Expatriate Salespeople Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Expatriate Salespeople - Assignment Example es, there may be legal challenges that determine whether or not expatriate salespeople can be used or if the market is unable to support a full-time salesperson. The times that there might be situations in which expatriate sales managers are supervisors of the foreign salespeople. However, there are some issues that should be addressed. Some of these include the inability to be able to communicate between the foreign sales team and the expatriate sales manager. Another issue that is often faced is when the expatriate is unable to adapt to the foreign environment in which they are required to work. Many times there may also be legal barriers that can be significant problems. Many of the skills that an expatriate salesperson is required to do is to be nonjudgmental, be able to react professionally if there is frustration in a situation, and must be empathetic of other people’s needs based on their own standpoint rather than the salesperson’s own standpoint. A person must also have an interest in the culture and the people and be respectful. The family may include an interview with the candidate’s family to ensure that the person is right for the job because the family is typically the people who know the person the best and their ability to adapt and work in new areas. The candidate’s family is critiqued to see if there is a problem if the expatriate salesperson will be gone to a foreign country for a significant amount of time. Expatriates returning to the United States are often dissatisfied because of a growing number of attrition of those who return. There is a much lower morale. Many times those coming from the U.S. find that there are several family related problems that have strained their ability to work things out by being away for so long. They are often dissatisfied because of the compensation levels and

Review of Blue Lagoon Essay Example for Free

Review of Blue Lagoon Essay The Blue Lagoon Explores the Garden of Eden The Blue Lagoon is often ridculed as a fluff piece of adolescent nudity. However I believe The Blue Lagoon raises interesting questions about human sexuality. How did we discover sex, and what about our sexuality is innate? The movie presents the case of an innocent boy and girl from the Victorian Age, shipwrecked on a beautiful tropical island. They are soon without any adult guidance whatsover. As children, the two are inseparable, but the movie presents a plausible change in their relationship as they start to go through the changes of puberty. They dont understand the physical changes that are happening to their bodies. And they start to become distant and secretive and angry with each other and they dont quite understand why. What they dont realize is that these changes are part of the process of moving apart and developing a separate sexual indentity from each other. Only after we see the steps of this transformation to sexual maturity completed do we see they are ready to discover humans oldest instinct in each other, which comes naturally to them in time. They then go on to discover the mysteries of parenthood and the psychological changes that come with that. Other themes such as religion and law are explored as well. What keeps this movie watchable is the beauty of the actors and the beauty of the island. The scenes on the lush tropical island and the bright blue ocean are beautifully shot and dreamlike. The natural beauty evokes a Garden of Eden. And this movie seems to try and explore the relationship that might have existed between Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, learning about love, sex, and children all on their own. And I think the movie gives it a pretty good shot. The Blue Lagoon is much deeper than people give it credit for.

Neo-China Politics Essay -- China Economics Political Essays

Neo-China Politics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  China is interested in modernizing itself while at the same time maintaining security' is the only general statement that can be made about China's foreign policy. To achieve these two ends, China is willing to ignore conflicts that do not substantially affect its development or security. Economic organizations are welcomed because they facilitate economic development but security multilateralism is employed only where feasible, resulting in most security concerns solved bilaterally. This case-by-case determination of policy results in China supporting the status quo in some issues while challenging it in others. To better understand China's foreign policy requires an investigation into these three characteristics. Post-Cold War Asia has been witness to a China that increasingly focuses its foreign policy on its neighbors rather than on a regional or global context. This stems from China's realization that free markets have triumphed over centrally planned economies and that a world revolution is not going to happen. This has two implications. One, China no longer needs to divert resources to involve itself in global politics since the proletarian revolution is not going to take place. Second, China needs to embark on a program of economic development and modernization (F. Wang p. 32 and J. Wang p. 80). China has decided that economic growth should receive first priority before any other concerns because of two reasons. One, economic growth allows China to upgrade its aging military by purchasing advanced weapons or developing new weapons based on the infusion of technology from consumer goods. Second and perhaps more importantly, economic development has become crucial to the Party's legitimacy to rule. During Mao's era, ideological fervor provided the basis of the Party's right to rule. However, since Deng Xiaoping's market reforms in the late 70's and 80's, the CCP has increasingly relied upon economic progress as a source of political legitimacy. The Party has promised economic prosperity in return for the undisputed right to rule. Any slowdown in economic growth could potentially lead to political instability. Therefore, all available resources are directed to maintaining a healthy pace of economic growth (Yu p. 186). At this point in development, China does not feel that it has the resources to be involved in remote... ... cede to informal discussions on security to prove that China is a responsible international actor and because any refusal might result in China being left out of international decision making. However, except in the nuclear non-proliferation issue, China's new acceptance of multilateralism is based on a calculated tactical adjustment rather than a true fundamental shift in appreciation for multilateralism. China must feel secure in its new place as a global power before any true shift may occur. This can only happen if several conditions exist. First, Beijing must no longer feel threats of containment from its neighbors and the United States. Second, China must become content with its military power and begin to see preserving a status quo in military strength as desirable. Third, the outstanding territorial disputes must be resolved. Finally, the security of each Asian nation must become so intertwined that bilateralism becomes ineffective in dealing with rising issues. Until all these conditions exist, China will not truly embrace economic and security multilateralism, and the result will continue to be the incohesive, hypocritical foreign policy that China practices today. Neo-China Politics Essay -- China Economics Political Essays Neo-China Politics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  China is interested in modernizing itself while at the same time maintaining security' is the only general statement that can be made about China's foreign policy. To achieve these two ends, China is willing to ignore conflicts that do not substantially affect its development or security. Economic organizations are welcomed because they facilitate economic development but security multilateralism is employed only where feasible, resulting in most security concerns solved bilaterally. This case-by-case determination of policy results in China supporting the status quo in some issues while challenging it in others. To better understand China's foreign policy requires an investigation into these three characteristics. Post-Cold War Asia has been witness to a China that increasingly focuses its foreign policy on its neighbors rather than on a regional or global context. This stems from China's realization that free markets have triumphed over centrally planned economies and that a world revolution is not going to happen. This has two implications. One, China no longer needs to divert resources to involve itself in global politics since the proletarian revolution is not going to take place. Second, China needs to embark on a program of economic development and modernization (F. Wang p. 32 and J. Wang p. 80). China has decided that economic growth should receive first priority before any other concerns because of two reasons. One, economic growth allows China to upgrade its aging military by purchasing advanced weapons or developing new weapons based on the infusion of technology from consumer goods. Second and perhaps more importantly, economic development has become crucial to the Party's legitimacy to rule. During Mao's era, ideological fervor provided the basis of the Party's right to rule. However, since Deng Xiaoping's market reforms in the late 70's and 80's, the CCP has increasingly relied upon economic progress as a source of political legitimacy. The Party has promised economic prosperity in return for the undisputed right to rule. Any slowdown in economic growth could potentially lead to political instability. Therefore, all available resources are directed to maintaining a healthy pace of economic growth (Yu p. 186). At this point in development, China does not feel that it has the resources to be involved in remote... ... cede to informal discussions on security to prove that China is a responsible international actor and because any refusal might result in China being left out of international decision making. However, except in the nuclear non-proliferation issue, China's new acceptance of multilateralism is based on a calculated tactical adjustment rather than a true fundamental shift in appreciation for multilateralism. China must feel secure in its new place as a global power before any true shift may occur. This can only happen if several conditions exist. First, Beijing must no longer feel threats of containment from its neighbors and the United States. Second, China must become content with its military power and begin to see preserving a status quo in military strength as desirable. Third, the outstanding territorial disputes must be resolved. Finally, the security of each Asian nation must become so intertwined that bilateralism becomes ineffective in dealing with rising issues. Until all these conditions exist, China will not truly embrace economic and security multilateralism, and the result will continue to be the incohesive, hypocritical foreign policy that China practices today.

Ethics in Our Everyday Lives Essay

This paper will discuss how ethics relate in our everyday lives and more specifically how ethics are used in our workplace also how ethics are used by companies. This paper will also cover how businesses have implemented ethical procedures, standards and how these businesses flourished because of the effective use of ethical standards. â€Å"I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the government of man.† Thomas Jefferson Ethics in our Everyday Lives. As a society we are faced with ethical problems every day, and how we handle these situations shape our culture and lives. However, what are ethics? The meaning of â€Å"ethics† is hard to pin down, and the views many people have about them are shaky. People tend to associate ethics with their feelings. But being ethical is clearly not a matter of following one’s feelings, nor should one identify ethics with religion, the law or â€Å"whatever society accepts.† Ethics refers to the constant effort of studying our moral conduct, and our own moral beliefs, and striving to ensure that we, and the institutions we help to shape, live up to standards that are reasonable and concrete. It is not enough to be able to do the right thing when we ourselves have nothing to lose. We must be willing to fulfill our ethical obligations at the expense of our self-centered desires and vested interests. (Dr. Richard Paul & Dr. Linda Elder, 2003) In short, ethics is doing what is right even when no one is looking. Well-founded standards of right and wrong that advocate what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, benefits to society, obligations, fairness, or specific virtues stem directly from having ethics. Ethical standards also impose the judicious obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault, and fraud, therefore a society with a strong code of ethics tends to run smoothly. A society with no code of ethics could very well develop into anarchy. Although arguments have been made, to the contrary, ethics are just as vital in the workplace. Ethics are essential in the workplace because a tough ethical code provides a non-threatening environment with high employee morale, a company that exhibits clear-cut ethics tends to show higher profits, and simply because it is the right thing to do. Perhaps most important, attention to ethics in the workplaces helps ensure that when leaders and managers are strugg ling in times of crises and confusion, they retain a strong moral compass, and this goes for the workers as well. The Ethics Resource Center, a non-profit, non-partisan organization devoted to business ethics, released the results of its 2005 National Business Ethics Survey, polling more than 3000 workers across America. The results were disheartening; 21% observed abusive or intimidating behavior toward employees. 19% observed lying to customers, employees, vendors or the public. 18% observed situations that placed employee interests over company interests. 16% observed violations of safety regulations and misreporting of time worked (Verschoor, 2000, pp. 19-20) Environments that accommodate these low ethical standards tend to feel hostile to the average employee. When this behavior is witnessed repeatedly over time, it lowers morale. And low moral easily leads the employee feels no loyalty towards the company and in turn the company feels no loyalty towards its employees. A workplace that encourages the effective ethical administration, however, is a workplace that breeds strong morale. Patricia Harned, ERC president, states â€Å"Creating a strong ethical environment should be a top priority of all companies.† (Verschoor, 2000, pp. 19-20) According to â€Å"Workplace Ethics†, a company with strong ethical guidelines has a few commonalities. Companies watch encouraged communication; the staff feels open and unthreatened about reporting and discussing ethical concerns. They also clarify rewards and punishments, which provides a meaningful context to what otherwise seems arbitrary. Businesses that encourage trust between management and employs well tend to have a much easier time enforcing their ethical standards. Also businesses found out that by promoting this strategy that it was much less expensive and more effective than legally defining and enforcing their ethical standards. These organizations also build corporate values, which improves the corporate image. (Compilation, 1999) This creates an environment that employees find a joy to work in. Furthermore, from a corporate perspective it is just as significant to note that an ethical company tends to be a profitable company. Can a company have ethical practices, and still show a profit? Yes, according to Business Ethics magazine. By concentrating on the effects of business decisions made and how they enhance or diminish the well being of others, benefits can be seen for the company, the employee, the stockholder, and the consumer. Many of the corporations that show up on the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by Business magazine also show up on Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and Working Mother magazine’s Best Companies to Work For. (Do Good, Do Well, 2001, p. 28) Starbucks is one of these companies and has been a regular on these lists. Starbucks is working to empower farmers in East Timor, where coffee provides the livelihood of 25% of the population. The company also participates in various external programs to help benefit the envir onment and provide relief efforts after disasters. Internally, Starbucks offers many benefits to its employees-including tuition reimbursement, partner benefits, a wellness program and a 25 to 150% match in its 401(k) plan. (Examining the benefits of corporate social responsibility, May1 2006) These factors are just some that contribute to the success of Starbucks and provide the company with the foundation to build a coffeehouse on every street corner. Another company that is perennially honored for its ethical conduct is Southwest Airlines. Although the airline industry has been through what some may characterize as catastrophic circumstances over the last several years Southwest has never cut employee pay. In fact, the organization’s employees took a voluntary pay cut after Sept. 11, 2001, rather than allow surging costs to force Southwest to reduce its flight schedule. â€Å"I’ve been here 28 years,† states Donna Conover, Southwest’s executive vice president of customer service, â€Å"and from the beg inning, we’ve felt that employees are our greatest assets.† (Examining the benefits of corporate social responsibility, May1 2006) An unethical company, however, can expect none of these benefits, and it may actually be part of the reason for failing. A perfect example of an unethical fallout would be that of the oil giant Enron. Former Enron chairman Kenneth Lay, discussing his company’s collapse due to fraud, and insider trading and tax evasion, recently insisted that his once great and honest company adhered to prevailing business practices. â€Å"The Enron task force investigation is largely a case about normal business activities typically engaged in on a daily basis by corporate officers of publicly held companies throughout the country,† Lay insisted in a December 2005 speech. Lay went on to say that the Enron task force was â€Å"attempting to criminalize† what he characterized as common business practices. Under Lay’s perverted ethics code, transactions meant to deceive are not wrong if these transactions, legal or not, are commonly practiced by corporate America. Stockholder s often paid the price of such as moral relativism. (Zamansky, 02/01/2006, p. 11a) This points out what should be the overriding reason for expecting high ethical standards in the workplace-it’s the right thing to do. A recent survey by The Society for Human Resource Management found that 54% of human-resource professionals surveyed had witnessed conduct in the workplace which violated either the law or common practices of their organizations. Some of the violations witnessed ware, Fair Labor Standards Act, violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employees engaging in fraud, falsifying records, altering the results of product tests, and misusing insider information. (Schumann, Spring/Summer 2001, p. 93) The survey found that 47% of those surveyed felt pressured to compromise ethical standards to achieve business objectives. They stated that they did not report observed conduct due to factors such as fear of retribution, lack of trust in the organization’s procedures, the desire to be part of the team, or a feeling that ethics were unimportant to the organizations. (Schumann, Spring/Summer 2001, p. 93) The main culprit for this pervading ethical dilemma is moral relativism. Moral relativism is the belief that because different people have different moral principles, there is no way to pass judgment on these principles as to their validity or lack thereof. Taken to its extreme, this belief would allow any action, from lying to murder, if the perpetrator simply believes his moral framework does not preclude that action. An excellent example of this new moral relativism is recounted by Rhonda Gibbs. â€Å"About three years ago,† she recalls, â€Å"My daughter’s high school basketball coach, (also a teacher), was having a relationship with a minor.† The relationship, she details, was very obvious to those who had daily contact with the pair. Staff, faculty, and students watched the relationship develop over a period of nine months to a year; however, not a single person spoke up about the impropriety of this relationship or the seriousness of this crime. Whether for reasons of not wanting to upset the coach, not wanting to look like a whistle blower, or simply to maintain the status quo, this teacher’s colleagues, the very people charged with protection of the young girl, allowed him to violate her for at least nine months. The school was only forced to deal with the issue when outside parties informed the police. Although the landscape sometimes looks bleak for the proponents of a strong ethical society, ethics do get used in a moral fashion, as this next example illustrates. Some surplus land adjacent to a shopping center was donated to a city by the developers who owned the mall. The land was earmarked by the builders to be used for community soccer fields. They then spent large sums of their own money to develop the fields. The donated land was adjacent to a river, and after many years of spring floods swamping the fields, the city abandoned them. The developers, realizing that the land was no longer being used for their intended purpose, contacted the city. Developers are notorious for taking otherwise useless land and turning it into acres of parking lots. These individuals, however, decided to transform the property, at their own expense, into a community wetland park. This transformation took over two years and several hundred thousand dollars. These businessmen, who were well within their rights to demand the land back since it wasn’t being utilized for its donated purpose, instead did the ethical thing at great cost to themselves. As I can be seen, ethics are important in the workplace and our every day life as well because they provide higher profits, higher morale, and ethical behavior is the proper course of action. Whether decisions made affect the operation of a home, small business, large corporation, or a nation, a clear ethical foundation will always serve to improve our society. References Compilation. (1999). Bulletpoint. Retrieved May 6, 2006, from Workplace Ethics Web site: http://web107.epnet.com Examining the benefits of corporate social responsibility. (May1 2006). Employee Benefit News, pITEM0612100B. Retrieved May 5, 2006, from http://find.galegroup.com. Do Good, Do Well. (2001, January). Workforce, 80, 28. Retrieved May 5, 2006, from http://find.galegroup.com. Dr. Richard Paul & Dr. Linda Elder. (2003). The Miniature Guide to Understanding the Foundations of Ethical Reasoning. The Foundation for Critical Thinking. Guest, E. (n.d.). SoFinesJoyfulMoments. Retrieved May 8, 2006, from Mary (Garren) Morand Web site: http://sofinesjoyfulmoments.com/quotes/sermon.htm Schumann, P.L. (Spring/Summer 2001). A moral principles framework for human resource management ethics. Human Resource Management Review, 11 (1/2), 93. Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://web102.epnet.com. Verschoor, C. (2000, December). Ethical Culture: Most Important Barrier to Ethical Misconduct. Strategic Finance, 87, 19-20. Retrieved May 6, 2006, from http://web107.epnet.com. Zamansky, J. (02/01/2006). At the least, former Enron chiefs are guilty of moral bankruptcy. USAToday, 0734-7456, p. 11a. Retrieved from http://web102.epnet.com.

Foundations of Human Development Essay

Human development is based on biological development, psychological development, and social development, these three aspects of human development interact with each other, because it helps to create an individual’s identity and personality. Our development defines who we are, our interactions and how we view the environment around us. To understand bio-psycho-social dimensions of human development, having culture competency, and comprehending the general systems theory and how these theory systems works are crucial parts of being an effective human service professional Bio-Psycho-Social Dimensions of Human Development Various aspects of human development are combined together to make-up an individual’s growth and development. Human development contains three dimensions which are, biological development, psychological development, . Each theory differs in terms of the weight or importance it assigns to these biological, psychological, or social factors. Nonetheless, they each acknowledge there is an important inter-relationship between nature biology and temperament and nurture the social environment and life experience in the formation of personality experiences in the formation of personality. These aspects of human development or behavior can be developed by an individual’s culture, family, and community. During an individual’s life span, the foundation of human development begins to change, which is a direct result of an individual’s social environment. The diversity of the human population such as; a person’s cultural and ethnic background, can be understood by using the strength perspective. This method can help a human service professional to understand the client’s way of communicating, whether if they are using verbal and non-verbal gestures. As a human service professional develops and have an understanding of the client, they can become more skillful in the way that different cultures. The Bio-Psycho-Social Model of Human Behavior Simone Hoermann, Ph.D., Corinne E. Zupanick, Psy.D. & Mark Dombeck, Ph.D. The Connection between General Systems Theory and Social Order Systems theory  covers a broad range of theoretical and methodological practices across many disciplines. Generally, systems theory is concerned with the structure of complex systems, with a special emphasis about how parts relate to each other and to the whole system. In the social sciences, this usually means understanding how individuals relate to each other and to their society as a whole, and the effect that social pressures have on individuals. Social Work Social workers can hold a variety of different roles. What binds them together is a core concern for improving social conditions for individuals and promoting social justice. Applied Systems Theory Social workers employ systems theory in order to understand the dynamic interrelations between individuals, families, institutions and societies. Generally, they want to identify how a system functions, what aspects of that system have a negative impact on people and understand how they can cause positive change in that system. Individuals and Families On the micro level of social work, workers use systems theory to understand the dynamics, relationships and roles within families, and how these things affect individuals therein. For instance, they want to know that parents and children are taking upon their proper responsibilities, that parents are providing for the safety of their children and that these roles are stable and beneficial to everyone involved. General systems theory at a simple level can be defined as: elements, which are in exchange, and which are bounded. These components constitute a system, which functions or operates within a field or an environment. Elements can be virtually anything you wish to label as such, the exchanges are any relationships that exist between elements, and the boundary is what you can see, hear, feel, or sense that separates from the background or environment. â€Å"General Systems Theory: A Framework for Analysis and Social Change†Robert J. Gregory, Ph.D. School of Psychology by Smart, Barry 04/1999, ISBN 0761955178 Explain the concept of human diversity and cultural competence? One of the most predominant theories is Albert Bandura’s social learning theory, which assumes that. People learn through observing others’ behavior,  attitudes, and outcomes of those behaviors which is called observational learning, that is an indirect form of learning known as vicarious learning and indirect forms of reinforcement which is called vicarious reinforcement .Bandura renamed SLT as social cognitive theory to accommodate the ever increasing importance in his thinking of cognitive factors .SLT has also been enriched by Bandura with his views about the effects of a person’s belief in their own effectiveness in specific situations also known as self –efficacy. According to Bandura, social learning involves a few factors such as, attention where the individual must pay attention to the model and must be able to remember the behavior they have observed so basically retention per se. The observer must be able to replicate the action and must have the motivation to demonstrate what they have learnt .Although motivation to imitate behavior of a model is quite complex. As certain factors have to be taken into consideration, the observer or learner must like the model and identify with the model, as humans tend to imitate people who are like themselves. An observer is more likely to imitate a model that is consistent across situations than someone who behaves in different ways depending on the situation. Also it has been argued by Bandura that people can learn from observing others, not necessarily experiencing the consequences of these actions, themselves. Throughout this essay a detailed account with appropriate reasoning and causes of SLT will be given. What is the importance of equality, diversity and recognizing rights in early year’s services? 1. Legal – having proper policies and procedures in place should prevent successful compensation payouts for proven discrimination. 2. Ethical – it’s morally right to want to provide equal treatment to all stakeholders, especially children and parents/guardians. 3. Social – children can learn to be better citizens in a culturally diverse society, if given the right orientation from the beginning. Why is equality and diversity important in a mental health profession? One could argue it isn’t and that best person should always be chosen regardless as It is mainly a political ideal. However in this case there may in fact be an argument for it as follows. it may be important for those suffering mental issues to feel they are part of a wider community and having a wide selection of diversity etc. (2013, 02). Explain the Social Learning Theory. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 02, 2013, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Explain-The-Social-Learning-Theory-1420930.html

The Moon Is Down Essays - Educational Psychology, Education

The Moon Is Down Essays - Educational Psychology, Education The Moon Is Down BASIC STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE STUDIES Effective learning depends upon good study habits. Efficient study skills do not simply occur; they must first be learned and then applied consistently. Good study strategies include a preset time for study, a desirable place to study, and a well-designed study plan. A Time to study All of us think we have more things to do than we have time to do, and studying gets shortchanged. It is important to prepare a schedule of daily activities that includes time slots for doing the studying we have to do. Within each study slot, write in the specific study activity; for example, Read Unit 6 of accounting; do Problems 1-5. Keep the schedule flexible so that it can be modified after you assess your success in meeting your study goals within each time slot. A Place to study Choose the best place to study and use the same one every day. Doing so will help to put you in a study mood when you enter that place. According to Usova (1989, 37), The library is not always a desirable place to study. Choose a place that has the fewest distractions such as people traffic, conversation, telephone, TV, and outside noises. Study is usually best done alone and in the absence of sights and sounds that distract the eye and ear. In your chosen quite place, force the mind to concentrate on the task at hand. A Plan for Study Research on the effects of specific study skills on student performance (Dansereau, 1985, 39) suggests that the following study tactics help to improve academic performance. 1. Skim a unit or a chapter, noting headings, topic sentences, key words, and definitions. This overview will clue you to what you are about to study. 2. As you read a unit or chapter, convert the headings into questions; then seek answers to those questions as you read. 3. If you own the book, use the color marking pens to highlight important ideas: headings, topic sentences, special terms, definitions, and supporting facts. If you dont own the book, make notes of these important ideas and facts. 4. After you have completed a unit or chapter, review the highlighted item (or your notes which contain them.) 5. Using the headings stated as questions, see if you can answer those questions based on your reading. 6. Test yourself to see if you can recall definitions of important terms and list of supporting facts or ideas. A high correlation exists between good study habits and good grades for the courses taken in school. REFERENCES Dansereau, D. F. Learning Strategy Research. Thinking and Learning Skills. Vol.1. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence E Erlbaum 1985, 21-40. Usova, George M. Efficient Study Strategies. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1989.

Free Essays on Understanding Modern Theories Of Crime

Understanding Modern Theories of Crime Natural theories of crime generally rely upon phenomena in the physical world (e.g., poverty, genetic abnormality, cognitive impairment) to explain criminal conduct. Modern theories are linked to one of three frames of reference by and through which crimes, criminals, and the behavior of the criminal law are defined. These three modernist approaches include choice criminology3, causal criminology4, and constructivist criminology.5 Choice criminology asserts that people make rational decisions and that these decisions are freely chosen. Thus, criminals are recognized as intelligent enough to understand the consequences for their wrongful behavior (i.e., punishment and imprisonment) as much as they are clever enough to appreciate both the pecuniary and personal benefits for breaking the law (e.g., Stigler, 1970: 526-528; Vold and Bernard, 1986: 31; Reynolds, 1985). Causal criminology maintains that individual accountability must be examined in the context of independent variables which are said to cause criminal conduct. In this model, explanations of crime can be based on either a single factor or a variety of factors. These factors are said to determine the behavior of an individual and, therefore, are beyond his/her control. Early constructivist criminology considered the manner in which people helped fashion the world in which they found themselves. The processes which gave rise to the definitions of certain behaviors (and individuals) as criminal became the cornerstone of the early constructivist movement (for applications to law and the criminal sanction see Black, 1976). These criminological and sociological processes were subject to empirical verification through standard tests of reliability and validity (Lynch, 1987). Indeed, constructivist criminology has shown us, for example, how affluent and indigent people are both capable of breaking the law but how poor ... Free Essays on Understanding Modern Theories Of Crime Free Essays on Understanding Modern Theories Of Crime Understanding Modern Theories of Crime Natural theories of crime generally rely upon phenomena in the physical world (e.g., poverty, genetic abnormality, cognitive impairment) to explain criminal conduct. Modern theories are linked to one of three frames of reference by and through which crimes, criminals, and the behavior of the criminal law are defined. These three modernist approaches include choice criminology3, causal criminology4, and constructivist criminology.5 Choice criminology asserts that people make rational decisions and that these decisions are freely chosen. Thus, criminals are recognized as intelligent enough to understand the consequences for their wrongful behavior (i.e., punishment and imprisonment) as much as they are clever enough to appreciate both the pecuniary and personal benefits for breaking the law (e.g., Stigler, 1970: 526-528; Vold and Bernard, 1986: 31; Reynolds, 1985). Causal criminology maintains that individual accountability must be examined in the context of independent variables which are said to cause criminal conduct. In this model, explanations of crime can be based on either a single factor or a variety of factors. These factors are said to determine the behavior of an individual and, therefore, are beyond his/her control. Early constructivist criminology considered the manner in which people helped fashion the world in which they found themselves. The processes which gave rise to the definitions of certain behaviors (and individuals) as criminal became the cornerstone of the early constructivist movement (for applications to law and the criminal sanction see Black, 1976). These criminological and sociological processes were subject to empirical verification through standard tests of reliability and validity (Lynch, 1987). Indeed, constructivist criminology has shown us, for example, how affluent and indigent people are both capable of breaking the law but how poor ...

Efficient Memory Techniques for Better Performance

Efficient Memory Techniques for Better Performance Invincible 5 Memory Practices For The Examination Commencing revision barely a day to the examination can be dangerously imprudent as it does not guarantee a good performance. In the same breath, jamming the materials at the 11th hour is also ill-advised, and you should strive to prepare in advance. Lack of preparation leaves you irritably exasperated as you will be trying to remember something you read but to no avail. This feeling of anger will eat into your exam time because you will be pondering how the situation would have been if only you had read and had all the content at your fingerprints. Going blank in an exam room is a situation most students are well acquainted with from personal experiences. Nevertheless, you can evade because it is possible to turn your mind into you’re the biggest resource and as research shows, the human mind can accommodate large amounts of information. 1. Intertwined Revision Most subjects teach related knowledge and as such, reviewing this subject independent of each other is not a sensible thing to do. Studies show that linking previous knowledge with new ones increases the level of comprehension. The question that remains is, what is the explanation behind this fact? To put things into more perspective, paint this picture in your mind. Assume that the knowledge you possess is a road map in your mind and each time you learn something new, that is a different street you are adding to the plan. When you need to access specific material, your brain will run through different corridors to track that information. Develop a virtual map in your mind Identify the different topics that you need to study and draw the connection between them in your mind. Additionally, identify the topics that you are already conversant with and the knowledge you possess. This move will aid you in linking the connection between the topics. 2. Get enough sleep Students believe that burning the midnight oil studying is a sure way to getting good grades in an examination. However, this could be not any further from the truth as research proves that getting enough rest is vital for refreshing and rejuvenating your mind. Adequate sleep aids the processing of new information learned. Prepare a study timetable After you learn of the exam date, prepare a study timetable indicating which topic you will tackle and at what time. Early preparation will go a long way to help you get that grade you so desire, and you will be able to get enough sleep the night before the examination. 3. Talking reinforces remembrance Narrating a story evokes your memory as you will feel the need to tell it exactly how it happened without omitting any details. Again, research shows that people tend to recall things better if they are to tell it as a story to other people. As a student, you should take advantage of this, tell a friend what you learned detail by detail, in the process, the information is most likely to stick to your memory. Pen down a revision article Find something that interests you and builds your revision story based on it. Imagine individuals, objects, places or symbols and assign each of these a topic, formula, or the fact that you need to memorize. This technique has been proven to be effective as it not only makes the learning process simpler, it provokes you to dig deeper into your creative abilities. 4. Revise! Revise! Revise! Revising is not as fun as compared to other activities like playing video games or surfing on your computer, and it is easier to have wishful thinking that we could take one look at the materials and that will do. Still, revision is a chief factor that will determine your performance in an examination. Revision enables you to identify the areas you are weak in and focus your concentration on those topics. Find study mates   The benefits of a study group are quite significant. Explaining a concept, you have learned to a friend increases your understanding of the matter. At your request, your study mates can ask you difficult questions to determine your preparedness and level of knowledge. At times it can be a challenge finding a study group you will be comfortable in and freely interact. Strange enough, you could record yourself recounting what you have learned and play it later on. 5. Reflection as memory heightening technique Scientists have established that reflecting heightens your memory although there have not been specific details explain how this happens. The presumption is, reflection develops imaginative and attentiveness. The development is due to the quiet and peaceful environment that meditation requires. Moreover, reflection helps you unwind and relieve pressure, and this might be a good way to spend your time before the examination. Look for a reflective instruction guide Credit to technology, instructional guides on reflection are on the internet or various mobile applications. Make an effort to follow a ten-minute meditation for a couple of days or weeks and observe if you will notice any changes (improvement) in your attentiveness when studying. Different students have different needs, and some may not find reflection an effective method of preparing for their examination. There are other ways of revising that require a lot more exertion, but they are worth the while as they are effectual. According to psychologists, approximately a month of practice is needed to alter a mental routine. My advice is, attempt the above memory practices and examine whether studying become an easier and enjoyable experience for you.

Business architecture definition (IT) Research Paper

Business architecture definition (IT) - Research Paper Example Typically, the business architecture artifacts and practices in business architecture frameworks concentrate on business processes and business applications. Business architecture should help business reap the benefit of business agility and visibility and must reflect the full business design, from the point of analysis of business owners and designers, rather than IT solution delivery (Born, 2012). The connection between business architecture and IT (information technology) is two-fold (Born, 2012). Primary, business architecture is a vital input to IT scheduling, business solution delivery and technology architecture. Subsequent, IT capabilities and technology trends influence business design selection in the realms of capacities, processes, value chains, and channel. Adopt-A-Farm is an online business platform that involves connections between the citizens and farmers (Adopt-A-Farm, 2014). The business treats both farmers and their potential clients as its customers. The diagram below provides the platform for connection that the business employs to connect farmers with their respective clients. Part B: customers access Adopt-A-Farm website to get information. Account manager login information is submitted then customer is authenticated. Portal application is able to automatically retrieve core customer information for its application. Sharing the information with potential customers is applicable per regions. Retrieve application history for precise account and service agreement for respective clients. Get meter data is suitable in ensuring proper transfer of data to partners (Born, 2012). Adopt-A-Farm business design is based on finding farm related information and availing the information to customers. The business structure is information oriented and customers are able to acquire information that links them (local citizens to farmers). The diagram below is a simplified structure showing how information is in shared in Adopt-A-Farm

Unit 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Unit 5 - Assignment Example A natural monopoly is a monopoly that experiences economies of scale along its intact range of production. Alternatively, a natural monopoly is the type of monopoly that experiences a decreasing average total cost (ATC). In a monopolistic market, marginal revenue is always less than the price of goods. This is because monopolies have a downward slopping demand curve. In fact, at any given price and quantity combinations, a monopolist is required to reduce the prices of his commodities in order to sell an additional unit. This explains why a monopoly is a special market situation. Consequently, monopolies do not exhaust all available market opportunities. Monopoly and perfect competitive markets represents the two extreme in a market environment. In my own opinion, perfect competitive model is better than monopolies. This preference is based on economic aspects and market sustainability. In a perfect competitive market, ultimate efficiency in the production and distribution of goods and services is achieved. Consequently, monopolies lack efficiency in their production and distribution of commodities. In a competitive market, producers and distributors of commodities are obliged to operate efficiently in order to remain relevant (Bade & Michael, 2002). For example in a perfect competition, producers reduce prices of their commodities in order to increase their competitiveness. This in turn reflects on the production process where producers are forced to improve efficiency. On the other hand, monopolies have no immediate threats that would force them to reduce their prices or improve the quality of their products. Thus, monopolistic ma rket lacks efficiency. Lack of efficiency is mainly demonstrated through production and distribution of goods within a market. In an ideal case, a market is supposed to have a natural mechanism that balances the distribution of commodities against the available customers. Perfect competitive markets allow the mobility of

E-Marketing Review for Easy Jet Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

E-Marketing Review for Easy Jet - Case Study Example Up to date, the family remains a major shareholder in the airline which is now referred as easyJet PLC. The founder also owns a group of other companies which own the brand name easy although there is not cross-shareholding between the easyJet and other easyGroup which is the licensee company. Although the group operates separately, there are some cross marketing agreement that are shared between the airline and the other groups. The airline operates from Hangar 89 at Luton Airport. But contrary to other airline which have their headquarter reflecting their status in the market easy Jet has a simple headquarter which is a bright orange building which represent it low-cost ethos. Since April 1998, the company became some of the airlines which embrace the use of internet in selling it seats. Currently it is estimated that 95% of all the seats in the company are sold over the internet which has made one of the leading internet retailer in the European market. Marketing can be defined as a management process that is responsible for identify and satisfying what the customer requires which is done for a profit. There have been many ways in which marketing has been carried out but the news strategies have been through the use of e-tools like the internet. It has been used to do research on to know what exactly does customer needs. It has as also been able to anticipate the demands for digital service and therefore have a good resource allocation. E-tools have helped to satisfy customer demands as they find a range of products at on location. The use of information and communication technology to achieve the above objective of market is referred to as e-marketing or digital marketing. Background EasyJet was has been one of the most successful airline in the world. The company was founded by Stelio Haje-Ionnou who was a son of a Greek shipping tycoon. This company was set up in 1994. it as set up as a low cost airline which was looking to undercut other traditional carriers like British Airways in order to have a lean operation. In order to come up with such an operation, the founder had decided on single sales channel to survive in the market and therefore he settled on the phone as the most appropriate. This was considered a ground breaking but the founder insisted on having direct selling methods to the consumers. Although he had refuted the user of the internet at that time he kept a close eye when the trials for the sites were going on. What ensued was as stead rise in calls that were being made per week and quickly the company grew oft of space to handle the customers. Therefore the owner decided it was either the company decides to sell over the internet or build a new call centre. This turned to be a success story of e-marketing of the company. (Miles 2006, P. 2) Company Overview It has been recorded that easyJet is one of the most refuted British tour operators which has been successful in cutting a niche on the market. It has been able to cut competitive price edge which has been attributed to strict management of the cost by bypassing intermediary agencies that increased the cost of management. The company has also been able to successfully use non-saturated airports which have been on of its cost cutting measure that it has taken. The company has successfully offered freights to Great Britain,

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

Project Risk Management - Coursework Example Operations management deals with decision making related to productive processes to ensure that the resulting goods or services are produced according to specifications. Effective project management means getting the right things done according to the planned schedule. (Larson and Drexler, 2009, p. 1) Project management begins with planning. There should be an open communication among the members of the team and the aims and objectives must be clearly stated ensuring that they should be related to the objectives of the organization. The project life cycle begins when the project is started until it is declared completed. The key players include the customer who wants to buy the project; the contractor who works on the project up to completion; and the project manager who plans and manages the project activities until it is finished. Teamwork is an effective method in project management. Projects are initiated by recruitment and staffing and the selected team’s individual quali fications should correspond with the required skill for project success. While the group has to work as a team, there must be division of labor. For example, in engineering projects groups rely on individual members who work independently but are responsible to the group. Knowledge, teamwork and management, if studied carefully can provide aid for an effective project management. ... 310) In a project life cycle, we have a project manager, the customer, and the contractor. Moreover, before making decisions, we have to establish calendars. This has to be constantly consulted to see if the team is working as scheduled. This essay is about project management of an information technology application. There are many risks involved in information technology of an organization. The problem is IT security. The aim of this project management is to find a solution to the risks and threats in an information system of a particular organization. Main Body In the early 1900s, rapid industrialization brought in new perspectives to the growth of companies and organizations. Management scientists provided studies and introduced innovations in the workplace and how workers can be productive and relate their work with life. (Lock, 2007) Henry Ford introduced mass production which was also known as the Model T. Most important to project managers is the style of Henry Gantt who estab lished the Gantt Chart. Gantt worked for Taylor and popularized his style which is still used until today. Computers came in and finally the Internet. Manufacturing and construction industries took hold of the opportunity and recognized the many benefits of technology. In the 1970s, there was increase in the usage of information technology. Industrial project management continued as before but now this was added with project management software. With the emergence of the information revolution, project managers brought in a new face. They have to be well-versed in information technology, including how to manage computers and their security. (Lock, 2007, p. 3) There were different methods introduced at that time, particularly in the design and implementation, but some were put

Crime Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Crime - Movie Review Example f actus reus) is that it comprises all the elements of the definition of the offence except those that relate to the mental element (mens rea) required on the part of the accused." (Allen; p.18) The actus reus of murder requires that a person is killed unlawfully under the Queen's peace. Queen's Peace - in times of peace rather than war time. Unlawful - that there is no lawful excuse or justification. Person means a human being. Lord Lane, C.J. in R v Nedrick [1986] 1 WLR 1025, states: "Where the charge is murder and in the rare cases where the simple direction is not enough, the jury should be directed that they are not entitled to infer the necessary intention, unless they feel sure that death or serious bodily harm was a virtual certainty (barring some unforeseen intervention) as a result of the defendant's actions and that the defendant appreciated that such was the case, the decision being for the jury to decide on a consideration of all the evidence." Mens rea: (Gammon Ltd v Attorney General of Hong Kong, 1985) The above case was decided as: "In their Lordships' opinion, the law relevant to this appeal may be stated in the following propositions: (1) There is a presumption of law that mens rea is required before a person can be guilty of a criminal offence (2) The presumption is particularly strong where the offence is truly criminal in character; (3) The presumption applies to statutory offences, and can be displaced only if this is clearly or by necessary implication the effect of the statute; (4) The only situation in which the presumption can be displaced is where the statute is concerned with an issue of social concern, and public safety is such an issue; (5) Even where a statute is concerned with such an issue, the presumption of mens rea stands... "Murder is when a man of sound memory, and of the age of discretion, unlawfully killeth within any country of the realm any reasonable creature in rerum natura under the King's peace, with malice aforethought, either expressed by the party or implied by law, so as the party wounded, or hurt, etc. die of the wound or hurt, etc. within a year and a day after the same." "A useful working definition (of actus reus) is that it comprises all the elements of the definition of the offence except those that relate to the mental element (mens rea) required on the part of the accused." (Allen; p.18) "Where the charge is murder and in the rare cases where the simple direction is not enough, the jury should be directed that they are not entitled to infer the necessary intention, unless they feel sure that death or serious bodily harm was a virtual certainty (barring some unforeseen intervention) as a result of the defendant's actions and that the defendant appreciated that such was the case, the decision being for the jury to decide on a consideration of all the evidence." (5) Even where a statute is concerned with such an issue, the presumption of mens rea stands unless it can be shown that the creation of strict liability will be effective to promote the objects of the statute by encouraging greater vigilance to prevent the commission of the prohibited

Project Management Issue Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project Management Issue Report - Research Paper Example Such considerably account the framework to understand the business operational management taking into account some policies, strategies, quality control, monitoring and employees’ evaluation or appraisal which are crucial in managing corporate systems. As a mechanism, it involves budgeting, economic valuing and usage of balance scorecard (Otley, 2002). Thus, it necessitates disciplined decision-makings to advance the performance of an institution driven by motivation, business policies and corporate vision or goals. Usually, project outcomes of the business corporations are measured by assessing goals or objectives against with key result areas (KRAs). As to its essence in human resource management (HRM), project managers seriously delve on organizational structures to ensure that systems can operationalize and integrate plans by optimizing desired technical skills from humane resources hence, project management experts should nurture value-system and takes direction through c lear vision and mission as common direction where all undertakings are geared (Ilies, Crisan & Muresan, 2010). Organizational managers however thought that for this to be effective and for employers to be proficient, they need to be clarified about the nature of their contracts with mutual trusts and strong commitments. PM and Governance Moreover, project management is a system that is sensitive too to corporate regulations and policies. As part of corporate policy, the management should have distinct and competitive policy in the administration, in human resource management, and in extolling policies which secure customer satisfaction by optimizing unrivalled quality service, developing competitive products' pricing, exercising corporate ethics and solid teamwork of employees with management (Dransfield, 2000, p. 70). In so doing, it’s crucial for managers to exhibit leadership by managing the company from the vantage of its objectives. Managers are also imbued with knowledg e on quality control to ensure that there is complete integration, time management, cost efficiency, open communications, systematized procurement and scheme for risk mitigation (Nastase, Tapurica & Tache, 2010). The quality control also includes standardization of working environment, its products and its operational systems. Managing the project well contribute and auger well to the national economy. Such meant illustrating necessary skills for comprehensive planning, organizing, directing and controlling the financial, technical and resources. Hence, it’s imperative to systematize relations, production, marketing and maintenance to ascertain sustainability. Managers ought to ascertain their strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) and regularly conduct political, economic, social, technical, environmental and legal (PESTEL) analysis. The company must invest more to boost strengths and opportunities as well as strategize ways to deal with threats and weaknesse s. The conduct of PESTEL analyses will enable strategic decisions to meet challenges and to craft responses on potential problems. It will also help solidify its economic standing in relation to rapid changes of world economy. PM and Virtual Realities These days corporations have virtual counter part in its operation—

Crime Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Crime - Movie Review Example f actus reus) is that it comprises all the elements of the definition of the offence except those that relate to the mental element (mens rea) required on the part of the accused." (Allen; p.18) The actus reus of murder requires that a person is killed unlawfully under the Queen's peace. Queen's Peace - in times of peace rather than war time. Unlawful - that there is no lawful excuse or justification. Person means a human being. Lord Lane, C.J. in R v Nedrick [1986] 1 WLR 1025, states: "Where the charge is murder and in the rare cases where the simple direction is not enough, the jury should be directed that they are not entitled to infer the necessary intention, unless they feel sure that death or serious bodily harm was a virtual certainty (barring some unforeseen intervention) as a result of the defendant's actions and that the defendant appreciated that such was the case, the decision being for the jury to decide on a consideration of all the evidence." Mens rea: (Gammon Ltd v Attorney General of Hong Kong, 1985) The above case was decided as: "In their Lordships' opinion, the law relevant to this appeal may be stated in the following propositions: (1) There is a presumption of law that mens rea is required before a person can be guilty of a criminal offence (2) The presumption is particularly strong where the offence is truly criminal in character; (3) The presumption applies to statutory offences, and can be displaced only if this is clearly or by necessary implication the effect of the statute; (4) The only situation in which the presumption can be displaced is where the statute is concerned with an issue of social concern, and public safety is such an issue; (5) Even where a statute is concerned with such an issue, the presumption of mens rea stands... "Murder is when a man of sound memory, and of the age of discretion, unlawfully killeth within any country of the realm any reasonable creature in rerum natura under the King's peace, with malice aforethought, either expressed by the party or implied by law, so as the party wounded, or hurt, etc. die of the wound or hurt, etc. within a year and a day after the same." "A useful working definition (of actus reus) is that it comprises all the elements of the definition of the offence except those that relate to the mental element (mens rea) required on the part of the accused." (Allen; p.18) "Where the charge is murder and in the rare cases where the simple direction is not enough, the jury should be directed that they are not entitled to infer the necessary intention, unless they feel sure that death or serious bodily harm was a virtual certainty (barring some unforeseen intervention) as a result of the defendant's actions and that the defendant appreciated that such was the case, the decision being for the jury to decide on a consideration of all the evidence." (5) Even where a statute is concerned with such an issue, the presumption of mens rea stands unless it can be shown that the creation of strict liability will be effective to promote the objects of the statute by encouraging greater vigilance to prevent the commission of the prohibited

Any student caught cheating on an examination should be automatically Essay - 1

Any student caught cheating on an examination should be automatically dismissed from college - Essay Example Students should be made to understand why cheating is wrong instead of just telling them it is wrong. This is done to prepare students for life challenges and make them understand the steps needed to succeed in life the honest way. This involves dealing with cheating cases in an intelligent way which supports and promotes honesty in the student. Letting students get away with cheating or imposing severe and destructive punishments does not favor them. Instead, Gardner et al., (2008) proposes that different punishments such as failing the students and calling their parents to talk to them may offer the best solution. The punishment issued should not affect the student’s future and thus requires the lecturers to be vigilant so that fairness can be achieved. Lecturers need to take a holistic view of exam cheating specifically in the current times where the students are brought up in a decadent society. Colleges need to devise better ways of solving students’ problems that prompt them to result in cheating during examinations. Automatic dismissal is too harsh and painful both for the students who are caught cheating and for the overall community. Cases of examination cheating have tremendously increased in colleges today which renders automatic dismissal inadequate solution. Students who cheat are prompted by the desire for higher grades and the fear of failure. Students cheat for various reasons some of which are psychological. As such, the foundation of the solution lies in understanding the core reason of cheating. Cheating has many forms ranging from copying from a friend’s works, using phones, the internet, plagiarism, sneaking books and other written materials and passing off as another person into the exam room. The severity of the punishment deserving of students cheating in an examination should be moderated depending on the gravity of their actions as opposed to dismissing all examination cheaters alike. College life requires hard work and

An Analysis of the Kite Runner Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of the Kite Runner Essay An analysis of The Kite Runner â€Å"For you, a thousand times over† Made by Hasnen Ali Introduction The Kite Runner is an extraordinary book, which reminds us how long the Afghani people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence. Because of the books strong story, we get an insight in how people might have experienced the crisis in Kabul, even though it’s been shown through a book. The author Khaled Hosseini was a practicing physician until after the book’s release. This was also his first novel, which was released in 2003 and turned out to be an international bestseller. Even though the story of The Kite Runner is fictional, it’s based on a true story and also on Hosseini’s memories of growing up in Kabul. This also means that the genre of the book is not a fictional novel (many look at it that way), but an historical novel. According to an article in USA Today, The Kite Runner has sold over 1. 4 million copies, which is a phenomenal sale for a first time author. The story tells of a friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Even though they were raised in the same household, Amir and Hassan are from two â€Å"different worlds†. While Amir is the son of a wealthy and respected man (Baba), Hassan is the son of the family servant (Ali). The most important factor in the story is the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Their intertwined lives and fate, shows that throughout the story even though, when their relationship was inseparable in the start. They still manage to become separated through jealousy. Five years later, during the Soviet occupation, Amir and Baba are forced to flee. They spend their new lives in California, and Amir starts a career as an author. Even though Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. He still cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him. Setting The story uses two main settings. One is Afghanistan and the other is California. We could also say that the story is divided into three sections: the memories of pre-conflict Afghanistan, adjusting to life in America, and returning to Taliban controlled Afghanistan. There is big difference between these places. While Afghanistan used to be a safe and peaceful nation, their reputation completely changed after Taliban started controlling the country. The country is also portrayed as a demolished and deserted place, while California is shown as a way to escape their problems in Afghanistan. California will always be a much safer place to live, for both Amir and Baba, but Baba still misses Afghanistan, since he used to be wealthy and respected. He misses Kabul because in California, he is completely the opposite. He works at a gas station for many hours, and through the book we can feel that he misses almost everything about his previous home. It’s important to understand their struggle to adapt to their new home, because it shows how different Afghanistan is from California, and we also get a better understanding of the story. Structure and characters The Kite Runner starts with a nameless narrator, talking about his past and how it’s been affecting him for the last twenty-six years. The narrator also gives us clues to what might happen, and the troubles that will arise. After going through a few chapters, we get to know the main characters better and their problems. The characters that we first meet are Amir and Hassan. Amir is the narrator and the main character throughout the story. He is an Afghan man with a special childhood. Through most of his life Amir tries to redeem his reputation in the eyes of his father as he felt he was responsible for his mother’s death. He also wants to prove to his father that he isn’t a weakling, and want to become more like Hassan. Hassan is Amir’s best friend during his childhood and he is also his servant. Hassan is known for his loyalty and strong attachment to Amir. Later in the story, it’s revealed that Hassan is Amir’s brother. This means that Amir’s father had an affair with Ali’s wife, and that Hassan is actually his son. Hassan was also known for begin the best kite runner in Kabul. Baba is a wealthy and respected man, but becomes poor after he flees to America. His relationship with Amir is very turbulent, and he wants Amir to become like Hassan, strong and brave. Ali is Hassan’s father and Baba’s best friend. He is a Hazara, but he got the same characteristics as his son. Ali grew up together with Baba, just as Hassan and Amir did. He got a handicap as well; even though it doesn’t stop him from begin a loyal servant. Rahim Khan is Baba’s closest friend and one of the few people who know that Hassan is Amir’s brother. He is the one that calls Amir to go back to Afghanistan. Assef is a bully and is responsible for the rape of Hassan. This guy is also a fan of Hitler, which clearly makes him a sociopath. When he becomes an adult, he also joins the Taliban. He also has hatred towards the Hazara people, and likes to discriminate them. Soraya is Amir’s wife and has troublesome past. She also takes care of Baba, when he is sick and adopts Shorab without doubts. Sohrab is Hassan’s son. He also plays a major part in the book. Assef enslaves him after he is taken from the orphanage. Since Amir is the main character in the book, he also develops most of all the characters. We notice first that he slowly turns against Hassan, his anger and jealousy grows in one direction, even though Hassan doesn’t do anything wrong. The rape of Hassan is really an event that further separates their relationship. Since there is so much drama in this book, it doesn’t end yet. When the Soviet invades Afghanistan, Amir’s family flees to another country, unaware that they lose most of their wealth. For the first time they get a taste of how it is to be poor. Later in the book Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan and returns to Afghanistan. He finds out about Hassan’s son Sohrab, and is determined to bring him back home to America. Before he could save Sohrab, he had to face Assef. Getting beaten by Assef and saving Sohrab could be seen as a final way to redeem himself. This also made his guilt disappear. Themes and tones In this story, there are a lot of different themes we could discuss like example: bullying, friendship, guilt, betrayal, kite, honor, redemption, father and son relationship, man’s inhumanity to man, discrimination and loyalty. There is a lot of ethnic discrimination in Afghanistan and especially the conflict between the Pashtuns and the Hazara. The relationship between Pashtuns and Hazaras has never been stable; because Pashtuns are mostly Sunni Muslims and the Hazara are Shia Muslim. The Hazara has been discriminated mostly because of their faith, language and facial appearance. In the book Ali is loyal to Baba, because Baba’s father adopted Ali after his parents died. Since then Baba has always followed his father’s example and always been kind to the Hazara people. Guilt is also another theme that is brought up. After the rape of Hassan, Amir cannot bear to be around Hassan, because it reminds him of that day. He even lies to Ali, and says that nothing happened. The problem with Hassan is that he takes the blame for everything and he doesn’t want to hurt Amir. Even when Amir tells Hassan to hit him with the pomegranate, he refuses. When Hassan smashes the pomegranate on his own forehead, Amir’s guilt becomes even worse. In the end Amir makes Hassan and his father leave, and Hassan still considers Amir his best friend. The story is written in a way that it still affects you after your done reading. Even though it’s a dark story with a lot of hopelessness for the people in Afghanistan, there still is some hope and happiness. Honor is expressed in many different ways, but the quote â€Å"for you, a thousand times over† is a great example of how they express theirself. Conclusion The kite is a theme in the book that represents freedom, even though you’re not in fully in control of the kite’s fate. I think the theme describes the fate of Amir and how he develops throughout the book To me the story as said earlier is a historical novel, and not a fictional novel. This is because it’s based on a true story and experiences Hosseini had when he was growing up in Kabul. I as writer of this analysis is a Hazara, and I know what kind of suffering the Hazara people have went through. Sometimes I think that Hosseini might be Amir, but they sure do have some similarities. Links: * http://www. usatoday. com/life/books/news/2005-04-18-kite-runner_x. htm * http://www. gradesaver. com/the-kite-runner/study-guide/ * http://www. wikisummaries. org/The_Kite_Runner * http://polsci167. blogspot. com/2011/09/kite-runner-redemption-within-tentative. html

Sociology Concepts on the Individual and Society

Sociology Concepts on the Individual and Society Sociology developed as an academic discipline throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Provide an explanation of the historical and social context from which sociology developed. Sociology has its roots in the changes within the society since the 18th and 19th centuries as there was the industrial revolution, the creation of empires, and the enlightenment of scientific reasoning ( Bauman and May 2001, p. 3). Furthermore, early practitioners developed the discipline as an attempt to understand the societal changes. During the 1960s, especially, it became a major social science subject. ( Do mention capitalism) Moreover, sociology is determined as a new academic discipline as it emerged in the early 19th century in response to the challenges of modernity (British sociology). Eventually, there was an increasing exposure of people to cultures and societies different from their own due to the increasing mobility and technological advancement. Throughout this exposure, there was variation in the way people would eventually accept the sociology as a discipline. However, for some people it included the breakdown of traditional norms and customs and warranted a nuanced understanding of how the world works. Furthermore, the term Sociology was coined by Auguste Comte in 1838. Comte hoped to unify all the sciences under sociology he believed sociology held the potential to improve society and direct human activity. In addition, the development of sociology was first recognized in the mid-19th century by the English philosopher Herbert Spencer as he had written a book with term Sociology in its title. In the United States, the first sociology course was taught at the University of Kansas, Lawrence in 1890 under the title Elements of Sociology. In brief, sociology emerged in Comte’s vision; it eventually subsuming all other areas of scientific inquiry, sociology did not replace the other sciences. Indeed, in the past decades, sociological research focused on the organization of complex, industrial societies and their influence on individuals. Today, sociologists study a broad range of topics which can be structures that deals with the organization of the society such as race or ethnicity, social class and gender roles. This shows the development of sociology throughout the years. Sociology involves a unique way of thinking. What are the features of sociological thinking and C. Wright Mills Sociological imagination? Sociology involves a unique way of thinking as one should have a broad mind in order to see little difference in everyday routine (Johnson Bethany 03 June 2015). Indeed, the sociological imagination is a concept used by the American sociologist C. Wright Mills to describe the ability to â€Å"think yourself away from the familiar routines of everyday life† and look at them from an entirely new perspective (Johnson Bethany 03 June 2015). In order to develop such skills, one must be able to free yourself from one context and look at things from an alternative point of view (Johnson Bethany 03 June 2015). Furthermore, Mills defined sociological imagination as â€Å"the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society† (Johnson Bethany 03 June 2015). It is a way of thinking about things in society that have led to some sort of outcome, and understanding what causes led to that outcome. The sociological imagination is the ability to see things socially and how they interact an influence each other. According to the theorist C. Wright Mills who stated that to do this; one must use critical thinking skills, such as the use of the sociological thinking. In addition, the sociological thinking and sociological imagination are intertwined and works together. In brief, Mills deduced that one of the key ways people understand society and social change is to apply the sociological imagination. This involves something called making the familiar strange, or questioning and critiquing the world around us. It is similar to putting on a new pair of glasses, in this case with sociological lenses, seeing our society and the everyday behaviors and interactions we usually take for granted in a different way. In this case of analyzing the society critical thinking is a mean of understanding the surroundings in different perspectives. One way of using sociology to understand the relationship between the individual and society is to use different perspectives and models of society. Explain and contrast the key features of macro and micro models of society. Sociology has helped to understand the process of relationship between the individual and society. The society has contributed to the interaction, cooperating, and acting with one another. Furthermore, the question that arises is how to behave in one’s society, what is right and what is wrong, all these things has to be learn in the society (Mondal, 2015). Indeed macrosociology involves the study of widespread social processes whereas microsociology involves the study of people in face to face interactions. Firstly, macro and micro level studies each possess their own benefits and disadvantages. For instance, macrosociology allows observation of large-scale patterns and trends, but runs the risk of seeing these trends as abstract entities that exist outside of the individuals who enact them on the ground (Mondal, 2015). Beneath, examples can be objective or subjective in accordance with macro studies such as: society, law, bureaucracy, architecture, technology and language for objective aspects. In addition, subjective examples would be culture, norms and values (Mondal, 2015). In contrast to macro level, microsociology allows for this on-the-ground analysis, but can fail to consider the larger forces that influence individual behavior. However, sociological analysis can take place at micro level, and can be subjective or objective. Classifying the objectives examples would be patterns of behavior, action, and interaction (Mondal Puja 02 June 2015). In addition, subjective examples would be perception, beliefs and the various facets of the social construction of reality (Mondal, 2015). In brief, it can be deduced that macro and micro level studies plays an important role within the society. It helps in the process of integration of the individual and the sustainability of the society. Using sociological concepts and theories, explain the relationship between the individual and society. Answer should include explanations of the following: how the key sociological concepts of socialization, social order and social stratification can be applied to the analysis of the relationship between the individual and society. How a theory of consensus, a theory of conflict and a theory of social action can be applied to an analysis of the relationship between the individual and society? Sociologists develop theories to explain social phenomena. A theory is a proposed relationship between two or more concepts such as theory of consensus, a theory of conflict and a theory of social action and can be applied to an analysis of the relationship between the individual and society. In other words, a theory is explanation for why or how a phenomenon occurs (Putnam, Robert, 2001).In addition, the relationship between individual and society can be viewed from three angles that are functionalist, conflict and symbolic interaction perspective. Secondly, functionalist perspective focuses upon the macro level as it takes into consideration the individual as formed by society through the influence of such institution as the family, school and workplace (Mondal,2015). Furthermore, functionalism draws its inspiration primarily from the ideas of Emilie Durkheim (Durkheim, and Lewis A. Coser. 1997). Indeed the functionalist deals up with rules and status that exists in society so as to provide social control or social order as it is necessary for survival. Durkheim pursued to explain social cohesion and stability through the concept of solidarity as the individual and the society would perform similar tasks that held the society together. Based on the metaphor of an organism in which many parts function together to sustain the whole, Durkheim argued that modern complex societies are held together by organic solidarity (think interdependent organs) (Durkheim, and Lewis A. Coser. 1997). Thirdly, there is conflict theory maintains that society as a complex system striving for equilibrium in contrast to functionalist but rather as a competition. Society is made up of individuals competing for limited resources (e.g., money, leisure, sexual partners, etc.) (Smith, Christian. 2003). However, the conflict theory contributes to social change in contrast to the functional approach. In fact, there are primary assumptions of conflict theory that are; consensus is characteristic of human relationships rather than competition, individuals and groups that benefit from any particular structure strive to see it maintained (Smith, Christian. 2003). Last but not the least, there is symbolic theory which may involves exchange of communication or symbols among individuals. Here, the symbolic plays a prominent role in relationship with the individual and the society as it involves interchanging of culture and teaching. Symbolic theory argues that people become selves by learning and internalizing the symbolic materials of the social and historical context and culture they are born into and raised within (e.g., the individual is formed by the society), and then act back upon and alter societies (e.g., norms, cultures and structures) by deploying the symbolic resources at their disposal throughout the course of their ongoing lives (e.g., the society is formed by the joint action of individuals) (Merton, Robert 1957). Thus to conclude, the a theory of consensus, a theory of conflict and a theory of social action can be applied to an analysis of the relationship between the individual and society as it can be deduced that each theory plays an integral part within the society. Each theory has its own contribution to the upbringing, stability and continuous survival of the society. References Question 1 Bauman and May 2001 introduction(Bauman and May 2001, chapter 10, Thinking Sociologically) http://studymore.org.uk/ybaumay.htm http://www.britsoc.co.uk/what-is-sociology/origins-of-sociology.aspx Accessed on 1:57 PM 21 June 2105 NPTEL – Humanities and Social Sciences – Introduction to Sociology http://www.nptel.ac.in/courses/109103023/download/Lecture%201.pdf Accessed on 2:05 PM 21 June 2015 Question 2 Bethany Johnson C. Wright Mills and his view on the power elite and the sociological imagination. http://www.Study.com. Accessed on 11:52 am 03 June 2015 http://wps.prenhall.com/ca_ph_johns_ob_6/0,9429,15101501510152,00.html Accessed on 11:52 am 03 June 2015 Question 3 Boundless. â€Å"Levels of Analysis: Micro and Macro.† Boundless Sociology. Boundless, Assessed on 14:29 pm 27 Jun. 2015. Mondal Puja 02 June 2015 https://www.google.com/search?q=One+way+of+using+sociology+to+understand+the+relationship+between+the+individual+and+society+is+to+use+different+perspectives+and+models+of+societyie=utf-8oe=utf-8 Assessed on 09:00 am 26 June, 2015 www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=107262 Assessed on 10:15 am 26 June, 2015 www.ukessays.com †º Essays †º Sociology Assessed on 11:00 am 26 June, 2015 Question 4 Durkheim, Emile, and Lewis A. Coser. 1997. The Division of Labor in Society. Free Press. Mondal Puja 02 June 2015 https://www.google.com/search?q=One+way+of+using+sociology+to+understand+the+relationship+between+the+individual+and+society+is+to+use+different+perspectives+and+models+of+societyie=utf-8oe=utf-8 Assessed on 09:00 am 26 June, 2015 Putnam, Robert D. 2001. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. 1st ed. Simon Schuster. Merton, Robert (1957). Social Theory and Social Structure, revised and enlarged. London: The Free Press of Glencoe. Smith, Christian. 2003. The Secular Revolution: Power, Interests, and Conflict in the Secularization of American Public Life. 1st ed. University of California Press.

measuring brain activity :: essays research papers

Measuring Brain Activity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of the noninvasive imaging methods estimate brain activity by changes in blood flow, oxygen consumption, glucose utilization, etc. Discuss the potential problems with using this type of indirect measure. The brain is the control center of the human body. It sends and receives millions of signals every second, day and night, in the form of hormones, nerve impulses, and chemical messengers. This exchange of information makes us move, eat, sleep, and think. Obstructions such as tumors can interrupt normal brain activity, leading to deficits of normal reasoning, motor control, or consciousness. Many of the signs of neural damage are easily recognizable by an outside observer, but since the actual cause of these problems are internal, the symptoms can be vague. The real deficits can affect the brain’s anatomy, or the way signals are processed. A physician can only determine the real cause by examining the brain internally to find irregularities, either in structure or in functioning. Since the brain is extremely fragile and difficult to access without risking further damage, imaging techniques are used frequently as a noninvasive method of visualizing the brain’s structure and activity. Today's technology provides many useful tools for studying the brain. But even with our highest technology out there we do not know everything definitely. We do have fallbacks at times and these fallbacks can lead to serious problems. The recent advances in non-invasive brain imaging, increased computational power, and advances in signal processing methods have heightened the research in this area. As we make progress in interpreting noninvasive brain signals in time we will begin to explore applications that go beyond treatment. But for now these noninvasive methods of estimating brain activity is still something to be cautious about since it only measures the brain’s blood, oxygen consumption, glucose utilization, and more. These measurements may not be accurate enough to figure out one person’s problem. The problem again might be internal and measuring only the obvious would not aid in figuring it all out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other problems with using these noninvasive imaging methods of only few changes of variables in the brain’s activity are that maybe the problem does not reside in the blood, oxygen intake, or glucose utilization. It may be in other factors that we do not observe that is causing the trouble. By being limited to these estimations of brain activity does not really make our effort of correcting the problem that successful.

Management annotated bibliography Essay

The purpose of this paper is to provide an annotated bibliography of three articles that deal with innovation and strategic management. And will include a review from the author’s perspective on current trends being shaped by innovation and specific aspects of innovation influencing strategic management. Innovation strategy: 4 key tactics of top growth companies The article covers the four practices of successful growth. Finding the next S-curve, lean on customers, think like a designer, and lead the way are the four areas that are focused on. The practice of finding the next S-curve explains that innovation has a time window, and is directly related to revenue. With continuous innovation, a company’s chance of hitting and staying within the window increases dramatically. The practice of lean on customers directly relates to gaining an understanding of the customer. It points out tools to use, such as creating a customer empathy map. Lean on customers creates a lean approach to product innovation. The think like a designer practice involves using innovation to create new options. This includes using Blue Ocean Strategy which is the search for uncontested market space and the business model canvas which is the nine building blocks for business. The lead the way practice involves making innovation a priority and those innovative leaders should be role models. Current innovative companies are used as examples for each practice. These include Amazon, Apple, IBM, and Starbucks (Power, 2014-15). Elements of a successful innovation roadmap This article covers innovation with Rapid Innovation Cycle (RIC). RIC leads to a higher success rate, by showing a repeatable process. It is an  introduction to a work shop. Product, business models, and processes can benefit from this road map. The rapid innovation cycle has four phases. Phase one is define and scope the innovation opportunity, phase two is discover new ideas, phase three develop and design concepts for experimentation, and phase four is demonstrate the innovation through piloting and prototyping. The define phase details the way to define and scope an innovation. This is from the customer’s perspective and saves valuable time and energy. The discovery phase details ways of exploring ideas to solve the issues that came to light in the define phase. The develop phase shows ways of developing the ideas that came from the discovery phase. The demonstrate phase turns the ideas from the development phase into simulations or working prototypes. By following the prescribed roadmap, companies can innovate with little to no waste (Samuel, 2013). Using Global insights to drive local innovation This article shows a strategy to gain innovation by looking at trends and insights on a global level. By learning what trends are emerging and what global consumers behaviors are, provides important insights to meet consumer’s needs. Two important areas to focus on are the customer’s experience and lifestyle focus. The consumer’s overall satisfaction is a key element, and products need to fulfill a wide array of lifestyles and interests. By following and anticipating these trends, companies can focus their innovation efforts to fulfill these needs (Capercini, 2013). Author’s review Innovation is a key factor in any business. With the information age moving and advancing as fast as it is, companies have to be proactive to keep up. Part of strategic management is innovation; this includes having a plan, developing new ways to do business, and new or better products and services. Not paying attention to global as well as local trends could have catastrophic consequences on a business. It is up management to lead the way and be role models. By finding uncontested market space, companies can have the advantage over competitors. References Capercini, R. (2013). Innovation Management.se. Retrieved from http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2014/10/28/using-global-insights-to-drive-local-innovation/ Power, D. (2014-15). Harvard division of continuing education: Professional Development. Retrieved from http://www.dce.harvard.edu/professional/blog/innovation-strategy-4-key-tactics-top-growth-companies Samuel, Dr. P. (2013). Innovation Management.se. Retrieved from http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2014/11/10/elements-of-a-successful-innovation-roadmap/

Servervault Case

ServerVault Case Servervault is a company in the hosting industry located in the United States which has been in operation since December 1999. A hosting company provides its customers with physical space for servers and supporting services. Servervault chooses only to operate in the managed hosting section which gives more value-added services to customers. ServerVault attracts Internet-reliant and security-savvy customers. It also provides end-to-end solutions to customers. Servervault differentiates itself from competitors by offering high level of security protection.It also has enough bandwidth and power supply to ensure the Internet access is always available. Servervault has three sources of revenue: one-time setup fees for new customers, monthly hosting fees and fees for additional value-added services. Although the variable cost of serving an additional customer is relatively low, it requires large funds to build facilities upfront. Recently, the president/CEO and CFO want t o raise some capital for its expansion. The potential investors want to learn more about ServerVault’s projected cash needs to make the investment decision.Macroeconomic analysis Economic background As it can be seen from Appendix A(1), the NASDAQ composite peaked at 5048. 62 in March 2000 before dropped dramatically to 3205. 11 in April. The major contributor to the loss is the internet bubble. The increasing stock prices over the last few years made some investors too confident in IT companies. However, the collapse of the bubble took place in 2000, when a lot of IT companies failed. As a result, the NASDAQ composite witnesses a huge loss in the stock market. Hence, it is a good opportunity for ServerVault to get more market share.On the other hand, Appendix A(2) illustrates that the US GDP has kept growing during the last six years, which suggests that the loss may only occur in the IT sector. The growth in GDP brings more business capital spending. (Please see Appendix A( 3)). Some of these capital spending may be used to hire third parties to strengthen firms’ IT departments. Therefore, it is a good news for ServerVault since it may have more customers in the future. Social background An analysis in social background will help ServerVault to determine what customer needs.The number of internet users worldwide was only about 30 million in 1995, but it increases to around 280 million in 2000. Please see Appendix B. The popularity of internet offers businesses a new way to advertise and sell their products. Nowadays, people like to shop online so that more and more companies need reliable internet servers to handle complex transactions. Since ServerVault specializes in this area, the increase in the number of internet users is definitely good. Microeconomic analysis Competitors Competitors are a major threat to the business.Therefore, to gain some insights of competitors’ businesses can help ServerVault to determine where it stands in rel ation to the industry. According to the information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ServerVault faced intensive competition in 2000, as the number of establishments in the data processing and web hosting industry was approximately 28000. However, that number decreases by 46% to around 15000 in late 2011. (Appendix C(1)). As the demand for web hosting services has kept growing, during the 10-year period, some firms in the industry become very large while a lot of them failed.In 2000, the leaders in the managed section of the web hosting industry were Digex, IMB and Data Return. The major service provided by Digex is largely the same with the one offered by ServerVault. However, Digex also has revenues from value-added services including firewall management, stress testing, consulting services. It also provides computer hardware, software, network technology, and systems management necessary to customers. In the year of 2000, it had revenues of 168 million and a net loss of 143 m illion. As it can be seen from its balance sheet, it has huge investment in capital assets.Its property and equipment account for 77% of its total assets. (Please see Appendix C(2)). IBM operates in five business segments. Web hosting services would fall in the system and technology segment, which provides clients with business applications requiring computing power and storage capabilities. The total number of signed strategic outsourcing contracts valued at more than $100 million increases from 24 in 1997 to 58 in 2000. In 2011, the system and technology segment had revenue of 20 billion with pre-tax income of 1. 6 billion. (Please see Appendix C(3)).Data return also offers ongoing maintenance of hardware and software, including content back-ups and system upgrades, in addition to its web hosting service. It has total revenue of $7. 1 million and a net loss of $12 million in 2000. (Please see Appendix C(4)). Customers Customers are very important to ServerVault, because they are t he source of revenue. Small companies usually have simple internet needs and can be satisfied by shared hosting services. Those who already owned and managed their own servers but lack a suitable space and a reliable internet connection are customers of the co-location segment.The customers in the managed section would be companies with significant internet presence and high volume e-commerce. E-commerce in the United States grows at a fast speed during the last decade. Please see Appendix D(1). Since each e-commerce company has the possibility to outsource their web host, the demand for managed web hosting service will also grow at a fast pace. In addition, globalization, deregulation, and technological innovation force companies to find outsourcers to get ready for the future. Please see Appendix D(2).Therefore, ServerVault can attract lots of customers with custom services that fit customers’ needs at reasonable cost. Substitute If there are many substitutes, the demand fo r the managed web hosting service will decline as customers are able to switch between different services. Therefore, it is important to determine if there are any substitutes to the managed web hosting industry. To operate internet-based applications, companies only have two options. They can either outsource that work to a third party or do it by themselves.Outsourcing has several advantages. Firstly, companies should focus on the goods and services that they sell or provide. The time spend on developing internet-based application could be better spent to make their products and services more competitive. Secondly, there is financial advantage to outsource the work to a third party. Digex, one of the major competitors, spent around $170 million to purchase property and equipment. (Please see Appendix E). For many companies, it is a significant amount of cash flow.In addition, companies can cut the number of employees required in the IT department. Meanwhile, the outsourcing expens e is tax deductible under tax law. Lastly, the technology used in the web hosting industry is usually far from clients’ core business area. It is not wise to spend time and money in this technology. Suppliers Since server is an important input to the business, the server price will have an impact on the profit. There is much competition in the server market, as the total number of the server manufacturer amounts to 14132 worldwide.The majority of them are located in China and other Asian countries. Please see Appendix F(1). However, IBM, HP, Dell, Oracle, Fujitsu have almost 90% of the total market share. Please see Appendix F(2). Therefore, it is likely that ServerVault will choose to buy servers from these manufacturers, and it needs to carefully monitor the market price to make wise purchase decision. New entrants To learn more about the possibility of new entrants is beneficial to ServerVault, because new entrants will have downward pressure on prices which may affect the earnings negatively.The major factor that will prevent new entrants to the industry will be labor shortage. Please see Appendix G. In 2000, the labor shortage of computer professionals may limit the growth of the IT industry. As college graduates prefer to work for large companies, newly-founded companies will find it very hard to hire suitable employees. Therefore, it is very unlikely that the web hosting industry will have many new entrants in the next a few years. Appendix A A(1) Source: http://www. google. com/finance/historical? q=INDEXNASDAQ%3A.IXIC&histperiod=weekly&ei=cKBjULDdL4mQkwPTwwE A(2) Source: the raw data come from US Department of Commerce-Bureau of Economic Analysis http://www. bea. gov/national/index. htm#gdp A(3) Business capital spending. U. S. corporations are primary purchasers of information technology, and they often require the help of computer services vendors in order to use it effectively. Therefore, any long-term decline in the level of business capita l spending would result in fewer computers being set up and maintained and would have a negative impact on the computer services industry.Figures for U. S. business capital spending (categorized as â€Å"nonresidential fixed investment†) are available quarterly from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. During the past few years, business spending has risen faster than the economy. In 1999, such spending was up 8. 3% over 1998. Source: http://www. netadvantage. standardandpoors. com. myaccess. library. utoronto. ca/NASApp/NetAdvantage/showIndustrySurvey. do? code=ccs&date=/ccs_0600/ccs_0600. htm Appendix B Source: http://www. netadvantage. standardandpoors. com. myaccess. library. toronto. ca/NASApp/NetAdvantage/showIndustrySurvey. do? code=cox&date=/cox_0300/cox_0300. htm Appendix C (1) Source: http://www. bls. gov/ces/data. htm Calculation: (28000-15000)/28000=0. 46 C(2) Co. is a provider of managed Web hosting services to businesses operating mission-critical, multi-functional Web sites. In addition, Co. offers Web hosting services to the rapidly growing number of application service providers, enabling them to more efficiently deliver their application services to their customers over the Internet.Co. also offers related value-added services, such as firewall management, stress testing and consulting services, including capacity and migration planning and database optimization. Co. services include providing the computer hardware, software, network technology, and systems management necessary to offer Co. ‘s customers comprehensive outsourced Web site and application hosting solutions. http://www. new. mergentonline. com. myaccess. library. utoronto. ca/companyfinancials. php? compnumber=90285 C(3)International Business Machines operates in five business segments: global technology services, which provides information technology infrastructure services and business process services; global business services, which provides professional services and application management services; software, which consists of middleware software that enables clients to integrate systems, processes and applications, and operating systems software engines that run computers; systems and technology, which provides clients with business applications requiring computing power and storage capabilities; and global financing, which facilitates clients' acquisition of Co. ‘s systems, software and services. http://www. new. mergentonline. com. myaccess. library. utoronto. ca/companyfinancials. php? compnumber=4427 C(4) Co. provides Microsoft-based Internet hosting services to businesses, web site developers, application service providers and other organizations. Co. ‘s advanced hosting services enable its' customers to establish and maintain e-commerce and other applications through which they can conduct transactions and manage information on a worldwide basis over the Internet. Co. rovides management services for its' customers' hosting ne eds, including: consultation and recommendations on standardized system architecture; installation, configuration and stress testing of hardware and software; ongoing maintenance of hardware and software, including content back-ups and system upgrades; a broad array of system and network monitoring and reporting services; and technical support designed to respond to both simple and complex system issues. http://www. new. mergentonline. com. myaccess. library. utoronto. ca/companyfinancials. php? compnumber=98629 Appendix D(1) Source: www. destevenwhite. com D(2) According to IDC, slightly more than half of all outsourcing worldwide occurs in the United States. Demand is being driven by globalization, privatization, deregulation, and technological innovation. These factors are leading to increased global competition, which is forcing companies to focus more on cost-cutting measures.However, companies aren’t using outsourcing just to cut costs and get out of trouble. Now they a re also turning to outsourcers to prepare for the future — and to avoid trouble down the road. Source: http://www. netadvantage. standardandpoors. com. myaccess. library. utoronto. ca/NASApp/NetAdvantage/showIndustrySurvey. do? code=ccs;date=/ccs_0600/ccs_0600. htm Appendix E http://www. new. mergentonline. com. myaccess. library. utoronto. ca/companyfinancials. php? compnumber=90285 Appendix F(1) http://www. alibaba. com/trade/search? SearchText=SERVER;IndexArea=Products;fsb=y F(2) http://www. fool. com/investing/general/2011/03/12/server-market-share-the-strong-get-stronger. aspx Appendix GHowever, a major impediment to sustained growth is the shortage in skilled technology labor. Computer professionals, including programmers and system designers, are in short supply. Computer and data processing added 8,000 jobs in March 2000, a rise of only 0. 4% (or 4. 8% on an annualized basis), representing a slowdown in the rate of growth from 1999. Over the next few years, demand for talented computer services professionals is expected to outstrip supply, leaving many positions unfilled overall. Source: http://www. netadvantage. standardandpoors. com. myaccess. library. utoronto. ca/NASApp/NetAdvantage/showIndustrySurvey. do? code=ccs;date=/ccs_0600/ccs_0600. htm