Wollstonecraft Fight on Women’s Right of Equality

To every generation marriage brings new meaning and different expectations. Some never want to get married, some think of it as a trap, some believe that is the only way to survive, some find it sacred, some just do it because of children and some have been brought up to think marriage is a part of the cycle of life. Since the 1700†³s, men have dominated relationships and women have been the â€Å"victims†. Mary Wollstonecraft was aware of this domination in the 1700†³s and worked to educate women to become individuals. She believes that through education women are able to progress in relationships and not become a â€Å"slaves† to men. Times have changed and women have made more of a place for themselves in society. Throughout The Vindications, The Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft argues how important it is for women to be educated in order for them to progress through life and especially in marriage. This is clearly seen when she states, â€Å"if she be not prepared by education to become the companion of man, she will stop the progress of knowledge and virtue; for truth must be common to all†(102). Wollstonecraft argues that a woman cannot even be a good mother without education. â€Å"Can they be expected to govern a family with judgment, or take care of the poor babes whom they bring into the world?†(113). Women today have the luxury of pursuing a higher education and with that doors of opportunity are opened. On account of these chances women now have more validity in this country. Women being portrayed as a sex symbols has been emphasized for generations. Their main focus has been to be beautiful and desired by all men. Even today we still open up almost every magazine to beautiful, skinny, sexy women. This is what the ideal woman should look like. This is what is desired by men. Wollstonecraft argues that through † the desire of establishing themselves,- the only way women can rise in the world,- by marriage†(112). The myth of a sexy, desirable woman still exists. Other than the pursuit of marriage, women now have other avenues to follow for a successful and fruitful life. Throughout The Vindications The Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft looked down on marriage because of the inequalities between men and women. She believed that â€Å"woman and man were made for each other; but their mutual dependence is not the same. The men depend on the women only on account of their desires; the women on the men both on account of their desires and their necessities†(200). Mary discusses how through the progress of knowledge women are able to become more equal to men. Through education and virtue women would not â€Å"marry merely to better themselves†(194). Most women today don†t feel that their â€Å"prize† in life is a husband. Marriage is more about partners and being equal. Equality stems from knowledge and the power of education. With every generation brings unexpected changes, new desires, new values and yet many traditions stay the same. Hopefully each generation of women will acquire and keep sacred the knowledge they receive from the women before them. Wollstonecraft Fight on Women’s Right of Equality To every generation marriage brings new meaning and different expectations. Some never want to get married, some think of it as a trap, some believe that is the only way to survive, some find it sacred, some just do it because of children and some have been brought up to think marriage is a part of the cycle of life. Since the 1700†³s, men have dominated relationships and women have been the â€Å"victims†. Mary Wollstonecraft was aware of this domination in the 1700†³s and worked to educate women to become individuals. She believes that through education women are able to progress in relationships and not become a â€Å"slaves† to men. Times have changed and women have made more of a place for themselves in society. Throughout The Vindications, The Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft argues how important it is for women to be educated in order for them to progress through life and especially in marriage. This is clearly seen when she states, â€Å"if she be not prepared by education to become the companion of man, she will stop the progress of knowledge and virtue; for truth must be common to all†(102). Wollstonecraft argues that a woman cannot even be a good mother without education. â€Å"Can they be expected to govern a family with judgment, or take care of the poor babes whom they bring into the world?†(113). Women today have the luxury of pursuing a higher education and with that doors of opportunity are opened. On account of these chances women now have more validity in this country. Women being portrayed as a sex symbols has been emphasized for generations. Their main focus has been to be beautiful and desired by all men. Even today we still open up almost every magazine to beautiful, skinny, sexy women. This is what the ideal woman should look like. This is what is desired by men. Wollstonecraft argues that through † the desire of establishing themselves,- the only way women can rise in the world,- by marriage†(112). The myth of a sexy, desirable woman still exists. Other than the pursuit of marriage, women now have other avenues to follow for a successful and fruitful life. Throughout The Vindications The Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft looked down on marriage because of the inequalities between men and women. She believed that â€Å"woman and man were made for each other; but their mutual dependence is not the same. The men depend on the women only on account of their desires; the women on the men both on account of their desires and their necessities†(200). Mary discusses how through the progress of knowledge women are able to become more equal to men. Through education and virtue women would not â€Å"marry merely to better themselves†(194). Most women today don†t feel that their â€Å"prize† in life is a husband. Marriage is more about partners and being equal. Equality stems from knowledge and the power of education. With every generation brings unexpected changes, new desires, new values and yet many traditions stay the same. Hopefully each generation of women will acquire and keep sacred the knowledge they receive from the women before them.

A ShortStory Based On: Conrades an Eposode

I knew that it was coming, the day I had been dreading. Everyone was saying that it was great, time we taught those Germans a lesson and that we had a duty to do for our country. But I was different. I knew what it was going to be like but whenever I tried to speak out no one listened and said that I was a coward. May be it was true I didn't want to die. I packed up my stuff it had been eight days since I had received the letter informing me that I had to go to war. I had no choice. I had to go. I thought I would be better off just killing my self right now. I had no hope in war. Just look at me 5 feet 2†³ and weighing just 8 stones. What good will I be in the Great War? I said an emotional farewell to my family my mum especially I had always been closest to her. My Dad had always thought of me as a â€Å"no hoper†. He was big and strong nothing like me all he said was â€Å"good luck† with a firm handshake. I could tell he didn't think I was going to last very long what possibly could someone like me do on the battlefield. I was taken to Chesterfield rail station along with another 150 young recruits. We were then to be taken to Winchester army base .I was sitting in the first carriage seat 6a. I was nervous and tired but slightly excited .I was the fist in my seat. It was alphabetically but with a name like Alfred Ambrose I had no choice. I could hear people giggling and looking and pointing. I could imagine what they were saying † I have seen an ear wig bigger than that†. I sat down and took out a book. We were told that it was going to be a six-hour journey. I was disturbed by a deep voice â€Å"Hi nice to meet you I'm Tim Bright†. Tim was a big man, he made me look like a dwarf but my first impression was that he was a gentle giant. He sat down and took out a comic he was 23 and still reading comics but he explained that he had never been taught to read I felt sorry for him. But I was sure that no one was going to mess with him. I read up to chapter six but I was tired, I had not had too much sleep the night before, I couldn't get to sleep because I was nervous and sad to leave my family. I shut my eyes and tilted my head. I was woken by the sound of the steam engine stopping. I heard a whistle and the doors flung open. The 22 men from my carriage departed and formed an orderly queue. When all 150 men ranging from 17 – 23 had left the train a little man with a moustache came round the corner with a green uniform on with socks tucked into shorts and a black cane under his arm. He didn't look scary but looked as if he could get angry very easily. He introduced him self as Corporal Blake † Right lads, you are to be based here for 4 days, during this time you will go through basic training and get to know your fellow comrades. Then you will be shipped of to France and split into pontoons you will be driven to Shrewsbury dock and transported across the English Channel to Normandy.† We were then taken to our dormitories, they were small and were full of old bunk beds made out of thin metal. There was a musty smell in the room but this didn't make much difference I was only here for 4 days. Training was due to start tomorrow. I sat on the bed and thought about what was to come. I was sharing with the same people from my carriage so at least I had seen all the faces before. I was on the bottom bunk and Tim was on the top he came down and we played a nice friendly game of black jack with a few of the other guys. It was getting dark and I was feeling tired I lied down on the bed but it wasn't very comfortable but It would do. † Ding a ling, ding a ling† I was woken at 7o'clock by the sound of a large bell fitted in all dormitories. It was earlier than I was used to but I had had a long sleep so I was feeling refreshed. This gave us time to have a shower and eat breakfast, which wasn't particularly nice, warm lumpy porridge had never been my favourite. This was our last day before we set off for Normandy. Today we were due to received our kit. It took all day for everyone to get kited out, I was near the beginning due to my name but this did give me time to think and write my parents a letter. It was six thirty by the time every one was ready. Then we were called to the briefing room (a really big long room with a desk). We were given our orders and instructed to be ready by four thirty for a five o'clock sharp leave. Once again the bell was to be sounded there was to be 35 trucks full of men and 12 full of equipment. † Ding a ling, ding a ling† up we got and out side we went, lining up next to our assigned truck. We climbed in, when given the order as warned we left at 5 0'clock.A convoy of 47 trucks. In my truck there were the men from my dorm but my only real friend was Tim I sat next to him and we just talked of home. The journey was only going to be 2 hours so it wasn't that bad but it was really uncomfortable. We arrived at Shrewsbury dock at 4 minutes past seven. Our so-called â€Å"ferry† was to leave at seven thirty. It was more of a raft than a proper boat made out of iron with a small sheltered area with a little engine only capable of a top speed of 8 knots. We were told that we couldn't travel in anything to big, as it was too DANGEROUS because we ran the risk of being bombed. I thought it would still be pretty easy to see 32 boats crossing the English channel but that was the reason we had to go at a time of low light ready to be there at noon so we could fight straight away. The crossing was rough but not quite as bad as I had expected. We arrived at a small naval port in west Normandy there were only a few other men waiting our arrival but they did let of a small cheer to make us feel welcome which was enough for me. We unloaded and received our equipment it was so heavy I could hardly stand up. But the worst of it was still to come we had to march 6 miles with our equipment to get used to the weight and the amount of walking that was to come in the future. We set off in good sprits but after almost 2 hours we still had not arrived at our string hold on the front. But we had seen and heard our first exchange of bullets and shells this just reminder us of the reality and the reason that we are here. It was scary but I was ready to fight, I might not be much good but I had come this far there was no point backing out now. We marched through a small French town deserted but under close watch from our allies. The trenches were just 200 yards but we had to walk another half mile along them before we got to the fighting. We were to be stationed along the trenches as backup and reserve's for the troops already there. As I had expected Tim had been put in charge of our pontoon it was only twelve strong. He had been chosen because of his outstanding performance in the training. The noise was amazing there were non-stop firing and exploding. I just wondered how you were supposed to sleep. I was told that you didn't even try to sleep just for the fear of a grenade or shell landing near by. I wasn't concentrating when I heard a bellow â€Å"section 2† it was Tim our pontoon were needed on the front line for the first time and it was only our fourth day here. â€Å"Right lads, we are needed the others have been drooping like flies lets do it for our selves and our country.† † One last thing good luck†. It wasn't the best speech but Tim wasn't that good with words. We moved forward as a team, for the first time I loaded my rifle and looked out over the trench wall for to see a mess of mud and barbed wire, craters and even dead bodies. I had got through 56 rounds off ammo in 3 days we had only lost 2 lives which was a good ratio compared to things before. â€Å"Lets go lads we are going over the top† This is what I had been dreading, there were 4 other sections going with us to try and make 12 yards to the next set of trenches where we were needed as back up. This was the most dangerous part of the job so far as we were venerable to German fire as well as our own sides as they try to protect. â€Å"1,2,3,4,5†¦10 OK lets go† I was running with my head down when my first nightmare came true. Tim had been hit only in the leg but it looked bad he was like a sitting duck, there was no way he could survive. I luckily made it to the other side, we had suffered 6 deaths and 4 injuries. I looked back to see Tim still alive in pain I couldn't leave him I had to try and save him. I knew I was mad and stupid but he was my best mate I had to. I climbed over the back of the trench with a determined look in my eye, I ran as quickly as I could and reached him in good health, he looked bad, pale and weak, blood pouring out of his wound. I grabbed him by the arms and pulled with my little strength luckily it was enough. I was only a meter away when I felt an unbearable pain in my lower back, I collapsed and couldn't move. I knew it was bad but even worse I had failed Tim what kind of a friend was I. Fortunately we were close to the trench and we had a chance, as expected two men crawled out and dragged us back to the safety of our own trench. The medic was called for and looked at Tim first because he was more important than I was. The verdict was good he and his leg could be saved. It was bandaged and he was taken away. I was not quite so lucky I thought I had no change of walking again and would be lucky to still be a live in 12 hours I was taken to the nearest hospital along with Tim. It didn't hurt that much mainly because I had no feeling up to my navel. 12 WEEKS LATER I had been lucky the doctors had managed to save me but I was paralysed from the lower back down. I was in a wheel chair and in the same ward as Tim. He was staggering about and was on course for a full recovery. Tim and my self were due to go home in three hours there was no use for us anymore. We were both injured and could do nothing to help our country. All I was happy about was that I had managed to save my friend he said he owed every thing to me and promised to look after me for as long as he could. I was sedated for the crossing to stop pain and discomfort I thought back 16 weeks ago when I was on my way to France not on the way back in a wheel chair. We arrived earlier than expected and my parents were not there yet it wasn't long until they arrived and were shocked when they saw me. Tim went over and explained what had happened and how I was a hero in his and everyone else's eyes. My Dad came over and said, † I'm proud of you my son† This was the first time he had ever said anything like that to me. I went home to a hero's welcome, totally unexpected every one in the town lined the streets to cheer me home. They thought of me as someone special who gave his ability to walk to save another persons life. That's not the end of it I was even given a bravery award presented to me by Her Majesty the Queen. But if anyone asks I would do the same again to save my best and only friend Tim.

Coral Reef Bleaching Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Coral Reef Bleaching - Term Paper Example Why/how Coral bleaching occurs Coral bleaching occurs because of the disintegration between corals and their symbionts or endosymbiosis (Symbiodinium spp) (Ainsworth et al., 2008). Most of the bleaching on corals occurs during the warm season. Established scientific evidence indicates that environmental stressors that include the increase of heat in sea surface temperatures tend to be the main cause of coral bleaching (Bourne et al., 2008). Moreover, high solar radiation tends to be a significant cause of large-scale bleaching (Bourne et al., 2008). Moreover, research indicates that seasonal bleaching also tends to occur because of an infection by the bacterium Vibrio shiloi (Bourne et al., 2008). Another established cause of coral bleaching is sea pollution that mostly occurs because of various human activities. For example, sunscreens that tend to promote viral infections play a significant role in causing coral bleaching especially in areas where there are high levels of human act ivities (Danovaro et al., 2008). Santavy eta al (2011) also indicates that various multiple chronic stressors play a significant role in the occurrence of bleaching. Ecological Impacts of Coral Bleaching Various impacts in the environment tend to emerge after coral bleaching events. One of these impacts includes massive threat to tropical coral-ecosystems (Anthony et al., 2009). Occurrence of bleaching results to lethal or sub-lethal stress on the reefs (Anthony et al., 2009). Moreover, coral bleaching results to loss of endosymbiotic algae or its associated pigment from the coral reefs (Ainsworth, et al., 2008). Bleaching also tends to cause changes in microbial communities. Bleaching also results to the reduction of coral reefs. This is because most of the reefs fail to cope with the harsh conditions and disease occurrences that emerge because of bleaching (Brandt & McManus, 2009). Another established significant impact of bleaching is that it reduces skeletal growth in corals (Ca rilli et al., 2009). Moreover, it is also necessary to consider that coral reefs provide the livelihood of most people within the tropics (Maynard et al., 2008). For example, some types of the corals are used for building purpose (Seneca et al., 2010). Corals also tend to be significant tourism attraction features hence increasing economic value within the tropics. Therefore, occurrences of bleaching are a major blow to various activities enacted by people within tropic areas. McWilliams et al., (2005) indicates that bleaching poses as one of the major threats of coral reefs because they end-up dying. Vivekanandan et al., (2009) indicates that corals tend to be the most diverse marine habitat and therefore bleaching affects the directly affects the living conditions of the estimated 0.5 million species that rely on the reefs. Possible solutions/treatments of coral bleaching There are minimal established ways in which treatment of coral bleaching can be performed. However, possible s olutions include laboratory studies that would assist determining the role of coral-associated communities and how they react during stressful environment conditions (Ainsworth et al., 2008). This may assist in coming-up with a reliable solution on how to minimize large population of corals being affected during warm sea seasons. Moreover, prevention of thermal stress in the future may contribute in prevention of

Managing the human resource environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Managing the human resource environment - Essay Example Human resource management takes the consideration that the workforce is the most important asset that an organization holds and hence it must be given priority for the organization a competitive edge. Human resource management stipulates that having a skilled and well catered for workforce can help an organization to have a competitive advantage that may be difficult for other organization to replicate. Hence human resource department works to develop the workforce of the organization. (David, 1998) Human resource department is bestowed with many responsibilities as far as the development and training of the work force is concerned. First it is given the role of recruitment. It determines the labour need of an organization and carries out recruitment to ensure that it gives the best labour to the organization. Second it is also given the role of staff development and training. Human resource management is given the duty of training and developing the staff. It conducts continuous study of the staff and in work training in order to give the organization a competence work force. Third human resource is given the duty of looking at the welfare of the employees in their work. As such it works for the employees to address various issues that pertains them. Human resource also worked with other department in the organization in order to ensure optimal performance of the employees. Human resource managers must have some basic skills in order to carry out their duties. They must have the necessary organization skills that will help them in coordinating the work of the human resource department. They must understand the workforce very well and understand the difference kinds of people constituting the workforce. As such, they should have an understanding of theories of personality and the psychology of the work force. They must also be skilled counsellors since they will be handling various cases regarding the workforce and even settling disputes between the workforces. In its operation the human resource management is faced with many challenges. The management of the workforce is faced by many constrains. The integral of the function of the human resource department with other department is one of the areas posing greater challenge. This is due to many areas of conflict concerning the function of the departments. Handling of employees is another challenging area in the department. Many of the employees who feel patronage in the organization sometimes fails to recognize the authority of the department in carrying out its functions. Acting as s mediator between the organization employees and the administration, the department is faced with the challenge of harmonizing the needs of both parties. Sometimes it finds it difficulty to lean on one side of to take side on the issue so as not to appear as partisan. (Dudik, 2000) But strategic human resource management has and other human resource management strategy has been applied in a creative way in order to address some of these challenges. The organization has been able to come up with at strategic resource management place the addressed the need of the employees and at the same time address the need of the organization. Strategic human res

Does Violent Video Gaming Have an Effect on Children Research Paper

Does Violent Video Gaming Have an Effect on Children - Research Paper Example Kim et al (2010) have mentioned that â€Å"excessive playing of video games may result in impaired academic performance (Kim et al, 2010). It is an accepted fact that most of the modern videogames are thought provoking and hence it can improve children’s skills such as numerical ability, problem solving, decision making, synthesis, analysis etc. At the same time, it should be noted that spending too much time for playing videogames may have detrimental effect on children as far as the academic achievements of the children are concerned. The increased influence of video games will force the children to decrease the time spent for learning academic topics. In other words, children who spent more time for playing videogames may spent little time for doing their home works, assignments or project works. Failure in doing home works may result in poor academic performances of the children in schools. Poor academic performances of the children may generate criticism from family and teachers which may generate frustration in the minds of children. Increased frustration may often come out in the form of violent behaviors. In other words, even nonviolent videogames can generate violent behavior indirectly among children. Children may discuss the themes of the violent videogames they played even at schools and they may try to implement it in their real life also. For example, Grand Theft Auto is one of the most popular videogames among children at present. The theme of this videogame is a motor vehicle theft as the name indicates. Same way Mortal Kombat is another videogame in which the major theme is fighting. Such videogames will definitely encourage children to do the same activities in their real life as they... Children of current generation are not much keen in playing physically hardworking sports and games; they are more interested in spending as much time in front of the computers, mobile phones or television sets for playing videogames. According to Gouzouasis et al (n. d), â€Å"the type of extra-curricular activities like playing an instrument versus playing video games has differential effects on the person’s skill acquisition and personality development†. The themes of majority of the videogames currently available are violence. Many people believe that violent videogames play a vital role in the personality development of children. Moreover, many of the school violence incidents are happening as a result of the increasing influence of violent videogames upon children. Children who engaged in playing violent videogames may try to practice violence in their real life also. At the same time many other people believe that violence in videogames may not affect childrenâ⠂¬â„¢s attitude or character very much. Videogames playing may have some utility as far as the mental development of the children are concerned. However, playing violent videogames may always affect the children negatively. Unknowingly children may develop violent behaviors as a result of continuous playing of violent videogames. Since children have less awareness in segregating good and evil, they may often try to practice the themes they observed in the violent videogames in their real life. Many of the school violence incidents are taking place as a result of the increasing influence of violent videogames upon children. In short, videogame playing, especially the violent videogame playing should be restricted among children. Parents and teachers should focus more on student activities and they should assist the children in the selection of videogames for playing.

Child Labor in Egypt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Child Labor in Egypt - Essay Example Failure of observing ethical stipulations may lead to the incidences of taboos, a common element in the incidents of ethical based violations. However, the task of establishing personal ethics is rather demanding. This is with regards to the essence of ethics in an individual’s life. Adoption of appropriate ethical perceptions is a demand that is laid to the person by his or her immediate community. This makes ethics seem inclusive of an expectation, as well as the desire to protect ones perception of life. Ethical beliefs are regularly challenged, especially during the address of various aggressions in the daily lour daily lives (DiMauro, 2006). Our success in the address of these challenges implies a positive or an impressive performance of our ethical beliefs. The development of successful ethical trends is based on various attributes of our daily lives (Bernardin, 2008). Amongst the factors that contributed in the improvement of my ethical perception includes the influence attributed to my family. A family is central in the up bring of any child. It forms an integral part of our lives. My family contributed grossly towards my adaptation of various perceptions of life. This was achieved via both discipline and emulation. While growing up, I emulated the senior members of my family with regards to addressing the challenges that I encountered in my daily undertaking. I learnt to reason along their perception, and solve a situation via the sourced lessons. My parents played a central role n moderating my ethical perceptions. They established the expected pathway along which I was anticipated to establish them. In addition, they imposed strict regulations on behaviours that prompted the violation of these measures. This eventuated into my possession of a set of ethical beliefs along which I developed the rest of my ethical perception. The rest of the contributors of my personal belief includes the guidance from

Stochastic Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Stochastic Finance - Assignment Example (a). Using Yahoo finance I settled on three companies; AAC Holdings, Inc., 1347 Capital Corp. and Alexco Resource Corp traded at NYSE, NASQAD and AMEX respectively and obtained daily closing stock prices for each company for six consecutive weeks commencing 13th April 2015 to 22nd May 2015. (see excel calculations) (b). The table in the appendix 1 also shows the results of the calculation for the logarithmic daily changes in the closing stock price for each of the three companies for six consecutive weeks. The formula; The curve shown in the graph above clearly indicates the performance in the stock markets. The daily closing stock prices for AAC Holdings, Inc, a company in the NYSE markets tends to be stable by showing a regular trend in growth over the first few weeks. The growth rate however slows down in the last weeks. As compared to the scenario in AAC Holdings, Inc, the trend here is a steady upward growth till the end. This pattern in growth however cannot be reliably adopted to predict the future state of the stock price for 1347 Capital corp. Investors without proper analysis can easily be lured to invest in such stocks since they promise high level of returns in a short time but can also drop in value drastically. Alexco Resource Corp though in a different stock market (AMEX) has the lowest stock prices with an average of$ 0.41. At this price Investors are attracted to invest but only when the trend in growth is consistent. This case proves the same as the stock prices keep on going up for the entire six week period. Inflation weakens the value of the local currency against the foreign currency in other words foreign exchange (Ross, S. 2003). A general rise in prices for most of the products means that the input prices for production of various goods and services are rising. In this case market analysts and fund managers will always consider the net impact on the margin of the entity that they are tracking. Sometimes

Contemporary Video Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Contemporary Video Art - Essay Example Lynda Benglis is an eminent sculptor who produced many video presentations in the mid 1970s. Her main theme is female sexuality and identity. The interest and presence in her sculptural work using metaphorical, biomorphic shapes finds its way into her self-reflexive, investigative videos. The subject matter of 1970s feminist video was personal. ‘Benglis’s video work confronts issues raised by feminist theory, including the representation of women, the role of the spectator, and female sexuality. Benglis also engages the emergent practice of video in an incisive discourse on the production of the moving image.’ The art of the process is thus captured within the work itself even as the question of self is investigated. ‘Benglis negotiates a personal space for herself, maintaining a deliberate distance from the medium. Using her own body and creating multiples of her images. She interrogates the relation of the self to the body—focusing on the interface between our inner and outer realities. With Benglis standing in front of a photograph of herself, which is then affixed to a monitor bearing her image, the notion of â€Å"original† is complicated. Benglis’s work takes on another layer of meaning.’ Her video, Document (1972), suggests the impotence of media to accurately copy her, her image and herself. ‘She, as the object of our gaze, never allows a static full-face pose on the screen. Benglis’s use of the replicated image in photography and video, both in and on the TV, is a direct reveal.

Virtual simulation in business Essay Example for Free

Virtual simulation in business Essay Management games (or business simulations) have been finding favour in business education in recent years. Business simulations that incorporate a dynamic model enable experimentation with business strategies in a risk free environment and provide a useful extension to case study discussions. training sessions anytime and anyplace on a global basis. †¢ Faster time to insight †¢ Lower training costs; higher training capacity for training staff †¢ Faster time to competence; better coordination of inter organizational activity †¢ Minimize operational error for dangerous job tasks Faster capture, dissemination, and application of lessons learned actual manufacturing environments. Some features include: †¢ Real-world what if Scenarios †¢ Industry Control Systems †¢ Multi-axis Milling Turning †¢ NC Programs †¢ Collision Detection †¢ Material Removal Other applications of virtual simulation Flight simulators, marine simulators and truck simulators are very popular virtual systems. Figure 11. A flight simulator (from Wikipedia) Performance enhancements are a well-known advantage of simulator training. Researchers have shown that flight simulators effectively improve pilot performance related to landing skills (Hays, Jacobs, Prince, Salas, 1992) and instrument and flight control abilities (Pfeiffer, Horey, Butrimas, 1991). Training using virtual environments has also been demonstrated to improve user performance. For example, Sebrechts (2000) found that wayfinding ability (ability to navigate through a space) was greater in users who were allowed to explore a virtual environment in comparison to the actual building. To successfully evaluate performance in their own programs, trainers should proceed through four levels of training evaluation including reaction, learning, behavior, and results. In addition, trainers who wish to measure performance must begin with valid and reliable performance metrics. Technical obstacles or barriers to development or usage Implications to a manager in a high-technology organization Trends: Future directions in historical or other dimensions THE FUTURE Technologies such as Simulation and Virtual Reality will dominate the entertainment and science forefronts well into the next Century. Since early childhood, we have always learned by role playing and building models of things. With todays computer prices, personal computers are highly affordable. Armed with your computer, you can proceed to build models of reality and let them loose to see what happens and to learn more about reality by modeling it. While what we may do today may be primitive by standards set in science fiction shows such as Star Trek (The Holodeck) and Lawnmower Man, the present computer simulation discipline will lead the way to these eventual goals. The key word is digital as pointed out by many such as Nicholas Negroponte at the MIT Media Lab in his recent text Being Digital. We want to create digital replicas of everything you see as you look around you while reading this article. When you want to construct a digital world, you will pick digital objects, using a 3D, immersive construction tool to put them together. The digital objects may be located anywhere on the Internet and you will use help tools (or autonomous agents) to locate the building block objects for your digital world. Some of this type of work is being done in Distributed Interactive Simulation which is a thrust pioneered by the Department of Defense. The implications of these types of simulations are profound since the idea of distributed simulation has enormous potential, also, in industrial and entertainment fields. (Fishwick, 1995)

Kudler Fine Foods Problem Statement Essay Example for Free

Kudler Fine Foods Problem Statement Essay The following is a problem statement explaining what is currently wrong with Kudlers plans on expansion, and how they can improve these plans. Introduction After reviewing the strategic plan for Kudlers Fine Foods it is obvious there are several issues that will stunt the growth and success of the organization. The company is suffering from a lack of management and poor organization planning. The issues that will be discussed are the poorly developed expansion and growth plans, and the lack of risk management in preparation of a competitor entering the market. Problem Statement The management at Kudler Fine Foods is planning on opening a new location when all of the current locations are not successful, and the company has not done a proper analysis of the need for their services in the area. Also Kudler is not prepared for factors that may decrease the profitability of the company, or factors that can contribute to the failure of a new location. Solution With the Del Mar location not producing profit as expected this is the location management should use to create a market research and analysis plan. By using this location they will be able to determine the factors that are hindering the success of this location and then develop ways to counteract those factors. The benefit is they will improve the business done at that location before opening a new location. By looking at factors like population, socio-economic status in locations surrounding area and health factors in the area can determine what the need are for the community. Management should also look to see where people are purchasing food in the community and what types of food and products are selling at the local grocery. If there are gourmet products selling out of the supermarket than that is a factor that needs to be accounted for. Once the market research is done Kudlers management can the focus on a risk management plan. Before a risk management plan can be established they must know what risk are out there and the market analysis and research will help the company determine what risk and challenges they face. Risk management is a part of a basic business plan, I see where threats are outlined in the strategic plan but there are no alternative plans to minimize each threat nor are there any plans for how to be competitive should a competitor arise. Kudler only considers other gourmet shops as competition they should also consider, grocery stores that sell gourmet foods a competitor. Then they should focus on how to maintain their existing book of business. If Kudler developed their website so customers could place orders online that would give them a way to expand while working on the risk management plans and the online based business would also help with the market research. A high concentration of orders coming from a specific location may be an indicator used to determine where to open a new store. Desired Resolution Kudler Fine Foods will be able to expand all facets of the business and have a risk management plan in place to counter act competition entering the market. Kudler will expand in to locations where they will be successful. Kudler will also have an effective and efficient model for future expansion and growth. Conclusion The goal of Kudler Fine Foods is expansion and growth while increasing profit and the current book of business. By doing the extra research and implementing a risk management program before opening a new location will increase the success of all three current locations and ensure the success of any future locations. It will also help Kudler organize and develop other facets of the business like the website. A little extra work goes along way and with the risk management plan in place and a new location market analysis model being used Kudler Fine Foods should be able to grow and meet all the organizations goals.

Petrol Prices Have Seen A Shocking Hike Economics Essay

Petrol Prices Have Seen A Shocking Hike Economics Essay The petrol prices have seen a shocking hike of Rs.7.5 on the 23rd of May. The increase is the first since December, 2011. It went up to INR 78.16 per liter. The RBI was having a tough time coping with the rising inflation and this increase in petrol prices will make it very difficult for them to manage. The rise in price will also hit the common man who is trying very hard to make ends meet. The rate of inflation (annual), based on monthly WPI, stood at 7.23% for April (over April 2011) compared to 6.89% for the previous month The Petrol prices in the four major metros after the hike are as follows: Metro Before petrol hike After Petrol Hike Delhi 65.64 73.14 Mumbai 70.66 78.16 Kolkata 70.03 77.53 Chennai 69.55 77.05 The increase in fuel prices directly or indirectly affects all the major sectors of the country. It affects the transportation, textiles, auto, FMCG, manufacturing, agriculture sectors and so on.   The impact of the indirect effect is that the prices of daily basic commodities get affected and this increase in price of goods would gradually force people to spend more and save less. 58.4% of the Indian population belongs to the agricultural sector and their contribution to the total GDP is only about 18%. Such small amount of income being distributed over a large population have a huge impact on them as even a slightest fluctuation would make them poorer which will further the gap between the rich and the poor. The graph below shows the petrol price fluctuations over the past two decades. cid:[emailprotected] About 50% of the total Indian exports earnings is spent on buying petroleum, particularly, crude oil, this has a negative impact on the countrys overall economy. In the past five years, the amount of imports of the petroleum products is almost 40 per cent of the total exports of India in the last six years. For the year, 2011-12, it has been as high as 51.2 per cent. Such large quantities of imports will exert huge amount of pressure on Indias current account deficit. This increase in the crude oil imports is not just because of the increase in the price but also because of the increase in demand of fuel in the country. The amount of petroleum imports has increased from 82 million tons in 2002-03 to 164 million tons in 2010-11, thus increasing the import bills in terms of rupees by over 500 per cent between 2002-03 and 2010-11. These imports are one of the causes of the depleting foreign exchange reserves. In 2002-03, the percentage of petroleum imports with respect to the foreign exchange reserves were 23.18 and it went up to 34.80 per cent in 2010-11. This should be a major source of concern as a large chunk of the countrys foreign exchange earnings are spent on import of a single commodity. The  ownership of vehicles in India is growing at compound annual growth rate of 12%  for the two wheelers.71% of vehicles are two wheelers, and they run on petrol. Also the sale of two wheelers is around seven times more than the sales of car within the country. Two wheelers essentially provide mobility to the aspiring and the middle class. This gives us a fair idea about the huge amount of petro consumed by the people. India was the worlds fifth largest importer of oil. It imports more than 2.2 million bbl/d, i.e. around 70 percent of its consumption.  Its major imports come from the Middle East (34%), Saudi Arabia (18%) and Africa (22%). cid:[emailprotected] From the below table we can see that, the price of petrol has risen over the period of five years in different countries. Indias and the emerging economies like Russia and Chinas petrol price has grown over by 60% during the past 5 years while the developed economies have   only a max of 20% price growth over the past 5 years. Country and Currency 2007 2012 % increase India (INR) 48.38 78.57 62.4 USA (US$) 0.87 1.02 17.98 Russia (Ruble) 16.79 25.41 51.34 China (Yuan) 4.94 8.33 68.62 Japan (Yen) 136.7 149.4 9.29 Germany (Euro) 1.394 1.631 17 UK (Pound) 1.40197 1.68137 19.92 Both oil and petroleum products are scarce commodities. Therefore both demand and supply are less elastic. The demand-supply and other factors   like cartel, hoarding, supply shocks etc., the prices are   fluctuating (increasing) to such great levels causing demand pull, as well as cost push inflation. The inflated oil prices not only affect the poor people of the country but also rich people. But the impact is more significant on the poor people. Increase in the international oil price leads to a domestic inflation, which thereby decreases the foreign exchange reserves. The supply of the foreign currency reduces thus appreciating the value of the foreign currency and depreciating the local currency which in turn increases the prices of imports. It also deteriorates the balance of trade of the country. All these factors push a country into the poverty trap. International oil price hike affects both the public and the government. It brings in inflation and reduces the purchasing power of the people. It also affects the governments revenue and expenditure. Government being the biggest consumer, it has a negative effect on the real GDP, on the foreign exchange reserves; it increases the total foreign debt of the country and also further deteriorates the current account deficit of the country. With the increase in the fuel prices, the price of consumer products increases because oil is an essential component of the industrial and the manufacturing sectors, also petrol and diesel is used for the transportation of goods, thus creating an inflationary pressure. The government can take a few initiatives which can help in the long run. For e.g. there could be a fuel shift from petrol, diesel to Hybrid, CNG, non-motorized transport etc. Also we could undergo a modal shift i.e. from road freight transport to rail freight transport. The government can also make fuel more affordable by targeting more on subsidies and improving the already existing schemes. Also the vehicles fuel economy standards can be improved there by making it fuel efficient. People can take a few demand side management initiatives like car pooling etc.

Writing the Academic Essay -- Expository Process Essays

Writing the Academic Essay For many high school students, the academic essay is an unforgiving monster that terrorizes their campus, a nightmarish beast that can rip the heart out of G.P.A.'s and dash all hopes for college admission. Yet, others tame this friend with ease, bending its cruel will to theirs as if it was nothing, as if they possessed a secret weapon. Well, guess what? They do! Successful essayists succeed because they are armed with the exact knowledge of what an essay is and how it is made; they know an essay is an organized group of paragraphs that strongly assert and vividly support a central idea. Further, they know the organization of an academic essay is as easy as one, two, three: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion are its three essential parts. For starters then, let us begin with the introduction. Its job is to move from the general to the specific, to introduce the essay's topic, clarify its central idea, and detail its thesis statement. Yet, before it can do that, it should attempt to "hook" the reader by catching his interest with some appropriate bait. The first way to hook a reader is by centering an original title above the introduction. Please note the word original in that last sentence. Lazy and generic titles like "English Essay" or "Crucible Essay" are not effective because they are neither informative nor interesting. After an original title, a good introduction begins with one or two interesting sentences that serve to focus the essay's general topic. With that done, the writer becomes more specific and introduces the essay's central idea. A central idea is simply a clear statement of the writer's opinion or position on the general topic. In my introduction to this ... ...oes not mean that it is as unstoppable as Godzilla. Indeed, the curse of the essay is quite manageable if one keeps in mind its underlying characteristics. The basic academic essay is five logically related paragraphs that argue and defend a central idea, and the way it is structured is simplicity itself. When the writer keeps in mind the three parts of an essay-the introduction, the body, and the conclusion-then much of the anxiety and confusion associated with essay writing can be vanquished. Like Frankenstein's creature, essays are put together from separate parts, but because they are composed of logically related ideas, they are an invention that can be tamed by organized thinking. Indeed, writers who plan carefully and follow their plan are pleased to find that their brainchild is no fear-inspiring monster, but rather a creation that reveals their true genius.

Abortion - Can You Hear the Babies Screaming? :: abortion argumentative persuasive argument

Abortion - Can You Hear the Babies Screaming?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On January   22, 1973,   the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion. When the it ruled that abortion was legal, the court not only gave women the right to choose but also gave the unborn   babies   a right to die. Since that day, millions upon millions of unborn children have been ripped apart, burned with saline solutions, and sucked from their mothers' wombs. With every abortion that occurs another inaudible scream from the unborn child   is silenced and the rights of that child   are   taken away .      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If someone where to be asked if murder was wrong, the general answer would be yes. When that same person is asked if abortion is murder,   the answer may be yes, but most likely   the answer is no. Why do most people think that murder is wrong, but do not agree that abortion is murder?   The reason for this contradiction is that   most people believe that the unborn infant is not a human, but an organ or part of the woman's body, which would make the act of aborting the child just the same as removing an appendix. This problem of when life begins stems from the inconsistencies which come from the case of Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court interrupted   that by the ninth   and fourteenth amendments that a woman has the right to an abortion. The court that day, however, did not rule when a life begins for a human.   If society is to assume that a fetus is a human the second it   leaves the uterus, then what is the unborn baby three minutes from birth , a monkey. When an unborn baby is aborted, society must realize that an organ was not taken out, but a living human being.   This would make abortion wrong because according to law, no one has the right to take away anther's life.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With many   people considering   the cases of unwanted pregnancy due to rape or incest to be acceptable, they must   realize that the child is not the crime.   Society's reason behind this is, why should the woman suffer from the pain and remembrance that the pregnancy brings.   Even though cases of abortion

Volenteer

SCARBOROUGH YMCA VOLUNTEER APPLICATION FORM ` PERSONAL INFORMATIONMr. Mrs. Ms. First Name: Last Name: Address: Apartment No. : City: Prov: Postal Code: Home Phone: ( ) - Cell: ( ) - Email: Volunteer Shirt Size: Membership #: No Membership| PLEASE LIST TWO REFERENCES (Other than relatives / not related to you)EMAIL REQUIREDMr. Mrs. Ms. (click to see options)Name: Relationship: Phone: ( ) - Email: Notes: (For volunteer coordinator use only)Mr. Mrs. Ms. (click to see options)Name: Relationship: Phone: ( ) - Email: Notes: (For volunteer coordinator use only)| SCHOOL INFORMATION Not ApplicableSchool Name: How many hours do you require? Time frame: From to (ex. Feb 2010 to Feb 2013)| IN WHICH AREA(S) WOULD YOU LIKE TO VOLUNTEER: (click to see options)Preference #1: Preference #2:| Emergency Contact Information:Name: Telephone: ( ) - Relationship (click to see options) If you have any questions please contact:Scarborough YMCAc/o Myra Narvaza(416) 296-9907 x408myrabelle. [e mail  protected] org| AVAILABILITYPlease indicate when you would be available to volunteer: Timeframe| Mon| Tues| Wed| Thu| Fri| Sat| Sun| AMBETWEEN6am-10am WEEKENDS 7am-10 am| | | | | | Between| Between| MID #1 BETWEENBetween10am-4pm| | | | | | | | MID #2 BETWEENBetween4pm-8pm| | | | | | | | PMBETWEEN8pm-12am| | | | | | | | | OTHER INFORMATION (Volunteer Coordinator Use Only) INTERVIEW DATE: _________________________ AGEDate of Birth:______________________Current Age: ______________________ * 14 – 15 yrs. Proof of Age: ____________________16 yrs. n:______________ * 16 above; Clearance Letter Date: ________________ MEDIA RELEASE FORM DATE: ______________________ AODA SELF-STUDY CONFIRMATION EMAIL DATE: _____________________ CERTIFICATION / QUALIFICATIONS: ______________________________________Tentative Assignment: (Program Area //Day/s //Time/s) ____________________________ NOTES:| ORIENTATION INVITE EMAIL DATE: ________________________ Volunteer Operating Policies Procedur es Manual copy AODA Self Study linkORIENTATION DATE & TIME: ______________________________|

Buss1001

3/11/2012 BUSS1001 Understanding Business Week 2: What is Business? Associate Professor Philip Seltsikas Associate Dean (Undergraduate) THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY BUSINESS SCHOOL Preview of today’s lecture †ºWhat is Business? – Narrow view – More complex view †ºAssessment 1 2 What is business? The narrow view †ºÃ¢â‚¬ËœAny activity that seeks to provide goods and services to others while operating at a profit’ (Nickels, McHugh and M H h 2010 p. G 14) d McHugh 2010, G-14). 3 1 http://images. google. com/imgres? q=henry+fayol&hl=en&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=L07_nJsWisbAAM:&imgrefurl=http://mariaavilla 4zKAcE9kM&w=131&h=173&ei=rrUvTvP0BJGmizar. logspot. com/2008/09/henry-fayol-vs-max-weber. html&docid=gigzs4 sAOJ9Lkd&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=287&vpy=150&dur=2276&hovh=138&h hovw=104&tx=81&ty=75&page=1&tbnh=128&tbnw=88& start=0&ndsp=35&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&biw=1429&bih=723 Total returns on assets must exceed cost of capital required to finance assets http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Max_Weber http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Scientific_management Reinvestment Returns Reinvestment Returns Assets Debt Equity The Value Creation Equation A ‘model’ of all businesses Assets †º 1841-1925 Henry Fayol Founder of Classical Management Theory 1856 – 1915 Frederick Taylor Developed ‘scientific management’ †º 1864 – 1920 Max Weber Studied organizational bureaucracy Fayol, Weber, and Taylor All capital is a costly resource Debt Equity 3/11/2012 2 3/11/2012 What doesn’t this model show us? WHAT? Organizational building blocks †º †º †º †º Mission, Vision, Goal, Purpose Strategy Collection of assets Configuration of Assets – into a structure (s) – to enact business processes Management (decision making & control) – using structure – using policies & procedures – using rewards & punishments DON’T NORMALLY SEE DON’T NORMALLY SEE †º Wh ere did these companies come from?WE SEE SOME OF THESE or ASPECTS OF THEM M 3 3/11/2012 Someone is at the controls – Keeping it running and navigating the environment 10 What is a BUSINESS? †º ‘Structure’ – multiple meanings †º This is ‘part of’ understanding Business Structure †º Organisational Structure will help us understand: ‘What is a Business’? 11 Dimensions of Organizational Structure †º †º †º †º †º †º Job specialization Departmentalization Span of control Chain of Command (c. f. hierarchy) Line functions and staff functions (front office/back office) Power and authority †º †º Divisionalization Centralization / Decentralization 4 3/11/2012 Organization ChartCEO CFO CIO COO Marketing Director IT Manager Sales Director Production Manager Marketing group A Marketing group B IT department Sales region A Sales region B Plant workers French & Raven 1959 5 bases of organizati onal power †º Coercive Power †º Reward Power http://www. carrollcoaching. com/coaching †º Legitimate Power †º Referent Power †º Expert Power Functional Organization Measures of Success? †º Profit †º Market Share †º KPIs (key performance indicators) 5 3/11/2012 Inside and Outside Perspectives †º Organisations are subject to external forces but may also influence the operation and effect of those same forces. Key aspects of the capacity of organisations to effectively shape their own destiny include the decisions that they make about: k b t ? Strategy ? Structure; and BUSS1001 Understanding Business ? Behaviour BUSS1002 The Business Environment Business: key player in society †¢ Is a major change agent †¢ Has the potential to be a ‘force for good’ g prosperity †¢ Drives growth and p p y Society †¢ Impacts on business †¢ Is constantly changing and so, must business change †¢ Affects what businesses do and how they do it What is business? A broader perspective Transformation of inputs into outputs to produce goods and services that meet needs and wants in the society [adapted from Wetherly and Otter 2011] For-profit businesses Private P i t sector t Types of business activity Public sector Non-profit organisations Government organisations 18 6 3/11/2012 Purpose of a ‘For-profit’ business organisation †ºMaximising returns on debt and equity †ºThis is achieved through sustainable competitive titi advantage 19 Sustainable competitive advantage †ºOutperforming your competitors in the long run †ºHow is this done? 20 Next week What? Why? Strategy 21

Light Bulbs Research Argument

Research Argument Essay In today’s world, people are more concerned about saving the environment than they have been in the past, and the choices that they make today about the light bulbs in their homes can play an important role in the future of the environment. Light bulbs are an every day object in homes across the World today and range from the less energy efficient incandescent light bulbs (normal light bulbs), the more energy efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, and the most energy efficient light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. In order to help save the environment people need to make the change to energy efficient lighting, which will also help them save money, and even though they need to be recycled, the process is easy. With all the talk about being â€Å"green†, as stated by Carolyn Milton, â€Å"for the new year I'm going to be more green conscientious,† making the simple change of a light bulb could be a good solution. Most American’s always talk about trying to save the environment and reduce emissions so they spend thousands of dollars to buy electric and hybrid cars, when if they would simply change out their outdated light bulbs they could make an even greater impact on reducing greenhouse-gases. As stated by Caplan, â€Å"Electric lighting currently accounts for 19% of the world’s electricity use, pumping as much greenhouse-gas pollution into the atmosphere ever year as half the world’s cars. In the debate about the deteriorating environment, power plants have always been referred to as a source of the world’s issues, but by making the switch to energy efficient light bulbs people can help reduce the amount of power plants, â€Å"Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone in the U. S. used energy-efficient lighting, we could retire 90 average size power plants. Saving ele ctricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste† (Energy Efficient Lighting). Energy efficient light bulbs save money by not only helping the environment but they can also leave more money in people’s wallets in the tough times of today. â€Å"An ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about 6 months† (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs for Consumers). People like to save energy, not only for the environment, but also because it can help save them money in the long run, â€Å"I would try any one that would use less energy,† Lacy Broughton. If a person switches to energy efficient light bulbs they will notice the difference in the price of their electricity bill because energy efficient light bulbs use less watts, â€Å"A single 18 watt CFL used in place of a 75 watt incandescent will save about 570 kWh over its lifetime. At 8 cents per kWh, that equates to a $45 savings† (Energy Efficient Lighting). By using energy efficient light bulbs you can also save money by not having to be inconvenienced in constantly having to change out and buy new light bulbs all the time, â€Å"Compact fluorescent bulbs have a higher lifespan as compared to incandescent light bulbs. They have a lifespan which ranges from 6,000 to 15,000 hours. This presents a definite contrast to the 750 hours to 1,000 hours that make up the life span of an incandescent bulb† (Dahne). The most common energy efficient light bulbs are the CFLs, which contain mercury and have to be recycled and disposed of properly when no longer in use. Some people avoid making the switch to energy efficient light bulbs because of the dangers that could come with mercury, but in reality, â€Å"A power plant will emit 10mg of mercury to produce the electricity to run an incandescent bulb compared to only 2. mg of mercury to run a CFL for the same time† (Energy Efficient Lighting). Disposing of CFLs is easier than people would like to admit since, â€Å"Burned out CFLs can be dropped off at Home Depot and Ikea stores† (Energy Efficient Lighting). If the mercury in CFL light bulbs is still concerning then people can always switch to LED lights, â€Å"that last five to 10 times as long as CFLs, contain no mercury and use far less energy† (Caplan). If every American home replaced just one light bulb with and ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year† (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs for Consumers). There are many choices for energy efficient light bulbs, some with mercury and some without, but overall all will help save the environment and save people their money. Saving the environment will not only help the lives of people living today, but will help the lives of all the people living for generations to come, so switch to energy efficient light bulbs and help save the world. Works Cited Broughton, Lacy. Discussion Interview. 1 November 2009. Caplan, Jeremy â€Å"Better Bulbs. † Time 174. 4 (2009): 54. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 19 Oct. 2009. â€Å"Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs for Consumers. † Energystar. gov. Energy Star. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. . Dahne, Tom. â€Å"Learn all About Fluorescent Bulbs. † Psychicarticles. co. uk. Psychic Articles, 03 Oct. 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. . â€Å"Energy Efficient Lighting. † Eartheasy. com. Eartheasy. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. . Milton, Carolyn. Discussion Interview. 5 November 2009.

La Misma Luna Review

La Misma Luna review The first theme I think of when it comes to the movie La Misma Luna is big things come in small packages. Carlos is nine years old, yet he is determined to cross the Mexico border to find his mother. Most nine year olds are focusing on what picture they want to color next, not Carlos. I felt really touched by what Carlos is trying to accomplish. Carlos comes across many obstacles on his journey to his mother. He eventually comes across Enrique, who turns into his travel buddy, and saves him numerous times. I really admire Enrique for all he did for Carlos.Although he wanted to leave Carlos many times, Enrique stayed by his side, keeping him from danger. I feel like I am most like Enrique for the fact of how he helps Carlos. I am always helping people, whether I get along with them, or even like them, I’m always there to help. I also relate to Enrique because of his determination. He is just like Carlos, determined to find his mother (Carlos’. ) Toge ther they go through many struggles, sleeping on park benches, finding cheap easy jobs, barley making enough money to eat and sleep. But they will do whatever it takes to find her.I am determined like them when it comes to basketball. I am also willing to work as hard as I have to win, start, score, and play as much as I can. Enrique saved Carlos from danger numerous times. This brings me to my next theme, that you can do anything you put your mind to. When Carlos was working in the tomato factory, he almost got caught; and I was very frightened at this point. He didn’t think for a second he was going to get caught. He hid himself in crates of tomatoes and waited. All during the movie, whatever he puts his mind to, he does.The most obvious goal Carlos accomplished was finding his mother. He walked the streets of Los Angeles looking for the special corner, with the pizzeria, Laundromat, party store, and murals on sides of buildings. That is true determination. But this shows t rue courage of Enrique. He could have easily left Carlos behind, for him to get caught. But he didn’t and that is something to look up to. True friendship and courage is what makes this movie so special. Without Enrique staying beside Carlos, no matter how annoying he got the movie wouldn’t have been the same.Without Enrique, Carlos would probably have gotten kidnapped, or found by the police and sent back to Mexico. It’s true friendship for Enrique to throw his coffee at the police when they had a hold of Carlos. Carlos was then able to escape, but it was not the same for Enrique, and I have a feeling he knew that when he threw the cup. The significance of the title is that no matter the distance between Carlos and his mother, they were always close to each other. They are under the same moon no matter what.

A Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Kansas with Academ Personal Statement

A Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Kansas with Academic Preference in Mathematics Intends to Get a Major in Statistics in the University of Kansas Module Personal ment Growing up, I wanted to pursue my education in the United s owing to the fact that it has the best institutions of learning and offers competitive career opportunities for graduates. I was born in China but moved to the U.S. to pursue my undergraduate degree. In the four years that I have lived in the country, I have learned a lot from the diverse population and on top of this, I recently graduated, with a bachelor of science degree in May 2014, from the University of Kansas. I majored in mathematics and minored in business. My academic preference has always been inclined towards the field of mathematics. This has given me a firm foundation for statistical and mathematical inquiry and equipped me with the skills and competencies that are needed to survive in a professional career in the same field. My job at Nantong Chengchang Mechanical Engineering Co. Ltd. gave me a chance to experience the practical aspect of business. Additionally, it gave me diverse knowledge in various sectors including mathematics and statistics. I served as a teaching assistant at the University of Kansas, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This experience taught me how to interact with people from various backgrounds. This experience also improved my public speaking capabilities. Through other work experience I have learned the value of leadership skills, customer services, and the significance of thoroughness and dependability. I have a wide range of core competencies that I have acquired over the years. I am flexible, meticulous and analytically minded and possess strong logical reasoning skills, all of which are important for the study of mathematics and statistics. I deal with challenges head-on and have excellent multitasking capabilities. I am a supportive team player and have demonstrated dedication and positive work ethics over the years. I am a fast learner and have excellent public speaking and excellent interpersonal communication, as throughout my stay in the United States I have interacted with individuals from different socio-cultural backgrounds. My bilingual competency is demonstrated through my fluency in English and native Chinese. I have an excellent understanding of MS Office including PowerPoint, Excel and Word. I am also highly skilled in C++ and STATA software. I am familiar with programming languages such as Java and Pascal. This is definitely an advantage in the study of statistics a nd mathematics. My academic qualifications are a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a minor in Business from the University of Kansas. My work experience at Nantong Chengchang Mechanical Engineering Co. Ltd. was eye-opening and helped in developing requisite skills. In this company I productively took part in controlling various daily operations. I actively participated in streamlining the setting-up of a production and safety management technique. This resulted in improved efficiency in plant management. Additionally, I engaged in the formulation of two tender processes during the entity’s bid on two contracts with China International Marine Containers. The company, as a result, won one of the tenders. My experience as a teaching assistant at the University of Kansas, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Mathematics Department, taught me valuable lessons. I developed a plan that helped students achieve a better understanding of the course materials. The students recorded improved performance in their tests and assignments. I have excellent leadership skills since I served as an orientation volunteer in the International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) in the university. I have won awards in the National Olympiad in Informatics (NOI) in 2003 (Second Prize), 2004 (Third Prize) and 2006 (Tenth Place). This demonstrates my spirit to compete and succeed in all that I do. To sum up, I am a highly motivated, dynamic and focused undergraduate with a passion for statistics and mathematics, database management, and strong research inquiry. I am also keen on details. I am enthusiastic and self-driven, and seek an opportunity to study in a healthy and supportive learning environment that fosters leadership skills and professional growth while encouraging development of the team spirit. I believe that my core competencies, educational background, work experience, and awards demonstrate why I am an appropriate candidate to pursue a major in statistics in the University of Kansas.

The terms 'ethnic minority' hides the diversity between and within Essay

The terms 'ethnic minority' hides the diversity between and within minority ethnic groups. Discuss - Essay Example dress issues of discrimination on racial or ethnic lives have not been able to efficiently iron out details about ethno-religious matters, gender and ethnicity, ethno-politico issues and other such gray areas. Members of these minority groups have had to endure their situation or fight like the black feminists did. This paper aims to discuss an array issues that touch on this issue of differences between and within ethnic minority groups. Looking at self-employement sector in Britain for example the self-employment rate is 14.6 percent for non-whites compared to 12.3 percent for whites. However beneath this statistics are the glaring differences between the groups. The self-employment rate for black Carribeans is 5.8 percent while that for Chinese is 26.6 percent (Kenneth and Drinkwater, 1). Factors that could create these differences would include social support from one’s community to facilitate a self-sustaining economic environment, effects of religion or access to informal sources of capital and manpower from the family ties or members of the ethnic community (Kenneth and Drinkwater, 1). Cultural endowments too determine such kinds of trends since it does determine one’s attitude towards entrepreneurship. It also has a bearing on consumer behaviour and how much of a good is ordered (Rafiq, 46). Some of these consumer behaviours become so pronounced as to qualify some goods being referred to as ethnic goods. When a good number of members of a certain ethnic group live together in one neighbourhood, a protected market scenario arises. The shop owners are able to maintain a monopoly of sorts within the neighbourhood and the members give support by being loyal to these businesses. The shop owners are keener to provide goods and services that meet the memb ers’ preferences. Religious goods are particularly a favourite. So are goods from the ethnic group’s country of origin. Religion is another strong influence. Rafiq, (50-55) argues that in

Assignment 7 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assignment 7 - Research Paper Example This paper will also seek to come up with expected outcomes, how to implement these outcomes, and how to assess the changes after initial implementation of the expected findings. Data Collection and Measurement The research will utilize a demographic survey and focus groups in order to collect required data. The use of a short survey was made in obtaining self-reported information with regards to the perception of nurses to interpersonal relationships with their patients (Anderson, 2006). During and following each session, field notes and PI observations were made to complement analysis of voice data that is digitally recorded. Observation will also be used to study the nurses in the focus groups in order to compare, as well as validate, the information discussed in the sessions, as well as to observe the interpersonal interactions between patients and staff. An observation guide will give consistent items that each of the nurses will be observed for. The observed behavior of patient s and nurses will be recorded. For the survey questions under investigation, a comprehensive measurement summary will be given by the qualitative descriptive method. The interviews will be transcribed verbatim. Common themes, metaphors, and concepts will then be identified through a transcript review for subsequent identification of thematic trends (Anderson, 2006). Statistical measures will be done inferentially through predictions about the nursing population in the hospital on satisfaction and attitudes, as well as in the analysis of the studied sample. The results after analysis of the sample will be taken and generalized for a larger population of the nurses in the hospital, which will be possible since the selected sample is representative of the nursing population in the two units under study. The levels of measurement used for this research study are ordinal scales since is wishes to measure the satisfaction of a particular group, in this group the nurses, with bedside repor ting. The scale items for the questionnaires and survey will from most to least satisfied. Expected Outcomes of the Research This study is expected to show common differences and concerns about bedside reporting, particularly with regards to interpersonal relationships. The geriatric unit, which consistently carries out bedside reporting, will have a higher level of interpersonal relationships than the telemetry unit that dos not consistently carry out bedside reporting. It is also expected that there will be inconsistency in, as well as lack of, information from one shift to the next. This affects the ability of the nurses to deliver quality care and discuss meaningfully with the family members and the doctors (Laws & Amato, 2010). Therefore, interpersonal relationships between nurses, patients, patient families, and doctors will have to be improved in order to improve perceptions about bedside reporting among nurses. Improvement will be made through informing nursing staff on chan ges required and the importance of these changes. The staff will also be trained through role-play, video, and power point slides. The message in the training will involve the importance of bedside reporting to safety and quality of healthcare (Laws & Amato, 2010). Finally, bedside reporting should be made using a checklist to ensure that its key elements are covered. It is anticipated that the

Problem solving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Problem solving - Essay Example erience and judgement bias, facilitates easy assessment of situations, and allows the management to remain on the right track of organisational goals (Wilson 2000). There is a need to solve problems so that decisions can be made effectively. Young individuals between the age group of 16 and 24 years are valuable resources for a nations future. They are often overlooked instead of offered community support system to foster creativity, productivity and development. There is a misconception that youths are essentially bad whereas research indicates that (Godwin 1998) adolescents and youths of today come under much pressure from society such as stress, fast-paced lifestyles, responsibilities at home, emotional upheaval, victimisation, and peer pressures. This is why young people today more than before tend to engage in drinking alcohol, violent crimes, promiscuity, and offences against the law. The widespread risk behaviours have developed a generation of young delinquents who require extensive help from the community. Some of the risk factors include lack of education, poor parenting and drugs problems according to Adamsons report on youth crime (2003). The problem of youth risk behaviours can be analysed by using the Fishbone diagram (Wealleans 2001). In the following diagram one can observe that youth risk behaviours are caused by individual attitudes (man), poverty (material), lack of education (machine), poor parenting (management), and peer pressure and lifestyles (environment). These causes also have sub-causes such as the need to be recognised or to find excitement; lack of education may be due to dropping out of schools; poor parenting may be due to absent working parents or belonging to single parents; and peer pressure may include victimisation or gang bullying. As a result of these causes and sub-causes, youths engage in the above risk behaviours (effect). The Fishbone technique, a part of the cause-and-effect group, involves the identification of

Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Supply Chain Management - Essay Example However, there are many challenges that companies face while trying to improve supply chain management. One big challenge that they face is customer service, which means that ensuring that the products that a customer want are delivered at the right place and at the right time is a huge challenge for companies. This is made worse by the fact that the number of customers keeps on rising and meeting their needs is the only way they can maintain them because of the high competition in today’s market (RFID STUDY GROUP at Pennsylvania State University, 2006). The other challenge is cost control; this is because companies in order to improve their supply chain management have to find a way to control costs. These are hard tasks considering their operating costs are under a lot of pressure. These pressures that cause an upswing in operating costs rise from, regular technology upgrades and advancements to keep up with the competitors, global customers who require goods to be shipped to them, expansion in costs of healthcare and constant increase in commodity prices. These pressures are not under companies’ control and, therefore, controlling them becomes a very hard task that leads to operating costs of supply chain management being high. The other challenge is risk management and planning since supply chain management requires a lot of good planning and the right strategy for managing risks involved (W.K, P, & K.H, L, 2000). This is because this process has to be assessed periodically and its design has to keep on changing to ensure that market changes are accommodated. Companies have to identify risks and quantify as well as controlling them. There are constant changes in supply chain management such as introduction of new products to the market, new acquisition, new intellectual property to be protected, as well as maintenance of assets and security of shipping products. All these have to be planned and integrated prior to the process to

Education System in the United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Education System in the United Kingdom - Essay Example The United Kingdom, like many other countries, has compulsory education laws. These laws mandate school attendance from age 5 to age 16. Secondary school continues on until the age of 18, but many students leave school at age 16 and move into the workforce. Although compulsory education begins at age five, many three and four year olds attend nursery schools. Currently approximately two thirds of youngsters in the United Kingdom attend nursery school. Attending nursery school socializes children at a younger age and prepares them for compulsory education at age five. The education system in the United Kingdom provides a free education to students in three stages. The first two levels are primary and secondary education which falls under local government control. The United Kingdom has a mandated a national curriculum that is used country wide to ensure that all students in the public school system receive the same standardized education. Tertiary education offers a university level education. Tertiary education falls under central government control and consists of colleges and universities that provide education and training such as vocational education and teacher's training. . Secondary education can include vocational education designed to prepare the student for national vocational certifications. Primary school in the United Kingdom is very much like primary school in other countries. Children are taught by one teacher. This teacher teaches several subjects to his/her students. At about age eleven children move on to secondary school and are taught by a number of teachers. These teachers teach specific subjects. At age sixteen compulsory education ends and students may choose to stay on or leave school. Many students choose to leave school and join the workforce. The United Kingdom does give their youth another choice. This choice is an apprenticeship program. (Steedman, 2001). Students that choose an apprenticeship as a route to a career are tasked with finding an employer that offers an apprenticeship. This can be done by looking for advertisements or through their Local Training and Enterprise Councils (TEC). Most apprenticeships are begun by being directed to a training provider (Steedman, 2001) who trains the student and then directs the student to possible employers. Other parts of the United Kingdom prepare their youth a little differently for higher education. But, in the end all have the same qualifications to move on to higher education. This includes Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. The students who choose to stay on have several options. They can attend to sixth form, choose to attend vocational training, or enter an apprenticeship programme. The apprenticeship programmes and vocational training prepare the students to obtain certification through the National Vocational Qualification Programme. Educational Shortfalls in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom's "main area of weakness is the comparatively large number of school dropouts at the age of 16"(RocSearch, 2006). The low staying on rate at age 16 causes these students to enter the work world with little or no vocational education. These students end up in low paying jobs. There are not enough students staying in school, primarily in vocational education, to train for vocational job in the United Kingdom. Businesses in the United Kingdom require a workforce that is trained and ready to work. The United Kingdom

Early childhood trauma and the impact it has on adult relationships Essay

Early childhood trauma and the impact it has on adult relationships (emotional and psychosocial) - Essay Example The stress of childhood trauma was found to have an impact on emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social and psychological effects in both Childs early stages of life and also in their adult life. In adult life their found to cause potential and chronic, mental and psychotic problems, thus causing the individual their family, community and ultimately the joy and peace of life. (1) (Bruce D. Perry, 2002) Brain is a organ, that is designed to sense process, store, perceive and act according to information obtained from the world. To achieve this the brain has a hundreds of neurons and related systems that works as a process of modulating, regulating, compensating the control over the body. In the case of stress the homeo stasis is disturbed. It should be understood that stress means traumatic form of severe stress that the child would be unable to handle. Children when faced by moderate to predictable level of stress with the presence of caregiver is usually not much affected. So the dramatic rapid and unpredictable or threatening changes in the environment activate then stress response of central and phereparal nervous system. Thus the trauma throws the individual system out of equilibrium and intern the body rapidly tries to restore the balance, robbing the individual's normal state. The usual response of human brain when confronted with unbearable trauma is dissociation, hyper arousal (the state of hyper vigilance activating stress hormones more level) or a combination of both. Thus the survival strategy range from fighting, fleeing or give up or surrender reaction. The nature intensity and frequency or which depends on individual child. Following this the child enter the phase of posttraumatic period during which the mind and body slowly tends to come back. During this period the child moves from the brink of terror through fear, alarm, etc. The heartbeat, pressure and other physiciological adaptation normalize and hyper vigilance increases. Now the child goes through phase of fear and anxiety and the event gets played in the child's mind again and again trying to make sense of what has happened. This set of living and reliving experiences is called as intrusions - that process them for a long term as a memory that disturbs their adult life. (Bell, D., & Belic ki, K. (1998). (3) Effects of Trauma on childhood period: The experiences leave the child with at times unusual visual auditory or tactile sensations. Disturbed sleep and food patterns are also altered. The child post trauma experiences persisting emotional behavior, cognitive and physiological science and symptoms - The posttraumatic stress disorder characterized by impulsivity, distractibility, attention problems, emotion problems, sleep problems, social avoidance, dissociation, aggressiveness, failure in school and delayed development.

Providing Quality Service Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Providing Quality Service - Research Paper Example How the Industry Involves Guests in Order to Provide Quality Service Therefore, in order for the hospitality industry to get involved in the good service delivery, it has to provide programs that involve its guests. To do this, the industry may choose on certain programs such as; collecting information from the customers and provide a system through which customers can give their feedback about the kind of service and experience they received from the industry. Information can be collected from a short and precisely designed questionnaire which can be given to the customers as they board the facility so that they return the duly completed questionnaires at the time they leave the facility. In this way, the guests will be able to fill the questionnaires appropriately as they experience the particular questions in the questionnaire. The guests will be able to give their minds about what they feel is done right as well as what they feel needs to be adjusted. This information is then col lected from various guests and then well sorted to provide the major areas of weaknesses and strengths in the industry. The suggestions are then implemented by the company in order to ensure that service delivery is improved. Likewise, a hospitality firm may also provide a suggestion box for its guests so that the guests may give out their suggestions about their experience with the particular firm. The suggestion boxes should be put strategically in their rooms of residence and even outside so that they do not look for them. The guests need to be reminded to be giving their suggestions through the suggestion box in order to help the firm in improving service delivery (Jay, Connie, & Beverly, 2001). Service Standards Used by the Industry to Meet Customer Expectations The hospitality industry needs to maintain certain service standards in order to meet customer expectations. One such standard includes having an excellent customer care service. What makes the basis of a good hospitali ty industry is how the customers are handled and taken care of. Therefore, this industry finds strength in an excellent customer care department that knows its customer’s needs and solved them appropriately. A client may like the industry from the way they were received by the receptionist. A rude and careless receptionist will give the industry a bad image and make it lose customers. The guests who come to such industries most of the time are on holiday and therefore they would wish to be away from stress and just relax in the most welcoming environment. Therefore, they expect a warm reception from where they want to spend their holiday so that their mission can be accomplished. Another service standard that needs to be maintained by the hospitality industry is the quality of service offered by the employees. Employees should be properly trained in order to be able to take care of the guests well. The guests need to be satisfied with the kind of services they require to be o ffered to them by the industry. The industry offers such services through their employees, therefore, employees need to receive proper training that will enable them to execute such

Capitalization of Gender in Edna Millays Essay Example for Free

Capitalization of Gender in Edna Millays Essay The sonnet has experienced many modifications and innovations throughout the ages. Edna St. Vincent Millay’s â€Å"I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed† and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s â€Å"Sonnet 43†, both Petrarchan sonnets, have diversified and helped pave the way for future female poets. In order to address and capitalize on ideas of gender connected to sonnet form and content, Edna Millay and Elizabeth Browning both revolutionize the traditional male-dominated sonnet form as females, Browning expresses overly sentimental and passionate emotion through content and Millay contradicts the social norm of female sexuality as well through content. Millay and Browning revolt against the male-dominated sonnet. Popular among prominent male poets, the sonnet was deemed unworthy for females, as men were far more educated and capable of fulfilling its high standards and strict guidelines. Both poets proved common beliefs wrong by excelling in the sonnet form. They used the Petrarchan sonnet, playing close attention to rhyme scheme and using iambic pentameter. They even incorporated the Volta between the octave and sestet, while using the first three lines in the sestet to introduce the change in tone and the last three lines in the sestet to conclude, invariably identical to the traditional Italian sonnet. At a time where women did not even have the right to vote, Millay and Browning both struggled to find a place in poetry writing, especially the sonnet form in which their predecessors were all male. The literary cannon and the Romantic Era consisted of all male poets who directed the sonnets to their lovers in regard to express their profound appreciation. Love has been the preferred sonnet theme since the 1300’s when the sonnet was created and both, Millay and Browning, stuck with the same traditional concept of love and lust as their topic. Being one of the most popular, sought out forms of poetry, the sonnet was the perfect way for nineteenth-century women to get out into the limelight and start a feminist movement. Or possibly, women poets stumbled toward the sonnet form due to its oppressive rules of rhyme scheme, structural shifts, meter and syllable count, it provided them a ready-made metaphor, suggesting difficulties in communication. Extremely restrained, the sonnet form helped make inexpressibility apparent, it therefore presented women sonneteers with an irony that revealed their circumstances of restricted speech and forced silence. Female poets, who incorporated the strict sonnet form, at a time difficult for women to freely embark in the lyric tradition, did so only to promote gender variance. Elizabeth Browning uses exceedingly sentimental emotions in her â€Å"Sonnet 43†. She either does so for ridicule or freedom for women to express themselves. By the use of such diction she is using satire and mockery of overly melodramatic reactions and feelings of a typical woman. â€Å" With my lost saints! -I love thee with the breath,/ Smiles, tears, of all my life! (12-13)†, even with the usage of several exclamation marks, she creates emphasis on the over exaggeration. In her Sonnet 43, Browning proclaims the pleasure love brings and pleads for a complete surrender to love, which seems far too corny. Or perhaps, she is just being herself, demonstrating to fellow females to be confident and unafraid of articulating and communicating your feelings. Following the thematic convention of rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter, Browning either wants to represent stereotypical females with her portrayal of unrealistic sensations or she wants to prove that even a completely feminine sonnet can create attentiveness to gender difference. Edna Millay challenges the social standards of female sexuality. Millay’s poem explores a female-centred perspective which opposes the widespread male-dominated presumptions of women. It is indeed a very sexual poem, revealing her sexual attraction and intentions to a particular man. Female sexuality was silenced in those times and rarely did women speak so openly and fearlessly of personal matters. She created a new realm of subject matters to women authors and helped support a liberated approach to life. The style of her poetry is formal with typical meter and rhyme scheme. Critics have repeatedly pointed out her bizarre connection of conventional poetic forms and structures with completely unconventional ideas and expressions. We must recognize and appreciate Millay for revealing the love em and leave em tactic normally exercised by males. However, because of the poets reversed gender, this strategy seems more modern, harmless and considerably humorous. There is irony and originality in a female using such rebellious content, perhaps she is scrutinizing normal male intentions, as it is regularly the women who are hurt in the end because they long for a relationship while the men are only looking for sex. The form may receive validity of tradition while the content concurrently mocks tradition. With the help of this poem she gained a reputation of a free-spirited and revolutionary social figure whose work followed her commemoration of life. Edna Millays poem fights for sexual freedom originally claimed by men, it fights for equality of the double standard that exists, which inhibits female sexuality and encourages male sexuality. Writing as women has led them to run â€Å"counter to† their culture and â€Å"against the grain of time† to echo Pounds words. Edna St. Vincent Millays â€Å"I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed† and Elizabeth Barrett Brownings â€Å"Sonnet 43† redefine the standards of genre and gender norms. Millay and Browning both revolt against the regularly male sonnet form, they were attracted to its structural affinity to promote gender variance. Browning creates emphasis using ordinary female emotions, while Millay challenges normality of female sexuality. However at the same time there are distinct contrasts apparent, Brownings poetry has a feminine quality with such passion and sentimentality while Millays poetry has a masculine quality, as it resists sentimentality with her ability to look beyond the status quo and her completely opposite lifestyle of love affairs. However, both poets attempt to reconcile with convention while contributing to gender capitalization, hoping to establish diversification equally valid for females. Both are icons for womanhood, both are masters of the sonnet forms and both are nurturers of ambition, independence, outspokenness and flaunting sexuality.

Factors Affecting Labour Turnover Commerce Essay

Factors Affecting Labour Turnover Commerce Essay This proposal is on the factors that affect labour turnover of Life insurance Agents in Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Kenya. A Life insurance company relies on a stable Agency force to sell and service its Life insurance products to enable it make profit from the Life policy. The exit of an Agent affects the servicing of the policies sold with negative impact on Companys profitability and investable fund for the nations economic development. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the factors, find out how and to what extent they affect labour turnover of Agents in Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Kenya. It will also seek to find solution to the problem and make recommendations. This study will benefit the management and Agency Managers of the company, other Life Insurance companies, current and potential investors in Life insurance companies as well as government and its Agencies. The study will make use of descriptive research design which will involve field survey of targeted respondents of Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Kenya. The target population will be the regional managers, sales managers and the Agents at its branches in Nairobi numbering about 200. A sample of 15% will be taken using simple random sampling technique. The data will be collected by the use of questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics which will include tables, charts, diagrams and frequency distribution measurements such as mean, mode and median. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS Life Insurance Life Assurance is an aspect of Financial Planning which provides for the payment of a capital sum to the dependants of a policy owner on his death or to the policy owner on survival to policy expiration, in consideration of the payment of a smaller, often regular, amount to the Life office Life Insurance Sales Agent Life insurance agents specialize in selling policies that pay beneficiaries when a policyholder dies. They also sell other varieties of Life insurance products such as annuities that promise a retirement income, Health insurance and short-term and long-term-disability insurance policies. Agents may specialize in any one of these products, or function as generalists, providing multiple products to a single customer. They earn commission and other benefits for their effort. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS LIMRA Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association AKI Association of Kenya Insurers IIAA- Independent insurance Agents of America COP Certificate of Proficiency OMLAC Old Mutual Life Assurance Company CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION This chapter will focus on background of the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, the hypothesis or research questions, significance, scope and limitation of the study. 1.1 Background to the study Life Insurance is an aspect of Personal Financial Planning which enables somebody to provide for his future financial needs at old age and that of his or her dependants in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Such unforeseen circumstances are premature death, Total Permanent disability resulting from Accident or Critical illnesses which may reduce or terminate a persons income earning capacity. The risk of premature death is one of the major personal risks faced by most individuals. The financial consequences resulting from the death of a breadwinner before adequate resources have been established for dependents can be severe. Life insurance is a major source of financial protection against premature death. There are three main sources of life insurance protection which are individually purchased, Employer-sponsored and Government sponsored life insurance coverage. The dependable source is the individually purchased Life insurance protection because the other two may not be available to an individual. Life Assurance is a service premised on a promise to pay a certain amount of money in future in the event of the occurrence of a stated contingency which usually depends on the duration of human Life. Hence, the best form of selling this service is one on one personal selling through a Sales Person traditionally called an Agent. One major problem facing Life insurance Companies in selling their products and hence, profitability is the high rate of labour turnover of their Agents. A Life insurance company relies on a stable Agency force to sell its Life insurance products. These products are usually long tern going for a minimum of five years in duration. The profitability of a policy to the Life insurance Company depends on the consistent servicing of that policy by the Agent. When an Agent leaves an insurance Company when the policies he sold are still in their early years, such policies will no longer be serviced. Hence, the Company will lose in terms of future in-flow of investible funds, lost of commission that has been paid in advance to the Agent and payment of surrender values arising from lapsed policies. This situation threatens the survival of Life insurance companies and it has attracted the attention of some writers and researchers. According to Leverett et al (1977), the death of the independent Agency system as it exists today has been predicted for several years. Increased competition from newer sources, such as the entrance of Life insurance companies into the property-liability field, as well as traditional competition from the direct writers of insurance, tends to reinforce the foundation for such a prophesy. The attraction and retention of new agents into the independent agency system is vital to the continued successful existence of that system. A number of studies have indicated that the retention rate for agents recruited into the Life insurance industry is very low. According to one study, the two year and five year retention rates for 13 large life insurers in the United States were 39 and 13 percent respectively. Furthermore, the retention rate for smaller life insurers was found to be even less than for their larger counterparts. These figures are not totally unexpected given the lack or inadequacy of training and educational programs offered to new life insurance recruits. LIMRA (2009) points out that, it has been of great concern to many managers, the fact that only 5% of sales representatives who join the industry remain in the industry and become successful sales representatives. Out of the 5% only 2% become high achievers in the industry. Despite the fact that those on commissions earn more than majority of the salaried people, it has remained a very challenging field especially for the young people from college and university who would wish to earn good money easily and fast. Burand (2010) notes that over time, agents retention in the life insurance industry remains a perennial challenge for companies operating within the traditional career agency system. According to LIMRA (2010), 68% of agents leave companies within their first two years. Many managers presuppose that retention rates correspond with a companys effectiveness in building its sales and Organization in general. Company bottom lines would benefit substantially from increased retention rates. 1.1.1 Background to the Scope of Study Old Mutual Life Assurance Kenya belongs to an International long-term savings, protection and investment Group. The Group provides life assurance, asset management, banking and general insurance in 33 countries (Africa, Europe, the Americas and Asia). It has over 15 million customers and approximately 55 000 employees. The vision of the group is to be their customers most trusted partner passionate about helping them achieve their lifetime financial goals. The group was founded in 1845 and has expanded from their origins in South Africa in the last decade through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. It is listed in the UK, South Africa and three other African exchanges. Old Mutual Kenya (OMK) started doing business in Kenya in the late 1920s. The vision of the company is the same as its parent company but limited to East Africa. The mission statement of the company is as follows through understanding and meeting our customers needs, we will profitably expand our market for wealth accumulation and protection in Kenya. 1.1.2 Background to the Population Area and organizational Chart Old Mutual has 16 retail marketing outlets throughout Kenya including 4 in Nairobi. The retail marketing arm is under the jurisdiction of the Head of Sales who is at the head office. The head of sales is part of the executive management who reports on the activities of the sales force. The head of sales is assisted by head of channels who oversees the activities of the Branch managers in different locations. Under the Branch Manger are Sales managers who manage the Agents. 1.2 Problem Statement The Insurance industry has suffered astronomical losses resulting from high rate of labour turnover among Agents especially the new agents. The new agents are the sales representatives who have been with the company for less than four years. Annual report published by LIMRA international in 2004 pointed out that four year agents retention has not been able to move above 13 percents. This translates to 87 percent of the new agents in the insurance industry leaving their respective companies within the first four years of signing the contract. An agent in the insurance industry especially life insurance starts becoming profitable only after the third year of their contract in the company. This is because the initial years are characterized by huge training cost, initial allowances which are not tied to production and forward-earning commission system. This results in high expenses for the firm in the early years of recruiting an Agent with the hope of recouping the cost gradually from the future earnings of the Agent. This implies that most of the insurance companies have been incurring huge losses because of consistently poor retention rate of the new agents. Insurance agents retention has become a matter of concern as the Association of Kenya Insurers (AKI) highlighted in the 2011 report concerning developments of the tied agents in the insurance industry in Kenya. AKI report (2010) observed that lack of personal development of many Agents who join insurance industry is an issue that requires attention by the industry if the industry is to remain relevant in the country. Lack of personal development among the agents has been cited as an important factor that affects agents retention in the industry. A Life insurance company relies on a stable Agency force to sell its Life insurance products. These products are usually long tern going for a minimum of five years in duration. Agents are paid commission for any policy sold. The commission is structured in such a way that a substantial percentage up to 50% of the premium is paid in the first year and between 10% to 40% is paid in subsequent years up to the fifth year or sometimes end of the policy term. The profitability of a policy to the Life insurance Company depends on the consistent servicing of that policy by the Agent. If an Agent leaves an insurance Company when the policies he sold are still in their early years, such policies will no longer be serviced. Hence, the Company will lose in terms of future in-flow of investable funds, loss of commission paid in advance for future services of the Agent and an early lapse of such orphan policies. The economy also suffers because it will be starved of investable funds which aid the economic development of the nation. Old Mutual Life Assurance Kenya has experienced a drop in its number of Agents in the past years. While it had 500 Agents in 2010, they currently have about 200. This has also reflected in the revenue of the company from the individual life Insurance segment of the company. The premium income generated by the Agents for the past four years is represented in the following table. Table 1. Premium Income of Agents in Old Mutual Life Ass. Co. Kenya (2008 2011) Year Premium Income (Kshs 000) Difference Percentage Difference 2008 386,367 2009 378,056 (8,311) (2%) 2010 376,496 (1,560) (0.41%) 2011 349,429 (27,067) (7.18%) Source: OMLAC (2012) The graphical representation of the above situation is shown below. Figure 1. Premium Income of Agents in Old Mutual Life Ass. Co. Kenya (2008 2011) Source: OMLAC (2012) Life insurance premium from the sales Agent should increase in geometrical progression with positive cumulative effect on the revenue of the company. If the premium from new policies sold is added to the premium of existing policy holders, it should lead to increase in premium income from year to year. However, the reverse is the case in Old Mutual where premium income from Life insurance Agents has declined from Kshs 386 million in 2008 to Kshs 349 million in 2011. This represents a drop of 9.56% in premium income in 2011 compared to 2008. It is against this premises that this study will focus on factors affecting labour turnover of Life Insurance Agents in Old mutual Life Assurance Company Kenya. 1.3 Objectives of the study The objective of the study will include the following: 1.3.1 General Objective To investigate the factors that affect labour turnover of Life insurance Agents in the Life insurance industry in Kenya. 1.3.2 Specific Objectives To find out how remuneration affects the turnover of Life Insurance Agents of Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Kenya. To determine the effects of training on the turnover of Life Insurance Agents of Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Kenya. To investigate how physical work environment affect labour turnover of Life Insurance Agents of Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Kenya. To establish to what extent job satisfaction affects labour turnover of Life Insurance Agents of Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Kenya. To determine to what extent level of education affects labour turnover of Life Insurance Agents of Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Kenya. 1.4 The Research Questions The study will seek information to answer the following research questions: To what extend does remuneration affect turnover of Agents in Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Limited? To what extent does training affect turnover of Agents in Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Limited? How does physical work environment affect labour turnover of Agents in Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Limited? How does job satisfaction affect turnover of Agents in Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Limited? To what extent does level of education affect labour turnover of Agents in Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Limited? The Significance of the Study The findings from this study will benefit the organization and its stakeholders, the life insurance industry, government and other researchers in this field. The top management of Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Limited consisting of the Managing Director, the head of sales and head of channels who are likely to use the findings to understand the reasons behind labour turnover of Agents in the company. It will also help the Regional and Sales managers of Old Mutual Life Assurance Kenya to improve on their management techniques towards reducing labour turnover of Agents in their region and sales unit. The Sales Agents will also benefit from the study by using the recommendations to improve on their sales performance and create the personal willingness to stay with the company The findings of the study will also be of immense benefit to the government, especially the ministry of finance, and the commissioner of insurance who will use it to formulate policies that will improve retention of Agents in the Insurance industry. The stakeholders of Old Mutual Life Assurance Limited which include customers, investors and the public will also benefit from the study by understanding the factors that affect labour turnover of Agents in the company. Lastly, it will also benefit other researchers in this field who may use this report for further studies. 1.6 Scope of the Research Study The scope of this study will be found in the Life Insurance industry of Kenya. However, due to time and limited resources, the focus will be on Old Mutual Life Assurance Company Kenya. Since this study is on factors affecting labour turnover of Agents, the research will concentrate on the Agency force of the company which has about 200 Agents nationwide. For the same reasons above, the study will concentrate on the Agency force in Nairobi which is about 100 in number. The researcher will take sample from the research population. The period of study will be up to 30th September 2012. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter will critically analyze literature related to the study. This will include the issue of labor turnover in general and its effect, special attributes of Agents engage in selling services and Agent turnover in Life insurance industry. 2.2 Labor Turnover Labor turnover is the ratio of the number of employees that leave a company through attrition, dismissal, or resignation during a period to the number of employees on payroll during the same period. One of the 14 principles developed by Henri Fayol is stable labor turnover. He postulated that there should be stability of tenure of personnel in an organization. This is because a high labor turnover is harmful to the organization. Employee turnover refers to the rate at which employees leave jobs in a company and are replaced by new hires. A high employee turnover rate implies that a companys employees leave their jobs at a relatively high rate. Employee turnover rates can increase for a variety of reasons, and turnover includes both employees who quit their jobs and those who are asked to leave. Average employee turnover rates differ among industries; for example, in 2006, average turnover rates in the United States varied between around 15 percent annually for durable goods manufactu ring employees to as high as 56 percent for the restaurant and hospitality industry, according to Nobscot Corporation. According to a freelance writer, Shelley Frost, Employee turnover is a natural part of business in any industry. Excessive labour turnover decreases the overall efficiency of the company and comes with a high price tag. Understanding the effects of losing a high number of employees serves as a motivator to work toward reducing the labour turnover rate for higher profits and a more appealing work environment. The writer identified some cost associated with labour turnover as follows. Each employee who resigns costs the company money. All of the money invested into that employee through training, education and licensing walks out the door with the employee. When you hire a replacement, the company spends money on those same areas to prepare the new hire for the position. The company also pays to advertise the vacancy and may incur costs for drug testing, physicals and moving expenses. The company could pay 1/3 of the yearly salary of the new employee in costs. Labour turnover rates cost the company time in addition to money. Managers or human resources staffs spend time conducting exit interviews, advertising the job, recruiting candidates and interviewing. Supervisors and colleagues are often left to cover until a new employee is hired and begin working. The new employee may take several months to fully learn the job and achieve competency in the position. When the staff changes frequently, the employees who stay have a difficult time building a positive team dynamic. A group of employees learns to work well together, only to have one or more members leave. This leaves the staff in limbo until a new employee starts. The personality and work ethic of the new employee may vary significantly from the previous employee. Labour turnover can hurt overall morale of employees. The overall productivity of the workplace tends to decrease with high turnover. Since a new employee has a period of adjustment, he wont complete tasks as quickly as the person he replaces. Group projects that rely on the new team member may slow down, which affects experienced employees productivity levels. The loss of momentum when an employee resigns may also affect morale. A high turnover rate affects the continuity of service to clients and other employees. This is particularly difficult in an industry that relies heavily on relationships with clients. For example, a client who purchases products from a company on a regular basis may grow tired of getting a new salesperson or customer service contact every few months. Consistent relationships with clients help build a stronger loyalty to the company. The company is also better able to provide consistent, high-quality service with well-trained staff that doesnt change often. 2.2.3 Life Insurance Agent According to Independent insurance Agents of America (IIAA) (2009) an agent is a person who performs services for another person or an organization under an express or implied agreement and who is subject to the others control or right to control the manner and means of performing the services. The other person is called a principal. Rosenberg (2004) expresses the same opinion in different words by saying that, Insurance agents are sometimes referred to as insurance sales agents whose main obligation is to help clients choose insurance policies that suite their needs. There are two types of agents as classified by LIMRA (2007), some agents are captive or tied agents who mainly work for an insurance company and only sell that companies products, the other category of agents called independent or free lance Agents, are those who work for various insurance companies and sell insurance products of many insurance companies. The independent or free lance Agents are usually registered and licensed companies popularly referred to as brokers. 2.2.4 Qualification for becoming an Insurance agent Frankas (2010) says that, for Insurance sales agents job, most companies and independent agencies prefer to hire college graduates-especially those who have majored in business or economics, high school graduates are occasionally hired if they have proven sales ability or have been successful in other type of work. In fact, many entrants to insurance sales agent jobs transfer from other occupations. According to LIMRA (2007), College training may help agents grasp the technical aspects of insurance policies and fundamentals and procedures of selling insurance. As per the recommendation of AKI (Association of Kenya Insurers) regulations, every insurance agent must have done C.O.P (Certificate of proficiency in insurance) which is a proficiency certificate to transact insurance business in Kenya. Various employers are also placing greater emphasis on continuing professional education as the diversity of financial products sold by insurance agents increases. (Holt, 2010). An Insurance sales agent who shows ability and leadership may become a sales manager in a local office. As noted by U.S Bureau of Labor statistics (2010) a few advance to agency manager. However, many agents who have built up good clientele prefer to remain a sales agent. Some particularly in the property and casually field-establish their own independent agencies or brokerage firms. 2.2.5 Resourcing strategies George (1990) has pointed out that before selecting an agent there has to be a great process than just interview. He asserts that pre-hire assessment like testing and call center simulations have become essential tool in the industry. Tett (2000) of employment Technologies Corporation says that, for the insurance industry to succeed in improving agents retention there has to be simulation centers where the applicants would be given the opportunity to experience what they expect to find in the field and how sales are like. According to Ashly (2000) it is good to control; the flow of less-interested candidates before they reach the interview stage. Sometimes the applicant knows better than the hiring specialist that he or she is not the right sampling the job. Tom (2009), and Peter (1999) agree that accepting agents without checking their interests in the initial selection stage leads to poor retention of the agents. Nevertheless Srivivas (2003) warns against relying too heavily on the simulation. He says that simulation can be very effective for providing people with some exposure to what the job is likely to be. On the same note Banks (2010) disputes the other authors by pointing out that simulation are too artificial such that good candidates get left behind because they do poor simulations Wright (1992) asserts that simulation is only good to give a job presentation. 2.2.6 Agents Remuneration According Armstrong, (2006) Remuneration is the compensation an employee receives in return for his or her contribution to the organization. Luthans (1992) asserts that Remuneration occupies an important place in the life of an employee, his or her standard of living and status in society. Groholdt (2001) points out that, Motivation, loyalty, and productivity depend upon the remuneration he or she receives. For the employer too, employee remuneration is significant because of its contribution to the cost of production, besides, many battles (in the form of strikes and lock outs) are fought between the employer and the employees on issues relating to wages or bonus. Life insurance sales professionals typically earn all or most of their income through commission, which means that they get a certain percentage of every sale they make as well as residual income when clients continue to make payments. For this reason, an agent has the potential to earn much more than he would at an average hourly job. As with any other commission-based job, if an agent fails to perform, he will not be able to earn anything. Even if he does sell a substantial amount of insurance one month, he may not be able to sustain these sales numbers from month to month, and this may result in an unstable level of income. Cravens, Ingram, Loforge and Youngs, (1993), explored the relationships between compensation/control systems and performance and retention. Their results indicate that the type of control system, that is management control versus commission control, is correlated to several measures of success and agents retentions. They found out that sales performed and agents retention was more affected by commission control than by management control. 2.2.7 Agent Training Employee development is something that most people imagine as intrusive all-day group training sessions. Unfortunately, this dreaded approach to employee development is just the opposite of how employee development should occur and feel to employees. Employee development can manifest itself in many forms of training, evaluations, educational programs, and even feedback. If executed correctly, the effects of training on agent performance can often encourage growth within the worker and the organization itself. One of the larger aspects of developing Agents skills and abilities is the actual organizational focus on the Agent to become better, either as a person or as a contributor to the organization. According to Organizational Behavior by Robert Kreitner and Angelo Kiniki, (2009) its been shown that employees that receive regular, scheduled feedback, including training, along with an increase in expectations, actually have a higher level of worker output. Kreitner and Kiniki refer to this as the Pygmalion Effect. The hope is that agents who receive training in line with their individual or organizational goals will become more efficient in what they do. Organizations should look at the positive effects of training on agent performance, and consider agent development as a targeted investment into making the front line worker stronger. More importantly, development plans that include train-the-trainer (training that trains agents to become trainers of a skill) can provide exponential benefits to the organization. This training can be anything from how agents can do their own jobs better to these agents being groomed to replace their supervisor. In addition, agents who are invested as a trainer might be further inclined to stay with the organization, and possibly reduce agent turnover. Along with supporting the organization, agents might recognize that most types of agent development provide them benefits. Agent development programs that range from certifications to education reimbursement, to even basic sales skills training, have a certain cost to the organization that can easily be considered a benefit to the agent. Such awareness on the part of the agent can also lead to greater loyalty to the organization as well as enhanced job satisfaction. Training and education that can be added to the agents resume are big ticket items in terms of compensation plans, and should be treated as such. Beyond agent training and certification courses, evaluations and counseling sessions are another form of agent development. They provide performance feedback and allow agents to be aware of changes to both their work goals and the overall objectives of the organization. Agents who do not receive feedback on a regular basis usually end up feeling as though they might be forgotten by their supervisor, and this pattern may even lead to feelings of dissent among the Agency force. Going back to the Pygmalion Effect, agents who have consistent knowledge of their levels of performance, and who feel that their supervisors are placing expectations on them, generally perform better on an individual basis. Agents are required to attend meetings, seminars and programs to learn about new products and services, learn new selling skills and receive technical assistance in developing new accounts. Churchill, Ford, Hartley, and Walker, (1998) explored role variable, skill, motivation, personal factors, aptitude, and organizational/environmental factors in the retention of agents. The study found that, on average, single predictors or sales performance accounted for less than 4% of the variation in salesperson performance. Aptitude accounted for less than 2% skill levels slightly more than 7%, motivation accounted for 6.6% role perceptions was by far the best predictor, accounting for as much as 14% of the variation in performance. Personal variables (age, height, and sex, completion, and dressing) accounted for 2.6% while organization and environmental factors accounted for about 1%. They concluded that personal characteristics, while important, are not as important as the influencing factor s such as, training, company policies, skill levels, and motivation. 2.2.8 Physical Work Environment The physical work environment can be identified as a place or location where somebody works. Performance experts agree that the physical work environment has a significant impact upon employee performance and productivity. By physical work environment we mean the building structures, office layout, tools, furniture, space, noise level and surrounding of