Hurricane Katrina- a Natural Disaster

Did you know that a hurricane is basically a small tornado? When warm air and cool air collide over a large water source such as a sea or ocean, a hurricane is made. Hurricane Katrina just happened to be the second largest hurricane in United States history. Being formed in the Caribbean Sea, it was at first a category 1 hurricane. It gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico, placing it's rank at category 5. After hitting Louisiana at it's highest peak, it decreased to category 3.Winds at 120 miles per hour and waves as tall as three stories high put together the most horrifying event ever known to Americans. During evacuation, many people fled to a safe area in search of shelter. Texas was one place that most people went to since they welcomed them more than any other state. However, after the victims got there, crime soared and Texans had no way to control or deal with so much crime. Because of this, it is very unlikely that Texans will welcome victims with such hospitality next time. There was, however, a dome built to house the Katrina victims: the Astrodome.Even though the Katrina victims had so many places to go, some were forced to stay behind because of hospitalization, they were abandoned by their caretakers, a lack of transportation, e. t. c. Out of all areas that were hit by Katrina, New Orleans suffered the most damage. 80% of the city was flooded. About 204,000 homes were either damaged permanently or temporarily and more than 800,000 citizens uprooted from New Orleans. The population shrunk to 75% of it's original population. The number of homeless people doubled to 12,000 people within two years.Experts have estimated that it will take 8 to 11 years for New Orleans to fully recover from Katrina. Most people think of hurricane deaths as direct, but in reality, deaths caused by hurricanes are mainly indirect. Some examples of indirect deaths caused by Katrina are suicide, illness, murder, starvation, and dehydration. Mental illness and tragic sufferin g can lead many people to suicide. Lack of medical care can lead to infection or weakness, causing more deaths. Because of lack police force, crime rate and murder was at it's peak.Since there was no way to access food overseas or through land, starvation and dehydration was very common. During and after Hurricane Katrina, the economy crashed. There was an estimated $200 billion worth of economic damage. Not only did the prices for gasoline, oil, and other chemicals increase, but there were shortages in many areas all over America. The failed economy in America also upset the economy internationally. India, Iran, Russia, and Cuba were just some other countries affected by the international terror. Oil was the part of the economy that was affected the most.There were about 580 reports of oil, petroleum, and other hazardous chemical spills. Only one of these spills alone would release about 1 million gallons of oil. Because of this, they had to reduce oil use greatly to have any remai ning at all. Another reason is that 60% of oil imports traveling through the Gulf couldn't get through. In consequence, the Department of Energy was forced to release 30 million barrels of emergency oil. Through all of these disappointments, there is some pleasure caused by Hurricane Katrina. It caused the construction of of innovation funds.In time, the areas hit by Katrina were renovated and the most beautiful that they've ever been. There was also an international hurricane awareness introduced by Katrina. Other countries and America now know to be more prepared for future hurricanes similar to Katrina. It also created the ability to redevelop land using more modern technologies. The land hit today has the most advanced technology in the country. Even though Katrina has had some good outcomes, it was overall horrid. It has affected America and the rest of the world in sad, cruel ways.Thousands of people died, others were relocated, supplies were minimized, and it took people year s to recover from their experience. â€Å"not just a disaster of nature, but a breakdown of government. † The words of Barack Obama, current President of the United Stated. Seven years have passed by, and since 2005, America had made great progress. Besides the very few places and people that are still recovering, it is almost as if these horrid times have never existed. But even though damage has almost gone away completely, we will always remember the damage and hardships that were due to Hurricane Katrina: a natural monster.

Mt435 Unit 3 Assignment

Introduction Question One Based on the information presented in the scenario/case study discuss Albatross Anchor’s competitiveness in relation to (please address all items in the below list and provide support for your conclusions): 1. Cost a) Cost of Production: To understand the cost of production we must first understand what two costs are valuable to company along what can make a company gain or lose profit. First we look at Variable cost which â€Å"depends on what materials and labor are needed for the company† and in this case it is anchors which can vary with the volume of anchors that is produced (Russell & Taylor, 2011).The fixed costs are â€Å"those that do not vary with output and typically in rents, deprecation, insurance, set-up cost and normal profit† (economicsonline. co. uk). Fixed costs are usually known as your overheads. When it comes to Albatross Anchor and the manufacturing of its anchor we can see that the fixed cost are down because they chose to manufacture in house. Looking at the cost we can see that the cost of manufacturing mushrooms/bell anchors are $8. 00 per pound and $11. 00 per pound for the snag hook anchors.One has to understand that Albatross sells their products are the same rate as their competitors and their product are made primarily for fresh water which can be a disadvantage. Another disadvantage that I noticed is that all of their produces are made in house which affect their cost as well. When it comes to shipping they only have two means which is shipping (larger freight ships) and truck shipping. Although there profit margin may at times be less than 35% we also have to think if they operating efficiently and everything that maybe affected if the manufacturing, shipping or receiving lines go down. ) Economies of Scale in material purchasing: â€Å"A company that achieves Economies of Scales lower the average cost per unit through increased production since fixed costs are shared over an incre ased number of goods† (Andexer, 2008). â€Å"When more units of a good or a service can be produced on a larger scale, yet with (on average) less input costs, economies of scale (ES) are said to be achieved. Alternatively, this means that as a company grows and production units increase, a company will have a better chance to decrease its costs† (Investopedia. com).One has to ask that if, Albatross Anchors is producing anchors in small batches how are they able to meet the economies of scale? To be honest we can state they are not. Although the company itself has grown from 4 to 130 people the company output/manufacturing has not causing the cost of output to drop. c) Cost of Raw Materials Sitting Idle in the Warehouse: â€Å"Raw materials can be classified as direct or indirect materials. Direct materials are: raw materials that can be physically and directly associated with the finished product† (simplestudies. com).With that being stated if the raw materials a re sitting idle in the warehouse then that will affect the overhead. This may also affect the shipping/receiving departments along with the storage space that is available. d) Cost of Finished Goods Sitting Idle in the Warehouse: With both finished and raw materials sitting idle one has to ask how much of increase in cost is because of the storage is the company taking. Many products at Albatross Anchor are not shipped out until they proven to efficient. 2. Speed of manufacturing process from order to finished product.Although it may seem that due to limited amount of anchors that are made are produced the manufacturing of the product would be efficient and effective. But from the video and all of the reading I would have to say that due to the types of machines that is need for each anchor that speed and quality maybe affect at times. There are different types of machines that are needed for each anchor along with making sure that employees are trained well to run the machines. Wit h that being stated between having to change each machine/product line it may slow the process of making each product. 3.Flexibility in filling order(s). When it comes to the flexibility of filling order Albatross only sells their anchors at wholesale price and it is mainly to companies and not the general consumer/public. Another factor to consider is the way the building is set up along with the limited amount of space that is available in the warehouse between each department. Many items depending on the size and quantity can take weeks in order to fill that particular order. 4. Technology. When it comes to our current world and as much technology that is used one may think that they would have found a way to put it use within heir company but that is not the case. Albatross Anchors only tend to changes as they go along causing them to fall behind when it comes to technology. The machines are older which has me wondering about the added cost that it may cause to keep them going. 5. Capacity and facilities. After reviewing the video I see that their facilities are in poor conditions making it harder for many to work that type of environment. The administrative office have no space/order to them along with their shipping or receiving department affecting how the company flows on a daily bases.Not having enough space along with clean, organized facilities can affect the produce and output of a company. 6. Service to customers. Albatross Anchors only sell to wholesalers not really having a relationship to their consumers. Because many of products are sold by distribution companies or OEM companies usually have large orders one may not know the real service that is being provided. Another factor to consider is that they sell their products at the same rate as their competitors so there is never any real discount creating a larger client base.I would suggest opening the doors to other consumers to help broaden the market. Question Two There are many ways that mus hroom/bell anchors may be manufactured. Albatross Anchor is considering two new manufacturing processes (Process A and Process B) to reduce costs. Analysis of the information below will help determine which process has the lowest breakeven point (this validates the process is more cost effective). For each process the following fixed costs and variable costs are identified below: Anchor and ProcessProcess AProcess BSale price per anchor$45. 00$45. 00 Total Fixed cost $ 650,000. 00$950,000. 00 Variable cost per anchor$ 36. 00$ 29. 99 Based on the information in the table above complete the table below: Anchor and ProcessProcess AProcess B (a) Fixed costs per anchor 650000950000 (b) The total number of anchors to attain break–even point for Process A and Process B 72,22263,291. 14 (c) Based on your calculations which Process (A or B) that you would recommend for adoption (you can select only one). Please make sure to explain how you arrived at your conclusion.Personally since t he breakeven point of the two has been calculated I would have to recommend using process B because of the cost and the amount that has are produced. Within a company we all have to think about what is going to be profitable in the end and that is another reason why I went with Process B. Conclusion Albatross Anchor is a family business that started off with only four people and it grew to 130. This company has came along way and have the potential to grow even bigger it they can deliver product quality and also using some of the newer technology that is available to them.I would also suggest that they expand their market and client base along with renovating/expanding the manufacturing company. Along with improving their manufacturing departments they also need have the administrative office in a space that is workable and more organized. Within every business there needs to be a plan, structure and a means of delivering the best quality of service that is out there and this compan y has a long way to go. References Cost of Production. (n. d) Retrieved March 17, 2013 from http://www. economicsonline. co. uk/Business_economics/Costs. html Andexer, T. 2008). Analysis and Evaluation of Market Entry Modes Into the Asia-Pacific Region. Retrieved March 17, 2013 from books. google. com/books? isbn=3640144074 Manufacturing and Nonmanufacturing cost, (n. d) Retrieved March 16, 2013 from http://simplestudies. com/manufacturing-nonmanufacturing-costs. html/page/4 What are Economies of Scale? (Smith & Marshall, 2009) Retrieved March 17, 2013 from http://www. investopedia. com/articles/03/012703. asp Russell, R. Taylor, B. (2011). Operations Management: Creating Value along the Supply Chain, 7th Edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons

Comparative Methodological Critique

The aim of this paper is to compare two academic research papers, one informed by qualitative and another one by quantitative research designs with focus on the methodological factors. Both papers describe working lives and attitudes of gay and lesbian workers in the UK and USA, possible consequences of disclosure of sexual orientation on their working relations and organisational arrangements towards equality and diversity of working practice. These research projects add to the growing number of studies which shed light on the sensitive nature of homosexuality in the workplace and anti-discrimination policies and practices that organisations deploy to create a more inclusive working environment. Governed by the difficulty of access to gay and lesbian population both in UK and USA, and its â€Å"hidden† nature both teams chose their own strategy in unveiling the nature of work attitudes of gay and lesbian employees and demonstrating the progress organisations have made or are making towards the establishment of good practice. st paper (qualitative) The paper deals with identifying good organisational practice concerning equality, diversity and sexual orientation in the workplace, and considers any changes following the introduction of Employment equality (Sexual Orientation) regulations 2003. It also aims at addressing the gap between equality policy and practice which provides the foundation for further analysis of the significant shortfall in knowledge relating to the experience of LGB (lesbian, gay and bisexual) employees in UK organisations. Even today, the issue of sexuality still remains a sensitive one, despite the coming into force of legislation offering protection to LGB people. It is also the cause of unease for some employers in the modern world in discussing (not to mention dealing with! ) this issue, and consequential bullying, suffering and fear which make life and work unbearable for so many LGB people. So far progress has been made based on social justice and business case studies which means that this still â€Å"remains †¦an under researched area in which there have been very few case studies of particular organisations† (Colgan et al. 2007:591). Having adopted a phenomenological position in their design, the research team chose to carry out a longitudinal (2 year) qualitative study in 16 â€Å"good practice† case study organisations in the area of employment of LGB workers, to discover â€Å"the details of the situation†¦[in order to] to understand the reality† (Remenyi et a l. , 1998:35) of working relations in organisations with LGB workers. Also focusing on the ways that people make sense of the world especially through the sharing of experiences with others has dictated the use of a social constructionist framework (Bryman and Bell, 2007). The case studies involved the analysis of companies’ documentation and reports, trade union publications and websites to get an inside view of companies’ attitudes and practices. The main challenge of the project in data collection was â€Å"limited resources †¦ inability to specify a sampling frame† (Saunders et al. , 2003:170) which dictated the use of non-probability sampling. Therefore, snowballing sampling was applied as the most appropriate for this kind of research. The research team interviewed in depth 154 LGB employees who, prior to that, completed a short survey questionnaire. All completed the survey giving a complete census. However, due to â€Å"a lack of robust statistical evidence concerning the proportion of the UK population who identify as LGB† (Colgan et al. , 2007:591) and the difficulty of access to such people, it’s hard to say how representative this sample of LGB people is. Determined by these practical constraints, the research team adopted a mixed methods research strategy (case study/interviews) with various data collection methods that allowed them to have a cross-check against each other's results. Difficulty of accessing LGB employees also dictated the choice of analysis focusing only on â€Å"good practice† organisations. Hence, using survey, in-depth interview and secondary data enabled the team to combine the specificity of quantitative data with the ability to interpret perceptions provided by qualitative analysis. Though, there is evidence and justification by the research team of how respondents were selected, the project itself demonstrated a disproportioned balance of respondents not only in terms of gender (61,7% -men, 38,3% – women) but also in terms of ethnic division. This means that the balance tipped so far in terms of the depth of their research. The research team adapted an inductive research approach to accommodate the existing theories and findings as well as their own empirical studies, for example â€Å"that those in lower level and perhaps more difficult working environments are less likely to be â€Å"out†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦at work† (Colgan et al. , 2006a cited in Colgan, 2007:593). The paper also gives a good historical overview of how public and private sector organisations have made progress towards the â€Å"inclusion of sexual orientation within its organisational policy and practice† (Colgan et al. , 2006a cited in Colgan, 2007:593). This provides readers with a comparative overview of how the situation has changed following the introduction of the legislation. The research team identified the number of steps organisations took to follow â€Å"good practice† in relation to equality and diversity, at the same time outlining the differences in progress between public and private sector companies. In doing so, the authors also assert that the implementation gap between policy and practice still exists and requires further measures such as â€Å"the need to see policy championed, resourced and implemented by senior line managers† (Colgan et al. 2007). Whereas the Regulations empowered LGB people to step in and â€Å"challenge discrimination and harassment† (Colgan et al. , 2007:604), the key factor, as identified by the authors, â€Å"that prevented some respondents coming out at work †¦ the fear† (Colgan et al. , 2007) remained the main obstacle to LGB workers to blowing the whistle and reporting an incident. These findings are supported and justified throughout the paper by respondents’ statements and results of previous studies. The research team also defined the relation between the impact of the employment equality (SO) regulations, considered as independent variable, and such dependent variables like job satisfaction, being out at work, experience of harassment and discrimination, this in fact gives an idea of the existing problem in organisational practices. In terms of structure, language and appropriateness of referencing to other material this paper proves highly informative. It suggests that further research needs to be done in order â€Å"to gain a more â€Å"representative† picture of working lives of LGB employees† (Colgan et al. , 2007) as it only explored the â€Å"tip of the iceberg†, because the research project was able to examine only a fraction of the whole, and, unless an organisation adopts more effective and proactive leadership on equality and diversity, the legislation on its own will take only a small step towards the inclusivity of LGB people and the creation of harmonious equal working practices in UK organisations. The research project involved cross-sectional design that allowed the team to compare and contrast their findings derived from each of the cases. This is considered to be a great advantage of the project as it allowed the team to consider â€Å"what is unique and what is common across cases† (Bryman and Bell, 2007:64), thus facilitating an attempt to generalise their findings. The research team does not explicitly express their own opinions, allowing personal values to sway the conduct of the research and the findings deriving from it, this ensures that they acted in good faith and followed good practice. However, having conducted a survey following the implementation of (SO) Regulations 2003, this study failed to provide a sufficiently broad spectrum of opinion of how organisational culture has changed as a consequence of the legislation. Moreover, the research team did not specify whether any of the key informants or interviewees had worked in â€Å"good practice† organisations before the regulations came into force which would allow a comparative analysis of organisational practice to take place and, thereby, for data to be more representative. Much attention was focused upon good practice organisations in their study; however, there was a failure to demonstrate what was meant by â€Å"good practice†. This would have enabled readers to have a more explicit understanding of what expectations are from any organisation with LGB employees. In terms of access to respondents, although the team acknowledged the difficulty, they were not as resourceful as they might have been. Lack of robust information undermines the conclusions, arguably, brings into question the credibility of the findings as the research net was not cast widely or deeply enough. For the readership of this paper there is no ultimate enlightenment as the paper does not show any argument or advocacy that invite readers to the world of unexpected discovery; instead, it is rather a presentation or portrait. It also remains difficult to conduct a true replication of this study, even though majority of the organisations â€Å"were willing to be identified by name† (Colgan et al. 2007). 2nd paper (quantitative) This paper describes the relationship between reported disclosure of sexual orientation, anti-discrimination policies and top management support. It is also aimed at identifying work-related attitudes of gay and lesbian workers if such disclosure takes place and its effects on individual performance of gay and lesbian workers. At the time of the research very few empirical studie s had been conducted to investigate work attitude and disclosure of sexual orientation. Since the recognition of the gay and lesbian population within the workforce, inclusiveness of gay and lesbian employees in organisational diversity management policies was desperately needed. It has been argued that â€Å"an approach of workplace tolerance is needed† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:347) which can contribute to the knowledge of human resource function when taking appropriate actions if conflict arises and to help create a more conducive environment for the disclosure of sexual orientation. Emphasising the importance of collecting facts and studying â€Å"the relationship of one set of facts to another† (Anderson, 2009:45) underpins their positivist paradigm. Focused on key unresolved questions such as â€Å"closeted homosexual workers will have a less positive work-related attitude† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:346) the research team takes a deductive research approach to test three formulated hypotheses which together with research paper aims do not appear until well into the text. This can lead to uncertainty on the part of the readership. In terms of selection of respondents and its rationale, the research team fails to demonstrate the proportion of respondents relating to ethnics; also gender division appeared to be highly disproportioned with 485 gays and only 259 lesbians. Their chosen data collection methods (sampling, focus groups and a questionnaire) highlighted some problematic issues such as â€Å"identifying a representative sample of working lesbians and gays† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:350) due to the sensitive nature of research and lack of current data on the lesbian and gay population. Great attention was paid to demonstrating their strategy in obtaining possibility sample. Having looked at various options, the sampling choice was justified on the basis of geographical location (USA Midwest) which it was thought would benefit in the existing research as it involves lesbian and gay population not surveyed before. A large sample would allow them to easily obtain a significant test statistic (Esterby-Smith et al. 2008), the research team sampled several resources, principally Human Rights Project (HRP), and then broadened them getting a reasonable response of 29% which â€Å"showed no statistically significant difference from the larger sample on the major variables† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:351). However, such considerations cannot be viewed as justification for not following the principles of probability sampling and therefore team’s findings do not represent the whole gay and lesbian population of USA and cannot be generalised. In testing three formulated hypotheses the research team established three independent variables (disclosure of sexual orientation, presence of anti-discrimination policy and top management support) and 5 dependent ones (affective commitment, continuance commitment, job satisfaction, job stress and conflict between home and work) and selected a multivariate analysis to find a way of summarising the relationship between these variables and at the same time capturing the essence of the said relationship (Esterby-Smith et al. , 2008). Adopting objectivist ontology the research team aimed at analysing the relationships between these variables thus creating static view of social life (Bryman and Bell, 2007). However, there was a failure to specify which statistical test was used to demonstrate and examine interdependence between them. This, in fact, point to a lack of transparency of their project. Based on several example questions the team demonstrated it can be deduced that they were dealing with categorical data (ordinal and cardinal) and therefore the Spearman correlation test and regression analysis (linear regression model) were used to represent non-parametric data. This allowed them to measure the strength and the direction of association between the variables, and confirm whether there is any difference in the population from which the sample was drawn. The research team also used a qualitative research method. They conducted a focus-group discussion to ensure that â€Å"the construct of disclosure of sexual orientation be precisely defined and relevant to†¦ [this] population (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:351). This helped to ensure that the concept was precisely defined and relevant to the population. The lack of secondary data sources also explained the rationale of their chosen method of data analysis. However, had this data been obtained, it would have allowed to create a more comparative analysis. For each independent variable the research team demonstrated several example questions and interpretation of the results which provided readers with an overview of a critical analysis of the conclusions the research team came to. However, those who are not familiar with statistical data would find it hard to follow the argument as there was a failure to provide basic explanation of roman letters and include notes when referencing to the tables. Therefore, it is impossible to cross-check their results and to confirm their findings. Focusing on facts, and looking for causalities throughout their analysis, underpinned their positivist paradigm and reflected their research approach and strategy. Like any other quantitative researchers the team was trying to describe why things are, rather than how they are. They admit that the issue of causality should be discussed to achieve a better understanding of the relations of the variables. Nevertheless, the research team found the evidence to support portions of the three formulated hypotheses. They critically evaluated each one by giving their own suggestions and recommendations to organisations and HR practitioners on how to improve their working practice and establish the inclusiveness of gay and lesbian workers. The presence of modal verbs in the quantitative research once again emphasised the invariably implicit nature of this research often criticised by the qualitative researchers for its high level of assumptions (Bryman and Bell, 2007). Their data analysis and interpretation of their findings are well structured and presented. The ability of the research team to point out the pitfalls of their own project and critically approach their findings is considered to be a great advantage of this research paper. Conclusion The papers provide a solid foundation for further analysis in the field of equality and diversity in organisations with gay and lesbian workers. Governed by own choice for research strategy and approach to answer research questions, they were both affected by the same practical constraint during the research, extremely sensitive nature of sexual orientation and the â€Å"hidden† nature of the gay and lesbian population which led to that fact that probability sampling was impossible as there was no accessible sampling framework for the population from which the sample could be taken. Hence, one cannot confirm that both research projects were successful in generalising their findings beyond their chosen sample. Both research projects lack of robust evidence of the proportion of the UK gay and lesbian population and base their research projects on out of date information. This, in fact, stress the importance of secondary analysis to take place which would allow them to obtain good-quality and up-to-date data, and, as outlined by the quantitative research team, offer the opportunity for research to â€Å"compare an individual’ responses longitudinally† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:361). It would also provide the opportunity to gain a more descriptive picture of gay and lesbian working lives and facilitate the emergence of a new data interpretation and theoretical ideas as new methods of quantitative data analysis are constantly appearing in the business research field. Unlike the qualitative research team which totally avoids any advice, the quantitative research team succeeded in providing various recommendations for organisations that can help them create a more inclusive environment, â€Å"this process could begin through education top management in the importance of the issue and the consequences of ignoring it† (Day and Shoenrade, 2000:360). In terms of contribution to the field unlike quantitative research the qualitative research project rather confirmed the existing findings and results of previous studies then introduced new information that would benefit and add to the existing knowledge. However, both research projects draw the parallel between UK and USA in terms of work attitude and practice in organisations with gay and lesbian workers pointing at lack of effective leadership and commitment of top management needed to create inclusive working relations in a contemporary business world. Both research teams admitted that further analysis will be required, perhaps, a combination of two research methods, as stated by the quantitative research team, â€Å"to gain a more â€Å"representative† picture of working lives† (Colgan et al. , 2007:606) of gay and lesbian workers.

MONEY AND BANKING ASSIGNMENT Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

MONEY AND BANKING - Assignment Example the lending rate or the reserve requirement, which will allow banks to borrow funds at a lower rate from the central bank and also increase their own fund capacity. Banks borrowing at lower rates will pass the benefit to its client, resulting in lower lending rates of bank. If the cash reserve ratio (CRR) falls, the commercial banks will have to keep a lesser amount of reserve in the central bank. Therefore, they will pass the reserve to their customer as loans through a lower lending rate and demand for loan will also be increased, which directly increases the demand for reserve of the commercial banks to their central bank. It implies that there will be a credit growth, i.e. more loans are offered at a low interest rate. The credit expansion will lead to increased borrowing by corporate and retail segments for investment purposes (Mishkin, 2007). Money borrowed by companies will be invested in their business expansion that leads to increased money supply in the economy. The retail segment borrowing also lead to increased money supply as they borrow funds to buy homes, cars, home decor, etc that leverages these sectors to produce more. This results increased growth. Usually interest rate target and money supply are inversely related i.e. if interest rate is lowered, demand for bank reserve will increase and accordingly money supply will rise through lower lending rate of the commercial banks (Gowland, 2013). The above figure represents the effect of interest rate on money supply in an economy. The x axis shows the interest rate and the y axis represents the quantity of money supply. With given level of interest rate of 7% the MS line is the red line which intersects with the money demand line MD. The MD follows the general rule of a demand curve i.e. downward sloping. When the interest rate is reduced to 6%, the MD rises, which pushes the money supply line to a new equilibrium. There is a shift in the MS line from red to

Academic montioring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic montioring - Essay Example It is worthwhile to consider some of the possible monitoring systems and strategies that a teacher can employ in K-5 grade class room. One strategy a teacher can use in a class to monitor the understanding level of lesson materials of students in K5 is to ask the students to draw pictures on the taught items. Sometimes the children may not be willing to draw the picture. But if they are motivated they do the work. The teachers can understand the child’s level of understanding even if the pictures are not worth watching. The drawn up piece can be considered to be a mirror kept against the child’s progress. In certain cases the teacher can ask the students to take the role of a teacher in group works. A talented or pre instructed student can easily find out the problems of his or her friends. Students will easily be able to gather information from their friends. Children open up their difficulties in studies to their friends. Then the teacher can cleverly identify the pro blems and help the children in tackling their problems. Effective monitoring in the classroom can be done in a different way. If the child is totally indifferent to the works given in the class, the teacher can promote him to do works of his or her own. Sometimes the child may select works outside the syllabus and it may not come up to the expected standard. Through this the teacher can understand the student’s ability in different areas. Once he or she gets the appreciation from the teacher there starts the change .Gradually the teacher can bring the child to class related assignments and activities. Similarly, the teacher can also do the strategy of assigning the works and telling the students to do it for their loving ones. Sometimes they will do it for their parents, siblings or friends. At the end of each week the teacher can ask them how much they could score for their loved ones. This has shown great results in the progress of most students in

Hamlet by Shakespeare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hamlet by Shakespeare - Essay Example From this study it is clear that Hamlet seems to be seduced, as well as repelled by the notion of suicid. In the gravedigger scene, in Act 5, Hamlet seems captivated by the reality of death. Although Hamlet’s fascination with death is intensely entrenched in his character, such fascination could also be a result of his grief following his father’s untimely death. In a sense, Hamlet is an extended dialogue between Hamlet and the element of death. This paper will examine how death permeates Hamlet from the opening scene to the end of the play. Death, in Hamlet, comes with a set of consequences that ultimately affect all characters and the nation, as well.As the essay stresses  death permeates Hamlet from the opening scene when Hamlet’s dead father appears to Hamlet and introduces the aspect of death and its consequences. The ghost of Hamlet’s father signifies a disruption to the conventional social order. This form of disruption emanates from the unnatural death of the country’s (Denmark) figurehead and which is soon followed by a wave of revenge, suicide and accidental deaths. Perhaps Hamlet’s most powerful reflection on death comes in Act 4. Here, Hamlet refuses to tell Claudius where he hid Polonius body. The theme of death is perhaps the main theme of Hamlet especially considering that the plot of the play is set in motion by the unnatural death of Hamlet’s father. Throughout the play, we encounter a number of deaths, either from suicide or murder.  ... Death emerges in the play once again as Hamlet arranges to have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed. However, the notion of spiritual terror keeps characters such as Hamlet from committing suicide despite their despair. Such terror emerges as Hamlet finds himself in a difficult position of desiring his death, but also fearing death intensely. This form of double pressure provides the play most of its drama and thrill. However, the aspect of death that Hamlet finds most intriguing is its bodily reality as he argues that mankind is ultimately made of meat and bone, but no matter how much humans value their bodies, they are innately decomposing machines (Act 5). In the scene at the graveyard, Hamlet’s fascination with death emerges as he ponders over Yorick’s skull asking whether a piece of the skull or dead earth has any personality or connection to a being. Hamlet ponders the spiritual aftermath of death as embodied in the form of a ghost and physical aftermath embodied in physical remainders such as the decaying corpses and Yorick’s skull. Moreover, the theme of suicide serves to augment the element of death in Hamlet. Just like the theme of madness, the theme of suicide links characters such as Ophelia and Hamlet and typically shapes the concerns of the play on a larger scale. This is because Ophelia perhaps commits suicide although the act is shrouded in mystery. Hamlet, on the other hand, merely contemplates suicide but is too scared by the notion of death and the spiritual ramifications of suicide to commit it. In both Hamlet and Ophelia’s cases, the most significant outcome of suicide is its religious ramifications. Within Hamlet’s two suicide soliloquies, he reflects on religious mysteries and laws that argue that the

Emotional development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Emotional development - Essay Example A multi-agency team, consisting of a play worker, a nursery nurse, and a teaching assistant, worked with Rose to help her come out of her emotional trauma. Fun tools available to the kids and the types of play activities were observed, along with special consideration given to the team’s supervision and other adults’ direct or indirect contribution in play activities. The team saw positive outcomes. 2. Importance of Attachment and Its Effects on Brain The importance of attachment of infants and toddlers with the parents or caregivers cannot be denied in terms of healthy mental development. â€Å"The impact of attachment disruptions on children’s lives can be devastating and far-reaching†, state Kaduson and Schaefer (2006: 148). When the child enjoys vigorous attachment with the caregiver, he will learn how to offer and maintain a devoted and compassionate relationship that benefits the child in both the short and long run. He will learn to rely on others. The long term outcome will be a contented, independent, and confident personality. On the other hand, when the child does not have an attachment bonding with the caregiver, he will learn to fear, to feel guilty, and to feel the world as a place which is not safe and where his needs are not going to be met. The long term outcome is a timid personality suffering from inferiority complex. Hence, we see that the attachment between the infant/toddler and the caregiver has significant importance in terms of personality developmental outcomes. 3. Components of Healthy Attachment According to Kaduson and Schaefer (2006: 267), â€Å"a healthy attachment allows for a balance between the toddler’s developmentally appropriate exploratory drive and need for emotional reassurance and support.† A healthy attachment between an infant and the caregiver has two components. the infant’s needs that he wants the caregiver to fulfill the timely response of the caregiver The attachmen t occurs when the infant has a sure feeling that the parent or the caregiver will always be there to fulfill his needs of hunger, thirst, clothing, cleaning, and the like. When the caregiver gives a timely response to the infant, this gives rise to trust. The infant forms trust on the caregivers when his needs are fulfilled and forms an attachment with them. When the infant feels otherwise, he learns to mistrust others. Attachment also includes such efforts by the infant with which he tries to remain in physical contact with the caregiver, for example, holding a finger tight, clinging to the bosom, sticking to the lap, and etcetera. 4. Parenting Styles and Attachment Parents and caregivers can play very important role in developing and maintaining healthy bonds of attachment with the children (Maccoby 1992). When the caregivers give the children the chance to share their problems and express their needs to them, they are actually ensuring them that they can always depend upon them f or a solution. Parents use many approaches while parenting, most common of which are authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved styles. Attachment occurs when the child feels secure with his parent’s parenting style (Strage & Brandt 1999). Authoritarian parents leave no room for reasoning and communication. Authoritative parents leave room for objections. They listen to their child’s ideas and reason with them due to which the child

Social Marketing-Does the kindly reminder on the package of cigarette Research Proposal

Social Marketing-Does the kindly reminder on the package of cigarette can affect the customer buying cigarette - Research Proposal Example 7). There are eight principles of social marketing namely â€Å"customer orientation, insight, segmentation, behavioural goals, exchange, competition, methods mix, and [social marketing] is theory based† (Janssen et al., 2013). Stead et al (2007) found that social marketing can be used to develop an effective framework directed at interventions in behavioral change and can serve as a toolkit that can help organizations change health behaviors. One of the basic principles of social marketing is focus on the audience. Marketing mix cannot be useful until each of its four P’s are designed with the preferences, attitudes, behaviors, and characteristics of the target audience in mind. An example of the significance of perspective of the audience during the intersection of environmental and cultural contexts is provided by Romer et al (2009) who have examined the mass media’s contribution in a campaign for prevention of HIV in sexually active high-risk African American adolescents while addressing misconceptions regarding the use of contraception. The strategy of segmentation, like many marketing interventions, particularly addresses the social desires and norms of cultural subgroup. Behavioral change interventions can be classified according to a plethora of frameworks, though none can be considered as conceptually coherent and comprehensive (Michie, Stralen, and West, 2011). For example, the UK’s Institute of Government’s MINDSPACE is a very influential report meant to serve as a checklist to guide policymakers with the most important behavioral influences (Institute for Government, 2010). MINDSPACE is the acronym that represents the initial letters of these influences i.e. â€Å"messenger, incentives, norms, defaults, salience, priming, affect, commitment, and ego† (Michie, Stralen, and West, 2011). However, all important types of intervention are not

Improving Retention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Improving Retention - Essay Example In these regards, it’s clear that the focus of thought is one of the primary actions to convert conscious awareness to stored memory. The next step in improving retention is to make consistent, yet spaced-out, efforts at retention. Bjork (2001) demonstrated that information that is researched in these consistent ways, rather than in steady state and fast ‘cramming’ methods, is not as well retained. Other methods that must be taken are to organize the material in tangible ways. Rather than sporadically attempting to retain various information elements, research has demonstrated that the mind functions much more efficiently when the information that is attempting to be retained is grouped into discernable categories. This allows the mind to group and process this information into memory with much greater efficiency. In addition to these methods of memory retention, there exist areas of memory retention that are more common knowledge. One such avenue within this fiel d of psychological memory retention is the mnemonic device. Mnemonic devices function as association tools that aid the mind in recalling and retaining information.

Administrative Ethics Paper Essay Example for Free

Administrative Ethics Paper Essay Biomedical ethical issues are seen frequently in the news and are in constant scrutiny. The demand for social responsibility is high and available resources are limited. Health care leaders are faced with numerous administrative issues regarding patient privacy, research, confidentiality, and terminal illness. Much debate has surrounded medical spending on the terminally ill, such as the cost and allocation of resources toward end-of-life care. Choosing between prolonged life and quality of life are two difficult decisions to make. Nonetheless, it is difficult to base one’s opinion until cancer has taken over one’s life. A close look at administrative issues surrounding end-of-life care will demonstrate the impact on a population, ethical, and legal implications, potential solutions to the problem, and managerial responsibilities. The Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) is a part of the United States territory because it’s establishment of commonwealth in political union and is home to approximately 44,000 people (Central Intelligence Agency, 2012). Because of the increase in chronic diseases and lack of available resources, several residents are referred to go off the island to seek health care in Guam and Hawaii (Doty, 2012). However, the medical referral program has a crucial problem with financing because of the large amount already owed (Doty, 2012). Although a budget of $2. 5 million is allotted for health care expenses for the medical referral program, it only covers half of the costs incurred in 2011 (Doty, 2012). Therefore, officials viewed rationing of medical services necessary to keep costs at bay. Among the rationing of medical services is the allocation of resources to terminally ill patients. According to Doty (2012), a medical provider states, â€Å"As a community, we must address the reality of spending precious resources on end-stage patients who will die within a short amount of time with or without medical treatment. † The method of triage rationing raises ethical concerns because patients are treated as if they were soldiers out on a battlefield where only those with a higher chance of survival are saved. Although unspoken, the practice of rationing services is common in the NMI. The population is negatively impacted by the health care crisis and the lack of hospice care. Family members of ailing patients are seen holding signs requesting for donations so their loved one may receive off-island treatment (Doty, 2012, para. 33). Cost and allocation of resources are clearly administrative issues that need ethical evaluation. A senior administrator of the NMI seems lost at finding a solution and reminisces of the time when people accepted their fate and lived on the principle, â€Å"we live and die on our islands† (Doty, 2012). The ethical and legal implications of rationing health services have many facets. Generosity and independence are among the ethical principles associated with allocating health resources; however, that is not the case when resources are scarce and funding is limited. As demonstrated in the NMI, mainly the poor and middle class are subjected to health care rationing. Aside from the poor, people most affected by health care rationing are the elderly and disabled persons (Peters, 1995). It is unethical of those with tremendous discretionary power to favor the prestigious over the poor or disabled. However, rationing based on the ability to pay already exists and is completely legal, such as rationing care of Medicaid patients or rationing by insurance companies (Fremgen, 2009). Although some people may believe rationing health care is unethical, it is economically inevitable as the demand for scarce health care resources increase. Therefore, it requires ethical consideration when allocating health resources. According to the article, the proposed solution is a policy on medical care rationing (Doty, 2012). However, some politicians claim the unnamed policy is already put into practice. Furthermore, the administration proposes a tighter budget for the 2012 fiscal year but does not elaborate on how it will be accomplished (Doty, 2012). The manager of the medical referral services suggested to administration that the program be suspended and only used for emergency cases (Doty, 2012). However, no action has been taken to suspend the program. Another suggested solution is to place high emphasis on prevention and primary care to avoid excessive referrals during critical stages. Furthermore, hospice care is not available to everyone on the NMI, which if made an option, may minimize the health crisis by decreasing the demand of health care resources. Nonetheless, evaluating the effectiveness of treatment and cost is essential in allocating resources. Managers are responsible for implementing cost/benefit analysis to best use the institution’s resources. Peters (1995) states, â€Å"Cost-effectiveness calculations have the appeal of incorporating outcomes research, patient preferences, and expected costs into a rational and potentially sophisticated scheme for maximizing health care outcomes from the available resources. † However, cost/benefit analysis alone should not be the primary basis for allocating resources. Managers must also ensure health resources are distributed equitably. Nevertheless, a solid solution has not yet to develop as the situation worsens in the NMI. A leader’s responsibility and accountability for appropriately rationing healthcare is tremendous. Because resources are limited, leaders must diligently follow eligibility criteria that satisfy legal and social standards. However, the approach is not easy and frequent subject of debate. Some consider health resource allocation is necessary but others find it morally repugnant. Therefore, the manager’s responsibility toward allocation decisions requires evaluation of distributive justice principles for ethical dilemmas. For example, need, equity, contribution, ability to pay, patient effort, and merit are principles useful in determining resources allocation (Armstrong, 1998). Each patient situation has unique circumstances that require healthcare leaders to view subjectively. Nonetheless, leader’s responsibility is to set clear guidelines for allocating resources so health care providers can remain advocates for their patients. Allocation of medical services in poverty stricken NMI indeed has ethical and legal implications with no easy solution. The population is in dire need of distributive justice. Administrators are at a loss with the health care crisis of financial burden and limited resources. Nonetheless, health care leaders must fulfill their obligations to their organization and community by using ethical principles to guide them in making difficult decisions. Nevertheless, perhaps proposed solutions turned into policy may minimize the need for off-island medical referrals. Administrative issues surrounding end-of-life care demonstrated the impact on a population, ethical, and legal implications, potential solutions to the problem, and managerial responsibilities. Administration indeed has tremendous social responsibility.

Types Of Software Testing Computer Science Essay

Types Of Software Testing Computer Science Essay Software testing gives independent view of the software to which allow the business to understand the risks of implementating the software. The software Test system are not limited to executing a program or application to finding software bugs in existing software or the developed one which has created for customer request. Software Testing can also define as the process of validating and verifying software programe, application and product meets the business requirements which helped to design and developthe software.The most software testing occur when requirements fulfilled and system has developed for execution of programe. Software Testing Team The software testing mostly done by professional software testers. The software tester term was used generally until 1980, but after 1980 the software tester term became a proper separate profession. In software testing there were many roles has been established like,Managers, test lead, test designer, tester and test administrator. Functional Testing The functional testing normally takes test to vereify some specific function of the code and also action of that code.These kind of testing normally found in those documentation of code requirements.The functional testing of software normally takes to answer some following question i.e.user are ables to do thisor does particular part of codeing or feature work. NON Fnctional Testing The Non functional testing normally takes test of software that could not be related to specific function,user action.like security.The Non functional testing normally takes to answer following question for example how many user can log on at once or is it possible to hack this software easly. Software validation and verification: The software testing can take place in association of validation and verification of software. Verification: The verification of software testing means that to know if Software which has developed is that built right.for example it fulfill or match the user requirements or specification of software. Validation: The validation of software means that have we built the right software.i.e.is it that software which customer wants to be built. The software Testing Methods The box approach There issoftware testing approach which can taken to perform software testing. The Box approach The box approach manly divide into two parts Black box testing white box testing Black Box Testing The black box testing will treat software as black box,that means this testing will take without knowing any knowledge of internal implementation of software.The Black box testing approach include.fuzz testing,model based testing and specification based testing. Specification-based testing: The specification testing use to test the functionalty of software system according to requirements.The software tester inputs the data and will only be able to see the output on test object.This type of testing normally requires some test cases to provided the tester and the tester can verify that data with given input the output of testing either is or is not same as it was expected . The specification testing is important or necessary but this would not be good for some certain risks. White Box Testing. The white box testing is another method which test the software.The white box testing method is done when the tester has internal access of data structures and programe code that implement .Here is few types of white box testing API Testing Code Coverage Testing Fault Ijection Testing Static Testing API Testing: The API stands for application programming interface .The API testing will test those application which using both public and private API. Code Coverage Tsting:This testing purpose is to test some code coverage.For example The software tester will take test on all programming code to execute once while testing the software. Fault Ijection Testing:This testing purpose is that improve the code coverage. Static testing:In static testing all the testing which took in white box testing is static testing. Testing Levels There are few testing level Unit Testing Integration Testing System Testing System Integration Testing Regression Testing Alpha Testing Beta Testing Security Testing Unit Testing:The unit test is takes to test the functionality of some particular section of programe code.This testing normally takeing at functional level of programe.for example In Object Oriented language this testing will be taken at class level,the unit test in object oriented include destructor and constructor.these tests are normally written of those testers who work on coding to make sure that every specific part of codeing is working properly.In this testing there could be many tests taken at one fuction of coding.The only unit testing can not test the functionalty of software.The software works independently.The unit testing also called component testing. Integration testing:The integration testing is type of software testing that verify the interfaces between components against a software design. The components of software could integrated in an repertation of process or together .The integration software testing will test to find the defects in the interfaces and interaction between integrated components. The large number of software tester groups will test all the elements of design of system and will test until the software works perfectly. System Testing:The system testing will tests the complete system to make sure the software fulfill all requirements. System Integration Testing:The system integration testing is that if any third party or external member wants to intergate with this system will be able to do and the system define the system requirements. Regression Testing:The Regression testing means the tester will focus on finding a defect after the major part of coding for some reasons has been changed.In this testing the software tester focus on old errors that could occur again.Those regressions happen whenever software functionality which was working before test but stops working after that.The regression happen when some code changes,for example when the newly built code of software collide with old code or existing code.The mane purpose of regession testing is that testing that software which has already been tested means retesting again whether the previously resolve fault may have come back.The fully testing is happen when software is in release phase and when there will be risk for developer will add some more features.The changes depends on early part of builting a software. Alpha Testing:The alpha testing is that which have been done by the end user ,customers or an independent means the actual user who is going to use this software will test this software at developers site.The alpha testing is normally done before the software will go sale or before handing to customer.i.e.off the shelf testing after this software will go for beta testing Beta Testing:The beta testing will take after alpha testing.The beta testing means that the software will release for limited people outside the developers to check the functionalty of software.The other purpose of testing is the further testing will take to find bugs or faults.sometimes the beta version of software will release to open public to get more feedback from maximum number of peoples. Security Testing:The security testing is most important for any software that process the personal details of customers data .The security is important to prevent system from hackers. Sample Testing Cycle There is commonly used cycle for testing.The below sample is very commonly used with in organisations which is using waterfall development model. Requirements analysis: This phase should begin in requirements phase of software development life cycle.In design phase tester work with software developer determine what design of software is testable. Test Planning: The test planning or test plan in this there will be many test taken so there should be plan for testing. Test Development:The test developer or Test procedures, test data, to use in testing software. Test Execution: The tester will execute the software based on plan and will report any bugs or errors to developer. Test Reporting: In this phase once the testing is completed then tester will make final report on their test which they have taken throw many phases and report will show whether the software is ready to release or not. Test result analysis: The test result analysis or Defect Analysis,is normally done by the developers with client and make them sure what defects should be treated.for example the software is working properly or it could be done later. Defect Retesting:In this phase once defect has dealt by developers than it will bw retested by testing team. Regression Testing: In any programe it is likely to have samll testing program built into software to test when user wants and it make sure when new development or fixed software and modfied will come to software will not disturb the software completely.The complete software will working properly. Test Clousure:After completeing all test and test fulfill the exit requirements than it is important to key outputd ,logs and documents related to software should kept safe for future development..

Brief Outline Of The Problem

Brief Outline Of The Problem 1. Introduction: 1.1 Background: In todays world of business, information is considered as wealth. The more an organization knows about a particular course of action, the better it is equipped to get on such a pursuit and almost certainly yield success. Information is an empowering advantage that enables an organization to optimize and maximize itself and at the same time move towards their goals and missions. It allows contact with other organizations whether in a competitive or alliance stance (Claudia Klausegger et all. 2007). Managing all the information is the critical function of any organization and needs to be efficiently managed, otherwise it will lead to information overload, which then will contribute to inefficiencies, rising costs, and hinders in business success (Varian, Hal R, 2000). Information is gathered around the key functions of management such as planning, organizing, staffing, controlling and communicating. Among these functions, MIS is closer to the controlling function as it provides feedback on organizational performance and helps in monitoring. Information management provides a practical insight into the techniques used in assessing the impact of information technology in a business. It uses technology for collecting, processing and considering information with a goal of efficient management (Gordon B. Davis, 2003). Information and communication systems address the absolute need for effective use of information and communication technologies in monitoring and acquiring data, computer-based modelling, and decision support and knowledge-based systems. 1.2 Brief outline of the problem: There so many new technologies out there in so many ways that one may now feel an overload of information, hence, achieving a diminishing marginal utility status in our brains. We have now therefore a need to organize and reorganize these pieces of information constantly as to be able to keep track of which of them are valuable to us and which ones are not. 1.3 Approach and Methodology: All the above will be achieved through desk research or secondary research, the use of recommended materials and lecture notes, internet and related industries. 2 Analyses: 2.1 The glut of information: Attention is undoubtedly one of the most scarce resources around the globe in both public and private sector organizations and increasingly so. There is load of information all around us, on our hard drives, our organizations databases, the Internet, printed documents, commercial publications, emails, subscription-based services yet were frustrated when trying to locate and use it (Kevin A. Miller, 2004). Organisations are being turned inflexible due to excessive growth or mismanagement of information this state of overloaded information is called the information glut. Constant introduction of the information and communication systems does not make the situation any better; in fact it is layered over existing systems thus significantly increasing the information load. Therefore, planning and co-ordination of information and communication become of supreme importance to business success (Guus Pijpers, 2010). 2.2 Dearth of attention: Attention involves understanding how to work within an overabundance information competition, whether interfacing with customer, co-workers, or our own priority list. Leaders of organization, for example, must manage attention on several levels. They must direct their own attention to particular project and information, they must focus the attention of their employee on the most profitable activities, and they must attend to the most important buyers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. If the organization is to achieve its goal effectively, the need of managing its information is of critical importance (Iselin, E. R. 1999). The over increasing amount of digital information should not be viewed as a simple data resource or storage burden. Rather, it is an asset which holds an organization together. With the right approach, information growth can stimulate growth in the business. Without it, information can be a burden that contributes inefficiencies and rising costs, hinders growth an d stiles innovation (Hanka, 2000). 2.3 The general causes of information glut include: The main reasons for information overload at organizational and interpersonal levels can be related to five constructs. Organizational design Information processing capacity Personal characteristics Nature of the task or process Information technology Usually information overload emerges not because of one of these factors but because of a mix of all five causes. 2.3.1 Organizational design Organizational design of a company is an important factor influencing the occurrence of information overload. Changes in the organizational design, for instance, due to centralization or because of a move to interdisciplinary teams, can lead to greater information processing requirements (IPRs) because they create the need for more intensive communication and coordination (Bawden, 2001). On the other hand, better coordination through standards, common procedures, rules, or dedicated coordination centres can reduce the IPR and positively influence the information processing capacity (IPC). 2.3.2 Information processing capacity The nature of information itself is the next important factor after organizational design. It is not only the amount of information that determines information overload, but also the specific characteristics of information, such as the level of uncertainty related to information and the level of ambiguity, innovation, complexity, and intensity (Schneider, 1987). The quality of information can have great effects on the likelihood of information overload. Improving the quality (e.g., conciseness, consistency, comprehensibility, etc.) of information can improve the information processing capacity (IPC) of the individual, as this enable individual to be able to use high quality information more quickly and better than unstructured and unclear information (Sorohan, E. G. 2000). 2.3.3 Personal characteristics The individual and his or her attitude, qualification, and experience are another important factor. Persons capacity to process information is limited, recent studies include specific limiting factors such as personal skills, the level of experience, and the motivation of a person. Personal traits thus directly affect IPC (Swain Hanka, 2000). 2.3.4 Nature of the task or process Another important factor is the tasks and processes that need to be accomplished with the help of information. Complex tasks or processes directly increase the IPR. The less a process is based on reoccurring routines and the more complex it is in terms of the configuration of its steps, the higher is the information load and the greater is the time pressure on the individual (Bawden, 2001; Grise Gallupe, 1999, 2000). The combination of these two factors that increase the IPR can lead to information overload. Information overload is inevitable if the process is frequently interrupted and the concentration of the individual suffers as a consequence (Speier et al., 1999). 2.3.5 Information technology IT and its use and misuse have become another main reason of information overload. The development and deployment of new information and communication technologies, such as the Internet, intranets, and extranets, but especially e-mail, are universally seen as one major cause of information overload (Bawden, 2001). Closely related to the problem of e-mail overload is the discussion of pull versus push technologies and whether they have a positive or negative impact on an individuals IPC and IPR. Pushing selected pieces of information to specific groups reduces on the one hand their information retrieval time, but increases on the other the amount of potentially useless information that a person has to deal with (Edmunds Morris, 2000). In addition, it causes more frequent interruptions. Information technology can thus potentially increase the individuals IPC while at the same time increasing the IPR. 2.4 Consequences of information glut: 2.4.1 Missing productivity increases: Network technologies were expected to bring significant improvement in worker productivity when they were first introduced. However, the continue introduction of communication systems has led to the information glut and thus has failed to establish a significant relationship between information technology and productivity growth (Van Zandt, 2001). People have even started to wonder whether the introduction of information technology has actually had a negative effect on productivity level. It has also been noticed that the time and resources consumed in generating, distributing, processing, and sorting out paperwork adds no value to business and deflects peoples attention away from productive work (Kock, 2001). 2.4.2 Increased Health Problems and Job Dissatisfaction There is a growing concern that information gluts may be contributing to employee health problems and increased job dissatisfaction. To determine the extent of the problem, Atlas Business Information conducted a survey of 1,300 managers. They published startling results in December 2006 report. One in four managers admitted to suffering ill health as a result of the amount of information they have to handle. Moreover, two-thirds of managers said, the stress from information overload increases tension with colleagues and lowers job satisfaction (Booth S et all., 2003). These figures show that information gluts have become a serious problem, impacting workers in unexpected ways. Companies and individuals would be well-advised to start making a conscious effort to find effective ways to deal with information overload (Wurman, R. S. 2001). 2.5 Overcoming the information glut: 2.5.1 Countermeasure against information overload: Study on information overload not only discusses major causes and effects, but also proposes possible effective countermeasures to address the issues related to information overload. These countermeasures range from general suggestions concerning attitude to very specific software tools (such as filtering agents, automatic summarizers or visualization algorithms) that help to process large amounts of information. A list of countermeasures are mentioned below, Personal factors Information characteristics Task and process parameters Organizational design Information technology application With regard to information itself, information overload can be reduced if efforts are made to assure that it is of high value, that it is delivered in the most convenient way and format (Simpson Prusak, 1995), that it is visualized, compressed, and aggregated (Meyer, 1998), and that signals and testimonials are used to minimize the risks associated with information. On the individual level, it is important to provide training programs to enhance the information literacy of information consumers and to give employees the right tools so that they can improve their time (Bawden, 2001) and information management (Edmunds Morris, 2000) skills. As far as improvements for the organizational design are concerned, various authors take on conflicting positions. While earlier contributions stress the importance of self-contained tasks and lateral relationships, more recent studies see this focus on collaborative and interdisciplinary work as a cause rather than as a countermeasure of information overload (Bawden, 2001). If the cause of information overload relates to process problems, several authors suggest standardization of operating procedures (Bawden, 2001; Schick et al.), collaboration with information specialists within the process teams (Edmunds Morris, 2000), and use of facilitators or collaborative tools (such as virtual team rooms) as process enablers for cognitive support (Grise Gallupe, 1999/2000). Finally, at the level of information technology, several authors advocate the use of intelligent information management systems for fostering an easier prioritization of information (Bawden, 2001; Meyer, 1998; Schick et al., 1990) and providing quality filters. Examples of such intelligent systems are decision support systems (DSS) that reduce a large set of options to a manageable size. However, a systematic methodology (comparable to other standardized problem solving approaches) to prevent or reduce information overload is still missing. Such a methodology should combine insights from various disciplines to provide effective countermeasures that can be adapted to various contexts. For example, insights from consumer research on the importance of branding for reducing information overload can be used for new MIS instruments 2.5.2 Economics of Attention: Information is not the scarce resource, but attention is. The success of some future business model will be based on the economics of attention. Perhaps the most novel approach is to adjust over expectations on how much information do we need. The most important requirements in making a good decision do not necessarily lie in gathering large quantities of information, but rather taking time to absorb and process information, reflect and analyze, and discuss the issue at hand with others. Which means businesses must compete on peoples time and focusing on bringing quality information to people in a meaningful way (Heylighen, J. (1999). 2.5.3 Spending on information technology innovation: Information itself is meaningless without some way to locate, filter, organize and summarize it (Bawden, 2001). Innovation economists argue that the long-term benefits of investments, particularly in innovation, outweigh the costs of temporary budget deficits. Most organisations continue to stress on the importance of innovation in information technology despite tighter economic circumstances. Organizations that have decreased the share of their IT budget are more likely to feel the impact of the information glut than those where the share of IT budget set aside for innovation has increased (M. Gordon Hunte, 2007). 2.6 How information technology improve decision making Solution to information glut lies within the problem itself. Though constant introduction of advance technology adds to information glut, yet it will continue to offer the exciting solutions to information overload (M. Gordon Hunte, 2007). Information has become one of the main assets in information era. The efficient use of information is significant in determining the success of a certain organization. Making awareness of information value and the ability to manage information organization-wide will have great impact on organization progress results. Since information is used in every feature of business and generated in every process, a centralised supervision function is needed to structure, combine and distribute it effectively and efficiently. Where the finance department monitors and manages the financial aspects of organization and the legal department handles all legal affairs, the Information Organization should manage this important business asset (Booth S et all., 2003). MIS for example, aids the organization in effective and efficient decision making. The organizational data, like information on the processes, standard operating procedures and audit preparation methodology, are all tabulated and presented in the forms of reports. Also the internal controls for each department that list the flow of work between employees, the authority-responsibility relationships; all are listed by the MIS (Jay Liebowitz, 1999). An organization that uses MIS is able to record, process, and tabulates all important business transactions. As and when need arises, the organization is able to incorporate necessary changes and improvements to its areas of concern. For example when an organization sees that the actual and projected sales figures are not in tune with each other, it can take steps to make changes and thus align the two figures (Bawden, 2001). MIS facilitates informed decision making. MIS usually represents a number of options from which the organization usually picks the best trade-off for sales, operations and other strategic areas. The top management also analyzes whether its resources are being utilized optimally (Horder, W. (2004). A two-way communication flow is greatly enhanced by MIS. The management freely tells its employees their jobs, and the ways and means in which they are to accomplish the tasks entrusted to them. The employees also in turn discuss their doubts, concerns and problems (Edmunds and Morris, 2000). 2.6.1 Real case scenario: The way an organization chooses to design its decision making rules are one of the most fundamental aspects of organizations internal design. PepsiCo for example, has several different business units running independently. Running all the business units under different entities makes it harder in making the decision effectively, so they come up with strategy of power of one, though they have been successful so far in some of the areas in bringing the activities together under the same head but still there hasnt been much success in bringing a unified IT infrastructure for all the business units, that no doubt is very crucial in making effective decisions for organization as a whole (pepsico.com). 2.6.2 IT supports decision making One of the ways IT is supposed to add value to the business is by supporting better decisions. Lets take the example of PepsiCos, Despite under the strategy of power of one PepsiCos business units are using different and separate database and IT infrastructure, working independently, and that resulted in lack of central decision making authority, work duplication and cost a lot to the organization. They really need to implement an integrated IT infrastructure and software package that can bring them all together and help them making unified decisions for all the business units. 2.6.3 Enterprise wide-system Choosing a right type of IT infrastructure by itself is an integral part of the organizations decision making that help organization in further decisions. An enterprise wide system can be really helpful to turnout major challenges in any organization. They allow companies to replace their existing information systems, which are often incompatible with one another; with a single, integrated system. They provide a single system that is central to the organization and ensure that information can be shared across all functional levels and management hierarchies for a better decision making (Horn Nord and G.Daryl nord 1995). In addition, it is increasingly the case that organizations are seeking to embed much of their organizational knowledge in complex information systems. Adapting this perspective, enterprise systems are presented as more effective and efficient ways of representing the knowledge necessary to manage the contemporary organizations. Also the enterprise Information Systems provides a technology platform that enable organizations to integrate and coordinate their business processes. (Charalambos Spathis and John Ananiandis 2005) 2.6.4 Enterprise information system EIS is an interrelated set of information system supporting the decision making in the organization, by providing the following performance features. Greater quantities of information: Improved quality of information: Tools to manage and analyze the large quantity of data. More efficient communication and data sharing: Mechanisms for feedback and learning: Facilitating planning, control, coordination and decision making: (Horn Nord and G.Daryl nord 1995) 2.6.5 Executive Support System: There should not be any inefficiency in decision making from the top level at PepsiCo, if they have and managing an effective executive support system. As PepsiCo is facing some problems while making decisions effectively across the units, that shows that they are not taking the full benefits from their ESS. By implementing and managing the ESS effectively will help companys top managers to attain easy access to their internal and external information which is relevant to strategic decision making and other executive responsibilities Executive support system can provides variety of advantages to an organization to ease up its operations. Such as; Easy for upper-level executives to use, extensive computer experience is not required in operations Provides timely delivery of company summary information Information that is provided is better understood Filters data for management Improves to tracking information Offers efficiency to decision makers (Jeretta Horn Nord and G.Daryl nord 1995. 3. Conclusion and recommendation Based on the discussions above, it is found out that information is a key resource of the organization, together with people, finances and material assets. Thus, it is concluded through effective information management of the organizations resources and systems, organization administrators can add value to the services delivered to customers, reduce risks in the organizations business, reduce the costs of business development and service delivery and encourage improvement in internal business processes and external service implementation. On the other hand, it is recommended that when developing an information system, just to make sure it produces important information and not data. It is better to build a report that is ideal for a specific need then to make a report based on a predefined concession between several users. The shaped information will have value and increases insight into information needs and the way the business is looked at. Adding more and more information to the system and solving the problems as they occur will eventually lead to a system as mentioned. In fact, that is the way any functional Information System is developed. Having an experienced team helping you take the first steps and educating your staff in the first period can make all the difference. We can probably all agree on a few important points. Timely valuable information can improve decisions and outcomes. Information is potentially valuable if it could improve outcomes, but to realize that potential the intended beneficiary has to receive it, attend to it, consider it and act upon it in time. In situations where human processing capacity is limited, where data glut is possible, and where communication bandwidth is limited, we must give priority to high-value bits. The only way to do this is to know which bits would materially affect the receiver. This requires understanding the operators

Unbroken :: essays research papers

Unbroken I wouldn't know how to describe a painting or a sonata, but I can tell someone how I feel, though they rarely know what I mean. Words fail me often, but nobody notices. They aren't listening anyway. One person knows me. When I talk to him I feel like a knife in a drawer, because my words have power. The possible damage would be irreparable. He and I are like a house falling apart. Our sidewalk is askew and our mailbox is missing. It is painted pink and yellow. We love it, it's unique. Last night I stomped my feet through the floorboards because I wanted to feel my toes in the earth. I pushed my hands through the ceiling and kicked down the walls. I know he wonders why I do things like that. I just wanted to let some air in. I said, "Look hon, now we can see the stars." He brushed off the debris and put me to bed. He won't sleep tonight. His thoughts stay up with the moon trying to exercise the demons in his mind. Too intelligent, too spiritual for his own peace. A shaman, unstuck in time. A stroke of genius and a slap in the face of this world. Always restless, searching for answers. Impulsive and inspired, writing down his thoughts. Funny stories about Elvis and his followers, the Elvi, or dirty poetry. Painting his visions on sheets that hang from the eaves or painting me with psychedelic designs. It doesn't matter which. All of it makes me want him more. Some things I say to him are like sour notes played too often. I'm out of tune. He always sings along. Our waltz is better than most, I suppose. We know the steps by heart. The world moves quickly around us and our quiet drunken pace, but we don't care. Our minds move quickly despite this world's petty distractions. It's us and them, and we're the only two sane people left. He makes me nervous, still. His dreams are bigger than both of us. When we speak the words fall from my lips. They aren't enough to explain who I want to be. I am so flawed. He says, "Sometimes people have imperfections that are worth living with. You're a little eccentric. It's part of your charm." This man knows me, and loves me anyway. He is crazier than I am. Eight years might as well be a thousand where we're concerned. History has roots that go deep. They go to the center of the earth and back and wrap

How Students Choose ESL Writing Assessment Prompts :: Teaching Education Writing Essays

How Students Choose ESL Writing Assessment Prompts This article, reporting on the research done by Margo Glew and Charlene Polio of Michigan State University, examines writing assessment in a different way than most research on the topic. The goal of this research was to look into how an ESL student chooses prompts for a writing exam when offered a choice. Polio and Glew not only investigate how they choose, but how long it takes each student to choose and if they should even be given a choice at all. There are numerous suggestions through research that provide possible answers to the questions at hand. Some say students tend to choose shorter questions, or questions placed first or second on the list. This research was inconclusive however. Polio and Glew argue that â€Å"the primary reason for offering students a choice of prompts is the belief that students should be allowed to choose a prompt that will enable them to display their best writing† (37). This applies especially to ESL students who come from a much larger variety of backgrounds than to regular English students. However, â€Å"there is no evidence that when students choose a prompt, they choose one that allows them to display their best writing skills† (38). It is also pointed out though, that giving choices decreases reliability, adding to the already difficult process of fairly scoring written tests. Some even think that choosing wastes time. The researchers thought that looking at how the students chose a prompt might shed light on whether or not they should have a choice. They used 26 students and through testing, video taping and interviewing, they found that most students looked at all prompts before choosing and that 21 out of 26 students choose their topic in under two minutes. â€Å"The median time before students began writing was less than 60 seconds, with a range of 18 to 182 seconds.† (42). Out of all 26 students, only one student started writing with one prompt and started over with a second. Through the interviews they discovered that 22 students chose a prompt based on â€Å"perceived familiarity or background knowledge.† Proving true that having a choice should increase their ability to display their best writing proving false the idea that having a choice is a waste of time.

Equal Opportunities Approaches & Managing Diversity

Abstract The aim of this paper is to analyze the similarities and the differences between two popular approaches in today’s human resource management: equal opportunities approach and managing diversity approach. While the managing diversity approach focuses more on business efficiency, the equal opportunities approach concentrates on equal treatment of employees in a bureaucratic sense. The paper begins with definitions of both approaches; continues with explaining differences and similarities of both approaches comparatively.The relative superiority of the managing diversity approach for business organisations with respect to equal opportunities approach is gone through followed by a conclusive part. There have been considerable positive developments against discrimination of employees recently through legislation, while initiatives for equality and affirmative action programs were developed as well (Zafree, 2010). These steps have served to take unemployment levels and work place discrimination of the disadvantaged groups that are discriminated due to their races, ages, religions, gender, down.The equal opportunities approach, concentrates on equality and justice at workplaces (Zafree, 2010). The equal opportunities approach can be said to be a liberal school of thought usually supported by legally binding regulations, which influences actions and behaviours at workplace through legislation with formalised procedures and policies. Through policies applied through equal opportunities approach, employees and potential employees are able to exist and compete on equal terms with respect to race, gender, disability, religion etc.In other words, equal opportunities approach assumes that discrimination stems from unequal treatment of individuals. It can therefore be said that, the equal opportunities approach analyses employee and employer relationships directly from viewpoint of public, state and employees; while the focus is less for employers' situation. T he main idea behind equal opportunities approach is promoting rights of all members in the society (Torrington, Hall and Taylor, 2008, p. 576) regardless of their social, cultural, religious or ethnical backgrounds.As a result, this approach is less about the outcomes or results of working in a socially and culturally diverse environment, but on the opportunities that can prepare or lead to such an environment. From this point of view, equal opportunities approach is not directly interested in affecting employee satisfaction or product efficiency of an organisation. However, it concentrates on the equalising opportunities pertaining to positing within an organisation. There are several stereotypical characteristics in organizations that can lead to discrimination (Bekyan, 2010).With equal opportunities strategy, human resource managers are driven with an emphasis on positive action, or creating a more balanced mix of staff, permitted under all strands of the discrimination such as à ¢â‚¬Ëœstaff training', ‘flexibility of dress', ‘providing assistance with child care' and so forth. According to Equality Act (2010), age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are the factors that are to be protected during employment process; which are directly aimed at through equal opportunities approach.On the other hand, managing diversity approach is a concept that was first applied in the United States in 1980s as a reply to the demographic modifications within the labour force, global competition, while it was also a reaction to the introduction of equality legislation and practices (Strachan, French & Burgess, 2009, p. 1). The managing diversity approach accepts that the workforce is composed of a diverse population, including diversity factors such as age, background, sex, disability, personality and work style (Kandola and Fullerton, 1998, p. ). Controlling and helping co-existenc e of these differences help creating a more productive workplace environment, where everybody would feel valued and their skills fully utilised, finally leading to achievement of organisational goals (Kandola and Fullerton, 1998, p. 8). The managing diversity approach concentrates on the positive action as the equal opportunities. This strategy goes beyond the law, focusing on the differences between people, who are considered as added value in an organization. Bartz et al. 1990) have found that the main issue of the managing diversity strategy is to understand that there could be diversities within the workforce; as well as these diversities, if correctly managed, lead to higher efficiency and effectiveness at workplace. There are examples of diversity factors such as race, culture, disability, gender, and so forth. Kandola and Fullerton (1998) have shown that within workforce there are different types of individuals with different characteristics through managing diversity approac h.The diversity consists of ‘visible' and ‘non-visible' differences such as gender, race, disability, etc. For every individual to feel valued, managers have to harness these diversities (Kandola and Fullerton, 1998, p. 19). However, in this way there will be dynamic and working environment, where all the different talents will be used and the goals of the company will be met. The ability to show empathy for the employers will in turn affect the workforce positively, where people are going to feel that they are not alienated.Then, it will be much easier to increase workforce efficiency for the managers using ‘managing diversity' approach. Managing diversity approach can be thought as a more sophisticated approach compared to the equal opportunities approach. On the other hand, it might not be right to think these approaches as completely different from each other, for managing diversity approach is probably a result of the development of equal opportunities thought of school. Nevertheless, there are some differences -rather than similarities- between the two schools of thought.Equity legislation – pertaining to the equal opportunities approach – concentrates on the crucial issues within disadvantaged groups of individuals in the labour market. However, managing diversity approach does not recognise groups overtly, but talks predominantly about individuals. From this point of view, equal opportunities approach is externally imposed, leaning mostly on legal, legitimate and legal concepts compared to the equal opportunities approach.As a result, application of equal opportunities approach is usually perceived as a cost for organisations (Foreman, n. d. ), which is not a directly profitable step for the organisation. On the other hand, managing diversity is usually an internally driven concept, aiming at helping the organisation realise its business goals (without legal coercion), as a result, this approach is a kind of investment t o the human resources of an organisation and therefore is not considered as a financial burden.So, given the two approaches, the managing diversity approach is more prone to be perceived as an efficient and effective methodology to enhance workforce satisfaction, which will affect productivity positively as a result. According to Strachan, French and Burgess (2009), managing diversity approach promotes individual differences, while they target practices in one company at particular groups of individuals, which is not directly the case for equal opportunities approach.This is due to the fact that equal opportunities approach is more legally binding, taking less notice of work environment efficiency comparatively. As a result, managing diversity approach enables strategic integration among employees, focusing on outcomes (of the working activities); while equal opportunities approach is operational and concerned with the process of the work, rather than its outcomes (Foreman, n. d. ). So, differences are problems to be solved in equal opportunities approach, where assimilation of these is promoted. However, differences are assets for organisations using managing diversity approach, for it helps boost organisation's production goals as a result of increased employee satisfaction. It can be said that, the equal opportunities approach does fail to recognise the real value that could be lying beneath differences (and diversities), while for managing diversity approach these are precious assets for the organisations.The main concept of managing diversity approach is the belief that organisations have to use benefits stemming from the multicultural environment. Therefore, it is in companies' interest to recognise and satisfy the needs of the workforce. On the contrary, the framework for equal opportunities within the working environment is built on a human rights point of view, which is obligatory rather than a desired process. However, when something is an obligation, it is not easy to assume or assimilate it as a useful feature for organisations.The main idea for equal opportunities regarding working environment is that individuals should not be discriminated, while the decisions in the institutions should not be founded upon individual characteristics. Even though issues related to human rights are universal, approaches for managing diversity differ among societies, sectors or countries depending on demographic, legal, social and economic parameters (Strachan, French and Burgess, 2009).On the other hand, for equal opportunities approach such relativity might not be possible, for the policies and tendencies for this approach are based more on bureaucratic and legal requirements rather than business and managerial needs. Focus of action for equal opportunities school of thought is on group activities aiming at development of groups – rather than individuals – within the workforce; which are usually legally required (Foreman, n. d. ). This can be a bit problematic, for ignoring individuality can lead some other problems within an organisation.On the other hand, managing diversity approach leans on universal initiatives focusing on the development of all individuals in theory. In addition, Strachan, French and Burgess (2009) have found that equal opportunities approach recognizes discrimination of people in a society, which happened in the past and is still continuing, implying a narrow view of positivist knowledge base. This could be discouraging to establish empathy among members of that society or the members of the workforce under focus.Equal opportunities approach looks for abolition of the discrimination as well as for protection for weak groups subject to discrimination. However, this can also lead to some subjective and biased policies for member of not weak groups as well. In contrast, managing diversity is not concentrated on historical and ongoing discrimination in the organisations or in the society , implying a wider and pluralist knowledge base comparatively (Foreman, n. d. ).Organisations that pursue managing diversity approach are able to synthesise equity principles with pragmatism, turning the requirements imposed by equal opportunities approach into an advantage – rather than a bureaucratic burden – for the organisation (Humphries and Grice, 1995). This is a positive feature, for both employees and employers will feel less burden stemming from bureaucracy, because with the managing diversity approach they will be making steps to improve the business and themselves, while this will not probably be the case for equal opportunities approach.While equal opportunities approach aims at forcing organisations to exert policies against discrimination, organisations that apply managing diversity approach are aware that they can get further benefits by extending the conditions required by equal opportunities approach, and increasing both employee satisfaction and prod uct efficiency of the organisation. So, forcing organisations will only result in more submission. However, this will not affect workforce peace and efficiency as desired.This is due to the fact that it will then be something that is imposed by legal institutions, rather than an outcome of a mutual demand of employees and employers. However, existing equal opportunities policies do not necessarily have to prevent managing diversity attempts. Organisations can make steps to transcend equal opportunities approach using developed and refined managing diversity policies. According to Thomas (1990), managing diversity approach and equal opportunities approach can co-exist within an organisation.Organisations that have adopted managing diversity approach do usually cover and adopt requirements of the equal opportunities approach. On the other hand, organisations that have adopted only equal opportunities approach might not be covering the requirements of the managing diversity approach. T his is a result of the fact that, equal opportunities approach is more focused on theoretical and formal necessities, while managing diversity is an outcome of real life business world needs and requirements.Organisations that apply equal opportunities approach and managing diversity approach are comparatively superior to organisations, which do not adopt these approaches (Kandola and Fullerton, 1998). It should also be added that organisations that adopt only equal opportunities approach are less superior to organisations that adopt managing diversity approach, for the latter approach is more related to and focused on contemporary problems of workforce.As a result of the points gone through in this research, it can be said that managing diversity approach is a more individual and business-oriented version of equal opportunities approach, for it is more strategic, internally driven and goal-oriented unlike the equal opportunities approach, which is externally driven and focuses on a narrower scope such as equality of opportunities, therefore functions on operational rather than strategic basis.Managing diversity approach can be developed and criticised by organisations, which is not the case for the equal opportunities approach imposed by governments and legislation. In addition, promotion of diversity by the managing diversity approach is another superior point, compared to the equal opportunities approach that aims at assimilation of diversities, which is not a promising concept for employees not belonging to mainstream social strata from ethnical, religious, social or cultural points of views.