Facts about tamil language Essay

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of South India and North-east Sri Lanka. It has official status in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Tamil is also a national language of Sri Lanka and an official language of Singapore It is legalized as one of the languages of medium of education in Malaysia along with English, Malay and Mandarin. It is also chiefly spoken in the states ofKerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands as one of the secondary languages. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and was the first Indian language to be declared a classical language by the Government of India in 2004. Tamil is also spoken by significant minorities in Malaysia, Mauritius, Canada, South Africa, Fiji, Germany, Philippines, United States, Netherlands, Mauritius, Indonesia, and Reunion as well as emigrant communities around the world. Tamil is one of the longest surviving classical languages in the world. It has been described as â€Å"the only language of contemporary India which is recognizably continuous with a classical past.† and having â€Å"one of the richest literatures in the world†. Tamil literature has existed for over 2000 years. The earliest epigraphic records found on rock edicts and hero stones date from around the 5th century BC. The earliest period of Tamil literature, Sangam literature, is dated from ca. 300 BC – AD 300. Tamil language inscriptions written c. 1st century BC and 2nd century AD have been discovered in Egypt, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The two earliest manuscripts from India, to be acknowledged and registered by UNESCO Memory of the World register in 1997 and 2005 were in Tamil. More than 55% of the epigraphical inscriptions (about 55,000) found by the Archaeological Survey of India are in the Tamil language. According to a 2001 survey, there were 1,863 newspapers published in Tamil, of which 353 were dailies. It has the oldest extant literature amongst other Dravidian languages. The variety and quality of classical Tamil literature has led to its being described as â€Å"one of the great classical traditions and literatures of the world† Facts about language: Tamil is the oldest language in the world. It is the mother of all Indo European languages including Sanskrit. Recent archaeological (Adhichanalloor and Indian ocean) evidence shows that the language is related to sumerian and that Tamil was spoken in South India more than 5000 years ago. Tamil legend says speaks of a lost continent, â€Å"Kumari Kandam† which is believed to be submerged under Indian Ocean. Recent excavations in Indian Ocean seem to support this legend. Kumari Kandam is a legendary sunken kingdom sometimes compared with Lemuria. In Tamil tradition, Kumari Kandam is referred to as the Land of Purity, a sophisticated kingdom of higher learning, located south of Kanyakumari Sangam literature describes about Kumari Kandam, which lay to the south and east of the Tamil country, which had been lost to the sea in two successive inundations. The two inundations are said to mark the division between the three sangam periods. Geological features described in the literature include two main rivers of Kumari Kandam as the Pagruliyaru and the Kumari. It is also believed to have had numerous great cities with great monuments and the foremost among those cities were the two first and second cities of Madurai. Both the first and the second Tamil literary Sangam Eras, the Muthal Sangam and the Idaii Sangam, were said to have been held in those two respective cities of Madurai. Dravidian Traditions give the two Sangamperiods antiquities ranging in tens of thousands of years with a timeline of about 10,000 B.C to the second. Both the Sangam Eras were supposed to have been terminated by deluges which submerged Tamil lands. The Epics Shilappadikaram and Manimekhalai describe the submerged city of Puhar. The timeline will make a better understanding: * 200,000 to 50,000 BC: evolution of â€Å"the Tamilian or Homo Dravida† * 200,000 to 100,000 BC: beginnings of the Tamil language * 50,000 BC: Kumari Kandam civilisation * 20,000 BC: A lost Tamil culture of the Easter Island which had an advanced civilisation * 16,000 BC: Lemuria submerged * 6087 BC: Second Tamil Sangam established by a Pandya king * 3031 BC: A Chera prince in his wanderings in the Solomon Island saw wild sugarcane and started cultivation in Kumari Kandam * 1780 BC: The Third Tamil Sangam established by a Pandya king * 7th century BC: Tolkappiyam (the earliest known extant Tamil grammar) Knowledge and Status of Tamil Language at present: Tamil is the oldest living language of India and the world. It belongs to the Dravidian group of languages. Tamil is the official language of the state of Tamil Nadu, and also has official status in Sri Lanka and Singapore. Tamil ranks 17th amongst the top twenty of the world’s most spoken languages. Tamil has a literary tradition of over two thousand years. Tolkappiyam, the oldest known literary work in Tamil, has been dated variously between second century BC and fifth century AD. Tamil was declared a classical language of India by the Government of India in 2004 and was the first Indian language to have been accorded the status. The Tamil script consists of 12 vowels, 18 consonants and one special character, the aytam. The vowels and consonants combine to form 216 compound characters, making a total of 247 characters.

Without Pity

September 4th 2012 RH 200 / Merar REACTION PAPER (JOURNAL) by Raymond Alvarez, Jr. I though the people profiled in  Without Pity: A Film About Abilities represented a fair cross-section of disabled individuals struggling against the world's obstacles, to gain control of how they will eventually live. One story that really hit home with me was Charlie. Being born with no legs and arms, Charlie showed great adaptation and intelligence and had such a go-getter attitude.He attends school with the help of a special wheelchair, and aside from his obvious disability, was very well accepted by everyone who got to know him. Charlie inspired me tremendously. His Mom and Dad are also very admirable in how they chose to let Charlie live a great life, and with so much determination to be a normal kid. I got teary eyed, not because of his disability, but because of his triumph in life. God has big plans for such a little guy. Charlie has a great message to deliver to this world.The other story, which I could most relate too was Josh. In his mid 20's, a motorcycle accident paralyzed him. (I grew up riding motorcycles, and at any moment could have had a life changing accident. ) With obvious and understandable frustration, Josh shares the pains of being a quadriplegic. It took so much courage to share (on camera) the anger he suffers. He lost the love of his life amidst it all. The Victory was seeing him overcome to become, and eventually finishing his dream of college.I only pray to have that much courage to persevere if ever to face a life changing disability. I could only imagine it being much harder experiencing a major disability later in life as Josh did. Charlie never experience life with arms and legs, so in a graceful way, that may have made adjusting to his disability easier. Either way, they were a great testimony to (in my opinion) God's loving grace, and the tremendous power of the holy (and human) spirit! What a great movie!

Design a project that address a specific social issue.the project is Essay

Design a project that address a specific social issue.the project is activity day center for people ages 65 and over - Essay Example England has about four thousand six hundred adult day care centres in operation providing care to a total of 13 elderly people in England on a daily basis. Over seventy percent of these adult day care centres operate on a not for profit or public basis. Most funding for the operation of these centres mainly comes from participant fees, third party payers, and philanthropic sources. Adult day care is a service given to the frail, physically or cognitively impaired adults, seniors, and their caregivers. Some of the centres are associated with multi service entities like home care, assisted living, nursing facilities, and hospitals. Adult day care programs provide adults with services in a community based group setting. These programs are generally geared towards providing day time social and health services to the elderly who require supervised care away from the home such as transportation for daily needs, meals and snacks with provisions for special dietary needs, programs for stimulating activities, opportunities for social interaction with peers and mental stimulation, physical, occupational, and speech therapy in a non medical setting, and help with activities for daily needs. The main purpose of Veo Activity day Centre is to assist the elderly to prevent social isolation and loneliness. The reduction of social interaction difficulties that older people face, may be countered by activities that the centre will provide such as arts and craft, dancing, quiz puzzles, board games, walks and tours, singing, and flower arrangement. The aim of of Veo Activity centre will be to motivate the people over sixty five years by encouraging them to participate in the planning of activities within the centre, and to assist those with disabilities to be independent and socially integrated thus giving respite to those closer to them such as relatives and carers. Veo Activity day Centre will have a project

Corporate Finance - Assignment 03 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate Finance - 03 - Assignment Example The study will be conducted for five days from 23rd December 2014 to 27th December 2014. The equipment is needed in January 2015. The estimated transportation cost is AED 5 million. The company intends to spend the remaining AED 50 million towards the equipment purchase. The equipment is quoted to cost  £ 860,000 and â‚ ¬ 1,090,000 in pounds and Euros respectively. The study of the currency movement will aid the purchase at a lower price. Therefore, this assignment presents a five-day exchange rate in a table format showing the value of AED 50 million, for each day, in both the currencies (Pounds and Euros). For each of the five days, the cost of the purchase and the impact of the decision are presented. Last, a report that provides justifications that the decision made is favourable to the company also is provided. For the purpose of purchasing the equipment, the currency used for the transaction is the Euros. The table 3 below shows the cost of the equipment in AED based on the exchange rates observations presented in table 1 above. The equipment is quoted to cost â‚ ¬ 1,090,000. Therefore, after incorporating the exchange rates, the costs are below. From the table 3 above, the company will spend (1,090,000/0.223548) = AED 4,875,910 to purchase the equipment on the first day. â‚ ¬1,090,000 is the price quoted in Euros. In order to determine the cost of purchasing the equipment on day 1, the quote price is divided by the exchange rate (AED/ £) on that day. Recapture that AED 50 million was allocated for the expenditure. Therefore, by making the decision to purchase the equipment, the company will save (50,000,000 – 4,875,910) = AED 45,124,090 for the reason that the equipment will be worth less than the planned cost (XE Live Exchange Rates, 2014). The company’s capital expenditure will be significantly reduced, thereby increasing its financial flexibility (ability to pursue other profitable investments). The

The Transformation of the Music Industry Supply Chain Essay

The Transformation of the Music Industry Supply Chain - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that developments such as Information Technology (IT) have had profound impacts on the way companies do business. Of late, companies have had to rethink the way their activities are coordinated from production to the final consumers. These shifts in company’s actions have not been initiated by technology alone. The theory of investment, changes in consumer preferences, taste and fashion have had a profound impact in shaping company’s strategy. Supply chain management (SCM) has been considered as the most popular operations strategy to help companies sail through these challenges and for improving organisational competitiveness in the twenty-first century. In the 1990s, agile manufacturing (AM) gained momentum and received due attention from both researchers and practitioners as SCM gradually attract interest. Both AM and SCM appear to differ in philosophical emphasis, but each complements the other in objectives for improving organisational competitiveness.Supply Chain Management (SCM) activities are related to problem-solving, information sharing, and cost reduction initiatives. The influences of individual-level antecedents on post-adoption utilisation of a specialised IT within an SCM context were examined by Bradley. Bradley found out that 92% of the people he questioned in1999, were planning to implement one or more supply chain initiatives. Supply chain plans to integrate key business activities through improved relationships at all levels of the supply chains. In short, SCM has become a necessity for any firm seeking to solidify its position in the marketplace. An effective supply chain includes a variety of firms, ranging from those that process raw materials to those engaged in wholesaling and retailing. It also includes organisations engaged in transportation, warehousing, information processing, and materials handling. 1.2 Supply-Chain and the Music Industry Supply chain is a competitive management technique employed within the last two decades to ensure the effective flow of resources, information, services within and organisation network. Today, organisations have adopted it as a strategic competitive weapon as they continue to seek competitive advantage. This quest by organisation explained the recent influx of research into SCM. Hines, P. & Rich, N. (2005) postulated that SCM has become a converging ground for various disciplines and integrate key business activities through improved relationships at all levels of the supply chains (Internal operations, upstream supplier, networks and downstream distribution channels. In figure 1.0 below, I try to look at key players in the music industry and some of their labels. This table has been adapted from http://www.soc.duke.edu . 1.2.1 Warner Music Group Being the largest in the industry, it has total assets of over $16.7 billion. The company started in the 20s following an attempt to control music. It owns the Warner music group with publisher, Warner/Chappel Music Publishing. It merger with EMI Ltd. in 2000 took it to the dominant market position. 1.2.2 Sony Music With the main publisher Sony music publishing and Columbia records, to complement its hardware operations, the management of Sony created a software manufacturing and distribution system. Sony music is a key player in the music indusrty 1.2.3 PolyGram N.V. The company has a Dutch origin and is 75% own by Phillips. The position of the company today resulted from a

Board Governance and Volunteer Management in Nonprofits Term Paper

Board Governance and Volunteer Management in Nonprofits - Term Paper Example n should be run directly under the aegis of the board of governors who make all the decisions and decide what exactly the charter of the organization is going to be. They will understand the very basis of the management as well as the ways and means through which people are hired, jobs are assigned and tasks delegated to one another (Nelson 1997). The organizational plan also encompasses the relationships with similar nonprofit or for-profit organizations and how the two work along with one another to bring about a symbiotic association. The organizational plan for at-risk girls banks a great deal on the linkages of these organizations with each other, most of which deal specifically with the emphasis on at-risk schools and children (Barrett 1995). Also the manner in which the organization is going to operate on a regular basis, its functional costs, its pending issues and so on need to be taken care of at the highest level. These aspects are important as they mention each and every pointer in complete totality. The specific tools and strategies which the at-risk girls organization must make use of include the basis of its recruitment and selection, the manner in which new employees are hired, trained and then let off their jobs (removal from service). It also comprises of their orientation at the organization whilst being supervised by the employers themselves. The board members are chosen on a strict guideline where they are evaluated time and again as per their work basis. The non-governing volunteers and the employees who do pro bono work are also taken care of. Their selection is a very cumbersome process, but one that surely requires a stringent approach. These tools and strategies need to be drawn up in such a manner that there is complete accountability and clarity at all ranks, and no apprehensions are raised as such (Beeler 1994). At-risk girls organization is a nonprofit institution therefore it is necessary to find out how money will flow and how

Business and Country Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business and Country Analysis - Research Paper Example In order to serve healthy fast food Hangout plaza expanded the menu that includes wraps, smoothies, fruit items and salad. Moreover, to attract large customer base the company have started happy price meal. The meal is given by discounted price. Hangout plaza is the popular fast food chain in US within the competitive industry. Moreover, in order to implement international business diversification Hangout plaza is looking for several international markets. The company has decided to expand their business unit in India. India is one of the largest potential Asian markets for fast food chain industry. The major objective of the study is to analyze several macro environmental industry factors that may impact on the industry. Moreover the trade, investment and foreign policy profile of India is implemented due to identify the opportunity and threats for the Hangout Plaza’s operation in Indian competitive fast food market. Part 2 This part is important as this part will analyze the impact of different external environmental factors like cultural, political, legal, ethical and economical factors on the business performance of Hangout plaza in India. Moreover this part will highlight on the trade, investment and foreign policy profile of India considering the business practices of Hangout plaza in India. ... India is the country of the people of several religion backgrounds. The religion has a large impact on Indian culture and society. Different people from different religion in India choose different types of food product (Schaefer, 2006). In India Hindus does not eat beef, Muslims only used to take Halal meat. Moreover, they do not eat pork. So Hangout Plaza has to carefully prepare the menu in order to do business practices in India due to different people of different religion. The favorable social factor that will influence Hangout plaza is the changing life style of Indians. People are gradually adopting western culture. Now-a-days people like to hangover with relatives and friends outside in restaurants. These are few negative and positive cultural and social factors that may impact on the business performance of Hangout Plaza. Political Environment Hangout plaza in US got the advantage of the political stability of country. Hangout plaza is well popular in US but there are some health issues that are affecting the business performance of Hangout Plaza. Consumption of fast food increases the cholesterol level of human body and obesity issues. Government of US has restricted the marketing activities of fast food companies in order to reduce the health related issues. The introduction of several healthy food items in menu like wraps, salads, milk shakes has again increase the brand awareness of Hangout Plaza in Customer’s mind. Moreover, creating job opportunity, good relationship with government has eased the business operation of Hangout Plaza in US. India is one of the controversial countries in terms of politics. Different political ideologies are becoming the barrier for new foreign companies to do diversification in India.

Lenore Walker - Marital and Sexual Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Lenore Walker - Marital and Sexual Abuse - Essay Example More importantly, her several theories and understandings of battery have altered the way that attorneys and criminal prosecutors look at battery and the abuse of women, which has led to new laws and regulations to assist women in need. This has been combined with a challenge to society to begin to change the way that women in the home and in contemporary culture are looked at. Walker has gained the title of being the mother of battered women because of her significant contributions and developments in the field of psychology, specifically which intertwine with the concepts of abuse. Walker began her research in psychology toward women in the 1970s, at which time she made some of the most significant contributions to the effects battery has on women. Walker began to study the field of psychology soon after graduating high school. She earned her Bachelor’s in 1962 from CUNY’s Hunter College, followed by a Master’s in 1967. In 1972, she earned a doctorate in psychology from Rutgers, New Jersey. She has held a practice for over 30 years and is licensed in Colorado, New Jersey and Florida. Her prestige in the field of battered women has earned her the title of Diplomat in Clinical and Family Psychology. To this date, Walker focuses on teaching psychology at Nova Southeastern University, specifically with a focus on forensic psychology. She also coordinates with several court jurisdictions and areas in Florida, specifically to help treat women in battered situations. Walker is a part of a consulting group that works to change regulations toward women in the courtroom. She is also the director of the Domestic Violence Institute, which is designed to change the understanding of abuse between women and children on an international level. The main theories that Walker developed began with her studies for her doctorate and continued with her first field studies after graduation

CGS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CGS - Essay Example An African’s survival depended on perpetual migration and adaptation to the conditions one found in the new destination. On the slave ship, she depended on her skills in midwifery that she had learned from her mother to survive. Her destination in America was South Carolina where she was auctioned off to an indigo plantation. In this plantation, she has to adapt herself to her environment by learning the Buckra language (Hill 345). The aspect of migration here is not only physical and geographical but also mental and psychological. Aminata was forced to migrate from the native challenges of Africa to those of new diseases and illnesses. Aminata was forced to migrate from the indigo plantation when her master took away her baby. She abandoned her duty of working on the farm, which was the reason her master’s decision to sell her off to Lindo. Her new master treats her as a servant, which is better than a slave was treated. Under this status, she has to pay rent and take care of her own expenses. She has to relocate to Charles town where her new master resides. The outbreak of the American Revolution brings with it an opportunity for Aminata to escape from Charles town. Her master returns to the Carolinas while Aminata goes back to midwifery for survival. Her knowledge of many languages comes in handy to help her survive in Nova Scotia where she is involved in the writing of the book of Negroes. The book contains the names of blacks who have agreed to fight for the British army. The British were beaten during the American Revolution and they had to retreat out of the 13 colonies they had in America. They carried with them the black slaves who had fought alongside them in the war. These were the names contained in the book of Negroes. This serves as a reminder of the history of the black community in the USA and a unification factor. Her ability to adapt to different situations is one of the

Touring the Trump Tower Essay Example for Free

Touring the Trump Tower Essay If there was such a thing as an award for the most recognized, most celebrated, most controversial, and most iconic person in business, for sure it would go, hands down to Donald Trump.   Partly because of his penchant for celebrity, many people have been witness to Trump’s various triumphs and downfalls, in both his professional and personal lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   But the success Trump is enjoying currently was never handed to him on a silver platter; he did not have a name like Hilton or Ford, so he had to rely only on his hard work and business smarts.    He started his business out of a small office in Brooklyn, New York, with his father, Fred.   For five years, he closed and maintained various deals under the mentorship of Fred Trump, and consequently pursued to make his name in Manhattan real estate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To date, Donald Trump counts his properties in an eclectic array of locations in America and all over the world, specializing in different permutations of real estate.   His portfolio consists of hotels (in New York, Las Vegas, and Chicago), golf clubs (in Los Angeles, Bedminster, Westchester, West Palm Beach, the Canolian Islands, and Scotland), and casino resorts (in Atlantic City and the Canolian Islands). On top of this impressive list, he has his name trademarked in entertainment (the long-running reality show The Apprentice, and a daily radio show), model management, and pageants (including the highly-popular Miss Universe pageant).   To complete the Trump signature business model, he has created his unique line of merchandise, ranging from apparel to jewelry, from food and beverage to home furnishings (www.trump.com).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The driving secret behind this tremendous business success is conveyed in Trump’s guiding philosophy—which is to get into what you love doing.   According to him, one should not just come up with ideas on how to generate income, it should always be about what one can offer that will be of value to the community.   No project map or outline can help achieve one’s business goals; all successes are the products of a single human characteristic—passion.   It is something available to all, and should be the foundation of every goal.   Passion leads to success and happiness, which is ultimately followed by money (Gallo, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perhaps the way Trump has executed this ideology has not always been on top of everyone’s list.   He has been called, at different times, a spotlight-obsessed, shameless egomaniac.   However, it is this kind of worldview that keeps Trump in the thick of things—he is, in reality, a brilliant marketer.   Self-promotion and marketing is his chosen business strategy; one that has paid him well in terms of brand recognition and awareness.   Take one episode of his popular reality show The Apprentice—in every segment, in every challenge, one of Trump’s businesses is brought into focus. This, as well as the prize for the chosen apprentice—a job handling one of Trump’s many projects—has carved the Trump name not only in the minds of the business community but in every TV-watching household as well.   Donald Trump emulates the thinking of every small business owner, that of selling your product, as well as yourself, well.   Trump’s marketing campaigns run 24 hours a day; he has absolutely great faith in being brave and determined enough to broadcast one’s name, to be your own brand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some of Trump’s marketing truisms prove sound and cohesive, as follows: One can never get too much.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Apprentice, the Trump name is mentioned practically every other second; this results in a bombardment of messages to the audience, who are now subliminally enticed to remember the name.   This same guideline holds true for any marketing or advertising campaign—the more you mention your product or service, the more it will be remembered. Sex sells, but only to some extent.   As in The Apprentice, Trump applauds marketing ideas that are built along sexual undertones.   However, he knows exactly where to draw the line, and this refers more to one’s personal taste.   Sex, when used clumsily as a marketing idea, always falls flat on its face, and is then deemed unsuitable. When in doubt, cross-promote.   Trump believes entirely in this way of marketing as well—as evidenced by his campaign for The Apprentice.   To promote the show, he allowed brands like Pepsi, Planet Hollywood and Burger King into the segments; in turn, he tied up The Apprentice promos with in-store marketing services.   He knew how these brands would reach a wider audience, and went for it (Lok, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To the untrained eye, the Trump business model can be overwhelming and intimidating.   The magnitude of the Trump name, as seen on many levels (on properties, on merchandise, in above- and below-the-line advertising, through word-of-mouth), is but a product of a smart marketing strategy that has worked for many companies for many years.   It’s all about the brand, and how one can maximize its identity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Just the way the Donald Trump brand has done. Works Cited Gallo, Carmine.   â€Å"The Secret Behind Trump’s Success†.   Communications, www.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   businessweek.com, 2007. http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/nov2007/sb20071121_372575.htm Lok, Dan.   â€Å"Donald Trump’s Marketing Secrets Revealed!†Ã‚   Quick Turn Marketing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   International Ltd., 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.euromega.com/article32.htm www.trump.com Trump, Donald (prod.)   The Apprentice.   NBC, 2004.

Code Switching Linguistic Activity English Language Essay

Code Switching Linguistic Activity English Language Essay Code-switching is the linguistic activity when bilingual speakers use more than one language within one, and the same conversational context (Appel Muysken, 1987:117; Grosjean ,1982; Romaine, 1989). Researchers have come up with various reasons for what motivates bilingual speakers to code-switch. Two areas which have attracted widespread research are code-switching as a result of linguistic motivations, and the socially or psychologically motivated code-switching. Sometimes Bilingual speakers deliberately use words or lexis from another of the known languages when they lack a particular word in the language being spoken, to compensate for a linguistic need. In other words the easier accessibility of a word lexicon in the other language motivates them to use it. This is what is referred to as the most available word phenomenon (Grosjean 1982:151), as speakers consciously or unconsciously fall back to the easily accessible lexicon . Studies of second language speakers (L2) use of communication strategies have shown that bilinguals often resort to their first language (L1) intentionally to solve lexical communication problems in the L2 (Bialystok, 1983; Poulisse 1990). Olsen (1999) cites several instances where Norwegian children learning English unconsciously code-switch to Norwegian as a compensatory strategy due to lack of appropriate words. In line with this argument are models of some speech production that categorise bilingual languages in terms of their structural constraints within the speakers lexicon. Myers-Scotton (1992) makes a distinction between languages within what she referred to us matrix language frame model. In this model the language providing more morphemes for the relevant interaction type than the other languages used in the same conversation is the matrix language'(ML)( Myers-Scotton 1992:105). The matrix language plays the more dominant role in the conversation between bilinguals. The other language(s), which by comparison to ML have relatively fewer morphemes for that particular interaction are known as embedded language (EL). Myers-Scotton (1982) argues that the speaker always accesses ML lemmas and builds the morpho-syntactic frames on the basis of the relevant information contained in those lemmas. However, it is really difficult to pinpoint whether the matrix language framework consciously or unconsciously comes into play when a speaker switches codes. Socially Motivated Code-switching The socially motivated code switching, which is the most widely researched area has exposed numerous references. Socially or psychologically motivated code-switching may be practised when a speaker aims, in some instances, to emphasise their identity or group membership, or it may be that they want to mark a change of subject, to specify a particular addressee, to draw attention to a particular part of the message, to express certain emotions or to mark asides from the ongoing discourse (Grosjean 1982: 149-57; Appel and Muysken 1987: 118-20; Giesbers 1989:28). Some scholars have argued that most code-switching is intentional behaviour albeit without the speakers awareness ( Nortier 1989:4). There are cases, however, where unintended code-switching occur as a result of language interference . These may be referred to as incidental language switches, slips of the tongue or accidental speech errors ( Poulisse Bongaerts 1994: 37). As mentioned already, L2 speakers often resort to L1 intentionally to solve lexical communication problems in the L2 (Bialystock 1983). They may switch unintentionally, however, when L1 words are easily accessible in the place of the appropriate L2 ones . It would appear that there is an intersection between the linguistic and social motivations for code-switching. Myers-Scottons (1982) matrix language (ML) model imply that some languages are more dominant than others within a conversational context and, she also claims that language codes are indexical of social relationships (1989). In the latter case, through language code, a speaker is established as a certain kind of person in relation to others. She claims that language code specifically indexes a particular set of rights and obligations that will hold between participants in an interaction. In this regard, a speaker will select a code that indexes the rights and obligations that he/she wishes to be in force between himself and others. Myers-Scotton has identified different patterns of code-switching based on the notion of markedness. An unmarkedchoice means an expected choice, one that is associated with the type of interaction in which it occurs. This is an attempt to redefine relationship (Myers-Scotton 1989:334). She describes recorded instances of marked and unmarked choices of code-switching . The two examples, recorded in Kenya involves two friends and four young office workers. In the first instance, a Principal visits a friend who works in a car sales company. The Principal speaks Swahili to a guard at the gate, but switches to English when talking to the receptionist at the same organisation. At the friends office the two friends, who speak one L1 switch codes unmarkedly from Luhya (L1) to Swahili and sometimes to English. She argues that language in this instance is a mark of social identity. In the first instance, the Principal speaks Swahili to the guard at the gate because he places the guard among th e social category of those who speak Swahili but are not educated enough to be able to speak English. The receptionist, on the other hand belongs to another social category, that of those who can speak English. Marked choices, on the other hand may serve different functions. Among in-group members marked choices may, for instance, encode solidarity among a small number within the group ( Myers-Scotton 1989 :336) as the case of the young office workers illustrates. Four young office workers in the same government ministry in Nairobi are chatting. Two are Kikuyu, one is a Kisii and one is a Kalenjin. Swahili-English switching has been the unmarked choice when suddenly the two Kikuyu persons switch to their language. The conversation which was about setting up a group emergency fund suddenly stops when the Kikuyu switch to their language to make a disparaging remark about what has been said. This is a marked choice communicating solidarity between the two Kikuyu but distancing them from others. This action motivates the Kisii to complain in Swahili and English, and the Kalenjin makes a switch from Swahili to English , a marked choice, to return the discussion to a more business-like plane (Mye rs-Scotton 1989: 336). In other examples, marked codes may result from switching which are associated with emotion, social status or authority . In those instances, switches often encode more social distance between participants, sometimes out of anger or a desire to lower the addressee or increase ones own status. Codes-witching in this category is related to and indicative of group membership in particular speech communities (Auer 1998). The extent and the regularity with which they use two or more languages within a conversation may vary to a considerable degree between speech communities. This marked choice is usually associated with authority, more commonly in former colonial regimes where the colonisers language such as English was a mark of power (Myers-Scotton 1989 ). In all these activities the interlocutors are undertaking communication strategy to compensate for a social or linguistic inadequacy. Code-switching as Contextualisation Code-switching studies have also looked at strategic activities of speakers in varying their communicative behaviour within a socially agreed matrix of conventions, which are used to alert participants in the course of the on-going interaction to the social and situational context of the convention. Conversation participants appear to exploit variable spoken language elements at all linguistic levels ( Local 1986; Local et al 1986) and at non-verbal level ( Duncan 1969, 1972; Kendon 1977) to contextualise their suppositions. According to Gumperz (1982:132-135) contextualisation conventions or contextualisation cues function to signal participants orientation to each other. As an example, Chinese/ English bilingual speakers switch languages to contextualise preference organisation and repairs ( Weir Milroy 1995: 296). By building a contrast in language choice for two stretches of conversation , the speakers are able to draw attention to details of the projected course of conversation and to check each others understandings. This is relevant, particularly in contextualisation preference organisation. Preference organisation refers to ranking of alternative second parts of the so-called adjacency pairs, such as acceptance or refusal of an offer or agreement or disagreement with an assessment (Levinson 1983; Pomeranz 1984). Wei Milroy (1995: 281-299) demonstrate this in their study of code-switching among three generations of a Chinese community in the North Eastern part of England. In one context B offers her assessment of As new dress- ho leng very pretty . As response to this consists first of a reflective question in Chinese leng me ? pretty ?. This type of question is formed by partial repetition plus question marker me and has discourse similar to English tags such as isnt it? really?, suggesting that the interaction functions as a hedge heralding a further dispreferred assessment of dress, and indicates only a qualified agreement with Bs original assessment ( Pomeranz 1984). When B asks for confirmation in the following turn gua a guai a? expensive or not? , As preferred response is in Chinese the same language as Bs question. Sometimes code-switching is used primarily to contextualise imminent completion of a turn or talk or topic shifts, but at other times they have the capacity to signal meanings such as irony or seriousness, and social identities and attitudes of the participants. Auer (1984, 1991) has argued that bilingual code-switching should be analysed as a contextualisation cue, because it works in many ways like other contextualisation cues. However, code-switching has some characteristics of its own in addition to those it shares with such elements as gestures, prosodies and phonological variables. In particular, the sequential organisation of alternative choices of language provides a frame of reference for the interpretation of functions or meanings of conversational code-switching. Code-switching for Political and Economic Reasons Language choice and shift may also be due to political and economic reasons. People recognise that the official language becomes the vehicle of political participation and socio-economic mobility (Myers-Cotton 1993a:28). The competition among groups for primacy of one language over others, or at least parity with others is based on the supposed superiority of a language. If ethnic groups language become official, its members have a head start , while others have to try and identify with it. On the other hand, many nations, particularly those which were formerly colonised have always opted for their former colonial language choice or shifts due to its diversity and the fear of domination by others (Myers-Scotton 1983a). Thus, as already been illustrated, code-switching to a language such as English, French or Portuguese, for example, installs the speaker to a position of authority, power or social superiority over others in those multilingual communities formerly colonised . The distribution and use of language choices in multilingual communities, therefore, can reveal not only the extent of stability of intergroup relationships, but also the ways in which the regulation of access to symbolic resources is tied to the regulation of access to material ones ( Heller 1992:123). Code switching in this instance, therefore, may or may not be conventional depending on the setting or context of the conversation. For instance, we have mentioned where code-switching is an unmarked expected behaviour , for example, among peer in-groups and where it is marked and intended to put down someone considered to be inferior. In socio-political terms code-switching may represent part of a range of linguistic resources upon which people can draw to define the value of resources they control and to regulate access to them. In line with this argument, resources are distributed by specific groups in specific situations through the provision and evaluation, among other things, of symbolic, including verbal, performances (Heller 1992:123). A good example of this use of language is the French-English code-switching in a variety of settings in Quebec and Ontario Canada ( Heller 1992), where code-switching is used as a means of drawing on symbolic resources and deploying them in order to gain or deny access to these symbolic or material resources. The understanding being developed above builds on Bourdieus concepts of symbolic capital and symbolic market places, and Gumperzs concepts of speech economies and verbal repertoires (Bourdieu 1977, 1982; Gumperz 1982). In these instances code-switching is a means of calling into play specific forms of linguistic and cultural knowledge, forms which conventionally possess certain kinds of value (Heller 1992: 124). The value is linked to the extent to which these forms facilitate access to situations where other kinds of symbolic and material resources are distributed, resources which themselves have value based on prevailing modes of organisation of social life in the community and who controls them. The resources in question are not just those with concrete functional value but those related in more indirect ways to the methods people have of not only acquiring the basic things they need to survive, but also of acquiring various forms of power and solidarity ( Heller 1992: 123). Finally, in relation to the linguistic motivation to codeswitching is the grammatical theory and how this structures and explains it. Muysken (1995:178) argues that formulation of this is crucial for research in linguistics as a scientific discipline. He thus poses a number of important questions that may help to explain how lexicon and grammar of a language structure code-switching. Some of the questions relate to the extent to which we can rely on properties of individual words, when we produce and comprehend utterances, and to what extent we can rely on general rules of the language we speak. Other important questions relate to whether we can reduce the differences between languages to lexical differences. Muysken (1995) proposes a universal explanation , for instance, when sentences are built up with items drawn from lexicons from two languages. He proposes a model that believes there is a general set of constraints on code-switching, constituted, for example, by structural equiv alence (Poplack 1980) or government (Discuiullo, Muysken and Singh 1986), or matrix language embedded asymmetry (Myers-Scotton 1993a). In conclusion, it is clear that code-switching is a vast and complex linguistic area of knowledge. For instance, this discussion has illustrated the general and less complex cases of the practice whereby learners in L2 code-switch to their L1 unconsciously to compensate their poor grasp of L2 ( Olsen 1999; Grosjean 1982). The discussion then delved in greater detail into the socially motivated code-switching, where the concept of a matrix language and the idea markedness is demonstrated in a conversation among bilingual speakers (Myers-Scotton 1982; 1989). Using Myers-Scotton (1982) explanation of how a matrix language (ML) dominates over embedded language within a conversation context , and the concept of markedness the essay demonstrates how code-switching becomes a deliberate tool for bilinguals to perform certain linguistic acts, for example, that of showing their social positions of power, education or even to discriminate others. More complex sociolinguistic aspects of code-switching such as contextualisation and its use for political and economic reasons have been discussed. We have discussed how contextualisation in code-switching help to complete a conversation turn or talk or topic shifts, but how at other times they have they signal meanings such as irony or seriousness, and attitudes of the participants ( Wei and Milroy 1995). An important sociolinguistic discussion of this essay has been how code-switching is practised for political reasons. We have seen how there is competition among groups for primacy of one language over others based on the supposed superiority of a particular language. This essay considered how when an ethnic groups language becomes official, its members are assumed to have a head start , thereby motivating others to try and identify with this language. Furthermore, many nations, particularly those which were formerly colonised have always opted for their former colonial language choice or shifts because it is believed that it is diverse, and they also fear being dominated by others (Myers-Scotton 1983a). Finally were discussions on research proposals on the relation between grammar and code-switching. In relation to the linguistic motivation to codeswitching is the grammatical theory and how this structures and explains it. Muysken (1995:178) proposes a formulation of a model structured within earlier research.

Cleopatra the Character, Historical Figure, and Myth :: William Shakespeare Plays Essays

Cleopatra the Character, Historical Figure, and Myth Cleopatra is a character in a Shakespeare play. Cleopatra is a historical figure. Cleopatra is a myth of our culture. Although each of these statements may be true, neither they, nor any other such statements can hope to adequately describe Cleopatra. Cleopatra is an emergent feature of a complex system; Cleopatra is greater than the sum of her parts. Emergent features are properties associated with complex systems that cannot be deduced simply from an analysis of the elements in the system; emergent features can only be explained in terms of the causal interaction among elements in the system. Cleopatra’s current status as an emergent entity is a result of the causal interactions between elements of the complex system that is our Heideggerian socio-cultural immersion, here represented by our notions of historical fact, our acceptance of dramatic representation, and our human predilection towards sin and vice. Cleopatra represents the salacious East, sensuality, and the immoral desire for the forbidden fruit; she captivates the imagination as the inheritor of the Egyptian myths, with the embalming of the dead, rituals, tombs, pyramids, gods, scarabs, scorpions, and horror film mummies. Central to Cleopatra’s emergence is our fascination with her powers to charm the virtuous, upright paradigmatic Roman, leading him, like the Serpent, down the path of Sin. Plutarch is explicit in his description of the corrupting influence of the East: But when he [Marc Antony] was once come into Asia†¦and that he had felt the riches and pleasures of the east parts†¦he easily fell again to his old licentious life. For straight one Anaxenor a player of the citherne, Xoutus a player of the flutes, Metrodorus a tumbler, and such a rabble of minstrels and fit ministers for the pleasures of Asia (who in fineness and flattery passed all the other plagues he brought with him out of Italy), all these flocked in his court, and bore the whole sway: and after that, all went awry. For everyone gave themselves to riot and excess†¦(696) On a larger view, Cleopatra is the embodiment of our western conception of the East as a realm of guilty, sensuous pleasures: it is the origin of spices, and the exotic tales of the Arabian Nights, and occult knowledge. The western notion of vice is encapsulated by the Seven Deadly Sins of the Roman Catholic Catechism, which are described by Chaucer in The Parson’s Tale: Now it is a fitting thing to tell what are the deadly sins, that is to say, the chieftains among sins.

marketing Essay -- essays research papers

MARKETING CONCEPT: The broad definition of marketing describes it as the combination of all activities designed to generate and facilitate any exchange intended to satisfy human needs and wants. In this case, Kumar intends to market Swift’s runner shoes to Bangladesh. For successful marketing of the product, Swift has to prepare a marketing plan which consists of various tools like the 4 P’s of marketing, target marketing, segmentation, positioning etc. The promotional mix is also formulated which consists of advertising, direct selling, sales promotion etc which helps in the promotion of the product.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The marketing principle or concept : The central idea is the ‘matching’ between a company’s capabilities and the various wants of the consumers to achieve the objectives of both parties. (McDonald, 1999). It is also defined as the philosophy of doing business that emphasizes customer orientation and coordination of marketing activities in order to achieve the organization’s goals. The management of the marketing mix consists of the various tools and techniques that are available to marketers in order to implement the marketing principle. The marketing planning process is basically explained as a systematic way, or a logical sequence of identifying a range of options, choosing few of them, scheduling them, setting the marketing objectives and the formulation of plans for achieving them. Marketing planning is very essential for the proper running or any organization considering the complex and hostile environment for the operating company. Each of the typical objectives that the firms set, such as maximizing factors like profit, return on investment, revenue and minimizing costs has their own special appeal to the different managers depending on the nature of their particular function. (Miller & Layton, 2000) THE 4 P’S OF MARKETING : Marketing mix – Defined as the combination of elements such as product, pricing structure, distribution system and promotional activities that are used to satisfy the needs of an organization’s target market and accomplishing the firm’s objectives. When entering a foreign market, the company has the choice of pursuing basic marketing mix options such as: the mix remains unchanged, certain elements could be modified or a totally new mix can be formulated. (Keegan & Green, 1997) Thes... ...ntry – Bangladesh. The report develops the marketing mix, describes the product relates to all the 4 P’s of marketing. It also creates the promotional mix consisting of factors such as advertising, sales promotion, direct selling of the running shoes to the international market. Different marketing tools and concepts such as segmentation and positioning of the product have also been considered in this report. REFERENCES : Dommermuth, W.P. (1989) Promotion: Analysis, Creativity & Strategy (2nd ed.) PWS-KENT Publishing Company, Boston Keegan W.J. & Green, M.C (1997) Principles Of Global Marketing. Prentice Hall, New Jersey Kiel, G., Lusch, R.F., McColl-Kennedy, J.R. & Lusch, V.N. (1992) Marketing Concepts And Strategies (1st ed.) Thomas Nelson, South Melbourne. Lamont, D. (1996) Global Marketing (1st ed.) Blackwell Publishers, Oxford. McDonald, M. (1999) Marketing Plans: How To Prepare Them, How To Use Them. (4th ed.) Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford Miller & Layton (2000) Fundamentals Of Marketing (4th ed.) McGraw-Hill Company, Boston. Paliwoda, S.J & Thomas, M.J (1998) International Marketing (3rd ed.) Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford

Statistics Can Reduce Internet Fraud Essay -- Research Analysis

Many online auction sites help consumers bid on items they might want to possess. These sites include eBay, WebStore, ebid, OnlineAuction, OZtion, Overstock, and a whole slew of others. Currently there is no system to protect consumers from fraudulent sales. When someone bids for an item, consumers trust both the seller and the online auctioneer to be both honest and ethical when presenting items for bid. Many of the auction houses, including Sotheby's and Christie's have their experts examine each piece to prove authenticity. However, it is not all bad news. To help protect consumers from fraud, Joseph Gastwirth and Wesley Johnson have found that the use of statistics answers the problem of authenticity. Joseph Gastwirth is a Professor of Statistics and economics at George Washington University. Wesley Johnson is a Professor of Statistics at the University of California at Irvine. These two men have worked together to produce an article for future print in the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society called Series A: Statistics in Society. This paper examines the preview article published in the Significance Magazine entitled "Dare you to buy a Henry Moore on eBay." Using statistics enables then to tell where the frauds are lurking. The Statistics Gastwirth and Johnson used a method similar to that of the Hui-Walter method "used to estimate the accuracy rates of clinical tests and survey classifications. (Gastwirth & Johnson, 2011) This test method utilizes two subpopulations, each with its own prevalence. In the case of the test for authentication of Henry Moore's on the Internet, the two subpopulations were drawings and sculptures, and the second was lithographs and etchings. These two gro... ...hnson, 2011) Figure 2 represents the "maximum likelihood estimates of the two prevalence parameters and accuracy rates of the two evaluators. Maximum likelihood estimates were obtained using the EM algorithm with standard errors based on the bootstrap using the program TAGS." (Gastwirth & Johnson, 2011) TAGS, is a program for the evaluation of test accuracy in the absence of a gold standard. Thus with all questions from Darrell Huff's book "How to Lie With Statistics" answered, we can safely and accurately conclude that the method used by Gastwirth and Johnson can and should be used by those who intend to purchase artwork off the Internet. Works Cited Gastwirth, J. & Johnson, W. (2011, March 14). Dare you to buy a Henry Moore on eBay? Statistics can tell you what to avoid. Significance Magazine, 8(1), 10-14. doi:10.1111/j.1740-9713.2011.00470x.

Preferred stock

The property costs IPPP,OOH 3 years ago and was carried on the promoters' books at Pl 50,000. Jan. 31 Issued 30,000 shares of convertible preferred stock at Pl 50 per share. Each share can be converted to five shares of common stock. The corporation paid IPPP,OOH to an agent for selling the shares. Feb.. 15 Sold 9,000 shares of common stock at IPPP per share. The corporation paid issue costs of p 75,000. May 30 Received subscriptions for 12,000 shares of common stock at IPPP per share. Gag. 30 Issued 2,1 00 shares of common stock and 4,200 shares of preferred stock in exchanged for a building with a fair market value Of Pl , 530,000.The building was originally purchased for Pl , 140,000 by the investors and has a book value of IPPP,OOH. In addition, 1,800 shares of common stock were sold for IPPP,ooh cash. Novo. 15 Payments in full for half of the subscriptions and partial payments for the rest of the subscriptions were received. Total cash received was Shares of stock were issued fo r the fully paid subscriptions. Deck. Declared a cash dividend of Pl O per share on preferred stock, payable on December 31 to stockholders of record on December 1 5, and PEP per share cash dividend on common stock, payable on January 15, 2006 to stockholders f record on December 15.Deck. 31 Paid the preferred stock dividend. Net income for the first year of operations was Pl QUESTIONS: Based on the above and the result of your audit, determine the following as of December 31, 2005: 1 . Common stock a. IPPP,ooh p 144, 000 c. IPPP,ooh 2. Paid-in capital in excess of par value of preferred stock a. P 1 b. Pl 275,000 d. Pl 86,000 AP-5901 Q Page 2 of 5 Paid-in capital in excess of par value of common stock 3. A. PA,21 1,000 4. Retained earnings d. IPPP,ooh 5. Total stockholders' equity SUGGESTED ANSWERS: C, C, C, D, B PROBLEM NO. 2The Perseverance Corporation has requested you to audit its financial statements for the year 2005. During your audit, Perseverance presented to you its balan ce sheet as of December 31 , 2004 containing the following capital section: Preferred stock POI par; 60,000 shares authorized and issued, of which 6,000 are treasury shares costing PEP,OOH and shown as an asset Common stock, par value PA; 600,000 shares authorized, of which 450,000 are issued and outstanding Additional paid in capital (PA per share on preferred stock issued in 2000) Allowance for doubtful accounts receivable Reserve for depreciationReserve for fire insurance Retained earnings IPPP,ooh 300,000 12,000 840,000 198,000 Additional information: Of the preferred stock, 3,000 shares were sold for P 18 per share on August 30, 2005. Perseverance credited the proceeds to the Preferred Stock account. The treasury shares as of December 31, 2004 were acquired in one purchase in 2004. 2) The preferred stock carries an annual dividend of Pl per share. The dividend is cumulative. As of December 31, 2004, unpaid cumulative dividends amounted to AS per share. The entire accumulation w as liquidated in June, 2005, by issuing to the preferred stockholders 54,000 shares of common tock. ) A cash dividend of Pl per share was declared on December 1, 2005 to preferred stockholders Of record December 1 5, 2005. The dividend is payable on January 15, 2006. 4) At December 31, 2005, the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable and Reserve for Depreciation had balances of PEP,ooh and Pl respectively. 5) On March 1, 2005, the Reserve for Fire Insurance was increased by PEP,OOH; Retained Earnings was debited. 6) On December 31, 2005, the Reserve for Fire Insurance was decreased by PEP,000, which represents the carrying value of a machine destroyed by fire n that date.

Speech about the importance of water Essay

Assalamualaikum and a very wonderful morning I bid to our lecturer and to all fellow classmates. This morning, it is my pleasure to share with all my audiences on my talk about the importance of water. As we know, water brings and sustains life in our planet. Water is something which we cannot do anything without it. After all, our bodies are made up of seventy percent water. It is quite possible to survive without food for more than a month, but without water we will perish in a matter of days. Ladies and gentleman, Before I go further with my speech, I would like to read the poem from the ancient mariner’s that cry of agony and despair in Samuel Coleridge’s poem that sound; Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink. This poem clearly points to the absolute need of suitable drinking water for survival. The mariner, being the only survivor left on his ship, is desperately lost at sea for months. Having used up all the ship’s store of drinkable water, he laments on his plight; surrounded by water on all sides, but not a drop to drink. Ladies and gentleman, Water is essential to life. We require water for washing and cooking, cultivating our field, and most important, for drinking. Life becomes impossible on earth without water. Imagine a drought situation: there are no rains; the rivers and lakes have dried up; and all plant-life lay dry and wasted. When we read about the origins of life on earth, we realize at once the importance role water had played in causing living things to come into existence. Water has those unique chemical elements and properties needed to nourish the living cells of living beings. Dearest comrades, Apart from the fact that water is essential to life, water is also man’s precious resource. Water is a source of energy. Water converted into steam can be used as fuel for driving vehicles fitted with water power. In conclusion, the importance of water cannot be measure. It is not only a source of life and energy, it also sustains life on the planet. We should all be duty bound to ensure that our sources of water remain unpolluted. That’s all for my speech today. Thank you for listening.

Management position within hospitality industry

The most complex work in the hotel in terms of communication and of coordinating and completing working documents is done by Floor Managers. These employees often supervise others who perform service tasks directly for the guests. Floor Managers are responsible for liaising between Room Attendants on the guest floors and managers in the housekeeping office.Qualifications required are a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in hotel management, and work experience in hospitality industry. At the basement-level housekeeping office, Floor Managers report and monitor room status and special room requests received from other parts of the hotel. They check the computer-generated status reports for discrepancies from their visual checks of the actual rooms. If a room coded for check-out appeared occupied on the floor, they would check the Expected Departure report on the computer to see if the guest had actually checked out (Bardi 2002).Usually, the main requires are:SupervisionInvent ory managementQuality ControlCoordination of other managers and staffShipping and receivingDocumentary control (Floor Manager Position 2007).The responsibilities are:Each one supervises 15 Room Attendants and two Housemen, covering three to four floors, or 240–320 rooms.On the floors, they check the status and progress of room cleaning, inspected rooms and augmented the Room Attendants' work.One of their duties, for example, is putting triple bed sheets and extra amenities in VIP rooms.They have to get the extra sheet, then take some of the bedding off and remake the bed. The number of VIPs they had to do beds for is never predictable, and they have to squeeze them into their regularly scheduled activities.The number of floors and rooms Floor Managers are responsible for varied, too, because of airline employee guests, who rarely checked out until after the day shift finished, and because of movement in the predicted house counts (overall room occupancies) (Powers and Barrows 2002).The Floor Managers are all in the office together at three times during the day: the beginning and end of the shift, and during the midmorning clearing and briefing meeting. These are busy, but not clearly structured times, with managers picking up special supplies, double-checking irregularities in the room status reports, answering phones. In Hilton Hotels, for instance, Floor Managers work is organized as follows:workday starts, between 7 and 8; the Floor Managers come in and prepared their own worksheets for the day; they check the 6:30 a.m. room status reports and special requests, along with the log book confirming their floor assignments;  then they go up on the floors to check the room status and supply needs with each Room Attendant, who has verified their status as soon as she/he arrives on the floor;Floor Managers then return downstairs to check and adjust room assignments against the Coordinator's log book (Powers and Barrows 2002). For example, some rooms in th e early-morning computer status report noted as vacant and clean may have become occupied in the interim. Or vacant and clean rooms may have become VIP or rush rooms, which Floor Managers would hear about in the office and have to inform the Room Attendant about. In many cases, Floor Manager’s position is called a â€Å"supervisor†.Floor Managers themselves have to identify VIP rooms and they have to spend extra time to set up the rooms, and collect and deliver the extras. The VIP rooms could not be neglected, and they are seldom blocked (assigned by Front Desk) in advance. So throughout the day, Floor Managers have to monitor upcoming VIP rooms and prepare them in time for the guests' arrival (Powers and Barrows 2002).Work stress and pressure is a remarkable feature of this position. Very often, checking room reports against their lists, for example, is interrupted by a ringing telephone or a co-worker's query. Most often the interruption involves a guest's urgent req uest, which demanded an immediate response. People write down notes, speak on the phone to guests, page others to fill requests and relay orders to the Centralized Action Room. Several talks at once; seldom are the exchange restricted to two people (Stutts 2001).Floor Managers work primarily from photocopied forms attached to clipboards that they fill out each day as they completed their work. The worksheets serve as organizational tools, memory aids and long-term records, to be boxed and stored for a prescribed number of years. From my observations throughout the hotel, the computers stored information on sales, purchases, personnel and payroll, and guests and occupancy rather than any detailed records of daily work.And unless each Floor Manager is equipped with a hand-held computer, inputting such information would have been impractical when there is already a paper record. In the basement office, Floor Managers also check for recent special requests like rush rooms or VIPs, or th ey receive them as phone messages, occasionally via pager (Stutts 2001).ReferencesBardi J.A. (2002). Hotel Front Office Management Wiley; 3 edition. Floor Manager Position (2007). Retrieved 01 July 2007, Powers T., Barrows C.W. (2002). Introduction to the Hospitality Industry. Wiley, 5 edition. Stutts A. (2001). Hotel and Lodging Management. An Introduction. Wiley.

Are National Audit Office “Value for Money” Audits Themselves Value for Money?

The National Audit Office (NAO) is responsible for the financial and â€Å"value for money† audits of central government expenditure, as well as other publicly related bodies.Although there is no single definition for what a value for money audit is, the most widely accepted definitions connect value for money audits with the review of the three E’s (Lecture 2, AC340 Lent Term, Liisa Kurunmakii): †¢Economy – providing the intended service at the lowest cost possible, with regards to maintaining the quality of service †¢Efficiency – gaining the maximum output from a given level of inputs †¢Effectiveness – the extent to which these public bodies achieve their policy objectivesWith this in mind, it is clear that in order for a â€Å"value for money† audit (henceforth denoted as VFM audit) to provide value for money it must also adhere to these three E’s; a VFM audit must be minimal in terms of cost, it must be effective in terms of finding areas for improvement, and it must make the most of resources used. The VFM audit’s benefits must outweigh its costs. Throughout this essay I will explore and demonstrate with examples the conditions under which VFM audits do provide value for money, as well as when they don’t.Ultimately a VFM audit is only value for money to the extent that it leads to improvements in the way the audited bodies can improve their processes, with regards to the three E’s. Without this, the VFM audit is an unnecessary and costly extension of the financial audit. However, if the VFM audit itself is in possession of the three E’s, then it should provide value for money. In 2011, the NAO’s recommendations generated savings of ? 1. 1 billion off the back of an outlay of ? 67. 8 million (NAO Annual Report 2012).From this, it is easy to see that the NAO’s work overall yields significant benefits over costs. A 1997 paper by Summa and Pollit also show s that 95 per cent of the NAO’s recommendations were taken on board by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in 1994, suggesting that the organisations efforts and resources aren’t wasted. This paper also shows how the savings from recommendations coming directly from VFM audits had grown between 1992 and 1994, suggesting their growing importance.The NAO also consistently look to minimise costs and maximise efficiency, as shown in the NAO’s 2012 Annual Report. Therefore, in a very simple cost-benefit analysis, the VFM audit does seem to provide value for money. With deeper analysis, however, there are instances where such audits could lead to sub-optimal results in some situations. The bodies subjected to VFM audits primarily have social goals.For example, the NHS’ priority is to treat the unwell, while financial concerns are secondary. The mere presence of VFM audits, which despite having many non-financial aspects are ultimately financial in nature, can l ead to a focus on achieving cost efficiency as an end in itself, above any social goals. This is what Power refers to as a ‘colonising’ effect of auditing; the presence of the audit leads to the auditee focusing on the audited measure, in this case value for money.This was the case in the recent Mid Staffordshire Trust scandal; in order to achieve Foundation Trust status, the management at this hospital cut costs by removing beds, failing to invest in medical equipment and staff, and neglecting their medical duties in order to meet targets (for example, one measure on which they were judged were patient waiting times in A&E; this led to dysfunctional behaviour, as there were cases when minor injuries were treated above major illnesses in order to meet the four hour waiting time).These cuts, along with other failures, resulted in hundreds of unnecessary deaths. And yet, the hospital hit its target saving of ? 10 million; financially, it was a success, but medically a mas sive failure. While it was not directly the fault of a VFM audit, this case shows how the use of financial/economic measures for evaluating the efficiency of an organisation can lead to unintended dysfunctional outcomes.As part of the ‘New Public Management’ idea of introducing market concepts into public organisations, it could be argued that VFM audits, by explicitly mentioning ‘money’, could contribute to such failings by being rooted in the financial; a better term for VFM audits could be â€Å"performance audits†, as less emphasis is placed on financial terminology, perhaps giving the NAO scope for a more rounded audit. With this in mind, it can be argued that one of the VFM audit’s strengths is that it does take into account the effectiveness of the auditee in reaching their social objectives (as shown by the three E’s).The inherent difficulty for any public body is to balance effectiveness with efficiency and economy; the NAO mus t therefore take this into account when carrying out VFM audits, in order for the audits themselves to be of value. Auditing the effectiveness of a public organisation is a difficult task in itself, however. What does effectiveness entail, and how does one measure it? You could argue that the effectiveness of the police force could be measured by looking at the ratio of number of crimes reported to the number of crimes solved.This seems to be in line with the police force’s social goals, so in theory seems an appropriate proxy for effectiveness. Yet it is also easy to see how this metric could be manipulated; where it is unlikely that a crime will be solved, the reporting of the crime may be ignored. The measure will give a false image of the efficacy of the police force in question, when in reality they have been far from effective. This is what Power refers to as ‘de-coupling’, where the auditee is compliant with the recording of the measure, but does not behav e in a manner consistent with the intended goal of the measure.The problem here comes with making things auditable. When measuring non-financial items such as effectiveness, one must use imperfect proxies (as you cannot simply take a yard stick and measure ‘effectiveness’). If we are unable to find suitable proxies, we are not fully able to audit the effectiveness of an organisation. This then compromises the usefulness, and hence value, of a VFM audit. The above problems display the inherent problems of VFM audits; by being rooted in the financial, they can lead to public organisations de-prioritising their social obligations and objectives in order to enhance efficiency and economy.By auditing what is arguably inauditable, VFM audits can create surface compliance, where the letter but not the spirit of what is being measured is followed. Both of these are risks that need to be considered by the NAO, as they both seek to undermine the value of VFM audits. But ultimatel y, VFM audits prove their worth when they result in efficiency improvements in public organisations. This can be assessed tangibly, shown by the savings of ? 1. 1 billion from a net outlay of ? 67. 8 million. We can also clearly see the implementation of efficiency improvements in public sector bodies.It can also be argued that even the presence of VFM audits help to promote the three E’s in public sector companies (they know that they could be assessed in such a way, and will not want to appear to be excessively inefficient), although it is much more difficult to assess whether NAO audits provide value for money in this context as it is hard to know to what extent the audit presence made a difference. But overall, I believe that the evidence above shows that for the majority of situations VFM audits do indeed provide value for money.

London will be hosting the Olympic Games in 2012. Compare and contrast Essay

London will be hosting the Olympic Games in 2012. Compare and contrast the running of the last two Olympic Games and suggest how the UK might learn from this - Essay Example he two nations that were short listed for the event were Athens and Rome, and it was the case that Athens beat out its Italian competitor by 66 to 41 votes. According to Hansen (2006) Greece is the historic home to the Olympic Games with the first events being held between city states from approximately 800 BCE to 500 AD. However in the Modern context the first Olympic Games were held in Athens and the return was seen as being significant to the nation. A number of external factors hurt the progress of the Olympic Games in Greece. As argued by Itano (2008) writing for the Christian Science Monitor, the games brought about significant cost overruns that have not paid dividends in the long run. For example the games cost approximately U.S.$15billion which was spent upgrading the transportation infrastructure and to build new facilities yet the Olympic softball stadium arguably stands nearly unused and many of the redeveloped ecological parks developed after the games have been used by Roma as campgrounds. However not all the news is negative for the Mediterranean nation insofar as the nation established a new Airport which can bring with it significant tourist revenues, furthermore new metro infrastructure was built which serves approximately 600,000 people daily. However the financial distress brought about by the games as argued by the Examiner it was indicated that the 2004 Olympics in Athens helped fuel the European financial crisis because Greece had significantly over shot their budgets and had a poor showing in their audiences (Partly attributed to security concerns and post September 11th reluctance for people to fly). This situation made it difficult for Greece to borrow money to pay down other debts accumulated over the years which could be argued is linked to over spending at the summer Olympics. In regards to the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008, according to Wines (2010) it was the case that these Olympics were the biggest and most expensive Olympics

Lab report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Lab report - Essay Example To safeguard our planets future, we need to aim at the orange line level by use of existing technologies. This can also be achieved by coming up with new inventions to meet the world’s energy needs over the next 50 years, and reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide from doubling as projected in the black line. It is for this purpose that we formed a group of three students to come up with an energy wedge that is likely to tackle this problem squarely and at all angles. Our energy stabilization wedge is mainly concerned with efficient utilization of energy, and use of renewable sources as the major active ways of reducing carbon emission by the year 2055. Stabilization at any level demands that net emissions do not remain constant, but in due course drop to zero. Faced with only two solutions of either maintaining the current emission of carbon in the next 50 years or reducing the production of carbon in the atmosphere by the similar amount of time, we opted to build our wedge on the basis practical reduction of carbon in the atmosphere by half for the next 50 years. This option was opted for the various reasons of changing environmental conditions and the sudden changes in technology that demand use of carbon energy (Levy, 2010). The world is required to reduce atmospheric carbon from current 8 billion tons per year by half hence ensuring only 200 billion tons by the year 2055. This is only possible by increasing sufficient use of transport. This is mainly by adopting efficient fuel engines in terms of motor vehicles. Another way is by reducing the distance travelled while at the same time ensuring efficiency in construction and building hence reducing electricity use. This is possible by utilizing solar energy and using materials that conserve energy during winter. Use of renewable sources of energy is our next energy wedge, which aims at using sources in the

A Report on Quantum Computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Report on Quantum Computing - Research Paper Example This report outlines an overview of the quantum computing, which is a significant area of modern research. It is aimed at developing computer based tools and machines based on the rules and regulations of quantum theory. Additionally, the quantum theory refers to the performance and environment of material and energy on the quantum, both at the atomic and subatomic level. It is an admitted fact that the quantum computing is not a new idea as it was first emerged in the 1970s. It is an admitted fact that the quantum computing is not a new idea as it was first emerged in the 1970s. In addition, the quantum computing is completely based on the ideas of quantum physics. For example, it uses the properties of atoms offered by definite quantum physics theories to allow them to get together in the form of quantum bits, which can be used for computer's processing (Stewart; Pawliw; Webopedia). This report explains the role and importance of quantum computing in modern day information technolo gy. An Overview of Quantum Computing A quantum computer is a next generation computer that is designed on the basis of laws of quantum physics to boost the overall traditional computational power beyond what is possible through traditional computing machines. Though, the quantum computers have been developed on a small level however a lot of research work is under progress to improve and upgrade them to more realistic models (Jones). Working of a Quantum Computer A quantum computer is a system that ties together the control of atoms as well as molecules to carry out memory related and processing functionalities. A quantum computer stores data and information in form of quantum superposition of the 2 working states (either 1 or 0). These bits are known as the qubits. However, Qubits offer a great deal additional flexibility as compared to the traditional binary computing system. In fact, a quantum computer is capable of carrying out computations on a far superior level of scale as co mpared to customary working systems. In addition, these systems can be used to break and detect complex cryptography and encryption codes. In this scenario, there can be a serious danger with practical quantum computers because they can destroy the world's economic system by detecting secret codes of computers (Jones; Pawliw). Classical Computing and Quantum Computing: A Comparison Classical computing works on the principles of Boolean algebra on the other hand; quantum computers are based on a 7-mode logic gate standard. These systems use two binary states, either 0/false/off or 1/on/true. With these combinations the overall working of traditional computer is performed. On the other hand Quantum computer can operate with a 2 mode logic gate: XOR and a working mode that is known as QO1. Additionally, these computers have the capability to transform 0 into a superposition of 1 and 0. In addition, in a quantum computer, a number of elemental units for example photons or electrons are used (actually, the accomplishment has also been attained with ions), through either their polarization or charge performing like an illustration of 1 or 0. In this scenario, each particle is recognized as a qubit (quantum bit). The nature and behavior of these qubit particles forms the foundation of next generation quantum computing (TechTarget). Quantum Computers Today It is expected that after some years quantum computers will replace traditional silicon chips as in the past transistors replaced the traditional vacuum tube. However, till now, the technology necessary to build up similar quantum computer is beyond our reach. In this scenario, the majority of research works in quantum computing are yet extremely theoretical. In fact, the majority of high level quantum computers have not moved further than manipulating more than seven

Career - Plan B Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Career - Plan B - Essay Example To get there, I need to focus on mathematics and science as the fundamentals of piloting. After high school, I will attend aviation specific flight technology; undertake a two-year program on flight maintenance and aviation management. Then, I will undertake a four-year aeronautical science-a course that focuses on flight maintenance and finish with a four-year aviation management course that deals with airline management, airport management, and flight support. This is the position of learning to fly and training as well as where I will receive college credit for my experience. While experienced pilots earn up to $250,000, regional airlines pay its beginner pilots from $60,000 to around $80,000 depending on their experience. The starting point shall be an aviation faculty, and climb my way up through dispatcher position, student pilot, and air traffic controller and end up piloting in Manchester airport. Air traffic controller’s earnings range from $37,000 to $132,000 per 12 months (Grewe 3421–3433) depending on experience. My greatest weakness is a tendency to tardiness, but once I started setting the alarm at about 30 minutes earlier, and setting the phone to remind me of appointments, I have not been late once within the last five months. My strengths include talent, knowledge, power, experience, and willingness to

Quantitative Analysis of Business Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Quantitative Analysis of Business - Coursework Example Determine the equations for each of the three constraints that are plotted on the attached â€Å"graph 1†, showing all work necessary to arrive at the equations.  Determine the equations for each of the three constraints that are plotted on the attached â€Å"graph 1†, showing all work necessary to arrive at the equations.  Identify each constraint as a minimum or maximum constraint.   The objective function is Z= 30X+72Y+90Subject to   7.5X + 7.5Y ≠¤ 30 (equation for Nutrient C)    6X + 12Y       ≠¤ 72 15X + 6Y ≠¤ 90          X ≠¥ 0, Y ≠¥ 0 Since the feasible region is below the constraints the constraints are minimum constraints. Determine the total contribution to profit, if the company produces a combination of cases of brand X and brand Y that lies on the purple objective function (profit line) as it is plotted on the attached â€Å"graph 1†.If the company chooses to produce a combination of brand X and Y as given in graph then the different combinations would be (0, 8), (1, 6.6), (2, 5.4), (3, 4), (4, 2.6), (5, 1.3), (6, 0). The contribution to profit at various combinations can be obtained using the objective function where profit= 30X+72Y+90 and substituting the value of X and Y for each set in this function we get profit for each combination.When the company produces 8 units of Brand Y and no Brand X the profit function is maximized (666). But this combination is outside the feasible region. So, the combination that gives maximum profit (468) to the producer within the optimal region is 3 units of X and 4 units of Y. The Total Contribution of Profit: The total contribution to profit which can be obtained by producing 3 units of brand X and 4 units of brand Y is 468 which is obtained by putting the values of X and Y in the profit

The evolution of the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, planets, and other Essay

The evolution of the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, planets, and other bodies in the universe - Essay Example The last and furthest planet is Pluto, which is a dwarf planet. After the sun, the second brightest object in the sky is the moon. It orbits around the earth once monthly. The impact theory suggests that the moon got formed out of collision between the earth and a very large object, the size of Mars or more. The moon got borne out of the ejected materials from the collision. At the center of the solar system is the sun. The sun is the largest object in the solar system. The sun makes up close to 99.8% of the solar systems mass (Merali & Skinner, 2008). The heat and light shed by the sun makes life possible on planet earth. The planets orbit the sun in paths called ellipses, which are oval shaped. A solar system references a star and all the objects that orbit around it. In our solar system, the sun is the star. The sun as the center of our solar system illuminates the light and heat that make it possible for life within any of the planets (Merali & Skinner, 2008). The planet earth is the only one proven to support life among the system. The planets Mercury and Venus are too close to the sun making them too hot and dry with little atmosphere. The outer planets are also unable to support life because they lack atmosphere, solid ground, oxygen and contain too much

Compare and contrast the management schools of Global Convergence and Essay

Compare and contrast the management schools of Global Convergence and Global Divergence - Essay Example â€Å"International management involves a number of issues not present when the activities of the firm are confined to one country†, - Armstrong says (2006, p.100). These issues comprise the variety of international organisational models, the problems of managing in different cultures and environments, the extent to which management policy and practice should vary in different countries, and the approaches used to manage these practices and processes. International management policies are considered taking into account there should be convergence or divergence in the management practice adopted in overseas companies. As Rowley and Benson (2000) assert: â€Å"Globalisation and international trade and finance may place substantial pressure on companies to force them to standardise practices and polices. †¦ [However], local customs, institutions, and labour forces do provide serious constraints on the degree of convergence and may lead to increasing levels of divergence (p. 2). In this paper we will compare and contrast the management schools of Global Convergence and Global Divergence so that to make a conclusion as to which school offers the most convincing explanation of the likely challenges faced by managers in international organisations in the future. In order to follow the Convergence versus Divergence debate it is necessary to understand a role of cultural diversity, which is a key issue in international business management. Armstrong (2006) emphasises that â€Å"managers in each country operate within a national institutional context and share a set of cultural assumptions. Neither institutions nor cultures change quickly and rarely in ways that are the same as other countries. †¦It follows that managers in one country behave in a way that is noticeably different from managers in other countries† (p102). Hofstede (1980) identifies five dimensions of culture, which has been adapted by Bento and Ferreira (1992) to

Retrenchment Strategy Essay Example for Free

Retrenchment Strategy Essay Since the beginning of the US financial crisis in 2007, regulators in the United States and Europe have been frustrated by the difficulty in identifying the risk exposures at the largest and most levered financial institutions. Yet, at the time, it was unclear how such data might have been used to make the financial system safer. This paper is an attempt to show simple ways in which this information can be used to understand how deleveraging scenarios could play out. To do so the authors develop and test a model to analyze financial sector stability under different configurations of leverage and risk exposure across banks. They then apply the model to the largest financial institutions in Europe, focusing on banks exposure to sovereign bonds and using the model to evaluate a number of policy proposals to reduce systemic risk. When analyzing the European banks in 2011, they show how a policy of targeted equity injections, if distributed appropriately across the most systemic banks, can significantly reduce systemic risk. The approach in this paper fits into, and contributes to, a growing literature on systemic risk. Key concepts include: * This model can simulate the outcome of various policies to reduce fire sale spillovers in the midst of a crisis. * Size caps, or forced mergers among the most exposed banks, do not reduce systemic risk very much. * However, modest equity injections, if distributed appropriately between the most systemic banks, can cut the vulnerability of the banking sector to deleveraging by more than half. * The model can be adapted to monitor vulnerability on a dynamic basis using factor exposures. About Faculty in this Article: Robin Greenwood is a Professor in the Finance unit at Harvard Business School. * Author Abstract When a bank experiences a negative shock to its equity, one way to return to target leverage is to sell assets. If asset sales occur at depressed prices, then one banks sales may impact other banks with common exposures, resulting in contagion. We propose a simple framework that accounts for how this effect adds up across the banking sector. Our framework explains how the distribution of bank leverage and risk exposures contributes to a form of systemic risk. We compute bank exposures to system-wide deleveraging, as well as the spillover of a single banks deleveraging onto other banks. We show how our model can be used to evaluate a variety of crisis interventions, such as mergers of good and bad banks and equity injections. We apply the framework to European banks vulnerable to sovereign risk in 2010 and 2011.

The Palestine-Israeli Conflict Essay Example for Free

The Palestine-Israeli Conflict Essay The central problem of the Palestine-Israeli conflict is a struggle over Palestine. The Zionists want to make Palestine a â€Å"Jewish State† for arriving Jewish settlers and the anti-Zionists, who are native Muslim/Christian/Arab Palestinians re resisting expulsion. (Ould-Mey, Abstract) Palestinians have been living under Israeli military occupation since 1967. Israel frequently violates the Geneva Conventions. The Geneva Conventions are â€Å"a set of principles instituted after World War II to ensure that civilians would â€Å"never again† suffer as they had under Nazi occupation. (If Americans Knew, Current Situation, Para 4) Consequently, Palestinians are powerless against Israel. For example, Palestinians cannot leave Gaza or the West Bank unless Israeli guards allow them to. They are also not allowed back in unless Israeli Guards allow them to. Often their requests are denied. The current conflict dates back to the 1800s when a group in Europe (Zionists) decided to colonize Palestine. As more Zionists moved into Palestine the indigenous population became increasingly concerned. Eventually fighting broke out that was only made worse as World War II led to more Jewish immigration to Palestine. Finally, the UN chose to use a strategy where an outside power divides up other people’s land in an attempt to resolve the fighting. The UN recommended giving away 55 percent of Palestine to a Jewish state. This led to a war in 1947-49. By the end of the war Israel had conquered 78 percent of mandatory Palestine; three-quarters of a million Palestinians had been made refugees; over 500 towns and villages had been destroyed; and a new map was drawn up, in which every city, river and hillock received a new, Hebrew name, as all vestiges of the Palestinian culture were to be erased. † (If Americans Knew, History, para 7) A second war in 1967 led to Israel occupying the additional 22 percent of Palestine that had eluded it in 1948. This left Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip living in a kind of limbo. These people no citizenship and no power over their own lives. Today, many Palestinians are resisting the occupation of Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip causing the conflict to continue. A resolution can only happen if Israel loosens its control over Palestine. The only way this will ever be a possibility is if there is a decline of U. S. support of Israel. With less involvement by the U. S. the U. N. will be able to play a greater role in the peace process. This would be a positive first step in resolving the conflict. At this point the U. N. could allow Palestinian refugees back into their homes. The U. N. could also take away the right of any Jew to be able to settle in Palestine. These steps would not completely resolve the conflict but it would the start of a resolution. As long as the U. S. continues to stand behind Israel, the conflict will not be resolved. It is important to note that this would ultimately benefit the U. S. as well as the U. S. support of Israel damages the country’s relationship with other nations and Muslim consumers.

The Emergence Of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Information Technology Essay

The Emergence Of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Information Technology Essay Many organizations have initiated Enterprise Resource Planning systems, using such packages as SAP, Peoplesoft and Oracle. The ERP market is one of the fastest growing in the software industry. In a research conducted by APICS, 34.5% of the companies with revenues over $1 billion planned to purchase or upgrade in ERP system. This research is relevant to indicate that the ERP market may reach $ 1 trillion by the year 2010 (Umble et al., 2005). Enterprise resource planning systems are a major investment. Companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in ERP software. Its implementation promotes a variety of business justifications which include replacement of numerous legacy systems, reduction in cycle time from order to delivery, and reduction in operating costs. Also, the on-line, real-time operational data that ERP systems enable managers to make better decisions and improve responsiveness to customer needs (Gyampah, 2004). There is evidence that organizations are satisfied with ERP. Based upon a sample of 117 firms in 17 countries, the Conference Board reports that 34% of the organizations were satisfied with ERP, 58% were somewhat satisfied, 7% were somewhat unsatisfied, and only 1% were unsatisfied (Al-Mashari, M., Zairi, M., 2009). Organizations have a business justification for implementing ERP systems. The business benefits of ERP include improved accessibility of information, real time access to data across the organization, improved cycle time for orders, decreased financial closing time, reduced operating costs, and lowered inventory levels. In addition ERP systems provide an opportunity to re-align business processes with best practices and to integrate enterprise-wide information supporting financial, human resources, manufacturing, sales and marketing functions. Evolution of ERP It was in the Sixties that the concept of resource planning was first introduced by software packages that dealt with inventory control capability. Material Requirements Planning (MRP) systems were later introduced in 1970s and these contained a master production schedule and a bill of materials file with list of materials needed to produce each item. MRP systems were enhanced by adding tools for sales planning, customer order processing and capacity planning that provided input production scheduling, known as closed loop MRP. In the 1980s, MRPII systems incorporated financial accounting system along with manufacturing and materials management systems. MRPII led to an integrated business system that was used to create a database of material and capacity requirements for production and this system then translated these requirements into financial information. By 1990s ERP systems provided seamless integration of all information flows in the company- Financial Accounting, Human Resources, Supply Chain Management and Customer Information (Rondeau Litteral, 2001). Challenges of ERP System ERP system projects involve considerable time and cost not only in terms of investment but also for realization of benefits from their implementation. Research by Standish Group illustrates that 90% of ERP projects are late over budget. Meta Group survey data, based on 63 companies, showed that average implementation cost of ERP was $ 10.6 million and took 23 months to complete (K. Siau, 2004). A successful implementation of ERP requires a multi-stage approach (Jones M. and Price L., 2004), and the benefits of ERP may not occur until later stages. Jones et al., propose three stages: the project phase, the shakedown phase, and onward and upward phase. ERP software is introduced during project phase and is implemented into firms operations during shakedown phase. It is not until onward and upward phase, during which ERP modules are successfully integrated with operations, that the organization can achieve actual business results, such as inventory reduction (Motwani et al., 2002). However, Spathis et al. identify four phases for implementation of the same. The phases are: a planning phase, a re-engineering phase, a design phase, and a configuration and testing phase (Spathis et al., 2003). They indicate that re-engineering business practices around the ERP software is critical to successful implementation. In their stage analysis, Rondeau et al. (2001) suggest benefits of ERP occur when ERP modules are implemented successfully and when organizations can use the ERP foundation to add advance modules such as customer relationship management. A company has to make sure that its ERP investment fetches increased profitability. The key challenge is not in managing technology, but in managing people. An ERP system changes the way people work, and for the system to be effective, the change must be dramatic. It promotes efficient business processes with the requirement of fewer people than before ERP implementation or up-gradation. This implies that some employees will be asked either to change their day-to-day activities or their services would no longer be needed. Managing human behavior aspects of organizational change also known as organizational change management (OCM) cannot be underestimated in importance of this part of the implementation process. One of the keys to managing OCM is to realize that people tend to defy changes associated with their work related activities. If the ERP implementation is a project that is being forced on the employees, then they will instinctively resist it. However, if it is viewed as a chance to make the company more efficient and effective by improving business process, and consequently these process improvements will make the company more profitable and ensure job security to employees, then there is a greater likelihood that the employees will wholeheartedly support the implementation efforts. The best way to improve a business process is to delegate the task to develop process improvement ideas to people who are most familiar with the process using their experience and creativity. Sometimes, a company is not ready for ERP. In many cases, ERP implementation difficulties result when management does not fully understand its current business processes and cannot make implementation decisions in time . In order to obtain benefits from an ERP system resulting in reduction of costs needs an organization to streamline its business processes. However, if a company is not prepared to change its business process es, it will find a large bill for software and consulting fees with no improvement in organizational performance. ERP packages imply, by their design, a way of doing business, and they require users to follow that way of doing business. Some of business operations, and some segments of its operations, may not match the constraints inherent in ERP. Therefore, it is imperative for a business to analyze its business strategy, organization, culture and operations before choosing an ERP approach. Review of Literature Companies implement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in order to achieve better responsiveness to the needs of customers through real-time information provided by the system, to link customers and suppliers into a complete supply chain, to provide high degree of cross functional integration, to reduce the costs and to provide the foundation for effective e-commerce (Vollmann et al., 2005). The pressure to survive in the new world order and align with the new paradigm for organizational success, namely, speed, flexibility, integration and innovation, further drives organizations towards adopting integrative software approaches like ERP. It is also a well known fact that information technology affects the organization structure (Bhattacherjee, 2000). Hence, ERP implementation would impact the structure, but this impact has not been elaborately investigated. It is often supposed that IT creates a flatter structure (Stevens, 1998). The flat structure speeds up decision-making p rocess, shortens lines of communication and aids in savings (Klein, 2001). ERP implementation benefits are not realized quickly as expected and the process is lengthy and expensive (Siau, 2004). Many organizations world over and particularly in the fast developing countries are traditional hierarchies and managing changes in structure offering challenges. As ERP implementation is an enterprise wide venture of change.It is important to understand how to manage impact on the organization structure. Two research objectives were central to this research project. ERP implementation influences the structure of the organization. Management of the change to the new structure. This paper is an attempt to examine the ERP implementation experience in a company. It drew on Organization Theory and Change Management theory to understand the transition between structures and to provide the explanations (Amoako-Gyampah, 2004). ERP represents a comprehensive software approach and information technology effects on the organization structure (Kurup, 2004) and ERP implementation success involves change management of techniques, the change management theory (Paton and McCalman, 2004) prove useful in explaining the outcomes of the case study . IT and Organization Structure The organization structure defines how the tasks are to be allocated, who reports to whom and the formal coordinating mechanisms and interaction patters that will be followed (Robbin, 1990). Organization structure has three components: Complexity, Formalization and Centralization. These components are described below and impact of IT on these components is expressed and applied to case analysis to aid in investigation of the influence of ERP on organization structure. Complexity Complexity refers to the degree of differentiation that exists within an organization. This includes the degree of specialization or division of labour, the number of levels in the organizations hierarchy, and the extent to which the organizations units are dispersed geographically (Klein, 2001). With introduction of this component of organization structure, it is possible to have wider span of control with more knowledgeable and empowered employees. Companies with IT can reduce the middle management layers and widen span of control and thereby flatten the organization structure. However, removing layers might create new challenges. New mechanisms for coordination might be needed or new process of governance might be necessary. According to the model proposed by Klein (2001), IT results in wider spans of control, fewer levels, fewer people, easier collaboration and communication. In other words, IT lowers the complexity. Formalization Formalization refers to the degree to which an organization relies on rules and procedures to direct behavior of employees. Evidence exists to indicate that developing detailed guidelines of appropriate operating procedures enhances coordination and is suitable in a stable environment (Martin, 2009). Formalization, however, is negatively associated with adoption and implementation of innovation in organizations (Ahadi, 2004) and hence it is negatively related to the ERP implementation because it tends to boast deleterious effects on the work attitudes. Centralization The decisional control in organization could be centralized or decentralized. In traditional hierarchies the decisional control is usually centralized. Research indicates that IT tends to make the decisional control more decentralized with no commensurate loss of control by the top management (Robbin, 1990). It is possible that the centralization component is related to the size of middle management although there are conflicting findings. IT results in a decrease in the size of the middle management workforce in organizations with centralized decision authority and with an increase in the number of middle managers in organizations where the authority is decentralized. Change Management The change management when linked to ERP implementation has been more focused on process change (Davison, 2002). The other type of change namely organizational restructuring provides specifics related to moving from one structure to another. The objective of restructuring is based on the companys long-range plan and the intention is to set up a structure that enables a company to be ready for new activities. However, changing an organizations structure can be difficult and successful restructuring depends on three conditions: sound planning, effective leadership and organizational commitment (Witzel, 2002). To examine organizational change in a traditional hierarchical organization, consideration is given to: Human element and informal organization. Necessity of strong management actions and inspirational vision. Sustainability of an initiative. None of available models considers all the three aspects. Informal Organization INPUT Strategy Formal OUTPUT Resources, Organization Individual Environment team, Performance Managing Change Transformation Process Figure -1 In traditional organizations, manager had to solve problems by directly communicating with the employees and was related to power and values. However, in ERP implementation much of the learning process comes from hands on use under normal operating conditions after the implementation period is over. Thus power is then transfered to individuals who are able to operate the ERP system better and utilize Work People the system resources efficiently (Aladwani, 2009). ERP affect on nature of work and training is an important part of change management practices. ERP requires users to understand that they are no longer working in isolation, and whatever they do now impacts someone else. This can create resistance that comes from a fear of the unknown and from the need of stability. There are two fundamental sources of resistance to innovations like ERP: perceived Risk and Habit. The habit of keeping the routine practices prevalent in hierarchies has to be tackled using appropriate strategies. Spathis and Constantinides (2003) have proposed a planned change model and this model assumes that change can be defined and moved in a planned way. Unlike other planning models, the four phases suggested in this model are linear and irreversible. This model satisfies the requirement of well-controlled change and strong management actions. Four phases that have been suggested are: Exploration, Planning, Action and Integration. Implementation of ERP Information technology leads to a tremendous impact on productivity of both manufacturing and service organizations. Companies have implemented systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), MRP, EDI, over time for improving their productivity. ERP systems have received attention lately due to more effective decision-making capability. Many companies are implementing ERP as a means to reducing operating costs, increasing productivity and improving customer services (Martin, 2009; Pliskin and Zarotski, 2000). ERP system can cripple a company, if not implemented properly. There are horror stories concerning implementations gone astray (Laughlin, 1999; Bancroft et al., 1998). Implementing ERP system successfully calls for strong leadership, a clear implementation plan, and a constant watch on the budget (Wagle, 2008). From a project managers point of view, most important consideration is a clear implementation plan and a strategy, that should evolve through systematic consideration of companys requirements and its ability to manage changes called for under new circumstances. Some of the factors to be considered seriously at planning stage are: Information needs at the operational and managerial level for various functional areas. Feasibility of ERP system integration with the existing information systems Schedule for adaptation of the new system. An organization requires development of an implementation strategy. Such a strategy, will determine how the related changes can be successfully absorbed at various parts of the organization. It has been found that the organizations that had no SAP implementation strategic plan performed poorly compared to those who had a plan. ERP implementation from countries around the world demonstrates that success is essentially conditional on adequately managing complex context of the implementation, which necessitates change management across various key areas related to business processes, IT structure, and management systems (Al-Mashari and Zairi, 2009). This highlights practical issues associated with the implementation of ERP systems. For successful implementation three basic requirements are to be met: a clear business objective, comprehension of the nature of changes and understanding of the project risk. Strong leadership and constant watch on budget are the two other, yet equally significant requirements, as stressed by Wagle (2008). For an effective implementation of ERP system, particularly SAP R/3, an organization must take a holistic view of the process (Al-Mashari and Zairi, 2009). Various issues at strategic, managerial, and operational levels should be addressed in order to achieve optimum outcomes from an ERP system. For a successful outcome an organization must establish competencies in four core areas: Change Strategy development and deployment, Enterprise-wide Project Management, BPR integration with IT, and technical aspects of ERP installation. These competencies will enable managers to effectively manage changes and direct the organization to desired goals (see Fig.2). Fig. 2. Core competencies in effective implementation of ERP (adopted from Al-Mashari and Zairi 2009). Change management Strategy Changes in an organization are brought about through implementation of strategies. Kuruppuarachchi et al. (2002) examined the success (and failure) factors and implementation methodologies that contribute to change management strategy formulation in organizations. Fig. 3 presents a framework of the change management process, incorporating change agents and strategic considerations at various stages of ERP implementation, when viewed from an IT project implementation point of view. Meyers et al. (2009) analyzed about 130 research papers to find out factors influencing the implementation of new technologies for improved operational efficiencies. They classified implementation success factors as buyers characteristics, seller characteristics, buyer-seller interface, and environment. These factors are listed below: Human resources: greater education and training among personnel; positive motivation, attitudes, and commitment toward the innovation. Structure: an adaptive and flexible structure; strong communications mechanism and net work across structural boundaries. Decision processes: broad strategic, as opposed to narrowly and earlier involvement of technical goals; greater and earlier involvement of the operational workforce; top management support and commitment and the presence of a champion; cooperation among units; slow, gradual radical incorporation of the innovation. Technology fit: familiarity with the new technology and availability of relevant skills within the organization. Higher level of technical capabilities of the seller. Strong communications skills of the seller. Expertise in project management of the seller. Constructive cooperation between buyer and seller in implementation. Knowledge transfer: the buyer is involved in leaning, diagnosing, and shaping usage patterns of the buyer. Intensive networking within and across industries leading to greater exposure to innovations. Fig.3. Change management considerations (Source: Kuruppuarachchi et al., 2002). Case Study -I Pantaloon: ERP in Retail More than eight years after it forayed into the retail business, Pantaloon Retail decided to implement SAP to keep itself competitive in the rapidly growing Indian retail market. Store operations have never been as important to retailers as they were then. Successful retailers are those who know that the battle for customers is only won at the frontline, which in the case of a retail chain is at its stores. Pantaloon was regularly opening stores in metros and there was an urgent need for a reliable enterprise wide application to help run its business effectively. The basic need was to have a robust transaction management system and an enterprise wide platform to run the operations, says Rakesh Biyani, Director, Pantaloon. The Solution The company was looking for a solution that would bring all its businesses and processes together. After a comprehensive evaluation of different options and software companies, the management at Pantaloon decided to go in for SAP. Some of the qualities of SAP retail solutions are that it supports product development, which includes ideation, trend analysis, and collaboration with partners in the supply chain; sourcing and procurement, which involves working with manufacturers to fulfill order according to strategic merchandising plans and optimize cost, quality, and speed-variables that must be weighted differently as business needs, buying plans, and market demand patterns change; managing the supply chain, which involves handling the logistics of moving finished good from the source into stores and overseeing global trade and procurement requirements; selling goods across a variety of channels to customers, which requires marketing and brand management; managing mark-downs and capt uring customer reactions, analyzing data, and using it to optimize the next phase of the design process. In a Nutshell Aim To deploy a robust transaction management system and an enterprise wide platform to run its operations. Solution SAP retail solution Implemented by SAP team with the help of Novasoft, Singapore Number of users Around 1,200 Time taken About six months Cost of implementation A $ 10 million Implementation The implementation was outsourced to a third party. The implementation was done by the SAP team with help of Novasoft which is based at Singapore, says Core Team Member. This project was headed by Pantaloons Chief Information Technology Officer, Chinar Deshpande. Some people from Pantaloon assisted in the project and twenty four qualified people worked on the SAP implementation. Three Phases SAP implementation in Pantaloon was not a single phase process. The project was divided into three phases. The first phase of implementation involved blueprinting of existing processes and mapping them to the desired state. In this phase, the entire project team worked on current processes within Pantaloon Retail. The various existing processes were thoroughly analyzed and drafted. This blueprint was later used in the formation of new states of the solution. Since the SAP would combine all the processes, each and every one of these had to be evaluated. In the second phase, the SAP platform was developed with the help of Novasofts template which was predefined by SAP after evaluation of Pantaloons needs and expertise in retail solutions. The last phase in this project was for stores to switch over to the new system and for current data to be ported. Before the SAP implementation, all the data was unorganized. This data had to be migrated to the new SAP application. The project was flagged off on 15th June 2005 and took about six months to finish. It went live at the head office on 1st January 2006. The Pantaloon Retail stores used SAP from 1st January 2006 to 30th June 2006. Benefits and Challenges The key challenges in this project were not in the implementation. Rather, the difficulties were faced during the data migration and in managing the interim period when the project was underway for about six months. Migrating unorganized data to an organized format was a challenging task. SAP General Ledger gives Pantaloon a higher level of transparency into individual operations and helps it continually drive productivity improvements across the enterprise. For example, Pantaloon can now automatically split accounting line items per document for each company profit center. These transactions are handled by the software,and the company no longer needs to make period adjustments to balance sheet and profit and loss statements. With the document splitting tool, Pantaloon now has a real-time, complete picture of its accounts receivables and payables across all operational levels, which has enabled it to reduce receivables by up to 10%. In addition, it is now able to close the monthly books 20% faster, due to tight integration between financials and controlling components and real-time reconciliation capabilities. The application is currently being used by around 1,200 employees across the organization. For maintaining this implementation and its related applications, Pantaloon has an in-house team and it has outsourced ABAP resources. ERP system relied greatly on this in-house team for training its employees (at every level) and extracting benefits from ERP. The system runs on a HP Superdome server on HP UNIX 11 and the database is from Oracle. The cost of this project was about $ 10 million. Future projects After the successful implementation of SAP for its retail chain, Pantaloon plans to go ahead with IT projects such as implementation of WMS with RFID, Customer Intelligence and CRM. Inventory and Promotions Optimization are being pursued. Case Study II Ace Designers Ltd. ERP reduces manufacturing costs by 20% for Industrial Equipment manufacturer Overview Since 1987, Ace Designers Limited, Indias manufacturer of CNC lathes and auto lathes, has been exporting machines around the world, including Brazil, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States. With growth, their largely manual systems started breaking down. They had no centralized purchasing department and means of sharing information, so company groups were paying different amounts for the same parts from the same vendor. Delivery dates were missed because of a lack of inventory control, and top management had little visibility to manufacturing process. The Challenge Ace needed a complete information system built around an ERP solution that would help manage every aspect of their manufacturing process-from purchasing and inventory to manufacturing, planning and preparing for ISO certification. The Solution Ace commissioned a comprehensive survey of the ERP market and Intuitive was selected for four major reasons: A 100 percent Microsoft platform, an easy-to-use graphical interface, excellent support, and scalable open architecture features that permitted the addition of users at any time. The consultants who evaluated Intuitive ERP and its competitors for ACE Designers concluded: Intuitive ERP is easy to install, interface, customize and maintain. It can be integrated seamlessly into any manufacturing environment and has a good scheduling flexibility and versatile options. It also has a definite ISO 9000 facilitation orientation. Ace Designers Results Ace started module wise implementation of Intuitive ERP in four phases, which were completed in four months. Intuitive ERPs graphical interface and integration with Microsoft Office and Access made it easy for Aces staff, which prior to this had virtually no computer experience, to learn and use the new system. And using Microsoft SQL Server as the database engine delivered speed and robustness necessary for their mission critical applications. Hence, employees support was a crucial factor that added to achievement of success in ERP implementation in the organization. We transformed the company from a practically nil computer culture to a total computerized system, said V. Chandra, General Manager of Ace. The learning curve for Intuitive ERP is reduced to well below that of other manufacturing systems because of graphical and interactive flow charts and complete context sensitive online help. Implementing Intuitive ERP led to dramatic improvements in every operational area: Managers now have the most current inventory and costing models available to them at all times, and they can set competitive pricing that ensures profitability. They are able to monitor online status of work orders for components, sub-assemblies and final assemblies. Improved Planning: With the previous manual planning system, it was difficult to coordinate customer requirements and design changes with production and assembly functions to meet the manufacturing schedule. Now there is seamless coordination between all departments while significantly reducing planning headcount. Prior to Intuitive ERP, there had been virtually no inventory management at Ace; information on non-moving or slow-moving items and stock values was not available. With new tools in place, manufacturing inventory has been reduced by 20 percent. With reports such as Purchase Price Variance, there is visibility of the cost of every purchased item. This has resulted in better price negotiation with suppliers resulting in a 20 percent price reduction. Intuitive ERP provides accurate data for making manufacturing decisions through reports that include online machine utilization, online work order status monitoring, online WIP components costing, online WIP sub-assembly costing and online labor utilization. Case Study III ERP Implementation Failure at HP Stanford engineers Bill Hewlett and David Packard started HP in California in 1938 as an electronic instruments company. Its first product was a resistance-capacity audio oscillator, an electronic instrument used to test sound equipment. During the 1940s, HPs products rapidly gained acceptance among engineers and scientists. HPs growth was aided by heavy purchases made by US government during the Second World War. In the 1980s, HP emerged as a major player in the computer industry, offering a full range of computers from desktop machines to powerful minicomputers. This decade saw the development of successful products like the Inkjet and LaserJet printers. HP introduced its first personal computer (PC) in 1981, followed by an electronic mail system in1982. This was first major wide-area commercial network that was based on a minicomputer. HP introduced its HP 9000 computer with 32-bit super chip. HP became leader in workstations with the purchase of market leader, Apollo Computers, in 1989. In August 2004, HP announced that its revenues for the third quarter and it was identified that its Enterprise Servers and Storage (ESS) segment had gone down by 5% (amounting $ 3.4 billion) as compared to the same quarter the previous year. The company attributed this revenue shortfall mainly to the problems faced because of migration to a centralized ERP system at one of its North American divisions. The total financial impact of the failure including backlogs and lost revenue was pegged at $ 16