Saturday, November 30, 2019

Shakespeare Life Essays - Kings Men, William Shakespeare

Shakespeare Life Shakespeare was born April 23, 1564 in the town of Stratford, England. His father, John Shakespeare was a glove maker and his mother May Arden inherited land so they had some money. As a result of his father having money he did not have to stay home and help out as much. He probably unlike many other children at that time attended the town's free school. At the age of eighteen Shakespeare married Anne Hathawy November 27, 1582 who was eight years older then him. He had three children his first was Susanna then twins Hamnet and Judith. For most of his life he lived in London and had very little to do with Stratford. He listed as a member of the Lord Chamberlains Company, which is a troupe of actors in 1594. By the mid 1590s his plays were extremely popular, he was once rated by a critic as the best author of both tragedy and comedy. In 1599 the Lord Chamberlains Company built the Globe Theater. In the year 1608 the Lord Chamberlains Company acquired control of the Blackfriars, which at that time was the only theater within the limits of London. Shakespeare was a shareholder in both of these theaters. This suggests that Shakespeare might have been a businessman as well as an actor and playwright. In Shakespeare began to write plays for his troop Lord Chamberlains Company. In writing his plays he had to take several things into account. Some examples are the skills of the actors in his troop, and also that all of the actors were men, because of the fact that no women were allowed to perform at that time. By 1592 he was recognized as a successful actor, also as a poet. During his life he wrote at least 36 plays. Between 1611 and 1613 he bought a house in Stratford and retired from the theater. He did at the age of 52 on his birthday. His was buried and remains at the Church of Holy Trinity in Stratford.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Manhattan Project essays

The Manhattan Project essays In 1939 and research into atomic energies was progressing at a frightening pace, and the world was in turmoil. At this time in history the imagined immediate and long term consequences of allowing an overtly aggressive regime to gain such a powerful technological advantage lead Albert Einstein to draft a letter to President Roosevelt informing him that powerful bombs could potentially be developed utilizing the strong forces present at sub-atomic levels (Einstein 1). In an effort to evaluate the possibilities Einstein proposed Roosevelt formed a special committee to conduct preliminary research on the military implications of atomic energies and offered grants to private researchers ("August 1939"). By 1942 pressure was mounting in what seemed to be a race to develop an atomic bomb. Russia, Germany, France, and even Japan were on the hunt to be the first countries to get the upper hand in atomic technology ("The Story of the Atomic Bomb"). In September 1942 Roosevelt created The Manhattan Project (officially: The Manhattan Engineer District) which moved control of the research from the public sector to the United States Army. The project was named after the location of Columbia University within New York City where a majority of the preliminary research was conducted ("Why Was the Manhattan Project Called That?"). The first controlled nuclear chain reaction occurred in a room under the stands of the abandoned University of Chicago stadium in December 1942 ("Genesis: The Chicago Pile"). Within two years, the Manhattan Project would successfully test the world's first atomic bomb in the deserts of New Mexico. The success of the Manhattan Project gave the United States the upper hand not only in bringing World War II to a close, but also in the post-war world where conventional methods of total war were forever altered. ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Caesars Books, the Gallic Wars

Caesars Books, the Gallic Wars Julius Caesar wrote commentaries on the wars he fought in Gaul between 58 and 52 B.C., in seven books one for each year. This series of annual war commentaries is referred to by various names but is commonly called De bello Gallico in Latin, or The Gallic Wars in English. There is also an 8th book, written by Aulus Hirtius. For modern students of Latin, De bello Gallico is usually the first piece of real, continuous Latin prose. Caesars commentaries are valuable for those interested in European history, military history, or the ethnography of Europe since Caesar describes the tribes he encounters, as well as their military engagements. The commentaries should be read with the understanding that they are biased and that Caesar wrote to enhance his reputation back in Rome, passing blame for defeats, justifying his own actions, yet probably accurately reporting the basic facts. The Title Caesars title for The Gallic Wars is not known for sure. Caesar referred to his writing as res gestae deeds/things done and commentarii commentaries, suggesting historical events. In genre it appears to be close to the Anabasis of Xenophon, a hypomnemata memory helps- like a notebook to be used as a reference for later writing. Both Anabasis and the Gallic War commentaries were written in the third person singular, relating historical events, with the intention of sounding objective, and in simple, clear language, so that the Anabasis is often the first continuous prose beginning Greek students face. In addition to not knowing for sure what Caesar would have considered its proper title, The Gallic Wars is misleading. Book 5 has sections on the customs of the British and Book 6 has material on the Germans. There are British expeditions in Books 4 and 6 and German expeditions in Books 4 and 6. The Pros and Cons The downside of the standard reading De bello Gallico during the early years of Latin study is that it is an account of battles, with descriptions of tactics, techniques, and materials that can be hard to understand. There is debate as to whether it is dry. This evaluation depends on whether you can figure out what is going on and visualize the scenes, which in turn depends on your understanding of military tactics in general, and Roman techniques, armies, and weaponry, in particular. The upside is, as Vincent J. Cleary argues in Caesars Commentarii: Writings in Search of a Genre, that Caesars prose is free of grammatical error, Grecisms, and pedantry, and rarely metaphorical. It overwhelmingly reads as Ciceros tribute to Caesar. In Brutus, Cicero says that Caesars De bello Gallico is the best history ever written. Sources Caesars Commentarii: Writings in Search of a Genre, by Vincent J. Cleary. The Classical Journal, Vol. 80, No. 4. (Apr. - May 1985), pp. 345-350.Style in De Bello Civili, by Richard Goldhurst.The Classical Journal, Vol. 49, No. 7. (Apr. 1954), pp. 299-303.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Legal Framework in Employment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Legal Framework in Employment - Case Study Example The duration of effect is equally valid, considering that in Romero Insurance Brokers Ltd v Templeton [2013] EWHC 1198 (QB), the High Court validated a 12-month duration for enforcing a restrictive terms in the employment agreement (Meiners, Ringleb, & Edwards, 2011). However, unlike in Monster Vision UK Ltd v McKie [2011] EWHC 3772 (QB) where restrictive clauses seeking to disbar Mr McKie from virtually any business transaction were disallowed by court, restricting Angela’s use of the unique recipe is reasonably essential in the circumstances to safeguard the Stella Diamond’s single product (Helewitz, 2010). Stella Diamond has expressed reasonable concern that the use of her traditional recipe within the neighbourhood can have damaging impacts on her business. Angela as a senior pastry chef holds a senior position in the business and as such she is very aware of the material business secrets, which can have a detrimental impact on Stella Diamond if the restrictive clause was, disallowed (Meermann, 2014). In Faccenda Chicken Ltd. v. Fowler [1987] IRLR 69 the defendant was an employee of the claimant, serving as the sales manager of the firm selling chickens. His contract of employment was terminated and he then established his own firm selling similar products from refrigerated trucks. He took half of the ten van salesmen of his former employer, their controller, two other office staff and majority of his former employer’s customers. As such, his actions seemed legal because none of the employer’s staffs had restrictive terms in their employment contracts (Kessler, Bass, & Yeargain, 2007). However, in its decision, the court said the respondent owed the appellant an implied duty to act in good faith, specifying that the duty will be breached if an employee uses, in any way, the same list of clients of the former employer upon termination of the employment. General restrictions on ex-employees were however held as unenforceable (Meiners,

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Reflection the Influence of Marxian Economics Essay

Reflection the Influence of Marxian Economics - Essay Example This class has presented a perspective on the economic theories of Marx and Engels in such a way that it can be easily applied to almost every situation one comes into contact with. The influence of Marxist economics is so deeply grounded into my consciousness that now when I pass a homeless person the street I do not immediately buy into the capitalist caricature of a lazy person who refuses to work and so should rightfully be denied public assistance, but I imagine an entire tapestry of historical confluences. Did this person buy a bigger house than he could actually afford in a misguided effort at upward mobility Did he lose his high-paying job after being laid off by an employer who outsourced his work to a low-wage country Indeed, my appreciation of the vast reach of Marxist theory influences me to view everything from a different perspective. The economics of politics has come under greater scrutiny as well as I apply Marx's theories to it. What is the real purpose of the war in Iraq Is it actually to bring democracy there, or is it an attempt to create a new market for global conglomerates like Microsoft and McDonald's Before this class I naturally divided economics and politics into different spheres that obviously blended together at times.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Consumer Ethics Essay Example for Free

Consumer Ethics Essay In this paper I will express my opinion on the thought that some marketers say that targeting any group of consumers who are willing and able to purchase a product is simply good marketing. I will discuss why I believe that this is a good marketing technique. I will also discuss whether or not I think it is important for college students to study the topic of consumer ethics. Good Marketing? I believe that it is a smart marketing technique to target any group of consumers who are willing and able to purchase a product even if it is fatty foods and soft drinks being marketed towards children. The reason that I believe this is because it is the marketer’s job for a company to get consumers to purchase the product that they are advertising. Although it may be morally wrong to target children for products like candy, they are most likely the group who will either be purchasing this product or influencing their parents to purchase it. This is why I believe it is a smart strategy for marketers, although it may be slightly questionable. Consumer Ethics I believe that it is important for college students to study consumer ethics. The reason that I believe this is because in order for us to fully mature as adults I think that we need to learn how to be completely ethical in all aspects of life, including being a consumer. Consumer ethics can teach us about software piracy, which I believe is a huge problem with many college students who illegally download music and films. I believe that this can help us in our lives so it is important for college students to learn about consumer ethics. This is why I think college students should study consumer ethics. Conclusion In this paper I discussed my feelings on two different topics. The first topic was about questionable marketing tactics, which I believe can be effective and is a good way to market. The second topic I expressed my views on was consumer ethics, and whether or not college students should study it. The main reason that I said college students should study consumer ethics is because of music piracy and how popular it is among college students. These are my feelings on these two important subjects. Bibliography Schiffman, Leon G., Leslie Lazar Kanuk, and Joseph Wisenblit. Consumer Behavior. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, 2010.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The local labour market :: Business and Management Studies

The local labour market Whilst looking into the local labour market, I have decided to study some of the figures from the national statistics and look into how WPA would use them if they needed to recruit new employees both locally and nationally. Resident population and age The resident population of west Somerset, as measured in the 2001 census, was 35,075, of which 47 percent were male and 53 percent were female. The majority of the population in west Somerset are aged 30 to 59 with 38.3 percent of the population being in this age group. This is slightly less than the percentage of 41.5 percent in the age group of 30 to 59 in England and Wales. .6 percent of people in west Somerset and aged 16 to 19 compared to 4.9 percent of people in England and Wales. There is a very minimal difference, therefore if WPA wanted 16 to 19 year olds as they have just finished school and may be going into full time or part time work, west Somerset has almost the same percentage of this age group. If WPA wanted school leavers they could look locally and have the same number of people on average from that age group. Health and provision of care In west Somerset, 64.7 percent of people asked said they would describe their health as good, this is only slightly less than the percentage of people in England and Wales with 68.6 percent. In west Somerset however 25.5 percent of people would describe their health as fairly good this is higher than the national average of 22.2 percent. West Somerset had a higher percentage of people who had a long-term illness with 22.3 percent, the national average is 18.2 percent. If WPA were to use this information they could see that 90.2 percent of people in West Somerset said they had good or fairly good health, but 90.8 percent of people as a national average said they had good or fairly good health, this tells WPA that people living in Somerset have good health so they would have a very large selection of people living in Somerset who have a good or fairly good health to choose from, they could therefore attempt to recruit locally then if they are unsuccessful they can then recruit nationally where there is only 0.6 percent more people who said they had good or fairly good health. Economic activity – unemployment Unemployment rates are lower with 2.9percent in West Somerset compared to a national average of 3.4 percent. This means that there may not be a large selection of qualified people in the West Somerset area so WPA

Monday, November 11, 2019

Y2K: The Millenium Bug

The year 2000 problem has resulted from the common practice of using two digits to designate the calendar year instead of using four. When the year 2000 arrives, 2 digit year dates may be interpreted incorrectly causing many problems. Computer hardware and software may not recognize â€Å"00† as an actual date and will not run properly or not at all. Credit Card systems may not recognize â€Å"00† as a valid year for the expiration date, making transactions for those cards with â€Å"00† as the expiration date impossible. Day of the week calculations will be off. Computers may interpret 1/1/00 as Jan. 1, 1900. 1/1/1900 was a Monday but 1/1200 is a Saturday so all day of the week calculations will be two days off. The scope of this problem is world wide. All products using the two digit technology are potentially at risk. The â€Å"Millennium Bug† could be bring failure to everything from personal computers, home security systems, mainframes, and telecommunications equipment. The effects of the Year 2000 problem will be felt in homes, business, and government. Year 2000 conformity shall mean that neither performance nor functionality is affected by dates prior to, during, and after the year 2000.† According to the British Standards Institution Committee there are four general rules for Y2K compliance: 1. No value for current dates will cause any interruption in operation. 2. Date-based functionality must behave consistently for dates prior to, during and after the year 2000. 3. In all interfaces and data storage, the century in any date must be specified either explicitly or by unambiguous algorithms or inferencing rules. 4. The year 2000 must be recognized as a leap year. Every body that deals with this problem must be ready. To avoid the Y2K problems your computer must first be checked for compliance. Software is available that can check your computer for compliance and even make your computer Y2k compliant. Desktop computers can be checked with a simple utility but larger systems and networks may require more expertise to avoid the potential dangers. Many resources are available for checking your computer and to take the appropriate measures to correct any problems. This problem is huge. Business and government stand to lose billions of dollars if the problem is not corrected. Businesses are either already in compliance or in the process of dodging the possible disaster of the Y2k crash. II. Examples of Business Sectors: Y2K Applied in the Mexican Public Sector Computing systems and information technologies have become fundamental in production activities and everyday life. In order to prevent the Year 2000 effects on the information systems, the last June 3rd 1998, was installed the Year 2000 National Conversion Commission (Y2K National Commission). This Commission has the responsibility of coordinating the efforts of both the social and economic sectors to make sure of the adequate year handling, and therefore, the correct operation in information systems during the year 2000 and beyond. On July 9th 1998 it was published a presidential agreement which established the creation of the Y2K National Commission. Banco de Mexico was invited to participate in this Commission in order to coordinate the efforts of the financial sector regarding to the transition of information systems. The purpose of this page is to offer access to different sources of information that allow users to be familiar with the Year 2000 problem, and to get on time finan cial sector documents issued under the coordination of this central bank with the purpose of solving the Y2K problems. In January 1997 the â€Å"Project for Systems Compatibility Verification with the Year 2000† was established. Accordingly, the Board of Governors instructed the Systems Department to carry out the coordination and supervision of the necessary changes. The Systems Department elaborated an initial inventory of its own systems, asking the immediate revision of the end user applications systems in the rest of the areas. In addition, the Systems Department established a bimonthly control and progress report. In March 1998, the Board of Governors of Banco de Mexico created the Transition Year 2000 office at the Deputy Manager level, whose goal is accelerating and consolidating the progress of the global program denominated â€Å"Transition 2000†. In September 1998, the financial sector adopted a 5 phase self-evaluation methodology proposed by the National Commission for the Year 2000 Information Technology Conversion (Y2K National Commission). Banco the Mexico in his role of financial authority, took this standard of self-evaluation as a way to give a general view of the status its internal project. In December 1998, the Institution finished the correction and internal test phases. During the first half of 1999, the external testing will take place (Industry test), as well as the elaboration Since early 1997 the Year 2000 Problem has become a top priority issue in PEMEX and its subsidiary firms. This is due to the fact that for several decades PEMEX has been considered one of the most important users of information technology in our country, as a means of permanently counting on timely and accurate data to support the wide range of its business transactions. In spite of having a huge array of information systems implemented throughout the Mexican Republic, there is a strong sense of awareness in PEMEX regarding the possible implications of Y2K. Therefore, vast efforts are being carried out both in terms of information systems and automatic industrial controls in order to assess the scope of the problem and implement the necessary corrective measures, taking into consideration that the dateline is immovable. Regarding to industrial systems PEMEX has adopted a six stage strategy: Due to the technology reliance of PEMEX's production processes, there is also a conversion plan for industrial systems, which are critical for oil business. This plan comprises six stages, the first two stages, inventory and discrimination, are already completed and the other ones has been processing in 1999. Because of the nature of embedded systems, PEMEX is outsourcing their Y2K conversion to manufacturers and solution integrators, and has also identified the main vendors, which represent 70% of the inventory that have to be converted. Conversion of industrial systems is PEMEX's top priority. PEMEX's Board of Directors and Senior Management of Subsidiaries are totally aware of Y2k implications and therefore have undertaken a comprehensive plan to fully implement and effectively prioritize the solution concerning industrial systems and information systems. The company has assigned dedicated human resources to the Y2K project and a budget has been established. On July 31, a successfull Y2K readiness test was conducted in the Mexican aviation sector. The experience involved air aviation services, 6 airports and six Mexican commercial airlines. This event was unique because of the number of airlines, airports and systems tested that were involved in this experience. It has been one of the more complex that have taken place so far in the commercial aviation sector. The test was observed by some of the main hardware and software providers in the aviation industry in Mexico. Also present were representatives from ICAO, IATA, FAA and Transport Canada. Equipment on board the airplanes and airport aeronautical services simulated the rollover to the Year 2000 during flight. The experience involved the following airlines and routes: -Aeromexico MD-88 Guadalajara-Mexico City -Aeromexpress B-727 Mexico City-Hermosillo -Aerolitoral M3 Leon-Mexico City Aviacion A-320 Puerto Vallarta-Mexico City -TAESA B-727-300 Mexico City-Mexico City -AEROCARIBE J32 Minatitlà ¡n-Mexico City The tests involved the following areas: Different systems ere tested in different routes. For example, on the Guadalajara-Mexico City route, the following systems were tested:  · Data processing systems, radar and flight plan  · Digital communications processing system  · Aeronautical communications systems  · Tests of airline operational systems The Ministry of Public Education has an informatic platform relatively modern of outfitting and application programs of Institutional use, that allows them to foresee in a general way, that the impact of the initiation of the Y2K that the Institutional information systems will be manageable and relatively easy to resolve. The technological characteristics allows them to make such a statement are:  · Major computer equipment platform, where the actual systems run of Institutional use that consist of RISC architectural computers under UNIX operative system; which reduces the possibilities to obtain process errors caused by ancient computer architectures, that present risks when using ingoing/outgoing basic systems (BIOS) with the watch information, that do not support the Y2K impact, as it does in some platforms with other characteristics (architectural CISC Intel).  · The software for the handling of basis of Institutional data (Informix, Sybase), include dynamic date types of data, that support the Y2K impact while storing years using digital technology. Likewise, the organization of the information in relational tables of content, facilitate the eventual modification of the information fields in contrast to more ancient mechanisms of organization of information (sequential index files). The development tools and the methodology of analysis and design use in the construction of the most reason information systems as well as those that are in the process of development assure robustness of the systems to resist the Y2K impact. On account of its nature, the most delicate institutional system, the Integral System for the Administration of Personnel of the Ministry of Public Education (SIAPSEP), in operation since 1994, was designed in such a manner that the date fields and the calculations that involve the same, tolerate the impact mentioned when redesign in fields of four digits for the information stored for years. Nevertheless, its necessary to observe that a great amount of application programs exist in several areas of the Ministry that are not of generalized Institutional use and can present process problems during the change of the century. In particular, information systems exist that store RFC type fields, in which two digits exist and additional reference exists over the birth year. Such cases are not critical because the date does not form part of any logical or arithmetic operation, nevertheless, its necessary to have a date reference for the correct interpretation of the information for which an activities program must be integrated so as to able to detect and correct those informatic cases. III. Mexican Company's Preparation: Y2K in Mexico's Private Sector To achieve this, Grupo Vitro created in 1997 the Vitro Y2K Office, in charge of all matters related to the problem of the turn of the century. The main role of Vitro Y2K Office is: 1. To keep the organization focused, so that the Y2K issue is permanently included in the agendas of the entire Grupo Vitro. 2. To conclude successfully the Year 2000 Business Processes Program (Y2K). The Office is formed by a team of professionals devoting 100% of their time to the solution of the problem of the year 2000, and a Y2K Guide Committee, integrated by the Corporate Directors who provide services and/or define guidelines for operative areas, and are involved in any aspect of the Y2K problem, and whose main role is to provide direct support to all Y2K leaders to ensure success for the program. The Y2K Program has a wide span, since it considers our transactions with suppliers, customers, banks, business partners and institutions. In Grupo Vitro we are aware of the magnitude and complexity of this problem, since we are just one link in the supply chain and we are conscious of the fact that no company, by itself, can guarantee success in this enormous task. The year 2000 transition will challenge the expertise and capability of organizations to cope with complex technical problems with several levels of operative interactions. TELMEX is aware and ready to face this challenge. In January of 1999, TELMEX will be finished with solution implementation phase of its Y2K project, at which point TELMEX's systems related to the continuity and quality of service will be fully compliant and operational. Commitments and responsibilities for TELMEX in sight of the year 2000 transition are governed by the proper terms of its commercial relationships and contracts with its customers, as a supplier of telecommunications services, to carry out its regular activities. The Y2K project is based around a 4 phase model designed for bringing a multi-faceted and technologically complex company into compliance on time. These phases include identification, solution development, joint operations testing, and formulation of contingency plans. Both IT and Non-IT systems have been included in this process. A more detailed description of each of these phases follows. The Y2K project is based around a 4 phase model designed for bringing a multi-faceted and technologically complex company into compliance on time. These phases include identification, solution development, joint operations testing, and formulation of contingency plans. Both IT and Non-IT systems have been included in this process. A more detailed description of each of these phases follows. On the threshold of the new millennium, CEMEX is committed to undertaking every effort necessary to conduct business as usual through the year 2000 and beyond. Although the Year 2000 bug originated as a technology- related problem, we recognize that its effects extend into multiple business areas, both within and outside our company. That is why we are approaching the Year 2000 problem as a critical company-wide business issue; not just a technological one. In January 1997 we launched CEMEX 2000, a company-wide program to become Year 2000 compliant, not only for information technology, but also for our extended business network. As part of the program, CEMEX has implemented a continuous follow-up plan to monitor the progress of the significant vendors, customers and business partners. This program aims to overcome and even capitalize on the technology issues that the year 2000 presents. By upgrading and replacing our information technology worldwide, we are not only making efforts to ensure that we will be doing business through the new millennium, but that we will be doing business better. Since technology is an integral business component of CEMEX, the CEMEX 2000 Program is a global, company-wide effort. It is succeeding through the combined efforts of every business unit of the company, from top level executives to plant managers to technical, engineering and corporate support services departments. 1. Planning; In this phase the following are defined: the program's management structure, the scheduling of activities, the work team, resource and budget allocation, quality assurance strategy and the overall goals of the program. 2. Analysis; In this phase the scope of the problem is defined and the elements where CEMEX could be affected by the Year 2000 issue are identified. Dynamic business impact analyses are carried-out through and inventory of Year 2000 sensitive elements 3. Solution Design; In this phase the strategy for achieving Year 2000 compliance is defined, and a state of-the-art testing facility named SITE 200 is created. 4. Conversion; This phase includes the correction or replacement of those elements that might affect CEMEX's business operations, giving priority to those that represent a higher impact on operations. 5. Certification; The Year 2000 compliance process takes place on the SITE 2000, where an exhaustive integral acceptance testing procedure is conducted. The process of certification is completed once all revision points are passed. 6. Implementation; This phase includes the end user acceptance testing and implementation of the Y2K compliant system in every CEMEX business unit, office and plant around the world. 7. Quality Assurance and Follow-up; This phase includes the revision of the critical elements which represent business risk by the Year 2000, the documentation of the corresponding contingency plans and the preparation of immediate response work teams who will be monitoring the functioning of the business processes during the transition period and on critical dates. Mexico has been working on Y2K in most of its public sectors, and is to an extent actualized and ready to face the millenium bug. We could probably attribute this to political pressures, specially coming from the United States. In the other hand, I was only able to cover a few of the big powerful companies in Mexico, but in general most of them have a specialized department dedicated specifically to deal with the year 2000 problem. For them it's really important to work on the present problem due to the complexity and size of this companies, and also because this are global companies that can not take a chance in ruining their well developed image and systems. The problem basically remains in the small and medium businesses, as well as in personal computers. Mexico's government has established a department to help the population update their own hardware and software, but still these people has to actively participate in updating their equipment. Finally, I'd like to conclude saying that the technical problem is already fixed; but the real problem relays in the people's attitude towards the problem. If people feel insecure and start removing their money from bank accounts or doing things like that, then a real crisis will occur worldwide. So the only thing left to do is updating our own businesses and personal computers, and rest still trusting that what ever procedures were taken to face the millenium bug problem will work out.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Challenges of Higher Education Essay

The world of higher education is far removed from life in high school. Whereas in elementary and secondary education, individuals are being taught the foundations, college life is ultimately about training for a life-long profession or career. Higher education is a combination of fundamental concepts learned across professions and their practical use for specific careers. In college, individuals find their niche, that one true passion that will define and give meaning to our lives. Of all the choices we make in life, one of the most important and most difficult is the choice of what course to take in college. This choice more or less determines the course of our adult lives and whether we become successful or not. For some, the choice comes easy because they already know what they want to be. There are others on the other hand who have spent some years in college, shifting from one course to another, trying to find what fits them the most. In any case, regardless of what course one takes in college, one should have a sound grounding in general education because this will serve as the foundations for the acquisition of more specialized, employment-based learning. (Gless, 1992) Once a choice of course and school has been made, the main challenge now is how to get through the rigors of higher education as well as the addressing the necessary activities of daily living. Indeed for incoming college freshmen, it is an entirely new world, profuse with challenges. After having spent 18 years in the care and protection of our parents, its time to leave the nest and learn to fend for ourselves. Chores can be particularly annoying because they have to be done endlessly. The challenge is how to budget not just money but other resources such as food and clothing. After having depended on our parents to do things for us, it can be difficult adjustment to have to constantly worry about washing clothes and cleaning the room. However, such tasks need to be done and they are actually part of the more important lessons that we must learn. Socialization if one of most crucial aspects of college life. It is important to be able to get along with roommates and classmates because they will form the support structure that one needs in order to make it through the daily grinds of college. Sometimes it can get difficult, juggling school responsibilities with other concerns, but if you have good friends to support you, then the burden is somewhat lessened. For college freshmen it can be difficult at first to forge new friendships after high school, but once we make the effort to reach out, then we will realize that college is better when spent with people you can trust and people you love and respect. In college it is important to have social skills because more than what we learn inside the classroom, it is the ability to make genuine connections that determines the quality of life that we will have. All the academic demands of higher education such as assignment, projects, reports, and activities can really be overwhelming. The best way to cope with this is through time management. We must learn to prioritize and set a schedule that we will adhere to when faced with several duties at the same time. The not-so-urgent things can be set aside to be attended to on less-stressful days. In the end, higher education is more than the things that we learn inside the classroom. Our characters are shaped by how we react to the challenges that we face both inside and outside the classroom. The ability to become self-determined and independent; that is what higher learning is all about. References: Gless, Darryl J. The Politics of Liberal Education Duke University Press. 1992.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Saddam Hussein Essay Example

Saddam Hussein Essay Example Saddam Hussein Essay Saddam Hussein Essay Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq as vice-president from 1968 to 1979 and as president from 1979 until he was overthrown by the American invasion in 2003.   Hussein was a Sunni Muslim, which composed about one fifth of Iraq’s population but who dominated the majority Shi’a and minority Kurdish communities through the dictatorship of the Ba’ath Party.The Ba’ath party was a secular group who saw radical Islam as a threat to their power.   After the Islamic Revolution in neighboring Iran in 1979, Saddam Hussein ordered the Iraqi army to invade Iran in 1980.   Hussein feared that Iran’s Shi’a Muslims might try to turn Iraq’s Shi’a Muslims against him and the Sunni-dominated Ba’ath party.Saddam’s war against Iran last from 1980 through 1988; it was the longest conventional war of the 20th century.   During the war, Saddam Hussein ordered the use of chemical weapons against both Iranian troops and Iraq’s minority Kurds, who were in a state of constant rebellion against the Ba’ath party.   Despite his well-known crimes, the United States supported Saddam Hussein during the 1980’s because the American government felt that Iran was a greater threat than Iraq.In 1990, Saddam ordered the Iraqi army to invade another neighbor, the tiny oil-rich country of Kuwait to Iraq’s south.   Saddam declared that Kuwait was a part of Iraq, and that the border between the two countries was illegitimate, since it had been drawn by the British Empire and not by the people who actually lived there.After Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, he went from being America’s ally to America’s enemy.   The United States led a coalition of many nations to force Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait.   During the six week war of 1991, known in the West as Desert Storm or the Gulf War, the infrastructure of Iraq was pulverized.Despite the American victory in the 1991 war, Saddam Hussein remain ed in power in Iraq.   Iraq had become wealthy under Saddam due to its great oil reserves, but Hussein’s two wars had now made Iraq a third world country.   International sanctions throughout the 1990’s resulted in Iraqis’ standard of living plummeting.The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 and overthrew Saddam’s government.   The dictator was captured late in 2003 and was executed at the end of 2006 by the new Iraqi government.   After Saddam’s overthrow, Iraq descended into civil war between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims.   Although the dictator is gone, the conflicts between Iraq’s different communities is far from over.Source:Saddam Hussein: The Politics of Revenge,   by Said K. AburishBloomsbury Publishing, London, 2000

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Beta Performance Management System of HRM †Free Samples

Performance management is a concept essential in the field of human resource management involved with the continuous process of identifying, measuring and developing person performance and aligning the same with strategic goals of organizations. The executive and the middle-level management are tasked with the responsibility of making decisions in the increasingly plex and petitive pharmaceutical industry. The performance management in such organizations must be innovative, flexible, cohesive, and customer focused. In achieving his, panies need o establish a balance between customer, the organization and operating factors focused on meeting organizational goals. In this case, panies can reconfigure their performance management to reflect and deliver a real strategic and global offering for the market.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beta Pharmaceuticals symbolizes a good state of mind which drives the business purpose of the organization aiming at making individuals feel beer from heir sicknesses. From its inception, the pany has always strived to deliver to the customers by distributing products to the drug stores as well as maintaining its production. Since establishment, the firm holds an integral leadership position in the pharmaceutical industry. We perceive enterprise as a means to the wellbeing of employees, investors, and the munity through revenues and ethical consideration in business.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The mission is the provision of innovative and quality products produced through an ethical work environment that provides benefits to the consumers and stakeholders. All the functions in the interplay are played by different individuals with several departments existing towards the improved functioning. The agencies ensure proper munication with the employees for an efficient and productive training to their employees as well as pensation matching and promoting their skills. The departments include the sales and marketing, accounts division, purchase, and maintenance division, transport and distribution, the finance and audit, lab, IT department, and the human resource department.   The units work together towards the wholesome productivity of the firm. The internal and external environments matter a lot to the productivity standards of the firm. The firm is keen in operations within the organization such as the distribution channels, goal setting, recruitment and selection, and pensation strategies towards success and petitive advantage (Cummings & Worley, 2014). The external factors to the organization such as markets, the audience, raw materials, technology, and information on the trends in pharmaceuticals department matter a lot to the organization. In response to the factors, the team carries out several activities towards increasing the performance of the workers and subsequent attraction of consumers to the product of the pany. According to Ramlall (2004), it is necessary to carry out proper appraisal training in increasing organization performance, to assess the skills and qualification of employees towards achieving the overall goals of the organization. There is a need for the employees to understand the diverse needs expressed in the appraisal for an effective use that projects the actual picture of the workers to guarantee success. In this respect, the firm offers training opportunities to the employees on the procedures followed and the need for the appraisal. Thus, it makes clear that the appraisal is for quality performance measurement aimed at identifying the weak points in the section and ing up with the results to tackling employees issues in the organization (Al Ariss, Cascio & Paauwe, 2014). At the same time, the appraisal activities aim at empowering and appreciating employees through promotions to boost their morale towards production and development. To begin with, employees are tasked with the role of conducting a self-appraisal process where each employee analyzes themselves and e out with necessary feedback on the areas for improvement as well as the strong points to enable a smooth flow in operations (Van Dooren, Bouckaert & Halligan, 2015). The appraisal form entails several aspects of measurement where an individual follows while recording the level of strength and weaknesses thus enabling the management to determine the areas for improvement. Apart from the self-appraisal provisions, the firm has the overall assessment conducted by the human resource department where the human resource department sends individuals to various areas of the operation to monitor and record the performance standards of the individuals according to their ability to deliver the goals and visions of the pany. The higher their levels and ability to achieve the same determines the extent to which an individual is beneficial to the firm. Therefore, it is important for the appraisal to be conducted in the two categories where a parison is made to determine areas up for improvement. The recruitment aspect of the firm remains petitive with the human resource department creating a pool of candidates to the selection team. The group advertises widely depending on the need for fresh employees where marketing is done on the social media, the media stations, as well as the print media and training schools to attract the best-placed persons to drive success to the firm (Buckingham & Goodall, 2015). The pany uses the external recruitment in cases where there exist limited internal options and thus utilizes advertisements, employment agency sources, and special referrals. The pany understands the important of in-sourcing as a measure to strong performance. In the process of working, employees undergo training activities where they improve their overall strengths while being watched and appraised by the human resource department. In the case of a vacancy in any of the departments, the firm first looks at the options presented by the internal team and decides whether to weigh in on the option of internal selection or the exterior option. The internal recruitment has the benefit of cost reduction since the workers already know the goals and visions of the firm thus needing little training towards the new position acquired (Knies, Boselie, Gould-Williams & Vandenabeele, 2015). At the same time, it acts as a motivation tool for the workers towards hard work leading to success and posterity.  Ã‚   The firm values the employees as vital contributors to the economy of the enterprise thus continually measure their ability in production and overall development. The first means that the firm uses involves setting the performance management goals whose indicators are well explained to the workers (Aguinis, 2013). For instance, an increase in the profitability of the firm is determined at the level of every worker to discover the standard of petence of each employee and how it achieves the productivity levels leading to a steady revenue stream (Mone & London, 2014). The firm uses seven categories while evaluation the overall performance of workers in its appraisal system. Productivity begins with the level of mitment an individual gives to an organization based on the time spent in production (Aguinis, 2013). Therefore, ing late to work says a lot about the productivity standards of individuals and their level of mitment to the same. Employees with regular lateness cases or frequent absenteeism are more unlikely to produce more to the firm (De Waal, 2013). Hence, training on the essence of observing time allocated for productivity must be done to encourage individuals towards better production and activeness in the organization. Such an issue is important to the wellbeing of the firm. The category is equally important as it measures the type and level of work done by individuals towards the overall goal of the firm. The aspects focus on the time taken in production as pared to the average requirements, mitment to work, the ability to take more hours in production, and the rate at which one meets their set targets (DeNisi & Smith, 2014). The aspects guide an assessor towards determining the level of productivity for individuals. The personal habits of individuals can either boost or decrease their performance in an organization. The category focuses on observing the patterns of people during work hours such as relaxation during work, unnecessary breaks, and the use of firm resources for personal reasons. In preventing the spread of such behaviors, it is proper to set the overall guidelines to the limit of the same in the workplace to create a positive environment for growth (Bernardin & Wiatrowski, 2013). Employees observed to be carrying out the practices ought to be reprieved and advised on the best practice that initiates change to organizations. Employees with special attributes and mitment can be assessed through a similar mirror that projects their engagement and success. The appraisal team shall carry random checks on the employees to determine their performance and level of mitment. The category is essential in establishing the performance standards of individuals when alone and in the absence of their respective supervisors. At the same time, it shall be used to assess the personal presentation such as the dressing styles, professional engagement with the clients, and public relations (Dusterhoff, Cunningham & MacGregor, 2014). Besides, it shall be used to check on their attitudes in the workplace. Poor attitudes demonstrated by workers leads to poor performance and the unlikely nature of individuals meeting their targets. The aspects are carried out on a continuous basis to cover all the areas and avoid the possibility of bias during assessment and project the actual image of individuals in the society. At the same time, it is used to ascertain the ethical levels of individuals during operations.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employee performance measurement is used to determine an employee’s pensation, promotion, and future benefits and thus have to be done with utmost integrity and fairness. In this case, the management establishes the expected performance standards first before selecting the method to be used. According to Aggarwal & Thakur (2013), the method is ideal for the production department where it consists of a rating scale of different duties and performance standards on a rating scale of 1-5. The supervisor’s base on the performance measurement objectives stated above to rate workers according to the different categories. The ratings allow for an overall putation that indicates the level of success for the organization and the type of benefits realized through their productivity (Jenter & Kanaan, 2015). The rating scale is fair as it gives the management a true picture especially if the rating is done by different people in the organization. This, the method shall feature in the performance management. The method is useful in the organization’s performance measurement where it is used in the management positions that identify the goals of the organization and the level at which the workers in the several departments achieve their success (Javidmehr & Ebrahimpour, 2015). Another category indicates the time taken by individuals to plete tasks related to their respective duties. Here, the performance of an employee is measured against the time taken to a plish a given task within the time set by the organization.  Ã‚  Ã‚   A proper munication plan featuring direct and group munication shall be done on a departmental basis to air out the issues raised. The munication plan shall be characterized by supervisors talking directly to the workers at the group and individual level to have them understand the results of the assessment (Noe, Wilk, Mullen & Wanek, 2014). Once the human resource assesses employees within Beta Pharmaceuticals based on their skills, it shall embark on munication process where employees shall receive feedback on their performance margins to pare with their self-assessment. At this stage, each employee shall receive information from their respective supervisor based on the considerations of the results observed and have a one on one talk to air out issues for improvement (Elnaga & Imran, 2013). The performance management shall enable individual to understand their weaknesses and gain the ability to raise themselves towards the expected standards of the organization. There are cases where employees feel information bias and thus need to appeal on the results of the discussion. In such a case, the firm sets an appeal procedure to resolve the disagreements arising from the performance evaluation process. The first step granted to employees involves a written submission within one week with the employee having duly signed the document to the human resource department (Richard, 2014). In response, a member of the human resource shall conduct a confidential investigation while gathering information from the immediate supervisor and the employee through discussions and develop a r mendation to the team. The information shall be considered with the evidence given and a r mendation given within five working days to address the grievance and opt for another assessment at the management’s discretion.   In solving the performance issues raised or observed from the workers, the firm shall initiate a set of measures to address the problems to a better employee performance standard (Sung & Choi, 2014). Training is an essential way of looking into the employee issues and addressing their concerns. Aguinis (2013) suggests that the necessity of training assists in fostering success through workshops focused groups, and mentoring processes that drive knowledge and necessary skills in operation management. On the other hand, education is important, where workers demonstrating the need for development and ability can be given scholarships to respective fields and have them e back to incorporate the knowledge received to the organization (Shuck, Twyford, Reio & Shuck, 2014). At the same time, induction programs assist in fostering knowledge as well as hands-on training and mentoring processes that assist employees in determining solutions to their weak points. Morale boosting is necessary to articulate issues within the organization and ways to ove e the same. According to (Aguinis, 2013), performing employees are supposed to be appreciated through group recognition, promotion, bonuses, and improved salaries based on their performance. The step encourages the employees towards career growth where internal recruitment exists for their benefit and that of the organization (Kulkarni, 2013). All the development programs aimed at assisting individuals to focus on the goal and vision of the organization and improve the existing culture through deeper engagement and participation. The performance management at Beta Pharmaceuticals is well planned towards improving employee engagement. The different methods used to aim at giving unbiased reports on individuals with rooms existing for change in case of an appeal. In response to the evaluation, the firm has several channels of improving employee performance and development as well as a reward scheme that not only uses the monetary system but also non-monetary options touching on employee motivation. Consequently, the method if implemented successfully benefits the firm. Aguinis, H. (2013). Performance management (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN-13:9780132556385 Aggarwal, A., & Thakur, G. S. M. (2013). Techniques of performance appraisal-a review.  International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT),  2(3), 617-621. Al Ariss, A., Cascio, W. F., & Paauwe, J. (2014). Talent management: Current theories and future research directions.  Journal of World Business,  49(2), 173-179. Bernardin, H. J., & Wiatrowski, M. (2013). Performance appraisal.  Psychology and Policing,  257. Buckingham, M., & Goodall, A. (2015). Reinventing performance management.  Harvard Business Review,  93(4), 40-50. Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2014).  Organization development and change. Cengage learning. De Waal, A. (2013).  Strategic Performance Management: A managerial and behavioral approach. Palgrave Macmillan. DeNisi, A., & Smith, C. E. (2014). Performance appraisal, performance management, and firm-level performance: a review, a proposed model, and new directions for future research.  Academy of Management Annals,  8(1), 127-179. Dusterhoff, C., Cunningham, J. B., & MacGregor, J. N. (2014). The effects of performance rating, leader–member exchange, perceived utility, and organizational justice on performance appraisal satisfaction: Applying a moral judgment perspective.  Journal of Business Ethics,  119(2), 265-273. Elnaga, A., & Imran, A. (2013). The effect of training on employee performance.  European Journal of Business and Management,  5(4), 137-147. Javidmehr, M., & Ebrahimpour, M. (2015). Performance appraisal bias and errors: The influences and consequences.  International Journal of Organizational Leadership,  4(3), 286. Jenter, D., & Kanaan, F. (2015). CEO turnover and relative performance evaluation.  The Journal of Finance,  70(5), 2155-2184. Knies, E., Boselie, P., Gould-Williams, J., & Vandenabeele, W. (2015). Special issue of International Journal of Human Resource Management: Strategic human resource management and public sector performance. Kulkarni, P. P. (2013). A literature review on training & development and quality of work life.  Researchers World,  4(2), 136. Mone, E. M., & London, M. (2014).  Employee engagement through effective performance management: A practical guide for managers. Routledge. Noe, R. A., Wilk, S. L., Mullen, E. J., & Wanek, J. E. (2014). Employee Development: Issues in Construct Definition and Investigation ofAntecedents.  Improving Training Effectiveness in WorkOrganizations, ed. JK Ford, SWJ Kozlowski, K. Kraiger, E. Salas, and MS Teachout (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1997), 153-189. Ramlall, S. (2004). A review of employee motivation theories and their implications for employee retention within organizations.  Journal of American Academy of Business,  5(1/2), 52-63. Richard, M. A. (2014).  Employee assistance programs: Wellness/enhancement programming. Charles C Thomas Publisher. Shuck, B., Twyford, D., Reio, T. G., & Shuck, A. (2014). Human resource development practices and employee engagement: Examining the connection with employee turnover intentions.  Human Resource Development Quarterly,  25(2), 239-270. Sung, S. Y., & Choi, J. N. (2014). Do organizations spend wisely on employees? Effects of training and development investments on learning and innovation in organizations.  Journal of organizational behavior,  35(3), 393-412. Van Dooren, W., Bouckaert, G., & Halligan, J. (2015).  Performance management in the public sector. Routledge.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Motivation College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Motivation College - Essay Example At the same time, people represent the highest single cost figure, they also are considered to be the most unpredictable, difficult to control, and they are by far the one critical factor that nothing much can be done about. Much of the industry have turned its energies to solving more technical issues and has turned away from dealing with human factors as the primary key to improving profit. (Gerry, 45-57) Motivation is the key factor in influencing humans to work better, so an increase in motivation will result in higher productivity and more profit, which is the ultimate goal of the construction industry. Understanding and having knowledge about motivation theories can help to create a motivational atmosphere, and application of these theories can result in achieving higher productivity. The leadership style of a manager has a lot of influence on the motivation of workers. Construction is still considered as a tough guys business. Most construction managers and supervisors consider a democratic leadership style as a weakness. However, research has proved that democratic supervisors have achieved higher performance and better results than any other leadership style. (Iain, 78-85) Motivation is defined as, "a person's active participation in and commitment to achieving the prescribed results". (Gerry, 45-57) The concept of motivation is somewhat abstract, different strategies produce different result at different times, and there is no single strategy can produce guaranteed favorable results all the time. One of the difficulties in motivating workers is that they all are different and react differently to the same kind of change or action. Many motivation researchers agreed that managers can create a positive motivational atmosphere that can help in motivating workers for higher productivity, but they will likely not motivate everyone, because everyone is motivated by different things. Most companies are looking into ways to improve efficiency, productivity, and quality. The question is how to make workers work more productively This is a question of fundamental importance to any manager. The answer to this question is both complex and vague. Flannes and Levi n (2001) explained it by saying, "the project manager must effectively and comfortably wear many different hats when leading a project". (Levin, 2001) A construction manager's job is to get work done by the workforce. The construction manager's leadership style has a significant role in workforce motivation. Researchers have identified the major leadership styles as, laissez-faire, democratic, and autocratic. According to behavioral scientists, the democratic leadership style has achieved higher productivity and effectiveness. Concept of Motivation Concepts of motivation are somewhat abstract. To analyze factors that influence motivation, five motivation theories will be discussed in detail in this paper. Figure 1 shows a conceptual model of motivation. (Gerry, 45-57) At point A, a person has needs and tries to fulfill those needs. At point B, the person finds the sources of fulfilling those needs. At point C, he engages or motivates himself to achieve tasks to fulfill his needs. At point D, once he achieves his goal, new needs or variations of those original needs will be