Doing Business with Multinational Organizations

INTRODUCTION Owing to the fast evolution of information and technology organization are operating in an environment where the geographical boundaries are none existent and a company with a subsidiary in another continent operates as if they are in the same city. This paper seeks to identify how this has affected way of doing business by multinational organization by looking and four aspects, which are cultural differences, ethical issues, strategy and industrial or business. 1. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Culture plays a very important aspect in various aspects of business especially for multinational corporations (MNC) operation on a global level. Cultural variations affect the way a firm conducts its business in different geographical regions and around different cultural settings so that they widen their market base, increase revenue and reduce conflicts resulting from cultural differences(Deresky,2008).Managers of MNCs have to understand what implications cultures have on various busine ss transactions. The main areas where cultural factors affect multinational corporations are: 1. 1. Influence on Strategy that will be used A multinational company must research on the cultural aspects of a new market they would like to venture in. They have to understand the likes and dislikes, preferences, what is considered right or wrong, what is valued, what is the common belief in the area they are going to operate in.An example is in Saudi Arabia where religion dictates what happens in normal business transactions and daily activities for instance for Muslims who pray five times a day, departmental stores and other businesses created room to allow the Muslim customers and employees to pray moreover during the month of Ramadan, most businesses are closed during the day as the Muslims are fasting and are less active during the day and opt to open in the evenings when people are more active. 1. 2. Communication Language and non-verbal communication are cultural cues that affect passing of messages from one party to another.Communication between parties that come 2 from different cultures becomes more challenging because of the differences elements of culture and what they value in communication. Different cultures have different communication styles (Gallois and Callan ,1997). These communications styles are: 1. 2. 1. Explicit Vs Implicit Communication Explicit communications is where someone when someone talks it is straight to the point and unambiguous for example Americans. Implicit communication is usually indirect and inexact for example Indonesian communication.For instance a mother telling a man that he is not compatible with her daughter serves him with tea and bananas instead of telling him directly (Gallois and Callan ,1997). 1. 2. 2. Direct Vs Indirect Communication Direct communication states direct action for example ‘has this report done before you go home’. When someone hears direct speech they know what is to be done. Greek emp loyees prefer this kind of communication as they prefer orders as compared to their contribution in management decisions. Indirect communication is not authoritative and encourages input from the listener.American managers prefer this kind of communication as it goes with their managerial style of participatory management. 1. 2. 3. Silence Vs Verbal exaggeration Silence is also seen as a way of communication but different cultures perceive silence in different contexts. The Japanese use silence during negotiations as a strategy to control the negotiation process however if their counterparts are 3 Americans, they would see this silence as lack of knowledge or an indication to move to the next point. On the other hand some cultures dramatization and over emphasize to express the gravity of the matter.This has been observed in the Arab states where common words are used at the end of sentences and pronouns will be repeated for emphasis also used are graphical similes and metaphors. Ma nagers in multinational corporations should therefore study very carefully which communication style takes prevalence in what area and use what is preferred (Gallois and Callan ,1997). 1. 3. Non-verbal communication Non-verbal is another way of communicating messages and portrays messages with more emphasis than words as they say actions speak louder than words. Non-verbal communication includes body movements, posture and gestures, facial expressions.In intercultural communication, it is possible that people rely on non-verbal communication especially when verbal messages are unclear or ambiguous. This is because non-verbal communication is used to add meaning to our verbal communication. How non-verbal communication is used also varies for example low context cultures like the Americans tend to concentrate less with non-verbal communication. This means that it is not there but it is given little importance compared to the words. Examples of non-verbal communication cues are proxem ics (space), tone of voice, body gestures, facial expressions and eye contact (Gallois and Callan ,1997). . 4. Negotiations This is a process where business people engage in discussions with the objective of 4 reaching an agreement that will result in the parties involved benefiting. Negotiations for multinational corporations are usually with the suppliers of capital (investors), suppliers, service providers, the Governments involved (either domestic or foreign), customers and the society. Managers should be aware of the sensitivity and complexities of negotiations especially that are caused by cultural differences as these are usually the key to success (Horst,1972).The multicultural negotiation process is as outlined below 1. 4. 1. Preparation: Understand the counterpart’s culture as compared to ours and identifying the differences. Meant to make us understand the counterparts culture 1. 4. 2. Relationship building: This stage is used to build trust, some cultures find thi s step irrelevant while others emphasize on relationship building and spend more time here. 1. 4. 3. Exchange task related information: Presentation of details by each the parties and they state their stands. Culture dictates how much information is revealed. . 4. 4. Persuasion: Each party tries to convince the counterparts to take their option by explaining the benefits each would get from their stand. 1. 4. 5. Concession and agreements: This is where agreements are reached and using culture, negotiators know how they will get to this point. 1. 5 Motivation This is what gives human beings or groups the desire or willingness to do something 5 in terms of work and personal life and such a context is greatly influenced by cultural variables that affect attitudes and behavior. Using Hofstede’s ultural dimensions we can evaluate how different motivation methods by multinational corporations would affect employees from different cultures especially if they use the same methods acr oss several countries. 1. 4. 6. Individualism/Collectiveness People who are members to a culture that promote individualism such as the American culture would be motivated by opportunities for individual advancement and autonomy plus they would prefer individual rewarding systems than people of a collectivist nature who would prefer rewards of the entire group and would be motivated with what will advance the entire group. . 4. 7. Uncertainty/Avoidance People who are members of cultures who prefer to avoid opportunity would prefer job security while the opposite would be motivated with risky opportunities for variety and fast track development. 1. 4. 8. Power distance A low power distance culture will be motivated by team work, contribution coming from all members while in a high power distance, motivations comes from the relation ship of the managers and the subordinates. 1. 4. 9.Masculinity/Femininity A masculine culture would prefer the traditional division of work and roles by g ender and each gender to stay in their positions for example the traditional African culture 6 while in a feminine culture is open and will motivate people through flexible roles and equal opportunity . (Harris and Moran ,2000) 2. ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES Globalization has led to the development of worldwide and regional governing bodies such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), European Union (EU) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).They are tasked with regulating interactions between economies and preventing conflicts as well as ensuring business ethics and legal measures are taken care of (Farrell et al, 2008) 2. 1Examples of Regional and world governing bodies 2. 1. 1. World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments.The goals of the WTO include among others the administration of trade agreements, facilitation of trade negotiations, settlement of trade disputes, provision of legally binding ground rules for international commerce and trade policy. Basically WTO attempts to reduce barriers to trade between and within nations and settle trade disputes ( Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2008). The WTO can be said to favour the powerful multi-national corporations, which daily strengthen their grip on the world economy. This has led to smaller nations being forced to open up their trade areas e. China being forced by US to open up its trade 7 to allow U. S imports. Globalization of multinationals has many adverse effects on millions of people throughout the world. The overriding aim of the WTO, in short, is to create a world eminently fit for the multi-national corporations to live in. 2. 1. 2. European Union The European Union is the economic association of over two dozen European countrie s, which seek to create a unified, barrier-free market for products and services throughout the continent, as well as a common currency with a unified authority over that currency.The EU relies on member states to protect collective labor rights. The EU expects member states to have thriving trade unions and employees associations to participate in the legislative process at EU level that can help to implement directives at the national level. The EU also places considerable importance on upholding human rights standards in its dealings with 3rd world countries (Alston, 2005). 2. 1. 3. COMESA The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, is a preferential trading area with nineteen member states stretching from Libya to Zimbabwe.COMESA formed in December 1994, replacing a Preferential Trade Area which had existed since 1981. The main objective of COMESA is to facilitate the removal of all structural and institutional weaknesses of member States, and the promotion of peace; secu rity and stability so as to enable them attain sustained development individually and collectively as a regional bloc. Among other things, COMESA member States have agreed on the need to create and maintain: 8 ? a full free trade area guaranteeing the free movement of goods and services produced within COMESA and the removal of all tariffs and non-tariff barriers; a Customs Union under which goods and services imported from nonCOMESA countries will attract an agreed single tariff in all COMESA states; ? free movement of capita and investment supported by the adoption of common investment practices and policies so as to create a more favorable investment climate for the COMESA region; ? a gradual establishment of a payments union based on the COMESA Clearing House and the eventual establishment of a common monetary union with a common currency; and ?The adoption of common visa arrangements, including the right of establishment leading eventually to the free movement of bona fide pers ons. 2. 2. Effects of World Governing Bodies on globalization and business World governing bodies have opened up trade between member countries and as a result increased globalization namely through: 1. Reducing barriers to international trade through international agreements such as WTO agreements 2. Elimination of tariffs; creation of free trade zones with small or no tariffs 3.Reduced transportation costs, especially resulting from development of containerization for ocean shipping. 4. Reduction or elimination of capital controls 5. Reduction, elimination, or harmonization of subsidies for local businesses 9 6. Creation of subsidies for global corporations 7. Harmonization of intellectual property laws across the majority of states, with more restrictions 8. Supranational recognition of intellectual property restrictions (e. g. patents granted by China would be recognized in the United States) 9.Globalization has brought about the formation of alliances between countries such as the G8, NAFTA, EU, such alliances want to improve trade and business amongst themselves and companies operating outside these alliances have quite some disadvantage e. g. flower companies in Kenya selling flowers to the EU 10. World governing bodies and trade alliances such as EU, WTO stipulates the basic ethical rules that should be used in their member states. If companies do not comply they would have campaigns against them creating boycotts for their products. 10 3. STRATEGIES During the last half of the twentieth century, many barriers to international trade fell and a wave of firms began pursuing international strategies to gain a competitive advantage. Business strategies may include geographic expansion, diversification, acquisition, product development, market penetration, retrenchment, divestiture, liquidation, and joint venture. Strategic management enables organizations to recognize and adopt to change more readily; successfully adapting to change is the key to survival and prosperity. 2. 3. Two types of international strategy 2. 3. 1.Global strategy Treat the world as a single market. It is applied where forces for global integration are strong and force for national responsiveness is weak. For example this is true of consumer electronics market. Global Strategy is suitable for: ? ? ? Product is the same in all countries. Centralized control – little decision-making authority on the local level Effective when differences between countries are small 2. 3. 2. Multinational Strategy It treats the world as a portfolio of national opportunities. It is applied where forces for global integration are weak and force for national responsiveness is strong.For example this is true of branded packaged goods business for 11 example strategy pursued by Unilever. Multi domestic strategy is suitable for ? ? ? Products customized for each market Decentralized control – local decision making Effective when there are wide differences between the countr ies 2. 4. Strategies of investing abroad 2. 4. 1. Joint venture Marula (2006) defines joint venture as a venture that is jointly owned and operated by two or more firms. He further explains that many firms penetrate foreign market by engaging in a joint venture with firms that reside in those markets.Advantages of a Joint venture First these organizations are able to apply their respective comparative advantages in a given project and Marula (2006) gives an example of General Mills Inc which joined in a venture with Nestle SA so as that cereals produced by General Mill could be sold through the overseas sales distribution network by Nestle also Xerox Corp and Fuji Co. of Japan engaged in a joint venture that allowed Xerox Corp to penetrate the Japanese market and allowed Fuji to enter the photocopying business.Secondly a joint ventures enables organization especially in the automobile to offer its technological advantages for example General Motors has ongoing joint ventures with au tomobile manufactures in several different countries. 12 Disadvantages of Joint Ventures Association of Certified Charted Accountants (2004) asserts that disagreements may arise over profit shares, amount invested, the management of the joint venture , making the strategy and finally one partner may wish to withdraw from the arrangement. 2. 4. 2.Contract Manufacturing or Licensing Pearce and Robison (2004) define licensing as the transfer of some industrial property right from the licensor to a motivated licensee. They further explain that most tend to be patterns, trademarks, or technical know how that are granted to the licensee for a specified time in return for a royalty and for avoiding tariffs or import quotas. Advantages of Licensing Pearce and Robison (2003) argue that firms that use licensing will benefit from lowering the risk of entry into the foreign markets and used best in companies large enough to have a ombination of international strategic activities and for firms w ith standardized products in narrow margin industries. Disadvantages of Licensing According to Pearce and Robison (2004) is the possibility that the foreign partner will gain the experience and evolve into a major competitor after the contract expires as this was a case between U. S electronics firms with Japanese companies. Secondly they argue that another potential problem stems from the control that the licensor forfeits on production, marketing and 13 general distribution of its products.And this loss of control minimizes a company’s degrees of freedom as it reevaluates its future options. 2. 4. 3. Franchising Pearce and Robison (2004) define Franchising as form of licensing which allows the franchise to sell a highly publicized product or service, using the parent’s brand name or trademark, carefully developed procedures, and marketing strategies. In exchange the franchisee pays a fee to the parent company, typically based on the volume of sales of the franchisor in its defined market area. The local investor who must adhere to the strict policies of the parent operates the franchise.Examples are Avis, Burger King, CocaCola, Hilton, Kentucky fried chicken, Manpower and Pepsi. ACCA (2004) asserts that the franchiser provides the name, any good will associated with it, systems, business methods, support services such as advertising, training and site decoration while the franchisee provides the capital, personal involvement, local market knowledge, payment to the franchiser for the rights, support services and responsibility for day to day running and the ultimate profitability of the franchise.Disadvantages of franchising According to ACCA (2004) search for competent candidates is both costly and time consuming where the franchiser requires many outlets for example McDonalds in UK. Also the control over franchisees is demanding as they are spread over many locations. 14 2. 4. 4. Transnational Alliances Levi (1996) defines transnational allian ces as associations of firms in different countries working together to overcome the limitation of working alone. One of the motivations to form a ransnational alliance is cooperation over research where cost and risks may be too high for any one firm or where different firms may possess different abilities. He gives an example IBM and Siemens of Germany in Memory chip development or marketing of Geo produced in Korea by GM. He further asserts that transnational alliances are compromise between a firm doing everything itself and dealing with a stranger. Advantages Of transnational alliances As Levi (1996) argues organizations form transnational alliances to gain access to foreign markets, to exploit complementary technologies and to reduce time taken for innovation. . 4. 5. Wholly owned foreign subsidiaries Based on a study done by Richard Vernon of Harvard Business School where 187 United States manufacturing with six or more foreign subsidiaries outside of Canada the researcher co ncluded that these multinational corporations tend to be larger, more profitable more advertising and research oriented and more diversified than firms which have not invested abroad. (Horst, 1972) 4. 0 INDUSTRIAL AND BUSINESS Economic reforms/environment affects the business and industry directly.Business plans and programmers are directly influenced by economic factors, 15 such as, interest rates, money supply, price level, consumers’ credit etc. Economic conditions leading to inflation or deflation affect the business activities. Inflation leads to rise in general price-level, whereas deflation leads to fall in price level. Higher petrol prices in the country resulted to a trend in favor of small like Maruti and starlet cars. State of industrial trade and business booms and slumps constitute the economics of market environment, (Lewis, 2006).Recently government initiated various economic policies. As such the impact of these reforms changes on business and industry in the following manner: 2. 5. Buyers’ market In the liberalized policy regime shortages of goods are no more, but there are surplus of goods. These arise due to competition, reduction in cost, up-gradation of technology, improvement in quality and customer convenience. Removal of government restrictions on capacity creation and capacity utilization has also helped increase in the supply of goods.Industry has been given total freedom to expand and diversify. Price control has been removed. Investment now takes place in the areas of demand. All these changes have made the buyer, the sovereign of the market. 2. 6. Export is required for survival Implementation of new trade policy has linked imports to exports. The enterprises should earn foreign exchange by exports and use the same foreign exchange for importing raw material spares and equipments. For example: Reliance Group, Essar World Trade, Ceat, Videocon, Eicher, MRF etc, are being benefited by the 16 new policy. 2. 7.Threat from multinational companies Due to the present policy of liberalization of our government, massive entry of multinationals in the country has started. The vast resources and the modern technology of the present multi-national companies have enabled their subsidiary companies to boost sales and enjoy strategic advantage over their competitors. The presence of multinational companies has been rendering valuable services to our economy. It is supplying superior quality of goods, generating more employment opportunities, promoting modern technology and awakening our business community.Presence of multinational companies has also boosted growth of small industries in the country. 2. 8. Overall competition The new competitive environment has thrown the economy open. There is tough competition between multinationals and there is also competition between local enterprises and foreign enterprises. Competition has now become global. It is not confined to national boundaries. For instance, Weston Electronics Company, which held about 18% of the television market, has been virtually thrown out of the market due to cutthroat competition and technological backwardness. . 9. World class technology Changes in government policy regarding business and industry have provided us with world-class technology. Most companies have also started making investment in research and development. Pharmaceutical industries in countries such as India made 2% investment in R & D. In developed countries investment in 17 research and development is approximately 12%. Multinationals are also bringing world-class technology in the country. This has enabled faster growth of industries. 2. 10. Future not guided by past failuresIt is rightly said that future starts afresh for companies. Future now needs new strategies, high technologies, determined efforts, enthusiasm, organization and leadership. New approaches, systems structures and new leadership must emerge to compete with the multinationals. We mu st forget the past, bury its failures and start working with new endeavor, approaches and leadership. 2. 11. Wider and diverse markets Due to globalization markets have been opened up and can now be widely accessed by companies from various countries.Countries have lift barriers improving flow of goods between them. This has boosted import and export trade among various countries. Regional trading blocks have been formed to improve trade and allow free flow of goods and services among member countries. In the agricultural sector, crop imports are traded at cheaper prices and exchanged for another commodity because of the free trade as entailed among the provisions of bodies such as COMESA or WTO. A country such as Philippines could purchase or import crops from another country at cheaper tariff rates, in case of a shortage.However, on the downside, countries that are more progressive agriculturally could just dump their third-rate or low-class products to their third-world trading c ounterparts. 18 2. 12. Foreign direct investment inflows Local industries which have invested abroad such as Bidco oil refinery is reaping huge profits from its foreign direct investments such as from its investment in Uganda palm plantation. Creation of common markets has given countries incentives to invest in those countries thus leading to investment inflows.Lowering of tariffs: countries such as India have been reaping from enormous opportunities emerging from globalization such as consequent lowering of tariff barriers. Information Technology has given Indian industries formidable brand equity in the global markets. Indian companies have a unique distinction of providing efficient business solutions with cost and quality as an advantage by using state of art technology. Outsourcing is the act of giving a third-party the responsibility of running hat would otherwise be an internal system or service. Due to globalization, most companies and businesses have sought to contract mos t of its services or processes to outsiders. Most industries now use outsourcing such as call centers and can outsource its functions such as marketing, financial, training, transport and distribution and so forth. Capitalize on global trade: most domestic industries now capitalize on global trade by concentrating on the domestic market and then leverage their economies of scale overseas. 2. 13.Devaluation Some countries have had to cope up with the trend of globalization by devaluing their currency such as India. The first step towards globalization was taken with the announcement of the devaluation of Indian currency by 18-19 percent against 19 major currencies in the international foreign exchange market. This was a measure taken in order to resolve the balance of payment crisis. 5. 0 ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION In conclusion my own critique on globalization is that the whole process has increased power that multinational corporations seems to enjoy .This is seen as a particularly wo rrying phenomenon because it affects the issues that are raised and witnessed everywhere we have a multinational company. An overriding concern is that globalization increases the gap between the haves and the have-not of the world. Unfair labor practices such as child labour, poor working conditions and low remuneration packages are some of issues that have been witnessed in the recent past. Although it’s not clear whether the forces of globalization may produce a general deterioration of working conditions around the world or increase the inequality of working conditions among countries . espite the above ,in rich countries the picture is totally different thus self-interested opposition to globalization with fears that cheap imports or immigrants from other countries will lower the relative wages of low-skilled workers, more rapid economic change and shifting patterns of comparative advantage will increase economic insecurity and international competition. Despite all this countering the claims of globalization skeptics is a century-old economy theory that predicts free trade will reduce a convergence of labour conditions around the world. 20 6. References: ACCA (2004) Strategic business planning and development (paper 3. 5). London: BPP Professional Education Alston, P. (2005). Labour rights as human rights. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. Deresky, H. (2008). International Management : Managing Across Borders and Culture (6th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, Pearson Education. Gallois, C. , & Callan, V. (1997). Communication and culture: A guide for practice. Chichester, UK, Wiley. Ferrell, O. , Fraedrich, J. , & Ferrell, L. (2008). Business Ethics: Ethical decision making and cases. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. Horst T. 1972) Firm and Industry Determinants of the Decision to Invest Abroad: An Empirical Study The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Aug. , 1972), pp. 258-266 Kotler, Philip: Marketing Management: nineth edition , Prentice Hall India Lewis D. 3rd ed. (2006): When cultures collide. Leading across cultures. London. Nicholas Brealey International. Levi, Maurice D (1996) International Finance; The markets and financial management multinational business (3rd ed) Singapore: McGraw- 21 McFarlin, D. B. , & Sweeney, P. D. (2006). International Management: Strategic Opportunities and Cultural Challenges (3rd ed. . Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company. O’Carroll, G. (n. d. ). Intercultural Communication – Module: [Intercultural communication]. Retrieved from ECO – European Career Orientation website: http://eco. ittralee. ie// Pearce, J. and Robinson, R. (2004). Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation and Control. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies Schermehorn, J. R. (2005). Organizational Behavior (9th ed. ). Hoboken, NJ Thomas, D. C. (2002). Essentials of International Management: A cross culture Perspective. 2455 Teller Road, Sage Publications Inc. 22

Ethics in Economics and Finance Essay

Ethics is defined as a standard of human behavior that offers how to act in many situations with friends, family members, employees, business people, professionals, etc. It is necessary to mention that to make really ethical decision means to use trained sensitivity to ethical issues. In other words, ethics is associated with acceptable human behavior in this or that everyday or scientific field. Ethics incorporates norms of conventional morality to distinguish ‘wrong’ behavior from ‘right’ behavior. Generally, ethical norms suggest honesty, truthfulness, fairness, integrity, justice and respect for others. Ethics is applied to all aspects of life as, for example, medicine, psychology, business, finance and economics. Financial and economic ethics is considered subset of general ethics. (Frowen, 1995, p. 46) Ethics and Ethical Norms Researches argue that ethical norms and values play important role in maintaining harmony and stability in social life as ethics suggests proper ways of human-human interactions. Ethics recognizes human needs and aspirations, as well as cooperative efforts, fairness and truthfulness. Ethics contributes social stability and ensures balance in all spheres of life and business. Social evolution has developed instinct care in humans to take care of ourselves and of others. Ethical norms are necessary for guiding human behavior and it is refereed to when it is necessary to resolve conflicts between selfishness and selfishness, between conscience and material needs. In finance and economics ethical violations are associated with inconsistency in modern financial-economic theory. Violations are also attributed to inconsistencies in use if principal-agent model of relations in economic and financial transactions. It is noted that the financial-economic theory is based on the rational-maximizer paradigm which promotes capitalist system stressing that individuals are egoistic and they tend to behave rationally when looking for ways of maximizing their own interest. The problem is that modern financial-economic theory contradicts ethical norms of loyalty, fidelity, trustworthiness and stewardship. Moral values are the core of traditional concept of agency, but if humans are claimed to be rational maximizers, then traditional sense is impossible. (Frowen, 19995, p. 47-49) For example, Duska argues that â€Å"to do something for another in a system geared to maximize self-interest is foolish. Such an answer, though, points out an inconsistency at the heart of the system, for a system that has rules requiring agents to look out for others while encouraging individuals to look out only for themselves, destroys the practice of looking out for others†. (Duska, 1992, p. 61) Ethics in Finance Ethics in finance plays important role as it aims at ensuring fair deals and transactions. Moreover, ethics in finance addresses corporate governance, and agency relationships which should be purely contractual. In financial sphere, ethical behaviour should be based on carrot-and-stick approach. In corporate governance the conflict between stockholder and management is described as agency problem. To deal with this problem an agency theory was developed. It stresses that the principal and agent are both self-interested aiming at generating their gain. (Dobson, 1993, p. 7) Researchers say that we tend to entail our needs as, for example, management of retirement savings or stock and bond investing, to financial services as we may fail to carry them effectively. We are not as organized as financial managers, but we are not aware of agency problem. Lack of necessary information limits our ability to monitor managers’ behaviour. Therefore, modern world is characterized by selfish behaviour as people are willing to get their things done by others. Such paradoxical situation explains ethical problems in financial sphere stressing that declining in morality is observed. (Dobson, 1993, p. 8) Ethical violations in finance are rather frequent nowadays and that mainly associated with stakeholder interest, insider trading, investment management and camping financing. Loyalty and trust in public and private dealings are often violated. The most common occurrences are fraudulent financial dealings, corruption in government and public institutions, influence peddling, cheating customers about their trading profits, insider trading, unauthorized transactions, misuse of customer funds in order to obtain personal gain, larceny and corruption in banks, improper pricing of customer trades, etc. Most frequently, unethical behaviour is associated with insider trading which is defined as trading in securities of particular company or organization with an effort to take advantage of information about material side of the company. In such a way, trade is provided with unfair advantage over other competitors in the same security. (Dobson, 1993, p. 59) Therefore, ethical codes are very important in financial filed as they set standards of acceptable behaviour, fair dealing and honest relations with customers. Ethical codes in finance tends to replace egoistic paradigm and to create such system which would promote, honesty, altruism and virtuous traits. It is rather common to fid ethical codes in modern financial markets and financial corporation. In financial markets such ethical codes are established by official regulatory agencies which are trying to ensure ethical and responsible behaviour as important part of all operations and transactions. Furthermore, re-examining of the core principle of capitalist society helps to address ethical problems in both financial and economic fields. Financial ethics suggests that individual should be presented as honest and altruistic promoting honesty and fairness in public and private dealings. The primary purpose of ethic in financial sphere is to set standards of internal good. (Dobson, 1993, p. 60-61) Ethics in Economics Ethics is related with economic sphere in three ways: economists should follow ethical values trying to shape the way they are doing economics; economic actors have ethical values which shape their own behavioural standards; finally, ethical values are important for economic policies and institutions as they affect people differentially. However, from economic perspective ethics is defined as a matter of choice for everyone. Many economists argue that ethical values contribute positively economic welfare. However, there are ideas that economics is ethically neutral. Economists are interested in implication of Adam Smith’s idea that all human are driven by self-interest and egoism. Smith argued that self-interest led to the common good of nation. (Wilber, 1996, p. 135) However, he agreed that human should act in terms of internationalized moral law and police power of the state. Therefore, it is recognized that in economic sphere all figures should act on the basis of acknowledged ethical norms as economy of every country needs efficient ethical behaviour to improve country’s reputation at the world scene. In economics ethics suggests avoiding corruption in government and promoting fair decision-making. It is a matter of fact that ethics is not an easy task for economic system and business as there will be always interest groups which will challenge ethical standards and values. Therefore, economics should pay more attention to ethics and social responsibility, as well as to set ethical codes of behavior. For example, businesses are defined as important institutions in any economic structure. Therefore, they are expected to follow ethical norms when deciding how to organize the work and to produce necessary goods and service. Businesses reflect the overall economic system and unethical behavior may create unfavorable reputation. (Wilber, 1996, p. 139) Conclusion Ethics plays crucial role in all aspects of life, especially in financial and economic sphere. In financial field ethics is associated with fair transactions and dealings, honest buyer-customer relations and avoidance of corruption. In economic field ethics is associated with social responsibility, ethical decision-making as the whole nation depends on them, and, of course, with no corruption on national level. Ethics is necessary not only for maintaining balance and harmony, but also for improving reputation of company, organization, and even country. (Frowen, 1995, p. 68)

Innovation Strategy at Microsoft Essay

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational software corporation that develops, manufacturers, licenses and supports a wide range of products and services related to computing. Microsoft is the world’s largest software maker and affects millions of users worldwide every day. The company recorded all-time high revenue bringing in $73.7 billion for fiscal year 2012. After analyzing this case, I have concluded that the main problem for Microsoft is that their deep silos are inevitably hindering its ability to produce products and/or services to compete with current computing trends in the industry. While Microsoft continues to dominate the computing world, it cannot be attributed to their innovation strategy. To address these problems I suggest that Microsoft alter their environment to better simulate innovation. Microsoft should create an environmental culture in which employees are encouraged to venture outside their tasks, minimal time pressure, and high job security give positive feedback for initiatives taken. These recommendations are based on specific concepts from the book. Current environment inside Microsoft does not currently provide positive feedback. Their current environments sets commitments for each division and employees are faced with performance evaluations. When employees failed to meet designated commitments, employees were penalized. Additionally, employees are penalized for taking on activities unrelated to their commitments. First in chapter 6 we saw that in an industry where growth is slowing and competition becomes stronger, an organization’s success requires innovation. This is why it is recommended that Microsoft focus on simulating innovation. We saw that innovators derive from individual developers and thereby can be considered the true source of innovative products. While an organization system model and creative individuals are key stakeholders in the business, it is not enough to drive innovation. Per chapter 6, there are several effective ways to simulate innovation- of which are the recommendations suggested above. Innovation Strategy at Microsoft: Clouds on the Horizon ACC – Applied Carbon Corporation (large environmental technology conglomerate) EBC (Executive Briefing Center) Innovation team- Gates was engaged with the engineer and the algorithm, he talked about how the algorithm that could increase the speed of the search This suggestion by Gates reduced time used on massive server banks Later he proposed an innovation to monetization model that would save corps millions of energy time. Innovation at Microsoft: Top-Down or Bottom-Up? Innovation drivers: Product groups, Microsoft Research labs, Innovation teams generating grassroots innovation Innovation at Microsoft really was a â€Å"one-man show†, vision and drive of a senior leader, i.e. Gates, then would work its way down Gates would send out memos calling for dramatic change in products, services and technologies Microsoft offered Extensions on existing products & services – result of product groups New products & services accounted for 1/3 Microsoft Rev Grassroot Innovation Grassroot innovation- attempt to tap into diverse ideas of Microsoft employees & turn into profitable new businesses Participated in ThinkWeek, Quest, IdeAgency & Innovation Outreach Program ThinkWeek- technical papers submitted once a year directly to Gates who reviews them for a week & makes comments Quest- Similar to ThinkWeek but involved Microsoft’s most senior & accomplished technical minds Thinkweek & Quest tapped into minds of senior technical staff- ignored other employees IdeAgency- to full realize potential in grassroots innovation by all Microsoft employees Executive sponsor (most likely product group leader) identified a prb that needed a solution & all employees through an IdeaExchange tool would submit solutions Learning by doing- needed more adjustments- submitting ideas wasn’t enough. Therefore top ideas of IdeAgency were selected (ie. 300 first session), form groups, were given a budget & resources to develop a prototype within 8 weeks. ThinkWeek, Quest, IdeAgency- all internal request for info, IOP implemented to include public Chief innovation officers from 10 Microsoft largest accounts for two-day innovation brainstorming conference- asked to look 5 years ahead (LT ignore ST) Steep believed this would drive innovation b/c had two critical flows of information done in product groups & Microsoft research labs 1. Top-down guidance 2. Bottom-up expertise The Information Technology Industry: Clouds on the Horizon Grassroots innovation initiatives response to increased competition from all sides (apple, amazon, google, linux and others) Microsoft generated most rev from consumer & enterprise licenses for software products ’08 operating income $22.5B on rev of $60. 4B (15% growth rate) New technologies threaten importance of Windows operating system as a universal platform, undermining traditional licensing model used by Microsoft for so long Microsoft business model relied heavily on product groups within divisions while each group tailored its software development process to its core technology & market Product groups worked closely with Sales, Marketing & Service division to deliver on customer needs Again, licensing model has been successful for Microsoft but many business analysts that shrink-wrapped software method of generating revenue will be obsolete and lose to cloud computing items 2000 Apple launched MobileMe Yahoo implemented online advertising business model Amazon online service & transaction business model Google online info search leader Grassroots Innovation under Microscope Product groups focus on ST & Research labs on LT So many processes running concurrently with lots of capital tied into them – is Microsoft delivering on its process? The ThinkWeek & Quest relied heavily no Gates- so what if he departed? IdeAgency great on paper- while delivered many successes, few drawbacks- immense time required to facilitate Too many hurdles trying to make fruitful collaborations in resistant environment Too much effort to get anything going across the product groups Many employees refused to work on projects beyond their defined objectives and commitments out of fear of receiving poor evaluations Organization Structure & Design Three divisions: Platform Products & Services, Microsoft Business & Entertainment & Devices Deep silos that barely communicated or collaborated Three business divisions, seven business groups & 27 product groups were told to focus on its own individual profit/loss. Business groups didn’t have time or incentive to participate in collaborations away from their own group Culture & Beliefs Developer-centric company b/c most employees possessed extraordinary amount of tech expertise- every employee (even senior mgmt.) had small office with a closed-door policy to concentrate better Culture a result of Gates behavior and mgmt. system driven by 3 core beliefs- 1) individual excellence (believed they had brightest employees in the world) 2) competitive behavior 3) accepted to never accept 2nd best (Go Big or Go Home) These believes lead to extreme intra- and interfirm competition intensity Competition amongst each other for positions Personal meeting with Gates & his lieutenants in which major employees are dissected & reviewed (can make or break your career at Microsoft) Culture & Beliefs Individual & group incentives were primarily influenced by â€Å"commitments† tied to each employees output- detailed objectives stated in form of a contract between employee & supervisor. At beginning of year commitments set in stone & couldn’t be changed.

Environmental Scan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environmental Scan - Research Paper Example While the internal business environment refers to the factors affecting the business from within, the global environment describes factors in the business external or macro environment (Holman 23). The business macro environment describes factors like competition, clients, industries, market, companies and even clients. In the light of these, business environmental scanning in business can be described as the study and prospective intepretation of the factors influencing business performance. Some of these factors include economic, technological, social and political, including the trends that power businesses, industries and markets in entirety. At Coinstar Company, the process of environmental scanning should include such factors as emerging issues, trends as well as expectations of the various interest parties in the business. Issues, as featured in environmental scanning, often refers to the forerunners of particular business trend breakers. Business environment analysis enables businesses categorize different factors as threats or opportunities, thereby devising strategies that enable them navigate the journey in their environment. The following are examples of elements that can be opportunities or threats to at Coinstar, depedning on how the company appraoches it Social trends: Social trends in business refers to activities that are participated in by the business in the course of its operations. These trends include marketing, supply chain management and cultural aspects. Social trends can be business opportunities depending on how the business reacts to it (Diven and Mark 57). For instance, when a business decides to change its marketing patterns and supply chains to feature various innovations and technological advancements, the development can be an opportunity to the business Technological developments: Technology is a significant factor in modern business, in the face of globalization and increasing

Creating Graphics for Learning and Performance Essay

Creating Graphics for Learning and Performance - Essay Example Serif typefaces have little extensions at the end of the character. Sans serifs, on the other hand, do not have those little extensions at the end. At large, sans is considered more readable especially in electronic-based presentations such as PowerPoint presentations. This is normally because, in high resolution, serifs are not well shown thus making serif typefaces to lose their readability. Therefore, sans serifs are always preferred to serifs when it comes to the writing of computer-based instructional material. However, most people seem to hold the belief that reading body text written in serif typeface is easier especially for extended text (William &Tollet, 1998). According to William, readability is concerned with the ease of reading the extended text, a lot of text, pages of text, and pages. Can I, therefore, claim that serifs are better than sans for reading? I would say Yes and No. No, sans are rather better than serifs when used in preparing instructional material, when l egibility is the goal.   Thus, this question of whether sans or a serif is better for readability is debatable. Chapter 9 Web activity Q. Attempt one of the web activities below. If activity one is chosen, remember that they are two in number and thus you should do all. The second activity should be carried out in the mentioned forum if at all the writer decides to attempt. Activity 1 Using a black and white typography, the meaning of the following words needs to be expressed in an art form. A typography representing the word Collaboration A typography representing the word Synergy A typography representing the word Bossiness A typography representing the word Alienation Use typography (black and white only) to express the words: A typography representing the word Anger A typography representing the word Discord A typography representing the word Harmony A typography representing the word joy Chapter 9 Challenge Activity Activity: Designing words that express their meaning A design expressing the meaning of the word Exit A design expressing the meaning of the word Typhoon A design depicting the meaning of the word walk Chapter 10 Focus questions Q. 1: Are meanings attached to shapes? Yes, meanings are attached to shapes. According to Hansen (1999), designers get more than classic experience when it comes to simple shapes. Shapes such as circles, squares, ovals, lines, and rectangles all have some instructional attribute or meaning. For instance, when ovals and circles are used, they often portray, or show harmony, unity, focus attention, slow process, and portray elements of subsystems or systems.

Pathology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pathology - Case Study Example known kind of primary bone cancer that affects children and young persons{"status":"TOOLBAR_READY","toolbarId":211628906} and the second most rampant overall after chondrosarcoma. Osteosarcoma begins when a single bone cell gets abnormal and grows out of control to create a lump of cancerous tissues referred to as a tumor. The cells within the tumor still act as a bone and tries to make new bone as they grow and divide. In case a pathologist can see a bone in a tumor sample through the use of a microscope, this assists in confirming the diagnosis of osteosarcoma. From historical information and data, ‘Osteo comes from the Greek word that means bone and a ‘sarcoma is the name that is given to cancers that begin in supporting or connective tissues, like fat, bone, blood vessels, cartilage, and muscle. Most of the Osteosarcoma cases come from a single area within the region of a long bone referred to as the (meta-FEE-sis) metaphysis. The meta-FEE-sis contains the area of the bone where cells are developing and dividing, this is referred to as the epi-FEE-see-al (epiphyseal) plate. The lengthy bones of the carcass are the bones that are considered being very much longer than they are wide. For instance the bones of the limbs, (femur) thigh bone of the (humerus) upper arm bone. Rarely can Osteosarcoma start in more than a single bone at the same time; but if it happens, it is typically referred to as multifocal osteosarcoma. The tumor behaves in an aggressive way, which means it can spread quickly to the bloodstream through or from the bone into additional regions within the body. The most usual area of the body that it spreads to is the lungs. Osteosarcoma can additionally spread to other areas of the body quickly, patients require treatment for the whole body; this is usually referred to as a systematic treatment. X-ray: X-ray is done to the various organs of the body system. Bones are also reviewed under X-ray. The X-ray is an energy beam type that can

Self reflection (Craven books) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Self reflection (Craven books) - Essay Example The ability of that system is to operate all computers independently which are associated with software programs and peripheral devices (Reference for Business, n.d.a). The significance of this new computer system lies in the goal of the company to have a competitive advantage. This can be evaluated on how the company applies its Information System Strategy. These are information systems developed to support and meet the company's competitive strategy. The computer systems implemented will create business strategies relevant to all business operations: capture, transmit, store, retrieve, manipulate, and display information for all business processes (Reference for Business, n.d.b). 2. System Implementation The importance of implementing a computer system in a company is to manage efficiently and effectively all business operations and transactions. The system implementation includes hardware and software acquisition; user preparation; hiring and training of personnel; site and docume ntation preparation (Davis & Yen, 1998); installation, testing and start up; and user acceptance (Baldauf & Stair, 2011). 2.1 Acquisition This involves the selection of the hardware, software, materials and equipments used during the implementation (Implementation plan, 2003) and also the names of the suppliers. The cost of acquiring the computer system can either be purchased or leased. If it is purchased, some of the advantages are: free working capital; hedge against hardware obsolescence; allows installation with small capital budget but large recurrent budget; and selling of unwanted equipment is minimized (Bramer, n.d.). If it is purchased the advantages include: ownership and usage of the system without additional cost; and choice of purchasing additional equipments (Bramer, n.d.). However, the downsides of leasing will be: high interest rates, reduced flexibility of disposing obsolete equipments, maximum system usage; and chances of dispossession if it is unpaid (Bramer, n.d .). When purchased, the disadvantages will be high initial capital costs (Bramer, n.d.). 2.2 User Preparation User preparation involves readying the key personnel in the organisation, from top management down to low level management who will be affected in the new system application. It includes marketing, training, documentation and support. The training is the very highlight in the entire process because it can affect the efficiency and effectiveness of both the system and users (Baldauf & Stair, 2011). It also covers the system security features and timeline of the entire process. 2.3 Hiring and Training Of Personnel After the system is purchased or developed, the hiring and training of personnel must also be considered. These personnel must know their role and responsibilities in facilitating effective implementation. When hiring key personnel, their qualifications must consist of outstanding expertise in handling the systems. The objective of this training is to prepare them to manage the whole software applications, thus facilitate the training of the end-users. Adams et al. (2004) recognized the role of consultants as beneficial because they don't just provide experience and expertise but also there would be no conflict of interest involved in making decisions since they're not under the umbrella of the company (cited in Tavassoli & Toland, 2008). 2.4 Site and Documentation Preparation Site

NIC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

NIC - Essay Example For this reason, I would strongly believe and concur that nursing interventions would be different for less and more experienced nurses. First, several strategies are employed in the development of a critical thought of nursing education. These strategies are essential in the attainment of high-quality nursing/clinical practice; hence, likely to be found among the more experienced nursed. Second, the nursing interventions would be different since the most experienced nurses have a high accuracy to clinical practice and would not waste time and energy in handling any case. This would ensure that minimal harm is caused to the patients, and their respective families satisfied. Third, more experienced nurses would have better nursing interventions than the less experienced ones due to the professional engagements they have undertaken. These nurses possess essential features of nursing such as the provision of caring relationships to patients; hence, facilitating health and healing (Macnee & McCabe, 2007). They also pay attention to the variety of human experiences and rejoinders that entail health or illness within the respective physical environments, and are well equipped to integrate knowledge with data assessments obtained from patient appreciations. Finally, the more experienced nurses are better at nursing interventions due to their capability to apply scientific knowledge to diagnosis and treatment processes through judgmental and critical thinking. Therefore, they have the capability to influence public and social policies towards the promotion of social justice in health institutions. The more experienced nurses are able to think critically than the less experienced ones; hence, an indication of a knowledge base from which to reason, analyze, and appraise evidence (Hughes et al.,

Philosophy of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Philosophy of Education - Essay Example An essential aspect of education is the willingness, or voluntariness, of the learner. Peters attempts to elucidate the concept of education by formulating the four criteria which characterize the processes involved in ‘being educated.’ By his own admission, Peters formulates his criteria as a â€Å"guide,† and not as a â€Å"definitive statement† of law (2). Taken in this perspective, his criteria for ‘being educated’ appear very reasonable. Peters’ lists four criteria which are essential for a process to satisfy the concept of education: education involves a body of knowledge and an understanding of associated principles; education implies a transformation of outlook; education involves caring and commitment; education must have a cognitive perspective. Peters’ four criteria succeed in giving us a very clear idea of the concept of ‘being educated,’ although they cannot be accepted as absolutely categorical. The firs t criteria laid down by Peters, to which the processes of education must conform, is the possession of knowledge and an understanding of underlying principles. ... The knowledge possessed by an educated person cannot be just â€Å"a collection of disjointed facts† (8). Peters clearly differentiates between training and education: training is â€Å"equipping people with necessary skills for a job† (7). Education has another dimension than mere training. Training can have educational value, but the concept of education transcends the mere acquisition of skills. Peters categorically states that the objective of education is not extrinsic: extrinsic objectives, such as making the learner job-worthy, fall under the ambit of training. On the other hand, the objectives of education are intrinsic, including â€Å"the development of individual potentialities --- intellect and character† (5). In differentiating between training and education, Peters now leads into his second criterion, which is based on the change brought about by education. According to Peters’ second criteria, ‘being educated’ brings about a cha nge in the outlook of the educated person. He elucidates the kind of knowledge which an educated man must possess, in order to be called ‘educated,’ and not just ‘knowledgeable’. The knowledge acquired by an educated person is active, and his â€Å"outlook is transformed by what he knows† (9). This knowledge comes to characterize his way of looking at things, and does not exist in isolation from the other spheres of his life. In other words, Peters’ emphasizes that the knowledge possessed by an educated person is not inert: it is actively applied to every aspect of that person’s life. Peters’ concept of the ‘active’ nature of education is also marked by another characteristic, which forms his next criteria. Peters’ third criteria is closely

The Last Five Years Have Seen a Major Push for the Use of 3Tesla in Essay

The Last Five Years Have Seen a Major Push for the Use of 3Tesla in Clinical Settings - Essay Example Benefits of 3T over old system have been discussed in detail further in the essay. 3T has provision for excellent imaging results of human body structures such as brain, abdominal organs, all the bony parts and abnormal masses (cancer). In addition, some complicated procedures such as diffuse tensor imaging (DTI) and MRI spectroscopy can also be administered easily with 3T (Haines & Quaddy, 2010, pp1-3). There is a scope of using many RF coils array for faster image processing in 3T. Basic physics of MRI and nuclear spin Here is a glance at the basic physics of MRI and correlation with nuclear spin. Magnetic field is a force generated by the electric currents or magnets. This force attracts other metallic and magnetic objects towards the field. Nucleus of the atom has magnetic properties. All the nuclei provide chemical information together throughout the magnetic field. Atomic chief constituents are proton, electron and neutron. They start revolving in an angular momentum. This is c alled as nuclear spin. This spin is suggestive of the direction of movements in magnetic field (James, 1998, pp1-31; Machann, Schlemmer&Schick, 2008, pp63-70). When two atoms come together in pair, they do not demonstrate a spin. However, in some nuclei, there are uneven number of protons and neutrons. These types of nuclei will have intrinsic angular momentum. In other incidences, when the unpaired nuclei spins are put in the magnetic field the magnetic field of the nucleus and surrounding field react with each other. These reactions are explained with Larmour frequency equations (James, 1998, pp1-31; Machann et.al., 2008, pp63-70). These nuclei momentums align either parallel or anti parallel with the surrounding magnetic field based on the law of quantum physics. Hence, this creates energy difference among the spins that in turn allows transition in between the states. Nucleus consumes energy and goes into excitement phase and further resting or relaxation phase. This relaxation period is important for calculation, as it indicates that any system requires equal time to go into relaxing phase after equal time of exciting phase throughout the magnetization. Total sum of the energy from every step transition is equated along with signal spatial frequency domain and spin density. This signal from spatial frequency is expressed into density in real place for the formation of MRI image (James, 1998, pp1-31; Machann et.al., 2008, pp63-70). Following picture shows the sample of 3T scanner machine with large bore. Picture curtsey- (Haines & Quaddy, 2010, pp1-3) Advantages of going to higher field Higher field means better imaging in shorter time. Transformation of scanning machines from1.5T to 3T also has many positive aspects: 1) SNR (Signal to noise ratio) The major advantage of using 3T technology is to have increased SNR, i.e. signal to noise ratio. â€Å"The FDA limits SAR by anatomical site based on the potential effects of heating† (Stafford, pp 1-5). SNR is almost double in 3T imaging. Raised SNR would certainly improve the image quality far better than before. In addition to this, higher SNR reduces the image acquiring time that helps in many ways such as reduced image producing time helps decrease the incidences of artefacts, especially motion. Many times posture of the patient for imaging makes him/her uncomfortable. Hence, reduced image acquisition time is quite helpful. 2) Spectral

Statement of Purpose Essay Example for Free

Statement of Purpose Essay Alvin Toffler once said that all education begins with a dream for the future and, simultaneously, all education creates a dream of a new future. I have also read an article in which he said that modern industry is on its third wave but that our country’s education still remains on its second wave. I do not need to rely only on the words of the eminent futurologist: it is simply undeniable that our society has reached an overall crisis with regard to education. In such circumstances, the social responsibility of teachers who take charge of actual educational fields is desperately demanded. It is my goal to improve the reality of English education in my country and to create educational programs that will appropriately serve students in the light of social changes. I chose the MA in TESL course at 000 University because I truly wanted to be a teacher—specifically, an English teacher. I zealously focused on my studies and enjoyed making preparations to become the kind of teacher I had been dreaming of becoming. With a strong sense of responsibility as a teacher, I always thought deeply about how to teach students effectively and about which method I could use to inspire them with positive academic attitudes. In that process, I gradually became most interested in developing an effective English education method. When I was a middle school student, my English teacher always played pop music or showed videos containing simple English to capture the attention of the class before lecturing. While studying various teaching methods in college, I realized how important it is to motivate students before starting the class. Actually, motivation might be the most important factor in learning a foreign language, because spending a whole hour can be meaningless if the students fail to concentrate in the class. There is also research that proves that highly motivated students study hard of their own accord. With that in mind, I came to the understanding that it is necessary to break away from the old, traditional English education methods and develop methods that well suit the changing times. Now I particularly look forward to studying efficient teaching methods in depth. Currently, the educational system of Korea has strayed from practical methods, suited for modern society, of studying English, and it is entangled with unchanging grammar study and uninteresting reading comprehension. While teaching, I’ve been upset by the fact that while students might have an advantage in grammar and reading, they considerably lack the ability to freely communicate orally with English speakers and to express their opinions logically and fully in writing. Therefore, I highly concentrate on the importance of speaking and writing when I teach students in the institute. I help the students to improve their writing, and I also try to give them opportunities to speak freely with native English speakers in the institute. I also do my best to interact with my students and help them to become familiar with English studies by preparing materials from famous U.S. TV dramas and animations. The students at first felt awkward with my efforts and had trouble adjusting; however, they later understood my genuine intentions, and my method eventually made an immense impact even on the students with low scores who was not interested in or fond of studying English. One unsatisfactory thing was that some students could not fully catch up because of other extracurricular activities, and I did not have sufficient experience to care for them fully. Because I have experienced such successes and failures, I have been constantly researching to discover a more advanced teaching method. I personally agree with the current TOEFL system, because it evaluates the student’s practical ability to speak and write English in addition to having a good command of grammar. After deeply studying TOEFL, I still felt that I lacked the ability to speak English fluently, even though I am an English major, and that is the crucial reason I resolved to study abroad. While going to an institute to study TOEFL, I have met many fellow students who are not majoring in English, and I feel sort of sad that they indeed have great potential but are frustrated by the huge barrier of the English language. After I successfully complete every course of your graduate school, I plan to return to my country to devote myself to helping non-English majors, so that TOEFL will not be an obstacle when they decide to study abroad to pursue their dreams. I want to cultivate my ability as an English educator at XXX University. By taking your Ph.D program, I will expand my capacity in English and research teaching methods for effective English education. The future-oriented curriculum of your Ph.D program seems quite suitable for training top quality educators by focusing not only on the theory and practice of English education, but also on the development of English speaking. To make the best of this program, I will acquire the quality of a native speaker and instill a sense of duty in myself. I believe what the 21st century demands is an expert who does not remain still, but keeps developing. Considering an old saying that education is a plan that spans a hundred years, I argue that a person who aspires to be a teacher should try very hard. While studying in your school, I want to do my best to develop and research the English education method that suits my original style. To make this happen, I am open to pursuing diverse academic activities, and, if necessary, I will extend my academic aspiration to a doctoral program. If I am given an opportunity, I long to be a professor who inspires students who want to be English teachers while never neglecting my duty as a scholar to keep researching. Lastly, I will provide students with more than just language skills by obtaining an international sense and playing the role as a mediator of English culture who teaches what they truly need to know.

College Alcohol Use Essay Example for Free

College Alcohol Use Essay Summary: Argumentative essay on the topic of drinking on campus. Compares the consequences versus the benefits of alcohol consumption by college students. Drinking on campus is a problem that affects most college students, either directly or indirectly. I, for one, am against drinking on campus. As a student of Stevens Institute of Technology, I can say that drinking on campus is as rampant as a fire in a toothpick factory. Several friends of mine at colleges around the country tell me that their schools face the same problems. Here, at Stevens, much to the college communitys surprise, we had a snow day in February. The night before our well-deserved day off, a Tuesday, most of the general Stevens populous got drunk. That wouldnt have been so bad if everyone locked themselves in their rooms and drank to their livers content, but it was not so. In addition to getting wasted, everyone partied all night, with music blasting and partiers yelling. Needless to say, it wasnt a good night for anyone trying to get some sleep. The whole night wasnt wasted though; it was fun watching inhibition-less people wander around. On a trip to the bathroom, I saw one guy making a fool of himself trying to get together with this girl. Ten minutes later, that same person walked into my room and sat down on my chair. He then told me to get out of his room. A friend of mine had a similar experience. A drunken resident stumbled into his room and fell down on his bed, saying, I think Ill crash here tonight. Luckily, he got up and decided to leave before my friend beat the alcohol out of him. Upon reaching the door, it took him a good 10 seconds before he realized that the knob was on the other side. While I realize that college students generally dont have it easy and they need to unwind every now and then, large consumption of alcohol simply isnt the answer. I suppose its OK to go out and have a drink every now and then, but many people take that to an extreme. Plain and simple, the statistics disfavor drinking on campus. Perhaps the most stunning statistic is the fact that fourteen-hundred college students between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four die each year from unintentional, alcohol-related injuries, the majority of which includes car crashes. Thats not surprising when coupled with the fact that 2. 1 million students drove under the influence last year. Five hundred thousand more are inadvertently injured under the influence of alcohol and six hundred thousand students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking. Approximately twenty-five percent of college students accredit low academic performance to alcohol and thirty-one percent of students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse. Another huge impact of alcohol is sexual abuse. In excess of seventy-thousand students fell victim to alcohol-related rape and sexual assault. Four hundred thousand students had unprotected sex and twenty five percent of them say they were too drunk to even remember if they consented to it. Property damage is another plague brought unto colleges by alcohol abuse, especially here at Stevens, where several card-readers that allow access to residence halls were destroyed on several occasions. Around eleven percent of student drinkers say they have committed vandalism of property while drunk. Many administrators also report that their campuses have an increasing problem with alcohol-related property damage. Alcohol inevitably leads to health problems. More than one hundred and fifty thousand students develop alcohol-related health problems and almost 1. 5% of these students have attempted suicide. Five percent of college students are involved with the police for alcohol-related issues and an estimated one hundred and ten thousand students have been arrested as a result of their drinking. In conclusion, although I recognize the pro- side to this debatable issue, I think that the consequences of drinking far outweigh the pleasures. Drinking should not be allowed on college campuses.

Postoperative Pain Management Case Study

Postoperative Pain Management Case Study Introduction Postoperative pain management is the main issue in the case study of Josie Elliot, a 26 years old woman who had a surgery for internal fixation of fractured right wrist- the radius and scaphoid bones.Therefore, this assignment mainly describes the importance of pain management in post-operative care and also discusses the possible effects of unrelieved pain in the case of Josie Elliot. This writing further explains the process of making clinical judgement using the Tanners Model (2006) and discusses its application in the management of Josies postoperative pain management. This assignment also includes three progress notes to document the main clinical events that occurred in three different shifts while managing Josie’s pain. Importance of pain control in post-operative care and the potential effects of uncontrolled pain for Josie Elliot:(298 words) Managing postoperative pain is an essential component of the postoperative care for various reasons. According to Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (2013), effective management of post-surgery pain may reduce the incidence of postoperative morbidity and facilitate earlier discharge from hospital. Some other advantages of effective post-surgery pain control include an increased patient comfort and satisfaction, earlier mobilisation, few pulmonary and cardiac complications, a reduced risk of deep vein thrombosis, faster recovery with less possibility of the developing neuropathic pain and reduced cost of care (Ramsay 2000). Furthermore, the information-subjective and objective, collected during the post-surgery pain management also supports the plan of care using the evidence based nursing practice (Vaughn 2007). In contrast, unrelieved acute pain can prolong hospital stay,delay return to normal activity, lower satisfaction with care and give additional financial burden (Ritchey 2006). This can have long-lasting effects on physical, emotional, social and spiritual state of the person involved and his or her family and carers. In the case of Josie, who is right handed will need assistance with self-care. She may feel the loss of her autonomy and she may be worried if she can ever do soccer and swimming again. There are also some adverse physiological effects of uncontrolled pain. A patient could suffer from include tachycardia, hypertension, hyperventilation, decrease in alveolar ventilation, transition to chronic pain, poor wound healing, and insomnia (Shoar, Esmaeili Safari 2012). Unrelieved pain also causes stress( ) and in response to the stress, hormones-cortisol and glucagon are released. These hormones can lead to numerous problems including insulin resistance, hyperglycemia and postoperative complications (Dunwoody et al. 2008). In the case of Josie, who is a diabetic, the consequences of insulin resistance and hyperglycemia can not be overlooked because studies indicate that patients with poorly-controlled diabetes experience increased levels of postoperative pain and need higher doses of morphine to achieve optimal pain relief (Holt 2012). Tanners Clinical Judgement Model explains the way nurses make a clinical judgement. Noticing, interpreting, responding, and reflecting are the four pillars of clinical judgement. Noticing is the process of becoming conscious of the situation. Interpreting is making sense of what is noticed and selecting a course of action. Responding is the process of acting on the situation while beginning the first phase of reflecting on the action and the results of the action to allow for modifying the intervention. Reflecting includes both reflecting in action and reflecting on action, allowing the nurse to make sense of and learn from the experience (Tanner 2006). Clinical judgement is recommended when deciding on an intervention to manage postoperative pain being mindful of factors such as side effects, risk of adverse events and patients needs and preferences (Chen 2013).The management of postoperative pain by nurses includes assessment of pain and decision making in regards to the need and type of pain relief. Nurses, where allowed are also involved in prescribing analgesia for pain management (Chen 2013). Noticing Noticing is the skill that develops over time and is amalgamation of background knowledge, contextual knowledge, and knowing the patient. This synthesis creates expectations about what the nurse is likely to encounter in the patient situation. Background knowledge includes comprehensive knowledge of appropriate physiology and pathophysiology, pharmacology, psychology, standards of practice, and past experiences. Contextual information is very useful in promoting early recognition. Finally, knowing the patient and the patients typical pattern of behaviour allows the nurse to notice when something is happening. For example, if the nurse is caring for an elderly patient who has been alert and oriented but is now drowsy and responds unclearly to the questions, the change in the way the patient responds can alert the nurse to potential complications. In the case of Josie, after the surgery, all her observations-Blood Glucose Level, vital signs and neurovascular limb obs are returning to n ormal, however her pain is increasing. Her pain rating has increased from â€Å"no pain† at 1100 hours to â€Å"some discomfort in the wrist’† at 1600 hours. She complains of â€Å"heavy aches† at 1800 hours and rates the pain 6 out of 10 on pain scale. Interestingly, she was given IV morphine 10 mg at recovery at 1030 hours. Interpreting Interpreting may include analytical, intuitive, or narrative reasoning. The nurse makes a conclusion based on an initial grasp of the situation and continues to refine this understanding while gathering additional data, acting to remedy the problem, and watching the results of his or her actions. The process of interpretation may require further patient assessment and may lead to interventions that may or may not relieve the problem. The patients response to the interventions may trigger further noticing and assessment. For example, if the patient complains of chest pain and the nurse knows that the patient had heart surgery the previous day, the nurse may interpret the pain as postsurgical pain and medicate the patient for that while continuing to monitor for signs such as relief or non-relief of pain. In the case of Josie, the pain is localised to her wrist and it is increasing. An experienced nurse can interpret the reason for increasing pain as inappropriate dosing interval of an algesia because she has not been provided with any analgesia since she had IV morphine at 1030 hours at recovery. Responding The third process in clinical judgement is responding. Responding is based on the nurses interpretation of what was noticed as well as on planned assessments. The nurse determines a course of action and implements the plan while watching patient responses. As the situation becomes clear, the nurse will modify actions or reevaluate the situation if the desired results are not obtained. In the case of Josie, a prudent nurse should administer IV morphine 5 mg immediately after confirming that she has not been given any analgesia since 1030 hours. This will rapidly decrease her pain and make her comfortable. Then half an hour later the pain level should be reassessed. She should be given paracetamol 1gram 6 hourly and tramadol 100 mg 8 hourly until she does not complain of pain and swelling disappears. This approach of combining opioid and one or more drugs such as paracetamol and tramadol to relieve pain is called multimodal pain relief. This combination may improve pain relief and redu ce the side effects by reducing the need for opioids such as morphine (Mayo Clinic 2014). Reflecting The fourth process in clinical judgement is reflecting. Reflection occurs both during the action and afterwards. Reflection during the action is known as â€Å"reflection-in-action† and it helps nurses to evaluate the effectiveness of their nursing intervention by reading the response of the patient and improve the response in the moment. Reflection afterward is known as â€Å"reflection-on-action† and it gives the nurse an opportunity to think about how the outcomes could have been improved. This awareness prepares nurse to learn from his or her own experiences. Learning from the experience can then be integrated with the nurses background knowledge and be available for use in future situations. In the case of Josie, a prudent nurse will â€Å"reflect in action† by combining two or more analgesics and References Chen, Z 2013, Post-operative Pain Management: Nursing Interventions, systematic review, viewed 26 August 2014, . Shoar, S., Esmaeili, S. Safari, S. 2012, Pain Management After Surgery: A Brief Review, Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, vol. 1, no.3, pp. 184-6 Dunwoody et al. 2008, Assessment, Physiological Monitoring, and Consequences of Inadequately Treated Acute Pain,Pain Management Nursing, vol. 9(1), pp. 11-21 Holt,P. 2012, Pre and post-operative needs of patients with diabetes,Nursing Standard, vol. 26, pp. 50-6 Mayo Clinic 2014, Pain medications after surgery, viewed 30 August 2014, http://www.mayoclinic.org/pain-medications/art-20046452> Ramsay, A.E 2000, ‘Acute postoperative pain management’,Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, vol.13, no.3, pp: 244–7. Ritchey, R. M. 2006, ‘Optimizing postoperative pain management’, Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, vol.73, no.1, pp. 72-6 Vaughn, F., Wichowski, H. Bosworth, G. 2007, ‘Does Preoperative anxiety level predict postoperative pain?’, AORN Journal, vol. 85, no. 3, pp. 589-90.

Defining Culture :: Essays Papers

Defining Culture Anthropologists define the term culture in a variety of ways, but there are certain shared features of the definition that virtually all anthropologists agree on. Culture is a shared, socially transmitted knowledge and behavior. The key features of this definition of culture are as follows. 1) Culture is shared among the members of that particular society or group. Thus, people share a common cultural identity, meaning that they recognize themselves and their culture's traditions as distinct from other people and other traditions. 2) Culture is socially transmitted from others while growing up in a certain environment, group, or society. The transmission of cultural knowledge to the next generation by means of social learning is referred to as enculturation or socialization. 3) Culture profoundly affects the knowledge, actions, and feelings of the people in that particular society or group. This concept is often referred to as cultural knowledge that leads to behavior that is meaning ful to others and adaptive to the natural and social environment of that particular culture. Some anthropologists prefer to conceptualize culture as a mental phenomenon where individuals learn culture and carry it in their heads ("cultural baggage"). From this view actual behavior is not part of culture, but is a product of culture. This view of culture is called the ideational conception of culture. A broader view of culture includes the behavior of individuals, in addition to the ideas, values, and other mental phenomenon. This view of culture encompasses the way of life of a particular group of people. One should keep in mind that people within a culture share ideas, values, opinions, etc., but they are not universal among all the people in that culture. The word culture is often used to emphasize the most unique aspects of a people's customs and beliefs. Thus, to refer to the culture of a people or group is to call attention to all the things that make that group different or distinctive from others. When anthropologists compare different cultures they do not mean that one culture is better or worse than another culture.

The Governments and States of Locke, Aquinas, and St. Augustine Essay e

In John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, he identifies a government that is of the peoples consent with his essential raison d΄Ãƒ ªtre being the preservation and protection of personal property. This type of government is extremely comparable with the type of government that St. Augustine describes in his work City of God, while at the same time contrasts the views of Aquinas in the ways a state should operate. The end goal of how each of these philosophers’ states purposes presents the greatest split between each of their philosophies. To understand how each of these philosophers’ states are similar and different from each other, a deeper analysis is necessary. The first and possibly most striking similarity between the states that both Locke and St. Augustine propose lies in the fact that both see the state as a necessary evil. Locke describes the perfect life as one in the â€Å"state of nature†, where there are limitless boundaries to freedom. Within these limitless boundaries to do whatever you want lays the ability for others to do harm to you and your property, because they have complete freedom as well. In order to overcome this lack of security, Locke describes the state as a necessary evil which one must give up certain freedoms in order to be protected under the rule of law. This is similar to St. Augustine in the respect that within the world there are evil men who will do harm to others. Augustine argues that laws are necessary to make sure that people can live with the peace of mind that they are protected from the sins of others. One of the contrasting points the states of Aquinas and Locke possess is rooted in how each state should set up and decide their laws. Aquinas argues that we should set up our laws based on high morals, which all men could agree on, and on the high ideals of natural law. Locke disagrees with this in the respect that all men are Tabula Rasa, which begin life as blank slates and develop their views and ideas based on the experiences they are exposed to. According to Locke the men in the state of Aquinas would all have different experiences and place importance on different morals and ideals. Therefore, Locke argues that in order to have a legitimate set of laws, they must be based on very solid foundations which cannot be subject to argument. Such foundations would be the protection of property, as well as the ... ...ant to be told that there is only one version of right and wrong, which is exactly what the opposing state proposes. Examples of the type of state that Aquinas and St. Augustine present can be seen in some of the failed regimes of the past century. Prime examples of states that attempted to strive for the better good of its people, and failed, can be seen in both Nazi Germany and communist Russia. These states attempted to take each individual and force them into an ideal â€Å"mold† of what they wanted their citizens to become. Even though these societies succeeded for some amount of time, both have since collapsed and states in the Lockean from have arose out of their ashes. As aforementioned, both of the types of states presented have strong and weak points to ponder on. Both have rose to power at one point in time or another, although the Lockean state has remained where others have fallen. Overall, an argument can be made that in our modern world with globalization and a never ending mixing of cultures; the only way for a state to succeed is to put ideological ideals behind and look to protect the greater good by looking out for the â€Å"peace, safety, and public good of its people.†

Poem #640: Interpretation :: essays research papers

I cannot live with You— It would be Life— And Life is over there__ Behind the Shelf The Sexton keeps the Key to— Putting up Our life—His Porcelain— Like a Cup— Discarded of the Housewife— Quaint—or Broke— A newer Sevres pleases— Old Ones crack— I could not die—with You— For One must wait To shut the Other’s Gaze down— You—could not— And I—Could I stand by And see You—freeze— Without my Right of Frost— Death’s privilege? Nor could I rise—with You— Because Your Face Would put out Jesus’— That New Grace Glow plain—and foreign On my homesick Eye— Except that You than He Shone closer by— They’d judge Us—How— For You—served Heaven—You know, Or sought to— I could not— Because You saturated Sight— And I had no more Eyes For sordid excellence As Paradise And were You lost, I would be— Though My Name Rang loudest On the Heavenly fame— And were You—saved— And I—condemned to be Where You were not— That self—were Hell to Me— So We must meet apart— You there—I—here— With just the Door ajar That Oceans are—and Prayer— And that White Sustenance— Despair— "I cannot live with You", by Emily Dickinson, is an emotional poem in which she shares her experiences and thoughts on death and love. Some critics believe that she has written about her struggle with death and her desire to have a relationship with a man whose vocation was ministerial, Reverend Charles Wadsworth. She considers suicide as an option for relieving the pain she endures, but decides against it. The narrator, more than likely Emily herself, realizes that death will leave her even further away from the one that she loves. There is a possibility that they will never be together again. "Arguing with herself, Dickinson considers three major resolutions for the frustrations she is seeking to define and to resolve. Each of these resolutions is expressed in negative form: living wither her lover, dying with him, and discovering a world beyond nature. Building on this series of negations, Dickinson advances a catalogue of reasons for her covenant with despair, which are both final and insufficient. Throughout, she excoriates the social and religious authorities that impede her union, but she remains emotionally unconvinced that she has correctly identified her antagonists." (Pollack, 182) Dickinson begins her poem by saying that she cannot live with her lover because their life together is an object that can only be opened with a key. The Sexton, or church officer in charge of the maintenance of church property, keeps the key. The reverend’s involvement with God and with a woman at the same time is like a porcelain cup that is easily broken. This is an example of Personification.

Minimum Legal Drinking Age

We believe that adults should have the right to make their own decision about the consumption of alcohol. 18 is the age of adulthood in the United States: you are eligible to vote, you can legally purchase cigarettes, you are eligible for the military draft – which includes that you are willing to die for this country-, you can sign contract, get married and you are even able to serve on a jury.So why can’t someone at the age of eighteen not drink alcohol? There is a study that shows there are fewer road accidents due to alcohol in countries where the minimum age for alcohol consumption is 18 years. Despite the fact that in 1984 the United States defined the minimum legal drinking age at 21 years old, its rate of traffic accidents decreased less than that of European countries during the 1980s. Moreover, allowing 18- to 20-year-olds to drink alcohol in regulated environments with supervision would decrease unsafe drinking activity.Prohibiting this age group from drinkin g in bars, restaurants, and other licensed locations causes them to drink in unsupervised places such as fraternity houses or house parties where they may be more prone to binge drinking and other unsafe behavior. We can also prove that high non-compliance with minimum legal drinking age 21 promotes general disrespect and non-compliance with other areas of US law.In fact, MLDA 21 encourages young adults to acquire and use false identification documents to procure alcohol. In this era of national security concerns, including terrorism, illegal immigration, and other threats, it would be better to have fewer fake IDs in circulation and more respect for the law. Finally, lowering MLDA 21 would be good for the economy. More people would legally be able to drink in bars, restaurants, and other licensed establishments. Revenue would increase for private business owners, and greater amounts of tax revenue would be collected by the government.

Ordering system Essay

Online Ordering Bookshop system is commonly used by most of the establishment. The group dedicated to convert the manual system into automated system because most of the establishments are now using automated system. In the present generation there are many instant ways on how to buy stuff. Going directly to the store is sometimes a hassle thing to do. You would feel disappointed if the product that you want is already out of stock. In order to lessen the inconvenience, most businesses implement an ordering system through phone, and through innovations of technology, some businesses today are engaging in an online ordering system to help them monitor their products easily and give their customers better service. There are still many businesses today which are not aware of what online technology to apply to their business. 1.2 Problem Statement A purchasing system is an important tool for businesses that can be critical for a healthy business operation. It primarily helps vendors to offer their products online, thus, reaching more possible customers. Considering the advantages of having an online purchasing system for stores, still a lot of businesses are not able to enjoy its benefits mainly because of costs from the development and maintenance of such systems. With this reality, only those big businesses are able to profit from this system, widening the gap of the competition. 1.3 Objectives of the Study 1.3.1 General Objective The goal is to develop an online business platform for book vendors and book enthusiasts. 1.3.2 Specific Objective To comply with the general objective, the study must accomplish the following: 1. To create a system that will register different book vendors and their products that will be available for sale online. 2. To create a system that would allow customers to browse, search and buy offered products. 3 Design a system that could generate reports for reference of parties involved. 2 1.4 Conceptual/Theoretical Framework The concept used is the Input-Process-Output (IPO) by Kenneth E. Kendall and Julie E. Kendall (1997) in their book entitled â€Å"SAD 3rd Edition(1997)† referred to as an overview diagram. InputProcessOutput Figure 1.0 Conceptual Framework Figure 1.0 show the theoretical framework that was followed in the development of the system. The input phase shows where the data and information was gathered. The process phase includes the analysis of the acquired information’s as well as the development, design and testing of the system. The output phase will be the proposed study. 3 1.5 Significance of the Study The proposed system will be beneficial to Book traders that can’t afford the cost of developing and maintaining their own purchasing system and for book shoppers who wanted a one-stop shop for their favorite/needed reading materials. 1.6 Scope and Limitation The scope of the proposed system resides on the ability to cater purchases online and generate reports of registered users/vendors, added products and the transactions occurred. This study mainly focuses on the concept of online purchasing, thus, delimits the actual inventory of the products per see. 4 1.7 Definition of Terms Application – A computer program with a user interface. Develop – To bring from latency to or toward fulfillment Diagram – A plan, sketch, drawing, or outline designed to demonstrate or explain how something works Figure – A written or printed symbol representing something other than a letter, especially a number. Framework – A fundamental structure, as for a written work. Generate – To produce as a result of a chemical or physical process Information – Knowledge derived from study, experience, or instruction. Input – Something put into a system or expended in its operation to achieve output or a result Inventory – A detailed, itemized list, report, or record of things in one’s possession, especially a periodic survey of all goods and materials in stock. Internet – An interconnected system of networks that connects computers around the world via the TCP/IP protocol. Online – Connected to a computer or computer network. Output – The information produced by a program or process from a specific input. Phase – A distinct stage of development Process – A running software program or other computing operation. Scope – The area covered by a given activity or subject. System – An organized and coordinated method; a procedure Transaction – A record of business conducted at a meeting; proceedings. 5