Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Commitment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Commitment - Assignment Example Ted has had a demanding, but well paid job in a corporate finance firm but he and his wife Kate has decided to move to St. Louis to start a much more demanding, but poorly paying job as a personal finance advisor. However, the timing of the decision was wrong as the finance sector is going down. The job environment is not favorable. Small businesses are closing by the day; people in corporate world are loosing jobs. Ted and Kate are face with a decision to make: abandon the new job and go back to the old one (work in corporate finance); keep the job and embrace the â€Å"success† ethics of the personal finance advisor world; or keep the job and stick to their ethical convictions. The onus lies with Ted to make a decision, but he could also escalate it. Though Kate is not the decision-maker per se, she has a part to play. Now, Ted has a potentiality to be an exceptional advisor coupled with his moral scope and intellectual versatility. Projections of a vast client-base future with flexible and friendly schedule dominate the discourses of both of them. However, his vast knowledge and admirable ethics sees him sidelined as others in his field with unworthy morals and less knowledge are quite a success. Doing what is right for his clients as against what puts money in the pocket seems to be disadvantageous; only a few of such people get a lucky breakthrough. The non-rational escalation of commitment may occur where both Ted and Kate decides to keep Ted’s new job. This will not be so much as a result of the quest for success as the quest not to loss sunk cost. Thus, judgmental bias will facilitate this escalation. Although Ted recognizes that an initial poor choice has been made, impression management could lead him to embracing the â€Å"success† ethics of his sector which may pose a potential ethical issue. More so, Kate seems to be unfair in supporting the decision of Ted to remain

Monday, October 28, 2019

Factors Influencing Conflicts in Schools

Factors Influencing Conflicts in Schools FACTORS INFLUENCING CONFLICTS IN SCHOOLS.AN EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY OF PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TANZANIA. BY: BONIPHACE, M. FASILI. INTRODUCTION: Organizational psychologists start with the view that there is ,or can be, a genuine conflict between a human being and his or her job of work, between the satisfaction of the needs of the individual worker, and the needs of the employing organization. However, some common ground between them is that: people have needs and, consequently, motives for doing things. These needs and motives, therefore, do affect peoples behavior, and their behavior c an be explained,(Chris, A.). There can be conflict between the goals of the organizations and the goals of people working for those organizations. The way to avoid such conflicts in practice is not by offering bribes and sweeteners to the workers, nor is it by offering them massive welfare programs, but is by changing the very structure and goals of the organization to accommodate peoples personal goals,(Chris, A., in Kooontz ,H. and C. ODonnel,1976). While other thinkers suggest that, the best type of organization is one which succeeds best in achieving the accommodation of peoplesÂÂ   personal goals by promoting worker participation in decision making, enabling workers to fulfill themselves and use a wide variety of talents, management by objectives rather than by authority, and finally, good communication and expressive supervision. Schools as organizations are said to be influenced by a combination of factors and have their own organizational culture of change and development,(Mbiti, D.M.,1974).In most cases, school development implies the management of planned change. These changes may at times be consistent or not consistent with the organizational culture.Unplanned changes are no more than accidents. An attempt to redesign a school organizational culture in the way that will adapt to the changes within and in the external environment or to effectively achieve the goals sometimes result into conflicts, Mosha, H.(1994).This may be caused by shifts inÂÂ   the interest and perceptions of the organization members, fear of change ,self interest, perception of the organization goals strategies by teachers or long for good old days. The school management has to overcome these factors if it is to accomplish the planned change. BACKGROUND TO THE PROBLEM Schools have traditionally been expected to teach children academic skills. The school has the responsibility to develop in each child a favourable attitude towards learning.Schools are also places where students interact with one another, their teachers and educational administrators. Many educators believe that student behaviour affects academic achievement (Boothe,Bradley,Flick,Keough, and Kirk,1993). Traditional disciplinaryÂÂ   practices include various forms of punishment based on the assumption that if negative behaviours are eliminated, the classroom climate will be conducive for learning,(Canter Canter, 1992). Critics of traditional disciplinary practices believe that the emphasis on punishment thwarts development of student responsibility, leadership, independence and interdependence(Dreyfuss,1990, in Mahduri Pendharkar,1995). Tanzania like any other developing countries is at the forefront to make socio economic transformations to achieve some laid down principles in the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). Some major transformations have been directed towards improving the management and performance of educational institutions including more enrolment in both primary and secondary schools, and prioritizing girls education,(TDREG 1989).The period between 2000 t0 2005 have showed an increased school enrolment. This has also impacted on recruitment of more teachers and increased government expenditure in education,(BEST 2005). While improvedÂÂ   performance in education is expected, training for management is frequently neglected. The impact has reflected on frequently and repeated conflicts in schools manifesting in boycott, riot, drop outs, as well as breakdown of managerial capacities and accountability in some schools. Whereas, conflict resolution skills for teachers or students in most schools is not emphasized. In most schools in Tanzania there are discipline masters, Patrons and Matrons whose traditional role is to suppress negative behaviours of students. Some of them were appointed on the basis of certain personal attributes rather than the required skills. Most of them lack conflict management skills. As a result students hate them. This is impacted by lack of conflict resolution skills in schools. The emphasis is on rigid rules and discipline. Lyons and Hathering (1992) pointed out that, organization health is characterized by high levels of trust, low conflict and friction, respect for differences, personal freedom and individual autonomy in patterns of supervision and control. Conflict in schools need to be properly managed in order toÂÂ   create a healthy organizational climate that is so important for effective learning and performance of responsibilities. Mosha, H.J.(1994) stressed that, some conflicts in higher learning institutions occur due to lack of proper diagnosis leading to crisis. Conflicts in schools are either not understood or not managed properly. Burton (1969) suggested for conflict management which include deterrence strategies aimed at avoiding escalation of conflict while maintaining control without giving way. Burton further suggested that if conflict builds towards crisis successful management should be able to turn the conflicting forces towards a constructive rather than a destructive direction. However, teachers training programs in Tanzania have not provided for greater flexibility for teachers to manage conflicts other than becoming disciplinarians. Mismanagement of conflicts in schools has resulted into increased government intervention leading to closure of schools and increased expenditure. Meanwhile, effective teaching and learning programs are always impaired leading to further crisis in schools and the government in general. The situation also creates burn out to some teachers to change their career. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: The purpose of this study is to investigate on the factors influencing conflicts in schools in Tanzania. Several conflicts have been reported to have devastating impacts. There are frequently and repeated conflicts in most schools in Tanzania. The scientific explanation about the nature of these conflicts is not well established neither documented. It has also been reported that those conflicts involve school administrators and teachers, teachers and students, students and the school administration, as well as students themselves. At some levels conflicts escalate to involveÂÂ   the external school environment. The impacts of these conflicts have resulted into loss of lives of some students, demolished school buildings, riots, boycott and increased hostilities in the workplace, lack of conducive teaching learning environment, dismissal and suspension of students, administrators and teachers. This study therefore, is an attempt to investigate on the nature of conflicts in schools, and possibly come up with the real explanation as to why they frequently occur, as well to establish approaches that can be applied to harmonize the situation. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: (a). ToÂÂ   identify the nature of conflicts in public secondary schools in Tanzania. (b). To establish means to minimize conflicts in schools. (c). To contribute and extend knowledge and skills in conflict management for schools teachers and administrators. (d). To influence the government policy in education, conflict management is an integral part of the contemporary school environment. RESEARCH QUESTIONS/HYPOTHESES: SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: This study is intended to be broad spectrum in nature. It is expected to come up with possible explanation of the sources of conflicts in schools as learning and work places in Tanzania. It will also establish possible preventive conflict management approaches that are so essential and could be applied in resolving conflicts which arise in the school environment. Whereas, the study is expected to contribute the generation of new insights, knowledge and skills in management in general, and form a baseline for school administrators, managers, teachers and students to reflect on during situations of problems leading to conflicts. This study is perhaps the pioneer one as far as conflict management in schools is concerned. It is expected to influence the policy of the government. Conflicts in the contemporary school environment are becoming part and parcel of the total education system. Finally, the study will impact on other broader dimensions of the social systems in Tanzania. LITERATURE REVIEW: This section reviews and examines briefly some literature on relevant scholarly work. Mosha, H.J.(1994) describes conflict as an interactive opposing behavior between two or more people, organizations or systems over incompatible goals, interests, scarce resources, values, belief system, power and prestige, nature of relationship as well as performance. He further states that, conflicts behaviours may range from intellectual jostling or malicious gossip all the way to use of physical force to cause destruction of property or physical injury. Mosha,(1994) further suggests that conflicts are integral part of any social system they need to be properly managed in order to create a healthy organizational climate that is so important for effective performance of responsibilities. Whereas, Lyons and Hatherly, (1992) comment on organizational health that is the state in institutions characterized by generally highÂÂ   levels of trust, low conflict and individual autonomy in patterns of supervision and control. Lyons and Hatherly further insist that in health organizations relationships are honest, there is high degree of trust, poor performance is confronted and joint solutions sought. People feel free to signal problems and participate in finding solutions. Murphy and Saal(1990) in Mosha,(1994) stated that conflict management is a process of becoming aware of actual or potential conflict, diagnosing its nature and scope and employing appropriate methodology to diffuse the emotional energy involved and enable disputing parties to understand and resolve their differences. While, Burton(1969) adds on conflict management that include deterrence strategies aimed at avoiding escalation of conflict while maintaining control without giving way. According to Gray and Starke(1990) traditionalists conceived conflict as being intrinsically bad. Under this school of thought members of the organization who caused the conflict were regarded as emotionally disturbed, otherwise they should not have caused the conflict. Thus, to eliminate the conflict and thereby solve the problem it was necessary to fire or get psychiatric help for the responsible employees (Jandt and Gillettee,1985). The modern theorists according to (Gray and Starke,1990) in Mosha,(1994) argue that organizational conflict is neither good nor bad per se, and that it is inevitable. Conflict is inevitable and not necessarily harmful. Indeed, they continue to argue that you can not have an organization, community or society that is free from conflict. However, Mosha, H.J.(1979:169) argues that competence should be the major criterion for participation as educational problems have ramifications that require attention and specialized assistance is useful in mobilizing needed knowledge and judgment. At another scale of looking at leadership styles, Bennis,W.G.,(1989) was of the view that the challenges confronting organizational leaders are daunting even to the most intrepid. Bennis further comments that organizational restructuring has bulldozed away much worker morale and loyalty, along with many levels of management and thousands of jobs. The loosened bonds between workers and organizations have increased worker disaffection and raised turnover. Bennis, W.G.(1989) further commented on achieving styles, cultures, values, rewards and discontinuities that organizations have their special achieving styles, styles that their cultures, consciously or unconsciously inculcate in their members. That is, organizations characteristically reward certain kinds of achieving behavior and punish or ignore other kinds. Organizational culture both comfort and control its members. It comforts them by generating a familiar context for organizational life and offering membership to those who conform. At the same time, organizational culture controls members by constricting the range of behaviours and attitudes that are valued andÂÂ   rewarded. Furthermore, Max Weber(1864-1920) examined the organization and came up with the opinion that the term organization meant the ordering of social relationships, the maintenance of which certain individuals took upon themselves as a special task. Weber, further maintains that the presence of a leader and an administrative staff was a characteristic of an organization, which in fact was them who preserved the organization. Hence, basic to WebersÂÂ   ideas was the notion that human behavior is regulated by rules. The existence of a distinct set of rules was implicit in the concept of organization. On management, Henry Fayol (1916) stated that to manage is to forecast and plan to organize, to command and to co-ordinate and to control. While G.A. Cole(1994) proposed a working definition for strategic management as a process directed by top management to determine the fundamental aims or goals of the organization and ensure a range of decisions which will allow for the achievement of those aims or goals in the long-term whilst providing for adaptive responses in the short term. The above implies that, if the management is not successful in dealing with resistances to change and if it still wishes to change and continues to implement the change program, conflict will eventually arise, Mosha,(1994). Whereas, Ekval, G.(1993) cautioned that where antagonistic groups, divisions and camps exist the work climate is bound to be poor.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Franklin Roosevelt Essay -- essays research papers

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, (1882-1945), 32nd president of the United States. Roosevelt became president in March 1933 at the depth of the Great Depression. He was reelected for three more terms, and died in office in April 1945. He was a fascinating idealist whose confidence helped carry on the American people during the strains of economic crisis and world war even though he had an attack of poliomyelitis, which paralyzed his legs in 1921. He was one of America's most touchy leaders. Though Roosevelt labored hard to end the Depression, he had not very much success. It was not until 1939 and 1940 that success returned. Roosevelt also showed limits in his handling of foreign policy. In the 1930's he did not warn right away the danger of tyranny, and during the war he relied greatly on his charm and personality in the conduct of peacekeeping. Roosevelt's reputation is very high. In acting upon the Great Depression he did a lot to develop a good state in the United States and to make the federal government and means of social and economic reform. As president, Roosevelt passed as many bills, lobbing for as much congressional support as he could get to aid him in his attempts to help the unemployed, starving and poor people that society had forgotten. Never in the history of the United States had there ever been such a terrible, long-lasting, economic depression then the one that began just before President Roosevelt ran for his first presidential election. Thirteen million peo...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Stock and Long Term Trend

Team 1 Monmouth Case 1. Is Robertson a good candidate for Monmouth (assuming the price is right)? Why? Yes. Robertson Tool Company had been going through a few years of low sales and profit, and, coupled with conservative financial and accounting practices, was far behind the normal growth rate for companies in its industry. Robertson’s 50% control of the market for clamps and vises, along with its good position in the scissors and shears’ $200 million market, let it compliment the diverse holdings of Monmouth.These are attractive attributes of Robertson, but the selling point lies in the distribution network consisting of 2,100 wholesalers and 15,000 retail outlets. The Robertson products are sold in 137 countries worldwide. This avenue to market Monmouth and Robertson products across resources could lead to above average growth and profits. 2. Estimate a WACC for the acquisition. Invested Capital| ? | $37,696,000 | ? | ? | ? | Debt| | $12,000,000 | | | ? | Equity| | $ 25,696,000 | | | ? | ?| | | | | ? | Current market price| | $44 | | | ? |Shares outstanding| | 584,000| | | ? | ?| | | | | ? | Unlevered Beat of Comparables| | 0. 725| | | ? | Debt/Capital of Comparables| | 32%| | | ? | Levered Beta| | 0. 86| | | ? | Risk free rate| | 4. 10%| | | ? | MRP| | 6. 0%| | | ? | ?| | | | | ? | Cost of equity| | 9. 28%| | | ? | ?| | | | | ? | Sources of capital| | | Weights| | After-tax cost| Debt| | | 31. 83%| | 3. 64%| Equity| | | 68. 17%| | 9. 28%| ?| | | | | ? | YTM| 6. 070%| Tax Rate| 40%| WACC| 7. 5%| 3. Discuss whether you think the forecast prepared by Vincent and Rudd is reasonable. Why? Be specific.We think the forecast is not reasonable since they forecast was too optimistic and subject of their sales growth. a) The growth rate estimate in the future they use is approximately 6%. The current growth rate is just 2% that cannot be increased as 2 times as large in a short time, although it might increase due to the sales increase after the merge and acquisition of the Monmouth and Robertson. b) NWC should be as a percentage of sales. c) Terminal Growth rate shouldn’t be zero but around 2%. d) The estimations of SG&A cost and COGS are reasonable.The merger and acquisition will result the percentage SG&A and COGS of sales respectively gradually decrease by increasing the manufacture efficiency and inventory turnover. Therefore, we decided to change the growth rate from 6% to 3% in the pro-forma, we will have the value of the firm calculated out from the pro-forma is $50 million instead of $56 million. 4. Prepare a value estimate for Robertson equity using the DCF method and info from steps 2 and 3 above. ?| Actual| Forecasts| ?| 2002| 2003| 2004| 2005| 2006| 2007| ?| | | | | | ? | NOPAT| 1. 8| 2. 4| 3. 1| 3. 8| 4. 2| 4. 4|Plus: Depreciation| 2. 1| 2. 3| 2. 5| 2. 7| 2. 9| 2. 9| Less: CAPEX| | -4| -3. 5| -3. 6| -3. 8| -2. 9| Less: Change in NWC| -1. 4| -1. 5| -1. 6| -1. 6| 0. 0| Firm Free Cash Flow| -0. 7| 0. 6| 1. 3| 1. 7| 4. 4| ?| | | | | | ? | ?| | | | | | 81. 9| Firm Value (millions)| 85. 95| | | | Terminal g| 2%| Less: Debt| 12| | | | | ? | Equity Value| 73. 95| | | | | ? | Shares Outstanding| 584000| | | | | ? | Price per share| 12. 66| ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | 5. Estimate a value for Robertson equity based on the comparables approach. | Actuant Corp. | Briggs & Stratton| Idex Corp. | Lincoln Electric| Snap On Inc. Stanley Works| Robertson Tool Co. |   | | | | | | |   | Collection Period (days)| 55| 77| 47| 61| 96| 77| 53| Inventory % Sales| 12%| 18%| 13%| 17%| 18%| 16%| 33%|   | | | | | | |   | Operating Margin % Sales| 17%| 13%| 20%| 15%| 10%| 15%| 5%| Return on Capital| 21%| 9%| 10%| 12%| 11%| 14%| 4%|   | | | | | | |   | Times Interest Earned| 3. 8| 3. 2| 7. 1| 11. 5| 7. 8| 9. 3| 3. 5| Debt % Capital| | | | | | |   | ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   balance sheet values| 98%| 52%| 30%| 27%| 29%| 40%| 28%| ? market values| 29%| 37%| 20%| 17%| 19%| 24%| 37%| Bond Rating| BB-| BB+| BB B| -| A+| A| -| | | | | | | |   |Value of Firm ($ mil)| $ 712| $ 1,443| $ 1,191| $ 1,145| $ 1,861| $ 3,014| $ 29| EBIAT ($ mil)| 55| 119| 98| 90| 129| 234| 1. 80| EBIAT Multiple| 12. 8| 12. 1| 12. 2| 12. 7| 14. 4| 12. 9| 16. 1|   | | | | | | |   | Share Price| $ 42| $ 42| $ 29| $ 22| $ 26| $ 27| $ 30| Earnings Per Share| 2. 80| 3. 20| 2. 00| 1. 78| 1. 80| 2. 32| 2. 32| Price/Earnings| 15. 0| 13. 1| 14. 5| 12. 4| 14. 4| 11. 6| 13. 5| Average p/e multiple is 13. 5 Use the p/e multiple to multiply Robertson’s earning per share=13. 5*2. 32=31. 32 Now Robertson issued 584,000 shares So the equity value is 18,290,880 6.What price will be necessary to gain the support of the Robertson family, Simmons, and the majority of shareholders? What are the interests, concerns, alternatives for each group? . | Robertson| Simmons| Majority of SHs| Price| $32. 82| $50| $30| Interest| Distribution system| Interested in electrical equipment, tools, nonferrous metals, and rubber products| To improve the EPS of Monmouth in the next five years. | Concerns| A relatively poor sales and profit performance| NDP Stock price fluctuates| Poor company Performance Relative to the Industtry| Alternatives| NDP, Simmons, Monmouth| 133000 shares| NDP vs Monmouth| . Does Monwouth have an advantage over NDP in the bidding contest? Do you think NDP will raise its offer in response to Monmouth offer? The synergies created by a merger between Monmouth and Robertson are clearly greater than that of NDP. As a publisher and manufacturer of auto parts, the benefits would not be as many as that of Monmouth. NDP must consider how much it is willing to spend or borrow in order to make a bid greater than Monmouth. If Simmons receives his $50/share, he will be accepting of the merger, and support Monmouth.This will turn the favor to Monmouth, as an acquisition by NDP would surely devalue the resources of Robertson instead of using synergies created by mixing markets and offering new, complimenting , product lines. In fact, as Robertson is undervalued in the market because of unsystematic latencies and inefficiencies, the $50/share price demanded by Simmons might be less than the long-term gain inherent in the merger of Robertson and Monmouth. 8. What price can Monmouth pay without harming its long term trend in earnings per share ? Finance texts focus on net present value of cash flow to make investment decisions.Are companies therefore foolish if they make acquisitions based at least in part on earnings per share impact? First, we need to forecast Robertson’s net income if it is acquired by Monmouth, assuming its interest expenses will be $0. 8 million for the next five years. Second, we will forecast Monmouth’s total net income after acquisition of Robertson. Monmouth must raise funds to make this acquisition. The company anticipated making the acquisition by issuing stocks. Thus, we will calculate how many shares Monmouth should issue without harming its long term trend in earnings per share, and total shares outstanding after acquisition.We know that currently stocks of Monmouth and Robertson closed at $24 and $44, respectively; therefore, we can calculate the exchange ratio as $44/$24=1. 83x. If Monmouth acquired the entire Robertson by an exchange of stocks at a price of $44 per share, the shares that Monmouth needs to issue is 1. 07 (1. 83*0. 584) million. As a result, Monmouth’s total shares outstanding after acquisition would increase to 5. 28 (4. 21+1. 07) million. Now we know the total net income and total shares outstanding after acquisition, we can then calculate the after-merge earnings per share of Monmouth.According to the table below, the row in green shows that the after-merge EPS is lower than the before-merge EPS during the first two years, but will become higher in the following three years. Therefore, if we paid $44 per share for Robertson’s stocks, we can acquire the entire Robertson’s stocks wit hout harming Monmouth’s long term trend in earnings per share. Using the same techniques, we can estimate the price range that Monmouth can pay without harming its long term trend in earnings per share.We can use the Goal Seek function in Excel to estimate the highest exchange ratio. As you will see in the table below, the exchange ratio can increase up to 1. 98x without harming Monmouth’s long term trend in earnings per share. Therefore, using the exchange ratio of 1. 98x, we can estimate the per share price paid for Robertson’s stocks. The estimated price would be $47. 52 (1. 98*24) per share, higher than Robertson’s current trading price of $44, therefore will attract the shareholders of Robertson’s to sell; but still on’t harm Monmouth’s long term trend in earnings per share. However, EPS plays very little role in deciding whether an acquisition is good or not, since a company’s net income after acquisition and total shares outstanding can be affected by many factors. Acquisition will bring synergies to the acquiring company, such as cost savings and efficiency. Also, the acquiring company may not need to buy the entire target company’s outstanding stocks to gain control. As a result, EPS could also change due to these factors. Thus, NPV is a better alternative to value an investment.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Night World : Soulmate Chapter 7

It was like being struck by lightning. Hannah felt the current through her body, but it was her mind that was most affected. I know you! It was as if she had been standing in a dark landscape, lost and blind, when suddenly a brilliant flash illuminated everything, allowing her to see farther than she'd ever seen before. She was trembling violently, pitching forward even as he fell toward her. Electricity was running through every nerve in her body and she was shaking and shaking, overcome by waves of the purest emotion she'd ever felt. Fury. â€Å"You were supposed to be there!† She got out in a choked gasp. â€Å"Where were you?† You were supposed to be with me-for so long! You're part of me, the part I've always vaguely missed. You were supposed to be around, helping out, picking me up when I fell down. Watching my back, listening to my stories. Understanding things that I wouldn't want to tell other people. Loving me when I'm stupid. Giving me something to take care of and be good to, the way the Goddess meant women to do. Hannah- It was the closest thing to a mental gasp Hannah could imagine, and with it she realized that somehow they were directly connected now. He could hear her thoughts, just as she could hear his. Good! she thought, not wasting time to marvel over this. Her mind was raging on. You were my flying companion! My playmate! You were my other half of the mysteries! We were supposed to be sacred to each other-and you haven't been there! This last thought she sent squarely toward him. And she felt it hit him, and felt his reaction. â€Å"I've tried!† He was horrified†¦ guilt-stricken. But then, Hannah could sense that this was pretty much the usual state for him, so it didn't affect him quite as much as it might have someone else. And beneath the horror was an astonishment and burgeoning joy that sent a different kind of tingle through her. â€Å"You do know me, don't you?† he said quietly. He pushed her back to look at her, as if he still couldn't believe it. â€Å"You remember†¦ Hannah, how much do you remember?† Hannah was looking at him, studying him†¦. Yes, I know that bone structure. And the eyes, especially the eyes. It was like an adopted child discovering a brother or sister and seeing familiar features in an unfamiliar face, tracing each one with wonder and recognition. â€Å"I remember†¦ that we were meant for each other. That we're†-she came up with the word slowly-‘ ‘soulmates.† â€Å"Yes,† he whispered. Awe was softening his features, changing his eyes. The desperate sadness that seemed so much a part of them was lightening. â€Å"Soulmates. We were destined for each other. We should have been together down the ages.† They were supporting each other now, Hannah kneeling on the porch and Thierry holding her with one knee on a step. Their faces were inches apart. Hannah found herself watching his mouth. â€Å"So what happened?† she whispered. In the same tone, without moving back, he whispered, â€Å"I screwed up.† â€Å"Oh.† Her initial fury had faded. She could feel him, feel his emotions, sense his thoughts. He was as anguished at their separation as she was. He wanted her. He loved her†¦ adored her. He thought of her the way poets think of the moon and the stars-in ridiculous hyperbole. He actually saw her surrounded by a sort of silvery halo. Which was completely silly, but if he wanted to think of her that way-well, Hannah wouldn't object. It made her want to be very gentle with him. And right now she could feel his warm breath. If she leaned forward just an inch her top lip would touch his bottom lip. Hannah leaned forward. â€Å"Wait-† he said. That was a mistake, saying it out loud. It moved his lips against hers, turning it from a touch into a kiss. And then, for a while, neither of them could resist. They needed each other so desperately, and the kiss was warm and sweet. Hannah was flooded with love and comfort and joy. This was meant to be. Hannah was dizzy but still capable of thought. I knew life had something wonderful and mysterious to give me. Something I could sense but not see, something that was always just out of reach. And here it is. I'm one of the lucky ones-I've found it. Thierry wasn't as articulate. All she could hear him think was, Yes. Hannah had never been so filled with gratitude. Love spilled from her and into Thierry and back again. The more she gave, the more she got back. It was a cycle, taking them higher and higher. Like flying, Hannah thought. She wasn't dizzy anymore. She was strangely dear and calm, as if she were standing on a mountaintop. Infinite tenderness †¦ infinite belonging. It was so good it hurt. And it made her want to give more. She knew what she wanted. It was what she'd tried to give him the first time, when she knew he would die without her. She'd wanted to give him what all women could give. Life. She was only a girl now, not ready for the responsibilities that would come with making new life from her body. But she could give Thierry life another way. She pulled back to look at him, to see bruised dark eyes filled with aching tenderness. Then she touched his mouth with her fingertips. He kissed them. Hannah ignored the kiss and poked a finger in. Shock flared in Thierry's eyes. There. That was it. The long canine tooth, just barely sharp. Not yet the tooth of a predator, of a fox or a lynx or wolf. She ran her finger against it. The shock turned to something else. A glazed look. Need mixed with pure terror. Thierry whispered, â€Å"Don't-Hannah, please. You don't know-â€Å" Hannah tested the tip of the tooth with her thumb. Yes, it was sharper now. Longer, more delicate. It would look like the tooth of an arctic fox in her palm-milky-white, translucent, elegantly curved. Thierry's chest was heaving. â€Å"Please stop. I-I can't-â€Å" Hannah was enthralled. I don't know why people are afraid of vampires, she thought. A human could tease or torture a vampire this way, driving him insane-if she were cruel. Or she could choose to be kind. Very gently, Hannah reached with her other hand. She touched the back of Thierry's neck, bringing just the slightest pressure to bear. But he was so obedient to her touch-it was easy to guide his mouth to her throat. Hannah†¦ She could feel him trembling. Don't be afraid, she told him silently. And she pulled him closer. He grabbed her shoulders to push her away-and then just hung on. Clinging desperately, helplessly. Kissing her neck over and over. She felt his control break†¦ and then felt the sharpness of teeth. It wasn't like pain. It was like the tenderness, a hurting that was good. And then†¦ devastating bliss. Not a physical feeling. It was emotional. They were completely together, and light poured through them. How many lives together have we missed? How many times have I had to say, Maybe in the next life? How did we ever manage to come apart? It was as if her question went searching through both their minds, soaring and diving, looking for an answer on its own. And Thierry didn't put up any resistance. She knew that he couldn't; he was as caught up as she was in what was happening between them, as overwhelmed. There was nothing to stop her from finding the answer. This revelation didn't come all in one blinding illumination. Instead it came in small flashes, each almost too brief to understand. Flash. Thierry's face above her. Not the gentle face she had seen by the porch. A savage face with an animal light in the eyes. A snarling mouth †¦ and teeth red with blood. No †¦ Flash. Pain. Teeth that tore her throat. The feel of her blood spilling warm over her neck. Darkness coming. Oh, God, no†¦ Flash. A different face. A woman with black hair and eyes full of concern. â€Å"Don't you know? He's evil. How many times does he have to kill you before you realize that?† No, no, no, no†¦ But saying no didn't change anything. It was the truth. She was seeing her own memories-seeing things that had really happened. She knew that. He'd killed her. Hannah, no- It was a cry of anguish. Hannah wrenched herself away. She could see the shock in Thierry's eyes, she could feel him shaking. â€Å"You really did it,† she whispered. â€Å"Hannah-â€Å" â€Å"That's why you woke me up from the hypnosis! You didn't want me to remember! You knew I'd find out the truth!† Hannah was beside herself with grief and anger. If she hadn't trusted him, if everything hadn't been so perfect, she wouldn't have felt so betrayed. As it was, it was the greatest betrayal of her life-of all her lives. It had all been a lie-everything she'd just been feeling. The togetherness, the love, the joy †¦ all false. â€Å"Hannah, that wasn't the reason†¦.† â€Å"You're evil! You're a killer!† She told me, Hannah thought. The woman with black hair; she told me the truth. Why didn't I remember her? Why didn't I listen this time? She could remember other things now, other things the woman had said. â€Å"He's unbelievably cunning†¦ he'll try to trick you. He'll try to use mind control †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mind control. Influencing her. He'd admitted that. And what she'd been feeling tonight was some sort of trick. He'd managed to play on her emotions †¦ God, he'd even gotten her to offer him her blood. She'd let him bite her, drink from her like some parasite†¦. â€Å"I hate you,† she whispered. She saw how that hurt him; he flinched and looked away, stricken. Then he gripped her shoulders again, his voice soft. â€Å"Hannah, I wanted to explain to you. Please. You don't understand everything †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes, I do! I do! I remember everything! And I understand what you really are.† Her voice was as quiet as his, but much more intense. She shrugged her shoulders and shifted backward to get away from him. She didn't want to feel his hands on her. He looked jolted. Unbelieving. â€Å"You remember . .. everything?† â€Å"Everything.† Hannah was proud and cold now. â€Å"So you can just go away, because whatever you've got planned won't work. Whatever-tricks-you were going to use†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She shook her head. â€Å"Just go.† For just a second, a strange expression crossed Thierry's face. An expression so tragic and lonely that Hannah's throat closed. But she couldn't let herself soften. She couldn't give him a chance to trick her again. â€Å"Just stay away from me,† she said. With all the confusion and turmoil inside her, that was the only thing she could keep clear in her mind. â€Å"I never want to see you again.† He had gotten control of himself. He looked shell-shocked but his eyes were steady. â€Å"I've never wanted to hurt you,† he said quietly. â€Å"And all I want to do now is protect you. But if that's what you want, I'll go away.† How could he claim he'd never wanted to hurt her? Didn't killing her count? â€Å"That is what I want. And I don't need your protection.† â€Å"You have it anyway,† he said. And then he moved, faster than she could ever hope to move, almost faster than thought. In an instant, he was close to her. His fingers touched her left cheek, light as a moth's wings. And then he was taking her hand, slipping something on her finger. â€Å"Wear this,† he said, no louder than a breath. â€Å"It has spells to protect you. And even without the spells, there aren't many Night People who'll harm you if they see it.† Hannah opened her mouth to say she wasn't afraid of any Night People except him, but he was still speaking. â€Å"Try not to go out alone, especially at night.† And then he was gone. Like that. He was off her porch and out somewhere in the darkness, not even a shadow, just gone. If she hadn't had a fleeting impression of movement toward the prairie, she would have thought he had the ability to become invisible at a moment's notice. And her heart was pounding, hurting, filling her throat so she couldn't breathe. Why had he touched her cheek? Most people didn't touch the birthmark; they treated it like a bruise that might still hurt. But his fingers hadn't avoided it. The caress had been gentle, almost sad, but not frightened. And why was she still standing here, staring into the darkness as if she expected him to reappear? Go inside, idiot. Hannah turned and fumbled with the back door, pulling at the knob as if she'd never opened it before. She shut the door and locked it, and again she found' herself as clumsy as if she'd never worked a lock or seen this one in her life. She was beyond screaming or crying, in a state of shock that was almost dreamlike. The house was too bright. The dock on the kitchen wall was too loud. She had the distracted feeling that it wasn't either night or daytime. It was like coming out of a theater and being surprised to find that it's still light outside. She felt that this couldn't be the same house she'd left an hour ago. She wasn't the same person who had left. Everything around her seemed like some carefully staged movie set that was supposed to be real, but wasn't, and only she could tell the difference. I feel like a stranger here, she thought, putting one hand to her neck where she could just detect two little puncture marks. Oh, God, how am I ever going to know what's real again? But I should be happy; I should be grateful. I probably just saved my own life out there. I was alone with a vicious, evil, murderous monster, and†¦ Somehow the thought died away. She couldn't be happy and she didn't want to think about how evil Thierry was. She felt hollow and aching. It wasn't until she stumbled into her own bedroom that she remembered to look down at her right hand. On the fourth finger was a ring. It was made of gold and either white gold or silver. It was shaped like a rose, with the stem twining around the finger and back on itself in an intricate knot. The blossom was inset with tiny stones-black transparent stones. Black diamonds? Hannah wondered. It was beautiful. The craftsmanship was exquisite. Every delicate leaf and tiny thorn was perfect. But a black flower? It's a symbol of the Night World, her mind told her. A symbol of people who've been made into vampires. It was the cool wind voice back again. At least she understood what it was saying this time-the last time, when it had given her advice about silver and wolves, she had been completely confused. Thierry wanted her to wear the ring; he claimed it would protect her. But knowing him, it was probably another trick. If it had any spells on it, they were probably spells to help him control her mind. It took nearly an hour to get the ring off. Hannah used soap and butter and Vaseline, pulling and twisting until her finger was red, aching, and swollen. She used a dental pick from her fossil-collecting kit to try to pry the coils of the stem apart. Nothing worked, until at last the pick slipped and blood welled up from a shallow cut. When the blood touched the ring it seemed to loosen, and Hannah quickly wrenched it off. Then she stood panting. The struggle with the little band of metal had left her exhausted and unable to focus on anything else. She threw the ring in her bedroom wastebasket and stumbled toward bed. I'm tired†¦ I'm so tired. I'll think about everything tomorrow, try to sort out my life. But for now†¦ please just let me sleep. She could feel her body vibrating with adrenaline after she lay in bed, and she was afraid that sleep wouldn't come. But tense as she was, her mind was too foggy to stay awake. She turned over once and let go of consciousness. Hannah Snow fell asleep. Hana of the Three Rivers opened her eyes. Cold and desolate, Hana stood by the rushing river and felt the wind blow through her. So alone. That was when Arno burst out of the bushes on the riverbank. There were several hunters with him and they all had spears. They charged after the stranger at full speed. Hana screamed a warning, but she knew he didn't have a chance. She could hear a few minutes of chaos far away in the dark. And then she saw the stranger being driven back, surrounded by Arno's hunters. â€Å"Arno-don't hurt him! Please!† Hana was speaking desperately, trying to block the men's way back. â€Å"Don't you see? He could have hurt me and he didn't. He isn't a demon! He can't help being the way he is!† Arno shouldered her aside. â€Å"Don't think you're going to get away without being punished, either.† Hana followed them up to the cave, her stomach churning with fear. By the time everyone who'd been awakened by Arno's hunters understood what was happening, the sky outside had turned gray. It was almost dawn. â€Å"You said we should wait and see if the Earth Goddess would tell you something about the demon while you slept,† Arno said to Old Mother. â€Å"Has she?† Old Mother glanced at Hana sorrowfully, then back at Arno. She shook her head. Then she started to speak, but Arno was already talking loudly. â€Å"Then let's kill him and get it over with. Take him outside.† â€Å"No!† Hana screamed. It didn't do any good. She was caught and held back in strong hands. The stranger gave her one look as he was driven outside in a circle of spears. That was when the real horror began. Because of something that Hana had never imagined, something she was sure even the shamans had never heard of. The stranger was a creature that wouldn't die. Arno was the first to jab with his spear. The whitish-gray flint spearhead went into the stranger's side, drawing blood. Hana saw it; she had run out of the cave, still trying to find a way to stop this. She also saw the blood stop flowing as the wound in the boy's side closed. There were gasps from all around her. Arno, looking as if he couldn't believe his eyes, jabbed again. And watched, mouth falling open, as the second wound bled and then closed. He kept trying. Only the wounds where a spear was driven into the wooden shaft stayed open. One of the women whispered, â€Å"He is a demon.† Everyone was frightened. But nobody moved away from â€Å"the stranger. He was too dangerous to let go. And there were lots of them, and only one of him. Hana saw something happening in the faces of her clan. Something new and horrible. Fear of the unknown was changing them, making them cruel. They were turning from basically good people, people who would never torture an animal by prolonging its death, into people who would torture a man. â€Å"He may be a demon, but he still bleeds,† one of the hunters said breathlessly, after a jab. â€Å"He feels pain.†, â€Å"Get a torch,† somebody else said. â€Å"See if he burns!† And then it was terrible. Hana felt as if she were in the middle of a storm, able to see things but buffeted this way and that, unable to do anything about it. People were running. People were getting torches, stone axes, different kinds of flint knives. The dam had turned into a huge entity feeding off its own violence. It was mindless and unstoppable. Hana cast a desperate look toward the cave, where Old Mother lay confined to her pallet. There was no help from that direction. People were screaming, burning the stranger, throwing stones at him. The stranger was falling, bloody, smoke rising from his burns. He was lying on the ground, unable to fight back. But still, he didn't die. He kept trying to crawl away. Hana was screaming herself, screaming and crying, beating at the shoulders of a hunter who pulled her back. And it went on and on. Even the young boys were brave enough now to run forward and throw stones at the stranger. And he still wouldn't die. Hana was in a nightmare. Her throat was raw from screaming. Her vision was going gray. She couldn't stand to watch this anymore; she couldn't stand the smell of blood and burning flesh or the sound of blows. But there was nowhere to go. There was no way to get out. This was her life. She had to stay here and go insane†¦.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Short clauses can take commas

Short clauses can take commas Short clauses can take commas Short clauses can take commas By Maeve Maddox Ron Milan wants to use a comma to separate two short clauses: I wrote a sentence: Experts teach, peers comfort. Word creates an error unless I write Experts teach and peers comfort. or Experts teach; peers comfort. (semi colon versus comma).    However, I like the shorter pause by a comma.   Any rules on this? Punctuation exists to help readers make sense of what is written, but it can also be a means of helping a reader hear the writer’s voice. The difference between Ron’s preferred sentence and those suggested by Word is a difference of style. All three sentences are understandable, but the first conveys an introspective tone that the others lack. Julius Caesar’s boast of Veni, vidi, vici is usually translated as I came, I saw, I conquered. The insertion of an and or of semicolons would spoil the effect by slowing it down or making it sound more prosaic than triumphant. The Chicago Manual of Style staunchly defends the semicolon to separate independent clauses not joined by a conjunction: Two independent clauses not joined by a conjunction are best separated by a semicolon or a period. This principle has always been the fifth major rule put forth in The Elements of Style- starting with Strunk’s original (Ithaca, NY, 1918) and continuing almost unchanged . . . through the latest (fourth) edition of Strunk and White (New York, 2000). Strunk, however, doesn’t get the last word, not even in the offices of the CMS. When a writer queried about using a comma instead of a semicolon in a sentence with two independent clauses and no conjunction, the response was that the sentence in question did, in fact, read better with the comma. The CMS editor acknowledged that [s]ometimes the ear is more important than the rulebook. When choosing whether to use a comma or a semicolon, the writer must consider both clarity and desired stylistic effect. Here’s an interesting About article on the semicolon P.S. I just discovered that the National Geographic Manual of Style supports the comma for short clauses and no conjunction. Their example is also the Julius Caesar quotation. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:85 Synonyms for â€Å"Help†Cannot or Can Not?What Is the Meaning of "Hack?"

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Green House Effect

Greenhouse Effect On a bright, cool day, most people notice the sun’s rays as feeling good on their skin. By nature, many of us even try to stay on the sunny side of the street while walking. The sun is 93 million miles away from earth and its energy travels to us in moving waves called radiation. The energy becomes heat, light and other energy too. Visible sunlight allows us to see the world around us, but there is invisible sunlight, too. These rays can’t be seen, but some can be felt as heat. They are called ultraviolet rays, and they are what changes the appearance of the skin, like wrinkles and even cancer. I discovered a blanket of gases known as the atmosphere surrounding our planet. It is what provides us with the air we breathe, and it protects us from the full blast of the sun’s radiation. Way up there in the part of the atmosphere called the stratosphere, a layer of gas called ozone, filters out most of the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays. This happens about five miles to 25 miles above the surface of Earth (Bright 14-15). Only about one- millionth of our atmosphere is made up of ozone. But it has an important job. Ozone can absorb the part of the sunlight called ultraviolet radiation. Some ultraviolet radiation still gets through, but not enough to do serious damage to Earth. Because if it got through, life as we know it would be impossible. But there is a serious problem in the ozone layer. Each year, a large hole appears in it. It isn’t an actual hole, like a hole in a pocket, but a layer getting thinner as it shows up on the satellite pictures. The â€Å"hole† is right over Antarctica, covering an area about the size of the United States. Experiments done in Antartica show that the hole in the ozone layer appears to let in twice as much ultraviolet radiation as normal, according to measurements r... Free Essays on Green House Effect Free Essays on Green House Effect Greenhouse Effect On a bright, cool day, most people notice the sun’s rays as feeling good on their skin. By nature, many of us even try to stay on the sunny side of the street while walking. The sun is 93 million miles away from earth and its energy travels to us in moving waves called radiation. The energy becomes heat, light and other energy too. Visible sunlight allows us to see the world around us, but there is invisible sunlight, too. These rays can’t be seen, but some can be felt as heat. They are called ultraviolet rays, and they are what changes the appearance of the skin, like wrinkles and even cancer. I discovered a blanket of gases known as the atmosphere surrounding our planet. It is what provides us with the air we breathe, and it protects us from the full blast of the sun’s radiation. Way up there in the part of the atmosphere called the stratosphere, a layer of gas called ozone, filters out most of the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays. This happens about five miles to 25 miles above the surface of Earth (Bright 14-15). Only about one- millionth of our atmosphere is made up of ozone. But it has an important job. Ozone can absorb the part of the sunlight called ultraviolet radiation. Some ultraviolet radiation still gets through, but not enough to do serious damage to Earth. Because if it got through, life as we know it would be impossible. But there is a serious problem in the ozone layer. Each year, a large hole appears in it. It isn’t an actual hole, like a hole in a pocket, but a layer getting thinner as it shows up on the satellite pictures. The â€Å"hole† is right over Antarctica, covering an area about the size of the United States. Experiments done in Antartica show that the hole in the ozone layer appears to let in twice as much ultraviolet radiation as normal, according to measurements r...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Definition and Examples of Productivity in Language

Definition and Examples of Productivity in Language Definition Productivity is a general term in linguistics for the limitless ability to use language (i.e., any natural language) to say new things. Also known as open-endedness or creativity. The term productivity is also applied in a narrower sense to particular forms or constructions (such as affixes) that can be used to produce new instances of the same type. In this sense, productivity is most commonly discussed in connection with word formation. See Examples and Observations below. Also, see: ArbitrarinessCultural TransmissionDisplacementDuality of PatterningEnglish LanguageNatural LanguageWhat Is Language? Examples and Observations Humans are continually creating new expressions and novel utterances by manipulating their linguistic resources to describe new objects and situations. This property is described as productivity (or creativity or open-endedness) and it is linked to the fact that the potential number of utterances in any human language is infinite.The communication systems of other creatures do not appear to have this type of flexibility. Cicadas have four signals to choose from and vervet monkeys have 36 vocal calls. Nor does it seem possible for creatures to produce new signals to communicate novel experiences or events. . . .This limiting factor of animal communication is described in terms of fixed reference. Each signal in the system is fixed as relating to a particular object or occasion. Among the vervet monkeys repertoire, there is one danger signal CHUTTER, which is used when a snake is around, and another RRAUP, used when an eagle is spotted nearby. These signals are fixed in terms of their reference and cannot be manipulated. (George Yule, The Study of Language, 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2006) Open-Endedness, Duality of Patterning, and Freedom From Stimulus Control [M]ost of the utterances you produce and hear every day have very likely never before been produced by anybody. Consider a few examples: A large tear rolled down the little pink dragons nose; Peanut butter is a poor substitute for putty; Luxembourg has declared war on New Zealand; Shakespeare wrote his plays in Swahili, and they were translated into English by his African bodyguards. You have no difficulty in understanding theseeven if you dont believe all of them...This limitless ability to produce and understand totally new utterances is called open-endedness, and it should be perfectly clear to you that, without it, our languages and indeed our lives would be unrecognizably different from what they are. Perhaps no other feature of language so dramatically illustrates the vast, unbridgeable gulf separating human language from the signaling systems of all other creatures.The importance of open-endedness has been realized by linguists for decades; the term was coined by the American linguist Charles Hockett in 1960, though others have sometimes preferred the labels productivity or creativity.  (R.L. Trask, Language, and Linguistics: The Key Concepts, 2nd ed., edited by Peter Stockwell. Routledge, 2007)[I]n human language the meaningful messages (both sentences and words) are infinite in variety by virtue of the fact that words are produced from a system of combining a finite set of meaningless units. Linguists since Hockett in the 1960s have described this hallmark property of language as duality of patterning.  (Dani Byrd and Toben H. Mintz, Discovering Speech, Words, and Mind. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010)The ability to respond freely is another key aspect of creativity: no human is obliged to make a fixed response to any situation. People can say whatever they want, or even stay silent... Having a limitless range of possible responses is known (technically) as freedom from stimulus control. (Jean Aitchison, The Word Weavers: Newshounds and Wordsmiths. Cambridge University Press, 2007) Productive, Nonproductive, and Semiproductive Forms and Patterns A pattern is productive if it is repeatedly used in language to produce further instances of the same type (e.g. the past-tense affix -ed in English is productive, in that any new verb will be automatically assigned this past-tense form). Non-productive (or unproductive) patterns lack any such potential; e.g. the change from mouse to mice is not a productive plural formation - new nouns would not adopt it, but would use instead the productive -s-ending pattern. Semi-productive forms are those where there is a limited or occasional creativity, as when a prefix such as un- is sometimes, but not universally, applied to words to form their opposites, e.g. happy → unhappy, but not sad → *unsad. (David Crystal, Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 6th ed. Blackwell, 2008)[T]he plural affix s which is added onto the base form of nouns is productive because any new noun which is adopted into English will employ it, whereas the change from foot to feet is unproductive becau se it represents a fossilised plural form limited to a small set of nouns. (Geoffrey Finch, Linguistic Terms, and Concepts. Palgrave Macmillan, 2000) The productivity of a pattern can change. Until recently, the adverb-forming suffix -wise was unproductive and confined to a handful of cases such as likewise, clockwise, lengthwise and otherwise. But today it has become highly productive, and we frequently coin new words like healthwise, moneywise, clothes wise and romancewise (as in How are you getting on romancewise?).  (R.L. Trask, Dictionary of English Grammar. Penguin, 2000) The Lighter Side of Productivity Now, our language, Tiger, our language. Hundreds of thousands of available words, trillions of legitimate new ideas. Hm? So that I can say the following sentence and be utterly sure that nobody has ever said it before in the history of human communication: Hold the newsreaders nose squarely, waiter or friendly milk will countermand my trousers. (Stephen Fry, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, 1989)

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Current Trend in the Area of Telecommunication Research Paper

Current Trend in the Area of Telecommunication - Research Paper Example The impact of essential forces which regulate the demand and supply of telecommunication services has been enlarged by the international trend in its open markets. As a consequence of current trend in telecommunication, the majority of the telecom service providers are now functioning privately. Major improvements have also come about to stimulate competition at the domestic, local and international levels. Besides, the liberalization in the telecommunication industry had also commenced considerable changes in areas like ‘value-added services’ and long-range calls among others (ITU, â€Å"Trends and developments in the telecommunication environment†). Current Trend in Telecommunication Despite the global economic decline, the telecommunication sector has developed continuously. It is due to this reason that major contribution to the development arises from the emerging markets. The increased utilization of mobile services is one of the significant drivers for the development of telecommunication. ...   The markets for telecommunication are becoming more competitive in providing wireless and the 3G services while other telecom services such as fixed line continue to drop back with respect to effectiveness (ITU, â€Å"Trend in Telecommunication Reform 2010/11†). Description of Wireless Technology Wireless technology help to transmit data in long range without any cables. It is usually measured as a division of telecommunication. Wireless technology enables long-distance communication developing an incorporated network. Through wireless technology, people can use the internet with the assistance of low power radio signals. The most important use of wireless technology can be illustrated with reference to laptop users who usually travel to the distant place. Another important use of wireless technology is the mobile wireless network which links through satellite (Krishnamurthy & Rajashekara, â€Å"Current Trends in Wireless Technologies in Academic Libraries†). In pre sent days, the wireless technology has comprehensive application because of its easy installation and flexibility. Organizations often replace their old LAN system to implement wireless technology in their business because it allows moving the computer from one place to another place without losing the internet connectivity and affecting other devices. The most important uses of wireless technology in present days can be seen in educational institutions, airports, and sometimes in coffee bars. They offer customers with constant internet usage to make their work easier. Making a wireless network in the organization is an inexpensive technique to accomplish the chosen connection with the convenient environment.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Week One Discussion Questions (Mgt-437) Project Management Essay

Week One Discussion Questions (Mgt-437) Project Management - Essay Example A project’s focus looks at the strategic tilt of the business as the project gives the indication whether or not the success will be achieved for the different business entities and how the same will shape up the future realms of the business in the long run. 2. What is a project life cycle? How do project life cycles differ among organizations? To what degree does the structure of the project life cycle used by the organization affect the project manager’s job? Explain your answer. A project life cycle is a series of steps that are taken in order to reach the end goal within a project itself. It is important that a project life cycle is apparently drawn in order to assist the project team members in understanding the work domains. Project life cycles differ amongst organizations because they depend upon the nature of the project work, their deadline requirements that need to be taken care of and the stakeholders who will be directly or indirectly affected by the project in essence. The project manager’s job is seriously affected by the project life cycle because it makes him wait for certain activities to end before he could align the other project deliverables. The need for understanding the time glitches and work requirements is essential for a project manager in order to deliver value. A project stakeholder is a person who is directly or indirectly affected by the project’s results. Some examples of project stakeholders include the people who have invested heavily within the project’s domains as well as those who remain within the background but are linked with the project on a very constant basis. The stakeholders of a project are also comprised of the people who will be affected by the outcome of a project in the long run. When stakeholders are not identified and addressed early on in the project, the projects get affected by such incidents in a very

Writing a letter to somebody Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Writing a letter to somebody - Assignment Example As we would be dealing with different kinds of people in the future, your presentation taught us the relevance of correct tone usage, and how important word choice can be in influencing others. Second, your presentation dealt with basic problems that people normally commit when communicating with others, such as: being too formal, too casual, or too subjective when communicating, orally or in writing, with others. Your examples made your point easier to understand. Lastly, you provided us with very helpful tips on how to appropriately compose a professional email. Clearly, all your reminders will prove to be very significant and beneficial for us in the future, when we start engaging ourselves in business activities and professional interviews. I very much appreciate the time that you have taken from your busy schedule in coming over for you to educate us with what you have expertly presented. I would be looking forward to more lectures and highly informative presentations that you may have in the

Research Essay 1.What is independent filmUsing one or two contemporary

Research 1.What is independent filmUsing one or two contemporary films of your choice critically examine the problem of how to define independent cinema - Essay Example One of the most popular as well as influential kinds of art at the present moment is cinema. However, it must be noted that contrary to the so called mainstream cinema, there is a peculiar phenomenon that is called independent film. This paper will engage two independent movies and based on their close examination will come up with a list of characteristic features of an independent film. The first movie that will be used is titled Reservoir Dogs. Leaving aside some formal details of it, such as the cast or the director, one should note that it reflects the general tendency of independent films to involve unusual, controversial and provocative actions in the plot of the movie. In other words, the characters are shown performing actions that are rarely seen in the mainstream cinema (Allen 2003, p. 14). For example, in Reservoir Dogs one of the main characters, namely Mr. Blonde is portrayed torturing a hostage with a razor, ultimately severing his ear off. There is no doubt that scenes which depict torture are seen in the mainstream movies as well, but they have more symbolic meaning, while directors of independent film tend to portray violence quite realistically. In addition to that, in the same scene of torture, Mr. Blonde finds it necessary not only to mutilate the hostage, but also to kill him. In spite of the fact, that Mr. Blonde has a gun and can easily end li fe of this man, the former decided to spill gasoline all over the hostage and ignite it, making death of the latter long and painful. As one can clearly see, the amount of violence in one particular scene is tremendous if compared to mainstream movies. Indeed, in the latter, people are often killed without excessive cruelty as this is able to undermine the reputation of the studio. Contrary to that independent films have almost no restrictions on the amount of violence that they are able to provide the viewers with. Another important characteristic feature of

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Finance executives recognize the benefits of method's green Essay

Finance executives recognize the benefits of method's green efficiencies - Essay Example The methods save the company money and reduce its liabilities in the long run by significantly reducing adverse environmental impacts of its business activities. Yes, other household supply companies now recognise the financial importance of adopting green products. Customers have become more concerned about the environment and want to associate with those companies that exhibit the best ethical practices. The customers want to be linked with companies that embrace green technology and have moral conscious about the environment. This is evident in the case study where Method, a green technology-oriented firm, has become popular among customers in the market. Consequently, competing firms have joined in the race by adopting green business technologies. In the case, it is estimated that eco-friendly household supplies is likely to grow from 3 percent in 2008 to 30 percent in 2013, which is a massive and positive trend towards the industry becoming green in the

Individual assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Individual - Assignment Example After a thorough discussion the group members converged in common inference that communication among employees is vital in an organization in order to maintain a proper work flow. In an organization each employee is a part of a bigger employee network. The work allocation must be communicated among the employees in order to have a clear idea of the work progress in the desired direction. Communication among employees has evolved over the years, from verbal and written communication to email and instant messaging. Even though the mode of communication has changed to ease off our efforts at workplace, it also has put a significant effect at our personal life. This essay reflects on the concept of checking work emails all the time and how email communication has changed the way we communicate at our workplace. I will also discuss about the group members’ individual contribution in the discussion and how I have inferred my opinion from the group activity. In order to collect relevant theories regarding organizational communication and the use of email communication in work place, the group members collected several articles from relevant journals. From the collected data, we tried to highlight the important factors and outcomes related to a proper organizational communication. One of my colleagues pointed out that Spaho (2011) has emphasized on the importance of organizational communication, and how it is an important factor for the organization’s success. He mentioned that miscommunication or poor communication can lead to poor relationship between the managers and the employees, which in turn can result in internal conflicts. I further added my opinion that a proper communication from the managers gives the right direction to the employees, which results in increase in their efficiency. Likewise, regular communication from the employees’ end also

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Finance executives recognize the benefits of method's green Essay

Finance executives recognize the benefits of method's green efficiencies - Essay Example The methods save the company money and reduce its liabilities in the long run by significantly reducing adverse environmental impacts of its business activities. Yes, other household supply companies now recognise the financial importance of adopting green products. Customers have become more concerned about the environment and want to associate with those companies that exhibit the best ethical practices. The customers want to be linked with companies that embrace green technology and have moral conscious about the environment. This is evident in the case study where Method, a green technology-oriented firm, has become popular among customers in the market. Consequently, competing firms have joined in the race by adopting green business technologies. In the case, it is estimated that eco-friendly household supplies is likely to grow from 3 percent in 2008 to 30 percent in 2013, which is a massive and positive trend towards the industry becoming green in the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Managing Change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing Change - Assignment Example Furthermore, for such a company to survive through all those years in the competitive market, it has to set its strategies right. In this report, we are going to explore the approaches that Nike towards corporate responsibility. Nike is therefore developing a new approach to corporate responsibility to consider ways at which it can harness the power of its business so that it influences environmental and social changes as the business grows. As the year 2006 approached, Nike’s acting goal was to make sure that every business unit incorporates corporate responsibility to their development strategies, responsibilities and performance. In addition to that, Nike was going to evaluate success by the extent at which the various businesses have met their goals for corporate responsibility as well as the business growth. ‘CR must evolve from being seen as an unwanted cost to being recognized as an intrinsic part of a healthy business model, an investment that creates competitive advantage and helps a company achieve profitable, sustainable growth. For that to happen, we saw we needed to transition our corporate responsibility efforts beyond that of standard risk and reputation management approach usually taken, and beyond the work of an isolated function within the business model. We realized that effective strategies are ones that embrace the whole enterprise. Responsible competitive outcomes result from holistic approaches and business processes that extend from factory workers to consumer, from sources or raw material to communities, where we can influence social and environmental change, from our workplace to the world we all share. An environmentally friendly product made under poor labor is a hollow success. A product made under good conditions but that is bad for our planet is a missed opportunity. We don’t believe in trade-offs. We do believe – passionately so – in innovating to create new and better solutions’. In this report, we

Monday, October 14, 2019

National Health Policy Of India

National Health Policy Of India The National Health Policy of 1983 was announced during the Sixth plan period. The National Health Policy (NHP) in light of the Directive Principles of the constitution of India recommends universal, comprehensive primary health care services which are relevant to the actual needs and priorities of the community at a cost which people can afford (MoHFW, 1983, 3-4). It recommended the establishment of a nationwide network of epidemiological stations that would facilitate the integration of various health interventions. It set up targets for achievement that were primarily demographic in nature. The NHP 1983 stated that: India is committed to attaining the goal of Health for All by the Year AD 2000, through the universal provision of comprehensive primary health care services. This goal was in line with the 1978 Alma-Ata conference of the WHO. Some of the policy initiatives outlined in the NHP-1983 have yielded results, while, in several other areas, the outcome has not been as expected. National Health Policy of India 2002 The results of the 1983 policy have been mixed. The most noteworthy initiative under this policy was a phased, time-bound programme for setting up a well dispersed network of comprehensive primary healthcare services. However the financial resources and public health administrative capacity which it was possible to marshal, was far short of that necessary to achieve such an ambitious and holistic goal. The outcomes have been far less than targets as NHP 1983 was a set of broad-based macro-level recommendations spanning not only the health sector, but also sectors associated with other contributors such as water supply, sanitation, environment, nutrition, etc. to the health status of the population. Thus against the above backdrop the existing health policy was modified in 2002 and the National health policy 2002 was formulated. The National Health Policy 2002 renews its commitment to expeditiously control communicable diseases, eliminate a few and contain the rest in a time-bound manner. Some of the time bound goal this policy expects to achieve are shown in the table below: Goal Target Dates Eradicate polio and yaws 2005 Eliminate leprosy 2005 Eliminate kala-azar 2010 Eliminate lymphatic filariasis 2015 Achieve zero level growth of HIV/AIDS 2007 Reduce mortality by 50% on account of tuberculosis, malaria and other vector and water-borne diseases 2010 Reduce prevalence of blindness to 0.5% 2010 2010 Reduce infant mortality rate to 30/1000 and maternal mortality rate to 100/100000 2010 Increase utilization of public health facilities from current level of 75% 2010 Establish an integrated system of surveillance, national health accounts and health statistics 2005 Increase health expenditure by government as a % of GDP from the existing 0.9% to 2% 2010 Increase share of Central grants to constitute at least 25% of total health spending 2010 Increase state sector health spending (from 5.5% to 7% of budget) 2005 Further increase state sector health spending to 8% of budget 2010 In this essay we analyse the national health policy by addressing the following questions: Have the tasks enlisted in the 2002 NHP been fulfilled as desired? Did the 2002 NHP sufficiently reflect the ground realities in health care provision? And lastly, what are the gaps in national health policy formulation and what is the road ahead for the health policy of the country? Achievements of the NHP 2002: India achieved the lowest ever polio transmission levels in 2010, especially during the high transmission season. Also a sharp decline was seen in number of polio cases reported with only 633 polio cases reported in November 2010 compared to 633 cases in 2009 Adult HIV prevalence at national level has declined from 0.41% in 2000 to 0.31% in 2009. The estimated number of new annual HIV infections has declined by more than 50% over the past decade. According to data from National AIDS Control Organization, there has been an overall reduction in adult HIV prevalence and HIV incidence (new infections) in India. Leprosy Prevalence Rate has been further reduced to 0.71/10,000 2010. 32 State/UTs (except Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Dadra Nagar Haveli) have achieved elimination by March 2010. Similar progress of elimination has also been in 81% of districts and 77% of Block PHC in the country. TB mortality in the country has reduced from over 42/lakh population in 1990 to 23/lakh population in 2009 as per the WHO global report 2010. As per the WHO global TB report, 2010 the prevalence of TB in the country has reduced from 338/lakh population in 1990 to 249/lakh population by the year 2009. Problems not addressed by NHP 2002 NHP 2002 completely omits the concept of comprehensive and universal healthcare. The policy thus departs from the fundamental concept of the NHP 1983 and the Alma Ata Declaration. By its silence, the NHP 2002 provides a framework for the dismantling of the entire concept of primary healthcare. Importantly, the section on policy prescriptions in the NHP 2002 is silent on the content of the primary healthcare system. Despite the increase financial resources dedicated to health care the country continues to struggle in creating sufficient healthcare infrastructure. The government estimated there was a shortage of 4,803 primary health centres and 2,653 community health centres in 2006. According to a study conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry, the formal healthcare system reaches only about 50% of the total population. India is also desperately short of doctors, with only 645,825, or 0.6 per 1,000 people, in 2004, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Even though the NHP 2002 plans to raise public health investment to 2% of GDP, the target is far less than the WHO recommended target of 5%. The policy does admit grave deficiencies in the health sector and notes how only 20 per cent of the population seeks OPD services and is forced to turn to private clinics. It also admits the collapse of the primary healthcare system and acknowledges the poor coverage of womens health and prevention of infant mortality. Ironically, its prescriptions fail to address the problems or offer solutions. The policy calls for providing incentives to the private sector to move to the primary healthcare system. However, the experience in urban centres has been discouraging. The incentives in terms of subsidised land, water, electricity and duty-free import facility doled out to high-profile private medical centres and hospitals in the urban areas has seen little benefit for the poor. Very few of these hospitals conform to the mandatory provision of free medical care to the population below the poverty line or the reservation of a certain percentage of their beds for the poor. Recommendations and conclusion: Although the Indian economy had high growth rates in recent years (9Â ·4% in 2005-06 and 9Â ·6% in 2006-07, with a consistent 7Â ·0% growth rate even during the period of global economic slowdown), according to the Human Development Index India is ranked 134 among 182 countries. Indias economic transformation does not seem to have produced tangible improvements in the health of the nation, and the recognition that improvement in health contributes to accelerated economic growth has not led to adequate investment in or improved the efficiency of health care. The NHP 2002 fails to check the growing influence of the private sector in the health care system. The private sector grew in an uncoordinated manner, to become the default option for healthcare in many cases. In an unregulated environment, neither the private sector nor the public sector provided an assurance of quality or access. The increasing dependence on the private sector, in addition to very weak regulation and corruption, has led to a huge increase in health-care costs in the country. Considering the above scenario the new healthcare policy or any other healthcare plan of the government should focus mainly on achieving the following objectives in the period of next 10 years: Ensure the reach and quality of health services to all in India; Reduce the financial burden of health care on individuals; Empower people to take care of their health and hold the health-care system accountable. Thus the new policy should again focus on the goal of universal health care which was mentioned in the NHP 1983, but was sidelined in the NHP 2002. Strategic plan to achieve healthcare goals: In this section we briefly discuss the goals that are desired to be achieved by the new healthcare policy framework and proposed strategies to achieve these goals. Goal: Integrate private and public health-care delivery systems Strategies: All health-care institutions and practitioners should be required to register with a national health regulatory agency and make this information available on the internet. Define a rational mix of public and private health-care services to enhance complementarities, and invest in further development of public health-care services including health promotion and prevention services. Goal: Create a universal health-care fund and reduce the cost of health care Strategies: Increase the proportion of gross domestic product as public health expenditure Merge all existing health insurance funds (eg, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, Arogyasri) with this fund Apply heavy taxes on harmful products such as tobacco products, alcohol, and foods of low nutritional value, and allocate most revenue to health care Define the costs of all essential and emergency health-care interventions, and finance a package of care that is based on diseases that should be prioritised and cost-effective interventions Negotiate prices with providers, including caps, for different services on the basis of the cost of the care packages Invest in health promotion and early recognition of disease Goal: Increase the numbers, diversity, and distribution of human health resources Strategies: Establish an autonomous organisation to govern the supply of a full range of health workers, from accredited social health activists to doctors to health administrators Strengthen the role of community health workers with clearly defi ned skills, adequate remuneration, and career paths Encourage postings in rural or other underserved areas through increased salaries and other incentives such as provision of education to children Establish the Indian Health Service for careers in government health care All senior personnel in the Ministry of Health should be required to have public health training Promote the creation of medical and nursing colleges in underserved districts Goal: Promote evidence-based health-care practices Strategies: Establish an autonomous organisation to set guidelines for care practices in the Integrated National Health System Monitor and regulate the use of practices that are not based on evidence Strengthen capacities of health and non-health policy makers to recognise the importance of this approach Increase resources for priority health research Implement and act on the findings of district and national health surveillance and information systems, and encourage assessments Goal: Promote rational use of drugs and technology Strategies: Promote use of generic drugs through a wide network of pharmacies for generic drugs, with at least one in each block Ban incentives by pharmaceutical and medical technology companies to practitioners or consumer groups Negotiate bulk purchasing for patented drugs Make the best use of information technology that is being developed for the health system Goal: Create a decentralised governance structure that responds to local needs and is accountable Strategies: Create systems for accountability of local health-care services to fully empowered civil society groups Provide flexibility and expertise in districts and subdistricts to plan local health-care management plans Monitor and promote equity, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability in the health-care system

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Adolf Hitler :: essays research papers

Adolf Hitler was born in 1889 in a small town called Braunau, Austria by a loving mother named Klara Poelzl Hitler, and an abusive and alcoholic father named Alois Hitler. After becoming chancellor of Germany in 1933, he would lead one of the most barbaric and inhumane regimes in history. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how isolationism and solidarity played a role in the life of this evil leader, both on a personal and political level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although Adolf’s mother was loving, she lived in constant fear of Alois because he often beat her and the children. Adolf’s step brother, Alois jr., was abused so much that he ran away at the age of fourteen. Alois jr. was replaced by Adolf to be used as a human punching bag. His mother could only stand by and watch and then try to comfort her only son. Adolf had a younger sister named Paula who was born in 1896, she never really was beaten and never had to live with her father for very long because her father died when she was six years old, and Adolf was thirteen years old. Although Adolf cried when he saw his father’s body, he never spoke highly of him after his death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even through the abuse he suffered, He was still an excellent student through primary school. He was a very hard worker and got good grades through Benedictive Monastery School. After primary school Adolf decided that he wanted to become an artist. However he was forced by his father to go to a technical school rather than an art school. At the technical school he did poorly and was a difficult student according to his teachers. They described him as being violent, argumentive, and bad tempered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adolf had one teacher that inspired him, their name was Dr. Poetsch. Dr. Poetsch was an anti-Semitic and a fanatical Pan-German nationalist. It was Dr. Poetsch, said Adolf, who inspired him to become a revolutionary.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adolf isolated himself society; he had only one childhood friend, Gustl. Adolf also isolated himself from his family when his mother died in 1907, and then he moved to Vienna because his family was putting pressure on him to get a job, In Vienna he lived by selling his paintings and drawings. While his time in Vienna he had no relations with anyone accept for his business meetings. His temper is first shown in public when he is trying to sell his art work and it is rejected. Adolf Hitler :: essays research papers Adolf Hitler was born in 1889 in a small town called Braunau, Austria by a loving mother named Klara Poelzl Hitler, and an abusive and alcoholic father named Alois Hitler. After becoming chancellor of Germany in 1933, he would lead one of the most barbaric and inhumane regimes in history. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how isolationism and solidarity played a role in the life of this evil leader, both on a personal and political level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although Adolf’s mother was loving, she lived in constant fear of Alois because he often beat her and the children. Adolf’s step brother, Alois jr., was abused so much that he ran away at the age of fourteen. Alois jr. was replaced by Adolf to be used as a human punching bag. His mother could only stand by and watch and then try to comfort her only son. Adolf had a younger sister named Paula who was born in 1896, she never really was beaten and never had to live with her father for very long because her father died when she was six years old, and Adolf was thirteen years old. Although Adolf cried when he saw his father’s body, he never spoke highly of him after his death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even through the abuse he suffered, He was still an excellent student through primary school. He was a very hard worker and got good grades through Benedictive Monastery School. After primary school Adolf decided that he wanted to become an artist. However he was forced by his father to go to a technical school rather than an art school. At the technical school he did poorly and was a difficult student according to his teachers. They described him as being violent, argumentive, and bad tempered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adolf had one teacher that inspired him, their name was Dr. Poetsch. Dr. Poetsch was an anti-Semitic and a fanatical Pan-German nationalist. It was Dr. Poetsch, said Adolf, who inspired him to become a revolutionary.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adolf isolated himself society; he had only one childhood friend, Gustl. Adolf also isolated himself from his family when his mother died in 1907, and then he moved to Vienna because his family was putting pressure on him to get a job, In Vienna he lived by selling his paintings and drawings. While his time in Vienna he had no relations with anyone accept for his business meetings. His temper is first shown in public when he is trying to sell his art work and it is rejected.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Evolution :: essays research papers

Evolution is a force than nothing can escape. Communities evolve constantly and although there is no standard of where a society should be at any given moment, communities evolve individually. Then in reaction to a developing community, people grow and change. Then in reaction to people evolving the tools that people use develop. This constant evolving usually happens so gradually and slowly that it is hard to detect. As we look back we can see the evolution is a major component of our lives. By focusing mainly on what a person needs to be an active member of society in the New England area we can see exactly how evolution takes its toll on us. Comfort, necessity and luxury are a constantly changing aspect of our society.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As we look deeper into the constant changing of what a person needs to be an active member of a community we notice the continuos alteration of what exactly defines a comfort a necessity and a luxury. Comfort by definition is a condition of pleasu rable ease or well being. By that definition there are endless numbers of object that could serve as a comfort. Take public transportation for example. The thought of having the train that takes us into the city is a commonly know option. Not always have people been able to choose public transportation as a method of getting to and from. Dating as far back as 1889 when the first method of public transportation was developed in Massachusetts. Before this the thought of having a bus or train run to the main areas of a community was absolutely unheard of. But in today’s society there are many people who depend of the train or bus to get to work or to school or wherever it is they are going. When exactly did public transportation change from a luxury to a comfortable part of society? We can not exactly put a date on it but as you look back in time with me we can see how slowly and unnoticeably a societies way of life can change. In conclusion a comfort to us now was at one point and time a luxury to the communities who discovered the amazing attributions that have so nicely shaped our society today.Secondly we can take this observation a little closer to today. If we look at the definition of necessity we find that it means pressing or urgent need.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Cultures in apa style Essay

As businesses become global, limitations between cultures and environments crumbled little by little. However, within the vastly developing globalization, business observers discovered many ‘unpredictable’ phenomena. These phenomena come to the scope of observation, only after globalization is widely accepted by firms all over the world. One of these phenomena is the success of corporations from unfamiliar cultures, which were previously never expected to generate notable business growth or extraordinary innovation. Some of those companies are IKEA, Volvo, Electrolux, Scania, Hennez and Mauritz, etc. All of these mentioned corporations are Swedish in origins. Nevertheless, there are also significant developments displayed by those cultures which are predicted to dominate future global markets, like the Chinese market. The Chinese business culture and the Swedish business culture represented two different business cultures in terms of common expectations. The Chinese culture has been long predicted to be one of the fastest growing economies in the world due to the size of its markets. The Swedish culture on the other hand, represented a culture which is not predicted to become one of the dominant players in the global economy. In this paper, I am comparing these two business cultures in order to discover their differences and similarities, and thus understanding the origins of their competitive advantages. The comparison between the two cultures will be performed by observing studies that have been previously published and professional websites that develop business guidance to foreign countries. The comparison between the two cultures will be performed by comparing these specific traits, which are: decision and deal-making, conversation, making appointments, perspective regarding profit. 2 Discussions If we are using a specific research method, then within this paper, we are using the qualitative research method, in the sense that the research will not involve numbers and other objective measurements and the results will not be simply defined. In a qualitative research, the purpose is not to generalize an answer to other circumstances, but merely answering a specific question within a specific condition and context. Thus, the answer would be in the form of deep and meaningful explanations and contains discussions that would generate bias if the readers are not diligently capturing the context. As mentioned previously, the comparison between the two cultures will be based on specific traits, which are: ? Decision making ? Business culture ? Perspectives ? Authority ? Implementation of Regulations ? Leadership ? Cultural Context 2. 1 Similarities Both the Swedish and the Chinese culture treat outside information very cautiously. Nevertheless, after proven that the information and the person or the organization providing that information is reliable, than the person or the organization will most likely by a long-time friend of the company. In terms of relationship with the government, both cultures have high respect toward the authority of their government. Thus regulations are highly respected in both countries. Another similarity is the tendency to preserve the dignity of others by avoiding conflict as much as possible 2. 2 Differences 2. 2. 1 Decision Making In terms of deal and decision making, the Chinese people have a weaker respect toward the language English compare to the Swedish. Swedish businessmen generally speak English and ones that do not have the capability to speak English are considered lacking a competitive advantage. In China however, such a perspective has weak powers or even the perspective does not exist at all. Thus, businessmen generally bring an interpreter to China to prevent conversational stuck during negotiations or lobbying. In Sweden, due to the fact that most of their end-customers are American in nationality, English is accepted as a language of business conversation (Alexander, 2006; Bary, 2005). 2. 2. 2 Business Culture Another reason that adds to the importance of taking into account of cultural characteristics of a country is the issue of communication. Different cultures have different styles of business communication. For instant, western managers are generally recognized in their expertise for assembling words. Western managers are generally more talkative than any other. On the other hand, managers from Asian countries do not share the same trait. They prefer actions rather than words. If they choose to say anything, it would generally be short and to-the-point (‘American-Japanese’, 2005). Other communication differences might lie in body languages like nodding, smiling and other manners of speaking and listening. Managers of eastern countries generally have a unique manner of speaking and listening. American managers unaccustomed with these differences usually find it hard to comprehend the meaning of each gestures. Furthermore, politeness in some cultures might involve reversing the meaning from ‘yes’ to ‘no’ or the opposite. In regard of the importance of communication in the business realm, understanding these differences is an important requirement of a good manager. Another cultural aspect that created the differences of managing in different regions is the issue of gender. Surveys indicated that American companies are more liberal in nature, where women had more access to managerial positions rather than any Asian companies like Japanese or Chinese that just performing programs that encourage female leaders to take their stand (Japan’s, 2005). In addition, the Chinese business culture is also very much hierarchical. In a sense, they prefer that people respect them in accordance to their position within an organization. Thus, businessmen promoting a product or an agreement must generally performed presentation in different levels of the organization. In Sweden on the other hand, such a troublesome process is most likely avoided. Business presentation is generally performed only once or twice because all officers from different levels within an organization do not have problems with sitting side by side to each other (‘Making Appointments, 2008). 2. 2. 3 Perspectives Chinese people tend to make decisions using subjective point of view and personal feelings. This is the common design of a high context organization, where respect and unwillingness to confront with leaders slow down quality development. In Sweden on the other hand, decisions are made by both objective and subjective point of views and using both rationality and intuition, however, the basic difference is that the Swedish culture does not have a value of high respect toward leaders that will hamper democracy or objective considerations of the fact (‘Background to Business in China’, 2008). 2. 2. 4 Authority Despite having the same feeling of respect toward the authority of their government both cultures implement their regulations in different intensities. In order to suppress corruption that has been plaguing the country several decades in the past, the Chinese government decided not to go half way in punishing people who broke Chinese business laws. Some punishments are even performed in public to prevent similar occurrences. That is why there is a saying in China that most companies in China use logic, evidence and common sense, only if they do not contradict with the government’ doctrines and rules. In Sweden however, even though the regulations about breaking business laws are clear, the implementation still much ‘softer’ that it is in China (Alexander, 2005; ‘Chinese Deal Making’, 2008). 2. 2. 5 Implementation of Regulations In terms of decision making, the Chinese business culture generally recognize a collective decision making process. The leader will only be decisive and harsh in implementation the collective decision. Before any decision has been made, Chinese leaders have only a slightly higher decision making power compare to their subordinate. Nevertheless, even though the decision has been approved collectively, individuals within the group are still held accountable for his/her suggestions. In the Swedish culture on the other hand, 2. 2. 6 Leadership Leaders in China are meant to lead and even though they have the full right to punish their subordinates, they are expected to take full responsibilities when facing a higher authority. In Sweden on the other hand, leaders are not meant to tell people what to do, they meant to listen and than decide based on the collective decision. This example can be discovered in many types of organizations in Sweden. Even in the sport environment, a Sweden trainer would understand that his/her job is to work with the athlete and performing the trainings his/her way. On the other hand, a Chinese trainer might be furious if the athlete refuses to follow any of his/her orders Gernet, 1996). 2. 3 Cultural Context As mentioned previously, the China business culture is actually a high context culture, in which people are accustomed to be very subtle and shoring very little emotion when expressing a rejection, or a new claim. Sweden on the other hand, is basically a low-context culture, in which managers would prefer that every managerial activity is performed as informal as possible. Not like the United States however, in Sweden people strive more to avoid looking as an individual person, although he/she might have great ideas, it is till the collective thought that would prevail in most meetings. 3 Conclusion According to the previous researches, Sweden and China has quite huge differences, mainly in how they perceive the role of the authority and leaders. Further studies are required to understand the true correlation between these differences and business development in the future. Bibliography Alexander, John. 2006. Swedish Message. Retrieved August 21, 2008 ‘American-Japanese Communication 101’. 2005. WIN Advisory Group. Retrieved August 21, 2008 from http://www. winadvisorygroup. com/AmericanJapaneseComms101. html ‘Background to Business in China’. 2008. World Business Culture. Retrieved August 21, 2008 from www. glo-bis. com/china. htm Bary, Theodore de. â€Å"†Constructive Engagement with Asian Values†Ã¢â‚¬ . Archived from the original on 2005-03-11.. Columbia University. Chinese Business Deal Making. Nd. Los Angeles Chinese Learning Centers. 2008 Retrieved August 21, from chinese-school. netfirms. com/deal. html Gernet, Jacques. A History of Chinese Civilization. 2. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. ‘Making Appointments’. Nd. Los Angeles Chinese Learning Centers. 2008 Retrieved August 21, from chinese-school. netfirms. com/deal. html