Narrative about painting The Scream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Narrative about painting The Scream - Essay Example The essay "Narrative about painting The Scream" focuses on the discussion of the painting "The Scream". Answers- that was what O’ Neill was looking for in this day. Walking to office, he remembered his call for visual proof from the detective. The detective had assured him that it would be provided. There was no need to look for the veracity of his claims of course. Adultery was the norm, he had said. That day, he met Charles at the office and gave him a long hard look. The thought of this man, who was his junior in the office being with his wife, filled him with white hot rage. He kept telling himself that it was just a matter of a few more hours when the entire truth would unfold before everyone’s eyes. He would then revel in his triumph and reveal to everybody how he had been correct. They would have the satisfaction of telling him that they had always warned him of the match. They had told him that she was never from the same social position that he was in and would not understand the realities of his cultural position. She had proved herself and the others through this action of hers. If it had not been for Isaac, he would have been left in a quandary where he would have found himself unable to pick up the shards of his life together. Delinda was at the gate, waiting for O’ Neill as usual. This was the way things were since the day they had gotten married. She would return early and wait for him to the gate of their house and they would go in together. Today, she felt he was absent-minded over something.

RESEARCH PAPER ON NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

RESEARCH PAPER ON NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE - Essay Example â€Å"Nathaniel’s passivity and indolence appeared especially unmanly in the presence of Robert Manning’s energetic capabilities, not only to the uncle but to the boy himself. The resulting self-distrust was to be permanently in conflict with Hawthorne’s innate pride† (Erlich, 1984). His family’s Puritan past would weigh heavily upon him throughout his life and would be strongly reflected within his writings. Although he was strongly encouraged to take up the family trade and become a merchant marine, Hawthorne had decided, by age 17, that he wanted to be a writer. Hawthorne’s official education started at the age of 15 when he attended the Samuel H. Archer School as preparation for college. He entered the Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine by 1821 (Swisher, 1996). While he was there, he formed lifelong friendships with future literary giant Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, future president Franklin Pierce and future Navy Commander Horatio Bridge. He also spent another 12 years following college living in his mother’s house and educating himself in how to be a good writer by studying his Puritan past, nonfiction and fiction works of note (Swisher, 1996). While he always styled himself a writer, he held several small jobs necessary to support himself. These included magazine editor, customs house worker (in a variety of capacities) and as a farmer for a brief period at Brook House, an experimental commune (Swisher, 1996). After he moved to the Lenox countryside to escape angry Salem residents, he met Herman Melville who was to have a profound influence on The House of Seven Gables. â€Å"The presence of this brooding mariner, poetic soul such as Hawthorne’s father had been, stirred the deepest memories – and doubts – of the older writer. Melville’s talk of the sea, of time, eternity, death, myth, and literature, his metaphysical leaping, struck

Impact of the Internet on Developing Countries

Impact of the Internet on Developing Countries Abstract The Internet has completely changed the information management scene in developed countries. It has improved the communication systems and has developed user-friendly environments for information sharing and exchange. The benefits of the Internet in developed countries have inspired the developing countries to develop the Internet and use it to their benefit. The Internet is now changing the information practices in various sectors in developing countries. The impact of the Internet has caused developing countries to modify traditional methods of conducting information business by setting up new sources of information and new methods of communication on a global basis. The Internet has helped the developing countries to take advantage of access to global sources of information in order to improve their economic markets. In this paper we will discuss the evolution of the Internet along with the atmosphere, which initiated the growth of the Internet in developing countries. We will touch upon the constraints involved in promoting Internet growth, the models used to enhance Internet growth, the areas benefited by the Internet and the future of Internet in developing countries. We have focused our discussion on the impact of the Internet on the two most populous developing countries, India and China. Introduction In todays world where globalization is inevitable if you want to succeed, the Internet is your only respite. The Internet has revolutionized information technology and made information access across boundaries very easy. It has spread in all spheres of life and you cannot think of life without the Internet. Come to think of it, how did the Internet evolve and how did it become such an essential part of our lives? The Internet has created competition by bringing many international and indigenous information technology vendors on to the same platform and has raised the standards of quality of services. Even though the Internet has its advantages, the developing countries are facing a lot of issues in using it to achieve maximum benefits. Some concerns are related to the infrastructure costs, language and cultural barriers, political barriers and economic costs. If the issues related to the growth of the Internet can be tackled, there would be phenomenal growth in the economy of the developing countries due to the benefits of the Internet. Statement of Purpose The three major aspects involved in the overall development of a country are economic, political and social. As it is evident from the success of the Internet in developed countries, and will be clear from the examples stated in the paper, we can see that the Internet plays a very important role in all these aspects. It is evident from the extent of usage of the Internet in our daily lives that it has and will continue to change the way we live. How it has changed, and how it will continue to change our lives, is the reason for discussion on the topic of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Impact of the Internet in Developing Countriesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . We are discussing the impact of the Internet specifically on developing countries because the awareness and number of users of the Internet is still growing. As compared to the number of users of the Internet, the effect of the benefits of the Internet has been phenomenal. Evolution of the Internet The idea of the Internet originated about 25 years ago at the US Defense Department Advanced research Projects Agency (ARPA), to keep track of data through computer hardware and software. The Internet is now a complex web of networks connected with high-speed links cutting across countries. There are no set boundaries for the Internet in cyberspace. Recent statistics show 50,000 networks in more than 100 countries with more than 50 million users (MIDS press release). It is estimated that the rate of growth in Internet use is around 20 per cent a month. Currently the Internet is not proprietary and is available to anyone with computer access connected to the external world. Since the USA launched the information superhighway in 1994, the Internet has come to play an ever-increasing role in the vast information market in many countries. Malaysias Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohammed, once said: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“It can be no accident that there is today no wealthy developed country that is information poor, and no information rich country that is poor and underdevelopedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  This statement emphasizes the importance of the Internet for developing countries. From an international perspective access to and use of the Internet is unbalanced; there are obvious gaps between developed and developing countries in terms of the numbers of nets, hosts and users. Information Environment in Developing Countries China and India have the highest population among the developing countries. With the vast population, the market for the Internet in these countries is huge. Both India and China are information-rich countries with a long tradition of learning and applying their knowledge. Both countries have had phenomenal growth economically and are utilizing information technology and information management for the same. The reduction in the price of personal computers and the multimedia influx only accelerated the growth in Internet usage. For countries with vast information centers, the Internet proves to be the most valuable resource. Chinese general information systems are divided into six categories: (1) Information centers affiliated with the National Scientific and Technical Commission (2) Information centers belonging to central government ministries (3) Information centers of a provincial nature (4) Information centers of a specialized nature affiliated to regional governments (5) Information centers affiliated with state enterprises, universities and other research institutions (6) Information centers of non-governmental, regional, professional and similar bodies In India, at the national level the main sources of information include: (1) Various line ministries; (2) The Central Statistical Organization (CSO) (3) The National Sample Survey Organization (4) The Registrar-General of India (RGI) (5) The National Information Center (NIC) (6) The Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) (7) The Federation of India Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) (8) Tata Energy Research Institution (9) The Center for Science and Environment Given such huge information centers in both countries, the public need for the Internet and its potential are vast. Areas of concern in Developing Countries Three major areas of concern about the Internet in developing countries are: (1) National information policy (2) Regulatory framework and information infrastructure (3) Proper education and training National information policy Awareness of various information sources in developing countries is limited to oral form. Awareness in print is negligible. The national information policies in developing countries concentrate on trade, international relations, national security and technology, but they barely concentrate on electronic access of information through the Internet to achieve maximum benefits. For rapid economic growth, official documents of developing countries should include high priority plans to implement electronic information delivery systems. National policy documents, like five-year plans, should contain policy statements and should be implemented on time. Sufficient funding should be available during planning and implementation phases of electronic information access models. Regulatory framework and information infrastructure Developing countries have a regulatory framework in place, which makes protection of investment, intellectual property and individual privacy compulsory in the information market. Developing countries have legal frameworks in place, which deals with private sector involvement, skilled human resources, standards and implementation. Regulatory frameworks for information do not exist. Even though information technology and telecommunications have made a way into all the markets in a developed country, in developing countries, information technology is still seen only as a means to support information management systems, finance and accounting facilities and data processing. As compared to the population numbers, the per capita penetration of computers in both India and China in the area of small office/home office (SOHO) is very insignificant. Telecommunications has also not yet picked up in India and China. If the information infrastructure were to cover the wide Indian and Chinese markets, and if technology was used for global access to information through the Internet, there would be a phenomenal economic growth in these countries. Both the countries need to urgently address the awareness of the Internet and its importance for policy makers at the political level. Proper education and training As in developed countries, workforces in developing countries are also adopting knowledge-based methodologies rather than labor intensive ones. Surveys have shown that Internet use is associated with higher education in developed countries. The same applies to developing countries. Literacy rates in developing countries needs to be improved to a great extent. The governments, central, state and local and learning institutions and civic associations should take responsibility and should work together to raise the literacy levels in developing countries. Information professionals should be trained on priority. Trained information professionals can make better use of the Internet and will be more efficient in acquiring, organizing and propagating information. Developing countries are often concerned about preserving language and culture heritage and supporting political systems. They are weary of foreign economic formats. Thus, proper trainings and seminars for information professionals is a must. These trained professionals can help educate the masses and can take advantage of the benefits of the Internet. This would help in sharing of knowledge through cyberspace and would help in increasing the value of the global information sector. The Internet will support development in the following ways: * Assess the information capacity of the country and determine the needs of users, organize and synthesize information and provide access to internal and external information * Disseminate information to meet the public needs and private sectors and the daily information needs of the general public The governments role in utilizing the Internet is very critical. It influences the appropriate use of the Internet for social and economic change in the shift from labor-intensive production to knowledge based information industries. Also, it reveals the market to a strong private information sector by defining public and private sector relationships. In order to destroy monopolies and encourage competition among international and indigenous vendors, it redefines telecommunication policies. Internet Growth in India Internet service in India started in 1994 with government being the monopoly provider. Service was costly and unreliable and by 1996 there were only 4,000 subscribers nationwide. In 1998, the ISP market was deregulated. By 2000, there were 225 ISPs (India Infoline 2001) and prices had dropped 60%. PC prices also dropped significantly owing to lowering of import duties. The subscriber base then grew rapidly, reaching 1.8 million in January 2001. E-mail and chat are the most popular applications (Natarajan 1999). E-commerce is yet to find wide acceptance but is expected to touch $2.3 billion by 2002 (Pai 2000a). PC penetration in urban middle class households has increased in recent times (Dataquest 2000; Pai 2000b), and has led to an increase in the Internet subscribers. The popularity of the Internet has also had a feedback effect on PC sales (Dataquest 2000). The demand for bandwidth outstrips supply thirty-fold (Desai 2001). As of December 2000, there were only 28 million telephone lines equal to a tele-density of 3.5/100 persons. Alternatives to analog modems, such as ISDN lines or cable modems, are limited. Regulations have also stifled Internet growth. The ban on Internet telephony and the requirement to obtain security clearance before setting up an international gateway are two examples. In short, Internet diffusion in India started very recently and is characterized by high telephone charges, limited customer acceptance of E-commerce applications, limited telecommunications infrastructure, and restrictive regulations. These characteristics are prevalent in many other developing countries as well. The VSNL, is still by far the dominant player in the ISP market, and maintains the backbones that most private firms will have to use to provide access to consumers. There is currently one Level 1 gateway owned by VNSL, as well as a Level 2, through which most private companies will have to connect. 1995/96 1996/97 1997/98 1998/99 1999/2000 2000/2001 2001/2002 States Popn CAGR (81-91) Estd Popn CAGR of Lines Actual Lines à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"000 Lines/100 Estd Lines Lines/100 Estd Lines Lines/100 Estd Lines Lines/100 Estd Lines Lines/100 Estd Lines Lines/100 Estd Lines AP 2.19 696.98 20.44 797 1.35 959 1.59 1155 1.87 1391 2.20 1675 2.60 2017 2.58 2044 Assam 1.20 227.37 21.59 107 0.56 130 0.68 158 0.81 192 0.98 233 1.17 283 1.16 284 Bihar 2.14 903.30 19.97 280 0.36 335 0.43 401 0.50 481 0.59 577 0.69 692 0.68 694 Gujarat 1.94 428.65 16.52 916 2.44 1067 2.79 1243 3.19 1448 3.64 1687 4.16 1965 4.18 2012 Haryana 2.45 174.52 21.31 295 2.00 357 2.36 433 2.80 525 3.31 636 3.91 771 3.90 786 Himachal 1.91 53.60 28.27 110 2.58 141 3.23 180 4.06 230 5.10 295 6.42 378 6.45 387 JK 2.57 82.29 13.61 53 0.71 60 0.79 68 0.87 77 0.96 87 1.05 98 1.02 98 Karnataka 1.93 466.52 20.32 784 1.98 943 2.34 1134 2.76 1364 3.26 1641 3.85 1974 3.85 2013 Kerala 1.35 307.74 22.24 681 2.67 832 3.22 1017 3.88 1243 4.68 1519 5.64 1856 5.71 1905 MP 2.41 700.25 22.47 623 1.06 762 1.27 933 1.52 1142 1.82 1398 2.17 1712 2.14 1730 Maharashtra 2.32 831.86 18.70 2425 3.38 2878 3.92 3416 4.55 4054 5.28 4812 6.12 5711 6.19 5904 Orissa 1.85 327.44 19.68 166 0.59 198 0.69 236 0.82 282 0.96 337 1.12 403 1.11 405 Punjab 1.91 210.22 25.23 571 3.34 715 4.1 895 5.03 1120 6.18 1402 7.60 1755 7.70 1813 Rajasthan 2.53 468.70 28.14 494 1.32 633 1.65 811 2.06 1039 2.57 1331 3.21 1705 3.17 1727 TN 1.44 570.17 22.01 1014 2.14 1237 2.57 1509 3.09 1841 3.72 2246 4.47 2740 4.50 2798 UP 2.30 1464.71 25.53 810 0.68 1016 0.83 1275 1.02 1600 1.25 2008 1.54 2520 1.51 2537 WB 2.23 714.44 15.56 610 0.96 704 1.09 813 1.23 939 1.39 1085 1.57 1253 1.55 1265 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The above table represents an extrapolation based on the s available at the end of the 1995-96 fiscal year. The s show that the penetration of phone lines is in fact growing faster than the population. In addition, the s represent only the penetration of public services, whereas the latest telecom policy calls for added investment in the private sector. Nevertheless, it is clear that the current trends in growth will not result in the planned telephony penetration into India (7% by 2005 and 15% by 2010). In addition, in many cases the s are skewed towards the urban regions within the states, and mask a poorly developed rural sector. Thus, the general indication at this juncture is that there is a clear need for dedicated infrastructure developed throughout india. The Impact of the internet in developing countries http://cse.stanford.edu/classes/cs201/projects-00-01/third-world/india-overview.html Modeling Internet Growth To get a thorough understanding of the technicalities of Internet diffusion in developing countries, we will discuss a model, which combines contagion effects and their interaction with external factors. There are a variety of methodologies available in the market to represent dynamic processes. We will be discussing the SD (Sterman 2000) model. Some of the reasons for choosing this model are listed below: * The feedback loop, which is the main structural element in an SD model, makes the model well suited for capturing the interaction among different drivers of diffusion over time * The SD model not only represents quantifiable variables, but also soft variables, which help in understanding because the diffusion context has both social as well as technical aspects * System behavior in SD models results from interaction among its feedback loops When you build an SD model, you start with the development of a causal loop graph that consists of a collection of causal links. Each of these causal links has a certain polarity. A positive (negative) link is associated with a reinforcing (balancing) relation. A positive (negative) change in the cause in this scenario leads to a positive (negative) change in the effect. Small lines intersecting causal links represent the delays in an effect. A causal loop is the result of a closed sequence of causal links and the loop polarity can be easily understood from the individual link polarities. The causal loop graph results in a mathematical model in which relationships are illustrated by means of time varying difference equations. A what-if analysis is conducted by simulating the mathematical model under different parametric and structural alternatives. The given above depicts the causal loop diagram for our diffusion model. The first of validation is the verification of each of the structural components involved. We will be discussing the foundation for the core component, followed by the selected components that capture external factors that are typical of developing countries. At the heart of the diagram lies the contagion based Internet Adoption, which helps PC owners become Internet subscribers. Innovation Coefficient and Imitation Coefficient drive Contagion in the same manner as in Bass 1969. The causal loop structure consisting of the above five variables would result in the familiar S-shaped diffusion curve, if it did not have any other structural components. The basic contagion mechanism is augmented by external factors typical of developing countries. In the above , this is accomplished by driving the contagion parameters by external factors like PC price, tele-density and the level of competition allowed by regulation. Model validation Replicating observed behavior Replicating the observed behavior is the second stage involved in validating an SD model. The given above was transformed into the corresponding difference equations and was then implemented using the iThink package. The s given below provide a comparison of the simulated and observed behavior of subscriber base and growth rates respectively, using quarterly data for India from 1996 to January 2001 (Dutta. A, Roy. R, 2001) (Dutta. A, Roy. R, 2001) Conclusions from this model The validated model offers a synthetic environment that helps us in analyzing the effect of different external factors. Loop dominance analysis (LDA) was used in SD parlance in order to analyze the external factors. A dominant loop is one, which is mainly responsible for model behavior over a particular time interval. The relevance of LDA is that it helps in identifying which loops need to be strengthened and/or weakened, through policy actions, so that we can achieve maximum desirable behavior. Two conclusions analyzed from our model, using LDA, are listed below: * Low infrastructure facility, high hourly usage costs and low geographic dispersion are dominant in the diffusion process. Regulatory policies would help in weakening these variables and therefore would dominate the future diffusion processes. * Besides the industrial countries, security concerns have not spread intensely in developing countries. One explanation for this could be that e-commerce has not yet got a hold in developing countries. Political barriers hindering the growth of the Internet The political atmosphere in India is to blame for the slow growth of both, the Internet access and the telecom infrastructure. In spite of the liberalization of Indian economy in 1991, the telecommunication sector remained in tight control of the government. This resulted in a number of problems for both, private firms as well as consumers. Even though the government has increased its interest in promoting the growth of the Internet throughout India, there is still a need for the review and/or removal of regulations still in place if we want the telecom industry to flourish. The government should rethink its current policies on telecommunications, take into account the global changes brought the about by the advent of new technology, and work to create a market environment that is favorable for investment by both local and international IT firms. Impact of the Internet on various sectors in developing countries The Internet has considerable potential in various sectors in developing countries: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Education à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Banking and Finance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Business à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Government à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Telecommunications à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Travel and Tourism We will discuss the impact of Internet on some sectors in detail. a) Impact on Education The world of education is undergoing some major changes, the most important of which is the use of the Internet in teaching and learning. Before the advent of the Internet the main sources of information for students were the teachers and the books available in the libraries. Now, thanks to the Internet, teachers are just one of the sources of information. Global access to information has widened their horizons to gain maximum knowledge. In this à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Information ageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , the Internet has helped involve students in active learning. They are more interested in hands-on learning, which presents them with practical, real-life experience. Studies have revealed that this style of learning results in better retention and understanding of topics. Also, learning is now not confined to the walls of the institutions. The easy and quick access to infinite resources of information has encouraged out of the box thinking. Besides these benefits, the Internet has helped in personal development of students. Social interaction over the Internet has helped students who are shy to interact and improve their communication skills. With the advent of the Internet, the concept of online exams has also evolved. It has become easier to appear for exams like GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, technical certification like SCJP etc. These exams are now conducted online, which has helped people in developing countries to enhance their knowledge. It has reduced the overheads and hassles involved in personally going to exam centers. One of the best examples would be CISCO human network which has promoted education in remote areas of almost all developing countries like India, Africa etc. by using the Internet for teaching through virtual classrooms which use video conferencing. b) Impact on Banking and Finance Around the clock banking is one of the biggest advantages of Internet use in banking. With the help of the Internet, we have remote access to the banks, which helps in transfer of money overseas with concepts like RTGS from RBI, India. It has reduced daily visits to the banks because we can get regular updates about our bank details online. Expenditure on administration services, paper, stationery etc. has been reduced which has helped in increasing the profit margins of banks besides being environment friendly. Internet has eliminated the tedious paperwork involved in banks, and has provided easy and fast access, making life much easier for bankers as well as customers. The concept of digital signatures has also picked up and it will only enhance the benefits of Internet banking. Tedious and monotonous process of dealing with brokers has been eliminated with the help of Online Trading. Demat accounts have eliminated the concept of physical shares. c) Impact on Business The Internet has provided a global source of information, which helps in developing new strategies and methodologies to enhance businesses. Even for the smallest of traders, constant updates of the prices of commodities are available online. Some companies use the Internet to build direct associations with their customers. Others are using the Internet to bring together buyers and sellers in the new tremendously efficient marketplaces. The Internet has taken the concept of e-Commerce to e-Business. The growth of the Internet has promoted inter-company trade of goods over the Internet. The best examples would be of online websites like e-Bay and other companies promoting online gifting systems. Airline industries have also benefited a lot from the Internet. Tickets can be booked online at any time of the day. d) Impact on Advertising The companies attract customers by building brand awareness and by providing market information over the Internet. This can be seen in the recent IPO (Initial Public Offerings) releases like those of Reliance Petronet. In e-business, the profits are generated not only by speeding up and automating the companys own internal processes but also by recognizing its ability to spread the efficiency benefits to the business systems of its suppliers and customers. The capability to team up with others may be just as much of a competitive advantage as the ability to deploy the technology. e) Impact on e-Governance With the growth of the Internet, people have realized that the use of information and communication technology to provide and improve the government services can be highly beneficial. Using the Internet for e-Governance is a convenient and cost effective method to provide people access to current information. Internet can promote greater citizen participation in the nations capital. It will encourage people all over the country to interact with politicians to make their voices heard so that the political situation can improve and the countries can progress. E-Governance would make the political system more efficient, provide improved services, better accessibility of public services and would make the processes more transparent and accountable. Nowadays, online counseling for entrance exams has reduced the overhead for the government institutions. Developing countries are now using the Internet to manage the biggest networks like railways. All travelling transactions can now be done online on websites like www.irctc.co.in (India). f) Impact on Telecommunications Internet has helped the developing countries in reducing the national as well as international call rates. The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations have all taken up the concept of VOIP (Voi

Changing the World in Milton’s Paradise Lost and Cavendish’s The Blazin

Changing the World in Milton’s Paradise Lost and Cavendish’s The Blazing World It only takes one person or one event to change the course of the world. Eve changes the world and the course of humanity when she eats from the tree of knowledge in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. In Margaret Cavendish’s The Blazing World, the Empress single-handedly changes the world she rules for the worse, and then changes it back again. The message is that our worlds are not fixed; they are ever changing—fickle and subject to one event or action. Humans must realize that the actions of even one person can produce world-altering effects. The film Pleasantville demonstrates this idea. In the film, David, an unpopular and unhappy teenager in a post-lapsarian world, idealizes the life he sees in reruns of a black and white fifties television show called Pleasantville. After a visit from a mysterious television repairman, David and his sister Jennifer are transported into the show and into the lives of the characters Bud and Mary Sue. Jennifer, now known as Mary Sue, hates her new colorless existence, and sets about to change the town of Pleasantville. Her actions and ideas lead to the introduction of passion into Pleasantville, creating a whole new world-view for these naà ¯ve citizens. Mary Sue’s actions, at first scorned by her brother, now known as Bud, soon begin to change him, too. He leaves his unpopular, passionless existence behind, and finds the same pleasure in the discovery of passion as do the Pleasantville citizens. Mary Sue, who once scorned Bud for his love of Pleasantville’s depiction of a worry-free fifties life, now understands the virtues of that life; she begins reading and goes to college. Bud and Mary Sue chan... ...erence in the world, but I have found that even one person not eating meat saves thousands of animals and hundreds of acres of rainforest, and prevents an immeasurable amount of environmental degradation. Besides, according to Milton, Adam and Eve were vegetarians! Milton and Cavendish both give examples of a world being changed by the actions of one person. Interestingly, Adam and Eve’s world and the Empress’s world were perfect before they were changed. Today, our world is far from Eden or Paradise, and we are constantly bombarded with changes—sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Our responsibility, a lesson we can take from Paradise Lost and The Blazing World, is that all of our actions have an effect. We must make sure that the effect is desirable and beneficial to all of humanity, and remember that it just takes one to make the change.

Discrimination and Sexual Harassment

Most Americans can trace their predecessors back to some country across the oceans or the Mexican-American or Canadian-American borders. Each ethnic group has enriched American culture with its own particular types of music, food, customs, and dress. It usually takes two or more generations for the members of a new immigrant group to become sufficiently absorbed into the life of a community that they lose their separate identity. Some ethnic groups – mainly those of dark skin colors – never achieve total acceptance.People concerned about improving group relations in their organization must guard against such clichà ©s as â€Å"I'm not prejudiced† and â€Å"I treat all people the same. † Even the most â€Å"liberal† individuals do not treat all people the same. Moreover, they should not. All people are prejudiced for or against other people. However, it is behaviors, not attitudes, which comprise the major group problems confronting managers and sup ervisors. There are many laws against discriminatory behaviors, but there are none against prejudicial attitudes.The ethnic prejudices found in neighborhoods, schools, and jobs come from two main sources: (1) the values and beliefs individuals learn from others, and (2) the tensions and frustrations all people experience while competing with other people, especially those who are culturally different. Race and racism, outgrowths of prejudice, disrupt organization behaviors (Shepherd & Penna 34). Cultural diversity changes the organization by providing new human resources and managerial challenges to employers.As the United States experiences shortages of skilled workers, most organizations should to find ways to optimally utilize multicultural workers. This often entails dealing with employees who have different attitudes toward time, status and roles, relationships, responsibility, decision-making, and technology (Goldstein & Leopold 45). In addition, as the nation's workforce is r eshaped with respect to age, sex, racial composition, and national origin, the challenge to managers and supervisors is magnified; managers must take strong leadership in eliminating discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. Abbasi & Hollman 96).If organization devises an innovation strategy to cope with discrimination and sexual harassment the result will be the successes an organization will experience. First, managers should play role: in the management of diversity initiatives in order to deliver permanent change in organizational culture, systems, and structures; should work in an integrated partnership within their organization to implement diversity successfully; second, cultural and gender diversity includes every employee, so, managers and supervisors must be aware of their values, motivations, communication styles, attitudes, and needs.Arguments that support the thesis 1. Helping across cultures at workplace can be accomplished only with the assistance of well -trained manager Most discrimination and sexual harassment problems are rooted in the organization culture. Certainly, group therapy is an alternative. Another alternative is affirmative action designed to change jobs. One of the reasons managers and supervisors are continually frustrated is because the social problems they are called upon to solve are themselves the products of a larger social environment.Frequently, for example, an alienated worker's problem resolution depends not on his or her adjustment to an existing situation but instead on being moved to another job or another company. This kind of environmental change is modeled after milieu therapy. It is clear that many minorities and women do not get the help they need because company resources are not attuned to their needs. The more effective employers behave in the following manner: 1. They regard each employee as a vital part of the organization.2. They view all personnel positively, because whatever diminishes anyone 's self (e. . , humiliation, discrimination, degradation, failure) has no place in a culturally sensitive organization. 3. They allow and provide for individual and cultural differences. 4. They learn how employees see things. Since sensitivity to their own feelings is a prerequisite to effective leadership, it is beneficial for administrators to have maximum self-insight. For some administrators, this is an integral part of their personality; for others it must be learned. A growing number of administrators are participating in some type of sensitivity training.If it is true, that helping across cultures can be accomplished only with the assistance of a healthier person. A worker does not need guidance from an administrator who is a racist. Nor does a female employee need a sexist supervisor. The more effective administrator is a mature person who functions with compassionate efficiency, who is able to assist his or her subordinates to solve their problems without resorting to pity , panic, or resignation. This type of administrator maintains professional balance and keeps his or her perspective with self-insight and humor.Once diversity-related problems are identified, managers should move with great care when implementing change. Some actions, although well intentioned, will only exacerbate the problems. Anything that disrupts the existing flow of work activities can cause additional complaints and stress. 2. Diversity-related leadership is an important organizational factor determining the extent of discrimination Without the full commitment of upper-level leaders in an organization, discrimination and sexual harassment initiatives are likely to fail and thus discriminatory practices are unlikely to be ended (Cox& Blake 8).However, it is also necessary to look below the upper-most levels to examine the ways in which the behaviors and decisions of mid-level management and direct supervisors may also perpetuate discrimination and sexual harassment. Upper-leve l management at the highest levels of leadership in organizations, the CEO, the top management team (TMT), and the corporate board are instrumental in determining the direction that the organization will take with regard to discrimination and sexual harassment.Leaders must first recognize the potential for discrimination in traditional organizational practices and structures and must believe in the need to value all employees and remove obstacles to their success (Stoner & Russell-Chapin 13). The CEO and top management team make important decisions regarding organizational strategies and resources, and they communicate the organization's priorities to all members and stakeholder groups (Chevrier 45).The extent to which leaders choose to emphasize inclusiveness in the organization's strategy and the extent to which resources (i. . , personnel, money, time) are devoted to eliminating all forms of discrimination and sexual harassment are indicators of leaders' priorities and of which à ¢â‚¬Å"types† of employees are valued (Morrison & von Glinow 67). Top-level leaders can also discourage discrimination and sexual harassment by implementing systems of accountability that make rewards contingent upon meeting diversity goals. After the corporate board and TMT have decided to pursue an organizational change strategy throughout the organization, the role of the CEO is particularly important.Cox and Blake (1991) argued that for champions for diversity are needed to enact change—and the CEO is in a very good position to passionately pursue change, to role model the behaviors required for change, and to help the organization to move forward. Such a leader can help to establish an inclusive organizational culture through persistent communication of and visible support for all programs and policies aimed at reducing discrimination and sexual harassment (Morrison & von Glinow 89). In addition, when successes occur, he or she would provide rewards and interpretati ons consistent with the desired values.In this manner, a CEO who demonstrates commitment to eliminating all forms of discrimination and sexual harassment throughout the organization may play a crucial role in transforming an organization from monolithic (unicultural) to multicultural. The quality of leader-subordinate relationships is also an important consideration for discrimination and sexual harassment in organizations. High-quality leader member exchanges (LMX) may be less likely to develop between leader subordinate dyads composed of individuals who are demographically different (Hiller & Day 34).Yet, because LMX relationship quality is thought to be pivotal for the access that subordinates receive to resources, information, important networks, and opportunities, high-quality LMX relationships with diverse subordinates are one key to combating discrimination sexual harassment in organizations. Ultimately, those managers who establish high quality LMX relationships with all of their employees without discriminating against minority subordinates will be in a better position to utilize all of their human resources (Douglas et al. 8). Indeed, recent evidence demonstrated that departments in which racial minorities reported high-quality LMX relationships with their managers had higher profits than departments where minorities reported low-quality LMX relationships (Nishii, Mayer, Goldstein, & Dotan 19). 3. Without integration of equality goals within the broader business diversity-oriented strategy the organization will not develop open communication, mutual trust, and confidence in managementWhen strategies for advancing diverse employees and creating a culture of inclusiveness are embedded within an organization's strategic business plan, consequent levels of discrimination and sexual harassment conflict tend to be lower. Actually including EEO as part of a company's business strategy is important because statements of non-discrimination are a very tangible and salient sign that discrimination is not tolerated within an organization (Morrison & von Glinow 167).Further, publicly stating the importance of diversity as a basis of competitive advantage and human resource quality fosters the belief that diversity represents an opportunity for the organization rather than a problem. There is also a theoretical basis for expecting that organizations that pursue an innovation strategy will be motivated to capitalize on the diversity of behavioral scripts that result from a diverse workforce.This is based on the evidence that diverse groups are more likely to produce a diverse set of ideas compared to homogeneous groups (Milliken & Martins 78), and the wider set of ideas is expected to translate into better decisions. An organization that perceives the differential competencies and experiential bases of diverse employees as a source of competitive advantage is less likely to engage in practices that discriminate against diverse groups. Argumen ts on the other side 1. People form different backgrounds and cultures tend to form unhealthy teamwork with diversity-related problemsWorkplace harassment which entails the use of abusive language or isolation of specific workers may result because of their diversity (disabilities, performance record, sex, or place of birth) which will hinder the efficient formation of teamwork (Broadnax 13). People are more susceptible to workplace harassment and discrimination, which is bad for the organization. However, people form different backgrounds and with varied skills when effectually managed tend to form a strong teamwork. Teamwork is useful for an organization in that people are able to share their ideas or problems, thereby, providing workable solutions to issues.The use of cross-functional teams and employee participation are key to success of the organization. This is because they provide a more firm platform on which to exchange knowledge and information. Therefore, managers who tak e strong leadership in this area are essential. Workplace harassment practices such as sexual harassment are so inhuman that it results in the breakdown of individual and team relationship in an organization and in most cases; it results because of ones race, disability, or gender. Harassment is not only directed to junior employees but it can be directed to a senior member of the group.The consequences of workplace harassment and surveillance are normally severe in that it results in mental, physical, and emotional illnesses. Therefore, the managers in this case have a lot to lose if they do not act quickly. 2. People solve nothing, time solves problems Most managers are reluctant to admit that there diversity-related problems that should be solved. While managers must be supportive and allow a reasonable period of time for problem abatement, it is important to remember that managers do not help employees or the organization by neglecting problems.Nor do problems go away or resolve themselves if given ample time. If a business is managed poorly, it loses profits and eventually fails. If cultural conflicts and sexual harassment are handled poorly, valuable employees are lost. Avoiding financial and human resources losses tests the leadership mettle of managers. Central to conflict resolution is mastering the processes of problem solving, the dynamics of which are threefold (Nishii, Mayer, Goldstein, & Dotan 78-90): 1. The facts that constitute the problem must be understood. Facts usually consist of both objective reality and subjective reactions. 2.The facts must be thought through. They must be probed into, reorganized, and turned over in order for distressed employees to grasp as much of the total configuration as possible. 3. A decision must be made that will result in resolving or alleviating the problem. This usually involves a change in behavior and, if possible, attitude. Succinctly, the three operations of problem solving are fact-finding, analysis of facts, and implementation of conclusions. For the maximum effectiveness, the people involved in the discrimination and sexual harassment conflict must be fully involved in the efforts to solve their own problems.It is possible for a manager to define the problem and prescribe solutions, but when this happens the self-responsibility of the employees involved in the conflict is weakened. It is always better if the employees who have problems are able to assist in bringing about the resolution. A problem cannot be solved if the necessary information is missing. A manager may want to understand his or her subordinates' conflicts but be unable to do so because some of the data are missing or distorted. In some situations, administrators are not privy to all the information. In other instances, the information may have been misinterpreted.Like any puzzle, missing pieces of information in a human relations problem will render it insolvable. Information alone is seldom enough. Too much inf ormation can freeze negative attitudes and reinforce dysfunctional behavior. Conditioned by organization and peer group norms, contradictory information may cause a manager to say to a complainant, â€Å"I understand what you have said but I don't believe it. † For example, a sexist supervisor may disregard documentation of a female's abilities to do male-oriented jobs. An individual with delusions of male superiority is not likely to believe reports documenting female competence in male jobs.Thus, in order to be helpful, information must be believed by the manager. All of this underscores the crucial importance of managers taking strong leadership in order to eliminate harassment and discrimination. Sensitivity is the capacity to identify and empathize with the values, aspirations, and feelings of subordinates. Today, more than ever, organization needs culturally sensitive administrators. Without being able to see employees as they see themselves, to dispel fears of cultural differences, and to communicate with their subordinates, managers will turn their organizations into socially and psychologically destructive battlefields.If they are unable to put themselves in the minds of their subordinates, there will be little help for the aggrieved persons. Frequently, managers are problems themselves or causes of problems. As noted earlier, the ability of managers to achieve and maintain a condition of objectivity when dealing with their subordinates' problems is important in the conflict resolution process. If a manager is wrapped up in his or her own inner world, he or she will not be able to perceive clearly the feelings of others. The challenge to administrators is awesome: They must empathize with subordinates but not to the point of losing their objectivity.In many instances, aggrieved workers do not know how they really feel about their situation until they have communicated these feelings to someone else. Distressed workers may only be aware of inter nal discomforts. Providing opportunities for them to tell how they feel is usually the first step in isolating negative feelings and related behaviors. They may have previously communicated internal discomforts by arguing with, laughing at, or avoiding contact with other workers. Talking about negative feelings can provide a better view of them and a better chance for managing them.While allowing an employee to ‘tell’ is a valuable technique in resolving problems, it is only a first step. Telling should be related to some end and not merely an end in itself. Solutions must be sought. Perhaps the major distinction lies between talking about the discrimination and sexual harassment conflict and talking through the discrimination and sexual harassment conflict. In the first instance, usually nothing more than random talk, free association of ideas occurs. In the second instance, more structured thinking occurs: a problem is acknowledged, its implications and related behavi ors examined, and solutions pondered.Talking through a problem excites all the body processes, often causing increased heartbeat and sweating. The whole person is caught up in it. It is imperative that distressed workers focus on problems that can be solved. This is by far the most efficient use of one's energies. For example, an older worker who focuses on his age, a woman on her gender, and a Hispanic on his ethnicity are all wasting valuable time and energy, as they cannot alter those things. However, if they focused on ageism, sexism, and, racism, then something constructive is possible. Managers must also focus on problems that have the potential of being solved.Some of the questions to be answered by managers and supervisors during this process are: †¢ What is the problem? (Who did what, when, where, what happened? ) †¢ Who senses (feels) the problem? (Only the aggrieved, co-workers, supervisors? ) †¢ How are you personally affected? (Emotionally, socially, econ omically, professionally? ) †¢ What was the immediate cause for what happened? †¢ What organization rules and regulations pertain to the problem? †¢ Who can act to resolve this problem? †¢ What do you want to happen? †¢ What are your options? †¢ What will you do? ConclusionDiscrimination and sexual harassment management in the organization is a reflection of how the changing world and market place will be in the future. Diversity will enhance respect for individual differences within the organization and hence make it able to create a competitive advantage in the organization. Discrimination and sexual harassment management in the organization is able to benefit associates through the creation of safe and fair environment for all. Future research is needed to examine the consequences that the alignment among organizational processes and structures has for levels of organizational discrimination.This is critical because an intervention into a single proc ess or structure is unlikely to effectively reduce discrimination and sexual harassment. For example, if top management leaders adopt a strategic business plan that explicitly involves reducing discrimination and sexual harassment, but fail to also build a culture of inclusion, their efforts are likely to be ineffective. It would be useful to examine how individuals perceive the alignment of organizational processes. More generally, research needs to take a systems approach to discrimination and sexual harassment. Restate your thesis somewhere near the end of your paper.

The Types Of Threats, The Impact And Four Steps The Process

BackgroundDisasters, may it be natural or man-made, are occurrences that are inevitable to businesses and companies. They may take the form of an earthquake or informational theft that is equally tragic to the affected company. Romano emphasizes that â€Å"companies are starting to realize that they need to protect their assets both informational and physical.† (1995,P.43). And so, companies and corporations have developed ‘Disaster Management’; as the name implies, it is a process of dealing, if not preventing, disasters done to companies. According to Rike, â€Å"disaster management is divided into three kinds: natural threats, technical difficulty and human activities.† (2003,P.26). Rike stresses that disaster management isn’t only concerned about natural disasters but also technical and man-made disasters that are relatively abundant in most companies which returns a loss of income.DefinitionDisaster management, according to Clark, is â€Å"the process of preparing for mitigating, responding to, and recovering from a disaster.† (1995, P. 41). Clark’s statement shows that disaster management is not only about what companies should do before or during or after a disaster, but what companies should do from before a disaster arises up to the time that the company needs to recover from the damage that the particular disaster brings to the company.OutlineThis report aims to discuss the types of threat, the impact and four-step process of disaster management and why companies should prepare themselves even before a disaster occurs.The Types of ThreatRike identifies that disaster management has three sub categories namely: â€Å"Natural or Environmental threats, technical hazard and human activities† (2003, P.26).The Natural or Environmental threats that Rike was referring to are the natural calamities that we are accustomed to such as earthquakes, floods, fire, storms, etc. that can cause physical or psycholog ical damage to the companies. Rike states that â€Å"human life is always the first consideration in any emergency or disaster.† (2003, P.26) and there are no other greater threats to human safety than natural calamities because of its destructive power.Technical Hazards can be grouped in seven namely: â€Å"power outage, gas leak, software failure, biological contamination, train derailment, toxic spill and electrical shortage† (Rike, 2003, P.26). And human activities are the threat that is concerned about human errors, miscalculation and faults due to lack of skill or ignorance. There is a saying that â€Å"No man (or woman) is perfect.† And so, it is necessary for companies to prepare themselves for these kinds of disasters to avoid any loss of valuable income.Impact of DisasterOne type of the impact of disaster is the development of companies (Rike, 2003, P.27). Companies should be aware of its competition because its survival depends on how well a certain c ompany performs against these competitors and should surpass the development of other companies to be able to maintain a competitive edge over the others.The second type is the Economy which dictates whether a certain company should act. If a certain disaster hits a particular state, city or country, its economy may well be affected and soon it affects the production/income of the company. The third is the people’s lives; a company cannot profit on its own, it depends on its workers to do the little things that bring the huge amount of money into the companies. So, companies should protect and maintain the well-being of its employees and make sure that they are in the same page to be able to assure them a great outcome.Four Steps of the ProcessIn the first step is that management have ability to support (Rike, 2003, P.27).   The company should be able to have a disaster management that can support its business. The second step is about the analysis risk (Rike, 2003, P.27). The Disaster Management should do an analysis risk that, as the name implies, analyses the risks involved in a particular disaster and its recovery. The third step is that the company needs to spend much time on data collection and preparing the written plan (Rike, 2003, P.30).The company should do an actual planning of the disaster management to make things organized to minimize undone tasks especially when it comes to recovery because time is of the essence for most companies. The last step is that test the plan (Rike, 2003, P.31).   A plan will not be complete without testing it. The company should test it under the most hazardous situations to maximize its productivity and to be able to identify its flaws.ConclusionThe report has discussed in detail what disasters are and how and why companies should prepare themselves/recover from the said disasters and how they can affect the company’s profits. The report will be very useful for companies to identify the activities th at should be done in order to protect what is most important to them, which is the income, because a disaster creates a thin line between bankruptcies and an incredible comeback from a disaster.

Accidental Hero Distorts the truth essays

Accidental Hero Distorts the truth essays The film Accidental Hero shows that the media distorts the truth. Discuss: The film Accidental Hero distorts the truth in a number of ways, both intentionally and unintentionally. The distortion by the media is mostly unintentional and throughout the duration of the movie a lie told by John Bubber, one of the main characters in Accidental Hero, is the foundation of the untruth. It is this lie that creates the underlying theme in the movie, that there is a time and a place to be completely truthful. There are three main intentional distortions of truth found in the movie. Firstly when John Bubber visits the hospital, secondly when John Bubber and Bernie Le Plante are sitting on a ledge above the city and thirdly when Bernie Le Plante is in a bar and a news reporter on the TV above his head claims several untruths. The lie told by John Bubber gave the media a way to create a superficial hero, through this they gained enormously in ratings which then led to a huge gain financially. Furthermore to improve their ratings even more they offered a 1 million dollar reward for the hero to come forward and participate in an interview. From then on more and more lies were told and all as a result of the lie told by John Bubber. Therefore this then proves that John Bubbers lie was the foundation of the untruth. The media and public are both partly responsible for the distortion of the truth. Though throughout the whole film only three intentional distortions by the media were found, thus saying that most of the films distortions were done unintentionally. One example of an intentional distortion carried out by the media was when John Bubber went to visit a badly blind boy at a childrens hospital and the day after the boy made a miraculous recovery. The media used this to their advantage, saying that John Bubber created a miracle when really they knew full well that it was just a coincidenc ...

10 Types of Hypercorrection

10 Types of Hypercorrection 10 Types of Hypercorrection 10 Types of Hypercorrection By Mark Nichol Well-meaning writers and editors sometimes mangle the language they’re trying to manage a fault called hypercorrection. Errors of this class are the result either of adherence to a spurious superstition about proper form, a misunderstanding about a point of grammar, or an attempt to fit a square idiom into a round pigeonhole. Here’s a list of some of the categories of hypercorrection: 1. â€Å"A Number Of† Followed by a Singular Verb Occasionally, a superficial understanding of what constitutes proper grammar leads writers to create a disagreeable subject/verb agreement such as â€Å"A number of members is supporting reform.† But longstanding idiom trumps strict correctness: â€Å"A number of members are supporting reform† is correct, because the focus is on the members, not on the proportion of them supporting reform. The same commonsense rule holds for handful, majority, and similar terms. 2. As in Place of Like Writers averse to like as an alternative to â€Å"such as† are also prone to replace like with as in such sentences as â€Å"He charges as a bull.† â€Å"He charges as a bull would do† is correct but stilted; the shorter form implies â€Å"He charges in the capacity of a bull,† rather than â€Å"He charges in the manner of a bull.† What’s not to like about like? 3. Double Adverbs Avoid the urge to append an -ly ending to an adverb that doesn’t require it. Flat adverbs do just fine without the suffix, and so do doubtless, much, seldom, thus, and others. 4. Foreign Articles Preceding Foreign Terms When a noun phrase is temporarily borrowed from another language, writers might be tempted to precede it with an article from that language, as in â€Å"At the countess’s wedding, she served as la fille d’honneur† (â€Å"maid of honor†). The term alone merits both the emphasis of italicization and the retention of the other language’s form: â€Å"At the countess’s wedding, she served as the fille d’honneur.† 5. I Substituted for the Object Me Some people, when they learn that the object in such constructions as â€Å"You and me are the same height† and â€Å"Me and John are the candidates† should read â€Å"You and I are the same height† and â€Å"John and I are the candidates,† generalize that me is an undesirable pronoun, even when used in a sentence’s subject, but â€Å"There’s no difference in height between you and me† and â€Å"The candidates are John and me,† unlike the sentence versions ending in the word I, are perfectly correct. 6. Latin Plurals Formed Incorrectly The plural forms of words derived from Latin that end in -us are -uses or -i. Sometimes, the -uses ending is preferred over the alternative (for example, octopuses); sometimes, the reverse is true (as with foci); and sometimes only one form is correct (prospectuses). When in doubt, check the dictionary. When not in doubt, double-check anyway. 7. Prepositions Prevented from Ending a Sentence Despite admonitions from numerous sources, including a previous post on this site, to ignore the pedantic prohibition against sentence-ending prepositions, some writers, in order to adhere to this fallacious â€Å"rule,† persist in uncomfortably trussing sentences up. For example, â€Å"What did you do that for?† need not be twisted into â€Å"For what reason did you do that?† One could easily write â€Å"Why did you do that?† but that kind of cleanup is not always a viable alternative. 8. Unsplit Compound Verbs There is a curious misunderstanding about compound verbs phrases consisting of an auxiliary verb (a form of â€Å"to be†) and another verb analogous to the spurious â€Å"rule† about infinitives discussed below: Some writers mistakenly believe that adverbs should not be inserted between one verb and another, but that syntax is preferable. Nevertheless, they prefer the clumsy construction â€Å"They quietly were calling her name† to the perfectly acceptable wording â€Å"They were quietly calling her name.† 9. Unsplit Infinitives The persistent belief that the elements of an infinitive to followed by a verb should not be separated by an adverb can result in an ambiguous sentence, such as â€Å"I was preparing quickly to depart,† which could mean â€Å"I was hurrying to prepare to depart† or I was preparing to depart hurriedly† which are not the same thing. The former meaning should be expressed â€Å"I was quickly preparing to depart† and the latter should be written â€Å"I was preparing to quickly depart† (yes, it’s acceptable to separate infinitives with an adverb) or â€Å"I was preparing to depart quickly.† 10. Whom in Place of Who The troublesome pronoun whom entangles many writers, not only at the head of a sentence but also when leading off a subordinate clause, as in the erroneous example â€Å"The top vote-getter is Smith, whom Jones knows is a poor choice.† Whom, here, is not the object of knows; it is the subject of is, and who is the correct companion of a linking verb. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and NumeralsTen Yiddish Expressions You Should Know10 Tips About How to Write a Caption

Cash Flow Statement of JB HI-FI Limited

In this report an adamantine study has been prepared on the cash flow statement of JB HI-FI limited. It is Australian company engaged in providing goods and services specialized in video games and other home appliance. Richard Murry is the CEO of the company who makes all the strategic decision. It is evaluated that annual report of company has been showing computation of cash inflow and outflow from all its activities by using direct method. A complete analysis has been made on operating, investment and financial activities of JB Hi-FI limited to evaluate liquidity position of company in effective manner. Evaluation of cash flow statement of JB HI-FI Ltd Cash flow statement of JB HI-FI provides liquidity position of company and determines how much cash inflows and outflow of company for a particular time period (Roth, 2017). Analysis of cash flow from operating activities It is evaluated that JB HI-FI since last five years has reduced its cash inflow from its operating activities.   In 2012, JB HI- FI was having 215.01 cash inflow from its operating activities which decreased to 185.14. This has shown company has reduced its cash flow from is operating activities. However, more deep analysis could be made by computing operating cash flow ratio (Google Finance, 2017). It is evaluated that in 2012, JB HI- FI was having .48 operating cash flow which has been reduced to .41 in 2016. It reflects that company has been inefficient to draw good amount of cash inflow from its current liabilities engaged in its value chain activities (Brigham, and Ehrhardt, 2016). This ratio measures the capital available for internal reinvestment and for payment on its existing debts. However, by evaluating this ratio it could be inferred that JB HI-FI do not have adequate cash flow CAPEX requirement. Nonetheless, cash inflow from capital expenditure would be found lower in growing company. Therefore, JB HI- FI could justify its lowers amount of cash inflow to its stakeholders (Nizam & Hoshino, 2016). Computation of cash flow statement from indirect method (ASX, 2016) Adjustment to Cash flow Statement of JB HI FI for fives years Fiscal year is July- June and all values in AUD Million Depreciation, Depletion, and amortization Deferred Taxes & Investment Tax Credit It is observed that company has positive cash inflow from its operating activities. In addition to this, financial and investing activities have been providing negative cash outflow. JB HI- FI need to increase its liquidity position otherwise it will result into jeopardize situation for the business functioning of company. Moreover, since 2012 to 2016 company has reduced its cash inflow from its operating activities from 215.01 to 185.14.   Nonetheless, cash outflow from its operating activities has increased by 16% in 2016 as compare to its 2012 cash outflow from its investing activities. Now in the end it would be inferred that company need to main its cash flow more than 1 for the smooth running of business (Thomson Reuters, 2016). Brigham, E.F. and Ehrhardt, M.C. 2016. Account Finance. Cengage Learning, PP 1-549. Google Finance, (2017).  ALL ORDINARIES: INDEXASX:XAO historical prices - Google Finance. [online] Google.com. Available at: https://www.google.com/finance/historical?cid=10584617&startdate=Jun%201%2C%202015&enddate=Jun%2030%2C%202016&num=30&ei=sTWoV9jrGNaAsgGMsouQDg&start=0 [Accessed 22 March 2017]. Nizam, N. Z., & Hoshino, Y. 2016. Corporate Characteristics of Retail Industry among 11 Asian and American Countries.  Journal of Management Research,  8(1), 224-247. Roth, M., 2017.  Top Stocks 2017: A Sharebuyer's Guide to Leading Australian Companies. John Wiley & Sons. ASX, (2016). ASX, [Online], Accessed on: 23 march 2017, Available at:  https://search.asx.com.au/s/search.html?query=jb+hi+fi+ltd&collection=asx-meta&profile=web Thomson Reuters, (2016).  JB HI FI Limited,JBHIFI:ASX historical prices - FT.com. [online]  Markets.ft.com. Available

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Ethics - Essay Example International Business Ethics These entail rules and regulations set forth to control the business between countries in the world in order to enhance trade between them, bringing out globalization. Globalization diminishes the set barriers between countries on the globe for trade to occur smoothly. Examples of transactions that fall within the ambit of international business ethics include fair trade movement and transfer pricing. The factors looked at to come up with significant international business ethics include the exchange rates, economic growth and rates, working environment, the government control involved and the social ethics involved (Casson 97). International corporations operating in host countries may be perplexed by the customs, rules and laws of the country, some of which conflict with cultural guidelines of their home states. This presents numerous ethical complexities universally; for example, the certain governments’ expectations. Different employees in the many departments in a foreign culture cannot be accorded same salary standards and promotional standards as the ones back home. This is due to different working conditions and environments in the different countries, and also various rules and regulations in conducting business in different countries. For example, economic status of developed countries tends to differ with that of developing countries and the currencies of countries have different values (Casson 97). Various theories of ethics involved include rationality, social ethics and communitarism. Rationality This is a concept used in business, which involves the reasoning of people involved in a business with the motive of solving a problem or achieving a goal in business. As noted by Casson, in international business, the concept of bounded rationality is a key element in the transaction cost theory version of Williamson’s (1975). It also underpins the Hedland’s (1993) arguments that favor the network firm ( Casson 98). Various countries’ representatives come together and discuss certain issues affecting international trade and come up with certain guidelines, which benefit each and every player involved in the international business. The various issues discussed include the exchange rates of different currencies of all world countries. In addition, there has been the formation of various organizations that maintain stability of the different world currencies. These include the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which assist countries in maintaining a superior economic position and help in times of economic crisis (Casson 98). Social ethics These include the appropriate behaviors of certain peoples as a whole, especially with regard to their different perspectives on things and beliefs in their various cultures. In such societies, the current principles and values dictate how people should act and deal with one another by setting certain behaviors or standards that s hould be followed by members of society. Factors considered within social ethics include language, race, gender, culture, religion and education, among others. In international business, social ethics is a vital issue as various countries have di

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Ethics - Essay Example As a future executive leader, I found the results of these assessments to be both enlightening and offered as proverbial food for thought on how this researcher can best reach his goal of professional success. The concept of psychometric testing is a field of study which measures skills, personality traits, and abilities of an individual in order to determine the theoretical behaviors that a test subject reveals in areas of career and personal lifestyle. Based on the results of this psychometric data, the Personal Career Development Profile (PCDP) offers insights into how an individual copes with stressful situations, interacts with others during career and personal situations, and sets a potential career direction in which a person may excel. The PCDP results consist of a narrative, again based on the results of personality testing mechanisms, which offer insight toward a trend of behaviors that a person might exhibit; so as to offer personal understanding of where an individuals strengths and weaknesses lie in terms of career and professional development. In similar respect, the 16 PF testing instrument is designed to assess a set of personality characteristics within the individual being tested in an attempt to pinpoint the degree to which a person exhibits a pattern of behaviors – such as relaxed versus tense or concrete thinker versus abstract/conceptual thinker. The 16 PF offers a scale of 1 (being lowest) to 10 (being highest) to measure the degree in which a person might lean when determining potential career direction; or to offer insight into areas that the individual might need to improve upon. For instance, the test subjects goal may be to secure an executive-level position within a major corporation. This goal, undoubtedly, will require substantial leadership skills in terms of maintaining an authoritarian personality. The results of the 16 PF study measures, as one example, the

Current Political Economic Situation of HK Research Paper - 1

Current Political Economic Situation of HK - Research Paper Example Total exports of services and goods grew mildly by 1.4 percent. Domestic demand is projected to recover moderately while export prospects are expected to be positive (Bedford, 2014). The economic environment of Hong Kong is quite different from that of mainland China. Therefore, the direction of the relationship between Hong Kong and China is expected to alter the political and economic situation of Hong Kong. This paper analyzes Hong Kongs current situation. It then predicts and analyzes the possible outcomes, and forecast the future of Hong Kong and the resulting impacts on the world. Following the First Opium War, which happened between the years 1839 to 1842, British Empire made Hong Kong a colony. The Island of Hong Kong was ceded first followed in 1860 by Kowloon Peninsula. The British Empire leased the New Territories to Japan in 1898. The Japanese occupied the region until the end of 1945 when British restarted control until 1997 (Blake, 2011). The amalgamation of Chinese and British cultures marks the current culture of Hong Kong. For instance, the educational structure followed the British form until 2009 (Leece, et al. 2011). Due to the elongated, existence of British in Hong Kong, and the island had unique characteristics that have made Hong Kongers dislike mainland. Prior to the takeover, many people fled to Western countries. The People’s Republic of China received control of Hong Kong from Britain following their agreement of 1984 (Gerdes, 2006). Hong Kong became the first Special Administrative Region. A strong sense of the need for righting a historical injustice and the economic prospects led China to push hard for acquisition of Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s (Menpes and Henry, 2014). At the time, Hong Kong had everything, China required. It had international connections, wealth, and membership to global trade organizations. Beijing realized that those assets could assist

Policy paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Policy - Research Paper Example Both of these policies, working in consort, and in spite of a polarizing political climate, did manage to turn the American economy around. However, it was because of the desperate political climate that the ARRA was made to suffer less than a full effect on the American economy. It could have done much more, but the damaging political climate refused to allow deeper systemic problems to be addressed. Introduction The UN International Labor Organization estimated that the recent global regression resulted in worldwide job losses at 50 million by the end of 2009 (Taylor and Weepapana, 2009). With demand of goods falling worldwide, global economic growth was expected to shrink by 2 percent, effecting emerging economics as far as in Eastern Europe and in mainland China. Taiwan saw its exports fall 42.9 percent. Unemployment in the United Kingdom which was 4.7 in 2000 and grew to 5.0 in 2008, reached 7.9 by December 2010. In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics charted unemp loyment rates that varied between 4.1 and 5.0 percent 2000 through November 2005. These rates begin to worsen by September 2008, reaching 6.5 by October 2008 and the highest level of 10.0, 15.4 million people out of work, by November 2009. A total of 750,000 jobs was being lost per month in an economy that was contracting 6 percent annually (CEA). Clearly, economic policy had faltered worldwide and particularly in the United States. By December 2008, the National Bureau of Economic Research had finally declared the U.S. had been in a recession since December 2007. Growth in the fourth quarter of 2008 had shrunk to a negative 6.2%, the lowest since 1982. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Immediately after his election, President Barak Obama led the 111th United States Congress through a series of emergency measures. These measures capitalized to his signing into law, on February 17 2009, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, Pub.L. 111-5), referred to as the Stimulus or the Recovery Act. This $787 billion spending program consisted of $286 billion in tax cuts to stimulate the economy and expenditures for spending on infrastructure, State, revenue sharing, unemployment benefits, food stamps, and business and middle class tax cuts. Specifically the ARRA directed $88 billion for direct purchase of goods; $44 billion for infrastructure transfers to state and local governments; $215 billion for non-infrastructure transfers to state and local governments, accounting for such as public safety and education spending; $100 billion for direction transfers to persons in form of unemployment insurance benefits, and student loans; $18 billion to retirees; and tax cuts totaling $266 billion that covered business tax provisions and such as the first-time homebuyer tax credit (Berger and Gaffney, 2009). The ARRA funded many specific programs that sought to influence change in greenhouse technology, rapid transit, electronic medical health records a mong a large number of broad base initiatives. For education, the ARRA allocated $5 billion to the Department of Education to fund programs under the Race to the Top program that closed the achievement gap and improved student achievement. The DoE allowed successful programs to compete for grants from a $650 million fund that would enable them to

Common Health Problems found in Horses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Common Health Problems found in Horses - Essay Example Asymptomatic treatment akin to humans due to the causes that afflict humans like hidden dust mites, pollens, seasonal changes for asthma or COPD or Chronic obstructive path airway disease, etc. cause the respiratory problems. This condition known as â€Å"pipers† to horse dealers and â€Å"heaves† to the rest can also lead to COPD. (Important Information on Preventing and Treating Heaves, 1998) The common symptoms are the same as humans, which are wheezing, and a persistent cough. Anybody knows that an Asthmatic patient can’t undertake any heavy exercises or exertion and the same rest has to be accorded to the horse you love. Therefore fresh air is of essence and the horse should be taken out into the fresh air from its stable whenever possible. Allergies caused from dust, smoke, pollutants etc. are also the same factors, which can cause allergies in the horse. The symptoms are quite familiar and more exactly described as a horse becoming unwell with like â€Å"tearing eyes, coughing, or raised lumps on the horse’s shoulders†¦. yet can prescribe in some cases of heaves are corticosteroids† (Horse Allergies: Symptoms, Common Causes & Treatments of an Equine Allergy, 1995). Another common problem with horses, apparently healthy is drooling or salivating from the mouth unusually. Called SLUD, which means salivating, lacrimenting, urinating, defecating is a result of eating on fungal infected cloves and legumes. This is can be treated with anti fungal as the symptoms take 2 to 3 days to reveal after the horse has consumed the infected legumes and should be given limited feed of hay and the infected Pasteur should obviously be out of bounds usually again in humid and damp conditions which are most conducive fo r fungal growth. (Horse Saliva Syndrome: A Common Fungal Disease, 1999) Skin rashes and itching are also common in horses where the affected area can also lead a bald patch

LOGIC Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

LOGIC Assignment - Essay Example As pointed out by King in his speech, the United States gave ample support to France when the Vietnamese led by Ho Chi Minh struggled for liberty from the French. The United States’ support suggests that the liberty of the Vietnam people was not in the interest of the United States government. Indeed, this fact was further buttressed when the United States government declined to recognize the independence of Vietnam even after the French has been defected. Given the support given by the United States government to the French and the role the former play after the defect of the later by the Ho Chi Minh led revolution, it is, indeed, hypocritical for Americans to play the role of liberator of the Vietnam people. This argument by Martin Luther King was reliable. King was, however, guilty of hasty generalization when he mentioned that those who question his opposition to war â€Å"do not know the world in which they live† (American Rhetoric: Online Speech Bank). In this fal lacious argument, King claimed that by questioning his opposition to war, these individuals were ignorant of who he, King, is and therefore they are ignorant of the world in which they live.

Common Health Problems found in Horses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Common Health Problems found in Horses - Essay Example Asymptomatic treatment akin to humans due to the causes that afflict humans like hidden dust mites, pollens, seasonal changes for asthma or COPD or Chronic obstructive path airway disease, etc. cause the respiratory problems. This condition known as â€Å"pipers† to horse dealers and â€Å"heaves† to the rest can also lead to COPD. (Important Information on Preventing and Treating Heaves, 1998) The common symptoms are the same as humans, which are wheezing, and a persistent cough. Anybody knows that an Asthmatic patient can’t undertake any heavy exercises or exertion and the same rest has to be accorded to the horse you love. Therefore fresh air is of essence and the horse should be taken out into the fresh air from its stable whenever possible. Allergies caused from dust, smoke, pollutants etc. are also the same factors, which can cause allergies in the horse. The symptoms are quite familiar and more exactly described as a horse becoming unwell with like â€Å"tearing eyes, coughing, or raised lumps on the horse’s shoulders†¦. yet can prescribe in some cases of heaves are corticosteroids† (Horse Allergies: Symptoms, Common Causes & Treatments of an Equine Allergy, 1995). Another common problem with horses, apparently healthy is drooling or salivating from the mouth unusually. Called SLUD, which means salivating, lacrimenting, urinating, defecating is a result of eating on fungal infected cloves and legumes. This is can be treated with anti fungal as the symptoms take 2 to 3 days to reveal after the horse has consumed the infected legumes and should be given limited feed of hay and the infected Pasteur should obviously be out of bounds usually again in humid and damp conditions which are most conducive fo r fungal growth. (Horse Saliva Syndrome: A Common Fungal Disease, 1999) Skin rashes and itching are also common in horses where the affected area can also lead a bald patch

Willy Russell portray serious issues Essay Example for Free

Willy Russell portray serious issues Essay He uses Standard English, but with a regional accent. So he fits into the social context of the play. His vocabulary is direct; this symbolises a direct message. His voice is also assertive but he doesnt show any emotion, which shows hes detached from whats going on. Hes dramatically effective because he is entwined in speech and action. The speech sequences between Linda and Mickey are interrupted by the narrator, which shows a dramatic presence. He comes at unexpected and dramatic times, which is engaging for the audience. The director also says shoes upon the table and gypsies in the wood this symbolises a warning and verbally foreshadows the rest of the play. The issue of superstition is portrayed in an entertaining way because the narrator is saying in between speeches. He is slightly menacing; this creates shock to the audience, which engages them. You could say that the narrator is seen like the devil. Comic devices are also used when there were adults dresses as children and they behave in an immature manner. The milkman being the gynaecologist also adds to the humour, from the quote actually Ive given up the milk round and gone into medicine. Im your gynaecologist. From this the audience would subconsciously see the issues in an entertaining way. The humorous language from quotes previously also build up the entertainment and adds to the comic devices they go together well in tandem. Mickey and Linda growing up has a humorous side to it because they deal with small problems, which are humorous. Mickey says I dont wanna die and Linda says But you have to Mickey. Everyone does. Like your twinny died. Mickey here is frightened that Sammy might kill him with a fake air pistol, but Linda calms Mickey down. But as they grow up we see a serious issue of it, like their baby, finances and trying to find a house. A lot of stress comes to Mickey and he says Now give me the tablets I need them, so I can be invisible from that we can see Mickey needs tablets because of the stress, but the last part makes it entertaining, its a sort of joke. There was also light romance between Mickey and Linda, she kept saying I love you Mickey, which was entertaining as Linda had said she loved him when they were children; the romance makes those serious issues between them seem entertaining. The music devices that Willey Russell used also make it entertaining and helps bring the characters to life on stage, the serious issues such as single parents and social class suddenly become entertaining because of these melodies. Willy Russell used music devices effectively to end Act 1 on a positive note. A quote to show this was, Were getting out. Were moving house, Were going away. Getting out today. Were moving movin movin house. The Johnstone had a lot of troubles up to that point, but they were finally moving to the countryside. The positive text and music contributes to the happy atmosphere, the chorus, Oh bright new day, were moving away, were startin all over again. Oh, bright new day, were going away, Where nobodys heard of our name, emphasises the importance of it and shows her happiness. The melody is an upbeat tune, the lyrics say that Oh bright new day, the constant repetition again emphasises the fact that the atmosphere is happy, so the issue of poverty and single parents are subconsciously portrayed in an entertaining way because of the music, melodies and positive text. The happy atmosphere also subconsciously makes the audience generate their expectations, that the next acts would be happy. Different types of songs are used to represent different parts of the play; there were ballads, Tell me its not true, say its just a story, something on the news, Tell me its not true, say its just a dream, for sad parts and lively songs, (from the previous quotes) for light-hearted aspects. The engaging songs and lyrics add to the drama because it is constantly enveloping with serious issues, which is entertaining, hence engaging for the audience. The themes of dancing, like, Oh we went dancing Edward, it was great and waltzing occurs throughout the play to go in tandem with the lively songs to add to the happy atmosphere again to portray the serious issues in an entertaining way. The end of the play deals with a lot of other serious issues in an entertaining approach. There is a lot of action and Mickey going crazy at the end, which is entertaining, this goes in tandem with the murders to portray it in an entertain way. The tension when Mickey was holding the gun also creates suspense for the audience and really engages them. The audience would subconsciously start the denotation to connotation process, as the gun connotes death and violence. Their expectations for the end of the play would be generated. The main issue of murder in the closing scene would be portrayed entertainingly because it was ironic that two twin brothers that were separated at birth eventually die on the same day. The author makes Mickey say You! Why didnt you give me away! I could have been. I could have been him! This shows that Mickey knows he could have been better off if he was in the higher-class family. Subsequently it shows that the Willy Russell thinks that it is class that caused the murder. The authors attitudes towards class are also revealed and justified in the narrators last speech. He trys to persuade the audience into thinking it was class because he stretches the last sentence Or could it be what we, the English come to know it as class? . He ends with a strong rhetorical question talking about class. This rhetorical question is cleverly used because it subconsciously makes us linger on the topic of class, and even be persuaded to think it was class that caused the murders. This reflects the attitudes of the author; he thinks that it was the different social classes mixing that caused the murders. His attitudes to social classes were high. He was concerned, that if people with a different social classes mix then it would spell trouble. In the play of Blood Brothers Willy Russell deals with a lot of serious issues in an entertaining way, this really engages the audience. He virtually engulfs all the serious issues with the entertainment and happy atmosphere, to portray them as entertaining. Our minds subconsciously think about the entertaining side of the issue rather than the serious side. The issues also add to the development of the play, poverty led to social class which eventually led to murder. However he trys to portray the issues in an entertaining way to engage the audience; it makes us feel and think about different aspects of the issues. Take social class for example, Mickey was brought up in a lower class family but probably had more enjoyment in his childhood than Edward. But Edward was not allowed much because of his parents. However when Mickey grew up he didnt have a good education and wasnt taught properly by his mother what was to do and not to do in life. These are different aspects of that issue, which were cleverly shown in an entertaining way by Willy Russell.

Advantages and disadvantages of E-business

Advantages and disadvantages of E-business Using Internet technology to provide improved customer service, make more efficient business processes, increase sales, and reduce wastage is called E-business. E-business uses the internet tools such as websites, online banking, and web based customer relationship. Advantages of E-Business: There are many benefits an organisation can get with having an E-Business solution for the business. Worldwide Presence: The major advantage of engaging business online, to have presence nationwide or worldwide. IBM uses the e-business term to provide services to the customer and was one of the first companies uses this term. Dell Inc. and Amazon are the other success stories using E-Business to flourish their business. Cost Effective Marketing and Promotions: using internet to market products is a very nominal method which guarantees the worldwide reach. Pay per click advertising is a effective technique which ensure the business only pay for the advertisement that actually viewed. Better Customer Service: E-Business has change the customer services image enormously. Number of customers can visit or the website at same time. Some website have online chat feature to help the customer to find out more about the product they are interested in. moreover orders can be placed online by processing payments securely over the internet and products can be shipped to the customer. In this case customers even do not have to leave the house. Disadvantages of E-Business: Even above mentioned advantages there are some disadvantages of the E-Business. Some of them are listed below. Sartorial limitation: the main disadvantage of E-Business is lack of growth in some sectors i.e. food. Consumer prefers to look the food products physically before buying. Costly maintenance: substantial recourses are required to setup online business which requires computer upgrade, personnel trainings and website upgrade. This can be a disadvantage for some organisation. Security concern: The security concerns also lead to privacy issue. There are many examples of contact lists and personal details were hacked or exposed due to weak E-Business system security. Virus threat. Physical products constrain. Perishable goods. Types of business organisation: There are two major types of the business. Private sector: Private firms are owned and run by private individual. There is further classification in private sector firms. Sole traders: A sole trader owns and runs a business. They contribute capital to start the enterprise, run it with or without employees, and earn the profits or stand the losses of the venture. Sole traders are found mainly in the retail trades (local newsagents), small scale service industries (plumbers), and small manufacturing and craft industries. Advantages: Easy to setup Can keep all the profits Make key decision. Flexibility Disadvantages: Unlimited liability Limited access to capital Pressure of being solely responsible. Partnership: Partnership is defined as the relation who subsists between persons carrying on a business in common with a view of profit. A partnership is not a separate legal person distinct from its members; it is merely a relation between persons. Each partner (there must be at least two) is usually personally liable for all the debts of the firm. Advantages: Greater access to capital Shared responsibility Easy to setup. Disadvantages: Unlimited liabilities All partners liable for the debt of each other. Partnership dissolves on death of one partner. Potential of conflict. Limited companies: Limited companies are essential to be register at companies house. Company must issue a memorandum of association that includes nature of business and structure of the company. Limited companies also called Limited Liabilities Company. Shareholders have limited liabilities, if company winds up shareholders do not have to pay anything. Limited companies are further categorised in two types. Private limited company (LTD) A private limited company is one where the liability is limited to the value of the shares issued. This means that any debts are debts of the company, not of the owners. Company is owned by 1 to 50 shareholders and must have at least one director. Accounts have to prepare and submit to the companies house annually. Legally company can sue and can be sued. Public limited company (PLC) A Public limited company the one which can issue and trade their shares in the stock exchange for general public. Therefore ownership is open to anyone who wants to buy shares. There can be minimum two owners but no maximum numbers. Company must have at least two directors and a fully qualified company secretary. Public sector: Public sector businesses are owned by government. Government holds majority of the stakes in public sector industries. In last twenty years number of government owned firms reduced massively. Very few examples remain for instance: Royal mail, Royal Bank of Scotland. Aims of an organisation: An aim for any business organisation is a long term goal, something to be achieved over a significant period of time. These aims based upon a planned management strategy. For instance for a private company, aims might include To survive To achieve profitability by a certain time To increase profits To achieve technical excellence To improve quality of our products To be leader in the market To improve market share To enter global market. P 1.2: Stakeholders: Stakeholders are group of people who have an interest in a business organisation. There are a number of groups and individual who can be describe as stakeholders in any business. The Business Owners Managers Staff Customer Suppliers Community Government Figure above shows the possible stakeholder in a business activity. Some of the stakeholders are internal, some are external. Internal Stakeholders: Internal stakeholders are those who are members of the business organisation. For instance: Owners Manager Staff and employees External Stakeholders: External Stakeholders  are not a part of the firm and have an interest in the business. For instance: Customers Suppliers Community Government I will discuss the stakeholder in respect to my business later on in my business plan. P 1.3: Organisational Functions: Organisations arrange their resource recourses into different business functions. All organisations, whatever their business nature is have to manage the following business functions. Finance Human Resources Sales and Marketing Administration Research and Development. Each of the function needs to work tighter so the organisation can achieve their goals. Finance Function The financial section of the organisation will keep manual/electronic records of money received and paid out by the organisation. This information will then be used to produce various financial statements for tax purposes and to comply with legal requirements. The information will also be used to produce management accounts to enable senior managers to plan and review business strategy. The finance department or unit may also be responsible for administering employee expenses and salaries. For payment of wages the finance department will need to take into account statutory deductions such as tax, and employee contributions such as pension or loan repayments. Human Resources Function Human resources or Personnels main responsibility is the recruitment, selection, training and development of staff. This will involve developing staff to maximise their potential in a manner that furthers the organisations objectives.   Human resources may also need to comply with legislation applicable to the country in which they are based. For example in the  UK  employers will need to maintain accurate personal records in a manner that is compliant with the UK Data Protection Act 1984. Human resources often adopt a welfare role which includes looking after employees whilst they are at work. They may also create policies that balance organisational needs with those of the employee. They will also interpret employee welfare legislation and ensure that the organisation is complying with the applicable legislation. Sales and Marketing Function The marketing department will research customer needs to develop strategy and product to satisfy that customer need. In its research, the marketing department will investigate the market they are aiming at; the type of consumer making up the market (age, background sex etc) and the preferences of the consumer within that market. The marketing department will then need to marry consumer preferences with producing a product that is profitable. Once the product has been designed by the production department marketing will then need to package, advertise, and promote the product. Sales are responsible for persuading the consumer to purchase the end product, manufactured through marketings research. The Sales Departments selling strategy could involve  mailshots, travelling sales representatives, telephone sales and devising the sales interview. Administration This involves dealing with all administrative tasks including mail handling, dealing with enquiries/complaints, catering, and computer services. They will also produce documents (eg  forms, stationary, and newsletters) for the organisation and maintain the organisations premises and equipment. This function although not always recognised is vital, as it is the glue that holds the organisation together. Without an administrative department, customer complaints would not be resolved, customer orders may not be processed, and the workforce may not have the tools they need to complete their tasks. Research and Development Function The aim of research and development is to improve existing products, create new and better products, improve production methods, and create effective processes. This will enable the organisation to reduce costs, increase profitability and remain ahead of the competition. As not all research will lead to new/improved products/processes companies will need to allocate a specific portion of their budget to research and development activities. P 2.1: E-Business impact on consumer: E-Business brings the merchandise information to the online consumers home wherever they are. The choice available through E-Business to the consumer is enormous. Usually visiting a store physically means trek around, looking for the item consumer wants. E-business made it easy for the consumer to access the stores online to find their relevant item. Online shoping websites like theonlineshoppingtown.co.uk illustrate how e-business provides the consumer vastly increased verity of products available 24/7, both physical goods as well as services such as finance and insurance. P 2.2: E-Business impact on Business: E-business has made a deep impact on society. People can now shop online in the privacy of their own homes without ever having to leave. This can force larger brick and mortar retailers to open an online division. In some cases, it can also force smaller businesses to shut their doors, or change to being completely online. It also changes the way people look at making purchases and spending money. E-business has changed the face of retail, services, and other things that make our economy work. Undoubtedly, it will continue to influence how companies sell and market their products, as well as how people choose to make purchases for many years to come. P 2.3: Market Research: Market research is the procedure of using a variety of methods to collect, analyzes, and report data about possible consumer groups. Market research is used as a marketing strategy. Formal market segmentation requires comprehensive market research. The market research will helps to identify  quantitative  and  qualitative  patterns in consumer groups.  Quantitative  consumer data  refers to numbers such as age,  income, and family size while qualitative data relies on characteristics such as  education, occupation, and personality.  There are several ways you can go about segmenting  a population to target a market. Some are more relevant to your business than others. The  following describes different aspects of market segmentation used for marketing research that will help you in identifying a niche and maximizing business marketing. Types of Market Research: Surveys are the most commonly used  and least expensive market research method available. They can be conducted online, in person, or by phone. Focus groups are a method by which companies gain feedback on products by asking questions in an interactive group setting. This method might also be used to gain feedback on  services,  concept, advertisement, ideas, or packaging. Technology: Apart from surveys and questioners there are few tools available on internet that are used to collect data of the consumers accessing specific business over the web. I tried to access the tools to collect current data of particular business but all of them where required to have a paid membership. I used Google web analyser to analyze website traffic. Another tool which can help finding information about the anchor text used by the linking sites is SEO Books Back Link Analyzer http://tools.seobook.com/backlink-analyser/). It Supplies multiple output data including backlink status, link text, page title, outbound links, links on page, IP address, link type and Google information. P 2.3: Market Research impact on E-Business: Today we are living in vibrant world where numbers of things are changing very rapidly. Therefore it has become very complex to predict anything. Business is also a part of this rapid changing world and it is very difficult to predict any next move of market or customers respectively. However, to achieve success in the business world, it is very significant for any business to have full information about the market progress and the customers behaviour. Therefore, business requires a solution which can help them to gather these facts and figures. A most effective solution for this problem resides in the form of market research, that provides a great possibility to identify the numerous trends in the market and customers need. Market research is a combination of few methods like surveys, analysis, trends, prediction. Adopting the effective market research method can help business to identify new market trends, their competitor activities, acceptability of their products in market, scope for new products, and reason behind failure of products. A large numbers of business organisation have made market research an essential part of the organisation. However, many others take the help of external agencies and advisors. Mode of doing market research may be whatever but one thing is clear that market research significantly help organisations in making right moves at the right time. By making market research an integral part of companies work structure, companies can easily avoid number of shocks coming from market and increase their success rate considerably. Therefore, in simple words we can say that by getting the help of market research, it is possible for any organisation to succeed in the business world. Chapter 2: Online Business Development: Introduction: Handyman online is a website which will provide wide range of repair and maintenance services around the home. This idea for the e business is not unique but in a way it is different from recent trend of customer services. The idea comes through my mind when I required some paint and patch work need to be done around the house. It was not a very large area so there was no need to hire professional contractors as a most people are fear of lengthy process and expensive labour. In search of the person who can carry out this small job I search in the local yellow pages, unfortunately I could not find any person. I browse the internet to search for the right person for the job. I narrowed down my search to 3 persons who carry out this kind of jobs in that area. When I called 2 of them refuse to come and visit the site due to lack of time and one of them promised to visit and never turned up. I have a degree in civil engineering in which I spent three years to learn about construction and its requirements before I come into the IT field. As per my pervious knowledge in the specific area I visited the (do it yourself) DIY stores like Homebase and BQ. I browsed for my required material and the actual work didnt take not more then 3 hour to finish. This draws my attention to the market potential and lack of required skilled staff in this area. People like me spend enormous amount of time over the internet to search person to carry out such a small tasks like assembling a cupboard, hang out a curtain or change the lock. In my case I was very disappointed about the response of the persons to carry out my required work. In my opinion there is a lot of potential in this market which I will discuss later in my report. Mission Statement: Mission is to reach and provide the customer high standard handyman services in quick and efficient way and creates employment opportunities. Goals: Create over 20% of business from repeat customers. Generate  steady revenue per year by the end of year two. Develop the business into full-time employment within 12 months. P 3.1: The Market research: Handyman Onlines target market has been divided into two segments: home owners and property managers. There are 1,340 potential customers in the property manager segment.  This group is growing at a 4% annual growth rate. There are 25,190 potential customers in the home owner segment. This  group has a 5% annual growth rate. Competition Handyman online will receive competition from several sources. The most well-known competitors are detailed below: Handymen Fix-It-Up: This is a one man company that is specialized in electrical problems and plumbing. Painting and patios are not serviced. When speaking with the customers regarding their experience with this company their expression was mixed. Handymend.com: This is a handyman company that employs three different workers as handymen. This is a large company (for handymen) with a far less intimate customer experience. If a customer used this service on four different occasions, they are likely to receive four different people on the service calls. Contractors (General) Raj Contractors: This is a full-service general contractor. The organization is large with 17 employees. This company does a mixture of commercial and residential work. This company has an eight hour minimum contract. MF Contractors: This is a small sized contractor of five employees. They concentrate on residential jobs and have a smaller minimum of four hour projects. P 3.2: Market Analysis Summary Handyman online has identified two different market segments, home owners and property managers. As I discussed earlier, like in my case the most important segments as they are the customers who often have small repairs. These repairs are too small for to hire a contractor and complicated enough for the owner to perform themselves. Customers often call the service provider who they are familiar with, regardless of the suitability. For this reason, word of mouth referrals will be very important. Possible customers normally ask neighbours or friends and any other property managers for advice on handyman service providers. Handyman online will take advantage of word of mouth marketing by providing exceptional services to keep customers satisfied. Excellent service will result in new and repeat business. Market research outcomes: As I discussed earlier, I divided the potential market into two distinct customer groups: Home owners The value of the homes ranges generally between  £160,00  £655,00. 48% of home owners try to make small repairs themselves; they often start the repair and later realize that they do not have the appropriate skills to complete the repair. The remaining 52% do not attempt to repair it, they call a professional person to perform the repair. 62% have owned their home for more than two years. 73% of the customers wait until several small problems accumulate before they call a handyman for repair. This behaviour can be explained by not wanting to incur a large upfront charge just to have someone fix one thing. Property managers: Typically do not have their own in-house repair man in an effort to reduce overhead expenses. The range of monthly rental costs of their units is  £350- £675. Market Analysis Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Potential Customers Growth CAGR Home owners 5% 24,090 25,295 26,560 27,888 29,282 5.00% Property managers 4% 1,234 1,283 1,334 1,387 1,442 3.97% Total 25,324 26,578 27,894 29,275 30,724 P 3.3: Company: Handyman online will be formed as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) by myself. i will be the sole employee and owner of the company and I will hire the staff time to time according to the nature of the job. The company will incur certain start-up costs, primarily tools, detailed in the Start-up Summary section. Start-up requirements: Handyman online will incur start-up costs related to start of the business. The following table details the start-up costs as well as indicated the needed capital for initial operations. Stan will be using his personal tools for jobs but will need to purchase the following additional equipment/tools: Assorted plumbing tools including: slip wrenches, snakes, teflon tape, and assorted caps, nuts, and bolts. Electrical tools including: electrical gauge meters, wire cutters, various wires and wire caps, and soldering iron. Painting material including: paint brushes, paint roller, pneumatic paint sprayer, air compressor, sand papers, spackle tools and masking tape. Pressure washer. Various general tools. Assorted power tools (drill, saw, sander, Dremel). Assorted nails, bolts, screws, and fixtures. Laptop with portable printer for mobile invoice printing and submission. Mobile phone. Start-up Expenses Legal  £800 Accountant  £600 Brochures  £250 Insurance  £250 website registration  £25 Website hosting  £75 webpage development  £500 Total Start-up Expenses  £2,500 P 3.4: Details of cost: Start-up Assets Cash Required  £20,500 Other Current Assets  £0 Long-term Assets  £8,000 Total Assets  £28,500 Total Requirements  £31,000 Start-up Funding Start-up Expenses to Fund  £2,500 Start-up Assets to Fund  £28,500 Total Funding Required  £31,000 Assets Non-cash Assets from Start-up  £8,000 Cash Requirements from Start-up  £20,500 Additional Cash Raised  £0 Cash Balance on Starting Date  £20,500 Total Assets  £28,500 Liabilities and Capital Liabilities Current Borrowing  £0 Long-term Liabilities  £31,000 Accounts Payable (Outstanding Bills)  £0 Other Current Liabilities (interest-free)  £0 Total Liabilities  £31,000 Capital Planned Investment Investor 1  £0 Other  £0 Additional Investment Requirement  £0 Total Planned Investment  £0 Loss at Start-up (Start-up Expenses) - £2,500 Total Capital - £2,500 Total Capital and Liabilities  £28,500 Total Funding  £31,000 Loan required  £31,000 P 4.1: Company Services Handyman online will provide repair and maintenance for home owners and property managers. All type of services will be provided from just  £40 per hour plus parts. Handyman online will give every customer at least one hour of work at their property. All work is handyman work, for larger nature of jobs that require a contractor; Handyman online will search an experienced service provider free for the customer. By providing only handyman services, handyman online will always attempt to repair the problem first, replacement is only an option if the item cannot be repaired. This differs from a contractor philosophy which is generally to replace everything first. Repairing items is far less expensive for the consumer. Handyman online will offer a one year guarantee for all of their repair and maintenance work, The goal is to not have any unsatisfied customers. Offered services include: Minor plumbing Leaky faucets, repair/replace fixtures, sprinkler repair, minor drain problems, garbage disposal install, install ice maker lines. Minor electrical Ceiling fan repair and install, electrical plugs and switches, vanity lights, motion lights, cable and phone line installation. Fence repair Metal and wood fence repair and install, electric dog fences, gate and latch install. Window, wall and door repairs Small hole repair, door installation, window maintenance and repair. Decks and patios Deck repair and maintenance, chemical cleaning, pressure washing, wood replacement, handrail installation. Painting Interior and exterior (short of an entire exterior of a house). Weather proofing Weather stripping, caulking. Flooring Carpet and hard wood repair Company Ownership: I am the founder and owner of Handyman online. The company will remain a one-man operation for the foreseeable future. P 4.2: Market Analysis Summary Handyman online has identified two different market segments, home owners and property managers. As I discussed earlier, like in my case the most important segments as they are the customers who often have small repairs. These repairs are too small for to hire a contractor and complicated enough for the owner to perform themselves. Customers often call the service provider who they are familiar with, regardless of the suitability. For this reason, word of mouth referrals will be very important. Possible customers normally ask neighbours or friends and any other property managers for advice on handyman service providers. Handyman online will take advantage of word of mouth marketing by providing exceptional services to keep customers satisfied. Excellent service will result in new and repeat business. Marketing strategy: Website Marketing Strategy The marketing strategy will employ two distinct mechanisms: Search engine submission: This will be most useful to people who are unfamiliar with handyman online but are looking for a local handyman. There will also be searches from customers who may know about handyman online but are seeking additional information. URL on all printed material: For every printed piece of material that we offers, the sites Web address will be listed, encouraging a visit to the site. Website Development Requirements The site will be developed by me because I have an experience to develop a website. I will seek help from a friend to develop some aspect of the website. The value of the development will not increase more then  £600, it will not have to be listed as a payout of 1099 income for tax purposes. P 4.3: Sales Forecast The sales forecast has been developed in a conventional way to increase the possibility of achieving the sales goals. The forecast sales breaks down is based on the activities that Handyman online will perform. Required parts to replacing the faulty ones will be invoiced separately, there consumables such as nails, caulk, and etc., that will be used will be included in the  £40 hourly fee. These consumables are captured in the direct costs of goods as a percentage of the overall service charge. The different services have different percentages assigned to each type of service. Handyman online will perform a wide range of jobs, that will be billed at the same hourly rate. The competition typically bills out electrical work at a higher rate, and painting at a lower rate. Company has chosen a single hourly rate to encourage customers to use the services for more then one repair on the same visit. Sales Forecast Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Sales Plumbing  £4,250  £12,500  £16,550 Electrical  £3,698  £10,875  £14,399 Fences  £782  £2,875  £3,807 Windows  £1,360  £4,000  £5,296 Decks  £945  £4,500  £5,958 Paint  £2,508  £7,375  £9,765 Weather proofing  £1,403  £4,125  £5,462 Parts  £850  £2,500  £3,310 Floors  £1,615  £4,750  £6,289 Total Sales  £17,410  £53,500  £70,834 Direct Cost of Sales Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Plumbing  £298  £875  £1,159 Electrical  £185  £544  £720 Fences  £23  £86  £114 Windows  £109  £320  £424 Decks  £38  £180  £238 Paint  £226  £664  £879 We