Is the Internet Ruining English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is the Internet Ruining English - Essay Example Why should be English be afraid of the internet? If the changes and additions in the language have been accepted in the past, the only noticeable issue with internet and English is the speed of the former, meaning how it has accelerated the process. This cannot be attributed to the negative trait. One cannot expect the internet--savvy modern combustible younger generation to read William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. If they creative computer games, it is their choice. The language perfectionists argue that text messaging has spoiled the beauty of communications through grammatically perfect language and through complete sentences. One who sends the message is certainly not writing a paper for the competitive examination. If texts are filled with abbreviation and the one who reads that text perfectly understands the message conveyed, the purpose is served. Such practice was also vogue in the good old days when people sent telegrams with short and crisp messages. When small childre n lisp and try to communicate, will not the elders enjoy that communication? The longevity and popularity of such communications relate to their unequivocal acceptance. Formulation of new words is like finding of a new star in the galaxy. Once it is found, it has to be admitted as part of the galaxy and it is the permanent member of the star formations. The argument that technospeak will rule at the cost of standards and creativity, is a wishful thinking.Even assuming that globalization will impose sameness if that is for the betterment of humankind, there is nothing wrong with it. Just like the members of a family speak one language, the â€Å"global family† when it adopts certain uniform computer terminologies, it will be for greater good.

Parenting Styles in Identity Essay Example for Free

Parenting Styles in Identity Essay Children are always exploring their independence and developing their identity, or in other words, a sense of self. Research has shown that those who receive proper encouragement and reinforcement will emerge with a strong sense of self. Those who do not receive proper encouragement and reinforcement will remain unsure of themselves and confused about the future. For this reason, I believe an authoritative parenting style is the most beneficial factor in the formation of identity. Before we get into parenting styles, we must first discuss how an identity is formed. One of Erik Eriksons steps in his Theory of Psychosocial Development is identity versus confusion, commonly called the identity crisis. This is a period of exploration and analysis of different ways of looking at oneself.1 James Marcia expanded on Eriksons theory by stating that there are two parts in the process of identity a crisis and a commitment. He defined a crisis as a time of turmoil where old values and choices are being reexamined. The result of a crisis leads to a commitment to a certain value or role. Commitment to that value or role means not only making a firm choice, but engaging in activities to implement that choice as well.2 People who have explored and committed to an identity are more open, experience fewer problems in society, and are more effective communicators.3 Effective parenting helps children make it through the crisis stage and establish a commitment. There are four patterns of parenting authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, and uninvolved parenting. Authoritarian parents are controlling and demanding but not very loving or responsive to their childrens needs. They intervene frequently and do not allow their children to make independent choices. Authoritative parents have high expectations and set clear boundaries, but allow their children considerable freedom. They are accepting, loving, and supportive of their children. Indulgent parents are responsive to their childrens needs but completely undemanding. They are warm and loving but set no clear boundaries or expectations. Uninvolved parents are unresponsive and undemanding. They are not warm or loving, nor do they set any type of boundaries or expectations. With these four types of parenting in mind, lets take a look at what parental characteristics help or hinder a childs identity development. The emotional characteristics that facilitate identity development are warmth, companionship, and acceptance. The behavioral characteristics that facilitate identity development are setting reasonable behavior standards and enforcing adherence to those standards, encouraging self-expression and self-exploration, and being accepting of others perspectives. The emotional characteristics that impede a childs identity development are hostility, restrictiveness, emotional distance, and rejection. The behavioral characteristics that impede identity development are rigidity, intolerance, inability to adjust, and not setting behavior standards.4These emotional and behavioral characteristics that assist or inhibit identity development tie back into the afore mentioned patterns of parenting. Both authoritarian and uninvolved parents emotional and behavioral characteristics obstruct identity development. Indulgent parents emotional characteristics help identity development, but their behavioral characteristics hamper it. Authoritative parents emotional and behavioral characteristics support identity development. As you can see, neither a neglectful or avoidant style of parenting is likely to help the development of identity. Steinberg stated that compared with their counterparts from non-authoritative homes, authoritatively reared adolescents earn higher grades in school, are more self-reliant, report less psychological distress, and are less involved in delinquent activity.5In conclusion, I believe that authoritative parenting is the most beneficial factor in the formation of identity. This is because the emotional and behavioral characteristics of authoritative parenting enable children to most effectively pass through the crisis stage of development and make a firm com mitment. Therefore, the child is able to establish a solid identity. Works Cited 1. Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and Crisis. New York: Norton. 2. Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551-558. 3. Bhushan, R., Shirali, K. A. (1992). Family types and communication with parents: A comparison of youth at different identity levels. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 21, 687-697. 4. Adams, G. R., Dyk, P., Bennion, L. D. (1990). Parent-adolescent relationships and identity formation. In B. K. Barber B. C. Rollins (Eds.), Parent-adolescent relationships (pp. 1-16). Lanham, MD: University Press of America. 5. Steinberg, L. (2001). We know some things: Parent-adolescent relationships in retrospect and prospect. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 11, 28.

Comparing Three Philosophies of Education Essay -- Education Historica

Comparing Three Philosophies of Education What is education? Education can be defined in one of four ways: 1. The activity of education carried on by teachers, schools and parents (or by oneself). 2. The process of being educated (or learning) which goes on in the student. 3. The result of numbers one and two. 4. The discipline or field of inquiry that studies or reflects on one, two and three and is taught in schools of education. Education is concerned with the cultivation of the inner resources of individual persons. At its best, it is always an informal, largely unstructured and even an unsystematic process, but the reality of education today is more concerned with examination success, which in turn leads to a spiritless routine. Education derives its reality and true purpose from connection with life. Aristotle, an Ionian Greek born in 384 B.C. had a distinct philosophy on education. Immanual Kant was a philosopher in the 18th century and had another unique view on education. John Dewey, the most modern of the three, gave us his philosophy on education in the 19th century. Three very different men, from three very different time periods, offering three different views on this topic of education The Greeks were the first to think philosophically about education. The problem of education, as the Greeks saw it, was that of the acquisition of something for which they used the word arete, or excellence. Aristotle was most interested in happiness as excellence. He believed that without a solid base of eudaimonia, or happiness, nothing can be learned. But what is happiness? Some say it is pleasure, some honor, some money making, and for some contemplation. Aristotle believes that happiness is an activi... ...eaching. To quote from Kant’s lectures for 1765-66, â€Å"he is to learn, not thoughts, but thinking; he must be guided, not carried, if he is to be able to walk by himself later.† Educators must be aware of the need not to learn philosophy of education, but instead learn how to philosophize. Kant and Dewey agree that the best way to do this is to do it. To generalize Aristotle, as we become just by doing just acts, so we acquire any disposition by doing the corresponding acts, and we become philosophers by doing philosophical acts. Education is so important in our culture, and most think that the USA is behind on educational methods. I challenge you to take this paper a step further, read about these and other philosophers, and see what you learn. It simply amazed me and I just touched on what I saw as the highlights of these philosophers, now it’s your turn!

Four Horsemen

Jair Hayes Mr. Buckingham Horsemen Essay 1 December 2011 Series of Unfortunate Events The four horsemen of the apocalypse appear in the story â€Å"How Much Land does a Man Need? † because they are all symbolical. The four horsemen are the horse of Conquest (white), War (Red), Black (Famine), and Pale (Death). These four horsemen are all symbolical in some way and all connect in the story in a important way. They help explain the series of events in Pakhom’s journey to his demise. The first horseman is conquest which is a white horse. This is symbolic because Pakhom sets out on a conquest for so much land. He starts off with no land basically then he starts to get land. He next has 15 desyatins, and seems to be contempt with this land. Though, after a while he does set out to get to get more land which he acquires. Pakhom then realizes he can get even more land by going to these Indians to get as much land as he wants. Then he realizes that he has to pay 100 rubies a day to get as much as he wants. Before this though, we get introduced to the next horse which is war. The next being war comes in when Pakhom gets his land. He realizes that people are messing with his land and he doesn’t like it. Though, the irony in that is the fact that he did the same thing when he had little to no land himself. After these events Pakhom took people to court and lost and would try to put peasants on trial. This caused a dispute between Pakhom and most of the commoners, meaning they didn’t get along. People are in a war because naturally they don’t get along. Though, you have to make sacrifices in war which brings in the next horse. The next horseman is famine which is represented by black. This one is more metaphorical I feel then literal. For Pakhom to afford all this land he sold many things. Eventually he sold almost everything he had. He went into a personal need or possession famine. Pakhom also went into a morals famine. He basically left everything behind just for land and nothing else, which in hindsight makes no sense. If you don’t have money to even buy seeds, he why would you need land. He didn’t even have a horse anymore because he sold it. He could have used his horse to plow the fields. Pakhom became very greedy which leads to the final horse. The last horse is the horseman of death which is a pale color. This horse is obviously representing the death of the main character Pakhom. Pakhom became too greedy and unnecessarily needy. When he keeps going on at the end of the story for the land he should have realized he didn’t need that much land to begin with. If you have to walk more than a mile or three to plant or plow crops then you have too much land I personally feel. These are how these four horseman of the apocalypse connect in the story.

Physical Preparedness Of Columbus Police Essay

Describe in one page or less how you would select the Columbus Police patrol officers to be surveyed. The Research Project: Physical Preparedness of Columbus Police Officers in Citizen Encounters Involving Force. Target Panel: Respondents of this research should have the following qualifications: Must be between the age of   21 – 35 Must have 6 or more months field experience as a Patrol officer of Columbus Must be active in the police force Must be a resident of Columbus Must at least have one physical encounter with a citizen Sample Size: 1000 police patrol officers Methodology: This research will employ a qualitative and quantitative research wherein a representative sample of the target audience will be randomly selected to create a target panel. Through qualitative research by using an open-ended questionnaire, spontaneous or not pre-determined responses are solicited through a free willing method. Meanwhile, the answers from the qualitative research will be further dealt with in the quantitative research using a closed-ended questionnaire that will provide figures or raw data. Through these two types of research, the researcher will determine the cause of the lack of preparation of police officers during encounters with civilians. Construct a brief 5-item unstructured, open-ended questionnaire that will determine the patrol officers’ views as to how well they are prepared for physical encounters with citizens where lethal force is not an issue.    Open-ended questionnaire for Focus Group Discussion What are the risks involved in being a police officer in Columbus? If physical encounter with citizens is not cited, ask about the probability of experiencing physical encounters with citizens while on duty. What kind of trainings did you receive before you engaged in police field operations or patrol duty? Were these trainings able to help you prepare for physical encounters with citizens? Why? If not, why? As a police officer, what do you think are the factors that provoke physical encounters with citizens? Enumerate tactics or methods on how to conduct proper management of physical encounters with citizens? Explain each tactic/method. What are the causes of mismanagement of physical encounters with citizens? How should these be prevented? Construct an 8-item structured questionnaire using closed-end questions that involve multiple response choices that addresses the same issue in Question #2. Closed-ended questionnaire for Survey Questions Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree 1. Is your job as a patrol officer worth all the risks?                2. Do you think that force is needed in enforcing the law?                3. Are you willing to employ force when you are threatened by a civilian?                4. Do civilians usually provoke physical encounters with law enforcers?                5. Do you think that the use of force is effective in promoting compliance?                6. Do you think that there is a need to have a good physical and quick-thinking build to better handle physical encounters?                7. Do you think that by having police weapons and gadgets will help you do your job better in enforcing the law?                8. Are you prepared physically, emotionally and psychologically to engage in a physical encounter with a civilian?               

Understand the Economic Concept of a Budget Line

Understand the Economic Concept of a Budget Line The term budget line has several related meanings, including a couple that are self-evident and a third that is not. The Budget Line as an Informal Consumer Understanding   The budget line is an elementary concept that most consumers understand intuitively without a need for graphs and equations its the household budget, for example. Taken informally, the budget line describes the boundary of affordability for a given budget and specific goods. Given a limited amount of money, a consumer can only spend that same amount buying goods. If the consumer has X amount of money and wants to buy two goods A and B, she can only purchase goods totaling X. If the consumer needs an amount of A costing 0.75 X, she can then spend only .25 X, the amount remaining, on her purchase of B.   This seems almost too obvious to bother writing or reading about. As it turns out, however, this same concept one that most consumers make many times each day with reflecting on it is the basis of the more formal budget line concept in economics, which is explained below.   Lines in a Budget Before turning to the economics definition of budget line, consider another concept: the line-item budget. This is effectively a map of future expenditures, with all the constituent expenditures individually noted and quantified. Theres nothing very complicated about this; in this usage, a budget line is one of the lines in the budget, with the service or good to be purchased named and the cost quantified. The Budget Line as an Economics Concept   One of the interesting ways the study of economics relates to human behavior generally is that a lot of economic theory is the formalization of the kind of simple concept outlined above a consumers informal understanding of the amount she has to spend and what that amount will buy. In the process of formalization, the concept can be expressed as a mathematical equation that can be applied generally. A Simple Budget Line Graph To understand this, think of a graph where the vertical lines quantify how many movie tickets you can buy and where the horizontal lines do the same for crime novels. You like going to the movies and reading crime novels and you have $150 to spend. In the example below, assume that each movie costs $10 and each crime novel costs $15. The more formal economics term for these two items is budget set. If movies cost $10 each, then the maximum number of movies you can see with the money available is 15. To note this you make a dot at the number 15 (for total movie tickets) at the extreme left-hand side of the chart. This same dot appears at the extreme left above 0 on the horizontal axis because you have no money left for books the number of books available in this example is 0. You can also graph the other extreme all crime novels and no movies. Since crime novels in the example cost $15 and you have $150 available, if you spend all the available money crime novels, you can buy 10. So you put a dot on the horizontal axis at the number 10. Youll place the dot at the bottom of the vertical axis because in this instance you have $0 available for movie tickets. If you now draw a line from the highest, leftmost dot to the lowest, rightmost dot youll have created a budget line. Any combination of movies and crime novels that falls below the budget line is affordable. Any combination above it is not.

Social Darwinism in American History essays

Social Darwinism in American History essays Social Darwinism in American History Toward the end of the 19th century, the United States entered a period of growth and industrialisation. An abundance of natural recourses, cheap labour supply, and a self-sufficient food supply contributed to the industrialisation of the United States. This time was known as the American Industrial Revolution. Due to the growing prosperity of the United States, the American people, in general, adopted a heavily opportunistic and an excessively materialistic view towards life. Charles Darwin, a British naturalist, developed a theory of evolution through the process of natural selection. His ideas were presented to the public through several manuscripts that he wrote towards the late 19th century. The Origin of the species was one such manuscript, in which Darwin presented his idea that species evolve from more primitive species through the process of natural selection. When Charles Darwins The Origin of Species reached the United States following its publication in 1859, the reading public quickly gave it a popular reception. The Americans had observed the disarray over political issues in the period before and during the Civil War, and had experienced many hardships later during the Reconstruction in the South. They were now ready to listen to theories that allowed them to enjoy their great, recently settled continent and the new industries that sprang up within it. It was during this age of rapid and remarkable change that Darwins theories were pop ularised in the United States. Darwin developed a theory of evolution through natural selection, in which only the fittest would survive. Although Charles Darwin himself did not write about social factors such as human behaviour in society, his theories were open to interpretation. His ideas were moulded and eventually evolved into a theory known as Social Darwinism. Social Darwinists believed that people, like animals, compet...

Course of Study for 1st Grade Math

Course of Study for 1st Grade Math The following list provides you with the basic concepts that should be attained by the end of the school year. Mastery of the concepts at the previous grade is assumed. All 1st grade worksheets. Number Read, print, locate, compare, order, represent, estimate, identify numbers to 100 and mentally add numbers to 10 Count by 2s, 5s and 10s to one hundred, count backwards from any given point from 100Understand number conservation - 6 pennies is represented by a 6 etc. Understand 1/2 and use the term applied to every day situations Recognize coins, add pennies and take away pennies Measurement Use and understand more than, less than, the same as, heavier than, lighter than, taller than etc. Tell time to the half and full hour with both analog and digital clocks Compare objects by several attributes and classify them (red small squares, red large triangles etc.)Understand temperature differences outside and inside, colder weather and hotter weather Measure items with non-standard units of measure (pencil lengths, finger widths etc.) Geometry Describe, identify, create and sort shapes (squares, triangles, circles, rectangles etc.) Describe similarities and differences in 3 dimensional objects (some slide, some roll etc.)Construct pictures using a variety of shapes that can be identified Recognize symmetry in drawings and shapes Move shapes in front of, beside, behind, ahead of etc. Algebra Identify, describe and extend patterns of numbers, shapes, colors or words e.g., **-**-**- or 1,3,5,7 Find patterns in counting charts to 100 [Count by 2s] Be able to talk about pattern rules. 1,3,5 is skip a number etc. Probability Use graphs to record number of pets, hair colour temperature etc. Conduct simple surveys and generate yes, no questions All Grades Pre-K Kdg. Gr. 1 Gr. 2 Gr. 3 Gr. 4 Gr. 5 Gr. 6 Gr. 7 Gr. 8 Gr. 9 Gr. 10 Gr.11 Gr. 12

The Greco-Roman Tradition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Greco-Roman Tradition - Essay Example Every hero also has his own personal characteristics that help to make him the kind of person he is, and these are the aspects of the hero that people around him witness and perceive. Homer’s Odyssey talks about how Odysseus laments the death of Achilles and wishes for humility and trust within humanity rather than the achievements he had wished for at war. Here it has been explained how a hero’s quality has a necessity towards his life and those of others around him; how he must be able to stand away from the general jibes and finally, how the present culture depicts a part of him. Thus, through this tragedy, Greek Myth-o-poetic tradition has been able to help people understand the kind of idealism heroes must contain. Stoicism on the other hand is an aspect of life that involves a person to withdraw from any kind of frivolities and fun; it is helps a person to retain himself from the pursuit of adventure and happiness that life brings about, and in turn, teaches one t o remain calm and composed despite any kind of circumstance that he may be thrust within. This is very opposite of most Greek tragedies and dramas because they help to portray the vision of a hero with the help of his emotions and feelings.

Discussion - Pathology of the Cardiovascular System Essay

Discussion - Pathology of the Cardiovascular System - Essay Example Common symptoms include discomfort, aching, burning, pain, and fatigue in the lower muscles of the feet, thighs or calves. The symptoms at first may appear only during long walking distances, walking uphill or when walking faster. They then become persistent even with little or no exercise involving the legs. The legs become numb when the individual rests and the skin appearance turns pale. The touch of the legs is usually cold. Severe cases of PAD may lead to ulcers that do not heal, impotence, extreme pain when the legs are elevated and improvement when they are dangled, pain in the toes or feet even at the weight of bed sheets. The signs include loss of hair in the affected leg or feet, weak or no pulse in the limbs and a whooshing sound when a stethoscope examines the artery. In extreme cases, the signs are thick toenails, cyanosis, and shrinking of the calf muscles. Individuals’ self-care like balancing exercises and rest, reducing weight, quitting smoking, controlling blood pressure and monitoring blood sugar levels helps treat PAD. Medications like Aspirin or Clopidogrel, Cilostazol and pain relievers are used. In extremes, surgery may be performed with the options of peripheral artery bypass of the leg or angioplasty and stent placement of the

Unit 4 Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unit 4 Individual Project - Essay Example This is because the two primary reasons firms face which obstruct their profit margins are reduced significantly. A large part of the Chinese economy is dependent on international trade. This is why the laws in this particular business function are very carefully designed so as to keep a strict eye on the processes but also but let it harm the economy by discouraging anyone. USA is the biggest international trader in the Chinese economy with an export percentage of 21.0% and 7.9% imports share. A total of $1216 billion exports in 2007 o every type of commodity from machinery and equipment to textiles to iron and steel as raw material, China really makes extremely good use of all its resources. Imports are a little lesser than exports. Measuring at $953.9 billion in 2007, the country imports many of the things it exports too. This is due to the reason for high flow of materials required in the domestic production. Whenever material is needed it sometimes is not available therefore it has to e imported to save time. This is a place where China has outdone every other country and left everyone speechless. With an unemployment rate of only 4% in a huge population and having a labour force of 803.3 million workers in 2007 the country has the unmistakable figures of having put a lot of thought and work in the development into this sector. However, labour abuse is a common practice in China. Many big multinationals have even been caught practicing this unethical act. Laws are there, but they are not fully and properly enforced. This is lagging on part on the government who are still oblivious to the importance of their workforce. The workforce in many areas is so poor that even though they can get a meal for themselves daily, they do so by being exploited by small and medium sized businesses who make them work for as low as one dollar an hour and since they are desperate, they

Websites Response Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Websites Response - Research Paper Example Energy efficient equipment can thus significantly lower the operating costs, and these benefits can be transferred to customers. With operations such as heating, cooling, lighting, and sanitation consuming a lot of power in the food service sector, energy efficient equipment can help achieve the sustainability goal. Sustainable restaurants are those that acquire food in a sustainable manner and use efficient methods to prepare and serve the foods. The methods used should consume the least amount of resources possible. Some of the resources to be saved include water and energy. Such restaurants should work with local communities to promote environmental sustainability. Examples of such include 676 Restaurant and Bar in Chicago, Abeno Okonomi-yaki Restaurant in London and The Akem in Hertfordshire (Thesra.org, 2014). Food service equipment can help promote sustainability by consuming less of key resources- water, heat and electricity. Such equipment can help minimize the volume of resources used in the food service sector, thereby helping to promote the global sustainability agenda. This is particularly important considering that the food service sector is one of the most resource intensive industries worldwide. Therefore, Equipment used in food preparation, cooling, heating, sanitation and ventilation need to be

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Final Exam - Essay Example Most nation states tend to set specific priorities when developing strategies that will be applied nationwide. However, differences seem to exist between independent and non-independent nation states as of the priorities used by each one when developing strategies that will be used in managing national resources and industries. For example, independent nation states tend to emphasize to the development of the country’s industries so that the dependency on foreign suppliers to be decreased’ (Kitching 10). Also, an independent nation state is expected to invest high amounts on the continuous update of its military industries, so that emergent military needs of the state can be covered, if required (Kitching 10). A non-independent nation state is expected to follow a different strategy; the government of such nation state would primarily consider the interests of those who control the nation’s industries, which are usually those who hold the control of the local mar ket (Kitching 10). In certain cases, it is possible for a nation state to be depended not on entrepreneurs or firms but on other states (Kitching 2010). This is the case of a nation state that has a critical value in terms of its national resources or for a nation state that has critical geo-political position, being able to influence the development of the economy of neighboring countries. ... The above view is based on the study of Kitching where the following example is provided: a research has been made as to whether the improvement of the economy of a state is possible simply by emphasizing on agriculture. It has been proved that such target can be achieved, even if agriculture is the only sector available for the support of the economy (Kitching). The above findings have been related to the efforts of a nation state to improve the performance of its economy without having other sectors to employ apart from agriculture. On the other hand, in countries where the independency of a nation state cannot be secured, the use of non-governmental or international organizations seems to be the best solution for addressing emergent nation needs, such as underdevelopment, terrorism and civil wards. The specific view could be based on the example provided through the study of Akinyeye. In the particular study reference is made to the challenges that Nigerian government has to face in regard to underdevelopment. Moreover, the measures taken by the government for controlling the expansion of the above problem have been proved inadequate. A governmental organization, the Regional Economic Commissions (REC), has been established for helping the country to face underdevelopment (Akinyeye 221). The Commission’s branches across the country have been proved particular valuable in confronting underdevelopment (Akinyeye 221). Still, the following problem has appeared: the communication between the Commission’s branches is poor; in this context, a series of processes is duplicated (Akinyeye 221). A non-governmental organization, the Africa Economic Community, with branches across Africa, has been introduced for helping Nigeria and other

The Right to Euthanasia for the Terminally Ill Essay

The Right to Euthanasia for the Terminally Ill - Essay Example This position will be arguable from various points. To begin with, the right to life is one of the universal laws. This means that individuals possess the entitlement to live at all costs. However, this is a fundamental argument that does not address issues further than the same. It is arguable that the previous lives relied on fundamental laws in order to steer their vast lives. This helped compromise on a significant part of their lives. A possible example concerns with the concentration in trade that triggered creating laws on associations and trade. This is because the world was moving from the agricultural age to industrial one. This recognizes the fact that advancement of society requires legislations of new laws in order to accommodate the same (Forman & Scumann, 2008). In these laws, there was the recognition that there was more to life than just the same. This means that quality of life was more vital than survival. Individuals underwent substantial suppression in the event of satisfying the fundamental entitlement of life. Their cases of oppression became invalid to the respective governments as long as they had their life. This means that when quality of life ceases, it becomes rational to seek other ways (White, 2005). In the cases of individuals, who are under substantial pain and chronic illness, they deserve termination of lives. In most cases, individuals consent to their deaths. This refers to the concept of assisted death. In archaic sense, individuals’ rights were based on their relation to the societal sense. This means that society first received its entitlements before the individuals acquired the same. However, society has been known to be an abstract term that does not entail substantial information about the same. This led to the jeopardy of individuals’ life for the sake of society’s heritage (Dyck, 2005). The focus of the new strategy regarded a focus on individuals’ scenarios. This led to the elimination o f the idea that all individuals could hold the same rights. In turn, legal bodies enhanced laws for specific scenarios and individuals. In this case, even legal entities had their laws that could deviate from the main legal requirements of the country or governable units. In turn, individuals may consent to their own termination of life. In this case, one’s personal rights surpassed national laws that could jeopardize one’s own quality of life. It is vital to note that one’s won personal reasons would be valid because they would request for euthanasia. In fair legal scenarios, national laws would be invalid in guiding such scenarios because such individuals would not live with satisfaction. In addition, it is vital to consider the scenario and the rights of family members in case of relatives in case of relatives in indeterminable coma. In such cases, such family members share deep financial and psychological stress (Gorsuch, 2009). The patients do not face any psychological stress since they would be in numb states. The problem of such scenarios concerns the fact that medicine describes life as a simple life of breathing. It is notable that most patients, in indeterminable coma, never rise up to life again. In such situations, relatives bear financial burden that would rive them to debts. Most governments, who enforce the right to life, would not subsidize such fees. In addition, the families face psychological str

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Final Exam - Essay Example Most nation states tend to set specific priorities when developing strategies that will be applied nationwide. However, differences seem to exist between independent and non-independent nation states as of the priorities used by each one when developing strategies that will be used in managing national resources and industries. For example, independent nation states tend to emphasize to the development of the country’s industries so that the dependency on foreign suppliers to be decreased’ (Kitching 10). Also, an independent nation state is expected to invest high amounts on the continuous update of its military industries, so that emergent military needs of the state can be covered, if required (Kitching 10). A non-independent nation state is expected to follow a different strategy; the government of such nation state would primarily consider the interests of those who control the nation’s industries, which are usually those who hold the control of the local mar ket (Kitching 10). In certain cases, it is possible for a nation state to be depended not on entrepreneurs or firms but on other states (Kitching 2010). This is the case of a nation state that has a critical value in terms of its national resources or for a nation state that has critical geo-political position, being able to influence the development of the economy of neighboring countries. ... The above view is based on the study of Kitching where the following example is provided: a research has been made as to whether the improvement of the economy of a state is possible simply by emphasizing on agriculture. It has been proved that such target can be achieved, even if agriculture is the only sector available for the support of the economy (Kitching). The above findings have been related to the efforts of a nation state to improve the performance of its economy without having other sectors to employ apart from agriculture. On the other hand, in countries where the independency of a nation state cannot be secured, the use of non-governmental or international organizations seems to be the best solution for addressing emergent nation needs, such as underdevelopment, terrorism and civil wards. The specific view could be based on the example provided through the study of Akinyeye. In the particular study reference is made to the challenges that Nigerian government has to face in regard to underdevelopment. Moreover, the measures taken by the government for controlling the expansion of the above problem have been proved inadequate. A governmental organization, the Regional Economic Commissions (REC), has been established for helping the country to face underdevelopment (Akinyeye 221). The Commission’s branches across the country have been proved particular valuable in confronting underdevelopment (Akinyeye 221). Still, the following problem has appeared: the communication between the Commission’s branches is poor; in this context, a series of processes is duplicated (Akinyeye 221). A non-governmental organization, the Africa Economic Community, with branches across Africa, has been introduced for helping Nigeria and other

Cultural Artifacts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cultural Artifacts - Essay Example All these and many other aspects altogether represent our culture and its evolution over time. To prove my point I will concentrate on architecture how it is reflective of the culture. It not only represents the present but also has traces of the past. By observing architecture of any society over the years you can observe the evolution of their culture. It shows our values and beliefs. Architecture actually encompasses all three eras, traces of our past, needs of our present and aspirations of our future. Archeology In order to fully understand evolutionary process of architecture we need to develop sound understanding of archeology and dating methods. Crucially understanding of the past depends on the efficiency of the chronological dating methods employed. Indus civilization As we all know Indus civilization is one the oldest civilizations of the world. Some of the things found in excavations dates back to as early as 2800 BCE (McIntosh). A good understanding of their culture was developed through the literature found in some of the writings, pottery and remains of the buildings. The Indus civilization is distinctive in its indigenous development from the cotemporary civilizations. Its architecture does not bear any sign of warfare of that time. They had elaborate drainage system and well planned urban layout. Although scarcity of any building was observed, which could be identified as temple or monument? Architecture and Sculpture History According to historians large wooden houses, palaces and barns were being built in India from around 1700 BC. Although it does not have much creativity and durability was also questionable. (Subcontinent) Some stone architecture and sculpture started in India in 300 BC under the influence of Greeks and Persians. Artifacts are a good source of studying the economic and cultural conditions of any time. It was well reflected in the buildings of that era also. In fact the understanding we have developed about the older civiliz ations and their evolution and growth was achieved by studying the artifacts of those times. Indians moved from traditional wooden architecture to stone architecture and fine masonry work under the influence of foreigners. But the artifacts they produced had the Indian touch and were reflective of their culture. Rock Architecture History of Rock architecture in India dates back to eighth century. There are remains of a temple in Ellora in central Asia. (William J. Duiker) It was named after the holy mountains and it is beautifully carved out of a hill side. Traces of this form of architecture were also found in Africa. It is reflective of the technological advancement of that time because carving a mountain needed a lot of skill and equipment. It is also reflective of the religious beliefs of the time. Most of the religious architecture of that time consisted of Buddhist cave temples and monasteries. The next millennium witnessed impressive sculptures and paintings. Religious archit ecture evolved from caves to monumental structures. They were even decorated with ceilings, door frames, relevant paintings and other accessories which marked the welfare of the civilization. Islamic Architecture When India was conquered by Mughals Indian architecture took a large leap forward. Mughals were found of architecture. Magnificent buildings all over India are a proof of their taste and love for

Dubliners & country Essay Example for Free

Dubliners country Essay Dubliners is a book written by James Joyce and published by Penguin Classics. It has a collection of 15 short stories with wonderful plot, characters, and themes. It talks about interesting tales set in Dublin and various characters which show great love for their country in general. Readers will find themselves more than interested and glued to the leaves of the book. They will feel like they are in a roller coaster ride as the stories unfold before them, shifting from success to failure then back to success again. In her stories, the author shows a hint of his disappointments in some of the people of Dublin and the way they chose to live. The book, as a whole, presents the way of living in Dublin. Reading the stories in this book can make the reader feel that he or she is really in the setting of the story while personally interacting with the characters and sharing their lifes ups and downs with them. The author used words that catch images and achieve a clearer picture through the marvelously written words on the books pages. In addition, the use of the color gold reveals that the author associated this color to his country. It is a country full of dreams and dreamers. In the book, Joyce presented contrasting themes because there are stories about the country that will attract readers to visit the place while there are parts of the book that make readers feel to never step on that place. However, later on readers will find themselves having a deep respect for the country and all the people who live there. The story â€Å"The Dead† is one of the stories of Dubliners that is not only interesting but also gives out ideas about love, marriage and relationship. It is about a failed marriage caused by relationship full of dishonesty and deception. Keeping secrets will really ruin a relationship. However, the author still showed love in the characters even though the relationship was already failing. Joyce wanted to imply that loving someone is possible despite all the problems. Loving means accepting the imperfections and giving unconditional love. Alcoholism also plays a great role in the Dubliners. The short stories entitled Little Cloud, Counterparts, and The Dead show that alcohol is a huge part of the lives of the characters. It is used by the characters to escape from reality and the problems that they have. At the same time, it is also used to enjoy and have merrymaking. The author also used alcohol to reveal the real situation during the time that he was writing the book. In fact, at that time, alcohol and alcohol abuse was really rampant. Alcohol can make or break ones personality which appears obviously on the life of the characters in the Dubliners. The book will let readers feel mixed emotions. There are happy moments but there are also moments of distress and depression. For instance, there were citizens of Dublin who escaped from the country, only to be imprisoned later on. It gives out a hopeless scenario of life during that time and shows a stagnant impression of Dublin. The short story entitled â€Å"Mother† is depressing and less entertaining. Nevertheless, the author wanted to show that the book was not only created for entertainment. It is a book that shows moving story for all ages. Words are really powerful in the book Dubliners. The author uses words that are gentle which later turns out to be full of angst. The emotion of good and bad is also shown. First you will feel the love and later on hate. There are stories which are depressing at first but end with full of hope. Upon reading Dubliners, I find myself fastened on my seat without taking any of my attention away from the stories. I was never disappointed with the way the author narrates the lives of the Dubliners. It is worthy of the time being spent on reading. It is a highly recommendable book to be read by everyone to achieve a sense of patriotism. Works Cited Joyce, James. Dubliners. London: Penguin Classics, 1956.

Characteristics of Pure Competition

Characteristics of Pure Competition 1.0 Introduction Basic microeconomic theory states that firms should seek to maximize profits and that this is achieved where marginal revenue is equal to marginal cost. A number of assumptions underpin this theory, including the assumptions that firms clearly understand the nature of the demand for their products, and why people buy, and that they are willing and able to control production and sales as the model demands. In reality, decision makers do not have perfect knowledge and production and sales are affected by suppliers and distributors. However, this basic theory has resulted in the development of market models and characteristics of these in respect of barriers to entry into the industry, the number of firms in the industry, whether those firms produce a standardized product or try to differentiate their products from those of other firm. At the early 1920s, only two distinct market models are present in the economic studies which are Pure Competition and Pure Monopoly. However, economist found out that most firms operate in markets that fall between the extremes of pure competition and pure monopoly. These firms do not face competition from numerous rival producers all selling a homogeneous product at a single price. Instead, most firms in the real commercial world face varying degrees of competition. In some cases, there are competitions offering more or less identical products; in other instances, firms produce and sell differentiated products. In the latter case, a competitors product is merely an attractive su bstitute. In the real commercial world, there may be numerous competitor, or there may be only a few other sellers in a given market. The need of for a more accurate world for markets of this type of this type led to the development of imperfect market to refer to such markets. Imperfect competition refers to markets lying in between the two extreme forms of markets, pure competition and pure monopoly. In order to bridge the gap of these extreme forms of market structure, two economists, Joan Robinson of Cambridge University of England and Edward Chamberlin of Harvard University in the U.S.A., introduced independently a third market world to explain and illustrate the theory of imperfect competition in the year of 1993. In other words, their model of market organization is what as refer as monopolistic competition. As a result of the variations between the markets present, four distinct market structures are introduced: Pure Competition, Pure Monopoly, Monopolistic competition, and Oligopoly. Pure Competiton Pure Competition is a rarity as such as a theoretical market model. Pure competition involves a very large number of firms producing a standardized, non differentiated product that is exactly identical to that of other firms as perfectly competitive. Pure Competition is a market which firms will only make normal profits, the amount required for them to stay in the industry. In Pure Competition market there are no major barriers to entry into the industry so new firms can enter or exit the industry very easily. If a Pure Competition market reaches a situation which supply exceeds demand then the ruling market price is forced down and only the efficient firms survive. Monopolistic competition Monopolistic competition is characterized by a relatively large number of sellers producing differentiated products such as clothing, furniture and books. However, as there are once more no major barriers to entry the above situation concerning profits applies in terms of long run. Newcomers increase supply and although those firms with distinctive products can charge some premium they will still have to move in line with market prices generally, which made the price takers. This will have a dampening effect on profits the firms gained. Monopoly Pure monopoly is a market structure in which one firm is the sole seller of a product or service. Only a small number or even one large firm is dominant and constitutes the entire industry. Pure monopoly is a real opportunity for supernatural profits, in excess of what is required to stay in business since the entry of additional firms is blocked or the barrier is high to entry. Monopolist produces a unique product that the firms make no effort to differentiate its product. Only in monopoly, excess profits could be made if government did not act as a restraint but under normal circumstances their actions in terms of supply and pricing are monitored and regulated. Oligopoly Oligopoly involves only a small number of large firms of an identical or similar product. This situation resulted in each of the firms tend to be wary of each other as rivals and the prices are held back to some extent for a fear of losing the market share. Firms are interdependent and fear that a price decrease will be met by competitors and price increases will not. There are two types of oligopoly, depending on whether opportunities exist for significant differentiation. In all of these models competition is a major determinant of profit potential and therefore objectives must be set with competitors in mind. The firms that we have chosen for this assignment are Tesco Astro Kaspersky Lab Weng Yeang Hang Malaysia Nescafe Carlsberg Cavenzi Air Asia Coca-cola Indah Water consortium Bhd Maxis Face To Face Petronas Gas GSCinemas Brands Outlet Nike Casio Tenaga National Bhd Logitech Telekom Malaysia Bhd 2.0. Pure Competition Characteristics of Pure Competition There are few characteristic of pure competition. One of the characteristic is large number of small sellers in this market. Therefore, the action of any single seller does not have a significant effect on other sellers in the market. Also, it is assumed that many buyers and resources (particularly capital) can easily be transferred into and out of the industry. Secondly, there is no product differentiation in pure competition concept. All firm sell identical products. In other words, all products are completely standardized product in this concept. There are numerous firms in pure competition; each one is so small a part of the market that it cannot alter the market price by selling a little more or little less of its own output. Thirdly, pure competition has been used to refer to markets in which firms are price takers historically. Any firm in a market will be price takers accordance to four conditions; 1. All of firm in the market are producing an identical produce; 2. There a la rge number of firms exist in the market; 3. Each firm supplies only a very small portion of the total amount supplied to the market; 4. No barriers limit in the entry or exit in the market. Weng Yeang Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd Products Weng Yeang Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd supplies agricultural goods and food products. Justification After I studied market model of pure competition, I have realized pure competition is relatively rare in the real world market; this market model is highly relevant. I founded that Weng Yeong Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd has the characteristic of the closest firm to a pure competition market structure. One of the factors Wenf Yeong Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd belonged to Pure Competition market is that there is a very large number of independently acting sellers who also sells agricultural goods and food product, often proposing their products in international markets. The product supplied by this firm is standardized or identical. If the price is the same, consumers will be unconcerned about which seller to buy the product from. Besides that, new firms can freely entry and existing firms can freely leave purely competitive industries. Lastly, this firm may is a price taker due to this firm exerts no major control over product price. Each firm produces such a minor portion of total output that gr owing or diminishing its output will not clearly influence total supply or, therefore, produce price. 3.0 Monopolistic Competition Characteristics of Monopolistic Competition One of the characteristic of Monopolistic Competition is that there are many numbers of firms in the industry producing and selling a slightly but yet differentiated product in terms of brand, quality, location, services and other factors. Firms which operate under Monopolistic Competition normally have no control over the price of the product. In a Monopolistic Competition market, the barriers to entry to industry are easy and non price competition with advertising, brand names, trademarks etc to boost their respective ruling over a certain market. Many producers in Monopolistic Competition sell products that areÂÂ  differentiatedÂÂ  from one another as goods but they are not perfectÂÂ  substitutes for that certain product which is similar to it.ÂÂ   Kaspersky Lab Products Kaspersky Labs products for home and home office are specifically designed software to provide hassle-free and quality protection against viruses, worms and other malicious programs, as well as hacker attacks, spam and spyware Justification Kaspersky Lab is considered as a firm operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are many firms providing different types of antivirus software in Malaysia. From a roughly estimated report on the internet regarding the numbers of antivirus software present in the current market, there are 10 to 15 antivirus software firms which are selling antivirus software. Even though each of these products shared the same purpose of defending against malwares, but there is still an element of differentiation in each of the products itself. Kaspersky Lab is selling many differentiated products which is claimed to be substitutable products but not perfectly substitutable with antivirus firm by other competitors. For example, customers will choose different brand of antivirus as they please. The antivirus industry is easy to entry and exit because the antivirus software that are easy to be replaced by another substitutes and the cost production are lesser compare to the products produced in the monopoly and oligopoly market structures. Nescafe Products Nescafe produces a combination of freeze-dried coffee granules, coffee bean and instant coffee all in one powder. Justification Nescafe is considered as a firm operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are many brand of firms is selling instant coffee powder in Malaysia like Power Root and Ah Huat White Coffee. Nescafe is selling a varieties of differentiated products which is claimed to be substitutable products but not perfectly substitutable with coffee drink by other competitors. For examples, there are many brands of instant coffee powder with different packaging, ingredient of the product and price. There are independent action means with numerous of coffee firms in an industry, and each firm can determine its own pricing policy without considering the possible reactions of rival firms. Nescafe are no personal selling because the product is of low unit value and do not have they own chain of retail stores. Cavenzi Products Cavenzi is a company to sell low price and many type of furniture Justification Cavenzi is considered operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are many brand of firm also selling furniture in Malaysia. Cavenzi is selling many differentiated products which is claimed to be substitutable products but not perfectly substitutable with furniture by other competitors. For examples, it had many brand of furniture just different package, design, ingredient of product and price. There are Independent action means with numerous of furniture firm in an industry, and each firm can determine its own pricing policy without considering the possible reactions of rival firms. Coca-cola Company Products Coca-Cola produces a variety of soft drinks and refreshment beverages. Justification Coca-cola Company is considered operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are large numbers of soft drink dealer in Asia. Based on the current Asia market, it is roughly estimated that there are 10 or more firms are selling soft drinks. Coca-cola is selling many differentiate products which is claimed to be respond to customer requirements. However, among all the soft drink, each of them may have some differentiated attributes to their product. For example, the soft drinks are differentiated by different packaging or creativity advertising. There are some but within rather narrow limits due to the changes of price are no cause big effects to their consumer. Moreover, the condition of entry the market those are relatively easy because the cost of production quit lower and that can product many at same time. Coca-Cola Company considerable emphasis on advertising, brand names trademarks as the creative advertising released by Coca-Cola Company profound att ention to the public. Compare with another soft drink their different of taste and ingredient to making price competition in the market. Face To Face Products Face To Face provided noodle as its main product and there also got sell drinks, fried rice and snacks as like restaurant. Justification Face To Face is considered operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are large numbers of restaurant selling in Asia. Fact To Face is selling differentiated products to be perfectly substitutable with restaurants sold by other competitors. For example, if restaurant are full slot and customer has choice go to Face To Face and older food as their like. However, among all the restaurants, each of them may have some differentiated attributes to their product. For example, restaurants have different packaging or some has delivery services. There is some but within rather narrow limits due to the changes of price are no cause big effects to their consumer. Moreover, the condition of entry the market those are relatively easy because the cost of production quit lower and that can product many at same time. Face To Face have its own pricing policy and it considerable emphasis on advertising, brand names trademarks as they are promote many economic food to attr act their product from public. It will consider price competition with other restaurant. Brands Outlet Products Brands Outlet is one of a brand under Padini Holdings Bhd. They offer a variety of brands, styles and items for men, women and children. Another feature of Brands Outlet is that the store layout is designed to make the shopping experience easy and fun. Justification Brands outlet considered as market model of monopolistic competition because there have many other band tee in the market we know, so it consider as relatively large number of sellers. Each of band tee firm own market shares that have a comparatively small percentage of the total market and consequently has limited control over market price. They are no collusion to each firm due to restrict output and set prices are unlikely. Besides that, they always do promotion like graphic tee RM50/ 3 pieces due to product differentiation to do some control over price. The consumers will pay for it to satisfy their preferences. Nike Products Nike is known by every teenager or sporty guy. We mostly recognize this brand though to the sport shoes. They also developed some accessories for sport and tee. Justification Nike considered as a market model of monopolistic competition due to few factors. The first factor is that the Nike shoes industry (Nikes product mainly on sport shoes) has many competitors like Adidas and Puma which is selling similar products. Nike has its own unique design, quality of work to create a sense of differentiation in their products in order to gain the upper hand in the industry. Nike retailing store often compete mainly on the basis of location. Locations which are close to consumers like a busy street or mall. In additionally, they may advertise their produces that differs from rivals product with famous football players. Casio Products Casio produces projector, cash registers, label printer and other product that benefit to businessman. Justification Casio considered as market model of monopolistic competition because either one of product that them selling has a lot of competitors. Like categorises of watches, the rival present are Rolex, Citizen, Seiko and Skagen. Casio has small market shares in each of firm has a comparatively small percentage of the total market and consequently has limited control over market. They have its own independent action each other, with numerous firms in an industry, there is no feeling of interdependence among them. Each of they can determine its own pricing policy without considering the possible reactions of rival firms. Logitech Products Logitech provide computer peripherals that are essential to our laptop and desktop such as mouse, keyboard, speaker and microphone. Justification Logitech considered as market model of monopolistic competition because them have relatively large of number of sellers in the market. There is no collusion between Logitech to other computer peripherals firm. The presence of relatively large number of firms to restrict output and set prices us unlikely. Logitech is selling a bunch of differentiated products to be perfectly substitutable with other computer peripherals sold by other competitors. For example, if one of Logitechs mice sold out, the consumers also can choice other Logitechs mice provided in the shop. However, among all the computer peripherals, each of them may have some differentiated attributes to their product. Different packaging and performance are to be expected on other computer peripherals. There is some but within rather narrow limits due to the changes of price are no cause big effects to their consumer. Moreover, the condition of entry the market those are relatively easy because the cost of production quit l ower and that can product many at same time. Logitechs computer peripherals considerable emphasis on advertising, brand names trademarks as they are promote many computer peripherals to attract their product from public. 4.0 Pure Monopoly Characteristic of Monopoly Monopoly has extensive market control. It controls the selling side of the market. They must pay the monopoly firm if anyone wants to get the production sold by the monopoly firm. This means that the demand curve facing the monopoly is the market demand curve, they are one and the same. There is only one firm but not a lot of small firms in a monopolized industry because there are no close substitutes in the market. A monopoly often owes its monopoly status to the fact that other potential producers are prevented from entering the market. No freedom of entry here. Neither is there perfect information. A monopoly firm often has specialized information, such as patents or copyright which are not available to other potential producers. The most important aspect of being a single seller is that the monopoly seller is the market. The market demand for a good is the demand for the output produced by the monopoly. This makes monopoly a price maker, rather than a price taker. And of course, a Monopoly market structure must have a unique product with no close substitutes to be the only seller of a product. Hence, seller has full control over the market price, and also there is no need to advertise for his goods. ASTRO Products The Malaysian direct broadcast satellite (DBS) Paid TV service. It transmits digital satellite television, movie and radio to Malaysia Bruneis households. The name Astro is an acronym for All-Asian Satellite Television and Radio Operator. Since 2008, a video streaming service to mobile phone users throughout the country (Astro Mobile TV) has been offering by ASTRO and subsequently Astro B.yond Mobile. Justification ASTRO is considered as operating in the pure monopoly market structure because there are only one number of firm which provide broadcast satellite Pay TV service in Malaysia. They control the market for pay TV equipment and accessories. ASTRO has sole control over price. Besides, ASTRO is selling unique products which is claimed to be non substitutable by other firms products. For example: No other firms give services like ASTRO did, so if costumers want to get the services from ASTRO, they just have to pay them. For ASTRO subscribers, it is nothing but pay, pay and pay for everything from the day of installation and even when they decide for early termination. Late payment charges, reinstallation charges and servicing charges add on. TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) Products TENAGE NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB), the sole provider for electricity in Malaysia. TNB has a monopoly over the transmission and distribution of electricity in Peninsular Malaysia. TNB is responsible for electricity generation, transmission and distribution and retail supply in Peninsula Malaysia. Justification TENAGE NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) is as considered as operating in the pure monopoly market structure because it is the only provider of electricity in Malaysia. TNB has a monopoly over the transmission and distribution of electricity in Peninsular Malaysia and it has sole control over the price. Besides, TNB is selling unique products electricity generation, transmission and distribution and retail supply in Peninsula Malaysia which is claimed to be non-substitutable by other firms products. For example: TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) is the only firm which provides transmission and distribution of electricity in Peninsular Malaysia. To get the transmission and distribution of electricity from TNB, all the Malaysian must pay TNB for the respective electricity supply. Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) Products The largest telecommunications provider in Malaysia which offers a comprehensive range of communication services and solutions in broadband, data and fixed-line. Justification Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is as considered operating in the pure monopoly market structure because according to UK definition of monopoly, it says that any company holds more than 25% of the market share is consider as monopoly and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is the largest telecommunications provider in Malaysia which holds more than 25% of the market. Telekom has set up the fibre optic backbone in the westerm Malaysia, this allowed Telekom Malaysia to set a slighty hight than the normal price, along with the governments consent, this made Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) a price maker instead than a price taker. Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd Products Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, a national sewerage company, owned by Minister of Finance Incorporated, is responsible for providing sewerage services, operating and maintaining over 5,750 public sewage treatment plants and 13,000km networks of sewerage pipelines. Justification Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd is as considered operating in the pure monopoly market structure because it is the only supplier of sewerage services, operating and maintaining on sewage treatment plants and pipelines in Malaysia. Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd has a monopoly over the sewerage services, operating and maintaining on sewage treatment plants and pipelines in Malaysia and it has sole control over the price. Besides, Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd is selling unique services which is claimed to be non substitutable. For example: Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd provides sewerage service like no other firm did, so if costumers want to get the services from Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, they must pay them. PETRONAS Gas Bhd Products Petronas Gas Bhd supplied petroleum, natural gas, liquidated petroleum gas and other types of fossil fuels to automobiles and household. Justification PETRONAS Gas Bhd is considered as operating in the pure monopoly market structure because there is only one price in market which control by government. Government control the price of the product for there is no close substitute. Government attempted to set the price into the same, so that the price would not has large difference. By this, Government regulates in the public interest. For example: when the price of the petrol are same everywhere in Malaysia, consolidation of smaller companies into bigger ones enabled some very large corporations to escape market discipline by fixing prices or undercutting competitors. 5.0 Oligopoly Characteristics of Oligopoly An oligopoly are maximizes profits by producing where the marginal revenue equals to marginal costs and oligopolies are price setters rather than price takers. The barriers to entry are high but there only so few firms that actions of one firm can influence the actions of the other firms. They can retain long run abnormal profits and their product may be homogeneous or differentiated. They also have perfect knowledge of their own cost and demand functions but their inter-firm information may be incomplete but buyer have only imperfect knowledge as to price, cost and product quality only. The distinctive feature of an oligopoly is interdependence, typically composed of a few large firms. Each firm is so large that its actions affect market conditions therefore the competing firms will be aware of a firms market actions and will respond appropriately. Tesco Products Tesco is a supermarket, it offering a wide variety of food and household products such as meats, vegetables, soft drink, television, air conditioner and etc. Justification Tesco is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because Malaysia has many other supermarkets such as Jusco, Giant and Carrefour so they always have price war between each other and we as a consumer will get more benefit about this. Let say if Tescos soft drinks price drops then another supermarket soft drinks will also drop because they are interdependent. Tescos price strategy is more focus on Tescos Low Price Guarantee and Every Day Low Price strategy so Tesco is performing long run abnormal profit. Carlsberg lager beer Products Carlsberg lager beer is the flagship in the Carlsberg Groups portfolio of beers. It contains 5% alcohol by volume (ABV). Justification Carlsberg beer is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because Malaysia has many other beers such as Tiger beer, Heineken beer and etc. They have price war between each other like price of the Carlsberg beer drop then Tiger beer will use some reward to retain their sales. Taste of the beers have some different, it mean differentiated and many beers pop out from the market but they cant survive in this market because of the start-up cost are high. Carlsberg has put forward a new marketing strategy for Carlsberg Sport, the energy drink so they already created a new field of the market and this is a long term strategy. Air Asia Products Air Asia is Asia largest low-fare, no frills airline and pioneer of low-cost travel in Asia. AirAsia group operates scheduled domestic and international flights to over 400 destination spanning 25 countries. Justification Air Asia is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because our country has other air travels such as Malaysia Airlines and Firefly. They are provide the same services for customer but they all still have some different. Let say AirAsia offers free seating but the Malaysia Airlines offers assigned seats and the price between each of them also different. This is the product differentiation of both products. The strategy of AirAsia playing is safety, low fare, good services and simplicity so their market can be strong in the economy market of the air travel. Maxis Products Maxis provide a variety of mobile communication products and services. They offer prepaid call plans, monthly subscription plans, international roaming, MMS and WAP. Justification Maxis is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because here have other communication company like digi, celcom, and Umobile. Maxis and digi provide the postpaid service to customers but the price of both are different like maxis is RM28 free 200min voice call and 100 SMS, digi is RM43 free 200min and 200 SMS. They can set the price as low as possible but still have minimum profit to earn so they are retain long run. Strategy of Maxis playing are good network coverage around Malaysia, good deal and special offers for different age groups and also target group and always the first to introduce new mobile plans that why Maxis stand at the first of the telecommunication market. Golden Screen Cinema (GSC) Products GSC is a cinema in Malaysia which is operates Malaysias first-ever boutique cinema with only Gold Class and Premiere Class Halls in The Gardens Mall, KL. Justification GSC is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because Malaysia has many other cinemas like MBO, TGV and BigCinema. Most of the services provided by them are the same but the feeling give to the customers are different like some people feel that GSC more comfortable than other cinema. They still set the price at RM11 per ticket on the weekdays and weekends even though some cinema was increases the price of the but GSC still maintain the price of the ticket which meant GSC are playing long run profit. GSC offers Special Wednesday Rates, selling ticket for only RM6. Children and senior citizens are offered at a price of RM5 per ticket while student will be charged at RM7 before night on the weekdays by flashing their student cards so now Malaysia already have 23 GSC cinema including East Malaysia. 6.0 Conclusion To conclude this assignment it is useful to emphasize the market structure that each firm is operating, in establishing the main strategies and direction in which each firm should take to maximize its profit or to reduce loss as lower as possible. By using the characteristics of each of the four market models, we are able to sort out the market structure of each firm and figure out the advantages and disadvantages of each of the market model. The table below has shows the major characteristics of each market structures. With the help of the table above and the studies done on each firm mentioned in this assignment, we may sort out the firms that weve selected into their respective market model in terms of activities, products and strategies. The table below shows the firms sorted to their respective market model according to their characteristics.

Outcry Against Conformity in Whos afraid of Virginia Woolf? Essay

Outcry Against Conformity in Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?    Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? may be viewed as a criticism of American society in the 1960s. Edward Albee saw 'the responsibility of the writer...to be a sort of demonic social critic': thus the play became a reaction against the illusionary plays of its time. Two lines from the play are directly lifted from the works which Albee is mocking: 'Flores para los muertos' is from A Streetcar named Desire and Martha's speech - 'Awww, tis the refuge we take...' - is from a play by Eugene O'Neill. Both of these playwrights sanction illusion in the face of reality; Virginia Woolf is said to be an elaborate metaphor for the 'willing substitution of fantasy for reality, the destructive and dangerous infantilising of the imagination and the moral being by fear.' Albee saw society as too willing to conform and adjust itself morally in order to benefit and succeed. George's attempts to escape from such a society result in his hiding in history and thus him and Nick are no better than each other. George has to resist the totalitarian - 'defend Berlin' - in Nick but his attempts to defend Western civilisation 'against its sex- and success-orientated assailants...are too closely centred on his scrotum.'   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The setting - New Carthage - of the alcohol-sodden gathering is significant in itself. The original Carthage was founded in the ninth century BC and it was razed to the ground in 146AD, when it collapsed under the weight of its own power. It is thus being likened to the America of the 1960s where, again, money and power provided the principal axels for behaviour and superseded the values of culture. As Ni... ...tack on society. By referring to well known contemporary texts, Albee mocks the attitudes that their works sanction. The characters are created as before and after pictures of the results of relationships based in delusion, with clear links to moments in history acting as sounding boards for each others thoughts. Their intoxicated states allow, for the first time in a long while, for their true feelings and motives to be revealed, and for all the secrets and lies that have formed the keystones to their marriages to be removed finally allowing a true test of their strength. Unsurprisingly, what is left very quickly collapses: a warning to others and a wake-up-call to society. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an outcry against the thoughtlessness and conforming nature of Western culture and an attack on those who not only live, but sanction, such a lifestyle.   

David Ortan Plc Case Study Essay

1.1.David Orton Plc: A brief overview of merger of Orton group and Costwise David Orton Plc was a result of merger when Orton group, distinguish British Food Retailer Company, acquired Costwise Company in 2005. British CC (competition commission) had reservations at this mighty onset of merger as companies were independently huge retailers already and their reservation was somewhat genuine. The outcome of merger could obviously be a huge monopolize and was evidently aimed at controlling the large market share. The fear laid in commission’s stance that the result of merger will ultimately monopolize certain areas of the region. Nevertheless, it took substantial time to achieve this target as costwise had recognised since very beginning that two companies differ in structure and size therefore it will take quite a while to feel the impact physically. The impression of this merger let staff members of both companies to feel uncertain and uncomfortable, especially of costwise organisation and they feared that each company will be swallowed by the other. Motivational problems related with finance were of major importance to employees of both companies and here too, employees of costwise tended to complain more. The senior management and executive members of costwise company sought to gather and discuss at large weaknesses and strengths of the organisation on realizing that employees’ attitude and perception toward merger could have substantial impact on company’s performance. This meeting cleared company and its employees’ view of the desired merger and future of company was discussed by management personnel (Huczynski, A. & Buchanan, D., 2007). 1.2.Motivational state of employees The staff at costwise was more inadequately motivated towards the merger for the most part as capacity is intricately linked with the question of motivation. Some of the employees’ concerns were included salaries issues, intangible rewards, apprehensions, secondary benefits and recognition etc which were being abandoned by the higher management. Employees were also of the view that costwise company didn’t give them a chance to flourish and  grow. They weren’t given deserving opportunities including measures and promotion which otherwise would help them to grow tithing the framework of the organisation. Conversely, management thought that employee’s reduced performance has affected the overall performance of the organisation as a whole. The organisation gave much quality of supervision, interpersonal relations, and efficient administration of regulation and policies of the company. Recognition for outstanding performances, advancement to upper level of tasks and some other general interests of employees were kept low on the other hand. Employees were bound to grow at slow pace as limited or no training programs were carried out by company’s management thus affecting the overall performance of the employees (Mullins, L., 2007). There were, nevertheless some factors which were being appreciated by the employees and which had a direct, progressive affect on employees motivation level. Those factors include sense of interaction, loyalty and trust and chemistry between employees and management which led each party to realise organisational problems occurring within the organisation. The sense of interaction and utmost respect of work were responsible to increase employees’ moral and a practice of trust and loyalty among them could be seen through observation (Kelley, H.H., 1999) 1.3.Attitudes and Perception of the employees In any such situation, there are probable situations where attitudes and perceptions of the associated employees change drastically. One of the obvious attitudes that could be expected from employees is their felling of low self worth. This feeling is probable and any person associated with a company which is going to merge up with another company of twice its size can have it. This circumstance, however, could result in employees’ reduced level of efforts and sometimes deliberately withholding efforts. Poor performance and uncertainty can be suspected in this case which organisations are required to reduce or get ready for the aftermath. Employees’ withdrawal of their commitment to work can seriously damage the stability and competitive advantage it earned during the time therefore managers have to take the responsibility and devise action plan to waive off such situations (Myers, D., 2005) The employees are supposed to have alarming beliefs and questionable attitudes toward the merger and if those attitudes do not get properly managed, it will badly affect the company’s performance. The most questionable attitude in this case could be employee’s perception toward management decisions as it could a sense of uncertainty within them. They become more sensitive to their future as any uncertain thought about company’s decisions and actions could let them thin that their job is at stake. Thus staff turnover is quite probable as no employee could thrive in uncertain work environments. Differences in opinions, either professional or technical could also result in employees’ frustration and developing angry attitude resulted by genuine work complaints (Nelson, D. & Quick, J., 2006) 1.4.Resultant effects Resultant effects which such attitudes can have may include employees’ self-centeredness, their insensitivity to other people, their constant attention and affirmation seeking behaviour which could confront to abrupt in some cases. Lack of cooperation, failure to follow regulations and rules at work and absenteeism could be some results and forms of attitudes which costwise company can expect from its employees. It will be of utmost responsibility of new management to reassure the employees of costwise that they are fundamental assets of the organisation and they have to adequately motivate the employees in best possible manner. It is quite obvious that employees will act in circumstances which dictate their perception of situations. In this scenario, motivation will dictate their perception of jobs. It is also probable that employees of any company compare themselves and their positions with their counterparts and feel a sense of inferiority. Supervisory perception could also be expected for example costwise managers will feel uncomfortable to work under supervision of Orton’s management if any such scenario happens. This will only increase the problem for the costwise organisation and it will also account for bad perception of merger in vicinity of strong factors arousing uncertainty among costwise employees (Buchanan, D. & Huczynski, A., 2004) Self-perceived insufficiencies in comparison to former Ortan organisation are resultant from reasons of differences in development and capacity and the suspicion that ultimately  results in lack of equity. Competition of resources is another perception that has strong effect on employees’ attitudes of both companies as it will cause discrimination since Ortan employees are in better positions than costwise’ thus they are more likely to obtain benefits and resources such as salary increments and training programs . In this case, employees of costwise will obviously feel inadequately compensated and benefited even before the merger. This threat, either real or illusionary, is suppose to cause deep-rooted problems as all such scenarios are directly related with human psychology (Daus, 1997). 1.5.Main issues faced by senior managers Complex work environments and due to some other demographic and technological changes and innovations, senior managers have now augmented responsibility of supervising staff and employees of any organisation. Obviously the most important task is to increase the employees’ performance thus increasing overall performance of the organisation. In a case where employee’s attitudes toward work have been exacerbated by above mentioned factors and attributes, senior managers have to work hard in order to obtain their objective. They need to get employees back to work with full enthusiasm which will help them in scoring tasks and meeting deadlines. There are those employees who want to be supervised, some of them feel certain insecurities, and some feel company’s decisions as threatening their future. Managers are therefore needed to address such issues within the organisation and propose sustainable solutions (Kanigel, R., 1997) Employees’ unethical behaviour is another serious issue which requires mangers to taken care of. Some employees, who are satisfied by the policies and decisions of the organisation, tend to ignore rules and regulations set by the management. They compromise on the delivery and quality of work thus affecting organisation and its outer world relationships. The challenge of such employees’ commitment and motivation is one difficult task which managers at both organisations have to carry out. This can, however, be solved by taking simple steps which first include assessment of the behaviours and attitudes of such employees and of those factors which are responsible for such behaviours and attitudes. For example, a clear observation of the case study  suggests that employees at both organisations weren’t happy for their salary compensations. They in fact found it unsatisfactory that some employees of some departments are getting higher wages whereas some other deserving staff members have not been compensated by the organisation adequately. They had another concern that organisations failed to address their social, emotional, psychological and esteem concerns. Obviously mangers do have the responsibility to take care of such issues if organisations want to increase the motivation of employees (Kinicki, A. & Kreitner, R., 2006) Culture, gender, sexual orientation and religion etc. are dominated by the diverse workforce by whom both organisations operate. This diverse workforce thus engenders complexities and challenges for the management as minds of employees are naturally discriminated. These employees do have strong impact on other staff members thus senior managers are more likely to deal with challenging circumstances. Rewards, appreciation, recognition and especially balancing and equal treatment are such tools which can be highly useful in fighting similar challenges. Employees’ interaction has to be monitored by the management and with advancement of telecommunication; the challenge has become strong and important. They have to devise solutions that effectively control this challenging situation since employee privacy has already been restricted in several sectors (Gentile, M. C., 1996). 2.Critical analysis of the study Effective management of organisational behaviour is somewhat critical and requires the management to effectively examine the sources of motivation, group influence and job design among other things. It needs to define behaviour modification procedures which will help the learner to realise and appreciate the direct connection between organisational behaviour and possible consequences of it. Positive reinforcement is an effective tool which includes administrating sentencing on bad or negative behaviour and rewarding good or positive behaviour. The X and Y theories of Douglas McGregor play vital role in effective management of behaviours. Theory X involves the style of rather authoritarian management which recommends that coercion with help of application of threats upon individual is effective as an average individual detests work. The theory also argues about achievement  of organisational objectives through letting individuals concerned about it as an average individual doesnâ₠¬â„¢t like to have responsibility and rather prefer to be secure at all cost. Participative management theory or Theory Y stipulates that individuals are mainly self-directed thus they will have to take the responsibility. According to Douglas McGregor, The capacity to employ creative thinking and imagination is widely spread throughout individuals thus capacity and intelligence is partly utilised by the industry. Ability to possess responsibility and self-direction drives individuals to obtain organisational objectives (Robinson, G., and K. Dechant, 1997) The above discussed theory can be utilised in developing reward schemes and policies for staff members by rewarding those employees with benefits who perform well and grueling those who show bad behaviour and retain poor performances. By implementing this model, employees at David Orton Plc will be more obliged to work hard and return considerable benefits for the organisation in their quest to rewards, promotions, incentives and other forms of recognitions. Another effective methodology in this regard could be the Content theory which deals mainly n the area of individuals’ requirements and demands. These requirements can be broken down further into their primary requirements such as food, clothing, shelter etc. and their secondary requirements such as desire of power, achievement among colleagues, approval and love etc. It is however critical to locate the influence over behaviour by these requirements. The influence by primary needs is easy to understand and identify but influence by secondary requirements on behaviour varies by certain factors and is difficult o understand. The hierarchy of needs theory by Abraham Maslow tends to explain the requirements which could possibly affect the attitudes and behaviours of individuals working under the organisational framework (Larbi, G., 2006) Self-actualisation is needed to get managed against above mentioned background by investing in an effective, creative and challenging work place environment. Promotions, independence, flexibility and providence of bigger responsibilities are among some factors which can be employed to boost esteem if managed well. Lower level requirements including social, psychological and security requirements can be efficaciously managed by procuring safe working conditions, friendly work atmosphere and reasonable  and suitable work hours. Therefore the theory of Maslow or theory of hierarchy of needs can be applied to the case of merger, David Orton Plc which observes dissatisfaction among its employees over inadequate pay structure, lack of recognition and other social, emotional and psychological wants. This theory can be effectively applied by management by sufficiently increasing employees allowances, rewards, salaries and give them an overall well being in their areas of complaints (Larbi, G., 2006) 3.Conclusion Concluding, organisational behaviour seems to resolve around people’s perception, their power to act feel under organised settings. The organisational complexities occurring within the framework of an organisation need associated management and senior executives to evaluate key behavioral factors which dominate the system. They have to examine the reasons behind such factors and once they succeeded in identification, they got to develop sustainable strategies and plans to tackle organisational behaviour problems. Any solution aiming at increased performance by the employee will result in increased performance of the organisation. For this, management needs to realize employees that their talents are being recognized and to compensate them with adequate resources, pays and secondary benefits so that they could overcome the sense of terrifying uncertainty and work hard for the goodness of their own and the organisation. Ensuring sufficient motivation among employees is one thing but managing this motivation all along is another yet a difficult challenge for the organisation. Strategies aimed at actively fostering the development and growth of the employees will only make sure that their capacity and motivation is developed. An organisation flourishes when management succeeds in developing and establishing a strategy which ensures employees that their received salary is linked with their performance and that their expectations towards their compensation against work done will be adequately rewarded. If employees lost interest in work and what they do at the organisation, nothing could prevent organisation from failure and economic devastation therefore enriching jobs will help greatly in developing employees’ interest in their jobs they will feel enchanted to have something more than a job  which rewards them with a paycheck and it surly is a great thing. To instill such strategies into organisational framework, organisations are needed to assess behaviours and issues related with employees and propose better solutions for them. References Buchanan, D. & Huczynski, A. (2004) Organisational Behaviour: An Introductory Text, 5th ed., Harlow: FT/Prentice Hall Daus (1997). Challenges of leading a diverse workforce. Academy of Management Executive, 11, 32–47. Gentile, M. C. (1996). Managerial excellence through diversity, Chicago, IL: Irwin; and Joplin, J. R. W., and C. S. Huczynski, A. & Buchanan, D. (2007) Organisational Behaviour: An Introductory Text, 6th ed., Harlow: FT/Prentice Hall Kanigel, R. (1997). The one best way: Frederick Winslow Taylor and the enigma of efficiency. New York: Viking. Kelley, H.H. (1999) â€Å"Attribution in Social Interaction.† In Attribution: Perceiving the Causes of Behavior. E.E. Jones, et al. Morristown, MJ: General Learning Press. Kinicki, A. & Kreitner, R. (2006) Organizational Behavior: key concepts, skills, & best practices. 2nd ed. McGraw Hill Larbi, G. (2006). â€Å"Applying the new public management in developing countries,† in Y. Bangura and G. Larbi. Public sector reform in developing countries: capacity challenges to improve services. Basingstroke, Palgrave. Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organizational Behaviour. 8th ed. FT/Prentice Hall Myers, D. (2005) Social Psychology. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill Nelson, D. & Quick, J. (2006) Organizational Behavior: Foundations, Realities & Challenges. 5th ed. Thomson South-Western Robinson, G., and K. Dechant (1997). Building a business case for diversity. Academy of Management Executive, 11, 21–31.

Case Analysis: Staffing Wal-Mart Stores Essay

Wal-Mart has been ranked in the Fortune’s list of the top 100 companies to work for in the United States (Mark, 2003). Wal-Mart had increased their workforce from 1996 to 2001 by almost 50 percent, of which the percentage of women decreased from 67 percent to 64 percent during this time. Wal- Mart had used a hierarchical human resources (HR) structure that consisted of several levels of management, divisions, and regions. â€Å"In 2001, management employees earned about $50,000 on average while hourly employees earned $18,000† (Mark, 2003). Wal-Mart’s â€Å"Division One† had over 2,600 stores which were organized in five or six divisions, with five or six regions within their given area, and 80 to 85 stores within each region (Mark, 2003). Policies were set on a computer-based information system that employees could access at any time, along with watching videos on the company’s history, and reading the associate handbook. Promotions were given based on performance evaluations and requirements. Certain allegations were made that Wal-Mart was more male oriented in higher-level positions, and overall hiring more men than women. Wal-Mart created a goal to make the percentage of women employees 50 percent of the workforce. A problem exists in that Wal-Mart has fought off any organizing attempts of unions by their employees, which limits employees’ influence on policies and company process’s. This problem filters down to the hiring and promotional process that occurs within the company. As stated in the case study, â€Å"†¦from date of hire until first being promoted to an assistant manager was 4.38 years for women and 2.86 years for men. For store managers, the times were 10.12 years and 8.64 years respectively† (Mark, 2003). From the numbers, men were promoted faster than women, but Wal-Mart states that promotions were given based on performance evaluations. Furthermore, it was stated store managers filled positions with lateral moves and waiving minimum requirements as a way of bypassing the process (Mark, 2003). Wal-Mart published documents to reflect how committed they are to fair practices. On the flip side, the public can now scrutinize Wal-Mart by using their public reports against them. A public article stated, â€Å"women associates had stated that Wal-Mart supervisors told them that men were paid more because they had families† (Mark, 2003). Included in the same article was a Wal-Mart official that admitted to writing that customers should feel as if they can trust Wal-Mart employees â€Å"with their wife and their wallet† (Mark, 2003). Additional information would have to be offered pertaining to the required practices and process’s Wal-Mart has in place for the hiring of employees and promoting employees from within the company. Does Wal-Mart have a policy where an entry-level employee can be hired, and managers and supervisors are promoted from within the company? Surveys and reports taken from current employees for their thoughts on the numbers of men to women in various positions will help with determining where and how severe the problem is. Why is Wal-Mart continuously voted one of the best company’s to work for if there was a serious problem internally? Possible solutions to the problem can range from having more People Division (HR) employees to oversee a smaller number of stores, to filtering public reports that may potentially create a negative perception of the company. Implementing more People Division employees within each region will allow more attention to be given for each store. Wal-Mart looks to move towards making their employment equity record balanced. This is apparent when taking into consideration the numerous letters to managers to push for making the numbers of men to women more equal. Wal-Mart can filter applications submitted and have them separated and reviewed on an as needed basis on what gender is needed more at a specific store. Rank the applications per region based on specific qualifications and gender. Then rank the region and the stores within this region on which store needs more women or men employees. For promoting employees, a minimum requirements list should be associated with each job position. A series of events should happen for each promotion beginning with the supervising manager and ending with the People Division Executive Vice President. Possible candidates are nominated and then screened by higher-level management along with those that apply. Only employees that meet all the requirements should be considered. Regional management will have the biggest influence on the hiring or promotion of an employee since they are ultimately responsible for that region. To be equal to all candidates applying for a given promotion, a test or jeopardy style game should be played and the winner is given first chance to take job. The test and game questions will pertain to company policies, job duties, and associate handbook information. Another solution would be for the employees to form a union. This would give the employees some power to fight for their working rights. Unionizing the employees would give them some power to make sure all employees were treated fairly within their workplace. Adding more people to the People Division will increase employee expenses for the company. Also, the addition of more People Division employees will create more training to be done and could take People Division employees away from their daily responsibilities. On the other hand, the addition of more People Division employees could help with balancing out a gender issue and hiring more of one gender than the other. More People Division employee’s means that you can have more HR employees present at more stores at one time. This will help with moving towards employment equity faster and mitigating any problems quicker. This may be the best solution for Wal-Mart and maintaining their reputation for being one the best companies to work for. As for the filtering of applications, having minimum requirements set for each job, and regional management having a large influence on the decision for who gets promoted, this would all cause more attention for them. Filtering applications may already be done, but this can lead to being accused of discrimination. Wal-Mart stating that they â€Å"urge† their supervisors to correct any inequalities in the store that pertain to gender is already a basis for being accused of gender discrimination. A store has fewer women than men and the store hires women to balance it out. The men are being discriminated now. An employee of a specific gender is promoted to balance out the men to women ratio amongst regional and store managers. That is still discrimination towards the opposing gender. It would be a lose-lose situation for Wal-Mart. Holding a test and a jeopardy style game could be a viable screening act to allow the most knowledgeable, company savvy person to be first in line for the promotion. The questions will pertain to specific company policies, job duties and responsibilities, and associate handbook. The negative part of this would be creating a competitive environment that can distract employees from their job. Also, time would have to be taken to allow for the taking of the test and the playing of the game, and the possibility of several promotions at the same time would pose a problem. The formation of a union for the Wal-Mart employees would have great benefits for them, but possible negative aspects at the workplace. Being unionized means that the employees would make less money due to union dues, but could have better benefits and more job security. Wal-Mart holds the power by keeping unions out and keeping the power to make decisions without possible employee strikes. Hiring or implementing more People Division employees would play as the best solution for the problem. Increasing the amount of â€Å"eyes† the People Division have in the stores will help with the hiring and promoting of employees to be done quicker. Having more People Division employees means more time at stores and with employees educating them on issues at the workplace, company culture, and the process’s that the company has in place. Rather than regional and area managers visiting every few weeks, there would be a People Division employee visiting a few times a week. The new People Division employees could put more policies in place due to the familiarity of the stores. These policies will be enforced more having the HR employee present more often. This could also alleviate the perception of customers and employees that think men are promoted more based on their gender. Specific requirements are present with each job position and the best candidate for that position would get it. Performance evaluations can help validate a manager’s decision on which he/she nominates to be promoted. A man or woman who are both in the running for the same position, and they both meet the requirements and have similar performance evaluation reports, the person that has been with the company the longest will then be chosen. The article mainly pertains to the employment equity goal within Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart’s constant push against the employees unionizing has allowed them to expand, become the low price leader, and keep company costs low. References Mark, K. (2003). Staffing Wal-Mart Stores, INC. (A) [case study]. Ivey Management Services. Mark, K. (2003). Staffing Wal-Mart Stores, INC. (B) [case study]. Ivey Management Services.