Analysis of a Leader Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of a Leader - Research Paper Example Tutor Signature: Date: Introduction The following article includes the analysis of a well known business leader Bill Gates who is the Chairman, cofounder and chief software architect of Microsoft, which is among the most successful software company around the globe. The analysis starts with a brief about leader, leadership and the leadership theory which Bill Gates followed in his life. The discussion would include skills, traits, behavior, influence process and relevant aspect of the situation which made Bill Gates successful enough to be famous. The strength and weaknesses of Bill Gates are part of the analysis to give a clear insight of ups and downs in his career. Issues of ethical leadership have also been discussed. Leader and Leadership Leader may be defined as a person followed by others. He/ she are the one to lead thus motivating others to follow, while leadership is the process of influencing others to accomplish organizational goals. Hence, a leader is someone in the posi tion of leadership who motivates and inspires a team towards achievement of common goal. Analysis of the reasons why the leader was famous William Henry Gates III which is also commonly known to be as Bill Gates is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle Washington. Bill started showing interest in programming at an early age while studying in Lakeside school. This is where Bill gates met Paul Allen who is the co founder of Microsoft. They together through technological innovation, aggressive competitive tactics and keen business strategy build â€Å"Microsoft†, world’s largest software company. Gates because of his interest in programming didn’t plan to study further and dropped out of Harvard to start a company. Bill Gate’s career story shows influence from various leadership theories namely task oriented leadership, autocratic style, laissez faire leadership etc (Bill Gates biography, 2012). Traits Since childho od Bill was intelligent, ambitious and competitive. He believes if you know how to apply your intelligence then you can achieve anything and everything. He was passionate about software, coding and technology. This passion made him the richest man in the world. Bill Gates was a risk bearer who dropped out of Harvard in order to allocate his full energy and time to Microsoft, a company he started with his school friend Paul Allen. He believes in continuous learning which makes him a great leader (Lesinski, 2008). Skills Bill Gates quotes his success to hard work. Since the beginning of his life he is a hard worker dedicating the entire night working on computer in his college days and then sleeping only for 6 hours when he started Microsoft. The entrepreneurship in Gates has kept him focused towards his goal. He knows managing his work well and is a creative person. He was always confident of hid dream of becoming successful. With focus on goals Bill Gates efficiently managed all are as of the company. Because of great convincing skills he has made lot of successful deals in his career, IBM one of them though (Strother, 2007). Behavior Bill Gates is a determined person. Whenever he starts something new he would continue doing that project and won’t start another unless done with the first one. Gates never stopped trying when he was in process of making new software’s. He’s full of courage and never hesitates in taking risk. Once when he was about to lose lot of profit from

A Template for Structural Analysis of an Industry Essay Example for Free

A Template for Structural Analysis of an Industry Essay Corporate Strategy and Policy A Template for Structural Analysis of an Industry You can use the following template for analyzing the structure of an industry. It requires you to rate the attractiveness of an industry on a 5-point scale for several factors relating to each of the five forces in Porter’s (1980) model. (A 7-point or a 10-point scale would perhaps be even better in that it would allow finer discrimination between two businesses with different levels of attractiveness. But the 5-point scale is relatively much easier to use. To help you in the ratings, the template provides the anchors at the two ends of the scale for each factor with examples of industries corresponding to the anchors. You will note that we have included separate sections in the template for exit barriers and government. The former contributes to rivalry among competitors (and is, therefore, not a sixth force). The latter, according to some, should be treated as the sixth force, although Porter says the effect of government on an industry is felt through one or more of the five forces. If you want, you can attach different weights to different forces and also to different factors within each force. If an industry has different segments that are structurally different, you can separately analyze the attractiveness of each segment. You can also analyze the changes in industry structure by using the template at two different points of time (for instance, today and five years from now) to obtain greater insight into likely opportunities and threats that you can expect from the industry environment. To reduce the element of subjectivity, you can get the attractiveness evaluated by several colleagues and arrive at average scores. Even the weights of different factors and forces could be based on the opinion of your colleagues and you could attach greater weight to the opinion of colleagues with greater expertise. Use your creativity to benefit from this tool. You can use the remarks column to annotate your ratings. For instance, consider the first factor in Table 1 (number of competitors).

Disparate Objects in Walt Whitmans Leaves of Grass Essay -- Walt Whit

Reconciling Disparate Objects in Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman begins this excerpt from Leaves of Grass by describing an elusive 'this': "This is the meal pleasantly set . . . . this is the meat and drink for natural hunger." These two clauses that are set next to each other describe 'this' as very different things. "A meal pleasantly set," evokes a quiet table in a genteel household. In contrast, "the meat and drink for natural hunger," recalls a more rugged table at which the food will be consumed after strenuous activity. How can one thing--'this'--have such opposing properties? The entire excerpt is defined by the outward contradictions such as this one. Whitman's poetic rhetoric, however, attempts to create an internal unity from the contradictions. By unifying things that seem diametrically opposed Whitman emphasizes the possibility for reconciliation between disparate objects. Whitman places two contrasting ideas next to each other at all levels of the excerpt. The most prominent level at which he does this is in the images, as in the first line. H...

Financial Performance and Bank Efficiency: Comparison Between Conventional Banks and Sharia Banks Essay

This study aims to compare the financial performance and bank efficiency between conventional banks and sharia banks in Indonesia in the period of 2008-2011 by using financial ratios to measure the financial performance, as well as SFA (Stochastic Frontier Approach) to the measure bank efficiency. Financial ratios that are used are consisted of CAR, NPL, ROA, ROE, and LDR. Meanwhile variables that are used to measure the efficiency are receivables, placements with Bank Indonesia and other banks, third-party funds, and issued capital and fully paid capital. The samples consist of 11 conventional banks and 11 sharia banks. T-test is conducted to determine whether there is any significant difference in financial performance between sharia Banks and conventional Banks. The results of hypothesis testing and multiple regression analysis indicate that there are significant differences of CAR, ROA, ROE, profit efficiency between conventional banks and sharia banks. Keywords: financial perfor mance, bank efficiency, SFA, conventional banks, sharia bank. ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melakukan perbandingan kinerja keuangan serta efisiensi Bank Umum Konvensional dan Bank Umum Sharia di Indonesia pada periode 2008-2011 dengan menggunakan rasio keuangan untuk mengukur kinerja keuangan, serta SFA (Stochastic Frontier Approach) untuk mengukur efisiensi bank. Rasio keuangan yang digunakan terdiri dari CAR, NPL, ROA, ROE, dan LDR. Sedangkan variable untuk mengukur efisiensi laba diantaranya Pembiayaan yang diberikan, Penempatan pada Bank Indonesia dan bank lainnya, Dana pihak ketiga, dan Modal yang disetor dan dibayar penuh. Sampel yang digunakan adalah 11 Bank Konvensional dan 11 Bank Sharia. Uji t dilakukan untuk mengetahu apakah terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan kinerja keuangan antara Bank Konvensional dan Bank Sharia. Hasil dari uji hipotesis dan regresi berganda tesebut menunjukkan bahwa terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan CAR, ROA, ROE, efisiensi laba diantara Bank Konvensional dan Bank Sharia. Kata kunci: kinerja keuangan, efisiensi bank, SFA, bank konvensional, bank syariah. INTRODUCTION It has been almost a quarter of century since the first sharia bank was established. Sharia banks not only have big expansion in Muslim countries, but also in Non-Muslim countries. Some people choose sharia banks because of the differences between conventional banks and sharia banks. Actually there are not many differences between them but, the main reason why people choose sharia banks is because there is no riba system like in conventional banks. In the discussion of banking in Indonesia, it is important to analyze the performance. Performance represents the condition of the bank, it represents whether the management of the bank can run the operational well or not. It is important for banks to measure their performance in order to be able to improve its service to satisfy the customers. There are several ways to assess bank’s performance. Performance evaluation is an important tool to assess the success of any business including sharia financial institution. In the performance evaluation, setting the bench mark is vital in order to make comparison between the desired and the actual performance. In 1979, the use of the CAMEL factors in evaluating a bank’s financial health has become well known among regulators. Piyu (1992) stated that financial ratios are often used to measure the overall financial sound of a bank and the quality of its management. Bank regulators, for example, use financial ratios to evaluate a bank’s performance as a part of the CAMELS system. CAMELS system consists of Capital adequacy, Asset quality, Management, Earnings, Liquidity, and Sensitivity to market risk. An overall composite CAMELS rating, which is ranging from one to five is then developed from this evaluation. As a whole, the CAMELS rating, which is determined after an on-site examination, provides a means to categorize banks based on their overall health, financial status, and management. Another important aspect in measuring performance and competition in banking industries is efficiency. Efficiency is improved by reducing cost in production process or by increasing revenue. If there is a rapid change of financial structure, we have to identify the fund efficiency and revenue. Banks which is more efficient is hoped to be able to derive maximum profit and give better service quality for costumer. One of the ways to measure the efficiency of a bank is by using parametric approach with Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA) through alternative profit efficiency. SFA has an advantage, which is it is able to compare other measurement methods that involve disturbance term. Disturbance term is representing disturbances, measurement error and exogenous shocks beyond the control, environment variables which are easily treated, possibility to conduct hypothesis testing by using statistical test, and ease in identifying the outliers. SFA efficiency value range is between 0 and 1. If the value of SFA equals to 1, it means that the bank’s performance is efficient. Meanwhile, if the value of SFA equals to 0, it means that the bank’s performance is inefficient. Banks’ efficiency is also needed as an important indicator to analyze bank’s performance and as a tool to improve the effectiveness of monetary policy. Generally, there are 3 basic concepts of efficiency model in banking sector. They are cost efficiency, standard profit efficiency, and alternative profit efficiency. PREVIOUS RESEARCH Islamic Banks Sole (2007) on his journal entitled Introducing Islamic Banks into Conventional Banking System. From his journal, can be concluded that over the last decade, Islamic banking has experienced global growth rates of 10-15 percent per annum. It has been moving into an increasing number of conventional financial systems at such a rapid pace that Islamic financial institutions are present today in over 51 countries. Despite this consistent growth, many supervisory authorities and finance practitioners remain unfamiliar with the process by which Islamic banks are introduced into a conventional system. Banks Performance Wirnkar (2008) on his journal entitled CAMELs and Banks Performance Evaluation: The Way Forward, said that the findings revealed the inability of each factor in CAMEL to capture the wholistic performance of a bank. Also revealed, was the relative weight of importance of the factors in CAMEL which resulted to a call for a change in the acronym of CAMEL to CLEAM. In addition, the best ratios in each of the factors in CAMEL were identified. For example, the best ratio for Capital Adequacy was found to be the ratio of total shareholders’ fund to total risk weighted assets. The paper concluded that no one factor in CAMEL suffices to depict the overall performance of a bank. Among other recommendations, banks’ regulators are called upon to revert to the best identified ratios in CAMEL when evaluating banks performance. Banks Efficiency Majid (2010) in his journal entitled Efficiency in Islamic and Conventional Banking: An International Comparison, can be concluded that he was with Saal and Battisti investigated the efficiency of a sample of Islamic and conventional banks in 10 countries that operate Islamic banking for the period 1996-2002, using an output distance function approach. They obtain measures of efficiency after allowing for environmental influences such as country macroeconomic conditions, accessibility of banking services and bank type. While these factors are assumed to directly influence the shape of the technology, we assume that country dummies and bank size directly influence technical inefficiency. The parameter estimates highlight that during the sample period, Islamic banking appears to be associated with higher input usage. Correlation between banks performance and banks efficiency Kosmidou (2008) on his journal entitled Measurement of Bank Performance in Greece can be conclu ded that banks have been forced to be more competitive and to implement bank rating systems to evaluate their financial risks. The present study evaluates the performance and efficiency of the commercial and cooperative banks in Greece for the period 2003-2004. The results obtained indicate that commercial banks are tending to increase their accounts, to attract more customers and ameliorate their financial indices, thereby becoming more competitive and maximizing their profits. Concerning the cooperative banks in Greece, the conclusions are not so uniform, since there are banks that are enjoying considerably increased profits and market shares, and others whose financial indices seem to be deteriorating. RESEARCH METHOD Type of Study This research use secondary data which gathered from several sources such as website of Bank Indonesia, website of each banks and contain all information needed. Then, the data analyzed by using SPSS. Population and Sample The populations in this research are conventional banks and sharia banks. Meanwhile, the samples are the banks (11 conventional banks and 11 sharia banks) listed in Bank Indonesia which have been published their financial report from 2008-2011. Research Variables In this study, the dependent variable is SFA (Stochastic Frontier Approach) while the independent variables are CAR, ROA, ROE, NPL, LDR, receivables, third party fund, placement in Bank Indonesia and other banks, and issued capital & fully paid capital. ANALYSIS Classical Assumption Test Multicollinearity Test: The result showed that all of the independent variables used in this research have tolerance value greater than 0.10 and VIF less than 10. Thus, , independent variables are free from multicollinearity symptoms or there is no multicollinearity among the independent variables. Autocorrelation Test: Based on the result of Durbin Watson test, it is known that Durbin Watson value is 1.368 which is between -2 to 2. It means that there is no autocorrelation in the regression model. Heteroscedasticity Test: The graph scatter plot shown that that there is no clear pattern and the points spread above or below the number 0. Then, it can be stated that there is no heterocedasticity. The result of T-Test The independent t-test result obtained for CAR is -2.329, with the probability of 0.022 which less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the first hypothesis in this study which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in CAR between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. The independent t-test results obtained for NPL is 1.494, with the probability of 0.139 which is greater than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the second hypothesis in the study which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in NPL between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is not supported. The independent t-test results obtained for ROA is 2.278 with a probability of 0.025 which is less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the third hypothesis which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in ROA between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. The independent t-test results obtained for ROE is 4.040 with the probability of 0.000 which less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the fourth hypothesis in the study which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in ROE between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. The independent t-test results obtained for LDR is -1.275 with the probability of 0.206 which is greater than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the fifth hypothesis which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in LDR between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is not supported. The independent t-test results obtained for efficiency ratio (SFA) is 4.345 with the probability of 0.000 which is less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the sixth research hypothesis which states that â€Å"There is efficiency difference between conventional banks and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. Multiple Regression analysis result The equation is as follows: SFA = 0,368 – 0,001CAR + 0,071NPL + 0,022ROA + 0,008ROE + 0,001LDR + 0,002REC + 0,00018PBI + 0,00004TPF + 0,002ISSUED + ÃŽ µ The the relationship between bank’s performance and bank’s efficiency is indicated by the multiple correlation coefficient (R) which is equal to 0.674. This means that there is a strong relation ship between the bank’s performance and bank’s efficiency. To clarify whether the relationship between the independent variables and dependent variables are significant or not, it can be tested with the F test. The test showed that F value is 7.213 with the probability 0.000 which is less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. This shows that the Sig F is smaller than the 0.05 value thus, the performance of banks as measured by CAR, NPL, ROA, ROE, LDR, receivable, placement with Bank Indonesia and other banks, third parties fund, and issued capital and fully paid capital are simultaneously related to the efficiency of banks. Thus, the seventh hypothesis which stated that â€Å"There is influence between bank’s performance and bank’s efficiency† is supported. CLOSING Conclusion Based on the result of data processing, there are some conclusions: 1. There is significant difference between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of CAR. This study finds that sharia banks’ CAR is greater than conventional banks. 2. There is no significant difference of financial performance between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of the NPL ratio. This means that NPL in sharia banks are equal to conventional banks, which all banks have NPLs below 5%. 3. There is significant difference between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of ROA. The difference that occur shows that the conventional banks’ ROA is higher than sharia banks which means that the ability of conventional banks in earning profit based on the owned asset is higher than sharia banks’. 4. There is significant difference between the profitability performances of sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of ROE. The difference that occurs shows that conventional banks’ ROE is higher than sharia banks. It means tha t the ability of conventional banks in earning profit based on the owned equity is higher than sharia banks. 5. There is no significant difference in the performance of banks on LDR (Loan to Deposit Ratio). This means the liquidity of sharia banks and conventional banks are equal. 6. There is significant difference in bank efficiency between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of SFA. In this case, conventional banks are more efficient compare to sharia banks because their SFA value is higher compare to sharia banks’. 7. Banks’ performance has influence on banks’ efficiency. This means that the higher performance of the bank, the more efficient the bank in conducting its operations. Among all of the performance ratios, they are NPL and ROE that have significant influence on efficiency. Meanwhile for the CAR, ROA, LDR, Receivable, Placement with Bank Indonesia and other Banks, Third Parties Fund, and Capital Issued does not have significant influence on bank’s efficiency. Research Limitation This research focused on comparing conventional bank and sharia bank on the basis of financial performance by using CAEL only, because the data used is just financial ratio and effectiveness using SFA. The financial performance and effectiveness can be assessed by analyzing the annual report published by Bank Indonesia. This research uses annual reports from 2008 to 2011 and quarterly data, taken from 11 sharia Banks and 11 well known conventional banks. Recommendations Some suggestions for the future research on this topic based on the limitation that researcher found are mentioned as follows: 1. For Sharia Banks, this research found that sharia banks have lower profitability ratio and efficiency compare to conventional banks. Thus, the researcher would like to recommend sharia banks to increase those ratios by minimizing bank’s operational costs, improving the market to get more customer through innovative sharia products. 2. For Conventional Banks, this research found that conventional banks have lower capital aspect compare to sharia banks. Thus, they need to reduce credit risk by improving credit management in order to reduce the value of risk-weighted assets (RWA). 3. For Banks in general, to improve the efficiency of the bank’s performance, banks should improve the overall performance, both from the capital, assets, management, earnings and liquidity 4. For the Future Researchers, this study uses only five ratios in measuring the bank’s financial performance, the future researchers should use more ratios to measure performance. REFERENCES Abustan. (2009). Analisa Perbandingan Kinerja Keuangan Perbankan Sharia dengan Perbankan Konvensional, Retrieved December 24, 2012, from : http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:_eUXttjW3VgJ:www.gunadara.ac.id/librar y/articles/graduate/economy/2009 Alphonsius, W. & Tanko, M. (June 24, 2008). CAMELs and Banks Performance Evaluation: The Way Forward. Social Science Research Network. Retrieved April 15, 2012, from http://ssrn.com/abstract=1150968 Endang Sumachdar and Hariandy Hasbi. (2010). Financial Performance Analysis for Islamic Rural Bank to Third Party Funds and The Comparation with Conventional Rural Bank in Indonesia. International Conference on Business and Economics Research. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from http://www.ipedr.com/vol1/67G00011.pdf Mohd, I., Mazlina, N.,

Major Systems used in an Organization Essay

Organizations utilize different types of information systems to take their business decisions for their operations. The hierarchy levels of the organizations in general are operational, knowledge, management, and strategic. Accordingly, three main categories of information systems serve at different organizational levels on hierarchy are: I. Operational-level systems II. Management-level systems III. Strategic-level systems 1. Operational-level systems: Information systems that monitors and support operational managers, keeping track of the elementary activities and business transactions of the organization. E.g.Sales,receipts,cashdeposits, pay roll, credit decisions and flow of materials in a factory. 2. Management-level systems: Information systems that serves the monitoring, controlling, decision-making, and administrative activities of middle managers of the business organization 3. Strategic-level systems: Information systems that support the long-range planning activities of senior management and help senior management tackle and address strategic issues to keep the strategic growth of the business firm. Major type’s information systems in organizations include 1. Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) 2. Management Information Systems (MIS) 3. Decision-Support Systems (DSS) 4. Executive Support Systems (ESS) Transaction processing systems function at the operational level of organization. Knowledge work systems help create and integrate new knowledge within the organization. Management information systems provide managers with reports based primarily on data pulled from transaction processing systems, have an internal orientation, and have limited flexibility. . Decision-support systems function at the management level and provide analytical models and data analysis tools to provide support for semi  structured and unstructured decision-making activities. Executive support systems function at the strategic level, support unstructured decision making, and use advanced graphics and communications. Major type’s information system in a typical organization is shown in below figure along with strategic levels and functional areas. Transaction processing was one of the first business processes to be computerized and without information systems, recording and processing business transactions would consume huge amounts of an organizations resources. Transactions are events that occur as part of doing business, such as sales, purchases, deposits, withdrawals, refunds, and payments. TPS serve the operational level. The transaction processing systems (TPS) is a computerized system that performs and records the daily routine transactions necessary to the conduct of the business. TPS also involve employees in business processes. Transaction Processing Systems are information systems that process data resulting from the occurrence of business transaction. Every organization has manual and automated transacting processing systems (TPSs), which process the detailed data necessary to update records about the fundamental business operations of the organization. These systems include order entry, inventory control, payrolls, accounts payable, accounts’ receivable, and general ledgers to name a few. The input to these systems includes basic business transactions such as customer orders, purchase orders, receipts, time records, invoices and customer payments. The result of processing business transactions is that the organizations records are updated to reflect the status of the operation at the time of the last process transaction. Automated TPSs consist of all the components of Computer Based Information, including databases, telecommunications, people, procedure, software and hardware devices used to process transactions. The processing activities include data collection, data edit, data correction, data manipulation, data storage and document production. The transaction processing systems (TPS) is a computerized system that performs and records the daily routine transactions necessary to the  conduct of the business. TPS also involve employees in business processes. Transaction Processing Systems are information systems that process data resulting from the occurrence of business transaction. Every organization has manual and automated transacting processing systems (TPSs), which process the detailed data necessary to update records about the fundamental business operations of the organization. These systems include order entry, inventory control, payrolls, accounts payable, accounts’ receivable, and general ledgers to name a few. The input to these systems includes basic business transactions such as customer orders, purchase orders, receipts, time records, invoices and customer payments. The result of processing business transactions is that the organizations records are updated to reflect the status of the operation at the time of the last process transaction. Automated TPSs consist of all the components of Computer Based Information, including databases, telecommunications, people, procedure, software and hardware devices used to process transactions. The processing activities include data collection, data edit, data correction, data manipulation, data storage and document production. Management Information Systems (MIS) BASIC CONCEPTS: Five resources are 1. Men 2. Machine 3.Materials 4. Money 5.Methods. Information is considered as sixth resources Management information system (MIS) is an organized collection of people, procedures, software, databases and devices used to provide routine information to the managers and decision makers. The focus of an MIS is primarily an operational efficiency, marketing, production, finance and other functional areas are supported by MIS and linked through a common data base. Management is a process consisting of planning, organizing, to achieve organizational objectives. MIS is â€Å"vital† in any organization for two reasons: 1. It emphasizes the management orientation of IT in business (not merely the processing of data). 2. It emphasizes that a systems framework should be used for information systems applications. Various functions of management are briefly defined as follows: 1. Planning – process of deciding in advance the cause of action 2. Organizing – forming formal group of people and activities to facilitate achieving its objectives 3. Controlling – checking the progress of plans and correcting any deviations 4. Directing – processing of activating the plans, structure and group efforts in the desired direction. MIS supports the management level by providing routine summary reports and exception reports for various purposes of management control process, including planning, controlling, and decision making. Examples are sales and profit per customer and per region, relocation summary and analysis, inventory control, capital investment analysis, and even a report on students who were here in the autumn but did not to return in the spring. 2.6 Decision Support System Decision-support systems provide material for analysis for the solution of semi-structured problems, which often are unique or rapidly changing. Typically, they provide the ability to do â€Å"what if† analysis. DSS will often use data from external sources, as well as data from TPS and MIS. DSS supports â€Å"right now† analysis rather than the long-term structured analysis of MIS. DSS are designed for analytical purposes and are flexible in nature. DSS provide sophisticated analytical models and data analysis tools to support semi-structured and unstructured decision-making activities. DSS use data from TPS, MIS, and external sources, provide more analytical power than other systems and interactive. The impact is on decisions in which there is sufficient structure for computer and analytic aids to be of value but where manager’s judgment is essential. A DSS is an organized collection of people, procedures, software databases and devices, used to support problem /specific decision making and lead to problem solving. The focus of a DSS is on decision making effectiveness when faced with unstructured or semi  structured business problems. 2.61 Characteristics of decision support system The main characteristics of DSS are 1. DSS help managers make decisions that are semi-structured, unique, or rapidly changing, and not easily specified in advance. 2. DSS are responsive enough to run several times a day in order to correspond to changing conditions. 3 DSS make use of both internal information (from TPS and MIS) and also from external sources, such as current stock prices or product prices of competitors. 4 DSS offer users flexibility, adaptability, and a quick response. 5 DSS allow users to initiate and control the input and output. 6 DSS operate with little or no assistance from professional programmers. 7 DSS provide support for decisions and problems whose solutions cannot be specified in advance. 8 DSS use sophisticated analysis and modelling tools. 9 DSS shall support the manager but not replace his/her judgment. It should therefore neither try to provide the answers nor impose a predetermined or predefined sequence of analysis. 10 DSS requires the decision maker’s insight and judgment to control the process and solution. 2.63 Examples of DSS Systems Airlines Price and route selection, flight scheduling Investment Companies Investment evaluation Railways Train Dispatching and Routing Frito-Lay, Inc. Price, ad and promotional section Manufacturing Production optimisation Oil Companies Evaluation of potential drilling sites Executive support systems (ESS)/ Executive Information System (EIS) Senior managers use ESS to make decisions, ESS serve the strategic level of organization. They address non-routine decisions requiring judgment, evaluation and insight because there is no agreed on procedure for arriving at a solution. Executive support systems function at the strategic level, support unstructured decision making, and use advanced graphics and communications. Examples of executive support systems include sales trend forecasting, budget forecasting, and personnel planning. ESS is designed to incorporate data about external events such as new tax laws or competitors, but they also draw summarized information from internal MIS and DSS. They filter, compress and track critical data, emphasizing he reduction of time and effort required to obtain information useful to executives. ESS employ most advanced graphics S/W and can deliver graphs and data from many sources immediately to a senior executive office. ESS combines many features of MIS and DSS and Provide top executives with immediate and easy access to information. ESS help to Identify factors that are critical to accomplishing strategic objectives (critical success factors) and hence provide a generalized computing and communications environment that help senior managers address strategic issues and identify long-term trends in the firm and its environment. ESS addresses non-routine decisions requiring judgment, evaluation, and insight because there is no agreed-on procedure for arriving at a solution. ESS present graphs and data from many internal and external sources through an interface that is easy for senior managers to use. Information presented in forms tailored to the preferences of the executives using the system. ESS provides out put as desired by the end-user in the forms like Customizable g raphical user interfaces, Exception reports, Trend analysis etc., 2.74 Features of ESS 1. Contemporary ESS bring together data from all parts of the firm and enable managers to select, access, and tailor them as needed using easy-to-use desktop analytical tools and online data displays. 2. Through their ESS, many managers have access to public data, such as news services,  financial market databases, and economic information. 3. ESS has the ability to drill down, moving from a piece of summary data to lower and lower levels of detail. 4. Contemporary ESS includes tools for modeling and analysis. 5. Whereas DSS use such tools primarily for modeling and analysis in a fairly narrow range of decision situations, ESS use them primarily to provide status information about organizational performance. 6. Well-designed ESS also have some facility for environmental scanning. 7. A key information requirement of managers at the strategic level is the ability to detect signals of problems in the organizational environment that indicate strategic threats and opportunities. 8. Abil ity to analyze, compares, and highlight trends. 9. The easy use of graphics enables the user to look at more data in less time with greater clarity and insight than paper-based systems provide. 10. The timeliness and availability of the data result in needed actions being identified and carried out earlier than previously could have been done 11. Problems are handled before they become too damaging; opportunities are also identified earlier. 12. Immediate access to so much data also enables executives to better monitor activities of lower units reporting to them. That very monitoring ability enables decision making to be decentralized and to take place at lower operating levels. 2.76 Interrelationships among systems In contemporary digital firms, the different types of systems are closely linked to one another. This is the ideal. In traditional firms these systems tend to be isolated from one another, and information does not flow seamlessly from one end of the organization to the other. Efficiency and business value tend to suffer greatly in these traditional firms. The interrelation ship between major kinds of system in an organization is depicted in below figure . The various types of systems in the organization exchange data with one another. TPS are a major source of data for other systems, especially MIS and DSS. TPS are operational-level systems that collect transaction data. Examples of these are payroll or order processing that track the flow of the  daily routine transactions that are necessary to conduct business. TPS provide data that are required by office systems, KWS, MIS and DSS, although these systems may also use other data. KWS and office systems not only use data from TPS but also from MIS. DSS not only use data from TPS but also from KWS, office systems, and MIS. MIS rely heavily on data from TPS but also use data from KWS and office systems. ESS obtains most of their internal data from MIS and DSS.

Product Review of Do 2 Learn

Product Review of Do 2 Learn Visit Their Website In search of emotions cards to use as part of my social skills programs and the article I wrote on Emotional Literacy, I found Do2Learn.com, a great resource for emotions, but with a range of other offerings. Not everything on offer is of equal quality or value, but the unique quality of the free games and social skill songs make the whole site worth adding it to your favorites. In an effort to make a full offering of activities as well as their super interactive games, the publisher put up some kind of lame art and writing activities. They are overly simple, lack much specificity and replicate things that are free on other sites. The interactive games, on the other hand, are super for children with disabilities, especially students with poor skills and an interest in computers. They are also great for classrooms with Smart Boards or Promethean Boards, as these boards act as giant touch screens, and students with poor motor skills get a bit of gross motor activity in as well. A Mix of Free and Inexpensive Games and Resources The free computer games and songs come with some companion activities, which are generally sold as inexpensive digital files delivered to your email. Resources for Emotions I stumbled on the site in search of emotions cards. I have a set that was already in my classroom, but I wanted to find other resources to recommend to my readers. I stumbled on the feelings cards that  you can print on your color printer. It uses the faces of real models, faces that reflect diverse ages, races and ethnic backgrounds. And when I found the ​Feelings Game, another free resource, I was delighted. I have been using it with my class on the Smart Board in my classroom. My students take turns tapping the sad or angry person on the nose. It also has three levels, from matching the face to the emotion, moving on level 2, where you read a scenario, and choose how a person would feel, and finally reading a scenario and naming the emotion you see on the persons face. There is a second free activity is the Facial Expressions game, which allows children to manipulate facial simulations to mirror human facial expressions. In some ways they seem kind of creepy, but students on the autism spectrum love the computer, and it does help them isolate specific aspects of facial expressions, from the direction of the eyes to the shape of the mouth. A Cursory Survey of Disabilities and Disabilities Terms It seems that the creators of Do2Learn are attempting to create a comprehensive special education website, but the informational pages are cursory at best. The disabilities sections offer both definitions of the disabilities and an adjoining page that lists strategies. And List is the right word: the strategies are dense and dont provide the logic behind choosing specific interventions. They are not written with enough specificity to inform the novice, nor enough structure to help professional plan interventions. Worksheets and Activities for Students with Disabilities The Do 2 Learn team also attempt to provide a broad range of activities, activities for students from a range of ages, disabilities and challenges. I work in the same field, and know the challenges of creating attractive worksheets and materials to support the range of needs for children. They include fine motor activities like cutting, letter recognition and Math activities. I find the activities they create worthwhile, but with poor production values. By all means, feel free to use them, but they are not the reason for a trip to Do 2 Learn. Picture Cards Do2Learn has created their own pictures cards to be used for Picture Exchange. They seem pretty comprehensive, and may work as a suitable substitute for PECS, Boardmaker symbols or Pogo Symbols. They claim to have over 2,000 symbols, but without access to their picture making system, its hard to gauge the range and readability of the pictures. Still, Id check them out before purchasing one of the other two systems. Do 2 Learn: The Destination for the Feelings and Emotions Resources Put Do 2 Learn in your favorites, if you are doing social skills and emotional literacy activities. These are outstanding. The color and math Mahjong games will be fun for your students, as well. Put shortcuts on the computers your students use, especially for young students or students with emerging skills. They will enjoy them. The other activities that make it worth the trip are the social skill songs for safety. Not songs you will want on your IPod; still, paired with short videos they are catchy and will help young students with disabilities remember important steps to guarantee personal safety. By all means, make the trip. Check out Do2Learn and see if they have resources you can use. Visit Their Website

Comma After Introductory Phrases

Comma After Introductory Phrases Comma After Introductory Phrases Comma After Introductory Phrases By Maeve Maddox A reader asks why there is no comma after the introductory phrase in the following sentence from one of my recent posts: At a recent writers’ conference I heard a successful self-published author say, â€Å"Readers are not looking for great writing; they’re looking for a great story.† I formerly put a comma after every introductory word or adverb phrase of any length, but I’ve begun leaving it out unless I think its absence will create reader double take, as in the following: Before eating the members held the business portion of the meeting. Below the cars covered the lawn. Until the morning fishing is out of the question. These introductory phrases demand to be set off: Before eating, the members held the business portion of the meeting. Below, the cars covered the lawn. Until the morning, fishing is out of the question. Authoritative recommendations vary. An online grammar site sponsored by Capital Community College in Hartford, Connecticut states: It is permissible, even commonplace, to omit a comma after most brief introductory elements - a prepositional phrase, an adverb, or a noun phrase. The Chicago Manual of Style also indicates that the comma after an introductory adverb phrase may be left out: An introductory adverbial phrase is often set off by a comma but need not be unless misreading is likely. Shorter adverbial phrases are less likely to merit a comma than longer ones. The Purdue Owl also advises that the comma after some introductory elements, such as â€Å"a brief prepositional phrase,† may be left out. Unlike some of the other sources, the OWL gives us a clue as to what we may consider â€Å"brief†: â€Å"a single phrase of fewer than five words.† But while some authorities condone leaving out the comma if no confusion can result, others caution discretion as the better part of valor: The Longman Handbook: Sometimes the comma after an introductory word or word group is required; sometimes it is optional. When you are uncertain, stay on the safe side: use a comma. Penguin Writer’s Manual: Even where there is no real danger of confusion or absurdity, it is usually better to insert a comma than not. And our own Precise Edit: Use commas even after short introductory descriptions for consistency. As with whether to use the serial comma in a list of adjectives, writers have a choice regarding the use of a comma to set off an introductory phrase. 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 Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:85 Synonyms for â€Å"Help†Deck the HallsThe Difference Between "Un-" and "Dis-"

Make communicating numbers as simple as 1, 2, 3 - Emphasis

Make communicating numbers as simple as 1, 2, 3 Make communicating numbers as simple as 1, 2, 3 Being able to write about numbers well is a core skill. But it can become needlessly fraught – mainly because those who find maths straightforward often don’t understand why it’s difficult for others to grasp. Luckily, there are three principles that can take the pain out of the process: simplify, signpost and be specific. 1. Simplify When you’re translating a complex set of figures – for instance, a company’s financial results – into a written summary, it’s all too easy to get distracted by the sheer volume of information. This means you end up cramming in as much detail as possible, which can weaken your main message and confuse your reader, even if the audience is largely technical. Unless you’re confident that your piece will be read by someone who will be taking their time and making notes, it’s better to avoid dealing with more than two sets of numbers in any one sentence. Also, try not to have several sentences in succession that introduce new figures. Break them up with analysis and observations. Under this approach, the following sentence is fine: ‘Sales increased 10 per cent to  £2.7bn, while profits rose five per cent to  £10m.’ Despite containing four figures, it introduces only two concepts (what happened to sales, and what happened to profits). However, try to include a year-on-year comparison in the same sentence, and it becomes much less readable. ‘Sales increased 10 per cent to  £2.7bn in 2012, a slight improvement on 2011’s figure of eight per cent, while profits for 2012 rose five per cent to  £10m, up from four per cent in 2011.’ If you’re preparing a script or notes for TV or radio, try to reduce this still further to just one topic per sentence. To see how much more difficult it is to follow figures presented verbally, ask someone to read you the press release of any financial results – then see how much of what you heard you recall. Pick the numbers that really matter, and focus on getting those across. 2. Signpost Often, the same piece of writing will have to work for multiple audiences with very different technical abilities. A half-year update will be read for detailed information by analysts and investors, but perhaps also skimmed by potential clients and journalists looking for an overview of the company. For the former, the detail is vital, and if you remove it they will find the information insufficient – but leaving it in may confuse the latter. This is where signposting helps. Compare the following two statements: ‘Underlying net revenues, the best metric for sales, increased 9.7 per cent year-on-year to  £2.72bn, while profits before tax made strong progress, increasing 5.0 per cent to  £9.9m.’ ‘Sales and profits both grew strongly on the company’s key metrics. Underlying net revenues increased 9.7 per cent year-on-year to  £2.72bn, and profit before tax grew 5.0 per cent to  £9.9m.’ The second example is a little longer, but it primes readers on what to expect from the rest of the paragraph. It also serves as an explanation of the particular measures of revenue and profit being used. Signposts should be short and simple, and group related information. If they seem overly complex, you’re probably trying to load too much into one paragraph. 3.  Specify How specific your writing needs to be varies depending on your audience and the information you’re conveying. For a general audience, simple, round figures are always best. Avoid decimal points where possible, and minimise figures. Consider using descriptions such as ‘one in five’ rather than 20 per cent’, if it helps make the meaning clearer. More financially or technically literate audiences tend to prefer (or even demand) more specificity. In reality, the inputs on forecasting models are often rounded up or down, and the outcomes are therefore uncertain. For example, a forecasting model generated in Excel might come out with a brilliantly specific-looking sales projection: next year, the spreadsheet says, Company A will sell 67,971.2 tricycles.   But this figure appears more precise than it really is. Try to reflect this: if the margins of error on an estimate are known, make that clear.   This needn’t be complex. For example, if the margin was roughly +/-500, you could write the estimate as: ‘Projections for the next year suggest Company A will sell around 68,000 tricycles.’ Again, keep your audience in mind: analysts and specialists may well expect to see explicit references to margins of error. Take similar care when writing about risk and uncertainty. If you write ‘the chance of catastrophic failure has increased threefold, year-on-year,’ you may well terrify a reasonable portion of your readership. If the risk of catastrophic failure has increased from 0.01 per cent to 0.03 per cent, that panic probably wasn’t your intention. Make sure you’re confident of the difference between absolute and relative risk. Absolute risk describes how probable it is that something will occur. Relative risk is a comparison between different risk levels. In most cases, it will be appropriate to use the former. Most importantly of all, keep reminding yourself who it is youre writing for, what they need to know and the level of their technical expertise. Keeping your reader at the front of your mind will help you remember to speak in language that they will understand and find compelling. Want more help with writing about numbers? We run courses on report writing and technical writing. To find out more, call us on +44 (0)1273 732 888 or email help@writing-skills.com.

Best Workplace Practices that contribute to high performance Essay

Best Workplace Practices that contribute to high performance - Essay Example Data security therefore becomes very important aspect of running the business. Data security ensures all information related to the company and its services is constantly safeguarded from enemies and destructive forces, and every employee at every level is responsible for Data security at all times. Data security at our organization is ensured through a variety of ways such as training and orientation, policies and procedures, safety and security measures. One of the strongest and fool-proof measures followed is the Restricted Access Practice (RAP), which ensures data, either in the form of electronic or printed, is not transferred outside the company’s domain. For this, employees’ access to electronic data is limited to only official work domains; this means no employee can either send or receive information to or from any external sources, respectively. Employees are not allowed to carry any form of printed material outside the organization’s premises. This access is limited to only one department, which liaises with external entities, like the US Government bodies and external vendors, whenever required. Moreover, all electronic information, either in the form of applications, data, programs etc, created by the employees will be company’s property and for its use thereby protecting any form of breach. Any form of breach of this practice is dealt immediately with strict disciplinary action. The RAP has been extremely helpful in safeguarding company’s and its clients’ information thereby increasing its credibility and reliability. Moreover, this practice eliminates or mitigates any form of selfish intentions of employees from taking any undue advantage of the organization’s resources, information and data. Thereby, this practice also helps in orienting all employees towards the company’s goals. For the business, this practice has helped in earning credibility of its largest client, the US

An effective business plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

An effective business plan - Essay Example In order to attract a wide variety of customers, it is vital to have an image of the cars that are to be hired. In this fast globalising environment, the cars that need hiring are personal that are capable of running for many miles. These include personal cars that can accommodate a fairly large amount of individuals. Nowadays, individuals are keen on having the fun day out while visiting different areas. Having a car hire service that can address these needs is fundamental in the business’s growth. It is vital to understand their needs so as to have the right car to provide the customer (Barringer 2008).The sort of cars  Many young couples are interested in cars that are out for their interests. This means that; they want cars that are trendy and lavish to match the new lifestyle (Barringer 2008). The common vehicle models from popular vehicle industries are the right cars for the job. This is if they want cars for pleasure. In the event they need cars that are for business , there are also a variety of them around to fulfil this desire. The price of hiring these cars might range depending on the make and model of the car.The different assortment of cars may offer customers a variety to choose from, and their availability may make the business a top choice among clients. Everyone, in this day and age, wants to be affiliated with a posh lifestyle. To address this desire, cars that are cheap, but look desirable and lavish, are likely to be present. (Barringer 2008).... Having a car hire service that can address these needs is fundamental in the business’s growth. It is vital to understand their needs so as to have the right car to provide the customer (Barringer 2008). The sort of cars Many young couples are interested in cars that are out for their interests. This means that; they want cars that are trendy and lavish to match the new lifestyle (Barringer 2008). The common vehicle models from popular vehicle industries are the right cars for the job. This is if they want cars for pleasure. In the event they need cars that are for business, there are also a variety of them around to fulfil this desire. The price of hiring these cars might range depending on the make and model of the car. The different assortment of cars may offer customers a variety to choose from, and their availability may make the business a top choice among clients. Everyone, in this day and age, wants to be affiliated with a posh lifestyle. To address this desire, cars t hat are cheap, but look desirable and lavish, are likely to be present. They all serve the same purpose, and the customer ends up feeling gratified with the selection they have made. Toyota’s Premio is an example that might serve this purpose. However, having a variety of the Toyota product is an exceptional idea, especially for customers who want bigger cars for their activities (Barringer 2008). The rates to be charged The rates of hiring the cars are likely to range. This is because not all the cars are the same. The power most of the cars exhibit may set these cars and the rates apart from each other. The rates at which the Mercedes and Toyota models in the business go for cannot be the same. The presence of these varieties of cars presents the clients and customers with

Strategic management leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic management leadership - Essay Example Fro public organizations to cope with this trend and demand of the present time, there is the need that it adopt a strategic management so as to effectively utilize its resources in meeting immediate objectives and long term goals. Strategic management is then seen as a rational planning process to enable an organization operates more effectively in its environment. To this end, Armitage (1992), define it as a continuous process that works to fit an organization into its changing environment. Thus, strategic management is broader in concept than strategic planning; it entails both strategic planning, which a long term is planning process, and strategic decision, which decisions are taken without consideration to the length of term frame. The strategic management pattern of every organization may differ from what is obtainable in another. While there are areas of similarities, certain aspects are uniquely structured out to suit the operation of the organization in concern. Thus, this essay would compare and contracts on strategic management techniques adopted by two case studies, i.e. Office of Real Property Service (ORPS) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The strategic management techniques would be used at looking at the impact it has on strategic leadership and the strategic processes adopted by each organization THE PROCESS OF AN IDEAL STARTEGIC MANAGEMENT As earlier stated, strategic management entails a continuous process that works to make an organization fit into its operating environment by the adequate utilization of its resources. Thus, it involves strategic planning, i.e. long range planning, and decision making that covers the operational activities of the organization without regards for time frame. The implementation of strategic management system is the administrative responsibility of a group of the firm's partners and managers. According to Armitage (1992), the implementation of the strategic management system must be approached in a manner indicating that the small planning group is not trying to take over the firm. It must be made clear from the start that the group will work within the bounds of the organization and that all members of the firm will have input into the process. The support for the strategic management can be increased by the use of consensus decision making rather than formal vote taking. Voting can le ad to division rather than uniting the organization. Consensus decision on the other hand fosters the working together of workers and leads to increased cooperation among members of the organization. The process of strategic management should first focus on formulating the organization's mission and the overall direction of the organization. With the clarification of this, better goals and objectives can be set for the firm to help achieve its mission. On the early stage, the process of strategic management should attempt at identifying those major strategic issues facing the firm. Also, the leaders of the organization should focus on the future strategic issues the organization may face. The next phase of the process involves analyzing the firm's strength and weakness, involving an environmental analysis, and current

Human genome Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human genome - Term Paper Example One of the most contentious issues coming up over the next few years will surely be whether to allow human genomes to be patented. Human rights advocates are concerned that allowing patents will infringe on human dignity by giving permission to certain organizations to keep records of a person's genome records and is an invasion of privacy, sort of (Patrinos & Ansorge, 2005, p. 391). Human genome patents is shaping up as a huge social controversy because of its far-reaching implications on research such as those dealing with genetic defects that can cause inherited diseases. Patents are crucial to give encouragement to researchers so that their efforts will be amply rewarded, similar to the copyrights of authors and artists who want royalties for their creative talents. Patents in the context of medical research has effects on how well human beings can live their lives, whether disease-free or not, for example.

Resume chapter 15 (trade and policy reform in latin america) Essay

Resume chapter 15 (trade and policy reform in latin america) - Essay Example The ISI saw its end during the crisis of the 80’s and the vision that it can create long term economic inefficiencies. For many years, the region relied much on exports of agricultural commodities to earn foreign revenue but most of the export sectors were often owned and controlled by foreign capitalists. However, during World War 1 and the Great Depression of the thirties, the flow of Latin American exports was disrupted reducing their export earnings. Although World War 2 increased the demand for their minerals and foodstuffs, it nevertheless dropped again after the war ended. Trade analysis or the ratio of average export prices to average import prices or terms of trade (TOT) reported an export pessimism as the prices for the raw materials Latin America exported fell. This was why the head of the UN Economic Commission on Latin America (ECLA), Prebisch, ruled that the region veer away from their dependence on raw material exports and concentrate on industrial development b y replacing imported manufactured goods with domestic ones. This was his idea of â€Å"import substitution industrialization†. ... It was criticized that governments misallocated resources when they got too involved in production decisions of companies. Other criticisms included the overvaluation of exchange rates; policies being biased in favour of urban areas; the inequality of income worsened and the controversy of widespread rent-seeking. ISI did not succeed in furthering the region’s economy, but it had less of an effect in creating the economic crisis of the 80’s than misguided macroeconomic policies of the countries in Latin America. Economic populism or the acquisition of support from labor and domestically oriented business has been blamed for such faulty macroeconomic policies. This was triggered by the deep satisfaction with the status quo due to slow growth or recession; the rejection of policy makers of traditional constraints on macro policy such as the justification of printing money due to the existence of high unemployment and idle factories offering its space without inflation. Po licy makers vowed to raise wages while freezing prices and restructure the economy by expanding the domestic production of imported goods. Still, in reality, wages were lower than before and international interventions led by IMF were implemented to stop high inflation and to end a balance of payment crisis. Being sunk in debt was blamed on the collapse of oil prices in the early eighties as well as the fact that the foreign currency owed was dollars, which had variable interest rates. The faulty macroeconomic policies of Latin America left national expenditure much higher than the national income, hence a return to growth was not very likely. In an attempt to keep government expenditures higher than warranted, many Latin American countries

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 3

Strategic management - Essay Example outstanding business performance on the part of the company considering that Cathay Pacific earned only HK$812 million during the first and second quarter of 2009 (ibid). It is a common knowledge that the economic and financial performance of each country could somehow significantly affect the supply and demand for airline services. Basically, economic recession associated with stock market crashes, currency crises, real estate crises, and financial bubbles among the long list of other financial and banking problems such as the case of the Lehman Brothers could adversely affect the business performance of airline companies. In some cases, the rise and fall of oil prices in the world market, the presences of SARS outbreak, and the post September 11-crises could also affect the profitability of airline companies. Considering the past and present global economic crisis and the actual business performance of Cathay Pacific in the global markets, this study aims to identify and discuss the prevailing strategies used by the company to enable the business remain strong despite the challenges faced by the airline companies. Basically, analyzing the strategies used by Cathay Pacific will enable the readers to have a better understanding behind the secret of the company’s successful endeavour. Today, Cathay Pacific is considered as one of the best and most competitive â€Å"Asian Airline Business† within the global airline industry. As part of determining the competitive advantages of Cathay Pacific against its close competitors like the Singapore Airlines Limited, major factors that made the company successful in implementing its business strategies will be mentioned and critically analyzed. In line with going through the main discussion, the company’s superiorities and inferiorities could significantly affect the decision-making process of its top management will be tackled in details. Airways, the company managed to effectively surpass the declining demand for

Resume chapter 15 (trade and policy reform in latin america) Essay

Resume chapter 15 (trade and policy reform in latin america) - Essay Example The ISI saw its end during the crisis of the 80’s and the vision that it can create long term economic inefficiencies. For many years, the region relied much on exports of agricultural commodities to earn foreign revenue but most of the export sectors were often owned and controlled by foreign capitalists. However, during World War 1 and the Great Depression of the thirties, the flow of Latin American exports was disrupted reducing their export earnings. Although World War 2 increased the demand for their minerals and foodstuffs, it nevertheless dropped again after the war ended. Trade analysis or the ratio of average export prices to average import prices or terms of trade (TOT) reported an export pessimism as the prices for the raw materials Latin America exported fell. This was why the head of the UN Economic Commission on Latin America (ECLA), Prebisch, ruled that the region veer away from their dependence on raw material exports and concentrate on industrial development b y replacing imported manufactured goods with domestic ones. This was his idea of â€Å"import substitution industrialization†. ... It was criticized that governments misallocated resources when they got too involved in production decisions of companies. Other criticisms included the overvaluation of exchange rates; policies being biased in favour of urban areas; the inequality of income worsened and the controversy of widespread rent-seeking. ISI did not succeed in furthering the region’s economy, but it had less of an effect in creating the economic crisis of the 80’s than misguided macroeconomic policies of the countries in Latin America. Economic populism or the acquisition of support from labor and domestically oriented business has been blamed for such faulty macroeconomic policies. This was triggered by the deep satisfaction with the status quo due to slow growth or recession; the rejection of policy makers of traditional constraints on macro policy such as the justification of printing money due to the existence of high unemployment and idle factories offering its space without inflation. Po licy makers vowed to raise wages while freezing prices and restructure the economy by expanding the domestic production of imported goods. Still, in reality, wages were lower than before and international interventions led by IMF were implemented to stop high inflation and to end a balance of payment crisis. Being sunk in debt was blamed on the collapse of oil prices in the early eighties as well as the fact that the foreign currency owed was dollars, which had variable interest rates. The faulty macroeconomic policies of Latin America left national expenditure much higher than the national income, hence a return to growth was not very likely. In an attempt to keep government expenditures higher than warranted, many Latin American countries

Regulatory Laws and Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Regulatory Laws and Policies - Essay Example Through its regulatory role, HHS has had a significant impact and implications on the health care industry in general. Among the acts that are implemented by the HHS include The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 and The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA )of 2005 (Frimpong & Rivers, 2009). This essay gives a critical analysis and discussion on the impact of HHS on the health care industry with a special focus on the implication of the aforementioned Acts on health care and patient safety. Illustrations of my own working experience are used to demonstrate how the regulatory framework acts to protect the needs of patients for care and privacy and security of confidential data and information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a federal legislation or law which gives patients a right to control all forms of Protected Health Information (PHI). In accordance to this Act, PHI represents Individually Identifiable Heal th Information (IIHI) which is acquired from the patient and stored within the health facility (Furrow, 2011). This also includes all information which related the condition of the patient whether in the past, current or future. This means that before a health care provider accesses, retrieves and uses health information on patients, the provisions of the Act must be given due consideration (Frimpong & Rivers, 2009). In this sense, it is argued that the HIPAA through the implementation of the HHS affects the manner in which hospitals and health care providers and record managers handle patient information. For example in a veteran’s affairs hospital where I work, it is mandatory that a patient signs for the release of information before it can be received or sent for specific purposes. This example demonstrates that the regulatory framework of the HHS defines the policies and procedures that health systems design for the management of information. Health systems and professio nals are mandated to adhere to the provisions of the HIPPA. Therefore the right of patients to protect and define the retrieval, use and dissemination of data on them must be respected by care professional. The management of hospitals must also ensure that health care professional adheres to these regulations as provided by the legal system. Among the entities that are covered by the HIPAA include health care providers who are involved in the retrieval, use and transmission of electronic formats of health care information (Hoffman, 2007). Because of this, the HIPPA is said to have a significant effect on the health care industry especially in the transmission of electronic records on patients (Radin, 2010). This Act has become more important within the contemporary health care information management systems which are characterized with an increased implementation and use of information and communication technologies. Health care organizations such as hospitals are mandated to put me asures that ensure that electronic health information is safe from unauthorized access and use (Liang & Mackey, 2011). Within the veteran’s affairs hospital where I work, it is a must for all information with private details on the patient such as name to be encrypted before it is sent. This measure or policy was adopted by the hospital to ensure adherence to the HIPPA. Moreover, the insecurities which characterize the modern information systems such as hacking makes it necessary

Historical and political relation of anthropology with human rights Essay Example for Free

Historical and political relation of anthropology with human rights Essay From the onset, it is necessary to define anthropology as the social science that is involved with studying the inherent relationship patterns and origins of human beings. As a juxtaposition, the concept of human rights refers to the intrinsic freedoms and rights to which all and sundry (human beings) are entitled, if only by virtue of belonging to the human race, and these are broadly categorized into two main classifications, including the socio-cultural and economic rights, which pertain to the rights to education, food, work and participate in culture. The other distinct grouping of rights and freedoms are those of civil and political nature, encompassing the ideology of people being equal before the law, the right to liberty and life, and also, the freedom to freely express oneself, provided that this does not interfere with that of other people. It is noteworthy that the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights – a non-binding declaration by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 reiterates the equality of all humans as relates to their rights and dignity, further acknowledging that each individual was equipped with the vital tools of a rational conscience and logical reasoning, and thus, all subsequent inter-personal relationships ought to reflect a communal spirit of brotherly co-existence. This cognition is widely viewed as being the framework for justice, peace and freedom in the globe today (Goodale, 2004:18-29). From a historical perspective, the anthropologist is more concerned with deciphering the linkage between the afore-mentioned rights and the prevailing localized cultures, from whence an understanding of the basic outline of social justice against a backdrop of cultural relativism is investigated. The general concession is that indeed, deliberation into the historical aspects of anthropology reveals a contribution to both the practical and theoretical facets of human rights workings. Select case studies closely related to this postulation include the current crisis in the Middle East, pitting the Israelis against the inhabitants of the Gaza strip, the Rwandan genocide (Bowman, 2000:31-49) and the topical issue of gay rights in Southern Africa. The former predicament entails Israel devastating, over the recent past, a population of some 1. million inhabitants in Gaza, with their arms tied behind their backs, owing to the fact that there is no active army in Gaza. Statistics reveal that close to 1300 Palestinian casualties are on record, as opposed to a measly 13 Israelis in the raging conflict, largely regarded as a modern day case of ‘ethnic cleansing’. Since the year 2006, Israel placed a blockade into the Gaza region, thus inhibiting the delivery of necessities such as medicine, food and fuel. Previous attempts to foster harmony and well-being in the region, with cease-fires being disrespected severally, have led up to the present situation in which the stakeholders in the conflict, chief amongst which is the Hamas, the Islamic Palestinian socio-political faction that has been in control of the Gaza strip, and Israel itself, have agreed to permanently seek a lasting solution to avoid more bloodshed. The possible recommendations to aid in arriving at a peaceful co-existence is scenario where Israel takes the front row in ensuring a sense of hope to the Palestinians, via the action of taking the political risk and dismantling the illegal West Bank Settlements. On their part, Palestinians should institute measures to ensure they elect purposive leaders into power, if only to militate against the eventuality of history repeating itself iteratively. Hamas should in turn cease firing missiles into Israel, which only serve to wound and kill majority of the innocent civilians, and the large scale smuggling of arms, so as to avoid the likelihood of the situation degenerating into another â€Å"United States versus Al Qaeda† affair. Also, the other stakeholders in the conflict, namely Jordan and Egypt, should seal all loopholes that enable the military exploits of the Hamas to fall through. This being said, the International community should actively ensure they do not turn a deaf ear to the conflict, to be spearheaded by the United Nations and the European Union. The latter, in detail, involved South Africa holding its second, fully democratic elections in the year 1999, which were characterized by the recognition of a wide array of groups and previously neglected factions of the population, such as the gay and lesbian community. Earlier on, the country made history by pioneering non-discrimination on the basis of an individual’s sexual orientation, with gay and lesbian activists championing their cause by widely challenging the very constitutionality of laws that infringed on their freedoms, organizing workshops to educate voters on their rights, plus lobbying for the drafting and resultant implementation of rules and legislations guaranteeing equity in the rights of all citizens (Goodale, 2004:43-54). They also went a step further and created working relationships with non-governmental organizations like the Human Rights Commission and the Commission on Gender Equality, in addition to forming outreach programmes for the members of the gay and lesbian community, especially those that lived in townships. Of particular note is the fact that sodomy has been decriminalized before the South African courts, thus recording another victory in the war for adequate recognition of this community. Of significance is the assertion that, these developments were achieved even with the realization that the South African populace was still divided along ethnic and racial boundaries (Riches, 1986:16-29), and more importantly, within the indigenous cultural groupings in the country, homosexuality is deemed non-existent, or on the best case scenario, a foreign acquisition. Thus, in a nutshell, this case study can be assessed from the view that it not only shapes social patterns, but also, it is instrumental in the democratization of regimes, as influenced by the civil society. Yet another occurrence was witnessed in an iconic court case in Japan (2008), involving the challenging of the historical definition of whom the concept of â€Å"human rights† is meant to apply. The immediate bone of contention was that the court of the day had proceeded to expand the rights of the children of Japanese fathers and non-Japanese mothers to claim Japanese citizenship, and thus by extension, such definition by the justices in the case served to only ensure the protection of the fundamental human rights of Japanese citizens, excluding those of other non-citizens. In this way, this can be said to expressly alienate those people who did not have papers certifying their Japanese citizenship. However, this ought not to be the case, as the rights in question should be guaranteed to every human being, as the very name suggests. In a publication by one Professor Jones regarding this case, he posits that there is a sorry state of affairs in Japan, citing that the tendency of the Sovereign state to mediate the citizens’ claims against each other should be sharply contrasted against the Anglo-American system, which is characterized by human rights being the limiting factor of the state’s power over individuals. In this way, the case is illustrative of how culture and history can affect and/or influence human rights in society (Kurtz, 2001: 43-52). Whilst still appreciating the historical contribution of anthropology to human rights, it is worthwhile to take mention of the concept of hegemony, defined as the utter domination of a state over its allies, and how this has over time influenced historical changes, especially on the cultural frontier. As a focal point, hegemony facilitates the comprehension of power within the confines of routine daily activities, as may be underpinned by cultural (customary) practices (Asad, 1991:13-27). On a more positive note, it is fit to state that the anthropological theory has over the years succeeded to come up with a contested, unbounded and widely flexible supposition of the term, which consequently goes a long way in uncovering the cultural understandings and how these in turn shape power relations, naturalizing domination and acting to suppress different manifestations of resistance in the society (Gledhill, 2000:29-44). Again, drawing from the South African example, although in a different context, it can be established that, quite ironically, the evangelical work of missionaries can be termed as being part of hegemony, although it heightened societal consciousness, going on to spark a form of resistance that gave rise to the awareness of the black community, fuelling the fight against apartheid. Of particular contention is the debate whether, as an interpretive issue, resistance in society should require consciousness and be collective in nature, or whether on the other hand, an end of attaining justice should be envisioned from the onset. Also, it is disputable whether the concept at hand should be extended to incorporate such actions as may be influenced by a sense of non-cooperation or discontent. In the recent past, there has been great agitation in the anthropological circles, wherein the concept of culture has been scrutinized in detail. Earlier anthropologists focused chiefly on societies that were virtually unaffected by factors such as colonial influences, for example, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel since, today, greater emphasis is being laid on flexibility of the frame of thought of culture, as afore-mentioned, now not only being affiliated to habits and daily practices of a people, but also, being engrained in the values they abide to and the ideas subscribed to. In other instances, there have been historical documentations of indigenous communities confronting resistance from the perspective of laying claim to various resources, more so when these individuals are challenged to prove an authentic affiliation to the culture under consideration (Rejali, 1994:49-60); disqualification usually results from the assertion that certain social groups have already undergone cultural changes. In a strange twist, it can be seen that the concept of ‘culture’, as formulated by twentieth century anthropologists in a bid to champion the rights of small-scale communities in the wake of colonialism and other civilizing projects, has in present times been apposite to differing political ends of resisting reform in certain sectors and turning a deaf ear to the claims of indigenous people’s claims to reparation (compensation). On a transitional note, the political inclination of anthropology to human rights can be deduced by critical analysis of the two disciplines (Cohen, 1978:34-57). Such relationship necessitates a vivid conception of the said human rights within a template of anthropologically conceived ideas or principles. A brief intermission here is the appreciation that, as an academic discipline, anthropology seeks to study the various forms and bases of human unity and relative diversity, while the other side of this coin practically applies the acquired knowledge to actively solve problems that may plague the human race (Gledhill, 2000:59-83). This being the situation, politically-oriented anthropologists should concern themselves with instances where the denial of certain rights is pegged on the differences in one human aspect or the other. The validity of using ‘human difference’ as an indicator of human rights is that it incorporates the very specificity of what we as humans be it collectively or from an individual stance – have evolved to be, both culturally and socially. It is worth noting that the term ‘difference’, as applied in this context, refers to the linguistic, socio-cultural and/or biological characteristics of people, relative to the initial human capacities that facilitated their production in the first place. On the flipside, as may relate to human rights, these ‘differences’ may principally represent the products of the realization of social relations, personal identities and cultural forms (Goodale, 2004:98-110). The general implication of the above argumentation is that specific human rights may be advocated for by calling upon the trans-cultural, but positive, right to difference. This analogy can be stretched further still by acknowledging the unwritten law that anthropologists who study and research instances of societal injustices and assorted cases of human rights abuses do, in the actual sense, bear an ethical obligation to find lasting solutions to these predicaments. In particular, those working with marginal and/or indigenous communities shoulder the responsibility of supporting these groups by all means available, including advocacy as mentioned above (Fried, 1967:61-69).

Cyber Terrorism Poses Threat to National Security

Cyber Terrorism Poses Threat to National Security Terrorism has relocated from the traditional world to the cyber world. Terrorism has entered a new age where a combat zone has emerged in cyberspace. The health, wealth and security of nations such as the United States of America is in jeopardy as critical infrastructures are targeted by terrorists through cyberspace to bring terror to the nation. Cyber terrorism has made terrorists to be more vibrant and less suicidal: there is now no need for travelling long distance with explosives, chemical and biological weapons that might put their lives in danger. This research paper aims to outline reasons behind terrorism relocating to cyberspace, how terrorists intend to use cyberspace to bring terror and the advantages that cyberspace has given them. Traditional tools of terrorism are often regarded as a one step forward and two steps back method as traditional tools are sometimes suicidal and their destination might not be reached. Cyber terrorism is thus a stepping stone for terrorists as they can destroy, hack into systems, alter information and their attacks cannot always be anticipated. Accordingly, this research focuses on how cyber terrorism poses a threat to national security. Based on this threat several aspects of national security espionage will be outlined. Information about economic espionage will be discussed where the economic intelligence is under threat of cyber terrorists. Information warfare will be touched on for example how television and radio transmission can be hijacked and the leakage of sensitive information be used to sabotage stock exchange. Cyber warfare will also be covered to see how cyberspace is used to target the military operations and its facilities. In conclusion, types of cyber terrorism groups that target national security will be discussed. Statistics on cyber terrorist threats will be looked at and ways to stay safe from those types of threats. Introduction Cyber terrorism has been defined in many ways but the main objective is to bring terror by the use of cyberspace. Terrorists have found a comfortable and much safer environment to launch their attacks. Cyberspace has become a training ground, recruitment and training agency, a meeting place and a marketing tool for terrorists. Cyber terrorism causes great discomfort to national security as terrorist organisations, foreign governments, criminal organisations and individual hackers develop new ways to attack critical infrastructures, the military and the government. Cyber terrorism tools has made cyberspace to be the head-quarters for terrorists. Cyber terrorism has become the new weapon of mass destruction for terrorists where their cyber attacks may go unnoticed or at the time of notice, the response time may be limited. Cyber terrorism has given terrorist reason of attacking national security at any given as cyberspace is more advantageous than traditional methods. National security is said to be the requirement to maintain the survival of the nation-state through the use of economic, military and political power. The greater the capacity national security has of holding sensitive information and trade secrets, the greater the capacity to feel pain from cyber terrorists. Now the national security needs to protect the survival of the nation state and also its survival from terrorists attacks. Since well national security cannot fight cyber terrorism on its own they are agencies such as the National Security Agencies (NSA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which help national security fight cyber terrorism. Cyber terrorism if not challenged head on will cause great deal of damaged terrorists relocated to cyberspace after seeing an opportunity that military power in not that dominant in cyberspace. In cyberspace terrorists have privileges of launching an attack at any time with no fear or doubt that it might not succeed or reach the designated area. Cyber terrorism is a trial and error method if the attack did not succeed u can try again mot like traditional method where as if u failed its either you die or end up in jail. Cyber terrorism takes many forms. One of the more popular is to target national security which is taken to be national security espionage. National security espionage ranges from economic espionage to information warfare and cyber warfare. Cyber terrorism stats show that every year enormous amount of money is lost due to cyber terrorism, cyber terrorists target critical infrastructures for making money or they fundraise in cyberspace to raise funds for attacks. Cyberspace has given terrorists a free way of launching their attacks we may fare for the worst as everyday terrorists manage to recruit and train its own army of terrorists the various number of available cyber terrorism tools has to the level of terrorism to an advanced level. We may ask ourselves if the world will ever be ready for a full length cyber terrorism attack. Where will the attack hit and will it be detected in time to respond to the attack? Background Cyberspace has become a combat zone The relocation of cyber terrorists from traditional tools to cyberspace has established a much safer and comfortable environment for terrorists to launch their attacks. In the process their relocation has triggered a robust and dangerous war, this war if fought between national security and cyber terrorists. The battleground has being set in cyberspace, Nation states have created cyber-warfare units, this unit will be known as USCYBERCOMM which is headed by Keith Alexander. Richard Clark said at the RSA conference China and Russia are stealing petabytes of information he also said that the government of China and Russia are successfully engaging in daily activities of stealing anything worth stealing and the United State government and private industry are not stopping them. Terrorists seek to harm the survival of the nation, harm the economy and target critical infrastructures of regions they are targeting. The survival of the national security might be left in shambles if a full scaled cyber attack may be launched against them. Although terrorists have not successfully launched a substantial cyber attack, the threat is there and grows bigger and bigger with every small cyber terrorism attack. With this small cyber attacks, cyber terrorists are gaining more experts and experience. A que stion may come to mind why are terrorists launching these weak attacks? What is the bigger picture that they are trying to painting? Will the answer to this question be that they are trying to find loop holes in systems to be targeted? We will never know until that time comes. National security depends on military power for security but the military is not dominant in cyberspace as it is dominant on surface land and in the sea. Military have limited resources to take on cyber terrorism. Terrorists seek to attack through cyberspace where their attacks have the potential to reach the destination originally targeted simply because the line of defence is not that powerful. Cyber attacks cannot be anticipated, they are no radars to track incoming attacks in cyberspace. Targeting critical infrastructures The move of terrorists to cyberspace has left the world in shivers as the world depends on critical infrastructures for survival and making earns meat. Targeting national security will reduce the ability of protecting the nation; if the ability of protecting the world is reduced terrorists can strike in ways that we cannot image. People are not safe in their homes as gas pipelines pass under their houses cyber terrorists can cause a major gas pipe line burst of regions they are targeting the terror of September they 11 may be relived with the use of pipelines this time. Advantages of cyber terrorism Cyber terrorism is much safer than traditional tools; cyber terrorism has made terrorists to be lee suicidal. Terrorists can cause greater damage at less risk of being caught in the crossfire. Recruitment, teaching and fundraising is simple, they can recruit people make a lot of money in a short space of time. They is no need for terrorists to travel long distance with biological weapons and bombs, attacks can be made remotely from anywhere in the world. Their attacks cannot be anticipated can cause great impact. No check points to go through for terrorists to reach their destination. Cyber terrorism is cheaper than traditional methods. National security espionage National security espionage can be defined as the use of cyberspace by terrorists to penetrate national security systems to try and steal critical information, trade and government secrets and target critical infrastructures. National security protects the nation through the use of economic, military and political power. Cyber terrorists seek to exploit the fact that national security holds sensitive and dangerous information which can harm the survival of national security and the well being of the nations. National security espionage can take many forms which ranges from economic espionage to information warfare and cyber warfare here is an overview of the three types of national security espionage which are mentioned above: Economic espionage Economic espionage also known as industrial espionage is known as the use of cyberspace by under developed countries, commercial or industrial enterprises to gain information of trade secrets which are not available on open channels. Cyber terrorists target Europe and the United States of America as they posses power in the market areas, they have top companies and they are fully developed. Types of cyber terrorism groups that cause terror to national security They are various types of cyber terrorism groups, but the one which cause great deal of panic is those that target national security being for political purpose, industrial espionage or cyber warfare. Whatever the target may be towards national security, the outcome of the attack will be enormous. Groups like: The Osama bin Laden Crew This is a group of cyber jihadists which was found in the year 2000 by Abdullah Quraischi. Al-Qaeda Cyber terrorism tools and techniques The biggest tool for terrorists has become the internet. The internet is an immeasurable digital library, anything about any organisation can be found in the internet. Terrorists use various tools in cyberspace to bring harm, they use tools like: Distribution Denial of Service (DDoS) This is an attempt of denying services, making computer resources not to be available to the intended users. Sniffers Sniffers are used to get passwords of systems (spying of passwords). Rootkits(Musk intrusion) Rootkits are utilities installed in a victims machine to ensure that a cracked system remains available to the intruder. Rootkits are difficult to trace as the system will work as its being working before. Network Analyzers (SATAN) Spoofing (smurfing) Worms Worms are programs which makes copies of itself and copies to other computers trough out the network. Trojan Horses Is the software program which runs on the victims machine and can run secretively BackDoor Backdoors allows hackers to enter systems again at a later stage without being noticed Botnet (zombie army) Botnets are malicious softwares which runs automatically on computers which are hacked.

Naslunds Novel, Ahabs Wife and Melvilles Moby Dick :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Challenging Writing as a Male Tradition in Naslund's Novel, Ahab's Wife and Melville's Moby Dick In Sena Jeter Naslund's novel Ahab's Wife, there is repetitive reference to "the chaos of the waves (40);" Naslund uses these images of turbulent water in contrast to the precise and patterned nature of stitched quilts. She equates the process of "writing a book" to the "posture of sewing (70)." She asserts "when one stitches, the mind travels...And books, like quilts, are made one word at a time, one stitch at a time (70)." The consequences of making this type of connection within a literary narrative authored by a woman writer are penetrative to the fundamental assumptions about the creation of literature. I put forth, then, the theory that Naslund knowingly mocks the concept that writing, particularly writing to make literature, is primarily a male tradition, the prevailing thought during Una's existence as a fictional character. Naslund derives Una from Moby-Dick, takes a peripheral character in a major novel about a man's "war upon the deep (18)," a novel she knows has been marked a classic and has endured beyond its time period, and compels the shadow-figure of the male's narrative into the prominent voice of a female's narrative. What is produced by the male becomes a reproduction by the female. In effect, tradition is usurped, inversed, and woman dominates the text, a text birthed by Melville, a hugely lauded male author. Therefore, man author exchanges positions with woman, becomes impregnated by a story, tells the story, brings the story into existence. The woman author takes the story and retells it, reclaiming it as her own, brings a new story into existence. She overshadows the object of fiction previously created and through intertextuality connects herself to the expanse of literature. She blatantly utilizes the man's text to her own literary advantages, and discovers an act of erecting a me morial for women through "one word at a time." The "stitching" of "one word at a time" in direct opposition to the journey of man's mind which "travels...with ax and oxen through the wilderness (70)" explicitly undermines Ahab's journey, his "war upon the deep," whether or not Una is aware of the disruptive quality of her stream of consciousness. Una suggests that "writing a book...which men