the last is to evaluate the effectiveness of personal development plans to develop management and leadership skills. It is my hope that by being able to discuss task 1 and 2, I would be to learn some aspects of personal leadership and management development that would be helpful in the way I serve the organization I am affiliated. Task 1 To begin with, defining the meaning organization is necessary. Organisation means a social unit of people having a systematic structure. Such organization is managed so as to pursue collective goals or to respond to a need. This is on a continuing basis. For each organisation, there is a set of its own objectives, values and culture on the leadership and management role. An example would be the mission and vision of Lynde House Care Home. It aims at putting quality first in everything they do for the residents and its relatives. The staff members aspire to be the most and successful care providers. Such objective has a big impact on the leadership and management role. The achievement of the said objective in ones own capacity as a leader/ manager is important. Then, what is the role of the leader in attaining these objectives. First and foremost, the leader must raise the awareness of every member of the staff as regards the organisational objectives. There is a need for the leader to understand what and how each individual can contribute to achieving such objectives. Leadership logically needs authority. But it is not an authority which becomes a weapon to control people. As an objective factor, to be a leader, one must have the managerial ability and skill. It is said that the most common skills are technical skills and conceptual skills. Meaning one must have the sufficient knowledge of the organizational objectives and appropriate strategies to implement them. One must be able to understand organizational concepts and to make them comprehensible to the members of the organization. Subjectively, one must have personal qualities as leader like being person-oriented, good motivator, confident in their decisions, etc. One must have the competency for communication being able to respond and to negotiate. Leadership has a major influence in the success of the organization. Leaders bring about the values and culture necessary for changes and innovation within the institution. Thus, they can adapt effective strategies and together with well-motivated employees such strategies will be carried out. Leaders are not only limited to management, that is focusing only execution and control but they can be any level of the organization. If leaders have the ability to motivate positively those around them, especially the vital resource of the organization, the members of the workforce, then the organization will certainly benefit from them. In fact, through this influence of leaders and effectively encouraging the people to a shared vision, the organization can move towards developing its people, its resources and evaluate the clients use their services or interact with them. Leaders can also determine whether or not that experience is beneficial. With leadership playing an important role in the favorable outcome of information centers and clients experiences, it would be helpful to discuss the different types of leaders and their potential impact, for example, on nursing home as an organization. The current leadership theories classify leaders based upon traits or how influence and power are used to attain organizational objectives. For trait-based descriptions, leaders may be autocratic, democratic, bureaucratic or charismatic. If it is to understand leadership from the perspective of the exchange of power and its utilization to secure outcomes, leaders may be situational, transactional or transformational. Grasping the meaning of these different terminologies can help provide a more meaningful discussion on leadership. It is worth mentioning that not all leaders are created equal and leadership quality greatly vary from one organization to another or even just within organization. It is an important aspect in leadership quality evaluation, to be able to identify the leader style of the individual. The leadership style will also gauge how effective the person is in leading the organization realize its goals. At this point, it is necessary to look into some common leadership styles. To understand how leaders style affect the organization and to look for positive benefits as regards some leadership style are also important. Below is a brief description of the different leadership styles. In autocratic type of leadership, the leader dictates everything to be done. Commitment, creativity and innovation are not valued for members are controlled in the sense that they have to do as commanded. It is a do as I say type of leaders who forces the members to perform processes in the organization even services as dictated. The leader of this type generally makes the decision without consulting from the members. Working together for a shared vision or motivating the members do not become part of the style of this leadership. This type of leadership can at times be beneficial for example in crucial military conflicts or in poor organization resulting to an inability to meet deadlines for projects. However, this type of leadership can pose problems to the organization. Since the members are controlled and are not able to contribute their ideas, they become dissatisfied and can even harbor resentment against the leader. When this happens, leadership will fail and the overall perfo rmance of the members will suffer. In order to attain the set goals of the organization, bureaucratic leadership will make clear and intelligible policies. For bureaucratic leaders policies will urge forward execution, strategy, objectives and outcomes. When policies are stated, bureaucratic leaders feel so secure that they can persuade the members to move on through policies. It is the policy that counts instead of the people. Policies directing the procedures and processes to be performed are more important for a bureaucratic leader than motivating and developing people in the workforce. This type of leadership can lead to antagonistic behavior or reserved and remote attitude from the members. But problems having to do with policies may not always be evident until the harm is done. Policies alone are not sufficient to motivate and develop people to commit themselves to achieve organizational goals. Bureaucratic leaders hold policies as primarily decisive that they become indifferent even tend to oppose any complaint s regarding the said policies. Policies are needed for any good organizational management but they must be carefully considered. For lack of due though and care and blindly implemented policy will not give incentive for employees to perform well thus, resulting to frustrated desired outcomes. Both the autocratic and bureaucratic leadership styles lack the capacity to peoples development. It can be noted that there are more negative consequences in these leadership styles rather than something that promotes the well-being of the members or the organization in itself. Democratic leadership is another leadership style in which the members thoughts, ideas or opinions are solicited in the decision-making process. In this style of leadership, the members are more participative, thus, creativity and increase of group morale can be evident. Since members could feel more involved, they can also be more committed to the projects. This may result in higher positive outcomes. However, this leadership style can have setbacks, too. For example, when the members cannot give quality contributions necessary for decision-making, certain projects can fail to move on. It is also hard to build a consensus when democratic leaders expect that everyone share the same level of expertise as regards decisions. For this style of leadership, a great amount of effort is needed thus, decision-making can be a very slow process. Charismatic leadership can be an effective trait-driven leadership style. Charismatic leaders inspires, motivates the members. Not only do they have the clarity of the vision but they have the creativity to encourage the members to execute the said vision. Charismatic leaders have the personality, the capacity and the skill to translate an idea to something new, fresh and different for the good of the organization and can arouse the members to be part of the innovation. This style of leadership may sound the most successful yet, it has some drawbacks. Since the charismatic leader holds the group even attaining a status of a hero, the members can follow blindly and can become passive followers. With this kind of submission, they may allow the leader to manipulate them. If the charismatic leader departs, it can leave a big vacuum in the organization resulting to a confused and rudderless management. The organization can struggle for years for it is hard to replace a charismatic leader. Charismatic leaders can create happy and well-motivated members but rarely gives way for developing future leaders. The trait-based leadership styles such as autocratic leadership, democratic leadership, bureaucratic leadership and charismatic leadership have been discussed. At this point, other types of leadership from the perspective of the exchange of power and its utilization to secure outcomes will be discussed. These are situational leadership, transactional leadership and transformational leadership. Situational leadership refers to a kind of leadership where the leader continuously makes suitable adjustments and adopts various styles for different situations or outcomes. In practice, this kind of leadership is helpful especially for leaders who are experienced for they are highly sensitive to the needs of the organization and its members. This style may work well when members are inexperienced and need some kind of coaching. The leader tells them exactly what to do and how to do it. Leaders responding to situational factors can choose freely from ones experiences of the different processes with the aim of approaching a desired result. But if the leader has applied the inappropriate style, problems can arise. Leadership of this style can be confusing especially when processes and decisions are not consistent. It can be said also that this type of leadership is management rather than leadership per se. Transactional leaders provide clear structure of what is expected of the member of the organization and if one is able to perform it accordingly, a reward is given. Such reward can be in the form of good performance review, a raise, a promotion, new responsibilities or a desired change in duties. Transactional leadership can be effective when working on clear goals and objectives of the organization. The members are also clear of what is expected of them to accomplish such goals. However, if reward becomes the only motivating factor for the followers, creativity among them are less encouraged and it is likely that human development even professionally at a higher level will not be ensured. In transformational leadership, leaders are able to provide opportunities for members of the organization to change and to transform them. Transformational leaders become role models for their knowledge, expertise and vision to change those around them. They have the commitment to the organizations vision and inspire those they lead to work in the same spirit. Since innovation and creativity are valuable factors for transformational leaders, they develop each individual as quality contributors. It is considered as the best leadership for it considers each individuals own evolving thought process and changing responses. They empower the members to give their best, thus, creating a people-based vision within the organization. Even if the leader is no longer present, leaders can come out from the transformed members and are able to continue to help the organization move on to productive outcomes. For environments that are fast-changing and that creative problem solving and customer comm itment become a priority, transformational leadership can be effective. In any leadership, the personality and the behavior of leader are important; any limitation can pose a problem. Each organisation has a culture; meaning the beliefs and values that have existed in an organisation for a period of time. Any organizational culture determines the beliefs and values of the members, thus, such culture has an impact on the attitudes and behaviour of the people in the workforce even to their commitment to customers service. Since the priority concern of administrators is the accomplishment of the organizational mission, there is usually an adjustment as regards leadership behaviour. And depending on the leadership style employed would also determine the job satisfaction of employees. Therefore, the relationship between organisational cultures, leadership behaviour and job satisfaction of employees must be grasped well. The culture within an organisation is very vital. It has an essential role in determining whether there is a happy and healthy environment where the members can perform their work. There is a need to motivate the members to acknowledge and accept the fundamental organizational values, thus, communication and creativity of how to promote those values must be considered. Good relationship between the leadership and followers will create greater contribution to team communication and collaboration. It will also inspire them to accomplish the mission and objectives assigned by the organization. This will certainly enhance job satisfaction among the members. Management in business terms can often mean just doing whatever to keep the organization moving on. If one desires to make ones business to grow, to become more productive and to be more customer-based service, fundamental skills in leadership and management must be well assimilated. Such skills can help to prevent crisis situations. These basic skills include problem solving and decision making, planning, meeting management, delegation, communication and managing oneself. Certainly, they will support the attainment of the organisational objectives. As a leader, one is required to know how to respond to any circumstances that may arise in the organisation. Leadership must understand well the organisational objectives, values and culture. A clear comprehension of the organizational objectives and its culture will help the leader determine the style of leadership to employ. This may need a bureaucratic type of leadership to be able to follow the organisational objectives accordingly. Members of the organization may find such leadership difficult but if the leader can acknowledge the contribution of each individual then the organization will be able to operate well. TASK 2 What is the so-called personal leadership? Personal leadership is not a mere intellectual exercise but rather it is a way of being and interacting with the world from the inside out. It is where the mind, the heart and the body become integrated so that one is fully present in ones life as well as to the things outside himself. One is aware to his habitual behavior and shows willingness to encounter every situation with fresh eyes, with beginners mind. It is this kind of personal and professional commitment that help to become effective in an environment of cultural differences. In personal leadership, one does not merely react from external circumstance but rather one tries to move to an inner experience where discernment of the best possible response can take place. For example when feelings like being frustrated or confused by a situation, the principles of personal leadership will lead one to pause to be able to create the so-called critical space between ones automatic reaction and ones righteous sense of being frustrated or confused. The critical space of being able to pause, no matter even for a moment will lead one to think a better way of saying or doing. This way of reacting shows, indeed, an intercultural competence. Personal leadership is actually leadership of oneself. It takes into account ones own personal experiences, ones own cultural programming and way of acting as one relates with others whether in ones personal or professional life. This way of being brings about quality levels of learning and insight, mutual collaboration and creativity in situations of cultural difference. Leadership and management skills must include an ability to solve problems and make decision; to do planning according to the organizational goals; to know how to delegate responsibilities to people and work load; to be able to communicate; to have meeting management skills; and most importantly to be able to know how to manage oneself. Thus, one must learn the behaviors and attitudes of an effective leader. To be a good leader, one must be able to know ones personal skills. Knowing what one is capable of will help the leader assess in what areas one can better contribute and to work more to improve weak areas. This can be done by having personal skills audit. A skills audit would mean the process which is employed to identify the skill gaps in an organisation. It has to be remembered that the objective of doing a skills audit is to improve ones ability as a leader. To raise the leaders capacity to a more excellent quality, the training needs analysis is vital for this will identify where training is needed. SKILLS AUDIT Skills and work competency areas Self assessment à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ 1 2 3 4 Using and developing my knowledge Researching, investigating and problem-solving Communicating outwardly Listening and interpretation, establishing rapport, understanding needs Developing solutions and agreeing things with people Speaking and presenting to groups Using information and communications technology Decision Making Visioning, creating, and inspiring others with my ideas Managing time, planning, and being effective, efficient, productive, and reliable Behaviours, attitudes and personal style Self assessment à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ 1 2 3 4 Striving for personal development Taking personal responsibility to resolve problems, even those not of my own making Understanding the way people really feel Developing positive relationships Keeping focused and productive, reliable and dependable Self confidence Managing stress and conflict Team-working Having compassion and care for others Managing upwards and sideways (my managerial superiors and my peers). Using integrity and ethics in my judgement about work and organisational issues Rating 4 Very well I feel confident in my ability to use this skill. 3 Satisfactory I am able to use this skill well, but my ability could be improved. 2 Needs attention My ability to use this skill needs to improve. 1 Needs considerable attention I struggle with this skill and need to put in considerable work to develop this skill. After doing the skills audit, the next step would be to plan on how to improve the areas that need most attention. There is always the possibility to develop more my leadership and management skills. This can be done, for example by asking some ideas from ones mentor, by assisting training programs aimed at attaining certain levels of skills and attending some classes offered by the organisation. Personal development planning is a vital process of shaping an action plan based on awareness, values, reflection, goal-setting and planning for personal development within the context of a career, education, relationship or for self-improvement. To construct a personal development plan, one needs to have a clear objective to develop leadership and management skills. Based on my personal skill audit, one objective that I can make is to improve my ability to talk before any type of audience and to act confidently regardless of what the situation may be. I need the courage to voice out my ideas and opinions and to be willing to try new things even to take some risks. I must be always open to look for new opportunities rather than walk the common path. I need to possess the confidence to be able to influence others in my decision-making; to be assertive and to be able to take control of situations. Feeling something is really good, I must be able encourage others to accept my recommendations, ideas and decisions. This would mean to proactively take the lead in as many situations as possible. When there is a group decision to be made, I must be able to be the first to give recommendations. At the same time, I need not agree with everything others say but be able to say no firmly. I need to stand firm on my own decisions without being influenced or co ntrolled by others. And lastly, in terms of dealing with stress and conflict, I must be able to assess calmly any situation before reacting to it. Furthermore, I must look for positives in any circumstance and make the best of any un-favourable situations. I must work more to focus my energy on finding a solution to certain problems rather than losing my temper. These are some concrete areas I need to develop as regards my leadership and management skills. Task 3 In this task, I was asked to implement my plans and to show how I am going to manage my personal development of leadership and management skills. In task 2, I cited my plans and objectives based on my skills audit. An example cited was in terms of confidence. If I can have confidence, I can open new opportunities for myself. I will able to command more respect and to challenge others for more collaborative efforts to work for the organizational goals. I can dare to try new things and to do what others are not doing which can give me more opportunities for success and can make my life more interesting as well. Though it will take a lot of courage and patient practice, with confidence I will be able to allow radiating my authentic self Through positive assertiveness, I can no longer follow other peoples will and decisions. I can choose for myself opportunities which can help me improve my personal leadership and management skills. By being assertive, I can be more participative and can make more quality contribution. It can further build my confidence and boost my self-esteem. Learning self-control especially in terms of outburst of anger is important. It is maintaining a calm disposition and discerning a better way of responding. This would mean learning to choose ones words and to refrain from saying things that I will be disappointed or distressed later on. In difficult situations, I will learn not to give vent to anger but rather I will think of ways of using my energy in a positive way. I can try practicing compassion in recognizing the struggle of others instead of pointless confrontations. Being able to attain positive feed back can only happen in a calm atmosphere where there is no blaming. At times it can be difficult in the sense that others may feel that I am too bossy and arrogant. If this perception occurs, they would not want to follow and even listen to your suggestions. Proper communication with them can help in making them understand the organisational objectives and my plans for the organisation based on its mission and vision. Communicat ion can allow them to understand my attitudes and behaviour. It is a fact that it is difficult to keep everyone in the organization become involved but creating an atmosphere of trust where a good flow of communication is important. Task 4 In this task, I have reviewed my personal development plan in accordance to the original objectives at task 1. The aim is to render quality service in all aspects for our residents, relatives and staff. It is a vital to become the most successful care provider. Through my personal development of leadership, I have received a positive feedback from my colleagues and managers as regards the way I handled the new carer and some complaints of the service users. The managers are happy in my way of responding to such situations. The relatives and the service users are satisfied with the care that we are providing them in line with the healthcare and organisational standards. I think in order for me to maintain my leadership skills better, I would need to have good timing management, discipline and to stay focused on the task at hand. Further more, I think it is necessary to develop more my skills on decision-making by attending training programs and even attend some classes regarding good decision-making. Through these training, I can update as well my personal development plan. It is my desire to become a better and respectable leader in the future. Conclusion There are many leadership styles and certainly one can learn good aspects from them, yet, it is more essential to know the quality of ones personal leadership style. Knowing this through skill audit is a tool to discover more the positive and apparently negative aspects in the way one leads. Self-awareness is the key to effective personal leadership and management development. Each organization has its own particular environmental context of purpose, culture and needs. Before engaging in any personal leadership or management development, it will be helpful to spend time to get a clear grasp of the organizations priorities, strengths and weaknesses, challenges and competency gaps. There must be a balance between skills development and behaviour, attitudes and personality development. The latter would require more sincere commitment and would be more on a long-term basis for each individual is different and unique. Any program for personal leadership and management development must support both the growth process of each individual and the growth process of the organization as well.

Huck Finn and Black Boy :: essays papers

Huck Finn and Black Boy Discrimination Discrimination is a disease; a sickness that has plagued American society for hundreds of years. It can be seen and experienced everywhere. The slandering of people because of their ethnic background, religion, or social status. Why is there discrimination in the world? Hate, envy, racism, selfishness; these traits are not instinctive, rather, they are learned. It does not matter where anti-social traits are initially experienced, whether it is found in the home, or school, or even in the nursery, the results are the same. Children that are exposed to discrimination at an early age could have a propensity towards violent behavior as they mature. Children must be shown that discriminatory behavior is not acceptable, and traits, such as compassion, are acceptable. Too many children today are left alone or unsupervised by guardians and parents. In today’s society, it is a common trend for both the mother and father to work. Young children are many times left in the care of schools, friends, neighbors, and relatives. In these cases children behave in ways that imitate real life. Discrimination can be found almost anywhere. Television, tabloids, and especially the news, reveal discrimination on a daily basis. Writers use the theme of discrimination to reflect the harshness of the world; the true nature of man is to degrade those that are different. But through compassion and understanding one can rise above the fascist views life has impinged on us. Black Boy, by Richard Wright, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain serve as good examples of how one can rise above discrimination and catch a glimpse of a world of equality. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the word nigger is used many times in relation to the run away slave Jim. Huck Finn, after faking his own death to get away from his father, meets up with Jim on the Mississippi River. It’s important to understand Jim and Huck’s relationship in regards to the time the story takes place. According to â€Å"Pictures of Jim:† â€Å"Who dah?" This is Jim's first line, which is also the novel's first line of dialogue. It's a good question for Jim to ask. One of the greatest issues raised by the novel is "who is there" as far as Jim is concerned -- a human being? A piece of property?

Media: A Strong Influence on Body Image and Disordered Eating Essay

It would be incredibly naive to believe that our American society is not extremely preoccupied with the quest for thinness. Everywhere you go, (i.e. grocery stores, bookstores, fitness centers, theaters) images of both men and women who society has deemed "beautiful" are deliberately posted in order to sell a product, entice an audience, or merely to gain attention. Even in an age where the rates for obesity are increasing at a rapid pace, it seems as though our society still idolizes the chiseled, lean man and the ultra thin woman. Many would argue that Hollywood and media has a definite force on creating a standard of beauty for its viewers. Many adolescents and young adults are feeling it very difficult to achieve and maintain this specific body and weight "ideal". It should make one wonder whether or not this emphasis on the external appearance has a played a part in the increasing numbers of men and women who are unhappy with their bodies and who as a result, decide to make extr eme changes in their dieting and exercise routines. It has been suggested that mass media may be partly to blame to the drastic increase in the prevalence of eating disturbances in our nation (Anschutz, Van Strien, & Engels, 2008). Many believe that there is an ever-widening gap between what the media portrays as the ideal body size and weight and what women's actual body size is. As a result, after continually viewing images of people whose size is almost impossible to achieve, both men and women are increasingly feeling bad about their bodies and report dissatisfaction. Thornton and Moore assert, "according to the social comparison theory, people tend to evaluate their own appearance more negatively after viewing highly attractive individuals" (as... ...m" women who appear on most of today's television media are very rarely is the size of the average American women. Instead, television most often portrays women who have had a number of children and yet still are maintain a very slim, size two wearing, frame. Certain communication theories state that exposure to various media outlets can lead viewers to begin to accept the media portrayals of beauty as reality. Some researchers believe that this constant exposure creates in women the belief that looking like the seen images is expected and central to attractiveness. Lavine and Harrison (2004) assert, "media presentations of women’s bodies are so skewed, showcasing an ideal that is out of reach to most, adopting this reality may lead to decreased satisfaction with one’s own and to behaviors aimed at meeting this ideal" (as cited in Grabe, Ward, & Hyde, 2008). Media: A Strong Influence on Body Image and Disordered Eating Essay It would be incredibly naive to believe that our American society is not extremely preoccupied with the quest for thinness. Everywhere you go, (i.e. grocery stores, bookstores, fitness centers, theaters) images of both men and women who society has deemed "beautiful" are deliberately posted in order to sell a product, entice an audience, or merely to gain attention. Even in an age where the rates for obesity are increasing at a rapid pace, it seems as though our society still idolizes the chiseled, lean man and the ultra thin woman. Many would argue that Hollywood and media has a definite force on creating a standard of beauty for its viewers. Many adolescents and young adults are feeling it very difficult to achieve and maintain this specific body and weight "ideal". It should make one wonder whether or not this emphasis on the external appearance has a played a part in the increasing numbers of men and women who are unhappy with their bodies and who as a result, decide to make extr eme changes in their dieting and exercise routines. It has been suggested that mass media may be partly to blame to the drastic increase in the prevalence of eating disturbances in our nation (Anschutz, Van Strien, & Engels, 2008). Many believe that there is an ever-widening gap between what the media portrays as the ideal body size and weight and what women's actual body size is. As a result, after continually viewing images of people whose size is almost impossible to achieve, both men and women are increasingly feeling bad about their bodies and report dissatisfaction. Thornton and Moore assert, "according to the social comparison theory, people tend to evaluate their own appearance more negatively after viewing highly attractive individuals" (as... ...m" women who appear on most of today's television media are very rarely is the size of the average American women. Instead, television most often portrays women who have had a number of children and yet still are maintain a very slim, size two wearing, frame. Certain communication theories state that exposure to various media outlets can lead viewers to begin to accept the media portrayals of beauty as reality. Some researchers believe that this constant exposure creates in women the belief that looking like the seen images is expected and central to attractiveness. Lavine and Harrison (2004) assert, "media presentations of women’s bodies are so skewed, showcasing an ideal that is out of reach to most, adopting this reality may lead to decreased satisfaction with one’s own and to behaviors aimed at meeting this ideal" (as cited in Grabe, Ward, & Hyde, 2008).

Encountering Conflict Essay

Conflict, whether we choose to admit it, is a part of life. Conflict may be sparse in a persons life, and most of which is over trivial things, but when faced with a conflict great enough, the very fibre of a persons being is tested, and how they react proves what kind of person they are. This testing only occurs when one is taken far from their comfort zones, and is such often difficult to see. This is not the case in regards to those involved in the witch trials of Salem in 1692. As one of the many who were prosecuted during the Witch Trials, John Proctor, born March 30, 1632, faced something that changed changed his life in a rather drastic way. Proctor thought of himself as a man of honesty and integrity and one who pursued the truth and did little to hide it in any way. His nature was perceived in both good and bad light, often being too critical. Regardless of his nature, he was tried unjustly on false claims made by Abigail Williams. During these trials he was accused of witchcraft, was convicted and brought to prison. Weeks after his arrest, he was bidden to confess to witchcraft and to sign a document to prove it. After signing the document, Proctor wanted to keep the document from being nailed above the door of the Court of Oyer and Terminer. He did this to not tarnish his name, and that of his family’s, any more than he must. This resistance took great courage, knowing what would come as a result of his actions, that being the taking of his life. Sombre as this may be, an amount of good had come of this, Proctor had ultimately proved that he was the man that he thought he was, a man of justice, pride and ultimately honest man. Another man who was prosecuted as a result of these trials based on false accusation and meeting a similar fate to Proctor was Giles Corey.

Teen Pregnancy Research Paper

Charmagne Thomas October 31, 2012 English 1101 Roseanna Almaee Teen Pregnancy Teen pregnancy is a growing problem not only in the United States but worldwide. Our country has the highest teen pregnancy rate. Teen pregnancy occurs due to a number of reasons. Many young girls are uneducated about unprotected sex and the consequences. Teens should know the consequences of becoming pregnant at an early age before they become pregnant, not after the fact. Most pregnancies are unplanned, there are options to choose from and there’s always counseling to help choose what’s best for the mother.Studies show that about 800,000 girls become pregnant each year, (www. datehookup. com/content-teen-pregnancy. htm). Three in ten teens get pregnant at least once before turning twenty years old. Pregnancy is the leading cause of teen girls to drop out of school. They can’t handle the stress between homework and a baby. Not even half of teen mothers graduate and it’s less lik ely for them to earn a college degree. Some girls think that a baby will save their relationship. Eight out of ten fathers aren’t with the mother of the child. In most situations they can’t help the baby’s mother because they’re not financially stable themselves.The daughters of teen mothers are more likely to become teen mothers themselves and their sons are more likely to end up in prison, (www. stayteen. org/teen-pregnancy). When a teen finds out she’s pregnant it could be worst moment in her life. It brings a lot of stress, physically and emotionally. The thought of telling parents is what hurts the most. Most girls are ashamed and afraid to ask for help. They feel like they’ve let everybody down, could’ve been more careful, and their future plans are now just dreams. Denial will only cause more problems.There are options to choose from and there’s always counseling to help choose what’s best for both, the mother and the baby, (http://www. teenpregnancy. com/). Birth rates are beginning to increase again. Most pregnancies are unplanned, that’s one of the reasons the mother doesn’t know she’s pregnant and doesn’t seek medical assistance. There are facilities to go to if you don’t have the money to go to a physician and the information will be kept confidential. A teen body is still growing so it’s not healthy and could cause problems with the baby so you have to take in more food and nutrition then you usually would.A lot of teens do drugs and alcohol which could harm, the baby in many ways, mainly premature birth, (http://pregnancy. about. com/od/teenpregnancy/a/Teen-Pregnancy. htm). My friend Jakeria is a teen mother so I decided to interview her. She found out she was pregnant the first semester of our sophomore year. She said â€Å"when I took that pregnancy test I didn’t think it was real, I was in denial so I took a couple more but the resu lt didn’t change. † Jakeria felt like her life was over and it was the end especially with her senior years coming up and all the events that would be taking place.She really didn’t think she could handle being a mother. Jai’dyn, her son was born April 1, 2011. It was a life changing event for her but was the best moment of her life. She came back to school the last couple of weeks to take her finals and get caught up on some work. She graduated with me May 26, 2012. Jakeria said â€Å"I didn’t plan this but I knew I had to face the consequences after the risks I took and after looking at my son I now have a reason to strive to be better so I can prevent him from making the same choices I did. † She’s now attending a technical school and doing whatever it takes to take care of her and her little one.There are no stupid questions to ask when it comes to sex. There are many forms of birth control and there’ no reason teen pregnanc y can’t be prevented. Some girls plan to get pregnant for other reasons. Media has a big impact on teen pregnancy. Some girls just think it’s cute but don’t know all the complications that comes with being pregnant. Girls don’t think it could happen to them until it does. . It’s better to be educated on sex and know the answer before making any decision, (http://teenadvice. about. com/od/sex/tp/All-About-Teen-Pregnancy. htm) Teen pregnancy is a common issue today.Schools should educate more on sex and the consequences. Planned parenthood also offers low cost birth control to teens which is positive. It could happen to anyone but its best to use prevention, it’s worth the wait. In the future, each teen should be aware of the risks involved and know of ways to prevent pregnancies. Works Cited Jakeria Neal, friend that experienced teen pregnancy www. datehookup. com/content-teen-pregnancy. htm http://pregnancy. about. com/od/teenpregnancy/a/Tee n-Pregnancy. htm http://teenadvice. about. com/od/sex/tp/All-About-Teen-Pregnancy. htm http://www. teenpregnancy. com/

International Trade and Finance Speech Essay

This speech delivered by the Speaker of the House to a group of reporters surrounding the topics of international trade, foreign exchange rates, import surplus and how they each impact different constituencies. It will also explain why the government would not be able to restrict importation of goods from China, or if wanted to impose tariffs. The Economy and international Trade The United States was once the highest exporter in all the world. Today, the United States has a negative balance of trade, because of the fact that we now import more goods than we export goods. An example of an import would be oil. The oil that we have imported impacts our businesses and our consumers by making gasoline and other oil derivatives more expensive. This makes prices increase because consumers will have to pay for goods from the fact that the cost of driving will go up. This is a major reason why the government is trying to encourage the development of alternate forms of energy such as coal or natural gas. The goods that the United States imports are not always negative. American consumers have benefited greatly from the imports such as electronics or apparel that is made mostly in Asia. The cost of production for these goods are lower in China and most other Asian countries, making it much cheaper for Americans to buy these types of goods that are being manufactured overseas. The reality of international trade is that production will naturally shift to places where goods can be manufactured more efficiently and at a lower price. What the United States has to focus on is developing new technologies and products of higher quality. With a focus based on innovation and quality instead of labor costs. International trade has an impact on the country’s GDP, the financial markets, and importantly university students. The GDP of the United States becomes stronger when we export goods more than we import goods. If negative trade balances become consistent it can lead to deficits, which will in turn cause the government to borrow more. If the government borrows more this will have an impact on the financial markets which could in time make it more costly for the United States to cover all its deficits. We need to promote our exports in order to help the GDP and make our country more impressive to investors. A healthier economy will create enough employment for those needed, especially university graduates that will be trained for the field. The quotas and tariffs regarding the government’s choices has a direct impact on our trade and the relations that we have with other countries. Reducing tariffs and participating in free trade agreements helps our export businesses. This is a reason why our government has in the past worked for establishing trade agreements with countries as South Korea, Panama, and Colombia. When a free trade agreement takes place the trading partners will erase their quotas or tariffs against products from America, this makes it easier for us to send our products to those countries. Trade is a two way engagement, where both are finding a way to benefit, with consumers benefiting as well and our exports getting higher. Foreign exchange rates are the rates of one type of currency converted to another. Such as the rate for exchange between American dollars and Japan’s Yen which is 76 Yen per dollar. Some currencies are fixed with others. The rates of floating currency is determined by the supply and demand. An example is if the European demand for the dollar increases, the supply and demand relationship between them will cause the price to increase of the dollar in relation to the euro. There are many factors that affect exchange rates that include interest rates, unemployment, political instability, inflation, and GDP. When our GDP becomes higher and our exports become level with our imports, the stronger our currency will be and we will have a better overall financial health. There are some people that believe in protectionist policies that include restricting goods that are coming in from China and several other countries, including imposing tariffs that would increase costs for purchasing of goods in the United States. This kind of policy would be populist and fueled with the good intentions of trying to protect our American jobs, its actual consequences would be an elevating trade war with an opposite effect. History proves that when governments have attempted to restrict trade and enforced protectionist measures, other countries will attempt to retaliate and adopt similar policies. An example is the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which broke records by increasing tariffs on 25,000 goods which had an end effect of reducing imports and exports by 50% as trade partners began with similar style tariffs. This will translate into more unemployment as companies that will export their goods will see a drastic demand drop. Restricting imports from China woul d bring drastic measures from the Chinese government, and our companies would struggle as they would be unable to export goods to that part of the world. References Colander, D. C. (2010). Macroeconomics (8th Ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin International Trade, ISSN 0020-7810, 2011, Volume 45, Issue 1, p. 79 The Journal of Economics, ISSN 0895-3309, 2007, Volume 21, Issue 3, p. 105 Foreign Policy, ISSN 0015-7228, 11/2003, Issue 139, p. 20 The American Foreign Trade, ISSN 0002-8282, 12/1928, Volume 18, Issue 4, pp. 706 – 713

Existence of youth culture Essay

There is debate within the scientific community about whether or not youth culture exists. Some researchers argue that youth’s values and morals are not distinct from those of their parents, which means that youth culture is not a separate culture. Others note that we must be cautious about extrapolating a current effect to other periods of history. Just because we see the presence of what seems to be a youth culture today does not mean that this phenomenon extends to all generations of young people. Additionally, peer influence varies greatly between contexts and by sex, age, and social status, making a single â€Å"youth culture† difficult, if not impossible, to define. Others argue that there are definite elements of youth society that constitute culture, and that these elements differ from those of their parents’ culture. Janssen et al. have used the terror management theory (TMT) to argue for the existence of youth culture.[5] TMT is a psychological concept that hypothesizes that culture originates from an attempt to cope with the knowledge of their mortality. Society does this by adopting a worldview and developing self-esteem. Researchers test TMT by exposing people to reminders of their mortality. TMT is supported if being reminded of death causes people to cling more strongly to their worldview. Janssen et al. tested the following hypothesis: â€Å"If youth culture serves to help adolescents deal with problems of vulnerability and finiteness, then reminders of mortality should lead to increased allegiance to cultural practices and beliefs of the youth.† Their results supported their hypothesis and the results of previous studies, suggesting that youth culture is, in fact, a culture. Schwartz and Merten used the language of adolescents to argue for the presence of youth culture as distinct from the rest of society. Schwartz argued that high school students used their vocabulary to create meanings that are distinct to adolescents. Specifically, the adolescent status terminology (the words that adolescents use to describe hierarchical social statuses) contains qualities and attributes that are not present in adult  status judgments. According to Schwartz, this reflects a difference in social structures and the way that adults and teens experience social reality. This difference indicates cultural differences between adolescents and adults, which supports the presence of a separate youth culture.

Assessing the Quality of Education in the Philippines

The goal of this Article is to ensure that quality education will be vailable to Filipinos from all walks of life in four corners of our country. Why powers and functions of and Dep- Ed does the 3 education bodies put into action their duties and powers for delivering of quality education and holistic development of Filipino students and graduates? Dep-Ed, CHED and TESDA are working hand in hand independently from each other. These three education bodies report directly to the Office of the President. Like what was mentioned above, the three sectors are all mandated to ensure the quality of education in their own respective level. The separation of 3 bodies ensures that there would be the necessary attention, priorities and resources for all levels. Each sector also ensures the readiness of a student to the next level. For example, Dep-Ed needs to make sure that the graduating elementary students are all ready and prepared to handle the programs and curriculum of high school level until they finish high schools. A student who finished high school should be ready to the tasks and programs in college either a bachelor degree or vocational courses. Given that these three educational bodies work accordingly and will be given the mandated resources nd budget, the quality of education in the Philippines would soon be competitive and be affordable to every Filipino child. The education plan on the reform to be initiated by the new president of the Philippines. length of education to global standard which was from 10 years to 12 years. I have two stands on this initiative. First, the idea of aligning the length of education to the global standard would be an effective way of ensuring that our grade school and high school students have the enough time to get the necessary quality of education Time as evolved so fast and it has been said that the only constant in world is change. It could be Just appropriate to align our education duration to global standard to ensure our students would be able to cope with the rapid- changing society. On the other hand, this initiative would only be effective to private schools whose students are fewer than the students in public schools. Also, I do not agree with this initiative as I do not see any problem with the length of education in the Philippines even if it doesnt really follow the global standard. I believed that it is not the length of basic ducation that we need to focus on. Philippines was able to make good and topped student that has excel in many filel and in many countries with the education we have. What we need to focus on are the numbers of classrooms and facilities in public school, strengthening the research for all levels and increasing the numbers of public teachers. We need to focus on the materials and resources we are to give to our education sector and strengthen the existing policy for us all to be effective. Give your stand regarding the criticism on sex education by the Dep- Ed and church? Sex education has been one of the 3 most controversial topic across all corners in the Philippines. For the longest time, sex education has been the discrepancy of parents whether to discuss it with their children or not. I partially agree to the motion of sex education among our students. I guess it would be time for our students to end their curiosity. Sex, whether we like it or not, is a subject we all need to discuss with our kids. We got no choice but to discuss sex with them since this is something that has been abused by many young people. Sex has been abused and has been done because young people were not disciplined and educated to them. It is said in the bible that sex is a gift from God and should only be done by a married couple. It is also said in the bible that God asked us to promulgate. However, it is also mentioned in the bible that once we have promulgate across all over the world then it we need to take the measures to control it. Young people, at the right time and at the right way, needs to be educated with sex. A good curriculum is needed to ensure good education regarding sex to our young people.

Signal Role in Mission Command Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Signal Role in Mission Command - Research Paper Example Troops must be connected regularly to satellite-based communication. This means for effective command and control, force deployment can only take place in the face proper information communication technologies developing in the world. The main responsibility of the Signal Regiment is to ensure that the Army is successfully transformed into an information-technology period and new communication tools are being properly utilized. According to Rutt and Jette (2003), the increasing need for joint-service operations underscores the requirement for using common audio, imagery and data signals and networks for all warfighters. The objective is a flawless global system where signals can be transferred between users safely and easily in a way understandable to the user (McGrath, 2006). The main aim of communications technology tools is to guarantee the commander and personnel continuous safe communications during operation and on the front lines. To achieve this, the establishment of battle l abs for emerging combat developments has made significant leaps on this front, especially in most developed countries such as the United States. Technology is known to change faster in communications and computerization than new innovation. In light of this, emerging technologies tend to be focused more on the personnel such as swift prototyping and trials by soldiers in a practical way. Satellite-based Communication A satellite-based signal transmission system for combat trucks is currently under evaluation. Lighter, petite, mobile and more effective systems are the impression for future battleground communications. Currently the trials are ongoing on Mounted Battle Command on-the-move systems powered by satellite communications that will offer broadband signals and communications to a commander on the battlefield (Bullock, &Marshall, 2011). The technology will use lighter, undersized, and less costly tracks with technologies mounted on it to improve communications for battle comma nds on the move. Nonetheless, the development of gadgets that will practically work in adverse combat environment is still a challenge to the manufacturers. Future signal transmissions will witness the placement of small satellite receivers on military trucks, especially those that are meant for command and control operations on the battlefields (McGrath, 2006). The main aim of these operations is to connect a large number of these trucks using satellites, so that the army can operate anywhere across the world with relative ease. Currently, physical barriers are an issue on the battlegrounds, and as result commanders are forced to move closer to the frontline for effective communication (Rutt, & Jette, 2003). However, in future, commanders will have the capacity to establish several communication channels between them, and the lower-level personnel anywhere in the combat zones. Expanded communications reach Recent experiences in the war on terrorism have emphasized the need to align battlefield movements with quick and easier communication (Tyler, 2008). Future communications will therefore have further geographical reach compared to the scope of current communications. The currently limited reach of communications poses a bigger problem to command and control between forward deployed units and those that are in the rear (Bullock, &Marshall, 2011). Current technological weaknesses also impede proper communications with troops