To what extent have the traditionally distinctive characteristics of Essay

To what extent have the traditionally distinctive characteristics of the French state been eroded in recent years - Essay Example s meant that belonging to the EU promotes a sense of Europeanization as the European countries have come together in order to create a collaborative force for the economy of the region. This has led to a disintegration of the traditional family style business ownership that typified the states economic base as a cultural form of identification. The family is extremely important to the French as a certain sense of homogeny is a part of the sociological identity. An observable lack of trust is part of the cultural identity of the French people, therefore the emersion of the state into an organization that is intent on making an overall European state that is unified under one policy does not culturally set well. the Algiers crisis of 1958 where The Algerian War of Independence led to great turmoil within France which was resulted in a push towards decolonization. This marked the return of Charles de Gaulle as a political leader and through which the Fifth Republic would be built. The inability of the leaders of the Fourth Republic to make decisions about decolonization was the core reason that it failed and a new constitution which marked the beginning of the Fifth Republic was put into place. The Fifth Republic Constitution was defined by the leadership of a president who was elected into office for seven years. This form of presidential system replaced the former system that was parliamentary in nature. Charles de Gaulle was the first president elected under the constitution and in 1962 promoted and succeeded in creating a change that diverted the election of the president away from the electoral college system to a direct vote by the citizens. Despite heavy opposition, de Gaulle managed to pass this proposal. In the year 2000, the length of the presidential term was changed from seven years to five years. The situation with the presidency that was developed in the Fifth Republic is that it was instituted without giving over much in the way of power. According

The red scare and the crucible

The red scare and the crucible The term Red Scare indicates two marked periods of strong and great anti-Communism in the United States of America. The first Red Scare took place from the year 1919 to 1920, and the second Red Scare, occurred between 1947 and 1957. The first Red Scare related to worker or socialist, political and radicalism revolution, while the second Red Scare focused on issues relating to foreign and national communists who infiltrated the society or influenced the federal government. The beginning of the first Red Scare was due to the Bolshevik Russian Revolution of 1917 and the greatly patriotic World War I year, as the left-wing political violence, anarchist and social agitation worsen national political and social. Mr. Murray B. Levin a former member of the Communist Party and a political scientist noted that the Red Scare was a national wide rebellion against radical hysteria, which was provoked by a buildup of fear, anxiety and intimidation that Bolshevik revolution was forth coming in America was forth coming. The revolution would give a new look to the home, civility, Church, home, marriage, and the entire American Lifestyle (Burnett).The media and Newspapers translated the political anxiety and fears into xenophobia, solely because an array of radical anarchism were seen to be the answers to poverty. Recent European immigrants were often the advocates and, the World Industrial Workers supported several strikes, organized by labor in 1916 and 1917. The pre ss portrayed the strikes as radical threats to US society and as being instigated by some foreign agents provocateurs, and the left wing. The press media misrepresented genuine labor strikes as being Communism establishment plots, crimes against society, and anti-government conspiracies. Transformations in public views and opinion lead to the loosing of many members by the left-wing organizations like the Industrial Workers of the World, communist and the Communist Party America. Several American states enacted a law known as the criminal syndicalism laws, which outlawed advocating of unrest and violence between the years 1919 and 1920. This was done in an effort to secure and effect social change in the states. The restrictions and regulations in the law included limitation of free speech. Aggressive investigation by police took root after the passing of these laws. Irrespective of ideological gradation, Red Scare failed to distinguish between socialism communism, and social democracy. The Second Red Scare took place after World War II, and coincided with the increased fear of communist espionage consequent, the Chinese Civil War, the Korean War, the acknowledgment of intelligence work for the Soviet Union given by several high-ranking American government officials, the Berlin Blockade, and Soviet Eastern Europe. The occurrences of the late 1940s, the court trial of Julius Rosenberg, and Ethel, the Iron Curtain between 1945 to 1991 around Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Unions nuclear weapon creation surprised the American public (Miller). The influencing popular opinion about America national security, in turn, connected to fear of the ability of the Soviet Union, carrying out an atomic-bombing on its territories, and fear of the United States of America Party of Communist contributed largely to the Red Scare. Whittaker Chambers, Elizabeth Bentley, former CPUSA members and NKVD spies, testified at the House Un-American Activities Committee, that communist sympathiz ers and Soviet spies had made penetration into the government of the United States and this happened prior to and even after World War II. Out of pride, other United States American citizen spies confessed, to their activities of espionage in instances where the statute of limitations on their prosecution had run. In the year 1949, fear of American traitors and anti communist, was mounted by the winning of the Chinese Civil War by the Chinese Communists against the Western supported Kuomintang, one of the founders of the Peoples Republic of China, and later the intervention of the Chinese in the Korean War against American ally nation of South Korea (Eaklor 87). The Second Red Scare greatly changed and aggravated the temper of U.S society. The societys later identification as anti-intellectual may be have been seen as a contributed by factors such as escalating popularity of anti-communist espionage like â€Å"My Son John† and science fiction movies such as â€Å"The Thing from another World† of 1951. Such resources contained themes and stories of the invasion, infiltration, destruction, and subversion, of United States society by non-American sentiments and inhuman individuals. The animosity even lead to a baseball team, originally known as Cincinnati Reds to , temporarily change their   name to Cincinnati Red legs to avoid the loose of money and their career ruining legacy consistent in being ball playing Reds. As an indication of the ability of the American government to curry out intelligence gathering, it released details of the Venona Project for the Soviet Union from 1940 through 1980 in 1995. In the duration of the McCarthy era, many Americans were accused of being members of the Communists movement or of being communist sympathizers and therefore becoming the objects and subject of aggressive interrogations and questioning by the private industry panels, or government, committees and special agencies. Government employees, individuals in the showbiz and entertainment industry, teachers, union activists and instructors, were the primary targets of such victimization and suspicions (Bowers 19). Despite questionable evidence or inconclusive findings, the suspicions continued to be given credence. There was also a great exaggeration of level of threat presented by a persons real or supposed leftist interactions or beliefs. A great number of people went through the pain of losing employment, career destruction, and even long-term imprisonment. Most of the punishments issued were because of trial verdicts and convictions based on laws that would be later declared unconstitutio nal. The most famous and well-known examples of McCarthyism during the Red Scare are Sen. McCarthys own personal trial hearings, speeches, and communists investigations. The Hollywood blacklist, associated with the House Committee on Non-American Activities hearings, and a range of anti-communist behavior of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), are key examples of McCarthyism. The cultural and social widespread phenomenon had an immense effect on all levels of society. Furthermore, it was seen as the source of a great debatable issues and conflict in the United States of America. The Crucible is known to be a tale of the Salem witch-hunts that was practiced during the preceding days before the institution and founding of the United States (Bloom 197). Arthur Miller, a play writer, wrote that story. It is an allegorical presentation of Joseph McCarthy and the hunt for Communists in the 1950s during the Red Scare. The intention of the play was to depict that McCarthy, as being the wit ch hunters, and that he was making profits from public hysteria by persecuting innocent people. The soviet archives along with the data of the Venona Project released by the U.S intelligence, later suggested that some of McCarthys targets were actually guilty of becoming enemy agents. During the Red Scare and the Crucible United States citizens, were in apprehension of communism in the same manner in which people were in witchcraft trepidation in the Salem witch trials. Distinguishing attributes of the two occurrences are can be compared between that of Arthur Millers Crucible narrative and the Red Scare occurrences that took place in American history. During the time when the witch trials were conducted in The Crucible, people were forced to either agreeing or confessing to having committed the witchery crime or direct the blame towards another suspect or a different person. Part of the crucible story, records that trouble in The Crucible started when Abigail Williams blamed Tituba for the actions of the girls who used to dance among the trees or woods. She replied that, she made him not to do it, but instead made Betty to do it. The statement given against another person generated the emergence of pandemonium in Salem. Such quotes are perfect example that leader s like Miller presented in his dialog relating to the way people conducted themselves during the duration of the Red Scare. Another example of an instance of how people behaved during the Red Scare is Mary Warren story. She states that John Proctor is worked in the company and together with the devil. Arthur Millers vividly illustrated the thought that everyone must agree to confess or face death, and that being against the court meant also being against the church in The Crucible narration. The achievements by Sen. McCarthy to United States are undeniable to the historians and those who look at history with impartial eye. At a time when agents of the most murderous empire in human history were infiltrating America, McCarthy was the only voice that stood against victimization and tyranny (Senator McCarthy Inc.). He managed to expose hundreds of agents who were determined to destroy Unite States. If Sen. McCarthy never got the nerve to express what he knew, the possibilities that the USSR might still have been in existence today would be true. Senator Joseph McCarthy is on record as having been the first one who indicated that communism had come over to the United States of America and their spies were letting out Americans secret intelligence information. Lies seemed to be the grounds upon which America was governed, from its very commencement of Salem with trial to the Sen. McCarthy occurrences. A considerable number of people of the Eastern Europeans descent, who once lived under the ruler ship of the Soviet, owe their freedom to Senator McCarthy today. The patriotism of Sen. McCarthy did not fail to come with a price. It cost him his work and finally his life. Having determinate his willingness to protect and defend United States freedom, Senator Joseph McCarthy is without a doubt an American patriot and hero. Although he ruined several lives and led to the downfall of many careers, McCarthy is the man who changed the landscape of American politics. His speech proved that America adhered to the tenets of the constitution of freedom of expression and speech. His acts of free speech, hunting for communist proposers and liberals who were thought to be pro-communist led to the downfall of President Harry S.S. Truman and several other Democrats from the Congress and the White House. His actions also led to the fanning of the cold war hatred embers that went on for several years up until the early 90s. McCarthy also changed the atomic bomb focus of the world through the Red Scare. He broke through the ranks of communism, ensured that the formulae for making atomic bombs has not been spread by Communist spies in the U.S. This somehow contributed to the curtailing of the number of countries and people who can make bombs that are of a powerful nature. McCarthy is a man who reduced the communist stance and existence around America and in the Globe!

Global Poisoning System Essay -- Technology

Abstract: This paper focuses on modeling the errors which normally degrade the accuracy of Global Poisoning System (GPS). The performance of the GPS is mainly affected by ionospheric errors. SiRF Star III single frequency receiver is used for collecting and projecting datum in World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS-84) co-ordinate form. To project the ellipsoidal model onto a map model, datum conversion from WGS-84 to Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) form is needed. The conversion introduces errors in the datum. The variation in the errors can be observed from day to night, area to area and also due to the seasonal changes. The datum is collected from Ameerpet region of Hyderabad, which is a heavily populated area with heavy traffic and tall buildings. The variation in the datum has been observed from afternoon to evening. Keywords: GPS, WGS-84, UTM, Ionospheric errors, Northings and Eastings I. INTRODUCTION The space-based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable location and time information in all weather and at all times and anywhere on or near the Earth with sub-meter accuracy is called Global Positioning System (GPS) [1]. It consists of a constellation of 28 satellites in six different orbits which give the information of the position of the user with sub meter accuracy [3]. If there are four or more GPS satellites in unobstructed line of sight with the receiver, accurate spatial co-ordinates can be obtained [2]. The datum obtained from the satellites, contain the information about the position and timing by calculating the the Keplerian orbit elements. The location information from GPS is based on the choice of coordinate system and datum [3]. The coordinate systems that are mostly used in GPS are Wor... ...ned due to the rounding up of the values in the algorithm. Works Cited [1] Bradford w. Parkinson. â€Å"Global Positioning System: Theory and Applications – vol. I and II†, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Washington, 1996. [2] http://edu-observatory.org/gps/gps_accuracy.html, visited on 1/12/10. [3] http://www. elsevierdirect.com/companions/ 9780126836301/ appendices/ Chapter_2_ECI_ Cartesian_Coordinates_to_Kepler_Orbit_Elements_Conversion.pdf [4] http://www.squidoo.com/GPS-coordinate-systems-datums [5] Iyiade Adeniyi, â€Å"Ionospheric Error in GPS Applications† (www.ursi.org/proceedings /procGA05/pdf/GP1. 46(01062).pdf), visited on 30/10/10. [6] Ordnance Survey, â€Å"A Guide to Coordinate System in Great Britain†, (http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/gps/docs/A_Guide_to_Coordinate_Systems_in_Great_Britain.pdf), visited on05/01/11.

A Speech of Health Essay

Hello students, faculty, members of the school board, Superintendent, and parents. When I was first told that I was going to be the speaker for graduation, I was overcome. I was overcome with pride and excitement, as I’m sure we all are today as we close this chapter on our lives, but most of all, I was overcome with a feeling. A feeling that I have fooled you all into electing a Canadian to speak on this very important occasion. (Canadian Accent) I bet about now, you are all finally realizing just what it is you’ve done, eh? But it’s too late, eh? I can’t be stopped†¦. (Drape Canadian flag over top of podium) The rich history of Canada is a very long and interesting one. One that begins in the early years of. †¦ (Trail off and give a moment of thought)† **remove flag† or better yet have someone do it for you. ) Seriously though, after I got over my initial reaction, I realized that this was going to be a very difficult undertaking. So I did what any teen-age boy would do in a similar situation. I turn to my friends! see more:welcome speech for sports day I received two pieces of advice that not only helped me with the situation at hand, but I feel will be the predominant source of motivation for the next big step in my life and everything that follows thereafter. These two pieces of advice were. (Hold up palms with numbers inked on them) No. 1: Don’t Screw up! No. 2: Be Funny! Obviously after these two gems of advice, I was prepared to write a stunning and powerful speech that will remain with every one of us till the day we die. Or at least until one of the real speakers come up here and says something meaningful. It’s hard to believe that we’ll all be leaving this place finally. It is even harder to believe that from now on, we’re going to pretty much have to fend for ourselves. I think that whether we know it or not, we’ve gained a lot of the tools that we’ll need to make it out there, right here at Welch. Personally, I’ve learned some of the most important messages of my life within these hallowed halls. I’ve learned that it’s important to walk the road less traveled, because after a while, running down freshman in the packed hallways just loses some of its appeal. I’ve learned that no matter how good an idea may seem at the time, sometimes a giant metal dollar sundial that never sees the sun, could possibly be a bad idea! I’ve learned the importance of sticking strong to your ideals and not giving in to peer pressure, because we have to be ourselves, we have to think with our own mind! (look over at Mr.  Quinn) Is that good Quinn? Is, is that all right? Oh, ok. And no matter who’s doing it! Dammit! We will NOT CHEER! Finally, and probably most importantly, from the ever vigilant and all knowing administration, I’ve learned that a girl’s belly button is a dangerous and powerful thing that should be covered, feared, contained, kept from the world, for the good of all people everywhere. If you are able to decipher any sort of message out of what I’m saying today at all, it should be that life shouldn’t be taken so seriously. When we’re all off in college, or working at our jobs, or still living off of our parents, and we look back on our lives here at E-W, we’re not going to remember the tests we aced, or the classes we took, or the endless nights in front of a computer screen. But instead we’re going to remember the good times we had, the parties, the laughs we shared, but most of all, we’ll remember the people we knew. I was once told that you’re only as good as the people that you surround yourself with. Well, there is not a higher caliber of people that I would rather surround myself with then you all sitting in front of me today. I am proud to say that I was a part of the Welch Class of 2006. Don’t ever forget where you came from, and always remember all of the great and unique people that you shared your four years with, and when we all come back and see each other again for our 20-year reunion, there are going to be all sorts of surprises. By that time Charlie Guo will probably be ruling the world with an iron fist, Katherine Piercy will be the new reigning arm wrestling champion of the world. Jon Goodwin will have his very own morning talk show called â€Å"Wake up with a cup of Jon†, Kamiya Woodard will be the new host of â€Å"The Weakest Link† and rename it â€Å"Man! You don’t know what you talking about! † Eunice Song will be†¦ well, let’s be honest, there really isn’t much hope for Eunice, (turn to Eunice) Eunice I guess you should have just tried a little harder. The entire cheerleading squad will find a permanent role on the â€Å"Young and The Restless†, when the director is surprised to find that intense daytime drama comes surprisingly easy to them. Finally, as I’ve been saying for four years now, we’ll all be shaking the hand of our President of the United States†¦. Steve Brown. If you don’t remember a single word of what I’ve said up here today, just remember this: Jobs, houses, money, and success will all come and go, but the one thing that nobody can ever take away from you are the good times and good friends you have had here at E-W. So in closing, I only have one more thing to say, on request from Blair Hanberg, I leave you all with â€Å"MEOW! â€Å"

Factors Affecting Program Selection of Selected Polytechnic University of the Philippines

It is well acknowledge that education environment is an important element in determining students' ability to reach their fullest quality (dealing Jar. Et al. , 2006). Education is a medium of shaping students' ability and behavior. It is a process wherein one can achieve social competence. And also, it is through education that different knowledge can be transported and disseminated to everyone. Educational institutions also play an important tool in developing the students as they mold their mind and intellect.One of the famous and competitive educational institutions in the Philippines is the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP). It is a public, non – sectarian and non – profit institution of higher learning which aids to strengthen the students' potentials. In today's environment, students select programs based on the quality of placement they are likely to get after the completion of their studies. In the case of the students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), the students aspire to Join those programs which ensure for a gainful employment.There are programs which are dominating from the other programs. It is due to the fact that some programs doesn't remises good placement for the students. Students formulate decisions throughout their college career, and decision- making is an important building block in the learning process. F. Yates, Venison, & Petulant (2003), defined decision as â€Å"a commitment to a course of action that is intended to produce a satisfying state of affairs. † Decision – making is essential because it makes things possible to take up the most excellent course of accomplishment in carrying out a given assignment.When there are different ways of performing a task, it becomes necessary to discover the greatest way and that is what decision-making is all about. The course of action finally selected would produce the best outcome. The program selection decisions of students are amo ng the most significant in the success of their education. It is vital to select carefully a program in order to fully accomplish their goals in life and to have a better and good quality future. Program selection is necessary for the reason that it helps us decides what our own lives what to be like.Particularly, the researchers aim to determine the factors affecting program selection of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students at Star. Mesa, Manila. Statement of the Problem The main purpose of this study is to determine the factors affecting program selection of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students. Specifically, the study aims to answer the following research questions: 1 . What are the respondents' profile as to age, gender, socio economic status and program? 2. What are the factors affecting program selection of the respondents? 3.Is there a relationship between the respondents' profile and their selection of programs? 4. What are the possible recommendations that can aid future college students in selecting their programs? Significance of the Study Through this study, future college freshmen students will have insights on the factors affecting present college students on how they select their degree programs and this will also serve as a guide in choosing their own programs wisely as they go on to college. This study will also provide some insights to present college students if in case they want to shift programs.This study will also profit the parents so that they will realize how important they are as a source of encouragement in which children are free to explore different areas of program selection. This study will look forward in giving their children n assurance to acquire quality education that would enable them to obtain better job, better income, and brighter future. This can also benefit guidance counselors from the different public and private high schools so that they can discuss the factors affect ing program selection of college students to current fourth year high school students and to guide them to choose their own programs carefully.The findings will serve as a guide to different universities and colleges so that they will know the most preferred programs of the students. This will also contribute to the government, most especially the Commission on Higher Education, for them to fully understand the state of the students of today, and for them to give appropriate action. This will also be helpful to future researchers so that they will have a guide and a reference for future study. This will also make them aware of the factors affecting college students' program selection.Scope and Delimitation of the Study This study deals on the factors affecting program selection of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students located at Star. Mesa, Manila which is the main campus of the said university. The researchers limit the respondents to 100 elected Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students. Definition of Terms In order to fully understand the research, it is important to have an in-depth understanding of the terms being used by the researchers.These are the following: Commitment is remaining steadfast and true to your principles and goals, no matter how much dust is kicked up on the path ahead. It means reminding yourself of the obligations you have – not solely to other people but to yourself – and honoring those obligations (Raman, 2007). Education is an act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, evolving the powers of reasoning and Judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life Jackson, 2008). Gainful employment is a general term referring to a Job, especially a Job that a student takes after graduation (Local, 2011).Institutions are the kinds of structures that matter most in the social realm: they make up the stuff of social life (Hodgkin, 2006). Kno wledge is to represent reality in thought or experience the way it really is on the basis of adequate grounds (Moreland, 2008). Non – Sectarian means not restricted to one sector school or party (Russell, 2012). Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) is a government educational institution by Republic Act Number 8292 known as the Higher Education Modernization Act of 1997, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations contained in the Commission on Higher Education Memorandum Circular No. , series 1997 (Polytechnic University of the Philippines, 2010). Quality is a measure of excellence; quality defines desirable characteristics of a product, a process, or a service (Hatfield, 2012). Selection is an act or instance of selecting or the state of being selected; choice (Yoder, 2011). Social Competence is the ability to get along well with oneself and with his environment (Adler, 2012). CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Program selection is the process of decision-mak ing.A great number of studies, researches, and write-ups has been conducted for a period of time and still emerged as one of the top-priority researches due to rapid changing and need of time. This chapter is the presentation of literature and studies from foreign to local which may directly or indirectly bearing to study at hand. Relevance to present studies will give a big picture why these literature and studies from foreign to local re used. Local Literature According to Syrians and Roses (1989), career planning is life goal-setting. Without such a plan, it is like making a Journey to an unfamiliar destination without a map.He proposed a Career Planning Guide that will help the students in choosing their appropriate program from planning a career, steps in planning career, goal- setting and self-understanding. Also, it reveals that guidance and counseling is intervention of underemployment individuals and career preparedness must be initiated. Foreign Literature According to Goo finess's Developmental Theory of Occupational Aspirations, it ascribes how people become attracted to certain occupations. Self-concept in career development is the key factor to career selection and people want Jobs that are compatible with their self-image.The key determinants of self-concept are one's social class, level of intelligence, and experiences. Roe's need approach emphasized that early childhood experiences play an important role in finding satisfaction in one's chosen field. The need structure of the individual, according to Roe, would be greatly influenced by early childhood frustrations and satisfactions. According to John Holland (2004), persons are paying attention to a given career by their particular personalities and various variables that represent their backgrounds.First of all, career choice is an expression of, or an extension of personality into the world of work followed by succeeding classification with particular working stereotypes. In view of that, one selects a program to satisfy preferred modal personal orientation. Modal personal orientation is a developmental process established through heredity and the individual's life history of reacting to environmental demands. If the individual has developed a strong dominant orientation, satisfaction is probable in a corresponding occupational environment.If, however the orientation is one of indecision, the livelihood of satisfaction diminishes. Local Studies According to the study conducted by Assign (1994), it was found out that the students' self-concept showed no significant influence on their career preferences. The academic achievements of students proved to be significant related to their program selection. The school were students came from had no influence on their choice of program. He recommends that a more improved and functional guidance revived in school to help students make sound career choices.The guidance services in school must be collaborative efforts of the admini strator, guidance counselors, and teachers. Classroom teachers are encouraged to do their best in improving teaching learning processes, considering that academic achievement of student influences their career preferences. Another study conducted by Lamellar (2003), it was found out that a large image off big family with low educational achievement and insufficient savings was the only basis of choosing a program, which was psychologically motivated. The exponent's level of preferred intelligence did not match to their chosen program.This could be drawn from the required level of the course in contrast with their level of preferred intelligence. The necessity of developing a career development program was need in order to prevent any misfits and to assist students in the process of crystallizing their career in life. She recommended that this program be effectively implemented. Foreign Studies According to the study conducted by Garage (2007), it was found out that by increasing car eer development activities, which includes setting career goals, students had a higher self-esteem.Maybe even more important, however, is that students were more satisfied about the education they were receiving. This will, in turn, hopefully lead to students having a deeper desire and commitment to succeed in their education. Another outcome of a higher self-esteem is that those students chose more difficult goals than students with low self-esteems. She noted that excellent detailed plan for teaching parents and teachers how to teach young students to set career goals.The plan requires a total community effort through educators, parents, and businesses. Students must be given an opportunity to identify and explore their desired careers. They can accomplish this through the â€Å"School to Work Transition† or â€Å"Job Shadowing Program. † Through the cooperative efforts of the entire community, students can identify career choices, set career goals, and have higher s elf-esteems at an early age. Ultimately, they will further their education and have a better chance of succeeding in the â€Å"do or die† world in which we live.CHAPTER Ill Research Methodology This chapter presents in detail the research method and design used, the sampling scheme, the description of the respondents, the survey instrument used for gathering the data, and the statistical treatment of the data. Research Method The major goal of the study was to find out the factors affecting program selection of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students. The researchers used the descriptive method which is a statistical procedure concerned with describing the characteristics and properties of persons, places or things.It is also based on easily verifiable facts. The descriptive method, describes data and characteristics about the population or phenomenon being studied. It is used for frequencies, averages and other statistical calculations. Research Design T he research plan of the study conducted a survey to Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students in the form of descriptive method wherein the researchers evaluated the factors affecting program selection of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students.The study made use of personal data sheet and survey questionnaire which is planned to gather quantitative and qualitative information. In which the researchers was able to assess the results that served as the foundation in the making of the conclusion and recommendations of the research. Population Frame and Sampling Scheme The research is focused only on Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) dents; the researchers used selective sampling with the use of target population.The sampling scheme was conducted on Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) to go well with the purpose of the study which is to find out the factors affecting program selection of the Polytechnic University of the Phi lippines (PUP) students. Description of Respondents A total of 100 students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines were used as the subject of this study. The respondents' ages ranged from 16 years old and above. Survey Instrument The personal data sheet was used as one of the survey instrument to get the exponents' profile, especially age, gender, socio economic status and programs they were in.The survey questionnaire was used as the instrument in gathering the data. There were only one (1) item; the question corresponds to factors affecting program selection of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students in the form of multiple choice questions. Data Gathering Method(s) and Procedures The researchers requested from the adviser to assist in the validation, finalization, and approval of the instrument. The researchers administered the survey in the form of questionnaires to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students.The survey results were s ubjected to data analysis and from the findings, conclusions and recommendations were drawn. Statistical Analysis of Data The researchers used the percentage method and mean value for the analysis of data. The percentage method was used to express how large or small one quantity is, relative to another quantity. It is defined by the formula: The mean is the sum of all of the data values divided by the number of data values. It is defined by the formula: where: I x = sum of all the sample observed n = total number of sample observedCHAPTER RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This chapter aims to present how the data are analyzed, and interpreted. The data were organized as to the condition of the study, which is to determine the factors affecting program selection of selected Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students. They were presented through graphs and tables for easier understanding. The data were taken from the personal data sheet and the survey questionnaire. Respondents' Pr ofile The following charts and tables show the profile of the respondents as to age, gender, socio-economic status and program.TABLE 1 Distribution of Respondents' as to Age Table one shows the distribution of the age of the respondents. The age of the respondents with the highest frequency is eighteen (18) years old with thirty-four (34) percent while the age with the lowest frequency is sixteen (16) years old, having a percentage of three (3). FIGURE 1 Distribution of Respondents' as to Gender Figure one shows the distribution of the respondents as to gender. Majority of the respondents are females, with sixty (60) percent while the remaining forty (40) percent are males.FIGURE 2 Distribution of Respondents' as to Socio -Economic Status Figure two shows that majority of the respondents, which is 44%, belong to average class (PH 14, 700 – PH 22, 300) of the monthly household income bracket, while 34% of the respondents were classified as lower class (PH 5,200- PH 14, 700). T here were 15% of the respondents who belong to the upper class (PH 22, 300 – Above), and 7% were from the poor (Below PH 5, 200) of the monthly household income bracket. TABLE 2 Distribution of Respondents' Based on Their Program Table three shows the programs of the respondents.The program with the highest weight value is ‘Bachelor in Communication Research' with a mean of 0. 8. Eleven (11) programs tied for the last rank, with 0. 01 mean rating. Respondents' Factors on Program Selection This part discussed the different factors affecting program selection of the respondents. The researchers based the choices on other researches. The researchers provided 24 factors. The respondents were asked to choose five factors. TABLE 3 Distribution of Respondents' on the Factors Affecting Program Selection Table two shows the factors affecting program selection of the respondents.The factor ‘Based on my passion' got the highest weight value with a mean rating of 0. 27, Acade mic achievements' ranked second with a mean rating of 0. 23, ‘My Ideals' on the third with 0. 18 mean rating, and, ‘Compensates high income' and â€Å"Level of intelligence' tied at the rank 4. 5, with a mean rating of 0. 16. Relationship between the Respondents' Profile and Program Selection This part show the relationship of the respondents' profile and program selection by analyzing the data connected to every variable.Syntheses were used in order to support the explanation of the researchers. Based on the data gathered, majority of the respondents are on the 18 year old age bracket. According to Wilkinson (2010), the start of being matured is when a person reached eighteen years old. As a matured student, they are likely to have more confidence in themselves, as they've been around longer and seen more things, which can give them greater understanding of the program your about to select. Based on the data gathered, majority of the respondents are females.According t o Bureau of Labor Statistics, among high school graduates, females were more likely to attend college than males. Once enrolled in college, females were less likely than males to leave college between school years. Females tend to value higher education ore highly than males do and believe it has had a more positive impact on their lives. This is because males often mature more slowly than females. According to Pillion (2006), females are more interested in learning than males because they are more motivated to improve, to achieve their goals and to perform well in whatever they do.And also, according to Mottos (2006), Females love to learn and gain knowledge because they know that being excellent academically means that they would get better Jobs for their future. Based on the data gathered, most of the respondents fall under the average class. According to Midland and Bunker (201 1), people living in average or middle class societies are more involved in school activities. They al so push to raise educational standards and put more pressure on school administrators to fire or transfer bad teachers.And some of the culture and behaviors that middle-class parents pass on to their children about education, such as valuing school achievement and attending school, are thought to come from their middle position in society with a level of income and security that makes them neither rich nor poor. All of the factors mentioned above helps boost educational achievement. Also, students in average or middle class societies tend to be healthier students academically. Based on the data gathered, majority of the respondents came from Bachelor in Communication Research. â€Å"The major is wonderful because the classes you take are so diverse.The professors in this major really care about their students and want us to succeed. The classes are the perfect size to make new friends and get to know your professors well. I would highly recommend this major† (Kari Event, 2006 ). According to Holloway (2006), Bachelor in Communication Research is the mostly picked program by the students cause it helps them to learn and develop the key skills they need to function in life instead of other programs. Communication is a fundamental needed to maintain work relationships, intimate relationships, family relationships and friendship.

Post-conflict peacebuilding in Afghanistan The WritePass Journal

Post-conflict peacebuilding in Afghanistan Afghanistan Post-conflict peacebuilding in Afghanistan ). In the case of Afghanistan however, the US-led invasion had no clear strategies for a state-building process (Ayub and Kouvo, 2008). As a result, the initial focus on the ‘war on terror’ lacked a clear direction at it failed to provide a clear division between short-term goals of pacifying the terrorist threat and the longer-term peace-building process within the country (ibid). The invasion of Afghanistan was not about promoting security bur rather reducing the spreading sense of insecurity in the US (Nesiah, 2004).The state-building process that followed had no clear goals and was characterised by competing paradigms, as well as incompatible agendas (Weinberger, 2002; Rubin, 2006; Suhrke, 2012). It can be argued that the Taliban resurgence in 2005 and consequent lack of security in the country precluded any substantial democratization effort. However, this ignores the causal relationship between the two: failure of the political process, and an incoherent US/NATO military strategy, which provided the vacuum and space necessary for the Taliban and other counter-systemic actors to establish and expand their influence in the country (Suhrke, 2008). Linked to the incoherent military strategy is the limited impact of the DDR process that was to strengthen the position of the ISAF (Reynolds, 2006; Saikal, 2012). The expansion of ISAF outside of Kabul also played a significant part in the escalation of the conflict (Suhrke, 2011). The escalating war ratcheted up the demand for rapid and visible results, both within Afghanistan and from domestic audiences in the contributing countries. To deliver quick and visible results, the interveners adopted measures that undermined basic precepts of state-building and by extension its contribution to peacebuilding. In order to rapidly create Afghan military capacity, for example, the international forces started rearming the militias (Lefevre, 2010). A large amount of resources were diverted towards training the ANA, whereas the lack of training for the ANP produced problems for the ISAF, mainly in terms of corruption and human rights abuses (Beljan, 2013). The establishment of PRTs throughout the country was seen as the solution for providing security and reconstruction at the same time (ibid.). However, their activity was characterised by lack of clear objectives, lack of a clear commanding structure and lack of resources (Sedra, 2005). This lack of coherence is not only characteristic of the PRTs themselves, but rather to the lack of a clear strategy for the operation of ISAF (Sperling and Webber, 2012), as the establishment of security needs to run parallel to economic development as part of restructuring efforts. As it was noted, the availability of resources for peacebuilding has a significant impact on the successful resolution of a violent conflict. Yet, the large flows of unconditioned aid are said to re-create the environment in which the civil war in the 1990s erupted and evolved (Goodhand and Sedra, 2007). Afghanistan is also a challenging case for the study and application of peace conditionalities, as the Bonn Agreement itself only legitimised a ‘victor’s peace’, leaving the Taliban quite potent. Secondly, the dual nature of the process should be emphasised – building peace in a climate of ongoing war. The approach adopted by the Alliance forces, to create a security force whilst at the same time failing to provide an institution that is to be responsible for its management is yet another reflection of the prioritisation of short-term goals over peace-making and state-building in the longer term (Sedra, 2005). Although reconstruction has been a top priority and used as a political platform during the first parliamentary elections (Wilder, 2005), the international spending has emphasised security over reconstruction (Rubin, Hamidzada and Stoddard, 2003). The long-standing conflict itself has resulted in the development of a war economy (Felbab-Brown, 2005; Fielden and Goodhand, 2001) in which it is difficult for the emerging democratic state to claim monopoly over violence. Facing considerable historical and institutional constraints, the UN Assistance mission in Afghanistan, a part of which is ISAF, has found it difficult to implement its ambitious democratisation mandate (Tadjbakhsh and Schoiswohl, 2008; Saikal, 2012). In conclusion, despite ISAF has achieved some successes in the training of Afghanistan’s security forces and improving security (Beljan, 2013), it is difficult to claim to the mandate and goals which were set as its main tasks have been achieved. Over the period of reconstruction the country has been relying on foreign aid for the maintenance of its structures, it is still a fragile state on the brink of re-emerging conflict, as there is still a lack of a clear political settlement among the different interest parties in the country. Bibliography Ayub, F. and Kuovo, S. (2008). Righting the course? Humanitarian intervention, the war on terror and the future of Afghanistan. International Affairs, 84(4), 641-657. Beljan, R. (2013). Afghanistan: Lessons Learned from an ISAF Perspective. Journal Article| May, 30(2), 30am. Available at: http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/afghanistan-lessons-learned-from-an-isaf-perspective Bellamy, A. J., Williams, P. D. (2005). Whos keeping the peace? Regionalization and contemporary peace operations. International Security, 29(4), 157-195. Coll, S. (2004). Ghost wars: The secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet invasion to September 10, 2001. New York: Penguin. Druckman, D., Stern, P. C., Diehl, P., Fetherston, A. B., Johansen, R., Durch, W., Ratner, S. (1997). Evaluating peacekeeping missions. Mershon International Studies Review, 151-165. Dupree, N. H. (2002). Cultural heritage and national identity in Afghanistan. Third World Quarterly, 23(5), 977-989. Felbab†Brown, V. (2005). Afghanistan: when counternarcotics undermines counterterrorism. Washington Quarterly, 28(4), 55-72. Fielden, M., Goodhand, J. (2001). Beyond the Taliban? The Afghan conflict and United Nations peacemaking. Conflict, Security Development, 1(03), 5-32. Fortna, V. P. (2004). Does peacekeeping keep peace? International intervention and the duration of peace after civil war. International studies quarterly, 48(2), 269-292. Goodhand, J., Sedra, M. (2007). Bribes or bargains? Peace conditionalities and ‘post-conflict’reconstruction in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 14(1), 41-61. ISAF (2014). Mission. Available at: isaf.nato.int/mission.html ISAF (2014a). History. Available at: isaf.nato.int/history.html ISAF (2014b) Troop Numbers and Contributions. Available at: isaf.nato.int/troop-numbers-and-contributions/index.php Lefà ¨vre, M. (2010). Local Defence in Afghanistan. A Review of Government-backed Initiatives. Kabul: Afghanistan Analysts Network. Maley, W. (2009). The Afghanistan Wars. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Matinuddin, K. (1999). The Taliban Phenomenon in Afghanistan 1994-1995. Oxford: Oxford University Press. NATO (2013). ISAF’s Mission in Afghanistan. Available at: nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_69366.htm Nesiah, V. (2004). From Berlin to Bonn to Baghdad: a space for infinite justice. Harv. Hum. Rts. J., 17, 75. Reynolds, A. (2006). The curious case of Afghanistan. Journal of Democracy, 17(2), 104-117. Rose-Ackerman, S. (2001). Trust, honesty, and corruption: reflection on the state-building process. European Journal of Sociology, 42, 27-71. Rubin, B. R. (2002). The fragmentation of Afghanistan: State formation and collapse in the international system. Yale University Press. Rubin, B. R. (2006). Peace Building and State-Building in Afghanistan: constructing sovereignty for whose security?. Third World Quarterly, 27(1), 175-185. Rubin, B. R. (2013). Afghanistan from the Cold War through the War on Terror. Oxford University Press. Rubin, B. R., Hamidzada, H., Stoddard, A. (2003). Through the Fog of Peace Building: Evaluating the Reconstruction of Afghanistan. Center on International Cooperation, New York University. Saikal, A. (2012). The UN and Afghanistan: Contentions in Democratization and Statebuilding. International Peacekeeping, 19(2), 217-234. Sedra, M. (2005). Civil-military relations in Afghanistan: The provincial reconstruction team debate. Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies. Simonsen, S. G. (2004). Ethnicising Afghanistan?: inclusion and exclusion in post†Bonn institution building. Third World Quarterly, 25(4), 707-729. Sperling, J., Webber, M. (2012). NATOs Intervention in the Afghan Civil War. Civil Wars, 14(3), 344-372. Suhrke, A. (2008). A contradictory mission? NATO from stabilization to combat in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 15(2), 214-236. Suhrke, A. (2011). When more is less: the international project in Afghanistan. New York: Columbia University Press. Suhrke, A. (2012). Waging War and Building Peace in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 19(4), 478-491. Tadjbakhsh, S., Schoiswohl, M. (2008). Playing with fire? The international communitys democratization experiment in Afghanistan. International Peacekeeping, 15(2), 252-267. United Nations (2001) Bonn Agreement. Available at: http://peacemaker.un.org/afghanistan-bonnagreement2001 Weinberger, N. (2002). Civil-military coordination in peacebuilding: the challenge in Afghanistan. Journal of International Affairs-Columbia University, 55(2), 245-276. Wilder, A. R. (2005). A House Divided?: Analysing the 2005 Afghan Elections. Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. Wolff, S., Dursun-Ãâ€"zkanca, O. (2012). Regional and International Conflict Regulation: Diplomatic, Economic and Military Interventions. Civil Wars, 14(3), 297-323.

Global Supply Management

Global Supply Management As businesses becomes before and more aligned to a completely global mode of operations, many organisations representing a number of disparate industries, including manufacturing, service, public service, social enterprises, NGOs, pharmaceuticals, food service and construction firms now run their businesses using a network of global suppliers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Global Supply Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Operating a global supply chain has become a highly efficient means by which a company can boost profitability through streamlining production, reducing labour costs, minimizing the expense of equipment, cutting down on transportation and delivery costs and decreasing transit duration between suppliers, firms and customers (Bloom Kotler 1975; Cook 2011; Edgell, Meister Stamp 2008; Fisher 2011; Lloyd 1996; Porter 1985; Saxena 2010; Stauffer 2003). For the purposes of this paper, a supply chain refers to a group of three or more units, organisations or persons directly concerned with providing, manufacturing or producing the upstream and downstream current of services, information, parts, products or funds from a resource to a client (Cook 2008; Edwards 2006; Kelley Nagel 2007; Porter 1985). The following paper will critically evaluate the strategic rationale for why organisations might choose to use global suppliers from these so-called high risk regions, particularly when there might be less risk in using local supply chains, as well as the impacts that natural phenomenon and political unrest might have upon these types of global logistics and supply chain management strategies. The paper will also offer some strategies as to how to mitigate the impact of instability in the global supply chain. Strategic Rationale Part A of this paper discusses the strategic rationale as to why an organisation might choose to use a global supplier from a high risk region when less risk might be incurred using a supplier closer to home. Logic would dictate that if the home region of a global supplier is undergoing political turmoil through a transition in government leadership, terrorist activity, or if it was recently hit with a major natural disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami, the firm may be best served to move and transfer its interests from a regional supplier to a supplier in a safer part of the world, one in which the government appears stable, no major protests are underway, and where the climate is not prone to hurricanes and the like.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Typically, the first and most logical strategic response to this question is based in cost. Specifically, how much does it cost to move, versus how much does it cost to stay? The answer to this question will also depend on where the company is in terms of setting up its global supply chain, whether at the beginning of the process or well into it, what the function of the particular unit of the global supply chain in the overall upstream and downstream flow of the business is, the level of diversification that already exists within the global supply chain, and how long the company has based its operations in that particular region (Burke Cooper 2008; Cross 2007; Griffin 2008; Giermanski McGhee 2007; Glisson, Milton Jones 2009). Now that recent world events have illuminated the â€Å"inverse relationship between risk and efficiency [and] cast [it] in high relief, supply chain managers realize that they can no longer focus solely on cost reduction- any calculation of a supply chains return on investment must also take customer satisfaction into account† (Stauffer 2003, par. 4). However, cost remains the main driver of business decisions, and where global supply chains are concerned, if a company has already invested millions in a reg ional supply chain, cost becomes the number one factor. A company that has set up a global supplier in a region that was initially stable for many years and has become fractious over time must weigh the cost of moving its operations to a safe zone, and this weighing of costs must be applied to both short term and long term business goals. Similarly, a company that that has set up a global supplier in a region that was recently hit by a natural disaster must weigh the costs of moving its operations as opposed to staying in the affected region and repairing the damaged infrastructure. In global supply chains, it is the â€Å"integration of business processes, not individual functions, that creates value for customers and these processes reach beyond the boundaries of the firm† (Altay Ramirez 2010, p. 59).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Global Supply Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this regard, even if the individual function – in this case, the unit of the global supply chain that has been threatened by terrorists or has been hit by a natural disaster – is temporarily out of commission or under threat, the company may decide that the unit fits too well into its overall integrated business model to change. A number of the most successful firms in the world have been operating global supply chains for many years and as such have built up strong networks, strong relationships and strong financial incentives in the global regions where they operate elements of their supply chains. As the leadership of any company can attest, networks, relationships and mutually enhancing financial incentives take years and years to build, and the idea of starting all over in a new region where the company will be one of many competitors bidding on the same parcel of land or negotiating with little or no personal leverage is simply too expensive a proposition to risk for many com panies. Also, strategically speaking, natural disasters tend to be short term problems. While they do cause massive amounts of damage, they do not happen annually; thus, a company may decide that in the long term expenditure, it will be cheaper and more prudent to repair the damaged infrastructure and remain in the region rather than incur the enormous cost of moving operations and setting up operations in a new location. Finally, labour costs continue to factor significantly into the strategic rationale applied when managing a global supply chain. Political unrest may be a small price to pay when faced with a jump in labour costs that will number into the millions for a globally integrated firm. Other strategic factors that may prompt firms to remain in politically unstable regions or regions prone to natural disasters include the degree of skill manifested in the labour force, tax incentives, beneficial rates of currency exchange and the efficiency of transport infrastructure such as ports (Bloom Kotler 1975; Cook 2011; Edgell, Meister Stamp 2008; Fisher 2011; Lloyd 1996).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Risk management is the second element of the strategic rationale, and again, this equates to long term and short term business goals. As Stauffer (2003, par. 7) notes, risk can be seen as the sum of â€Å"frequency times consequencea high-frequency/low-consequence event, such as the regular fluctuation of currency exchange rates [is] similar to a low-frequency/high-consequence event, such as the sinking of a cargo ship laden with critical parts†. However, risk management varies widely from firm to firm, and also varies widely according to industry. An example is the recent earthquake in Japan. As the well-established â€Å"epicenter of high-tech manufacturing,† when the earthquake hit it affected the high tech industry to a much greater degree than other industries, because the vast majority of the major high tech firms use suppliers in Japan as part of their global supply chain (Fisher 2011, par. 2). In addition, depending upon the particular firms tolerance for risk, such â€Å"apparently similar risks can have vastly different qualitative effects† (Stauffer 2003, par. 7). Risk tolerance and risk management will also depend largely on corporate culture, the liquidity of the company, its insurance strategies and capabilities and the type of industry. Most importantly, risk management can be best served by a highly diversified global supply chain (Jà ¼ttner Maklan 2011). One of the ways that companies incur greater risk is through amassing a large portion of its suppliers for one particular part or service in one region (Belzer Swan 2011; Jà ¼ttner Maklan 2011). The ensuing clustering effect of global suppliers all located in one geographic region â€Å"can have serious consequences in the event of a natural disaster or political unrest† (Stauffer 2003, par. 7). Firms that operate global supply chains are well advised to diversify as much as possible. For example, rather than have one part sourced from one region, the firm can have it sourced from two or three regions in different parts of the world. Cost savings can be tweaked via reduced labour costs, tax incentives and currency rates, and the main benefit to global firms is that the â€Å"supply chain can insulate [the company] against shortages and other unpredictable problems† such as natural disasters or terrorism (Fisher 2011. par. 3). Finally, the third element of the strategic rationale is a question of trade-offs. Trade-offs transcend the basic reduce cost at all cost model of global supply chain management. For example, if the trade-off to operating in a region where the labour costs are the lowest in the world means that the company undergoes regular bombings from terrorist groups, the savings in labour costs may be eaten up by the expense of continually repairing or upgrading infrastructure, hiring additional security or implementing costly and complex firewalls and network security protocols. Trade off thinking goes along way toward a dopting a strategic global supply chain policy that allows for flexibility, agility and the constant streamlining of processes while keeping costs reasonable and continuing to increase profitability. Impacts of Natural Phenomena and Political Unrest Part B of this paper discusses some of the impacts that natural phenomena such as tornadoes and tsunamis as well as political unrest might have upon these types of global logistics and supply chain management strategies. The aforementioned definition of global supply chain points to a key component of the successful global supply chain, namely, the â€Å"direct link between the companies in a supply chain† (Altay Ramirez 2010, p. 59). Numerous supply chain management studies indicate that one of the pivotal indicators of success in a global supply chain rests on the realization that a global supply chain represents an assembly of interdependent parties; therefore, coordination and management of the global supply chain must always be a strategic response to the problems that emanate from the inter-reliant units within the chain, and the chain must always be viewed from a holistic perspective (Altay Ramirez 2010; Bakshi Kleindorfer 2009; Claessens Schmukler 2007; Perry 2007; Sarathy 2006). As a cohesive, integrated business unit, direct threats to the supply chain will be felt all the way through it. Thus, it is incumbent upon those responsible for global supply chain management to understand their charges as interconnected entities rather than isolated processes, as this attitude will likely build resiliency within the supply chain and bolster its ability to weather threats from both natural and human disasters (Fisher 2011; Jà ¼ttner Maklan 2011; Sheffi 2001; Stauffer 2003; Suder 2006; Wechsler 2011). The locations of these global suppliers are sometimes found in regions of the world that historically can be prone to the impact of natural phenomenon such as earthquakes, hurricanes or typhoons, flooding , tsunamis, and most recently, political unrest through the removal of traditional government regimes in certain countries as well as ongoing terrorist activities and threats, both real and perceived. Natural phenomena such as wildfires, earthquakes and floods can produce major disturbances in global supply chains, as they impede business operations and reduce the producing capacity of the companies doing business in the region that the natural disaster strikes (Altay Ramirez 2010; Alternate supply: disaster in Japan forces manufacturers to look elsewhere 2011; Belzer Swan 2011; Burke 2005). These regions of the world and the suppliers situated there would arguably present high levels of strategic risk for any organisation choosing to design their supply chain landscapes involving these areas. As Stauffer (2003, par. 2) notes, â€Å"terrorist strikes, political instability in Third World countries, and last years shutdown of West Coast shipping docks- have awakened managers as ne ver before to supply chain risks, some of which had been introduced or heightened by the very actions companies had taken to drive costs out of their supply chains†. Natural disasters have the power to harm or destroy infrastructure, interrupt supply chains and ultimately have an effect upon the profitability of the business as a whole, and natural disasters tend to affect all the elements within an existing supply chain (Altay Ramirez 2010). When a natural disaster occurs, â€Å"gaps in supply chain security hamper the safety and security of freight transport†¦this risk increases the deeper in the hinterland it originates† (Belzer Swan 2011, p. 41). The impact of a natural disaster on a global supply chain will differ according to the type of business as well as the type of natural disaster; therefore, different natural disasters may leave certain supply chains unscathed, whereas others will be completed obliterated. For example, in their 2010 study, Altay and R amirez (2010, p. 60) discovered that â€Å"the damage by windstorms and floods seem to be dramatically different from that of an earthquake, providing evidence against the all-hazards approach†. What the literature appears to be telling supply chain managers is that natural disaster do not come in cookie-cutter parcels that can be easily insured against, planned for or avoided; each one is different, and each one will have a different impact on the supply chain network (Holbrook 2011; Ngoctran 2011). For example, Altay and Ramirez (2010, p. 60) demonstrated that the â€Å"impact of floods on total asset turnover of a firm is dependent on the firms position in the supply chain. We found that while upstream partners enjoy a positive impact, downstream partners have to plan for the opposite†. What this means is that the impact of a natural disaster will be specific and not localized to the region it affects. Rather, the disaster will affect all the links in the chain. Thu s, â€Å"a supply chain-wide mitigation strategy rather than a company-specific one† appears to be the most efficient and pragmatic approach to natural disasters for supply chain managers to adopt (Altay and Ramirez 2010, p. 60). There also appears to be an inverse relationship between the complexity of a given global supply chain and the cost that a natural disaster will exact on the network (Altay Ramirez 2010; Gad-el-Hak 2008; Haight 2003). This is less true of political unrest. Political unrest and terrorism differs significantly from a natural disaster in that the latter tends to happen once, whereas the former can easily become chronic. Political unrest and terrorism can drag on for years, and the costs involved in hiring more security personnel, beefing up web security, hiring the IT expertise necessary to combat cyber terrorists, and repairing equipment or work spaces damaged or destroyed by terrorist activities can bleed the company for years at a time. Political un rest that occurs during a change in leadership can also prove expensive for a company operating a complex global supply chain, particularly if the political regimes are corrupt. In addition, unrest of a politicized religious nature can often lead to additional costs to the company if the new regime demands that employees take time out of their work day for religious activities. Terrorism in particular can have a long term impact on the financial stability of the firm, and this varies from industry to industry; however, as a rule, investment and access to capital tend to wane in politically charged environments (Jà ¼ttner Maklan 2011; Sheffi 2001). This occurs for both logical and emotional reasons. In a region dominated by terrorist activity, investors will fear for their investments more so than in a region where there is no terrorism. Terrorism by nature invokes fear, not simply for financial investment for personal safety as well; therefore, a region dominated by terrorism quic kly becomes a no-fly zone for investors, and this can lead to reduced capital for firms. This in turn affects a firm’s ability to grow. As a result, over time regions where terrorism persists will witness an exodus of many firms, as once the problem of terrorism takes root it quickly becomes chronic and difficult to root out. Global supply chain management involves a delicate touch and a holistic framework. Firms that grow to comprehend the â€Å"depth of their supply chains and critical dependencies† are the firms that tend to succeed over the long term (Fisher 2011, par. 12). Cost, while ultimately the main driver of most major business decisions, cannot be the only consideration in global supply chain management. Where natural disasters and political unrest are concerned, there is no such thing as a one size fits all plan that will insulate a supply chain. Each natural disaster is different and will affect the chain differently. A firm that employs a strategic respo nse to each natural disaster such as building in more suppliers and incorporating both geographic and political diversity among their suppliers will be far more likely to weather the storm. Reference List Altay, N, Ramirez, A 2010, ‘Impact of disasters on firms in different sectors: implications for supply chains’, Journal of Supply Chain Management, vol. 45 no. 4, pp. 59-102. ‘Alternate supply: disaster in Japan forces manufacturers to look elsewhere’, 2011, Industrial Engineer, vol. 10, pp. 5-12. Bakshi, N Kleindorfer, P 2009, ‘Co-opetition and investment for supply-chain resilience’, Production and Operations Management, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 583–603. Belzer, M Swan, P 2011, ‘Supply chain security: agency theory and port drayage drivers’, Economic and Labour Relations Review, vol. 22 no. 1, pp. 41-55. Bloom, P Kotler, P 1975, ‘Strategies for high market share companies’, Harvard Business Review, November, p p. 63-72. Burke, R 2005, ‘International terrorism and threats to security: implications for organizations and management’, Disaster Prevention and Management, vol. 14 no. 5, pp. 639-643. Burke, R Cooper, C 2008, International terrorism and threats to security: managerial and organizational challenges, Northampton, Massachusetts, Edward Elgar Publishing. Claessens, S Schmukler, S 2007, ‘International financial integration through equity markets: which firms from which countries go global’, Journal of International Money and Finance, vol. 26, pp. 788-813. Cook, T 2008, Managing global supply chains: compliance, security and dealing with terrorism, Boca Raton, Florida, Taylor Francis. Cook, T 2011, Compliance in today’s global supply chain, Boca Raton, Florida, CRC Press. Cross, C 2007, ‘Studies in survival: future supply chains are growing in a laboratory’, Industrial Engineer, August, pp. 44-49. Edgell, J, Meister, G Stamp, N 2008, â €˜Global sourcing trends in 2008’, Strategic Outsourcing: An International Journal, vol. 1 no. 2, pp. 173-180. Edwards, J 2006, ‘Thinking inside the boxes: global supply chains must now address government logistics mandates, a post-9/11 legacy that is only becoming more complex’, CFO, The Magazine for Senior Financial Executives, vol. 8 no. 1, pp. 81-96. Fisher, D 2011, Japan disaster shakes up supply-chain strategies. Web. Gad-el-Hak, M 2008, Large-scale disasters: prediction, control and mitigation, New York, Cambridge University Press. Giermanski, J McGhee, M 2007, ‘How SOX and C-TPAT: impact global supply chain security’ Strategic Finance, April, pp. 33-43. Glisson, L Jones, K 2009, ‘Homeland security vs. cabotage: issues of terrorism or ploys’, Journal of Transportation Management, vol. 12, pp. 35-45. Griffin, W 2008, ‘The future of integrated supply chain management utilizing performance based logistics’, Defense A R Journal, vol. 15 no. 1, pp. 3-11. Haight, B 2003, ‘The perils of supply chain management: experienced veterans share their techniques and solutions to a more efficient supply chain’, Automotive Industries, August, pp. 24-32. Holbrook, E 2011, ‘A supply chain unlinked’, Risk Management, May, pp. 32-43. Jà ¼ttner, U Maklan, S 2011, ‘Supply chain resilience in the global financial crisis: an empirical study’, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 16 no. 4, pp. 246-259. Kelley, E Nagel, T 2007, ‘The impact of globalization on structuring, implementing, and advising on sourcing arrangements. Georgetown Journal of International Law, Spring, pp. 619-632. Lloyd, B 1996, ‘The outlook for globalisation’, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 17 no. 1, pp. 18-23. Ngoctran, A 2011, ‘The Vietnam case: workers versus the Global supply chain’, Harvard International Review, vol. 33 no. 2, pp. 60-81. Perry, M 2007, ‘Natural disaster management planning; a study of logistics managers responding to the tsunami’, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 37 no. 5, pp. 409-433. Porter, M 1985, Competitive advantage: creating and sustaining superior performance, New York, Simon Shuster. Sarathy, R 2006, ‘Security and the global supply chain’, Transportation Journal, vol. 45 no. 4. pp. 28-34. Saxena, R 2010, ‘Define logistics, Industrial Engineer, vol. 11, pp. 24-26. Sheffi, Y 2001, ‘Supply chain management under the threat of international terrorism’, The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 12 no. 2, pp. 1-11. Stauffer, D 2003, Supply chain risk: deal with it. Web. Suder, G 2006, Corporate strategies under international terrorism and adversity, Northampton, Massachusetts, Edward Elgar Publishing. Wechsler, J 2011, ‘FDA promotes innovation, access to medicines while moderni zing operations’, Formulary, December, pp. 550-611.

The Fundamentals of Verbs

The Fundamentals of Verbs The Fundamentals of Verbs The Fundamentals of Verbs By Mark Nichol This post outlines the basic principles of the verb, the workhorse of language. A verb describes an action (talk), an occurrence (become), or a state of being (live). Verbs are complicated by their many variable states, based on inflection depending on functions. For example, an action might, depending on the number of talkers, be described with the word talk or the word talks. (This quality is called agreement.) Based on the tense of the sentence, the verb, accompanied by an auxiliary, or helper, could appear in the phrases â€Å"will talk,† â€Å"has talked,† or â€Å"was talking.† (Tense is one of several similar qualities; the others are aspect, how the action or state occurs through time, and modality, the expression of the speaker’s attitude toward the action or state.) Other qualities of verbs are the voice (such as active voice, as in the form of the verb saw in â€Å"Many saw it as a turning point,† or passive voice, as exemplified by the syntax in â€Å"It was seen by many as a turning point†) and the valency whether the verb is intransitive (accompanied by a subject alone, as in â€Å"It moves†), transitive (accompanied by a subject and a direct object, as in â€Å"We went to the store†), or ditransitive (accompanied by a subject, a direct object, and an indirect object (â€Å"I brought him the report†). The six types of verb follow: An intransitive verb is one that does not precede a noun or an adjective. If any part of speech follows an intransitive verb, it is usually an adverb (â€Å"I walked quickly†) or a preposition (â€Å"I walked in†). A linking verb precedes a noun (â€Å"She remained home†) or an adjective (â€Å"He appeared tired†); an adverb may not follow a linking verb. In these sample sentences, home is an example of a predicate noun, and tired exemplifies predicate adjectives. A transitive verb sometimes, to distinguish it from two other types described below, called a one-place transitive precedes a noun (â€Å"We watched the movie†) or a noun phrase (â€Å"They talked in the dark†). In this case, the noun or noun phrase is called a direct object because it is the thing being acted on in the manner indicated by the verb. Two types of verbs are called two-place transitive verbs. The first, labeled the Vg type (the letters stand for verb and give), precedes two nouns or noun phrases (â€Å"I bought my wife a bouquet of flowers†) or a noun or noun phrase and a prepositional phrase (â€Å"I bought a bouquet of flowers for my wife†) in succession. The first word or phrase after the verb is an indirect object (a recipient) and the second is a direct object. The second type of two-place transitive verb, the Vc type (c is for consider), precedes a noun or noun phrase and another one (â€Å"I consider the chairman an arrogant person†), or an adjective (â€Å"I believe that the chairman is arrogant†) or an infinitive phrase (â€Å"I found the chairman to be arrogant†). The first word or phrase after the verb is a direct object, and the second is a complement, so called because it teams up with the direct object to complete the thought. A to-be verb is one that is a form of the phrase â€Å"to be,† such as is, were, or being. A to-be verb precedes a noun (â€Å"I am a fool†), an adjective (â€Å"I was foolish†), or an adverb of place, a class of adverb that describes where something occurs (â€Å"I am in the doghouse.†) These other parts of speech are sometimes referred to as predicate nouns, predicate adjectives, and predicate adverbs. As is the case with nouns, a sentence need not include a verb (for example, â€Å"Right† spoken or written as an affirmation), but not much can happen in communication without reference to an action, an occurrence, or a state. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a Sentenceâ€Å"As Well As† Does Not Mean â€Å"And†Ulterior and Alterior

Socio-ultural influence on the increase in consumerist behavior among Essay

Socio-ultural influence on the increase in consumerist behavior among Indians in U.S - Essay Example One of the most important after effects of globalisation is the influence it have caused to base the consumer choice on the materials being provided to them rather than understanding of their buying requirements. This is notwithstanding the ongoing debate on theoretical explanations given on the modern consumer behaviour.But from the experiences gained on the market behavior during the 21st century, the pervasive market performance has covered every material in the market place. This is obvious from the ways the brand building has been followed in various products like segregating the consumers considering their age and also their cultural influence.Exclusive adult product or products for curly haired are the symbols of such market delineation to enhance the consumer acceptability and thus leading to the burgeoning their business. At the same time the market based economy have failed to eliminate large number of beliefs and customs.The fears arising from the religious beliefs are nev er offset even by the well planned and creative intervention in the market Also, the impact of the culture of the dictating the market principles has also not been fully justified. The dominant component among all the existing market forces in a typical scenario would probably be elite population whose options usually dominates the market. The majority of the mass are less influential in the market economics as they are found to undertake the actions that is most necessary for them as it would be highly fantasy for this group of the population in the regions to opt for any luxurious mode of lifestyles. Thus the basic understanding has been those who fail to get what they require embraces the scarcity while those who have the ability to procure all they need tend to move to the extend of highly disordered consumption styles.. Thus the evidence have been given to come to a conclusion on the effect of culture on the consumer behavior. Most of the studies or research have focussed on the effect of the consumer tendencies on a static population level. But the globalization which have resulted in the free transfer of commodities across different countries also have resulted in the large-scale manpower movements. Thus the effect of cultural impact this has created on the consumerist behavior is necessary. The study undertaken here is to understand how the change observed in the consumer pattern within a newly migrated or relocated group of people. The investigations would also include the factors that influence such group of people to change or withstand the change. Thus the study would give a new dimension to the research issues on the consumerist tendencies in the post-globalized period. Literature survey It is widely understood that the social stratification has been aggravated as a result of the strong hold of the capitalist social structure (Cohen and Roosevelt, 2002). The factors like negative consumerism emerging from the continuous denials of acquiring various products have lead to the re-look into various aspects of value based consumer theories (Feather stone, 2007). Thea earlier studies have shown that an inclination to well established brand names existed among all the young university students. A comparison mad across the Nokia and Siemens show that the enhanced credibility created to the consumers with the support of well-tailored campaigns and highly transparent knowledge sharing have helped Nokia to go far ahead of the rival Siemens (Anderman et al, 1999). In another situation, the business organization often identifies the most important cultural aspects of the target groups and hence plan their marketing programme accordingly. The consumer demarcation on these social d ynamics have yielded good amount of success. Some of the well known cases are Volkswagen for the working woman, Saga Holidays for the young elderly, the Pink pound for gay men (Lee,

Problem-solving proposals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Problem-solving proposals - Essay Example These problems can be attributed to the actions and strategies instituted by all the previous CEOs (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). This topic is interesting as it gives an outlook on some of the important management issues relating to the business operations in the current business environment. Businesses need to make the relevant management changes to cope with the challenges in the internal environment including employee motivation and external environment such as increasing competition and dynamic customer demands. It is clear that there is lack of stability in the leadership, and this has made it complex for the company to maintain consistency in the company. It has been noted that each CEO has instituted more dramatic strategies than their predecessors, which have led to substantial changes in the company’s direction. The HP case study is one of a kind and has valuable lessons to managers and business students worldwide. Statement of the Problem Over the past few years, HP has lost approximately three quarters of their value, and this can be observed from its performance in the stock market (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). Any efforts to turn around the company’s deteriorating performance have proven to be futile. In the past ten years, the company has made efforts to transform its leadership and has lurched from one approach to another and recruited highly skilled leaders to amend the daunting problem of poor management. In 1999, the company brought on board Carly Fiorina whose main strategy focused on repositioning the company by taking the customers’ needs into account (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). It was under her leadership that the company made one of the most detrimental moves by entering into a merger with one of HP’s archrivals, Compaq. This was aimed at improving speed in preparation for the advent of the Internet era’ however, the strategy failed to meet the set objectives. HP then recruited Mark Hurd in 2005 to deal with the issue of decreasing profitably (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). The company experienced immense growth and increased revenues under the leadership of Mark Hurd. However, this was short lived in 2010 when he was suddenly suspended over sexual harassment allegations (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). This led to an upfront challenge to his predecessor as he would have to live up to Hurd’s exemplary reputation. The company then outsourced Leo Apotheker who worked at a Germany-based software company. Apotheker focused too much on software development and worked at the company for a short time (â€Å"Worst of 2012†). Currently, the company is under the leadership of Meg Whitman who is working tirelessly to solve the problems at HP. The third quarter earnings reveal that the company is not doing so well; however, Meg Whitman retorts that there are a lot of areas that need fixing. She claims that the company is at the initial stages of its take-off. Conversely, financ ial analysts are skeptical about this and argue that it could be a repeat of what has happened with predecessors. She states that HP is facing three major challenges including execution of proposed strategies, industry trends as well as macroeconomic problems. Presently, the company has a market capitalization of 46.92 B, revenue of 115.57 B, EPS – 6. 85 and from the PE ratio we can conclude that the

Study skills used by Gateway students Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Study skills used by Gateway students - Thesis Example A major contributing factor to the success of students in various examinations rests with the kind of study skills adopted by students (Koduah, 2010). The Education Atlas (2011) explains that a study skill involves a whole lot of concepts including â€Å"developing effective study skills, improving reading comprehension, discovering your own personal study style, learning to manage your time more efficiently and learning the best way to prepare for exams.† This is to say that the study skills adopted by a student envelope the entire study or learning program of the student. Indeed, there cannot be any successful educational program without a study skill in place. Study skills are commonly adopted by students. However, it is very important that educators of the student, most especially teachers of the student play a role in selecting the most appropriate and workable study skill that would work best for a student. This is because not all strategies work best for all teachers. With the professional knowhow of teachers however, they are in a better position to discovering the study skills that work best for each students. The selection of study skills should therefore be a collaborative activity between students and educators. Problem statement The Gateway to College â€Å"serves youth, 16 to 21 years old, who have dropped out of school or are significantly behind in credits and unlikely to graduate† (Gateway to College Organization, 2011). The researcher embarked on this course project to find out the various study skills adopted by students in the Gateway Course; the factors that influence the selection of the various study skills and how the study skills are impacting on the academ ic success of the students. Research Questions The following questions were designed to be delimitation in guiding the researcher in the course of the research. This is to say that data and information collection shall be based on the research questions and not outside the research questions. Again, the research aims and objectives shall be crafted around the achievement of the research questions. The research questions are: 1. What are the factors that account for the selection of particular study skills by Gateway students? 2. What role do educators play in the selection of study skills by Gateway students? 3. What are the commonest study skills used by Gateway students? 4. What are the principles necessary in the selection of a study skill for an individual? 5. How does the study skill used by a student affect his or her learning outcome? Objectives The research is being embarked on to achieve the following objectives: 1. To identify the factors necessary in the selection of stud y skills by students. 2. Identify the role educators (most importantly teachers) can play in the selection of study skills for students. 3. To be abreast with the commonest study skills adopted and used by Gateway students. 4. To scrutinize principles necessary in the selection of study skills for and by students. 5. To identify the role study skills play in the general success of students. Justification This course project is an assignment for a class I am taking in the Gateway to College class. Indeed there were a lot of topical areas that I could have decided to write on. I however decided to write on the study skills adopted by students for a number of justifiable reasons. In the first place, the researcher acknowledges the important role that study skills play in the success of students’ examinations. With the objective of the Gateway to College program being to help students with low academic standings to advance to the higher level, it is extremely important that all

Analyze the Secondary Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analyze the Secondary Research - Essay Example The report is going to analyze all these factors for each agency with respect to their employees who might be interested in enrolling for the course (Grigg & Zenzen, 2009). According to the secondary sources, it is apparent that water departments are committed to ensuring that they have a qualified work force. This is manifested in the manner by which they have committed to reimburse tuition fees to employees who opt to further studies. For example, the City of Carlsbad which has a total number of 65 of employees who are geared towards working in water related matters. The agency has committed to reimburse tuition fees up to a maximum of 60 employees. This is about 92.3% of employees who can ask for the tuition fee reimbursement in each respective year. Consequently, an employee in Carlsbad is eligible to be reimbursed the first $2,500 and 80% of any additional claim that might arise in a respective fiscal year (Grigg & Zenzen, 2009). Another conclusion I can make is that water departments which have less workforce have also decided to invest in education. For example, the City of Encinitas has 24 water employees. According to the policy of the agency, all the water employees are eligible to apply for tuition reimbursement. The qualification for this scheme includes one to be regular full-time employees who further their education during off-duty hours. Employees can apply for tuition reimbursement and related educational expenses up to a maximum of $1,200 per fiscal year. Submission of requests and approval takes place continuously based upon the availability of the funding (Grigg & Zenzen, 2009). Another observation I can make is that even agencies that huge workforce have also invested in financing the education of their employees. The City of Escondido has 726 water employees. In line with institutions policy, all the employees can apply for tuition reimbursement so long as they qualify. The City reimburses 100% of the total tuition fees and

Health Care Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Care Insurance - Essay Example Insurance are bought because it serves as a protection for people against diseases especially those that are fatal, extremely disabling and from painful medical conditions as well as the crippling cost of their treatment. In a way, insurance is also saving for the future for an individual and his family who is concerned of health risks. This is a major reason that drives people to purchase health insurance. Other considerations include the variables defined by economic theories such as rational choice theory, wherein costs and benefits are assessed to achieve the best trade-off in the economic exchange. The degree of importance attributed to health both by the public and the state makes health insurance different from other types of insurance that people pay for their properties such as cars and houses. The insurance involve health and well being of people. Pauly explained that in considering potential insurance coverage of two risky prospects with the same expected value, the person attaches more value to the coverage with lower probability but higher loss-event, sacrificing premiums so that money can be funneled to the insurance that means more to the individual (p.657-658). There is also a moralit y aspect in being able to contribute resources, which can be allocated to help care for those who truly need it (Getzen, 2010, p.50). In the United States, there is no national insurance coverage. This has been the case since insurance plans were introduced in the country in the past. Because of this, the private insurance companies have flourished. Government involvement in the industry only came after the Medicaid and Medicare were established in 1965 - two federal funded programs that provide affordable insurance to the needy. Today, healthcare coverage became a national priority. President Barack Obama has pushed for a universal healthcare coverage, which

Start up of Replacement Ink Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Start up of Replacement Ink - Assignment Example The concept of CRM is very closely related to the relationship marketing. It suggests that maintaining and fostering personalised relationships, in the context of business to consumer sales, can definitely lead to profit if it is combined by a mutual exchange of benefits and fulfilment of promises on the part of both the parties i.e., buyers and sellers. CRM therefore involves managing customer information in a way that can lead the organisation to satisfy its customers in a better manner. A new business of replacement inkjet cartridges, in the same vein, needs to employ effective customer relationship management programs such as customer surveys, service evaluations, pre-sale and after sale inquiries on a database driven system so as to foster the relationship with its customers and stimulate customer loyalty. Loyalty is regarded as an important aspect of relationship management. Crosby (2002, p273) expounds that, â€Å"loyalty refers to a strong emotional attachment to a firm that is manifest in customer behaviours like staying with the company, recommending it, buying additional products and services and so forth†. At the crux of customer relationship management is the concept of customer loyalty. CRM programs are basically designed to keep the customers loyal to the organisation. The customers display their loyalty mainly by coming to the company every time the same product is needed or recommending the product to the others. However, this report focuses on the criticism of relationship.... A new business of replacement inkjet cartridges, in the same vein, needs to employ effective customer relationship management programs such as customer surveys, service evaluations, pre-sale and after sale inquiries on a database driven system so as to foster the relationship with its customers and stimulate customer loyalty. Loyalty is regarded as an important aspect of relationship management. Crosby (2002, p273) expounds that, "loyalty refers to a strong emotional attachment to a firm that is manifest in customer behaviours like staying with the company, recommending it, buying additional products and services and so forth". At the crux of customer relationship management is the concept of customer loyalty. CRM programs are basically designed to keep the customers loyal to the organisation. The customers display their loyalty mainly by coming to the company every time the same product is needed or recommending the product to the others. CRM programs can be initiated to enhance relationships at both ends i.e., the suppliers as well as the customers. However, this report focuses on the criticism of relationship building in case of business to consumer sales. Criticism Of Customer Relationship Management In The Context Of Business to Consumer Sales: Despite the fact that there happen to be several benefits attributable to the implementation of customer relationship management, several criticisms have been levied against this concept in the context of business-to-consumer sales. In a consumer market scenario, the customer relationship management is not considered to result into enhanced customer relationship. A study of literature [for example, Mishra et al. (1998), Gronroos (1994), Bagozzi (1995), Tax et al.

Health Care Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Care Insurance - Essay Example Insurance are bought because it serves as a protection for people against diseases especially those that are fatal, extremely disabling and from painful medical conditions as well as the crippling cost of their treatment. In a way, insurance is also saving for the future for an individual and his family who is concerned of health risks. This is a major reason that drives people to purchase health insurance. Other considerations include the variables defined by economic theories such as rational choice theory, wherein costs and benefits are assessed to achieve the best trade-off in the economic exchange. The degree of importance attributed to health both by the public and the state makes health insurance different from other types of insurance that people pay for their properties such as cars and houses. The insurance involve health and well being of people. Pauly explained that in considering potential insurance coverage of two risky prospects with the same expected value, the person attaches more value to the coverage with lower probability but higher loss-event, sacrificing premiums so that money can be funneled to the insurance that means more to the individual (p.657-658). There is also a moralit y aspect in being able to contribute resources, which can be allocated to help care for those who truly need it (Getzen, 2010, p.50). In the United States, there is no national insurance coverage. This has been the case since insurance plans were introduced in the country in the past. Because of this, the private insurance companies have flourished. Government involvement in the industry only came after the Medicaid and Medicare were established in 1965 - two federal funded programs that provide affordable insurance to the needy. Today, healthcare coverage became a national priority. President Barack Obama has pushed for a universal healthcare coverage, which