Transdental Meditation Essay Example For Students

Transdental Meditation Essay The Meditation exercise that we performed in class was refreshing. It cleared my mind of all stress that day. As I lay on the mat, I had no idea I was that tensed. It was somewhat hard to imagine a flame below my navel. The music in the background was relaxing It was flicking with the flame in my mind. Several times throughout the exercise my mind wandered away, to future events that needed tending to after class. I tried to staya focused on the meditation The flame at one point seemed larger than a single flame, which prevented me from relaxing. I imagined the beautiful colors of orange, red, and yellow. At times my flame would turn blue and green. When the exercise was over I opened my eyes to a lighter head with less tension. All in all, I would say the meditation exercise help to get some of the stress off my mind. I found myself continuing the exercise throughout the holiday. We will write a custom essay on Transdental Meditation specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Bibliography:

PSAT Score Needed for National Merit Scholarship

PSAT Score Needed for National Merit Scholarship SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Each year more than1.5 million juniors take the PSATin the hopes of qualifyingfor the National Merit Scholarship Program. But what score do they need to earnSemifinalist distinction? In this guide,we'll let you know whatPSAT score you need to qualify for Semifinalist status in your state and potentially move on to win a National Merit scholarship. What's a Good Score for National Merit Scholarship? The exact PSAT score for National Merit consideration varies from year to year and by state, but it's alwaysthe top 1% of students (about 16,000 juniors) who qualify as Semifinalists.About 15,000 students in this group then move on to become National Merit Finalists and win scholarship money. To be named a Semifinalist, youneed to score in the top 1% of yourstate - not the whole country. What scores do you need to qualify?To answer this question, you must first understand how the PSAT is scored. The PSAT is scoredfrom 320 to 1520.In addition to thatcompositescore, your score report will tell you yourtest scores forMath, Reading, and Writing and Language. These scores fall between 8 and 38. For National Merit eligibility, these are the most important score types. NMSC adds each section test scoretogether and then multiplies the sum by 2 to create a National Merit Selection Index Score. The resulting Selection Indexscore determines your National Merit eligibility. For example, let's sayyou got a 31 on Math, a 32 on Reading, and a 30 on Writing and Language. The sum of these subscores comes out to 93. You would then multiply this by 2toget your Selection Index Score: 186. In equation form, it looks like this: (31 + 32 + 30) * 2 = 186. Unfortunately, a Selection Index of 186 doesn'tqualify for National Merit Semifinalist status. What score do you need, then, to achieve this recognition? Read on for the full list of National Merit cutoffs in each state. Want to improve your PSAT score by 150 points? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: Qualifying Score for National Merit Semifinalistby State We've compiled a list of the qualifying scores for National Merit Semifinalist by state. These cutoffs applied tostudents who took the redesigned PSAT in the fall of 2017. State Selection Index Alabama 216 Alaska 215 Arizona 220 Arkansas 214 California 223 Colorado 221 Connecticut 222 Delaware 222 DC 223 Florida 219 Georgia 220 Hawaii 220 Idaho 214 Illinois 221 Indiana 219 Iowa 216 Kansas 218 Kentucky 218 Louisiana 217 Maine 217 Maryland 223 Massachusetts 223 Michigan 219 Minnesota 220 Mississippi 215 Missouri 217 Montana 214 Nebraska 216 Nevada 218 New Hampshire 219 New Jersey 223 New Mexico 215 New York 221 North Carolina 220 North Dakota 212 Ohio 219 Oklahoma 215 Oregon 221 Pennsylvania 220 Rhode Island 220 South Carolina 216 South Dakota 215 Tennessee 219 Texas 221 Utah 215 Vermont 216 Virginia 222 Washington 222 West Virginia 212 Wisconsin 216 Wyoming 212 Average Score 218 As you can see, scores vary depending on where you take the test. National Merit Index Selection Cutoffsregularly vary a few points between years, so aim to achieve a score at least 2-5 points higher than the predicted cutoff for your state! What Does This Mean for You? What Should Your Target PSAT Score Be? If you haven't taken the PSAT yet, then you can use the above chart to set target PSAT scores. Let's say you live in Nebraska. To be named a Semifinalist, you'll need a Selection Index score of 216. What scores do you need on each section of the PSAT to achieve this score? As you read above, your Selection Index equals the sum of your section scores (between 8 and 38) multiplied by 2. To figure out what PSAT scores you need based on your state's cutoff,simply work backward. As a Nebraska resident, your first step will be todivide Nebraska's cutoff score by 2: 216 / 2 = 108 Now, split 108 into three: 108 / 3 = 36 To get a Selection Index of 216, you'd need a 36 on each of the three sections (Math, Reading, and Writing and Language). Of course, youdon't have to set your target scores equally among the three sections. If you're especially strong at verbal skills, for example, you could instead aim for 38s on both Reading and Writing and a 32 in Math. Once you have a sense of what scores you'll need to meet your state's cutoff score, distribute them however you like based on your own academic strengths and weaknesses.Again, you can set target PSAT scores by dividing your state's cutoff in half and then splitting that quotient into three scores, each on a scale of 8-38. As mentioned above, the state cutoffs vary slightly from year to year depending on how students do on the PSAT. If you're really serious about getting named National Merit Semifinalist, then you should aim to score a little higher than this year's cutoff. By setting a goal for each section and devoting some time each week to prepping for the PSAT, you can achieve your goals and put yourself in the best position to earn a National Merit distinction. What’s Next? Are you taking the PSAT this year or next? Learn all about the newly redesigned test. Hoping to get the National Merit Scholarship?Get expert tips onhow to become a Semifinalist and how to win the scholarship. Are you interested in applying to othercollege scholarships? Read abouthow to get merit scholarships at state schools, how to win a Walmart Scholarship, and how to win these unusual scholarships. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

DB 2,3,4 Your thoughts Al Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DB 2,3,4 Your thoughts Al - Assignment Example cticut, Hawaii, New Jersey and the District of Columbia are comparatively in a better position with a B+ grade, as they grant the facility of paid sick leaves, paid medical leaves for pregnancy and paid family leaves. According to Wilke (2014), although there are 181 countries providing maternity leaves and 81 nations providing paternity leaves, the US offers none of these leaves either to new mothers or new fathers. Additionally, none of the US national employment policies is identified to assure remunerated sick days, pregnancy accommodations and other supports to new parents. Nevertheless, the states are now taking steps to establish a parent-friendly workplace by implementing various laws, as per Wilke (2014). The various Acts, such as the â€Å"Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act†, the â€Å"Healthy Families Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act† are also on the lane to get implemented in the US (Wilke, 2014). Apparently, the inferences of the artic le reveal scenario major developmental need of parent-friendly workplace in the US, wherein, apart from the above-mentioned policies, authorities are suggested to bring more flexibility in organizational schedule and telecommunicating facilities. In this article Maurer (2014) intends to summarize the impacts of the new reporting system of Brazil, referred as eSocial. The new system takes account of centralizing and standardizing information on tax, social security, labor and company data into a distinct database and then supplying it to different governmental organizations. As per Maurer (2014), even though the date of implementation is yet not finalized, but it is sure to include all large and mid-income employees. Subsequently, reduction in insolvency, tax evasion and fraud along with development of the inspection of employment records are anticipated as the result of implementing the new reporting initiative. As per Maurer (2014), the process attached to the new system is simplified and can be

Understanding Money and Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Understanding Money and Banking - Essay Example To use money requires cost and a person or business entity that needs and uses the same for the acquisition of good and services has to pay interest based on prevailing market rate. Another concept is the price of goods and services, expressed in currencies, which must be understood as the value of these goods and services when they are acquired in the market. Inflation rate is about rate of price increase as measured by price index and is usually measured yearly or monthly and erodes purchasing power of money (Eyler, 2009). It is important to know the same since the higher the inflation rate the higher would be the prices of goods and services and the harder for one who needs money to acquire the goods and services required for consumption or business purposes. High inflation rate would therefore normally be related to higher interest rate, which can be influenced or controlled by monetary authorities as way of arresting increase in prices or inflation for general welfare. In the article, the bankers are demanding that the monetary authorities or the policy makers should allow interest rates to go up as former blames the low level of interest rates to be causing inflation or the continued increase in the prices of commodities. Krugman author has US economic slowdown or low economic recovery development in mind with high unemployment in the United States, which is a problem that must be addressed. He argues that increasing interest rate would mean accepting unemployment as permanent reality or accepting hardship without having in solution in the offing. To increase interest rate would be to discourage business borrowing from banks and tight monetary supply could in fact reduce inflation, which is also bad for the economy, but the greater evil of more unemployment would arise as consequence. Arguments used to justify increasing

Managers' encouragement of employee voice can lift well-being and Essay - 2

Managers' encouragement of employee voice can lift well-being and productivity. Discuss - Essay Example It has correspondingly been argued that employees should be provided with the opportunity to take part in the decision making process of the organization through supportive ideas, emphasising more on group decision-making systems (Townsend & et. al., 2012). This would result in delivering higher performance in the workplace along with the well-being of the employees and other organizational members, although subjected to various limitations identifiable in terms of time and complexities. In addition, such measures are also criticised to increase chances of team conflicts, owing to which, there has been various limitations in employee participation in organizational decision-making (Townsend & Wilkinson, 2014). However, the essay will critically analyze and provide an argumentative discussion regarding â€Å"Managers’ Encouragement of Employee Voice Can Lift Well-Being and Productivity†. It has often been considered that encouraging employee’s voice or allowing the employees to participate in the decision making process can lead to a high performance working environment and successful implementation of business activities within modern organisations. In support of this notion, Wilkinson & et. al. (2015) argue that various psychosocial aspects of the organisational environment along with physical elements of the employees can be encouraged through such measures ensuring that they are able to align their personal objectives better with the organisational goals. These psychosocial aspects may include job security, workload, stress, workload balance and job satisfaction while the physical elements may include health and safety of the employees. Contextually, employee voice can be either formal or informal depending upon the situation as well as the type of regulations being adopted by the organisation (Markey & Townsend, 2015). Formally, employees

Samsung Electronics Management Style

Samsung Electronics Management Style Samsung Electronics is a Korea-based consumer electronics company. The case describes Samsungs journey from a company focused on manufacturing to one known for the excellence of its product design. It discusses how the company came to use design as a differentiator and for competitive advantage. It describes the steps that Samsung took on the people, process, and system fronts to improve its design capabilities. The case also talks about Samsungs design philosophy, and ends with a brief discussion on the use of design as a competitive advantage. Like all companies in the business of high tech, Samsung must bring innovative products to market faster while ensuring high quality and holding down costs. It is also faced with the challenge of working with global business partners and its own geographically dispersed facilities. Samsungs strategy for meeting its mission of technology-based value innovation relies heavily on what it calls a digital convergence revolution. This revolution features two parts: a digital product development infrastructure (involving design, validation and manufacturing) and digital collaboration. During the period covered by the case study Samsung underwent significant change. How would you characterise the type of change that it underwent? Balogun Hope Haileys analytical framework may be useful for this purpose. According to Balogun.J and Hope Hailey.V there are four types of strategic changes namely Adaptation, Reconstruction, Evolution and Revolution. During the changes that Samsung underwent it will be highlighted exactly the way in which to company changed, whether the change was done over time or whether the change was suddenly implemented. Samsung shows signs of Reconstruction. Reconstruction is a rapid change and it may involve a great deal of confusion but it does not require a fundamental paradigm shift in the way the company does things. (Balogun.J and Hope Hailey.V, 1999)Reconstruction may be a turnaround situation where there is a need for a major structural change or a major cost cutting programme to deal with declining financial performances or changing market conditions. Yun and his management team decided to take steps that would push Samsung out of it a precarious financial position. Therefore he reconstructed the company by layoff of 30,000 employees which represented a third of its entire workforce. This major cost cutting programme was done so that they could get out their debt. Yun and the management team also decided to close down many Samsung factories for two months in order to get rid of their excessive inventory that did not sell. Yun and the team also made major changes when they sold off two billion dollars worth of businesses, like pagers and electric coffeemakers, which were perceived to be marginal significance for the firms future. These types of changes helped the company regain their losses which was a major structural and financial need for the company. Yun wanted to implement a strategy that would separate Samsung from their competitors. Therefore he pushed the firm to develop its own products rather than coping these products of other firms that had been developed. Yun placed a lot of emphasis on the development of products that would impress the customers with their attractive designs and advanced technology. Therefore Yun was reconstructuring the way Samsung has been doing business and wanted the company to reach higher standards where they can be seen as a quality brand and compete with the bigger companies. As a result Samsung reconstruction underwent a major design turnaround from a poorly designed product to a product that will be an in-house design. The next major step that Yun took was to recruitment of new managers and engineers, many of whom had developed considerable experience in the United States. The recruitment of managers and the engineers had a major turnaround due to the fact that it allowed them to start developing their own products and be innovative. He then also discarded Samsungs seniority-based system to a merit-based system for advancements. A merit-based system are based on ones performance meaning that the employees could feel more open to expressing their ideas to help the company reach its goals with the knowledge that they will be rewarded for it. Therefore this turnaround helped the company to have a better relationship with their employees and create a system that would allow them to feel open to express their ideas and creativity. Another major change that Yun made was to hire a marketing whiz, called Eric Kim, which worked hard to create a more upscale image for the company and its products. Eric implemented a major turnaround when he moved Samsungs advertising away from 55 different advertising agencies around the world and then he placed them into one firm. The reason for this change was to create a consistent global brand image for Samsungs product. He therefore got Samsung out of big discount chains and placed more of Samsungs products into more upscale specialty stores. Reconstruction of the firms bureaucratic was implemented in order to reduce it to get faster approvals for new product budgets and marketing plans, thus speeding up their abilities to seize opportunities. Because of the bureaucratic turnaround situation it allowed Yun to make heavy investments into key technologies and it allowed them to push out a wide variety of digital products. How significant was Jong- Yong Yuns role in the change process? Samsungs CEO Jong-Yong Yuns philosophy of continuous improvement has helped Samsung get out of their financial crisis and making it stronger than ever. Yun specifically applied an industrial engineering concept to Samsung in order to cut production times and increase workers productivity. Although he initially met resistance in implementing industrial engineering in the firm, Yun sponsored in-house training sessions for workers. He also trained 1,550 managers in Industrial Engineering concepts. Yuns plans involved product innovation, process innovation and personnel innovation. Samsung Electronics not only shot to the front of the pack internationally but also lifted its parent  Samsung Group  to the number one spot in South Koreas all-important business rankings. Therefore because of Yuns efforts, which drew heavily on industrial engineering concepts, Samsung Group stood at the top of South Koreas giant industrial conglomerates. At the heart of Yuns strategic plan for Samsung Electronics were the three Ps: product, process, and personnel innovation. In the area of product innovation Yun moved quickly to extract Samsung from those businesses that were marginal or no longer producing an acceptable rate of return for the company. As a result Samsung Electronics reduced its television output and did away with such marginal product lines as dishwashers, electronic pagers, and juicers. These products were replaced with such high-tech, high-margin goods as flat-panel displays, MP3 music players, and advanced mobile phones. Among the processes  streamlined  by Yun was the global supply chain, which was changed from a monthly to a weekly system. Under the new system the company changed their focus from make-to-stock to make-to-order production. With the reduction in inventories cash flow improved. In the area of personnel innovation Yun instituted a system of global product management under which each of Samsung Electronics 14 divisions was directed by a global product manager who was responsible for every phase of that divisions operations. (Pedler, M., Burgogyne, J. and Boydell, T. 1997.)  Yun also decided to give his subordinates greater autonomy meaning he empowered the employees. Yuns role played a major role for the success of the company and increased their profits. Yuns achievement in masterminding the sharp turnaround  at Samsung Electronics is the reason why the company is successful. Yuns role in the change process was important as he made major changes to the system. Yun changed the momentum of the company; he changed the bureaucratic system to allow the employees to express their ideas which lead to Samsung been innovative. Yun role in the change process allowed the Samsungs products to be viewed as a higher-priced brand rather than before where it was perceived as a lower-priced appliance. It also became an established low cost supplier of various components to larger and better-known manufactures around the world. Therefore Yuns role helped the company to tap into their resources that they had and to use them to change how processes were done. Yun also changed the process by recruiting the managers and the engineers. Yun laid the foundation for the new change that was implemented and without the guidance and standards that was set by Yun the change processes would not have been successful. Yun played a role in each aspect of Samsungs change and help the company get of their financial problems. Yun was very dedicated to his work and risked a lot for the company. Yun and his management team took time to make sure that the changes they were implementing would be successful and that it would speed up the research and development of new products. Yuns role in the change process gave the customers a better impression on the firms products. His role also allowed Samsung to reduce complexity in the early stages of the design cycle. This then resulted in the firm been able to get the products to the manufactures quickly with minimal problems and at the lowest possible costs. Therefore Yun truly played a significant role in the change process and he helps advance Samsung in digital technologies. Yuns strategy to focus on the higher-end products has clearly enhanced the firms brand image and has led the company to be profitable. In fact many executives in the industry of US have said they are astounded by the ability of the firm to generate a superior brand image. This would not have been possible if Yun was not playing a part in the change process as it was his thinking that allowed this to happen. What methods did Samsung use to promote innovation and the diffusion of ideas across the organisation? Firstly Samsung promoted innovation by deciding to push the firm to develop its own products rather than to copy those products that other firms have developed. Yun placed a great amount of emphasis on the development of products that would impress the customers with their attractive designs. Yun also reoriented the firm and helped it develop new capabilities by recruiting the managers and engineers. Yun put the new managers and engineers through a four week boot camp that was intended to create incentives for new talent. Samsung rigid seniority/based system was replaced with a merit base system that allowed advancement to take place, it also allowed the employees to know that their efforts and ideas are not overlooked and that good ideas are rewarded. As a result the above efforts Samsung started launch an array of products that was designed to make a big impression on the customers. Another large part of the success of Samsungs innovation and ideas was that they regularly got information from the retailers about the new features that customers wanted to see in their electronic devices. This close link with the retailers helped Samsung to come up with best selling products and to create the digital products that the customers were looking for and the actual design preferences of the products. Samsung managers who have worked for competitors say they have to go through far fewer layers of bureaucracy than they had in the past to win approval for new product, budgets and marketing plans, speeding up their ability to seize opportunities. Therefore Samsung reduced the bureaucratic obstacles. Because the bureaucratic obstacle was reduced it allowed Yun to make investments into key technologies that allowed the innovative products to be designed. Samsung claims that it has been able to reduce the time that it takes to go from a new product concept to rollout to as little as six months. Due to the above ideas of how to better run the business it resulted in allowing the efforts of the firms top managers, engineers and designers to be expressed and to be acknowledged for their ideas. It allowed them to better communicate with the top managers about their ideas. Samsung advances in digital technologies have helped with them increasing their chances of getting a better position in the market. They have promoted their innovation by combining their computers, consumer electronics and communications to be the prime leader. Samsung had also created the post of chief design officer to make sure that designers can get their ideas to the top managers. The engineers are pushed to find ways to work with the designs that are presented to them. Yun has also worked closely with Chin to summon engineers and designers from across the firm to mix wireless, semiconductor and computer expertise in order to pursue its vision of domination of the digital home. Samsung had even opened or expanded design centres to help the designers observe the way that consumers actually use the various products. Therefore by giving them this opportunity they know how to be innovative when it comes to designing the products. The designers were able to watch from behind a two-way mirror to see how the customers responded to a particular design. With this the designers were able to go back and work on the necessary things that needed to be implemented in order to make sure the products are what the customers want. This forced the designers to think out of the box and be creative and come up with ideas that would impress the customers. The designers are basically rewarded when they see their hard work and ideas been appreciated by the customers if the product is up to their standards. Samsung at the end of the day relies on the attractiveness of its products therefore Samsung ensures that the employees are happy and are able to express their ideas. To what extent is Samsung a learning organisation? A  learning organization  is the term given to a company that facilitates the learning of its members and continuously transforms itself. (Pedler, M., Burgogyne, J. and Boydell, T. 1997).  Learning organizations develop as a result of the pressures facing modern organizations and enables them to remain competitive in the business environment. A learning organization is characterised by five main features namely: systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision and team learning. (Peter Senge,1990) An approach of Samsung was to be innovation and to promote a learning organization.   The most recent and widely accepted notion of learning organization today is one which is characterized by an organizational culture that fosters the improvement of the employees, their productivity and the overall operation and performance of the business through continuous learning (Gilley Maycunich, 2000, p. 5). Theoretically, Samsung maintained a significant capacity to renew all the processes and they remained competitively ready to create products that the customers wanted, therefore the employees got opportunities the identify the customers need because of Samsung been a organization learning. Continuous learning and change is valued through learning organizations. The main concern for Samsung is about the market share, productivity and profitability and it is understood that learning is the key element in obtaining these business results. The creation of capabilities that are previously not established is the idea of learning and Samsung has allowed its employees to be exposed to learning. Moreover, the principle assumption of the learning organization is the improvement of the learning capacity of the individual is similar to the organizations performance. According to Ruffa Morato,( 2009) Samsungs Six Sigma Academy was established to educate the employees and build up the team of quality specialists with problem solving abilities. Samsung spent 3.6 percent of payroll costs on education and training, a very high percentage as compared to firms such as Xerox, NUMMI, Saturn, IBM and Motorola. (Type Pad, 2007) Samsung does not only make investments in education and training but it also creates incentives in order to help motivate each employee and organizational learning. Each employee is given the opportunity to set the learning objectives and learning themes with the consent of the supervisor (Bae Kim, 2004, p.188). Periodic interviews are carried out to assess the progress and discuss the steps to speed up the learning before a final evaluation is given by the end of the year. (Ruffa Morato, 2009).The assessment will decide the actual learning points and promotion of the employees. Samsung also provided the employees with advance technologies so that the employees are able to do their work. The fact that Samsung also sent their designers to boot camp to find creative ideas, it shows their interest to their employees and their interest in trying to ensure that they reach their potential. Samsung had learned as an organisation to be more innovative and creative to reach their goals and to grow. Samsung has invested in their employees to come up with ideas that will wow the customers. They have brought the right employees to work together to create a quality brand image. Therefore Samsung is a learning organisation to the extent that it invests in its own employees as one of their main focuses. CONCLUSION: The competitiveness of the global marketplace has required organizations to become innovative not only in the products and services they create but as well as in their strategies and approaches. Indeed, Samsungs success manifests the substantial returns from innovating within the organization. This involved the styles of the senior marketers to effect the innovation by encouraging participation and involvement of the employees. Samsung recognized that the innovation lies in its most important asset the people. As such, it made innovations in the workplace to empower the employees. This includes training the employees and providing incentives for them. The company has been and continues to strive to become the world leader in the electronics and communication industry by innovating in each and every aspect of its business. Harvard Referencing: Baker, W.E., Sinkula, J.M. (1999), The synergistic effect of market orientation and the learning organization on organizational performance,  Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 27 No.4, pp.411-27 Balogun.J and Hope Hailey.V, 1999, Exploring Strategic Changes, Prentice Hall Barber, Ben, South Koreas Troubles Are Blamed on Chaebols,'  Washington Times, December 25, 1997. Brooke, James, Samsung Tries to Keep Outgrowing Economic Woes,  International Herald Tribune, April 28, 2003. Dempsey, Michael, Jong-Yong Yun of Samsung Electronics,  Financial Times, February 4, 2002. Pedler, M., Burgogyne, J. and Boydell, T. 1997.  The Learning Company: A strategy for sustainable development. 2nd Ed. London; McGraw-Hill. Peter Senge (1990) ,   The Fifth Discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization, Doubleday, New York,.page .105,164 Ruffa Morato ,  Company Case Studies Technorati Tags:  company case study,  Essay samples, September 30, 2009, retrieved 7 July, http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2008/09/sample-essay-sa.html Wrigley, N., Currah, A. (2003), The stresses of retail internationalisation: lessons from Royal Aholds experience in Latin America,International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, Vol. 13 No.3, pp.221-43.

Who Is Free To Choose :: essays research papers

Who Is Free To Choose?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Internet started out as a tool for transmitting information to learn and study. Free expression on the Internet is one of the things that makes the Internet so great. People can get information on a subject from many different areas. This gives the chance for people to see an issue form other points of view. The Internet has developed into a vast medium of knowledge with many users contributing to its growth. With the growth of the Internet, many people have seen it as a source to express their ideas to the public. Some would even view the Internet as a virtual community, and say it is a democracy. People argue that with such freedom, the Internet should be censored to protect children form pornography, and others from sites that may concern 'objectionable'; material. There are people who live under the 1st Amendment and they use the Internet as an outlet to express their ideas and to incorporate ideas from others. Censorship of the Internet is wrong because it obstructs other pe ople from accessing what they want to see and it inhabits people's free speech. Censorship on the Internet has been a growing concern for the past three years. The wide range of information available has made it a tempting target for those who want to control what a person can see and read. The Random House Webster's School and Office Dictionary defines censorship as, 'An official who examines books, films etc., to suppress anything objectionable';. (CD ROM) The next question is who is going to decide for the millions of users on the Internet what is objectionable for them to see and read. The Internet has developed into a vast medium of knowledge with many users contributing to its growth. In this country, many activists for censorship on the Internet mainly have one thing on their minds. They want to protect children from pornography. Although I view this as big concern, there is a grater issue at hand. Since censorship involves all forms of expression, censoring the Internet woul d hurt many people. The Internet is an international community; we must view it as pertaining to other countries, not just the United States. Not all countries have the privilege of living in a democracy and under the Bill of Rights. As a result, the Internet has brought a new sense of freedom to most people who oppressed by tyrannical governments, or those that disagree with a government but are not allowed to express it.

Classical and Human Relations Theories Essay

Critically evaluate the classical and human relations approaches of management theory. Your essay must clearly define the term ’’ management theory’’ and include industry examples to illustrate your answers. The purpose of this essay is to provide a critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the classical and human relations theories of management giving some industry examples which supports their applicability and importance or otherwise. â€Å"‘Critical evaluation is the skill of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a piece of work, and of understanding the importance of its contribution to the subject’. Hulme, J.A. (2004). For the benefits of in-depth analysis we will look at the classical scientific of F. W. Taylor (and not the classical administrative approach of say Weber), identifying expert supported strengths and weaknesses of his approach. Equally, we will look at Herzberg’s human relations theory of motivation. Classical management was rooted on the belief that employees have only economical and physical needs, and that social needs and need for job-satisfaction either don’t exist or are unimportant. Accordingly, this school advocates high specialization of labor, centralized decision making, and profit maximization. The humanistic (or human relations) school recognized people as a special sort of resource. They not only work for the organization – they are the organization. Mary Parker Follett succinctly defined management as ‘†¦the art of getting things done through people.’ Management theory can be defined as a body of general principles on how best to manage a business or organization to achieve its goals and how to motivate employees to achieve highest possible performance. F. W. Taylor (the father of scientific management) was the intellectual leader of the efficiency or classical movement. According to him the main object of management ‘should be to secure the maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity of each employee’. For employers ‘maximum prosperity’ not only means large profits but overall development in the enterprise to a state of permanent prosperity. Taylor was, therefore, driven to ask why is there so much antagonism and inefficiency? He suggested three causes: (1) the fallacious belief by workers that massive increase in output will ultimately lead to their unemployment; (2) the defective systems of management which make it possible for workers to restrict output so as to protect their interests; (3) effort- wasting methods of work. The aim of scientific management to him was to overcome these obstacles by a systematic study of work to discover the most efficient methods of performing the job, and then a systematic study of management leading to the most efficient methods of controlling the workers. As Taylor puts it: ‘What the workmen want from their employers beyond anything else is high wages and what employers want from their workmen most of all is low labour cost of manufacture†¦.the existence or absence of these two elements forms the best index to either good or bad management.’ (Pugh & Hickson, 1996) Taylor, therefore, propounded four principles of management: Development of a true science of work to replace the old rule-of thumb; those fulfilling optimum goals would earn higher wages; failure would result in loss of earnings. The Scientific selection and progressive development of the worker: Every worker can be trained to be ‘first- class’ at some task. The mental revolution in management: He argued that the major resistance to scientific management came from management as workers are all too keen to learn to do a good job for a high rate of pay. The constant and close cooperation of management and workers: Every job is divided into various tasks each of which is done by a specialist- this system he calls ‘functional management’. He also formulates the ‘exception principle’ where management reports only details deviation from the expected norm. In support of his approach, it has been argued that Taylor laid the foundation for the development of other management systems for decades to come. His thinking has been developed into what is now called Work Study or Industrial Engineering. Taylor’s focus is understandably narrow as he was writing from scratch. Few managements have been willing to put into practice one of his basic tenets that there should be no limit to earnings or bonus- most incentive schemes are restricted. This may inhibit the ‘mental revolution’ Taylor sought. The focus on division of labour leads to increased efficiency and productivity. This can be seen in many operations ranging from fast food to large industrial facilities e.g. MacDonald’s or the car industry. Ford is said to have adopted his approach in 1913. Taiichi Ono of Toyota, father of JIT acknowledges his debt to scientific management. The autocratic style of leadership also ensures a unity of command, clear lines of direction and control for a better focus on the job at hand. During his time, the work force was not highly educated or trained. For many, the opportunity to obtain a secure job and a level of wages to provide for their families was all they expected. Taylor, like the other classicists, have been criticised in that he heavily relied on experiences with large manufacturing companies enjoying stable environments. It may be unwise to generalize from those situations to others’ especially to young, high-technology firms of today that are confronted daily with changes in their competitors’ products. Taylor assumed that workers are only motivated by money and that productivity is the best measure of how well a firm is performing. These assumptions fail to recognize that employees may have needs unrelated to the workplace or may view their jobs only as a necessary evil. His approach tends to ignore informal relations as characterized by social interchange among workers, the emergence of group leaders apart from those specified by the formal organization, and so forth. When such things are not considered, it is likely that many important factors affecting satisfaction and performance, such as letting employees participate in decision making and task planning, will never be explored or tried. Taylor’s approach aim at achieving high productivity, at making behaviors predictable, and at achieving fairness among workers and between managers and workers; fails to recognize that several unintended consequences can occur in practice. A heavy emphasis on rules and regulations may cause people to obey rules blindly without remembering their original intent, defeating their objectives. The theory was dehumanising work processes – stripped jobs of skill and judgement, treating workers as machine parts. Organizations are influenced by external conditions that often fluctuate over time, yet his approach presents an image of an organization that is not affected by external influences. The Human Relations theories of Management The primary functions of any organization, whether religious, political or industrial, should be to implement the needs of man to enjoy a meaningful existence. Frederick Herzberg (Pugh & Hickson, 1996) Frederick Herzberg (1923-2000), an American psychologist, conducted research on 200 engineers and accountants that led him to develop the two-factor theory of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Herzberg’s two-factor theory separated the elements of a job into those serving economic needs (‘hygiene’ and maintenance factors/Adam) and those meeting deeper aspirations (motivational factors/Abraham). He also relates job satisfaction and dissatisfaction to mental health. The motivators include responsibility, a sense of achievement, recognition, promotion and job attraction. These things are likely to motivate workers and are related directly to the job. The ‘hygiene’ factors include company policy and procedures, supervision, pay, work relationships and working conditions. These factors can only reduce job dissatisfaction and they are not directly linked to the job. Making sure these factors are acceptable to the labour force prevents dissatisfaction ra ther than causing positive motivation. The ‘Adam’ factor seeks the avoidance of dissatisfaction and the ‘Abraham’ factor is linked to job satisfaction. Their absence will not cause dissatisfaction but will reduce job satisfaction. Man has the above two sets of needs explained Herzberg in a later book (work and the nature of man); his needs as an animal to avoid pain and his needs as a human to grow psychologically. A lack in one cannot be compensated by fulfillment in the other. Herzberg therefore advocates for an industrial engineering approach which would design the ‘Abraham’ factor into jobs. This he called job enrichment to produce an effective utilization of people and to increase job satisfaction. When a worker does more hours at work to save money for a holiday it is a movement, not motivation. From this, Herzberg suggested that reward based systems including bonuses, could only provide movement rather than long term motivation. The main criticism of Herzberg’s research was the fact that the sample he used consisted of only two hundred accountants and engineers. It was also overly simplistic and blurs the distinction between satisfaction and motivation. Being pleased with doing a more challenging set of tasks does not necessarily mean it will increase motivation. It was also suggested that his research understated the role of groups and teams within the workplace. This is because groups and teams can generate a great deal of motivational influence. Even though Herzberg’s work has its criticisms, his ideas have been shown to be valid in practice. This is evident in businesses because a pay rise or change in working conditions is rarely enough to produce a labour force that is highly motivated. It has also been shown that if workers perceive a wage increase to be inadequate or working conditions are less than ideal it can have major consequences on the business and its operations. (The annual series of strikes by LU workers springs to mind). Conclusion As Oliver Wendel Holmes quoted, â€Å"When we want to know what is going on today or want to make sure what will happen tomorrow, I will look back at the past.† One theory will not fit all businesses at all times, naturally. But management theories are useful in that they formulate principles of best practise. Their relevance will depend on the socio-economic, cultural and political environments in which they are applied. ‘The gurus have all the answers, but all the answers are different. No one knows the problem’ . (Owen, Jo, Management stripped bare, 2012, 3rd ed.) References Hulme, J.A. (2004). Critical Evaluation: A Student Guide. Psychology Review, 10, 6-8. Pugh & Hickson, (1996) Writers on Organizations, (5thed) George, Claude S.1968. The History of management thought (1sted). Englewood Cliffs: N.J. Prentice-hall Herzberg, F. (1959) Mausner, B; Snyderman, B. the motivation to work, NY Herzberg, F. (1966) Work and the nature of man, world publ. Herzberg, F. (1976) Managerial choice: To be efficient and to be human, Dow Jones, Irwin Owen, Jo, (2012) Management stripped bare, 3rd ed.

The Marshall Plan Essays - Presidency Of Harry S. Truman

The Marshall Plan Essays - Presidency Of Harry S. Truman The Marshall Plan Although the idea of European integration was an ideal adopted by European intellectuals from the beginning of the twentieth century, the success in the actual launching and development of the project is a achievement that must be attributed to the policy and aid of the United States. World War II left Europe in a state of complete crisis. More than 30 million lives were lost during the war, cities lay in ruins, and as a result of violation of agricultural lands and people, food supply remained dangerously short. After barely surviving the Nazi threat, Europe was now faced with the threat of Soviet communism and expansion. This new threat divided the continent into pro-Western and pro-Soviet spheres, and some started to look towards communism to save them from total destruction and to progress towards rebuilding and restructuring of the post-war economy. European states were trying desperately to mend the damages of the war without having to resort to communist or socialist methods. However, the results lay short of expectations for capital was very limited and shortages of basic resources such as coal and steel restrained production. In addition, in many European countries such as France and Italy, the deterioration of the economy led to serious political problems, such as the undermining of the governmental authority. The only logical choice for Western European states, given that they did not desire to give in socialism or communism, was to get together and cooperate towards recovery. However, the individual aims, plans, and ambitions of major Western European states were keeping them from sacrificing or compromising towards such a cooperation. This is where the United States became an active player. Encouragement and provocation of European integration had been a constant characteristic of American foreign policy in the post-World War II era. The contribution of the United States to the process of European integration within this period, and its positive long-term effects should not be ignored or underestimated. This contribution has manifested itself in many different contexts, such as economic aid and being a model for Europe in terms of institutions and structure. The first official sign of post-war commitment of the United States to Europe was the Truman Doctrine outlined by US President Harry Truman in March 1947. The Truman Doctrine granted military aid to Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean and it acted as the confirmation of the launching of better and stronger political relations between Western Europe and the United States . The same year saw the shift in aid to the economic area. Observing the constantly deteriorating state of European economy, the United States decided to provide Europe with financial assistance. This decision was aimed at helping Europe recover, but had to do with the States' national interests as well. Since Western European economies were lacking the financial means for developed trade with the United States, the US was suffering from a huge export surplus caused by its booming economy. The recovery of European economies and improved trade relations with Europe would mean a significant export outlet f! or the United States . With these considerations in mind, in June 1947, US Secretary of State George Marshall announced the Marshall Plan, generally known as the European Recovery Programme. This was the biggest push from the United States for European integration and provided the greatest help toward integration as well. The Marshall Plan stated that the United States would provide funds for financial assistance if European states devised a cooperative and long-term rebuilding program to recover from the effects of World War II. The Marshall Plan was a success in that it called for those who would benefit from the program to be actively involved in the planning and execution phases. Therefore, knowing that they had significant influence on the outcomes of the program, the beneficiary European states were encouraged to cooperate to the greatest extent with the United States. Between 1948 and 1952, the US supplied $13.2 billion worth of grants and credits to European nations. These funds played a key role in bringing a significant level of economic progress and stability to the benefiting 16 states of Europe. By 1950, inflation was under control in many states and international as

Wife of Martin Guerre. essays

Wife of Martin Guerre. essays An eleven year olds destiny had already been adhered to. Bertrande de Rols had been married at this tender age in 1539. She was married in Artigues, a small isolated French town where the crags and the valleys of the Pyrenees were the cause of their prosperity and pride. Martin Guerre was the other half of the married couple, three years her senior, yet both were no older than babies themselves. Despite the fact that the young Bertrande had been married, she still resided in her own home. It was not until three years after she was married when tragedy struck. Bertrandes mother had died and she was sent to live the Guerre residence. Bertrande saw his features, exaggerated in the flare of the torch. . . and the realisation that henceforth her life lay beneath his jurisdiction came suddenly and overwhelmingly to the little girl. Already, Bertrandes life had been outlined, under the power of her father-in-law. Sympathy is effortlessly felt for the trapped naive girl, whose own personal identity will never be explored. Bertrande had nothing to live for except to be mistress of the farm. Without argument, she willingly takes on this position as she is aware of where she stands. Disregarding the fact that on the first night of married life, Bertrande endures, from her husband, a cuff upon her ears, a scratch on her face and a tug of her hair, Bertrande and Martin do eventually unite. Very well. Kneel. Monsieur Guerre struck the jaw of his child, Martin. Martin had not asked his father to participate in a bear hunt, and was welcomed back this way. It was not just, whispered Bertrande to Martin, proving that she possessed the ability to side with her husband, who was mischievous towards his authoritarian. Martin, you are brave, and it was with those words that Martin had fallen asleep, with his arm resting upon her shoulder. Here our fondn...

Reflection and Evaluation of Technologies Such As XML and Flash Lab Report

Reflection and Evaluation of Technologies Such As XML and Flash - Lab Report Example The text is always divided into a couple of noninteracting sets: markup, which are all the tags, comments, processing instructions, entity references, character references, CDATA section delimiters, XML declarations, text declarations, document type declarations, and white space outside the root element; and, character data which is consisted by the rest of elements in the XML document. (Harold 2003, p. xxi) Fundamentally, XML offers an excellent framework in structuring data, based on hierarchical representations and is capable to represent the structured, unstructured and semi structured data. (Shen 2006, p. 112) Today, it is the standard used by W3C for document exchange over the Internet. In terms of explaining XML as an application, it is important to underscore that, fundamentally, the language was developed as some standard for information interchange on the Internet that is why it is essentially an application in itself. An interesting fact, however, was that XML is valued mo re as an element in another application or rather its derivatives such as Atom, Rich Site Summary (RSS), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), ebXML and XHTML, among others, can be integrated as an added value to an application. RSS is an excellent example. RSS can enhance a website’s functionality by enabling the owner or site administrator to announce whatever changes made on the site as well as other information that may constitute marketing, promotions, public service announcements, and so forth. All in all, XML-based applications are platforms for easy documents management and data integration. As such, it allows publishers to tailor and structure documents in a simple way. It is also very popular owing to the fact that it is an industry standard as well as to the fact that the tools and resources for it are large, including numerous XML parsers, browsers and editors. The language is being used across the globe, working well with the Internet and most of its applications . However, XML is weak on automated processing libraries as well as its ability in terms of verbosity, wherein documents are mainly in plain text and could include an overwhelming number of markup tags. In addition, the language can be difficult to learn as well. There is also no guarantee that XML can be the universal solution for data integration as well as in unifying formats because the language has its limitations as well. In evaluating XML-based applications, it is important to return to the language’s objectives – it was designed for simple, fast and structured data integration and management. Therefore, these factors should be the main criteria in assessing its efficacy. Whether in measuring XML-based applications or XML-derivatives used as elements in other applications, evaluation must focus on performance: How a particular application retrieves, evaluates, modify data as well as how it conforms to industry standards, particularly in terms of structural aspec ts of XML documents. Flash As the Internet and computing technology become more sophisticated day after day, their users’ experience becomes more enhanced, intuitive, sophisticated and simple. It is like information technology developers are in constant quest to develop rich content that are delivered in fast and simple ways. When in the

Business Consultant Proposal for formulating costing & pricing (Cost Essay

Business Consultant Proposal for formulating costing & pricing (Cost Cutting) of a Private Hospital - Essay Example Nafees has tie ups with various medical centres from where they get updated results related to various development in medical field. In this regard, the business that is dealing in hospital, should not only concentrate on generating profit, but also look towards taking care of the sick people. Though the business of hospitals is purely based on dedication, patient care and compassion but like other business they also look for generating revenue. The flow of revenue not only affects the delivery of service related to patient care, but also for the financial health of the organization. In order to generate revenue it is very important for the business to identify its expenses. The major expenses that the hospital incurs are research and teaching, labour cost, test and technology, liability costs and other supplies and capital expenses. Research and teaching: Hospitals conducts research and teaching facilities in order to make their services better and make their employees serve the patients better. This helps the hospital in upgrading themselves and provides modern facilities and techniques to the patients. Therefore, huge expenses are incurred in this. Labour Cost: Labour cost is the most significant expense that is incurred by each and every organization and hospital is not an exception in that case. The employees of a hospital include the directors, doctors, nurses and other official and administrative staffs. The salary and benefits are also huge in this regards, which is another major expense for the hospital. Technology and Tests: Advanced technology helps the doctors not only in diagnosing critical illness but also curing these. New arthroscopic equipments, surgical robots and CY scan are some of the modern technologies that are there in hospital. Capital expenses: the hospital may also incur expenses related to construction work related to expansion of the hospital and procuring of equipments. These are